Chapter 37
The girls told the rest of their friends, minus the clingy Daphne, that Harry had something important to tell them and they were impatient for the rest of the day. In every class, someone would slip Harry a little note begging him to tell them before everyone else. At lunch, it just involved Harry trying to eat his sandwich peacefully with seven sets of eyes staring into his soul.
It wasn’t until after dinner and in the privacy of the boys dorms that Harry confessed.
He told his friends of his parents plan and what they suspect Dumbledore is working with Voldemort for.
“It’s because he’s such a light wizard, he’s incapable of casting such a dark curse.” Harry explained. His friends were proper surprised he suspected Dumbledore of wanting to use necromancy but he told them it was just a theory.
He also mentioned the plan he was doing with Riddle so he could get close enough to the professor and get him to tell him of their plan. The proof the Potters had was solid but not enough to tell the minister, so it was only reasonable that they tried everything they could to get more.
“How can you stand in the same room as the man you know is You Know Who?” Tracey asked.
Harry shrugged. “My scar doesn’t hurt anymore when I’m near him and- and what I’m doing could save us all from another war, so it’s worth it, I guess.”
Draco pulled Harry into a hug. “You and your stupid saviour complex.”
“I sometimes think you’d sacrifice yourself for a seagull.” Pansy laughed.
“I probably would, not going to lie.” Harry laughed too.
“This is great and all, but why are you telling us this?” Millicent asked suddenly.
Oh right, Harry blushed, he almost forgot. “I think you guys can help me.”
“Damn straight we can.” Blaise hooted.
“I need to get closer to Riddle and I think- I think I need your help with something else.” Harry turned to Draco. “I need Dumbledore to know we know what he’s up too.”
“How would that help?” Tracey said.
“If Dumbledore knows we’re onto him and can get the ministry to lock him at any given time, he’ll have to stop whatever he’s planning and fire Riddle.” Harry explained.
“No he wouldn’t.” Blaise shook his head. “It’s Dumbledore’s word over ours and I know who the minister would believe.”
“Just remember we’re Slytherins, Harry,” said Pansy, “everyone already thinks that everything we say is full of shit.”
“Then we make him tell us the truth.” Harry argued.
“Yeah, cause the most powerful wizard of the century won’t figure out we slipped him veritaserium.” Blaise rolled his eyes.
“Not if we put it in lemon drops.” Draco suggested.
“Why would we do that?” Goyle snorted.
“It’s his favourite sweet, you dodo.” snapped Draco. “If we casually send it to him via an owl he won’t recognise then he’ll think nothing of it.”
“That’s pretty smart actually.” Pansy smiled.
“The only problem is that none of us know how to make it.” Tracey sighed.
"And how do we put Dumbledore on veritaserum and then get him alone to interrogate him?”
Harry smirked. “We’ve got to plan.”
——
Teachers will tell a student anything if they believe it’s for educational purposes. This might not work for all teachers, like Professor Snape, but Harry devised that if Draco begs and begs and threatens to tell his father that is own godfather won’t help him then Snape will probably agree.
Surprisingly, this actually does work and Draco came strutting into the dorm room with a prideful smirk and a small vile of veritaserum twirling between his fingers.
“The Malfoy charm strikes again.” He winks.
“Oh get over yourself.” Pansy rolled her eyes.
“At least I didn’t spend the last hour sitting on my arse wondering what shade of black to paint my nails.”
Pansy opened her mouth to retort but Blaise grabbed the vile out of Draco’s hands and stood between the bickering pair.
“Children, do you want to get this done or would you rather sit in the naughty corner?”
Crabbe cackled.
Harry was certain they were getting along again but it appears not. He sighed inwardly and hoped maybe this interdependent challenge might bring them closer again, like that muggle psychology book his mum lets Harry read sometimes. About a challenge in the 60’s that brought two opposing gangs of boys together because they had to work together to complete a task. Or, Harry thinks back, this could turn into that Stanford Prison Experiment that kept him up for weeks after seeing pictures and reading about it. No, the Slytherins would never turn into that atrocity, no matter how different their opinions are.
Harry looked up to see that Blaise was standing on his bed with the vile in a tight grip, Draco was trying to get on the bed but Blaise kept putting up an invisible shield.
“Give it back, Zabini!” Draco growled. “I’m the one that got it in the first place.”
“Just because the chef makes the meal, doesn’t mean he takes a bite out of it every time.” Blaise sang.
“What the fuck does that even mean?”
“Some muggle crap you wouldn’t understand, prick.”
“Wanker.”
“Clotpole.”
Goyle decided to look up from the book he was reading about how to make hard boiled lollies right as Draco jumped when Blaise least expected it, making Blaise fall off the bed and right on top of Goyle. Harry flinched at a snapping sound but didn’t hear any screams of agony after.
“What was that?” Tracey frowned.
Blaise groaned but got off of Goyle before looking down in horror.
“At least it wasn’t us.” He whispered.
The book was in perfect condition when Harry borrowed it from the library, but looking at it now, one would think Goyle had sat on it in a six hour transfiguration lesson. The spine was completely in half, Blaise must have also managed to land right as Blaise was turning the page because a rouge page was lying just under the bed. Madam Pince wasn’t much use at Hogwarts, but the one thing she strived on was making sure every book was in its exact place at the exact time she told the students was the exact time to return the book they borrowed. The student would then give her the book at the counter and she’d examine it. Uncle Wormtail told Harry a story about when he once spilt rhubarb juice on a library book one time and he got a howler the next morning saying he was banned from ever borrowing a book again.
“Fuck!” Harry groaned in frustration. “We’ve literally had the veritaserum for less than half an hour and in that time we’ve gotten into a fight, ruined someones bedding, falling off the bed, and ruined a library book that means Madam Pince is gonna have my head for the next four years.”
“At least Blaise didn’t destroy the potion.” Tracey tried.
Blaise chuckled awkwardly and that was when Harry looked down at the ruined book to see the pages were also wet and broken glass was all over the floor.
“You fucking wanker, I just got that!” Draco screeched at his friend.
Harry left the room before he literally ripped someones head off.
——
It was the evening after a Snake Conclave meeting. Snape wished all seventh year students good luck studying for NEWTs and he even decided to be nice enough to share studying tips.
Harry barely listened and spent the whole time eyeing Professor Riddle. Their last private lesson before Harry’s house got bombarded with Dumbledore scum was actually really good and Harry didn’t mind going to them. Anything to save the world, right?
Harry tried to muster up the courage to ask for another lesson but his parents were still shaken from the invasion and had told Harry they needed a moment to rest. This didn’t mean he couldn’t go on with their plan without them, and since his first plan to drug Dumbledore was a fail, he had to think of something else.
Once they got back into their dorm, the boys and girls sat in silence on the fluffy rug.
“We could hold him hostage?” Pansy suggested.
“Who? Dumbledore?” Goyle frowned.
“No, I mean Professor Snape.” Pansy rolled her eyes. “Obviously I mean Dumbledore, dimwit.”
“Yeah, because a bunch of third years could easily hold the most powerful light wizard of the century hostage.” Draco scoffed. “Get your heads out of your arses and start thinking in our competence.”
“T’was just a suggestion.” Pansy grumbled.
Harry tapped his chin.
“Do you think Dumbledore knows about the Snake Conclave meeting room?”
Blaise raised his eyebrows and pointed accusingly at Harry. “If you’re thinking what I think you’re thinking, you’re gonna wish you weren’t thinking it.”
Harry smirked. “It’s a solid plan.”
“Oh yes,” Blaise snorted, “because a ‘solid plan’ and ‘Harry Potter’ really belong in the same sentence.”
“They do actually-“
“If neither of you tell us what you’re talking about I might just loose it.” Crabbe interrupted loudly
“What I was smartly thinking-“ Harry eyed at Blaise “-that Pansy’s hostage plan wasn’t so bad. If Dumbledore doesn’t know about the Snake Conclave room, I mean.”
“So what, we lock Dumbledore in there until he confesses?” said Tracey.
Harry shrugged. “I guess.”
“Blaise was right, that is stupid.” snorts Draco.
“Thank you, Malfoy,” Blaise claps his friend on the back, “finally someone sensible.”
Harry scoffed. “It’s a good plan!”
“No it isn’t.” Tracey smiled pithily.
Not even Pansy liked it and it was her idea in the first place. Harry wasn’t that upset by it, he didn’t really know how they were going to get Dumbledore in the room and once he was in there, it wasn’t hard to escape. The door literally just opened once you were in there.
“You’re right, stupid plan.” Harry sighed softly.
“There’s a good lad.” Blaise patted his back.
They sat in silence before Tracey sat up sorely and said she was going to bed. Pansy and Millicent followed diligently, but not until Millicent and Crabbe displayed the grossest example of a snog Harry had ever seen, and he had walked in on some terrible stuff.
“Stop it, you love birds.” Pansy joked.
They didn’t stop, instead Crabbe poked his tongue out and one of them made a slurping noise.
“Literally stop.” Pansy scolded darkly.
“They’re worse than you and Daphne.” Harry teased Draco.
Draco grinned. “Naturally.”
“Naturally, aye.” He elbowed the blonde.
Draco elbowed him back but Harry was quicker and grabbed Draco’s elbow, fully pulling his friend over him. Draco shrieked and his eyes widened when his body slammed on the ground, on Harry’s other side.
“What was that for!” He snapped.
Harry shrugged. “You were naturally being annoying.”
“Idiot.” Draco snorted, hitting Harry’s arm.
His eyes narrowed and hit Draco back. “I’ll do it again.”
“You hit like a kitten.” Draco teased.
Harry groaned and hit his friend even harder. “Oh not that kitten shit again-“
——
“Moony, I’m trying really hard and nothing is working.”
Remus sighed behind his desk and took a long sip of tea. Harry was running low on ideas on how to consult his Headmaster and as he just said, nothing was working.
Harry’s godfathers were the smartest people he knew, next to his mother, and since the two men agreed not to tell Harry’s parents of their plans he decided he could go to them for help.
“I find that telling the truth and being honest is the best way to get a confession.” Remus suggested.
Harry frowned. “You mean I should just confront him… in person?”
“How else would you do it?” laughed Remus.
“I was thinking something subtle.”
Remus laughed again. “Being subtle has never gotten anyone anywhere.”
Harry hummed in reply and they sat in comfortable silence.
“Y’know Padfoot planned on making a visit tonight.” Remus smirked. “I could send him a patronus and get him to come now?”
“Could you?” Harry breathed.
“Don’t sound so surprised, parents and other figures are allowed to visit their children at school whenever they want.”
Harry snorted. “I’m not Sirius’s child.”
“Oh please,” Remus rolled his eyes, “you’re everyones child.”
Remus waved his wand and the thin wisp of blue magic transformed into a wolf:
“Come to my office now, Harry wants to see you,” then flicked his wand again and the wolf magicked away.
“I’ve got to learn to do that.” Harry awed.
“It’s a very difficult spell, Harry, which you’ll learn next year.”
“But if I learn it beforehand, then I’ll be ahead of the other kids.”
“You know, it took me almost my whole fourth year to cast my patronus. I thought it wasn’t working because I’m a werewolf and dark wizards can’t perform the spell, just turns out I hadn’t had my happiest memory until that June.” Remus smiled softly at the memory.
“Why can’t dark wizards cast a patronus?” Harry asked.
“It’s simple, isn’t it?” Remus lifted one shoulder. “To cast a patronus one must think of their happiest memory and the light of it then casts their protector. ‘Expecto Patronum’ means ‘I await a guardian’ in Latin, which is kind of funny because I was just having a chat with McGonagall about starting Latin lessons for the students-”
“Dark wizards have happy memories too, it shouldn’t matter that they are dark or light to cast a patronus.” Harry interrupted.
Remus gave Harry an odd look. “It’s more complex than that, Harry.”
“But-“
“Guess who’s here?” A loud voice sang from Remus’s fireplace.
“Padfoot!” Harry yelled in delight. He ran to the handsome man coming out of the fireplace and hugged him long and tight.
“Haven’t seen you in a while Prongslet, have you grown or something?” Sirius feigned confusion, making Harry laugh. “I swear you’ve grown taller or older or something, hasn’t he Moonpie?”
“Indeed.” Remus replied, pulling his boyfriend into a chaste kiss.
“How are mum and dad?” Harry asked immediately. He still talks to them via the two way mirror but sometimes when they say they’re fine, it isn’t always true.
“As fine as dandelions, darling.” Sirius winked, kissing Harry’s forehead.
“How are the Slytherins? Still treating you like a human being with feelings and humans rights?”
“My friends are fine, thanks.”
Sirius nodded, sitting on Remus’s lap when they returned to the desk. “I just always have to make sure, for my own well being.”
Harry rolled his eyes.
“Don’t roll your eyes at me young man or I’ll vanish right here and now, never to return again.” Sirius gasped, leaning against Remus’s chest with his legs up on the desk.
“You’re so dramatic.” Harry laughed.
Sirius tsked. “And I sometimes think you’re not dramatic enough.”
Remus and Harry shared an exasperated look.
“So anyway, what were you two gossiping about before I showed up?”
“My unsuccessful plans to confront Dumblewhore.” Harry grumbled.
Sirius chuckled. “Dumblewhore. I like that.”
“I told Harry to just talk to him.” Remus added. “To just go up to the old man and say we know what he’s up to.”
“I still don’t understand what we want him to say if we do that.” Harry frowned.
“It’s a blackmail, Harry,” Remus started, “Dumbledore knows we’ll tell the minister then he’ll get sent to Azkaban so he’s bound to say anything to save his arse. That isn’t going to work, obviously, and he and Riddle will be imprisoned.”
Sirius walked over to Harry and ruffled Harry’s hair. “It’s a very daunting thing to do, I can do it if you want-“
“No, mum and dad don’t even know you know I’m doing this without them. I want to do it.”
“A true Gryffindor, you are.” Sirius teased with a wink.
He stayed a few more hours when Remus looked at his watch to see it was dinner time. They said goodbye to Sirius and walked down together.
Students were spewing into the Great Hall and Harry blended in so his friends didn't notice him walking in with Remus. Not that it was surprising for them, Harry just didn’t want them asking any questions.
——
It had been another week since Harry decided he was just going to walk up to Dumbledore and tell him everything he knew. He just hadn’t found the right time to do it yet.
His friends had no idea this was the new plan and continued to try and find a new way. Tracey suggested legilimency and Draco found a book on it in the restricted section. The restricted section was not very good at restricting, Harry thought.
“It’s kind of funny.” Goyle snorted out. “Us going against You-Know-Who after everything our parents went through.”
“I don’t even want to think about that.” Draco grumbled.
“It is actually funny.” Blaise giggled. "Imagine if they found out.”
This made Pansy burst out in laughter, leaning against the table with shaking shoulders. Since Pansy’s hiccuping laugh was so contagious, Harry joined in and very soon the whole table was wiping amused tears from their eyes. It wasn’t that it was funny, it was kind of stressful wondering what his friends will go through if their parents knew. Draco would probably be sent to Durmstrang and Harry didn’t know about everyone else but Draco being forced away was enough.
“I’m going to go to the kitchens, do you guys want anything?” Harry quickly came up with, getting out of his library seat.
“Oh, want me to go with you?” Tracey asked, getting up as well.
“No, all good.” He reassured, hoping she’d get the gist.
“I’ll have a chocolate milkshake then.” She mumbled.
“Make that three.” Pansy called out for her and Millicent.
“I’m craving a turkey sandwich actually, with aioli.” said Blaise.
“Anything else?” Harry snorted.
“A double cheeseburger wouldn’t be bad-“
“Okay, I’m going now.” Harry muttered, walking out of the room as if he’d remember it all.
“I want chips with that!” Blaise yelled.
Harry smiled as he heard Madam Pine shush him.
Obviously, Harry wasn’t going to the kitchen, he was going to see Dumbledore.
His body was filled with adrenaline as he walked confidently down the corridors. It was now or never. Bursts of confidence and bravery were hard to come by these days.
He got to the griffin statue and grunted “Lemon Drops”, glaring as it turned into a staircase.
Dumbledore knew he was coming, somehow, and was standing in the doorway to his office with the door already open.
“Harry, I was expecting you.” He smiled, a sparkling glint in his eyes.
“Okay.” Harry quirked suspiciously.
“Come, take a seat and close the door.”
Harry did what was told of him before sitting on the comfy chair. Dumbledore stroked his phoenix thoughtfully, scratching under its neck as it preened on the attention. It reminded Harry of Hedwig, whom he hadn’t visited in a while.
I should really do that, he thought.
After, Harry, be patient. The voice in his head reminded him.
“Tell me, what do I owe this pleasure?” Dumbledore asked.
“You should know what I came to say if you were expecting me.” Harry smirked, getting comfortable in his chair.
“One man does not know everything.” Dumbledore said. “As much as we wish we did, it is inevitable that there is something we always miss.”
“I know who Professor Riddle is, sir.” said Harry, ignoring Dumbledores strange rhyme and getting straight to the point. “I know that he is Voldemort and I know that you two are working together. I know that it was you and your allies who attacked my parents house and I know it was you who told Voldemort our location on Halloween in 1981.” He was shouting at the end but didn’t move from his seat. “I know you hired him for some deranged reason that involves me because he keeps making these private lessons. I don’t know what your plan is but if you don’t tell me now, I’ll get the Ministry to do it and they won’t be pleased that a powerful wizard like yourself is working with their worst enemy.”
Dumbledore stared at him with an unreadable expression and Harry knew this was not the reason he thought Harry was here. Reaching out for his lemon drops, Dumbledore pushed them slowly towards Harry.
“Lemon drop?”
Harry stared dumbfounded at the man. “You aren’t serious right now? Tell me what the fuck Voldemort is doing in a school that is meant to protect children from wizards like him and why you are working with him. Now!” He shouted.
“Harry, please calm down-“
“You tried to kill me and my family for what? For power you already have?” Harry demanded. “You’re going to loose so many followers once they find out, not gain more.”
‘This isn’t about power or followers, Harry.” Dumbledore said calmly.
“What then?”
Dumbledore stood up from his chair and walked to the middle of his office. Harry turned around too, not trusting to be blind to what the old man is doing.
“I did not tell Voldemort the secret location of Godricks Hollow to hurt you, Harry.”
“What, you wanted him to stay for dinner, did you?” Harry responded sassily.
“You will not understand what I was trying to do, what I was trying to do for you.” Dumbledore said desperately.
“Killing me would not have been very productive, sir.” Harry frowned.
“It was not you I wanted him to kill, it was your parents.” He confessed easily.
Harry’s eyes widened. He got out his wand before he could think and pointed it at Dumbledores chest. Dumbledore was quicker and more experienced and flung Harry’s wand across the room where it hit the floor.
“No need to be defensive, Harry, I’m not trying to hurt you.” Dumbledore reassured.
“I’d believe the words of Riddle over you after what you just said.” Harry chuckled darkly.
“I told you you wouldn’t understand my plans.” Dumbledore told him, like he was talking to a nagging child.
“Your plan was to have my parents killed, then what?” Harry yelled. “Go on, tell me more.”
“I planned for you to then live with your only living relatives, the Dursleys-“
“Oh fuck no.” Harry swore darkly.
“Let me continue, please.” He interrupted. “You will have lived a life away from the harassment and casualness of wizard life, that when your letter arrived that you were accepted into Hogwarts, it would all be new to you.” Harry didn’t know where this was going but he sat back down and watched Dumbledore suspiciously. “I planned for you to get into Gryffindor, same as your parents, but even after the raising of your parents you ended up in Slytherin so that part might not have gone to plan. Anyway, I would then be a… father figure of sorts to you that helps you defeat Voldemort.”
Harry was scowling. “I would never see you as a father figure.”
Dumbledore ignored the comment. “I find that children are easiest to manipulate when they are reliant on someone who they think has their best interests at heart. Like Tom Riddle, who you know as Professor Riddle, was an orphan, the same destiny I wanted for you, and he was very easily fooled. His interests were just a bit different to yours but that works in our favour.”
Harry gasped but Dumbledore held out a hand to silent him. “This obviously did not work since I did not take in account your parents love for parties and the fact it was Halloween. Voldemort became very weak after the infamous murder attempt on your life and had to find a way to revive his body-“
“Professor Quirrell.” Harry muttered.
“Indeed, Harry.” praised Dumbledore. “He used Quirrell to drink the unicorn blood, as you know, but you interfered again and Voldemort was back at square one. This leads us to that diary you kindly gave me in second year, do you remember that?”
Harry nodded.
“You thankfully stopped Voldemort from becoming powerful from the diary but after giving it to me, I did it without the death of a school girl. News like that in the Prophet would raise suspicion on the safety of this school and students will be pulled out by worried parents. I revived Voldemort using the soul of someone no one has yet to find missing.”
“Tom.” whispered Harry, remembering Ginny saying that name when she gave him the diary.
“Without someone in the place of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, I kindly hired Professor Riddle and I will tell you how excited he was to meet you, he wouldn’t stop talking about it.” Dumbledore grinned at Harry’s obvious discomfort. “We have a deal: Voldemort gets to have time with you so he can get you on his side, whereas I have someone to fill in as a professor. What Voldemort doesn’t know it that I would never allow someone as powerful and influential as you to be a dark wizard, and I’m using you to kill him.”
“I was not aware I was killing anyone in your fantastical plan.” Harry said stiffly.
“I would not call this plan fantastical, Harry. though it would be more helpful if you and your family were on my side, I have you more on my side than on Voldemorts.”
“Wh- why would you say that?” Harry stuttered.
Dumbledore took a step closer. “It is your destiny to kill Voldemort, you are the Chosen One after all.”
Harry didn’t know what went through his head or how he did it but one second he was in Dumbledores office and the next he was in the Slytherin Common Room, breathing heavily on the floor.
“Well this is a surprise.” A voice mused from the other side of the room.