The soft, almost imperceptible crack of Apparition echoed through the winding streets of London, heralding the arrival of two formidable figures: Albus Dumbledore and Mad Eye Moody. They materialized on the doorstep of Grimmauld Place, just beyond the threshold of the ancient townhouse. Moody, his form still adorned in the inky blackness of his Auror robes, ascended the worn and weathered stone steps with a purposeful stride. In his wake, Dumbledore, swathed in his customary flowing burgundy robes, and his distinctive half-moon spectacles perched upon his noble nose, followed in silent contemplation.
Moody's gnarled knuckles rapped thrice against the unyielding oak door, and then he withdrew, standing vigilant in the shadowy embrace of the night. The cobblestone street lay barren at this late hour, the atmosphere enveloped in a tranquil hush, occasionally interrupted by the fleeting wingbeats of a solitary crow or the distant melody of a lone cricket.
Moody, his watchful gaze sweeping the surroundings, covertly flicked a brief look in the direction of the esteemed Headmaster. Upon Dumbledore's face lay the weight of countless concerns, as though the passage of time had etched upon his countenance the indelible marks of a man who had traversed the darkest chasms of humanity and witnessed the astounding resilience of the human spirit.
"I hope they have taken precautions against detection. You do realize, of course, that we must assume this location to be compromised at the moment. We should have used the floo." Moody muttered, keeping his voice low as he stared up at the old house, waiting for someone to answer.
Dumbledore simply smiled knowingly, his hands folded inside his robes as he stared ahead at the door, "It will be fine, Alastor." he replied with a casual air of confidence that Moody did not share. The old wizard could be infuriating sometimes.
A moment later, the front door of Grimmauld place opened slightly, allowing the two wizards entry into the old home. Moody pushed through first.
"You're late." A female voice came from inside the shadowy house. Moody scanned the interior and his eye focused in the direction of the voice. It belonged to Tonks, who stood in the foyer with her arms folded across her chest and a scowl on her face, dressed in her black auror uniform.
Moody raised an eyebrow at her, "You're one to talk, you look like shite." he replied.
Tonks gave him a humorless look, "Yeah well, someone's been keeping us awake." She replied curtly, then added with an irritated edge in her voice, "Where have you two been anyway? Remus floo'd you hours ago and you just show up now!"
Dumbledore ignored the question, he glanced over his shoulder at Moody, who was busy scanning the house for any other potential dangers. He returned his attention back to the Auror, "Forgive us, my dear. We came as soon as we could. Now, where is young Harry?" Dumbledore inquired. Tonks let out a long sigh before turning back to the two wizards with an impatient expression, "He's upstairs." she answered tersely, her face pinched with worry, "He had another one of those dreams, a pretty bad one I heard." she continued.
"And Miss Granger? I was told she had arrived here unannounced and rather unexpectedly."
Tonks let out a frustrated sigh, "It wasn't easy getting her to leave, took the best part of an hour and a half. Had to floo Bill over so he could side-along her over to the Burrow. Told her it was for her own safety but she wasn't havin' none of it." Tonks explained as she motioned toward the stairs leading up to the bedrooms, "Harry is up there in his bedroom. Remus is with him right now. He's not talking much, though." she added tiredly.
"I see," Dumbledore nodded and walked toward the staircase with Moody limping from behind, leaving Tonks in the foyer. The older wizard began climbing up the staircase, his steps slow and cautious.
Once they reached the top floor, Dumbledore stopped, causing Moody to pause. They were standing outside Harry's room. "Albus? What is it?" Moody asked curiously.
Dumbledore stood in front of Harry's door, his hand hovering just over the handle, seemingly contemplating something in his mind, then after a moment he lowered his arm.
"There is a darkness in that room, Alastor. Can you not sense it? It is faint but there nonetheless." he whispered. Moody stared at the Headmaster before casting his magical eye to survey the inside of the room.
"Yes, I sense it." Moody muttered softly as he scanned the room for anything out of the ordinary, his eye whirring as he focused on different objects and items around Harry and Remus, "There is definitely a residue of something here," he muttered, his eye spinning as he continued his scan.
Dumbledore turned to look at Moody, his brows knitted tightly, "Dark magic has been used here, Alastor, and Harry has been affected. His dreams may have been haunted by visions and memories that are not his own."
Moody looked over at the old man, a look of bewilderment on his face. "But how can that be, Albus? The boy hasn't been struck or performed kind of spell that would allow this. And as you said, the residue is faint, almost non-existent." Moody argued.
Dumbledore nodded slowly, "I am aware, but the truth is, Harry may be more susceptible to dark magic because of his past, as well as the connection he has with the Dark Lord."
Dumbledore then continued in a lower voice, "What I believe may be happening to him is that Voldemort may be trying to find out how strong his connection to Harry truly is and what better way to find that out than through Harry's dreams and subconscious."
"What? Do you mean that snakey bastard has been inside his head again?!"
"No, not in the way you are thinking. But there are other ways, less invasive ways, to glean information from another without the victim realizing it." Dumbledore explained calmly before he glanced back at Harry's closed bedroom door. He then looked back to Moody.
"Shall we?" Dumbledore asked. Moody gave a quick nod of approval before opening the door to the room and entering with Dumbledore following close behind.
There they found Harry sitting up on his bed while Remus stood off to the side watching over him with a concerned expression. Harry appeared dazed and disoriented. He looked over in their direction as they entered the room. He was visibly pale and sweating slightly, his green eyes looked weary and tired. Remus glanced over to see who was coming into the room. Upon seeing the Headmaster and Moody, he breathed a sigh of relief, "Headmaster."
Dumbledore walked toward Harry. Remus took a step back, giving him a chance to observe the situation, while Moody remained near the door keeping a vigilant eye on everything.
"I understand there have been some... developments," Dumbledore asked Remus, his gaze focused on Harry. Harry glanced down, his face flushed as if ashamed to have brought the Headmaster out in the middle of the night,
"It was nothing really. I... had a bad dream." Harry mumbled. Dumbledore's gaze shifted over to Remus.
"Harry, tell him what you told me... about the shadows, the voices you heard." Remus urged gently.
Dumbledore gave Harry a knowing look as if already aware of the answer but still seeking confirmation nonetheless. "Shadows? Voices, you say? Were they those of people you knew or merely figments of your imagination?"
Harry shook his head, "They were real enough to make me want to... do things... to hurt people." he replied.
Dumbledore looked thoughtful before asking his next question, "And were there any other entities you may have encountered? Anything or anyone else?" he pressed further, studying Harry's reaction as he waited patiently for a reply.
"It wasn't a real person. I didn't see any faces or bodies but... the voices... they all sounded... familiar to me."
Dumbledore frowned slightly and looked over to Remus. "If you would excuse us for a moment Harry, there are certain details which I must inquire from your old Professor here." He then motioned for Remus to step outside in to the hall. Moody closed the bedroom door behind them as they exited.
"Would you care to explain to me Miss Granger's involvement in this?" Dumbledore questioned as he turned to Remus.
The younger man was silent for several seconds, appearing uncomfortable by the question, "Well, I believe the two to be having an, er... a rather close relationship. I'd even go as far to say that they are... together, if you will." he explained slowly.
"Together in what capacity? " Dumbledore pressed further, his voice growing impatient with the younger man's reticence.
Remus sighed, rubbing a hand through his unkempt hair nervously as he avoided looking directly at Dumbledore, "Suffice to say... I happened upon them in a rather, erm... intimate moment." he continued awkwardly.
Dumbledore narrowed his gaze slightly, "Are you saying what I think you're saying, Remus?"
"Ah, you see... now that it's come to mind, Harry found himself in a bit of a tizzy when he discovered that Kreacher had still recided within the house. One thing led to another as he began searching for the wretched elf and, well... somehow he had ended up in his room with, ahem... Hermione on top of him."
Dumbledore's brows shot up, "Harry was... engaged in coitus with Hermione Granger? You're quite sure about this, Remus?" Dumbledore pressed on.
"C-coitus? N-no! No... I can assure you, Albus. That was not the case. They where both fully clothed when I had arrived," Remus said with a finality, clearing his throat nervously.
"I see," Dumbledore responded after a moment as his eyes lowered and stared off into the distance. "Tell me, has Harry spoken of these voices mentioning anything regarding Miss Granger?"
Remus frowned, "He wanted me to send her away to the Burrow, he mentioned something about the voices threatening her." he replied before looking up at Dumbledore, his face filled with concern. "What do you make of it, Albus? The dreams he has been having, they sound very similar to those he experienced during his fifth year when Voldemort returned."
"Perhaps." Dumbledore nodded his head thoughtfully, "Let us discuss this matter further inside before drawing any more conclusions," he continued before reentering the room, Remus following suit.
Upon entering the bedroom, Moody grunted their arrival as he scanned the room yet again, keeping his eye trained on Harry, who seemed to have composed himself somewhat.
Harry remained still and silent, his fingers tightly gripping the bed sheets, his visage marked by a haunting expression.
"I believe it would be helpful to further understand your recollection of the events that occurred before we arrived, Harry, and any insights you may have regarding Miss Granger and the voices you mentioned," Dumbledore initiated, conjuring a chair to position himself directly in front of the young man. "Please, Harry, have you shared any information that could be relevant to these recent... occurrences?" Dumbledore inquired with a penetrating gaze, awaiting Harry's response with a patient demeanor.
"It's not Hermione, if that's what you're asking. She would never do anything to hurt me," Harry blurted out without even a second's thought, shaking his head with determination, "The shadows, they... they just wanted her gone," he added softly, still looking down at the ground, unable to meet anyone's gaze.
"Shadows?" Moody rumbled out with a deep, gravelly voice, "And what kind of shadows were these, lad? The kind that moved?" he continued to ask, his one normal eye studying the young man closely.
Harry looked up at the grizzled man and gave a curt nod, "Y-yes, shadows. Shadows that... talk and move and make me want to..." his words trailed off, unable to finish his sentence.
"What is it, Potter? What did they make you want to do?" Moody asked in a firm yet calm manner, his gaze fixed firmly on Harry, unwavering.
Harry's hands shook slightly and his knuckles grew white as they gripped his sheets tightly, "I don't want to talk about this."
Dumbledore glanced at Moody with a grim look and turned his attention back to Harry, "Harry, we will not push you beyond what is comfortable, but we do need to know as much as you can share. You're not well and we must know how to help you."
Harry swallowed thickly, "The voices... they where telling me to... to..." he closed his eyes briefly before opening them once more. "To kill her. That if I wanted peace, I had to get rid of her. She was a weakness to me. An impediment." he replied as tears started to fall down his cheeks.
Dumbledore placed a comforting hand on Harry's shoulder as he took in the young man's words. Remus looked worried and began to pace the floor as the others stood silent. Moody appeared impassive, his face inscrutable as usual, yet there was a gleam in his eye which showed he understood the seriousness of the situation.
Harry sniffled a little bit before continuing.
"But that was only because Hermione was near me," Harry whispered, shaking his head vehemently as if to convince himself more than anything, "The shadows can't hurt me when I'm alone." he finished in a quiet voice, still unable to look at anyone else.
Moody grunted. "What makes ye so sure?"
"I felt them, felt them pushing against my mind, trying to invade, trying to... take over," Harry said slowly as he turned his attention to the old auror, "And then, just as suddenly as it had appeared, it was gone. But I knew what had happened... that they where after Hermione because I care about her more than anything else, even more than myself," Harry finished with a slight tremor in his voice.
Moody stared at him intently for a moment before nodding his head, satisfied. "Ain't much use denying that fact, lad. So, if I understand correctly, you're saying these voices were trying to get at her and only her, not the rest of us."
"No... they kept mentioning how... how I was cursed, how death would follow me no matter how hard I tried to run." Harry's voice grew louder with every word he uttered, "that death would come to those who I cared for most."
Moody grunted, "Is this why you wanted us to take Granger away to the Weasley's place? Cause yer scared ye'd harm her?" he inquired, studying the young man carefully.
Harry looked up and met the old Auror's gaze, "Y-yes..." he responded softly, looking back down to the ground once more, his voice trailing off.
Dumbledore pursed his lips together. "And have these voices, or shadows, as you say, threatened you or anyone else? Has anything else occurred aside from what occurred last night? Has anyone been hurt?"
Harry shook his head slightly.
"Thank you Harry. Try to get some rest, we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow." Dumbledore stood from the chair, giving the young man another comforting squeeze of the shoulder. "You did the right thing by letting us know the details of what you've experienced, but know this: whatever has occurred here in these last few hours is no one's fault, do you understand Harry?" he stated, looking intently at the boy who simply nodded before lying back down.
Dumbledore nodded and motioned to Remus and Moody as they followed the headmaster out the room and back downstairs to discuss their next move.
Once they were alone in the drawing room, Dumbledore turned to his two companions, "Remus, please remain here and monitor Harry closely. We mustn't let his condition worsen, but it would also be best not to alarm anyone else about this... incident, not at this time at least." Dumbledore directed a pointed look at Remus, "I would also stress the importance of keeping Miss Granger away for the time being, whom I will be having a discussion with next."
Remus nodded, his brow furrowed in worry as he took the directive without protest, "Very well, I will see to it."
"As for you Alastor, I want you to conduct a full scan of this house from the inside, look for anything and everything which could help explain these events." Dumbledore commanded to the other man. "I would also like for you to call upon Severus to remain here and await my return while I visit pay a visit to the Weasleys."
"Understood. I'll go round the property once more just in case something might've gotten by me on the first pass." Moody agreed with a curt nod and exited the drawing room, heading off to investigate the house.
Dumbledore took one final look at his werewolf friend before nodding his approval, "Let us see to the task ahead of us," the older wizard stated, giving the man one last parting glance before making his way down the hallway and out the door of Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place.