4th floor
On the fourth floor, Harry waited for his friends in the space behind the mirror. The classes had been tense with none of his friends talking to him. The teachers too were miffed with him and Professor Flitwick in an undertone told him that his disappearance from the school for a week during the term without any reason had put them off because this year he had started to show his true potential and he always had been a favorite of most of the teachers since he had come to the school.
His friends were a different matter. He had asked something of Hermione and she had said nothing but gave him a look that said "We'll talk about this later". Hannah gave him a look which said that she wanted to talk to him peacefully on the one hand and smack him up-side the head on the other. At least he could understand her anger because she was Susan's friend first. His own friends' behaviour was what baffled him. It was he who should be angry with them for keeping secrets from him. True they themselves had not known about the marriage contract for long but they were his friends and he thought that they at least should have persuaded Susan to tell him much sooner or tell him directly.
Harry knew that the adults at the Black Townhouse were surprised when he did not vent his anger on them like they had expected but he had been talking to Sirius and Remus on the mirror and had some very harsh words with them. He told them what he thought of their choice to keep the secret from him and their failure to advise Susan to tell him the moment they knew about it. Sirius and Remus had literally pleaded for him to forgive them. Anyway, Harry could not remain angry with them for long.
His friends started trickling into the space behind the mirror and with his musings interrupted. He noticed that it did not include everyone who was present at the last meeting but only Hermione, Ron, Hannah, and Neville.
Harry started to say, "I just want to..."
But Neville cut him off abruptly mid-sentence, "No, you listen to us Harry. Whatever happened last week between you and Susan should remain between you and Susan and we will try to keep our noses out of it. Our only issue with you is the way you took off and disappeared without a word. We didn't know what happened to you and we were worried. If you think that sort of thing is Okay, you have a lot of curses coming your way. Having said that, I am your god-brother and I am sorry that I did not tell you anything about the marriage contract. If you needed some time to yourself to think things over, I get that. Just don't ever disappear without a word again or I will hunt you down and make you regret it".
As Neville finished, Hannah started speaking, "You know Harry, for the last four years, all Susan ever talks about is you. From the moment that she learned about the contract, she has been your friend and has been trying to figure out how to help you. We had planned to befriend you the first day of school. During the sorting, when she first saw you, she noticed how you looked underfed and malnourished; she insisted that the Hufflepuff prefect take her to the Owlery to send a letter to Auntie telling her everything. She was worried and wanted Auntie to become your guardian as soon as possible. Auntie had her reasons which I don't remember her ever telling us about but from the first day that we have known you she has been loyal to you. When you went off the last week, even then she was worried about you but last night, Auntie sent her a message through an Owl that you had been found and we asked your friends if you were in the Gryffindor tower and you weren't there. That was when she lost it and got really angry at you. She wanted to apologize to you that very same day when she returned from the Hogsmeade weekend but you were not here. Do you even have any idea what she has been through the past week? She has spent every night crying and trying to pretend as if she is okay. She still will not say a word to you because that's the way she is", Hannah said ruefully, "you know Harry, you might become the most powerful wizard in the world but if you cannot understand other's emotions, their feelings then it will all be useless. Every single day for the last four years, she has been loyal to you, helping you when she could, defending you when you weren't there and I wanted to hex you when you forgot all of that in one go. Is that how you reward those who are loyal to you?"
Hermione started speaking, "You know Harry, I had assumed that with all the skills that you have acquired you would have become more understanding of other's emotions and feelings. When Susan told me that you left her alone in Gringotts, though not without instructions to ensure her safe passage back to school, I was disappointed. I thought that you were better than that. What you did was completely out of character for you. It took me a few days before I began to understand why you did it. Since we have known you, you have been doing feats which no one our age can do and live to tell about it. With everything you did, your legend grew and we started to forget you are still a boy our age. You have done things that most adult wizards can't accomplish. Beneath the mysterious and hard exterior of the wizard that you have become, still beats the heart of a 15 year old boy who can feel emotions as we do. During the last week, we all wanted to find you to give you an earful, but someone asked us to reconsider, telling us that we should try to think about what we would have done in your place. To be fair, I have to say that I likely would have done worse. I am not ashamed to admit that we should have at least pestered Susan to let you know of the contract sooner. For what good it may do, I apologize for my part in keeping a secret from you".
"Since I have known Susan, she has been lively and cheerful. But this last week, she has not been the girl I spent the summer with. You know Harry that she defended you from other puffs during that fiasco with the heir of Slytherin rubbish during the second year. And you didn't even know she existed. Last year, it was her who gave Dobby the idea to steal Gillyweed from Snape's personal stores and bring it to you. She is the reason that you had such an expansive repertoire of spells at the end of the last year. She joined the training program we took this summer because she would not stay behind even if Madam Bones tried to stop her. She was not trying to deceive you, she was only trying to give you a chance to know her and accept her before telling you about the contract. She did it because she wanted you to have a chance at a happy life with her instead of feeling chained by obligation and resenting her".
Ronald put his two knuts in, "Mate, I had thought that I was the one with the emotional range of a tea spoon but what you did show was that you can act the same way sometimes but it is normal, now that I think about it. As Hermione said, perhaps we would have acted the same way if it had been any of us. Besides we don't have any reason to complain because as everyone already said, we should have at least pestered her to tell about it sooner. But one thing that I will say is that it was not proper for you to leave her like that".
Harry sighed. He had not realized that his friends had so many complaints against him. He took a few deep breaths before he started saying, "I know for a fact that every one of you knew about the contract and you chose not to tell me. If anyone has cause to complain, I do. I was ready to rip your heads off but you all have apologized for that which is a good start. Don't ever keep secrets like that from me again and we'll be fine. I know that I should not have left Susan like that in Gringotts but in that moment I could not think of what else to do. In one moment, not only had I learned about the marriage contract, I also learned that she knew about it for over four years and was deliberately hiding it from me. I felt surprised, shocked, betrayed, and angry. It was all too much for me and I needed to get away to think.
"During the last week, I have spoken with Sirius and Remus twice. I gave them both hell for their part in keeping things from me. They accepted that they should have said something but they hadn't, partly because they wanted Susan to do the right thing on her own and more because they wanted us to be happy together rather than feeling forced to put up with each other. I asked them why my parents had written this contract but they could not tell me. I also wanted to know how they could do such a thing when they had married for love. I wished I could talk to them about it but there is no way that I could talk to them and ask why they had done it. What I don't understand yet is why you are giving me the silent treatment? I mean that you have all accepted that you made a mistake. Then why would you do this to me when I am the injured party?"
Neville said, "Mate, two nights ago, Luna said something to us which resonates in our consciences. We were ready to apologize to you the moment you showed up".
Before Neville could finish his sentence, Harry asked curiously, "What did she say?"
"Two nights ago, we were at the Hufflepuff table for dinner because Susan did not want to join us at the Gryffindor table. Luna shoved Ernie away who had been sitting with us and slipped into his seat".
-Flash Back-
"What have you all decided to do when Harry returns?", she asked them.
Since talking to Luna made Hermione uncomfortable, Neville answered her, "We all know what happened and we feel that he should have at least heard her out. It was not right for him to go off like that. We know we should apologize to him for keeping a secret from him. And we will apologize but he is answerable for his conduct".
"No, he is not, not to any of you", Luna said somewhat sternly, "The blubbering humdinger has told me that you cannot make him answerable".
"Why not?" Hermione seethed, "He is our friend and we are worried about him. We will apologize to him for keeping it from him but he should apologize for his conduct".
"Because you are not the aggrieved party, Hermione. You are his best friend. You may have felt honour-bound to keep Susan's secret, but you could have insisted that Susan tell him herself and do it sooner. It is you who should apologize to him and if you don't, you will end up losing your friend".
They all sat for a moment in stunned silence while they considered her words. Blubbering humdinger aside, they realized that they were all just thinking of themselves and nobody was sparing a thought for how Harry might be feeling.
Susan broke the silence, "What you said makes sense, Luna. I will not allow anyone present here at the table to speak to him on my behalf. If you want, you can talk to him privately about apologizing to him for your part in it. But none of you are to interfere and ask him to apologize to me. This is a private affair and it will be resolved between me and him. I will apologize to him, when the time is right, for my part, because I owe it to him".
-Flash back ends-
"What happened then?", Harry asked bringing Neville out of his reverie.
"She made it clear that we are not to intercede on her behalf and she was ready to apologize to you. Then we received a message from Madam Bones yesterday that you had been found and you were on your way back to the castle. Well, mate, that was yesterday and you still didn't show up. After dinner, she was miserable at first and then she decided that if you don't want to do anything with her and were going to ignore her then she would do the same to you. She has hardly talked to any of us since then, even when she is sitting with us. What we are angry with you about is that you did not return to the Tower yesterday and you knew how worried we were about you".
Harry took some time to reply, "I understand your reasons and I know why you are behaving this way towards me. I will talk with Susan and mend my differences with her".
Hannah grumbled, "That will not be easy. She is set upon not talking to you at all".
Neville said, "As you heard everything we had to say, we again apologize to you for keeping it from you. We do not want to be drawn into this conflict on one side or the other. So, until you and Susan make up, we won't be talking to either of you. You both need to move on from everything that has happened and mend your differences. It is no fun at all to see you both grumpy".
Harry kept looking at his friends in wonder while they all filed out.
"Wow!" Harry thought. He had never imagined that all of his friends would do anything like that to him. They all had their part in this. None of them saw fit to tell him about the marriage contract because it was not their secret to share but they could have at least convinced her to tell him sooner and Ron had been a much bigger git for far less reason but they never treated him like that. He however was content that they had accepted their mistake and apologized to him. They were all children and could not expect anything better than that. He waited a while to make sure that they all had a chance to get well clear of the corridor before he made his exit.
The Chamber of Secrets
Harry decided to put in a hard session of practice rather than taking his frustration out on his friends and hexing them out of existence. He had been obliterating practice dummies for over an hour with high powered versions of every hex and jinx he knew. The smoldering ruins of more than a hundred practice dummies and the thick cloud of dust and smoke testified to his efforts. He had resorted to using the Bubble-Head charm so that he didn't choke on the flying dust, smoke and debris. The sweat, smoke and dust clung to him everywhere and he was only just beginning to feel fatigue. Destroying the dummies was making him tired, but it wasn't bringing him any peace.
His friends joint decision to not talk with him altogether was grating on him. He had not expected them to do something like that to him. More than that, Susan's silence was unbearable. He had tried to stop her at dinner but she had ignored him and walked away. She had even threatened to hex him if he tried to talk to her.
"Looks like something has irked you too much, Harry", Vikram's voice jolted him out of his musings. The defense professor had entered sometime during his practice and Harry had not noticed him coming.
"What happened, Harry? Why are you troubled?" he asked. "You have destroyed 50 dummies in an hour".
Harry used both wands to clear and purify the air before he began, "Considerably more than 50, professor. What you see is the remains of the ones that left any trace. I'm glad you are here. My friends are not speaking to me and I need to unload". Harry gestured to the table and asked Vikram to take a seat while he summoned Dobby to bring refreshments. A few minutes later, Harry had told the mystic all about what had happened over the last week and a half.
Vikram nodded gravely, "So the main problem is that you don't know what to do?"
Harry nodded. "I like Susan but I am not sure if I am in love with her. I don't even know what love is like".
The mystic smiled, "Harry, the way Sirius Black escaped Azkaban just because he thought your life was in danger at Hogwarts that is love. The way your friends stood before someone they thought was a mass murderer challenging him that he would have to go through them to reach you that is love. The way James Potter stood before Voldemort, ready to face him so that his wife and son could escape, that is love. If someone is ready to stand before death to save you, that is love. Someone is loyal to you even at the cost of their own life that is love. Love is the most powerful moving force in this world and the most powerful of magics to ever exist. A person in love for another can do feats considered impossible. As to whether you are in love with them, it is an answer for you to find".
He hesitantly asked, "Have you ever loved someone? I am not trying to pry but maybe you can help me understand".
The professor wistfully smiled, "I am a mystic Harry. For us, there is nothing other than the cloak and the wand. In other life which I hardly remember, I loved someone but that is past".
"What happened?"
"I don't remember Harry. That was different man, different life. What matters is what I am now. What you need to remember is that you have to find for yourself if you love someone. No one else can decide that for you. Rachael told me to convey to you that she is angry that you lost control when it mattered most. She feels like you have let her down. She also asked me to ensure that you are doing everything that you can to mend your differences with Miss Bones".
After Vikram left, Harry pulled out a pouch from the inner pocket of his robes. He emptied the pouch into his hand and the Resurrection Stone tumbled out. It was still cracked in the middle from the blow of Gryffindor's sword and Harry was longingly caressing the stone. He had once thought about using the stone in Weasley Manor to summon his parents' spirits to talk to him but there was something that Harsh had said about the stone and the way that it worked which had stopped his hand.
-Flash Back-
It was the day when he had told Harry that Dumbledore had the stone and the wand and Harry could not contain his curiosity and asked hopefully, "Guruji, does this stone bring people back from the dead?"
Harsh shook his head, "No, Harry. This stone cannot bring back the dead. In fact dead does not live second chance. No magic except the darkest of them can do so and you have seen what it can do to a person. The stone actually summons the spirit of the dead and let you communicate with them. But remember Harry, it lures those weak of mind and have been doom of many a persons. The original holder of the stone, Antioch Peverell himself died thinking of his long lost love who had visited him that day when death gave this stone to him. She was a spirit which was summoned and this astral plane is too painful for them to exist for long period of time. Existing on this astral plane is too painful for them. Summoning them is destroying their peace which they may have attained in afterlife. Spirit summoned with the stone returns eventually to where they came from and would drag those of weak of mind with them. The stone is dangerous and should not be used unless you know you would not be lured by it. It is never wise to go raising spirits of the dead".
-Flash back ends-
Harry slipped the stone back into the pouch and tucked it into his robes. He could not use the stone to disturb his parents again not after he had seen that they were at peace again. He remembered that they had hinted at the existence of the contract in limbo when grandmother made a cryptic and vague allusion to a charming lady waiting for him to wake up.
The next day
Harry was early to the morning session and the students welcomed him enthusiastically except for his closest friends. He had not made up with Susan yet and they were keeping their word. When it came time to assign practice to the gathered students, Neville and Ron got down to business. He tried to talk to Susan but she ignored him not willing to listen to him. It was all getting too wearisome for him.
After the morning session, Angelina cornered him, "Where were you, Harry? You missed a week of practice. Are you sure you want to play in the next match which is only 10 days away? Since there was no sign of you, I had to use Ginny Weasley as substitute seeker. She may not be quite as talented as you, but at least she was there!"
After she was done with her tirade, he said, "Angelina, I have had a difficult week that is all. I promise that I will be there for practice next time. You will not miss your seeker".
In fact the next quidditch match was not far away. October had already blown past mid-way and their first match would be the first Saturday of November against Slytherin. There were less than 2 weeks left until that match.
The drills and formations during practices had been going well. Harry knew that the rest of the team was more definitely on form than they had ever been. He also knew that with his improved eye-sight and reflexes that he could find and capture the Golden Snitch any time he wanted to. They should be able to secure a Gryffindor victory in their next match. However there were moves he wanted to try at the match and he had not practiced them yet. Perhaps tonight, he would try a few of them.
During breakfast, he again was dutifully standing outside the Hufflepuff Common Room waiting for Susan to emerge. When she did, she ignored him and went to the Great Hall Pretending to be oblivious to his presence. Harry was angry at her while at the same time he could not vent his anger on her. A little part of him felt that he deserved it. Breakfast that day was an irritating affair.
As he was exiting the Great Hall, he ran into Zacharias who sneered, "Watch where you're going, Peverell. You clumsy git!"
Harry glared at the puff who glared in return. Normally, Harry would have brushed him off. But, today, he was ready to trade hexes with him. He felt angry, irritated and Zacharias was the perfect target for him to vent his frustration.
"Move Peverell, why are you blocking the way?" Zacharias attempted to shove him out of the way, but Harry had adopted the immovable stance and it was like trying to push a stone wall.
Harry's magic was oozing out of him and enveloping him, ready to strike down anyone who dared to defy him. Harry saw red and swung his arm towards the other boy who was mortified and had frozen in fear. However at the last moment, a solid block of stone materialized between the boy and Harry's fist. With a resounding crack, the stone shattered but it saved Zacharias Smith from getting his face broken.
Harry turned to find Vikram with wand drawn, his eyes fierce and his tone authoritative, "Mr. Peverell, control your emotions".
Harry clamped down hard on his occlumency shield to rein in on his anger and turned to Vikram, "As you say, Professor".
Vikram checked Harry's hand which was bloodied from the impact with the stone and with a wave of his wand, the wound mended itself and the pain vanished.
Vikram took him by his shoulder, "Come with me, Mr. Peverell. We need to talk".
"Not before Peverell is punished for this act", McGonagall's voice came from the entrance of the Great Hall. "Mr. Peverell behaved like a savage and engaged in a fight for which I take 10 points off Gryffindor and detention this evening in my office, eight o'clock".
"The same for you Mr. Smith", said Professor Sprout who had followed McGonagall out of the Great Hall. "You must remember that you are representing your house through your conduct and you should be punished for any act which besmirches the reputation of your house".
"Mr. Peverell, let's go. I have to talk to you", said Vikram and steered Harry out of the castle and out to the grounds.
They took a leisurely stroll around the grounds. Vikram started saying, "I know you might be thinking why I saved him from you but there is very good reason for that. Did you see how hostile your magic was at that moment? Ordinarily person like you would not be able to crack a block into pieces with a blow of his fist but your magic was assisting you and if your fist had connected with his face, what do you think would have happened?"
Harry shuddered thinking he might have killed the other boy without meaning to. While Smith was no friend to him, he was just a student. He did not want to kill anyone who was innocent. If he killed anyone innocent, there would be no difference between him and Voldemort.
Vikram dismissed him to go to classes for the day. As it turned out, it was a really bad day for Harry.
The first class that day was Potions; something he had started to love but this morning, his mind was conflicted. His emotions were getting the better of him and he did not give his full attention to what he was doing as he sat to brew the potions set by Snape. Today's assignment was to brew the invigoration draught. The draught was used to energize the drinker and was an excellent cure for fatigue. Harry had not experimented with this potion, nor, apparently, had Snape. This time, it was straight out of the book. Harry was only brewing one potion and it should have been easy. But his thoughts were stuck on Susan. Unfortunately, thoughts of how to get a pretty, strawberry-blond girl, who is furious with you, to talk to you and the exact art of potion brewing don't mix.
Harry was absent-mindedly working on his potion while Snape was hovering nearby watching him. When he made a mistake, Snape's lips curled in a sneer but he did not immediately comment upon it. He had also realized that Harry was lost in thought and only absent-mindedly working on brewing his potion. The Invigoration draught required 3 hours to brew and he waited for things to play out. It had been a long time since he had got to embarrass Peverell in his class. Today would be the perfect opportunity for payback. When finally the brewing time was over, Harry was frowning over his potion. He could not understand why his potion was not the orange colour that it was supposed to be.
Before he could think of something to save his potion Snape descended upon him, "What have you got for me, Peverell?"
Harry dully showed him the cauldron, where the potion was looking slightly reddish in colour. He sneered, "What is this supposed to be?".
"The Invigoration Draught, Professor".
"Tell me Potter, did I say that the potion would be reddish in appearance? I clearly said it would be orange in colour. Looks like all the luck you had with potions has finally run out (Many Slytherins snickered). Where did you go wrong?"
By now, Harry had mentally recalled every step of the potion brewing that he had taken. "I forgot to crush the nettles before adding them".
Snape pulled his wand out and vanished his potion sneering, "That will be zero for this lesson and detention tomorrow evening at eight o'clock, my office".
Harry shrugged. He had not expected any better from the Dungeon Bat if he made a mistake. At least he did not deduct any points from Gryffindor this time.
As he left the class, Daphne said, "That was unfair of him to give you detention like that. It was one mistake and not that grave".
Harry shrugged, "I honestly did not expect any better treatment from him. He has been this way since forever".
During lunch, Angelina cornered him, "I told you to join the team practice this evening and you have gone and landed yourself in detention. What's more, you have given up tomorrow evening too".
Harry, grieved responded, "Angelina, my detentions don't even start until eight o'clock. Were you planning to have team practice in the dark?"
She almost shrieked, "I don't care. You have to be there when the team needs you".
"What is happening here?", asked Professor McGonagall, who had just come up.
"Professor, Harry has not been to a team practice in the last week and he is going to miss practice today and tomorrow also. The first match is just two weeks away". Angelina was near hysterical.
The Professor's mouth formed the thinnest of thin lines while Angelina ranted. Then she spoke, "Miss Johnson, I will thank you not to take that tone with me or you shall find yourself in detention as well. As for Mr. Peverell, his detention does not begin until eight. I trust you can get your practice time in before it gets too dark to see the goal posts? He violated rules and he must be punished. Just make sure he arrives at my office by eight or you may just have to do without him for the next game. Do I make myself clear?"
McGonagall's office
At 7:59, Harry arrived at the Deputy Headmistress's office door, out of breath, carrying his broom and still in his Quidditch robes. Angelina, with her usual exuberance, had not let him go until the last possible minute. He used his broom to fly to the main doors of the castle and without even slowing down, dismounted and ran through the castle to her office.
When he entered, she pointed him to a cupboard, "The cupboard is dirty. Clean it and arrange the books neatly. You may use magic for this task".
Harry summoned all the books from the cupboard and arranged them neatly on the floor. After he finished emptying the cupboard, he cast a wide area Scourgify and the cupboard was cleaned in a trice. After it was done, he cleaned the dust from the books with magic and sent them back to the cupboard, organized first by category, then by title. For a finishing touch, he cleaned the glass on the doors and polished the wood. Within 10 minutes, he was done.
"It is done, Professor. Is there anything else you would like me to do?"
Looking up from a book she was reading, the professor remarked, "That is lovely". Then gesturing at a seat to one side of her desk she said "Have a seat, Potter".
As he took a seat, she proffered him a tartan tin and said, "Have a biscuit, Potter".
To be polite, Harry took one and began to nibble on it.
She started again, "Harry, this is no detention at all. I wanted you here to talk with you. I have noticed how your friends have been avoiding you and how Miss Bones is giving you the cold shoulder. You two have been inseparable since you returned from your voyage. Is there trouble between you?"
He thought about lying to her at first but then realized that lying would get him nowhere. "Yes Professor. This year, I had started to get to know Susan. I mean she was my friend and we were having a great time when we were together. She has the ability to make me smile when no one else can and she is the one who can boss me around better than anyone. She also can make me see reason when I can't do it on my own (McGonagall was trying to suppress her smile at his rant). But last week, I discovered that not only is there a marriage contract between me and her but that she has also known about it for over four years and never told me. Telling me right away may not have been the best thing to do, but it would have at least been honest. I was angry with her for keeping secrets, assuming that she meant to deceive me and I took the last week to think things over. The thing is that I met Madam Bones and God mother Alice the other day. They made me see reason while answering my questions. I came back here, ready to apologize to Susan. But she has been ignoring me since I came back. To make matters worse, my closest friends have decided that they won't talk to either of us until we mend our differences. I feel awful. Now that she is not talking to me, I realize how much I enjoy being with her and how much she really means to me".
McGonagall's lips started to curl upwards in a smile but she again suppressed it, "You remind me of another lion who was hopelessly in love with a girl. While the boy was head over heels crazy for her and would often show off for her, she never paid him any heed. He would do everything that he could think of so that she would agree to go on a date with him but she refused all his advances. She thought very little of him because of his reputation for rule- breaking, pranking and someone who thought he was above all reproach. In fact, she went so far as to dub him arrogant little toe-rag".
"You are talking about my parents, aren't you?"
"Yes. Your father was one of my favourite students apart from being my godson. He would often come to me asking how he could impress Lily and I would tell him to be honest with her and not to show-off when she was around. But he often made a fool of himself trying to do exactly that. It was only in his 6th year when he started to grow up that she started paying attention to him. He had a complete change of personality in his 7th year when he became the Head Boy. He was still a miscreant and often engaged in pranking but he was more serious about the war which was brewing outside the walls of the castle. He often said that he would join the Aurors to bring down you-know-who and true to his word, he and Sirius joined the Aurors as soon as they graduated. Sometimes, I do miss them".
"Thank you for the story Professor but I don't understand how it would help me?"
She smirked, "You are the son of James Potter and adopted son of Sirius Black. Even though he never settled down, he could always charm the ladies when he set his mind to it. I am sure that you can find a way to charm Susan again. Be honest with her. That is all I can say. Now you may go".
Profusely thanking the Professor, Harry was leaving her office, when she called him from behind, "And Harry, if Gryffindor loses the first match of the season, I swear by Merlin that you will spend the rest of the year in detention cleaning the dungeons without magic".
Quidditch pitch
Harry ran down the stairs two at a time, leaping the last five steps of each flight. He was back out the front door of the castle and mounted on his broom before another half a minute had passed. The sun had long-since set and the stars were out, but Angelina just might still be practicing with the team.
Harry flew over the outer wall of the Quidditch pitch in a streak of gold and crimson robes, but it was empty. There was not another person in sight. Looking around, Harry realized that it was only thanks to his enhanced sight that he could see anything at all. The rest of the team must have gone back inside some time ago. He started to fly around the stadium, trying to perform every manoeuvre that he remembered.
For now his concern was to ensure that his speed and agility were the same as they had been at the end of the third year. For the next hour, he accelerated around the pitch performing everything he knew of.
He was determined to win the first match of the season at any cost. He could not afford a mistake. After he had pulled the Wronski Feint perfectly for the third time in a row, pulling out just in time for his feet to brush the grass at a terrible speed, he thought that would do for tonight. Flying always made him feel better and he grinned at the thought of what was going to happen to Malfoy when he tried this manoeuvre at their next match.
The next day
The next day was the same more or less. Classes had been normal and he made small talk with those who talked with him. Daphne had made small talk with him but not like she talked with him often. Fred and George were talking to him though. Although they had quite the reputation as pranksters, they seemed to be very good listeners when it came to Harry's present troubles with Susan. Harry figured there was little that would faze the two of them.
That evening, Harry knew better than to arrive at Snape's office flustered, out of breath and still wearing his Quidditch robes. He left the pitch a good 15 minutes early to put his broom away and change out of his quidditch robes before descending to the dungeons.
At eight o'clock sharp, Harry rapped on the Professor's door. He was prepared with his dragon-hide gloves, quills, ink, parchment and wand; although he had little hope that he would be allowed to use dragon-hide gloves or magic of any sort. His experience with detentions with Snape had always been unpleasant. As he entered the Dungeon Bat's office, the door swung shut behind him with an awful finality. Then Professor Snape pointed him to a chair.
As Harry sat, the professor asked, "What is bothering you? I could not help but notice that you have not been yourself since you returned from wherever you were. If there is something that I can help with, please tell me. I wanted to talk to you so I had to use this ruse of detention or word would have made its way to the Dark Lord. If that happened, it would have been catastrophic. Also, it has been the first time this year that you bungled brewing a potion. What is it that has been troubling you?"
Harry could not believe it. He was having a heart to heart conversation with the Dungeon Bat of all people. He thought there was no reason that he could not talk to him. "Professor, what do you know about me and Susan?"
It looked like Snape was trying to give a small smile (Harry thought he was going mad), "Yes. I have noticed how often she is latched to your arm. I was surprised because I hardly ever saw you with her before this year. But I must say that you have been more cheerful when she is with you. I also know that she has been loyal to you through the last 4 years without having any apparent reason. I must say that she is a person who would be good for you. She makes you happy. Have things soured between you and her?"
Harry decided to say as little as he could, "We had some disagreement and I left her alone outside the school. Since then she has not talked to me".
Snape sobered up. "You know Harry, when I was a student your mother was my best friend. She was the one who often saved me from the Marauders and their pranks. Once during our owl exams, she saved me again from your father but I was so angry with everyone that I called her an awful word in anger and rage. Something which has eaten at my conscience all these years, something for which I could never forgive myself until you told me that she has forgiven me. At that time, I was scared that I had lost my only friend and wanted to apologize to her but she refused to listen to me at all. With the way she was ignoring me, I decided to go ask for her forgiveness outside the Gryffindor tower. I sat there waiting for her to come out. I was even prepared to sleep there but one of her friends took pity on me and called her out. I asked for her forgiveness but she refused to forgive me. That was the last time that your mother ever talked to me".
Harry asked him, "I ask your pardon Professor but what was the point of this story?"
"The point is that sometimes we have to do extraordinary things to get forgiveness. I was ready to stay outside the common room until she came out to meet me. She came. You have to do something like that to mend your differences with her".
Harry's eyes gleamed with hope. He knew what he was going to do.
Badger's Hole
Harry had stopped Sally Anne-Perks as she was going in. "Sally, do you have a moment?".
"Only a few witches in this castle would be foolish enough to say no to making a few moments for you though I would think they would like more than a moment, more like hours", she said to him suggestively. "Anyway, how can I help you, Harry?"
"Would you please let Susan know that I want to talk to her and I am waiting for her out here?"
She immediately refused, "Harry, what you are asking is rather hard for me. She is generally as sweet as the sweetest Honeydukes candy but furious when her anger is aroused. Right now she doesn't even want to see your face".
"Sally please it is important for me to talk to her. Just let her know that I want to talk to her and if she refuses to come out then I will sleep outside here".
She snorted, "When Filch finds you out after curfew he will gleefully put you in detention. Alright I will convey your words to her but that is all I am doing. Don't expect me to plead on your behalf".
Ten minutes later, Hannah came out with Susan in tow. Hannah asked him, "Harry, she is very angry with you. She was not going to come out. When Sally told us that you were planning to sleep here if she did not come out, I had to drag her out here".
Harry turned to Susan, "Sue, I know I was a prat that day to have left you in the Bank. It was not right for me and I let my emotions cloud my judgment. I apologize for being an inconsiderate moron that day. I know words cannot compensate for what I have done but I seek to make amends anyway you want".
Susan turned to Hannah, "Tell him that I don't care for any words he might have to say. I am not going to talk to him. He thinks he is beyond reproach and infallible but he is not".
With that she returned to the Badger's hole and Hannah helplessly looked at Harry for a moment before shrugging and following her friend inside.
That night, many of the fifth years stayed up late discussing what was happening.
Justin was saying, 'Harry is still camped outside the fake barrels waiting for a word from her".
Megan asked, "I don't get it. What exactly is the deal? She was crazy for him a week before and now she is completely cold towards him. What brought this change on?"
Sally Smith replied, "I don't know. I suspect that a few of their closest friends do, but they aren't talking. We have seen how close those two have been since the year started but she is behaving like he does not exist at all now".
One of the older puffs, Margaret who had joined the conversation said, "If Bones does not want him, does it mean that we have a chance with him?"
While others around them chuckled, Oliver said, "Only if you don't love your limbs. Susan is very possessive and even if she is behaving like he doesn't exist for her, she will hex you into oblivion if she thinks that you are trying to claim what she sees as hers".
Next day
When the badgers were coming out before dawn the next morning for the training session, they were astonished to find Harold Peverell still outside the Badger's Hole sitting in meditation. By the looks of it, he had been there all night outside the entrance. Many of them tried to call him but it appeared as if he didn't hear them. It took a few minutes for Ernie to wake him from his meditation.
When Susan finally came out of the Badger's hole, there were a large number of students already standing outside the entrance crowding around something she could not see. Curious she and Hannah worked their way to the front of the crowd and they were astonished to see Harold Peverell sitting on the floor and talking in a low voice to Ernie. The Lions who were regulars in her group were there too in the crowd trying to listen.
"She is angry with you Harry. We have tried to make her see reason but she just simply will not".
"Then please tell her Ernie that I will remain sitting here if she does not come out and talk to me. It is getting tiring that she is ignoring me and to be honest about it, it hurts a lot".
It was too much for her to take in. She had been ignoring him but every second of it had been very hard for her too. When she heard him say that it hurt that she was not talking to him, she lost it. She knew she could not stay angry at him anymore but she still had an appearance to maintain. She growled at him, "Get up Peverell. We are going to have a talk".
Harry beamed at her and immediately stood. She caught him by his wrist and started dragging him out of the castle. As they disappeared from sight, Ronald who looked baffled, asked, "Bloody hell. What just happened?"
Hannah grinned, "I believe we have just cancelled the morning session for today". She took Neville by the arm and walked off to one side. The crowd dispersed as the others went their own ways.
Susan and Harry walked out to the grounds on the far side of the lake. All the while Susan said nothing to him nor did he try to break the silence. After they had reached the other side, Harry conjured two chairs and pulled one up for her.
5 minutes passed and nobody said anything. Finally Susan spoke harshly, "Will you speak now or are we here to just sit and enjoy the scenic beauty of the lake in the pre-dawn light with the damp, chilly breeze?"
Harry earnestly said to her, "Sue I am sorry".
She arched an eye-brow, "And what are you sorry about?"
"For everything that happened in the last two weeks. For leaving you alone in Gringotts with Griphook. For not giving you a chance to speak in your defense. For not trying to understand that you might not have wanted me to be betrothed to you but you tried to make the best of the situation. For being a git and acting like I was the only one affected by this. Would you please forgive me?"
She took a deep breath before she started speaking, "You know Harry, I was 11 years old when I came to know of the contract. I was just a child when I learned that I am set to marry the boy-who-lived. I was too young to understand the gravity of it and I asked Auntie. She told me that the least I would get out of this is a new friend. I was excited that the boy-who-lived was going to be my friend. My head was filled with idiotic ideas from those books that we have all read when we were children. I wanted to meet you and become your friend. When I finally saw you at Hogwarts, I wrote a letter to Auntie that very night telling her that you looked malnourished and abused. I watched you every year and I asked her to make you her ward. I have always been fascinated with you since I can remember. But what you did that day hurt me. Was it so hard to control your emotions and hear me out first? I even tried to send you letters that very same night but the owl just would not take off. Your Owl Hedwig was missing from the Owlery so I could not contact you either way. Then you did not contact me for a week and I was worried. I thought that you might never talk to me again or end up hating me. I apologize to you for keeping it away from you all these years and not telling it to you sooner. I should have let you know about it because you are as affected by it as I am. I was ready to apologize the moment you returned and I expected that you would make your appearance here before you told others about your return but Auntie messaged me the day before you came back that you had been found and yet you did not return to the castle. That is what had angered me. Having said this, I apologise to you for keeping it from you and I hope you can forgive me".
Harry softly said, "Sue, I am sorry for hurting you. I met Auntie the other day with god-mother Alice. She made me see reason but wisdom had been coming to me for a few days before that. I had talked with Sirius and Remus and made them feel miserable for keeping a secret from me but they were able to make it clear to me that while you were wrong to keep it to yourself, my own conduct was not beyond reproach. Mother Weasley had also talked to me about it. She told me in no uncertain terms that you have been a good friend to me and always thought about my best interests and there is no reason for me to get angry with you".
"When did you meet all these people?" she asked him.
He gave her his best lop-sided grin, "Oh right. I have not told you. Leaving Gringotts, I went to the Weasley Manor where she talked to me for sometime before she agreed to let me stay there. I remained there sending an occasional letter to Sirius and Remus or talking with them on the communication mirror I have. She tried to talk to me and make me see reason that I was an idiot to be avoiding you. When she realized she could not get to me no matter what she said, she sent a letter to Auntie and god mother who both had me at wand-point and talked to me. God mother said something that I agree with".
"What did she say?". Susan asked curiously.
"She asked me if I could put a hand over my heart and honestly say that that you are not a fantastic person that I could spend my life pleasantly with. I have to say I agree with her. The last two months since I have known you I have felt livelier, have smiled more and have been happier than ever in my life despite Voldemort's shadow hanging over me the entire time. I don't yet know if I love you but I can certainly say that you are one person I would trust with my life".
Susan's demeanor fell slightly but she was content. Things were on the mend between them. True that he said he was not sure if he was in love with her yet but they will get there. For now, having him beside her was sufficient. "I think we had our first major spat and we are over it now, Harry. I hope things are better between us now".
He smiled, "Of course Sue".
At breakfast, the two of them were sitting closer and their hands often touched but at the same time, they kept some distance between them. Their friends breathed a sigh of relief to find that they had reconciled their differences. It had become over-whelming on their nerves to see the two of them so distant. In the minds of most of them, Susan and Harry were perfect together and to see them smiling again was pleasant.
Apart from the two, two more people were happy to see those two smiling- Minerva McGonagall and Severus Snape. After all, they had given those detentions to Harry for this. To tell him that if he wanted something he should act to get it.
In fact, Dumbledore had leaned in close to Minerva that morning and asked her, "was that the reason you gave him a detention, Minerva?".
She smirked, "Oh no. the real reason was that I wanted to win the betting pool which is running quite high now. Last I checked the Weasley twins were offering 10 to 1 odds for anyone that was willing to bet that Harry and Susan would mend their differences by lunch today and I am one of those who have won. With the 20G I put in, I am now at 200, rather a nice sum for a betting pool".
"I made 100 Galleons myself", said Professor Sprout from far end of the table and Albus asked Severus, "My boy, what about you? Did you also make a bet?"
Snape tried to grin (Something nobody had yet seen him do), "Indeed Head Master. I won 50 Galleons and a couple of fake wands".
Everyone chuckled at his proclamation. It was so out of character for Severus Snape.
Flitwick grumbled from her other side, "I don't think that's fair, Minerva. Due to your intervention, I lost this pool".
A week later
The last week had been eventful and brought October nearly to its end. The final trials for the new Werewolf Potion would be starting in a couple of days. The first match of the Quidditch season, Hufflepuff versus Ravenclaw was in a week and the anticipation was building. The Ravenclaw team's practice had gone up a notch more than usual.
Harry had scheduled a session on Tuesday in the Room of Requirement but had to postpone after Ernie told him that the Puffs had practice that evening. Harry was happy to reschedule it despite some grumblings from his friends in general and Hermione in particular that not all of them were members of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team.
The next reschedule was on Thursday and on that day Michael Corner had requested him to reschedule practice. Harry had done that too without questions asked or without expressing any discontent over it.
When Michael had left after the session had been rescheduled, Hermione grumbled, "It looks like they don't care about training at all. Requesting to reschedule just for a stupid game practice".
Harry gave her a look of incredulity mingled with disgust, "Hermione, this is Quidditch you are talking about, the best sport there is".
She snapped, "It is just a stupid sport. What is so special about it?"
It was Ron who spoke, "Are you barking mad, Hermione? Quidditch is better than anything. It is about glory".
Hermione wrinkled her nose in disgust at them, "Boys only care about quidditch and brooms".
Nobody bothered to point out to her that all of Gryffindor's chasers, their back-up seeker, the Ravenclaw's seeker and a few other players were all girls. When no one tried to answer her or engage in a debate with her over this, she just huffed and left for the library.
As it was, there was no evening session that week. Harry knew there would be none until the first match of the season for Gryffindor happened on the first Saturday of November because Angelina would insist on more and more practice. As it was, she was already pushing them hard. Their sessions had gone for two hours each for three sessions in the last week alone. For one of her training sessions he had to break a date that he was planning with Susan to the village.
He however had to make time for an unfulfilled promise with Daphne Greengrass. She had in fact insisted upon it telling him that he had promised to make up for the lost opportunity when he had to return to the castle after receiving a talking patronus.
Harry was not sure if it was a good idea to go to the village with her but a promise was a promise. They took the secret passage from the ground floor this time and came to the Three Broom Sticks. This time too, they were under Glamour charms and took a seat at the back where no one coming in could see them at once but they would notice anyone else coming in or going out.
After they were seated, their food delivered and Harry had put wards around the table, Daphne asked him, "Harry, what is your greatest wish?"
He thought for a few moments before he started replying, "Family. That is what I want more than anything in the world. With the muggles, I was nothing more than a freak and they never considered me a part of their family. I yearned to have a family all these years. I am starting to have a semblance of a family now, though".
"What do you mean?" she asked him.
"Oh, as you know Sirius Black blood adopted me this summer so he is my father and he was already named my god-father at the time of my birth. I don't know if someone ever told you but Alice Longbottom is my godmother so Neville is a brother to me. Hermione even though she is often an over-bearing, know-it-all, she is really sweet beneath her persona. She is like the sister that I never had. Augusta Longbottom insists that I call her grandmother when I visit her. Minister Longbottom is like the cool uncle that you could wish for. Remus Lupin who was our teacher in third year is one of my father's best friends and uncle to me. There are the Weasleys who have always loved me as one of their own. Then there is Aunt Amelia who is like the strict yet loving aunt in the family who would discipline you on the one hand while loving you on the other".
"And what do you think your life will be like 10 years from now provided you survive you-know-who".
"Call him Tom Riddle, Daphne. That is his real name. His father was a muggle and his mother was a squib. In answer to your question, about 10 years from now I see myself surrounded by family living in a manor since I inherited so many of them (she snorted) doing nothing but flying for one of those Quidditch clubs if any of them find me good enough to recruit for their team. Or maybe I would establish a Potions Business. Many people from my family were potioneers and discovered some important potions. In fact, Sleak-eazy quadrupled my family's fortune which was already substantial".
Her eyes were opened wide in surprise, "He is a half-blood?"
"Yes just barely. On top of that, his mother was a squib. Imagine what would happen if the death eaters knew that their master is a half-blood and that too, descended from a Muggle".
"May be if they knew about him, not so many people would have followed him".
"That is something to think about, Daphne however I think most of them would follow him anyway because he really is a descendant of Salazar Slytherin. The patriarchal line died out centuries ago and the Slytherin name with it, but he was the only son of Merope Gaunt. The Gaunts were the badly inbred, last of the Slytherin line through one of the daughters. That is why he was a Parselmouth. That is why he was able to open the Chamber of Secrets 53 years ago. That is what he lords over his followers, without being specific about who his parents are or that he is a half-blood. The other reason that I think they follow him is because while not all of them would agree to his vision of the world or share his dreams of world domination, there are certain things that they can do in the name of their service to him. For the more cunning of them, Voldemort is just a means to an end rather than someone they would follow. We have seen how people wormed their way out of punishment after he was vanquished the last time".
While she was out of topics to talk about Harry asked her, "Tell me something about your family".
She eagerly started telling, "As you know we are one of the families to have descended from Morgana Le Fay, in fact we are the last of the three families which descended from her. We have always been known neutrals throughout history except when someone committed an offense against us. My father is Cyrus Greengrass. He runs a potion business which he inherited from his father and invests in many ventures. My mother does not need to work but she has a job at the ministry in the department of Family Records. Then there is Astoria whom you have met".
"And what about your friends?"
"While growing up, I never had many friends. You should know of the politics in pureblood circles. Malfoy's father would often bring him to parties asking us to be friends and play together but I never liked the arrogant, entitled little ponce. Not even when we were very little and I avoided him. My father left it up to me who I chose as friends. So, I've never been a bargaining chip for their stupid power games. I have lots of acquaintances. I practically know everyone of any importance at all. But, through all these years, the only one I really consider a friend is Tracy Davis whom I have known since I was 4. Tracy's mother and my mother were best friends in school and it is the same with us. When I came to Hogwarts, I saw all the same kids I have known since I could walk. I did not know Pansy before Hogwarts though because the Ancient House of Parkinson has never been considered to be of the same social standing as House Greengrass and her father was not entitled to roam the same social circles as us. I loathed her from the start for her condescending attitude and it is no secret that we are not friends at all. Then there is Lilith Moon whose father is like the wind which blows aimlessly and she was much the same until this year. Then there is Millicent who looks dangerous and brutal but is quite harmless. The only thing she does is follow Malfoy around because her father shadows the elder Malfoy. Among the boys, Nott lives by himself, Blaise is a ladies' man, Malfoy is a ponce and Crabbe and Goyle are his lackeys. They called me the Ice Queen because I didn't want to have anything to do with any of them. This year, things are different. Thanks to you, There are many that I consider to be friends now, You, Hermione, Longbottom, the Twins, Abbott, Macmillan, Mandy, Morag and a couple more whose name elude me at the moment. Now what about your friends?"
"While growing up, I had no friends at all. Whenever anyone tried to be my friend, Dudley, the Muggle's son, and his goons scared them away. When I came to Hogwarts, Ron and Hermione became my friends while we were still on the train. I was content with having two best friends. Little did I know how many of them Ron was blocking from talking to me? I guess Neville, Dean and Seamus were also my friends but they were not so close. Now I have more friends than I can even count".
Before she could ask him more, the door opened to the inn and the trio of Sirius Black with Emmeline and Remus walked through the door. Harry mentally groaned. When Daphne asked him what was wrong, he pointed out the newcomers to her, "Looks like my father is keeping tabs on me. We will have to go now".
He was able to escape the inn unnoticed and when they were at a sufficient distance from the inn, he asked her, "So Miss Greengrass, I am sorry that we had to leave the inn on such short notice but may I consider us square now? Nothing owed anymore, I hope?"
She looked at him with incredulity, "Are you abandoning a lady on her own? No dropping her at her door step? Is that the vaunted Gryffindor chivalry?"
Harry looked horrified, "Of course I will escort you to the school. What mode of transportation would you prefer - broom, secret passage or hippogriff?"
She thought for a second, "Brooms have become overrated and dangerous especially if it's you who is flying them. Secret Passages are dark and musty and not to my liking. Also, word is that you have a beautiful hippogriff, the likes of which are a rare sight to see. Care to offer me a ride?"
Harry willingly agreed however a small part of him wondered if he was doing the right thing by agreeing to Daphne's demands. Wasn't that equivalent to encouraging her in her pursuit? Now that he knew Susan was his betrothed, all other girls were practically out of bounds for him. Would she tolerate it if he was seen getting close with another girl, perhaps not and for good reason. Harry mentally resolved to maintain some distance between him and Daphne to gently nudge her away from him. She was a wonderful witch who deserved a wizard who would be worthy of her.
While he had been mulling over everything, he had been unconsciously tugging at his familiar connection with the Hippogriff because the beast came flying to him a minute later. He gave Black Storm a bow then introduced the beast to Daphne, "Daphne this is Blackstorm, my familiar and many consider him a king of his kind".
Daphne was looking at the hippogriff in awe, "He is magnificent Harry. I have seen my fair share of hippogriffs but none so regal looking".
Harry helped her mount up without tack (he did not think he needed it for such a short flight) and climbed up behind her holding her in his arms. While he wanted to keep some distance between them there was not that much space on the hippogriff's back.
For Daphne, it was like a dream come true. She was no wall flower and rarely dreamt of things like most other girls did but a small part of her had wished for something like this. She was happy to feel his arms around her, ensconcing her and her heart was beating at twice the normal speed. Due to lack of space, they were sitting close together and she could feel his breath on her neck making her squirm. As the hippogriff took to the skies, she was lost in the feeling of being airborne. Harry had clutched her protectively as if she would fall off if he let go and she had to smile. He was nothing if not thoughtful. She was content with the pace of things for now but she was getting a little frustrated. She had hoped things would escalate even if just a little. Perhaps she could try what Tracy had always suggested and drag him to a broom cupboard. May be then things would get easier between them.
Things were better in classes though. With his demeanor returning to normal, Harry was again performing to the best of his abilities. The teachers were content. They all had been miffed when his performance had fallen in the last week. Even though he was far ahead of the others in practical, they could see when his mind was not on his assignment, especially those who had an eye for detail.
History of Magic was one of the most interesting subjects and Martha Hughes rewarded those who answered her questions correctly while punishing those who created a ruckus in her classes. She often encouraged them to read ahead and when she asked questions, she expected every student to be ready, willing and able to answer her.
Defense was easy because practical training was more exciting and gratifying for the students but the lack of emphasis on theory put off some of the students like Hermione who adhered to the books more and prided themselves on sound theoretical knowledge. His homework often meant a lot of research and he did not suggest any particular text to them. As a result almost every student had to look for books by themselves to find the answers. He was above giving detention to students except those who copied assignments from others. He graded everyone's work and if he found that someone had cheated or borrowed an idea from someone else, he had started to give detention to them. He had once given a thorough lecture to the students about the importance of being original. He often said that he expected the same level of commitment as he was showing to them.
Snape was more bearable for students now. While he still maintained a condescending demeanor towards Harry and his group of friends, he behaved more friendly to others and often would correct students rather than reproaching them. Rumours were that if he gave detention to a student then he was teaching them to brew correctly rather than making them do meaningless chores without magic. While the rumours were unconfirmed, this certainly made people see the Dungeon Bat in a new light. Hermione had even thought that maybe people would stop calling him a dungeon bat now that he had changed his ways but the twins dismissed the idea, saying that the name had been around for so long that it was not likely that others would forget it.
Serpent's Pit
Daphne had been in a sort of trance when she returned from her date. She was so lost in her thoughts that she had not even notice Tracy and Astoria sitting on her bed waiting for her.
Tracy whispered to Astoria, "See there, Astoria. She did not even react to our presence; in fact, I can bet all the Galleons in my trust vault that she hasn't even noticed us at all. I tell you that Harold Peverell has made her bereft of her senses. She does not behave like the ice-queen anymore and at times, I have even seen her smiling to herself".
Daphne had taken a seat but still had not heard them. Tracy shook her head and leaning right up to Daphne's ear shouted, "Snap out of it, Daph. You are day-dreaming".
Daphne's eyes came into focus to notice her friend and her sister. "Why did you have to shout Tracy? I am not hard of hearing".
Tracy smirked, "No, you are not but you are losing yourself in the emerald orbs of the raven haired lion".
Daphne scowled, "You're the one to talk when you spend all your time with Weasley who by the admission of his own friends and twin is a stupid redheaded git".
Tracy mock-scowled, "He makes me laugh and we have been out a number of times enjoying the village and each other's company. Can you say the same for yourself?"
Daphne gave them a victorious smirk, "Well I would not go so far as to say that he makes me laugh much but he sure has ways to thrill me. Like Hippogriff riding for instance".
Tracy leaned forward, "Hippogriff ride? When did you...? You are keeping secrets from your best mate, Daph? Please tell me more." She gave Daphne the big eyes.
Daphne laughed, "Won't work on me Davis. I know how cunning you are".
Astoria piped up, "you would not tell me either? I'm your little sister, Daph".
"Especially not you. Not after your last fiasco, Tori. I don't want you running to him again".
Both the girls tried hard to make Daphne reveal her secrets but she did not budge.
Headmaster's office
Vikram was sitting in the Headmaster's office looking grave. "Albus, have you found where the last abomination can be?".
"No. I have tried many times but I don't even know what it is. I have been looking through pages of history to find what other artefacts can be out there. I have noticed that Tom had a fascination with the founder's artefacts. The recovery of Hufflepuff's cup and Slytherin's locket prove that. In addition to that, there are things which I don't know if they exist anymore or not. Gryffindor's staff and gauntlet for instance. I have read accounts of them but never found them or met anyone who can claim to know their whereabouts. Similarly there is Ravenclaw's diadem which I know existed but was lost hundreds of years ago. If Tom somehow found it, he might have made it into one of his horcruxes but we are in the dark about its existence. Rowena Ravenclaw never explained about what might have happened to it".
"Of the things that you mentioned, I have heard of Gryffindor's staff and the gauntlet. The staff was broken in a battle by another wizard with the killing curse when he was in the dusk of his life. The Gauntlet was gifted by him to a disciple of his who took it for safekeeping outside of Avalon and since then, apparently nobody knows about it however it was delivered to the ICW about 300 years ago and they have kept it in the archives of Alexandria ever since. It is supposed to contain powerful magics and they don't want another Grindelwald to arise".
"Archives of Alexandria, you say", Dumbledore said eagerly, "May be I can persuade them to return it to Wizarding Britain after this war is over. It should be here where it belongs".
"No, Albus. It was given with the promise that it would never return to Wizarding Britain. Godric never wanted that to happen. Besides can you imagine the chaos if such an artefact were to ever surface again after being absent for so long?"
"I understand, my friend. I was carried away by emotions that is all", Albus said wistfully. Then he focused on the mystic, "Nevertheless, just in case, could you arrange for one of your associates to check it and make sure that Tom has not corrupted it?"
Vikram thought for a moment before replying, "I am thinking that it is most unlikely that Tom has ever been able to lay hands on it, never mind corrupting it, but for a matter of such importance, we can have it checked.".
Dumbledore nodded, "That leaves only the diadem".
The Mermaid's Sanctuary
Neville was waiting for the Headmaster in the Mermaid's sanctuary on the third floor. He had learned enough mind magic to be able to practice on his own however Dumbledore had warned him against trying to surprise masters of Mind Magic such as Severus Snape and Harold Peverell with it. They would interpret such an attempt as an attack and their defenses would prove fatal to him.
Snape would not be forgiving of someone who tried to pry into his mind. His mental defenses were solid and short of an open confrontation and a show of power, there was no way that one could win a battle of wills with him.
Harry was vicious towards anyone who tried to enter his mind. The outer defenses of his mind were carefully crafted to lure people in and trap them. If someone got past the outer defenses, his mindscape was scary enough. If enraged, Harry could also destroy someone's mind. In other words, one who tried mind magic against him would be a fool. Dumbledore also warned him against trying it on a werewolf. If he did, the wolf within would likely tear him to shreds before he could withdraw.
Today, Dumbledore had promised to teach him Dueling. Neville was of course excited. The way he had been making progress under the Headmaster's tutelage was enough to boost his self-esteem and the respect that other students showed him when he was conducting the session in the Room of Requirement in Harry's absence only added to his reputation.
"Neville, my boy", Dumbledore's voice cut into his thoughts, "are you ready?"
Neville nodded, "Yes Headmaster".
Dumbledore raised his wand, "Then let us begin".
Dumbledore started with a disarming hex. By now, Neville had enough experience to know the tricks that people get up to if he tossed his wand in the air when someone used a disarming hex on him. He sent his wand into the wand holster on his arm. His reflexes had become better for this sort of thing or his wand would have been flying to Dumbledore at that moment. As the disarming hex passed through him, he jumped aside to avoid the stunner coming at him and summoned his wand to his hand.
He started firing bone breakers, bone crushers, reductors, blasting hexes at the headmaster who had no trouble with batting aside his curses. At times, he would raise a shield rather than dodging. Neville was casting at his top speed and Dumbledore did not counter attack him but kept defending as if he was testing Neville's endurance. With the tricks that Croaker had taught him, Neville could go for a long time without tiring himself out but he wanted to see what the end game of the Headmaster was. He feigned a lull in his casting and Dumbledore seized that moment to start moving his wand in a baton like motion, creating a symphony of curses and hexes so vivid that Neville was hard pressed to keep himself safe. He conjured the sturdiest shield he could and hid behind it, taking the battering from Dumbledore. Dumbledore sent almost every curse at him that he knew and Neville was thoroughly tired from the beating that he took. At last, when he started to waver on his feet, Dumbledore stopped casting, "Are you all right, Neville? Did I overdo it?"
"No, Headmaster. You just showed me what I need to do if I am to stand against better trained wizards".
"No my boy. Most of the wizards that you would meet are not as powerful as I am and they would not fight with you the way I am doing. Their strategy would be to kill you and be gone, so things would be decided in a matter of moments under those conditions".
"What are my instructions, Headmaster?"
"Do you know about a mage-shield?"
Neville grinned widely. Mage shield was something that Croaker refused to teach him saying that he could not conjure one and maintain it for long periods of time so he would have to persuade Dumbledore to teach him about it.
Great Hall
The students were very chipper this morning and the chatter was great. The morning practice session had been cancelled today because it was the day for the first quidditch match of the season- Hufflepuff versus Ravenclaw. The students did not even have to ask Harry to cancel the session. He himself had sent a message to all of them through the wand holsters telling them that there would be no practice this morning.
The anticipation in the air was high and everyone was eagerly waiting for the match to start. The weather had started to turn and it was getting colder outside. So much so that Harry had decided to not take them on runs around the lake. Snow fall was expected to begin in a few days and the weather would be getting colder.
This morning surprisingly there was no inter-mingling among students. Students of each house sat at their own house tables. Even couples which had started to form were keeping their distance from each other. There was tension in the air so thick that one could cut it with a knife. Even Susan had abandoned Harry this morning in favour of her teammates and was sitting at the Hufflepuff table, Hermione had declared it to be insane that friends were behaving like strangers and rivals for the sake of a game but nobody was listening to her. There had been a general consensus in the Lion's Den by now that Hermione Granger knew nothing when it came to Quidditch or the feelings associated with it.
The teams entered to the general applause of the Great Hall and almost the entire school was divided. It was not that they were divided by House but students were individually cheering for one team or another.
Luna came skipping up to their table and slipped into a seat beside Harry, "You know Harold, your friend will come back today".
"My friend? Who are you talking about?"
Luna did not answer him. Instead she turned to Hermione and Ron, "Moaning Myrtle was heard telling people that the two of you snuck into the broom cupboard near her bathroom".
The spoon that was in Hermione's hand clattered to her plate and Ron choked on the roasted potato he was eating. Harry patted his back soothingly while being thankful that he had raised privacy wards around him and his friends. Luna skipped away after that while Hermione did not say a word but ate her food with such speed that it gave him vertigo just to watch her eating. As she shovelled the last morsel into her mouth, she left the table avoiding every one's eye.
As they were leaving for the match, Susan came to him, "I hope that you are supporting Hufflepuff today, Harry or there will be trouble between us".
"Of course dear", Harry said sweetly, as if he could have said anything else.
Just to emphasize her point, she tied a Hufflepuff scarf around his neck and said to him, "There. It will remind you that you are rooting for badgers".
A/N- The last chapter was something that I knew would evoke most reactions from people and I was not disappointed. So, thank you all. I love you all. Now to personal reviews:
God of All and Anarion- Thank you for your review
Hypergym- thank you for the review. It was good.
Poobear- I won't go hard on anyone without reason and I will not be cruel to one who do not deserve it *Malfoy*.
Fritter- Nobody can be perfect all the time, can they?
Stacy- Thanks for the review. I know he was right in his place and hope this chapter cleared the air. I hope you will keep liking it.
Raymondjay- Thanks for the review. The chapter was written longer than this but I had to divide it into two so people wont get bored reading it. I hope this chapter made up for the lameness of the last one.
Billbrink- Many thanks for the review. I hope you will keep enjoying the story as it is going on.
ObssessedwithHPFanFic- Many thanks for review. Hope the present chapter makes up for the last one.
Guest- Thanks for the review. Hope the present chapter makes up for the last one.
Hcook- many thanks for the review. Hope the present chapter makes up for the last one. Looking forward to more reviews from you in future.
William- What made you think I have made him a bully? Btw thanks for your review. I always love a new perspective.