Chapter 14: The Storm Breaks
Clearly dismissed, Ron led his fellow students out of the Headmaster's office. As soon as they had all stepped off of the moving staircase, Ron turned to Neville. "You saved Snape's life?" he asked incredulously. He leaned close to Neville and sniffed noisily as they set off down the corridor. "Well, you haven't been drinking. Did he use some kind of enchantment on you? What happened?"
Neville seemed to come back to himself. He wasn't as pale as he had been while sitting in Professor Dumbledore's office. He shrugged and looked at Ron, "It seems like a dream, you know. It all happened so fast. I still can't believe I did all that."
"Did what?" Ron prompted impatiently.
Neville grinned shyly and said, "You're never going to believe me."
"Of course we will, Neville" Hermione said.
"That's right. We know you're good in a fight. We all saw how you handled yourself in the Ministry last year." Harry added.
Ron threw an arm around Neville's shoulders and said, "That's right. But this time there were only three of them. So come on. Spill already."
"All right," Neville began. "Well, I went down to Snape's office for my detention. He was all ready for me." Neville scowled at the memory, "I knocked on his office door and he told me to come in. I walk in and I see he has a huge barrel of rats pickled in some foul smelling liquid. He handed me a small knife and tells me that I have to remove the liver from every rat in the barrel then I have to squeeze the juice out of the livers into a flask on the worktable next to his desk." Neville shivered in revulsion. "I hate rats but there was nothing to do but get started. Snape told me I had to juice every rat in the barrel before I could go. I reached in and got to it. I didn't want the git to know how much it disgusted me so I just figured I'd do it quick and get it over with. I was looking around his office as I worked looking for a distraction, you know, to keep my mind occupied when I hear muffled voices outside the office door. Snape must have heard it too because he started to walk past me to the door. The next thing I know the door blasts open and Snape staggers back towards me. I see three dark figures wearing Death Eater masks leveling their wands at us through the smoke so I threw the rat I was holding at them and as I ducked down I kicked Snape's legs out from under him with a quick foot-sweep. He falls and bangs his head on the desk and gets knocked silly as three spells tear past overhead. I could see their legs from where I was under the worktable so I start blasting spells at their legs. I don't even remember what I was casting." Neville gave a small laugh, "I don't even think I hit any of them. I look over to see if Snape is OK and I see him trying to sit up. There's all this blood running down his face and I guess I panicked. I started yelling for help as loud as I could. The three Death Eaters turn and run so I start chasing them, still yelling and looking to hit them with a Stunner or a Trip Jinx. They run down the corridor blasting spells over their shoulders so I have to keep dashing for cover so I couldn't catch up with them. They made it to the stairway and that's when Ron came out into the corridor with no shirt and something on his face." Neville turned to Ron with a puzzled expression, "What was that you were wearing?"
"Diving goggles and a snorkel," Ron murmured.
Harry raised his eyebrows as he turned to Ron and asked, "What were you wearing those for?"
Ron blushed crimson and said, "I'd rather not say." He looked around nervously and said, "Um, Neville. Do you think you could leave that part out of the story the next time you tell it? In fact, I would consider it a personal favor if you never mentioned it again, OK?"
Neville grinned cheekily at Ron and said, "A nod's as good as a wink to a blind bat. Grin grin. Wink wink. Nudge nudge. Say no more."
Ron nodded his thanks to Neville. "Well, I guess we all know what happened from there. Neville went to find Dumbledore and I flew to your rescue. Good triumphs over evil and Harry even managed to stay out of the hospital wing. Smells like victory to me."
They had finally made it to the portrait of the Fat Lady so Ron gave the password and stepped aside. "Ladies first." Hermione stepped through into the Gryffindor Common Room followed by Harry then Ron and finally Neville. They were stopped just beyond the hole by what looked like their entire House. Everyone started talking at once asking what had happened and if it were true that someone had died.
Harry took the opportunity to put the spotlight on someone besides himself for a change and shouted for quiet. When the assembled crowd finally quieted down, Harry told them that since Neville and Ron were the two heroes of the day that they would tell everyone what happened. He then pulled Hermione over to a relatively quiet corner for a quick chat while Neville and Ron were peppered with questions from the curious students.
Seeing that they were being ignored now that Neville had started his narrative, Harry turned a concerned expression to Hermione. "I hope that tonight's events don't keep you from flying anymore. I was having a really good time with you out there."
Hermione smiled and said, "I was having a good time too. You helped me to relax and I admit flying with you was a lot of fun. I'm beginning to see why you enjoy it so much."
"So we'll do it again sometime?" Harry asked hopefully.
"Definitely," Hermione answered with a grin.
Harry was so relieved that she had a good time he pulled her to him and gave her a long and passionate kiss. Blushing and panting slightly, Hermione whispered, "Harry, not in front of everybody. What will they think?"
"Who cares?" He kissed her again. "Besides, no one even noticed." They turned then and saw that Harry was right. No one was paying them the least bit of attention. Everyone was staring at Ron and Neville who were telling their stories to their enraptured audiences with obvious glee.
As the holidays passed, Ron and Neville were asked to tell their stories over and over again. Neville was a little self conscious at first at being the center of so much attention but he seemed to gain more confidence after Luna Lovegood heard him tell the story, called him a hero and kissed him. Ron on the other hand had no problems being in the spotlight. He told and retold his part of the story with obvious relish. Harry and Hermione were both happy for him. Ron was finally being sought out for something he did rather than because of his being friends with Harry.
It was obvious that the students felt that Neville and Ron were heroes; it was harder to determine what the faculty thought. Not one of them mentioned the incident until the rest of the students had returned to school. Professor Dumbledore gave a speech at dinner the night everyone returned. He explained that Hogwarts had been infiltrated by Death Eaters and that a teacher had been attacked. He also explained that one of the invaders had been caught and had taken his own life to avoid interrogation. Professor Dumbledore mentioned that the invader was a former student but he did not mention Marcus Flint's name. It was a very somber speech where Professor Dumbledore expressed how much of a tragedy it was for someone so young to lose their life. He went on to say that it was Voldemort's corrupting influence that destroyed that person's life and how they would all need to be more open and tolerant of one another if they were to bring about Voldemort's defeat. After Dumbledore's speech, Neville wouldn't tell his story to anyone and Ron was so moved that he dropped all embellishments from his tale and would only give a very uninteresting account of what he had done.
The only teacher who seemed affected by the events that occurred over the holidays was Snape. It was obvious by the way he glared at Neville and Ron that he was not at all impressed by their actions. He constantly loomed over them during class criticizing their every move, asking them questions they couldn't possibly answer and sneering at them when they answered incorrectly. He assigned so much homework during the week following the holiday that Harry and Ron barely had time to practice for the Quidditch finals that upcoming weekend.
All of Harry and Ron's spare time was spent in the library that week. Their only consolation was the fact that whenever they were there they invariably found Malfoy seated at one of the worktables surrounded by ancient dusty tomes and scraps of parchment. Ron was thrilled to see their old nemesis rooting through ageing grimoires. Malfoy was always there before they arrived and never left before they did. The dark circles under his eyes were silent testament to the long hours of research Malfoy was putting into his assignments. Without Hermione's help, Harry and Ron would never have had the time to complete Snape's essays. Even though Hermione steadfastly refused to help them write the essays Snape had assigned about when you would use powdered Hydra's tooth versus the whole tooth, or why you needed to add exactly half an ounce of Delquiff sap to Happy Juice, she did provide them with a list of books to use as references which cut down their research time considerably.
It had rained off and on during the week but Saturday was sunny and clear if a bit breezy, perfect weather for the Quidditch Finals. The Gryffindor House Team was very excited. They were all feeling very confident since the only way they wouldn't win the Quidditch Cup would be to lose this final match to Hufflepuff by over 200 points. Hufflepuff put up a valiant fight but the outcome was inevitable due to Ron's performance as Keeper and Dennis' aggressive and reckless handling of the Quaffle. The match soon became one sided and it was almost a relief when Harry caught the Snitch. The only notable event was that after catching the snitch, Harry, instead of joining his teammates on the ground, flew over to Hermione who was watching from the stands and kissed her in front of the entire school. Hermione blushed prettily in embarrassment but that didn't stop her from almost pulling Harry off his broom as she returned his kiss.
The elation at winning the House Cup quickly dissipated due to two unrelated but equally depressing events. First, Professor Snape made his feelings about Gryffindor's victory quite clear. It was assumed by the Gryffindors that Snape felt that it was adding insult to injury for him to have had to endure having his life saved by Neville followed by Slytherin's abysmal performance on the Quidditch Pitch. He piled abuse, detentions and extra assignments upon any Gryffindor that was unlucky enough to draw his attention. There was a rumor that Snape wanted to give Neville a month of detentions but he didn't want it to look like he was keeping Neville close for protection.
The second sobering event was Katie breaking up with Ron. Ron came into their dorm room one evening looking as if he had just heard that the Chudley Cannons were being disbanded. Apparently Katie had told Ron that she wanted to be able to see other people since she would be graduating this year and Ron still had another year to go at Hogwarts. Ron was crushed. Harry and Hermione went out of their way to try to cheer Ron up. Ginny offered to try to fix him up with a friend of hers that Ron had once said was cute and even Dean and Seamus didn't have the heart to rib him.
It was a quiet night in the middle of the week and Harry, Hermione and Ron were in the Library working on yet another Potions essay. Ron was in particularly poor spirits. He seemed on the verge of breaking down in tears but his pride wouldn't let him admit to his friends how upset he truly was. Ron finally stuffed his books and unfinished essay in his bag and dashed out of the Library stating that he needed some fresh air.
Harry turned to Hermione and saw a concerned expression on her face that mirrored his own. "I'm going to make sure he's OK. See you in the Common Room later?" Hermione nodded and he kissed her cheek briefly before he left. On his way out of the Library, Harry noticed Malfoy sitting alone at his usual table toying with a glass prism and a cruel smile on his face. Harry just assumed that he had seen Ron hurry out and was laughing to himself over Ron's troubles.
Harry began his search for Ron in the kitchens. Ron hadn't had much of an appetite lately and Harry was hoping that hunger had driven him there. Harry was on his way back to his dormitory so that he could locate Ron on the Marauder's Map when he spotted Ron just leaving the Great Hall through the main entrance. Harry hurried after him hoping that Ron was just headed out to see Hagrid. Though Harry made it outside shortly after Ron, Harry saw that Ron was quite a distance ahead of him. Ron's long legs were quickly carrying him across the grounds in the direction of Hagrid's house, but at the last moment Ron turned and headed into the Forbidden Forest instead.
Harry ran to catch up with Ron but Ron must have heard him because he increased his speed as well. Harry was getting frustrated at Ron's behavior and was about to head back to the castle when he saw Ron turn and wave for him to follow. That's odd. Harry thought. He knew Ron wasn't particularly fond of the forest, especially since their encounter with Aragog and his children in their third year. Ron continued to tramp along the vague forest trail and then quite suddenly, he left the track and headed deeper into the trees. Harry was thankful that the moon was full, it was providing enough light that he could easily see Ron's hurrying figure ahead of him. Exasperated, Harry finally called out, "Ron, where the hell are you going?"
As if on queue, Ron stopped. As Harry approached he saw that Ron was standing on the other side of a small clearing. He turned to Harry, smiled, and vanished. Harry took several cautious steps into the clearing and was just about to call to Ron again when suddenly, a voice drawled from off to his left, "Hello Scar-head. Expelliarmus! "
Harry was knocked to the ground by the force of the spell. He stood quickly and as he spun around he saw Malfoy perched on a fallen tree smirking at him. Malfoy looked around, "It's really quite desolate out here, you know. Just the place really." Malfoy saw Harry scanning the ground searching for and not finding his wand, "Oh you thought that this was going to be a fair fight? Don't be stupid. You can yell for help if you want to, you're deep enough in the Forbidden Forest that no one will hear you".
Harry looked around warily. "Look, Malfoy, don't let Voldemort cont..."
"Voldemort," Malfoy cut him off, "has nothing to do with this you arrogant son of a bitch. This is personal!" Malfoy hissed the last word with unexpected vehemence. "I am about to show you, Potter, what makes Purebloods better than the rest of you lowborn scum. You see, I've cast a spell that is going to ensure that I will never have to suffer your presence ever again." There was a low feral growl that seemed to come from a particularly dense shadow between two trees. A shadow, Harry realized, with a pair of bilious green eyes agleam with malice and hunger. Malfoy followed Harry's gaze and smiled. "Ah, speak of the devil."
Something lumbered from the shadows, a piece of midnight straight out of a nightmare. The shape was so black that Harry was unable to make out any details of the beast as it hunched closer. It was vaguely ape-like with stunted legs and long gangling arms ending in huge wickedly curved talons. Harry felt a chill run through him and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. The shape that was lurching towards him was horrifying. Its muzzle opened to reveal row after row of wickedly sharp teeth that seemed to glow in the moonlight as it gave a low gurgling snarl. The beast went into a crouch and gathered itself to spring.
"Scared Potter?" Malfoy drawled.
Harry started to back away from the shape. "Malfoy, you can't let this thing attack me. People will notice you're missing. They'll know..."
Once again Malfoy cut him off, "But I'm not missing. I'm right where I've been for the past hour." As if on queue, Malfoy's image flickered. Comprehension flooded Harry's mind. Malfoy must have read the expression on his face. "That's right, just a spell. Just like the one you followed out here." Malfoy's image grinned wider. "Good-bye Potter" and Malfoy's image splintered into a thousand dazzling prisms of light.
The creature chose that moment of distraction to strike. Momentarily blinded by the canceling of Malfoy's spell, Harry sensed the shape coming toward him and he dropped backward onto the ground covering his head with his arms. Razors of ice ripped across his chest tearing a scream of pain from him. He rolled to his feet and turned to see the beast land with fluid grace and spin to face him. It brought its claws to its mouth and licked the blood, his blood from them. It was making a phlegmy wheezing noise and Harry realized with a shudder that it was laughing at him.
Something inside Harry changed at that moment, he was suddenly furious. Was this his destiny? The most powerful Dark Wizard in a century failed time and time again to kill him and now he was going to be killed by a classmate with an overdeveloped schoolboy rivalry? No. Rage poured through him, white hot and blinding. No. The beast sprung towards him unnaturally fast, its claws reaching for his heart. No. Harry raised his hands before him, an instinctive gesture to ward off the attack. No. The beast screamed in bloodlust. No. Harry screamed his rage into the night. "NOOOOOO!" A blinding flash of light and the sensation of floating on air, then darkness.