Worthy Of Magic

Part 24 - Two Problems

Twenty Third April Nineteen Ninety-Four – Hogwarts: Headmasters Office

"Something is wrong."

Dumbledore looked up and observed Tonks. She looked worried.

"His pattern has changed?"

"He's been looking more tired lately. His blood sucking slug story is full of holes and he's been unfocused in class."

Dumbledore pursed his lips and looked at Snape who was sitting next to Tonks.

"I can feel his desire to murder me," Snape said drily.

"You probably feel that from every student," Tonks quipped.

The portraits of headmasters laughed softly.

Snape glared around Dumbledore's office silencing the old fossils. "I brushed against his mind as well. I was very subtle."

"Snape!" Tonks gasped. "You didn't!"

Dumbledore remained impassive. "And?" he pressed meaningfully.

"You were right. I immediately felt magic try and trap me. I don't think he does it consciously. It's his subconscious."

"Legilimency is frowned upon Snape," Tonks said, her hair turning brown and long. Her eyes turned blue with severity.

"We're allowed if we feel a student is hiding something that could affect the school and students," Snape replied smoothly. "And it is an art only the talented can learn." Here his lips curled into a sneer. "That's probably why you can't learn it Professor Tonks."

"What did you see?" Dumbledore asked, ignoring the byplay.

A sparrow flew into the office from the open window. The sun was above the forest and the sky was glowing bright blue. Cool wind circulated around the office getting rid of the stale air of a closed room. Fawkes was not around.

Snape frowned. "I didn't see," he murmured. He himself was unsure of what had happened in the fourth of a second in which he had looked into Harry's mind. "I felt," he said.

"There was a cold rage. Cold and controlled. A Will unlike anything I have experienced," Snape trailed into silence, pondering over Harry's mind. "There's a dream he wants fulfilled," he said at last. "That's the closest I can come to describing it. A dream born from the rage."

"Did you see anything?" Dumbledore stressed on see. It was important. "You must have seen something."

Snape sighed. Dumbledore was being forceful today. "It was dark. Could be a manifestation of the night. It's a common form of defence in some Occlumens. There was a breeze and it was hot. I felt like my body was burning up with heat."

"Interesting," Dumbledore murmured.

Snape shrugged. He hoped Dumbledore didn't ask him to do it again. He wasn't sure he'd be fast enough to get away from that strange magic the next time.

There was a moment of silence as Dumbledore put the dots of Harry's life in his mind's eye and then tried to connect them to understand him. Couple of minutes later, he stood up, walked to his pensive and deposited a string of thoughts into it.

He then sat back down with a sigh and smiled at Tonks. "You're already being touted as the best defence against the dark arts teacher in decades. Your mind is sharp and bullshit doesn't escape you."

Tonks laughed, turning pink. "Way to be candid Albus!"

"And your clumsiness has a fan following," Snape added acidly.

"I want you to keep an eye on Harry this weekend," Dumbledore said to Tonks seriously. "Follow him, observe him and keep your distance. Do not come into his line of sight in any direction," he instructed. "He is up to something and when a psychopath is up to something you can guarantee is not a good thing."