But Mostly For Revenge
Disclaimer : Nothing is mine; everything is J K Rowling's. Still.
AN : The Discord server's still up, running, and steadily growing. Do come join us!
You can find the links to the audiobooks hosted on Spotify and Apple Podcasts via my website or my discord!
All the early access chapters are all on my website, but, of course, require a detour through the-site-that-must-not-be-named.
discord. gg / 7D7dWjzKac alltheblankcanvas. com Incy Wincy Spider Time!
But Mostly for Revenge
Harry poked around the floor of the broom closet with a foot, bumping a bucket and several mops before his toes brushed something soft and warm.
Now, how to do this? He dragged Smith up onto his shoulder. I guess I'll have to improvise. It usually works.
Harry stepped out of the broom closet and wandered down toward the Hufflepuff common room.
"Zach." A tall, pompous-looking Hufflepuff gave him a nod, then wandered across. "The whole school's being locked down, we've got to go back to our common rooms and stay there until further notice. What's happening? What did Umbridge want?"
"She gave me a cup of tea and asked me some questions," Harry said.
"Oh? What about? I heard she talked to Potter, too."
"Someone set fire to her office, burnt the whole thing completely clean."
"That explains why there're aurors here and we're all being shut in." Smith's friend frowned and knocked on a barrel a few times. "Saw them come in through the hall a few minutes back. Went right after Umbridge without a word."
"Well, if they find whoever did it, he or she's in trouble," Harry said. "I daresay the only things Umbridge has left are in her handbag."
"Good riddance to all that bloody pink. Did she actually make you take veritaserum?"
"The tea." Harry feigned shock. "It could've been in the tea. It did taste weird."
"That must be illegal." Smith's friend paused before a cosy gathering of chairs and sofas. "I'm going to ask Cedric about it."
"I think I'm going to lie down," Harry said. "I'm starting to get a serious headache."
"It's probably because of what that woman made you drink. I'm definitely talking to Cedric about it."
Harry nodded, hanging back until everyone's eyes moved away and slipping upstairs to hunt through the rooms for Smith's. He dumped Smith on the bed beneath his name and dispelled the disillusionment charm on him, drawing the hangings closed around the bed.
"Obliviate," he murmured, feeding an abridged version of his memories of the conversation with Umbridge into the blank in Smith's mind after lunch.
He disillusioned himself, ducked out of the hangings on the far side, and crept out of the Hufflepuff common room.
Heat flared across his body, then everything began to shift. Harry gritted his teeth, staggering out of the Hufflepuff Common Room and into the first dark corner, undoing the charms on his robes. He ground his forehead into the wall, holding his breath until his bones squirmed back into place and his muscles stopped writhing.
I'm never doing that again. He gulped down a mouthful of cold air. I'd rather transfigure my entire body.
Harry slipped back into Gryffindor Tower and joined the huddle of people "round the fire. "Someone set fire to Umbridge's office."
"She thought it was you?" Nev asked.
Hermione pursed her lips. " Was it you?"
"I wish it had been me, but I'm tired and not feeling well. I don't know what's in Umbridge's teabags, but that cup of tea didn't agree with me at all."
"You drank it." Hermione's voice climbed an octave. "It had veritaserum in it, Harry. What did you tell her!"
"I don't remember it too well. She asked me where Dumbledore was, but I've no idea, so we kind of just went in circles." Harry feigned a yawn. "Now I'm going to go sleep."
Nev nodded. "Veritaserum's powerful stuff. Hope you feel better tomorrow, mate."
Harry unfolded the Marauders" Map and traced Umbridge's name drifting toward Hagrid's Hut, accompanied by two names whom he assumed were the pair of aurors she'd summoned. It's finally time.
Harry pulled the bed-curtains closed, cast a sticking charm on them, and opened the window. He eyed the drop. This is a terrible idea. He glanced around the wall for handholds, but there were only open windows. My firebolt.
He checked the dormitories for Katie and found her name in the common room. Umbridge and the aurors names" floated into the edge of the Forbidden Forest where the map ended.
Harry edged out onto the ledge. "Accio Firebolt."
His broom zipped out of the window a few floors up and slapped into his outstretched hand. He swung a leg over it, disillusioned himself, and dived. The wind rushed past him as he corkscrewed over the greenhouses and courtyards to Hagrid's pumpkin patch. He tucked the broom out of sight between two large pumpkins and hurried into the forest.
Dead pine needles and branches crunched under Umbridge's short, loud stomps, echoing beneath the branches. Twigs snapped beneath her aurors" boots as they crept along the forest path, casting beams of light through the gloom from their wands. Dawlish's face appeared between the trees and Umbridge's pink cardigan drifted a short distance behind.
No need for me to tangle with the aurors. I just have to make sure they get separated from Umbridge.
Harry tracked the three of them through the woods as the pines grew dense, the trunks thicker, and the arching roots rose up to his waist.
"I'm telling you this is a bad idea," Dawlish's partner said.
"We're aurors, King," Dawlish muttered. "We follow our orders to keep people safe. If we don't follow orders, everything falls apart."
"This isn't keeping anyone safe as far as I can see," King said. "We've been sent into an area well-known for being inhabited by some of the most dangerous magical creatures in Britain and she hasn't even told us why."
"I'm sure Dolores has a good reason, King." Dawlish glanced back. "I hope she has a good reason."
"What do you think we're doing out here, then?"
"If Dolores is risking herself to come out here, then it must be important," Dawlish said.
"Important to her and Fudge," King replied.
"Yes," Dawlish said. "I'm sure you would see it that way."
"What do you mean?"
The pair split up to walk around one of the trees. Harry checked Umbridge's line of sight, then drifted a little closer.
"We've been working together for the best part of a decade, King," Dawlish said. "I know whose ideals you follow. Don't think I haven't noticed you disappearing off at odd times."
"I'm afraid I have no idea what you're talking about," King said.
"Don't worry, King, you're an excellent auror. I don't care if you're a member of Dumbledore's covert little group, anything to get Fudge out before Madam Bones decides to start a military coup just to be rid of his incompetence."
Harry cursed under his breath. Of course, King had to be a member of the Order of the Phoenix. He slipped ahead of them, hurrying along. This has to look natural, then.
"Time to improvise," he murmured.
Harry picked his way through the trees, glancing back at the beams of light flashing over his shoulder until he reached the first span of spider webbing. He disillusioned it and all the webbing within sight, following Hagrid's path all the way to Aragog's hollow. The shadows of acromantula crawled up and down the massive trunks above him.
I may regret this. A small smile crept across his lips. Fleur may end up melting my face.
He revealed himself. Furious clicking erupted around him and gargantuan arachnids descended to surround him.
"So, friend of Hagrid, you've returned." The ancient, milk-eyed acromantula patriarch stalked out from the roots of the largest pine. "I remember your last visit well."
So do I. Harry recalled the mad dash through the trees and the horde of man-eating spiders on his heels with a wry smile. Let's hope it goes a bit better this time.
"Are you going to try and eat me again?" he asked.
"My children are always hungry," Aragog murmured. "But no. My family owes you a great debt, slayer-of-the-creature-we-do-notspeak-of. Hagrid told me of your deed, you freed my old friend from his prison with your actions and saved my children from the creature's hunger."
"A debt," Harry mused.
"Yes," Aragog whispered. "A debt. However, you did not know of it until now. Why have you come?"
"I have a deal for you and your children," Harry said.
"A deal…" Aragog clicked his pincers and stalked closer, looming over Harry.
"Fulfilment of your debt, if you like."
"What would you have from my family, friend of spiders?"
"There was a wizard who was once known as Tom Riddle-"
"I know of Tom Riddle," Aragog hissed. "He expelled me from my home, destroyed the future Hagrid had planned."
Well, that makes things much easier.
"He unleashed the basilisk I slew and he goes by a new name now. He calls himself Voldemort and seeks to dominate Britain."
"You would have us fight him," Aragog murmured. "We are hunters and ambushers. We live amongst webs and shadows. Outside our forest we'll be little more than a shield against spells. I will not condemn my children to such a fate."
"I ask you and your family to guard the forest against him, to agree never to aid or join with him, no matter what he offers, or how long he lives." Harry slipped his wand away. "If you agree, then I will hold your oath fulfilled… and as a gesture of friendship, I will hunt with you."
"I agree." Aragog clicked his pincers. "You ask for little in return for the freedom you have gifted us. When will you hunt with us?"
Harry smiled. "We already are."
"Where is our prey?"
"Walking toward us, lured into the middle of your web, into this very clearing. A trio whom I can offer one of to you and your children."
"Only one?" Aragog's pincers trembled. "Why only one?"
"The other two must live. They are unknowing allies." Harry watched the acromantula ascend back into the trees.
"I have told my children that you are one of our family, just as Hagrid is," Aragog said. "I accept your hunt."
Harry strode forward under the spider's belly and crouched in the shadows of the hollow beneath the largest pine. "The female in pink is your prey. Scare the others off and I will ensure she is trapped here."
Aragog rose onto his rear legs and waved both forelimbs and pincers in the air, clicking his mandibles together so fast it sounded almost like gunfire. "My children will chase the others away, we will deal with the one in pink."
Footsteps drew near through the trees. Harry's heart picked up its beat and a great swell of anticipation rose within him.
Almost there. He peered out round the roots. With no more Umbridge, I'm free to go after the prophecy.
The two aurors spread out, pacing the edge of the clearing, their wands levelled at the shadows lying among the roots.
Umbridge stumbled to the clearing's centre, the map clutched in one hand. "For the Greater Good," she cried.
Yes. Harry watched the acromantula descend from above with a small, thin smile. But mostly for revenge.
King swore. "Run! Dawlish! Umbridge!"
Dawlish banished a spider away into the trees and conjured a shining shield of magic. King threw up a gleaming barrier beside him. Acromantula bounced off them and rolled across the ground and Umbridge shrieked, sprinting for the silver light.
"Ossasula," Harry whispered.
The dark purple curse hissed through the air and struck Umbridge on the ankle. A loud snap echoed through the clearing and she dropped with a scream. The spiders swarmed over her. Dawlish and King exchanged a look, then turned and ran, the acromantula thundering after them.
"Filthy spiders," Umbridge screeched, pressing her glowing wand tip to her leg. She fired red curses into the shadows around her, clutching at her ankle. "Disgusting creatures!"
Harry strolled out from the hollow. "I see you followed the map I made."
"Dumbledore," she spat. "You'll suffer for this, for consorting with such things. "
"Dumbledore?" Harry drifted a little closer.
"Potter," she breathed. "I am the headmistress of Hogwarts, undersecretary to the Minister for Magic. You will be expelled, your wand snapped, and then you'll be sent to Azkaban for the rest of your life. It will only take a word from me and you will be destroyed."
A small, cold, thin smile curved Harry's lips. "You seem to be under the delusion you're leaving this forest."
A crazed, desperate gleam rose in her eyes and she snatched the tiara from her handbag, clapping it onto her head. "Yes," she muttered, dropping the bag to the dirt. "Yes."
Harry glanced at her handbag. I'll leave it. Hagrid might find it to prove she was eaten here.
A white curse flashed past him and carved deep gashes into the trunk of a tree. Harry deflected the second curse away into the ground and stepped closer to her.
"Crucio," she hissed.
A single butterfly fluttered from the tip of Harry's wand and swallowed the red light, bursting in a wisp of dark vapour.
"Lacero," he murmured, advancing over the ground. "Lacero."
The first purple curse ripped through her cardigan as Umbridge rolled away. The second tore a line across her forearm, splattering blood across the pine needles. Her short wand slipped from her stubby fingers.
"No," she shrieked, grabbing her wand and dragging herself away through the needles.
"Ossasula." Harry's curse fractured her pelvis with a loud snap.
Her hoarse scream tore through the trees and Umbridge clawed her way through the dirt toward the path, sobbing and muttering beneath her breath. Her soiled pink cardigan and skirt dragged countless dead needles in their weave. A loud crack echoed through the trees and she reappeared a few metres away.
Apparition. A chill lanced through Harry.
He strode after her and stamped on her wand, crunching it to pieces beneath his heel, and flipped her over with his foot. Thick lines of tears dribbled down her pale, mud-smeared, flabby face.
"Please," she whispered, clutching at the tiara with both hands, smearing blood from her wrist over her right cheek. "Please, help me
."
"There's no help coming." Harry pried the map from her and tapped it. "Sometimes, when something seems too good to be true, it's because it is."
Her eyes widened, then the blood drained from her face.
Aragog stalked from the depths of the hollow. "This is our prey?"
"She's yours now." Harry glanced back over his shoulder. "Kill her."
"We spiders don't kill our prey so quickly." Aragog's hoarse laugh echoed through the clearing. "We keep them still, warm, and breathing, feasting for as long as they last."
Umbridge whimpered and the sour smell of urine filled the hollow. The other acromantula returned, scuttling from the shadows.
"I thank you for your gift," Aragog whispered. A brief flurry of clicking echoed from the trees around the hollow. "My children say the other two have fled the forest unharmed. Our hunt is successful, friend of spiders. I and my children will defend the forest from Tom Riddle and those who follow him." He lunged past Harry and seized Umbridge in his pincers.
She gurgled, then flopped to the floor as limp as a drowned worm, and the tiara slipped from her head, rolling to Harry's feet.
"Curious…" He bent down and retrieved it, brushing the dirt and needles away.
Aragog smothered Umbridge in webbing, then dropped her to the floor and let another spider carry her up into the trees, dangling her on a single rope of spider silk.
Are you worth keeping? Harry polished the tiara on his robes and turned it over until he found writing etched in a ring around the sapphire. Wit beyond measure is Man's greatest treasure.
"Cute." He weighed the circlet on his palm, letting its warmth soak into his hand, and it shuddered, letting out a soft chitter. "Silver and sapphire." Fleur's bright blue eyes and her shimmering Yule dress flashed through his mind and the tiara hummed. "I think I'll keep you."
AN : Do come join our growing Discord community for parody vids, audiobook links, all my other writing, and more! You can also find details about all the early access chapters and so on there!
Resilience
Disclaimer : Nothing is mine; everything is J K Rowling's. Still.
AN : The Discord server's still up, running, and steadily growing. Do come join us!
You can find the links to the audiobooks hosted on Spotify and Apple Podcasts via my website or my discord!
All the early access chapters are all on my website, but, of course, require a detour through the-site-that-must-not-be-named.
discord. gg / 7D7dWjzKac alltheblankcanvas. com Next chapter!
Resilience
Whispers filled the Great Hall from the floor to the grey, overcast clouds floating across the ceiling, growing louder with each teacher that drifted to the staff table without the loathed click of pink heels.
"I heard the curse got her," Seamus muttered.
"Maybe someone pushed her off the moving staircases," Dean suggested. "Like Sally-Anne Perks."
"Sally-Anne left." Hermione sighed. "The aurors almost certainly came after Umbridge started using veritaserum on students." She glanced at Harry. "Being given too much can do some nasty things to you. I read about it last night…"
Katie took his wrist. "How much did she make you drink?"
"Three drops." He patted her hand. "I'm fine."
Katie's lips twisted. "I'm keeping an eye on you."
"You just want an excuse to ogle me." He grinned at her. "I'm onto you."
She twitched. "Oh?" Katie reached for the jug and knocked her goblet over. "You are, are you?"
"Definitely. All those jokes… The teasing… You're an incorrigible flirt."
She laughed and stood her goblet back up. "Congratulations, Harry. You've seen right through me."
"You know what I think." Lavender tucked her lip gloss into her cleavage and giggled when Ron's eyes followed it down. "I think Professor Umbridge left her office to meet up in the greenhouses with Filch for a midnight tryst, only to be snatched and consumed by the Venomous Tentacula."
"Some girls are into that sort of thing," Katie whispered in Harry's ear. "All those snaky green vines everywhere. Could be a lot of fun…"
"Doesn't it digest things while they're still alive?" Harry asked. "Can't imagine that's fun."
Katie shrugged. "No idea. I hate herbology."
Professor McGonagall rose to her feet. "As you are all aware, Professor Umbridge is no longer at the school. She is unlikely to be returning, so I will be stepping in as headmistress until the summer."
A cheer rose from the four tables, sparks were launched into the air from upraised wands, and Katie's elbow sent her goblet flying, splashing water over Harry's breakfast.
"What deep-seated issue do you have with goblets?" he asked. "None." Katie beamed, then stole the one slice of bacon she hadn't drenched. "I'm all daddy issues."
Harry snorted. "Is that why you're such a tomboy? Trying to be the son he never got?"
Katie cocked her head. "You know, that might actually be true. He did want a boy to begin with."
"Sorry." Harry grimaced.
"What're best friends for, if not diagnosing psychological issues?" Katie offered him the toast rack.
Harry shook his head. "I don't think I have any."
Katie's eyes lingered on him, then she snagged a slice of toast. "Harry, my love, you have loads."
"My love?" He raised his eyebrows. "Shall I call you darling, Katie dearest?"
"I don't mind." She turned a little red and lowered her voice to a whisper. "Not if Frenchie won't set you on fire for it." She took a huge bite out of her toast and munched on it. "And who's going to tell her, me? Nope. My lips are sealed. I'm your best friend, not hers."
"Fair enough." Harry poked her in the cheek. "You have butter on your nose, Katie darling."
"So what do you think happened, Harry?" Ron asked.
"Hermione's usually right," he said. "The use of veritaserum on children would've probably earnt her a long and unpleasant holiday in Azkaban once Magical Law Enforcement heard about it."
"It's no less than she deserves," Ron muttered, clenching his fist "round his fork so tight it turned white. "If scum like her weren't corrupting the Ministry…"
And if Dumbledore hadn't sent him into danger for no reason. Harry sighed. He doesn't want or need my pity, it changes nothing.
"What are you up to today?" Katie asked. "Want to make use of your sudden freedom and come to Hogsmeade with me? I need someone to carry stuff for me since Alicia and Angelina are ditching me for their boyfriends."
"So I'm your stand-in?" Harry laughed. "No, I'm going to dust off my reputation as a dark wizard and do some creepy ritual magic."
Katie beamed. "Can I come?"
"It's a date…" He drummed his fingers on the table. "No, I think I might nip off elsewhere today."
She pouted. "I just can't win, can I?"
"Next time."
I need to ask Salazar about healing magic and do the next ritual. Harry counted the days. I should have enough time to recover before it's time to go after the prophecy.
"Fine." Katie shoved the rest of her toast into her mouth. "You can all ditch me to go mess around, I'll go flying." She swung her legs over the bench and stormed off.
Oops. A small knot tightened in his stomach as he watched her go. I'll make it up to her by going next weekend.
Harry headed for the chamber.
Myrtle drifted in circles through the cubicles, her hands pressed to her temples and her eyes screwed shut. "Don't keep a lady waiting," she whispered. "Don't keep a lady waiting."
Harry frowned, then shook his head and hurried down into the chamber. "Salazar, I'm back."
"How is the illustrious headmistress?"
"She's a little tied up." Harry recalled her tear-streaked, pale face peeking out through the cocoon of webbing as she'd been hauled up into the trees with a grin. "Very tied up."
Salazar scowled. "Not dead? That woman ought to be dead. A spiteful, slimy creature like that will only stick a knife in your back if you show her mercy, and even if she never gets the chance to hurt you, she'll manage to hurt someone else."
"Acromantula keep their prey alive while they eat," Harry replied. "Aragog and his family will leave little more than bones and that lurid pink cardigan."
"Good." Salazar steered the head of his serpent away from under his chin. "Now there's no obstacle between you and the Department of Mysteries."
"I intend to complete the next ritual before going," Harry said. "I'll speak to Sirius, too."
"Come to make another small sacrifice…" Salazar's eyes darkened. "Remember, Harry, to measure the price of victory before you commit to paying it."
Harry rolled his eyes. "You recommended this ritual, you senile selfportrait." He levitated the ingredients for the ritual off the desk, then grabbed the time-turner. "I can start to recover from the ritual before I even do it."
Salazar nodded. "Take me with you, too. I can't help you with the runes, but if you have questions…."
Harry hauled him off the wall and carried him over the bridge into the main chamber. The jar of salamander's blood, the griffin's claw, and the shimmering unicorn tail hair floated after him.
"Three triangles," Salazar instructed. "Draw them so each triangle has two points shared with the other triangles. That way your three triangles form another triangle between them at the centre."
Harry inscribed the design on the floor in purple flames. "Simpler than the other one?"
"It's actually a less complex ritual," Salazar said. "You're improving the existing template of your body by increasing what's already there. It's like having a number, then tripling it. The other ritual required you to rewrite the template of your body to fix your eyes. You had to erase the number and make a new one."
Makes sense.
"Before I do this, can you teach me how to heal myself?" Harry asked. "I don't want to stagger down to see Madam Pomfrey again. She might start to worry if I keep turning up with the same injury on my forearm all the time."
"Of course." Salazar frowned. "I should've made sure you could do this a long time ago."
"Where do I begin?"
"The first thing you need to know is the better your grasp of human biology the better your healing spell will be. You can intend to heal someone, but the more you know about what you actually want your magic to do, the better your focus will be and the more efficient the spell."
Harry flicked his wand into his palm.
Salazar shook his head. "No point practicing now, you're about to injure yourself anyway. The incantation you want to heal cuts or lacerations is vulnera sanentur, for bones, use ossio sanentur."
"What're they capable of healing?" Harry enquired.
"For you, probably all but the worst cuts or breaks. You've strong intent and focus, but I'd still suggest reading up on anatomy. These spells won't do much for burns, though, nor injuries that are resistant to magic."
"Best to avoid them all in the first place, really."
"Exactly. And I'd suggest improving your knowledge of human biology if you want to be able to competently heal anyone other than yourself. Your mind and magic have a subconscious, inherent image of how you should be which can act as a focus, so strong intent is often enough. It's a lot less effective on others without that subliminal source of focus to direct your magic."
"I see." Harry scratched his chin. "For now, I'm happy just being able to fix myself after this ritual."
"It's something I pursued for the same reason," Salazar said. "Blood magic is always expensive and I did more than dabble."
Harry etched the runes for the ritual in three concentric circles around the triangle, glancing back and forth at the page. Some of these have different meanings in this book than they do in my books.
"There're a lot of threes for this ritual, but no sevens," Harry mused.
"Three threes is a very powerful magical combination," Salazar replied. "It's one of the most powerful combinations feasible, exceeded only by seven threes, three sevens, and seven sevens in that order."
"Feasible?" Harry stepped back to admire his handiwork, pausing to correct a few less than perfectly drawn glyphs.
"Every time you increase the number combinations the effects are also improved. Having three threes of three would be more powerful than three threes, but the difference quickly becomes negligible when compared to your objective."
"So if I were to draw another three triangles around this, then it would be more powerful."
"That would be six threes," Salazar said. "You'd have to create a three-sided pyramid by drawing those runes in the air around you and levitating your blood." He cracked a wide grin. "I tried it once. Took me a fair few days to recover, but I was never hungover again. The look on Godric's face the next morning after I woke up as usual was patronus-worthy. "
"Is it worth doing for this ritual?" Harry asked.
"No. There aren't many rituals where the end result needs it. Maybe next time," Salazar consoled him.
A faint stab of disappointment struck him. Maybe.
"I'd best get on with this ritual, then." Harry placed his ingredients at the apex of every triangle.
"I'd suggest not carrying the time-turner during the ritual," Salazar said.
Harry slipped the small, golden hourglass out of his pocket and placed it on the floor well out of the way, then drew his wand.
"And you should speak to your godfather before doing this, just in case you collapse afterwards."
"Any other suggestions," Harry muttered. "Or would you like to wait and list them one at a time to annoy me as much as possible."
"Ungrateful child," Salazar snapped. "If you weren't family, I'd have half a mind to let you carry out the ritual with a time-turner on you to see what happened."
"I'd probably end up in my eleven year old body," Harry quipped. "Forewarned and vastly more powerful than I was before. Voldemort wouldn't stand a chance."
Salazar snorted. "Get on with it, you don't have all day."
Harry stuck out one hand and summoned the mirror with a grin.
"You get far too much joy out of being able to do that," Salazar muttered. "Godric used to do the exact same thing. The idiot tried to use it on a griffon and it dragged him through the lake because it was more powerful than his spell."
"Sirius," Harry murmured, angling the mirror away from Salazar's portrait.
Sirius's grey eyes appeared. Dark bags hung beneath them. "Harry. You're ok. We were all worried."
"You were?"
"Of course!" Sirius frowned. "With Dumbledore gone, nobody's been able to keep Dolores Umbridge in check."
"She's gone," Harry said. "McGonagall didn't say why, but she openly used veritaserum on children, and even Fudge can't condone or ignore that."
"What Fudge does or doesn't condone scarcely matters now, the Wizengamot is fighting over who will take his place according to our sources." Sirius's lips curled back into a sneer. "If I ever find myself near that absolute cunt, I will rip his lungs out with my bare teeth."
Harry blinked. "Are you ok?"
Sirius let out a sharp sigh. "My cousin and her husband were killed a few days ago. It was covered up as an accident by the Ministry, but even without the Dark Mark we all fucking know what happened. Little Nym puts on a brave face, but she's falling apart."
Harry grimaced. "I don't know if Dumbledore doesn't realize putting people in harm's way gets them killed or if he just doesn't care."
"I don't give a flying fuck at this point." Sirius took a deep breath. "I've planned our trip to the Ministry, Harry. You'll come to Grimmauld Place, if Umbridge is really gone then you can just floo here. I can apparate us to the entrance of the Ministry and then we can go in with me under James's cloak. The door probably isn't easy to get past, but I'm sure we'll manage something."
"What about the guard from the Order?" Harry asked.
"Old Mundungus has the evening shift, stops him getting into trouble in bars or down Knockturn Alley after dark. We wouldn't use him for important stuff, normally, but we're low on members."
"So any evening," Harry said.
"As long as it's after six," Sirius replied. "It's Emmeline Vance before then and I can't bribe her. But the sooner the better. Arthur, Ted, Andi… The longer Voldemort's left to slither about in hiding the more of us will start disappearing again."
"Sooner? So if I came tomorrow, you'd be ready?"
"I would leave now if I could, Harry," Sirius muttered. "I hate this place. I grew up here and my childhood is the only period of my life comparable to my time in Azkaban. The only thing Grimmauld Place needs to equal that place is dementors, and my mother's portrait is most of the way to being one."
"You want to get out."
"I need to get out," Sirius said. "I can't stay here and let everyone else fight."
"I understand."
"I know you do. You were right about Dumbledore. I feel more and more that he tells us only what he thinks we need to know when he thinks we need to know it. He's buggered off without telling us anything." Sirius shook his head. A shadow lingered in his grey eyes, the same darkness that'd swirled there when Harry first met him. "I make my own decisions and my own mistakes, I have since the day I was burnt off my family tree, and I won't stop now."
"I'll floo over when I'm ready." Harry glanced at the purple flames on the floor of the chamber and the time-turner. "It won't be long, tomorrow or the day after."
I can get two long uses of the time-turner in, plus the usual day, that's almost thirty six hours.
"The sooner the better."
"Should I use the mirror to warn you?" Harry asked.
"I like surprises." Sirius shrugged. "Nobody will be here except Kreacher and my mother's portrait. Nobody listens to my mother, they didn't listen when she was alive, either, and I'll order Kreacher not to speak about your visit."
"Then I'll be seeing you soon."
"Be careful, Harry."
Harry ended the connection and put the mirror down outside the runes. I'm so close. The red sunset flashed through the front of his mind. Fleur's silver hair and blue eyes shone in the dappled light. Her small smile tied his heart in knots. I won't lose. I can't.
He flicked his wand into his palm and pressed its ebony tip against his wrist. "Anything I've forgotten?"
"No." Salazar smirked. "Have fun."
Harry shot him a flat stare, then drew the tip of his wand across his wrist. A line of fire tore across his forearm. Rivulets of blood trickled down his skin and dripped to the floor. He pulled a ribbon of red from the wound with his wand and draped it across the pattern of purple flame.
And now for the bit that hurts. Harry blotted out the dull, ache in his wrist that throbbed to the beat of his heart. But it's worth it. A perfect wish is worth any pain.
The runes flared bright, searing at his eyes, and white sparks exploded from the triangles at his feet. Tiny pinpricks of heat welled up in his toes and fingertips, points of pain so small he wasn't sure they hurt. The heat sank deep, as if needles had been driven into his fingers and toes.
Merde. He bit down on his lip and a hot, copper tang filled his mouth.
The sensation crept along his fingers, spreading over his body needle by needle, each one burning like bubotuber pus against his skin. The searing points of pain pierced his chest, his thighs, his face, and even his tongue, then a fluid heat washed through him and drained away like the tide. Harry opened his eyes.
"You didn't collapse," Salazar said. "How do you feel?"
Harry watched the purple flames fade. "Strange…" He opened and closed his hand. "Everything's moving normally, but a part of me knows I can go faster."
"Odd feeling, isn't it?" Salazar chuckled. "Give it a test."
Harry flicked his wand into his palm and cast a jinx in a seamless blur. His bright blue spell spattered against the effigy opposite him the moment the thought formed to move.
"Oh my," Salazar murmured. "That was fast."
Harry caught a gleam of pride in Salazar's eyes and swallowed a small lump of emotion. "Thanks."
"You should heal your arm," Salazar said.
Harry inspected the cut. The edges of the wound crept back together. He blinked and looked again. Yeah, it's definitely healing by itself.
"I'm healing already."
"Really?" Salazar peered down at his arm, then at the runes. "How fascinating. I can't see anything wrong with the runes…"
Harry glanced at them, then at the book. The old ones.
"I think I might know why." He pointed at a rune at the tip of a triangle. "That means strength in your book, but means resilience in my new one, which I read first. I guess my intent was a bit off."
Salazar nodded. "Be more careful, Harry. Time will tell if this is a boon or not. Next time you might not be so lucky."
"I will see you five hours ago to take a nice nap." Harry plucked the time-turner off the floor and flipped it round. It spun within its golden frame, over and over, then events blurred backwards past him and he closed his eyes with a small, tired smile.
AN : Do come join our growing Discord community for parody vids, audiobook links, all my other writing, and more! You can also find details about all the early access chapters and so on there!