disclaimer:
"I OWN HARRY POTTER!" Statements such as these are an example of a delusional people. The kind of delusional you'd need to be to even think I owned Harry Potter.
Author's note:
It's been a long slog since the last update. I'm not lying when I say that I've rewritten this chapter somewhere between eight and twelve times and in the end, it's very different from how I had planned it originally.
I hope I haven't slipped in terms of quality or accidentally introduced any plot holes
Harry stepped into the bedroom that he and Hermione shared.
Laying on the bed was the young girl, and apart from her deathly pale face, Harry would have had no idea she was a vampire. Then again, he mused to himself, what other signs did they give? The girl wasn't about to get up and just display superhuman strength.
"Are you positive?" He asked his girlfriend.
"The sorting hat knows her."
Harry frowned. "Does it now? That seems rather convenient doesn't it?" He asked as he stomped out of the room and into the study where the hat was kept on the table.
"Explain yourself, hat." Harry yelled at it. "Who is she?"
"Don't yell at me Potter." The hat replied smoothly. "As for whom she is, I'll let her introduce herself when she wakes up, but you should know that she is no threat to you."
Harry glared at it. "It seems rather convenient doesn't it that the only person I bring back with me to our cave and you just happen to know who she is. To me, it looks like you deliberately sent us there to get her." He accused the hat. "You messed with my head didn't you!"
"I did nothing of the sort. You are who you are." The animated object retorted indignantly. "You are following the flow of destiny. She is someone important to whom you are, or rather, who you will become.
"It is not my duty to mess with your head as I see fit, it is my duty to see that you do not fail."
"And messing with Hermione's head was not as you saw fit?" He responded angrily.
"Harry," Hermione said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I asked him to do it. I- I can't keep up the façade that we've been partaking in if I'm crying over my parents."
Harry turned his glare on her, then bit back an angry response and took a deep breath.
"Tell me something," He said, not looking at either. "Did you know her parents were dead?"
"No." The hat replied. "Albus Dumbledore is the only human alive with mental shields strong enough to withstand my legilimency ability."
Harry softened and muttered a 'sorry' before sitting down on the chair, exhausted and winced as he remembered he had an injured arm.
He lifted up his sleeve revealing a deep gash.
"Did I do that?" Hermione asked.
"Don't worry about it." Harry replied. "If it weren't for you, I'm not convinced we'd have survived."
Hermione retrieved the first aid kit they had for such occasions and started to bandage and clean it up.
The loss of Hermione's parents felt like a personal blow to Harry as well as he reflected on it. He was serious that he wanted to ask Hermione's parents for her hand in marriage and now it wasn't possible, but more than that, now his beloved was like him in a way that he did not wish on anybody. Least of all, her.
"I wish I knew what this stuff about the star-crossed meant." Hermione said as she wiped a wet cloth over his arm.
"I wish I could tell you." Harry honestly. That was another question that needed answering.
"You should both go now, lest you be discovered." The hat told them as Hermione finished wrapping and applied a sticking charm to it. "If you want to leave a good impression on your young friend tomorrow, it would be good of you to give up some blood. In which case, I'd suggest bringing some potions to help with blood loss."
Harry nodded and took off his dementor cloak before kissing Hermione goodbye and taking his portkey back to Hogwarts.
When the newspapers hit the dining hall the following morning, Harry waited in trepidation of what the response would be.
Dumbledore, as to be expected was absent from the dining hall again. Harry suppressed a small grin at the thought that he was being kept sufficiently occupied to not bother himself or Hermione.
"Azkaban was attacked!" Seamus cried, slamming the paper down on the table, knocking over Ron's orange juice which ran down his robes.
Ron however, was too shocked to respond to the wetness down his shirt. "What about the aurors? Azkaban is the most secure place in the world!"
"All dead." Seamus said reading further. "Apparently they were all in the head office when they were attacked, sliced to ribbons they were."
Harry didn't need to fake being disgusted. Hearing Seamus read out loud about it brought back the memory of what he and Hermione had done in there a few hours ago.
He shivered involuntarily.
"Are you alright Harry?" Ron asked. "You don't suppose... he... is back do you?"
"Who?" Harry asked.
"You-know-who."
"Voldemort?" Harry asked and everyone hit the decks, Ron smacking his head on the table on the way down.
Harry burst out laughing as Ron picked himself off the floor and rubbed his head.
"Mister Potter." He heard a stern voice from behind. "You thought that was funny did you?" He turned around to see Professor McGonagall glaring at him, her lips pursed.
"I'm sorry professor; I wasn't laughing at the predicament, just Ron."
"Come with me."
Ron gave him a half-hearted sympathetic look as he got up and followed his head of house up to Dumbledore's office.
Harry hitched his breath as Professor McGonagall lead him into the room.
Dumbledore had his head in the floo and was actively talking with someone.
"Albus, I've brought him."
Dumbledore informed his contact that he'd speak with him later and pulled his head out of the floo. "Harry," He said shortly as he strode purposefully towards his desk and retrieved a parchment.
He handed it to the much younger student who glanced at the old man suspiciously and looked at the list.
Draco Malfoy, Gregory Goyle, Vincent Crabbe...
It was a list of Death Eaters.
"Do those names mean anything to you?"
"No sir." Harry replied. "They're mostly slytherins except for a few ravenclaws and one hufflepuff."
"There are two names missing from that list." Dumbledore informed him.
"All of those students were not in bed at three this morning. Interesting to note that the two that aren't on that sheetof paper were using the same doppelganger charm on their beds. Even more interesting to note that one of them did not return to the school."
Harry looked blankly at Dumbledore and shook his head, thankful that Dumbledore had given up trying to bombard his mental shields.
"Where is Draco Malfoy?" The older man asked.
"I don't know."
"Enough with the games Baron Black!" Dumbledore yelled. "I've been playing these games far longer than you have.
"Did you think I don't know or wouldn't find out about your attacks on the Order or the pact you made with Lord Voldemort?"
Harry set his jaw and ground his teeth, then grinned. "Well, I was hoping you wouldn't find out for a little longer."
There was a knock at the door and Hermione stepped into the room without asking for permission. There was a cold, distant gaze in her eyes.
"And now the Baroness is here too." Dumbledore said, angrily stepping towards her. "finite." Dumbledore waving his wand over her.
Hermione blinked and saw Harry looking at her with deep concern in his eyes. Her eyes focussed and she peered upwards into an old wizard's eyes which were consumed with fire.
"I know for a fact that you were both involved in the death of Alastor Moody." The old man yelled once more, he looked as if he had tears building in his eyes which were rapidly evaporating into flames as soon as they left his eyes.
"You killed my phoenix." He said, stalking between you both. "I don't know how you managed it, but Fawkes meant more to me than you could imagine."
"Hermione's parents meant more to her than you could ever imagine." Harry said defiantly.
Dumbledore flicked his wand at them both and they were each held rigid with a full body bind so tight they couldn't breathe.
"They were a punishment, not bait." The old man told him as he levitated Hermione's prone body beside Harry. "Where are the sorting hat and the sword?"
"Voldemort has it." Harry replied hoarsely.
"And where is Voldemort?"
"I don't know, I've only gotten there via portkey."
Dumbledore glanced at Hermione.
"It's true. We don't know."
Dumbledore rubbed his eyes in frustration and pushed his glasses back. "I want you to know Harry that I want to kill you, for what you did to Fawkes."
"The feeling is mutual." Harry replied.
"The only thing keeping you alive is the prophecy." He said as he rested himself, the anger taking its toll on him. "Miss Granger, you on the other hand, I'm still trying to decide on."
"So you're not sending the Order after me any more?" She choked out.
"You are Star Crossed. That means you have been blessed with power; power to change the world my dear. I need to harness that power to restore the balance of things once your Harry has taken care of a certain thorn in my side."
"You'll never control me!" She screamed at him.
"We'll see. I hope for your sake I can, otherwise your life is forfeit miss Granger."
Dumbledore levelled his wand at Hermione and chanted a word that chilled Harry to the bone. "Imperio."
Hermione's eyes glazed over once more and lost their focus.
The older man smirked and cast the unforgivable once more on Harry.
Harry felt that familiar calmness wash over him.
Dumbledore regarded them for a moment and then grabbed two goblets, checking carefully which one was which and held them out to each of them.
"Drink." He said.
They each took the goblets in their hands and as Harry brought it to his lips, something screamed in him: 'Do not drink that!'
'Why not? It's just a drink, and I am kind of thirsty.'
'Because Dumbledore gave it to me! I don't trust it.'
'It'll be okay.'
Harry's hands shook.
Out the corner of his eyes, he saw Hermione hesitate a moment, and then downed the contents swiftly.
'No!' His mind screamed, but his hands brought the goblet to his lips and he felt moisture. 'NO!' He pleaded with his hands.
His mouth opened and as he took in some of the liquid, he felt some of it go down his throat and his mind panicked.
He threw the goblet across the room in an uncoordinated flick and spat out as much as he could, gagging and bringing up spit which he freely let loose on Dumbledore's carpet.
The old man gave a pained look as he watched.
Harry pulled his wand out of his robe, pointed it at Hermione and yelled. "finite!"
Hermione blinked and after a second pulled out her own wand.
With a large tug, their wands flew out of their hands into Dumbledore's.
"You are but children."
"Avada Kedavra!" Hermione screamed at him holding her hand towards him.
Dumbledore looked in shock as the green beam flashed towards him. The shock lasted long enough for him to grab his robes and flick them around him.
The killing curse cut through his robes and exploded into the window behind him.
Harry saw a flare of aura behind him and ducked as an explosive spell erupted behind him and flew over his head.
Harry allowed his own magic out to its full ability and fired a reducto at Dumbledore which he dodged using his cape trick. The spell shot past him and blew an entire wall and half the roof to smithereens.
He desperately wished he had the sword of Gryffindor in his hands.
What he wished more than that though was that he'd had enough sleep to recharge himself after his rampage the night before.
"I suppose it is not surprising that you are both capable of wandless magic." The older man commented as he sent a rainbow of colours at each of them. "A spell like that you must have used a ritual for however. I'm not sure I approve of it."
Harry continued to block everything that came towards him.
Dumbledore showed an incredible combat ability for someone his age, shocking Harry and Hermione both by using both of his hands to simultaneously cast two different spells, often one shield and one attack.
His shields were small and efficient, often exactly in the place where spells were due to hit. Harry figured that the older man had become so efficient at using his magic that he wasn't using anymore than necessary.
After all, shields grew from the point of focus, so folding out a full shield did take half a second longer and did pull on Harry's magic more than such small efficient ones.
Hermione fired a spell Harry had never seen before at their assailant which shook the room as it exploded into the shelves behind him, showing them with debris. One of Dumbledore's spells lashed across her heel and she crumpled to the floor.
Harry was quick on the uptake though and sent a shove towards her just before Dumbledore fired another spell at the defenceless Hermione. Harry's spell was much quicker to arrive and Hermione skidded a few centimetres away from the Dumbledore's. Hermione shielded herself from the next spell at the same time Harry was forced to defend himself too.
"Lumos Fulgeo!" Dumbledore yelled as the room erupted into light and slowly died out.
Harry reacted by disillusioning himself and blocking his magic.
"Albus!" Minerva McGonagall erupted into his office and stood shocked as she saw the wreckage and Hermione struggling to get up from the ground.
"What is going on here?"
Three wands flew out of Dumbledore's pocket and into Hermione's hand as she reached into her pocket and disappeared.
"Damn." The old man mumbled.
"Albus!" Minerva demanded.
"Harry, come out!"
Harry hid on a part of the floor with no carpet, having learned his lesson from Hestia.
He was glad that Hermione had gotten away, but worried about her. From what he could see on the opposite side of the room, whatever took her down was nasty.
Harry started to feel rather sweaty.
He saw Dumbledore's aura flaring and the room got hotter and hotter.
Dumbledore scanned the room and fired a stunner right at Harry who scampered to one side. 'Shit! How did he find me?'
"Stay where you are Minerva. We have a dark wizard in the room."
Harry ran to his professor and held one hand around her neck and another on his portkey.
"That won't work with me." Dumbledore said as he put a bind on Harry who knew he'd been right to prepare himself.
He didn't need to move to push his magic into the portkey and activate it, disappearing to their cave.
Dumbledore scowled and turned to the wreckage that was his office. Those two brats had not only nicked off with his wand, but also his transfiguration teacher.
It didn't matter though, he was confident that Miss Granger would return at the least. His little Dark Lord killer had managed to beat his imperio. That was a mild surprise. He was aware that Harry had managed to break off an attack from Barty Crouch Jr, but Crouch was a mediocre wizard at best.
His wand he could live without. He raised both hands and called out authoritatively "Reparo!"
Harry landed ungracefully to the floor and quickly summoned his Professor's wand and kept his hand trained on her, removing the disillusionment from himself and rose the anti-apparition wards.
Gathering herself from the shock of it all, Professor McGonagall rose to full height. "Perhaps you would care to explain this preposterous behaviour! Mister Potter! I shall have you expelled for your behaviour! Using magic against the headmaster! Good grief! We taught you better than that!"
"Shut up." Harry growled, shocking his Professor into silence.
"Are you alright Hermione?" Harry asked her gently.
"Do I look alright you prat?" She hissed as she bandaged her foot and performed a numbing charm. "What in Merlin's name were you thinking when you brought her here!?"
"I'd hoped that a hostage would have diffused Dumbledore, but he's too powerful to fall for that." Harry mused.
"I could have told you that!" Hermione snapped.
"Hermione Jane Granger and Harold James Potter! Explain yourselves!" Their stern head of house looked like she'd explode if she didn't get any answers.
"There's no point." Harry snapped in return. "As soon as we let you leave this place, Your beloved headmaster would obliviate you anyway."
"I don't think I like what you're suggesting."
"What is all this noise?" A timid voice called from their hallway.
Harry turned to see their young guest peering from behind the bedrooms.
"You're awake." Harry said. "I didn't mean to wake you." He glared at his professor.
Minerva McGonagall looked at the young girl. "You... look familiar."
"As do you." The girl replied. "It has been a long time Minerva." She came from behind the passageway and curtsied, holding the Sorting Hat in her hands.
"Cynwise... DeBeau... Gryffindor..." McGonagall stared in amazement.
The girl looked towards Harry and Hermione. "You were the ones who rescued me from that prison did you not? Osfrid said to call you the Barons Black."
"The... Barons... Black?" The old lady looked ready to faint, but scanned the room. Her eyes landing on the dementor cloaks and their masks.
"Osfrid?" Harry asked. "You mean the hat?"
"Osfrid is no mere hat, sir Baron. I am surprised that he would even let you call him that."
"Wait..." McGonagall said, leaning against a wall to support herself. "It was you both who raided the Headmaster's study and put the poison in his lemon drops?"
"He started it." Harry replied childishly.
"Allow me to explain." Hermione said as she propped herself up and launched into an abbreviated spiel about the state of the world. Naturally, Minerva didn't want to believe a word of it and insisted they were both off their rockers.
Their vampire charge had listened with due interest as the conversation rose to arguments once more only to be shushed by the Sorting Hat, now dubbed Osfrid.
It was only when it spoke did the old professor take them seriously.
"There is no known way to block an obliviation other than a shield." She said afterwards, taking a seat. "Once it has been applied, there is no way to undo the block without causing permanent damage to the brain."
"Vampires can't be obliviated." Cynwise said proudly.
"Then I suppose you are both Vampires." McGonagall said suspiciously.
"How could we be vampires Professor? We've been going to your middle of the day transfiguration class."
"Then how could you both be capable of it."
"We don't know." They each replied.
"And all this business of You-know-who being resurrected is frightening."
Harry snorted. "You think it's frightening to hear about it? How do you think I felt playing cards with him!? Let me tell you, playing cards with Voldemort is nothing like a friendly game between old mates."
The feline animagus gawked. That was the straw that broke the proverbial cat's back as they say. She fainted.
"Good one Harry." Hermione grumbled.
Luna Lovegood shuffled into the transfiguration class, Professor McGonagall had promised her that if she did really well transfiguring her textbook into a bookcase then she could go hunting for the phantomyme-horse rumoured to be in the Dark Forest with Hagrid.
She had been itching to go ever since she'd heard of it and today she might finally get that chance. Still, it would be a really hard task to achieve.
She took her place at the desk and waited for the professor to arrive.
"Good morning class." said the voice of an elderly man. "Before we begin class today, I'd just like to have a quick word with you all: obliviate."
Harry poured over the auror training manual looking for something to help Hermione's ankle.
His mind however was not so much on how to fix her ankle, though he tried to demand his mind be, but it continually floated to what Dumbledore had in the goblets.
He didn't feel any different, but perhaps it took a while to kick in.
Hermione too was looking through books, flipping angrily through pages and refusing to look at Harry at all.
When Harry asked if she was mad with him, she just snapped 'No' and went back to flipping pages.
"Was it because we failed?"
She paused a moment. "He was right there, and we couldn't keep up with him Harry. How are we supposed to beat him if we can't even defend ourselves against him?"
Harry shook his head.
"I did offer you one way." Osfrid piped up from his shelf.
"I'm not taking that damned potion!" Hermione yelled at it. "Not unless it was Ronald drinking the other half!"
She slapped her hands to her mouth and her eyes go wide.
Harry blinked in disbelief. "Ron?" He shook his head. "Ronald! What the hell does he have to do with anything? Have you suddenly upped and decided that you wouldn't mind bringing a child into this world as long as the father is so easy to control that-- that..."
And there it was.
"Love potions." Hermione said. "He used the imperious on me to get me to drink a love potion. Ron is so easily controlled that, if I'm in love with him, and I can feel it now... That same warm feeling I used to feel whenever I said your name..."
Professor McGonagall was laying down on a cushioned floor her eyes open and just listening to the banter of the children and wishing that they were wrong. But she knew herself, Hermione Granger was more than a bright kid, and Harry Potter was no muscle-head either.
She shifted her head to look at Cynwise who was staring at her, just as she used to the last time she had seen her, when Minerva herself was just a little girl.
"Professor." Harry's voice drifted to her. "Do you know what the two potions on Dumbledore's desk contained?"
"No, but I can guarantee that Severus brewed them."
Harry nodded. "I'm going to have a word with our friendly potions teacher tonight."
There was an awkward silence and Harry returned to the book, finally able to concentrate on finding something to help his friend.
He flipped a few pages of the Auror manual and found the end of the field medicine. "Nothing here."
"There is nothing in here either." Hermione replied sadly.
"Perhaps Knight will know what to do."
Harry ran his hands through his hair.
"You're looking pale." McGonagall said, breaking the stress.
"We never did get those blood replenishing potions did we?" Harry asked Hermione.
"Speak for yourself Mister disorganised."
Harry sighed at her harsh tone. He missed the leniency that Hermione normally allowed him.
Harry rose from his seat and knelt down in front of the vampire.
"I'll let you have some of my blood if you promise not to turn me."
"You- You would do that for me?"
"I'm dangerous, not heartless." Harry replied with a smile and a quick look at McGonagall and held his wrist out.
She stared at it.
"I don't suppose you could... umm..."
Harry stared blankly at her, and looking very embarrassed, Cynwise lifted her lips to reveal that she had large gaps between her teeth where a vampire should have elongated canines.
Harry was surprised that a vampire could be missing those teeth.
"Were you missing those teeth when you got turned or something?" Harry asked her.
"I was not thank you very much!" She snapped impetuously. "For your information, I gave them up."
Harry smiled at her sacrifice and used his wand to lacerate his wrist.
The indignation melted from her face and she instantly started drinking the life from him.
Harry smiled and turned to see his Professor smiling gently at him, despite what they had gotten her into.
When Knight arrived that evening he was rather quickly bombarded with medical questions from Harry to fix Hermione's foot.
Entering the study where everybody was, he was shocked to see another person in the abode. He of course, knew exactly who she was, and she knew him after a second to recognise his unmasked and unguarded face.
"Picking up old grannies now are we Baron?" He asked with a stern face.
"Watch your tongue Mister Phillips, I may be aging slowly but I'm still strong enough to transfigure you into a rat!"
"Thanks, but no thanks. That's what we keep Pettigrew around for."
"P-P-Peter Pettigrew!?"
"I would think you'd be used to the shocks by now professor." Hermione said rather tartly from her seat.
Knight approached the younger girl and unwrapped her foot to take a look at it. "I've seen worse." He muttered and pulled a piece of paper out of his robes.
"Strike order for the Baron Black."
Harry took the piece of paper off of him and looked at it. Remus Lupin.
Harry closed his eyes. Things were just going from bad to worse. "I can't do this one."
"Specific orders from the Dark Lord. He figured you could handle this one alone as he's given the Baroness time out for mourning."
With that, Hermione's face became pained. With all the commotion of the past day, she had momentarily forgotten about her parents.
Harry sighed. "Alright, I'll do it. Where's the intel?"
Knight shook his head and handed him a photo. "For apparating reference. It's a good night for this target."
'A full moon then...' Harry sighed and took the photo. "While I'm doing that, I'd like to ask a favour. I want to find out what kind of love potion Snape brewed for Dumbledore today."
Knight raised an eyebrow. "I'll look into it for you."
Harry nodded and gently placed a hand on Hermione's shoulder. "I'm going to take care of someone."
"Potter... You can't be serious!" McGonagall finally protested. "You can't go and kill someone because he asks you to!"
Hermione nodded to Harry. "If you can't get it out of him, bring him here. I'll get the information out of him." She said softly to Knight.
"I can." Harry replied in response to his transfiguration teacher's statement. "For two reasons, One less doll for Dumbledore to control, and because it was part of our deal for getting Hermione's parents out of Azkaban."
"Those... Dolls are living people!"
"You're a doll." Harry said simply. "While you're within his reach. I doubt that you are now who you have been in the past."
With that, Harry walked to the entrance and grabbed his cloak and mask.
When he placed his hand on the sword of Gryffindor, that timid voice rang once more from behind him. "Please don't take that sword Baron."
Cynwise had snuck up on him as he'd been told Vampires did.
Harry jumped with a start and looked at her.
"That sword is a family heirloom; it pains me to see my great grandfather's sword being wielded with so little care."
Harry wondered what she meant and pulled the sword from its sheath. Blood was caked onto the blade, and upon seeing it, Cynwise turned her head.
"I'm sorry. I'll clean it when I get back."
"And don't use that sheath. I will get its original one when I am well enough to move outside of your home."
Harry nodded and left the sword where it was.
He donned his cape and mask, and with a small wave to the Vampire, apparated to the place depicted on the photo.
Remus' home was a run down apartment in a run down part of a muggle town. His home had bars on the windows, reminding him a lot of the Dursleys.
Harry knew for a fact that the bars were not meant to keep burglars out, like the rest of the neighbourhood, but instead to keep the tenant inside on a certain day of the lunar calendar.
Harry looked sadly at his wand. It felt like his life was falling apart in front of him.
Hermione was treating him as a stranger, and he himself no longer felt that urge to hug her at the loss of her parents, the urge he knew he should have to tell her it would be alright and that together, they'd make things all better.
He could feel the effects of the love potion drawing his affection to someone else, and Harry had his suspicions who, but until he saw that person or made a Freudian slip as Hermione had done, he wouldn't know for sure.
Without Hermione by his side... He wasn't sure if he could kill Remus Lupin. The last friend his parents had.
Harry sniffed back a tear. Perhaps McGonagall was right.
There was one person who Harry would like to ask advice from, but the only way to get to that person was...
"Alohamora." The door clicked open and turning the handle, he came face to face with a growling werewolf.
Harry smiled gently at the werewolf that lowered itself to attack him.
"Petrificus Totalis." The wolf froze in its place and Harry closed the door and took off his mask and cape.
"Hey, Professor Lupin." Harry said gently as he pulled the wolf to the middle of the carpet and sat down on the older man's couch.
"I wanted to talk to you." Harry told him. "I've done some really awful things, and I've had some really awful things done to me.
"I know you think I'm crazy, the way I was acting, but hear me out alright? Pretend I'm not crazy for a moment, and tell me what you think afterwards."
And so Harry told Lupin what he thought and about the truths of the world.
At some points during the conversation, the clouds would cover the moon and the wolf would change into a man. The first point at which Harry went to one of the bedrooms and got a sheet, placed it beside him and laid back at the couch and deliberately did not look in his direction.
When the story was told, Harry flicked his wand and released him from the bind and waited for a response.
As a wolf, its first response was to approach Harry's face and sniff him.
Harry allowed this, but protested when it proceeded to lick him. He couldn't help but laugh.
It took another 10 minutes before the moon disappeared behind the clouds.
Remus was quick to put the sheet around him.
"You really believe that don't you?" He said quietly. "You believe it so vividly that I have a hard time telling you that it's false."
"It's like we live in two different realities." Harry replied. "I know my world is true, and you know that yours is true. But only one is the real world, so one of us is wrong."
"You sound like your mother when she got all philosophical."
"I was ordered here to kill you, you know."
"Really?" Lupin asked. "Were you ordered to kill Nymphadora Tonks too?"
Harry looked deep into Lupin's eyes, trying to discern the origin of that question and truthfully answered, "No. I don't know who did."
That answer seemed to pacify him. "Orders from You-know-who?"
"Voldemort." Harry replied to which the other man present shuddered. "He is back, whether I'm in my own world or not, that is a cold fact."
"Then why aren't you killing me?"
Harry shook his head. "Because... I need your help. I don't know what to do anymore. I'm not strong enough to kill Dumbledore... I really want everyone to be free to just live their own lives but... I just don't think I could use my hate for Dumbledore against you."
"That's... very kind of you." Lupin said from the other couch. "... I think."
"What would you do in my position Lupin?"
"Me? I'd probably run away, go to another country."
"You wouldn't try to stop what was going on?" Harry asked.
"I'm not a good fighter Harry. I can hold my own against a Death Eater, but I wouldn't have the courage needed to go against Dumbledore himself. Likewise, I could never bring myself to go after You-know-who by myself either."
Harry nodded.
"I'm not a good leader like you are."
Harry glanced at him.
"Why don't you take me to your place, you can hold me there however you want, and I'll give you a chance to prove to me that my life is the one that's fake.
"I know in my heart that I promised your parents to look after you, so I'll give you the benefit of the doubt."
Harry smiled at him.
"Just let me get some clothes at the very least."
The werewolf rose from the lounge and went to his room to grab some Lupin-esque clothes.
Harry snickered when all that returned was a wolf looking rather sheepish.
"DOGGIE!"
Lupin was assaulted by an overzealous vampire hugging him and just about choking him.
"Wait... that's not a doggy... You brought a werewolf before me!?"
"That's not very nice." Harry replied. He couldn't help but treat her as a child. "This is a close friend of mine."
Harry brought Lupin to the study where Hermione was sleeping on the desk and Knight was engaging in light conversation with their resident 'granny' as he had so kindly put it.
"Baron, you're b-" Knight caught sight of the wolf behind him. "You were supposed to put him down, not bring him here!"
"It will be alright; I left the Dark Mark and put a glamour over a neighbour's dog. It should be real enough to fool everyone."
"You fool! The Dark Lord won't tolerate this kind of deception!"
Harry sighed. "I don't want to talk about it. This werewolf is the last friend my parents had. Not including Wormtail, but I kind of think that the point at which the Dark Lord stepped into my parent's place, he lost that honour."
"Where is the ruthless Baron Black that I trained all those months ago?" Knight lamented. "The one so determined to change the world that he'd lay his life down on the line!
"Now you're so busy saving people that you're going to kill me instead!"
"Your occlumency shields are good enough. You won't get killed." Harry replied nonchalantly. "Besides, if you got killed, I would find the ruthlessness to avenge you for that I'm sure."
Knight grinned. "Heh, that's reassuring. I think I'd rather keep my skin if it's all the same to you."
Knight gestured for Harry to take a seat and poured a butterbeer from the keg he'd brought, sliding it to Harry.
"I do have some bad news though. Snape knew nothing. The Baroness kept him under the cruciatus for almost fifteen minutes."
Harry sighed. "He is a professional spy. Being in the Dark Lord's presence all the time, he'd have to be good at holding his shield. Having said that, if Dumbledore actually obliviated him afterwards, it's possible he doesn't even remember doing it."
"Well, he shouldn't remember the cruciatus. Minerva here obliviated him afterwards."
Harry scowled at her.
"I told you he wouldn't like it." Knight said noticing the look on his face.
"It was humane." She bristled. "That and the fact I'm sure you didn't want him reporting anything to Albus now did you."
Harry grumbled. "That's a valid point."
"Remus, if you're going to become human, couldn't you at least go somewhere where you can get dressed?" She said, looking past Harry.
"Ehhh... Harry has my clothes..."
Harry sighed and tossed them over his shoulder.
"Hermione?"
"Asleep."
Harry slouched. "I have no idea how we're supposed to create an antidote for a love potion we don't even know the name of..."
"There are three potions that do not even have antidotes. Surely you were paying attention to that in Professor Snape's classes."
"Chances are that he said it five seconds after removing ten points off Gryffindor for something unfair." Harry seethed. The problem was, one of them was the most likely for Dumbledore to have used.
"Thankfully, those only last a week."
Harry shook his head. "Dumbledore would want something more permanent than that. Any idea how we'd get rid of such a potion?" Harry asked.
"Off the top of my head, no." McGonagall replied, she looked purposefully at Knight.
"Do I look like the kind of guy who knows anything about love potions?"
Osfrid spoke once more. "Overpower it. Use a stronger potion keyed for each other."
"And what if the one applied is already the most powerful one?" Harry asked. "Or they interact?"
"I've watched you and Miss Granger creating spells Potter. I do not think it beyond her to improve on the best there is. As for interactions, I cannot predict at this point, not without knowing what the potion was, and not without knowing what you'll create. But I have no doubt in my mind that it will work."
Harry just hoped that they could come up with such a potion before the urge to see the one he loved became unbearable. He could only wonder how Hermione was feeling at this point.
It was odd to know that he still loved Hermione at an intellectual level. It was the emotional level that had been affected by it.
Harry was pretty sure that if he'd taken a full dose, the Barons Black would have had an all-out argument and that would have been the end of them.
Harry yawned. "We'll leave it until tomorrow I think, when we're all well rested. I feel like I haven't slept at all since last night."
Knight nodded and started to leave.
"I should probably get in contact with Wormtail at some point soon."
"Will you all be alright?" Harry asked McGonagall, the wolf and Cynwise.
With their nodding consent, Harry moved to his bedroom that he shared with Hermione and that's when he became aware of soft moaning from her side of the room.
Unable to resist himself, he glanced at her and saw her hand covering her womanhood, moving and groaning softly.
"Ohhh... Ronald."
Harry winced. 'That is one thing I never wanted to hear from her mouth...'
"Silencio."
Then tried his best to get to sleep.
The next few days after that could be described as unusual. Remus had threatened to leave the place once he was able to protest that he was living under the same roof as a vampire.
Harry argued that it was his fault for not telling him that Vampires and Werewolves didn't get along and ended up finalising the argument by telling him to live with it.
Days later, Harry would find Remus dictating a bedtime story to the vampire just before dawn.
Remus started to doubt his own sanity when he had the chance to speak to the sorting hat as it became quickly obvious to him that his life had been a lie.
Osfrid had imparted a bit of knowledge to Remus of his past experiences, mostly with the couple of times he and the marauders were always getting in Dumbledore's way with their pranks which made Remus grin wolfishly.
Apparently, James had stumbled across Dumbledore doing something a few times, but never escaped to tell anybody that could do anything about it, Osfrid being present for a few of those obliviations itself.
McGonagall however, was not so happy to relive those days and out of everyone who came and went from the cave at various stages of the day, she was the biggest fish out of the water.
Having spent so many years as a teacher of Hogwarts doing transfiguration, there wasn't much she could do around the place.
Hermione and Harry did their best to keep her happy, but though they never told each other or anybody else, they'd both wished they'd killed her when they first took her away to make things easier on her.
Minerva was under the impression that Albus had been a good friend and mentor to her over the years. She could only imagine what would have happened if she had stumbled in Albus doing something. She too was probably not the person she would have been growing up naturally.
Cynwise kept to herself while she was awake, only allowing herself small conversations with anybody else, at least until Harry pulled her aside and gave her a stern talking to about alienating people, specifically Remus.
She had pouted, but done her best to be friendly to the werewolf more than anybody else and not it was not uncommon to see the werewolf playing 'horsy' for the childish vampire.
Hermione at one point had suggested that because she was turned at such a young age, her body had not matured and was still producing hormones at levels found in children.
It had all gone over Harry's head, but Hermione had angrily summed it up that her brain just could not mature.
Harry and Hermione spent all of their spare time researching love potions and trying to improve on the 'amortentia' love potion.
When they ran out of resources, they came to the conclusion it was time to raid Grimmauld place of all its books, a monstrous task in itself until Harry decided to try shrinking the whole room.
Not a task to be undertaken with a wand, Harry managed to take the entire library with him in his pocket, complete with the house's awful wallpaper and a couple of rather indignant paintings.
Although he never got to see it, the look on Molly Weasley's face was priceless when she went to the library to get a cookbook and found that the room was literally missing and attempting to walk where the floor had once been left her hanging, feet through the roof of the living room.
This only left the problem for Harry of how to expand the whole thing when he got back.
Harry had thought to cut himself a new extension to the place to enlarge it in, but Remus said he'd take care of it and took off with the room and Professor McGonagall to see about retrieving its contents.
It was while McGonagall and Lupin were doing attempting to solve that problem that Hermione had turned up missing and while Harry had his suspicions where she had gone, he didn't want to dwell on it.
It was a good opportunity for Cynwise and her close friend the Sorting Hat to have a private word with him.
"Mister Black?" Harry raised his head from the scroll in front of him where he was scribbling down the effects of a few ingredients added together.
"Cynwise, I've told you... Just Harry."
"I... We want to ask you a favour."
Harry turned to face her and took the opportunity to clean his glasses. "Anything, what is it?"
"We'd like for you to retrieve the star-crossed prophecy." The hat told him.
Harry's face flushed. 'The department of mysteries?'
"I don't like that favour, can I choose another one?"
"It is important that she knows."
"I know it is! But that's where Sirius died! Ask Hermione to do it!"
"Cynwise." The Hat said simply.
On order, the girl stepped to Harry and slapped him lightly across the face; which is to say, lightly for a vampire. It still sent Harry across the room. To which Cynwise apologised profusely.
Harry picked himself up and held his hand out aggressively.
"Do you think I haven't already considered which of you is better for the task?" The hat replied. "Yes, Sirius died. It hurt you a lot. It also hurt her a lot.
"But more than that, do you think she could go back there, knowing that she herself almost died there."
It took Harry a moment to register and remember the events of that night, but as clear as day, Harry knew that it was the truth. Sending Hermione there would be far worse than sending himself.
"I'm not asking you to go to that place again Harry. In fact, I'm telling you now, stay away from the dais. Just get the prophecy."
"She deserves to know Mister Black." Cynwise told him.
Harry nodded silently. "I'll do it tonight."
Harry apparated directly into the ministry foyer in full Black garb and already disillusioned.
There were still people bustling around the place at 7pm so he was quick to go straight down to the Department of Mysteries.
Struck by a sense of deja vu, it seemed like eternity since he was last here.
He stepped into the circular room. "Alright, now what?"
"Can I help you?" A man said from behind Harry. "We don't normally permit ghosts around here."
Harry turned to find a man who looked like his nose was slightly too far up his face and had a mouth far too wide. He was an odd person to behold.
"Imperio."
"I don't want to be messing around too much so take me to the prophecy room."
The captive man walked around the room three times and checked his watch, did a couple of sums on his fingers and then picked a door, leading straight to the prophecy room.
The prophecy chamber looked very clean. It was to be expected really as it was a couple of months shy from an entire year since the Battle here. It had probably been cleaned the following day; after all, they had shattered a lot of glass.
"The prophecy of the fifteen star-crossed." Harry started. "Is it here?"
"Why yes, yes it is." The man replied. "I think it was in row... Forty-two was it?" Harry followed the man as he led the way down the aisles.
Turning down the 42nd row, the man glanced at a few of the dusty labels and then decided it must have been the twenty-fourth row instead.
Harry grumbled, but followed him anyway.
"You're obviously not one of the star-crossed." The man commented as he turned down the row. "Here it is--"
Harry looked at the label.
(?) to (?)
The Last Dark Lord and the Fifteen star-crossed
"The Last Dark Lord?" Harry queried, looking at their strange-faced guide.
Harry reached for the orb. "You can't take--"
His hand wrapped around the orb and he removed it from the shelf.
"Got it. Thank you for your help," Harry said, as he waved his hand over the man and took the time to look at the small globe in his hand. "I'll have to ask you to keep this a secret till the day you turn to dust."
"I can do that." The man replied, not noticing that he was already looking a bit sandy and that bits of himself were already floating away in the draft that flowed through the room.
"That's good." Harry looked at what was left of the clay man and with all the sand in the air, sneezed, causing the man to crumble into a pile of dust on the ground.
"Achoo!" Harry sneezed again, "I've got to remember to use that spell when it's not going to get all in my face." Harry strode away from the dust before any more could get up his nose, ran up to the foyer and apparated away, nobody any the wiser.
Harry received a pleasant surprise when he got back to see that Remus and Minerva were busy putting away a large cache of books from their stash.
"You got it." He smiled. "How'd you manage?"
"Marauder secret." Remus winked. "Let's just say I've had experience with similar pranks."
McGonagall rolled her eyes. "He shrunk himself to get them out."
Harry smiled and placed the ball in his hand on the rim of the Sorting Hat who woke up from its slumber.
"I got it. Now we just need her."
Hermione didn't return for two days. It would be a nice surprise to see the number of books that now occupied their study.
Harry at one point had to extend the room in order to ensure they had room for more in the future.
While Harry never considered himself a master of potions at all, he and Remus together had made leaps and bounds at creating the most powerful love potion known to the wizarding world.
It would still take a full month to brew however.
At one point when going through the theory, Harry had an idea. Not a very nice idea, but as someone once said, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. The question then was... who?
"It looks like this might not be as much a potion as a vapour." Remus mumbled. "The steam would be the effective part; drinking this thing... well... you don't want to drink anything with Skrewt urine."
"I'm not sure I want to smell it either." Harry retorted.
"Well, it's the best solution we've got so far, give or take the antlers."
Harry scratched his head and screwed up his face. "I'm not sure how anybody would take us seriously with those out of our head. I thought you fixed that with the bees wax."
"Yeah, I did, but the bees wax gets negated by the ox hairs."
"Put them in the other way around?" Harry joked.
"Harry, you want a Love potion, not a..." Remus did some scribbling. "Hmn, that might come in handy for me."
"Not a what?"
"Oh... nothing. We could really do with Hermione's help on this."
Harry sighed. "You're right. I should probably drag her away from Wonald. I don't think I trust her to come back of her own accord."
Upon using his portkey to get back to Hogwarts, Harry immediately walked out of the classroom and down the hallway. Knowing Hermione's current obsession, he guessed that she'd be wherever Ron was, or close by.
His first destination was the Gryffindor common room which contained some of the Gryffindor guys attempting to be macho and were flirting with Parvati and Lavender.
Having exhausted that idea, he moved to the quidditch pitch.
Unfortunately for Harry, the only person flying around the pitch was the one person that he himself didn't want to see.
Harry did take a moment to admit, Ginny was a pretty decent flyer.
A glint of gold appeared out the corner of his eye and Harry instinctively grabbed the snitch out of the air.
He laughed at his luck.
"You've missed me that much that you came to see me?" He asked the little ball.
"Harry!" Ginny's voice carried faintly.
'Shit!' Harry thought to himself.
"Where have you been?"
"I'll tell you later Ginny, I'm looking for your brother, have you seen him?"
"Library, you've got a test tomorrow you know."
"Hmn, thanks."
Harry surprised himself. He expected himself to turn into a stuttering flobberworm in front of her, but he didn't feel anything apart from the normal urge to keep clear.
It sure was amazing to hear that Ron was studying. Harry noted that that wasn't really fair though, Ron had to study now that Hermione wasn't around to read over his work.
"Oof!" Harry bumped into a girl rounding the corner and her books went flying everywhere.
"I'm sorry." Harry said as he pushed himself to his hands and knees and started collecting them.
"That's alright."
They each reached for the same book and Harry looked straight into the eyes of Susan Bones.
"S-Susan... I'm s-sorry."
"M-Me too." She replied, picking up the book and stacking it on top. "I'll try to be more careful in the future."
"Yeah, I should be too. Hahah," It was a pathetic laugh and Harry wondered why he was acting so stupidly.
Getting to her feet, Susan brushed herself off with her free hand and slowly started walking.
"Well... Harry... I'll, see you around I guess..."
Harry waved after her, a goofy grin plastered to his face.
He watched her go long after she had left his sight and then shook himself back to reality. He had to get Hermione so she could look at that stupid prophecy.
Harry found Hermione in the library, not studying with Ron as he'd expected her to be doing.
She was standing at a bookshelf, not reading a book, but peering in a hole in the bookshelf.
Harry looked around the corner of the shelf to see she was staring right at Ron who, much to Harry's surprise was studying.
"Don't tell me this is all you've been doing the last couple of days." He said kindly.
"Harry!" She squeeked softly. "What are you doing here?"
"We need your help." Harry told her.
"I'm not interested." She replied. "Go fawn over Ginny or something."
Harry sighed. "I don't want to fawn over Ginny." He replied. "Susan is just so much cuter... No, wait... I want things to go back to normal."
"Susan huh? Good for you, now go find her. I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to talk to him."
Harry looked around, and seeing nobody present, put his hand on her shoulder and activated his portkey, dragging her kicking and screaming to their cave.
"HARRY YOU INSENSITIVE BASTARD!" She screamed at him as she arrived. "Oooh! If I portkey back now, I'll have to walk all the way back to the library! He might be gone by then." She stamped her foot. "I hate you Harry Potter!"
"Oh," Harry said with a grin. "Well, if that's how you feel, I'll go and put your prophecy back in the department of mysteries."
"You have the prophecy? The original prophecy?" Hermione asked, her face lighting up. "Show it to me! I have to know!"
Harry grinned.
Upon leading Hermione into the study, she saw the number of books there and complimented everyone present.
"I'm glad you decided to come back Miss Granger." The professor said. "You have not been so distracted to have forgotten your studies have you?"
"Studies?" She asked.
"We've nailed out a better potion to counteract the current one, it just has some bugs in it still..."
"Or antlers as the case may be." Harry grinned.
Cynwise approached Hermione and knelt before her, her hands outstretched holding the prophecy in her hands.
"This rightfully belongs to you, Star-crossed Hermione Granger."
Hermione looked a bit stunned by the display of the vampire, but took the ball from her hands.
"Um, thanks. I don't suppose you know how to use it do you?"
"Apply some magic to it and identify yourself." She said.
Hermione let a loose flow of magic go into the ball, to which it glowed bright blue. "I am Hermione Granger,"
The ball continued to glow, but did nothing. "Umm, show me your prophecy..."
With a bright flare, an image hovered in front of her. An elderly lady with beads in her hair rasped, and her ghoulish voice echoed through the room.
As the world threatens to fall,
Between the monochrome hands,
Fifteen shall rise,
Marked with the promise of hope,
The star on their right ear,
The Last Dark Lord,
Cruel, defiant,
Ruthless, merciful,
He holds the key.
One's greatest happiness,
Chooses the form they shall take,
And decides the fate of the world.
Should they rise,
The world shall be torn asunder.
The world, will threaten to fall.
"Remus, did you get that?" Harry asked.
Lupin finished scratching on the desk a second later. "I got it."
"Merlin Harry, does that mean that... If Voldemort got his hands on me... He could control the world?"
Harry looked ill.
"I did tell you he was playing for far greater stakes than he realised." Osfrid said offhandedly. "Having said that, I think you have the wrong idea."
"In what way am I interpreting it wrong Osfrid?" Hermione snapped.
"Voldemort is not merciful.
"He believes he is, but I do not think that many others would agree with him." The hat replied.
"Then who?" Hermione asked. "Dumbledore?"
The hat burst out laughing and Cynwise smiled gently. "No silly.
"The only people who can retrieve a prophecy from their shelves are those involved. The one who retrieved it is the Last Dark Lord. Loosing either of the other star-crossed to Voldemort means nothing, it's Harry losing you that would give the world to Voldemort." She grinned like the child that stole the pie.
Harry held onto the table for support. "I-I'm not... I'm not a Dark Lord." Harry protested. "I can't be."
"Not now you're not, but the only thing you're missing is followers." The hat told him.
"When you're ready, I can help you get aide from the Vampires.
"Uncle Lupin will help with the werewolves."
"I will?" He asked, stunned.
"Uncle Knight will follow you."
"I will too." Minerva McGonagall announced.
Harry had a hard time believing what was being said. He looked at Hermione and saw a shadow of the compassion she once felt for him, a faint smile that told him that somewhere in her was the original love they felt.
Harry couldn't argue with them on account of the prophecies causing madness. He had to be involved.
"How long..." He gulped, fearing the question that was running through his mind. "How long have you suspected I was this Last Dark Lord of yours?" Harry asked the hat.
"Since the first time I looked into your mind." The hat told him. "The only thing that was missing I thought, was a streak of defiance; after all, nobody can defy the Headmaster unless they can sufficiently hide themselves away from him.
"There is only one way for a human to avoid being obliviated..."
"Ground vampire teeth, given willingly, infused directly into the bloodstream."
Harry looked at Cynwise who grinned toothily.
"Getting Poppy Pomfrey to put it in your bloodstream without our esteemed Headmaster knowing was the hard part."
"You guys really aren't going to believe me if I insist I'm not him... are you?"
"You are him Harry."
"BUT I DON'T WANT TO DESTROY THE WORLD!" Harry cried pathetically.
Author's note:
Between Assignments, seminars, dying video cards, blowing up CPUs, girlfriend getting a job and programming I haven't had much time to work on this story. To everyone who has been eagerly waiting updates or assumed the story was abandoned, my apologies.
I noticed while writing this chapter that everyone at portkey missed out on the omake from chapter 3, so I'm going to add it here instead.
I'm not going to make any promises on when the next chapter will be up, but if all goes well with my studies it won't be too long.
I forgot to tell you guys that the whole Love Potion nonsense. (I'm a diehard H/Hr fan too you know :P) But Harry really needs a kick in the arse to emotionally prepare him for what I'm sure you all what you all know is coming at some point.
Omake #1 - "Will you go out with me?"
"Hey Harry," A red-headed fifth year called to him as he entered the room.
"Ginny? Hey."
"Umm... Harry, I was wonder if perhaps..."
'If perhaps what?'
"Would you go out with me some time?"
Harry frowned. Ginny was annoying at the best of times, but for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to lie to her. Perhaps it was the veritaserum she'd slipped him at lunch.
"Ginny... I'm probably not the best person to go out with. I killed your brother Percy you see..."
Ginny looked horrified and started laughing. "That's a good one Harry! Cruel, but well thought out."
"I'm serious!" He insisted. "And Hermione killed Igor Karkaroff shortly after. I'm a very dark wizard now, so you really ought to stay away from me."
"Sure you are Harry," She grinned. "So will you go out with me?"
"... I'm also going out with Hermione now."
"What?" Ginny cried. "NOOOOOO!" She slapped him across the face. "I'll never forgive you Harry Potter!" She ran off with tears streaming through the air.
Harry felt the sting of his cheek and felt very confused.