Chapter 18
His bedside clock showed 5.30am.
The rest of his dorm mates were still sleeping. There was no loud snoring however. At first he thought that Ron had woke up much earlier than him before he remembered that his best friend was still stuck at the hospital wing.
It was still dark. It took a little bit of time before his eyes could adjust itself to the surrounding and for the next few minutes, he just laid there in the warm comfort of his bed, gazing at the ceiling of his four posters bed.
He sighed. Happily. His mind returned towards the dream he had earlier.
He could still feel the softness of her touch. It permeated his every sense. His hand reached up towards his lips. The sweet taste of her kiss was still there. He even could almost smell the sweet scent of her fragrance. It felt so vivid. It felt so real that he began to wonder if it was just a dream after all. In his long years of living, not once he experienced something so wonderful before.
One thing that he could agree upon though, whether it was a dream or not, it made him feel happy. So happy that it felt like the weight of the whole world lifted off his shoulder.
He rose and sat on his bed. He could sleep no more. He felt like he wanted to look forward for something that day. The only thing was, he did not know what.
Deciding that it would be pointless to continue lying on the bed, he got off and took his towel and walked towards the bathroom. He came out after performing the usual morning ritual, get dressed in his school uniform and headed down towards the common room.
Hermione's cat was the only other occupant inside the common room. The squashed-face ginger cat was curling on one of the armchairs. His head shot up when he heard footsteps. He went back to his original routine when he saw who was coming.
Crookshanks meowed and purred softly when Harry scratched its head.
"Good morning, Crookshanks. Did you have a lovely sleep last night?"
Crookshanks replied with a meow.
Harry smiled. "Of course you didn't. You were busy running a marathon the whole castle all night, weren't you?"
"Meow."
Harry chuckled. Shaking his head, he made his way towards his chair and sat on it. Crookshanks joined him a few minutes later. The cat jumped into his lap and curled comfortably on it. He purred out a storm as Harry began scratching the back of his ears.
"You like that, huh?" said Harry, smiling.
The ginger cat just continued to purr.
The morning sun slowly made its presence known through the stained glass windows. The common room began to fill up. At fifteen minutes after seven, Hermione came down from her dormitory. She gave a look of surprise when she saw Harry was already there.
"Good morning, Harry," she greeted him. "You're up early." She then noticed her cat, curling comfortably on Harry's lap. "Good morning, Crookshanks."
The cat meowed back at her.
"Mornin', Mione," Harry greeted her back. He gently lifted Crookshanks who meowed in protest off his lap and placed the cat on the floor. "Ready for breakfast?"
"Yeah," said Hermione as she lugged her bag over her shoulder. "Where's Ron-… oh I forgot. He's at the hospital wing." She immediately corrected herself when she noticed the odd look Harry gave her.
Harry just shook his head. He copied Hermione and the two of them left the common room right after that.
"So I was thinking that maybe we could do a quick visit to Ron after History of Magic and-."
But Harry interrupted her before she could finish.
"No. We'll visit him after Potion," he said. "We agreed to it yesterday, remember?"
"But it will be just a short visit," Hermione argued. "Look, I can visit him alone after Professor Binn's class if you don't want to. I'll make a quick dash. I'll be back in no time."
Harry glanced sideways at Hermione as they continued on their way towards the Great Hall. The girl looked hopeful. She probably expected him to change his mind too, and accompany her to the Hospital Wing.
"I'll visit him after Potion," he said, much to Hermione's dismay. "Think about it. The Hospital Wing is on the other side of the castle and we have only minutes of free time between Binn and Snape. It won't be just a quick dash. We will be late for Snape's class. I am not going to risk it but you do you."
"Can't you think of a shortcut that could get us quickly to the Hospital Wing and back? You're good at that. You know many shortcuts."
"Correction. I know a lot of detours but very few shortcuts. And there are no shortcuts between the Hospital Wing and the Dungeon as far as I know. And unless Fred and George dynamite-blast a few holes through the walls, I don't think they knew either."
Hermione looked crestfallen. Harry however remained unmoved. Still, cheering up the girl no matter how little the effect would be was the least he could do. "Ron is in good hands. He's in the Hospital Wing, not the Azkaban Prison. He'll be fine," Harry said, trying to console Hermione.
She didn't respond to that, just as he predicted.
The pair arrived at the Great Hall a few minutes later. It was already packed with students. The whole lot of them were still groggy. As always, they both went to sit at their usual place. Viktor Krum and his friends were already there.
"Good morning, Harry," greeted Viktor.
"Mornin', Viktor. Mornin' everyone," greeted Harry back, smiling.
"You look happy," said Raya Kovacheva, one of Viktor's friends. Harry got to know her during the champion selection night when the Durmstrang delegates chose to sit at the Gryffindor Table. Spotting dark long hair and dark eyes, she had that typical Eastern Europe girl's beauty. "Anything I should know of?"
Harry just smiled. His mind wandered off momentarily towards the dream he had that night. "I'm just feeling great today, Raya."
"Vell, good for you. Listen, I have yet to ask Professor Karkaroff about this Saturday. I vill ask him later," said Viktor.
"Oh, I'm not vorried. Professor Karkaroff vill give him anything he vants. Right, Viktor?" said Raya, sniggering at Viktor. Turning to Harry, she continued, "He is the headmaster's golden boy. Anything ve vant ve ask Viktor to relay to Professor Karkaroff. It vorks every time."
Viktor just rolled his eyes at her.
"That's okay, Viktor. There is no need to rush," said Harry, chuckling as he liberally buttered his toast. "It's only Tuesday. You'll have plenty of time to ask. Anyway, we're going to visit Ron after the second period right before lunch. Wanna come?"
Viktor however shook his head. "No, I can't. I vill be very busy today. I need to attend the Vand Veighing Ceremony after breakfast. Remember I told you that yesterday? I vill also have schedules of my own at lunch but I vill visit your friend after the ceremony ends. The ceremony von't take long, I hope. Anyvay, I'm planning to give him this potion. It vill help him vith the hangover."
Viktor took out a small vial containing clear greenish liquid and showed it to Harry.
"Will it work?" asked Harry curiously.
"It vork for us," said Viktor, pocketing the vial. "It vill vork on him."
Harry nodded. He made a mental note of asking Viktor the recipe for that potion. He might have quite a hand in Potion, but as he found out during his Auror training, it will bring him no harm in learning more.
"Well, in that case, send Ron our regards, Viktor. Tell him that we'll visit him before lunch," he said.
"Vill do," assured Viktor.
They continued to chat but this time, it was Raya who took the lead from Viktor. The latter was busy going through some notes he brought along with Stukov and Olaf. Raya was at the same age as Viktor. She was as tall as Viktor too. Unlike Viktor however, she was a Slovenian. Ljubljana was where she came from.
"Many of us vent to Durmstrang because it is the nearest and the most prestigious in our region. It is not true that only the Bulgarian go there to study magic. Ve do have a choice of going to Koldovstoretz, however. That is in Russia but I don't like it there. It is too cold and too vintery. All you see is snow. I mean, are you really going to build a snowman every day for the whole year? It is not fun," Raya explained.
Harry silently disagreed with Raya. He visited both schools back in the past. Koldovstoretz wasn't that bad. The Russian magical school wasn't that much different from Durmstrang. Like Hogwarts, both were isolated, being located deep in the mountainous forest. Like Hogwarts, both had their own small wizarding town where the students and school staff could visit. Unlike Hogwarts and Koldovstoretz, Durmstrang didn't impose much restriction on the visits. The students were allowed to visit the wizarding town every weekend all year. And Koldovstoretz definitely did not suffer snow all year round. Summertime at the Russian school was actually quite pleasant. Both didn't have their own railway network however which to Harry was a big plus for Hogwarts.
"I vish you had gone to Koldovstoretz, Raya," Viktor suddenly chimed in. His eyes were still on his notes. "You are having too much fun at Durmstrang. A little bit too much."
"You on the other hand need to learn on how to have fun, Viktor," Raya responded. "You are too serious. People are even afraid to make jokes around you. Loosen up, vill you?"
"Vhat? And become a troublemaker like you?"
Raya made a mocking surprised face. "No, I am not a troublemaker. How can you say that? Is that vhy you hated me, Viktor?"
Viktor sighed. "I do not hate you. I just vant you to reel it down a little bit. Can you do that?"
Raya's mocking sad face turned into a grin. "I know you love me, Viktor. Haha!"
Viktor rolled his eyes and returned to his parchments.
Turning to Harry, she went, "So back to you. Do you have a girlfriend, Harry?"
"Urmm… no," Harry replied to the surprise question.
Raya's eyebrows creased. Pointing a finger at Harry, she said, "Hmm… you hesitated there. Are you embarrassed? There's no need to be embarrassed. It's not like the question is too personal. If you have one just say so. I'm not going to get jealous."
Harry shook his head. "No, I really don't have a girlfriend. If I have one I'll say so."
"Really? But vhy not? A man of your stature… oh vait!"
Raya gazed at Harry up and down. "I can see vhy," she said moments later.
"What?" said Harry.
"Your reputation is to die for but your physical being is another matter. Physical-wise, you're unpresentable. You looked too thin, maybe a bit malnourished I might add. You're nearly skin and bones, Harry. Your hair is messy and in terms of height, you're shorter than most of your friends. Are you suffering from an illness? Or maybe curses? I mean you defeated the most powerful Dark Lord ever lived. Surely that victory must come vith something else?" said Raya.
Raya's observation paused everyone around Harry. Even Viktor who was concentrating on his notes earlier. He looked up and stared at Harry. Hermione meanwhile looked to and fro between Harry and Raya with an open mouth.
As for Harry, Raya's words surprised him to no end. He already knew what he looked like physically but he never knew it was that bad. His friends never mentioned anything about his physical appearance throughout his life. They just accepted it like it was normal. And he too in the end thought his look was normal. Things only took a turn when he became an Auror. Progress of age, better food coupled with exercises, plus the fact that he was always on the move as a law enforcer, had completely changed his appearance. Nobody would think a skinny kid with knobbly knees to be the younger version of the most dangerous Auror of all time.
But that was in the past.
Harry swallowed his saliva. "Is it that bad?" he asked her.
Raya shrugged. "The girls, ve talked a lot about you back at the ship. Ve vere surprise the first time ve saw you that night during the champion selection. Ve vere curious. Ve always thought that you vould look at least like Viktor. You know, being hunky, tall and looking all muscular and having maybe a touch of beard on your face. But instead, you are the polar opposite of vhat ve thought of you. You look like you're sick. Very sick."
Harry felt someone kicking his feet under the table. That kick was gentle, however. It was Hermione who was sitting on the opposite side of him. She subtly shook her head at him.
He understood what Hermione was trying to say. Very few people knew his back story and Hermione was telling him not to tell the Durmstrang. He agreed with her and he knew why. Not all people have empathy. Draco was one of those people who didn't have one. Well, teenage Draco that is. What more was that he didn't know his newfound friends well to judge what their reaction would be if they knew the reason behind his physical appearance.
Harry forced a smile. "I look like this as far as I remember," he said. "I feel just fine. I mean, I wouldn't be here if I'm ill, would I?"
Raya's eyebrows creased. "Are you sure?" she asked.
"I'm absolutely sure. You're forgetting that I was on my broom flying hundreds of feet above the ground days ago. You saw what Viktor and I were doing that time. Sick people can't do any of those," said Harry.
Raya nodded. "Vell, if you say so. I apologize if I hurt your feelings. I don't mean to. It's just that I am curious."
Harry shook his head. "There's no need to apologize. Believe me, a lot of people are curious about me. You are not the first and you won't be the last," he said, smiling.
Raya returned his smile.
Harry looked over her shoulder towards the Ravenclaw Table. Fleur was busy with her wand. She was gently wiping it with a piece of soft cloth at that time. Not that her wand needed any cleaning. She was known to take meticulous care of her wand. Throughout her life until her death, her wand never suffers any damage. There wasn't even a scratch on it. It was polished white in color with beautiful motives of flowers in light blue engraving on it. A strand of her grandmother's hair made up the core of her wand. The wand was as beautiful as its master.
His conversation with Raya presented him with a thought. What if what Raya saw of him, Fleur and her friends saw it too? That could explain the way they looked at him all these times. He had no idea what they thought of him when they saw him looking like that. When Raya spoke, there was a hint of disappointment in her voice. It was like she was blaming him for being what he was. Not that he can help it. Nobody can.
He tore her eyes away from Fleur and continued to ponder.
"You saw it too, didn't you?"
Harry glanced at Hermione who was walking beside him. It was after breakfast and they both were on their way to Professor Binn's class. The champions left early before breakfast time ended. Fleur and Viktor were escorted by their respective headmaster to the ceremony. Cedric meanwhile was escorted by Professor Sprout herself. He swore Fleur was looking in his direction when she rose from her seat. Then again he might be imagining things. The girl was speaking to Madame Maxime when the latter came to fetch her at that time. He might have misinterpreted the movement of her head and her eyes for all he knows.
"You never mention anything. You and the rest of our friends," he pressed on when Hermione remained quiet.
Hermione sighed. She suddenly stopped walking and turned to face him. "That is because we know your story. Everyone at Hogwarts knows your story. We were tactful enough not to mention it. By the way, since when do you care about the way you look?"
"You know I don't really care about the way I look. I'm just curious."
"I am glad to hear that," said Hermione. "But if you must know – and this is coming from me – the reason why I never mention anything about the way you look is because I want you to be happy. I have seen you, Harry. Hogwarts is where you're the happiest, and I want you to continue feeling that way even if it's just for just a few months. You were the happiest every time you arrived here and you look absolutely miserable when you leave. Watching you walk towards your relatives whenever we arrive at the Kingcross Station is like watching you walk into a lion cage. Talking about your appearance will only lower your self-esteem and will remind you of them, of what they did to you. I don't want that. It's bad enough that you have to face their cruelty during our summer holidays and now at Hogwarts, people have the audacity to remind you of them. I honestly don't understand why Dumbledore never makes any effort to place you somewhere else instead of the Dursleys." She shook her head in disgust.
He of course knew why.
Hermione approached him and put her hands on both his arms. Looking into his eyes, she continued, "You are more than meets the eye, Harry. You are better than many of us put together. You prevailed despite all the hardships you faced. You never stop being a good person no matter how cruel life has been to you. It doesn't matter how you look, Harry. What matters most is what's in here." She placed her palm right on his chest where his heart resides.
And without warning, Harry pulled Hermione into a tight hug. Never in his life had he felt so moved. "Thank you," he whispered into her ears. "Thank you so much."
They pulled apart moments later and Harry saw Hermione smile at him. "I will always be here for you, Harry," she said.
Harry nodded.
They resumed their way to Professor Binn's class. As they started walking, Harry looked away from Hermione and quickly wiped off that one single tear that fell down his cheek.
Hermione never saw that tear.
Harry loved and hated History of Magic. He loved the soothing lullaby of Professor Binn's voice that never failed to transport him to dream nirvana. On the other hand, listening to Professor Binn talking about the Goblin War over and over again made him want to slit his own throat. He was pretty sure there was a lot more to Wizarding history than just goblins. The only person who appeared to be immune to all that was Hermione.
"Do we have time-," said Hermione after they exited Professor Binn's class.
But Harry shook his head before she could finish. He knew what she was going to ask for. "I know you're dying to see him but right now isn't the time. The Hospital Wing is on the other side of the castle, didn't I tell you that? We won't make it to the Dungeon in time. It's best not to trigger Snape's wrath this early hour, Hermione. We'll visit him after Potion and we can stay there for as long as you wish."
Hermione went quiet.
The Slytherins were already waiting for Professor Snape when Harry and the Gryffindors arrived. Malfoy as always sneered at him whenever Harry appeared within his view. As always, Harry just kept cool and ignored him. Daphne was there as well though Harry could not help but notice that she somehow was trying to distance herself from the Parkinson Gang.
The door into the Dungeon flew open. As always like an overgrown bat, Snape stood there staring menacingly at them.
"Get in."
They were going to make the Deflating Draught that day. As usual, Snape would do a little bit of explanation on the potion they were going to make, point out where the ingredients were stored, and tell them to get to work.
And as before, Professor Snape could not find any fault in the way Harry worked and the eventual result that came from it. By the end of the class, Harry managed to produce a clear gray liquid, a signature of a
perfectly brewed Deflating Draught potion. The only other person who managed to achieve the same result as him was Hermione. She finished a bit later than him though.
"Potter," Snape called out to him at the end of the class. "See me before you go."
Harry told Hermione to wait for him outside the class. Hermione nodded and made her way out of the Dungeon.
Harry approached Snape's table. "Yes, Professor?"
Snape said nothing at first. Instead, he took out a vial of clear liquid and handed it over to Harry. Harry took it. "What is this?" he asked.
"A cure for hangover," said Snape. "Give it to your friend when you're visiting him."
Harry stared at Snape in complete disbelief. Snape was trying to help Ron?
"Sir?"
"I heard what happened to Weasley. You know the rules, Potter. You and Weasley are liable for detention but I'm going to let it slip this time. Don't do it again," said Snape sternly.
Question upon question came into his mind. Snape's action was certainly not what he would have expected given the attitude the Potion Master always showed towards them before. At the same time though, something told him that it would be best for him to also let it slip, at least for now. There will be time for questions and answers later on.
"Of course, Professor," said Harry, pocketing the vial. "Thank you."
Snape looked deep into his eyes. "You're going to be late for your lunch. You're dismissed," he finally said. Without another word, Snape rose from his chair and walked to the nearest potions cabinet.
Without further ado, Harry turned around and exited the dungeon.
"So what does he want?" asked Hermione the moment he appeared.
The pair was now on their way to the Hospital Wing.
"He gave me this," said Harry. He fished the vial Snape gave him out of his pocket and showed it to Hermione. "It's for Ron."
Hermione took it and began examining the clear liquid. "What's this for?"
"It's a cure for hangover," answered Harry. "Or so he said. He told me to give it to Ron."
Hermione cocked an eyebrow. "I expect him to know but him trying to help Ron voluntarily? That's new."
"I know, right? There's a caveat, however. He knows that I'm involved and he told me that I and Ron are liable for detention."
"Detention?!" Hermione said with a frown. "Harry, I know this will come to bite you in the end. You know you haven't got any detention last year. I would have thought you were keen to keep the record clean for this year too. Oh, well. At least Ron won't be alone this time."
Harry just smirked and shook his head.
"What?" asked Hermione.
"Relax, Hermione. Snape didn't put us in detention."
"But you said-!"
"I said Ron and I are liable for detention. I didn't say that we both got detention. Snape just gave us a verbal warning this time. Come to think of it, that's a first," said Harry thoughtfully.
"Be it as it may, you still need to be careful," said Hermione sternly. "Snape might really give you detention the very next time."
"Don't worry, Hermione. I will try. Can't promise though. You know me."
Harry smirked at the now frowning Hermione.
The Hospital Wing, a few minutes later…
Ron beamed at them the moment he saw them enter the ward.
"I thought you both would visit me sooner," he said, grinning widely.
"Oh Ron, we really want to but we can't. You know how packed our schedule this morning was," said Hermione as she put down her bag and sat on one of the available chairs. "How are you feeling?"
"I feel great actually," said Ron happily. "Never been better. Hey, Harry!"
Well he is unusually happy with no sign of hangover, thought Harry. He wondered if Viktor's remedy had anything to do with it. "Hey, Ron. So, did Viktor visit you this morning?" he asked.
"Yeah!" Ron replied. He suddenly scrunched his face in a way Harry thought was weird. "I think so. I can't remember. I think I was still sleeping, I don't know. I do remember someone came in. A lot of people came in actually. Maybe I was still groggy at that time. Yeah, I had a splitting headache, I think. I thought I saw someone, really tall, really manly, and he tried to talk to me. I can't remember what he said but I think he apologized to me. Yeah, he apologized to me but I can't remember. Then I drank something. I can't remember what I drank but it was something greenish I forgot about it but then I went to sleep and then I woke up feeling great and you both came in and I greeted you Hermione and after that, I greeted you Harry and you asked me how I feel and I said I'm feeling great and you asked about Viktor and I told you I forgot everything and…"
And Ron kept talking and talking. He did not stop at all. Not even to take a breath.
Both Harry and Hermione looked at each other. Harry had a hunch of what really happened. It was the side effect of Viktor's potion. It cured Ron's hangover but at the same time, it introduced something else in return.
Hermione was still clutching the vial Harry gave her. "Should we give it to him?" she asked him.
Harry stared at Ron, who at that time was still rambling nonsense.
"Best we don't," he said to Hermione. "This is probably Viktor's antidote side effect. We don't know what will happen if Snape's and Viktor's potion clash inside him. Better to wait until the side effect wears off. By the way, I don't see… oh, here she comes."
Harry was about to search for Madam Pomfrey when the venerable Hogwarts nurse suddenly emerged from her office. She came marching towards them, carrying a tray of potions.
"How is he?" Madam Pomfrey asked just as she arrived. She did not really need an answer though.
"Hi, Madam Pomfrey! A wonderful day today! And I'm already glad it's Sunday!" greeted Ron.
Both Harry and Hermione cringed in embarrassment at that.
Madam Pomfrey cocked her eyebrow and shook her head. "It's Tuesday," she said.
"Really?! I thought it was Friday! How delightful!"
Madam Pomfrey once again shook her head. She sighed. "I knew I shouldn't have let that boy administer that antidote of his," she muttered as she placed the tray she was carrying on the bedside table. "I told him not to but he was very persuasive. Told me that it would clear out the hangover in a jiffy. Well, it did. Mr. Weasley was all moaning and groaning the moment he woke up this morning. I had to put an ice pack on top of his head to reduce the headache. He vomited thrice within the space of five minutes. Then the Durmstrang champion and his friends came to visit. He administered that potion and Mr. Weasley immediately went back to sleep after that. Never knew he would wake up to this."
"Will he be alright?" asked Hermione worriedly.
"He will be alright, don't you worry about it," said Madam Pomfrey with an air of impatient. "But he will have to stay here until the side effect wear off. Too much happiness can be dangerous. Merlin knows what he might do next. Might jump off the tower like you Mr. Potter, if nobody watches over him. Oh yes, I heard what you did the other day. Stupid thing, really."
Hermione gave Harry the look that said 'I told you so.' She then suddenly remembered something. "Professor Snape gave Harry this." She showed the vial of clear liquid to Madam Pomfrey. "He told him to give it to Ronald. He said it will help with the hangover."
Madam Pomfrey cocked her eyebrows. "Did he now? Well, it's too late for that. His hangover had been cured. Now it's something else. You can keep the vial, Miss Granger. Who knows you might need it during your next Hogsmeade visit."
Both Hermione and Harry stayed for the next fifteen minutes before their stomach reminded them of their need.
"SEND MY LOVE TO DRACO MALFOY! TELL HIM I MISSED HIM SO MUCH!" Ron called out to them just as they exited the Hospital Wing.
"Did he really say that?" asked Hermione as they walked towards the Great Hall for lunch.
"Yes, he did."
Viktor was nowhere to be seen during the lunch, just as Harry expected. The rest of the Durmstrang students were at the Great Hall though.
"Where's Viktor?" he asked Alexander Stukov.
"He's vith our headmaster," said Alex. "They are having a meeting, I think."
"Again? Viktor is having a lot of meetings with your headmaster lately, you know that?" Harry pointed out.
"Yes, I know. I'm glad I'm not the champion, to be honest," said Alex. "Our headmaster loves to ramble. Viktor vould lose his ears fast if he is not careful."
Harry looked over towards the Ravenclaw table. Apart from a few Beauxbaton male students, Fleur and the rest of the female students were not there. He saw Raphael though.
Harry and his classmates did not have any classes after lunch. Hermione beckoned Harry to join her at the library. Thinking that he did not really have anything else to do that afternoon, he obliged. Besides, they could make a stop at the Hospital Wing on their way back to the Gryffindor Tower.
There were not many students with the exception of a few seventh years' students doing their studies within the library. It was still considered an early semester for the rest. Hermione and Harry found the most secluded corner of the library, put down their bags, took out their quills, ink, and parchments, and began to do their homework.
One and a half hours went past when, much to Harry's surprise, Hermione closed her books, packed her quills and her inks, and put them in her bag.
"You're done?" asked Harry.
"Yes. I have other things to do though so don't worry. We're not leaving the library yet."
Without offering further explanations, she took out her knitting set and began to knit what was unmistakably seen as a pair of socks. Harry already knew what the pair of socks were for.
"You made them for the house elves." That was not a question.
Hermione paused and stared at Harry. A few moments later she resumed her knitting.
"Yes."
"How many have you done?"
"Including this?" she gestured at the one she was making. "Four pairs."
"And how many have you distributed to the house elves?" asked Harry.
Hermione paused the second time. The way she looked at Harry it was as if he had grown four heads.
"I'm not going to distribute the socks, Harry," she said. "The house elves, they won't take it. I'm going to hide them in places where I know they will accidentally find them."
Ah, typical Hermione, he thought. Just like the old Hermione he left behind.
"Ah, so you're ambushing them. How many have you put in place?"
"Zero," came the short answer. "Not until I have ten pairs of these."
Harry nodded.
Yes. Hermione was absolutely right. The house elves would not take them. Heck, they would not even take the socks that were lying around once they knew what the socks were for. However, someone probably will take them eventually.
Dobby.
Dobby!
Harry suddenly remembered. Dobby was here at Hogwarts and he was still alive. He immediately made a mental note to visit the house elf at the kitchen when he got the chance.
The pair left the library at exactly 5.00 pm. During their time at the library, Hermione managed to finish knitting two pairs of socks. Now she needed another five pairs to go before the second phase of her plan could be put into action. They made a stop at the Hospital Wing. Ron was sleeping at that time. Madam Pomfrey told them that Ron could be discharged by tonight or latest by early tomorrow morning if his prognosis was favorable. They stayed for the next fifteen minutes before they headed back to the Tower.
The Entrance Hall would mostly be deserted at this time. Everyone would already be at their houseroom or dormitory, relaxing, showering, and getting ready for dinner that night. However, just as the pair approached the hall this time around, they heard a commotion.
The pair watched Daphne as she marched towards the stairs that led to the school grounds. Draco Malfoy was following her closely. Crabbe and Goyle meanwhile tailed him from behind.
"Why Potter?! Why not me?!" shouted Malfoy to her.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Draco!" said Daphne dismissively as she continued to walk. Not once she looked back at the boy who was following her.
"Oh I think you do!" said Malfoy. "I saw you, Daphne. I saw you hold his hand in class. What? Are you attracted to him? What did Potter have that I don't? I'm far richer than him. I'm pure-blooded. I came from a noble stock! You're better off with me than with him."
"Perhaps that is why I don't like you!"
"Bollocks!" said Malfoy heatedly. "I don't believe you!"
He grabbed Daphne's arm, intending for her to face him. That was a bad move. Daphne yanked her arm out of his grasp, took out her wand, and pointed it to between Malfoy's eyes.
She gritted her teeth. "Do. Not. Touch. Me. Ever. Again," she said with a dangerous tone.
Malfoy however was unmoved. He just laughed derisively. "What are you going to do? Throw a curse at me? Go ahead and see where it leads you. You know Professor Snape is going to know about this. Pansy too will know. No one is going to be your friend, Daphne. Unless of course if you're willing to do what I say. What do you have to lose?"
Daphne slowly lowered her wand.
Malfoy smirked. He slowly approached her, intending to once again grab her arm or whatever it was her body part he fancied.
But just as he thought that the girl was willing to give it all up and deliver herself to him, Daphne suddenly raised back her wand. A white bluish flare erupted from the opposite end of her wand and it hit Malfoy squarely in the face.
Malfoy went down crumpling on the floor and went unconscious.
Daphne stared at the unconscious figure that was now lying on the floor in front of her with extreme disgust. "My dignity. My sense of self-respect. My honor. Those are the things that I will lose if I end up with you," she muttered.
Without another word, she turned around and continued her way towards the marble stairs. Little did she realize that two wands were now trained at her back.
"OH NO YOU DON'T!"
She turned around, only to see two wands fly high up in the air and landed on the hand of one very angry Harry Potter.
"COWARDS!" growled Harry. He had his own wand pointed towards Crabbe and Goyle who were now wandless and cowering with fear. "Like Moody, one thing that I hate is when one attacks when the others have their back turned against them."
He gestured them towards the unconscious Malfoy. "Grab him. Take him to the Hospital Wing. Now!"
Goyle, trying to recover any sliver of bravery he had left, sneered at Harry. "Why should we listen to you?!"
"Because I have these." Harry gestured towards the pair of wands he was holding. "I will break them in half. DO NOT test me," he said with no small amount of satisfaction upon seeing the horror now plastered on both Crabbe and Goyle's faces. "Moody turned your boss into a ferret. I'm going to turn you both into something far worse if you refuse to do what I said."
Both Crabbe and Goyle immediately grabbed Malfoy's arms and put them around their neck.
And as they made their way towards the Hospital Wing, Harry called them back. "Hey! You forgot these!" He threw the wands right back at them. It landed right at their feet. "You're not going to tell Madam Pomfrey what really happened. You're going to make up stories and she must not be in it!" he said, pointing towards Daphne who was watching the scene unfold a few feet away from him. "If she gets into trouble because of you, I will find you. Do I make myself clear?!"
Both boys nodded fervently.
"Now go! And don't look back!"
Crabbed crouched and took the wands. He gave Harry one fearful look and immediately left with Goyle and the unconscious Malfoy.
Daphne simply stared at Harry. Her expression softened when their eyes met. She was about to walk up to him when she saw Hermione standing nearby, watching her. She immediately stopped.
But there was no animosity in Hermione's eyes. Instead, she walked up to her. Holding Daphne's arm, she asked, "Daphne, are you alright?"
Daphne nodded, smiling. "I'm okay. I'm good. Thank you, Hermione."
Hermione returned the smile. "Thank God nothing happened. That was quite nasty. Are you going somewhere? Do you need us to accompany you?"
Daphne glanced towards Harry who was standing a bit further away from them.
Harry gave Daphne a curt nod.
Turning back to Hermione, she said, "I'm going outside. I'm meeting Tracy. You and Harry don't have to. I'll be fine. Again, thank you."
Hermione nodded. "Alright. I'll see you in class, Daphne. Be careful."
"I will."
Daphne smiled and gave Harry a meaningful look before she turned around and continued her way towards the castle ground.
The pair continued their journey towards the Gryffindor Tower. Harry looked down the marble stairs as they walked past it. He could see Daphne walking down the path that leads to the Beauxbaton carriage.
"Since when did you learn to use nonverbal spells?" asked Hermione all of a sudden.
Harry glanced sideways at Hermione. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"I think you do," Hermione countered. "We will only learn to use nonverbal spells in the sixth year. That is two years away from now. You on the other hand seem to be very proficient at it. You used the nonverbal spell on Crabbe and Goyle just now and that wasn't the only time you used it. Some of the potions we learn to make require us to recite magical incantations as part of the process. I never heard you mutter any."
"I said the incantation out loud during Transfiguration and Charms, Hermione."
"But not in Potion. You recited the incantations out loud in Charms and Transfiguration because the teachers need to hear them. Snape only cares about your potions. I am surprised he never noticed that all the time he stood there watching you work," she said.
Hermione was right. He was really good at nonverbal spells. It had become a part of him, so to speak. As a matter of fact, he was so proficient at it that he could shoot out spells by mere thought alone. Using spells verbally now felt weird to him.
But for now, he had no idea on how to shoot down Hermione's argument. He needed something and he needed it fast.
"Urm… I learned it during our school holidays?"
Even to him, that was a laughable excuse.
Hermione raised her eyebrows. "During our school holidays?"
"Yeah. I read about it in the books."
"Harry, none of our fourth-year textbooks contain nonverbal spells topic. Are you saying that you already bought sixth-year textbooks?"
"Err…"
Hermione shook her head. "I have to admit, you're different now in a lot of ways. It's like you're a new person. You're not the Harry Potter I have always known. Sometimes, I wonder if the dementors you faced last year did something to you. I hope not."
"I am still the Harry Potter you have always known, Hermione. Nothing changes," he said.
"We'll see," Hermione replied. "But anyway, enough of that. You're now someone's hero. It'll be exciting to see what happens next between you and her, don't you think?"
That last sentence left Harry looking stricken.
Two days later…
Ron was discharged before lunch on Wednesday after Madam Pomfrey was satisfied that he no longer displayed any unusual behavior resulting from the side effect of Viktor's antidote. He did complain incessantly about having Malfoy as his ward mate though. Madam Pomfrey had set Malfoy's bed next to him.
"You know to whose face I woke up this morning?! Malfoy!" he grumbled to Harry and Hermione that morning.
"Well, you did ask us to send your love to Malfoy the other day, don't you remember?" said Hermione.
Ron became perplexed. "I did?" he asked.
"Yeap. You got what you wished for and more," Harry added, sniggering.
"Shut up, Harry!"
He however became happy when Harry and Hermione told him what really happened to Malfoy.
"Serve him right," he said. "Good for you, Harry."
Harry did not see much of Viktor and Fleur at the Great Hall. And strangely enough, Daphne as well. He did see her during the classes though. This time around, she had taken to throw him a smile or two whenever he appeared within her vicinity.
Daphne retained her membership in the Parkinson's gang which means that Parkinson had no clue what happened between Daphne and Malfoy the other day. As for Malfoy, no story of him being beaten by Daphne ever came out.
Thursday came. Angelina came to Harry during breakfast. She was carrying a letter.
"It's from Oliver," she said as she passed the letter to him. "It was delivered last night."
Harry took it. He had yet to read the letter but he knew from her crestfallen expression, that the news wouldn't be good.
"I figure that we could not get him?" he said as he began to unfold the letter.
Angelina just shook her head. "Read that, Harry. Tonight we're going to have a meeting at the Common Room right after dinner."
Harry nodded. He then began to read:-
Dear Angelina,
Seriously?! A match between Gryffindor and Durmstrang and Viktor Krum will be playing as well?! It looks like I have taken the wrong year to graduate.
Thank you for telling me this. You know I really want to play. I really do but at the moment, I can't. As you know I'm playing for Puddlemere United. It's the middle of the season and the coach really can't spare any of us. I tried to reason with him. I told him that Viktor Krum will be playing as well. You know what he told me?
"Viktor Krum is just a Quidditch player who got lucky during the World Cup!"
I did a little bit of digging and got to know that he lost thousands of galleons in the World Cup betting and he blamed the Bulgarian team for it.
It looks like you have to get a new keeper soon and that keeper has to be really good. The Durmstrang Quidditch team is not to be trifled with. They could beat quite a few national teams with ease. Train hard and try to come up with good strategies. I will try to dig out as much as I can about the Durmstrang team and the way they play. I'll get back to you later on that.
Anyway, good luck. If Puddlemere's match doesn't clash, I will be there to watch you guys play against the Durmstrang. And last but not least send my regards to everyone within our team.
Yours truly,
Oliver Wood.
"So, he said no?" asked Ron who was watching the exchange between him and Angelina.
Harry shook his head. "Yeah. Unfortunately." He then passed the letter to Ron.
Seamus who was reading the letter over Ron's shoulder asked, "So, what now?"
"Don't know," said Harry. "We're going to hold a meeting later tonight. We'll see what our options are."
Seamus just nodded.
Transfiguration that morning ran without a hitch, at least for him and Hermione. They were learning how to multiple transfigure a live animal into an immovable object to another immovable object and back. That would be one of the last topics they will learn before the holidays. They will start on cross-species transfiguration during the next semester.
And as before, Professor McGonagall was pleased with Harry and Hermione, especially with Harry who managed to transfigure his Guinea Fowl perfectly in one try.
The Gryffindor had a free period after that. Harry and the rest of his classmates decided to spend that time inside their Common Room. He and Ron watched Hermione knitting socks with amusement. Harry had of course told Ron about her scheme. Ron just shook his head. He had given up arguing with Hermione, something which Harry indicated as a first.
Lunchtime came and went. It was time for the Defense Against the Dark Arts class. The Gryffindor as before would be joined with the Slytherin. Since Moody, or rather fake Moody took over the class, interest in learning the DADA increased tenfold. Students would strive to arrive at their class early, not wanting to miss anything. Even Harry admitted that Barty Crouch Jr. had superb talent in teaching. It was a shame that he chose Voldemort to be loyal to.
Moody began his class that afternoon.
"I showed you a practical demonstration of each of Unforgivable Curses before," he barked. "Yes?"
There was a cumulative yes coming from all the students inside the classroom.
Moody pointed towards the blackboard. "See what I wrote on the board? The Imperius Curse. Despite it being one of the Unforgivable Curse, unlike the other two, this is the only one that did not leave a long-lasting effect on its victim. Unlike the Cruciatus which leaves its victims mentally scarred and the Killing Curse which leaves its victims dead, the victims of the Imperious Curse will usually return back to normal once the curse is lifted. Of course, if it's not done properly, it could mess with the victim's mind."
No shit, thought Harry. His memory flew back towards Mr. Crouch who in his old timeline responded poorly to a badly executed Imperius Curse.
"Now enough with recaps! This is what we are going to do today," continued Moody. "I am going to put each and every one of you in turn under one of the curses. That will be the Imperius Curse. Let's see if any of you could resist it. Now stand up! All of you and gather at the back of the classroom."
"But,- but you said it is illegal," said Hermione uncertainty. She stood up like everyone else. However, unlike Harry and the rest, she remained in her seat. "You said to use it on other humans was-"
"Dumbledore wants you taught what it feels like," said Moody, his magical swiveled and fixed on her with an eerie, unblinking stare. "Now, if you rather learn it the hard way, fine by me. You're dismissed. Off you go."
He pointed one gnarly finger to the door.
Hermione went very pink and muttered something about not meaning that she wanted to leave.
"No?" said Moody. "Then get your arse to the back of the class like everyone else. Quickly now! I don't have all day!"
Still red-faced, Hermione moved to the back of the class and stood beside Ron. The boy gave her a sympathetic look and squeezed her hand. Hermione looked up at him and saw he gave her a thin smile to which she replied.
With a swipe of the wand, Moody moved the tables and the chairs to the opposite side of the classroom, effectively creating just enough empty space at the center of the class. He then beckoned each student to come forward and began putting them under the Imperius Curse.
Harry watched as one by one, his classmates did all sorts of unusual things they definitely would not do or able to do in their normal state. Dean hopped three times across the room and sang the national
anthem. Lavender Brown imitated a squirrel. Neville performed a series of gymnastic moves he definitely would not be able to perform normally. Malfoy, well Moody made him impersonate a ferret, much to the delight of others and to his embarrassment of him.
"Potter!" called out Moody. "Front and center!"
Harry took his hand out of his pocket and walked to the front of the class. He did not see it, but he felt nearly every pair of eyes within the classroom descend upon him. He stopped and faced Moody once he reached the front of the class.
Moody slowly raised his wand, pointed it at Harry, and muttered, "Imperio!"
The familiar, wonderful feeling and floating sensation washed over him that very instant. Every thought, worry, and concern all fell away, leaving him in deep contentment and untraceable happiness. Harry knew those sensations and feelings all too well. That was what one would get when one was being put under the Imperius Curse. He experienced that before and was able to shake it off just as quickly as before. The curse fell away and he was himself once again.
But all of a sudden something else happened. Harry's mind is inevitably connected to Moody's mind. He saw his plans. He saw what he did during the night after the Beauxbaton and the Durmstrang arrived. He saw him run away from the Great Hall that night. He saw his anguish and his fear after realizing that his initial plan had failed. He saw him making up another plan, more precisely backup plans on luring Harry into his trap. He saw him watching Ron and Hermione. He sensed his sinister motives involving them should his current plan also fail.
Moody's current plan was to continuously induce him in the Imperius Curse and to let him stay back after the class ended. Moody was planning to hand him over to Voldemort that very day.
Harry's mind raced, thinking of what he should do. He could of course force Moody into a duel right there and then. However, words will leak out. The news would travel all over Britain. Voldemort would catch the wisp of it and the Dark Lord would disappear once again. If that happened, it would throw a huge spanner into Harry's own plan. He could not let that happen.
"Jump onto the desk!"
Harry's mind is immediately brought back to reality. He stared at Moody
"Jump onto the desk!"
Still, Harry stared at him.
"Jump onto the desk! NOW!"
Slowly but surely, he began to bend his knees in absolute obedience, and without further ado, he jumped, making a smooth clean landing on top of the desk in front of him. And once on top, he straightened up and once again gave Moody that blank stare.
Moody's crooked lips formed a smile. A triumphant smile. He turned towards the rest of the audience. "You see that?! That is what happened if you were being put under the curse. The perpetrator could force you to do all sorts of things you would never do normally. And that includes killing." He then turned back to Harry who was still standing on top of the desk. "You can come down now, son."
Harry obliged. He jumped down and stood beside the desk. Moody took out his wand and began rearranging the tables back to their original locations. "Sit down!" he barked once he was done.
"You're okay, Harry?" asked Ron worriedly as they both took a seat. "You looked unwell."
Harry turned to look at Ron with that same blank look he gave Moody. "I am fine, Ronald." He then slowly turned his attention back to the front.
Moody was smirking at him.
The class continued after everyone sat down. At the end of the class, Moody gave them homework on the subject of the Unforgiveable Curse, due next Thursday.
Soon the bell rang. Everyone began to put away their books and belongings into their bags.
"Potter!" barked Moody. "Stay behind. There's something we need to talk about. Everyone else, dismiss. Now!"
Hermione and Ron were the last to stay. They weren't the only ones though. Daphne and Tracy also stayed behind. Daphne, in particular, looked very worried. Her eyes darted between Harry and Moody.
"We'll see you back at the common room, Harry," said Hermione.
Harry failed to give her any acknowledgment. He continuously stared blankly ahead.
She and Ron looked at each other. They both became uneasy. Unease by the way Harry reacted to them. Suddenly Hermione turned to Moody and asked, "Sir, can we stay?"
Moody who was standing not far from them gave her a stern look. "No. You and Mr. Ronald Weasley are dismissed. Both of you too, Miss Greengrass and Miss Davis. Out! Now!"
Hermione was hesitant but Ron had already pulled her arm to follow him. "Come on, Hermione. Harry will be fine. I'm sure he will. He's with a teacher."
Hermione looked at Ron. After a few moments, she finally nodded. They both lugged their bags over their shoulder. Ron gave Harry a pat on his shoulder before he and Hermione made their way towards the exit. Together with Daphne and Tracy, the four of them made their way to the door.
The entrance door closed with one final click. Moody moved towards Harry and stood in front of him. He took out his wand and pointed it to the door. "Collorpotus!" There was another click, signalling that the door had been locked. He kept on pointing his wand to it and muttered another incantation, "Signaculum limine!"
The door glowed bluish momentarily.
Moody slowly lowered his wand. "The door had been sealed," he said. "Nothing will get in or out." He then lowered his eyes to Harry.
"Nobody is going to save you now, Potter. Not when you're still under my control. Today shall be the day of your reckoning."
To be continued…
A/n: I have been having trouble accessing the ffnet these past couple of weeks. I know the website went down at one point and has been restored since. Unfortunately for me, things only improve slightly.
Many of you didn't know that due to censorship, ffnet is one of the websites that got banned in my country. This means that I can only access the website with the help of a VPN/DNS changer. More bad news though. There were talks about the authorities planning to also ban the usage of VPN and DNS such as Google and Cloudflare. If that comes to pass, there goes the story.
I will continue updating the story for as long as I'm allowed to. Should I lose access to ffnet, I will announce it in the Flowerpot Discord channel. I am one of the members currently. I could of course post the story on sites such as Wattpad but I prefer not to. I found ffnet to be far more intuitive than anything else.
Of course, suggestions and ideas on how to circumnavigate the problem will be most welcome. For now, please enjoy the chapter.