Harry Potter and the Trip to the Past

[The_Green_Woods]

Chapter – 12
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Harry closed the door behind him and walked out of the dungeons only to be pulled into a small alcove on his right. “Mhpmn.” Merlin! What was happening to him the last two days. Everyone was able to catch him and disarm him. “Potter.” The voice said urgently and Harry relaxed. It was Malfoy. Harry calmly removed the hand off his mouth and turned to smile at the boy. “Draco. What is it?”

“Why did you have detention today also?” he asked. “Weasley didn’t.” Malfoy pointed out in addition to his initial question.

“Yeah I know. I kinda of messed it up yesterday and you how your Head of House is. He made me come today and write where I had gone wrong and hand it over to him. Whew! I finished only now and I got out as fast as I could. How did you know anyway?”

“I saw you walking behind Snape and go into his office. I waited until lunch and you did not come out. So I went up to the Great Hall and asked Neville and Hermione and they told me. I finished lunch and came back here to wait for you.” Malfoy explained.

Harry was quiet for a long minute while he processed what Malfoy was saying. Then he smiled brilliantly, “Hey! Thanks for waiting for me, must have been boring. Snape made me write about the potion I had messed up yesterday; the one to heal curse boils and he made me re-do the damn thing until I went mad. Thankfully he has not taken away any points from Gryffindor and so I am okay.”

Malfoy who had been watching Harry intently nodded looking a bit relieved. “Snape can be a bit harsh to those not in Slytherin.”

Harry looked disbelievingly at him. “A bit harsh?” he asked sarcastically and rolled his eyes when Malfoy nodded seriously and then grinned at Harry when he rolled his eyes, and drawled, “Riiight!”

Malfoy laughed outright at that and then slightly pinked and looked down. “What are you going to do now? I mean er, will you go to your common room and stay there?”

Harry cocked his head and looked at Malfoy. “Yes.” He nodded and saw the disappointment on Malfoy’s face. “But,” Harry said smiling, “Why don’t you come with me and spend the day there?”

Malfoy stared at Harry and began to nod before he stopped with a slight frown. “I don’t think that is a good idea Potter.” He said slowly and catching Harry puzzled and slightly hurt look he continued hastily, “Not because I don’t want to, but because I don’t want the others in Slytherin to know and spread the word to everyone that I have access to Gryffindor.” Malfoy told him earnestly hoping Harry would understand.

Harry did. Malfoy did not want his father to know because if this went around, Lucius Malfoy would definitely hear about it and that would cause complications. “You don’t want the other Slytherins to know?” seeing Malfoy nod his head in relief Harry continued very puzzled, “But they do know we are kind of friends don’t they?”

Malfoy blushed profusely. “Not fully. They think I am being friends with you with a reason. If they come to know I came to your common room, they will write, er, what I meant was er… I mean they will talk.” Malfoy finished lamely.

Harry looked at him. “It will get you into trouble?” he asked simply.

“And you.” Malfoy nodded, shuffling his feet and looking down.

“Okay, come to the lake in about fifteen minutes. I will bring Hermione and Neville down. And be warmly clothed.” Harry told him and Malfoy grinned relieved Harry that had not questioned him more.

“I will go down right now.” Malfoy blushed again looking at Harry. “I mean I don’t have anything important to do right now, so it should be fine.” He said attempting to look pompous and failing miserably.

“That’s great. See you then.” Harry told him, ignoring his blushes. Malfoy was coming along nicely. Hopefully he would stay this way and not get back into the nasty bully he had been before.

Harry and Malfoy left the dungeons and glancing back towards the dungeons Harry saw Snape lurking in the shadows. He grinned to himself and kept up a steady chatter until they parted, Harry going to the Gryffindor common room and Malfoy leaving for the lake.

Harry opened the Gryffindor common room and found almost everyone was inside. Hermione squealed when she saw him and ran to him and hugged him hard. “Don’t tell me you have detention once again.”

“No.” Harry made a show of wiping the sweat off his brow. Hermione laughed and Neville shuddered.

“I am feeling hungry. Coming with me?” Harry asked them and soon they waved to the other first years and went out of the portrait hole and to the kitchens, chattering about Snape and his detention.

Harry tickled the pears and went inside and soon came out with a huge picnic basket with food enough for more than ten people. Carrying it carefully Harry, Neville and Hermione went down by the lake where Harry saw Draco Malfoy standing and throwing stones into the frozen lake. The stones were hitting the lake with a ‘pling’ and rolling away.

“Hey Malfoy, hungry?” Harry called and soon he was devouring sandwiches along with the others who also ate as if they had missed lunch that day. Replete, Harry lay on the blanket that Hermione had warmed with a warming charm and once again told the others what Snape had made him do in detention because Malfoy asked him one more time about it and then they were all quiet for some time.

“You should really stop fighting with Ron you know.” Harry told him lazily.

“Hey that’s not fair. I don’t fight him, he starts it every time.” Malfoy protested. Harry did not answer and continued to lay down looking at the dark skies. It was bitterly cold outside and no one else was there apart from them. Hermione and Neville were shivering visibly and Malfoy was rubbing his hands together in an effort to keep warm.

But Harry loved the cold breeze that chilled his face that day. After two days of suffering interrogation with Snape and having his brain fried, the outside was very refreshing.

“Harry?” Hermione asked him, her teeth chattering. “Let’s go inside. We are all freezing.”

Harry laughed and stood up and packed the picnic basket and all of them went inside with huge sighs of relief from Hermione, Neville and Malfoy.

“Shall we sit in the library?” Hermione asked them, jerking her head at Malfoy, understanding that they could not take him to Gryffindor and nor could they go with him to Slytherin. Harry nodded and all of them went to the library and sat there for the rest of the day, whispering to each other and Hermione ordering Harry to start with everything that he missed and attend to his work.

They had a very good time the whole day and Harry did not notice the invisible form of Albus Dumbledore frowning at him and the others. He would have known had Dumbledore peeped into his mind, but Dumbledore did not peep. Instead he spent a good portion of the day watching Harry.

The book of Ignotus Peverell had shocked Dumbledore and he wished he could tell Harry to write about the Hallows and get information. He did not know that Harry had already written and received the relevant information which was not much more than what the Headmaster himself had told him.

Harry had always admired Albus Dumbledore, and he had soon after war with Voldemort learnt a great many things from him. But after the war Harry was not the same innocent boy he had been before and his questions were sometimes very tough.

It was only after a few years that the fights started in earnest and their relationship deteriorated with the differences showing up sharply between them. But Harry knew it was because of him that everything went downhill; Dumbledore had been the same. Harry also knew that he had loved Harry like the son he did not have and Harry also loved him very much but he saw the flaws in this Dumbledore that made him very human.

Dumbledore was much too manipulative and the points of view that sometimes Dumbledore did not defend nor explain led to this rift. Snape had been the last straw.

That night Harry crept out of the dorm, checking his new marauder’s map for anyone in the common room and outside, and breathed a sigh of relief when both places were empty.

Harry had cast the required spells on the map the day he stepped into the School. He had also added the Chamber of Secrets but the Room of Requirement refused to be mapped. Harry made sure the map was with him all the time and also the invisibility cloak.

Now at eleven Harry stepped out of the Gryffindor common room and went swiftly to the forbidden third floor corridor. He slowed down once he reached there and took out his map and spotted Snape standing with probably an invisibility charm on him, just in front of him. Harry once again checked the entire floor and took off his invisibility cloak. The next moment Snape was visible looming and scowling at him.

Casting notice-me-not charms at both of them, Snape cautiously opened the door and stepped inside. Harry stepped inside after him and flicked his wand, shutting the door simultaneously and locking it with a wave of his hand. Snape was already hitting the three headed dog with stunners when soft flute music began to play. In a minute the dog was asleep.

Snape turned astonished eyes to Harry before he scowled. Harry grinned and levitated the huge three headed dog to a corner of the room from where it had started sleeping, which was right over the trap door.

Snape and Harry jumped in and tackled the Devil’s Snare and went into the room of keys. Harry and Snape summoned a broom each and they caught the key in no time and opened the door and went in to meet the giant chess set. Harry let Snape handle this one and Snape quirked an eyebrow at Harry. “Not very good are we?” he asked, smirking when Harry scowled, and removed a knight and a Queen to start playing.

The next half hour went by tensely before Snape defeated the white King and they were to walk into the next room, when Harry called to Snape. “There is a troll in the next room Snape, let me open the door from here and both of us can cast the Reducto together. What do you say?”

Snape sneered and nodded. Harry waved his hand, looking at the door and did not notice Snape’s surprise at Harry’s wandless magic. The moment the door opened, the troll loomed trying to come out and, “Reducto!” came two clear voices and the troll was blasted away. Harry went into the room followed by Snape and they cleared Snape’s challenge in no time and came to the last room. The Mirror of Erised was not there; Harry had not seen it this time. The Stone though, was hidden and Harry used a wandless revealer spell and saw the Stone in the centre of the room and surrounded by many wards.

Harry motioned to Snape to stay silent just in case Dumbledore had listening charms all over the place and started scrutinizing the wards while Snape watched with an expressionless face but was inwardly very impressed. Harry Potter was proving to so different from what he had envisaged. Since yesterday he had almost forgotten the James Potter connection. He was sarcastic and slightly cynical and he obviously had issues with the Headmaster. Snape would have loved to know about it but he knew Harry would not tell him.

But he trusted the Headmaster. Potter had told him that. He wondered what had happened with Dumbledore for Harry to keep everything away from him. And most importantly who had killed Dumbledore? Who could have, was the more pertinent question. Who would dare to? Snape looked as Harry was working slowly and confidently around the wards; wards Dumbledore had placed. To break that without alerting the ancient Headmaster was something really.

After some time Harry wiped the sweat off his face and stood up and smiled at Snape and went to a particular point and started working on the wards both on the Stone and those surrounding it by moving the wards carefully and pulling the Stone itself. The moment Harry summoned the Stone to him, Snape at once levitated a fake Stone that looked exactly like the one Harry was holding in his hand. Harry looked at Stone and started placing all the wards that he had slowly pushed away from the original.

Wards to break were very easy. To place a powerful ward needed a good amount to power. But to work around the wards¸ to lift them and place them back exactly the same way needed special expertise and knowledge about them. Harry had both and now it was coming in very handy as it had many times in his other life.

Now Harry started placing all the wards in exactly the same position they had been in before. He worked carefully and slowly and then got up after he finally finished. They left the room silently and closing the door carefully both of them walked out. When they came to the chess room Snape turned to Harry. “When will you go to Gringotts?”

“Next weekend. It is a Hogsmeade weekend for third years and above and I am sure I can slip away and go over to Diagon Alley.”

“I would like to come with you.” Snape told him, staring at him. Harry grinned. So Snape did not trust him still. “Sure. But not into my vault.” He said thinking of his parents’ portraits.

Snape flushed in anger. “I do not wish to step into your vault Potter. Do not worry. I do not steal. I will wait outside.”

Harry sighed in dismay. He had truly blotched by speaking thoughtlessly. “I did not mean it like that.”

“It does not matter.” Snape said dismissively but his thin face was still flushed with anger and hurt and insult.

“Snape,” Harry started softly but Snape said just a bit loudly. “I said it did not matter Potter. I understand very well. I merely wished to accompany you to protect you. That was all.”

“My mother’s portrait is inside.” Harry said softly and Snape stopped the angry snarl that was about to burst from his face. He stood there completely frozen and stared at Harry his black eyes wide with emotions swirling in them and then he turned away.

“Is her portrait activated?” Snape asked after a brief pause, his voice all strangled with the desperate effort to keep it normal.

“No.” Harry replied to his back wanting to hit himself as Snape was still keeping his face turned away. “Snape we have to leave.” Harry told him when Snape had not spoken anything more and Snape abruptly billowed away.

Harry was cursing himself at his stupid mistake. Her portrait was not activated. What could have been the problem? Snape could have come into the vault. Harry had spoken thoughtlessly and had angered and hurt Snape needlessly. He sighed and followed Snape.

They went up through the trap door – Snape had conjured steps and found Fluffy still sleeping and the soft music still playing. Harry checked his map once again and looked up to see Snape glaring at it, though his eyes were very turbulent and his face was still very pinched and pale. Harry grinned; he knew Snape had realized in that second how the marauders had got away all the time and how they had been able to spot him accurately even when he had been hiding. Harry had heard many, many stories about those times.

They walked out into the corridor and just before the door closed, Harry cancelled the music. As he shut the door behind him, Harry saw the three headed dog Fluffy opening all its six eyes and yawning with all its three mouths. Then Harry shut the door and after Snape locked it, looked at him.

“Walk.” Snape told him and set off brusquely not waiting to see if Harry would follow him. Harry walked behind him wondering what Snape was thinking of now. He was still very pale and his eyes were very stormy, something Harry had never seen in the other Snape. Not even when he had seen his mother after so many years.

They walked silently Harry walking behind Snape and soon they were at the entrance to the Gryffindor common room. Snape gestured Harry to go inside, casting the invisibility charm on himself so that the Fat Lady would not see him and Harry softly said the password and waited for the sleeping Fat Lady to open the door.

“Wandering so late my dear!” she asked sleepily opening the door and Harry went inside glancing where he thought Snape would be standing. Harry waved a bit and closed the door and went inside. The common room was empty and Harry walked up and carefully placing his invisibility cloak and map into his trunk, was soon asleep.

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Snape in the meantime was having another drinking session. He had seen Harry off to his common room and then had swiftly walked to the dungeons and had summoned his Firewhisky, a hangover potion and two glasses. He had taken the first glass and thrown it against the wall and had repeated the action with the other glass. He had repaired them and had once again thrown them against the wall. Seeing them shatter a second time, a little bit of anger and frustration left him though and shame and bitterness lingered; they would never go away after all, and repairing the glasses once more, Snape banished one glass and sat down heavily pouring the Firewhisky into the other glass.

Lily’s portrait was inside Potter’s vault and it was not activated. Why? And why could he Severus not speak to her? He wanted to cry to her and apologize for killing her and seek his redemption and also try to do the impossible, heal just a little bit. Why did Potter refuse? He looked morosely into his drink and it was almost dawn when Snape staggered and somehow managed to place his hand on the hangover potion and gulped it.

Then he stumbled to his bedroom and sprawled out on his bed and was out like a light. Snape slept until well after breakfast and was not awake even for his first class that happened to be seventh year Slytherins and Gryffindors. The seventh years waited silently the whole time and then feeling relieved that Snape had been absent, all of them left for their next class wondering what had happened to Snape.

The theories varied from ‘sure he’s dead’ to ‘he’s run away with somebody, I think it’s that troll, another one came to seek out Snape’ to ‘he’s got a contagious illness because he never washes his hair’. At the end of the first hour a worried and wondering Albus Dumbledore who sent an elf to ask the potions professor to meet him at his office.

The elf went into Snape’s chambers and woke him up. Snape blinked and seeing the elf he was about to yell at it when it hastily explained, “professor Dumbledore sir, asked me to tell you to go to his office at once sir.” And the elf bowed and disappeared.

Snape blinked and stretched and cast the tempus charm and groaned when he saw the time. Now Dumbledore would chew him out and peer at him and wonder what had happened and Snape knew from now on he would come under Dumbledore’s extra watch list.

He snapped his fingers and asking for breakfast went to have a long shower, ignoring Dumbledore’s orders. He came out and took a pepper up potion and had his breakfast slowly. Feeling very alert, Snape went to his living room and throwing a pinch of floo powder into the fire that was blazing away and called ‘Headmaster’s office’ and a second later he walked out of the fire gracefully and went around the huge table and stood there.

“Sit down Severus. Are you feeling quite well?” Dumbledore asked him, his blue eyes piercing Snape.

“I am sorry Dumbledore. This will not happen again.” Snape told him stiffly not bothering to sit down and staring back at the Headmaster.

“But what happened Severus? I must ask you once again if you are quite well.”

“I was slightly unwell last night Dumbledore.” Snape told him impatiently, his black eyes carefully looking at the Headmaster betraying nothing. Snape saw to his annoyance that Dumbledore was not buying it, but remained silent.

Both of them were quiet for a long moment and then, “If that is all Dumbledore, I have to leave for my next class; I have already missed my first two.” Snape said softly, his black eyes devoid of any emotion. Dumbledore sighed and nodded. “You can come to me for anything Severus. I hope you know that.”

Snape nodded once and then turned around and billowed swiftly away. That day he was brutal to everyone and even the Slytherins were very quiet. Snape slowly got a hold of himself and waited for the first Hogsmeade visit after Yule break with both anticipation and dread in his heart.

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[The_Green_Woods]

Harry in the meantime had perfectly normal days and he went through them handing out subtle and sometimes not so subtle hints at everyone. Most nights in the common room Harry, Hermione, Neville, Ron, the twins, Seamus, Dean and a few other second years would sit chattering about various issues that Harry would pull from The Daily Prophet or from the Self Updating Book of Spells. He had similar sessions during week-ends with Draco, Blaise, Pansy, Millicent Bulstrode, Crabbe and Goyle. Slowly Harry was thinking of drawing the Ravenclaws and the Hufflepuffs by his second or third year.

Usually only Malfoy would join Harry, Hermione and Neville until Harry asked him to invite a few others along. They had come doubtfully. The first time had consisted of a lot of jeering and sneering until Harry, and Neville and Hermione taking their cue from Harry, had jeered and sneered along with the best of them. Then all of them had had settled down affably to really talk. Harry was hoping that this time around there would be less prejudice and attitude unlike the last time when everything had been so difficult and different.

That week-end Harry was sitting in an un-used classroom, their usual meeting place waiting for the Slytherins to arrive. Harry had pulled up this topic from an advertisement in the Daily Prophet and had discussed it loud and long with the Gryffindors the day before and he was planning to do so with the Slytherins now.

They trooped in lead by Malfoy and after some time Harry kick started what he believed to be the most important discussion, one he hoped would catch on throughout the School.

Harry pulled out The Daily Prophet and turned the pages to a small advertisement almost right at the back and in a corner. Clearing his throat Harry read aloud.

In this week in Wizarding Ancestry there is an exclusive report about muggle borns being descended from squibs and weak witches and wizards who married muggles and moved away from the Wizarding World to live in the muggle world as muggles. They had only squibs until suddenly ‘Bang’ there is your muggleborn witch or wizard.

Is this really the truth and can it be verified? Read this month’s Wizarding Ancestry and find out once and for all the secrets of the muggleborns.

Harry finished reading the small advertisement and looked around. The Slytherins looked blankly at them and then predictably Malfoy started.

“What? How can that be Potter? All muggleborns do not belong with us.” He subsided at that point when Harry, Hermione and Neville all glared at him.

“What? Are you saying that Granger is as magical as you, because you are a half – blood Potter?” Pansy pointed out.

Harry shook his head. “No I am not saying so. I am merely reading this article that says so. But I want to find out if there is really some truth in this. I am very interested.”

Hermione nodded her head. “I am too. Harry has already asked for a copy of this magazine from Flourish and Blotts. He will receive it this Monday morning. Then I think we should all meet and read it and discuss it among ourselves and also see if they have given a method of finding out our roots.”

“In fact I think we should all get together and write our findings to The Daily Prophet with all our names at the bottom. I think that would be great.” Harry added grinning at everyone.

“When, now?” Blaise asked him doubtfully wondering how eleven year olds could do all this. The others sounded doubtful also.

“No. we have to read the thing first, understand it and work out everything. Then we can prepare our paper and publish it in the Daily Prophet. What do you guys say?” Harry asked them. All of them agreed and they parted after sometime of simply bickering amicably with each other.

Monday dawned cold and windy and Harry received his copy of the Wizarding Ancestry and looked around excitedly at everyone. Snape and Dumbledore looked at each other when a delivery owl came to Harry and frowned trying to see the magazine Harry was opening, they could not see it from the Head Table but they could see that Harry and his friends were visibly excited. Dumbledore let his eyes roam over the Great Hall and saw quite a few Gryffindors and indeed some Slytherins looking straight at Harry and the magazine.

Harry opened the magazine to search for the article and saw a two page spread about how magic tends to stay within magical communities and muggleborns are actually witches and wizards with latent magical development in a long line of squibs. He did not read it then, but put it away to read it together with everyone later.

This would make for a very interesting reading, Harry thought grinning widely. He hoped to make everyone who cared to listen, think on this. The Wizarding World was so prejudiced on blood status it was bordering on the ridiculous and Harry hoped this article would help.

The whole day Harry was very excited and that evening after dinner Harry was about to leave for the common room to read when Malfoy and Blaise came up to their table.

“You are going to read the article Potter?” Malfoy asked.

When Harry nodded, he said, “Then can you come to the classroom where we meet? We all want to hear this.” Malfoy said a tad scornfully.

Harry looked thoughtful for a second and then nodded. “I will bring the other Gryffindors who wish to come. None of you will fight will you?” he asked doubtfully.

Malfoy smirked. “If they don’t, we won’t.” he declared and left Harry to walk back to his table.

Harry looked at the others who had been unashamedly listening and raised his eyebrows.

It was Fred who answered a big smirk on his face. “If they don’t we won’t.” and turned and glared at Ron who was beginning to protest. Ron subsided muttering something to himself about evil Slytherins and how they would hex everyone.

But no one was really listening and after dinner all the Gryffindors followed Harry and he led them to the usual meeting place and found all the Slytherins plus a few second years also present. Harry felt very happy.

There was not much talk while everyone settled down and looked distrustfully at each other and then expectantly at Harry.

“Okay all of you are here to hear this article that I thought was very interesting and most of you agreed with me, when I told you about it. I am going to read this article now and I would be very happy if all of you will remain silent until I finish. Then all of us can talk or argue. But, please no fighting and no hexing.”

No one answered but everyone looked at the other House members suspiciously and then turned to Harry.

“This article is written by Actis Ansetor.” Harry began.

“I am a pure blood wizard who has been brought up on the importance of blood status while I was young. I was taught that blood status was the most important factor and keeping that blood pure was the best way to preserve our magic and by extension our world. My family could trace its ancestors up to the middle ages and we were related to many prominent and important families in the Wizarding World.

“I received my Hogwarts letter when I was eleven and was sorted as my family had been for as long as anyone remembered, into the great House of Salazar Slytherin.”

“Wow!” Malfoy gloated and then sulkily subsided when every Gryffindor and Harry frowned and glared at him.

“There I spent the next seven years excelling in all subjects, though potions were my forte. I also learnt the Dark Arts like any child from a pure-blood home. When I grew up, I followed my father in our family business which was running an apothecary. As I researched and perfected the delicate art of potion making, my mind would not leave the hold it had somehow had on the issue of pure bloods and those who are outsiders and would be a cause to destroy our world. Our magic.”

“Harry, mate are you sure this is about muggle borns who are descended from witches, wizards and squibs? This looks like something else.” George asked him.

“Yeah more like Slytherin worship and other Houses bashing.” Fred added.

“And what may I ask is wrong with that? Slytherin is the best of all the Houses and there are no two opinions about it.” Malfoy told them pompously.

Ron opened his mouth angrily to tell Malfoy what exactly was wrong with Slytherin when Harry shouted at Fred, George and Malfoy.

“Will you three shut up and let me read for Merlin’s sake? Otherwise we will never know what he discovered about blood – pure and mixed.” Harry glared at the three of them who looked back innocently at him.

“Please go on ickle Harrykins. You better our mum,”

“And that is a compliment not lightly given.” George added to his brother’s voice of wisdom and both of them visibly shuddered. Harry simply rolled his eyes and looked at the magazine, “I am going to continue now and I hope all of you will listen first before making assumptions or accusations.”

Hearing no response and hoping the rest would not be like the first part that looked like it was more of Voldemort’s speech rather than anything beneficial to the muggleborns, Harry started reading once again.

With that in mind, I started my first research into the genetics of the muggleborn witches and wizards. I took extensive blood samples and conducted many tests that I have given below and after many years of painstaking study, I have found to my shock and astonishment that every muggleborn witch and wizard and I tested and I tested more than a hundred muggleborns; every single one of them had a magical history. Most were descended from squibs, who being shunned and looked down upon in the magical world, made their forays into the muggle world and slowly settled down as muggles.

A few generations later the descendents had all but forgotten that they had been a part of a world that was magical. They continued to live in the muggle world as muggles with no knowledge of the Wizarding World until one of their children showed magical ability and then they were once again sucked into the Wizarding World, a world that was by now alien and new to them.

A world that they did not know existed and a world they had not until then believed in.

Given below are the names of a few muggleborn friends who allowed me to use their names here and the potions that would reveal the ancestry of the muggleborn witch or wizard. So in essence there is no muggleborn. There are only those who moved away from the Wizarding World and are once again being re-inducted.

Those of who are interested may try these potions; they are very expensive and they have to be brewed very carefully and they take a very long time to brew, I am afraid. But for those who wish to know their roots, this surely is the perfect method to tell the Wizarding World that you are not an outsider but a very integral part of our society.”

Harry finished and below that were some names and the ancestors who were witches or wizards. And further below that were three potions along with the method of preparation. They had to be brewed correctly to find the magical ancestry of a muggleborn witch or wizard.

Everyone looked awed when Harry finished. It was truly spectacular news.

“When can we start Harry and how much will it cost?” Hermione asked him her eyes gleaming with anticipation. The Slytherins were shocked that something like this could even be.

“Potter, may I write my father about this?” Malfoy asked abruptly standing up. All the Slytherins stood up at once a determined look coming over their faces too. They were all going to write their fathers’, they decided.

“Sure.” Harry told them and Malfoy immediately started walking to the door. Harry turned to the Gryffindors as soon as the Slytherins had all rushed off.

“I will beg Snape to help us.” Harry began.

“Wow Harry, you are really two times better than our mum.”

“Even she would not approach Snape.” George added bowing to Harry.

Hermione smacked them and turned to Harry, “When can you ask Snape Harry?”

“Maybe this week-end. I will show this to him and ask his opinion. He will be busy during the week and will not give us the time of day but on Saturday he should be free.” Harry said thoughtfully. This would also help him get out of the castle without suspicion. This might work out best for everything concerned.

The Gryffindors too, left the room and went up to their common room discussing about this startling information and Harry as he chattered along, hoped this would spread to the entire School.


End of Chapter – 12
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[The_Green_Woods]

Chapter – 13
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The next week went along very slowly. Malfoy and all the Slytherins had written their fathers’ and many owls were exchanged in the course of the week on this subject. The topic spread like wildfire to all the students and soon there were discussions about the place of muggleborns in Wizarding society. There was no mudblood it seemed and everyone was either a pure-blood or a half-blood.

It went to the teachers courtesy of Snape, who had by the simple means of calling Malfoy to his office had learnt of the latest craze by questioning him. Snape became very thoughtful when he heard how Harry had seen the advertisement and had read out the article and that he would be approaching Snape for help in brewing the potions.

Malfoy had also told him that his father would be very interested in the results if Snape were to brew the potions for Harry and Hermione and indeed the other muggleborns.

Dumbledore was once again shocked and totally puzzled by Harry. He had taken a small article and created something very big from it. Dumbledore himself subscribed to that magazine and he had read the article, but the expense and the labour involved in the making of the necessary potion made him disinterested.

This wizard had bought those two pages in the magazine every year and had published it so that the prejudices would go away, Dumbledore himself had sponsored the expense once or twice, but so far nothing had come out of it, because of the sheer cost and the lack of potion masters who could do this, but Harry had used the same article and turned Hogwarts on her head.

Snape had told him with an ugly scowl on his face that the blasted boy would be coming to him that week-end for help. “Does he have no idea about the cost and labour involved I wonder? Stupid brat.” Snape had grumbled when he had come to Dumbledore with information about the latest craze in Hogwarts.

“I am sure you will manage Severus.” Dumbledore had smiled sweetly and had left it at that.

The whole week went by in seemingly endless discussions about the potions, their costs and the time to brew them. It would take at least six months to brew the potion and the brewing was a very laborious process, not to mention the cost. Still at the end of the week only the potions and the place of the muggleborns in wizarding society were discussed and most of them now realized if this would prove correct, then there were only pure-bloods and half-bloods now. No muggleborns.

Saturday dawned chilly and dark. Clouds had gathered everywhere and it looked as if it was going to pour. The weather was bitterly cold and Harry and the other boys snuggled deeper into their warm beds, not wanting to get up.

It was very late, almost at the end of breakfast when Harry and Neville along with Ron, Dean and Seamus dragged themselves down to the common room. Almost all the first and second years were there and a good number of the upper years who did not wish to venture out in what looked like a definite downpour with the weather being so cold as well.

Harry and the others met Hermione who was patiently waiting for them and all of them went out and immediately tightened their thick coats and pulled down their woollen hats and placing their hands into their coats, they set off at almost a run and soon entered the Great Hall that was thankfully warm.

Harry had sent a School owl to Snape asking him to meet him by the statue of the one-eyed witch after breakfast and while they ate, Harry told the rest that he would brave his way to Snape and ask him about the potion.

“All of you wait for me in our common room. No sense in waiting anywhere else with the weather as it is now. What do you guys say?” Harry asked them, sipping hot tea.

They nodded at once, the idea of waiting in empty classrooms and loitering in the hallways was not very welcome. It was too cold for that. Harry smiled and chatted as they had breakfast and after finishing, walked back with the others to their common room and there he found Fred and George pouring over the Marauder’s Map. Harry stopped for a moment in shock. This would not do and he realized how dangerous it could be if they saw him with Snape or even worse, when he lied to the others to go away on his own.

He had to get the Map from them and change it so that it would never show his name and Snape’s name would always appear over his office or potions classrooms. But for that he needed the Map for a few days to work in the charms on to it. And now he just could not risk leaving until he took the Map away from them.

“Harry what are you staring at?”

“That Map and I was wondering if I could compare that with my map and see if they are exactly the same.” Harry said easily. “Hey! Fred and George! Can I borrow your map for a few days? I want to check and see if the original is the same with mine.”

“Sure Harry. But I think your map will have more places marked than this.” Fred told him carefully folding the map and giving it to Harry who took it just as carefully.

“If there is, may I add those places. I will write Sirius and ask him as well.” Harry looked questioningly at the twins who beamed in response.

“Sure.” They said together and went back to plotting with Lee.

Harry grinned, relieved and started walking towards the staircase to bring his magazine and some parchment and quills for taking down anything that Snape may throw at him. He went into his dorm and taking his bag and opening his trunk, he removed the shrunken box in which he had kept the Stone and the other items that had been horcruxes, and with his invisibility cloak stuffed into his bag as well, Harry was ready.

The common room was very crowded and Harry weaved his way back to Hermione and Neville, and after getting his instructions from Hermione, he set off. Harry walked out of the room and the moment he turned around the corner, he put on his invisibility cloak and changed into a Phoenix. He flashed to the statue of the one-eyed witch and found Snape walking up and down scowling heavily.

Harry landed and changed back and removed the cloak a bit and hissed to Snape. “Psst. Snape, come inside the cloak.”

Snape whirled around and scowled and his eyes widened impossibly as he heard Harry calling him to share the cloak.

“Come in fast Snape. If someone sees us there will be trouble.” and Harry turned to the one-eyed witch and tapped her. “Dissendium.”

And Snape scowled even more when he saw the statue open and show a narrow tunnel ahead. Harry went inside and Snape followed fast and Harry closed the statue. Snape refused to walk inside the cloak and he and Harry quickly came up to the end of the tunnel. He turned to Snape who was standing a dark look on his face no doubt remembering his father and Sirius. Harry spoke quickly.

“This comes out in the cellar of Honeydukes. You must come into this so that we can escape unseen. Don’t fuss Snape.” Snape in response, took out his wand and flicked it twice in a sweeping motion at Harry and then at himself, changing their features. Then Snape flicked two more times to place a notice-me-not charm both at Harry and himself and he glared at Harry and Harry’s cloak.

Harry rolled his eyes and slowly lifted the trap door and soon they were outside. Harry slipped on the invisibility cloak at once and Snape sneered all the way to the floo in the main room, where they put two Knuts each and took a pinch of floo powder and landed in The Leaky Cauldron.

Both of them looked very ordinary and a bit shabby and so no one took any notice of them. They went into Gringotts and asked the first goblin to take them to their vault. The goblin glared at them and then held its hand for the key and took them to the cart. The moment Harry got down, he turned to the goblin. “We will be some time here. Will you wait please or will you come back?”

The goblin looked at Harry. “Ring this bell here and I will come.” He said abruptly and turned to leave.

Harry and Snape waited until the goblin left and then swiftly went inside his open vault and Harry turned to Snape who was standing there with his arms folded in his chest. “You go inside and place those items and come. I will stand guard here.” He said stiffly, his black eyes glinting in anger.

Harry simply caught hold of his hand and dragged him inside not minding his snarling and closed the doors. “I did not mean anything that day Snape. You know that. You can’t stand outside, you know. Just in case we are unlucky and Sirius and Remus come to Gringotts today or even Dumbledore. Sirius's vaults are just a little away from here and we cannot leave the door open.” He said and waved his wand and the vault lit up beautifully.

Harry led Snape to where the portraits were and left him standing in front of his mother’s portrait and went to the back of the vault and taking out the small shrunken box and enlarged it. Harry opened the box and checked the things inside and called out to Snape.

“Snape I am going to place a blood ward on this. Are you okay with it? This way even if this vault is opened somehow and Sirius or Remus comes here, it will be not be too much of a problem.” Harry looked around after a minute because Snape had not said a word.

Snape was standing silently in front of his mother’s portrait and simply staring at her. His eyes were dead and his face blank. Harry sighed and turned to his task and completed the wards and made the box secure and looked at Snape. Harry’s eyes softened in spite of himself and he went to Snape and dragged him away.

“We have to go.” He said softly.

“Why have you not activated Li… her?” Snape asked Harry looking beyond him to the walls of the vault.

“I can’t activate her alone. My father will have to be activated too, and the first thing they will ask is how I knew the password and then ask for Sirius, and Snape, you know I can’t do this now. I can’t explain that I am from the future. She and my dad will have to wait.” Harry told him shaking his head at him.

“Wait until when?” Snape asked him.

“Until I am seventeen and get hold of the vaults. That is what I have told the goblins to say. I need this time without the added pressures of my parents. Believe me they can be very tough.” Harry told him.

Snape stared at him in disbelief. “You do not wish to meet your mo…parents?”

“No, Snape, I do not wish to meet with my mother or my dear father.” Harry rolled his eyes and grinned at Snape’s shock. “I have had many years with them Snape. I found them,” here Harry’s eyes clouded and Snape became more alert but Harry did not say anything, “here on my seventeenth birthday when I took control of my vault and activated them. After the war I spent many years with them and in fact it was mum who scolded me because I was terrible at potions and made me learn from the basics until I was okay according to her. So I am not deeply affected by this.”

Snape did not know what to say. “Did Li…Lily talk to me?”

Harry was stumped for a second and Snape’s face shrivelled with guilt and pain. His black eyes looked haunted, with self – disgust written all over his face. Harry suddenly felt incredibly sad and he smiled softly. “She did and very affectionately too. She seemed to have forgotten the fallout of the past. And I will not say a word more.”

Harry turned his face away to walk towards the door, unable to face the gratitude in Snape’s face at his remarks. His thin face had bloomed and he had looked at Harry his eyes and face shining with gratitude and so many emotions flashed through them, in that brief moment before Snape himself turned away. Snape did not say a word more either and he went to the corner to inspect the shrunken box, he had noticed Harry placing them there apparently and then came back and stood silently with Harry.

Harry checked their glamour and stepped out of the vault swiftly extinguishing the lights and closed it securely the moment Snape was out. Then he went to the railing and rang the small bell there. They were soon out of the wizarding Bank and they apparated to Hogsmeade. Once they got there, they walked swiftly towards Honeydukes and crept into the trapdoor without a problem. They walked swiftly through the tunnel and reaching the one-eyed witch, Harry carefully checked his map and finding it safe, removed their glamour, and walked out of the one-eyes witch and went straight to the dungeons.

Snape went around, to sit in his chair and Harry threw himself on the other chair and grinned at Snape, when he scowled at Harry’s familiarity. Harry took out the old map and laid it out on the desk and told Snape about the problem he had.

“I was so scared Snape when I saw them today. If they had seen us together and going down the tunnel together, it would have created so many complications.” Harry told him.

“And since when did you think you could just treat my office like yours? You will not sit down until I ask you to. Give me that map.” Snape told him and glared at Harry who did not even seem to register anything other than ‘give me the map’ and scowled before he started asking Harry about the spells that went into the map.

They spent the next two hours going through the map and came up with a few spells that could be tried on it that would mask Harry’s position and Snape’s position in the school.

“But the best thing to do would be to manipulate it properly every time instead of it not functioning in regards to my name or yours. I would like to tell the map where I am and would like the map to make the adjustments automatically. That would be the best. Can we do something like that?” Harry asked Snape who was frowning over some calculations and nodded absently.

“I think we can. Can you leave this with me?” Snape asked him finally looking up at Harry from where he had been frowning over the map and making many notes on a parchment.

“I don’t dare to. What if either twin asks me? I would make them suspicious and that I wish to avoid at any cost.” Harry shook his head. Snape nodded reluctantly and made some more notes in his parchment and then pushed the map to Harry.

“I will go through a few spells and we will change it then. Now about the potion. Do you have any idea about the expense or the labour involved in this?” Snape’s black eyes pierced Harry who rolled his eyes.

“I have the money Snape and I want you to do this for me. In fact I will come and help you every day.” At Snape’s raised eyebrows, Harry laughed. “Yes, I do know about this potion and how it has to be monitored and how the ingredients have to be added everyday. In my other life I had this made by the Ministry and checked out every muggleborn and proved them to be descendents of squibs and sometimes even descended from prominent families. I want to do this now and make these blood purists think. Hopefully they would even stop targeting the muggleborns. Voldemort would have to play a different card when he resurrects. And this way I can meet you legitimately and talk to you or warn you.” Harry pointed out.

“Get out of my office and tell the others I questioned you at length and I have asked you to come prepared in more detail about the potions and discuss it with me next Saturday. I will tell Dumbledore this as well.”

“Thanks Snape and bye. Hopefully we can start this by next year, so that we have the whole year to brew it.” Harry said cheekily and laughed when Snape said, “Ten points from Gryffindor for rudeness to a professor.” in a perfectly serious manner, and still smiling Harry walked out, after carefully placing the map inside.

Harry went out into the corridor and felt the bitter cold at once. He walked swiftly to the Gryffindor common room and was greeted by Hermione and Neville enthusiastically. Almost all the first and second years were there they spent the week end happily. In fact the rest of the month and the next month also seemed to go without incident.

Harry was meeting Snape every week-end, mostly on Saturdays to work both, on the potion and also the map. They completed the changes on the map by blood binding the map with Harry and Snape, and adding obedience charms, a tad illegal but almost unnoticeable and pretty accurate.

Harry told Snape that he should never catch the twins if they came at night because that would make them suspicious of the map and they would then start taking it apart at the seams. It took some time for Snape to agree to that, but eventually he gave in, very unhappily, though.

“But I will take points from Gryffindor every time I see them where they should not be.” He warned Harry, who grinned at Snape.

Snape always tried to talk Harry into revealing something about the future, mainly about Dumbledore and himself, but Harry so far had avoided his questions and had played around then carefully.

Quirrell was still stuttering along and Harry was carefully watching him and Hagrid. He was waiting for Hagrid to get that egg and this time he had told Snape about it and had asked Snape to take care for him.

“Hagrid will meet a disguised Quirrell and in exchange for a dragon egg, Hagrid will tell him how to get past Fluffy. The moment he does that, Quirrell will wait for a day until Dumbledore is away from the School and go for it. That is the day we have to watch for and hope our spells will take care of Quirrell and his pretty Master.” Harry told him.

“Don’t talk of the Dark Lord like that Potter.” Snape admonished him and continued to place spells on the parchment a job, which he was currently employed in.

“Will you keep watch?” Harry asked him and was satisfied when Snape nodded.

The days slipped into weeks and Harry & Co. were breezing through them. Harry in particular was very happy. This was so different in contrast to his other life that Harry could almost believe he was living a Voldemort free life already. He had given the map back to the twins and had added a few new passages to it and they had been thrilled.

Harry started knowing so many others in Gryffindor this time around. Last time he hadn’t known anyone apart from his dorm mates and year mates from the other Houses, and that too mostly only by name. Apart from Colin Creevy and very few others Harry had hardly known anybody. This time Harry went out of his way to meet other students and generally have a good time. Quidditch matches came and went and with both Dumbledore present for every Quidditch match and Snape as the referee every time Gryffindor played, Harry had no trouble from Quirrell at all and he caught the snitch every time he played.

He made sure to spend a lot of time with Malfoy and the others Slytherins who by now were very comfortable with Hermione, Neville and Harry. Neville had already changed beyond recognition and Harry was thrilled for him. Ron remained the same and he and Malfoy provoked each other as if they were magically bound to do so and they suffered for it.

Ron when confronted usually responded by snarling at Harry that all Slytherins were evil and Harry would be better off not talking to the slimy snakes. Malfoy was not much better and after a while Harry simply washed his hands off Ron, for the time being. Ron would come around a bit later, he knew and Harry was willing to wait. The twins on the other hand had not minded meeting with the Slytherins occasionally and they never started anything on their own and so they were also more or less left alone by the Slytherins as well.

Quirrell gave the egg to Hagrid ten days before Easter and Snape was keeping a close watch over it. The day it hatched, Snape gate crashed into Hagrid’s hut, telling Hagrid he needed some acromatula venom and would Hagrid be able to provide for it. Seeing the dragon brought Snape to his sarcastic best, but, unfortunately for him, almost all of it went over Hagrid’s head. Then Snape convinced Hagrid to gift the dragon to the dragon preserve at Romania. Hagrid was in tears about it, but agreed and with full knowledge of Dumbledore, sent it off to Charley Weasley.

[The_Green_Woods]

Harry went to Grimmauld Place for a boisterous Easter and had a great week with Sirius and Remus. They did all kinds of silly things and once again Harry invited Hermione, Neville, Ron and the twins to spend a day with each other.

That day, needless to say was spent almost completely pranking each other and generally having fun. Ron was much gratified when Sirius loudly proclaimed all Slytherins as evil incarnate and he and Ron spent a good hour Slytherin bashing while the others rolled their eyes and made sarcastic remarks.

Getting back to School, Harry studied and played hard and had a happy time as the weeks sped past without incident. He wrote the end of the year exams extremely well. There was less than a week left for close of School, when Dumbledore left the School one morning after breakfast. Snape had told him by the simple method of looking at Dumbledore and looking straight at Harry and sneering. Harry had smiled widely at Snape and Snape had scowled but had reluctantly nodded once and turned his head away.

Harry and his friends went around the School lazily. Exams had finished the day before and Harry was very relaxed and he was currently engaged in playing with his map. Actually he was looking for Quirrell. He saw Quirrell go into the forbidden third floor corridor and shouted, “Hey look professor Quirrell is going to the forbidden third floor corridor. Come on, let us go there and see what exactly there is in there.”

Harry jumped up and looked excitedly at the others. Neville stood up at once, a visible testimony to the change in his character and Hermione got up a little slowly. Malfoy and Pansy who were lazing along with them also stood up at once and looked eager to go.

All of them walked back inside the School and climbed up to the third floor. They stood there pouring over Harry’s map. Malfoy grabbed it from him and exclaimed, “Look Potter¸ Quirrell is moving deeper and he is stopping and moving again and wow there is something called Fluffy and a troll there Potter.” Malfoy was almost screaming excitedly and at that time, Snape came, his black robed billowing behind him and seeing so many students in the forbidden corridor, he stopped abruptly.

“What are all of you doing here?” he hissed in anger. “Potter!” he barked. “All this is your fault. Ten points from Gryffindor.”

“Sir, I saw professor Quirrell coming here and he was looking very suspicious Sir. So all of us came to check but we did not know how to open the door.” Malfoy said smoothly, holding the map behind him. Snape had already seen it but did not say anything.

“Get out of here all of you, get out!” Snape said his black eyes flashing at Harry, asking him what in the world he was doing.

Harry was doing what Snape had come to do. Make sure Quirrell never escaped. All the first years stood there uncertainly for a minute when suddenly, Harry cried out grasping his forehead. “Ahhhhhh!” he screamed, as he fell and all of them saw a horrible sprit come out of the closed door. It had red eyes and looked extremely malevolent and swirled around the screaming boy who was now on his knees and clutching his forehead that was beginning to bleed, and swirling around all of them who were transfixed to their places in sheer terror, abruptly entered Harry.

Snape was shaking with fear when he saw the sprit and recognized it as his Master. He did not dare to approach Harry when the sprit was swirling around Harry and he almost fainted when it went into Harry. So the protections did not hold, and Snape felt like crying. He removed his wand and was about to cast an exorcism spell, when Harry stopped screaming and opened his eyes.

Snape’s wand fell to the ground. Harry’s eyes were red. All of them stood there shaking in sheer terror. Snape could not move for a second, but he looked at Hermione, “Go and get the Headmaster and any other professor you find here at once.” He said still shaking badly and summoning his wand he was about to stun Harry/ Voldemort when Harry spoke, “Don’t Sir. Don’t curse.” Then he screamed again and shut his eyes, his hands clawing at the scar. Then Harry opened his eyes and looked viciously at Snape. His eyes were red and terrible.

“Severus.” said the voice, Snape had hoped he would never ever hear in his life, and watched with terror as that sprit in Harry’s body waved Harry’s hand and stunned all the terrified first years before telling Snape, “Kill this boy at once.”

The voice was cold, high and inhuman and Snape dropped his wand again, this time deliberately. He slowly bent down praying for someone to come and interfere and picked up his wand. No one came and Snape slowly lifted his hand and spoke, his voice shaking with fear, “Master,” Snape bowed deeply buying as much time as he could, “I will do as you command.”

He desperately looked around as if checking; still no one had come to help and Snape was about to cast the exorcism spell and reveal himself to be a traitor to the Dark Lord, but, before he could cast the spell, there was a loud scream from Harry in Voldemort’s voice and the sprit came barrelling out of Harry screaming in agony and moved away still screaming with pain.

Snape waited only until the sprit vanished from the corridor before he enervated all the others and bent down and lifted Harry into his arms and ran as if demented towards the infirmary. Draco and Neville paused only for a second before they too ran ahead of him screaming at anyone who was in the way in the corridors and with Pansy running behind them, they reached they reached he infirmary in record time and Snape gently put Harry down on the nearest bed and placing a silencing ward around the unconscious boy who looked pale, with his scar still bleeding for a second before he screamed. “Pomfrey!”

Madam Pomfrey came running out of her office and she gasped when she saw Harry lying down as if dead, his scar bleeding. Snape was already running diagnostic tests on him and he stopped when Pomfrey came swiftly to Harry and started running her wand over him.

“He is quite alright Severus. He seems to be only magically exhausted. Two days here with a lot of replenishing potions should make him fit and fine. What happened to him?” Pomfrey asked, but Snape did not answer, instead he simply nodded once and placed special wards around Harry, including sprit repelling wards and then flicking his wand and making a cut on his palm, he placed a blood ward on him as well.

“I will have to be here whenever you wish to feed him with food or potions Poppy. I am sorry but I will get confirmation from the Headmaster in a short while. Do you need to feed him any potions now?”

Pomfrey was livid, but Snape did not budge and finally she had to agree, snapping, “I will be talking to Albus about this, you may be sure.” She administered the potions to Harry, and Snape closed the ward, checking for Harry’s wand and carefully placing it within the ward. Then he turned around and billowed away as fast as he could to the office of Dumbledore, not caring about the first years still standing there in sheer horror.

Meanwhile Hermione had found McGonagall and both of them had run to the third floor corridor and not finding anyone there, McGonagall used the point me charm and tracked Harry to the infirmary. Snape had already left by then and after McGonagall got everything she could from the terrified first years, she asked all of them to follow her; straight to the Headmaster’s office.


End of Chapter – 13
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[The_Green_Woods]

http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=112304


Chapter – 14
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Snape set off almost at a run and he was halfway to Dumbledore’s office when he saw Dumbledore looking extremely agitated and coming swiftly almost at a run, just like him. “Ah! Severus, the protections have been breeched around the Stone. Come with me.” Dumbledore said, not even noticing that Snape too, was equally agitated and was heading towards his office.

Snape stopped abruptly and then ran with him, wanting to see the state of Quirrell, after Voldemort had finished with him. He suppressed a small shiver as he thought of all that the Dark Lord could have done to Quirrell, even in his sprit form. Dumbledore and Snape ran to the third floor corridor and they missed McGonagall and the other terrified first years who were just reaching the gargoyle to go up to the Headmaster’s office.

Dumbledore and Snape reached the door and Dumbledore opened it and flicked his wand and there was soft music starting to play and Snape going inside saw Fluffy asleep on the floor. He was against his will very impressed by Harry’s working of the wards. Harry had removed the Stone, placed a false Stone and replaced the wards once again and Dumbledore never knew and here Quirrell had alerted Dumbledore, the moment he had breached the wards.

They fell through the trap door and Dumbledore made a complicated twist of his wand with some silent spell and all the challenges set by the professors vanished and Dumbledore and Snape ran through, to the room where the Stone was placed.

The Stone was lying on the floor to one side and Quirrell lay very dead on the floor. There was blood from his ears, eyes, nose and mouth indicating he had been tortured. His face was horribly contorted and he looked to be in terrible anguish as he died.

Snape and Harry had placed no spells to torture Quirrell and knowing this to be the work of the Dark Lord, Snape shuddered visibly, thinking about the torture Voldemort would have subjected him to before he died. They, Harry and Snape had set spells only for the capture of Quirrell, knowing full well that he would die when the possession would come to an end. But Voldemort had become angry because the Stone was false and he had punished Quirrell terribly.

Dumbledore bent down and looked deeply at Quirrell and then sighed heavily at the waste of yet another life because of Voldemort. Then he summoned the Stone and suddenly stiffened. “Severus this is not the Stone.”

“What!” Snape exclaimed. The Stone they had conjured was exactly like the original and Snape wanted to know how Dumbledore found out so quickly.

“The Stone would hum a little with my magic Severus.” Dumbledore said sombrely. “Quirrell is dead and the Stone is gone.” Dumbledore looked very worried. Dumbledore spent some ore time there looking at everything very closely and unable to find anything, another thing Snape was impressed with, Harry’s skill in working the wards so successfully that he could remove the original safely. Dumbledore was unable to find anything from his inspection and that showed Snape how good Harry was.

They went up and Snape turned to Dumbledore as they walked up to his office. “I have something about Potter and this Stone and Quirrell business to tell you. I was coming to meet you about this when I saw you and decided to see Quirrell for myself.”

The seriousness of Snape’s tone and exactly what he had expressed made Dumbledore stop in his tracks and turn to Snape. “Severus,” he said urgently his eyes piercing Snape, “What happened? And how is Harry?”

“Potter is fine and I will not say anything more until we reach your office.” Snape said and looked around. Dumbledore saw the look of fear on Snape’s face and noticed for the first time how dishevelled and different Snape looked. He did not say a word more but simply walked quickly to his office.

They went up silently and Dumbledore saw Snape cast the sprit spell on the staircase and frowned. Then they were entering the office when Dumbledore saw McGonagall and the first years who, were with her apparently.

“Oh professor good you are here.” She said and then she saw Snape and her eyes widened. “Where were you all this while?”

“With me Minerva.” Dumbledore went to his chair and flicked his wand and chairs appeared for everyone.

“Yes what may I do for them Minerva. They are with you, I presume?” he asked and then looking at Snape, “I have something of importance to…,”

“They were there Albus.” McGonagall burst out unable to keep her professional façade. Dumbledore drew his breath in sharply. “What? Where?” he asked looking at Snape. Snape spoke slowly.

“They were standing by the door Albus. I was patrolling the corridor and had gone to the end and was coming back when I saw them by the door. All of them with Potter.” The whole first years shuddered and Hermione and Pansy were still crying.

“I went near them and told them off and they told me that they saw Quirrell come in looking very suspicious and they had followed him. I told all of them to get out when Potter suddenly screamed and fell to his knees, clutching his forehead. And a second later,” Snape shuddered. “The Dark Lord’s sprit came swirling out of the closed door and entered Potter. I will tell you the rest when the children are not here. It is not appropriate for them.”

Dumbledore was shocked. The protections were not effective was the one thought that kept going around in his head again and again.

“Do you have anything to add?” he asked them and all of them shook their heads. “Then you may leave and please go back to your common rooms and stay there today.”

All of them left at once, relieved to go.

The moment the first years left, McGonagall and Dumbledore looked anxiously at Snape who was now slightly shaking. “The Dark Lord entered Potter, Dumbledore and Potter screamed once more and then he opened his eyes, only they were blood red now.”

“What!!!” both Dumbledore and McGonagall exclaimed at the same time. Though McGonagall had heard it from the other first years this was confirmation that Harry was possessed by Voldemort.

Snape nodded his eyes haunted, “Yes and he called out to me. ‘Severus’ he said in that cold voice of his and turned around and stunned all the others and then he said ‘kill the boy’. I needed to do obey his commands and at the same time I needed to get him out of Potter and Dumbledore, I was never so helpless in my life. I deliberately dropped my wand again and slowly picked up the wand and was about to cast the exorcism spell, waiting until that last minute.

“That second the Dark Lord suddenly came screaming from Potter and left. I took Potter in my arms and ran to the infirmary and placed him on a bed and used the Dark Arts and Blood Magic to create wards with my blood so that not even Pomfrey would be able to access Potter without my presence. I also placed a monitoring charm and a ward to repel sprits. Dumbledore, Lily Potter’s protections don’t seem to work.”

Snape was trembling with fear by the time he had finished speaking and his eyes were wide and terrified. McGonagall was also very scared, but Dumbledore was the most worried. This showed that Voldemort could possess Harry but Lily’s sacrifice had saved Harry but not before he was severely hurt. Snape was terrified and Dumbledore had not seen that look on his face since that day when Snape had come running to him to inform him about Voldemort attacks on the Potters and to surrender to him.

And Voldemort had asked Snape to kill Harry. It was a blessing that Harry had managed to throw Voldemort out. Dumbledore frowned at that point. How did Harry throw Voldemort out? How could he?

“How did Harry throw out Voldemort?” Dumbledore asked Snape. Snape blinked and then frowned thinking very quickly for an answer. He could not come up with one. “I don’t know.” He said helplessly looking at Dumbledore, showing his frustration at not knowing so many things. They sat there silently for sometime

“Someone in the School has stolen the Stone Minerva.” Dumbledore told her and she gasped, clutching her chest as though it would burst.

“You-Know-Who?” she managed to ask her throat very tight.

“No. I don’t think so. Severus?” Dumbledore turned to Snape who nodded thoughtfully.

“I also do not think so. The Dark Lord was enraged and the way Quirrell died and he way the Stone was carelessly thrown to one side shows that the Dark Lord also knew this was the false Stone. That was why he was so angry and being inside Potter did not help much.” Snape shuddered slightly; he could not help it.

They sat there for some time and then stood up collectively to see Harry who was still behind wards and unconscious. They walked silently to the infirmary and looked at the still sleeping Harry and checked him for any residue of dark magic once Snape removed his wards, and Dumbledore stepped back relieved. Harry had no residue dark magic and his scar that he received through the rebounded killing curse all those years back was also the same as it had been when Dumbledore had checked it before he had placed Harry with the Dursleys.

Dumbledore called for Poppy and told her that Harry would be under his wards from now on. “I will key you in Poppy and you will be able to medicate him. And,” he smiled seeing her glare at Snape who did not even bother to respond, “Severus was correct in placing wards around the young Potter. Quirrell was possessed and the sprit inside him had tried to attack Harry. That was why Severus placed the wards.”

Dumbledore, Snape and McGonagall left the infirmary leaving a peacefully sleeping Harry and went to the third floor corridor once more. Dumbledore had the stone with him and right from the moment they entered the inner room where the Stone had been, Dumbledore started scrutiny of the wards more carefully. McGonagall and Snape assisted him but none were able to find any place where the wards had been breached.

“Someone has worked around my wards.” Dumbledore said his eyes almost turned inside with deep thought as he ran through all persons he knew who were experts in warding. And he could find no one who would be able come unnoticed into Hogwarts and dismantle all the other security measures and kill the troll and then work around his wards, remove the Stone and then place the wards once again.

That was the work of a master and he, Dumbledore was at a loss to know who did this and went off with the Stone.

Snape and McGonagall looked at each other. “Who could have?” they asked simultaneously.

“I do not know and it is worrying me.” Dumbledore replied, his face in an uncharacteristic frown.

“Did you not have a tracking charm on the Stone?” Snape asked him as they walked back. Dumbledore nodded his head. “Yes I did Severus, but the charms are not working. I had a tracking charm as well as a location charm, but both were placed on the false Stone very expertly, if I may say so, and they broke when Voldemort took the false Stone through Quirrell.”

Snape was so relieved in his mind the Stone was safe from the Dark Lord and he was silent, waiting for Dumbledore or McGonagall to say something. But no one had anything to say and after sitting there for some time Snape slowly got to his feet. “What should I do Dumbledore? The Dark Lord now knows I am still here, and I only hope and pray he still thinks I am with him.”

Dumbledore smiled at Snape. “He will, Severus. You have been very fortunate. The way you acted would have made Voldemort believe that you are still a death eater.”

They parted on that note and Dumbledore sent word once more to Sirius and Remus who came running and sat with Harry. Sirius scowled when Hermione and Neville told him about how Snape had scooped Harry in his arms and had run to the infirmary and placed him under safe wards not even trusting Pomfrey. Dumbledore had not explained in such detail and Sirius was alarmed at the urgency Snape had exhibited. He had shuddered when Dumbledore told him about whom it had been who had tried to possess and destroy Harry.

“So the protections don’t hold. That’s one good thing that came out of this mess, I feel. Harry need not go back to the Dursleys, ever.” Sirius told him.

“He cannot go back there Sirius.” Dumbledore agreed. “I will come to Grimmauld Place and place more wards and I believe Harry should be safe there.”

That was final and decided and Harry, when he woke up two days later, was thrilled with the news. The possession of Harry by Voldemort was almost like it had been in the Department of Mysteries where Harry’s love for Sirius had driven out Voldemort, who after that never tried to possess Harry or link to his mind.

This time too, Harry had thought of Sirius and his love for Harry, his fierce protection and had brought out the love he had felt for his kids and Ginny and Voldemort had screeched out, unable to stay inside of Harry’s head a minute longer.

“I think this is the best news ever Sirius.” Harry declared after he had heard that he never needed to go back to the Dursleys and his home would permanently be No.12, Grimmauld Place.

“I think so too kid.” Sirius had grinned, his wide smile almost splitting his face into two.

Harry did not use the train but flooed back to Grimmauld Place for the summer. “What are you going to do for the summer Harry?”

“Laze around.” Harry replied promptly. All of them laughed and Sirius shooed Harry to his room to lie down until lunch.

Harry had met his friends in the morning that day and even Malfoy, Blaise and Pansy had come to see him. Sirius had frowned at Malfoy and the other Slytherins but Harry had greeted all of them with enthusiasm. They came along with the Gryffindors; Hermione, Neville, Ron, Dean, Seamus and the twins and Lee Johnson.

All of them had a hilarious half hour before they left with many promises to write and keep in touch. Sirius had tackled Harry about being so openly friendly with Malfoy.

“Harry this is not right. Malfoy is evil and I really do not think any Slytherin is good.” Sirius told him frowning in concern.

Harry sighed and smiled. “This is very personal for me Sirius. Ron keeps telling me everyone in Slytherin is bad, and everyone whose parents, brothers and sisters are death eaters are also evil. I asked him then if I should run away from you. He spluttered and stammered but he would not change his views. So I told him, dark families or dark parents or dark creatures do not mean evil kids. That’s why I go out of my way to be friends with the Slytherins. And so far no one there has tried to harm me. Malfoy in fact came to me and told me that no one from their House was responsible for the broom, only for the bludger and he has stopped calling Hermione a mudblood too, because I told him I will fight him because my mother was one.”

Harry took a deep breath after he finished and looked at Sirius. He was gaping along with Remus at Harry’s sensitivity and maturity. While he was very proud, Sirius was also very worried and he really could not find anything to say at all. So kept silent but was planning to keep a close watch on the Malfoys and the other Slytherins.

After he reached Grimmauld Place, Harry emerged from his room only at lunch. Sirius and Remus were already there with an appetizing aroma rising from the table. Sirius had not allowed Dumbledore to ask Harry anything about what had happened outside the third floor corridor until he was sure Harry was alright. He had been very firm and he promised Dumbledore he would invite him and McGonagall who was Harry’s Head of House and who knew about what had happened to Quirrell and Harry. Dumbledore, Harry learned had not announced anything about Quirrell at all, at the leaving feast.

And Harry also learnt that Slytherin had won the cup this year instead of Gryffindor. Harry was thinking about all this as he came down and sat for lunch. “How are you Harry?” Sirius asked and Harry smiled tiredly.

“Very tired. I feel so exhausted. When Voldemort came into me he was beating into my brain, Sirius. He was screaming into my head and telling me that he would kill me. I thought I was going to die and I simply thought of you and Remus and the kindness and love you gave me and suddenly Voldemort screeched very loudly in my head and then I fainted.” Harry told them, filling his plate.

Sirius listened to this with amazement and felt so humbled and not knowing how to react he bent down and started eating. “When shall we call the Headmaster, Harry?” Remus asked after some time.

[The_Green_Woods]

“Anytime Remus. The sooner the better and I can tell him everything while it is still fresh in my mind.” Harry told them as he got up to keep the plates in the sink. Remus was right behind him, shooing him away and tackled the dished with a flick of his wand.

Sirius was still very quiet and Remus cleared his throat and said, “Perhaps, we can invite them for lunch tomorrow.”

“Them?” Harry asked. “Who else is coming?” wondering if Sirius had also asked for Snape. Though that would be a miracle of the highest order, Harry thought with a smile to himself.

“Well McGonagall also wanted to come.” Remus told him.

“Can you invite Snape also?” Harry asked him. Sirius turned incredulous eyes to him and spoke for the first time after Harry had told him how he had got rid of Voldemort’s sprit from his head.

“Whatever for Harry? You want the greasy git to come and defile our home? No way.” Sirius said adamantly, scowling at the very thought of Snape stepping into his house.

“Because I want to thank him personally. He took me into his arms and ran to the infirmary and saved my life Sirius. Surely I should thank him. Please call him too.”

Sirius scowled even more and Remus intervened just in case Sirius would say something he would regret later. “Why not Harry? That is an admirable thought.” And glared slightly at Sirius when he started to protest.

So that was decided and Remus flooed to Hogwarts and spoke to Dumbledore and asked him to come along with McGonagall and Snape. Dumbledore was astonished at an invitation for Snape and frowned when he heard Harry’s words. They were too mature. But then, he was slowly realizing that Harry was not a normal person.

Dumbledore agreed to come over for lunch the next day along with McGonagall and Snape whom he was sure would be able to come and Remus left to come back to Grimmauld Place with the news that all three professors would come over for lunch the next day.

Sirius scowled all through that day and sat silently sullen. Harry tried to drag him into conversations but left it as a bad job a little while later. Remus kept glaring at Sirius and all three of them were pretty silent the whole day. Harry escaped to his bedroom as soon as possible and was asleep very soon.

He woke up early, the next morning and went down to find Sirius and Remus already up. Harry greeted both of them and sat down and looked at Sirius. “If you feel very badly Sirius then tell Dumbledore not to bring Snape. I never meant to hurt you.” Harry said softly.

Sirius, who had mumbled back when Harry had greeted him with a cheery good morning, looked up startled at this. He saw Harry looking anxiously at him and flushed with shame.

“Hey! It is no trouble Harry. It is just that I really, really dislike the greasy git.” Sirius told him and cheered up visibly trying to put Harry at ease.

“Sorry Sirius. I seem to keep going against you.” Harry said in a small voice. “I like Snape.”

There was an uncomfortable silence after that statement and Sirius cleared his throat many times. Harry for his part wanted to be able to be accessible to Snape whenever he felt it was necessary to meet him for their work and Harry felt this was the best way to put it. By looking as if he was admiring Snape. And he could shock a lot of people on the way then so be it, Harry thought grinning. And he grinned even more widely when he thought of how Snape would take this. He would probably retch and take points from Gryffindor for impertinence and be even more horrible thinking he had gone soft.

Then again, he might think this was Harry beginning to get back at him for the all the unknown things of Harry’s other life. Both were attractive in Harry’s opinion and he waited eagerly for Dumbledore, McGonagall and Snape to arrive.

They came promptly at lunch and Sirius greeted Dumbledore and McGonagall with a smile and Snape with a scowl. Snape curled his lips in disdain at Sirius and smirked when Sirius snarled. Luckily Remus intervened and placing a calming hand on Snape, he led Sirius away and smiled pleasantly at Snape.

Snape sneered at Remus in return and went to stand alongside McGonagall. His eyes roved around and found Harry and his eyes narrowed as he looked at Harry.

Harry was beaming and he came forward and hugged Snape briefly and stepped back laughing his head off inside. “Thank you so much sir. Sirius and the others told me that you saved my life. Thank you sir.”

There was no answer. Snape was flabbergasted and looked as if he wanted to runaway. Sirius had staggered and he abruptly sat down unable to believe what he was seeing. Remus was shocked that someone could hug Snape and still be alive. That was surely the miracle of the century. It now took precedence even over Harry surviving the killing curse.

McGonagall looked shocked as well, her mouth open very unattractively and Dumbledore was trying hard not to laugh seeing the various expressions of those in that room. Harry was beaming looking at Snape very proudly. Snape was looking horrified and Dumbledore bit his lips once again. Sirius was looking as if the bottom had fallen out of his world and Remus was trying not to look as if he was shocked. McGonagall mouth was still open and Dumbledore smiled gently, his blue eyes telling those who knew him well, that this was one of the moments he would treasure for life.

“That was very nice of you Harry.” Dumbledore said his voice slightly shaky, only slightly but Snape turned to him and glared at him. Dumbledore looked very innocently at him, though his eyes were now screaming with laughter. Snape scowled, “Well Potter is okay and so I think I will leave.” He said in a much strangled voice, glaring at Harry, his eyes promising retribution later.

Harry smiled innocently and protested at once. “But sir, please stay.” And looked pleadingly at Sirius and Remus and for good measure at McGonagall who simply recoiled and at Dumbledore who just could not help it and grinned widely at Harry.

“Of course Severus will stay.” And made Sirius, who had looked up in hope that maybe Snape would leave, plunge into helplessness of being unable to fight Snape because of Harry and tried to stand up and look normal.

Everyone was looking awkwardly at each other except Harry who was smiling, Dumbledore who was grinning and Snape who was doing an admirable combination of scowling and snarling and daring anyone to say a word.

Dumbledore clapped his hands when the silence threatened to get oppressive and beamed at everyone. “May we sit down Sirius?” he asked softly and Sirius jumped up flushing at his lack of manners and went to work, getting the drinks and a butterbeer for Harry. Snape declined to have anything; he was probably suspicious that Sirius might have poisoned it even though Dumbledore and McGonagall were also having the elf made red wine from the same bottle.

Dumbledore’s eyes twinkled like mad and he was beginning to like Harry more and more, he felt. Harry was smart, intelligent and he would bet his last Knut that Harry had hugged Snape just for the reactions of all of them. There was something he could not put his hand on Harry just now, but he knew it would come. In the meantime, he felt very privileged to witness what had happened today. It really showed how mature Snape had become. A few years ago this would have merited a crucio at the very least, if not a killing curse.

Dumbledore unfortunately snorted as he visualized grateful children hugging a hero Snape and pulled his wine through his nose. Everyone looked as he struggled with himself not saying a word. Snape especially was flushed with rage. Dumbledore himself was startled. It was many decades since he had lost control like this.

“I am sorry.” He said solemnly. No one answered and Sirius stood up and led all of them to come into the kitchen feeling the sooner he could pile them with food, the sooner they could leave.

All of sat down quietly, the atmosphere having the look of a funeral rather than anything else and ate silently. Only Dumbledore and Harry attempted at any conversation and soon they too fell silent. Snape was very careful with his food, generally taking anything only after Dumbledore or McGonagall had helped themselves, and the dishes they did not touch, he also did not touch.

They finished the meal in record time, Snape finishing first. Then all of them trooped out into the drawing room and sat there and Dumbledore cleared his throat. “Harry,” he said and his voice became serious, “can you tell us what happened in the third floor corridor?”

Harry nodded. “Yes sir. We noticed Quirrell,” Harry shuddered and Sirius came closer and put his arm protectively around Harry and squeezed his shoulder. Harry smiled his thanks to Sirius and turned to Dumbledore who was looking at him, his blue eyes piercing through him.

“We followed Quirrell and found that he had gone into the forbidden room and we were debating what to do when this thing came out and suddenly entered me.” Sirius held him more closely and Remus moved closer to Harry on his other side. He three professors were listening raptly.

“The feeling was horrible. Harry now shuddered genuinely, his eyes darkening in remembered fear. “It went into my head and was screaming inside me and I felt that my head would burst.” Harry’s voice was very low and everyone was straining to hear. “I knew I would die in a few seconds and I thought of Sirius and Remus who took me in and gave me so much love and suddenly sir, the thing screamed louder and pushed out of my head and then I don’t remember sir.”

Harry cuddled into Sirius, his hug comforting him. Voldemort had been truly terrible and Harry never wanted to repeat this ever again.

The others were silent for a few minutes and then Dumbledore stood up and following his example Snape and McGonagall stood up too. “Take rest Harry and thank you for telling us what happened. Enjoy your holidays and we shall see you on the 1st of September. Good by Harry. Sirius, Remus.”

Dumbledore moved towards the floo and Sirius stood up with Harry still leaning into him and they saw the Hogwarts professors off and then all of them truly relaxed.

Sirius forgot the anger he had before, he forgot the brief spasm of jealousy that almost made him want to hex Snape truly badly when Harry had hugged him and he forgot the awkwardness of the lunch he hosted. All he was concerned about now was that Harry needed his comfort and the whole day Harry read from his books and Sirius sat by him, holding him and comforting him.


End of Chapter – 14
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[The_Green_Woods]

Chapter – 15
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The summer holidays were the best Harry could remember in both his lives. From day one until he was to leave for School, Harry was very happy, contented and safe. Though it was still a debate whether his mother’s protections were still there or not, Dumbledore in this time had taken it to mean the protections were no longer applicable. Harry always had thought that the protections would hold against Voldemort, but when Dumbledore was in doubt, he was not going to say anything.

Harry had been possessed by Voldemort in his fifth year in the Department of Mysteries and then, Dumbledore had concluded the protections held. Now he was not so sure. That was another change from the other time, and one Harry did not mind at all. Harry was happy because he felt he could not take the risk by going back to the Dursleys and killing them in the process too, in case he was possessed by Voldemort while at Privet Drive and was not able to gain control. That would have been dangerous to say the least.

Harry spent his time reading, pranking and going to many places with Sirius and Remus. They took him to Ireland and France for week-ends and Harry thoroughly enjoyed seeing the magical world of those two places. He had been to both muggle and magical Ireland and France before and had enjoyed it then and he enjoyed them now too.

He wrote letters to everyone and was not surprised when he never received any back. The second year had started and Harry assumed Dobby was keeping letters from him.

Harry did not remember the date he had been to Diagon Alley and so when he went to shop for his books, he did not meet the Weasleys or the Malfoys or any of his friends there. Harry, Sirius and Remus had a normal shopping day without Lockhart and the others.

Sirius had commented about the lack of letters but had left it when Harry had shrugged and told him that he had he had sent the letters first, but would wait for a reply before writing again. So that was that.

Harry had also spoken to Sirius and Remus about getting permission to make the expensive potion to know his mother’s blood status and to find out which family she had descended from. Sirius had not been able to refuse but he did not like the fact that Harry would be meeting Snape almost on a daily basis for the potion.

They had never spoken about Harry’s behaviour when Dumbledore, McGonagall and Snape had come to Grimmauld Place for lunch, though Harry was well aware that Sirius did not like it. Harry made sure he never spoke about Snape, if he could avoid that particular topic. He did not want another fight on his hands.

They spent his birthday in Ireland and there was no reason for Harry to call over any of his friends. Sirius and Remus had got him many books, robes and other small trinkets. Sirius also got him a nice watch.

Sirius and Remus did go to office everyday, but in the holidays one of them made a point to come back early. Harry had been given permission to floo to The Leaky Cauldron and visit Diagon Alley, if he got bored during the day. Knockturn Alley was banned for now. Sirius promised to take him when he was older.

On one of these days Harry had flooed to The Leaky Cauldron and had gone into Diagon Alley. There he had stepped into a small alley and after changing his face and making himself look older, Harry had walked swiftly to Borgin and Burkes. He had entered the dingy shop and had browsed around. No one asked him anything; he looked like a dubious person after all.

Old Borgin who was there did not spare him a second glance and Harry bought a few Dark Arts books and then walking to a tall cabinet, opened it and peered inside.

“It is a very good cupboard sir.” Borgin spoke in an oily voice behind Harry that startled Harry so much that he jumped and hit the corner of the cupboard. He cursed and turned to the part owner of the shop and nodded curtly.

“I think I will take it. How much is it?”

Borgin told him and after indulging in a fair bit of haggling for the price for this as well as the books, Harry left with a shrunken carton, very happy with his day. He walked up to the apparition point and apparated to a remote place and removed his glamour and casting invisibility spells on him apparated to a small alley near The Leaky Cauldron. He cancelled the invisibility charms and walked into the pub and took the floo to Grimmauld Place. Sirius and Remus had not yet come and Harry spent the time to set up the vanishing cupboard, in a corner of his room and started warding it with blood wards. Then he locked his door and opened the door of the vanishing cupboard and went inside.

Harry knew how to operate the cupboard and he simply stepped into its brother cupboard and removing his invisibility cloak from his robes, Harry put it on and gingerly opened the door. It opened into the staff room of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Harry felt jubilant. This was fantastic. Harry went out slowly walking cautiously, his invisibility cloak firmly fastened and then went into the cupboard once again to walk out into his room at Grimmauld Place. Once back in his bedroom, Harry sat silently for a while before flicking his wand and making the cupboard look more attractive. After he changed the outside of the cupboard, Harry opened the door and conjured shelves and placed a lot of his books into the cupboard.

After the books, came the wards that Harry placed all around the cupboard, making sure no one would think of removing the shelves and the books he had placed in it to venture inside. The most important ward he placed was inside the cupboard, where he stopped by means of another blood ward, the entry from the other vanishing cabinet to this one.

After this Harry was largely quiet, simply waiting for Dobby to come and tell him not to go to Hogwarts. He had no connection with his friends and he knew Sirius and Remus were angry as the days went by without any response especially after his birthday, but since Harry had been very normal and totally unaffected and had not written after that first round of letters, he had sent, they could not say anything and they kept quiet.

Harry had made copious plans of starting the potions and also spent a lot of time studying his second year books. A week before Harry was to leave for his second year, Dobby popped into his room one night.

This was once again a change from the previous time, when Dobby had come to the Dursleys much earlier. Harry had placed silencing charms in his room after his birthday so that no one would hear if Dobby screamed and wailed unless Sirius and Remus were with Harry in his room at the time.

Dobby came in very late at night and he simply stood there staring at Harry with his big eyes full of wonder at having met the great Harry James Potter. Harry stared back at the elf that had saved all of them and had died in the process. He swallowed the sudden tightness in his throat at the sight of the faithful elf and smiled.

“Who are you?” Harry asked him very calmly, though his heart was bursting with happiness to see yet another person who was alive, and one whom Harry himself had buried.

“Dobby sir.” The elf squeaked.

“Hello Dobby. Why have you come here?” Harry asked him and this set Dobby off.

“Yous is really great Harry Potter sir. Yous asked me how I am. Harry Potter is really great sir.” He wailed, big fat tears leaking out of his eyes as he looked at Harry worshipfully.

Harry grinned; Dobby had not changed after all. “I really am not great or anything Dobby. But thanks all the same. Now, what was it that you wanted from me?”

“The great Harry Potter is so humble.” Dobby cried loud and long and then slowly sobered and stared at Harry with his tennis balls eyes. His expression was serious and very intense.

“Harry Potter must not return to Hogwarts this year, sir. Terrible things are planned to happen at the Hogwarts School of witchcraft and wizardry.” He said solemnly.

“What do you mean, Dobby?” Harry asked looking very interested and serious.

“Sir, there is terrible things that is planned at Hogwarts this year. Harry Potter must not go to Hogwarts so that he may be safe.” Dobby told him again, his glance beseeching and pleading.

“Are these things planned against me or against everybody else?” Harry asked him and the little elf wrung his hands.

“I really don’t know everything sir. The bad, bad things are planned against all those who are not pure bloods.” Dobby told him very distressed.

Harry was silent for a while. “Thank you Dobby. I will tell Sirius and Remus and ask them to tell Dumbledore to” the elf did not let Harry complete the sentence. He simply latched on to Harry and howled with fear.

“No, no, no, no Harry Potter sir,” it cried at the top of its lungs, “please do not tell anyone sir. I would be severely punished by my family sir.” Dobby clutched Harry’s night robes and cried all down his shirt.

Harry simply sat there allowing Dobby to cry off his terror and after a while he sat Dobby down and put a hand over his mouth, preventing Dobby from speaking.

“Dobby, listen to me.” Harry told him quietly. He waited until Dobby was calm and nodded his head before continuing. “I think it would be the best thing to tell the Headmaster. Wait!” Harry told him as Dobby began to whimper. “Wait. I will say that a house elf came and told me that some bad things have been planned for Hogwarts and that he came to me because I was well, what should I say, hmm, well okay, the Boy-Who-Lived and warned me about it but popped away before I could enquire anything about him. Okay?”

Dobby did not agree at first and Harry had to spend the next hour persuading the elf to agree.

“Please be careful sir.” Dobby entreated Harry and finally agreeing with him and getting ready to pop away to Malfoy Manor. Before that he snapped his fingers and gave the missing letters to Harry with a bashful and a slightly fearful smile.

Harry grinned as he took the letters. “So they had written!” he exclaimed. “You kept them away.” He looked at Dobby in mild surprise.

Dobby hastened to explain. “I did not mean to sir. I merely thought that if Harry Potter felt he had no friends, then he would not want to return.”

“That’s alright Dobby.” Harry told him and was once again treated to wailing and crying about the ‘Great Harry Potter and how magnanimous and forgiving he is’ before he popped away.

Harry breathed a sigh of relief and opened the letters. There were three letters from Hermione, two from Neville, one from Ron, one from the twins and two from Malfoy.

Feeling curious that Malfoy would write again without receiving a reply Harry opened the letters from Malfoy first. The first one was a reply to Harry’s and asking him if he would meet Draco at Diagon Alley to do their shopping together.

The next letter had been written just a week ago and it contained very interesting information.

Harry,

I have received no reply to my letter and so I assumed you were not interested in meeting me at Diagon Alley. I hope your holidays with your guardians have not made you think less about us Slytherins.

Harry rolled his eyes and sighed, sensing the hurt Malfoy was implying through the letter because Harry had not replied.

I went last week to Diagon Alley with mother and father to shop for my School supplies and there in Flourish and Blotts we met the Weasleys and Lockhart, who has written most of the books we will be studying this year.

I presume that I will see you on the train or at School.

Malfoy

So Lucius Malfoy had met the Weasleys. Harry tore open the letters from Hermione, Ron and the twins but they had not written anything about the meeting with the Malfoys in their letters.

Harry sighed and bundling the letters, went out to tell Sirius and Remus about the ‘unknown’ elf but both of them were sleeping and Harry decided not to wake them up and went to bed himself.

The next morning, Harry was up early as usual and as soon as Sirius and Remus came in, he set the letters on the table and grinned at them.

“So they finally had the decency to write back did they?” Sirius asked him, scowling at the letters.

“No, Sirius. An elf finally had the decency to finally hand over the letters to me. It had apparently taken the letters away and came over yesterday night and handed it over to me. I came to tell you both about it, but both of you were sleeping and I decided to tell you today.”

Sirius blinked at this involved and very confusing explanation, “Wait a minute Harry. Are you telling me that a house elf came over to Grimmauld Place and handed the letters to you? How could it Remus?” Sirius asked the last question to Remus who was listening to all this with a very puzzled and a thoughtful look.

“I don’t know Sirius. Remember the elves in Hogwarts? We are repeatedly told that you cannot apparate or disapparate in Hogwarts and yet how many times have the elves popped over when ever we called them to give us snacks or clean after us. They should not have been able to but they do it all the time. Maybe this elf too is like that. It could probably pop over if it could, unless you give it a direct order not to come here, ever, like you did with Kreacher.”

Sirius frowned even more as he processed all that Remus told him and then nodded thoughtfully, though half – heartedly still not fully convinced. Then he turned to Harry.

“Tell us what actually happened yesterday night Harry, and try not to leave anything. Did the elf tell you its name and was it from Hogwarts or was it working for some family and why did it take away your letters?

Harry cleared his throat and launched into an account of all that happened and finally finished with, “It would not tell me its name Sirius. But it seemed to know from somewhere that someone is planning to unleash something in Hogwarts this year and it did not want me to go. It thought, poor thing, that if I did not receive letters from my friends, then I would not want to go back to School. It popped away before I could ask it anything else.”

“I think we should tell this to Dumbledore Sirius. If, as the elf said that someone is going to unleash something that could harm the kids, then it is better Dumbledore is prepared. If we tell him this today, then he may even tighten the wards around the School.” Remus told Sirius, his amber eyes very serious.

“I don’t like this Remus. Maybe we should heed the elf’s warning and keep Harry away from Hogwarts this year. Wait Harry,” Sirius told him, as Harry opened his mouth to protest, “last year Voldemort was able to enter into Hogwarts and he even tried to possess you and kill you. This year just a week before, we have an unknown elf that simply pops over and warns you, hands over the letters to you and pops off. I am worried Harry. I think we should take its warning to heart.”

“I agree with Sirius, Harry, but I think we should talk to Dumbledore before we decide anything.” Remus told Harry and Harry pouted and turned a pleading expression to both of them, “Sirius, Remus, nothing will happen to me. I wanted to start on the potion this year. I will be careful and will not go off on my own. Please.”

“Well, we will speak to Dumbledore and then decide alright?” Sirius told him, and Harry shrugged a little disappointedly and then they carried on with their meal in silence.

After they finished their breakfast, Sirius flicked his wand and sent a Patronus to Dumbledore and heaved a sigh of relief when Dumbledore’s Phoenix Patronus came some time later inviting them to Hogwarts right then. Dumbledore had asked them to floo directly into his office and in a few minutes a visibly worried Sirius and Remus flooed in and Harry followed them a minute later falling on his buttocks with a small ‘ouch’.

Dumbledore, Snape and McGonagall were already sitting there and Dumbledore greeted Sirius and Remus with a smile and his smile broadened when he saw Harry’s landing.

“Hello Harry, how have your holidays been? And you Sirius, Remus, how are you both?” Dumbledore asked them and the next few minutes passed by in pleasant chit chat in which everyone except Snape was participating, Snape was glowering at Harry, Sirius and Remus, well glowering at Harry and sending looks of deep loathing to Sirius and Remus. But Sirius was much too worried to even notice Snape in the room let alone snarl and glare at him. Dumbledore noticed that and he wondered what could be that important for Sirius to ignore Snape.

[The_Green_Woods]

Harry had smiled at Dumbledore and had greeted him politely and then had turned a beaming face to McGonagall and Snape. McGonagall had smiled back at him, while Snape had shrunk back in his seat, making Dumbledore and McGonagall bite their lips to stop laughing. Harry did not do anything though and after greeting both his professors nicely, had sat down quietly in between Sirius and Remus.

“What is the matter Sirius? Your Patronus sounded urgent?” Dumbledore asked him after the pleasantries.

“Harry?” Sirius turned to Harry and asked him to tell everything to the Headmaster.

The moment Dumbledore realized that this had to do with Harry, he became very alert. So did McGonagall and Snape. Harry looked a bit nervous and felt Sirius's hands coming over his shoulder and smiled at him, before turning to Dumbledore.

Harry once again, for the second time since that morning, told Dumbledore and the other two professors about an unknown elf that came into his room last night. Harry was sure Dumbledore did not know Dobby and so he had not changed the features of the elf in his mind, but had placed false memories of the conversation he was sprouting off to everyone.

As he had expected, Dumbledore peeped into his mind as he told his story. The one good thing about Snape knowing Harry’s secret was he no longer peeped into Harry’s mind. So Harry had to deal only with Dumbledore. Once Harry finished with his telling Dumbledore also withdrew from his mind and there was only silence for a few minutes while all of them digested what Harry was telling them.

“I was wondering if I should send Harry to Hogwarts this year Albus. Voldemort has already tried once last year and this year has not even started and already Harry has received a warning.” Sirius's voice sounded very troubled and Dumbledore sighed. He did not recognize the elf, it could belong to anybody or it could have overheard someone speaking and had come to warn Harry. But why Harry? Why not the other students? Was it because Harry was the Boy-Who-Lived or was it because Harry would be specifically targeted?

Dumbledore had no answers. “Harry will be safe here Sirius. I will strengthen the wards and also check the various entrances and have them properly sealed. Do not worry. Harry,” Dumbledore turned to Harry, “You must make sure that you have someone with you all the times and you must not go alone anywhere.”

“Yes sir. This year I wanted to request professor Snape to help me start with the Ancestry potion. That will take the better part of the year to brew and I will be with my friends all the time and I will not go alone anywhere.”

Snape simply sneered at the politeness of Harry, and Sirius noticed him for the first time and glared at him. “Shut up Snape. Albus,” he told Dumbledore, “are you sure Snape is fine?” the insult and the implication clear in his voice.

Snape jumped to his feet and had his wand in his hand and Sirius stood up furiously, his own wand in his hand and Dumbledore clapped his hands for attention. “Severus, Sirius, please, there is a child here and both of you must set an example to him.”

Snape sneered once more; not taking his eyes off Sirius and Sirius threw a disgusted look at Snape and sat down. “Sorry Albus. We will leave and I will send Harry, but please make sure that what the elf said will not come to pass. Call us if you do need any help. Thank you and goodbye.”

“Sirius, may I stay back here for an hour to discuss the potion with professor Snape? Please?” Harry asked him, just as they were about to enter the floo. Sirius looked incredulously at him.

“What Harry? You want to ask,” Harry cut him off there and turned a pleading expression to Sirius. “Please Sirius.”

“I am busy Potter and I really do not have the time to pander to your whims and fancies and I really do not think I will be able to assist you in this potion.” Snape told him brusquely and flicked something off his robes.

“Sir please help us sir. It is a complicated potion and I want to know from which family my mum is descended. Please help me sir.” Harry begged him. Snape froze at hearing about Harry’s mother and glaring hatefully at everyone; he turned away and walked out without bothering to answer.

“Of all the bloody____” Sirius was fuming and McGonagall and Dumbledore looked resigned and Remus placed a calm hand on Sirius's shoulder.

“Sirius, Remus, please, May I go and talk to professor Snape? Please, please, please.” Harry begged them.

“But he won’t help you Harry. You saw him. Why do you persist in thinking only good of him, when he clearly is not?” Sirius asked him, his voice full of anger and hate, and sounding more like the Sirius that Harry knew.

“Because he has never shown he is bad Sirius. He is like this with everyone, not just me and he is a brilliant potions master. Please, I want to find out about mum. Don’t say no.” Harry told him, his tone conciliatory and pleading.

Sirius turned turbulent eyes towards Dumbledore, “May he, Albus?” clearly not liking it, but unable to stop Harry’s desire to find out about his mother.

Dumbledore nodded, looking at Harry with undisguised curiosity that a small child should be able to see so clearly below the surface actions, and Harry grinned in relief and hugged Sirius and Remus and smiled his thanks to Dumbledore and McGonagall and ran towards the door.

“Not more than an hour Harry.” Sirius warned and Harry nodded, “I will floo back, either from here or from the floo in the professor’s office if he will allow me to.” and ran towards the dungeons to meet Snape.

Once Harry was out of the Headmaster’s office, he ran all the way down and caught up with Snape at the entrance to his potions office and waited silently behind him, as he unlocked his office door and walked inside. Snape threw some privacy, silencing and locking spells before going to his chair and sitting down, his face still pale and angry.

“How are you? I am to be talking to you about the potion we are to be starting this year.” Harry told him, his eyes looking carefully at Snape.

Snape was silent for some time, struggling to control himself both about cursing Sirius and his own emotions regarding Lily before he looked directly at Harry, “Who was the elf? Did this happen last time?” he asked abruptly.

Harry nodded. “The elf was Dobby, the Malfoy’s elf. Lucius Malfoy will or already has given the horcrux that he had with him to Ginny Weasley. The horcrux will possess her and she will release the basilisk inside the chamber that Slytherin built. I will try and steal the diary as soon as I can from her.”

There was silence as Snape processed that information and then Snape turned once more to Harry.

“Why did the Dark Lord’s sprit try and possess you Potter?” Snape asked him quietly.

Harry shuddered as he thought of both events when Voldemort had possessed Harry. The last time was in the Department of Mysteries when Sirius fell into the veil and two months ago when he came out in rage after killing Quirrell.

“He possessed me once in my fifth year the last time around Snape. But after that he never came near me. I hope this time too he will not come anywhere near me and if he does, my mum’s protection will help me throw him out.”

“Lily’s protection? I thought they were not there anymore.” Snape said his eyes narrowed as he looked at Harry intently.

“They are always with me and will always work against him. Voldemort cannot stand love Snape. I thought of all those who loved me and all those whom I loved and Voldemort went away.” Harry told him wondering if Snape realized he had spoken Harry’s mother’s name quite casually. Harry thought Snape had not realized it.

“Did he see your past life then Potter. You are careless.” Snape hissed in alarm.

“No, no! Snape, I did not. I only concentrated on the love I had for everyone. That was all.” Harry reassured him and smiled when Snape snorted and sneered at him.

“Then why did Dumbledore feel that Lily’s protection was not there anymore?” Snape asked him, leaning forward interestedly.

Harry shrugged. “I really don’t know. Maybe he felt that Voldemort trying to possess me so early is not good and if he tried the same thing at Privet Drive, I would be all alone. At Grimmauld Place at least I will have Sirius and Remus with me.” Snape snorted and his expression told Harry what he thought of Sirius and Remus and that naturally led Snape to the events that happened at Grimmauld Place.

“How dare you hug me Potter, when I came to Black’s despicable home? Let me assure you that I will be taking as many points as I can from Gryffindor for that all through this year.” Snape told him softly, his eyes glinting with anger and something that Harry could not discern, maybe it was embarrassment.

Harry looked seriously at him. “I wanted everyone to know of your contributions Snape. Last time you did too much and got too little recognition for your hard work, without which we would have not won the war. This time, I plan to see things work differently. I want Sirius, Remus and others to also understand the type of spying you will be doing for the Wizarding World and the Order of the Phoenix. Humour me on this one, please.”

Snape was flabbergasted internally, though outwardly his face was blank. Potter did that for him? What had happened last time?

Harry on his part hoped Snape would become a bit more human and be a lot more accepted than he was before. Well time would tell, thought Harry as both of them sat silently lost in their own thoughts.

“Did Dumbledore talk to you about the Stone?” Harry asked him a few minutes later.

“No. but he enlisted my help as well as that of Minerva to search for the Stone. We turned the whole castle upside down and he, I think is very worried that the Stone has disappeared without his knowledge. He called Nicholas Flamel and both of them did some complicated magic before Flamel told him that the Stone was not in Hogwarts. I have never seen Dumbledore so worried.” Snape sounded very happy. Harry did not reply and both of them lapsed into silence again.

“Can you get me some basilisk venom and skin?” Snape asked him after a short pause.

“Of course. I will take you inside the chamber and you can help yourself to anything you want. If we are able to get the diary and destroy it, then that is four horcruxes out of the way. Only Nagini and the Hufflepuff cup remain, oh! And Voldemort of course, we have to defeat him as well.” Harry pointed out to him and then he stood up. “Can I take the floo from here? Dumbledore peeped into my mind again today and I would rather not meet him once more.”

Snape nodded once and Harry walked towards the fire. “I will bring the gold necessary and we can start preparing for the potions once School starts. Is that okay with you?”

“Will you let me be if it weren’t?” Snape countered.

Harry grinned. “There is that and so, see you Snape, once School starts.”

Snape did not bother to answer and looked inscrutably at Harry until he disappeared in the flames.


End of Chapter – 15
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http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=112304

[The_Green_Woods]

Chapter – 16
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Harry fell out of the floo and picked himself up and walked into Grimmauld Place and found both Sirius and Remus waiting for him. They were looking very anxious and Sirius smiled the smile of a relieved man when he saw Harry fall down from the floo and curse himself.

“Are you okay Harry?” he asked as Harry brushed the soot off his robes.

“Yup, Sirius. I am fine. I spoke and actually begged Snape to help me with the potion and he finally nodded once in total irritation. So I guess that means an okay.” Harry grinned as he went to the small table and poured some pumpkin juice that Sirius had kept.

“The bloody git! He can’t be polite for once can he?” Sirius fumed. Remus laid a hand on his shoulder in warning and smiled at Harry.

“So you are going to do the potion. That is fantastic Harry.”

Harry nodded enthusiastically. “You bet Remus! I want to see if my mum has magical roots on her dad’s side or her mum’s side. So does Hermione and a whole lot of others. I thought we could pool all our money together and get this going. Then those who call Hermione a mudblood would be the real fools.”

“Good for you Harry. It will certainly help in this. You could even publish your results in The Daily Prophet or even the same magazine and gain more popularity for this experiment. It would help all the muggleborns.” Remus said, smiling at Harry’s enthusiasm.

“That is a fab idea Remus. May be we could try it on every muggleborn witch and wizard.” Harry told him.

“Hey, you will need the Ministry of Magic’s approval and permission for that, Harry.” Sirius told him, slowly getting caught in Harry’s enthusiasm.

“So we make a big enough racket to get it.” Harry laughed and Sirius and Remus laughed along with him, telling Harry how much like James he had spoken and Harry spent the rest of his holidays happily and on the morning of the 1st of September, he got ready and side along apparated along with Sirius and a disapproving Remus and stumbled as they let him go and landed on his bum at King’s Cross.

They were slightly early that day, because Sirius had to attend a meeting at Gringotts for a business deal and after dropping Harry and crushing him with a hug, Sirius and Remus waved goodbye to him, after taking promises from Harry to write everyday to them and disapparated.

Harry sat there silently waiting for everyone to come along and he saw Hermione come briskly with her parents first.

“Hi, Hermione.” Harry shouted to her and was slightly taken aback when she glared a bit, before nodding her head. She walked briskly towards him and after saying her goodbyes to her parents, she turned to Harry. She was about to speak when Neville and Malfoy both peeped in and Malfoy scowled when he saw Harry and Neville smiled hesitantly.

“So Potter we are back to being Slytherin and Gryffindor are we?” Malfoy asked his trunk in his hand and an angry and hurt look on his face.

In answer Harry simply pulled his trunk from his hand and shrunk it for him and then pulled him and Neville inside and shut the door.

“Okay guys. I am sorry for not answering the letters all of you sent, but the fact was I never received them in the first place. Al least I did not get them until a few days ago, when an elf came to me and gave it to me. It would not say why it took the letters in the first place, only handed it over to me and popped off. I told Sirius that it might have been Kreacher. But Sirius was not there when the elf came and so… sorry once again.”

All the three of them listened quietly to Harry’s explanation and then Harry watched with a sigh of relief that all of them looked fine. He had planned what to say with Sirius and Sirius had spent some time talking through the floo with Dumbledore and they had discussed it amongst themselves and had come up with this. Harry was fine with this. He had not wanted Malfoy to know, anyone to know actually. This way Malfoy would not get a wind of something and promptly write his father with some horrible thing taking place in Hogwarts this year.

Neville was relieved and Harry smiled at him. He was probably feeling relieved that Harry had not broken off with him and somehow that thought made Harry feel incredibly sad. He realized the extent of low self esteem that Neville had, Malfoy was the same too, only he hid it better Harry understood looking at Draco Malfoy who was looking calmer and a lot happier.

Pansy, Ron, the twins and others kept peeping into their compartment and Harry apologized to Ron and the twins too explaining to them what had happened. They simply shrugged it off and Ron and Draco promptly got into an argument and came close to hexing each other until Harry silenced Draco and the twins dragged Ron away, promising to meet Harry and discuss the potion with him later.

Harry turned irritated eyes on to Draco but Hermione got there first. “You are mad Malfoy. You know Ron. Where is your pureblood grooming anyway? You were bickering with him like some silly, snotty kid.” She ranted, glaring at him and Draco protested his innocence to her.

Harry, after watching for a few minutes as they argued back and forth stopped them and started off on the potion he was planning to make. “I spoke to Snape during the holidays and he agreed and my Godfather agreed to pay for the potion’s cost as well.”

That succeeded in turning their attention from their bickering and on to the potion. “That is great news Harry. Tell us what happened.” Hermione said eagerly.

And so Harry told all of them what happened and Hermione predictably asked a great many questions about it. “My parents have also promised to contribute Harry. What do you say? Shall we all contribute for the potions and for Snape’s time to make it so that the potion would be available for all of us? Because, otherwise, the cost of the ingredients alone will make me back out right now.” She finished wistfully, looking at Harry with great hope.

“Of course Hermione. Sirius has promised to fund this and it will make it easier on him if I am able to get contributions from all muggleborns. We can brew more of this stuff and test it on all muggleborns who are here in Hogwarts and maybe even publish our results in The Daily Prophet. What do you say?”

“Brilliant Harry! That is what we will do. Ohhhh! I am so excited.” Hermione exclaimed.

Malfoy sulked. “What about us purebloods. Don’t we get to also say a few words in The Daily Prophet?”

Harry rolled his eyes and grinned at Malfoy. “You and the other Slytherins and Gryffindors who are pure bloods will be the most important, for you will verify that the potions did work and you saw the results for yourselves. Happy?”

Malfoy brightened up. He merely nodded though, and kept quiet.

They spent the time until they reached Hogwarts by discussing the potion and also wondering about why the elf had taken away Harry’s letters in the first place and why it had returned them later.

“Are you sure Harry that the elf did not tamper with the letters?” Malfoy asked him, frowning deeply as he thought about which elf it could be that had the sheer nerve to take away the letters belonging to a wizard and that too someone like Harry Potter. It was all very mysterious really.

Harry shook his head in reply. “They were not even opened Draco. I was so taken aback, let me tell you. But before I could question the elf it popped away.”

After that the talk turned to Quidditch. Malfoy started blushing and he slowly spoke. “My father has brought Nimbus 2001 brooms for the entire team. Marcus Flint owled me and told me that he wanted to train me as Slytherin’s new seeker.”

There was a dead silence after Malfoy’s statement and he, himself, was looking out of the window, looking very humiliated and wishing earnestly he had never grumbled to his father that he would never be good enough to make the team.

Harry was shocked by how the events were happening as they did just like before, even though Malfoy had changed so much. Before he could say something neutral and calm Malfoy who was now a Weasley red and looking straight out of the window, Hermione snorted.

Malfoy whirled around and glared at her. “You said something?” he asked furiously.

“No, I snorted a bit.” Hermione replied calmly, making Harry bite his cheeks to stop laughing.

Malfoy glared at her, a bit uncertain about how to respond. “Why? I never asked for it you know.” He turned to Harry, “I was just grumbling one day that whatever I do I would never be good enough for the team and the next thing I know is Flint owling me. I swear I did not ask.”

Hermione snorted a little gently once again and laughed at Malfoy’s expression. “Well you know that’s what everyone’s going to think.”

Malfoy ignored her and looked at Harry. “Is that what you think?” he asked.

Harry shook his head and watched Malfoy visibly relax. “No I don’t, but what Hermione says is true. Everyone will think that.”

“Well in Slytherin I will say it is true.” Malfoy said uncomfortably.

“What!” Hermione exclaimed, but Harry cut her off.

“But naturally, Malfoy. That would show power.” Hermione looked at him with her mouth open and Malfoy nodded relieved that at least one of them understood him and Slytherin. Neville was silently listening to everything, but not opening his mouth.

“But how Harry?” Hermione asked him bewildered that something that was shameful to her would be a show a power to Malfoy.

“This is Slytherin, Hermione. Here status, power and where you come from and how much influence you have in your world are most important. Malfoy would be respected for this there. It is not like Gryffindor. And it is not wrong for them.” Harry finished firmly, his eyes warning her. She backed off reluctantly.

Malfoy was relieved and he spoke to Hermione. “In Slytherin, you have to show your power and status. It is not bad Hermione, it is what everyone does. And remember I got only the initial break here. That is what power can do. To keep it, I must perform. Else even my father’s power will not help.”

Hermione snorted again and Malfoy looked irritated but as she did not say anything more, he left it there and all of them were silent for a while before chatting to one another again. Some time later, the announcements came over magical communication systems, saying that they were nearing Hogsmeade and Harry and the others got ready to alight.

This year they took the horseless carriages and Harry alone could see the threstals pulling them. They reached the School and Draco swaggered off to the Slytherin tables where he was pounced upon by Pansy and Blaise who also waved to Harry. Harry grinned and waved back mouthing ‘later’ and jumped into the midst of his own Gryffindor classmates and friends.

Harry settled comfortable into his room and after unpacking, went to sleep. He had greeted Ron and the twins and had even smiled nicely when they had introduced Ginny to him. That moment had been very painful and Harry had been thrown into his other life for a second when he met those lovely brown eyes. She was blushing furiously and Harry held out his hand and shook it, and later introduced Hermione and Neville to her.

But he made no effort to get to know her, because he knew it would not be fair to her. He could not tell her about himself and to move with her even as a friend would be painful to him and something in him would not let him cheat her by accepting that hero worship that turned into true love without revealing everything to her. Harry had been quiet for a while after he met her, lost in the thoughts of the past and came down to earth only when he heard Hermione’s concerned voice asking him if he were alright.

After that Harry acted normally and Hermione backed off, though she did watch her first and best friend for the rest of the night. Harry had not seen the diary, but it was still only the first day and he could wait. No one would be killed and anyway he hoped he would be able to get his hands on the diary even before Mrs. Norris was petrified.

The next morning was lovely and clear and Harry started off to the greenhouses for Professor Sprout’s class to learn all about mandrakes. He was nearing the greenhouses when he noticed Lockhart and quickly cast a notice-me-not charm on himself, sure that Lockhart would not notice him. Sprout was looking very disgruntled and Harry quickly walked into the greenhouses 3 which she had been irritably telling the students to go into. Apparently Lockhart had been telling her how to grow plants and she did not want to learn from him.

Harry grinned to himself when he turned and looked long and hard searching for someone and Harry, now safe inside laughed to himself as Lockhart disappointedly walked away. Harry resolved that this time he would not meet Lockhart and do whatever it took to avoid that confrontation. He was that sick of this defence professor, he felt. Only Umbridge was worse in Harry’s opinion. She was really in a class of her own.

They learnt about mandrakes and Harry, Neville, Hermione along with Pansy and Malfoy, with Blaise joining in now and then, were the most active. Professor Sprout slowly lost her irritation as the class proceeded normally and soon they were wearing thick ear – muffs and re-potting the squealing, kicking and crying mandrakes. No one fell down unconscious this time and all of then walked away with a slight relief after the class was over; the mandrakes had been very difficult and did not want to be re-potted at all. All the second years smelling of manure headed for the washrooms before they walked to their next class.

The next class was Transfiguration and there Harry received a mild shock. He was sitting as usual with Neville and Hermione was partnering Parvati and the Slytherins were sitting behind them. Ron and Lavender were sitting in front of Harry and Neville and Harry noticed some sparks from Ron’s table. He frowned as that reminded him of something familiar and a minute later the puzzle was solved. Ron had somehow broken his wand and the sparks were what were familiar. He had seen them so many times after all. Harry waited impatiently for the class to finish and then he called out to Ron.

“Hey! Ron, how did you break your wand? Wow!” Harry exclaimed looking just a tiny bit anxious. Once again events happened as before and Harry was simply astounded.

“I fell down on my wand just as the stupid staircase was moving Harry.” Ron mourned. “I fell on my bloody wand and it broke into two. Now it is all so faulty. It works some time and it doesn’t sometime.”

Seamus snorted. “That has to be stretching the truth so far, it has snapped.” He drawled and Ron blushed. “The wand is just faulty Harry. It also backfires and does strange things.”

Hermione was very interested in a broken wand, because she could see how the wand core was placed and she grabbed Ron’s wand from him and started pouring over it. They had reached the Great Hall and Hermione placed her perfect buttons they had been transfiguring into her bag with a very satisfied smile. Harry grinned. Last time she would have been called a know-it-all. This time Harry, Neville, Malfoy, Blaise and Pansy were more or less sharing the top positions among the Slytherins and the Gryffindors who had their classes together. Padma and Terry Boot were also among the top and Hermione did not stand out anymore.

They ate their lunch before going to the defence against the Dark Arts class; they were about to start when a small boy whom Harry had seen sorted the day before and whom he was seeing after twenty years ran up to him.

[The_Green_Woods]

“Harry Potter? May I take a snap please?” he asked breathlessly and Harry beamed and called his friends together and stood g5rinning from ear to ear at the small boy.

“Sure. Wait let me call the others. What is your name, by the way?” He asked.

“Colin Creevy. I am a muggleborn.” The boy told him, clearly awed to be speaking to Harry Potter.

Harry beamed. “Well pleased to meet you Colin. Okay we are ready.” Harry thanked the stuttering boy after the photos were taken, three of them, who was thrilled to get his first shots of the great Harry Potter. Waving to Colin, Harry left for Lockhart’s class.

Lockhart was a joke and Harry placed an extremely mild notice-me-not charm upon him and was undisturbed for the whole of the class. Lockhart kept scanning the class all through the hour for someone, but was not able to find him or her apparently.

Harry grinned at Lockhart after the class was over and he left along with the others. Lockhart looked through the papers with a slight frown and saw Harry’s name on a blank sheet of paper that asked for answers about his books. Harry had had no intention of writing anything for Lockhart’s class and he walked to with the others to their next class.

Next was potions and Harry trooped off to potions class and after a scowling and glaring Snape had dismissed the class, Harry stayed back. Snape silently warded the room in a few seconds and raised his eyebrows.

“When can we start the potions? From this Saturday?” Harry asked him, placing a heavy bag in front of him.

Snape looked at the bag and raised his eyebrows at Harry. “I am not destitute yet Potter and I can afford to buy the ingredients.”

“I am not insulting you Snape. This has my contribution but a lot of muggleborns are also contributing and why should they not? It is for them is it not? Please don’t make a fuss. I never meant that you could not afford, only that I am also contributing. Please. And you never told me when we can start.”

“I will need time to purchase the ingredients Potter. Next week – end should be acceptable. Now get out.” and Snape removed the wards and bent over the desk and started writing and Harry stood up and leaving the bag full of galleons, quietly left the room. The others were standing outside waiting for him eagerly and a touch anxiously and all of them heaved a huge sigh of relief when they saw Harry coming out, with a beaming face.

“All clear! Nothing to worry.” Harry told them, showing the thumbs up sign and Hermione and Malfoy started with the questions.

“When are we starting Harry?” Hermione asked him.

“Next week-end. Snape says he will need all of next week to make purchases. Plus he has classes to take as well.” Harry told them.

Malfoy nodded. “Will he allow me to come with you guys and help with the potion, seeing I am not muggleborn?” Malfoy asked with a small shudder at being born a muggleborn.

Hermione noticed that and smacked Malfoy on his shoulder. “Hey! What was that for?” he asked her indignantly.

“For your attitude. And Malfoy, what if any of us muggleborns were related to the Malfoy family? What would you do then, I wonder? Commit suicide?” Hermione asked him sarcastically.

“I am sure the Malfoy family has no squibs. We are so pureblood, that we have had only magical babies in our line.” Malfoy said with an incredibly superior air.

“Be careful Malfoy!” Hermione exclaimed with a false air of concern. “That head may burst with all the strain upon it. It really is swelling at a very fast pace.” She said looking angrily at him.

Malfoy blushed and was about to retort something rude to Hermione as well, but Harry cut his words off, “Well are we going to be mature about this or not?

Both of them fell silent at the warning in Harry’s voice and ten all of them went to the last class of the day rather silently. Once class was finished for the day, all of them, joined by the twins, Lee Jordon, Ron and a few others, both Gryffindors and Slytherins, walked up to the lake where Harry briefed them about the potions and the unknown elf. He kept Malfoy with him and the twins did the same with Ron and the discussion passed off rather amicably and without major hexing and quarrelling.

That week and the next went by slowly and then Saturday was upon them. Harry and the others woke up very excited, because they were about to kick start the potion from that day.

They went down to the Great Hall and sat there widely grinning at each other and Harry waved to the Slytherins who also nodded and grinned at Harry. Dumbledore who was looking at Harry was once again taken aback at the wonders Harry had achieved since coming to Hogwarts. He had struck up a firm friendship with Malfoy and the other Slytherins, who continued that friendship even after they saw Voldemort.

He was sure that Draco and the other Slytherins would have told their fathers about the Dark Lord and yet Draco was still being friendly with Harry and even with Miss. Granger. That was because of the potion that once again Harry had read and started off a debate and now had somehow persuaded Severus to make it for them.

That thought brought Dumbledore to the Harry and Snape relationship. That was nothing short of amazing and astounding to Dumbledore. Harry had somehow got past the defences of the surly potions master and was able to interact with him in a manner that even Dumbledore was not capable of. He frowned for a minute as he wondered how mature Harry had sounded in his office to Sirius. At that time it seemed Sirius was the child. He wondered once again how much Harry knew of his parents and Snape’s affection, no love for his mother.

That thought sobered him and completely saddened him as his thoughts flew to a merry faced wizard with golden hair and a mischievous smile. He and Snape were a lot more alike than Snape probably ever knew. His lips twisted, both of them had loved people who did not love them back and both those loves and the resultant deaths of Ariana and the way Gellert Grindelwald left him alone in his worst moment, and of Lily herself in Snape’s case was what changed them and shaped them as they were today. Albus Dumbledore knew that somewhere in the bottom of his heart that wizard still held a place.

“Are you quite alright Albus?” McGonagall was looking at him in concern and Dumbledore came back to the present, shrugging of the unhappy ghosts of the past.

He looked around and saw Snape too looking at him in equal concern and he smiled. “I am fine Minerva. I was just thinking.”

McGonagall left it there and Snape never uttered a word, but both of them watched him carefully for the rest of the meal.

“You will be starting the potion today, won’t you Severus?” Dumbledore asked him after a few minutes.

Snape looked surly. “Yes. I really don’t know why Potter is behind me like this, even after living with Black and Lupin.” He finished, looking very disgruntled. His eyes were very alert, however and he listened intently to learn what Dumbledore thought of Harry’s behaviour to him.

Dumbledore nodded. “Yes. I noticed. I am very much surprised, Severus. Harry is able to look past everything and take a surprisingly mature view of Sirius's comments about you. He seems to like you very much.” He finished with a small teasing smile and the smile widened into a grin when Snape flushed with embarrassment.

Snape did not utter a word more. He turned to his own plate. Harry Potter. The man – child had turned everything upside down. Snape only hoped he would be able to carry it successfully until the end.

In the evening Snape was busy finishing his other work before Harry would descend on him. He had just finished when there was a knock on the door and then the door opened without whoever it was waiting for his permission.

A whole group of students from all Houses trooped in cheerfully with great expectations and excitement in their eyes and faces. Snape glared at all of them and watched them with satisfaction as they stood in total silence.

“None of you thought to knock did you?” he asked softly and glared at all of them and watched as they shuffled a bit and flushed. Everyone did except Harry, who smiled sweetly at him and made him snarl. Snape foamed at his mouth for a minute, before he controlled himself and then spoke softly, “All of you cannot stay here. Potter, you alone will be enough today. I will be starting only the basic preparation today. If I need more help, I will call you. Potter will come everyday and assist me, unless I ask for others. Is that clear? Then get out! “

Hermione was biting her lips in an effort not to cry. She and the other Ravenclaws and Malfoy had come very eagerly. Malfoy started to open his mouth, when Hermione shushed him and trooped out with the others.

“I would have asked him for myself. Why did you stop me?” he asked Hermione angrily.

“Because I did not want him to stop the potion today, and he would have done that had we angered him. I want to do this very badly.” She said trying hard not to cry. She had gone with great hope and was feeling very disappointed, but riling up Snape would mean he would postpone the potion indefinitely and she did not want that. She would have to get information from Harry that was all. She sniffed once and walked silently with Neville, Malfoy, Pansy and Blaise to the lake to wait for Harry to come.

Harry was just putting his bag on the chair and was about to step into the ingredients room to help Snape bring out the basic ingredients needed for today, when,

“Come…. Come to me…let me rip you…let me tear you…come to me… let me kill you…come…”

Harry froze. Snape who was coming back with an armful of things was about to shout sarcastically at Harry for not helping him, when he saw Harry completely frozen with a horrible look on his face.

Snape placed all the things carefully on the large work table and turned to Harry.

“Potter” he asked softly, his black eyes showing concern at the way Harry was standing.

Harry shook himself and turned to Snape.

“It has started Snape. The basilisk is moving. I just heard it hissing almost the same words like last time. It wants to kill. I have to tackle the basilisk first, before getting the diary horcrux from Ginny. Before, the basilisk could harm someone.”

“Shall we go tonight?” Snape asked him, his own eyes disturbed as he processed what Harry was saying.

“Yes. But Ginny must not be there, and the basilisk must be there. What if the basilisk is moving around in Hogwarts and it is not inside the chamber? Let me just think on it for a second, Snape.” Harry was very troubled.

Snape did not say a word more. Instead he allowed Harry to think and started getting the ingredients ready to start the Ancestry potion.


End of Chapter – 16
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http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=112304

[The_Green_Woods]

Chapter – 17
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Harry sat there for some time lost completely in his thoughts. He had heard the basilisk very clearly. So just in two weeks the basilisk was already moving around the School. The first to be petrified had been Mrs. Norris. When did that happen? It had been a little later into the School year last time. Now things were rushing on, simply. Was it because he, Harry was rushing things or was the timeline truly changed?

‘Potter?’ a soft voice interrupted his solemn thoughts and Harry looked up startled. Snape was looking at him with, was that concern, in his black eyes? ‘Potter? Are you alright?’

‘Yes, Snape. I just heard the basilisk already. The last time I heard the hissing of the basilisk much later. This time, it is only two weeks after School and I can hear the basilisk calling out to me to come to it, so that it can kill me…’

Snape stared at Harry. ‘You can speak Parseltongue?’ he asked.

Harry pointed at the scar. ‘This is a kind of a link to Voldemort. This was the scar he gave me when he tried to kill me. I can speak Parceltongue and peep into his mind if necessary. That was why I learnt Occlumency in the first place.’

Snape’s lips thinned and it looked as he was suppressing a shudder. He did not say anything, though. ‘Do you still want to keep quiet about the basilisk?’

‘Yes, no, I don’t know! I want to observe a bit, but what if someone is killed outright this time instead of just becoming petrified like last time?’ Harry shook his head violently trying to clear it. ‘I really, don’t know what to do Snape.’ Harry looked at Snape, his eyes showing he was very disturbed.

Snape stared into those green eyes for a while and abruptly turned away. ‘Come, let us start the potion. If Dumbledore comes in, he will become very suspicious. I will think about this and so will you and we can talk about this a little while later.’

They went to work silently and for the next half hour, Snape made him do the basic chopping and cutting, while he set the cauldron for the potion. The potion needed three cauldrons with separate potions prepared and then joined to the main potion that would be prepared later. It was tedious brewing and it needed to be attended to everyday.

Harry was thinking furiously as he chopped flobberworms, one of the cheapest and easiest things to chop for this potion; the last time he had heard it during detention with Lockhart and after Hermione was called a mudblood by Malfoy. This year he would not be calling Hermione a mudblood because that incident had already happened. How was Ginny? Harry’s heart clenched a bit. In the two weeks he had been here, he had steered clear of Ginny. Ron was still on the periphery of his circle but the twins were closer. Hey understood and hopefully Ron would too. Harry did not want to lose his best friend this time. He had already lost too much; Ginny, and his kids with her; their amazing life together.

Harry felt truly miserable as he chopped mechanically wading in a lot of pity as he thought of his plight. It was a sorry state of affairs where, he could not even speak casually to Ginny. About half an hour later, there was a knock at the door and Snape flicked his wand and cancelled all the spells just in time, as Dumbledore opened the door. Harry was still chopping some roots and he did not look up, and Snape looked at Dumbledore and his lips curled. ‘Your golden boy is fine Headmaster.’ He said softly, but very sarcastically.

Dumbledore sighed. ‘I know you start the potion today, Severus and I came here to see the potions started. I will not be coming here time and again. I just wanted to wish you and Harry luck and also hand over my contribution for the potion.’

Dumbledore placed a large bag of galleons on the table and smiled at Harry, who had stopped chopping and was looking at the interaction between Snape and Dumbledore.

‘Thank you so much sir. But you need not have.’ Harry told him, speaking for the first time.

‘I know Harry. But I would like to. As will the other professors. Severus will have their contributions that include his own by tonight. This is an extremely beneficial idea and I am sorry to say I never thought of my self. We could have used this in the first war. You have thought of this though, and I hope this will make our world more accepting of muggleborns.’

Harry smiled and nodded and turned back to his chopping, which he did precisely and efficiently. Dumbledore left after a minute in which he was apparently mind – speaking with Snape.

Once he left, Snape placed the wards again and continued with his work silently for some time. After a good two hours and the potions were well and truly started, Snape and Harry sank down into chairs and stared at each other. They had half an hour before tending to the potion once again.

‘Potter, I think we must act like we did with the Stone. We must get rid of the basilisk; that is more dangerous than anything else. Or if you can, we can bind it to you and make it your familiar. That would be equally beneficial.’ Snape finished thoughtfully, looking intently at Harry all the time.

Harry shook his head. ‘The basilisk id already bonded with Voldemort. I doubt, I can wean it away from Voldemort and bind it to me without looking into its eyes and at that moment I will surely die. Moaning Myrtle, you know the ghost who haunts the second floor unused bathroom, died like that.’

‘What!’ Snape exclaimed.

‘Myrtle was a muggleborn, who was sorted into Slytherin when Voldemort attended School, Snape. He killed her and made a horcrux; the diary that we want to destroy in fact. He used the basilisk for that and did not kill her personally. I think the basilisk is bonded to him, and now with the diary, the re-ownership of the basilisk has already been established. That means Ginny has already been possessed at least once, because I heard the basilisk today. So he has re-asserted his command over the basilisk and I doubt it will listen to us. What we must do is to kill it and remove it without the knowledge of the diary or Ginny who is under the control of the diary and make sure he will not use the basilisk to unleash horror in the school.’

‘The diary?’ Snape asked while he processed everything Harry told him.

‘We must take care of that later. Maybe even try and steal it from Ginny. Last time Ginny, in a moment of sanity threw the diary into the unused girl’s bathroom on the second floor, where the entrance to the Chamber is. Perhaps she will do that this time too and we may be able to take it then and destroy it.’ Harry told him, his eyes reflecting his mind that was years away as he thought of the last time.

-------

Snape watched the boy he had been prepared to hate; James Potter’s boy. But lately, especially once he had known Harry was from the future, he had slowly forgotten his past with James Potter and had been drawn to this boy until, he now never thought of Harry as James or even Lily’s child. Snape’s eyes widened as the last thought came to his mind. He had also forgotten that Harry was Lily’s boy as well. He had been relating to just Harry, not James’s boy and not Lily’s. Just Harry.

He looked at Harry who was frowning to himself, probably thinking about the horcrux and how to destroy them, he supposed and he waited silently, his own thoughts of the Boy-Who-Lived, very chaotic and confused.

------

Harry was in fact thinking about the diary and also about Ginny. He was feeling very bitter and after wallowing in his miserable thoughts, Harry sighed deeply from the bottom of his heart and looked at Snape only to find him watching Harry. Harry smiled wryly at Snape and shook his head.

‘When shall we do this?’ Harry asked Snape, as they got to their feet and proceeded to the cauldrons that were bubbling merrily.

‘Tonight?’ Snape asked.

Harry nodded as he once again began chopping. ‘Though I will confirm after I check with the map. If Ginny is sleeping, then it should be okay. You wait right here, in the dungeons until I come. Better not be in the second floor before we are able to deduce that Ginny will not come today. If she does and catches you, you may have trouble. Okay?’

Snape was silent for a while and then he reluctantly nodded his head, seeing the sense of Harry’s words.

‘If I don’t come by midnight, I will not come tonight, and then we will do this once again tomorrow.’ Harry told him, carefully scooping the newts eyes and dropping them a few at a time into the third cauldron.

‘What if the Dark Lord possesses her again tomorrow?’ Snape asked him, chopping some leaves.

‘I will check the map every day until I am certain that she will not leave the dorms. On that day I will come to you. We will just have to sit tight on this one Snape. We cannot afford to make Voldemort suspicious, because then we will be going into the unknown once again.’

Snape nodded once and then after another half hour, he sent Harry away.

‘Come tonight after you are sure and don’t do silly Gryffindor things and get yourself killed. Now get out.’ Snape told him and Harry smiled at Snape who did not smile back, but did not scowl either; he just looked inscrutably at Harry as Harry walked to the door and cancelling Snape’s wards with a wave of his hand, walked out.

Malfoy, Hermione, Neville along with many others were waiting for Harry in the Great Hall. They simply pounced upon him the moment they saw him and Harry spent the rest of the day explaining what he did to the others and also discussing everything with them. He also saw Ginny with them, looking rather miserable as she sat by Percy, listening to everything.

Did Ginny already understand about the evilness in the diary? Harry desperately hoped so and prayed she would throw it away soon. The day sped fast and Harry, Hermione and Neville along with Malfoy, Blaise and Pansy walked down to the dungeons and knocked at the potion lab’s door, in the evening just after dinner.

‘Enter.’ A soft and yet clear voice sounded and all of them entered nervously to find Snape stirring a cauldron, in a precise anti-clockwise direction. He did not look up at them until he finished and this time Snape asked Harry and Hermione to stay and told the others to leave.

Hermione was thrilled and she simply shivered in anticipation of helping with the potion and she cheerfully chopped and crushed and helped Snape along with Harry. They worked silently and after an hour, Snape dismissed them. The potion would continue to simmer for a long, long time. Harry and a very self satisfied Hermione left the potions lab and walked right into the others who had come with them and Harry let Hermione speak about the potion and what they had done in the lab the last hour.

Harry kept quiet and he went up along with the others smiling slightly and nodding at the appropriate places. Ginny was no where to be seen and Harry frowned. That meant she was elsewhere and he hoped it was not in the Chamber. Slowly the Harry and his Gryffindors group left the Slytherins and went up to their common rooms and settled for the night. Ginny was not in the common room also and Harry feigning tiredness, bid goodnight to Hermione and went up with Neville, Ron and the others.

Once Harry finished washing, he exchanged goodnights with the others and sat on his bed, after securely closing the curtains together. He took out his map and looked for Ginny. She was in the Chamber!

Harry sighed with extreme disappointment. Tonight was out. He kept looking at the Chamber of Secrets, but the basilisk was not there or it had not been called. He watched for some more time, but only Ginny was there walking around the Chamber. He sighed and lay back on the bed, wondering what he could do to remove Ginny out of the control of that diary. The first obviously would be to kill the basilisk and then take care of the diary, maybe even ask one of the elves to steal it for him. But whom could he ask who would not betray him later on, simply because he was not their Master.

Harry decided he could not take the risk and he would have to somehow steal it from Ginny or wait until she threw the book in the second floor bathroom. He lay awake for a long time that night before he fell asleep. He did not sleep well that night and woke up late, only after Neville woke him up.

‘Bad night, Nev, I’ll be only a minute, you carry on if you’re hungry.’ Harry told him, sleepily, his eyes tired and shadows already appearing lightly under his eyes.

Neville was looking very worried and concerned. Harry never slept later and never had Neville seen him look so tired. ‘Are you okay, Harry?’ he asked in concern. ‘You’re looking so tired.’

‘I am Nev. Had a bad night and did not sleep well. All that excitement about starting the potion I think, I had dreams of chopping all kinds of yuck things, I kept waking up. To-night, I’ll turn in early and I’ll be fine.’ Harry smiled widely at Neville even as he pulled out his clothes from his trunk and ran to the bathroom, shouting to Neville, ‘Coming in a minute Nev,’ before he ran to the bathroom and turned on the shower.

Harry was as good as his word and in a few minutes, he was thundering down the stairs and greeted Hermione and Neville cheerfully.

‘Harry, Neville was telling me you did not sleep too well?’ Hermione asked Harry, looking at him with a critical eye.

‘I didn’t, Hermione. I was way too excited yesterday and that did not help me sleep properly. I am not so tired now after having a nice hot shower and am more than fine. Come on! I am hungry.’ Harry finished with a whine and Hermione relaxed and the three of them went down to breakfast. It was Sunday and they ate leisurely, chatting mainly about the potion and wondering whom Hermione and Harry’s mother were descended from.

‘It would be wonderful to know and all these prejudices about muggleborns will never be there.’ Hermione said enthusiastically. Neville and Harry simply smiled and let her talk.

Once they finished, they were joined by the twins and Ron and all of them went down to the dungeons once again and knocked on Snape’s door, wondering whom Snape would choose to cut, chop and grind today.

[The_Green_Woods]

Usually this type of work would have made everyone of them except Hermione run a mile but with the potion, everyone wanted to do something, to contribute and be a part of its making.

Snape opened the door and motioned only Harry to come inside and asked the others to get out. ‘Both of you can come in the evening and grind beetle eyes for the potion. Now leave.’ Snape told the twins and everyone left, Hermione with a look of great disappointment, but Snape did not even notice. ‘Potter, cut the mandrake leaves, very thin and length-wise.’ He was heard saying as he shut the door.

The others trooped out, with the twins looking excited. They would have their chance with the potion in the evening. Hermione was looking very down. ‘Cheer up Hermione. Maybe Snape will ask for you tomorrow.’ Neville told her.

‘But why should he ask for Harry everyday and us only by rotation? That’s just not fair.’ Hermione protested.

‘Because it was Harry’s idea and he’s seeing if Harry will stick through this. So he’s pushing Harry and hoping that Harry will say he’s tired or something or show disinterest.’ Fred told her reasonably.

Hermione was distracted by this. She smiled. ‘Professor Snape really does not know Harry very well, does he? Harry will see this through, I know.’ She said and then from there all of them went up pretty satisfied with everything.

Meanwhile Harry and Snape were busy working, deciding to attend to the potion first, before talking. They worked in silence for sometime and after adding the as usual chopped and ground potion ingredients, Snape sat down and looked at Harry who was still adding the last bits of Belladonna leaves.

This potion almost required all the potion ingredients available and they had to be added in a precise manner. Added to that most of the ingredients were expensive and brewing tedious. That was why it was not usually attempted.

Snape sat there looking at Harry almost without blinking, deep in thought as he looked at the boy/man who was busy adding to the boiling potion. Harry Potter! Snape was bewildered, baffled and totally confused by this boy. He had tried questioning many times about the future, but Potter was giving him only what was necessary, not a wee bit more. Snape did not even know who else died apart from Dumbledore.

He also very badly wanted to speak to Lily, Potter had hesitated for a minute before he had answered Snape’s question, whether Lily had spoken to him in a friendly manner or had she maintained the silence she had after she broke off with him. But Potter had not answered right away, though he had made all the right noises, and Snape thinking about that moment later, was understandably worried. But he did not know how to ask Harry about Lily. She was his mother and she was married to another man.

Here Snape scowled. The despicable James Potter. What did Lily see in him, he wondered that she would go and marry him of all the persons available in the Wizarding World. Snape scowled even more, a bit of jealousy, hatred, dislike and envy all mixed in his general hatred of James Potter.

From there Snape’s eyes went to Harry. He was so different from James and even from Lily. While he was an adult mentally, even then Snape found him very much different from James, Lily, Sirius and Remus. While in the past Harry did not have any of them while he was growing up, even after the portraits were activated and even after speaking to his father and the others, he was still willing to acknowledge Snape’s contributions to the war, to be polite and respectful to him, brushing aside his knowledge that Snape had been a death eater before he turned to the Light, a time during which he had done maximum harm to everyone and personally to Harry.

Harry finished with adding the leaves and came and sat down in front of Snape. Snape looked at Harry, ‘Potter, what happened last night?’

‘I saw Ginny there last night Snape. In the chamber. That was why I could not come and get you. I waited for some time but she was there until I went off to sleep. I could not take the risk to meet Ginny when she is possessed. What if Voldemort harms her permanently?’

Snape nodded once. ‘To-night then?’

‘Yes, if Ginny is asleep. If I don’t come tonight then it will be because Ginny is in the Chamber. Unless I see her in her dorm, I will not try and venture out.’ Harry told him and they left it at that.

That evening only the twins were called to help and Harry and Hermione along with Neville and the other Slytherins spent the day sitting by the lake. The weather was still very fine and all of them wanted to be outside as much as possible.

The days sped by and Ginny was in the Chamber of Secrets every single day. The first week it was only Ginny there, but slowly Harry also saw the basilisk along with Ginny and later, the basilisk leaving the Chamber by using the pipes. Harry lost much of his sleep that month and the next and kept watch over Ginny, every night until he dropped off to sleep.

There were no attacks anywhere until now, and Harry remembered that the first attack had been Mrs. Norris who was petrified on Halloween. Harry had seen it when he had come back from the death day party of Nearly Headless Nick. Apart from that first time, Harry, himself never heard the basilisk.

The potion was going smoothly and by the first week of October almost all the muggleborn students were prepared to brave Snape’s harsh tongue and volunteer to help with the chopping, cutting and grinding of the potion ingredients. Almost everyone had also contributed and Snape had also started a second batch just two weeks after he started the first batch, so that more muggleborns could be tested.

Harry’s days were busy in writing to Sirius and Remus who were constantly telling him to be careful and never to go anywhere alone, especially to Snape’s lab. Harry had laughed at the implication of Snape’s evilness and had promised accordingly. His nights were spent in watching Ginny who left at about eleven every night and came back long after Harry went off to sleep.

She was very quiet during the day and never spoke much. Harry also noticed Percy watching Ginny with worry, and even saw him speak to a very flustered Ginny and knew Percy was very worried for her.

The more closer the days moved towards Halloween, the more anxious Harry became. He told Snape that Mrs. Norris was attacked first and it had been during Halloween and there was frustration in his tone. Snape had not reacted to Harry’s anxiety, but he too had felt the same.

They had discussed going into the Chamber so early in the School year, but Halloween was almost upon them and they still could not get into the Chamber. The Weasley girl was there everyday. Harry had even left the parchment with him for a week, because he had wanted to see for himself. He had watched and every day just like Harry had said, she would leave for the Chamber in the night and come back only in the wee hours of the morning. What was she doing there and why should she stay there for such a long time every night was perplexing, but like Harry said, they could barge in there and confront the Dark Lord when he was possessing her. Not after seeing what he had done to Quirrell.

Snape also saw the basilisk and had shuddered in fear when he saw it leaving the Chamber one night. He had sat still that night watching the basilisk as it roamed around the School and had breathed only when it went back into the Chamber without hurting anyone else.

Soon it was Halloween and Harry spent the day in anxious anticipation of what would happen. He prayed and prayed that Mrs. Norris would only be petrified and not killed like Moaning Myrtle. Snape was also equally anxious, though no one guessed it apart from Dumbledore who could not understand why. He attributed it wrongly to the potion Snape was brewing, because Snape left the dining room quickly saying he had to attend to the blasted potion.

This time Harry did not ask Nearly Headless Nick about his death day and so he did not attend the death day party. The moment the sumptuous Halloween dinner was over, Harry, Hermione and Neville left for the Library and sat there writing their transfiguration essays that needed to be handed in the next day. Harry however, had the map with him and was looking on and off in the second floor corridor.

But he missed seeing the basilisk when he closed it to concentrate on the essay and when he opened it next, he noticed Mrs. Norris roughly in the same place as before, just outside the unused bathroom on the second floor.

Harry wanted to run and see what had happened but he did not want to alert Hermione or Neville. The Slytherins were not with them that day because they had a party in the Slytherin common room and Draco had swaggered off to have fun. Harry yawned suddenly, ‘Hermione, come on, let’s take it easy. We have finished Transfiguration and we can do the rest tomorrow. Let us go to our common room, laze around a bit and sleep early today.’

Hermione looked at Harry in surprise, but seeing Neville nod along with Harry, she reluctantly agreed with Harry and soon the three of them walked leisurely to their common room. Harry threw himself on the comfortable couch and sat silently waiting for some news of some kind.

It came from Ron and the twins after half an hour. Ron, Dean, Seamus, the twins, Lee Jordon and Katie Bell burst into the Gryffindor common room their faces full of fear, excitement and horror. Harry had been keeping watch over Ginny the whole day, but she had vanished into the Chamber just after dinner. She still had to come back.

‘You will never believe what happened just now. The Chamber of secrets has been opened!’ Ron shouted as he came towards Harry, Hermione and Neville.

‘What?’ Harry asked trying to look astonished when he wanted to know everything all at once. ‘Calm down Ron. What happened? No one was hurt were they?’

Ron shook his head very fast. ‘No, unless you were to count Mrs. Norris. She was hanging all stiff as if dead, you know,’ Ron gulped as he remembered and Seamus and Dean shuddered. ‘Dumbledore said she was petrified, Harry. What does it mean?’

Slowly Harry understood what had happened. This time it was Flich who had discovered unlike last time, when he had accused Harry of killing Mrs. Norris. This time Harry had not been there and Ron and the others who were coming back from dinner had been alerted to the sounds of shouting from Flich and had to him to see the writing on the wall and Mrs. Norris petrified by a ‘monster’ that had been unleashed from the Chamber of Secrets.

Harry and the others sat in the common room, sleep all forgotten as they discussed loud and long about just what the monster could be and how it could have petrified Mrs. Norris. There were a few fearful comments about what would happen had it been one of the students or a professor. That set off another round of discussions that were carried out in a slightly scared tone.

Harry looked around and sighed as he did not see Ginny among the students and she still had not come even after Harry and the others had started going up to their dorms to sleep. Harry sped through his nightly washing and after wishing Neville and Ron and the others ‘goodnight’, Harry closed his curtains and opened his map.

Ginny was still in the Chamber and Harry sat there for almost an hour, watching her before he went to sleep. It was an hour before the basilisk came back into the Chamber and another two hours before Ginny came back to the Gryffindor common room. Harry had slept by that time.


End of Chapter – 17
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[The_Green_Woods]

Chapter – 18
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The next day dawned bright and just a bit cold. They were into November and cold days would become the normal state of affairs at Hogwarts. Harry was up and early and he checked the map first and was relieved to see Ginny sleeping in her dorm. He put the map away and got out of bed and ran for the bathrooms. He was ready in no time and seeing Neville and Hermione still sleeping by way of the map in Hermione’s case and by peeping into Neville’s curtains in his case, Harry swiftly walked down to the potions lab, by passing the Great Hall.

Snape was tending to the Ancestry Potion and he scowled when he saw Harry. ‘Why are you so early?’ then his expression changed. ‘Is there a problem Potter?’ he asked seeing Harry’s expression.

Harry threw his bag on a chair nearby and then also threw himself on to another chair and looked at Snape with a disturbing look in his green eyes. Snape saw that look and immediately warded the room and also added spy wards to tell him if any one would approach the door. There was no floo here so there was no danger of anyone coming through it suddenly.

‘You know what happened yesterday, Snape. Thankfully it was like last time Mrs. Norris was only petrified instead of outright killed by the basilisk. Only last time I discovered it and Flich accused me of killing his cat and this time he discovered it himself. But what if next time the basilisk manages to kill somebody?’

‘You are the one who says we must not go into the Chamber and kill the basilisk.’ Snape pointed out as he added some dragon claw powder to the potion.

‘It is a horcrux of Voldemort that possesses her Snape. You saw what happened with Quirrell. We just cannot take a chance of attacking the basilisk if Ginny is there, because she is probably possessed and we would be meeting the Dark Lord and not her in the Chamber. And with the Dark Lord having complete control not only over Ginny but also over the basilisk, we would lose even before we begin to attack.’

Snape did not answer at once. He turned and attended to the potion one more time and then left it for the day. He would attend to it next only in the evening. ‘Well what can we do Potter? We must and can only wait. That would be prudent.’

‘Well,’ Harry got up as he sighed deeply. ‘I will keep watch as I have everyday and the moment I see Ginny in her dorm, I will come down and we will go and tackle the basilisk inside. I will leave now for breakfast. Bye.’

‘Bye?’ Snape glared at Harry’s impertinence. ‘Ten points from Gryffindor, Potter for assuming familiarity with a professor.’ He said trying to get his usual nasty form with Harry. He had forgotten about it in the discussion of what had happened last night.

Harry laughed and waved cheekily and walked out. It was still early and not many people were there in the corridors. Harry walked up to the Great Hall and sat down in his usual place. Hermione and Neville had still not come down and Harry enjoyed a solitary breakfast, thinking about everything and nothing in general.

He was finishing when Hermione and Neville ran in and then stopped abruptly in relief when they saw Harry. A second later, both came running to him and Hermione scowled. “Where did you go so early? We have been searching for you.’

Harry looked surprised. ‘But I have been right here Hermione.’

‘No you haven’t. We came here sometime ago and you were not here and we went to the Library and searched all over the place and you were not there anywhere. I thought something happened to you Harry. Like with Mrs. Norris.’ Hermione’s voice trembled as she looked at Harry, her eyes full of relief, anger, accusations and fear.

Harry’s green eyes softened in understanding as he looked at Hermione and Neville who was also showing relief and fear, but no anger. ‘Sorry, Hermione, Neville. I never thought to leave a note as I should have. I got up early and went to professor Snape to ask him if he needed any help and I stayed there until he threw me out and then I have been here. We must have just missed each other here, I think.’

Hermione’s eyes flashed in relief and understanding. ‘Oh, Harry I am so sorry. We were so worried.’ She said looking at Neville who nodded with a grin.

Harry smiled. ‘That’s okay, Hermione. I feel nice that both of you think this much of me.’

Hermione brushed his comment away and from there they chatted mostly about what happened the day before. ‘What could have made Mrs. Norris as good as dead, though, I wonder? I will look for monsters in the library and see if there is anything there.’ she said and frowned at Harry and Neville when they groaned simultaneously and then laughed.

By then the Great Hall was getting filled up and soon everywhere there was only speculation about the monster that had attacked Mrs. Norris. Harry waited for Hermione and Neville to finish their breakfast and then the three of them got up to go for their classes when Harry saw Percy coming in with a very subdued and frightened Ginny.

Harry’s heart twisted inside him and his soul went to the girl who was suffering so much. Percy was looking grim, as he held on tightly to his sister’s arm and was almost dragging her to the tables.

‘Are you alright Ginny? Percy is there something wrong with her? She looks so dull and as if in pain.’ Harry asked Ginny and Percy, speaking for the first time to Ginny after he had said hello to her after she had been sorted.

‘I… I am fine th-thanks.’ Ginny stammered looking everywhere but at Harry, while Percy looked on grimly. ‘She is missing our mother Harry. Nothing much. Now kindly excuse us, we have to have our breakfast.’

‘Sure Percy.’ Harry said looking sympathetically at Ginny who blushed and went on with Percy to have her breakfast.

Harry walked with his friends outside feeling terribly sad for Ginny. The weather was beginning to get colder and soon it would be only cold and colder Harry knew. Now though he was taking advantage of the crisp air to clear his head, before going on to his classes. Suddenly there was a shout behind them and Harry turning saw Malfoy, Blaise and Pansy walking towards them. Harry and the other two waited for them to come and they went for a walk, discussing the Chamber.

‘Harry,’ Malfoy said in a low voice and subtly pulled him behind so that they were lagging behind. Harry turned to him and saw that Malfoy’s face was very troubled.

‘What is it Draco? Is there a problem?’ Harry asked in concern, wondering just what this could be.

‘Yesterday the Chamber was opened you know.’ Malfoy started haltingly. Harry nodded wondering just where this was heading to. Malfoy blushed a bit and looked straight as he continued in very low tones. ‘My father told me that this year there were terrible things planned for all muggleborns and even half-bloods. I really did not know what it could be until now, but seeing what happened yesterday, I think he meant the monster being unleashed from the Chamber. I have written to him to ask him about the monster and if he replies, I will tell you, but until then, be very careful and also ask Hermione to be very careful too. And,’ here Malfoy turned to look straight into Harry’s eyes, ‘don’t tell any of them what I told you okay?’

Harry was astounded and totally shocked. He had never expected any of this. Malfoy had changed beyond recognition this time. He was in fact warning him, Harry to be careful and also telling him to advice Hermione to be careful as well. Last time he was hoping Hermione would be killed by the unknown monster and this time he wanted her to be careful.

Things were beginning to change and Harry was hoping that they would not change so much that he would be cast into the unknown, but this particular change was very welcome. Harry now, was silent for a few seconds as he looked deep into worried and anxious grey eyes, before he regarded Malfoy with a very grateful expression on his face and a wide smile gracing his lips.

‘That was very kind of you Draco. Just what a friend would do. Of course I will be careful and of course I will ask Hermione to be careful also.’ He said, linking his arms with a very pleased Malfoy who apparently liked all the good things Harry told about him.

‘But don’t tell her it was my father, Harry. I don’t want anyone even, Pansy and Blaise to know what Father has told me and can you warn the others as if it is something you thought of by yourself?’ he asked bluntly. Harry simply nodded and then they walked silently towards the others.

‘What were you two talking about?’ Pansy asked, her eyes moving between Draco’s slightly flushed face and Harry’s smiling one.

‘What else but what happened yesterday.’ Harry retorted. ‘Who are the enemies and who is the Heir? I was saying it must be someone who is in Slytherin, because only Slytherins have heirs and stuff like that and Draco and I were talking about it. What do guys think?’ Harry asked, while Draco kept quiet.

They were now walking slowly towards the lake, intending to go around a little it before getting back to the castle for classes. The air was crisp and clean, and there was a cold wind blowing around them, making them feel glad they had their coats over them.

‘Of course it is the heir of Slytherin.’ Pansy exclaimed. ‘Who else can it be? I remember Father telling me about a Chamber of secrets created by Salazar Slytherin.’

‘Well, today we have history. I think we should ask professor Binns.’ Hermione said with a determined air about her, scowling as everyone s******ed. ‘Binns?’ Malfoy drawled, his voice mocking, ‘Hermione, he won’t know a thing. You mark my words.’

‘Anyway, I think I shall. Even if he splutters or makes excuses I will ask him and if he does not answer, then I think I will go to professor McGonagall about it.’ She said not to be deterred from her aim.

They walked back to class and that after noon Hermione disturbed Binns and asked him about the Chamber of Secrets. Harry watched as Binns explained much like last time and then after class Hermione led everyone, including the Slytherins to an empty classroom for a discussion. Harry had to leave to assist Snape after dinner and because of that Hermione had called everyone now.

‘Well, what does everyone think of this?’ she asked generally. Harry, Neville, Malfoy and most of the Slytherins along with Ron, Dean and Seamus and Parvati and Lavender were there.

‘Nothing Hermione. It is to be expected from a Slytherin of course.’ Ron said sarcastically, glaring at everyone in green robes and then bestowing his most hateful stare for Malfoy, who was returning it with interest and had drawn out his wand.

‘Will you both shut up?’ Harry asked irritably. He was feeling very down since he had seen Ginny in the morning and the fact they were not able to get to either the Diary or the basilisk was not helping his temper any. ‘We are here to see how we can be careful. Let us not blame anyone for what someone did a thousand years ago, Ron and Draco put down your wands.’

Both of them scowled but obeyed and then Hermione told all of them to stay in groups and be careful. ‘Let us not go out after dinner is over and let us keep together. Please, until Dumbledore deals with it.’

All of them agreed and then they went up, still discussing the dos and don’ts until they reached the Great Hall, where they separated and went to their respective tables. Harry looked at the Head Table and saw a very solemn Dumbledore and other staff members. He looked away again and ate his dinner almost silently, his mind still on Ginny’s face he saw that morning.

The next few days went by with Ginny spending more and more time during the nights in the Chamber. Harry wondered how they had never found it last time. Quidditch had completely changed this time. The first time around, Harry and Draco met during the first practise when Draco had called Hermione a mudblood and Ron had spent the morning spitting out slugs. This time that event played out completely differently.

This time Harry knew that the Slytherins had first practise the next morning because of his friendship with Malfoy and he had gone and told Oliver about it. That resulted in Oliver using some choice words against Snape in particular and Slytherins in general and had postponed the Quidditch practise from the morning to after class and went off to McGonagall to get a slip of his own in case the Slytherins came and took over that practise too.

There was also no duelling club this time, Harry having warned Snape about what happened last time and Snape promptly stopped Lockhart’s suggestion when it came up in the Halloween staff meeting.

The Saturday night, after Halloween, Harry sat as usual with the map in his dorm. It had been a long day that day, even though they had no classes. Harry had spent the entire morning working with Snape. Hermione and Draco were also helping Snape cut a lot of disgusting potion ingredients. The afternoon had gone in preparation and after dinner, Harry was very tired. He was not sleeping well these days and he was also maintaining as if everything was fine with him. That was taking a toll.

Harry sat in his bed, silently with his map and then he started just a bit. Ginny was no where to be seen in the Chamber and he looked in the girls’ dorm and she was there! Harry could not believe his eyes and he checked and re-checked and then was about to change into a Phoenix and flash away to Snape’s potions classrooms when he decided to wait for sometime to see if Ginny would actually stay in her dorms that night.

In that time Harry used the map to check for the basilisk and found that it was not in the main chamber and it was not anywhere in the School. Harry did not waste a minute and spelling his curtains closed and taking out his invisibility cloak, draped it over himself and changed into a Phoenix. Harry then flashed to the potion master’s lab and changing back knocked loudly. A few minutes later, Snape opened the door and felt something brush past him with an ‘it’s me Snape’.

[The_Green_Woods]

Snape quickly closed the door and warded it and went inside. ‘What is it Potter? The Chamber is clear tonight?’

Harry nodded and handed over the map to Snape who inspected it thoroughly. ‘The thought of what Voldemort would do to Ginny, Snape, is terrifying me. When Voldemort realized the Stone was false, he tortured and killed Quirrell. What if he does that to Ginny?’

Harry’s face and voice were very troubled. He had been thinking deeply when he had been sitting alone in his bed all these nights and this was something that had terrified him. He had already spoken to Snape about it, but Snape had silently heard him out and told him they would decide when they got to go.

‘The basilisk while very valuable when alive, if it is possessed, Potter then we have no choice. The Dark Lord may have bound the basilisk to the diary after he created the horcrux and if he has done so, then we just cannot take a chance and let it live.’ He had said cryptically and totally out of context, then.

Now Snape said the same thing and added, ‘I have thought of what you said Potter and surprisingly for a Potter you have indeed thought out the problem well.’ he sneered mildly and Harry rolled his eyes, smiling a bit, even though he was very worried about Ginny. Trust Snape to make a compliment sound like an insult.

‘Well what should we do? I really want to tackle the basilisk in case this time it goes on and kills someone.’ Harry looked into the distance trying to understand and come to some kind of clarity about all this.

‘I think we should kill the basilisk, Potter.’ Snape said. ‘We cannot allow a possessed monster to roam around in the School. Only we will remove the basilisk from the Chamber and let the Diary think, the snake has gone out and is not coming back. The Dark Lord will not suspect you or Miss. Weasley. He will be puzzled and we will try and take the diary from her and destroy it as soon as possible. Come on.’ Snape looked once more at the map and then started casting invisibility charms on himself and Harry. Harry also threw the invisibility cloak over him, Snape sneered magnificently when Harry asked him to come into the cloak.

‘I really do not need such contraptions Potter.’ He said. Harry rolled his eyes. ‘You are jealous. This is an invisibility cloak Snape, not any ordinary contraption.’ Snape did not answer but sneered only, this time Harry could not see the sneer because they were both invisible and walked away, holding the map in his hands. He had cast a disillusionment charm on the map once more before walking towards the second floor un-used girls’ bathroom.

But today Ginny was still in her dorm and so they reached there safely and Harry quickly went to the tap that never worked and hissed, ‘open’ and watched as the whole section of the sink opened. Snape looked his eyes wide in his face as the most secret Chamber created by the Founder of his House was being opened in front of his eyes.

‘Jump down Snape’ Harry told him and he went in first, falling through the tunnel. Harry landed in a heap on top of a lot of bones and hastily stood up and moved away, just in time too, because Snape was falling down, though he was coming slowly and landing perfectly. Harry scowled. Snape had removed his invisibility spells, though Harry had kept them on as he jumped. Harry removed them off himself and then walked briskly, after casting a ‘lumos’ spell that gave a steady beam of light. Snape checked the map for Ginny once again. She was still asleep in her dormitory and he walked behind Harry, equally briskly, his own wand emitting a ray of light as well.

They soon reached the door and Harry shivered just a little. ‘Open’ he hissed and the door opened at once. Harry and Snape conjured a whole lot of roosters and placed a silencing charm on them and let them inside and then Harry took a deep breath and walked into the huge chamber.

The chamber was the same as he had seen it last time and Snape looked one more time at the map to checking Ginny was still sleeping and then put it inside his robes. Snape then gave his attention to the huge Chamber and Harry and Snape started their systematic search of any other rooms inside of the Chamber. There was nothing. Harry felt a bit disappointed. He had hoped to find Salazar’s personal room or library or some such thing, that he had missed last time, in his frightening fight with the basilisk, but there was nothing to be seen.

‘Where does the basilisk come from? There is nothing here to show it is housed here.’ Snape asked looking up at the huge statue of Salazar Slytherin.

‘It comes from inside his mouth.’ Snape turned to Harry with a disbelieving look on his face. ‘What?’ he asked.

‘Yes, Snape. If I call out in Parseltongue, then the basilisk will emerge from the mouth of Salazar Slytherin. There seems to be nothing here, I think Voldemort probably cleaned up everything here. He must have been here so many times in the past. I will hiss in Parseltongue and the moment the mouth of Salazar Slytherin’s statue opens, let us go to the doorway and when we see the basilisk coming out cancel the silencing charm on the roosters. Okay?’

Snape simply nodded, his wand held straight and steady, his eyes, looking at the statue already. Harry took a deep breath and said the words he had heard a young Tom Riddle say so many years ago. ‘Speak to me, Slytherin, greatest of Hogwarts four.’ Harry hissed and saw with awe as did Snape, as the mouth of the ancient Salazar Slytherin began to open.

The moment Harry noticed some movement he began to start walking backwards, his wand held aloft. The basilisk was coming out and Harry could hear its angry hissing, ‘Who is that? It is not my Master? Who dares call for me apart from my Master?’

Harry waited until that last second and just when in another second, the basilisk would have come out; Harry cancelled the silencing spells of the roosters. Snape started conjuring some more roosters and all of them were squawking for all that they were worth. Harry and Snape were at the door when they heard a loud hiss of pain, ‘Noooo’ and they stepped outside in alarm and Harry quickly shut the door and warded it. Now Harry and Snape could not hear the roosters and all noise was shut off. It was deathly quiet and Harry was feeling very nervous and not a little frightened.

They waited for a few minutes and then Harry opened the door, simultaneously conjuring a few more roosters and letting them cry. A minute later Harry and behind him Snape, stepped inside the room and slowly lifted his eyes to the mouth of Salazar Slytherin.

The head of the ancient basilisk was hanging out of Salazar’s mouth and it was very, very dead. Its yellow eyes were closed and there was no movement at all. Snape went forward and cast his wand looking for life in the old basilisk and then turned to Harry and pronounced it dead. Harry then levitated the basilisk along with Snape’s help and soon had the whole basilisk on the floor. Snape conjured huge vials and removed all the venom and with many preservation charms, he cut the basilisk into many pieces and once again cast preservation charms on all the pieces and then packed all of them into special containers he conjured.

‘I will transfer the pieces into other containers and then tell you tomorrow. You may come and ward the whole package. We will need the venom until all the horcruxes are destroyed and then we may decide what to do with it.’ Snape told him. Harry nodded absent minded and then closed the mouth by the simple means of, ‘Thank you, Slytherin, the greatest of Hogwarts Four.’ And watched the mouth close.

Snape shrunk all the packages and Harry vanished the roosters and then Snape started out of the passage, once again checking for Ginny. But Ginny was still in her dorm and Snape walked out to the base of the tunnel and waited for Harry.

Harry in the meantime was busy removing the traces of their magic and any evidence of their stay in the Chamber. He soon joined Snape, whose black eyes were gleaming with pleasure. He was probably thinking of the basilisk and all the potions he could make from it, Harry thought, grinning to himself as he joined Snape to leave the Chamber, hopefully for ever, this time.

Snape flicked his wand and a staircase fitted itself from the ground to the entrance to the third floor bathroom and once again applying invisibility charms on themselves and Harry climbed the steps, removing their magical traces as he moved upwards to the entrance.

There Snape yet again checked the map and then went outside, with Harry following him under the invisibility cloak. ‘Close’ he hissed and watched the Chamber close of its own accord.

‘Who is there?’ Harry and Snape jumped as they turned to see Moaning Myrtle who was floating very near to them. She could not see Harry who was under the cloak, but Harry did not know if she could see Snape. He, himself could not, but he did not know about ghosts and he quickly conjured a small snake and let it levitate in the air very near Myrtle and started moving quickly towards the door.

‘Oooh!’ Myrtle screeched and floated to the last bathroom and flushed down loudly. ‘Come on! And give me the map! I am going back to my dorm from here.’ He hissed softly and snatched the now visible parchment when it came floating towards him, and opened the door. Harry went out first and a second later Snape came out and made himself visible.

‘Walk.’ He said and Harry walked towards the Gryffindor common room and the moment he said the password and opened the door, Snape walked away. It was almost morning and Harry knew he would have a terrible day because he had not slept at all. He went up his dorm and crept into his bed safely, changing his robes and cleaning himself with a few flicks of his wand. In about three seconds Harry was asleep.

The next thing Harry knew was being shaken awake by Neville who was looking very worried. ‘Harry, are you okay?’ he was asking as Harry opened a bloodshot eye and peered at Neville.

‘Whassat? Where’s the fire?’ he asked almost falling asleep again, and Neville giggled. ‘No fire, Harry, but it almost time for classes. Hermione and I have finished our breakfast and we have to go for Charms. We got you some breakfast, which Hermione has kept in the common room under a warming charm, so you wash and come down. Okay?’

Harry blinked as he processed that and then he blinked again. He sighed and then smiled. ‘Sorry, Nev. I was studying late into the night and I am feeling so sleepy now. I will come down in a minute okay?’

Neville laughed and went down to Hermione. Harry, wishing he had asked for a pepper up potion from Snape last night, grumpily went to the bathrooms and in about ten minutes, came down, looking a bit better.

‘What were you reading Harry?’ was the greeting Hermione gave him and Harry sighed as Neville giggled again. ‘What else but the Self Updating Book of Spells, Hermione. I was reading about the origin of Runes and I found it fascinating.’ Harry replied, as he mentally braced himself for all sorts of questions about Runes, from Hermione. He answered them as he ate hurriedly, thanking his stars that class was due to begin and they had very little time for Hermione to properly question him.

Harry thanked them and soon they were running down for Charms with Professor Flitwick.


End of Chapter – 18
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[The_Green_Woods]

I wish all of you a very HAPPY NEW YEAR, FULL OF PEACE, PROSPERITY AND HAPPINESS!

Chapter – 19
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Charms went off smoothly, with Harry sleeping through the class. That day went by slowly and Harry watched Ginny carefully. She seemed alright and so Harry concluded that she had not gone into the Chamber and so did not discover that the basilisk was gone. Harry relaxed for the rest of the day sleeping in most of his classes. He had not been able to go to Snape’s potion Lab and ward the containers that held the basilisk. In fact Harry was wondering if he should also place the basilisk in his vault. It would really not do for Dumbledore or anybody else to stumble upon it.

Harry finished dinner and walked down with Hermione, Neville and Malfoy to the dungeons and walked inside. Hermione also walked in determinedly intending to beg Snape to allow her to stay. She had been asked to help a few times, but for Hermione, those times were not enough and she wanted to do a lot more in the potion’s progress.

Today, Snape, though looked at all them for a second, including Hermione’s hopeful face. ‘Potter stay. The rest of you leave!’

Hermione’s face fell comically, but she still remembered George’s words that if she insisted Snape, even at this stage of making the potion would stop it. So with a reproachful look at the Potions Master, who did not even look back at her; he was already striding to the ingredients room to presumably bring something; Hermione left the potions lab along with Neville and Malfoy.

‘We will be in the Library, Harry. Or if you will be here until dinner,’ Hermione’s voice just had a trace of envy, ‘then we will be in the Great Hall.’

Harry nodded and smiled and turned to the dittany and started attending to it. The moment all of them left, Snape came back with an armful of leaves and placing it all on the table, and spoke briskly to Harry.

‘The containers are all here.’ Snape flicked his wand and two shrunken boxes were visible at once corner of the potions lab. Harry quickly went to work and soon warded them with both Snape’s and his own blood, so that apart from them no one could get to the shrunken boxes. It would take a true master of warding; someone like Dumbledore or Flamel to get around it.

Harry finished the warding and then quietly settled down to help with the potions, while Snape took the containers to his chambers to keep them safely. Harry finished with Snape and later that night he opened the map and sat down with it. But surprisingly, Ginny was still in her dorms. Having a sudden doubt, Harry sealed his curtains, cast the invisibility charms upon himself and changing into a Phoenix flashed to the second floor bathroom and checked it thoroughly. But three was no diary and he flashed back disappointed to his dorm.

He activated the map yet again, but Ginny was still in her dorm, and Harry feeling both relieved and anxious, for her, went to sleep. Ginny stayed away from the chamber in the next few weeks and slowly Harry relaxed. Quidditch practise had started and Harry was practising very hard for the most awaited match of the season. Gryffindors vs. Slytherins.

Harry wondered about the fact that Ginny/ Voldemort were taking a break. He tried to remember the last time and from what he could remember, he realized that the petrifactions had continued at regular intervals and not altogether at once. Harry checked the map everyday but when it looked that Ginny was in her dorm, he relaxed. He also flashed every night to the second floor bathroom and checked for the diary. He was still to have any success, in finding it, though.

The first match of the season was one of the most awaited matches in the School as well. Draco had been practising very hard and had wanted to make sure his place in the team would be fixed by his seeker skills, wanting to somehow prove himself in Hermione’s eyes of all people. Her scorn and snorts on the train when he had told Harry about being chosen for the Slytherin team, had stung and Draco had had it at the back of his head ever since. He wanted to put up a decent show and prove to her and everyone else that he did deserve his place on the team. Besides, his father was also coming to watch him play and Draco wanted to make Lucius proud.

The day of the match was cold and cloudy, with the clouds looking dark and threatening to pour at any moment. Draco, waking up in excitement; he really did not sleep at all, was very dismayed by the weather. It would be tougher to show off his skills when he would be swaying in the wind and drenched to his skin. He would have to cast a warming charm on himself and also make sure Harry remembered it too. That thought came almost unconsciously to him and he never thought about the strangeness of it.

Harry in the meantime woke up and was not at all fazed by the weather. He had seen much worse before after all. Last time around, in Harry’s third year, he had tackled bad weather, dementors and so much really. The weather was only cloudy and Harry knew it would rain before long, but he was not really bothered by it.

Soon all of them were at breakfast and this time, after breakfast, Harry, Hermione and Neville walked up to the slytherin table and grinned at a visibly nervous Draco. ‘Good Luck, Draco. Play well.’ Harry told him, holding out his hand and Draco smiled a bit, looking very pleased that Harry had come to wish him. However his nerves were all very high strung and he did not do anything more than nodding his head jerkily. ‘You too Harry.’ as he shook hands with Harry.

Harry grinned at him and walked to the changing rooms, while Hermione and Neville joined Ron, Dean, Seamus and others and went to the Gryffindor stands to cheer for Gryffindor and Harry. Harry changed and sat through Oliver’s lecture and then all of them went to the field and there Harry met a nervous Draco Malfoy and grinned at him. Malfoy nodded his head and mouthed something that Harry did not understand. He frowned and tried to decipher Malfoy’s words as he said something but before that Madam Hooch had already released the balls and was blowing the whistle.

Harry and Malfoy soared into the air. There Harry did a few loops as did Malfoy before, they got together and Harry hurriedly veered away to avoid a bludger. ‘What was it Malfoy? You alright?’ Harry screamed into the wind.

‘Cast warming charms on yourself Harry, else the wind and the rain that’s sure to come will get you.’ He shouted at Harry, who grinned at Malfoy and showed the thumbs up sign and applied warming charms upon himself. He had intended to do it later, but now would be as good as a time as any, Harry thought smiling.

The two seekers flew slowly in circles high above the other players, searching for the snitch and trying to finish the game. Below them apart from the occasional bludger that flew towards them, it was the chasers, beaters and the keeper who had a busy time.

Lee Jordon was commenting and he was doing as good a job as he was before, with McGonagall stopping him whenever he acted up a little. ‘Flint and his Slytherins may have better brooms than us, but clearly it is the Gryffindors who are superior in everything else.’

‘Jordan!’ McGonagall shouted into the microphone.

‘Sorry professor. Well as I was saying, Gryffindors are the best. And the Slytherins really suck!’ there was a sudden squabble as Lee was heard saying ‘sorry professor’ and McGonagall’s voice saying warningly, ‘careful Jordon, or else I will take over’ before Jordon’s voice came over a bit subdued.

The rain began to fall in huge drops and Harry, quickly cast a water repelling charm upon his eyes and indicated the same to Malfoy, wondering at the friendliness between them.

They were now about an hour into the game and Harry suddenly spotted something glittering by Slytherin stands, just a few feet above the ground. He took off at once and Draco followed furiously. They weaved in and out of the other players who were each obstructing the other side’s seeker and Harry dodged the bludgers once as they came whizzing towards him and as he neared the Slytherin goal post he swooped with Draco almost level with him. There were screams in the Slytherin and Gryffindor stands each House encouraging their seeker.

At that time Flint, signalled to his beaters and two bludgers came for Harry. Fred and George took off after the bludgers, but they were a moment behind the bludgers that were really speeding.

Meanwhile Harry and Draco were neck to neck, and Harry kept one hand on the broom and stretched his other hand towards the snitch. The snitch was just a few feet in front of him, and in a minute Harry would have caught it, when WHAM! The bludger slammed into him and pushed him forward. Harry’s outstretched hand got hold of something as another bludger slammed into his hand and with a shout of pain; Harry toppled from the broom and crashed to the ground.

Draco had just pulled himself up the last few feet and he too landed rather ungainly on to the ground. He scrambled towards Harry and looked anxiously at him. Harry was groaning with his hand in a very strange position, suggesting he had broken it.

Draco slowly removed the snitch from Harry’s hand that he had apparently grabbed when he had fallen forward, making Harry stifle a painful scream, before the players and Madam Hooch descended upon them, along with Snape, Lucius and Lockhart. Harry groaned louder when he saw Lockhart, unable to believe even in his pain, that events were once again happening as before.

Last time Harry had fainted, this time he did not faint but still he had Lockhart looming over him, about to remove the bones from his arm. Snape was very unhelpful, watching, smirking mildly, his black eyes showing amusement at Harry’s groan. He had been concerned at first, until he saw Harry was pretty okay, then he had stepped back to stand with Lucius who was looking curiously at Harry, to watch the fun. Harry cursed Snape a bit.

‘Who caught the snitch?’ Oliver was more concerned with that and he had paled like Harry, in equal pain, when he saw the snitch in Draco’s hands. At that question, everyone looked at Harry and Draco and the Slytherins screamed with pleasure.

‘We won, hey we won!’ they chanted and Harry was screaming as well, that they did not, the Gryffindors had, only no one heard him. Madam Hooch after a few seconds blew on her whistle loudly and stopped the noise and turned to Draco.

‘Did you catch the snitch?’ she asked him.

Draco was incredibly tempted to say yes. He knew that any other Slytherin would have said yes and walked away. But he realized in that minute how important Harry’s friendship and respect was, to him. ‘No. Potter did.’ He answered Hooch even as the other Slytherins glared disbelievingly at him.

‘Of course I did.’ Harry told them, before they could say anything to Draco. ‘I told him to remove it from my hand because my hand was paining like anything and can I go to the infirmary please?’ he asked Hooch. Draco looked mighty relieved at Harry’s words and the other Slytherins subsided. If Harry was aware and actually told Draco to remove the snitch, then Draco had done the right thing. He would have got a lot into trouble otherwise.

‘Why bother?’ Lockhart asked loudly and even as Harry shouted that he would rather be treated by a blast ended skewt. ‘Ten points from Gryffindor for being rude to a professor Potter.’ Came Snape’s silky voice and Harry turned to him, amazed at that. Snape was smiling genuinely and was looking very amused as he nodded at Harry. Harry groaned as he heard Lockhart clear his throat and mutter something.

Flash! Harry had forgotten Colin who had somehow pushed his way through and taken a snap of Harry being healed. Harry groaned once more and then cursed loudly, as his hand bent the opposite way, when Lockhart tested it. ‘What did you do?’

‘Er, yes, well, that can happen sometimes. Better go to the infirmary. I think that would be the best.’ Lockhart said, even as he was backing away.

‘You moron, idiot, #@#**%$’ Harry shouted as he thought of drinking the skele-grow and spending one night in the infirmary.

‘Ten points from Gryffindor, Potter for being rude to a professor, again.’ Almost sang Snape as everyone looked at him incredulously. Harry was livid as Colin snapped another photo as Hooch; this time was bending his arm the other way. ‘Colin.’ Harry ordered, biting his lip to stop really taking out his ire on the photography mad boy, ‘stop that. Sir,’ he continued turning to glare at Snape, ‘that’s not fair. Lockhart removed the bones in my hand. I think I was justified to curse.’

Everyone gasped at Harry’s audacity to talk back to Snape. ‘Get up Potter and that should be another ten points.’ Snape said smoothly his eyes, still very amused and Harry stood up shakily. ‘I will take him to the infirmary Madam Hooch. Come on Potter. I cannot keep waiting for you.’

Harry his face mutinous, walked behind Snape and Hermione came up to Harry and caught hold of him as he stumbled. ‘Let him be Miss. Granger. I will take him with me now.’ And Snape came to Harry and holding on to his now rubber like and senseless hand, dragged him away.

Harry waited until they were inside the School and waving his other arm and creating a privacy ward around them huffed irritable to Snape, who just smirked back. ‘Unfair of you Snape. I was really hurt by your Slytherin goons and all you do is, take away points.’

‘You were rude to a professor Potter.’ Snape answered easily.

[The_Green_Woods]

‘That’s a professor. Along with the likes of you and Dumbledore? Merlin, Snape you are magnanimous.’ Harry attempted sarcasm.

‘I could take some more points off you. I can do this and even out the points that you got through this game, and your precious Gryffindor will soon be evened out with us.’ Harry was silent at this and after a few minutes, Snape looked sideways at him. ‘What no comebacks from the great James Potter’s son?”

Harry sighed. ‘No. the great James Potter’s son is struck dumb.’ And kept quiet; his body was aching now and he felt the effects of falling the few feet on to the ground and the other bludger hitting him, and he just could not think of any comebacks to Snape who was now attacking his father along with him.

Suddenly Harry felt himself lifted off the ground and yelped. ‘Keep still Potter. We are almost there.’ Snape told him and lengthened his steps, levitating an open mouthed Harry who was shocked at the sensitivity Snape exhibited. But Snape was an extremely sensitive man. Harry knew that. Only he never displayed that sensitivity openly. He was also very prickly and would lash out if he was provoked.

They were soon at the infirmary and Snape called out to Pomfrey and placed Harry on a bed. Pomfrey had her wand out and was already diagnosing him, muttering all the time. She finished and turned to glare at Snape who simply stared back at her.

‘Which idiot removed all the bones from Potter’s hand?’ she demanded, accusingly, as if it was Snape.

‘The idiot who teaches the Defence against the Dark Arts here.’ Snape answered blandly, and looking at Harry for a second, turned around on his feet and billowed away.

Madam Pomfrey bustled around and came back with a pepper up and a huge beaker of skele - grow. Harry looked at it in dismay and silently took it from her and drank it. He just managed to stop himself from retching and lay down, tired and completely down. Before he knew it, Harry had slept.

Harry slept all though the day and woke up at dinner time, his hand full of pins and needles as the bones were beginning to re-grow. Luckily, it was not his wand hand and Harry found his movements, not very awkward.

He had dinner and lay down, wishing for the night to be over. He had refused a sleeping potion, saying that he was sleepy enough, not to need it. He took a pain reliever potion, though. No one had visited him, when he was awake, though Harry learned from Pomfrey, Hermione, Neville, Draco, Pansy and Blaise had been to see him as well as the entire Gryffindor team while he had been asleep.

Snape came at about eleven and found Harry awake. ‘Not asleep Potter?’ he asked.

Harry grinned at him. ‘I actually dozed off after dinner Snape. I just woke up a few minutes ago. My hand’s killing me.’ He winced as a spiky prickling feeling came over him. ‘Shall I give you a sleeping dose?’ he asked Harry who shook his head. ‘I have been sleeping all through the day and I will feel dull if I take a potion tonight as well.’ Harry looked at Snape was looking back at him, his face unreadable and Harry smiled, his own green eyes soft, green eyes that Snape had looked into before he died, the last time. ‘Thanks for coming to check up on me Snape.’ He said softly. Snape sneered mildly and without saying another word, turned and left.

Harry sat there in the darkness feeling nice and drowsy once more. The pain had become a little better and his hand was no longer poking him painfully. He was feeling very much awake and he decided to look at his books that Hermione had brought faithfully for him to look at. He opened his bag and took out his books and the map too fell out along with them, casting a lumos on his bed alone.

Harry opened it and as a matter of routine checked for Ginny and found her in the Chamber. Harry went still, before he sat down with the map. Ginny spent only a few minutes in the Chamber before she came up and started walking, towards the infirmary. It took Harry a few seconds to understand that Ginny was coming here and then he went into action, first using the Patronus to send a short message to Snape.

‘Ginny is on her way here. Please come at once to infirmary, and stay invisible.’ Having sent that off to Snape, Harry waited. He had sent a message to Snape, just in case he was overpowered. This would be fighting Ginny who would be possessed and if something like last year happened, Harry wanted to be prepared.

Harry held his wand in his right hand and experimentally tried some wandless magic with his left. To his dismay the lumos spell he had tried was very weak. Harry transferred his wand onto his left hand and tried some wandless magic with his right. They worked well. So he would not be at a complete disadvantage if he lost his wand.

At that time a doe came swiftly towards him. Snape’s answer. ‘On my way. Don’t do anything stupid.’ And she vanished. Harry kept his wand in his left hand and was alert, as his eyes kept watch on the map. She was at the corner and she would come into the infirmary anytime. Suddenly Harry had an idea. He accioed a pillow from another bed and transfigured it into rough version of himself and placed it on the bed and covered it completely, showing only the black messy hair. Then Harry masked his scent and making himself invisible, ran to a corner of the room and disillusioning the map, Harry waited. Only for a second, because Ginny was already at the door and Snape was running towards the infirmary and he would take a few more minutes to come.

Harry watched as Ginny crept in silently, her red hair, all unkempt and she looked around the room and then walked silently to the bed and removed her wand. ‘Avada Kedavra’ she said in a cold high voice, unlike hers and then, she smirked and even laughed a little, ‘Harry Potter’, the cold high voice whispered as Harry stood there turned to stone and completely numb, ‘Harry Potter, so you vanquished me. As if you could. Die Harry Potter.’

Then she stopped speaking and fell silent, and with another contemptuous look at the bed, walked away swiftly, almost running from the room. Harry stood there shaken to the core. Had he taken a sleeping potion or had he been asleep, he would have died in his sleep. He shivered uncontrollably as he simply stood there unable to process what he had just seen.

Ginny/Voldemort had just killed him, Harry in cold blood and had walked away. Harry peered into the map after he removed the disillusion charm off it and saw Ginny running towards Gryffindor Tower and Snape entering the infirmary. Somehow their ways had crossed without their knowledge and Harry watched as Snape came running in, through the map. He could not see Snape in the infirmary, where he was bending down and shaking Harry, because he too, was invisible.

That was when Harry came to his senses and he cleared his throat and called out to Snape, looking at Ginny, who had reached the Tower by now and was going inside. ‘Snape, I’m here.’

Snape who was by then shaking what looked like a corpse, turned around, making him visible, even as Harry became visible himself and simply stood there slightly shaking. Even though he knew it was Voldemort and not Ginny who had come there, still to see the figure of a girl, whom he had loved and married, kill him so callously somehow made him feel paralysed with shock.

Snape, Harry saw was ashen and sweating profusely. His black eyes were full of horror and terror, before relief flooded into them after seeing Harry. Harry had never seen those eyes so expressive the last time and he watched as Snape came striding, almost running towards him, his eyes taking in Harry’s pale face and slightly shaking demeanour and caught hold of his arm and took him to his bed. Harry cancelled the Transfiguration on the pillow, before banishing it to its rightful bed and turned to Snape.

Snape sat him down and took a vial from his robes. ‘Open your mouth, Potter.’ He said softly, before pouring the vial of pepper up potion into Harry’s mouth. Harry felt better after a few minutes and he looked at Snape.

‘Did you see Gi… Ginny?’ he stammered, his eyes still a bit chaotic and stormy. Snape nodded his head. ‘But I was invisible and allowed her to get away.’

‘You did the right thing, Snape. What possessing her is Voldemort alright, but that is the earliest horcrux and it will not know you as his death eater and would have killed you on the spot. Like it killed me.’ Harry finished bitterly.

‘What?’ Snape asked startled and then slowly Harry told him everything. ‘I will have to take the diary somehow from her and destroy it, Snape, before, she starts killing others in their sleep.’

Snape was horrified when he heard what had happened. ‘Perhaps we should go with this to the Headmaster, Potter?’ he asked, tilting his head, a bit and looking right into Harry’s green eyes.

Harry shook his head at once. ‘No Dumbledore. Sorry.’ Snape was burning with curiosity to know why, but this was not the time to ask questions and he looked at Harry. ‘Sleep now. I will stay here, until morning. How’s your hand?’

‘Uh...Okay, I guess.’ Harry said, and Snape sneered at his words. Harry smiled a bit. He had forgotten about the prickliness of his hand in the sadness and fear of what he had been seeing.

Harry lay down and watched Snape remove another potion. The sleeping potion and he shook his head, but Snape would not agree and Harry took it, grateful that someone would be there watching out for him and was asleep in a few minutes.

He woke up the next morning, fresh and Pomfrey checked him and allowed him to leave. Harry did not know when Snape had left and if he had any sleep at all last night and he sighed as he took his bag and walked towards the Gryffindor common room.

Just before he entered, he cast a notice-me-not harm upon himself, and checked the map. Ginny, Hermione, Neville and the others were at breakfast and Harry did not waste another minute. He went into the common room and ran up to his dorm. He quickly cast invisibility charms on himself and changed into a Phoenix and flashed to Ginny dorm and finding it empty, went to her bed and placed his wand on his palm and said, ‘point me Ginny’s Diary.’

The wand pointed him at the door. Harry could have cried. Ginny had it with her and, his visit was wasted. He removed all traces of himself and changing once more, flashed to his room and slumped on the bed. So she came out and walked among others possessed and was moving among the students as Ginny/Voldemort. Harry was completely shocked. That was very dangerous and Harry decided to somehow grab the Dairy at the earliest, before Ginny could do real harm, something from which, she would not be able to recover, even after the Diary was destroyed.

A few minutes later, Harry armed with his bag, set off to the Great Hall and he entered cautiously, looking straight at Ginny. Ginny was eating her food and looked up as Hermione called out loudly to Harry, her fork dropping from her hand and clattering on to her plate. Harry kept looking at her, his green eyes not readable, but very confident and knowing as he replied to Hermione’s questions about his hand.

Harry finally looked away as he sat by Hermione and ate his breakfast. Ginny, who was sitting on the opposite side, though a little to Harry’s right, was glaring at Harry, her brown eyes, showing disbelief and shock. Harry noticed all that and also the way she shook off Percy’s hand and slowly looked at the Head Table. Dumbledore was looking at him and smiled back, when Harry smiled at him, a bit guardedly though, and Harry frowned inside. Now what did Dumbledore suspect?

Harry finished quickly and stood up with his friends for the first class of the day. Potions. Ginny also stood up and Harry knew she was going to attack him and this time kill him. They walked out of the Great Hall and Ginny was right after them. They were by the main doors when, suddenly Harry turned back and smiled at Ginny.

‘Accio Diary.’ He called loudly and fired a stunner at her even as she lifted her wand. The diary came whizzing towards him and enraged, Ginny was about to fire a spell when Harry cried out, pocketing the book, ‘look, Ginny everyone’s here to watch’ and hoped that she would take the hint and not cast the killing curse.

But Ginny did not seem to care and she screamed at him, ‘I’ll kill you Potter, if it’s the last thing I do. Just watch this.’ And raised her wand and fired the killing curse. Harry accioed the armour and watched it shatter and shouted to Hermione, ‘conjure more or Accio more stuff, Hermione.’ And fired another stunner and ran away outside.

‘Stupefy!’ Harry cried out with his wand that missed her narrowly and suddenly Ginny sank down like a rock and Harry turned to see Dumbledore walking towards him with his wand aloft. He had fired the stunner. All the Weasleys came running to their sister, and Dumbledore was bending over her checking her and in the confusion, Harry went up to Snape who had run along with Dumbledore, his wand aloft as well and handed over the Diary surreptitiously to him. Snape stepped back, the Diary already in his robes, and Harry cast notice-me-not charms on himself and Snape and also conjured a piece of paper and quill and wrote out the instructions for destroying this piece of horcrux and pushed it into Snape’s hand.

Snape took it and read it and then was gone. Harry conjured another Diary that looked just like the one he gave Snape and cancelled the charms and went and sat down by the steps, waiting for Snape to destroy the horcrux, with the basilisk fang.

Ginny, in the meantime woke up and she looked at Dumbledore and the others and blushed. Her brothers were asking her all sorts of things; all of them together and in very loud voices and Dumbledore was looking around for someone. His eyes found Harry, sitting by the steps and Hermione and Neville and Draco running towards him and he simply looked penetratingly as Harry smiled tiredly at them, showing his hand that he had hurt the day before.

Suddenly, Ginny screamed, and screamed and screamed as something came out of her and vanished altogether. Harry stood up and ran to the edge of the crowd and watched with satisfaction as Voldemort came out of her and vanished. Dumbledore was stunned and shocked as he recognized the 16 year old Tom Riddle.

Ginny had fainted and Dumbledore collecting himself together and asked Percy to take Ginny to the infirmary and walked towards Harry, just as Snape was running out with a few vials in hi hand.


End of Chapter – 19
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[The_Green_Woods]

Chapter – 20
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That morning Dumbledore had been enjoying a peaceful breakfast, having no knowledge of the events of the night. Snape sat to his right and was looking very tired and highly disgruntled, making Dumbledore feel deeply for all those who had potions today. That thought brought a smile which he masked before it could split his face and ate serenely. McGonagall was also quiet, as her eyes roved over the students.

Dumbledore also let his eyes wander all over the Great Hall, as he bit into his toast. Most of the students were there and he smiled, feeling very happy to see all these young minds. He only hoped Voldemort would stay where ever he was and let all of them live in peace. He shook his head slightly at that silly thought. As if he would. Dumbledore had now for sometime been suspecting that he had created horcruxes and his suspicions only increased after he heard how the Voldemort sprit attacked Harry.

Harry Potter! From there Dumbledore’s thoughts went to the boy who was clearly something more. Only he could not put his hands on where and what the mystery was. He was so confident and self assured that was nothing short of amazing for a boy who apparently spent his life in a cupboard under the stairs. Dumbledore cringed inside, even now as he remembered the Hogwarts latter. He had been horrified, and had been prepared for a neglected and undernourished Harry Potter, but what he got was someone who was more confident and more intelligent and surely a better version of James Potter.

At that time Dumbledore noticed Ginny Weasley enter the Great Hall looking very happy and extremely self – satisfied with herself. Dumbledore did not know her personally and he smiled at her happy face as she went quietly to sit with the other first years and begin her breakfast.

A little later Dumbledore was still musing about Harry, when he saw the object of his thoughts enter the Great Hall. Dumbledore became alert as he scrutinized Harry and saw him look at Ginny. Dumbledore straightened and looked deeply at Harry, wondering if he should attempt Legilimency, but decided against it. Hermione Granger was calling loudly to Harry and Dumbledore saw the way Ginny Weasley’s head jerked up at that, her spoon falling from her nerveless hands. She turned away from Harry for a second and Dumbledore saw the happiness he had seen in her face that morning, had completely vanished and in place was an incredulous disbelief that changed into anger in a second, before she turned away and looked down.

Dumbledore turned his attention to Harry, who had gone to his friends by then and was still looking at Ginny and beginning to eat his breakfast very fast. They finished and Harry, Hermione Granger and Neville Longbottom got up to leave and Dumbledore saw Ginny get up too. He suddenly felt something very wrong in that and trusting his instincts which had never betrayed him until then, Dumbledore stood up apparently finished with his breakfast and smiling at his staff, he got down apparently leisurely, but walking swiftly towards the doors.

He was halfway down the tables when he broke into a run; he had heard Harry’s voice cry out to Ginny telling her everyone was watching. Dumbledore though missed Harry calling out to the Dairy as it had not been very loud.

Dumbledore ran faster when he heard Ginny screaming that she would kill Harry and seeing their Headmaster run, the other professors got up from their seats at the Head Table and ran towards Dumbledore. Snape was the first to go and he simply ran as fast as he could, his robes billowing behind him, to the doors.

Dumbledore in the meantime had reached the door and saw Harry’s stunner and fired a stunner of his own on Ginny and watched her fall down. He ran to her to check her and he slowly and cautiously enervated her. He straightened and looked around for Harry and saw him sit down by the steps, looking tired and showing his hand to his friends who had run to him.

His attention was suddenly diverted as Ginny started screaming and to Dumbledore‘s horror, he saw the ghostly form of Voldemort as a young boy known as Tom Riddle, rising up from Ginny’s body and vanishing. Ginny collapsed and fainted and Dumbledore coming to his senses asked Percy to levitate Ginny to the infirmary and turned to talk to Harry, when he saw Snape running out with a few vials in his hand.

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Snape had taken the Diary with trembling hands and placed it into his robes at once and a minute later something came once more into his hands. It was a piece of paper with hasty instructions on how to destroy the Diary. Snape wasted no time and he ran to his dungeons and to his chambers and destroyed the Diary by removing the basilisk fang with the venom in it and piercing the diary, until there was no ink to come out and the diary was all mangled. Then, Snape, sealed everything, cleaned himself of all the ink, and placed the Diary inside the warded place, along with the basilisk and ran out, accioing a few vials for Ginny and ran all the way to the main doors and then slowed his run to a swift walk. The whole exercise had taken but a few minutes.

Dumbledore was already coming towards Harry, his face very grim and tight and Snape hurried towards him. ‘Dumbledore, the girl, how is she? I have got a few potions.’

‘She will be fine, I hope Severus. I have asked her brothers to take her to the infirmary. But thank you, all the same, Severus.’ Dumbledore told him, with a small smile and he walked towards Harry. Snape wanted to very badly know if the possession was over and horcrux destroyed. It must have been, he concluded, but it would be nice to get proof. Only he dared not ask Harry Potter even with his eyes, right now. Dumbledore was in quite a state, if his demeanour was anything to go by. He schooled his face into his usual inscrutable mask and walked along silently with Dumbledore.

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Harry in the meantime, had conjured a diary just like the one he gave to Snape. He knew Hermione and Neville had seen it and he wanted to show it to them, if they asked. The diary also had Tom.M.Riddle on its covers but the pages were blank and there was no dark activity coming out of it. He went tiredly and sat down by the steps, once he handed over the horcrux and the method of destroying it to Snape.

Hermione and Neville came running towards him and Harry spoke to them, showing his hand and telling them, that it still hurt a bit. Hermione was itching to question him, and it was only Harry’s look of extreme tiredness that held her off. She was sitting next to him, biting her lips and thinking of a way to question him, without irritating him. She lost the battle with herself and tuned to Harry.

‘Harry, why did you Accio that diary?’ Hermione asked him hesitantly when they noticed Dumbledore and Snape coming towards them. Harry, Hermione and Neville stood up, feeling a bit scared, that Dumbledore was looking very grim.

‘The Diary? I too would like to know the answer to that question Harry.’ Dumbledore said unsmiling. ‘May I see the diary?’ he held out his hand.

Harry did not utter a word but put his hands into his robes and pulled out the diary that looked just like the horcrux and handed it over to Dumbledore. Dumbledore peered closely at the name and opened it and flipped through the pages and frowned when he found them blank.

He placed the Diary in his left hand and waved his wand over the diary a few times. There was nothing he could find there and he turned to Harry once more and looked at him, deeply, ‘Will you please come to my office, Harry? I would like to talk to you for a few minutes.’ Harry nodded and walked behind Dumbledore, along with Snape. They reached the office in quick time and after they went in, and Dumbledore went around the large table set in the centre of the room and seated in his chair. He asked Snape and Harry to sit down and his frown decreased a bit when Fawkes flew from his perch and sat on Harry.

He smiled a little as Fawkes trilled, ‘What happened with Ginny Harry? You seemed to suspect something was wrong with her?’ he asked, sending his Legilimency across as he waited for Harry to answer.

Harry took a deep breath and allowing Dumbledore to stay in his head he looked directly at Snape for a second, before turning to Dumbledore. ‘Sir, I don’t want to say anything bad about Ginny.’ He started hesitantly. Dumbledore was silent and did not answer and Harry gulped obviously and swallowed before he went on.

‘I saw her a few times with this diary and her face would be very harsh and she would be talking to herself and smirking to herself. I heard her use the word ‘kill’ a few times and I almost asked her about it once or twice, but I really don’t know her as I do Ron or Fred and George, Sir, and so I kept quiet. Last night I saw her in the infirmary; I just woke up and I could see a blurry figure and recognized her as she spoke to herself. She was just walking around my bed a few times, muttering something and then she left; she had something in her hands; I assumed it was this diary, because whenever she would talk and mutter to herself, the diary was usually in her hands.

‘Today, I came into the Great Hall and kept looking at her and I was intending to ask her about the Diary and also why she would come into the infirmary and keep roaming around my bed, when she kept glaring at me and followed me outside. That was when I got the idea and I accioed the diary and she screamed in anger that she would kill me and cast the killing curse. There was nothing to hide there Sir, and I simply accioed the armour standing there and thankfully the killing curse did not hit me. I screamed to Hermione to Accio the armour again, in case she would try the killing curse again and I ran out, casting the stunner at her. She suddenly fell and you came there with the wand high in your hand. You cast the stunner, didn’t you?’

Dumbledore nodded his head briefly, withdrawing from Harry’s mind. Harry’s report had been accurate and Dumbledore bent once more over the diary as Harry played with Fawkes and Snape sneered at both Harry and Fawkes. The diary was very ordinary and except the name Tom. M. Riddle written on it, there was nothing else. No dark magic and no dark spells.

‘May I keep this with me Harry? I would also like to talk to Miss Weasley about this.’ Dumbledore stopped for a second and then breathed heavily. ‘Do you wish to press charges against her Harry? If you do, she would have to spend the rest of her life in Azkaban and also be kissed, I think.’

‘That should be the procedure, I believe.’ Snape inserted smoothly, his black eyes glittering with joy. Harry turned to glare at him and then turned to Dumbledore. ‘Sir, I would like to know why Ginny Weasley tried to kill me. Why she came to the infirmary yesterday and did she do anything then?’

‘And Harry, would you want to press charges against her? Like Severus says, you will be quite within your rights to do so.’ Dumbledore asked him.

Harry shook his head. ‘I don’t think so, Sir. I think there is something very wrong with Ginny Weasley. She did not look like herself, you know, the last few weeks at least, since I’ve started noticing her talking to herself. She almost looked possessed and if there is something wrong with her health or something, then I definitely don’t want to press any charge against her Sir.’ He said firmly.

Dumbledore started at that. Harry had by chance hit the nail rig ht on the head. ‘Indeed Harry, I do believe she was not quite herself.’

‘Was she possessed then by a ghost or something Sir?’ Harry asked him, his eyes wide and astonished. Fawkes pecked him and when Harry looked at him, the clever bird actually winked at Harry. Harry was truly stunned and he blinked at Fawkes who trilled once and flew off Harry’s lap and onto his perch.

Harry coming out of his shock smiled at Fawkes and stood up when Dumbledore told him, ‘Once Miss Weasley is fine, Harry, I will question her and let you know. If aurors come here, because many students heard her use an unforgivable, I hope you will back me up in that case?’

Harry nodded. ‘Yes Sir. If she was not herself, and I don’t think she was, because Ron and the twins are not like that; they are so carefree, she too must be like them Sir. I think so anyway.’ Dumbledore smiled widely for the first time that morning and Snape too got up, looking very disgruntled that Ginny was not going to Azkaban and looked sourly at Harry.

‘I will be cancelling classes for today Harry and so you may relax with your friends, who must be anxious about you. Run along now.’ He said and Snape immediately pounced on Harry. ‘Potter, you will come with me and attend to the potion. That needs help. Come on.’ And nodding briefly to Dumbledore, Snape turned billowed away.

Harry smiled at Dumbledore and walked hastily behind Snape, leaving the diary with Dumbledore, who was looking better than when he walked to his office.

Harry and Snape walked in silence until they reached the potions lab and walked inside. Harry threw his bag onto a chair and watched as Snape warded the room and went inside and came out with the destroyed diary. Harry looked at it tiredly and smiled a bit before getting up and taking the diary in his hands and sent his magic into it. There was no response and Harry handed it back to Snape who went to keep it with the basilisk.

‘Are you okay?’ Harry started as Snape’s voice came abruptly. Harry was deep in thoughts and his memories of a life that was surely destroyed.

‘You know Snape, you and I; we have a lot of things in common with each other.’ Harry told him softly.

Snape sneered. ‘Common with you? A Potter?”

“Why, I am Lily’s too, you know?’ Harry told him carelessly; watching Snape, as he predictably froze and turned into stone.

‘You lost mum because of your choices, Snape and she was too young to see the real you, romantically.’ Harry told a flushing Snape who had not moved and whose eyes were suddenly blazing with anger and bitterness.

‘I do not wish to talk to you about it, and it would do you well to stop right now.’ He hissed, his voice very soft, telling Harry how angry he was.

‘I too, have most likely lost the girl I loved and married Snape, because I have chosen to act differently now.’ Harry told him, his eyes, very, very sad.

Snape, who was on the verge of blasting Harry, was stunned into silence as he processed what Harry was telling him.

‘I married Ginny Weasley and I had three lovely kids; two boys and a girl.’ Harry’s voice broke and then there was only silence. Harry had put his head into his hands, sitting there and Snape was simply looking at him, his eyes inscrutable for a long time, before, he stood up and went into his Chambers and came holding a steaming cup of tea. ‘Drink Potter. And you are truly big headed. You are only in your second year and this incident with the basilisk has already happened before and you got together with her then. Why should you think that you cannot do it now?’

Harry did not answer. He had already told a bit too much to Snape and he did not want to blabber more. He accepted the cup rather shakily from Snape’s hands and slowly sipped it and Snape after waiting for an answer that was not coming, stood up and attended to the potions that would be ready in a month or two.

‘Christmas is already upon us Snape. Once it’s over, then we have the potions to tackle and then its third year. Third year this time will be very peaceful. No dementors and no Sirius Back escaping from Azkaban and no Peter Pettigrew running away to help good old Voldy Moldy back to his body. Third year will be good. The next problem will be in fourth year.’ Harry told him, with a small smile, his eyes still having a haunted look about them.

‘Aren’t you just tempting the fates Potter?’ Snape asked him dryly.

Harry grinned, looking a bit more like himself now. ‘No, Snape. Last time, third year was when Sirius broke out of Azkaban and because he was thought the traitor, the Ministry had dementors all around the School and there was a mess at the end of it all. This year, Sirius has already happened and no dementors and nothing for third year.’

Snape sneered and snorted mildly at Harry’s enthusiasm. ‘That is tempting the fates with a vengeance Potter. I would advice you not to try.’ He added dryly.

Harry simply grinned at him. ‘When will the potions get over Snape?’

‘Will you be staying here for the holidays?’ Snape asked him a few minutes later.

Harry nodded his head. ‘Yes, I’ll be. Hermione, Colin and others are staying back and I think I will too. I’ve already written to Sirius and Remus, asking them permission to stay on here and I think, they’ll agree. I’ve told them about the potions nearing completion and so I don’t think they’ll create a fuss.’

Snape snorted again, this time loudly, showing his disdain for Sirius and Remus and their permission of all things. ‘Now that the Diary is gone, I think, the rest of this year will be better than it was the last time.’ Snape did not answer to this and soon, they had an almost companionable silence as they worked together.

Harry left the potions classroom for lunch, where he was assaulted by an anxious Hermione, Neville and even the Slytherins. Draco hung slightly behind and looked at Harry with worry and fear. Harry laughed at all of them and answered their questions as well as he could and tried to tell Draco though many hints that he was perfectly fine and that Ginny looked alright too. That started off another discussion about Ginny and Harry promised to tell them everything as soon as he knew.

The next morning Harry received Sirius and Remus’s letter and laughed. They were very upset, but at the very end of what was a very long letter, they said they understood that Harry wanted to be with his friends for Christmas and work on the potions that would be ready by the first week of March. This was the last stage and they said they understood.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley came to the School that day to see their daughter. They had received an owl in the morning and they had flooed to Hogsmeade and had rushed from there. Ginny was perfectly fine, Madam Pomfrey declared that afternoon and Harry went once again to the Headmaster’s office in the afternoon to hear from Ginny.

McGonagall, Snape, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, all their children and Lucius Malfoy of all people along with Dobby were there. Dobby was looking very pathetic and he was standing with his head bowed low down in fear. He looked up as the door opened and Harry walked in, and his eyes widened comically before Lucius noticed him and kicked him. Dobby whimpered and looked down once again.

Harry glared at Lucius Malfoy and put his hand inside his robes conjuring a hanky, kept it in readiness.

‘Come in Harry and sit down. You know the Weasleys and this is Lucius Malfoy one of the Governors on the Hogwarts School Board. Lucius, this is Harry.’ Dumbledore said pleasantly.

McGonagall was sitting next to Snape and Harry sat on Snape’s other side. Snape had kept watching him from the moment he had entered the room, but was still to say anything. The whole atmosphere was very tense and Ginny was already sobbing.

‘Hi Mr. Weasley, Mrs. Weasley.’ Harry greeted them softly as soon as he sat down. Mrs. Weasley looked on the verge of tears and Mr. Weasley was looking very worried as well.

‘Harry, dear, I really don’t know what to say.’ Mrs. Weasley started and Harry’s heart went out to this lady who had done so much for him. He smiled, ‘I don’t think you need to say anything Mrs. Weasley. Professor Dumbledore was telling me yesterday that something possessed Ginny. In fact most of us saw something, a youngish boy coming out of her and vanishing. Nothing’s her fault.’

Dumbledore beamed. Mrs. Weasley smiled through her tears and thanked him tremulously. She had been so scared when the owl had come and after she came to School and learnt what had happened, she had been terrified, both for her daughter and about what would happen to her, for her actions, even though she was not really in control of them. To her immense relief and eternal gratitude, Harry was just brushing it all away.

‘I think professor Dumbledore has the diary, Mrs. Weasley. You can see that. I think that diary is somehow connected to that ghost that came out of Ginny. I saw her with it a few times and she would always be talking and smirking to herself.’ He explained.

‘I really don’t see the point in all this Dumbledore. It is obvious that the girl has brought in a magical object that could harm the other students here and I think this is a clear case of misuse of magical artefacts and even if the criminal is very young, I think she must be taken through the proper channels and punished.’ He drawled, his eyes roving over the Weasleys and settling upon Harry.

‘Well, sir, I refuse to press charges, when it was not her fault, but the fault of the person who was inside her.’ Harry told him firmly and blushed when everyone turned to look at him in surprise. Dumbledore was completely taken aback at the confidence and the assured way in which Harry was speaking and he slowly entered his mind.

[The_Green_Woods]

Again Dumbledore was shocked. There was nothing there, except recognition of the house – elf which he too had recognized from seeing it in Harry’s mind before and the memories of that morning and later helping Snape with the potions. There was nothing else. He pushed it from his mind for now and concentrated on the job at hand.

Mrs. Weasley was now crying in earnest and the Weasleys were all glaring at Lucius Malfoy who was scowling at Harry. Harry turned to professor Dumbledore. ‘Sir, do you have the Diary with you?’ he asked Dumbledore and surprised once again, but very curious, Dumbledore handed over the Diary to him, watching him all the time. Harry turned his back to Lucius Malfoy and Albus Dumbledore and removed the hanky as if to wipe his face and slipped it inside the book and cast a notice-me-not charm and a very mild sticking charm wandlessly on it all the while pretending to look through the book.

‘Mrs. Weasley, this was the diary Ginny had with her, the few times I saw her look kind of possessed. See.’ He said and handed the Diary to her. She took it with trembling hands and looked at it and as if unable to look through it at all, she handed it back to Harry. Ginny saw the book and started weeping loudly, throwing herself on to her mother, who was trying to comfort Ginny through her own tears.

‘Where did you get this thing Ginny? Did you have it before School or did someone give it to you after School started?’ Harry asked her and after a long moment of intense sobbing, she looked at Harry, her eyes all puffed up and face swollen and with so much fear in her eyes, ‘I’m sorry Harry. The book wanted to know everything about you. He said he wanted to be friends with me and I told him all about how you defeated You-Know-Who and how you survived the killing curse.

‘The book then slowly tried to poison my mind towards you and when ever it would take hold of me, I could not do anything; I simply watched as if it was happening to some one else and he would keep grinning and keep talking about killing you. What you said is very correct. But Harry, it was not I, it was him.’ and she started sobbing as her parents looked on helplessly.

‘Seems a likely story.’ Lucius sneered. ‘Let me see that book, Mr. Potter.’ He asked Harry holding his hand out for the book. Harry looked at Dobby. ‘Hello, can you please take this to Mr. Malfoy?’ he asked, not getting up from his chair.

Dobby looked at him, his eyes wide with disbelief that some one had requested him, rather than ordered him, and then sheer terror at touching that book. He came to Harry and slowly held out a hand and then blinked in relief when he could not feel the darkest magic of them all and hurried to Lucius Malfoy and handed the book to him. Lucius glared at him, and snatched the book from him and opened it. To his shock, one he managed to conceal very well, the Diary looked very ordinary and he could sense no magic at all, let alone dark magic coming from it.

He stayed silent for a few minutes and looked up when Harry was asking Ginny something else. ‘Where did you find this Ginny?’

Her father answered for her. ‘She says she found it in her Transfiguration text book when we got it from flourish and Blotts.’

Harry looked at Ginny and for the first time in this time line, used Legilimency to plant a thought into another mind, after he made sure Dumbledore was not in his mind. He looked a bit puzzled like everyone else and Arthur and Molly were talking to Dumbledore about enquiring those at Flourish and Blotts about this.

Suddenly Ginny exclaimed, ‘Mum, it was Mr. Malfoy. He took my Transfiguration book that day, looked through it and threw it into my cauldron. Remember Daddy? It was him, I’m sure, who put the book into my Transfiguration text.’ She cried out, looking at him angrily and with just a touch of fear.

Lucius Malfoy stiffened and went pale for a second, before he steadied himself and glared at Ginny. ‘I hope you have proof Miss. Weasley. You are making rather serious accusations.’ He told her bitingly.

Dumbledore saw Lucius’s expressions and his own face went blank. ‘Lucius, she is frightened and she does not remember from where she received the diary. She may be mistaken.’

‘May be mistaken!’ Lucius Malfoy was furious. ‘She is playing around with dark artefacts and then conveniently accuses me. Have the Weasleys stooped so low?’ he thundered as he threw the book on the floor by his feet.

‘There was the ghostly form of a young Lord Voldemort that came out of her body as she screamed and fainted.’ Dumbledore told him abruptly.

Lucius stopped breathing and he stood there in shock, his face ashen. He stood there for a long minute his eyes wide with shock and with sweat that was already beginning to break out on his face as he processed Dumbledore’s words.

‘What?’ he whispered.

‘You heard me, Lucius. I think you should leave now. And I hope that you will not play with my students in future.’ Dumbledore said chillingly and he stood up, radiating an aura of power as he looked at Lucius Malfoy with penetrating eyes that had no twinkle in them now, but anger.

Lucius turned on his feet. His feet hit the Diary and he looked at it with deep fear that he could not quite conceal. Without realizing what he was doing he bent down and picked it up and then stiffened again as he realized what he had done. Instead of walking to the table and placing the diary on it, he turned to Dobby and barked at him, throwing the book at him, ‘Give it to Dumbledore and come with me.’

Exactly then, Harry wandlessly removed the charms and made the hanky visible. Dobby saw the cloth and stood there mesmerised by the hanky. ‘Dobby!’ came a strangled shout from Lucius who turned back to kick his elf and his eyes widened.

‘Master has freed me.’ Dobby said his eyes leaking with tears.

‘What?’ Lucius was astonished and it was all that Harry could do to stop laughing at Lucius’s face.

‘Master has given me clothes. I am free.’ Dobby said once more in a voice that dripped with wonder.

Lucius Malfoy blazed with anger. He unscrewed his cane and lifted his wand, when Dobby snapped his fingers. “I shall not allow Master to harm anyone.’

CRASH! Lucius Malfoy went flying and hit the door of the Headmaster’s office and crumpled down. Everyone was still with shock and the room was totally silent.

In that silence, Snape got up and moved slowly to Malfoy and helped him stand up even as the others watched with open mouths. Snape simply looked into Lucius’s eyes, apparently trying to convey something to him. Malfoy stood there for a second more, looking into Snape’s eyes and then, he swiftly turned and walked out of the Headmaster’s office, slamming the door behind him.



End of Chapter – 20
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http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=112304

[The_Green_Woods]

Chapter – 21
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Lucius Malfoy and Severus Snape walked out of the Headmaster’s office after Lucius slammed the door behind him. Snape did not speak a word but led a willing Malfoy to the dungeons and into his chambers. Snape went directly to his cabinet and took out a couple of glasses and poured the red elf made wine and silently handed one glass to Lucius, who had thrown himself in a very un – Malfoyish way on the sofa.

‘What happened, Severus?’ Lucius asked him after a silence that became slightly oppressive. Snape was not saying anything; he was simply sipping his wine and looking sympathetically at Lucius, willing him to speak first.

‘Today morning?’ Snape asked him and continued when Lucius nodded. ‘Well I noticed something was amiss when the old loony got up suddenly and started walking swiftly towards the main doors of the Great Hall and halfway he broke into a run. I got up and ran to see what it was that could rile up the old man so. I was not disappointed initially, Lucius. Only a bit later it turned rather frightening.

‘The Weasley girl was screaming that she would kill Potter; this I heard from Dumbledore and Potter, really that boy is so lucky, I wish he would fail somewhere, really. He threw a curse and avoided the Avada no less, how I really don’t know and fired a stunner, but before he could do more, Dumbledore himself fired a stunner at the girl. A few minutes later, the ghostly form of a young boy rose out of her and vanished. Dumbledore said that was our Lord while he was very young.’

Lucius paled and was sweating profusely as Snape’s explanation went on and by the time Snape finished, he was trembling, a far cry from the Lucius Malfoy the world knew.

‘Lucius? What is the matter? Did that elf harm you?’ Snape asked him, leaning forward in concern. Lucius hesitated only for a minute.

‘Severus. I think I am in trouble. I placed that diary in her Transfiguration Book. That was a diary our Lord had given to me. It was an extremely dark object and I wanted to be free of this if there were any checks by the aurors, since this showed up under the auror scans. Now it looks like…’ Lucius hesitated for a second and looked into Snape’s eyes and trembled. ‘What is it Lucius? You don’t have to tell me if you must not. I understand out Lord will be angry if you reveal what I need not know.’

Those were the right words to say and Lucius shivered once more, ‘Looks like a horcrux, Severus and it seems to have been destroyed, because I could not find anything magical in that diary, let alone traces of dark magic.’ Snape stared in apparent shock. ‘What a horcrux. Lucius are you sure?’ He asked and sat back when Lucius nodded his head.

Snap was silent for sometime, before he answered, choosing his words carefully. ‘I think you should somehow plant the suggestion by means of an anonymous letter to make the aurors search your house and pour some dark magic into a diary which looks like the one destroyed and let them take it. That way the Dark Lord will be angry, but will not be able to accuse you of having deliberately destroying the diary. You can tell our Lord that this Diary was something different; a dark object that you made on your own to cause trouble for Arthur in the Ministry, only it backfired on you, just in case he comes to know of this incident. What do you think?’

Lucius looked long at Snape, whose face was bland as he sat back looking very matter of fact and slowly Lucius nodded. ‘I think I’ll do that. But Severus, I can count upon you not to reveal…’

‘But of course Lucius. You have my word.’ Snape said sincerely and Lucius got to his feet, with a small relieved smile and walked out after thanking Snape, a determined look on his face and looking more like the Lucius Malfoy of old.

Snape heaved a sigh of relief as he watched Lucius Malfoy walk out of his rooms to do just the thing Snape suggested. Snape hoped this would be fine and would not mess up the timeline and create more problems. He cursed a bit, Harry was not telling him anything much and it was frustrating him. Well, he would have to try and put some more questions to Harry Potter if he needed to make sure his actions would not harm the original timeline.

His thoughts went back to the time when Harry had almost broken down and he sighed. He very much hoped Harry would marry Ginny. He would not wish what he had gone through seeing Lily with James Potter on anyone, not even Voldemort, Snape decided as he remembered the jealousy and the bitterness that had welled up in his heart, when he saw them together. James and Sirius made sure they never hexed him or the others in front of Lily and she had been taken in by that, thinking James Potter had changed, he thought angrily.

Snape sat still for a minute, before the memories of those days came back as always. Lily had been happy. That was what hurt him, he had realized later. She had been truly happy with Potter of all people and had a living proof of that love in Harry James Potter as well. He had almost lost his mind when he came to know they were planning to marry.

Lily had never spoken to him after that night. Not once in the two years and after they left Hogwarts he had never even seen her. And then she had died. And he had been the cause for it. Snape’s face twisted in a very horrible way as the guilt burned into him as if new. Why did he have to take the damn Prophecy to the Dark Lord? And why did Potter of all kids have to be born on the last day of the seventh month and why oh why did the bloody James Potter not listen to Dumbledore and make him the secret keeper instead of choosing Black and the rat of all people? Even after they were warned, they could not protect themselves.

Snape snarled as he thought of Peter. But then he sagged again. While his mind could come up with many reason that were perfectly true, his heart would never listen and there it was he, who was responsible for the death of Lily and for the breaking of her family. He wondered how Harry was able to stand talking to him when Harry knew that it was because of him his parents died.

At that time the floo turned green and Snape looked up, schooling his face into blankness and stood up as Dumbledore’s head appeared. ‘Can you come up for a minute Severus? Has Lucius left?’

Snape sneered. Dumbledore had called him, because he had known Lucius left. He nodded silently and walked to the floo to take a pinch of floo powder and waiting only for Dumbledore to withdraw his head, Snape threw the floo powder and stepped into the fire. Time to report to Dumbledore, he thought, about what Lucius said.

-----------------------

Sirius and Remus were having their lunch in Diagon Alley, planning to go to a meeting in the afternoon, when Hedwig flew into The Leaky Cauldron and landed on the table, holding out her leg. Sirius grinned at Remus, his eyes brightening as he untied the letter on Hedwig’s leg and opened it. His smile abruptly turned into a frown and then a scowl. He stood up abruptly, throwing the letter towards Remus and strode to the fireplace, throwing a few galleons on the counter for Tom.

Remus, in the meanwhile had hastily stood up reading the letter as well, and his face too, showed the sudden tension as he finished the letter, running to the fireplace, just as Sirius was throwing a pinch of the floo powder and stepping into the fire, shouting ‘The Three Broomsticks’. Remus followed suit and soon they were running on the road that led from Hogsmeade to Hogwarts. Sirius opened the gates, just as Lucius Malfoy was finishing his talk with Snape, and ran inside.

Sirius ran through the main doors and the stairs to the Headmaster’s office, missing Lucius Malfoy who was just stepping out of the dungeons. Sirius ran to the gargoyle and stopped, his chest heaving with all the exhaustion. It took a few minutes for him to get his breath back and he spent the next few minutes trying all kinds of wizarding and muggle sweets. The gargoyle finally opened to Mars Bars from Remus, and Sirius now with another burst of energy ran up the stairs and opened the door, without even knocking on it.

They opened the door to see Snape step through the fire with Dumbledore standing near it. Dumbledore turned with a slight frown which turned to a smile as he saw Sirius and Remus rushing in.

‘Hello Sirius, Remus. This is indeed a pleasant surprise.’ Dumbledore exclaimed walking over to his chair and sitting down, gesturing Sirius, Remus and Snape to sit down as well.

‘Tea?’ he asked to an almost bursting to ask questions Sirius.

‘No Albus. We received a letter from Harry today afternoon saying that he was attacked by Ginny Weasley of all people and he says she was possessed and the killing curse was not her fault. The killing curse, Albus? Just what is happening here? That elf was correct. It said horrible things would happen in Hogwarts and asked Harry not to go. Right, now I’ve made my decision. Harry as of this minute is with drawn from here. No more.’ Sirius was panting once again and his eyes looked bleak as he whispered, ‘I can’t lose him too, Albus. He’s all I‘ve got.’

Albus smiled gently. ‘I know, Sirius, and I was so worried yesterday, when I heard Miss. Weasley shout at Harry. I cast the stunner that stopped her and then a few minutes later, Voldemort came out of her body and vanished. She was apparently possessed. The elf was Lucius Malfoy’s and it came here along with him today and there was a piece of cloth in that diary that he gave to the elf and he unintentionally freed it.’ Dumbledore’s eyes were smiling along with him, as he remembered the scene in his office a little while ago.

‘So it was Malfoy. How dare he?’ Sirius asked outraged, Remus and Snape simply sitting and watching; Remus with a worried look and Snape with an unreadable expression, that was mildly sneering.

‘It was Malfoy indeed and I have warned him, I think he will not try anything like this again.’ Dumbledore said soberly.

‘Wait a minute, Albus. You said Voldemort came out of her body. How was that?’ Sirius asked and they listened to Dumbledore’s explanation, as he told them the events of the last day and a half. He did not mention his suspicion that it may be a horcrux and Sirius did not catch on to it either.

‘How is Ginny Weasley now? It must have been horrible for her. I would also like to see Harry, if you don’t mind Albus. Just to see for ourselves, that he is fine.’ Sirius told him and stood up, preparing to see Harry, his face a bit more cheerful now. He smiled his thanks to Dumbledore and nodded once to Snape, who did not acknowledge it, and rolling his eyes Sirius, and Remus smiled at Albus and went away.

‘Would you have some tea, Severus?’ Albus asked him, pouring a cup for himself, when Snape shook his head.

‘It was Lucius, Dumbledore. It was he, who placed the diary into the Weasley’s girl’s cauldron.’ Snape hesitated a bit here. He had wanted to talk to Harry before he reported to Albus, but Dumbledore had called him quickly. Snape was in two minds about informing Dumbledore about the horcrux. Dumbledore was waiting patiently for Snape to speak again, and Snape squared his shoulders and looked at Dumbledore.

‘The diary apparently was a horcrux.’ He said blandly, watching as Dumbledore choked on his tea. It was not every time that he could surprise him, and Snape felt an immense satisfaction.

‘What? Who told you that? Lucius?’ he asked, his desire to have tea, apparently all gone.

Snape nodded. ‘Yes, Dumbledore it was he. This diary kept popping up in his scans and he was worried that if anyone from the Ministry would come, this could not be concealed. So he decided to place it in the Weasley girl’s book and hoped that it would get her into a lot of trouble.’ Snape shuddered. ‘I thank Merlin, that the Dark Lord did not possess her the way he possessed Potter. It would have destroyed her.’

Dumbledore nodded his face very serious. ‘Indeed, Severus. We must be thankful for that. So Voldemort has made horcruxes. I have suspected it for sometime now; this proves it.’ Dumbledore sighed. ‘Poor Harry. He has such a task in front of him. We must make it as simple for him as we can, Severus.’

Snape nodded and stood up when Dumbledore nodded back at him and with a twist of his feet he billowed away to the fireplace and went back to the peace of his dungeons to wait for Harry Potter.

---------------

Just after Lucius Malfoy had left, Molly and Arthur Weasley had tackled Harry and had apologized to him, making him feel very embarrassed. He brushed it all off and could not help leaning into Molly’s embrace when she tightly hugged him, pouring all her gratitude into the hug. She was still crying terrified at what might have almost happened. Her daughter might have even been kissed or sent to Azkaban for the rest of her life had Harry pressed charges. Instead, it had been this remarkable boy who had spoken so confidently and assuredly for Ginny.

Ginny herself, was crying and looking very frightened. She had had a crush on Harry for as long as she could remember and now, she had almost killed him. She shuddered in self-disgust. Harry, she knew would never look at her even in friendship and he would never talk to her as he did in her dreams. She bent her head down in a gesture of defeat and tried to stop crying and thinking about anything and everything.

Thankfully the bell had rung then and all of them left the elder Weasleys and went to their classes, silently and very subdued. Ginny was excused from her classes and she went with her mother to The Burrow to recover and also to give the other students time to forget. She would return after Christmas.

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[The_Green_Woods]

Sirius and Remus, after their meeting with Dumbledore had walked through the School, searching for Harry until they realized he was probably in his classes. They came to the main doors and decided to wait for classes to get over for the day and meet Harry and only then leave Hogwarts. They sat down on the steps of the main door and whiled away the afternoon, discussing what Dumbledore had told them. As soon as the bell rung for the last class, Sirius called an elf and asked it to call Harry to them.

In a few minutes, Harry came running along with Neville and Hermione, looking very anxious. ‘Sirius, Remus, what happened? Are you both fine?’ he shouted as he screeched to a halt, panting heavily, looking at both of them deeply.

“Harry, we are okay. We came for you. I got your letter today and we’ve been here since. I wanted to see you if you were okay, and Remus and I decided to do just that before we left. What happened, yesterday?’

So Harry once more launched into the story of what happened yesterday and answered as many questions as he could and satisfied them finally, with Neville and Hermione helping him.

‘Harry, listen to me carefully. I want you to stop your friendship with Malfoy. It was his father who was responsible for the diary and I am afraid his son will be no better.’ Sirius told him, his eyes and face not ready to take no for an answer.

‘Sirius, if Malfoy even shows a bit of anything bad, I’ll simply break off with him. I swear. Please believe me on this one. I won’t take any risks and you can ask Neville and Hermione here. He has been very nice Sirius, and I don’t want to blame him for the sins of his father and break off with him. Please.’ Harry pleaded with him. Half an hour of much pleading and arguing, Sirius sighed at Harry’s stubbornness and his refusal to see any sense in Sirius's words.

He looked helplessly at Remus and then sighed and shrugged in resignation. ‘Be careful Harry. And don’t let him get too close.’ Sirius warned him. ‘Sirius, he’s good. He’s a very nice guy. He is not like his father and I’ve already promised you I’ll break it off if he becomes like that. Don’t you worry, okay?’ Harry reassured him and then waved goodbye to a very unsatisfied Sirius and a slightly worried Remus, and turned to see Draco walking out stonily towards Harry.

Harry quickly schooled his expression into blandness, inwardly worried about what Draco had heard and how he took it. ‘Can I talk with you for a minute?’ he asked.

‘Sure Draco.’ And Harry walked a little away from Neville and Hermione and Draco too, left his friends who were looking worried and came over to Harry.

‘Why did Black and Lupin tell you to avoid me?’ he asked his face white and pinched. Harry looked at him for a long minute and then quietly told him what happened. Draco had come there at the end and had been shocked to hear Sirius and Remus tell Harry to stay away from him. He was even more shocked by Harry’s response. Harry had told them, he would break it off, if Draco would become like his father. That had made Draco very confused and hurt. He had almost shouted at Harry, but all this time with him, had made Draco realize that Harry was not a person to talk lightly. So he had pushed down his anger and had asked him what the matter was and why suddenly the Malfoys weren’t good enough for Harry and his Godfather.

The reason shocked him beyond anything. His father had been responsible for placing a dark artefact that possessed a student and had tried to kill Harry. Had anybody else told Draco negative things about his father, he would have hexed them and become their enemy. But this was Harry; who would never lie to him. He knew that instinctively and he somehow trusted Harry on this. And he did not know what to say. He stared at Harry feeling extremely mortified and wondering why in the name of Merlin he had asked Harry anything at all in the first place. He should have known Harry would have a reason for everything.

‘I understand if you’ll no longer want to be friends.’ Draco told Harry, his voice all strained as he spoke the toughest words that almost broke him.

‘Why should I not be friends with you Draco? I told Sirius and Remus that I’ll stay away, if I feel you were trying to harm me. Not otherwise. And I know you’ll never do that.’ Harry told him, looping his arm into Draco’s and smiling at him. Draco was stunned. Harry believed that he would not harm him. He was so confident about Draco and was willing to be friends with him, even if his father had tried to kill him. Draco felt very bitter as he thought of his father, but he pushed those thoughts down and decided to think about them later.

‘And besides, you warned me, you know. That helped as well. But I could not tell them that, because you told me to keep it a secret. Come on. Let’s go down to the dungeons and help Snape. He’ll kill us otherwise.’ Harry told him and refusing to talk further about what happened with Ginny, Harry led them all down.

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It was after these classes that Sirius and Remus had met them and Draco confronted him. After sending them away and talking to Draco, all of them trooped down to the dungeons and knocked at the door. Snape opened it and asked only Harry to come inside and shut and warded the door, disregarding the protests made by a slightly daring Hermione.

Snape after warding the door, waited for Harry to start his work, watching him all the while. Harry took his time, before he came to Snape’s desk and sat down in the chair opposite Snape, and softly told him everything. Snape in turn told him what Lucius Malfoy had said, and Snape’s own suggestion and then there was only silence.

‘Now that all this drama is over, how is the potion coming along? Call Hermione and the others once in a while, Dumbledore will get suspicious otherwise.’ Harry told him, and looked in shock, as Snape rolled his eyes, in an entirely human and unSnapeish way.

The next few weeks went by smoothly, with Ron and Draco being extremely subdued and not talking much or even hexing each other. Harry decided, it was a good side effect of a bad event and let it be. Ginny was in the Burrow and Harry enquired after her periodically and Ron always answered with a blush and a hushed whisper that she was fine. If Draco was with Harry, he would glare at him, but as Dumbledore had told all of them, Draco did not know or have a clue about his father’s activities, and the fact he was very quiet, made the Weasleys quiet too.

Holidays came upon them and all of them spent it in the School, reading, exchanging gifts and working everyday on the potion. Draco, refused to go home, and wrote his father, saying that he wanted to be here, because of the potion.

The weather was now very cold, and it was snowing almost everyday and a bone chilling January gave way to a very wet February. Harry was breathing a sigh of relief about the normalcy of the days going by and after the nervousness and the tenseness of the first three months, the two months after the diary was destroyed totally opposite and Harry very much enjoyed it.

Ginny was very stilted when she came back scared and a shadow of herself and it was only now, after almost two months that she was settling down into any kind of normalcy that a first year should have had in the first place. February came and went and now there was the suppressed excitement about the potion.

The potion would be ready by the first week of March and all students both purebloods and muggleborns were equally excited at what they would find; the muggleborns to which family they would belong to and the pureblood, hoping their families had not been responsible for squibs. There were fierce arguments on both sides that only increased in intensity as the countdown to the first of March began.

Snape had brewed the two potions perfectly and in the last month, he pestered Harry to tell him about Harry’s mother. ‘I really do not understand your childishness in hiding this. I am going to find out anyway. Why can you not tell me now?’ he had demanded rather petulantly of Harry, who had grinned at him, but had refused to say a word. Snape had been furious, but could not do anything at all.

‘Is she… are you related to Malfoy, the Dark Lord or Lestrange?’ he had asked, ‘or Merlin! Black?’ he had asked his arms folded tightly across his chest and Harry had grinned. ‘Okay, I’ll not tell you.’ He had said and Snape had sat down abruptly. ‘What?’ he had asked faintly, ‘Lily is related to the Dark Lord?’

Harry had laughed aloud and had shaken his head, and had watched gleefully as Snape, got up and wiped his face. ‘Then perhaps, she is related to Potter himself?’ he asked Harry, raising one eyebrow, making Harry feel very envious of that ability. Much as he had tried, Harry could not do it as perfectly as Snape did, or so effortlessly.

‘No, no, no Snape, I am not telling you. I want to watch your face when you find out. That will be my Patronus moment from then on. And if you get Dumbledore there as well, I’ll even be able to get two to three Patronus with one spell.’

That had made Snape even more curious and he had almost begged. Almost, before he realized what he had almost done and had stormed off. From then onwards, Snape did not ask Harry about the potions at all, preferring to work in silence than lower his dignity in front of a boy who would not say a word.

The first week of March came by and everyone was excited and anxious and worried. Most of the Gryffindors who were muggleborns hoped they would not be related to the Slytherins, who in turn were hoping that no muggleborn would be related to them.

Lucius Malfoy and other pureblood Slytherins and a few Ravenclaws had already written to Snape and Dumbledore, asking him to call for a parents meeting and announce the results before them. The Ministry came to know through The Daily Prophet. The paper had received an anonymous letter from Harry and Snape, who had written a brief note on the first of March informing The Daily Prophet of the potion that was being brewed by the Head of Slytherin House and Potions Master Severus Snape, so that there would be no false reports of just which muggleborn would be related to which pureblood family.

The way Snape and Harry had worded it, made those at The Daily Prophet feel that it was from a Slytherin family, who was anxious to have The Daily Prophet also on the job, so that the Headmaster or anybody else would not tamper with the potion. From there it went to the Ministry who also came to Dumbledore and asked him to announce the results publicly for everyone to know.

By the end of the first week of March, everyone was talking only of this and Snape and Harry had chosen that Friday to test the students and let Dumbledore announce the results on Saturday.

On Friday morning, all the muggleborn students assembled in the Great Hall, and looked at the staff table eagerly. Snape was already there, with 2 huge cauldrons (having made all the three potions but having mixed them and placed them into two cauldrons) and many vials. Dumbledore was there and so were all the professors who also looked pretty excited as much as the students.

The professors decided to go in alphabetical order and started with Allen, Charles, a seventh year half blood. His father had been a muggle born wizard. He came up nervously and swallowed the potion and went to a large table where two large parchments were placed side by side. He pricked his finger and let one drops fall into each parchment. For a second nothing happened then, slowly the names started appearing to the fascination of the entire staff and Charles Allen. They started from his name and slowly went upwards, showing his parents, grandparents and so on.

His father was apparently descended from a wizarding family called Crestar, whose daughter had been a squib some two centuries ago and she had married a muggle and settled far away from the Wizarding World. Charles Allen was overwhelmed as he received his parchment and went back to his seat, where he was besieged by friends who wanted to know all about his wizarding roots.

Slowly all the muggleborns started going up to the staff table one by one and got their family ancestry chart and were proved that they too were only witches and wizards from sometimes known and sometimes unknown wizarding families and almost all of them moved to the muggle world because their ancestor was a squib.

Hermione’s turn came and she went up, shaking with nerves and drank the potion and placed two drops of her blood on the two pieces of paper. The names started forming and some six generations earlier, was one Celina Black who had been born a squib and had married a muggle Evan Granger. It was from her genes, that Hermione’s magic had come. She looked at Snape, who had seen the name of Black and was now sneering at her, and Dumbledore and McGonagall, who were smiling at her and Hermione felt all her emotions burst just like so many of those who had come before her, and she started crying, as Dumbledore, rolled the now dry parchment and gave it to her.

She stumbled and turned and ran to Harry and threw herself on him, sobbing in her excitement and a bit of fear that she had had thinking she may be related to evil wizarding families. Now that was not so, she was crying on Harry’s shoulders in utter relief that she belonged to Harry’s Godfather’s family.

Then came Harry’s turn. He smiled as his name was called out and walked smartly towards the staff table. He knew whose family his mother came from and he was neither excited or anything. He was watching Snape very closely, though.

A second after Harry’s blood fell on both the parchments, the names started appearing. They went on quite a few generations back. And then Harry looked at Snape and Dumbledore as the wizarding name began to appear on the paper. Morgana Prince.



End of Chapter – 21
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