A Rider's Legacy

Chapter 17:
Harry was having lots of fun. He just loved flying with Colaen. They both did. He could still feel her emotions in his mind. It was hard to tell where his emotions ended and hers began.
They were both enjoying themselves so much, that neither noticed it had gotten dark until Colaen slammed into the top of a tree.
[Ouch, hey, where did that come from?]
Harry looked around. It had gotten very dark.
[Errr, I think we should go down now.]
He said.
[It's kind of late and... Oh, bloody hell, I'm probably late for the feast.]
In the end they sent out a mental call for help to Murtagh and Thorn. When they finally landed, Murtagh had some elven lights hovering around the area, and he was standing there, his arms crossed and he was actually tapping his foot. Harry carefully undid the straps on his legs and began to dismount.
"Sorry about that Father, I must have... Woah..."
His legs were shaking, obviously from the extended period of time in the air. He ended up falling, and would have landed on his face if his Father had not run over quickly and caught him.
"Thanks." Harry said, chuckling sheepishly.
"It is fine." Murtagh replied. "And I do not blame you for wanting to have some fun."
Harry smiled.
"Thanks. Time really flies when you're errr, flying."
"Yes," Murtagh replied amused. "But I am concerned that Professor McGonagall may not be too pleased with you. Did she not request that you return before the feast?"
"Oh, dam." Harry muttered. "I am going to be in so much trouble."
"I suppose it is just a typical Halloween."
"Yeah, but..." Harry argued. "Professor McGonagall is terrifying."
Murtagh chuckled.
"So a basilisk and an army of dementors are fine, but you are afraid of a teacher?"
"You don't know McGonagall." Harry said, shivering. "Forget Dumbledore, Voldemort should have been afraid of Professor McGonagall."
Murtagh was still chuckling as he pulled the portkey out of his bag.
"I am glad to see that you have a normal fear like a school teacher."
"Yeah, me too." Harry replied as he grasped the boot.
 
Once they returned to Hogwarts, Harry parted from his Father and the dragons with the old boot, and headed towards the castle. As soon as he reached the front doors, he knew he was doomed. Professor McGonagall was waiting for him at the top of the stairs, her arms crossed and her face tight.
"Professor McGonagall," He began nervously. "I am so sorry. I must have lost track of time and..."
"It is fine, Mr Potter." Professor McGonagall replied. Even her voice was tense. "However, Professor Dumbledore wishes to speak with you in his office immediately."
Harry began to follow the woman into the castle.
"Why?" He asked.
Professor McGonagall sighed.
"Something... Unexpected happened during the feast."
Harry could feel dread pooling in his stomach. Why did he even ask? He had a good idea of what was about to happen.
 
There was more than just Dumbledore in the office. There were also the two heads of the other schools, Madame Maxime and Professor Karkaroff, and Bagman, Crouch, and Snape.
"Ahh, Mr Potter." Bagman began, bouncing on his feet.
Harry looked around and saw that Bagman was the only one who looked somewhat joyful. Dumbledore had his usual look of false concern, the other heads looked irritated, Crouch was unreadable, and Snape was scowling more than ever.
"You wished to see me?" Harry asked.
"Yes, Mr Potter." Dumbledore replied. "I am afraid there have been some... Complications."
"Such as?" Harry asked, already knowing the answer.
"Well, you see," Dumbledore began. "When we were drawing the names for the Triwizard champions, something... Strange, happened."
"Oh, stop putting it off Dumbledore." Karkaroff barked. "It is obvious the boy put his name in the goblet, and knows full well it came out."
Harry sucked in a deep breath. Of course he had to compete in a death tournament. He couldn't avoid death for one year, could he?
Dumbledore sighed.
"Mr Potter, did you put your name in the Goblet of Fire?"
"Of course not." Harry replied instantly. "I have been busy all day. I wouldn't have had the time..."
"Bah." Madame Maxime scoffed. "Ze boy is obviously lying. He entered in ze tournament, and he did not even have ze decency to come to the feast."
"Obviously trying to draw attention to himself." Snape muttered in his shadowy corner.
Dumbledore cleared his throat.
"Yes, where were you during the feast Mr Potter?"
"As I said, I've been busy all day." Harry replied.
Snape scoffed.
"What, do you believe that the life of the great Harry Potter is more important than the school feast?"
Harry could feel his anger rising.
"If you must know," He began, attempting to remain calm. "I was in Godric's Hollow, visiting my parents' graves for the first time in my life. I felt I should pay my respects before I am forced yet again to sit among the other students and pretend to be happy. I'm not sure if you know this, but my parents kind of died on Halloween, and I've never had the opportunity to properly mourn for them, mainly because I had no idea where they had been buried until a few months ago."
Everyone in the room looked down, and even Snape looked a bit uncomfortable.
Dumbledore cleared his throat.
"As I was saying," He began. "Unfortunately, Mr Potter, it would appear that you have been entered into the Triwizard tournament."
"No thanks." Harry replied.
"I beg your pardon?" Dumbledore asked, shocked.
"I said no thank you." Harry repeated slowly. "I was hoping for a quiet year, without something trying to kill me."
"I am afraid you cannot simply say no." Dumbledore said gently. "Once you are entered, you cannot leave until the tournament is over. You must compete, or you will lose your magic."
Harry could not help himself. All the frustration was building up inside of him, and he had to let it out. He threw back his head and laughed.
"Mr Potter, this is not a laughing matter." Dumbledore said.
"Really?" Harry asked through his laughter. "Because I think it's bloody hilarious. A death tournament. Either I compete in your stupid death tournament, or I lose my magic..."
"Now see here Potter." Snape spat. "You stop this immediately, and show some respect, you arrogant, spoilt brat..."
All amusement left him. He could feel his anger boiling within him, rising to the surface.
"Spoilt brat." He growled. "Was I just called a spoilt brat by a bitter man who can't let go of his old school grudges long enough to figure out that I am not guilty for my dad's crimes?"
He could feel his magic swirling around him, reacting to his anger. Objects in the room began to shake. He did not care.
Red tendrils of magical energy began to wrap around Snape's throat, choking him. Harry's blood sang with excitement. This man deserved the pain. After all these years of bullying, he deserved all the pain he got.
Harry watched as Snape clutched at his throat, trying to pry the tendrils away. He could see Snape's tongue lulling, his dark eyes bulging. He could hear the people in the room yelling, screaming, telling him to stop, but he couldn't. His anger was too great.
Suddenly, he heard a voice in his mind.
[Harry!]
Harry snapped out of his angered state. The tendrils around Snape's throat vanished, and the man fell to the floor.
[Colaen?]
[I could sense your anger from the forest.]
His dragon replied.
[I'm just outside the window. Don't worry, I'm out of sight.]
[Thank you.]
He said.
[Go back to my Father. Tell him to call an emergency meeting with Eragon, Remus, Sirius, and even Hurzomna and Brinla. I'll be back down soon with Ron and Hermione. Oh, and tell him that there was a repeat of the Dumbledore incident.]
He refocussed back to the office. Everyone was staring at him in horror. He cleared his throat.
"Sorry about that." He began. "It's just... With this whole death tournament thing, my emotions just got out of control..."
"It is fine, Mr Potter." Professor McGonagall replied, though even she was shaken. "You will not be punished for your accidental magic. I am sure you are tired."
Harry nodded.
"I'll be leaving now."
 
Throughout his journey to the Gryffindor common room, his mind was whirling with the events that had just occurred.
He had been trying so hard to achieve a better control of his emotions, and yet... He could not help himself. Snape just got on his nerves at the best of times, and to hear the man call him a spoilt brat...
The man had no idea what he had been through. He was anything but a spoilt brat. In fact, Snape was the one acting like a spoilt brat.
Just as he reached the corridor leading towards the Fat Lady, he was pulled into an alcove.
"What the..."
"Shhh."
He blinked in surprise when he turned around to see both Hermione and Ron hiding in the alcove, the former of whom had grabbed him.
"There you are." Hermione whispered. "Where have you been?"
"I lost track of time." He replied.
Hermione sighed.
"Well, something..."
"Happened at the feast? Yeah, I know." He replied. "I've just been in Dumbledore's office. I came up here to get you two for an emergency meeting."
Hermione nodded. He looked towards Ron, who had been standing silently. The red-head seemed tense.
"Ron, are you okay?" He asked.
Ron let out a shaky breath.
"Yeah, it's just..." He began. "Well, if you hadn't made it obvious that you didn't want anything to do with this tournament, I might have thought that you entered the tournament."
"What?" Harry asked in disbelief. "Why would I enter myself into a bloody death tournament?"
"Well, come on, eternal fame and glory?" Ron argued.
"I have enough of that, thank you very much."
"Hey, sorry." Ron said, raising his hands. "It's just... A part of me is kind of jealous. I mean, you're going to get more fame, and I errr..."
Harry sighed.
"I understand, you always feel like you're being shoved into the shadows." He said. "Don't worry, I'm not angry with you."
"You're not?"
"No." Harry replied. "Thanks for being honest with me, at least."
He sighed.
"I'm just frustrated. One year, one bloody year, that's all I asked for. But now... I've been forced to participate in a death tournament."
He shook his head.
"And well I... Got a bit angry in there, kind of like what happened when I punched Dumbledore."
Hermione looked at him in concern.
"Who did you punch this time?"
"Well, errr," Harry began sheepishly. "I didn't exactly punch someone. I errr, tried to choke Snape with my magic."
"What?" Hermione gasped.
Ron began to grin.
"Bloody hell mate, I wish I could have seen that."
"No, you really don't." Harry retorted. "It was horrifying. Or, at least I now see it was horrifying. At the time, I wanted to see him choking. I wanted to crush his throat."
Hermione put a hand on his shoulder. Harry sucked in a calming breath.
"Colaen could sense my anger all the way from the forest. She flew up and snapped me out of it. I then told her to inform my Father of what happened. Now come on."
And with that, Harry left the alcove. Hermione and Ron followed close behind.
 
As soon as Harry passed the edge of the forest, he could hear his dragon's concerned thoughts.
[Harry, are you okay? Do you feel any better? Don't worry, Murtagh and the others are ready.]
[Thanks.]
Harry replied.
After a few minutes, they reached the clearing. His Father was sitting against Thorn with the two-way mirror in his hand, but he stood and put the mirror down when he spotted him.
Immediately, he walked towards Harry and wrapped him in his arms tightly. He could tell his Father was concerned, and he appreciated the contact. But he was also a teenager, and it was kind of embarrassing to be hugged by your Father in front of your friends.
"Errr, Father, please, my friends..."
Murtagh pulled away.
"Sorry." He said. "It is just..."
He shook his head.
"Yeah, I know, death tournament." Harry replied. "But we did suspect that it would happen."
"That makes it no less horrifying for me."
Ron cleared his throat awkwardly. Hermione elbowed him. Father and son turned to them.
"Right, we should get started with the emergency meeting." Harry said.
The four of them walked to sit against Thorn, however, Colaen landed next to the larger dragon and Harry decided to lean against her. The four of them formed a tight circle, Murtagh against Thorn and Harry against Colaen, with Ron and Hermione between them on either side.
Harry was pleased to see Remus, Sirius, Eragon, Brinla and Hurzomna had all answered the call. After introducing everyone to the people they did not know, Harry explained what happened in the office. When he got to the part about him choking Snape, Colaen sent him feelings of reassurance, and his Father reached over the mirror to grasp his hand.
"Don't worry Harry." Sirius said. "Snivellus deserved it. I mean, a spoilt brat, you?"
"That is not the point." Harry argued. "It doesn't matter if Snape deserved it, what does is the fact that I lost my temper, again. I could have easily killed him."
Eragon frowned.
"This is concerning. However, what I feel is most important at the moment is the Triwizard tournament."
"Yes, are you sure there is no way out of it?" Brinla asked.
Harry shook his head.
"Very sure, unfortunately."
"Right." Sirius said. "Moony, get Buckbeak ready."
Remus nodded.
"Wait, what?" Harry asked. "Are you actually thinking of coming back?"
"Yes, of course." Sirius replied. "Someone's entered my godson into a bloody death tournament, and I'm going to do whatever it takes to ensure you survive."
"As will I." Remus agreed.
"You can't be serious?" Harry groaned.
"Deadly." Sirius replied.
"But what about Dumbledore?"
"Don't care, I've got the perfect hiding place, even if I never wanted to return there. But hey, you're more important."
Eragon nodded.
"I will contact Arya and ask her to watch over the Riders."
"What? Uncle not you too?"
"Yes, I am coming as well." Eragon replied. "My nephew, my blood, is once again in danger, and I am determined to stand by you."
"We are coming too." Hurzomna said, Brinla nodded.
"You are our friend, and friends stand by each other." Brinla added.
Harry was honestly stunned. He had never thought, he had never dreamed, that so many people would ever stand behind him.
[You deserve this Harry.]
Colaen said.
[You are a good person, and you deserve all of the love in the world.]
Harry smiled.
"Thank you, all of you." He said. "But seriously, this could only be the beginning. We need to figure out who did this."
Murtagh nodded.
"And we shall do it together."
Harry smiled. He then stretched his back.
"Well, it's getting pretty late." He began.
"Yes, and we have much to prepare." Eragon added.
They said their goodbyes, and the mirror turned blank again.
"Errr, Harry, I wouldn't go back up to the tower." Hermione said hesitantly.
"Why not?" Harry asked.
"Because the entire house is throwing you a party." Ron replied. "Why do you think we stopped you outside the Fat Lady?"
Harry sighed.
"Right, thanks for the warning."
He turned to his Father.
"Mind if I camp out here for tonight? I just really don't want to go to a party that's celebrating me being put into a death tournament."
Murtagh nodded.
"Thanks."
He turned to Ron and Hermione.
"Well, goodnight." He said.
"Night." Ron said, before getting up.
Hermione, surprisingly, threw herself upon him in a tight embrace.
"Her... ‘Mione... Can't... Breathe..."
Hermione pulled away.
"I'm sorry." She said. "It's just... Oh, why can't you just stay out of danger for once?"
Harry smiled bitterly.
"I've been asking myself the same question for years."
Hermione sighed.
"Just... I'll see you in the morning, I guess."
Harry nodded.
"See you later."
 
After they left, Harry sighed and flopped against Colaen.
"Do you wish to sleep in the tent or..." He began.
"Can I sleep out here?" Harry requested. "I find the night air calming."
Murtagh nodded.
"I will go and get you a bedroll."
Once he had retrieved the bedroll from the tent, he helped Harry set it up and the younger man instantly fell onto it. He sighed and stared up at the sky through the canopy.
"Why do these things always happen to me?" He asked.
"I do not know." Murtagh replied as he grabbed some spare blankets. Harry did not seem to even have the energy to argue as he was tucked in.
"Can I blame my bad luck, as well as my temper, on Morzan?" Harry asked.
Murtagh chuckled wryly.
"Might as well. That man caused me no small amount of grief."
Harry chuckled.
"Yeah, but I think that most of my problems come from either Voldemort, Dumbledore's incompetence, or both."
"Then why blame Morzan?"
Harry grinned.
"Don't know. Maybe I'm trying to find a target for my anger that isn't in reach."
Harry sighed.
"I can't believe I almost choked Snape."
"He did insult you." Murtagh argued. "And he has been harassing you for years."
Harry nodded.
"Yeah but... It still doesn't feel right. Well... Now it doesn't feel right. At the time I wanted to crush his throat. I was actually enjoying it, seeing him like that."
Harry shuddered, and Murtagh put a hand on his shoulder.
"Get some sleep." He said gently.
Harry yawned.
"Okay." The young man muttered, before closing his eyes. "Night."
After only a few seconds, Murtagh heard Harry's breathing become even, signifying that he had fallen asleep. Murtagh smiled fondly as he saw that Harry was so tired he had even forgotten to take off his glasses. He gently slid them off of the younger man's face and folded them, putting them next to his son's head.
He sighed and lent against Thorn.
[What should I do now, Thorn?]
He asked his dragon.
[The only thing you can do.]
Thorn replied.
[Protect Harry.]
Murtagh sighed again.
[I wish it was that easy.]
[At least the others will be coming soon. You’ll have more than enough help.]
[Yes, you are right.]
Murtagh agreed. It pleased him to no end to see his son supported by so many. The kind of support he had never had.
[But there is still the matter of Harry's anger.]
He said.
[It is becoming worse, I fear. We need to find some way to help him.]
[Perhaps we should eliminate the thing that is causing his temper.]
Thorn suggested.
Murtagh laughed bitterly.
[It is not like we can just get rid of Dumbledore, Voldemort, and anyone else who angers Harry, or at least at the moment.]
[There is one we can deal with.]
Thorn argued.
[Snape.]
Murtagh frowned.
[How Thorn? I do not wish to kill him. Despite all that he has done, he has also protected Harry on multiple occasions.]
[You do not have to kill him.]
Thorn replied.
[Perhaps only intimidate him.]
Murtagh's frown deepened. To reveal himself physically would be too much of a risk, as they still did not wish to reveal the truth of Harry's heritage yet. So the only way to threaten Snape would be to invade his mind. But such an invasion reminded him far too much of Galbatorix.
On the other hand, Snape had bullied the vast majority of the Hogwarts students, especially Harry. He was Neville's worst fear, that was how bad he was. Perhaps he did deserve it, only a little.
His mind made, he got up and cast a camouflage upon himself, before leaving the forest and stalking towards the castle.
 
Sneaking into the castle and finding Snape’s living quarters was a piece of cake. They were in the dungeons, close to his office.
The man was sleeping when Murtagh snuck in quietly. He stared at the man before him.
This had once been Lily's closest friend, someone she had cared about, even after she discovered he had become a death-eater.
This caused Murtagh to hesitate, for as long as it took for him to remember exactly why he was here in the first place. He had to do this. This man needed to learn that there were consequences for harassing innocent children. The visible bruising around his neck from Harry's burst of anger was not enough. He needed a more permanent reminder.
Determined, he extended his mind to break into Snape's. His mental barriers were impressive. They seemed just as formidable as his own.
However, Murtagh was able to sneak his way through them, and enter the man's mind.
His mind was flooded with memories. This was not what he came for. He needed to create an illusion in his mind that would send the right message to him. Even if the method reminded him far too much of Galbatorix, he knew that he had to do it, for Harry's sake.
However, Murtagh was also curious. What had exactly led this man to become so bitter?
He saw flashes of a dirty house, of two people yelling... A drunken man... A boy huddling in a corner.
Murtagh felt a twinge of sympathy. Perhaps he and Snape were not so different. It would seem that he too, had come from an abusive household, just as Murtagh himself had. The only difference being that Morzan had died when he was a small child, while Snape's father had lived until Snape's teen years.
He saw the joy that Snape felt every time he was around Lily. Murtagh could tell, straight away, that Snape cared for her. He had loved her, just like Murtagh had.
He saw as the memories became darker, as Snape progressed through Hogwarts and he and Lily drifted further apart. He was constantly bullied by James, and this only caused the darkness within the young man to grow.
And then, the darkest memory. Lily had told him of this day, but it seemed so much worse from Snape's point of view. He could honestly feel a great amount of sympathy for the man building within him.
However, all this sympathy evaporated when he discovered a memory from almost fifteen years ago. At this time, Lily would have been pregnant with Harry.
He saw Snape, listening in as Dumbledore conducted an interview with a potential divination teacher. He watched as Snape heard part of a prophecy, before being discovered by the barkeeper.
And then he watched in rising anger as he instantly reported what he had heard to Voldemort.
At this point, he had to draw out of Snape's mind, lest he destroy the man's mind completely.
He clenched his fists and breathed heavily. Snape did not seem to have been disturbed by Murtagh's wanderings.
He had to resist the urge to draw ZarRoc and cut the Man's head clean off.
The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches ...  born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies...
This was the reason for Lily and James’ murder. Voldemort had gone after his son because of a prophecy that said the child could potentially be the one to kill him.
And Snape had been the one to tell him.
Murtagh could feel his nails digging into the palms of his hands, but he did not care.
It was because of this man that Voldemort had gone after the woman he loved and his son. He was responsible for his beloved Lily’s death. He was the reason why Harry had been left alone...
Murtagh had to remind himself, several times, not to kill the man. Instead, he returned to the man's mind, this time with less hesitation.
He saw more memories. Of Snape realizing his mistake. Of the man begging Voldemort to spare Lily. He had to resist the urge to rip the man's mind apart when he only begged for Lily's safety, and not her child's.
He watched as Snape then turned to Dumbledore, becoming a double agent in exchange for the promise of Lily, Harry and even James' safety. Mostly because Dumbledore had persuaded him.
He saw Snape's grief after learning of Lily's death. And finally, of his vow to protect her son.
Murtagh had to leave Snape's mind again to process this new information.
Oh, how he wished to kill Snape. He had not wanted to kill someone this badly since Galbatorix. He knew that, regardless of how much Snape protected Harry, it will never change the fact that he had been the one to give Voldemort the information that prompted the dark wizard to go after Harry.
But on the other hand, once Snape had learnt that Voldemort was targeting Harry, he instantly felt regret, even if it was only because he knew Lily would be in the way.
No matter what, Snape had loved Lily. And still seemed to love her. He had even turned into a double agent to protect her, and later, he made a vow to protect her son.
Even after all that Snape had done, Murtagh knew that Harry needed as much help as he could, even if it was from this pathetic excuse of a man.
So he went back to his original plan, to intimidate Snape into not being so cruel to Harry, or anyone else. And now, he knew what exactly to show the man.
He returned to Snape's mind, and conjured the image of the old playground he had seen in Snape's memories, the place where the potions master had met Lily. Snape stood in the middle of the playground, looking around, startled.
"W-what is the meaning of this?" Snape demanded.
Murtagh sucked in a breath and began. He conjured the image that he wanted Snape to see, and had it walk out of the mist towards the Potions Master. He began to make it speak.
"Sev?"
Snape turned around, to see the image of Lily, just as she had been when she had died. Still a woman in her early twenties, with vibrant red hair.
"L-Lily." Snape gasped.
He made to reach out to her, but Murtagh made the image slap away the hand.
"How could you Sev?" Lily demanded.
Snape's eyes widened.
"Lily, I..."
"You told Voldemort about the prophecy." Lily continued. "You are the reason why he came after my family and I."
"Lily, I..."
"What, you are sorry?" Lily demanded. "Being sorry does not change the fact that James and I are dead. It does not change the years that my son has been forced to suffer."
Snape sneered.
"That boy is as arrogant..."
Murtagh took great satisfaction in making Lily slap Snape.
"Do not pretend to know my son." She hissed. "He has suffered more than you could possibly imagine. Do you even know where Dumbledore put him, Severus? He put him with Petunia! You remember how much she hated me, don't you?"
"W-what?" Snape stuttered. "P-Petunia? But... But Dumbledore said that the boy would be safe."
Lily laughed bitterly.
"Have you even looked at Harry? Really looked at him, looked past the fact that he “looks like his father”?" She asked quoting him sardonically. "Have you never noticed how small and thin he is? How pale and scrawny he looks?”
"I-I..."
"Of course not." Lily spat mockingly. "You have been too busy, punishing him for James's mistakes. He is an innocent child."
"Lily..."
"And what about the other students?" Lily continued. "Not only do you bully my son, but you harass every student that isn't in Slytherin."
"Lily, I..."
Murtagh made Lily slap him again. This time, the man fell to his knees, defeated.
"Please, what will you have me do?" Snape begged apologetically.
"Stop your cruelty towards the students." Lily began. "Be a teacher, not a tormenter. And stop punishing my son for events that happened before he was born."
"I-I will." Snape stuttered in fear.
Murtagh made the illusionary Lily smile in satifaction.
"Good. Goodbye Sev, and remember, I will be watching you."
And with that, he made the vision fade away.
Back in the waking world, he hid in the corner under camouflage and watched as Snape woke in a cold sweat, panting. The man's eyes were darting around wildly, and Murtagh sensed that he would not be getting any more sleep that night.
And so, with his job done, he left the room, satisfied with what he had done.
He also needed to figure out this prophecy business. He knew that Harry would like to know about it. However, he also decided that Harry's mental state had suffered enough for the night. So he decided he would wait a day or two, then he would tell Harry, alone, before he told anyone else.
He could only hope that they could find the full prophecy, somehow.