Chapter 13
Harry woke up as yelling came from the portrait entrance.
“You can’t come in here Granger! This is the Slytherin dorm.”
“I can because I was told to. I need to bring Harry back to the Hospital Wing. He shouldn’t be down here. He should be with us! His real friends.”
“Oh come off it Granger, You and everyone else ignored him or bullied him this entire year. Now that he is proven innocent you come crawling back hoping for scraps.” Malfoy bit out cruelly, “Take your lies to someone else. Potter is just fine here with us.”
There was a slamming sound and Malfoy came back into his view looking like he had not slept the entire night. “Malfoy?”
The blonde turned to him, “Your awake good. Here, drink some water. Don’t talk too much, your throat is probably sore.”
It was sore but the cool water helped soothe the ache. His mouth felt like it was cotton and filmy from the night of expelling everything the potion got rid of. His head wasn’t foggy anymore and he didn’t feel like he was going to throw up the water he just drank. He scratched at his hair, and pulled the blanket more firmly over his lap. His arm and leg still ached, but not as bad. “What happened?”
Malfoy sat next to him, “About an hour after you fell asleep Professor Snape came in to ask if you were here. We told him yes, that you came in here on your own. Then Dumbledore tried to remove you but we wouldn’t let him. We have had your old friends here about every hour demanding to be let in to see you.”
Harry snorted, “They all want to be friends now that I am not an attention seeking brat with a hero complex.”
“I told you some wizards are better than others.”
Green eyes glanced at him, “And you still sound like an ass when you say it.” He looked around, “Where is Marcus and the others?”
Malfoy shifted uneasily, “Flint had to leave Hogwarts.”
“What? Why?”
Adrian walked into the common room, “Wait Malfoy. Harry, follow me please. I will explain but not here.”
Harry sighed and got up off the couch wrapping the blanket around him and followed the other up to the sixth year dorm where he went to his trunk and pulled out new clothes. “So what is up with Marcus?”
Adrian sighed and knocked on the bathroom door and the others filed out and spells were casted to silence and lock the dorm down before Adrian spoke, “Marcus was approached by Moody last night.”
“The real one or Barty disguised as Moody?” Harry quipped.
Adrian startled, “Oh, you knew?”
“I learned yes. So what happened?”
Terrence cleared his throat, “You know that Marcus fully plans on following and taking the mark? Well last night he was given his first task. We don’t know the full details but he left last night after you were taken to the hospital wing.”
Harry looked down and wrung his hands, “I knew he wanted to but I thought he would wait till he graduated.” Tears came to his eyes despite him not wanting to show weakness. Marcus left without even telling him goodbye. He didn’t understand. Marcus wouldn’t do something like that. Not unless it was for something important. But to not even leave anything or to ensure they were both okay. It hurt.
“Harry, He wouldn’t have left unless he had to. You know this.” Cassius stepped over and pulled the younger wizard close, “Little brother it's going to be okay.”
He leaned into the warm hold and refused to let the tears fall, “I know. I am just in a bit of shock. Too much information. I was hoping to talk to him about what happened last night.”
Graham brought over glasses of the Elderberry Wine and grumbled, “What happened last night?”
Harry sat up a bit more but didn’t leave the hug, “I met him. He was there with Peter Petegrew. They needed me to participate in a ritual using my blood. I honestly didn’t understand half of it. He stated if I helped him last night that we would be able to have our peace talk once he had the time. So I stepped up and gave my blood when it was time to, but Pettigrew got impatient and sliced my forearm with some other knife and after that everything got a bit spotty. I remember him stepping out of the cauldron with his own body and him telling me he was going to change my memory to hide what happened. Then when I woke up in the infirmary Dumbledore was there. Integrated me on what happened and I gave him the fake memories that were planted. Then my familiar broke memory charm, and I came here.”
Said familiar was working his way down the bed now and curling up in his master's lap, “Silly hatchling needs better protection.”
He snorted and looked down, stroking the beautiful black scales.
“Wow. You met the Dark Lord and talked to him.” Adrian shivered some.
The rest seemed to be in the same mind set about him meeting Voldemort, “It wasn’t bad until Pettigrew sliced my arm open. Pomfrey claimed the blade was dark magic and it couldn’t be healed without a scar.”
Terence looked at him, “I didn’t sense dark magic in the cut. Just ritual magic.” He leaned forward enough to take Harry’s arm and look it over again. Touching the puckered skin, “No traces of Dark Magic. It would have interfered with the ritual. I wish I knew the kind of ritual.”
“I don’t know. I was spaced out for most of it. Should I write to him?” He pulled from Cassius’s arms to reach for the clothes he pulled out, “I need a shower though. I feel awful.”
“I would shower and rest first. He won't be able to receive an owl if he is on a task. So I would wait till tonight at the earliest.” Adrian stood and tugged on Terence’s hand, “Come on guys, let's give him some space.”
They cleared out and Harry scooped up Araphel and headed to the showers. He took a long one, scrubbing his skin till the stench and sticky feeling was gone then again for good measure. Looking at his new collection of scars. The long one on his arm and the bite marks on his calf. He had thin white puncture marks along his hip and shoulder from the smaller spiders he hadn’t noticed at the time. He was a sight. Adding them to the basilisk scar, curse scar, and the collection from his loving family he wondered what Marcus even saw in him.
Once done he dressed in the soft gray silk pajamas he got from Cas for Yule. He left Araphel to soak in one of the sinks with warm water before heading out to the beds and falling face first into his, “When do we have to leave for the trains?”
“Tomorrow morning. Tonight's the final feast and house cup.”
Harry gave a thumbs up, “I think I’m going to skip it. I just don’t feel like eating in front of people.”
Terence sat beside him on the bed and ran a hand through his hair, “Alright, I will bring food back for you. Or you can call Dobby because I want you to try to eat something. Your body had to get rid of all the toxins and potions in it. You will need to replace all the calories you lost.”
“I’ll order something from Dobby and try to eat.”
“Thank you. Alright we will leave you to rest and pack up.”
Harry felt a brush of lips on the top of his head before slipping back off to sleep. His body was still recovering from it all. He wasn’t sure when he next woke up, only that the lake was darker and that his familiar was now draped about his throat. He sat up slowly and rubbed at his eyes, yawning. He leaned back against the headboard when he finally felt more awake. He looked around and saw no one was around and there were things on top of his trunk. Small parcels, flowers, letters along with a large pouch and trophy. He got up slowly but didn’t touch them, instead he set the black serpent back on the warm pillow before calling for Dobby.
The elf popped into the room, “Master Harry Potter Sir neededs Dobby?”
Harry smiled, “Please, can you get some bread and soup. I need to eat but I don’t know how my stomach is going to handle it.”
The elf smiled brightly, “I be doings so! Dobby’s brought yours mail as wells. Gifts left with Headmaster but Dobby’s brings them to yous. They all clears. Please enjoys them.”
“Thank you Dobby.” That solved one mystery so once the elf was gone he reached for the first small stack of envelopes and began opening them. A get well card from Fleur with a gift certificate to some expensive chocolate boutique. The second was a handwritten letter from Viktor informing him that he had wished to say goodbye but will settle for meeting him again in the future and for Harry to stay in touch. He set them to the side and read the cards on the flowers. Most were from random people in other houses that felt like a suck up but it was still nice. One was even from Diggory thanking him for saving him in the maze.
The packages were next. He opened one to find a beautiful silky green tie and black stoned tie pen. With a small note, ‘Thank you for saving me. Misses Gabrielle Delacour.’ He set it to the side reminding himself he should do thank you notes on the train so that he could before returning to his relatives.
The next package was unsigned; he opened it to find a pendant of what appeared to be amber. Trapped within it was a small grouping of white bell-like flowers, Lily of The Valley. Who would send him this? He looked at the necklace more closely and saw the metal holding the amber was a snake coiled around it with red eyes. He gave a snort, subtle… very subtle. Well he had to give it to the man he was trying. Perhaps this was a token of peace? He went to set the flower back down when he saw a small slip of paper. Picking it up he looked at the squiggly lines. Slowly they seemed to blur before changing to English, ‘July 7th, 3:00pm be ready.’
He set it all down and leaned back against the headrest until his food arrived and ate as much as he could but his stomach did not want to eat a lot of it. He gave it his all though in hopes of making Terence happy. Packed then let the sleep take him once more.
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The train ride was better than the ones in his previous years. They laughed and played a few rounds of games before one of them splurged on getting candy for the entire car. Harry did not feel bad about stuffing some in his rucksack for later. Hoarding away vital food he would need to make it till the meeting. At that point… he would figure something out.
They laughed and at one point Harry even managed to catch a small nap braced against Graham like he was his own personal heater and pillow. Their car was in the very back with the rest of the Slytherins and though he swore he heard Ginny at one point he didn’t see them. Not even when he got off the train and grabbed his trunk tugging it out of the railing.
Adrian looked at him, “Do you know the shrinking charm?”
“Yeah but I can’t use my wand outside of school.”
“Do it wandlessly. You have been getting a feel for your magic, try it.”
Harry gave him an odd look and placed his hand on the trunk and looked around to see if anyone was watching before closing his eyes and thinking of the spell and how the magic felt when he casted. A soft gasp and the trunk disappearing from under his hand had him opening his eyes and looking down to find his trunk barely the size of his fist, “I did it!”
Terence laughed, “Wordlessly too. Well done Harry. You're a natural. I would try a few more low level spells over the summer. They can't track wandless magic. Not unless you're doing big magic.”
“Like blowing a person up like a balloon?”
“Yeah, big magic like that.” Graham snarked and Harry elbowed him playfully.
“Graham, who is this?” A deep voice called from a few feet away.
Harry flushed and quickly put his trunk away and kept his gaze down.
“Father! This is my friend Harry Potter, Heir of Potter. Harry, this is my father Lord Quinn Montague.”
The man was tall and well built, muscles not hidden by the designer gray robes he wore. His features were sharp, much like Grahams, but with less of the roundness the young had about his cheeks. “A friend? Indeed. I had read some interesting rumors in the paper. I scarcely believed them.” The man extended his hand.
Harry looked up and gave a small smile, taking the other hand firmly, “It is good to meet you, Lord Montague. I hope you heard good things?”
The man raised a brow, “Perhaps. We shall see in the coming days I hear. Congratulations on your courtship. An honor to enter such a prestigious ritual.”
“Thank you Lord Montague. Marcus and I are happy with the arrangement.”
“I should hope so. Come Graham, your mother is expecting us for dinner.” Harry waved goodbye and watched the two go and turned to see Cassius approach a lovely woman with silver streaked black hair and a gentle smile. His friends were meeting their families and he had to go meet them. Waving goodbye he began walking toward the muggle exit holding Hedwig's cage with one hand, She was already off flying to follow him home.
He stepped through the entrance and began walking along the paths through the train station. Trying not to bump into anyone as he looked for his Aunt or Uncle. Instead he saw a tall man in a deep brown suit, his shaggy gray hair unkempt and black eyes kind as he looked at Harry holding up a sign with his name on it.
Harry stepped closer to the man and his breath caught, there on the man’s tie, a silver tie clip of a snake eating its own tail one eye blue and the other green. “Marcus?”