~An Emerald Amongst a Sea of Stone~
Chapter Thirteen
'...ry?'
Someone nudged his shoulder.
'Harry?'
He groaned. Whose voice is that? And why is it so bloody loud?
Grudgingly, he opened his eyes, blinking as they acclimated to the change of brightness. The common room seemed oddly well illuminated for this time of the day.
Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he turned left. Tracey stared at him, a frown etched into her forehead.
'Did you actually fall asleep while working on the paper?' the blonde girl asked in disbelief.
What does it look like? Harry rubbed his temple.
'Yeah… Haven't been sleeping all that well recently,' he replied, swallowing down the wave of irritation which sprung up his throat. 'Sorry…'
Nott shot him a flat look. 'Perhaps you should just stop coming back to the dorms after curfew ends.'
Harry's lip twitched. Easy as that, is it?
He shook his head, burying his irritation. 'I need the time.'
Nott shrugged, relaxing back into the couch with an exhale.
'Oh, you do you, don't get me wrong. But it's not just us that are noticing. The teachers have too.'
A statement which was, unfortunately, true.
Harry couldn't even trace back the exact number of times Flitwick had asked whether he was quite alright this past month. Fawley had commented on his state of wakefulness recently as well, now that he thought of it.
A sigh escaped him. I wish they'd all just leave me alone…
His eyes flickered over towards the large grandfather clock occupying the space a few feet to his right. Pinching his eyes, he managed to read the time.
7.30… My detention's in fifteen. He grimaced. Might as well get going…
Batting his grogginess aside as best as he could, he rose from the couch. His friends shot him a questioning look.
'Detention,' he shrugged.
Greengrass glanced up from her book for the first time this evening. She raised an eyebrow.
'With whom?'
He exhaled a wisp of warm air. 'Filch. Dumbledore caught me out of bounds on Wednesday.'
Confusion marred his friends' faces, the only one unaffected seeming to be Blaise. The Italian merely yawned, following Harry's lead and standing up from his seat.
'I'll walk with you then. There's that one book I still have to return,' he told Harry. 'Just give me a minute.'
The raven-haired teen shrugged in agreement. Filch's office was on the first floor as well, after all. As Blaise hurried off towards the dormitory, Tracey continued eyeing him like she was trying to figure out whether he was an impostor or not.
'What?' he asked.
She shook her head, sighing. 'Nevermind… Just- Let's talk tomorrow, alright?'
'Fine.'
The remaining time it took Blaise to return, Harry spent observing the shadowy expanses of the Black Lake. At this time of the day, the water was usually as dark as the night sky resting above. In the distance, he could barely make out a swarm of bright-yellow glowfish swimming by.
Blaise appeared at the bottom of the dormitory stairs. 'Ready,' he called.
Harry wished their classmates a short goodbye, before falling into step beside his roommate. The moment the portrait hole closed behind them, the Italian shook his head.
'You're being an idiot, you know?'
Harry stopped walking. Almost robotically, he turned left, where Blaise eyed him with a look between faint exasperation and annoyed incredulity.
'Hm?' he asked, almost convinced he must've misheard.
Blaise pursed his lip. 'That obsession of yours to learn occlumency is stupid. The mind arts don't work like that. You can't expect to advance just because you put in multiple hours every night. It's quite the opposite actually. The only thing you're doing with your excessive meditation is actively hindering your progress. And for a side effect, it makes you insufferable.'
Harry stared at him.
Blaise continued. 'You're not nearly as sneaky as you think. Aside from the fact that you left your book out on the desk yesterday, it's not too difficult to recognize the side-effects of excessive occlumency practice – at least if there's reason enough to suspect.'
Silence. Harry's gaze fixed on an armorstand for a moment as he contemplated what to say. Eventually, his eyes found Blaise's.
'The others know as well then?'
The boy shook his head. 'I didn't tell them.'
Harry bit the inside of his cheek. He delayed a moment before replying.
'You were taught.' It wasn't a question.
Blaise nodded. 'Alessandro tutored me over the holidays. Mother thought it was a good idea.'
The oppressive silence from before returned for a moment, thickening the cold, damp air of the hall. Blaise pursed his lip.
'Look, I'm not saying you should stop practising. But just- Trust me. What you're doing… It's not doing you any favours,' the Italian said.
Harry closed his eyes for a moment, drawing a long breath. 'How much should I practise then?' he asked, despite knowing the answer himself.
I shouldn't have ignored the book's instructions.
'No more than half an hour,' Blaise answered. 'You should also take breaks between every attempt to clear your mind.'
It felt like something was clawing at his heart. He managed to give Blaise a stiff nod.
'Thanks,' he said plainly. 'I'll keep that in mind.'
'No problem.'
They stared at each other for a moment. Harry frowned.
'You're not asking?'
The Italian shook his head with a smile. 'I know how you are with your extracurricular stuff.'
He paused.
'Besides, in my book no one needs an excuse to want to protect their mind. '
Harry drew a breath, the weight flattening his chest easing ever so slightly. 'I guess you're right,' he said, nodding. His eyes flickered towards the direction of Filch's office.
They traded a glance.
Blaise nodded. 'I'll see you tomorrow.'
'Yes. And thanks. For the advice.'
The boy waved him off. 'Always.'
As Blaise's dark head of hair vanished around the corner, Harry started walking into the direction of Filch's office on autopilot.
He couldn't help but shake his head. Stupid…
Eventually, he reached his destination. The weathered, and what Harry assumed had once-upon-a-time blood-red door looked almost as ancient and neglected as the teeth of the man who opened it at a knock.
Filch wrinkled his nose. 'Potter,' he said, beckoning Harry inside.
The teen didn't respond. He merely nodded, stepping over the threshold into the office and trying to refrain from curling his nose at the unpleasant smell which met him.
'Where's the rest?' Filch asked.
Harry's eyes shifted away from the many disorganised drawers which littered the walls of the office. They were filled with all kinds of random junk.
Confiscated stuff…
'No idea,' Harry answered with a nonchalant shrug.
The caretaker grunted, running a hand through his thinning, greasy hair. His eyes jumped around the room until they found a small clock standing on a desk full of rubbish.
'Heh,' Filch said, turning towards Harry with a wrinkled nose. 'I'll get 'em then. You wait 'ere. An' don't touch nothin' while I'm gone. I'll know if you do.'
The man shot him what Harry assumed was meant to be an intimidating glare. The teen nodded in agreement, unfazed.
Filch pointed towards a decrepit-looking stool. 'Sit if ye like.'
He coughed before vanishing out the door with a faint click of the lock – leaving Harry to consider whether to follow the man's warning or not.
The teen's eyes roamed the endless mountains of junk littering the cramped space around him
Surely there's something useful in here…
A dusty liquor cabinet at the other end of the room caught his eye. It was filled with what seemed to be nearly a dozen bottles of firewhiskey. An open one stood on the desk, right next to the small clock. He shrugged, throwing an alarm ward on the door.
I doubt he'll remember tonight for very long anyway…
Careful not to shuffle things around too much, he began scurrying the office for stuff worth keeping. Unsurprisingly, most of it was trash, but – occasionally – there was something that could have been useful between the seemingly endless array of confiscated objects.
Fanged Frisbees, old exams, con… condoms?! He took a step back. Aren't there potions for that kind of thing?
Immediately, he felt reminded of the time Mrs. Dodds – his ancient biology teacher – had demonstrated how to apply one on a far too ripe banana. Involuntarily, he shuddered.
Let's hope we won't have a repeat of that with McGonagall… he thought, closing the drawer a bit quicker than necessary.
Trying not to think of magical contraception methods, he continued his scavenging of Filch's office. A few more old exams wandered into his charmed pockets, as did a pair of dusty crystal ampules which he had found at the bottom of an equally grimy shelf.
When he opened another drawer, his eyes settled on a small, scrunched-up piece of parchment. Carefully, Harry unfolded it.
Nothing. He frowned. Why would this have been confiscated?
Briefly glancing at the door to his back, he took out his wand.
'Revelio,' he incanted.
Dark, scrawly letters appeared on the page, forming a message for him to read.
Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs would like to ask Mr. Potter to solemnly swear that he is up to no good.
Harry licked the inside of his lip, his frown deepening. His eyes flickered past the words on the parchment once more. Up to no good… A passphrase?
He gently pointed his wand at the page. 'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good,' he incanted.
His words had the desired effect. Before his eyes appeared an expanse of lines, curves and strokes so large and intricate that, at a first look, it was pretty much incomprehensible.
Only once he took a closer look, he managed to figure out just what it was he was looking at.
A map. Of Hogwarts.
He could see the great hall. The owlery. The Gryffindor and Ravenclaw common rooms. The kitchens. Even Filch's office. All depicted on just one piece of parchment.
Then he noticed something else.
Everywhere, there were tiny, scrawly footsteps which seemed to move and flow the same way the castle's torches flickered in the dark of the night. And to each of these footsteps, was attached, a small name tag to go with them.
His eyes settled on the singular pair in Filch's office.
Harry James Potter
He shifted a foot forward. The steps on the page moved along. He blinked.
His eyes flickered back down towards the page. In the hallway just outside the office, he could see a litter of footsteps fast approaching. Malfoy, Longbottom, Weasley, and Bones. All behind Filch.
Hastily, he tried to close the map. To his frustration, however, the parchment wouldn't fold.
Fuck… How does this stupid thing work?
Just as the triggering of his alarm ward caused an unpleasant tingle to run down his forearm, another sentence appeared on the page.
The Marauders would kindly ask Mr. Potter to confirm that whatever mischief he was up to has been managed.
'Mischief managed.'
The door creaked open and the map vanished inside Harry's pocket. Not a second later, Filch stepped inside, his jumpy eyes scanning for anything out of place. Behind him, Harry could make out the forms of Malfoy, Longbottom, and co.
The caretaker pinned him with a calculating, suspicious stare, but Harry ignored the blood thumping in his ears and met it with complete calm. His tongue pressing against the back of his mouth, he sealed his lips into a thin line.
Filch coughed. 'Up with you, Potter. Detention's not happening here.'
'What do you mean?' interrupted Malfoy, frowning.
The caretaker turned around, sneering at Malfoy. 'Ye'll see soon enough, Malfoy. All I'll tell ya is that the groundskeeper asked for help. An' Dumbledore signed it off.'
Neither Longbottom's little clique nor Malfoy seemed to be happy about that revelation. The groundskeeper did, after all, have a reputation.
'Follow me,' Filch told them.
Everyone accommodated the man's command without protest. Leaving the caretaker's office behind, they embarked on a painfully slow stride through the castle, courtesy of the man's limping leg.
Bored as he was, Harry decided to listen in on the whispered conversation going on between Longbottom and his two friends.
'What do you think Hagrid's gonna make us do?' Bones asked quietly.
Weasley grimaced. 'Nothing too bad I hope,' he muttered back, not seeming too delighted either.
Longbottom shook his head. 'I can't imagine he'd make us do something dangerous. Not after–' He stopped abruptly.
Harry turned his head away, pretending to eye the glimmering blue torches which lined the walls to their sides.
'...after what we did for him,' the boy whispered.
Bones nodded worriedly. 'Hopefully…' she agreed.
The hint of a frown marred Harry's features. Perhaps Malfoy's story does have some merit…
Everyone had dismissed their classmate's claims of a dragon as nothing more than a fairytale, but setting into context that the groundskeeper apparently loved all kinds of magical creatures, and the knowledge that these morons had supposedly helped him with something, made Malfoy's theory appear a lot less far-fetched.
But would they really be stupid enough to try and smuggle a dragon out the castle?
Harry listened in on their conversation for a moment more.
'What was the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane again?' Weasley asked.
Bones sighed. Harry nodded to himself.
This one definitely at least.
Another few minutes passed, until they reached the gates which led onto the large bridge connecting the castle to its grounds. Filch limping ahead, they eventually found themselves in front of a small, wooden hut with a roof made of thatch. Its sole window was glowing a warm orange and the door looked more like it had been made for a giant than a wizard.
Filch knocked. Something rumbled inside the hut. Then, after a few more seconds, the door swung aside, revealing the groundskeeper. He looked just as large as the last time Harry had seen him a few weeks back.
At the sight of Longbottom's clique, a smile appeared on the man's bulky face. 'Neville! What are you…' His eyes caught Filch. He scratched his neck. 'Oh. Right. Detention. That was today. Just gimme a moment, I'll be right with ya.'
The door slammed shut. Harry could see Filch bare his stained teeth. Briefly, faint amusement found its way onto the teen's face, vanishing as soon as the gate to the hut opened again.
Hagrid stepped outside, carrying a massive crossbow. Harry eyed the thing with barely concealed surprise. What would he need that for?
The man nodded at Filch. 'I've got it from 'ere, Argus. Thanks for bringing 'em.'
The caretaker didn't respond, simply wrinkling his nose before turning around and making his way back to the castle. An awkward silence turned the air thick and gooey for a few seconds.
'Right then. I assume ye know what we're doing?' Hagrid asked.
Longbottom grimaced, shaking his head. 'Filch didn't tell us.'
The groundskeeper brummed. 'Hm. That's Argus for ye, I s'pose. No matter, I'll just get ye up to date. There's been something killing the unicorns in the forest.'
The students, Harry included, looked at him, perplexed.
'And what exactly has that got to do with us?' Malfoy replied incredulously.
'Well, I need 'elp to catch whatever's offin' 'em. Can't really cover the entire forest on my own, can I?'
Bones stared at him, stuttering. 'A- And you thought it was a good idea to take a couple of first years with you?!' she demanded
Hagrid itched his beard, seemingly a bit apologetic. 'Well… No. I mentioned the thing to Argus an' he thought taking a couple students was a good idea. Said he had a couple students who still had to serve detention anyway.'
Weasley groaned. Longbottom sighed.
Harry remained silent for a moment longer. 'Any idea what it is?' he asked. 'That's killing the unicorns,' he clarified.
Aside from the fact that there were only a handful species which were known to prey upon the magical horses, none of them were native to the Isles.
Hagrid seemed all too happy to pick up on his question. 'Not sure. But it's not the Acromantulas. I have that on good authority,' he replied, shaking his head.
The clique and Malfoy jumped up in alarm. 'There's Acromantulas in the forest?!' they demanded.
Hagrid dismissed them with a huff. 'Yeah, there is. But they're friendly. All we really gotta worry 'bout are the centaurs. They don' like wizards entering their territory all that much…' he said.
Harry closed his eyes. He's not making this any easier on himself.
Hagrid shook his head. 'Sick wi' the flu. Not that he'd be much help anyway. Nothin' more than a big sissy that mutt.'
A woof echoed from inside the hut.
'Ye know it's true,' the huge man shouted back. 'Anyway. I say we split up. We'll cover more ground tha' way.'
'B- But that means some of us have t- to go without you,' Bones protested, eyeing the man's crossbow. 'Wh- What if-'
'It's fine,' Harry interrupted her.
At least as long as we don't run into a dragon or something. That one cutting curse Fawley taught me is rather nasty.
Silence reigned for a moment. After a few seconds, Longbottom scoffed at him.
'Well, if you're that good you shouldn't have any problem going alone, right?' he challenged.
The boy had perhaps expected Harry to row back, but the Slytherin merely offered one of his perfectly practised, insincere smiles.
'Correct,' he answered. 'I don't.'
He had his disillusionment charm and invisibility cloak to fall back upon, after all.
Longbottom looked like he didn't know how to respond. Hagrid, however, started violently shaking his head.
'Nah. Ain' a way I'm lettin' one o' yer go inna' that forest alone. One-'
A brief coughing fit interrupted him.
'At least one of ya 'as to go with 'im.'
Silence met the man's proclamation. Unsurprisingly, no one had offered.
'Well, I guess ye leave me no choice then,' Hagrid muttered.
Rather quickly, his large, brown eyes jumped towards Bones's auburn head of hair. He coughed.
'Susan, ye've been trained by yer aunt, right?'
The girl startled. 'I- Well a bit, I suppose. But it's not-'
'Ye know periculum? The spark-shooting charm?' Hagrid asked.
Bones nodded, slightly puzzled. 'I- Yes?'
'That'll do 'en. Ye go with 'Arry ove' ther. Shoot up sparks if ye 'appen to walk into any danger. We won' be far, alrigh'?
The girl slowly opened her mouth…
…only for it to shut again.
She lowered her head in defeat and sighed. The fact that Longbottom had started arguing with the groundskeeper went by her for a moment.
Eventually, she found her voice. 'It's fine, Neville. I…' She glanced at Harry. 'I'll be alright. He… He's at least pretty good with magic.'
Harry raised an eyebrow. Could've almost mistaken that for a compliment…
Longbottom wrinkled his nose. 'Susan, are you sure-'
She nodded, averting his gaze. 'It's fine. Really. I'll be safe.'
Longbottom failed to smile. Hagrid clapped his hands.
'Alrigh', ready everyone?'
For obvious reasons, no one answered.
'Grea'! Follow me 'en!'
They did. And soon enough, the group consisting of a large groundskeeper and four comparatively tiny students, moved closer towards the borders of the forest.
Harry was pleased to note the silver moonlight which bathed the fir-coloured tree tops ahead in a comforting, ethereal hue. To his right, Weasley grimaced at the sight.
They came to a halt right where the first trees stood rooted in the ground. Looking closely, Harry was barely able to make out the outlines of a narrow path which diverged a few feet into the forest.
Hagrid cleared his throat. He took a few seconds to suggest their further course of action.
'That alrigh' with you two?' he asked.
Harry shrugged. Not like it makes a difference…
'Sure.'
Hagrid nodded. 'I s'pose we'll see each other in an hour 'en. If we don' end up meeting, jus' use a point-me spell to find back to the castle, alrigh'?'
'We will,' Bones managed to respond. She turned towards Harry and folded her lips inward for a moment, glancing off into the forest
He nodded. 'Come on.'
After saying goodbye to Longbottom and Weasley, Bones fell into step behind him.
The uneven floor creaked and crunched beneath their feet, the shine of the moon fading with every foot they went deeper into the forest.
After a while she caught up to him. He could almost hear her heart thumping against the walls of her chest.
'Sh- Shouldn't we get light or something?' she asked anxiously.
Harry briefly fluttered his eyelids in irritation. His charmed glasses revealed that she was gnawing away at her lip.
'And announce to whoever is out there exactly where we are?'
She squeaked. 'I thought Hagrid said we were safe if we didn't run into any cen- Wait.' She stopped. 'Did you say who?'
With a flick of his wand he layered the air around them with a silencing ward.
'Bones, do you know what's the prime unicorn killer worldwide?' he asked.
'I- Lethifolds, right?'
He nodded. Quirrell had covered the creatures in one of their past lessons.
'Any others coming to mind?'
'I…' Bones paused in thought. She then shook her head. 'No. I don't think so.'
'Now ponder that for a moment.'
She blinked. 'I… Lethifolds are native to the tropics?'
He nodded. 'Correct.' He paused. 'And do you know what a unicorn's blood is good for, Bones?'
She frowned. 'It's cursed, right? That's what the children's stories say anyway.'
Harry remained quiet for a moment. While not medically accurate, he could certainly see where that misconception had originated.
'I'll answer it for you,' he said. 'It's the single most effective magical restorative agent available. If ingested directly, it can heal just about every physical injury you could think of.'
Which, unfortunately, also meant it was worthless for Cruciatus treatment. The damage inflicted by the curse was, after all, of the soul. But that wasn't the point he was trying to make.
'So, what do you think is more likely? That there's some obscure creature out there killing the unicorns or a criminal collecting contraband to sell on the black market?'
'I- I- Are you serious?' she stuttered. 'W- Why are we even still here?! We can't even see anything!'
Lots of courage…
Harry rarely ever cared for sentimentality, but the idea of letting someone get away with slaughtering a creature as pure as a unicorn for their own personal gain left a bitter taste behind in his mouth.
It reminded him, if only on the surface, of the time when Dudley used to beat other innocent children up for their lunch money. Even back then he had wanted to intervene. Now he was finally in a position to do so.
'You're free to go back,' he told her nonchalantly. 'I won't tell on you.'
She was nothing more than a liability anyway. Neither could he use the cloak around her, nor would he be able to use the disillusionment charm on someone other than himself.
To his disappointment, Bones seemed to get cold feet. 'I… No. Just- Isn't there a way to at least see?'
Harry rolled his eyes irritatedly, drawing his wand with a flick of the wrist.
'Nocte Aspectum. Silencio.'
Bones did a double take. 'What-'
'Night vision and silencing charms,' he cut her off. 'And before you ask. No, I don't need them.'
His set of enchanted glasses and boots he had ordered over the holiday had paid off magnificently. It was far less pesky than having to renew the charms yourself every time you needed them.
Before she could say another word, he started walking.
They wandered the forest for a while, eventually coming to a point where the narrow path they had been wandering on faded into nothingness. Harry allowed his eyes to roam the seemingly endless array of trees ahead.
At once, a silvery glint caught his eye.
A couple dozen feet away, right by a large rosebush, a sterling-grey liquid dripped to the ground. He immediately recognized it from the depiction in Moste Potente Potions he had seen some weeks ago.
Unicorn blood.
He stalked towards the bush, his eyes pinned to the floor. Between the hoof prints of the animal, he could make out the faint outlines of a wizarding style boot. Harry grimaced.
It's running away… He briefly glanced up at the bush. Completely wet. It's not been long since they've come by…
Bones stuttered. 'I- Is that-?'
'Unicorn blood,' he nodded. 'Come on. It can't have been more than a few minutes since it's been here.'
With brisk steps they followed the silvery trail, eventually reaching a small precipice. On the ground below, a dangerously large amount of blood formed a small puddle.
Cutting curse.
Suddenly, a desperate wail cut through the uncanny quiet of the forest. It couldn't have been farther than a few hundred yards. Harry traded a brief glance with Bones.
They began sprinting.
It didn't take long to find the source of the cry. By a large oak tree a few dozen steps away, a cloaked figure kneeled hunched over the crying animal. Blood was staining the entire ground silver.
Harry did a double take at the sight. Is… Is that thing drinking it?
He almost missed Bones opening her mouth to shout. Thankfully, he managed to erect a silencing ward just in time.
'Are you stupid?' he hissed.
'B- But we… We have to stop it!' she exclaimed, tears of horror forming in her eyes.
He bit down on his lip. 'Listen carefully, Bones. You will stay right here. I will sneak up and try to incapacitate. Don't make a sound or they'll get away,' he told her slowly. 'Understood?'
She gulped. A nod.
Without another word, Harry turned away from the scared girl. His eyes locked on the cloaked entity ahead. Between the wails of the unicorn, disgusting squelches could be heard. The sound made his blood run cold.
Disgusting.
Trying to keep his calm despite the adrenaline flooding his system, he creeped up to a nearby tree. He was only a few feet away now. Slowly, he pointed his wand right at the entity's neck.
Let's see just what that spell Fawley taught me is capable of…
'Lacero!' he hissed.
A few things happened very quickly. First, a bright-purple light shot from the tip of his wand. It careened towards the cloaked figure, but before it could reach, the entity suddenly whirled around.
But not in time to avoid the curse completely.
The purple spell graced the being's lower abdomen. Despite the near-miss, a litter of crimson blood immediately started spilling from the wound.
And before Harry had a chance to get a better look at the person, the loud crack of disapparition filled the air. In the background, he could hear Bones fire off the spark-shooting charm.
Immediately, his eyes flickered over towards the unicorn. A large horizontal cut had been made along its entire belly. He rushed over.
'Episkey!'
It didn't work. The charm wasn't strong enough.
'Episkey!' he tried again. 'Episkey! Episkey! Episkey!'
It was no use. The moment his magic attempted to seal the gaping wound, it immediately tore open again. Sterling blood soaked his boots. He was losing time.
Come on, Potter… Try to think of something. Anything!
His eyes shot towards the puddle of silver liquid to his feet. His gaze found the unicorn's scarred, rainbow-coloured eyes.
If this doesn't work nothing will.
'Locomotor liquidum.'
Blood rose from the floor, levitating over towards the unicorn's maw. Harry forcefully opened it with a push of his free hand. Thankfully, there was only little resistance.
Ounces of its own blood entered the creature's system. And though it seemed like nothing was happening at first, after a few seconds, the wound gaping across its stomach slowly started to seal.
After what felt like an eternity, only an angry red mark was visible where the cut had been. Harry's hands were shaking ever so slightly.
From the corner of his eye, he noticed that Bones had appeared to his right. He turned towards her. She was looking at him with something between admiration, disgust, and shock.
'D- Did you-'
He exhaled, too tired for any snark. 'It was the only idea I had.'
He still didn't know if the animal would survive or not. Usually, the problem with ingesting unicorn blood, was that the body became dependent on it to keep running. The question was whether that applied to unicorns themselves as well.
Either way, he had at least bought it some time.
'H- Hagrid and the others should arrive soon. I-'
'Shot up sparks, I know,' Harry nodded. 'Let's hope he has some blood replenishers with him,' he said, eyeing the silver puddle to his feet.
'D- Did you get them?' Bones asked, eyeing the crimson streak to their feet
'In the stomach. I missed.'
I should've just gone for a stunner… he thought darkly. He had allowed his disgust to overrule his rationality. Once more, he cursed himself for ignoring the instructions of his occlumency guide.
Nothing to be done for now though…
He glanced back up at Bones. 'Were you three seriously stupid enough to smuggle a dragon out the castle?' he asked suddenly.
The girl startled at the sudden change of topic. She stuttered. 'I… No. We-'
He raised an eyebrow. 'Weasley's idea, wasn't it?'
She tried to collect herself. 'I have no idea what you mean,' she replied.
That seals it then.
Harry nodded to himself.
'Naturally.'
She cleared her throat. 'Did you get a look whatever… that was?' she asked, trying to steer the conversation another way.
A shake of his head. 'No. Disapparated before I could see.'
He was almost convinced the glowing-red orbs that had stared at him from below the entity's hood had been of his imagination.
'I… Who would do something like this?' she asked.
Someone very sick. Or desperate…
He had assumed the hunter to be some criminal trying harvest the blood for financial purposes, but to see them slurping it directly from the live animal had shattered those notions.
'D- Do you think it could've been a teacher?' Bones interrupted his musings suddenly.
He frowned at her. 'A teacher? '
'I- You said the blood can heal just about anything, right?' she asked. At his nod, she continued. 'Well, it's just… Don't tell anyone but on the third floor-'
'Susan!' Longbottom's voice pierced the air.
Harry sighed.
Author's Note:
Been a while, huh?
Sorry for the wait, but between having my wisdom teeth removed and falling into a depressive episode, I couldn't really muster a lot of motivation to write.
As is obvious those issues have been rectified.
I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I think it was one of my better ones, though I will of course, as always, leave the final judgement up to you guys.
As per usual, I'd also appreciate a follow, kudos, or review if you found it to your liking. No need of course, but it's always nice to see people having a good time reading my stuff. It's quite motivating to continue.
Naturally, any constructive criticism is also welcome, even though that doesn't necessarily mean I will change the story to better accommodate anyone's standards
If you wanna connect, hit me up on discord:
https :/ discord . gg/ zwpshsfKJn
(FFN, just remove the spaces)
I'll see you guys in the next one.
Cheers!