Mighty Aphrodite,
burn brightly no more.
Deny thy forged love,
bring forth the truth you tore!
~ Found Out ~
The Hunters Congregation had ended at noon. Madame Sprout arrived back at the Hogwarts Hunters tent with Professor Snape.
`Do you hear that?' she said, halting in the middle of the room.
There was a knocking sound, followed by a muffled scream. It seemed to be coming from a cupboard. Snape clasped his wand and aimed towards it. `Expositus!'
The cupboard door flung open, and the tiny body of Professor Flipwick flew across the room, flapping his arms.
`EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!'
`Professor Flipwick!' cried Madame Sprout, rushing to where he'd crash-landed. `How did you get locked in the cupboard? We've been looking for you every where!'
`Children! Students!' Professor Flipwick squealed, standing and straightening his robes. `Students locked me in the cupboard! Students are here at the Hunt without consent!'
`Who's here without consent?' Snape demanded, though he already had a funny feeling who it might be.
`Well let me think,' said Professor Flipwick thoughtfully, recounting who he'd seen. `There were the three Weasley boys, a tall dark fellow I can't recall, though he looked very familiar - oh! And Harry Potter. He was holding your Portkey, Professor Snape!'
`Was he now?' said Snape, in an intrigued but malevolent tone.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the Amphitheatre, Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy came home to their tent.
'Must we keep Draco locked up in that cage, darling?' said Narcissa tiresomely, an attractive but snooty woman with a intolerable, critical manner. She was the first to enter through the tent flap. 'He didn't stop yelling and clanking all night. I hardly had any beauty sleep.'
'My dear,' said Lucius, entering after her, and heading towards the study, 'it's only until I find a cure for his condition. Then he - '
Lucius stopped at the study doorway, staring straight ahead.
'Empty...' he murmured.
'Sorry darling, I didn't hear you,' called Narcissa from the next room. `Can you speak up?'
'EMPTY!' Lucius roared, up in arms. 'HE'S ESCAPED!'
~ Counter-Potion ~
Harry and the others walked hours on end, well into the depth of night. The air had chilled, and an opaque white mist layered the ground, swirling mysteriously at their feet. Sounds stirred all around them - howls, hoots, twigs snapping, a sudden rustle of leaves. Sometimes Harry fancied he was being watched, but this wasn't an unusual thing to think when one was wondering through a strange forest in the middle of the night. What concerned Harry more at this point was tiredness. Sleep threatened to engulf him, and the rest of the group were doing no better.
'Ron, get your head off my shoulder!' said Harry, shrugging Ron away.
'Sorry, Harry,' said Ron drowsily. 'It's just...I've never been so - so -' His words were stretched out in a tedious, extended yawn. 'Tired.'
'We're not tired! We're - we're - ' Despite himself, Harry caught Ron's yawn. 'Okay, so we're a little tired.'
Malfoy and Krum yawned instantaneously.
'Stop being tired!' Harry snapped, rounding on them. 'Hermione won't be sleeping, so we won't either!'
'I know, Harry. But at this rate we're all going to turn into hypnotised zombies!' Ron reasoned. 'Can't we nap for a bit?' Harry shook his head.
'If we fall asleep, we'll never wake up and it will be too late!'
'Potter's right,' said Malfoy drearily. 'As long as Hermione's hypnotised, she won't stop until she reaches the Drakon's lair.'
Krum came up with an idea.
'Vot if two of us sleep and two stay avake? Then ve svitch?' The corner of Ron's mouth turned up.
'I can't believe I'm going to agree with Krum, but that could work! What do you say, Harry?'
Harry, compromising his fervid determination to press on, agreed to Krum's suggestion. It was with great relief that Harry, Ron and Krum dropped their backpacks, which had grown tiresomely heavy, under the shelter of a tall, proud oak tree. Malfoy and Krum were the first to sleep, while Ron and Harry remained awake.
'Fifteen minutes and counting,' Ron calculated, consulting his watch. He stooped down next to Harry and rested his weight against the oak tree. 'Oh yeah!' he sighed, relaxing. 'I can't wait to get some shut-eye.'
'Don't get too rested just yet,' Harry forewarned him. 'You have to stay awake.'
'I am awake. See?' Ron proved this by showing Harry how wide he could open his eyes.
Harry chuckled. He was happy to be on good terms with Ron again. It comforted him immensely. For a while, the two of them sat in an easy silence, Harry checking Ron every now and then to make sure he wasn't drowsing off. And, of course, his mind would naturally drift to Hermione. Staring up at the moon shining against the canopy, he dared to believe she was still alive; that he'd find her and bring her home. He also wondered, with the emergence of Ron's feelings, and the confusion over his own, if the old trio would ever be the same. This thought in turn sprung another.
'Are they asleep yet?' Harry whispered to Ron, referring to Malfoy and Krum. They both peered around the other side of the oak tree to find out. Malfoy was sitting upright but with his head was lolling over, and Krum was spread out on the ground, drooling on his sleeve.
'Like babies,' Ron assented.
'Then quick, help me out here.'
Harry unzipped his backpack and retrieved A Wizards and Witches Guide to Love Made Easy.
'Blimey, Harry!' said Ron, on seeing the book. 'Why are you lugging that around with you? And where - '
'George gave it to me. Before we left,' Harry cleared up, flipping though the pages. 'We have to read up on the proper cure for the Aphora Bewitching Potion, otherwise Hermione will still be in love with Malfoy.'
`But how…' Ron was quite overwhelmed. Harry tried explaining things from another angle.
'Hermione's in love with Malfoy, right?'
'Right...'
'And when we reach her, she'll be hypnotised, right?'
'Right!'
'So, after we un-hypnotise her - '
'How are we going to do that?'
Harry hadn't thought about this yet.
'I - well, I don't know! Stay focused...aha! Here's what we're looking for.'
Harry quietly read the following passage to Ron:
Counter-Potion for the Aphora Bewitching Potion.
You will need at least a cup of an Aphora Bewitching Potion that is bounded to the bounder that originally infected you. Make sure the anti-love ingredient as been administered at this time.
'But we don't have Malfoy's Aphora Bewitching Potion!' Ron interrupted anxiously.
'Oh yes we do,' said Harry, holding up the cloth-covered flask. 'I think there's more then a cup's worth, too.'
'And the anti-love ingredient? We don't - '
'George took care of it,' Harry assured him.
'Wow,' said Ron, impressed. 'He thought of everything!'
Harry continued to read.
You are now ready to make counter-potion. Note that this will be a ritual counter-potion. To perform the ritual, stand a top the highest peak of Mount Olympus, and make a fire with wood and leaves drawn from the Drakon Wood. Heat the original potion over this fire, and repeat the following ten times:
Mighty Aphrodite,
burn brightly no more.
Deny thy forged love,
bring forth the truth you tore!
Keep your eye on the fire and concentrate on the words spoken. It's vital not to lose concentration. If the ritual is successful, your potion should no longer 'glow', and will instead turn to a pale, matte pink. The one you wish to cure must drink at least one drop of the counter-potion for it to be effective.
Harry finished reading, confident with what had to be done. Ron however, was not so self-assured.
'Well, this is perfect isn't it?' he said.
'I know!' said Harry. 'We're heading straight for Mount Olympus.'
'Yes but Harry, how do you suppose we're going to get on top of Mount Olympus?'
Again, Harry had not bothered to think this through.
'Er...we'll deal with that later!' he said in a hurry, pushing it aside. 'Wait! There's more written here.' Harry read on.
The counter-potion's ritual will only work when performed by someone who truly loves the one in need of curing. A blood relative would also be satisfactory.
Harry paused after reading these last words. Then, with a grim undertone, he shoved the book into Ron's hands and said, 'I guess you'll be doing the ritual then.'
'Me?' Ron rebutted, tossing the book back to Harry, as if it electrocuted him. 'But I suck at making potions! And I'm pretty sure I'd suck at making counter-potions, too!'
'Ron, you're the only one here who has "actual" feelings for Hermione. The book says someone who loves the one in need of curing has to do it. You love her, you do the ritual!' Harry shoved the book back to Ron more firmly. Ron took it, thought something over, and then stared at Harry with a change of face.
'Do you honestly believe that, Harry? That you've haven't got "actual" feelings for Hermione?'
Harry was slightly puzzled at this.
'As a friend I have feelings for her, but that doesn't count!' he said bluntly. `Anything else I'm feeling is fake, brought on by potion relapse.'
Ron appeared as though he hadn't believed a word Harry said - and he hadn't.
'You want to know what I think?'
`I know you suck at potions.'
Ron ignored this.
`I think you're fooling yourself, Harry. This relapse thing is suppose to make you crazy, right? But it's not like you've gone poisoning people with bewitching, Aphrodite spells or claiming you're adopted!'
'But I am crazy!' said Harry briskly, who suddenly felt like he had a lot to get of his chest. 'I brought us all to Greece. I'm taking us towards a ferocious dragon. I befriended Malfoy! And to top it off, I fell for Hermione overnight!'
'Harry, wake UP!'
'I am awa - '
'Everything you've done for Hermione so far is not crazy!' Ron spoke very heatedly now. `Under the circumstances, you would've acted exactly the same, with or without relapse! I've seen how you care for her Harry, even way before all this love potion rubbish! You did not fall for Hermione overnight because you've always had feelings for her! And I think you're acting like a right coward for not realising that.'
Harry gaped at Ron, utterly bewildered. Why was he saying all this? First he was mad at the prospect of he and Hermione ever being involved, which he'd come to more or less accept, and now what was he doing? Playing matchmaker?
'I'm a coward?' Harry repeated, more then slightly offended. 'You've loved Hermione for ages and only admitted to it yesterday! If anyone's the coward it's you!'
'It takes a coward to recognise his own kind!'
'Yeah WELL - '
For some reason, Harry couldn't match this comment. It didn't matter in the end, because a deep, languorous voice had interrupted them.
'Has it been fifteen minutes yet?' said Krum, half-asleep.
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