Part Four - Prophecy Realised
Cat or Mouse?
Harry was breathing slow. His exhales were long. He could hear the sound of his breathing overpower his ears as Tonks went still beneath him. He began to feel her body cool as the colours in her body began to fade.
The adrenaline that drove him began to wear off and black spots began to dance in front of his eyes. He rolled off her tiredly and took a moment to catch his breath. The Void escaped his hold and he felt like his body had been wrung through a cloth strainer. It was the first time he had been stretched beyond his limits and in-spite of the exhaustion that reeled through his body, Harry was smiling with his eyes closed. He felt fulfilled under the full moon light with blood soaking his hands.
When Harry opened his eyes, the stars were brighter and the moon had travelled halfway across the sky. It took him a second to realise he had lost consciousness. Looking at the moon he figured it had been close to three hours since…
He glanced to his left where the body of Tonks lay. He had to cover his tracks. He had killed a Hogwarts professor. This was definitely grounds for expulsion.
Irritation lanced through his gut. Why was did she have to follow him in the first place. Now he had the task of cleaning up a battle that tore through the various parts of the forest.
The Void was still weak. He tried to summon it but his body shivered in pain as soon as he tried. He had to wait. He had to rest. He had to think.
Disposing the body was the wisest course of action but as soon as the thought came to him, Harry rejected it. This was a great kill. He didn't like the idea of it disappearing forever. No. He had to make a show of it. He wanted her to be found. Without the murder being linked to him of course. It didn't feel right hiding her forever. He felt proud of the kill. It was his hardest yet.
His mind drew a blank though when he tried to think how to frame the body. No ideas were coming to him.
Harry sighed and then realised he was still laying on his back on the ground. The wetness in the soil had seeped into his clothes. Taking a deep breath and testing the strength in his limbs, Harry struggled into a sitting position. Then he felt movement in his pockets and remembered he had a pepper up potion as well. He noticed his hands were trembling with exhaustion as he dug into his robe pocket and drank the potion.
Immediately strength returned to his body and the void swelled. Potions, Harry realised, were not as pointless as he had thought before. He was gaining a new found respect for the art. It was a realm of magic that was worth exploring.
With the return of strength, the ideas came to him faster. One in particular stood out. She had a hole in her chest. A hole that could easily be shaped into looking like the stab of a giant spider.
Harry grinned as the idea began to take form. He could stage a battle between Tonks and an Acromantula and make it look like they both killed each other. Yes. It was definitely possible to recreate.
Harry stood up. He gently tugged on the Void, using as little as possible. The potion may have returned his power but when its effects wore off, he was going to be sick. He had to move quickly.
The Void wrapped around Tonks body and gently lifted her off the ground. The look of horror in her eyes was permanently etched. It made Harry laugh.
Together, they moved towards the path commonly traversed by Acromantula and Hagrid.
The night was dark still.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Tenth June Nineteen Ninety-Four – Hogsmeade
People, Harry was quickly relearning, were annoying and stupid. He had decided to accompany Daphne to a village that was a popular destination according to Daphne. He had only agreed because he had to lay low until Tonks was found. There was a flood of anticipation rising in his blood. Every second he was awake; he was waiting to hear it. He was waiting for the news to break out. He wanted to know what people were going to say about it.
It was a new emotion in him. The thrill of running the risk of being discovered. The image of the horror in everyone's eyes if they found out about him sent jolts of pleasure down his spine.
Harry was going to kill again. The seed that lay dormant in him had grown into a sapling. And for it to grow it needed to be fed. The hunger would gnaw at him soon if the children around him didn't stop chattering about pointless things like boyfriends and Quidditch.
He kept hearing about a rebellion and its ideals almost made him laugh. Harry gathered, from all the arguments coming and going since they had come to the village, that people wanted equal rights or something along those lines. Harry only rolled his eyes and never spoke up. The idea of wanting and asking was stupid. He believed in taking.
Only the strong survive. The desert would show it.
"Wasn't Professor Tonks supposed to meet us at Three Broomsticks?"
Harry's pulse quickened. Tonks. The memory of her rearranged body flashed in his mind.
"She didn't turn up," Daphne said with a frown.
It was a beautiful day. Daphne was accompanied by Hermione Granger, Tracey Davies, Blaise Zabini, Susan Bones and Ron Weasley. There was a warmth in the air as the sun beat down on them thanks to a clear blue sky.
The group had become fast friends after the beginning of the rebellion. Ron Weasley accepting Daphne helped rouse more support for Daphne. She was looked at as a spokesperson for change and after Lucius Malfoy was elected Minister, like-minded people met in secret and talked. Daphne secretly had most of the castle behind her, influenced by her voice. The six friends had become a common sight over the last months of their third year. Many a times they were joined by many from other houses as well.
Today, however, surprised looks were directed at the short, thin boy, with dark hair swept neatly to one side, walking alongside them.
"Look," they whispered. "It's Harry Potter!"
"My god, why is he so tanned?"
"Is this the first time he's coming to the village?"
"Can you see the scar?" "No, his hair is blocking it."
"He's such a freak," said some. "Since when does he hang out with Daphne?"
"I've heard they're close and he's supposed to be some kind of genius." "Well of course! He defeated you know who!" "So you think he's a muggleborn supporter?"
"Well he's with Daphne isn't he? He's probably on her side."
The whispers kept coming when they had left the castle after it had taken Daphne quite a few glares to get them to shut up. The growing anger in Harry's eyes had receded after that to her relief.
"Maybe she's busy with papers and stuff," Ron said. Ron kept glancing at Harry out of the corner of his eye with a look of awe and wonder. He had seen the magic Harry was capable of. He wondered what abilities the boy who lived had.
"Maybe," Daphne said doubtfully.
"Is there a library here?" Harry asked suddenly. His voice cut through them like the snap of a whip and all of them jumped to attention.
"What!?" Susan squeaked. His voice was so soft and powerful, she thought as soon as she realised it was him who spoke.
"Library," Harry repeated.
"Err," Hermione began. "Not that I know of."
Harry shrugged. "Pity," he said.
"Look," Blaise said suddenly. "There's Draco. Who is he talking to?"
Susan squinted and then scowled. "That's Rita Skeeter. What's she doing here?"
Harry noticed the lady. She wore blood red elongated square spectacles that where angled at the top edges. Her lipstick matched her spectacles and her eyes were acid green. Her skin was firm and had a layer of well applied makeup that seemed to highlight her dimple when she smiled. Sun-kissed blonde hair was elegantly curled in swirls and fell softly above her shoulders. She was dressed with a black robe that was speckled with red sparkles.
In her hand she had a crocodile skin bag and in the other a magical voice recorder.
What captured his interest was the colours of her core. Her orange and yellow were the brightest he had ever seen in a person.
Unconsciously he began to walk towards her Daphne looked at Harry with startle. She exchanged a bemused look with Hermione and they followed him.
"Father believes those who deserve their place in society should be recognised," Draco was saying. "The Werewolves are not monsters by choice. There are some who are capable of being upstanding citizens of our world."
"Well isn't that a well-rehearsed statement," Daphne remarked out loud drawing the attention of Draco and Rita.
This was a woman who knew how to destroy people and took pleasure in it, Harry thought when he felt her cores. She was a sponge and secrets were water to her. Harry instinctively went on guard when her eyes broke away from Draco's and narrowed down at him.
She was a silent predator, Harry realised. She systematically took down her prey from afar. That was what her colours told him. He had to careful of this woman.
Rita Skeeter turned sharply towards Daphne, her hawk like eyes narrowed and a small smile lit her face. Harry saw her orange pulse. The reporter was excited.
"Daphne Greengrass," Rita exclaimed. "The gem of Hogwarts. Your name has been making rounds at the office for some time now. Your father would be proud," she said with a knowing smile.
Rita was sharp. Daphne could feel the depth of the statement cutting right into her.
"If only he were here to see it," Daphne replied with a sad smile. She was getting good at this game and Rita was an interesting test for her.
"And who is this?" Rita asked, looking at Harry. His scar was hidden behind his long hair.
"Harry Potter," Ron said quickly.
Daphne glanced at Ron with annoyance. The redhead was irritating but his family had clout now. She had to keep him close considering the status of his father. She looked at Harry and found him staring at Rita with some interest.
"Harry Potter!" Rita exclaimed and her magical recorder zoomed between the two of them. "I have longed to meet you after your unfortunate hospitalization. Now, Dumbledore and your godfather never revealed what really happened to you. Would you like to make a statement? Maybe even reach out to those who look up to you as the boy who saved the world?"
Her red stank of lies and manipulation.
Harry smiled chillingly. "No thank you," he said politely. He looked into her eyes and saw dangerous green look back at him. "It was nice meeting you," Harry said and with the grace of tranquil waters, he turned and walked away.
The rest of the group turned towards Daphne, wondering if she'd call him back but Daphne didn't. Instead she laughed. "He doesn't talk much," she said airily, like the friend closest to Harry who knew him best.
"I can see that," Rita said slowly. Her eyes followed Harry as he walked back towards the castle. "Such interesting eyes he has," she added, smiling strangely. As if she was privy to an insight none of the others could hope to make. "So chilling," she whispered.
Once he had disappeared down the slope leading to the castle Rita returned her focus on Draco and Daphne.
"Now," she said, her voice returning to her previous levels of enthusiasm. "What can you gems of the future of our world tell me today? Perhaps an exclusive about the environment at Hogwarts after all that has happened?"
Daphne and Draco squared off. This was an opportunity neither of them would back down from.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Eleventh June Nineteen Ninety-Four - Forbidden Forest
Just as Harry foresaw, Hagrid turned out to be the one to find her. At first Hagrid had not known what made him more distraught. The death of Aragog's mate, Mosag: the co-founder of the Acromantula colony in the forbidden forest. Or the body of Auror Tonks, who had died fighting the largest and most powerful member of the colony.
The forest around them was completely in ruins. Trees were broken in half and the ground looked like a battle of giants had taken place in the vicinity.
Currently the area was being cordoned and a few Aurors and Albus were examining the area. Hagrid sniffed quietly, big drops of tears dripping over his thick beard.
"Will you be alright Hagrid?" Dumbledore asked softly.
"I will be," Hagrid said, struggling to get words out.
Dumbledore looked sadly at the body of Tonks, now on a stretcher with a healer examining her body. The large hole in her chest with a broken leg buried in it made it obvious what the cause of death was.
A team from Amos Diggory's department was due to arrive to check on the Acromantula and collect the poison.
"What was she even doing here?" asked a tall black Auror sadly. His voice was deep like a baritone and wore a purple square shaped hat on his head. He wore red robes with a tag on his breast pocket that said captain.
"I don't know Kingsley," Dumbledore replied. He had suspicions, but no clues or evidence to back them up."
More Aurors began to arrive and a team from the Department of Magical Creatures; DMC in short, began to dissect the Acromantula.
Hagrid had howled at the sight and Dumbledore was forced to take him away.
"Tis so sad Professor," Hagrid cried. "I don' unda'stand what Mosag was doing hunting out here in the first place!"
"Calm down Hagrid," Dumbledore said. "I'm sure there's an explaination."
Hagrid didn't listen. He was distraught. "And you know what's strange? There are no tracks that show them leading ere! It's so strange Albus!"
No tracks? Dumbledore thought. "That is strange," Dumbledore agreed softly, his mind turning. "Are you sure Hagrid?"
"Of course professor. I'ma good tracker and I saw no sign of Mosag or poor Tonks leading to each other. It's like they just apparated and fought."
"Which could mean they were brought here," Dumbledore said softly.
Hagrid stopped crying at the look of seriousness on Albus's face. "Professor? What are yea thinking?"
"Do me a favour Hagrid. See if there are any other tracks leading to or away from here. Also speak with the centaurs. It's possible they might have seen or heard something," Dumbledore said. His words held steel. Maybe this was no accident. If so, who was the murderer?
Dumbledore's mind went straight to a particular boy who was a student at his school. A boy who he knew to be ruthless and powerful. The boy from the prophecy.
Harry Potter.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Seventeenth June Nineteen Ninety-Four – Hogwarts: The Great Hall.
The news was out. Everybody knew what had happened and not even a single glance was sent his way in suspicion. It thrilled Harry. He had never felt such excitement in him before. He was sitting among people who had no idea he was the boy who orchestrated Tonks fight to the death with the biggest Acromantula in the forest. They had no idea, he was the real power that held their awe.
He felt special.
Only Dumbledore's gaze put him off. The headmaster kept looking at him and since her death, Harry could feel him judging. Evaluating. Analysing his every move.
Harry couldn't wait to get away from the castle. Away from the penetrating eyes of the headmaster. Silently telling him that if evidence was found he was in trouble. Harry couldn't wait to leave. Even if it was back to the warded prison that was his godfather's green lands.
The school was gathered for the end of year feast in the great hall to pay homage to Professor and Auror: Tonks. She was represented by no one from the Auror office.
Kingsley Shacklebolt however, one of the Aurors who didn't run with Bones, came to the castle in plain clothes. He wore his traditional purple robes and stood in one corner of the hall with his arms folded and face grim. He was deeply upset when Minister Malfoy refused his request to grant Tonks an Auror burial service. The minister argued, Tonks had left her office to become a teacher. The Ministry was not going to spare expenses for a member not under their banner.
He was accompanied by an invisible man.
Alastor 'mad eye' Moody stood beside him under an invisibility cloak.
"Well?" he asked gruffly, keeping his volume low.
"I'm in," Shacklebolt replied. His voice firm with determination.
"Tonight. Grimmauld Street. Be near the entrance to the park at ten in the night."
Kingsley didn't reply. Mad eye was gone.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Fifth July Nineteen Ninety-Four – The Forbidden Forest: Centaur's Circle.
Seven centaurs stood around the stone pillar deep in the forest. There were thousands of shapes engraved into the pillar and it stood tall, stretching beyond the treetops.
Standing at the edge of the circle was Albus Dumbledore.
Hagrid had finally made contact and Dumbledore had been summoned.
"We have news young Albus," said the oldest of them.
Dumbledore kept his head lowered in respect to the elder ones. "Hagrid mentioned something about danger?"
"Jupiter burns with fire Albus Dumbledore. Neptune joins him predicting a looming threat."
Dumbledore kept silent. He knew the centaurs would get to the point eventually. He had learnt being cryptic from them after all.
"Two brothers disappeared chasing a monster."
"A monster Elder Juran?"
"Yes. It holds territory near the edge of our forest. We believe it came from the other side."
The other side. The unexplored forest. Few had entered. None yet had come out.
"Have the Centaurs learnt anymore Elder Juran?"
The old centaur shook his head. His long grey mane flew all over the place.
"The magic is dangerous there young Albus. Go North if you wish to learn more. But be wary. The stars tell us the monster is the one who held the fate of the two who were lost."
All the centaurs neighed in unison and stamped their feet.
The meeting was over.
Dumbledore bowed to them and left. Centaurs did not stand on ceremony. Dumbledore began to head North. He had to know more. There was something big happening right under his nose. He could sense it. He was going to uncover the truth one way or another.