Chapter XV: Unforgivable
(Remus P.O.V)
Remus' heart was filled with fury at the news that Harry's name had emerged from the Goblet. He'd been worried about his nephew since the attack on the World Cup which had lead to an unfortunate number of civilian casualties, casualties Remus knew all too well that Harry had been taking personally. He saw it in his nephew's face the night he'd come down from his room after what could have only been an ungodly nightmare and sat by the fire. It was too heavy a burden for anyone to carry alone, and Harry's shoulders were far from light, to begin with. Remus sighed as he placed his book down, rising as he cracked his back, he knew that he'd have to be the calming force, and judging by the vein that was pulsing heatedly in Sirius' forehead, he knew it would not be an easy task.
Remus ran his hand through his brown hair, feeling how much it had grown out since the summer holiday, but his mind was occupied as the sound of a pop filled the room, and suddenly, Narcissa Malfoy was standing before him, her face white as snow. She looked terrified and while Remus didn't exactly care much for the woman, he still walked over to her side and gripped her shoulder gently, "Narcissa, Narcissa, you're safe here, you're okay."
"I'm okay, yes, yes, I'm okay," She said in a trembling voice.
From the kitchen emerged a jolly-looking man with a smile that could only belong to Ted Tonks, but as he entered the room, his smile had developed into a puzzled look as he spoke, "What was that noise? Is everyone okay in- Narcissa? What are you doing here? You look a mess."
Awkwardly, Remus removed his suit jacket and pulled it over Narcissa's shoulders. He watched as the Malfoy Matriarch gripped the jacket firmly, pulling it closer to her trembling chest. If the woman didn't look so frightened, Remus might have dared to laugh at the fact that the high-society wife of Lucius Malfoy was wearing his battered jacket. He suspected it was the first time the woman ever wore something that wasn't made of fine silks in her life, but the fact that she didn't seem to care about that meant that whatever had occurred had been serious. Ted dashed into the kitchen, returning moments later with a hot cup of tea and handing it to the trembling lady as he spoke, "Drink this," Ted said smiling, "It will make you feel better."
Remus watched sadly as Narcissa's unsteady hand lifted the teacup to her lips, she attempted to drink, but more of the tea seemed to fall on her dress than in her mouth. She put the teacup down her hands shaking heavily as Remus quickly casted a cleaning charm on her dress before he rested a soft hand on her trembling arm and asked with as much empathy as he could muster, "What happened, Narcissa? Are you hurt?"
Narcissa remained silent, and Remus watched as her eyes rested upon his hand. He closed his eyes knowing there was no benefit to getting angry and began to remove his hand from Narcissa's arm, however, to his great surprise, Narcissa grabbed his hand tightly allowing a few loose tears to fall from her eyes before releasing him to wipe them away. "Lucius, he came back recently from his trip. I told him about what had happened and he told me he'd already received a letter informing him of his new orders. The Dark Lord informed him to bring back a diary that had been entrusted to him years ago to a location that the letter would teleport him to within an hour. But according to Lucius, he told me that the diary had been destroyed and when he returned from the meeting point, he looked on the brink of death, no doubt he received repeated exposure to the Cruciatus Curse. When he awoke he instructed me to look for a book in the library entitled The Lost Soul Compendium, he claimed it would be a way for him to return to the Dark Lord's good graces, but if it was in our library, it isn't there now."
Remus felt the woman's grip around his once more offered hand tighten as the fear seemed to pour into her eyes like a waterfall into a basin as she continued, "When I told Lucius he claimed that if we didn't do something to return into his good graces, the Dark Lord wouldn't hesitate to kill us all, apparently whatever that Diary was, it was enough to make killing Lucius more desirable to the Dark Lord than having the minister's ear. The Dark Lord wasn't particularly forgiving to begin with, and knowing my husband it's only a matter of time until he makes another mistake. I- I don't know what to do."
"Look at me Narcissa," Remus said firmly, "We gave you our word that we'd do everything we can to protect you and your son. And we keep our promises." Narcissa looked up at him in a weird mix of confusion and admiration, "What we need is for us to plan a way to get Lucius back in the good graces of Voldemort and in turn the Death Eaters off your back. The first option is finding the location of that book, we'll start by searching for it in the Black Library. If it regards dark magic, there may be a copy of it here. If that fails, then we fake bait, we'll plan our own ambush, we'll all have escape portkeys on us, but the information will be accurate. It will make it look like Lucius has inside information to the Order and that in and of itself will be incredibly useful to Voldemort, especially since Snape won't be able to play that role well any longer."
"You would- you'd put your life at risk to protect my family?" Narcissa asked with an astonished breath.
"You're Dromeda's sister," Ted said, "I love that woman and she loves you. It's my job as her husband to keep you safe, though I will not allow Nym to take part in this planned ambush if it comes to it. Even I have my limits."
"I don't like your husband," Remus said calmly, "Certainly not after he helped push that Pure-Blood fanatism through the ministry which didn't help my position whatsoever. All the same, however, we agreed to protect you and that's what we'll do. If we don't keep our honor, we're no better than the monsters we fight against."
The sounds of fumbling movement echoed from the floor above, and before Remus even had a moment to adjust, Andromeda rocketed down the stairs towards her little sister, seeing her current state, with Sirius following from behind though with a lot less urgency and Emmeline in tow. "Cissy, are you okay?" Andromeda asked as she watched the older sister examine the younger one for any visible injuries, "What happened?"
Remus caught the desperate look in Narcissa's eyes and with a heavy sigh, he began to retell the story to the new arrivals, all there of whom developed a rather deep frown as the story came to its conclusion, "I swear," Sirius said, seeming to have gained control over his initial panic over the Harry news thanks to Andromeda and Emmeline, "It's one thing after another. Remus and I have to head over to Hogwarts to talk with Dumbledore in a few minutes, so do you think you could lead the search, love?"
Remus watched as Emmeline sighed, "So you sweet talk me now that you've given me an errand I see how it is Padfoot," But Emmeline smiled shortly after as Sirius gave her a sheepish grin, "Alright, alright, I'll look. Just let me know how Harry's holding up when you get back okay?"
"I solemnly swear it," Sirius said with a grin that made Remus shake his head at the sheer corniness of the joke before returning his glance to the broken woman beneath him.
"Remus, I-" Narcissa began, "I know I have no right to ask you this after everything my husband has put you through but directly and indirectly, but, if you could, I'd like to learn more about your condition, I-"
Of course, when one of their own becomes afflicted then it's a condition and not just a symptom of being a filthy half-breed. Remus had felt his hand clench with rage, but as he saw the desperation that exuded from the youngest Black sister's eyes, he sighed, "Okay, when I get back, I'll answer whatever questions you want to know. For now though, Sirius and I have something important to take care of."
"Of course," Narcissa said her eyes locked to the ground, "And Remus, thank you."
Remus nodded before looking eyes with Sirius who sent him an understanding look as the two approached the fire hearing the clock strike six and with a pinch of floo powder in their hands, they spoke, "Headmaster's Office, Hogwarts!"
(Sirius P.O.V)
Sirius was very thankful the layer of awkwardness between him and Emmeline had finally broken. It was more than just the fruity smell of her hair that ensnared his senses as he slept beside her. It was more than just her scratchy morning voice that he was blessed with hearing first thing in the morning. It was even more than the delicious breakfasts he'd become so accustomed to thanks to her. What Sirius was the most thankful for was that she understood him, like both Remus and James, Sirius felt comfortable opening up to her, and he was grateful that she was by his side when he heard the news about Harry.
Yes, Sirius was still steaming as they left for Hogwarts, Safest Place my Ass, he thought to himself furiously, but he was lucky enough to have such a calming force around him keeping his mind present and not full of rage. As the emerald flames encompassed both himself and Moony, Sirius did one last check of his pockets ensuring his gift was present and gripped it firmly after confirming its location.
Sirius felt his feet make contact with the ground, and a heavy thud filled the room as he crawled as elegantly as he could from the fireplace in the Headmaster's chamber, "Nice landing there Padfoot," he heard his Godson say warmly, but before he could even respond with some snark of his own, he found himself gripped tightly by the growing boy and smiled as he returned Harry's embrace fully.
"Ah Miss Greengrass, it's good to see you again," He heard Remus call out, "I hope Harry hasn't been too much trouble."
"If you hear him tell it, trouble seems to find him," Daphne said with a smile before turning back to Dumbledore and regaining a passive face, "But after the events of yesterday, I think I'm starting to believe him."
Like a bucket of Ice-Water had just been poured upon all of them, the joyous energy in the room had vanished, instantly being replaced by one of dread, with a deadly serious overcast. Sirius nodded, gripping his Godson's shoulder seeing the resentment he felt towards his luck embedded in his eyes, "I suppose there's no point in dancing around the subject. Well Albus," Sirius said his eyes hardening as he looked at the Headmaster, donned in a ghastly magenta robe, "Tell us what you know, everything you know."
Sirius listened intently, taking in the story of the recent events, information being patched in by Moody of people, who he believed to be possible suspects, naming Karkaroff as the primary suspect, but Sirius didn't exactly discount Snape as a possible culprit either. But to him, it was obvious, the only mystery was who had convinced the Goblet to select Harry, the mastermind behind the whole plan, he was convinced it could only be one man, Voldemort. There was no other option, not with Narcissa's reports of Voldemort growing stronger, of all the people who'd want to put Harry in harm's way, Voldemort was at the top of the list.
Sirius turned to Harry, and his heart ached at the look of exhaustion on the boy's face. For a moment, he had considered sheltering Harry from the information he'd learned from Narcissa, he knew the boy deserved some good news for once, and yet he knew hiding it would only make it worse. Sirius closed his eyes before focusing his thoughts, "We have some news of our own to report. We have a confidential witness that claims with accuracy that the Azkaban breakout was orchestrated by Voldemort himself. His freed Death Eater are already at his side. While his current goals aren't exactly known quite yet, we know that at the very least, he's created a temporary body strong enough to conduct the raid on Azkaban, but it's far from perfect."
"From what we do know, the Death Eaters are searching for a book that once belonged to the Malfoy's, we don't know what information was contained inside it, but Emmeline and Andromeda are currently searching to see if we have a copy of it in the Black Family Library. Remus, what was the title of the book again?"
"The Lost Soul Compendium," Remus said and instantly, the room turned to Daphne whose gasp had filled the room.
"That's the book I stol- borrowed from the Malfoy's last Christmas," Daphne said her eyes wide, "Oh Merlin, nobody was killed because of it, were they?"
"No, nobody was killed, but the fact that you have the book is fantastic for us," Sirius said with a grin, "Do you happen to have it with you here at Hogwarts?"
"No I-," Daphne then looked at the ground in shame, "I remember that I put it in Astoria's bookbag last year because mine was full when we left the castle. I doubt she bothered to take it out until she arrived home which means most likely it's currently residing in the Greengrass Family Library."
"Which means it's currently in the hands of another suspected Death Eater," Harry said with a sigh and Sirius watched as Harry reached his hand over to Daphne, squeezing it softly to let her know he didn't blame her.
"Sirius, I must say this information is very detailed," Dumbledore said, "Who is your informant?"
"I won't disclose that information," Sirius returned.
"Sirius please, I must know, perhaps a coordination attempt between your source and Severus can-"
"You can keep Severus as your source of information," Sirius said firmly, "But I'll trust my mole over that slimy git any day. We made a deal with our mole, you being privy to the information isn't part of it. If something prudent comes up, I'll inform you, but the mole's identity is none of your business."
"Sirius you must see reason, I know we've had our moments of distrust in the past, but surely you can see that keeping this information so private is not wise."
"That's rich coming from you Albus," Sirius said firmly, "Listen, I may not trust you Albus, but I do respect your power, so respectfully I'm asking you to understand that it is my decision that until further action is required, the identity of my mole remains as secretive as possible. Any exposure could put their life at risk and I'm not as willing to throw away people's lives for the greater good as you are Albus. You're an advisor this time Albus, and while I certainly didn't trust you before, the fact that Harry's found himself in harm's way once more has dampened your reputation in my mind even further. If it wasn't for the importance of the mission, I'd have pulled Harry out of Hogwarts last year, but unfortunately, my options of people strong enough to teach Harry to face waves of Death Eaters and Voldemort himself are thin. We're on the same side Albus" Sirius said firmly, "But that doesn't make us friends. You need to remember that while Harry is in school, I'm the stand-in leader of the New Order, and it's my decision as the stand-in leader to keep this information private."
"Very well then," Dumbledore said distaste noticeably present in his voice, "We'll leave the topic here, for now, it's not the matter we intend to discuss in the first place". Dumbledore once more stared firmly into Sirius' eyes, "But I do hope you'll reconsider. For now, though, Alastor, if you'd be so kind as to relay the information and any theories you may have regarding Harry's name emerging from the cup."
Sirius turned to face Mad-Eye, for a moment, even he trembled beneath the grizzled man's glare and as he felt the tremendous magic that radiated from Moody, his respect for Tonks as an Auror had shot up tremendously. Sirius listened intently as Moody relayed the events in surprising detail, mentioning everything from the outrage of the other schools, to the name-calling of Harry that had sent his vision red for a moment, before Harry showed him that it didn't bother him much by even laughing at the idea. However, it ended on a somber note, no matter what they wanted to do, Harry Potter, his Godson was forced by a magical contract to compete in this tournament of death.
For a moment, Sirius had wanted nothing more than to smash the Goblet to pieces, but as he recalled the exhausted look upon Harry's face, he knew that keeping his cool was of the highest importance. Not just for Harry, but for the protection of his own secrets from Dumbledore. He, Remus, Andromeda, and Tonks, had all gone through some very basic training of the art of Occlumency with Ted who recalled the details from his mind-healing days. However, with Sirius' explosive temperaments, any inkling of anger could break his fragile occlumency. "Okay," Remus spoke, taking a calming breath, "What's the best theory we have?"
"The best," Moody said with a growl, "There is no best, there all crapshoots, but if I had to guess, judging by how the handwriting was obviously not Potter's, and how the slip had no school name beneath it, I'd bet on the theory that someone used the Confundus Charm on the Goblet making it believe there was a fourth school, forcing it to choose Harry by default. As for motive, it's unfortunate but with the information you just provided, this plan simply reeks of Death Eater fingerprints."
"I see," Sirius said solemnly his anger fighting violently against his forced occlumency, "So it looks like we have no choice but to wait and see what happens." He quickly turned to face his Godson, "Harry, unfortunately right now the best we can do is gather information, we don't exactly have a target to attack, but it's very important that you remain vigilant." Sirius gave Harry a weak smile as he pulled his gift from his pocket, "I want you to keep this on you at all times, it's a contact mirror that will allow us to speak any time we wish. It's instantaneous and will allow you to stay updated with any new information we find, I promise I won't rest until we figure this whole thing out, so stay strong, okay pup?"
Sirius watched as Harry looked over the mirror, his other hand still locked with Daphne, and for the first time in weeks, Sirius had witnessed Harry's smile, "Of course I'll stay strong, you and Remus trained me, after all. I've already fought Death Eaters and lived, there's no way I'm getting taken out by a cup, I swear it."
"That's my boy," Sirius said with a warm smile before Remus had tapped him on the shoulder gently and Sirius sighed, "I wish I could stick around for longer pup, but duty calls back home. I'll let you know as soon as we gather any information, in the meantime, we'll also try and figure out what it is exactly that Voldemort could want from that book, it would be a great help if you could figure out a way of retrieving it for us, Daphne."
Both Daphne and Harry nodded filling Sirius with pride as he placed his hand atop Harry's head, "I'm proud of you pup, I'm glad you're not letting this think drag you down. I love you, Harry, if you ever need anything-"
"I know Sirius," Harry said with a slight grin, "I love you too."
Sirius nodded, taking one last look at Harry and Daphne, They're so much like James and Lily, Sirius thought to himself, I'm sure your father would be proud of the man you're becoming. With that brief respite of happiness, Sirius ducked back into the floo, and in a flash of emerald green, he and Remus vanished.
(Harry P.O.V)
Harry laid atop his four-poster bed tiredly as he looked up at the ceiling in the boys' dormitory, his mind racing at what felt like the speed of light as he replayed the conversation he'd had in Dumbledore's office. He wished Sirius would have told him the identity of the mole, but he understood why, if Sirius didn't trust Dumbledore with the information just yet, it wouldn't make sense to share it with Harry, especially with Dumbledore poking around constantly in his head.
Yet, try as he might, there was always one subject that controlled his mind, So, he's back, Harry thought to himself, I thought I'd have a bit more time. Am I really ready for this? How long until the war begins. Harry clapped his hands against his cheeks, Focus Potter, one step at a time. First I need to probe Voldemort's mind and try to find where the Horcruxes are, then I have to find and destroy them, only then should I focus on fighting Voldemort, otherwise, I won't be able to put him down for good.
You don't know what you're doing? A voice of doubt echoed in his head, You're still too weak. You'll get everyone you love killed. You should listen to people who have more experience. You're powerless alone. "Shut up," Harry whispered to himself as he shook his head, "Even if that were true I'm not alone, I can do this, I was born to do this, I was born to kill him."
Harry forced his mind to fight against the heavy feeling of doubt, each breath he took to calm himself initially felt like fire in his lungs, but as he placed his hands together and began entering a meditative state, he felt his heart-rate start to slow and the trembling in his body ceased. Harry reached for his bedside table retrieving the mirror as he stared at his reflection, "I can't keep slipping like that. Remember your purpose Potter, you live to avenge them, to avenge everyone He killed including mom and dad, stay focused. I was marked as his equal, I don't know what that means exactly, but if it's true, then I can kill him, no," Harry said a fierce look of determination in his eyes, "I will kill him, and I won't allow him to take away anyone else that I love. I swear it."
Abruptly, Harry felt a strange warmth emanating from the mirror, and as stared at the glass, his reflection now shrouded in a deep mist, he whispered, "Sirius?" To his great surprise, the mist began to clear, but his face was no longer seen in the mirror, instead, a bright puff of bubblegum pink hair filled the frame, and Harry saw the warm and comforting smile of none other than Nymphadora Tonks.
"Wotcher Kid!" Tonks said with a smile, "I heard Sirius you gave one of these communication mirrors, he didn't want to let me borrow it because he thinks I'll drop it, but I nicked it from his room after he and Remus got into a long a boring conversation," Harry smiled at his sister's animated expressions before the tone grew serious, "I heard about what happened with your name coming out of the Goblet, how are you holding up kid?"
"I mean, honestly, I think fate is having a fun time kicking me in the dick," Harry said with a sigh, "But I think I finally managed to kick these negative thoughts aside, for the most part, I mean I fought Death Eaters, how hard could a friendly competition be? Right?"
Tonks gave him a weak smile, "I know you're trying to keep your spirits up, but don't get careless, okay? You're strong Harry, easily as strong as any of your other competitors but even a great wizard can be defeated if they're caught unaware."
"I know," Harry said, "But I don't think that sitting here wallowing in fear is any better."
"You're right about that," Tonks said with a nod, before her eyes scanned furiously, "Listen, technically it's against the rules for a champion to know what they're up against in the competition, but honestly, I don't care. I only know about the first task since I'm one of the Aurors that are going to be stationed at Hogwarts for safety sake, but it's better than nothing." Harry nodded before Tonks continued, "You're going to have to retrieve an egg from an arena. The egg is going to be protected by a class 5 beast and the arena is going to switch depending on the creature. The first is a dragon, that one is a standard arena, I don't know which dragon exactly will be there but that one is going to be tough."
"A dragon," Harry said as he rubbed his forehead, "That's right," Harry said his eyes opening wide with realization, "I remember Uncle Ted was going mad about this a couple of weeks back."
"That's not all," Tonks said, "There's also going to be a mountain range arena that houses a chimera, a forest arena for an Acromantula, and finally a swamp-like arena for Horned Serpent." Tonks gave a weak grin as she continued, "I want you to listen close okay Harry, I'm going to send you some of my Auror notes through Kreacher, you won't find any in-depth books about dealing with Chimeras and such for sure in the Hogwarts library so I want you to study the information I'll send you carefully."
Harry nodded, "Thanks Tonks, that's going to be a huge help. But if I can be honest, I'm super tired and it's been a long day, I'm not sure how much longer I'll be able to keep my eyes open."
"That's alright," Tonks said lightly, "I'll send Kreacher with the information first thing tomorrow morning." Harry shared a smile with his older sister before Tonks finally broke, "Harry I- nevermind," She said gathering herself, "Just sleep well and study hard, alright? I love you kid."
"You're going to make me cry Tonks," Harry said with a small laugh, before resting into a gentle look, "I'll do my best Tonks, I love you too." Tonks nodded before giving a small wave and once again, the mirror returned back to normal.
Harry once more turned to look up at the ceiling allowing his eyes to droop slightly as he sighed, "It's just one thing after another. But at least I'm not going in blind this time, I just need to stay calm, I know I can do this." However, just as Harry's eyes closed, a thought sparked furiously in his mind, "I should probably let Cedric know too, it's only fair after all."
(Michael P.O.V)
Micheal felt a bit odd about eating breakfast in their lair, especially since it was currently at full occupancy, but the look he had seen in Harry's eyes when he had requested the move had been enough for him not to question it at least for the moment. However, as Kreacher disappeared with the last of the plates, he couldn't stop his eyes from shifting to Harry, and clearly he wasn't alone. "Alright Rook," Michael called out using his friend's 'Marauder' name, "You called us here, and I also noticed you didn't stuff your face to completion, so I'm assuming you have something you want to tell us."
"Yeah, Chipper," Harry said with a teasing glance as he pulled out a stack of parchment sheets bound together into what looked like muggle notebooks from his bookbag, "Here, I want you all to take a look at all of these." Michael reached out, and as he lifted a notebook from the stack his mind began to race. Notes, he thought to himself, About Dragons? And is this Tonks' handwriting, what's going on? Harry cleared his throat, and Michael's focus returned to the events of the lair, "I called you all here because I need your help. I honestly didn't expect for Tonks to have this many notes, but there's no way I'll be able to keep my head above water in class and read all this information before the first task."
"So I'm guessing since you have these notes, it means you have an idea of what the first task is going to be, right, Harry?" Neville said as he too lifted another notebook from the stack.
"Not just an idea," Harry said with a grim look, "Tonks broke the rules and told me exactly what it was going to be. I'm going to have to retrieve an egg from a Class-Five creature." The room became cold and he heard a frightened gasp leave Astoria's mouth, most likely from being the most well-versed in the range and dangers of Class-Five monsters. Harry gave Astoria a gentle grin before he continued, "There are four possible beasts; A Chimera, A Dragon, An Acromantula, and A Horned Serpent. The terrain is going to be changed to make it so that the Class-Five beast has even more of an advantage."
"Are you serious," Daphne asked in a furious tone, "Have the people in the ministry completely lost their minds? I thought they were trying to avoid another 1790s issue, this is insane."
Michael nodded his agreement but Harry continued, "Look, it's stupid and unfair, and I'm seething with anger as we speak, but getting worked up won't keep me alive." Harry sighed, "Thankfully, Tonks has given me these notes from her time in the Auror Academy, there was a lot of information about Dark Creatures and I'm certain that the weaknesses are listed in there somewhere. I need all of your help to not only help me find the weaknesses but to help me find a way to exploit them as well."
"I can't do this alone," Harry said with a pensive look, "But I trust every single one of you with my life. I need help figuring-"
"Alright," Michael said cutting him off, "It's going to be a massive pain, but I guess I'll start with this one. If there's a way to take down a dragon, I'll figure out a way of making you Harry Potter the Dragon Slayer."
"I'll start on Chimeras I suppose," Daphne said with a weak smile and Michael watched as she gripped her boyfriend's hand, "I'll start the brew for the Chimera anti-venom as well, it never hurts to be prepared, but it's definitely not an easy potion to make."
"I'll help," Blaise said warmly, "Poisons are a specialty of mine as well."
"Maybe I should talk to Hagrid and Professor Sprout," Neville said hastily more to himself than anyone else, "If anyone would know anything about the forest habit Acromantuals like to live in and the beast itself it would be those two."
"I guess that leaves me and Bite-Size with the Horned Serpent research," Tracey said with a grin, "It could be fun, I always found them neat anyway."
"Thanks," Harry said nervously, "But I just said to help, you don't need to do all the work for me. I mean-"
"Relax Potter," Michael said with a grin, "You just focus on mastering some spells and keeping yourself in-shape and as rested as possible. Leave the rest to us."
"But- Are you sure?"
"We're your team Flyboy," Daphne said with a smirk, "Plus, I think everyone knows that if we left the research to you, you'd be here for years before getting through all this. I hate to say it, but Squirrel-Boy over there is right. You just focus on staying alive."
"Whatever Blondie," Michael said with a chuckle, "On that topic though, maybe we should make some charmed Team Potter buttons to combat those Potter Stinks ones. Honestly, I think their unoriginality is more insulting than the message, it's like, did the idiot even try?"
Michael was relieved to see a smile crack into his best friend's face before he stood with an alarmed look at the clock, "Shit! We're going to be super late for class."
"Since when do you care about that, Rook?" Michael said with a smirk.
"Since my first class was with Mad-Eye," Harry responded and instantly, Tracey, Blaise, and Daphne who shared a class with Harry all stood in unison with equal amounts of fright.
"Yikes," Michael said with a face of newly-found genuine concern, "Yeah, you four better get moving I'll see you all later. I-," But before Michael could even finish, the Slytherins plus Harry had already bolted for the exit and Michael simply shook his head, God I'm so lucky to have Professor Burbage first, that woman loves me, although I'm sure the Diva's going to be there to ruin the mood.
"What are you thinking about?" Asked Neville teasingly.
"I was thinking about the French Pain in the ass that's going to make this class I'm about to go to a living hell," Michael said with a sigh.
"You know, you could just admit you were thinking about her because she's cute," Neville said with a smirk.
"I swear Scout," Michael said with a devilish smirk, "Keep pushing me and Hermione's going to be receiving a very repulsive love-letter with your name on it."
"You wouldn't," Neville spoke in abject horror.
"Try me."
(Claire P.O.V)
Claire sat eagerly in her desk preparing her parchment and quill for the lecture that Professor Burbage had planned for today, if the syllabus was correct, this week would focus on the development of electricity and why it was that muggles needed it. If she was honest with herself, Muggle Studies was one of her favorite classes, and yet, she couldn't help but show some disappointment in how little Pure-Blood students were present in the class. She herself had come from a long line of magical heritage, but she still found everything about muggles fascinating.
She particularly enjoyed sharing the class with Hermione, who had a copious amount of insight into the muggle world, and she'd been extremely disappointed when Hermione had been forced to drop the class from having an overbooked course schedule. However, she tried to make the most of the situation and focused on the jittery Blonde professor as she organized her own lecture desk. Well, I already learned the muggle banking system, and that was super confusing, Claire thought to herself, How hard could understanding electricity be?
Suddenly, however, a chorus of shifting chairs filled the air, as the door squealed loudly announcing another arrival. The eyes of the students hardened, and as a blue-haired top-knot came into view, Claire immediately understood what was happening. She watched as anyone with an open seat beside them quickly rushed towards each other, desperately trying to fill the spots, and while Claire knew herself enough to know she'd be seething at such a display, Michael seemed to remain completely indifferent.
Michael shrugged as he brushed off the glares that he'd been receiving and took a seat at an empty desk, placing his cheek in his hand as he rested his elbow on the table awaiting the beginning of the lecture. Go to him, A voice echoed in Claire's mind, You know you're fascinated by him.
I'm not interested in him in any way, Claire growled back, Maybe I was wrong about his relationship with Harry, but that doesn't change the fact that he's a no-good slacker who will only piss me off.
He's naturally resistant to your allure, The more curious and adventurous side of her brain rebutted, You know that you're intrigued by that. You're never going to get your answers without talking to him.
Fine, Claire growled back, before, to her own disbelief she began to lift her materials and walk them over towards Michael's desk, gulped slightly before taking a seat beside him, instantly earning her a confused look from the boy. "Why are you here? Not sure if you got the memo, but it's sort of social suicide to sit beside Harry or any of his friends right now. With you being a diva and all, shouldn't you be more protective of your reputation?"
Claire felt her hand ball into a fist, her blood boiling at the uninterested expression on his face and for a moment she wondered, Is it because he doesn't find me pretty? But Claire forced that thought down with anger as she echoed back in her thoughts, I don't care. However, clearly she'd been silent for too long as Michael's expression had become more and more puzzled and Claire couldn't help but admit it was kind of cute the way his brow furrowed. "I don't think Harry put his name in the goblet," Claire said and instantly she saw a look of genuine curiosity grow on Michael's face, "I also don't think that people should be outcast for standing up for their friend."
"So you saw that, huh?" Michael said with a sigh as he leaned back in his chair, "But, I've got to admit, I'm still kind of confused as to why you care. Didn't you claim that all I was going to do was bring Harry down or something?"
"Maybe," Claire said with hesitation, fighting the words with everything she had, "Maybe I was wrong about that." Claire watched in confusion as Michael leaned towards the glass window, his eyes focused up at the sky and impatiently she asked, "What are you looking at?"
"I'm just checking to see if the sky is falling," Michael replied, "I mean when a girl like you admits they were wrong about something, it has to be a sign of the end times."
"Ha Ha, very funny-," But suddenly a flicker of rage flushed through her, "Wait, what do you mean girls like me?"
"I mean judgmental girls who think they're above everyone else and if anyone dares to criticize them they throw a fit," Michael said lazily, "Bothersome girls like you."
"That's not like me at all," Claire returned haughtily.
"Right," Michael said with a shrug, "Because you're definitely not a spoiled brat who formed an opinion of me within seconds of meeting me."
"And you're supposed to be perfect," Claire replied snidely, "You have no idea what it's like to have to work painfully hard to master even the most basic of spells, you have no idea what it's like to struggle through every class and keep moving forward because you can't just quit. You have no idea how infuriating it is to watch someone as talented as you squander all your potential by napping and how irritating it is to have to work hard to even scratch an A let alone an E."
It was quiet for a moment and Claire was surprised that despite the volume of her outburst nobody had turned to look at them. In confusion, she turned to look at Michael who yawned loudly, "I cast a privacy charm when it looked like you were about to start lecturing. Merlin, you sounded so much like my mum, what a pain."
He didn't let me embarrass myself? Why? Claire thought to herself. But before she could even ask she heard Professor Burbage call out, "Okay, let's review who is stated in the Muggle History books as the Father of Electricity? Claire?"
Merde, She thought to herself, I wasn't listening to the lecture. However just before she was about to admit to her shame that she hadn't been listening a ripped piece of parchment slip across her desk. Her eyes glanced down and with the best attempt at keeping her expression passive, she read: Thomas Edison is the colloquial father. Bonus points if you include Nikola Tesla and Michael Faraday.
Fighting the stutter from her voice, Claire listed the names and to her great surprise, Michael had been telling the truth as Professor Burbage's smile grew happily, "Very well done, I'm surprised you even knew about Michael Faraday, he's not even mentioned in the version of the textbook we're using for this class. You must have read on your own, it's always good to find such a motivated student."
As the class continued, Claire remained still in shocked silence, He helped me? She turned to face Michael who'd rested his head on his folded arms and she couldn't stop her mind from racing. Despite the fact that the class was an hour-long, it seemed to fly by in seconds, and before she knew it, Burbage had excused the class. Claire had never seen the boy move as fast as he did as he sprang for the exit, but not one to leave her questions unanswered she rushed after him, "Michael, wait!"
"Yes?" Michael said with a bored expression, "Look if you're just going to chew me out, I get enough of that back home so just skip it, alright?"
Back home? Claire thought to herself before she refocused her question, "Why did you help me? It's not like we're friends, in fact, I wouldn't even say we're acquaintances. I know you don't like me so why didn't you just let me crash and burn?"
"You're annoying," Michael said bluntly, "And incredibly bothersome, but you believe Harry and that's worth something in my book. Plus, I guess it's kind of my fault you got distracted anyway, I'm not the type of guy that brings other people down with me." Claire watched in confusion as questions rapidly popped into her mind, I don't understand him at all. She broke out of her thoughts as in the distance, she heard his voice call out to her once more, "Well Diva, any more questions? Snape already doesn't like me much as it is and being late certainly isn't going to help."
Claire shook her head as she walked up to catch up to his strides and with another lost look he spoke, "Is there a reason you're walking next to me? I know I'm very fascinating, but if you have a crush on me you can just come out and say it."
"Me having a crush on a Slacker-Clown like you, as if," Claire said turning away, "I just happen to have potions too, remember? I'm not walking with you because I like you, idiot."
"Very convincing," Michael said as he rolled his eyes and Claire turned away looking at the castle wall as the two continued their path down towards the dungeon.
(Daphne P.O.V)
Every time that Daphne had entered the Defense Against the Dark Arts Classroom, she couldn't believe how much it had changed from the year before. When Remus was the professor, the room looked so organized with every artifact and study material placed away securely in his office. Professor Moody, on the other hand, had a drastically different approach. The room was filled with what looked to be buckets full of deceased creatures, metal jars of worms, a glass container full of hornets, and currently on his desk, a single spider, locked in a clear box.
In fact, the only familiar pieces in the room were the chandelier and the large dragon skeleton that hung from the roof. However, of all the things within the classroom that send chills down her spine, nothing sent as much fear into her heart as the man that stood in the center of it all, Mad-Eye Moody, and 'Mad' was certainly an apt description. The man spoke of pursuing Death Eaters in his younger days as a game, and he seemed particularly proud about a scar near his bright-blue eye that grizzled his face. It was a rare occasion for Daphne to agree with anything that Parkinson said, but she supposed that even a broken clock is right twice a day, and Parkinson had said it best, Mad-Eye Moody was indeed, creepy.
Yet, the look she saw in Harry's eyes every time the professor spoke worried her. Every time Moody would talk about how he killed or brought in a Death Eater, Harry seemed to tremble with excitement at the thought, almost as if he was living through Moody by proxy. Harry didn't seem to see the same thing that she saw. To Harry, Moody was a hero, living her boyfriend's dream of bringing the Death Eaters that had caused his life so much turmoil to justice. To her, all she saw was a husk of a man, with no family, no loved ones, and only Dumbledore as a friend. Harry, she thought to herself solemnly, Please don't become like him.
"What are you staring at?" Harry asked lightly, his standard lazy grin plastered on his face.
"You," Daphne said with some sarcasm, hiding her deeper thoughts, "Got a problem with that?"
"Not at all," Harry said with a chuckle, "Stare all you like Princess, if you're lucky you might just get to touch as well."
"Ha ha," She replied, "How generous, Flyboy." No, Daphne thought to herself as she looked at the teasing grin on Harry's face, He won't become that way, I won't let him get trapped in the darkness, I swear it.
Daphne's focus was forced to switch from her thoughts to the front of the class as the gruff voice of Mad-Eye cut through the room, "Alright, Quiet Down and Listen Up!" He barked, "I'm sure all of you have read in the Prophet about the Azkaban Breakout, Yes?" The room nodded quietly, "Among those released, many were high-ranking Death Eaters. I don't know why they were put in Azkaban, if it were up to me, I'd have had them all thrown through the veil, I'd happily have done it myself- But that isn't the point!"
Daphne's body shook as the bright-blue eye of Moody turned to face her before abruptly zipping to the back of his head, "I'm sure everyone here knows who the Death Eaters are, but for those of you too naive to know that there are evil forces out there coming for you at all times, I'll explain briefly. The Death Eaters were considered to be the Dark Lord's most loyal followers, and while many were thrown into Azkaban, not all of them were, does anyone know why?" Once more the blue-eye spun rapidly before Moody barked, "Weasley! Your father works in the ministry, yes? I'm sure he must have told you something!"
"Y-yes, sir," Ron said his voice trembling, "My father said that many Death Eaters escaped sentencing by claiming they were under the effects of the Imperius Curse."
"Yes! Yes!" Moody spoke with some excitement, "Who among you are aware of what the Imperius Curse is?" Daphne looked around the room as both she and Harry raised their hands along with a flurry of other Slytherin students, while most Gryffindor Students remained with their hands low. "I see," Moody said with a disappointed growl, "Well, I suppose I'll be in charge of inducting you innocent flowers into the cold realities of this world. The Ministry says that information regarding the Unforgivable Curses shouldn't be distributed in school- I say different! How are you supposed to be prepared for what is really out there if you don't know what magic is capable of? Now one of you, tell me how many Unforgivable Curses there are, how about, you, Miss Greengrass!"
"T-Three, there are three Unforgivable Curses," Daphne said, her confidence shaken for a moment under Mad-Eye's intense stare.
"And they are so named?" Mad-Eye pressed.
"Because they are unpardonable by law," Daphne said her mental state reclaimed, "Usage of any of the Three Unforgivable Curses will-"
"Buy you a one-way ticket to Azkaban no ifs, ands, or buts about it," Mad-Eye finished for her. "Now," He said his voice growing sinister, "Mr. Weasley has been so kind as to name the first of the three for us, now I'm here to show you what it does." Daphne watched as an ominous feeling filled the air, the thumping of Mad-Eyes leg against the ground sounded like a nervous heartbeat as he approached the clear box that contained the spider.
In earshot, she heard Tracey attempting to calm Ron who'd gone as pale as snow from seeing what Moody rescued from the clear box, lifting the spider in his hand, and then with a rough whisper Moody spoke, "Engorgio," before her eyes she marveled as the once tiny spider grew to be the size of Moody's entire palm before the man spoke once more, this time with a layer of malice in his voice, "Imperio."
Instantly with a flick of his wand, Moody sent the spider racing towards her and Harry's desk, before with another swish placing it directly on Draco's face. Despite the seriousness of the moment, Daphne couldn't stop herself from allowing a chuckle to escape her lips at the way Draco's eyes grew with fear, and clearly neither could any other Gryffindor before Moody pulled the spider away from Malfoy's face with a laugh, "Talented isn't she, what should I have her do next?" And suddenly as Moody dangled the spider out of an open window easily over a hundred feet above the ground, the ominous feeling returned, "Jump out of the window?" She then watched in horror as Moody suspended the spider over a glass of water who was desperately trying to cling to the rim of the glass, "Drown herself?"
With the class silent, Daphne watched as Moody recalled the frightened spider to his hand before addressing the class, "Many Death Eaters escaped conviction by claiming that they only did You-Know-Who's bidding because of the effects of the Imperious Curse, but here's the rub, how do we sort out the liars?"
Daphne felt her pupils shrink as she thought back to the question Harry had asked at Pettigrew's Trial about Imperioused Death Eaters, the rat's words still embedded in her mind, No, Pettigrew had said, Death Eaters were the most valuable and loyal of the Dark Lord's followers. It was only the gentle squeeze of her hand by Harry that helped shift her back to reality as Moody once more scanned the room, "Alright, let's move on, does anyone else know a name of a different curse."
"I know one," Blaise spoke up, his voice weak, "The Cruciatus Curse."
"Yes! Good!" Moody said, "The Cruciatus Curse, better known as the torturing curse."
"And the one the Death Eaters used on Neville's parents," Harry added though in a quiet whisper only loud enough for Daphne to hear, as she felt her body quiver at Harry's cold stare. Once again, Moody lifted the spider with his wand and placed it atop the lecture stand.
The entirety of the classes focus rested upon Moody and the spider before with a low tone, Moody whispered, "Crucio." The effect was instantaneous and Daphne felt her blood run cold as the sound of a shrieking spider pounded in her ears. She reached for Harry's hand, gripping it tightly, but Harry too seemed to be transfixed on the way the spider rolled around and screamed in agony.
Harry's eyes turned cold as below his breath he whispered, "Neville," before developing a venomous expression, "They all need to be put down, every single one of them is a monster."
Seeing that room had been frozen with horror, Moody cancelled the spell before gently placing the spider down on the table she shared with Harry. "There is only one more curse, does anyone know what it is?" Daphne had never as small as she had under Moody's gaze, but she refused to open her mouth as she shook her head violently.
"The Killing Curse," Harry spoke, numbness lacing in his voice, his whole facial expression blank, "Avada Kedavra."
Daphne turned her head, the last thing she saw being the smirk that rose to Moody's face before the grizzled Auror projected his voice through the room, "Avada Kedavra." And with a flash of green light, she heard the small thud of the spider's corpse hit the table. "The killing curse, as all of you can now see, it's the most lethal spell ever conjured by wizards." Daphne felt herself flinch unwillingly as Moody placed his hands upon their desk, both his eyes now focused up her boyfriend, "Not nice," he said calmly. "Not pleasant. And there's no counter curse. There's no blocking it. Only one known person has ever survived it, and he's sitting right in front of me."
Moody cleared his throat, but the focus in the room had clearly disappeared, "Are there any questions?" But the room was as silent as the death Moody had administered to the spider, "Very well then, class dismissed."
Daphne had never experienced such a quick dismissal, but she certainly wasn't complaining, reading about the curses was one thing, but seeing it in front of her was on another level. Calm Down, Daphne, she thought to herself firmly, You need to calm down. Daphne felt her breath hitch as a flood of soothing energy seemed to flow through her body like a river before hearing a voice beside her call out, "Hey, are you okay? You don't need me to carry you, do you?"
Daphne turned to face the voice, the pair of emerald green eyes calming her rapidly beating heart as she heard Harry speak once more, "Come on, let's get you to your next class."
"But you'll be late," Daphne said fighting desperately to keep the sound of the screaming spider from her mind.
"Don't worry about that," Harry said as he gripped her hand gently, "Let's go."
Daphne felt a weak smile rise to her face as she nodded, the two of them heading towards the door. She felt a spark of anger fill her chest as she saw Malfoy standing at the door, his Potter Stinks badge prominently on display. She had intended to tell Harry to pay him no mind, but clearly, she didn't need to as Harry brushed past the Blonde Slytherin his shoulder ramming into Malfoy's skinny frame as he pushed the boy aside. "Hey!" Malfoy called out to Harry and Daphne rolled her eyes heavily, Idiot doesn't know how to leave well enough alone "That was awfully rude Potter, and here I was waiting to be all supportive, I mean, seeing that spider must have brought back some bad memories, huh?"
"Malfoy," Harry said in a tone colder than Daphne had ever heard before, "I'm not in a very good mood right now. I suggest you get lost."
"What did you say?" Malfoy said, a rage-filled expression building in his face, "What makes you think that you can act like you're better than me?"
"It's not an act," Harry said his voice dull and unamused, "I am better than you." Daphne had to stop her eyes from popping out of her head as she'd never seen such Harry act in such a cold manner before, not even to Malfoy. "Come on Daphne, let's keep moving."
Daphne nodded, but as the two turned, she watched as Harry's wand slid from his holster into his hand, "How dare you walk away from me," Draco said his eye twitching with anger, "Stup-"
"Oh no you don't," Moody said in an unamused tone, and Daphne watched in amazement as Malfoy was transfigured into a ferret right before their eyes, "Knowing your father, I shouldn't be surprised that you'd be the type to curse people behind their backs." Moody's eyes then zipped up to face herself and Harry once more, "Well, don't let me stop you, I'll be having a conversation with Mr. Malfoy for a while. You two, best be off to class."
Daphne nodded, and while Harry was hesitant to leave the scene, Daphne had eventually persuaded him, and with joined hands, the two headed towards the transfiguration classroom with amused grins on the surface, but darker thoughts in their minds. Now if only I can get that book back.