Chapter 15: It's Time He Knows the Truth…
A/N: Oh no! I've made a few mistakes… Somehow in my muddled thinking I reverted back to thinking that my story had them in sixth year (see last chapter)…But I meant to have them in seventh…I'm so sorry for the confusion if anyone caught that! Anyway, having finished OotP, I realize that my story (I was already way into it when OotP came out) might not follow JKR's vision, so Oh well… Anyway enjoy!
Breathless and almost faint with worry, McGonnagol, Ron, and Harry carrying Hermione burst through the infirmary doors to abruptly awaken Poppy Pomfrey as she dozed on one of the patient cots. Pomfrey often found herself out like a light, awakening deep into the early hours of the morning as she frequently fell asleep before making her way to her own quarters situated just off the left side of the medical wing. It was times such as this that made her damn glad she had decided to wait around a bit longer, although the trip to her room would have been a short one.
Harry, almost tearful in his misery, immediately rounded the cot to her right and carefully laid Hermione down, still cradling her head as if afraid that even the pillow might be too hard for it. Pomfrey jumped up, keenly embarrassed to have been caught sleeping outside of her quarters again, but came round quickly at the sight of the injured student and even more so owing to who it was.
"Merlin's ghost," she gasped coming round her bed and leaning down to begin checking Hermione. She fixed Harry and Ron with baleful glares. "What in the blazes of hell have you two been up to now!? It isn't enough you seem to have a knack at being in the wrong place at the wrong time…you have to bloody well continue right through your last year…"
"They had nothing to do with it Poppy," McGonnagol spoke up firmly. "Ms. Granger was apparently headed back to she and Mr. Potter's dorms when we heard the beginnings of a wand fight. We found her only minutes later."
Poppy had just then placed her hand on the back of Hermione's head and heard the girl emit her first moan. She jumped at the sound, and then gasped and jumped again as her hand came away warm and gluey with blood.
"Merlin's beard…I thought she seemed a bit peaky!" Pomfrey laid the girl's head back gently and shooed Harry and Ron away from the bed before drawing curtains around it to thoroughly check out her patient.
After finding only the large welt to the head, along with a few bruises, her body visibly relaxed with relief and smiling reassuringly to McGonnagol, she opened the curtains again, allowing the two boys to return to their friend's bedside.
"Just a little bruising round the back and shoulders where she's fallen, but she'll be rather sore and peaky for a while. There's only one thing for it. She'll have to stay in bed for a few days until she's well enough to get about on her own. Potter, I suppose you and Mr. Weasley'll be good enough to bring Ms. Granger her lessons? She'll be wanting those…"
Harry and Ron nodded their assent, eyes glued to Hermione the whole time, and Pomfrey whirled around summoning the medications needed for the treatment of head trauma from the supply closet. She tossed the wand back onto the bed beside her and turned Granger onto her back.
Weasley, McGonnagol noticed, was jigging nervously on the balls of his feet, making small moves with his hands as if wanting desperately to help.
His counterpart however squatted down, almost as still and silent as a tomb; motionless except for a hand stroking Hermione's hair. He stayed at eye level with her; a stricken look mixed with determined fury twisting his features. He began muttering nonsensical things, but some of his ramblings seemed aimed at the invisible person who had done this.
Harry's quiet whispering, though obviously filled with emotion, somehow came out almost cold and dead. I'll find whoever it is, 'Mione…I'll find whoever did this to you. God help the bloke when I do…
McGonnagol chose that moment to let her eyes wander over toward a nearby window and caught the sudden faint glow of a mysterious red light from somewhere above the point of the horizon that she could see. Unseen by her, Harry grabbed at his scar at the same time, feeling it begin to burn. She frowned in curiosity despite the situation at hand and opened her mouth to speak to them, but Hermione moaned a second time and her eyes fluttered moistly open. Needless to say all attention was diverted at that moment.
Harry had dropped from his squatting position to his knees and was now staring wide-eyed at the girl, both hands on either side of her face, and Ron had dropped to his knees as well, gripping Hermione's hand like a lifeline.
When the girl finally did come round, her eyes were glazed over with fear as if somehow she was still back in the hallway facing her attacker.
"No…Stay away from me!" Hermione pulled away from Harry and wrenched her right hand from Ron's grasp, making a grabbing motion as if for her wand. When her hand found nothing but bed sheets, she screamed inarticulately again and sat up suddenly, scrambling backward from them all like a terrified animal. She stopped, pressed against the headboard of her bed.
Harry, shocked and completely distressed, murmured her name and reached his hands out to her but she shrieked hysterically again and slapped them away. He returned them almost uselessly to his side before bringing them up to rest claw-like against his forehead, peering anguished between his fingers at her.
Open-mouthed, McGonnagol stepped up to intervene but waited at a motion from Weasley.
Ron had blanched. "Hermione…it's us. Don't be afraid…" He reached a hand out to her as well before being treated in much the same way. Hermione attempted to make herself part of the headboard by crouching as closely as possible to it, wrapping her arms around her knees and keening in a low whimpering tone. Her eyes were round and wide with fear and held no recognition in them.
Ron felt a shiver run through his whole body at her expression and returned his hands to his side, his stunned gaze traveling inevitably to Harry.
Harry, for his part, was utterly stricken. His heart gave a painful stab with every panicky cry from Hermione even as Madame Pomfrey tried to calm and soothe her. His shaggy hair, messy at best, was completely disheveled by now from the number of times he had clawed a hand through it and brought it back down to chew distraughtly on his knuckles.
McGonnagol, with a startled face and a gaze full of worry stepped forward again towards Pomfrey. "Poppy, what's happened…Why is she reacting like that!? She's known these two for seven years…"
Pomfrey waved a hand at the Professor to silence her for a moment, and raised her wand towards Hermione, speaking a quiet calming spell over her. It finally succeeded in soothing the girl enough so that she could disentangle her from the ball of limbs and bed sheets she had become.
Hermione relaxed and closed her eyes momentarily, touching a hand to her head gingerly and shaking it as if trying to clear away the fogginess. When she opened her eyes, slowly, clear recognition shone in them once again, along with a wince of pain.
"Ron, Professor McGonnagol…Harry."
The last name was spoken in a broken whisper, and Harry let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. His hand came up quickly to grip the shirt over his chest as if his heart had just started beating once again and he dropped onto the bed beside her, gently taking her into his arms, oblivious to the few tears that had fallen down his face.
After a few moments of crushing him to her, Hermione opened her eyes to see Ron trying to sniff back obvious signs of tears, and she smiled, lifting one hand from Harry's back to beckon to him.
Ron dropped his shoulders wearily and sat on the bed beside them, hugging them both gratefully as well.
She knew the events of last year had brought the three even closer together than they had been; yet Minerva hadn't expected to see such affection so openly displayed. The surprise and tenderness of it tugged at her chest almost painfully. Deciding rather quickly to keep up her usual pretense of sternness, McGonnagol quickly swiped at her cheeks and turned to Pomfrey deliberately steadying her voice, although it took some work.
"Wh…Why didn't she recognize them straight away?"
"The mind sometimes has a strange way of protecting itself, Minerva," sighed a relieved Pomfrey, gazing at the three. "I think she also took quite a harder lump to the head than I realized. But I had hoped once she was calmed she might start to think more clearly." She sighed again, but more out of tiredness than anything else.
"Just as a precaution though, I'll need her to stay awake for the next twenty-four hours or so…possible concussion and all. I'm sure you wouldn't mind letting Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley sort that job between them."
Ron and Harry, who had finally done hugging Hermione, looked at each other with Ron immediately recognizing the look on Potter's face. He smiled tiredly at him.
"No worries mate, I love my bed you know. Besides, Ginny and Lavender are probably in a right state by now and if I don't get back to tell them everything's all right I reckon there'll be a huge row. Don't really care as far as Ginny's concerned but Lav…Well, you know…"
Harry smiled at him. "Git. I know you care about Ginny as well. Go on then, I'll see you tomorrow night I expect."
"Right." Ron smiled cheekily at them, leaned down to give Hermione a quick peck on the cheek, and began striding toward the door.
He got no closer to it than Professor McGonnagol did when Dumbledore, clad in a dressing gown and nightcap, but looking despite his dress every bit the powerful wizard he was, almost plowed through the door, wand in hand and locked gazes with the Transfiguration teacher.
"Minerva, how is Ms. Granger?" He asked rather hastily.
McGonnagol, slightly taken aback at the headmaster's tone spoke up hesitantly. "She'll be all right, with proper rest and attention…Only a nasty bump to the head and some bruises…"
"Fine, fine…" said Dumbledore, and despite his tone he did look relieved. His next words however cleared everything for them all. "I'll need you to come with me straight away then."
McGonnagol looked past Dumbledore and saw Professor Snape, along with Binns, Vector, Sprout, Trelawny (looking decidedly owlish), Hagrid, Flitwick and Lupin, all in various states of dress, and all with wands out.
McGonnagol swallowed harshly as Pomfrey hurried over to join them and Harry stood slowly from Hermione's bed, her hand still clasped in his.
"What is it Albus?"
Dumbledore continued. "Have you seen out the window?"
"No, I haven't, not really. I've only just had the chance to breathe what with all this, although I did notice a reddish glow…"
"It's the dark mark, Minerva."
McGonnagol gasped and faltered for a brief moment, steadied by Ron, before grabbing her wand in a swift motion and hurriedly moving to follow Dumbledore and the rest.
No one noticed Harry however. He took one brief look at Hermione, dropped her hand and whipped his wand out from the back of his jeans. A sudden wave of rage surged through his body like an electrical current, and it only took a fleeting heartbeat or two for him to make up his mind. Only one thought radiated like an emotion throughout his entire body. Go.
Panic zinged through Hermione in an instant as Harry dropped her hand and lashed out his wand. She'd seen that look too many times… "Harry, NO. Don't go…" She made a grab for his arm but was too late. "NO, HARRY!"
He was gone in an instant, furiously tearing through the room with the force and speed of a madman. He whipped and shoved past Ron, Dumbledore and through the crowd of professors who tried futilely to grab at him.
" 'Arry, don' you go runnin' out there!" Yelled Hagrid, swiping at him with a giant hand. Harry easily ducked under it.
"Harry, stop right now!" Screamed Remus Lupin as he ran after him. He managed to grab onto his arm, but Harry tore it from his grasp and continued running, even as the professor made grabbing motions at him. The younger man was ultimately too fast and he charged down the hall and out of sight, his hair blowing back from his forehead and his scar twinging and throbbing an angry red.
"Damn it!" Yelled a frustrated Lupin.
He and the others immediately ran after him, with Pomfrey staying behind to keep a struggling Ron, and an angry, petrified Hermione, who was trying unsuccessfully to scramble out of bed, at bay. She finally succeeded, but only by threatening to petrify both of them with her wand.
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Harry pounded wildly down the hallways, his breathing hitched and uneven and his thoughts tumbling madly out of control. He finally made it to the huge front double doors of the school and, not even pausing for a breath, hurled himself against one of them and forced it open. Immediately, he took an attack stance and lit the tip of his wand.
He found himself surrounded with darkness, complete and unbroken. It was as if the moon and stars had been blown out, and nothing was left but a dense black hole where the school grounds had once been. A frigid breeze blew softly and eerily about him, but did nothing towards blowing aside whatever cloud cover must be obliterating the light from the moon and stars.
Harry felt an unaccountable chill creep over him, and looked up to see the dark mark, painted in a hazy red, marring the otherwise black sky above him. Another message in Latin was written beneath it this time, and the snake protruding from the jaw of the skull had now slithered downward a bit, it's fanged mouth open and smiling as if pleased with the words. 'Tempus id est propinguo'…
The chill surrounding Harry was almost antarctic now, but he ignored it and threw his wand arm out before him, twisting and turning in a mad dance in all directions to find whoever had done this. When he began screaming the voice that came out was hardly recognizable as his own. It dripped with corrosive hatred and cracked with rage.
"Come out! Come out, DAMMIT! Face me!" His voice sounded strangely hollow and without echo, as if he were speaking from inside a box. He whipped violently around once again, his eyes searching the darkness furiously. He surged forward again but his gaze met nothing but blackness.
"It's me you want, isn't it!? Well here I am! Let's finish this! NO MORE GAMES YOU SON OF A BITCH!"
"Harry!"
Lupin was the first to crash out of the double doors, followed closely by Dumbledore, McGonnagol, Hagrid and the rest of the professors, all (except for Hagrid) with wands out, and looks of complete shock on their faces. They all moved to rush forward as one, but Dumbledore only needed to raise a hand to stop them. Harry continued screaming into nothingness as if he hadn't even noticed them, whirling and turning in all directions and looking by all accounts, murderous.
"Remus." Dumbledore spoke quietly, but with his usual air of complete authority and motioned Lupin forward, leaving more than one professor completely baffled. But although they didn't understand his decision, every one abided by it. Only Snape looked decidedly livid. He for one had hoped to finally get the chance to use his wand on Potter, even if it meant a simple stunning spell.
Dumbledore lit his wand with a 'Lumos' as did the rest, and led the group down the steps and into the blackness to search for the perpetrator, even though he was sure whoever it was would be long gone by now.
Lupin approached Harry cautiously. It seemed the young man was dangerously close to losing complete control, and he wanted neither himself nor Harry getting hurt.
Harry continued running in different directions, in a state of extreme agitation. He'd never remembered being this eager for a fight, never remembered wanting something so much as to flay Voldemort open and hang him by his own entrails. In his mind, his thoughts kept coming back to one undeniable fact. He'd had enough. No more hiding…no more waiting for the dark lord to strike. He wanted this over with…and he wanted it NOW.
"Come on out you COWARDLY BASTARD! Here's your real target!…No more hiding, no more banging on about destiny or any of that other SHIT…You want a final war!? You've got one…"
"Harry, stop…" Lupin moved forward a bit, but still not too close, and Harry finally whirled around to notice him. The expression on his face changed a little at seeing one of his professors, but the tenseness, and his attack posture changed not a bit.
"Stop what!?" Harry yelled, "Stop the inevitable!? This is what he wants professor, why not give it to him!?"
"And accomplish what, exactly?"
Harry narrowed his eyes and his expression turned stony and cold. "I don't know. All I know is that I have to stop this…He's hurting everyone I care about and I won't stand for it anymore! This…w..with Hermione…I just can't…I won't…It's not going to happen again…I won't let it."
The naked grief in Harry's face, the thought of all he'd had to endure in his young life, a life that should have been carefree thus far was almost more than Lupin could bear. He began to reach a hand out to the younger man but stopped abruptly as Harry flinched back, a look of slight confusion in his eyes. Lupin pulled back, a bit hurt although he knew he had no right to be. Maybe, soon…
"Harry, I understand. Perhaps more than you know…"
"HOW THE HELL COULD YOU!?" yelled Harry in frustration. "Are you talking about my parents!?" Lupin blanched. "That quite possibly was a little harder on me than you, don't you think?"
Lupin opened his mouth to speak but no words would form. If you only knew, Harry…If you only knew…
As Harry spoke, the sound of echolessness, like being inside an enclosed space, only served to compound the eerie, stricken look on his professor's face. As he gazed on the man, confusion set in deep. What was with him? As if he had any idea what Harry was feeling…No. It didn't matter. Nothing mattered right now but killing Voldemort.
Harry shook his head as if to rid himself of all distracting thoughts. "It doesn't matter. Nothing matters…I don't matter. Nothing else is important right now, I just need to find him and you're distracting me, so if you don't mind…" He turned away from Lupin.
"Distracting you!? Lupin almost yelled, grabbing hold of Harry's arm and missing the look of warning the boy shot him. "Let's not forget who's the professor and who's the student! And what the hell do you mean, 'you don't matter'!? You…of course you…Harry…whoever did this is long gone by now. Besides that fact, you aren't yet ready to face him…"
"Not ready to face him!?" scoffed Harry in disbelief. "Professor I've been steadily facing him all my life. How much more ready can I be!?"
Lupin tensed his jaw. "You don't understand. Something else happened tonight. Something neither you or Professor McGonnagol yet know about as you weren't there."
Harry dropped his wand arm finally. The professor obviously wasn't going to let him be. "What is it…"
"Not here," said Lupin, grabbing Harry's arm and leading him back towards the castle doors. "Inside. Believe me when I say, Harry that you aren't yet ready to face him."
Harry took his arm back from Lupin's grasp, but followed him inside anyway. When the doors had closed behind them and the professor turned to face him, Harry noticed that he had paled to an even whiter shade than before. His lips were pressed into a thin line, and he seemed to have aged ten years in the amount of time it had taken for the two of them to walk inside. And was that a trace of tears in his eyes? What the bloody hell…
"Harry, what I have to tell you…Well, suffice it to say that it won't be easy. Not for me to say, or for you to understand. I…I don't expect you to forgive me. Not for a long time, but please believe me when I say that what was done was done for your own good. For your protection…"
Harry felt the color draining from his face as well and felt a slight tinge of panic. Whatever the professor was trying to tell him…Well it seemed the man would rather be any place than where he was at this moment, and Harry had the distinct feeling that his life was about to change. Nevertheless, he'd never been known for his patience…
"Professor, please. I don't need you to candy-coat anything for me. All I want is the bloody truth. It's all I've ever wanted."
Lupin nodded and swallowed harshly. However, just as he opened his mouth to speak, Dumbledore, followed by the rest of the professors, pushed open the double doors and strode inside, looking angry and defeated. Lupin looked only a little relieved.
"Headmaster…any news?"
Dumbledore nodded once to the other teachers, who all took the movement to mean that he would meet with them later. As they dispersed, he walked over to Lupin and Harry, stroking his beard thoughtfully.
"Whoever attacked Ms. Granger and left the Dark Mark has long since disappeared, I'm afraid Remus; as I suspected he would. However, I have a good idea of who it might have been."
Both Harry and Lupin decided to let the matter that had been at hand rest for the moment and looked at Dumbledore expectantly.
"I believe Lucius Malfoy was here earlier today on 'official Ministry business'. I left him with Argus (Filch) as he prepared to leave. But I'm afraid after having been missing for several hours, our caretaker was only just discovered unconscious in one of the broom closets on the fifth floor by Mrs. Norris. As fate would have it, Mrs. Norris was able to quite effectively 'sniff' out her master, much to his fortune."
Harry's hands began to shake uncontrollably with rage, and he quickly balled them into fists. Once again he was consumed with wrath, but instead of yelling, his voice was low with loathing. "I knew he was a bastard. I don't understand why something wasn't done with him two years ago…"
"Innocent until proven guilty, Harry," said Dumbledore wisely. "A wizard cannot be convicted without evidence."
Lupin nodded, and Harry clawed a hand roughly through his hair in frustration, causing it to stand up in all directions. But suddenly, Harry remembered something he should have remembered to tell the headmaster much earlier. My god…
"Professor!" Harry exclaimed, "When we found Hermione earlier…I meant to tell Professor McGonnagol but what with 'Mione lying there in that state…" he shuddered. "The time turner…Lucius Malfoy must've taken it. When she left the common room it was round her neck, but when we found her in the hallway, it was gone."
Dumbledore grimaced, and Lupin shook his head in disbelief. "I don't understand what Malfoy, or Voldemort would want with the time turner. It can't be used any farther back than two years…"
Dumbledore held up a weathered hand. "I'm sure his plan will be revealed soon, if the warning he left for us out there is any indicator…Unfortunately, it will do no good to inform the Ministry as Fudge refuses to believe Voldemort has returned, and he certainly wouldn't turn on his wealthiest supporter…"
For the first time in all of his years at Hogwarts, Harry heard a hint of cynicism in the Headmaster's voice. He'd seen the headmaster upset, even angry, which was an awesome sight to behold in and of itself, but never as mistrusting as he seemed now. It seemed times were definitely changing…
Lupin turned to the younger man. "Harry, about what we were discussing," Lupin glanced fleetingly at Dumbledore, who glanced at the two above his half-moon lenses. "I believe the Headmaster will agree with me that it's now time that you understand. That you're told everything."
A few moments of undisturbed silence passed between Dumbledore and Lupin, and Harry grew increasingly frustrated. It was as if the Headmaster and Lupin were holding some sort of mental conversation. Are you sure? It's time he knew… I think you're right… But how much should he know? All of it Ja…
"PLEASE!" yelled Harry finally, "Whatever it is, I deserve to know. I NEED to know. If you were holding information from me because you thought I was too young to hear it, I'm bloody well grown up enough now."
Dumbledore smiled thinly, sadly at Harry, and Lupin turned his gaze to him, regarding him with something resembling…Pride?
Dumbledore gently clapped a hand on Harry's back and led him along as the three walked. "We'll talk in my office, Harry. It is finally time you understood everything."
A/N: I know by now you all want to hang me for the cliffhanger but believe me when I say that I had to leave it there. I'm going to post the next chapter really soon, and all will be revealed, so stay tuned!!! :0) And please be kind and review. I really live for the comments!