CH 21
Are you sure that there's nothing else that could help me?" Harry sighed in frustration. The late afternoon sun shined in from the nearby windows onto the table in front of him, illuminating the handful of books there. The Hogwarts Library held only the most studious students, those that had rushed straight there from their last class of the day.
Daphne looked unusually penitent as she grimaced in mutual frustration. "I'm sorry," she said, "but the Hogwarts Library isn't exactly the greatest store of texts on the Dark Arts. You'd be better off searching in Knockturn Alley or somewhere abroad. Whatever's here is amateurish at best."
Harry wanted to curse at this. He'd hoped that Hogwarts would've had a better repository of knowledge, but anything worthwhile must've been hidden away in the restricted section. Surely Dumbledore would grant him access…
"I'm sorry," Daphne said again as she walked around the table to stand in front of him. "I'll try harder to find what you're looking for."
"No," Harry shook his head. "You've already done so much. If you say the books I'm looking for aren't here, then I believe you."
He leaned forward and kissed her soft, delicate lips. It still astounded him as to how Daphne had gone from this icy, aloof woman to someone he could rely upon so sincerely. It reminded him of the shift he'd seen in Astoria when she went from this mysterious, book-loving woman to someone so playful and warm.
Daphne kissed him back with all of the desperation he'd come to expect from her. Even now, she acted like she wasn't entirely deserving of his love. He knew that it came from a place that saw Harry as Astoria's boyfriend, but Harry hoped that she'd learn that she meant as much to him as Astoria did. Even if Astoria did come first in his life, he'd come to love Daphne dearly. They'd only been together for a while now though, so perhaps such understanding would come with time.
The two of them pulled away as the kiss came to a close, and Harry couldn't help but grin when he saw the goofy smile on Daphne's lips.
"Would you like another?" He asked her playfully.
"I'd like a lot more than just a kiss," Daphne admitted, not blushing in the slightest.
"I think that something like that could be arranged," Harry murmured huskily. "My bed is free tonight, and I'd hate for it to go unwarmed by another."
"Maybe I'll make that trip over then," Daphne smiled. "As long as I can slip free from my dorm."
"The snakes haven't given you any more trouble, have they?" Harry asked sincerely.
"No," Daphne shook her head. "Not after the walloping Astoria and I gave them."
Harry smiled despite the worry he felt in his chest. Him dating Astoria had been enough to raise more than a few eyebrows, but collecting both Greengrass sisters had led to several Slytherins confronting his girlfriends over their relations with him. That training they'd done over the summer together had ensured that both Astoria and Daphne were powerful enough individually to deal with almost any Slytherin who tried to confront them, but Harry still worried about them. He wished that they didn't have to duel their fellow students in order to justify why they were with him.
"They'd better not try anything again, or else," Harry joked, but his sincerity rang through. "I don't want to hear about them doing anything to hurt you two."
"You won't," Astoria assured him as she came up from behind. She was carrying another stack of tomes, but she didn't seem any more confident than Daphne that they held what Harry was looking for. "I tried my best with Madam Pince's help, but…"
"Thanks anyway," Harry said as he collected the books from her. He set them down on the table and gave Astoria a quick kiss before settling himself down into his seat. He had a lot of work ahead of him, and it didn't seem likely that he'd get back to his dormitory anytime soon.
His conflict with Snape had taught Harry plenty about the realities of confronting the Dark Arts. He'd been nearly helpless once Snape had put him on the defensive. It made him realise an unfortunate fact about his training over the summer: he'd gone against opponents weaker than him.
Neither Daphne nor Astoria were slouches by any metric, but they all knew that Harry was the most magically powerful and talented out of the three of them. One-on-one, he could best either of them, which is why they so often went up against Harry as a team instead. But as good as that type of practice was, it led to him relying upon different skills and tactics than if he were fighting a single enemy. That was the truth that Snape had shown him.
When Astoria fought against him, she liked to try to trip him up with something unusual or unexpected. One time, she'd cast the Amplifying Charm on a grandfather clock to make the chime at the top of the hour so much louder than normal. The sudden sound had given Harry quite the fright, and Astoria hesitated just a moment longer before unleashing an attack on him, he might have turned his head away and given her a clean shot at him.
That was the type of creativity he needed to find to improve himself against a wizard like Voldemort who had decades of experience over Harry. When Harry was forced onto the defensive, he needed to rely upon something other than a direct counterattack that relied upon his raw magical strength.
Hopefully there'd be something to help him in one of these books. He needed to understand the range of what the Dark Arts was capable of before he could begin to imagine what he could do to counter it effectively. These texts were a starting point, but they were sorely lacking in the darkest magics, the types of magic that Harry expected Voldemort was well versed in.
There was no sense in whinging about it. Harry pulled the first book from the stack and cracked it open.
"Do you want any help looking through these?" Daphne asked him.
"We'd be happy to help," Astoria agreed.
"No, it's fine," Harry grimaced. "I don't want you two to have to suffer through this search too. You've already done so much just by helping me find these books."
"I know that our family has some darker books in the library back at our manor," Astoria said, biting her lower lip. "But I don't think that the Headmaster would be pleased if our parents sent them to us here at Hogwarts."
"I can wait until Christmas to read those," Harry replied.
Suddenly, Daphne lit up with a rare, bright smile. "You want to come home with us for Christmas?"
Harry nearly stuttered as he realised how presumptuous he must have sounded, but the happiness radiating from Daphne and Astoria told him that they didn't see it that way. "If I'd be allowed—" he began tentatively.
"Of course you would be," Astoria squealed as she threw her arms around Harry and hugged him tight. "You'll love the manor during the winter. The House-Elves use their magic to make sure that a gentle dusting of snow covers the entire grounds the entire holiday. It's beautiful, and it's Daphne's favourite time of year."
Harry smiled at Daphne, who was nearly blushing at the admission from Astoria. He raised a questioning eyebrow in search of confirmation, and Daphne nodded.
"I've always loved the snow," Daphne told him with a wistful smile. "Coming back in from a walk around the grounds and getting cosied up in a chair by the fire with plenty of blankets to cover and a mug of hot chocolate in my hands is a tradition of mine."
"That's adorable," Harry said. "I've only recently fallen in love with the wintertime."
"Oh, what changed?" Astoria asked curiously.
"It's when I met you," Harry answered sincerely.
When he'd said those words, he hadn't quite expected Astoria to jump onto his lap and give him a searing kiss, but here they were. Her lips were as sweet as ever, and she certainly wasn't shy in showing her affection for him.
Daphne let it go on for several seconds before she cleared her throat to interrupt them. "You two might want to wrap it up. Madam Pince will be walking by in five, four, three—"
Astoria managed to scramble off of Harry's lap just in time before the matron of the library appeared from between a stack of shelves with a critical eye. She gazed over Harry, Daphne, and Astoria's table, ensuring that her precious books were being treated well, before moving onto the next closest table with students at it.
"Thanks," Astoria giggled.
"I didn't want all of our hard work to go to waste just by getting Harry kicked out of the library," Daphne snorted.
"Speaking of which, I'd better get to it," Harry said. "I don't think I can handle any more distractions."
"Not even if they happened to be in the prefect's bathroom?" Astoria asked innocently.
The memories of his times shagging Astoria in there flooded his memory, and Harry just let out a frustrated groan. Astoria and Daphne giggled quietly at his reaction and picked up their bags.
"See you at supper, Harry," Daphne said, planting a kiss on his cheek.
"Yeah, see you then," Astoria agreed, kissing his other cheek.
Harry watched the two of them leave the library, wondering if perhaps it'd be worth it to go after them rather than study. That kiss Astoria had given him had gotten his body raring to go… but he really did need to study.
With a reluctant sigh, Harry forced his eyes down towards the book in front of him and started reading.
It was a simple text on popular dark curses from the early twentieth century. The book had been written shortly before Voldemort's rise to power, meaning that it was more likely than not that he'd learnt quite a few of these. Unfortunately, the book seemed more concerned with generic descriptions of what the curses did rather than going into detail on how to cast them. There was no indication of how long it would take to perform the wand movements to cast the curses or which ones could be smoothly chained together. Instead, the book focused more on how to counter these curses and deal with any injuries they inflicted. It was useful information to be sure, but not quite what Harry had been hoping for.
What he really needed was a book geared towards dark witches and wizards. Something like an instruction manual that focused on duelling techniques. That would give Harry a glimpse into the minds of dark witches and wizards and help him to develop creative ideas to counter their attacks.
Still, he read on and jotted down notes on a spare piece of parchment. At the very least, learning what these spells did would still help him in coming up with ways to counter them.
An hour and a half ticked by before Harry finished with the first book. Students came and went. The tables around him began filling up with students ready to get to work on whatever assignments they had been given before the first week of classes was even over. Supper was nearly upon them, but he still had time to get a bit more work done.
As Harry grabbed his next book, he spotted Crabbe and Goyle come into the library out of the corner of his eye. Harry frowned. For the life of him, he couldn't recall those two morons ever coming into the library unless they were on a task from Malfoy.
Harry kept them in the periphery of his vision as they walked around, clearly searching for something. Then, suddenly, Goyle pointed at Harry and whispered something to Crabbe. Crabbe smacked the other man's hand down, and the two swiftly made their way out of Harry's line of sight behind him.
The hairs on the back of Harry's neck stood up, but he heard Crabbe and Goyle's footsteps leading away from him rather than towards him. He chanced a glance back over his shoulder to catch the last moments of them shoving a couple of first years out of their seats at a table so that they could sit down instead. They didn't bother to take any books out, but Harry did notice them keenly watching him. He looked away before he thought that they noticed him keeping tabs on what they were doing.
Harry pretended to read as he subtly took out his wand. He muttered a transfiguration spell to shift a bare piece of parchment into a small mirror. His transfiguration skills were still a little shaky, so the mirror ended up cloudier than he would have liked, but it was still good enough for him to sneak some more looks back towards Crabbe and Goyle.
Over the next several minutes, the two men did nothing else but watch Harry, at least not until they got bored. Crabbe was the first to start to doze off, only for Goyle to elbow him sharply in his ribs to jolt him back awake.
Something was wrong here. If they were just sitting here watching him, it meant one of two things. First, Voldemort or one of his Death Eaters may have asked them to keep an eye on Harry. It wasn't a secret that both of their families had deep ties to the Death Eaters, and both of their fathers were marked Death Eaters but had claimed to be under the Imperius Curse during the war. Secondly, it could mean that something was going on here at Hogwarts, and they were making sure that he didn't somehow interfere. If he got up to leave, it was possible that they'd try to stall him or simply report back to whoever it was that told them to keep an eye on him.
Well, he wasn't going to figure out the answer just by waiting them out.
Harry quickly scribbled down the names of all of the remaining books that were on the table in front of him before subtly starting to put all of his things back into his bag. With Crabbe and Goyle a ways behind him, it was easy to set his bag on his lap and place all of his parchment, ink, and quills into his bag without either of them being able to see it.
Once he had all of his things gathered, Harry stood up slowly, just to make sure that his suspicions were right. The moment he did, Crabbe and Goyle both scrambled up out of their chairs noisily, even knocking one over onto the floor in the process.
That confirmed it for him, and Harry took off at a sprint. He faintly heard Madam Pince's cry of protest somewhere in the distance, but he didn't care. He just ran as fast as he could out of the library and instantly ducked into the nearest alcove behind a wide statue.
"Where'd he go?!" Goyle shouted as he smashed open the library doors barely ten seconds later. He was panting from the exertion and spinning around in place in search of any signs of Harry.
Harry kept himself hidden behind the statue, doing his best to quiet his breathing as he continued to listen.
"I don't know," Crabbe growled in frustration. "But he can't be far."
"Did you see how fast he ran—ouch!" Goyle exclaimed as a loud smacking sound rang out.
"I don't care how fast he ran," Crabbe chastised him. "We need to find him or else Mr Malfoy's going to be really mad."
"It's Professor Malfoy while we're at Hogwarts, idiot," Goyle retorted angrily.
Lucius was behind this? That absolute snake. Harry felt that anger he'd had so well under control start to trickle back inside of him. The last time he'd seen Lucius had been at the graveyard, and the memory of the Fiendfyre he'd cast still lingered in his mind. The only question was why Lucius had sent these two to watch after him.
"And how are we supposed to find him? He could be anywhere by now," Goyle continued.
Crabbe stomped his foot on the floor. "Let's just go find the others. They'll know what to do."
"Didn't they say to not bug them," Goyle reminded him.
"This is different," Crabbe argued. "They need to know that Potter's loose in the castle."
"Fine," Goyle reluctantly agreed. "But you're the one who gets to tell them that we lost him."
"No, you're the one who's going to tell them," Crabbe snapped back.
The two men continued to bicker as they started down the corridor away from Harry, moving at a lazy jog.
Harry waited until the two men were rounding the nearest corner before he popped out from behind the statue. It astounded him as to how remarkably easy it'd been to trick these two, but he knew that he really shouldn't have expected any better.
He took off after them, doing his best to remain as quiet as possible. It wasn't hard to track them given the fact that they kept arguing loudly as they made their way down towards the dungeons. Even when their argument stopped, their heavy breathing and grunting left an easy trail for Harry to follow. Other students passed by occasionally, heading towards the Great Hall for supper, but Crabbe and Goyle took Harry down a less well-trodden area of the castle before long.
They ended up several corridors away from both the Slytherin Common Room and Snape's former Potions classroom. There were a handful of old rooms down here that Harry had never explored, and the corridor ended up in a dead end. However, the corridor was far from empty.
Harry instantly recognised Adrian Pucey and Cassius Warrington standing in front of a door with their wands drawn. They were two Chasers from the Slytherin Quidditch team, and standing next to them was the rest of the team. Even Draco was standing at the very back, watching everything take place with a very annoyed expression on his face.
"Depulso!" Warrington shouted, and a jet of white light subsequently crashed into the door. A barrier of red flaring into violet suddenly appeared in front of the door and absorbed the spell with no issue.
"We told you it wasn't working," Urquhart, the third Chaser on the Quidditch team, said smugly.
"Shut it," Warrington snapped. He ran his hand through his short brown hair and began pacing in front of the door. "Professor Malfoy is going to kill us."
"No he's not," Pucey rolled his eyes. "He'll kill these dungbrains for messing everything up. Honestly, how hard is it to corner two girls and remind them of their place?"
Two girls? Was he talking about Daphne and Astoria? He had to be; why else would Crabbe and Goyle have been sent to keep an eye on him?
"You two were the ones in charge of this," Urquhart reminded them. "You came up with the plan."
"And you were the ones who ruined it!" Warrington shouted in anger.
Pucey placed a calming hand on his friend's shoulder. "Did you hear what spell they placed on the door to protect it from our spells?" He asked the group.
"It looks similar to the Imperturbable Charm," Draco suddenly spoke up, showing a surprising amount of knowledge. Harry was familiar with the charm in theory, but it wasn't actually taught until the N.E.W.T.s-level classes.
"Alright," Pucey nodded approvingly. "Does anyone know how to counter the Imperturbable Charm?"
"Hey guys!" Crabbe called out.
Everyone turned to face the new arrivals. Harry held back just around the nearest corner, using the mirror he conjured earlier to peer around it carefully.
"Crabbe, Goyle," Warrington snapped. "I thought we told you to keep an eye on Potter!"
"We were," Goyle said nervously. "But he, err… got away?"
"Why are you saying that like it's a bloody question?" Warrington growled.
"Because…" Goyle trailed off. Evidently, the question was too much for his mind.
"Alright, alright," Pucey exhaled loudly. "So, Potter got away from you two. Does he know about our plan?"
"No," Crabbe and Goyle said as one.
"That's good then. It means we have time to still do this," Pucey said as he turned to the group. "People will notice if we don't make it to supper, so we're on the clock here. Now, again, does anyone know how to deal with the Imperturbable Charm?"
The silence that met his question made Warrington stomp his feet like a toddler who'd had their toy taken away. Even Pucey, who'd been so level-headed up until now, was finally starting to crack.
"Why don't we all just keep blasting it together?" Draco suggested. "Surely the charm can't hold out against all of us."
He was right, Harry realised. Any spell, no matter how powerful, could eventually be overwhelmed. He didn't know if Astoria or Daphne had much time to barricade themselves in or if they'd simply hastily-casted a charm that was more likely to fail. Regardless, against nine wizards, their odds of holding up for more than one or two barrages wasn't great. He had to do something about this.
The Slytherin Quidditch team alongside Crabbe and Goyle arranged themselves in a loose semi-circle around the door and readied their wands. Harry knew that he couldn't delay things any longer. He wished that he had his invisibility cloak with him to get a bit more of an advantage, but he'd have to do with just the element of surprise. He stowed away the mirror and leaned his head and wand around the corner, using the wall to help steady his aim.
"Is everyone ready?" Pucey asked, looking around for confirmation. "On three then. One—"
The word had barely escaped his lips when Harry took aim at Crabbe's back and fired. "Bombarda!" Harry shouted.
Crabbe shouted in surprise as the low-powered explosion struck his back. There was a sickening crack from Crabbe's body, and he was sent careening forward into the others grouped around the door. His massive frame proved to be a substantial advantage for Harry as he knocked over several others in his fall.
But Harry didn't wait to see the results of his first attack before he continued on with the next spell. He fired a second Exploding Charm into the crowd of the few who remained standing. The loud explosion disoriented them and knocked the remaining three off of their feet.
Knowing that this was his best chance to take out several Slytherins from the fight at once, Harry put all of his summer training to use as he cast the Stunning Spell as quickly as his body would allow him. He strode forward as he did so, closing the gap between himself and the Slytherins, who were scrambling back up to their feet. He knocked out Pucey, Goyle, Bole, Derrick, and Bletchley before anyone else managed to make it back up to their feet.
"Protego!" Urquhart shouted just in time to stop Harry's Stunning Spell from reaching him. He stood up on unsteady feet, acting as the bulwark to shield the other Slytherins as they got up.
Draco and Warrington got onto their unsteady feet as well. Draco was clutching his bleeding ear from the explosion that had gone off right beside him while Warrington was nursing his bruised chest from the blow that had struck him. Crabbe was still on the floor, groaning in pain with his arms wrapped around his midsection.
"Potter!" Warrington spat angrily onto the floor. "The hell is this for?"
"Why don't you tell me?" Harry retorted sharply. "Are you really going to try to deny that Daphne and Astoria aren't trapped in there right now?"
"So what if they are?" Warrington sneered. "This is a problem for Slytherins only. We don't need any nosey Gryffindors involved."
"That's a problem for me, seeing as they're my girlfriends."
"So, it's true then. I honestly didn't believe Draco when he told us," Warrington shook his head. "House Greengrass has decided to throw in with a half-blood traitor like yourself. Pathetic."
Warrington spat on the floor again, and this time Harry saw a bit of blood come up with it. His Exploding Charm must have done more damage than he realised.
"I'll give you one chance to back away from this fight," Harry warned them.
Warrington scoffed. "It's three against one. I favour our odds now that you can't attack from the shadows like a coward again."
As confident as Warrington was, Harry could see in Urquhart's face that the man was considering Harry's offer. Draco, however, seemed ready to back Warrington up.
"You won't last a minute against us, Potter," Draco snapped as he took a step forward. It was only Urquhart's outstretched hand that stopped him.
"Maybe we should leave this issue for another day," Urquhart said carefully.
"What?!" Draco exclaimed, rounding on him. "You can't be serious!"
"I am," Urquhart replied.
Warrington scoffed. "If you want to stay back, then fine. Draco and I will take him on together. And I'll be sure to tell Professor Malfoy exactly what type of man you are, Urquhart, that you wouldn't have your fellow Slytherins' backs."
"It's not like that," Urquhart said as he started taking a few steps back away from everyone. "I just think it's smarter if we—"
Suddenly, Draco lunged forward with a cry. He jabbed his wand forward and, surprisingly, cast a spell without speaking its incantation.
A silver-tipped arrow suddenly fired out from the tip of Draco's wand. It shot straight towards Harry with a speed that he wasn't expecting. Realising that he couldn't move his wand fast enough in time to block it, Harry pivoted smoothly on his feet out of the path of the arrow, leaving him standing side face. The smaller target meant that Warrington's sickly-yellow-coloured spell also missed him.
"You'll regret this," Harry warned them as began his wand movements. "Depulso!"
Draco and Warrington both tried to shield themselves from the spell, but the spell wasn't meant for them. The unconscious body of Pucey shot forward with a surprising burst of speed, crashing into Warrington's legs. The man stumbled forward over top of Warrington, swinging his arms to try to balance himself.
"Accio tie," Harry snapped off quickly, jabbing his wand at Warrington.
Warrington's tie suddenly stood out straight towards Harry and yanked the man forward. Harry cancelled the spell as soon as he saw Warrington going down. There was a painful crack as Warrington's face collided with the floor, and a small stream of blood trickled out from underneath him.
Harry shook his head at Draco, who was seething with rage. His cheeks were turning red like a tomato and his free hand was balled into a fist at his side. "I told you that you'd regret this."
"I'm not regretting a thing!" Draco shouted. "I practised all summer for this moment, Potter. This time, I'll be the one humiliating you!"
"Good luck with that," Harry smirked, deliberately goading Draco. Harry understood perfectly well how distracting anger could be, and that's what he wanted from Draco.
Urquhart watched on dispassionately as Draco continued to make a fool out of himself. He appeared quite content to watch things play out and then hope Harry kept his word to allow him to pass freely, which he certainly intended to do after a stern warning.
Draco began to unleash a barrage of spells that came surprisingly quickly, but after the intensive practice that Harry had over this summer with Daphne and Astoria, it felt easy to handle. It almost felt like he was back in training as he easily sidestepped any spell that he didn't recognise or seemed too dangerous and blocked those that he knew and felt comfortable taking on. Even better was the fact that he wasn't tiring in the slightest. His stamina had improved tremendously, and Draco was nowhere near a strong-enough opponent to make him break a sweat.
It did become clear, however, that Harry was enough of an opponent to make Draco sweat. While Harry was content to let Draco tire himself out by casting spell after spell, he did occasionally fire back with one or two of his own. With all of the unconscious Slytherins laying on the ground around him, Draco struggled to manoeuvre around them. That forced him to block most of the spells Harry sent his way, which only added to his exhaustion.
"You're looking tired," Harry taunted Draco.
"Fuck you, Potter!" Draco screamed. "Av—"
Draco collapsed to a spell, and it wasn't one that Harry sent.
Urquhart slowly lowered his wand, meeting Harry's steely-cold gaze. Harry knew what spell Draco had been about to use.
"You should have let him go through with it," Harry said coldly as he stared at Draco's unconscious form.
"Go through with what?" Urquhart replied, playing dumb. "I was just getting tired of watching you toy with him."
Harry chewed on the inside of his lip as he stared down Urquhart, but the man wouldn't back down. Unfortunately, Harry feared that Draco hadn't gotten enough of the Killing Curse out past his lips for it to be proof that he'd be ready to kill Harry. All he said was a couple of letters… but Harry couldn't let Draco get away with this. Maybe Dumbledore could help if he knew what Draco had nearly done.
"Am I free to take them to the Hospital Wing?" Urquhart asked Harry in a deferential tone.
"Only after I've gotten Astoria and Daphne out of here," Harry replied.
Urquhart gestured to the door. "By all means then."
Harry watched the man carefully as he walked a healthy distance away from the door that the Slytherins had tried to break into. Harry still kept him in the corner of his eye as he tried to knock gently on the door, but whatever spell they'd used blocked his hand from actually striking the door.
"It's me!" Harry called out loudly. "I've dealt with them."
It took several moments before the door cracked open a sliver. The tip of Daphne's wand was pressed underneath Harry's chin in an instant, only for her to lower it the second she realised it actually was him and not some sort of trick.
"Hey," Daphne grimaced, glancing around Harry's form to see the Slytherins on the floor. "Are they all down?"
"Everyone except for Urquhart," Harry replied, gesturing over to the man. "Are you and Astoria okay?"
"I'm fine," Daphne answered quickly as she glared at Urquhart. "Astoria is too. Mostly."
"Mostly?" Harry repeated with a raised eyebrow.
"Don't freak out!" Astoria called out from within the small, empty room. "It's not as bad as it looks."
Daphne didn't stop Harry as he pushed open the door and stepped inside of the room. Astoria was sitting on the floor, clutching a nasty-looking wound on her shoulder. Her robes were split open there and soaked through with blood, which had dripped down towards her waist.
Harry was on his knees next to her in an instant. "Let me take a look at it."
"Honestly, Harry, it's fine," Astoria protested.
He looked into her eyes with serious determination. "Let me look at it," he repeated.
Astoria grimaced as she pulled her hand away. A small bandage pulled away too, caked with dried blood. Now that he was closer, he could see that the wound wasn't as bad as he'd first feared.
"I patched her up as best I could quickly," Daphne told him. "But we'll need to take her to Madam Pomfrey to get the rest of her shoulder fixed."
"Who did this to you?" He asked Astoria with a dangerous tone.
"We don't know," Astoria answered. "Bole and Derrick confronted us, and when things got heated, someone cursed me in the back. That's when we ran down here and ducked into the room."
That was two people who it couldn't be, but it left five that it could. He'd have asked Urquhart if he felt like the man would give him an honest answer.
"I didn't know if I could fight them all with Astoria injured too," Daphne admitted. "I'm sorry—"
"Don't be," Harry interrupted her gently. "You did enough by keeping the two of you safe. That's what's really important."
"What are you doing?" Astoria asked as Harry slipped one of his arms beneath her knees.
"Carrying you," he said as he hoisted her up into his arms and stood back up.
"My legs are fine," Astoria protested lightly.
"I know," Harry smiled down at her. "But this way, you won't leave my sight for an instant."
Astoria rolled her eyes, but the smile on her lips told him her true feelings.
"Let's get her to the Hospital Wing," he said to Daphne.
On their way out, Daphne didn't miss her chance to walk over each and every Slytherin laying on the ground, even the still-conscious Crabbe.
Today had only proved to Harry that the threat of Voldemort was still very much real at Hogwarts, and that Lucius Malfoy was the one exerting his master's will. Now more than ever, he needed to find a way to keep Astoria and Daphne safe from the Slytherins around them.
Ch 22
It took a tremendous amount of patience to simply sit by and watch as Madam Pomfrey worked away at fixing up Astoria. He was no stranger to visits to the Hospital Wing, and as painful as those had been, it was far worse watching someone who you loved have to go through this.
Despite that, Astoria seemed relatively unbothered by it all. Harry couldn't help but wonder if she was putting on a brave face for him to disguise her reactions to the undoubtedly uncomfortable poking and prodding of Madam Pomfrey, but if she was, then she was doing a remarkable job at it.
"Tell me again how this happened?" Madam Pomfrey frowned as she gently ran the tip of her wand along the cut on her shoulder.
Daphne cleared her throat to speak up. She was sitting on the next bed over from Astoria's, right beside Harry. He squeezed her hand in support.
"We were walking through the dungeons when we were attacked by some Slytherins," Daphne answered candidly. "They just started cursing us out of nowhere, and Astoria got hit with a spell before I managed to get us into a classroom to hide out."
"And you still don't remember the name of the spell?" Madam Pomfrey asked.
"If I did, I would've told you," Daphne replied.
Madam Pomfrey tsked at Daphne's cheek but didn't comment on it any further. "Well, whatever curse was used was dark. It's not responding to any normal healing charms, or even some of the more obscure ones I know. I'll have to write to St Mungo's to see if they have an expert I can consult with."
"So the cut is going to stay open?" Harry asked in surprise.
"For now," Madam Pomfrey told him in a reassuring tone that didn't match her previous statement. She then turned back to Astoria. "It's small enough that we'll just need to keep a dressing over it to soak up any blood. You can come here twice a day to get it changed. Until it gets healed, I'd recommend eating more red meat to help stay healthy. And please try to avoid any strenuous activity that might aggravate your injury."
"Strenuous activity?" Astoria asked.
"Things like flying, intensive exercising," Madam Pomfrey listed off.
"What about…" Astoria glanced over at Harry.
Madam Pomfrey followed her look and rolled her eyes. "As long as you two are careful, then yes, you can continue to do… that. I do hope that you're using protection."
"Of course," Astoria nodded. "I take the potion every month."
"Good," Madam Pomfrey said. "I'd hate to deal with yet another unexpected pregnancy this year."
Suddenly, the doors to the Hospital Wing were thrown open. The doors crashed into the walls and then slammed back closed as Lucius Malfoy strode into the room with a look of fury on his face. It struck Harry just how much his angry face looked like Draco's. Even his perfectly-sculpted blond hair was out of place as he stormed in.
"Professor Malfoy!" Madam Pomfrey said loudly as she rose to her feet and swept around to intercept the man. "This is a hospital, not a zoo. You can't simply come barging in here like that."
The furious reply was on the tip of his tongue, but he held himself back at the last moment. He tapped his cane against the floor as a way to recenter himself.
"My apologies," he said with a sickly-sweet tone. "But this is a matter of the utmost importance. A number of my students were attacked by Mr Potter here."
"Your students?" Madam Pomfrey raised an eyebrow. "You mean the Slytherins who attacked Miss Greengrass and Miss Greengrass here?"
Lucius held back from responding to that point directly, even as he glanced over at Astoria and the sight of her bleeding wound. "I am dealing with the issue of Mr Potter at the moment."
"But given the severity of what has transpired, it ought to be Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape, the heads of Gryffindor and Slytherin respectively, who deal with this matter," Madam Pomfrey countered. "In fact, I've already seen fit to contact them the moment I heard from Miss Greengrass as to what had transpired."
"They do not need to be bothered with matters such as this," Lucius said dismissively. "I will handle the punishments myself."
"You most certainly will not," Professor McGonagall said loudly as she entered the Hospital Wing. "Honestly, Lucius, you should know better than to take matters such as this into your own hands. Was Professor Dumbledore unclear in his instructions that you should defer all significant disruptions and fights to other members of the staff until you become more well-acquainted with the rules here?"
Lucius drew himself up tall as he turned to face McGonagall, who didn't seem intimidated in the slightest at Lucius' stance. "I was on the Board of Governors for a number of years, Minerva. I am well aware of what an appropriate punishment for illegal duelling ought to be."
McGonagall scanned the room. As her eyes crossed over Harry, he saw them soften just the slightest bit. But they then returned to their more serious state as she returned her gaze to Lucius.
"Where are the students who came to you in the first place?" She asked Lucius. "If they were as injured as I've heard, you ought to have brought them here straight away."
"They insisted that they could make it here on their own," Lucius replied quickly.
"Then why is it that I heard from Professor Snape that they made their way to his office for help instead?" McGonagall asked critically. "As a professor at Hogwarts, you are held to the highest standards of care. If your focus is on doling out punishments before seeing to the health and wellbeing of all of our students, then I believe it may be appropriate to put you through some remedial training with the Headmaster and me."
Lucius was practically seething at being spoken to in such a way. It nearly brought a smile to Harry's face, if only he wasn't seething too. Lucius had been the one to send the Slytherins after Daphne and Astoria in the first place, and he needed to pay for that. But not here, not now. He would reveal the truth to McGonagall and anyone else on his side, but he knew that it was unlikely that much was to come of it. Lucius was too slippery a snake to let himself take the fall for anyone else's mistakes.
"Perhaps there was a miscommunication on their part," Lucius said dismissively. "I was quite clear in my instructions for them to seek help immediately."
"I'm certain that the truth will come to light soon enough," McGonagall replied with a stern look. "In the interim, Severus and I will be the ones to handle this issue."
"If I may make a suggestion—" Lucius began.
"You may not," McGonagall interrupted, but Lucius carried on anyway.
"What Mr Potter has done to so many good students is simply inexcusable," Lucius stated firmly. "Expulsion should be the least of his worries. A Ministry inquest should be established to examine what he's done to so many of our future's best and brightest."
"Such matters will be determined by myself, Severus, and the Headmaster," McGonagall replied. "Not you."
Lucius' nostrils flared. "The Minister will hear about this—"
"I'm sure he will," McGonagall said sharply. "For now, it is time for you to leave."
Lucius glared darkly at McGonagall but kept his mouth shut. He spun around on his heels and stormed out of the Hospital Wing with a fury rarely seen from any professor. McGonagall stared at his back with each step he took until the doors to the Hospital Wing slammed shut again.
"Honestly," Madam Pomfrey sighed. "I don't understand what Albus was doing in hiring a man like that."
"He didn't have much choice," McGonagall replied. Her lips pressed tightly together in disapproval. "The few other candidates we were able to find on short notice happened to rescind their requests to join the staff mere hours after Lucius put forward his own candidacy."
Harry, who had remained silent throughout the entire conflict alongside Daphne and Astoria, finally let out a snort. He wondered if this happened at Voldemort's request. Still, he and Professor Dumbledore both still wondered as to why Lucius was here in the first place. Was it merely to keep an eye on Harry, or was there some other motivation?
McGonagall turned around to the three of them and focused her gaze on Harry. "Professor Snape already managed to get the full story out of his students, however, I have quite a few reservations about the severity of the damage you dealt to them in retaliation."
"They were going to blow down a door just to try to hurt Astoria and Daphne," Harry protested strongly. "The entire Slytherin Quidditch team was there plus Crabbe and Goyle. I had to stop them."
"Did you not think of finding a professor to stop this?" McGonagall asked as she raised a critical eyebrow.
"There wasn't any time," Harry answered sincerely. "I didn't know exactly what they were up to until I got there."
"You do realise that multiple students have broken or fractured bones, and Draco Malfoy burst an eardrum," Professor McGonagall said.
"The git deserved it," Harry said angrily. "He tried to use the Killing Curse on me."
McGonagall sucked in a deep breath at that, and Astoria and Daphne's faces both went pale. "That is a very serious accusation, Mr Potter."
"It's a truthful one," he said.
"We'll need to involve Professor Dumbledore in this," she said after a moment's pause. "Go on up to his office. I'll send a message along that you're going to see him."
"I can't just leave Astoria and Daphne like this," Harry protested. "What if they leave and get attacked again?"
"They can go with you, if Poppy's all done with them," McGonagall replied. At Madam Pomfrey's nod, McGonagall continued. "It's best if you three go. Now."
Madam Pomfrey came around and applied a fresh layer of gauze over the cut on Astoria's shoulder and then readjusted her robes to cover it back up.
"Thank you," Astoria said as she stood up.
"You're welcome dear," Madam Pomfrey smiled at her. "Remember to be here before breakfast tomorrow to get your dressing changed."
"I will," Astoria promised.
Harry helped Daphne up and they quickly made their way to Astoria's side. She smiled up at them.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Harry asked her as he cracked a grin. "Because I could carry you all the way up to the Headmaster's office if you wanted."
"As tempting as that offer is," Astoria giggled. "I'd prefer to walk on my own two feet."
The three of them left the Hospital Wing shortly and headed for the Grand Staircase that would lead them to the Headmaster's Office. Just as they reached the playful stairs, Harry heard pounding footsteps coming from below. He peered over a railing to find Professor Snape leading his Slytherins up, presumably to the Hospital Wing.
"Wonder if I could spit on them from here," Harry muttered under his breath.
"Professor Snape would probably murder you," Daphne said with an unusually cheery smile.
Harry hummed in agreement and continued up the staircase, occasionally glaring down at those men who'd dared to harm his girlfriends. A part of him wanted to charge back downstairs and attack them for ever going through with their idiotic scheme, but his love and care for Astoria and Daphne kept him from that.
By the time they reached the Headmaster's Office, Harry felt like he'd calmed down again. Hearing Lucius try to lie and excuse his way out of the situation had been infuriating enough, and it was only thanks to McGonagall's intervention that'd stopped Harry from interjecting himself into that confrontation.
The stone gargoyle that barred the entrance to Dumbledore's office leapt aside at their approach. The spiral staircase carried them up to the wooden door that led into Dumbledore's domain. Harry gave it a quick knock, which was immediately answered.
"Come in," Dumbledore called out.
Harry opened the door to find the old man sitting behind his desk. Fawkes, Dumbledore's phoenix, was perched atop a silver stand, crooning as Dumbledore stroked his feathers.
"Ah, I have been expecting you, Harry," Dumbledore smiled. "And you two are a welcomed sight as well, Daphne and Astoria. Were it not for our meeting over the summer, I fear that I would not have gotten to know either of you well enough to recognise your magical talents for what they are."
"Thank you, Professor," Daphne said dutifully as she headed into the room. Harry and Astoria followed her close behind.
Three chairs had been laid out on the opposite side of Dumbledore's desk, and the three of them sat down quickly. Dumbledore, however, didn't seem to be in much of a hurry. He took his time tossing small treats to Fawkes before he returned his focus to all of them.
"Dark magic leaves scars, as I am sure you are well aware," Dumbledore said pointedly, not needing to look up at Harry's scar to know that his point came across. "It is one of the reasons it is heavily restricted by the Ministry. One of the most marvellous things about magic is its ability to repair and reconstruct things. For instance—"
With a casual swipe of his hand, Dumbledore knocked a glass goblet off of his desk. Fawkes squawked noisily as the glass shattered on the floor.
"I am sorry," Dumbledore apologised to his pet phoenix before drawing his wand. "Reparo."
The glass shards floated into the air smoothly and swiftly patched themselves back together. It was a mesmerising sight that reminded Harry exactly why magic was so beautiful. The reconstructed goblet didn't have a single mark or piece of glass out of place as it came to a rest back down on Dumbledore's desk.
"This is what makes magic truly wonderful," Dumbledore continued. "Yes, conjuring majestic creations and performing incredible feats in combat are astounding, but they pale in comparison to the simple wonder of being able to fix your mistakes. Dark magic rarely leaves any ways to fix such mistakes. Not only does it leave a scar upon the world, it also leaves one on your soul. It takes a great deal of will and love to ever be able to correct such things."
"I'm sorry, professor," Harry began. "But what does this have to do with this? Professor McGonagall said that you wanted to see me about what transpired today."
"Indeed I do," Dumbledore confirmed, stroking his long beard. "And I'd hoped that you'd have picked up on my meaning by now."
"You believe his actions to be driven by his use of dark magic?" Daphne asked perceptively.
"Indeed," Dumbledore nodded.
"That's preposterous," Harry protested. "I did it to keep Daphne and Astoria safe."
"And yet you used an incredible amount of force," Dumbledore noted. "There were countless ways of distracting or disarming those who threatened to harm your beloveds, but you chose the path of direct, violent action. I am not chastising you for your choice of magic; I am merely reminding you of where your thoughts originate from."
Suddenly, Harry felt like a young schoolboy. Despite the fact that he was twenty-years old, Dumbledore had a way of explaining things that made him feel so juvenile in comparison.
"I didn't have a choice," Harry finally said. "If I hadn't intervened, they might've gotten to Daphne and Astoria and hurt them even more."
"They might have indeed," Dumbledore agreed. "Or they may have failed to do so. We may never know the outcome. All that we can choose to reckon with are the choices that you made."
Harry understood where he was coming from, but everything in his mind and body vehemently disagreed with his position.
"I still think that I acted the best way I could at the moment," Harry argued gently. "If I'd had more time to think, then maybe I could've come up with an alternative approach that would've led to less violence, but I didn't. I had to act in the time that I had."
"Precisely," Dumbledore smiled. "You acted in the time that you had, and you resorted to a more violent option. I am suggesting that you should work on reorienting your thinking to focus on less violent approaches. For instance, had you created a loud noise, it may have disrupted the Slytherin's attempts to breach into the room. There are many other methods of creating a distraction that could have led to a non-violent approach."
"I did what I thought was right," Harry said weakly.
"And what you did was just, in a sense," Dumbledore agreed. "I do not begrudge you for acting the way you did, Harry. There is little more precious than those that we love and cherish in this world, but there are always consequences to our actions. Lucius is now on a warpath to see you punished for your actions, and he intends to involve the Ministry. While your actions may have been justified, they have led to consequences that will lead to further confrontations that you must face. If you continue to respond in the same manner, you may find yourself at odds with the Ministry itself."
Was that such a bad thing? Minister Fudge was an idiot beyond belief. The limited interactions Harry had with him as well as the reports in the press that he'd read had left him with a poor impression of the Minister for Magic.
But that was short-sighted thinking. Angering the Minister would lead to him angering the Ministry as a whole. That would only lead to trouble for himself and those he loved. No matter what, he couldn't take on an entire institution alone.
"I'm sorry," Harry finally said.
"I appreciate that, Harry," Dumbledore replied. "But be that as it may, I implore you to be more careful going forward. Fiendfyre is a spell so dark that it will linger upon your soul for a long time. It may not be inherently obvious that it is influencing your behaviour, but it is. You will be more aggressive and more prone to confrontation, and I simply hope that you mitigate its effects by spending quality time with your loved ones."
"I'll do so, Professor," Harry assured him.
"I am glad to hear it, my boy," Dumbledore smiled.
"What's to happen to him about the events of today?" Daphne asked calmly.
"Twenty points will be taken from Gryffindor for excessive use of force," Dumbledore proclaimed. "And Harry will serve a week of detention with Mr Filch. Otherwise, nothing. I will ensure that any issues with the Ministry will be resolved."
"And what of those brutes who attacked us?" Astoria asked passionately.
"They will be dealt with in a suitable manner," Dumbledore assured her. "It is not appropriate to speak of other student's punishments to others, so I will leave that aside for now. Do trust in the fact that they will receive a just punishment for the acts that they have committed and that the entire staff will be keeping a close eye on all of them for the foreseeable future."
"But what about Draco?" Astoria insisted. "He tried to kill Harry!"
Dumbledore's face shifted to something more pensive and serious now. Harry could see his mind wandering, contemplating how to respond to this.
"What Draco attempted to do was beyond reprehensible, but not, I believe, without a root cause," Dumbledore began slowly. "His father's influence on him seems to have grown with Voldemort's return and Lucius' tenure at Hogwarts. He is surrounded by darkness on all sides, and he is suffocating within it, making choices that no one should make."
"Are you seriously trying to excuse what he tried to do?" Daphne asked, unable to hide the scorn in her voice.
"I am trying to understand why he made the choice he did today," Dumbledore corrected her gently. "And I wish to find a way to help Draco so that he never makes such a poor choice again."
"So, he's getting off free then?" Daphne asked coldly.
"No," Dumbledore replied. "He will be punished in accordance with his behaviour today. However, as he did not actually perform the unforgivable curse, close as he came to actually using it, I cannot punish him for it. I will, however, seek to remedy his behaviours so that he never feels tempted to use that spell again."
As frustrated as Harry felt, he could tell that Astoria and Daphne were angrier than he was.
"That's unacceptable," Daphne declared. "We have Harry's memory of the incident! We can bring it to the Ministry and see Draco punished!"
"But he won't actually, right?" Astoria asked, deflating.
Dumbledore offered a weak smile. "His father is Minister Fudge's closest confidant, and he has tremendous sway upon the Wizengamot. Even if that were not the case, it has long been a standing law within Britain that only spells that are fully attempted to be cast may be punished in the Wizengamot. If Draco had fully completed the incantation of the curse and it failed to work as intended, then he could still face prosecution. However, as Professor Snape informed me, Draco was stopped before he could do so. As unfortunate as it is, the Wizengamot would not treat this as an attempt against Harry's life."
So, no matter what, there was nothing to be done? Of course. It was just like when he was forced into the Triwizard Tournament last year. In so many ways, the Wizarding World was backwards and tied up in convoluted rituals and the whims of the rich, powerful, and pure-blooded families.
Astoria still seemed outraged, but Daphne had an understanding look on her face. Out of the three of them, she was the most likely to understand the realities of the legal system given the education her parents provided for her.
"Alright," Harry said. "But if he tries anything like this again—"
"Harry," Dumbledore said sadly. "Please do not utter any threats against another student. I understand that you must do what you must in order to keep yourself and your loved ones safe, but coming at it from a place of anger is not the path to a happy future."
Harry sagged back in his seat. Dumbledore wasn't entirely wrong, but it didn't feel satisfying in any way.
Astoria still wasn't ready to let the matter rest. "Even if Harry's willing to keep the peace, are the men who attacked us willing to do the same?" Astoria asked. "If we go back to the Slytherin dorms, isn't there a chance that we'll be attacked again?"
"Yes, there is," Dumbledore replied regretfully. Even his feelings of care for each student weren't willing to blind him to the harsh reality of things. "As such, I have considered one of Harry's previous suggestions to move the three of you into a private room. The Hogwarts House-Elves have prepared a private room for you on the fifth floor that should serve as a comfortable residence. It was once used as a room for our married students, but as such things became less common in the past couple of decades, the rooms fell out of use. You will be able to set your own password, which will be shared with myself and Professor McGonagall, and all of your belongings will be brought into the room at once."
A massive weight lifted off of Harry's chest.
"Thank you, Professor," he said sincerely.
"Think nothing of it," Dumbledore waved him off. "I merely wish to act in the best interest of all of my students. Now, I have one last thing for you."
Harry watched curiously as Dumbledore opened a drawer behind his desk and pulled out a hefty, old tome. The brown-leather cover read: A Wellspring of Transfiguration.
Dumbledore sat the tome upon the desk and slid it across to Harry. "This was a formative book for me in my youth. It was written in 1873 by a man who lived just down the road from my family, and it quickly became a staple across magical communities throughout the globe. Since then, new developments and more informative books have been published, but nothing has managed to capture the wonder and fascination I have for transfiguration quite like this book. I hope that you read it and take some inspiration from it. It may help you to develop some unusual flair and creativity in your repertoire."
Harry pulled the tome onto his lap and ran his fingers along the cover. It felt well used.
"I will," Harry promised him.
"Good," Dumbledore smiled. "Now, it is best if you head off for the night. The temporary password that I have established is: Fizzing Wizzbees."
"We truly appreciate all of your help, Headmaster," Daphne said diplomatically as she stood up from her seat. Even if she wasn't entirely satisfied with his decisions, she still kept to her niceties to the best of her ability.
"I strive to do what is right for all of my students," Dumbledore smiled.
"I won't forget this. It's a weight off of my shoulders knowing that Daphne and Astoria won't have to stay somewhere dangerous," Harry assured him. Keeping Astoria and Daphne safe from harm was his number one priority, and the assistance from Dumbledore was nothing short of wonderful in his eyes.
"I hope that you don't," Dumbledore replied. "Remember this feeling of love and care in your heart, Harry. Let it guide you as you go forth."
"I'll try," Harry promised him.