Harry Potter and the Silent Dead: Book 2

Chapter 4: Reunion

It was the middle of the night, and he couldn't sleep. He tossed and turned, but frustration welled up inside him, and restlessness plagued him. Finally, he rolled his eyes, throwing off the covers and glancing around the room. The other boys were fast asleep, they wouldn't notice if he left. Decided, he grabbed his shoes before creeping downstairs and out of the common room.

The walk to the chamber was short, and he smiled widely as the the circular door moved to reveal the basilisk, curled up on the floor. "Master!" Shesha shouted, slithering from her position next to the creature. He grinned, bending down to scoop her close, nuzzling against her scaled head. He had missed his girl so very much, but they'd decided it was best for her to stay here, in case Dumbledore managed to stop him from staying with the Malfoys. He nodded to the basilisk, who rose from her position to slither over to him. "Hello young necromancer. I am glad to see you return." He returned the greeting, and after briefly discussing how they'd been, he carried Shesha over to the library, eager to catch up with her.

"I have missed you so much precious! I hope you had a good time whilst I was gone." She hissed up at him, pushing her head up into his palm, and Harry smiled, gently brushing over her scales. "Yes, the serpent queen allowed me to hunt with her, I've explored much of the grounds. But master, I have missed you." They reached a table, and with a small gesture he lit the candle, illuminating the elegant room. Passing her a treat, he placed her gently on the table, dropping his bag to the floor. "I've missed you too darling. You needn't worry, everything went well, and Dumbledore's power is lessened. I can take you with me next time. We'll have a proper Christmas this year." She hissed happily at that, before curling up near the candle comfortably. Yes, he had certainly missed her.

Smiling at her sleeping form, he pulled his notebook out of his bag, staring down at the blank page. Every time he thought about how to deal with Lockhart, all he could think of was many different curses to change the man's looks. Unfortunately, that didn't fit with what he needed. He had to prove the man was a fraud, but how? He'd heard other students talking about the Professor's great exploits, and there was no way that was the same man. But how could Lockhart have lied, have tricked so many people into believing? It just didn't make any sense.

He wasn't sure how long he'd say there, but the candle was burning down, and Shesha was in serious danger of becoming a wax figure. Still with no plan, he decided to give up for now. At least until he had more information. Harry sighed before gently picking Shesha up and placing the serpent around his shoulders. "Goodbye, great lady." The basilisk nodded at him as the door closed, and he made his way up the steps to the bathroom. Squinting against the morning sun, he walked back to the Ravenclaw dorms, deciding to simply get on with the day. He only needed a way close to Lockhart, to gain information.

He watched through narrowed eyes, as each student pulled desperate attempts to save failed potions. Severus frowned, Harry was acting as he usually would. It made no sense, he was a twelve year old boy! What did the Dark Lord want with him? He'd attempted to put the issue out of his mind, but every day his brain would whirl with worrying possibilities. Perhaps the Dark Lord had corrupted the boy somehow, and was using him to win the war. Perhaps it was some trick to test Severus's loyalty. Or perhaps, even worse..... The Dark Lord like the child. In whatever way that may be, he was worried. Harry himself seemed fine. From what little information he'd gotten from the child, he'd had a wonderful time with the Malfoys, and was looking forward to resuming his education. He still would not speak to Severus, but that was hardly a surprise. He knew it was not a part of his orders, but Severus had to know why the Dark Lord wished to now protect the child. He'd sworn an unbreakable vow to protect Harry. He had to be careful.

He dismissed the class, watching the children pack away, and nodding at a students successful potion. "Mr Potter, could you stay behind for a moment please." The boy gave him a confused look before nodding, waving at his friends. "Hello Professor, how can I help you?" Severus looked at the boy for a moment, before gesturing for him to have a seat. "I simply wanted to check in on you Harry. How are you?" Harry simply blinked at him for a second, it seemed the Ravenclaw didn't believe him, but answered anyway. "Thank you Professor, I'm quite well. And you?"

They exchanged pleasantries for a while, but Harry wasn't stupid. "Is there anything I can help you with professor?" Snape didn't reply for a moment, only furthering his suspicion. "I'd like to continue your advance potion lesson, if amenable." He didn't buy it for a single second. What was Snape after? Was there any way he knew about his necromancy, or about Voldemort? Deciding to play dumb for now, he agreed to further lessons, and they departed, heading to the Great Hall for Lunch.

Albus watched over the crowd of young magicals as they excitedly ate and gossiped. One student, as always, was the focus of his attention. Once again, Harry Potter was sitting with the Malfoy boy and the other Slytherins. He could not allow such bad influence to have power over the boy, and decided now was as good a time as any to implement the first stage of his plan. He stood, quickly drawing everyone's attention, and began speaking over the silence. "I have a quick announcement to make, I do not wish to interrupt your meals. However, I have decided that in the spirit of house strength and friendly competition, a new rule is to be inforced. We ask that students sit at their correct tables, and do not enter common rooms other than their house's." There was a slight commotion at that, though most didn't seem too upset, and he watched several students stand to return to their tables. It was with delight, however, that he watched Harry stand from the Slytherin table and walk away. If only he'd be going to the Gryffindor table, an unfortunate hole in his plan. Though if things went as planned, Gryffindor would soon be the child's new home. Now the interaction between the Slytherins and Harry were restricted, he could begin to spread the seeds of his own influence.

Harry was pissed off. There wasn't another way to put it, with Lisa and Terry stopping anyone from talking to him, in fear of some deadly silent explosion. They weren't exactly happy either. All three of them had been essentially cut off from their friends. But Harry was seething. He knew this was some plot by Dumbledore, another way to control him, to remove him from the Malfoys. He'd immediately written a letter to Lucius, and had seen Draco do the same. He wasn't sure the Malfoy Lord would be able to do anything, especially after the failure with Lockhart, but he had to try. Speaking of Lockhart.... He looked up from his seething to see his classmates standing. Yes, they had defense next. The Ravenclaws walked up to their common room, collecting their books and sitting on the floor together, ready to study. Unfortunately this only lasted ten minutes before Lockhart and Professor Flitwick entered the room.

It was clear Lockhart wasn't too happy either, but the scowl was quickly replaced with a large, fake smile as he looked down at them. "Come along now children, it is time for you class with wonderful me!" He was barely spared a glance before everyone returned to their reading. "I'm afraid this isn't an option, and your really are missing out on an experience. Most people pay to listen to my teachings." A switch turned in Harry's head, and he shot up, gathering the attention of the rest of the room. "You mean fools waste their money listening to an idiot drivel on about fabricated story's and fake smiles?" He could have said much worse, but he wasn't actually upset after all. Flitwick looked surprised, but quickly frowned, walking towards him. "Mr. Potter, that is no way to speak to a teacher. If you continue like this, I will have to issue a detention." Merlin, he felt like smiling, this was going brilliantly. Ignoring the tug on his legs as friends asked him to sit down, he looked directly at Lockhart, readying the fiery words. "I'll take the detention thanks, I'm sure I'll learn more than listening to an ugly egotistical idiot babble on for an hour." Apparently ugly was what got him, and Lockhart's glared, face lighting a furious red. "Well Mr. Potter, I believe a detention with me tonight will certainly teach you a thing or two about respecting your betters." Everyone was still watching him, and he decided to simply shrug before finally sitting back down. Lockhart left, frustrated, and Flitwick looked down on him disappointment. "I really had expected better from you Harry." With those words, the half-goblin turned and left, leaving the Ravenclaws in bemused silence.