Raised By Wolfstar: Slytherin Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince

Chapter Twelve: The Secret Riddle

Katie was removed to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries the following day, by which time the news that she had been cursed had spread all over the school, though the details were confused and nobody other than Harry, Tracey, Allison, Theodore, Canini, and Leanne seemed to know that Katie herself had not been the intended target.

'Oh, and Malfoy knows, of course,' said Harry to his friends, who continued their new policy of feigning deafness whenever Harry mentioned his Malfoy-Is-a-Death-Eater theory.

Tracey did not end up receiving a letter from the Ministry for using underaged magic, which was a bit of a relief for her as she had been worried about being expelled for doing the right thing.

Then when Katie was transferred to St. Mungo's Harry learned from Ron that the Gryffindor Quidditch team had to host an emergency election to determine their temporary Captain. Ron and Ginny had been the only members who had been on the team the previous year, and so when voted between them Ginny ended up becoming Captain despite technically joining the team later than Ron. Ron was a little downhearted with not getting picked but admitted to Harry that he was already under enough stress from Quidditch that being Captain probably wouldn't have helped with that. In an odd turn of events instead of holding a second mini tryout to find a temporary Chaser to replace Katie, Ginny took on Dean Thomas, and while a skilled player this brought on some controversy considering he happened to be her boyfriend.

Harry had wondered whether Dumbledore would return from wherever he had been in time for Monday night's lesson, but having had no word to the contrary, he presented himself outside Dumbledore's office at eight o'clock, knocked, and was told to enter. There sat Dumbledore looking unusually tired; his hand was as black and burned as ever, but he smiled when he gestured to Harry to sit down. The Pensieve was sitting on the desk again, casting silvery specks of light over the ceiling.

'You have had a busy time while I have been away,' Dumbledore said. 'I believe you witnessed Katie's accident.'

'Yes, sir. How is she?'

'Still very unwell, although she was relatively lucky. She appears to have brushed the necklace with the smallest possible amount of skin: There was a tiny hole in her glove. Had she put it on, had she even held it in her ungloved hand, she would have died, perhaps instantly. Luckily Professor Snape was able to do enough to prevent a rapid spread of the curse—'

'Why him?' asked Harry quickly. 'Why not Madam Pomfrey?'

'Impertinent,' said a soft voice from one of the portraits on the wall, and Phineas Nigellus Black, Sirius's great-great-grandfather, raised his head from his arms where he had appeared to be sleeping. 'I would not have permitted a student to question the way Hogwarts operated in my day.'

'Yes, thank you, Phineas,' said Dumbledore quellingly. 'Professor Snape knows much more about the Dark Arts than Madam Pomfrey, Harry. Anyway, the St. Mungo's staff are sending me hourly reports, and I am hopeful that Katie will make a full recovery in time. Oh and they wanted me to let the student who cast the Reparifors Incantation know that while the spell did not heal her, it did not worsen her condition either, but you can tell Miss Davis that for me if you'd like.'

'Where were you this weekend, sir?' Harry asked, disregarding a strong feeling that he might be pushing his luck, a feeling apparently shared by Phineas Nigellus, who hissed softly.

'I would rather not say just now,' said Dumbledore. 'However, I shall tell you in due course.'

'You will?' said Harry, startled.

'Yes, I expect so,' said Dumbledore, withdrawing a fresh bottle of silver memories from inside his robes and uncorking it with a prod of his wand.

'Sir,' said Harry tentatively, 'I met Mundungus in Hogsmeade.'