Chapter 14
Harrison was excited. The first edition of The Mage Tribute was due the next day. He wondered how people would react to it, especially Dumbledore.
He had just sent Colin, Hermione, and the twins back to their dorms, looking delighted and impatient. Neville, Ron, Dean, and Seamus were nowhere near going to bed, even though it was past midnight.
Harrison opened his trunk, knowing if he didn't go to sleep immediately, he would have very little energy for the next day. He was about to grab a nightgown when he spotted the corner of a black book.
It was Tom Riddle's diary. Harrison took it out of his trunk and put it on his bed, then closed the curtains so he could change.
The diary didn't react to any detection spells he cast on it, even the more powerful ones that he'd found in Sirius' library. Harrison sighed; maybe Riddle had just never written in it, and he'd given the blank diary to Harrison as a gift.
But that still didn't answer the question as to why this man Harrison had never met was sending him gifts.
Just as Harrison was about to put the diary back into his trunk, an idea struck him. Harrison smirked and pulled out a quill. He was going to leave a fake diary, just to fool Dumbledore.
Harrison wrote, Dear Journal, my name is Harrison Potter.
He paused, snickering. He immediately stopped when the writing disappeared.
More words replaced his in much neater handwriting than Harrison's.
Well, my name isn't 'journal,' Mr. Potter, but pleased to meet you anyway.
Harrison snorted. He wrote, Are you Tom Riddle?
Yes.
What the f*ck are you?
Language, Tom responded. I am a memory, preserved in this diary for... hmm, I'm not sure how long. The original stopped writing in my diary in 1981.
That was fourteen years ago, Harrison informed him.
Ah, then I have been preserved in this diary for fifty-two years.
Old man.
Rude, Tom Riddle said, obviously indignant. I'll have you know that wizards live three times as long as Muggles, so my original is actually quite young. I, however, am cursed to forever be seventeen.
I have told you about myself. Now what about you?
Harrison decided to only give what Tom Riddle had given him. My full name is Harrison James Potter, and I'm fourteen.
A trade-off. Clever. A Slytherin, I'm assuming?
Sighing, Harrison replied, No, but the Hat wanted to put me there. I'm a Gryffindor. What about you?
Slytherin. You are... not like other Gryffindors I've met.
Harrison scowled. The Gryffindor-Slytherin rivalry is sh*t. Our Houses don't apply after school, so why do we still call people 'Slimy Slytherin' and 'Stupid Gryffindor' once school is out? And why the h*ll are cunning and ambitious considered evil? It's impossible for children to be evil, so I'm not going to treat them like they are.
There was a small pause, and then Tom wrote, Thank you.
Harrison blinked, suddenly remembering the time. It's great talking to you, but I need to sleep, I've got classes tomorrow. I want to be awake when the school newspaper gets out.
A newspaper? How did- Dumbledore stopped my attempt to create one!
Harrison smirked. He doesn't know, and I'm going to keep it that way.
-------
Harrison made sure his friends were chatting about Quidditch instead of the newspaper at breakfast, so Dumbledore wouldn't be suspicious. He had told the others working on the newspaper to act surprised or angry when the owls arrived with the paper.
There were several shocked yelps when an owl for every student appeared, bearing papers. Harrison heard Seamus say, "I didn't order the Prophet!"
"Neither did I," said Parvati.
The owls dropped the papers in front of every student, some of them also depositing mail, then left. Harrison fed Hedwig a piece of his bacon before picking up the newspaper.
The Mage Tribute
For the first time in decades, Hogwarts finally has its own school newspaper. We, the artists of the paper, would like to dedicate this paper to Hogwarts and Mage, our goddess.
You all know and love Hogwarts. But do you know everything?
In this paper, we will not only reveal amazing secrets about this magical castle but provide impressions on activities happening here (such as the Tournament) and inform our readers of the real truth. Miss Skeeter of the Daily Prophet may write part of the truth, but she also includes conjecture and gossip that is not the truth, causing the subjects of her articles to suffer or thrive unfairly. We will only write the truth, and only with permission.
Unfortunately, we will not be able to approach you in our true forms. A decade previously, someone attempted to reinstate a school newspaper, but a teacher stopped it. No one knows which teacher or why, so to protect our art and passion, we will be hiding our staff. We will, of course, be asking people for their inputs on further articles, but we will be disguised.
Please enjoy the fruits of The Mage Tribute.
The rest of the newspaper contained two articles: one on Dumbledore's ban on Quidditch, questioning why he stopped the game if only one student would be chosen, and the other on Harrison's new prank club. There weren't any quotes from him or his friends, but they had interviewed Binns (who wouldn't be able to tell Dumbledore who they were even if they hadn't been disguised) and a few outraged students about the Quidditch cancellation. Colin had taken a magnificent picture of the Quidditch pitch and a picture of a Ravenclaw, who had been targeted by Fred and George for bullying Luna. Following the articles were a few comics by Dean and Seamus -- Harrison had used a complicated spell on the drawings to change Dean's art style slightly, so nobody would recognize it. After the comics was a page containing a list of all the school clubs, even the ones Dumbledore hadn't put on the roster. Finally, at the end of the paper, there was a section called 'Letters to the Editor.'
Harrison glanced around, realizing that the Great Hall was much quieter than usual. Everyone was either buried in The Mage Tribute or talking about it.
"What do you make of this?" Harrison asked Hermione. To everyone else, he was asking about the paper, but his friends knew he was asking about people's reaction.
Hermione pursed her lips. "I don't know. I'll have to go to the library after class."
Harrison finally grinned, remembering that he had his first Ancient Runes class after breakfast. Ron pouted.
"You should have-"
"Dropped Divination after third year and picked a different elective, I know," Ron groused, earning snickers from Fred, George, and Lee.
Harrison finished his breakfast, putting the newspaper in his bag "almost absentmindedly."
Professor Babbling was a kind and fair teacher, such as Harrison had never seen before. She helped each struggling student without directly telling them the answer, and she praised each student who answered a question correctly regardless of which House they were in. She was impressed when Harrison completed the runes riddle on the board within two minutes. He and Hermione were the only ones not assigned homework.
They met up with Ron outside of Moody's classroom. Harrison greeted Draco and Blaise, who had enjoyed the tutoring sessions with Harrison his friends.
"What do you think of the Tribute, Harrison?" Draco asked, giving them a faintly shrewd expression.
Harrison went to answer, but the door opened, and Moody barked, "In."
"Later," Harrison told him, entering the classroom with the rest of the class.
Moody took role, swiveling his magical eye to each student as they announced their presence. When he finished, he said, "You can put those away... those books. You won't need them.
"Right, then. I've had a letter from Professor Lupin about this class. Seems you've had a plenty thorough grounding in tackling Dark creatures-- you've covered boggarts, Red Caps, hinkypunks, grindylows, Kappas, and werewolves, is that right?"
A few people nodded.
"But you're behind -- very behind -- on dealing with curses," Moody growled. "So, I'm here to bring you up to scratch on what wizards can do to each other."
He studied them; his mismatched eyes were hard. "I'm not going to be gentle. Curses -- both Light and Dark -- can cause devastation of any level. People have died, people have suffered, people have got permanent injuries. Not because of curses, but because of the wizards who cast them. Some of this stuff might give you nightmares.
"But you've got to know. Some people believe that because the war is over, you're all safe, that nothing can ever happen to you." Moody snorted. "People tend to forget that there are things out there that will most certainly hurt you. That's what this class is for: to prepare you for the real world.
"However, sometimes I will be teaching you about the deadliest curses known to man -- curses that have caused you or your family trauma and grief. I will warn you, before class, if I think that day's lesson will cause you flashbacks or pain." He took a breath. "Today, we'll be discussing something that even I have trouble with -- the Unforgivable Curses."
Neville paled, as did several other people. Blaise's jaw clenched.
"Some of you will find notes on your desks," Moody said firmly.
Harrison glanced down and blinked; there was a paper there that hadn't been there earlier. He picked it up.
We will be discussing the Killing Curse, Mr. Potter. I will not be demonstrating it, but enough will be said that it may trigger some flashbacks about that night. If you feel you need to leave, do so.
Harrison stared at the note.
His parents had been killed by the Killing Curse.
For a moment, Harrison considered leaving. In the end, he decided to stay; he needed to know this, as Voldemort was still around, and he needed to defend himself.
Neville was the only one who left in the end.
"There are three curses that the Ministry consider unforgivable," Moody began. "Casting any one of these will land you in Azkaban for life -- and in some cases, you'll be given the Dementor's Kiss." Several people shuddered. "I'm going to give a full account of each of the curses, as well as the history and why they were invented.
"First -- the Imperius Curse. This curse puts someone under the caster's total control. If someone casts it on you, a feeling of peace will settle over you. The caster's orders will appear in your mind as a coaxing voice. You will want to obey them, regardless of what the order is. Several people were put under the Imperius Curse during several of the previous wars, making them do despicable things. They were not held responsible for their actions, as they were considered forced.
"The Imperius Curse was originally invented by a Dark Lord in 1679, for the purpose of putting war prisoners under a suspended state. His intention was not to control the prisoners, but to keep them calm. He had no desire to hurt them. He had invented the controlling part of the curse for emergencies. He had also created a counter-curse, but such spell was lost.
"The Imperius Curse has very rarely been used for war prisoners since then. Most wizards use it for despicable purposes, which is why the Ministry made it illegal in 1752.
"Unlike the other two Unforgivables, this curse can be resisted. Usually, Occlumens or those who are... particularly stubborn can throw off the Imperius. If you would like to learn how to protect yourself against the Imperius, I will be holding a few extra-curricular lessons on the weekend after seven.
"Any questions so far?"
Ron raised his hand. "Why is the inventor of the Imperius important, sir?"
"Because these curses were originally created with good intentions, Mr. Weasley," Moody returned. Several of the Slytherins looked astounded. "Yes, even the Cruciatus. That's the next curse I'll explain. Any more questions?" When no one responded, he continued.
"The Cruciatus Curse is a curse that overpowers every pain nerve in the body. If someone casts it for longer than two minutes, the recipient will be rendered insane.
"This curse was originally invented by a Healer in 1790. They heard about a Muggle healing method called defibrillation, where they restart a patient's heart using electricity, or a controlled form of lightning. However, they did not know how the procedure worked, and they accidentally created the Cruciatus curse. The curse would restart a patient's heart, but there were adverse effects, and it was eventually discarded. It has never been used in a Healing capacity since then."
Harrison raised his hand. "Did a Healer eventually create a spell for defibrillation?"
"Yes, a Muggle Healer, Mr. Potter," Moody responded. "Any more questions?"
Silence.
"Finally, the last curse," Moody said calmly. "The Killing Curse.
"The curse is named such because that is all it does -- kills someone. People assume that it is completely painless and immediate, as only one person has ever survived the Killing Curse, and I doubt they can remember what happened." Moody didn't look at Harrison, but several people did.
"The Killing Curse needs a powerful emotion to cast it. When cast, a jet of light hits the target, and is different colors based on the emotion. If cast in anger or hatred, the color is blood red. If cast in love, the color is pale green. If c-"
"Love!" Lavender exclaimed. "Why would-"
"Miss Brown, it is rude to interrupt," Moody said sharply. She ducked her head. "The Killing Curse is Dark magic -- Dark magic relies on emotion to cast it. Any emotion, even love.
"If the curse is cast with desperation, it is silver. If the curse is cast with despair, the color is deep blue.
"The curse was originally created by a farmer and a Healer in the 1600s. Their intention was to create a humane, painless, quick, and clean way to kill either a patient they could not save or an animal for meat. They were both caring individuals who hated causing anyone unnecessary pain. They were determined to keep the spell within the farmer and Healer community only; many people enjoyed killing, and Dark magic is particularly addicting to those who haven't mastered it.
"However, the curse was leaked, and soon magicals were casting it at everyone. Instead of banning the curse for everyone but Healers and those who need to kill animals for food, the Ministry made it completely illegal in 1930."
"1930 was the year Dumbledore became the Chief Mugwump and head of the Wizengamot," Ron whispered to Harrison, as several other people began whispering, too.
Harrison scowled. "I wouldn't be surprised if he was the one who got rid of the curse entirely."
Hermione raised her hand.
"Miss Granger?"
"If it was originally created for euthanasia for animals and people who were already dying, why did the Ministry get rid of it, sir?" Hermione asked.
"What's euthanasia?" asked Tracey Davis.
"It's a Muggle thing," Dean answered. "It's like the Healer was trying to do, let the patient die peacefully and painlessly. It puts them to sleep first."
"Mr. Thomas is correct," Moody told them. "In answer to Miss Granger's question, the only victims of the Killing Curse that had come to light were children who were not patients at any hospital. Magical children have become scarce since then."
Harrison raised his hand.
"Yes, Mr. Potter?" Moody asked.
"Sir, if Dark magic can rely on love to be cast, why is it considered evil?" Harrison asked.
Moody's eyes glittered a bit when most of the class whispered in surprise. "Because the Ministry bans anything they do not understand or can be used in evil ways."
"That's stupid," Harrison deadpanned.
Moody raised his hands, as if to say, 'What can you do about it?' "I will be giving an unbiased explanation of the different Magics in a later class." He then launched into a deeper explanation of the Unforgivables.