Chapter 29-Getting to the Truth
As Harry was laid out on the sofa in Dumbledore's chambers, Arthur was overhearing the conversation between Hermione and Pansy.
His initial reaction was to get everyone to safety. But he had second thoughts, as he recalled what he had seen just before all of the commotion. He held up his hand to Percy stop him from leaving with Hermione and company. He turned to Draco, "What's your part in this Malfoy?"
They looked around and realized that the entire ballroom was staring at them expectantly. "Forget it. Go to our quarters with Percy. I'll be there straight away." Percy led the others out of the ballroom beyond the prying ears and eyes of the growing crowd.
Arthur walked slowly toward Dumbledore's office. He wanted to be sure that he didn't sound like he was jumping to conclusions. He put together what he thought he saw with the conversation between Hermione and Pansy. She had come from the direction of Malfoy. He was trying to find a reason Harry would use an unforgivable curse so indiscriminately. Rarely, if ever…practically never…did anyone but a Death Eater use one of those curses. He couldn't figure it.
He arrived at the door and heard the muffled caustic threats of Pansy Parkinson. "My father will have your mudblood loving school shut down if you don't let me go." The door opened and he could see Pansy kicking her feet as they picked her up from the floor where she'd sat in protest and put restraints on her hands. Tonks checked her for a wand or anything else she might use to bewitch them. Everyone was ignoring her and looking at the little boy lying on the floor still gasping for breath and cringing.
"Professor, I overheard Parkinson here telling Malfoy he'd die for what he did or something to that effect. Hermione confronted her and that's how she responded. I found that very curious." Arthur could not remember the exact words, but his message was understood.
"Tonks, Shacklebolt. Please bring Miss Granger and Mr. Malfoy here." Dumbledore ordered.
"Yes sir, Professor." They were all careful not to mention the Order of the Phoenix in front of these two. There could be no connection to the curses of Harry and Hermione to the Order. Too many people would conclude that they were responsible for teaching them the curses.
"Well, Miss Parkinson. In a threatening mood, are you? Do you think that all of us here are incapable of discovering what happened?" Professor Dumbledore could sense the fear now coming from both of his young captives. He looked into Parkinson's eyes. She was hiding something. She looked quickly down to her accomplice and then back in the direction of Dumbledore.
"Who is your friend there?" Dumbledore asked not waiting for her response to the previous questions. "I believe you said Chad, correct?" Dumbledore was now thinking of the applications made by every student. A requirement was a photo. He looked at Professor McGonagall. "Minerva, could you get the application and file for Chad." He paused with a sly grin and then said, "Smythe, is it?" He wasn't sure that the picture wouldn't match, but he surmised that this was not Chad Smythe.
"I'm not saying anything." Finally Pansy Parkinson spoke. She hissed like the snake symbol of the house she represented.
"Oh, is that how you think it will be? I hope you aren't thinking about any plans you might have had or have for the future," Dumbledore goaded. "Because if you do, that will be better than telling us." He could see the anguished Parkinson tense at his last statement.
"So, Potter destroyed your little plan by taking action against you. You underestimate Harry…you can tell Voldemort or Wormtail that when you see them. It goes for them too." Parkinson shrunk at the mention of Voldemort's name. She feared death. The look on her face said so. She feared the way death came to those who crossed Voldemort.
"So, Mr. Smythe, can you speak yet?" Dumbledore inquired.
"Bugger off." Carl said.
"Oh now that's original. I am hoping that the next transport to Azkaban will have a couple bumps in the road for you. We don't normally send first-year's to Azkaban, but for you we'll make an exception. We'll just let your parents know where to find you." Dumbledore was now working Carl's defenses.
"You can't save them. There's still more like me here." Carl said triumphantly. Little did he know that all support he had fled the moment Harry cursed him. They were still here in the castle, but without Carl to threaten them, they would remain silent and under Dumbledore's protection. They were young Slytherin students with ties to their Death Eater fathers or their friends' fathers. They would not expose their fathers to Voldemort's wrath by getting caught.
"Voldemort will get you too old man." Carl was spewing venom with every word.
Professor McGonagall returned with the application. There was a slight resemblance, but the real Chad Smythe had a more wholesome, child-like face. They were dealing with an impostor.
"So now that we know you're not Chad, I suppose we have to take drastic measures to find out where he is and who you are. I am sure Miss Parkinson is ready to spill the whole story. I am sure Professor Snape can handle that if necessary." Dumbledore looked at Snape. He had only just come in moments before with a vial of veritaserum.
The room was quiet when Hermione and Draco arrived. "Please sit down. Both of you must be terrified." Dumbledore knew Hermione was trying to hide her terror for Harry but it was just too much at the moment looking at him lying on the sofa stiff like she'd been years before. The difference she realized was this was a temporary state, hers could have been permanent.
Draco, however, seemed tragically depressed. His mind was an open book. He could not believe that Harry Potter had laid his life on the line for him. He looked briefly at Harry and wondered what he'd done to deserve such an act of friendship. The guilt was eating him up inside.
"Draco. That is what makes Harry who he is." Dumbledore stated simply. "He experiences all things at a peak level. Hate, love, anger, compassion and friendship. That is why he was given so much credit at the Tri-Wizard Tournament for his actions in front of the Mer-people. It is also the reason he and Hermione have now both used the curses. They are young and the knowledge of the curses is a heavy burden. The curses are banned not only because of their nature, but because to an untrained wizard or witch, they can be brought on subconsciously by great stress, anger or hate. That is why training one's emotions to become less explosive is so important. I believe that Harry hated this evil little impostor enough for that to happen. He hated him for what he'd done to you and threat he posed to his other friends. You are very lucky to be counted as one of Harry Potter's friends."
Draco looked at Hermione and touched her hand with a tear in his eyes. "I am sorry Hermione for causing any of you pain."
Dumbledore then told Draco that he needed the full story. Draco related the night in the corridor…what he could remember. He told of his torture with a horrified Hermione sitting next to him. He told of the first meeting with Carl and how he felt the changes and liked how he felt. He related his feelings for Ginny. He sobbed. It was too much. He was embarrassed for being so weak. Dumbledore sensed his discomfort.
"Draco, the way you were brought up, many things considered virtuous were regarded as weakness. Do not let those lies keep you from being of strong heart and character. No one is perfect. Least of all, any of us here. It is Miss Weasley's love for you that has made you feel as you do, I'll bet." Dumbledore's words soothed Draco noticeably. He mustered a faint smile.
"What do we do, Professor?" Shacklebolt asked.
"We wait for Snape to administer the veritaserum. We will do that after Harry wakes." Dumbledore didn't want anyone to know that he'd been concentrating on Carl and Parkinson. He had already learned a great deal of the plans here in the castle. He now knew that, indeed, Ron was alive. Yet, he was still in grave danger. The Thomas' had been taken hostage as had the real Chad Smythe. He still did not know where.
After some time had passed, everyone turned toward Harry as he moved slowly. He moaned and rubbed his scar. His hands reached for his wand as he sat up. Hermione ran to his side. Draco leaned forward in anticipation. "Hermione, I had one of those dreams again. I saw Ron being tortured. I could feel Voldemort laughing." He stood and then sat back down as the pain in his forehead made him feel dizzy. "We have to do something Professor." Harry said looking at Professor Dumbledore.
Professor Dumbledore was concerned. Harry had not had this kind of episode since going to the Department of Mysteries the year before. "Harry, what did you see?"
He described the scene. He saw the house from the outside with a large shadowy brick and mortar fence behind. The fence looked dilapidated. The white cottage house had appeared from nothing much like the house on Grimmauld Place. In the living room had been a young man lying motionless on the hardwood floor. He appeared to be sleeping. The vision had wound up a staircase to the second floor where a room on the left revealed two adults tied and gagged. The room at the end of the door appeared to be their destination. The door opened.
Inside the room there was a tall lanky young man on a chair tied mercilessly by his bare wrists and ankles. The hood was removed by an unseen companion. It was Ron. His gaunt face was drawn into a frightened look. An orange flash hit him in the chest as a look of immense pain crossed his face. "That's when I heard Voldemort laughing at the pain he was causing Ron and woke up."
Hagrid had entered the room during the description of the vision. He looked at Dumbledore. "Professor, that fence more likely the walls to Azkaban. I think that part is the rear entrance to Azkaban. I'll never forget that place. I could be wrong."
Charlie and Bill shook their heads. Charlie said, "I don't think you are wrong. That was the one place-for one reason or another-we didn't plan for yet." He looked at Bill and lowered his head. "We should have checked it out."
"Don't be too hard on yourselves. There were many more of us who had not looked at the possibility either." Lupin said with his head down as well. He sighed. Soon he would be unable to help again for a few days around the full moon.
"Harry, what were you thinking using the unforgivable curse?" Hermione was glad she could talk to him but she was confused. "I am surprised it even worked. I don't know how I could have used it myself."
"I had just seen all that Draco had been through and had been thinking about Ron and Luna. I wanted to cause pain and suffering when I felt the hate directed toward us...I mean Draco and me. I couldn't believe how quickly everything happened. I realized it as soon as I saw him fall. I just reacted. It was stupid to tempt fate again."
Hermione looked at Harry for a second and then put her arms out for him. "Stupid. Really stupid. I can't believe you. I love you anyway. But that was stupid."
"Hermione, it is very rare that wizards and witches as young as you can do those curses. The ones who've used them faced terrible things like abuse that caused them to hate. Many times they become like the Death Eaters because hate and anger consumes them. Harry has the tendency to become extremely excited very quickly. In my office when Sirius died, he nearly destroyed everything. He felt hatred toward me because of Voldemort many times when he and I talked last year. That is why I have encouraged your relationship. It keeps Harry grounded after a lot of rough times. I know that's a very hard explanation to understand because it was not the same for you as a child. Harry never complained, but I believe he carries a great deal of pain underneath it all from the way the Dursley's treated him. Do you understand?" Dumbledore was very solemn and looked at Harry with a pained look. One of someone who could have prevented something, but had not.
"I don't feel angry all the time about that. It made me grow up." Harry was not happy to have his childhood brought up. He knew it could be true, but he'd rather not allow it to be true. He denied it even to himself.
"Severus, take Miss Parkinson and the boy to my upper-chambers and make them secure. We will interrogate them later." Dumbledore waited a few minutes for Snape to return before speaking. He wanted to be sure that neither of their prisoners could hear their conversation.
"Harry, how would you feel if I told you that your Aunt Petunia was found in their home bound and gagged. The muggle news reported it as a murder, but it was actually Death Eaters and Dementors. Mrs. Figgis locked herself in and saw everything from across the street. Your aunt has been moved to St. Mungo's at the Ministry of Magic. You will not be able to go to Privet Drive again. Tell me. You're upset about that. It was a happy place for you, wasn't it?" Dumbledore didn't smile. He remained emotionless waiting for an answer.
Everyone waited for Harry to respond. They expected some emotion. He had felt bad for Draco before he knew Draco would change. He didn't make a sound.
"Harry?" Hermione said.
"I don't feel anything. I know she was my mum's sister, but I feel nothing." Harry said in a dead-pan voice.
"Your Uncle and Dudley ran and left her there with them. The intruder's orders were to disrupt the magic protecting you on Privet Drive. They let their beloved wife and mother be tortured. What do you think about that?"
"I wouldn't piss on Dudley to put him out if he was on fire and the same for Uncle Vernon. They deserved that more than her." Harry said without raising his eyes. He realized what Dumbledore was driving at. He had lived for nearly 10 years with a hatred for his uncle and cousin that had festered just below the surface. The only reason he didn't hate Aunt Petunia was she was a blood relative…a part of his mum. But he didn't love her or much care what happened to her.
"Harry, that is what made Tom Riddle into what he is now. The hatred of his roots…his family. The war against us has spread Harry. It is now no longer just about you. It is about every decent witch and wizard. It is even against muggles."
"Under the circumstances, I think that we may have a good case against sending you or Hermione to Azkaban. Your emotions had overpowered her that evening. Even if that is not how she could have been angry enough to do it, it will be the defense we will use." Dumbledore continued.
"We have another problem that is more pressing Professor." Snape interjected. "Did it not become possible for Voldemort to tell that Harry and he shared thoughts. He intentionally sent Potter to the Ministry of Mysteries as a trap."
"That's right, I forgot about that," said Arthur Weasley. "How do we trust this information? I want my son back, but I don't want to walk into a trap."
"I have a plan," said Lupin who had been listening intently. "We have very little time. If Voldemort thinks we're coming for Ron because of the vision, he will move everything. Here's my plan…."