Harry Potter and the Power of the Mind
Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter and I do not write this story for any financial gain.
"Talking"
'Thinking'
Written Knowledge
~Parseltongue~
Spells
Revelations.
Harry woke up earlier than usual to the sound of scratching, turning on his bed to spot an owl by the window, getting up slowly to open it, shivering to the cold wind, taking the letter before whispering to the bird:
"Want to get in and warm up?"
The owl looked inside and blinked slowly, making Harry move out of the way while gesturing, but it simply coed before flying down from the tower, moving towards the owlery.
Harry sat and saw it was from the Ministry.
Dear Mr. Potter, we are pleased to inform you that your potion works with a few setbacks. The subjects were unable to use their magic, even with their wands in their possession, and the Animagus magic didn't work as well, but they showed symptoms of nausea, vomiting, and headaches. We expect you at your earliest convenience to discuss its side effects and its production moving forward.
Att,
Amelia Bones.
Harry nodded to himself, putting the letter aside with a frown, finally having his first answer to the problem.
Later in the day, the houses were bubbling with the incoming afternoon matches, but Harry was nowhere to be found. Hermione was bombarded with quests to find him and snapped at a few Ravenclaws who were persistent as if she was hiding him under her skirt.
"I don't know where he is, please, leave me alone! Go look for him yourself!" She hissed to a second-year who had asked her three times in the last thirty minutes, going to the library to hide.
When she arrived there, she saw a glimpse of someone moving by the reserved section, and leaned in to see, and it was Harry, moving between shelves like a ghost. When Hermione looked around, Madam Pince was nowhere to be found, so she pushed the metal gate and walked in.
"Harry, everyone is looking for you. Your game is about to start-"
Harry turned and hissed to Hermione, making her frown, and then, she heard a noise when someone got up from a chair from somewhere close.
Harry ran and pulled Hermione to where he was, closing the gate, taking the books he had on the counter and putting them in her hands, taking his invisibility cape and throwing it around them, staying beside her when they both saw Madam Pince arrive, looking at the corridor with worried eyes, moving to the next corridor before coming back.
"I could swear- Well." She checked her surroundings and went back, so Harry signaled for Hermione to start walking, but she was like a statue, feeling embarrassed for having him grabbing around her waist, their faces almost touching."
"Move, Jean!" Harry hissed in her ear and she started moving slowly, until they arrived at the gate that looked like it was closed again.
"Alorromora." Harry pointed his wand and the door opened. They moved it out of the way and closed it behind them, walking until they arrived at a deserted corner, and he took the cape off.
"Harry, what is that?!" Hermione asked while pointing with one hand to the cape he was stashing inside his vests.
"A piece of death's cloak."
"A what?!"
"To long of a story, I'll tell you some other time.
She frowned and looked at the books she was holding.
"What are you doing with these?"
"I think I found a way, Jean."
"Stop calling me that."
"Why?"
"I don't know, it feels... weird."
Harry smiled devilish at her and she glared back before saying:
"Suit yourself, but I won't answer back."
"I just wanted to use a more endearing name when calling my best friend, I'm sorry." Harry faked a crying face and she moved in to give him the books back.
"Ugh."
"How about Mione?"
She turned to give him her most disgusted look.
"You know what? I'll take Jean over that."
Harry giggled and then he gestured for them to keep walking.
"And why are you researching genealogical trees two hours before your game?" Hermione asked low and Harry looked at her with his eyes full of meaning.
"That's a secret, that I can share with you if you promise to look at it objectively and not freak out."
She frowned and stopped, seeing a bench and moving to sit.
"When was I not objective?"
Harry chuckled and sat beside her.
"I'll give you the short version, or this could take some time."
Ten minutes later, Hermione was with her mouth open.
"Dear god." She said under her breath and Harry nodded.
"Yeah, it's complicated like that."
"And you said you're going with the headmaster today? To this cave?"
"After the game, I made him promise to take me."
She just looked at Harry with her eyes wide open.
"I'm coming too."
Harry got up while laughing.
"Over my dead body."
"You don't get to decide that-"
"Of course I do. I just shared it with you, and if I hadn't, you would know nothing about it. I saved you from ignorance, and now I'm asking for your cooperation in return."
She frowned while narrowing her eyes, shaking her head.
"Harry, you promised us you wouldn't keep us in the dark anymore-"
"And I'm not. I just told you everything, but coming along is different. You can see how dangerous this will be, can't you?"
She opened her mouth to lie but closed it.
"I told all of you that what I was offering was the opportunity to be ready for when the time comes, and the time has not come yet. If I told them, and one of them asked to come with us, and then die, how do you think that would feel? Who would tell their parents about how they died? Have you considered what can happen when dealing with this Voldemort bullshit?"
Hermione looked down for a few moments.
"I know you do, you're smart like that, and that's the reason I told you. I know we think alike, so I know you'll understand."
He started walking and Hermione asked.
"Have you told anyone yet?"
"What? About this? No, I haven't. Why?"
"Nothing." She said and resumed walking by his side.
"What are you smirking about?"
"You have your game in a few hours, let's go back, the whole house is going crazy looking for you." She changed the subject and Harry sighed.
"They gotta be kidding. There's still plenty of time. I had to finish my research before the game."
"I forgot to ask, have you found anything about what you were looking for the other day? The genetic disorder or something like that."
"I think I did."
"Too long to share right now?"
"Exactly."
"Fine, I'll wait, and don't you dare to take it easy today because it's against the twins, you hear me?" Hermione hissed the last part really low.
"Whoa whoa whoa, what was that? Where did that come from? They are our friends."
"Not inside the field, they're not. I don't care about outside, but when you're on the field, I need you going for their throat, you hear me? I need a win."
Harry tilted his head, impressed, and then he noticed her weird gaze remembering that gaze from some other faces the last gaming day.
"Are you betting on this?"
She pressed her lips together but didn't answer.
"You are!" Harry acused.
She smiled and looked around.
"I saw the first years doing it and at first it didn't pique my interest, but then, I saw what exactly it was."
"And what exactly was that?"
"I can't tell you the details or it would be cheating, but we bet on an outcome, and the person who comes closer gains all the gold."
"Outcome?"
"Last time, people bet you would take the Snitch under ten minutes, so they lost. Others said it would take between 20 and 30 minutes, so they won. The people who won, made other predicaments, like, where in the field will he take it, is it going to be clean? fought? is it a dive? a fly-up? In the end, the one closest to the real thing takes the gold."
Harry nodded, impressed.
"So it's analysis and prediction."
"Exactly! It has luck involved, I'm not gonna deny it, but I found it very entertaining."
Harry shook his head and saw a figure running towards them.
"THANK GOD, HERMIONE! YOU FOUND HIM!" Jeremy came shouting and hugged Hermione, who gasped at the tight lock, while Harry raised his eyebrows.
"All right, that would be enough, Jeremy." Harry tapped his arm after seeing Hermione's gaze asking for help and he jumped to hug him too.
"There, have one! You scared us, man, we thought you ditched us."
"No- I was just in the library... let go. Why the ruckus, the game is in two hours."
"Well, we thought that Gryffindor had you tied up somewhere. Roger and Cho were asking- demanding some answers from them, and it almost ended up in a duel between Wood and Roger. Well, needless to say, Roger is green right now, you won't believe it but the Gryffindors have Nimbus 2010 too."
"What?" Hermione asked shocked.
"Yeah, I don't know how, but the twins have one Nimbus each."
And then, Hermione frowned at Jeremy, who frowned back, and both turned to Harry, who was trying to look forward with his best poker face.
"YOU!" They both shouted and Harry was unable to hide his laugh.
When Harry arrived at the Great Hall, the twins looked at him as if seeing Jesus and started getting up to come towards him, but Harry quickly shook his head, placing a finger over his lips.
"I can't believe you've done this." Jeremy was astonished.
"Tell a soul and I'll rip your tongue off." Harry threatened him and he sighed.
"I won't, but why have you done it?"
"Why not? They deserve a gift for the shit I pulled back at their house. I literally traumatized their little sister and Sirius almost killed Pettigrew at their dinner table. They spent their Christmas night answering questions in the Ministry, dude, the brooms were the least I could do."
"When you put like that-" Hermione started.
"They're going to destroy us." Jeremy said with a sigh.
"Really? You have this little faith in me?" Harry asked, sniffing.
"I want to hear you saying that when they play ping pong with the Bludgers with you in the middle."
Harry smiled and they arrived at their table, hearing the cheers, but they were a lot lower than last time.
"They have this little faith in us?" Harry asked with a tiny smile.
"They have two Nimbus 2010, Harry." Roger said.
"They do? No way." Harry faked a shocked face and Jeremy smiled.
"Yes, I don't know how they got two, but they do. We're going to have to work around that, I just don't know how." Roger said and Harry nodded.
"Leave it to me."
"What do you mean? Do you have a plan?" Cho asked while leaning into the conversation.
"I'm going to find the Snitch in the first five minutes of the game." Harry said while grabbing a piece of toast.
The whole section of the table went mute while they eyed Harry chewing.
"How can you say that with a face that straight? You're jinxing it." Hermione said under her breath.
"What? You know I have a place to be by 3:00 PM, so I can't let the game drag." Harry said while eating some more.
"So why didn't you get the Snitch under five minutes last time?" Cho asked with a piece of candy in her mouth.
"Because it was my first game in the daytime. We only trained at night, remember? I wasn't used to it then, but I am now." Harry said with an eyebrow raised and she nodded.
"Five minutes?" Roger asked incredulously.
"What? You don't believe me? Make it three." Harry said with a gaze full of confidence.
"Harry!" Hermione hissed and he looked at her smiling, leaning to whisper in her ear.
"I'm gonna make you rich, Jean."
She moved away and slapped his arm, shushing him, making Harry smile and the others raise their eyebrows.
"So, shall we?" Harry said while getting up, going towards the Ravenclaw tower to change.
When they were next to the field two hours later, Harry felt two bumps.
"Hey, no mauling the seeker." Roger shouted while pointing, but Harry raised one hand.
"It's ok, Roger, we're just talking and they can't take me on." Harry smiled and the twins looked at each other.
"Just FYI, we could totally kill you."
"Right now, and we wouldn't break a sweat." Fred nodded.
"But since you're a saint."
"A god."
"We will abstain ourselves."
"And be humble and gracious."
Harry smiled.
"Thank you, mate, I never thought I'd be able to fly something like this." George pointed to the broom and Harry nodded.
"It's my apology for traumatizing Ginny and screwing your Christmas party."
"Traumatized? She is telling everyone how heroic you are. We were afraid she was going to start a fan club." Fred said and George poked him with the broom handle, signaling to Harry.
"Oh, I mean, yeah, she's crying nonstop."
"Since Christmas."
"So, for two months now? Nightmares only."
"Very traumatized."
"Shut up, you two. Are you sure she's ok?" Harry asked the last part serious.
"She is, mate, no worries there."
"Well, consider the brooms your Christmas and Birthday present for the next five years."
The three of them smiled and looked around, seeing Roger and Wood staring at them with deadly gazes.
"Well, see you on the field." Harry said and the twins smiled devilish.
"And don't think for a second that we'll take it easy on you just because you gave us another reason to live, all right?" George whispered while caressing the broom.
"We're going to destroy you." Fred whispered angelically as well.
"I wouldn't ask for anything less." Harry said low and his smile vanished slowly, giving place to a menacing glare as he walked back to the Ravenclaw formation, making the twins giggle.
When they were called, Harry saw Roger turning to look over his shoulder.
"Three minutes, Potter."
Harry smiled and mounted his broom.
"Don't take it seriously, Harry, you know he's joking, right? No one expects you to actually find it that fast, we know you were just messing around." Cho said low and Harry turned slowly to smile at her and mouth without sound.
"I wasn't." Her eyes went wide before the door was open and they flew up to the open field.
"WELCOME TO THE SECOND ROUND OF QUIDDITCH LADIES AND GENTLEMAN. TODAY WE HAVE OUR SECOND GAME OF THE DAY... GRYFFINDOR VERSUS RAVENCLAW!"
The cheers were louder from both sides and Harry flew up, facing the Gryffindor Seeker, who was sweating like crazy.
"IN OUR PREVIOUS GAME, HUFFLEPUFF BAFFLED EVERYONE WITH ONE OF THE MOST INCREDIBLE PERFORMANCES WE HAVE EVER SEEN, WELL, ME AT LEAST. THEY WON 170 TO 150 AGAINST SLYTHERIN WITH AN AMAZING PERFORMANCE OF THEIR SEEKER, AND ARE CURRENTLY LEADING THE CHAMPIONSHIP, BUT THIS CAN CHANGE AFTER THIS MATCH. RAVENCLAW COMES AS THE FAVORITE FOR THE MATCH BUT I CAN'T CALL A FAVORITE TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP. ALL TEAMS ARE SHOWING POTENTIAL AND THIS YEAR'S CHAMPIONSHIP IS LIIIIIIIIIIIIT!" Everyone cheered after that and heard Macgonagall's voice from up close.
"JORDAN, DO YOU MIND USING PROPER ENGLISH?" A few laughs and they positioned to begin.
"THE GAME IS ABOUT TO BEING. WE HAVE GRIFFYNDOR WITH WOOD, WEASLEY, WEASLEY, JOHNSON, SPINNET, BELL, AAAAAAND MCLAGGEN!" Cheers from the Gryffindor side at the moment Madam Hooch was positioning herself to throw the balls.
"AND WE HAVE RAVENCLAW WITH DUNCAN, STRETTON, SAMUELS, PAIGE, DAVIES, CHANG, AAAAAAAND POTTER!" Harry heard the cheers but his gaze was glued on McLaggen.
And the hissle echoed around the pit, making everyone start flying.
"GAME ON! RAVENCLAW HAS POSSESSION, BUT THIS TIME THERE ARE NO TRICKS, THEY'RE JUST GOING STRAIGHT TO-"
And a lot of voices said OH in unison when two Bludgers hit Roger's hand and the Quaffle, making him drop it.
"WHAT A CORDINATED ATTACK, THE TWINS ARE LIKE BULLETS! THE QUAFFLE IS OURS, SPINNET GOES FOR GOAL, FAINT SAMUELS, AAAAAAAAAAAND... SCOOOOOORE!"
Since the beginning of the game, Harry kept hovering in place, and McLaggen did the same, looking around nervously.
"TEN ZERO GRYFFINDOR AND IT SEEMS THE SEEKERS ARE HAVING A STARING CONTEST, THEY BARELY MOVED."
Harry was simply hovering lower and lower, moving aside a few inches, looking directly at the boy in front of him.
"CHANG IS GOING TO SCORE- STOP HER- YES! ANOTHER BLUDGER WELL THROWN BY GEORGE- OR FRED, I CAN'T TELL FROM HERE. THE BALL IS OURS, AND JOHNSON HAS IT! SHE'S GOING FOR IT, PASS TO BELL, BACK TO JOHNSON, SHE DOVE AAAAAAND- SAVED BY DUNCAN, BUT THERE'S A REBOUND- BELL GOT IT AAAAAAND- SCOOOOOORE!"
And Harry finished whatever he was doing, moving his broom to the left, leaning forward, going like a bullet, just to pull it back all the way, at the same moment McLaggen moved to try and follow him, but he was already going on the opposite direction, diving.
"IT LOOKS LIKE RAVENCLAW'S SEEKER LOST THE STARING CONTEST. HE'S GOING FAST, BUT I DON'T BELIEVE THERE'S A SIGNAL OF THE SNITCH, WHAT IS HE DOING?!"
As Harry flew around the field, close to the towers, he kept his head facing the center of the field, doing laps around it, and the twins, who stopped to watch him, looked at each other and nodded, diving after him.
"THE WEASLEYS ARE ABANDONING THEIR DEFENSIVE POSITIONS AND GOING AFTER POTTER- WHAT IS GOING ON?!"
And they started bombarding Harry with Bludgers, making him dive and turn. Fred went around Harry and started striking back the Bludgers sent by George and Harry hissed while laughing.
"JEREMY YOU BASTARD! YOU WERE RIGHT!"
They almost hit Harry twice when he saw it, turning and going towards the middle of the field, being cut by George who came to a body slam.
"Oh, fancy meeting you here, Harry." He said while they flew shoulder to shoulder, and Harry smiled.
"Isn't there a rule about going after the seeker?"
"I didn't hear no whistle.
"Heh, think you can keep up?"
"Try me."
And Harry maneuvered aside, coming back to bodyslam back, but in the last moment he went lower, almost touching the grass below, making George look down, and when he did, Harry ascended, making him move out of the way, losing his speed, and then, Harry arrived at the other side of the field, going up with his arm raised, but then he heard the two bludgers sent by Fred coming for him, followed by McLaggen who was looking at the golden ball flying up.
Harry looked over his shoulder and smiled, doing a spin at the moment the bludgers arrive, being slightly hit in the back by one of them, while the other passed by the right side of his face, scratching his cheek, and he raised his hand, taking the Snitch, doing a 180ยบ maneuver, going down with the ball secured.
"NOOOOOOO! WHAT?! HARRY POTTER CAUGHT THE SNITCH! RAVENCLAW WINS 150 TO 20- I CAN'T BELIEVE IT- WHAT? TIME? WHY ARE YOU ASKING ABOUT THE TIME, MAN? AH, WHATEVER- THE TIME WAS 2 MINUTES 35 SECONDS INTO THE GAME." Jordan said while looking at his analog watch.
And Harry touched grass, hearing the deafening cheers, seeing the blue cloaks coming.
"YOU KNOW YOU WON, RIGHT? YOU! WON! 150, THAT'S ALL YOU, BABY!" Jeremy shouted while hugging Harry with a giant smile before the others arrived.
"NEVER DOUBTING YOU AGAIN, POTTER- NEVER DOUBTING YOU AGAIN!" Roger shouted while nodding.
"For Merlim's beard, are you even human?!" Cho asked with a smile, jumping to hug him as well.
"Now, can we get to the celebration? I have a place to be." Harry said with a smile, seeing the rest of the blue cloaks swarming him.
Harry arrived with the team and they started celebrating. Someone brought a giant enchanted raven that kept flying over the Ravenclaw table, carrying the flag around, making people cheer. Harry sat next to Hermione and celebrated with the others for some time.
"So, how much did you make?" Harry asked Hermione in a whisper and she looked around before whispering back.
"Well, you should've seen their faces when I bet you would take it under three minutes- I was the only bet, and because of that I won it all. 120 galleons."
"Wow, that's a lot of money for a small bet around students."
"What can I say, everyone is taking part too, even the teachers."
Harry raised an eyebrow and looked at the teacher's table, seeing Flitwick raising one chalice towards him with a nod.
"Unbelievable."
"So, is it later already?" She asked.
Harry looked at her and around, seeing the Gryffindor table looking like someone just died.
"Sure, walk with me? I have a few things to tell you before I can get to it." Harry said while getting up and Hermione followed. After Harry was able to move past all the hugs and handshakes, they walked back to Ravenclaws' tower.
"So, I don't know if I told you this, but I'm kind of invested in discovering everything I can about Squibs."
"Squibs? Ah, the ones who don't have magic, right?"
"Yes, and we have a Squib in our school right now and no one knows about-"
"Mr. Filtch?" She frowned and Harry stopped.
"How'd you know?"
"What do you mean how? He's working in a magic school but doesn't have a wand, and I never saw him doing anything about the other students' magic."
Harry chuckled and resumed his walk.
"So, anyway, Dr. Katherine helped me with a few blood tests and I was just finishing highlighting the discrepancies between him and us."
Hermione nodded while looking forward.
"Oh, so the research you were doing- Are you trying to check if it's biological? Genetic?"
"I sure am."
She smiled and shook her head.
"You're unbelievable."
"What? Imagine if it's some kind of condition. I bet there are a lot of people suffering from this."
"Not really, it's a really rare thing by what I read."
"You read about it?"
"Of course, a few months ago when I got my books, I just didn't know you had your sights on it."
"I'm trying to find the problem so I can think of a potion to help with it, but I can't seem to find it."
"Want help with it?" She asked with a smile while they entered the common room.
"I don't know- After what you said last time I felt kind of bad. I don't want to ask you for anything because-"
"Don't worry, it's in the past."
"You sure?"
"Absolutely. Give me what you have and I'll read it this afternoon. You said you have a place to be with the headmaster, right?"
"Yes."
"And since you're not letting anyone join, I'll help with this matter instead. It's my job as a Raven from the S.S. so don't think much of it. You can focus on your thing while I take care of this."
"Thanks, Jean."
She smiled at the name and they both went to their respective towers to change.
Once they came back, Harry brought his research papers and they sat by the fireplace. Hermione started rushing through the papers like a fiend, and Harry took a moment of silence to watch her work.
"You highlighted these parts because they are discrepancies, right?"
"Yes."
"But what about the ones that are the same?"
"What do you mean? I haven't highlighted those because-"
She turned to look at him with serious eyes and he understood his mistake.
"You're saying-"
"You said this was done between us and him, right? You should've looked at the numbers that are equal because he is an old man, so why are these values the same when they should be higher than a child?"
Harry looked straight at Hermione's face, saying nothing.
"What?"
"Nothing. I didn't think of that."
"I'll get it done this afternoon, don't be late for your meeting and I know this will enter one ear and leave the other but be careful. I mean it."
Harry smiled and got up, taking his backpack and turning to leave, but he just stood there, looking at Hermione for some reason he didn't know.
She noticed his gaze and looked up from the papers.
"What? Off you go, sho! And don't you dare die on me." She waved her hand, making Harry smile and leave.
Harry knocked on the door and heard a voice.
"Come on in."
When he entered, he saw Dumbledore and Snape talking.
"Master Snape." Harry acknowledged while getting in and Snape got up.
"Good luck." He said under his breath and left without another word, making Harry frown.
"Does he know?" Harry asked while turning to Dumbledore.
"He does. I trust Severus with the matter." Dumbledore got up, looking outside the window.
"But if he knows- Why aren't you bringing him with you? I'm sure he's strong and-"
"There are factors that made it dangerous for him to come." Dumbledore left at that and Harry narrowed his eyes.
"And you're not going to tell me about those, right?"
Dumbledore turned and gave him an uninterested look.
"It's nothing of importance, but if you'd like to waste your precious time investigating it, I won't stop you. It won't be anything damaging, just tiresome."
Harry tried to read his face, but it looked genuine. Was he bluffing?
"Now, I must ask. Are you certain about joining me?"
"Why not? It should be fun."
"Harry-"
"I know. This is me taking it seriously."
Dumbledore sighed and offered his arm, which Harry took and they both vanished.
The sun was still high in the sky when they appeared at the beach, closer to the cave than last time.
"Now, I've agreed to bring you with me, Harry, but there are a few rules from now on."
"Of course." Harry sighed and the elder spoke while walking.
"If I tell you to hide, you hide. If I tell you to run, you run. If I tell you to leave me behind and save yourself-"
Harry looked at him and Dumbledore nodded.
"You leave me behind and save yourself."
"Do you know something I don't?"
"About the cave?"
"Yes."
"Knowing Voldemort, I am certain he placed traps and enchantments to protect his Horcrux, and he's devious enough to use any dark spells to achieve his success. What I'm saying, Harry, is that we can expect anything evil or worse inside of that place and that if the danger is too great, you should save yourself and leave me."
"I'm not going to pretend and lie to a legilimens, so hear me out. I've been training a lot, and I know new things now, not great, but good enough to help, so if we find ourselves in a situation where I have a glimpse of hope that I can save you, I'm going to risk it, because I already told you, headmaster, you're too important to be let go."
Dumbledore stopped at the entrance and looked at Harry.
"Then I'm not bringing you with me."
"And by doing that, you're increasing your chances of dying. Are you sure it's okay to leave the world in danger? This is your fault, it's your mess to clean, so you can't just up and quit yet. You don't get to die right now, headmaster."
"My mess?" Dumbledore smirked.
"You know you should've pressed him harder. You know you should've watched him closer. You know that after the Chamber of Secrets, he should've been imprisoned or killed. It was your duty to stop him and you know that."
Dumbledore's mouth opened but he didn't say anything, as if pondering his next words.
"I don't blame you for his actions, but I blame you for your omission. You knew it was all him, everything happening was all him, but you allowed it to happen. You said yourself, that power gave you the right to decide, but at that time you just allowed him to go on. You had wisdom because of Grindelwald, so it was nothing new. You decided to let him go, and because of that, many people died, including my parents."
The wind blew their hair while Dumbledore simply stared.
"So you don't get to die until you tie that loose end, and I'm here to make sure of that. If there's no way to save you, I'll leave, but if there's a chance, I'll try, and you have to accept that because you have a debt to pay."
"You talk about killing Voldemort as if it is something so trivial."
"And it is, right? You wave your wand and the person in front of you dies. There nothing to it, like slapping a fly."
"And have you thought about what it does to the person doing it?"
Harry glared at Dumbledore and the man sighed.
"Don't say things you don't believe in, headmaster, it's unnerving to witness."
"Fine, I made a mistake in letting him live, but if you were in my position, would you kill a child? Would you cut any kind of rehabilitation he could have-"
"I mean, when he used a giant snake to murder other children in his school, that was kind of a red flag, so yes. First, I would've found a way to imprison him."
"I had no proof-"
"Screw proof, you're Albus Dumbledore! You could've built a prison yourself, you could've forced the Minister to obey you- You could've thought of a way to solve that."
They just stared at each other for a few moments until Harry spoke.
"Again, I'm not blaming you, but I am blaming you, so let's go before it's dark, and keep in mind that your mistakes are yours to make it right, not mine."
And Dumbledore's face became stone cold, making him turn to the water and wave his wand.
The natural pool started flying as if forming a wave, but it kept bending and bending until it was simply flying.
"Let's go." Dumbledore said low and they walked on the wet sand until they arrived at the entrance, and Dumbledore let it go of whatever spell he was casting, making the water splash around.
They walked a little and then, both wands that were illuminating the way were snuffed out by some weird mist.
"This is where it begins. Every attempt to produce magical light fails from now on-"
"Well, I'm glad I brought these bad boys then." Harry opened his backpack and took a big flashlight, that he switched on and almost blinded Dumbledore, who covered his eyes to the strong beam.
"What is that-"
"A flashlight. Muggle illumination device that works on batteries, not magic." Harry gestured around, seeing the insides of the cave clear as day.
"Do you have another in case this one breaks or is snuffed as well?"
"Sure, I have a few in here, so we can keep going, I'll illuminate the way."
Dumbledore nodded and they pushed forward, following a narrow trail close to the rockwall. Harry kept looking at the ceiling, trying to find anything weird, switching to the water that was entering the cave, but there was nothing, and then, Dumbledore held Harry's arm.
"We are here. Can you see the lake ahead?"
Harry tried to move the flashlight, but Dumbledore kept holding his arm.
"Whatever you do, do not point the beam to the water."
"Why?"
"Because I have a bad feeling about it. I feel some kind of dark magic flowing from down there."
Harry felt a shiver, but obeyed, following from up close to see they were entering a circular area, and that in this place, there was a tiny lake. Harry made sure to never point the beam to the water, looking at the ceiling and seeing the light hit many crystals, reflecting the light in a blueish color, making Harry gasp. After looking around, Harry's eyes switched to the small island in the middle of the lake that looked like some kind of altar, and there, they saw something.
"And in here, we have to cross." Dumbledore whispered and Harry felt the danger in his voice, whispering back.
"Through the water?!"
"No, I believe we have a boat to catch." By saying that, Dumbledore made a harsh move with his hand, and Harry saw it start bleeding, but before he could ask, a chain appeared next to the water, and he started pulling it, helped by Harry until a tiny boat appeared.
When the boat hit the rocks, Dumbledore lost his footing, falling on his butt.
"Headmaster, are you ok? What was that back there?"
"A blood offering, I guess. You can expect Tom to be extra careful when it comes to something he cares about, in this particular case, himself. I believe this to be his way of weakening a trespasser."
Harry illuminated the place there was some kind of ceremonial knife attached to the wall and saw how the blood on the knife was being drained to its insides.
"Here, take this." Harry took one of the many potions he bought with him and gave it to Dumbledore, who drank without a question. It took a few moments for the wound to close and just a faint scar to be in its place.
"Wiggenweld?" He asked with a frown but Harry smiled.
"Reviewed Wiggenweld."
He nodded with a chuckle and moved in to enter the boat, followed by Harry. Harry took the oars and started rowing them because it looked like Dumbledore was about to faint, it was hard because he wasn't really strong, but Dumbledore whispered that it was safer to go slow.
"When you said there is something in the lake, what were you talking about, headmaster?"
"When you live for as many years as I have, you start to recognize the magic you felt before, Harry. Now that we are closer, I feel something dark and alive down there, something that reminds me of when Voldemort was alive and rising to power."
"What exactly are you talking about?" Harry whispered back.
"When he was getting stronger, he made use of one particular dark art."
Harry waited, taking a pause from the rowing, seeing that Dumbledore was really weak from the blood sacrifice, even though he didn't lose much blood.
"They are called Inferi."
"Inferi? I never heard of it." Harry said while rowing again.
"It's part of the necromancy school, a forbidden art. Inferi are dead bodies reanimated by a dark wizard to do his bidding."
Harry felt his hands shaking, looking to the sides, but since Dumbledore turned off the flashlight, the only light they had was coming from a few glowing crystals above. He kept looking around until he saw something that made his soul freeze. He saw a face emerging from the dark water, looking directly at him but he couldn't distinguish any traces, just that it was a face, and then, it went back down, making him start hyperventilating.
"I believe I was right- Calm down, they are not going to attack us during the cross, they don't know we are not him yet. Breathe, Harry." Dumbledore tried to calm him down, and Harry obeyed, rowing, not bothering to rest, desperate to leave the water. After the boat touched the island, they both got out, and Dumbledore pulled the chain connected to the boat, making it stay on the ground before they turned and looked at the thing at the center of the island. It was a bowl in some kind of altar, and when Harry took a step closer, Dumbledore held his shoulder, going up first, and after assuring it was safe, gestured for him to follow.
They both looked inside the bowl, and Harry switched a second flashlight, small and weaker, but it was better to not bring attention right now. With the light, they both saw there was a locket inside the bowl, submerged in some weird liquid that looked like water, but had a faint blue color to it.
"Acid?" Harry speculated but Dumbledore saw a weird conch to the right of the bowl.
"I wish it could be that simple."
Harry took out his wand and pointed to the liquid.
"Scourgfy."
Nothing happened.
"Evanesca."
Nothing happened.
"It is quite obvious." Dumbledore said while taking the conch and showing it to Harry.
"You're kidding- This is a potion?"
"I'm afraid so."
"So to get to the locket, we have to-"
"I have to."
"Headmaster-"
"Not a word, Harry. Help me do this, and if- If I deny it, force it down my throat."
"What-"
"Do as I say, please."
"You think this is going to do something bad to you?"
"Most likely."
"But-"
"If I'm out of it, remember that the key to fighting the Inferi is fire."
Harry heard the urgency in his voice and nodded, taking the conch and filling it with the potion, frowning before turning and pouring it on the floor, just to see the same amount of potion fill the bowl again.
"Damn it."
"You have to do it if I can't." Dumbledore said and Harry took a deep breath, seeing the headmaster drinking one conch and instantly dropping it on the floor, making Harry dive to catch it, seeing Dumbledore now sat, his eyes closed and his expression full of pain.
"Headmaster?"
"You need to drink the rest." Harry whispered and saw the headmaster shaking his head but opening his mouth, taking the potion again and pouring it into Dumbledore's open mouth.
It took only a few seconds for Dumbledore to fall flat, his eyes closed, his breathing parting, and Harry hesitated.
"Headmaster- Are you ok?"
Dumbledore simply nodded, opening his mouth again, but this time, after Harry poured the potion, he started gasping and groaning.
"No- No more- No."
"Headmaster?" Harry noticed his face full of despair, his hands moving in a weird angle and then it hit him.
'This is a potion made to torture people or make them go insane.' Harry thought and stopped, feeling desperation. Was Dumbledore going to be okay?
Harry moved his shaking hand and made him drink another conch, and then, Dumbledore started crying.
"No... I'm sorry- I'm sorry, Ariana... I didn't know."
"I'm sorry, Headmaster- Just a few more-" Harry took another conch, his hand shaking even harder, and poured into Dumbledore's mouth, which he noticed was open even though his face was full of pain.
"Stop it- I can't take it anymore- Stop it, please- I don't want to-"
"Just two more, headmaster, it's almost over."
Another conch.
"No... Kill me- Make it end."
Harry took the last conch and forced Dumbledore's mouth open, hating himself for doing it, pouring the liquid and seeing his eyes full of horror before he fainted.
Harry moved back to the bowl, seeing the locket inside, taking it and pulling a syringe from the insides of his vests, draining the last drops of the potion inside, stashing it inside his leather case. Harry looked at the locket for a few moments. It was an eight-sided ambar locket with a drawing of a green snake inside, and he kept staring at it, trying to feel the pain in his scar, but there was nothing. He heard Dumbledore walking up and stashed the locket, moving down to check on him.
"Headmaster, can you hear me? Are you ok?"
"Wa- Water." Dumbledore whispered really low, and Harry felt alarmed, it sounded as if he was dying.
Harry ran to the bowl and pulled his wand.
"Aguamenti." The bowl filled with water, but when he used the conch to take the water, it passed right through.
"Goddamnit!" Harry hissed and then, he looked around, feeling another chill. There was water all around, but this was a trap, and he understood at that moment what the trap really was.
'The potion drives you insane, and in the case you survive, you have to get water from the lake, but they'll be waiting.'
Harry stepped down carefully, looking at the stale water, seeing a few undulations caused by drops of water from the ceiling, but even though, it was very calm and silent. He moved slowly, submerging the conch in the water in slow motion, taking it out and seeing it was filled, walking back to Dumbledore.
"Here- Drink, sir."
And Dumbledore gasped, drinking all in one go.
"More- Please- More."
Harry sighed and walked down again, but this time, he lost his footing for a moment and stepped on a loose rock, that started falling, until it hit the surface of the lake with a tiny noise.
Harry just looked, seeing the tiny wave spreading, holding his breath, and then, nothing happened, making him sigh in relief. He took another step down and when he was about to kneel to get more water, a dark rotten face came out of the lake, leaving a haunting growl, making Harry gasp in terror, jump back, making more stones fall, and then, he looked around and saw. At least ten heads were emerging from the lake, rotten, their eyes black and their teeth sharp, growling and groaning. Harry ran back up and shook Dumbledore, but he was fainted again.
"HEADMASTER! WAKE UP!" He shook harder and Dumbledore opened his eyes slowly.
"Harry-"
"HEADMASTER, GET UP! THEY'RE COMING!"
"Go- Run-"
"I CAN'T! THEY'RE EVERYWHERE-"
"Fire-" Dumbledore sighed trying to raise his hand, but Harry turned.
"INCENDIO!" He shouted and a jet of flame erupted from his wand, hitting a few of the Inferi, making them scream and fall backward into the lake, but they were coming from everywhere. Harry tried to open his backpack in a rush, cursing himself for not wearing it earlier, and tried to grab his glove, but an Inferius got too close, making him drop it.
"INCENDIO! INCENDIO-" Harry turned to send a third jet but was surprised by another Inferius that had already climbed the small island from the other side, trying to tackle him, making him fall and drop his wand, which he heard falling towards the lake. The monster tried to bite his face, and he fought with all of his strength to push it away, his fingers tearing its rotten skin, and felt pieces of rotten flesh falling around. Harry looked aside and saw a few Inferi slowly climbing towards Dumbledore who was fainted again.
Harry looked right at the monster's face, seeing black drool dripping from its open mouth, a stench of something putrid, and then, Ivy erupted out of his vests, striking the creature in the neck, but it looked like it didn't feel a thing until it started screeching, and in that moment, he was able to push it away with his legs, making it stumble and fall towards the lake. Harry took Ivy from the ground and got up, seeing the situation as a whole. At least thirty Inferi climbed from all sides, a few almost touching Dumbledore who was still out, and he heard Ivy's hiss.
~You have to leave! Run to the boat-"~
~But the headmaster-~
~We can't save him, Harry!~
Harry looked around trying to find his wand, but he saw an Inferius leaning to bite Dumbledore's leg, and without thinking, Harry pulled out a white wand from the insides of his vests, pointing at the Inferi, shouting from the top of his lungs.
"STOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!"
And a magic wave spread through the cavern, shaking it, making the water splash around and a few rocks fall from the ceiling. Harry was barely paying attention, but if he was, he would be able to see that his ring had broken. After the wave, as if hearing his shout, the creatures stopped in their tracks, turning slowly, and Harry noticed the tip of the wand glowing with purple light, his hand shaking, barely able to hold the wand, and then, he noticed that all creatures had stopped moving and were looking at him.
"Go back!" Harry hissed, but the Inferi stood in place, still looking at him, and after a few moments, some of the creatures started to move again, and he felt a warm sensation in his body, and his scar started to burn.
"I SAID GO BACK! GO BACK TO THE LAKE, NOW!"
The wand glowed again, and another wave spread around the cave, making the creatures stop a second time and look at the glow for a few moments, and suddenly, one by one, they started turning, walking back into the lake, a few taking more time than others, but when Harry turned the glowing wand again, they obeyed, and then, after a few moments, the water went back to normal, not a single movement. Harry felt his head spinning, his scar burning hotter, and felt the world going dark, at the same moment he heard Ivy's voice.
~Harry!? Harry-~
Harry felt like waking up, but his vision was blurred as if he had a faint trace of mist around his peripheral. It was as if he couldn't really focus on the details around, only the thing right in front of him. He got up and saw he was inside the very same cave, but he was across the island, looking at the center to see three children. He narrowed his eyes and noticed they were laughing, making him shiver at the echoed laughter that surrounded the area. He looked around but there were rays of sun everywhere, coming from holes in the ceiling and from the entrance, and then, he noticed the lake had crystal clear water. He could see fish swimming around. He looked forward again and saw the children laughing louder, and for some reason, he walked closer, entering the water. It was deep, and he had to swim a little, struggling for a few moments, drinking some water in the process, but he made it to the island, seeing that the children were looking away, laughing at something. He got up and walked forward, but then, two children turned, and Harry saw their faces contorted into horror expressions, blood coming out of their eyes that were black, and he noticed they weren't laughing, they were sobbing in despair.
The third child turned and Harry saw a younger version of himself, giving him a wicked smile, turning his hand to point at the two children, making them scream from the top of their lungs, blood coming out of their noses, ears, and mouth.
"STOP!" Harry lunged forward to stop himself but was pushed away by an invisible force, sending him flying across the cave, deep into the water, as he drowned, seeing the faint rays of light disappearing while he descended into the darkness.
Harry woke up with a gasp, begging for air, looking around desperate, seeing Dumbledore sitting beside him, looking at the horizon. They were at the beach again, and Harry noticed it was almost twilight, feeling the chilly wind, his head hurting like it never did before. He looked down and saw his hands shaking, remembering the children's faces, their expressions of horror and fear, and their black eyes, their hands open forward as if begging for help, and then, he started crying silently.
After a few moments, Dumbledore looked at Harry and offered his hand, where Harry saw two wands, black and white.
"Feelings are a strong thing, if you ask me." He whispered and Harry took both wands, looking at them.
"What have you seen?" Dumbledore asked and Harry looked down, trying not to cry again.
"I don't know what it was- A dream or a memory- I saw what happened in the cave, but I was the one doing it. It was me, my face-"
"What have you done, Harry?" Dumbledore asked and Harry turned to look at him.
"What?"
"In there, how did you stop them?"
Harry looked at the twilight again and said without meeting Dumbledore's eyes.
"I... used his wand and... commanded them. They obeyed me as if- As if I was him."
He looked back at Dumbledore and saw something in his eyes, nodding.
"I am him, aren't I?" He asked low and Dumbledore looked away.
"You are."
"Of course- When he killed my parents-"
"I had my doubts at first, but it became clear as time went by. Some fragment of his soul latched into the only living thing it could find in that house."
"Me." Harry nodded, feeling the pain in his scar.
Dumbledore became quiet and they just looked at the horizon for some time.
"So I saw myself because that's him in me. There is a part of him in who I am." Harry talked to himself and Dumbledore nodded.
"I never wished for you to know that at such a young age- I can only imagine how heavy this must be for you."
Harry turned to him.
"That's what you tried to hide from me. From the very beginning, the secret you didn't want to tell me was that he was inside me. I didn't get powers or quirks from him, I get him, literally, inside my soul-" Harry looked down and shook his head.
"I am sorry, Harry-"
Harry tried to get up, but his legs gave up, and he felt the weakness, sighing.
"I need a few minutes and I'll be able to apparate us back to Hogwarts." Dumbledore said and Harry nodded, leaning back on the small sand dune they were sitting by.
"Thank you." Dumbledore whispered and Harry didn't bother to turn.
"For what?"
"For not leaving me behind."
"I told you I wouldn't."
They stood quiet again and Harry pulled the locket from the insides of his vests, seeing that Ivy was okay, eyeing him with interest.
"I hope this was worth it." And by saying that, Harry noticed the locket had a tiny button, and when he clicked, it opened and he saw a piece of paper in there.
"Is this the Horcrux?" Harry asked while taking the paper and Dumbledore leaned closer.
"I don't believe so- I don't feel anything from it-"
Harry opened the paper and read out loud, feeling his soul flying away with the wind with each word.
"To the Dark Lord.
I know I will be dead long before you read this but I want you to know that it was I who discovered your secret. I have stolen the real Horcrux and intend to destroy it as soon as I can. I face death in the hope that when you meet your match you will be mortal once more."
Harry finished reading and turned slowly to look at Dumbledore's shocked expression.
"Signed... RAB."
Harry walked down from Dumbledore's office barely seeing where he was going, completely lost in thoughts.
"Harry?!" A voice called and he looked up to see Daphne followed by a few Slytherin.
"I was looking for you to return Ash- He's been a little agitated- Harry?" She stopped as soon as she noticed his gaze, and Harry got closer, raising one arm for Ash to cross to him, not looking her in the eyes.
"Harry- What's wrong?"
Harry couldn't look at her, feeling an overwhelming wave of shame. He knew it wasn't his fault, that he wasn't the one who did all those things, but he couldn't shake the feeling it was. The disgust he was feeling was unexplainable, and he just shook his head.
"Not now." He whispered and turned to walk away, but she grabbed his arm hard, holding him in place.
"Harry, what the hell happened?"
But Harry shook off her hand, turning and walking away without another word.
When he arrived at Ravenclaw's tower, he got in and was greeted by a few housemates who were still celebrating the Quidditch win, but once they set their eyes on Harry's desolated gaze, their smiles died out.
"Harry?" Cho frowned while asking for people to stop pushing or pulling Harry.
"Harry, you ok?" Jeremy asked, putting down a cup he was drinking from.
"Is something wrong with Harry?" Roger said while coming from the middle of the party.
The whispers followed as he walked by them, but before he could go upstairs to change from his wet and salty clothes, he was blocked by Hermione, who looked at him up and down, narrowing her eyes, fixing her gaze into his, understanding something was very wrong. She looked around and took his hand, pulling him towards the painting, and this time, something in her touch gave him a reassuring feeling he never felt before, something he was unable to explain, so he followed.
Once they were away from curious eyes, they went up a floor, seeing the night sky outside, the viaduct bridge in view down below. They sat at the border of the tower, in a place where the stone brick fell, and although it was slightly dangerous, they didn't care. Their feet were dangling from the top as they watched the lit lanterns around the other side of the castle.
"Talk to me."
"Jean, I- I don't even know how to start-"
"How about from the beginning? What happened?"
Harry gave her a short version of the facts for a few minutes, but once he arrived at the island part, he stopped.
"What was in there?"
"This." Harry took a syringe and showed a few drops of a blueish potion."
"What is it?"
"Some kind of potion Voldemort put there to make the drinker go insane, and after Dumbledore took it-"
"What?! He drank it?"
"It was the only way to get to the Horcrux."
"What happened to him? Is he ok?"
"He is. When he drank the potion, it made him thirsty, so I had to take water from the lake, but there were... monsters in there. Inferi, the headmaster said."
"Inferi? I read about something like that. You know who used them in his ascension, didn't he? I can't remember very well, but it was said he tried to build an army of these... undead creatures."
"And he did start, but no one knew where he had hid his small army, until now."
"What happened then?"
Harry went mute.
"Harry?"
"Isn't it weird? I'm the most logical person I know, but I suddenly cannot control my own feelings. I- We were about to die- I had to do something."
Hermione went white when she heard that, looking at his hands that were slightly shaking.
"They were everywhere, and the headmaster was fainted- I had to do something." Harry repeated as if trying to make himself believe he had no other choice.
"What did you do?"
"I used his wand."
"Who's?"
"Voldemort's."
"What-"
But Harry was already taking the wand out, showing it to Hermione.
"How- How do you have his- Wait a second. Peter Pettigrew knew where it was when you captured him?"
Harry smiled a little.
"That's some nice deduction."
"Well, I thought when you captured him on Christmas, that if he really was the traitor, he was the closest to You-know-who when he died. He probably stood outside of your house while he entered, so it's only natural for him to go check, right?"
"You're absolutely right, he had the wand with him."
"Why didn't you break it? Or turned it to the ministry?"
"I don't know."
"You don't know?"
"I had a feeling about it, just like my wand and my glove is some kind of extension of myself, this wand is also a part of me... because I am a part of him."
"Glove? What?"
Harry shook his head.
"I'll tell you about it some other time."
"What did you mean when you said you were a part of him? That doesn't make sense."
Harry took a few moments looking down before he turned and answered low.
"Jean, I am an Horcrux."
Hermione frowned, narrowing her eyes, and then, her face became stone, her gaze wide, her mouth open.
"A part of him lives inside me. When I used his wand, something inside me awoke, and the wand answered. The monsters... obeyed me- him."
"Harry-"
"And I saw. It was a dream, or a memory, of what he did when he was a child, in the very same place I was. For a moment, I saw inside his mind, I saw what he did, and then I woke up."
Hermione didn't know what to say, so she just held Harry's hand.
"Logically, I know there's nothing I can do about it, I know that I'm overthinking a situation that has no answer, but it seems I cannot be logical right now- I just keep seeing the faces of the children he tortured- And I can't shake off this... disgust I have- It feels like I'm poisoned, as if I have a parasite in me- And I want to carve it out of my body, but I can't, because I am it, and it is me."
"What did the headmaster say?"
"That he was sorry that I had to deal with it this early as if knowing this shit a few years later would be less traumatizing."
"Harry, you're going to be ok."
Harry turned to look at her, and saw that she had a heartbroken expression.
"I don't know, Jean, I feel completely out of my game right now. I used to think that somehow I got some of his powers the night he died, and I thought it was actually cool, having quirks from his bloodline, quirks that would allow me to get back to him someday, but knowing all of it now, gives me a sense of shame. I feel ashamed for using something so dirty-"
"No, Harry, it's not dirty." Hermione stopped his words.
"How can you say it's not-"
"It's not dirty because it's inside of you."
Harry looked away.
"It doesn't matter if you have a fragment of his soul inside you, this thing does not dictate your life, or your actions. You are not him, and he's not you."
"It doesn't feel like that."
"Because you're allowing your feelings to take control. So what if you have a piece of him inside you? You're strong enough to understand it and subdue it, you know you are, and I know you are."
"And what if I can't? What if what Dumbledore saw in me was real?"
"What?"
"He told me when we came back, that he saw darkness in me, the same darkness he saw in Voldemort, and that he didn't know how to act-"
"Do you feel that? The desire to kill? To hurt others? To murder in cold blood?"
"I don't, but what if it is a matter of time until I do? What if this thing just woke up inside of me? I can't shake the image of myself torturing those kids, Jean. It was me, it was my face."
"I bet that was your mind playing tricks at you. You did not do it, Harry, it was him."
Harry moved back from the edge, placing his back against the wall, and he saw Hermione coming to sit beside him, taking his hand again.
"And in a part of my brain, I have already accepted one thing." Harry said after a few moments of silence.
"What?"
"That the prophecy that was created for us states that one cannot live while the other survives, and now I get it. Do you get it?"
Hermione shook her head and Harry smiled.
"That's Dumbledore's secret, the thing he didn't want to tell me. It means I have to die too, Jean. All horcruxes have to be destroyed, and that includes me. For him to be truly dead, I have to die too-"
And then, Harry saw the realization hit her, and saw in the last moment, Hermione lunging at him, hugging him so tight, that it felt that she was trying to hold him from being dragged by some force.
"No!" She whispered in his ear and he just kept quiet.
"I won't let anything happen to you." She whispered in his ear again as if speaking to herself.
"The thing is... it has to happen. For this to end, I-"
"Shut up!" She hissed.
"Jean-"
"I'll find a way- We'll find a way, I promise you... so don't give up."
And Harry didn't know what to say to that, so he just moved his arms and hugged her back.
After going back to Ravenclaw's tower, Harry went to the showers and cleaned the salt and dirt, going to sleep, but not really being able to. It was almost morning when he managed to close his eyes, but just a few moments later, the image of his wicked twin appeared in his dreams, making him gasp and wake up to a sunny new day.
The day moved like a blur, and after yesterday's talk, Hermione was nowhere to be found. When the first class started, she arrived late and sat far away from Harry, not looking at him at all.
Harry went to his potions classes and he could see and feel that the students knew something was wrong with him, but he tried his best to hide it.
"That will be all for today, your skills are improving marvelously, so because you've been studying ahead, no homework this week, but keep the good work going, all right?" Harry said and the class cheered, getting up and leaving. Hermione was about to go to Harry's desk when she saw Daphne's gaze towards him and narrowed her eyes, turning and leaving, and then, only one person was left in the room.
"Is something wrong, Daphne?"
"You still have to ask?"
Harry sighed.
"Sorry about what happened yesterday, I was a little off because of- I had a frightful experience and that messed me up, that's all."
Harry saw her nodding, grabbing his things, and gesturing to the door, but when they were close, she grabbed his arm again.
"You're really touchy, you know that?"
But when Harry met her eyes, she was dead serious.
"What happened? I know something happened because I know that look. You couldn't look me in the eyes because something was holding you- Something is still troubling you, I can see it- You can't look me in the eyes and I noticed yesterday. Was it pity? Shame? I know I saw something in there, so I'm going to ask you one last time. What happened, Harry?"
Harry heard the threat in her tone, feeling her nails hurting him, but he knew he had to tell her, so he touched her hand, and she relaxed her grip.
"I found out that- I have... more of him in me than I thought."
She frowned at that and let him go.
"What are you talking about?"
"I have a piece of his soul attached to mine, Daphne."
"A piece-"
"When he died, a piece of his soul broke and it attached itself to the only thing alive-"
"Are you saying-"
"Yes, I am who I am today because of this piece of him. I can talk to snakes because of him. Hell, maybe I am smart because of him- I don't know who I am anymore. I don't know if the person thinking and talking right now is Harry or him. Have you ever thought about having another being inside you? Imagine for a moment not knowing where your everything comes from-"
She was speechless and Harry noticed her horrified gaze.
"And when I saw you... after what you told me- I'm sorry, but I couldn't look at you knowing he's with me- I just... can't." Harry felt the tears coming again, but the blonde girl moved forward to gently hug him, and Harry sighed.
"You're not him. You are not him, you hear me? You're kind, you're good, you're funny, you're- You cannot be him, don't you get it? It's impossible for you to be him, even if you have a piece of him in you. You are you."
And she pulled away a little, just enough for them to stare at each other for a second, before she slowly moved closer, making Harry freeze, but then she stopped just a few inches apart, looking him in the eyes, waiting, but then she moved and kissed in in the cheek, walking away.
Harry looked at her while she walked away, thinking what the hell was that, and why was his heart beating so fast? It was almost like she was going to really kiss him, and in that moment, Harry's thoughts were a complete mess, but even so, he was wondering why he thought of Hermione. Why?
Harry went to the laboratory, knocking and entering to find Snape walking around, mixing things.
"Master Snape-"
"Where is it?" He asked without turning and Harry took the syringe and gave it to him, who looked at it very close.
"Preliminary analysis?" He asked.
"Ghostly Mushrooms for sure- I can't imagine something capable of meddling with someone's mind to that extent that doesn't have it." Harry said while opening a notebook on the table.
"What did he say while he was under the effects of it?"
"He was asking for forgiveness and then he asked for me to kill him."
Snape nodded, writing something down.
"Ghostly Mushrooms it is. I'll inspect this to find the other ingredients, you can go, I have no need for your aid today."
Harry understood that that was his way to give him free time to rest, but he didn't want to rest, he wanted to think about something else.
"May I work on something of my own then?"
"Potter, I just said-"
"I don't want to rest right now- I need to work so I can keep my mind busy."
And Snape turned and glanced at him for a moment, gesturing to Harry's station.
They worked in silence for almost an hour, and then, Snape approached.
"What is this thing you've been working on?"
"Huh? Oh, this? It's a healing potion mixed with muggle medicine that I'm trying to make it work."
"And its goal?"
"To cure bad sight."
"What?"
Harry smiled.
"I mean, we have magic and we can't find a way to cure people's eyesight? I just need something strong enough to connect the two proteins and I'm pretty sure I can make it right."
Snape moved closer and read his notes, nodding twice.
"Your ingredients are right, but your math is wrong. Cut down the muggle medicine by a third and try again."
"But-"
Snape gave him his cold look and Harry nodded.
One hour later, he saw the drops being distilled, filling a small vial. Harry got it and looked at Snape, who had a small case next to him that Harry deduced to have antidotes, and his wand raised.
Harry took the vial in one go, feeling his eyes going cold, making him shut them as if the air around was freezing them. After at least one minute of discomfort, it stopped, and Harry opened his eyes, seeing the world completely blurred.
He frowned and then noticed he was wearing his glasses, taking them out to look at Snape with a smile.
"It worked."
Snape nodded, stashing his wand.
"For how long do you speculate it will last?"
"A week at least- I mean, it's like a treatment, so if I keep taking it every week, in a few months I won't need it anymore."
"Keep your eyes open for side effects. You just finished this thing, so it must have a downside."
Harry nodded, feeling slightly better after having success, feeling the desperation subduing a little.
Just a little.
Daphne was sitting in front of the fireplace, looking at the flames while petting Sapphire, not really paying attention, thinking about Harry and what had happened.
Suddenly, someone moved a chair close and she snapped out of it, looking aside.
"Daphne, what the hell is going on between you and Potter?" Draco asked low and Daphne frowned.
"Excuse me?"
"Today after Potions you stood behind on purpose, and yesterday people said you two had an altercation- What's up with that?"
She almost chuckled at that.
"I believe that is none of your concern, Draco."
Draco's eyes went dark.
"I'm gonna write to your parents if this keeps going-"
"To tell them what?"
"That you're flirting with half-blood scum."
Daphne felt the desire to move closer and slap his face, but she knew better.
"Is that so? Go on then, write to them."
"You think I won't?"
"No, I think you will, I just don't give a damn about it."
"You-"
"We are not promised to each other, Draco, so stop thinking that we'll eventually marry."
"Are you going against-"
"I sure am. Just like Thea wouldn't agree to this, I won't too, and neither will Astoria. The Greengrass daughters are not your damn breeding mares."
The threat in her tone made Draco flinch back.
"You're going to regret saying that."
"Now will I? Is that a threat, dear cousin?"
He just stood quiet.
"That is adorable, but if I were to regret saying that by any means, I'll assure you that I'm not going to be the only one regretting that, and when I'm finished, let's just say you are all going to regret something. See the difference? That is a threat, now get out of my sight before I jinx you."
Draco frowned at her tone, his hands twitching.
"Go on, try me." She hissed like a snake, her hands letting go of Sapphire, which hissed at Draco as well, making him get up and leave.
"I'm sorry, dear." She whispered to Sapphire, returning to petting her, and the snake looked at her face, seeing an expression of mixed worry and contemplation.
"Harry, where are your glasses?"
Harry sighed for the fifth time. The day went by and he was asked the same question every ten minutes, and even though the first were funny to answer, now it was getting annoying.
"Are you going to sell the potion as well?" Hermione asked at lunch.
"Yeah, but since it's going to be out of the shelves in a heartbeat, I'll put a small price, just equivalent to the ingredients and some for my work."
"How much would that be?"
"I don't know, something around 50 galleons?"
"Per vial?!"
"You think it's too spicy? I mean, just the ingredients go up to 40 galleons."
"Oh- Well, if that's the price of the ingredients then it's fine. And there's something else that is also fine."
"Huh?"
"I found your answer."
Harry just tilted his head and Hermione handed him a piece of paper, that he read while chewing, and then, he stopped and just stared.
"You're joking."
"I'm not."
"That's the problem? Just that?"
"Yup. Most of the time it's just a simple thing."
Harry giggled and smiled at Hermione who had a proud expression on her face.
After lunch, the two of them walked to Filch's office, knocking and seeing his face when he barely opened the door.
"Oh, it's you." He opened it and looked at Hermione.
"She's a friend, she helped me with your situation."
"You said you weren't going to tell anyone about it-"
"She's trustworthy and she had to know to help."
Filch just groaned, sitting by his desk, gesturing for them to sit.
"I'm going to ask you a few questions, Mr. Filch and you have to answer them truthfully."
"All right."
"Do you eat any of these foods? Almonds? Hazelnut Oil? Pine nuts? Goose meat? Peanuts? Avocados? Rainbow Trout? Brazilian Nuts? Mango? Kiwifruit? Lobster? Crayfish?"
Harry stopped reading from the list and the man frowned.
"I don't eat fish- And I don't like nuts. Avocados? Never. Goose? I never ate it. Lobster? Do I look like a lord to you? I never ate any of the others as well."
Harry smiled and nodded.
"That's why they are rare, it's a mix of bad luck and ignorance."
Hermione nodded.
"What are you talking about?"
"We may have found the answer to your problem, but to make sure, you're going to have to take muggle medicine for some time."
Filch just gasped, nodding.
"I'll put a request for the drugs and we'll start the treatment by tomorrow, all right?"
Filch just nodded and Harry smiled.
"Keep that ready for me." He pointed to the cabinet and Filch groaned again.
After leaving Filch's office, Harry stopped Hermione and she turned to him with a frown.
"Back in the hospital, what did Daphne tell you?"
She felt stunned but quickly recovered.
"What?"
"Back then, I knew something was wrong- Jean, what did she tell you?"
Hermione pressed her lips together and shook her head.
"I can't tell you. It's her secret, so it wouldn't be fair, I'm sorry."
Harry frowned, thinking about what happened earlier today, nodding.
"Fine, come with me, there's something I want to show you."
Hermione nodded and followed Harry out of the castle, to the gardens, and when they arrived in there, he instantly turned and pointed his wand at her, making her take her wand out by reflex.
"Levicorpus."
"Protego!"
The spell was reflected towards Harry who dodged it by taking a step aside, nodding at her.
"The training is paying off."
"Why would you attack someone out of the blue like that?!" She hissed and Harry smiled.
"You have to be vigilant, always."
"Ugh."
"Now, do you know the spell I just used?"
"I don't. Levicorpus? What is that?"
"Sirius taught me. My father used it to bully people with it when he was in Hogwarts."
"What? Oh my god, that's awful."
"Yup, but it gave me an idea."
"Huh?"
"Levaeris." Harry said while holding his wand, and Hermione gasped when she saw he started levitating.
"It's from your last drawing. I knew the moment I saw it."
"Are you flying?!"
"Sorta. You see, Sirius told me that Voldemort has a spell where he can transfigure himself into smoke, and use that as some kind of turbine to launch himself around, it's a flight spell, so ever since I heard about that, I've been thinking about something similar, but different."
"Can you move?" Hermione asked while looking up and Harry pointed his wand, making him fly like a bullet, and she noticed him leaning his body back when he was closer to the castle walls, losing speed, coming back towards the ground the same way.
"Holy cow."
"It's not as fast as my Nimbus, but with some training, it can get closer, for now, it's good enough."
"Good enough?! Harry, it's a flight spell- Flight spells are one of the most difficult spells to accomplish in the world-"
"Well, you did."
"Huh?"
"It was your drawing, I just interpreted it and created the spell from it."
She looked down with her cheeks flushed and Harry smiled.
"Now, move your wand like this, and entonate Le-vaeris."
"Levaeris." Hermione tried but the movement was slightly off, so she felt light, but nothing happened.
"Sorry, it was my fault while creating the movement- It's sharp and short, like this." He moved his wand to her and she tried again, feeling her body floating, gasping.
"Oh! OH MY GOD!"
"There you go." Harry smiled.
"TURN AWAY!" She shouted and Harry frowned.
"Huh? Why-"
And then he saw her pulling her skirt and chuckled.
"Sorry, I forgot about that." He said while turning and hearing her voice.
"This is weird- It doesn't feel like flying, it feels like-"
"Wind." Harry said still with his back turned to her.
"Wind? What are you talking about?" She asked from a few feet above.
"It is a transfiguration spell that transfigures the wind around your body, so you are not really flying, just controlling the wind around your body in a way you can repel gravity. I know it's confusing, but it was the best I could do."
"How do I get down?"
"Imagine the spell losing intensity and it should respond to your magic. It will start slowly coming back down.
"Got it." She said and after a few moments, she touched his back.
"So?" He asked and saw in her face that she was really pleased.
"It's amazing."
"Yes, it is."
"Have you used it inside that place-" She started and Harry's smile faded.
"I finished it today- If I had it by yesterday, I guess we could've escaped much easier."
"Well, if these are the things you can create with my drawings, I don't mind making a few more."
"Great, I'll be waiting for them."
Before they could say anything else, there was a tiny explosion, making them look around for some time, moving towards its general direction, seeing Hagrid's hut on fire, running towards it, seeing Hagrid running towards the forest with his wand in hand.
"What is going- Levaeris!" Harry said while moving his wand and jumping, flying forward, stopping by Hagrid's house, seeing Hermione arriving and landing awkwardly beside him.
"HAGRID!" Harry shouted towards the forest, but there was no response, so he turned to the house, hearing barks.
"Fang is still inside." Harry hissed horrified and turned to the hut, but the fire had already spread, and he pulled his wand.
"Aguamenti." The jet of water that hit the door and the roof of the hut was not good enough, and even though Hermione was helping with a jet of her own, it was not putting the fire as fast as they could, and Harry knew any more of that and the dog was going to start to be cooked inside. He stopped, and pulled his glove from the insides of his vests, making Hermione stop and frown at him.
"Aguamenti." Harry said while pointing his open palm towards the hut, noticing all the strings lighting up, powering the middle of the glove that shot the jet of water that was so great that it made him lose his balance, falling down, but Hermione ran to back him up, holding his body. Harry thought that this should be what firefighters felt when holding a firehose. It was strong enough to stop the fire on the ceiling and the door, enough for Hermione to run up after Harry stopped.
"Alohomora." She pointed at the door and was run over by Fang, running towards the castle with his tail between his legs.
"You ok?" Harry ran to pick her up, and she nodded.
"What is going on-"
And then, Harry felt movement, seeing Dumbledore arriving, followed by Professor Flitwick. Harry quickly placed his hand behind his back and took off his glove, noticing Hermione's gaze towards it.
"Harry, what is going on?!" Dumbledore asked with a serious face.
"I don't know, headmaster, we were in the gardens and we heard a noise, but when we arrived, Hagrid was already running inside the forest and his hut was on fire."
They looked at the smoke coming out of the room and noticed a few places where a fire was starting again.
"Aqua Eructo." Flitwick said with his wand raised. Harry looked at the spell as if seeing a giant hose being open, sending water from his wand towards the top of the hut with controlled force and form, as if he could control the jet with his mind, turning it and making it weaker or stronger. Harry looked at the spell with interest and noticed the professor smiling.
"Good job stopping it from spreading. Aguamenti I presume?"
"Yes, sir. I didn't know about this one." Harry said.
"It is to be expected."
"Professor?"
"If you knew how to use Aguamenti properly, you'd be able to stop the fire by yourself."
Harry frowned and saw Flitwick moving his wand, but he pointed way higher, and Harry saw his movement.
"Aguamenti."
The jet of water coming from his wand was different from Harry's as if the water was darker, and that reminds Harry of the lake.
"Is this-"
"Aguamenti is a conjuring spell, Mr. Potter, so your wand isn't creating water, but simply taking it from somewhere."
"Huh." Harry felt surprised, looking at how his jet of water was pouring as if it was rain, and then he understood.
"So Aqua Eructo is actually creating water from magic, while Aguamenti is conjuring water from somewhere."
"Exactly."
They all heard a noise and saw Hagrid running back from the forest, his wand in his hand.
"Hagrid, what is happening?" Dumbledore asked and Hagrid said between gasps.
"The... Centaurs... They came to... Warn me about- They want their land back... Because Aragog-"
"Aragog?" Harry frowned.
Hagrid frowned to himself.
"Damn it. I shouldn't have said that."
After pulling his things out of the hut, they all sat by his burnt table, sipping a horrific tea that Hagrid prepared. Harry denied his cup but was holding his laughter, watching Flitwick cof after drinking his, and Hermione sneakily pouring hers onto the ground.
"Now, explain to us why are the Centaurs attacking you?" Flitwick asked.
"Well, I'm sure you heard about Aragog."
"Of course, I was there watching the trial." Flitwick answered and Harry frowned, he hadn't seen him.
"We all were." Dumbledore said and Harry frowed at him too.
"So, when Aragog escaped the castle, well, he went to the forest and after I was expelled and Professor Dumbledore allowed me to stay, I helped him establish himself in the forest."
Harry nodded. Until now it was classical Hagrid, treating wild animals like tiny little babies.
"And after some time, I found him a wife."
"Oh no." Hermione said low.
"So let me guess, the forest has an Acromantula infestation now." Harry said and Hagrid sighed.
"The Centaurs are angry because I helped him and now the spiders are out of control, but I know it isn't his fault. I just need to go and talk to him and he'll make things right."
"You are your own person, Hagrid, and we cannot prohibit you from doing what you want, but I'd advise you to not go in there. Acromantulas are unpredictable, and as you told me before, you haven't talked to him in years." Dumbledore said.
"I know he wouldn't hurt me, Headmaster."
"He wouldn't, but what about his children?" Dumbledore asked while raising one eyebrow.
Hagrid looked down and Harry smiled.
"I'll go with him."
"Are you out of your mind?" Flitwick hissed, taking advantage of the moment to push his cup of tea off the table.
"I always wanted to explore the forest, and I heard there are detentions that send you to the forest, isn't that right, professor?"
The goblin opened his mouth but no sound came out. He looked around and shook his head with a tiny smile.
"But you haven't done anything wrong to deserve that kind of detention."
"Would you like me to?" Harry asked with a devious smile, making Flitwick laugh.
"Harry, do you have any idea of the dangers that exist in the forest?" Dumbledore asked seriously and Harry nodded.
"Like Acromantulas and Centaurs? Yep, just found out about those."
Now even Dumbledore fought a smile, shaking his head.
"Ah, there's no point in arguing with you, is it? You'll end up doing what you want anyway. Just be careful." Flitwick said.
"I always am." Harry smiled and nodded at Hagrid.
"Are you serious, Harry? You really want to tag along?"
"Why not? Exploring the Forbidden Forest sounds like a good time, and I'm in terrible need of distractions."
And they all sighed, shaking their heads to Harry's wide smile.