The Serpent's Thirst

"Would you stop worrying about me," Harry yelled, trying to break free from Sirius's grip. Ron and Hermione watched, a little pale and worn out by the event as they sat down on sterile white chairs next to the bed.

"Harry ... you let him in," Sirius said in disbelief as he flicked away his black fringe. Behind him, the Hospital wing doors opened and shut, but he ignored the sounds.

"IT WAS AN ACCIDENT!" Harry bellowed as he tried to get off the bed, but Sirius steered him to it again and made sure he stayed there.

Professor Dumbledore strode in quickly after Morganna informed him what happened in her Potions class. "Harry, what exactly, did Voldemort catch you think about?" he questioned, as he sat down on an empty seat. Hermione stood up and started pacing up and down the corridor, passing Madam Pomfrey who had rushed to Harry's side, carrying a potion which was giving off an ample amount of thick blue smoke. She held out the goblet to Harry's lips, making him drink.

Harry coughed, wiping away a few droplets of the potion from his chin. Did they really think he was that agitated and distressed to have been made to drink a relaxing potion? Nevertheless, he was still thinking about it -- Voldemort's voice still echoing in his mind.

He took in a deep breath and gazed at the Headmaster. "Well ... it wasn't the Prophecy he wanted last year, Professor ... it was the second one about his rebirth. It just had me in a total spin when I thought about it again and he heard. I let my guard down and he heard my thoughts. He actually responded." Harry shivered slightly.

Dumbledore smoothed out his beard, staring at Sirius who was quite unsettled. "Sirius, I think you need a relaxation potion more than does Harry," he smiled gently. He resumed his focus on Harry, who sat on the bed, very white and clammy. "Harry, Voldemort didn't get any useful information which may benefit him. It may inflate his ego a little more, but you then closed your mind."

"But sir ... doesn't the second prophecy kind of -- I don't know ... contradict the first one somewhat?" Sirius stopped running his fingers through his hair and sighed. Harry timidly watched him and went on. "I mean ... it's says we're equal in power, but the second says when he became mortal again that he'll be more greater and more terrible ... doesn't it mean he'll be stronger then me?"

Dumbledore stood uneasily still for a moment, staring into Harry's eyes. "Well, the future is a difficult thing to know Harry ... as I've said many times before. It may mean what you've-"

"Dumbledore ... ?" Sirius gasped. The last thing he wanted was for his godson was to have more worries weighting him down. He didn't want to leave him so much in the dark, but at least Harry now was kept up do date with most things.

"I'm sorry ... but I cannot lie, Sirius. It may possibly mean what is feared by us all, or it may mean that he could release more fury then he otherwise did," he answered. It was just as Harry was thinking. But it frustrated him that he didn't really know.

"Harry, there is something I want you to do," Professor Dumbledore replied slowly, bowing his head a little when he said the words.

"What is it?" Harry looked up, clasping his hands together tightly because he noticed they were shaking badly.

"I want you to stay within the castle boundaries until I say otherwise. That will mean that we will cancel your permission for Hogsmeade weekends."

"Why, what's going on ... ?"

Harry wanted answers. Ron stared at Professor Dumbledore in horror but it softened when he gave a sympathetic look to Harry, sitting down limply on the bed as well.

"I can't tell you that for now ... in case Voldemort breaks into your mind again. I'm sorry, Harry ... but this is for your safety."

***

Ron thought it would be a good idea to get Harry out of the castle for some Quidditch practice that night, once Madam Pomfrey was satisfied with his condition. Harry felt better at this proposition; at least he still had Quidditch to get his mind off things. He bundled the team together in their cold change room, and gave them a couple of tactics to practice that evening. He also gave them a little pep talk for what he wanted to achieve in the game against whoever won -- Slytherin or Ravenclaw -- to win the cup.

Letting the Snitch go, and having a go at catching it, Harry noticed that Ron waved to someone and missed the Quaffle which streaked past him and let it shoot through the hoop. Shelley shook her head, giggling, and spiralled into a nose dive.

Harry looked towards the stands and saw Parvati waving back as she sat down with Hermione. "RON!" he yelled, the snitch fluttering around his head annoyingly for a moment.

"Sorry, Harry," he blushed, throwing back the Quaffle to Ginny who rolled her eyes as she caught it and tucked it under her arm.

"Try and keep your eye on the ball and not on the girls," Harry said, his mouth uncontrollably turning into grin, and suddenly snatching the Snitch which was teasing him at arms length. Ron looked bashful, and tried not to make eye contact with him.

"He is really pathetic come to think of it," Ginny said approaching Harry.

On the stands Parvati laughed while she played absent-mindedly with a plait which she had pulled over her shoulder. "He is such a cutie."

Hermione smiled, watching Ron save a Quaffle while the skies around them began to darken quickly in the mid-winter season. "Yeah he is ..." Hermione lamented, thinking about the good times she had with him when they were together. But she flicked her eyes on Harry and her smile broadened.

Parvati observed Hermione, fascinated with her relationships with Ron and now with Harry Potter. "Um ... I'm wondering," Parvati started. Hermione bit her lip at seeing Ginny and Dean ducking as a Bludger hurtled their way. "What is it like kissing Ron?" she questioned, eager to know, knowing at the same time that it was a little too venturesome to even ask that intimate question.

Hermione huffed at the query, almost holding her breath a moment later. "Well, I don't know if I can answer that. He is a really good kisser," she gloated in the end.

"Oh come on, Hermione," Parvati waved her hands airily, needing more information. A soft yet very cold breeze forced her to withdraw her hand into her cloak.

"Oh ... ok!" Hermione grinned, her cheeks blotching crimson, she could feel the heat of embarrassment bubbling within her. "Ron is ... how shall I describe him ... a wild one!"

"Oh Really, I cant wait." Parvati leaned her head back, just wanting to taste Ron. She then rested her eyes on Ron as he drifted slightly at his hoops, eyes following the Quaffle as it was thrown from player to player. Harry shouting every now again, giving them inspiration.

Hermione continued, "From the word go, it's amazing. He begins by grasping you firmly around the waist, and then he would move forwards seductively and -- Wow! Ron will make you feel like you're on the adventure of your life ... it's like everything flashes before your eyes when he's kissing you. You just can't believe it. You almost think it goes against the laws of physics."

"Oh ... Hermione stop it--" Parvati laughed, planning ways to get Ron to kiss her now. Hermione bowed her head, giggling. "What about Harry just out of curiosity, since you're going out with him now?" She saw Hermione tug her lip harder and inhale deeply.

"Oh ... um, Harry is more ... gentle in his approach and kiss. He isn't as risky as Ron is, in kissing ... which somehow kind of goes against his normal Gryffindor personality," Hermione replied. "His soft caresses make me feel complete -- It's something I can't explain, Parvati. But Harry is like the missing piece in my life."

Parvati blinked, her head tilted a little, strands of her black hair tickling her cheek, but she didn't care to pull them away. "Your perfect man. Your soul mate."

Taking in another deep breath, Hermione nodded. "Yeah!" She watched Harry make an amazing double twisted loop in midair as he tailed the snitch.

While Parvati seemed very interested in what Ron was up to as he saved another Quaffle from scoring, she was fretting, wanting to ask another question, but the moment was there and she wanted to know.

"But Hermione, what I don't understand -- forgive me for asking, because I don't know what really happened. But why did you fall in love with Harry when you were best friends for five years and yet you fell in love with Ron and then broke his heart?" Parvati asked.

Hermione moved her eyes attentively to her; it was not a question she was really prepared to answer, it was more a confronting one which she would've rather not gone into.

"Um ... it's a long story Parvati." Hermione hesitated with her words. She never really thought she'd be having this sort of conversation with Parvati or anyone for the matter. However, this was a chance to get her emotions out of her chest.

"I - I thought I was in love with Ron ... I really was before Summer. I mean, even though we squabbled a lot of times, there was something deeper within us that told us we liked each other, and we just denied it at first.

"But with Harry ... it was different. He was always there. Sometimes too quiet, you'd think he was sad and miserable. However, he was always there for you. He listened to you, and most of the times didn't bicker about the stupid things me and Ron used to fight about. So because of that, I didn't really see then what I felt about him ... I only saw him as a true friend. And a lot of the times he was in danger or worried about Voldemort -- I say Voldemort now," she added, hearing Parvati gasp at his name.

"But then in the summer?" Parvati urged her on, staring with wide interest on the subject.

"Yeah, the summer changed it somehow ... it made me realise that he was the one I was meant to be in love with -- then and for the rest of my life. We've been in danger before, but being alone together for one month with Voldemort and Death Eaters chasing us ... changed it --"

"It just could've been the moment ... the fear and stuff that might of sparked you interest, Hermione," Parvati interjected, her brows furrowed.

"That's what I thought too at first," Hermione answered truthfully. "However, Harry was in love with me over the summer before he had the accident. So I guess in a way he just woke something in me -- my heart and what I've might been subconsciously thinking about him for five years. Harry was everything that I see in myself and much more. And as you can see, we are still together," Hermione grinned. "We've made up with Ron on the train, he knows that we are in love. But things can take longer to heal.

"Even though events like that can cause things you would later regret ... which we did, events can sometimes cause people to see things they never did, their blindness can hinder process until-"

"Until one day, something drastic changes it all," Parvati said softly.

"I guess that's kind of how you began liking Ron, isn't it?" Hermione asked now changing to conversation towards Parvati. Hermione felt, in her own way, less burdened, because she had let her feelings out more peacefully than she'd ever dreamt of doing.

"Well kind of, yeah." Parvati chuckled. "I was upset that Dean turned me down ... I had no idea he was going out with Ginny Weasley at that time so you could understand why I was a little upset. And then I wasn't thinking where I was going and I smacked into Ron. I yelled at him and everything, I made him terrified of me."

Hermione shook her head, laughing as a strengthening breeze made her shiver with cold. "Go on. Harry thought you might of killed him."

Parvati blushed a little. "Anyway ... I felt really bad at the end of the day and I wanted to apologise to him. I saw him sitting in a dark corner that evening by himself ... I guessed it was all the gossip about you and Harry kissing that Lavender spread around that -- yeah, you know." Parvati's voice trailed off, she didn't want to make Hermione guilty over something she and her friends had done and gotten over. "And I sat down with him and just said sorry and -- for some reason I started counting the cute little freckles on his face."

Hermione snorted, "256."

"What?" Parvati grinned. "The freckles on his face?" Hermione nodded. "Well it was close to my estimation as well." Parvati laughed. "But Ron was difficult and frustrating -- I just wanted to slap him and scream 'I love you' in his face. I didn't think he liked me. He was one challenging bugger; nevertheless in the end it worked out."

"He was just scared to admit his true feelings, Harry kept telling him to say something to you, but Ron didn't know how to mend his heart." Hermione said, pulling the hood of her cloak over her head to protect her from the chilling wind. The sun had long gone down the horizon and her nose felt frozen and it ached. She was sure however, that the Quidditch team were too warm for comfort.

Then Harry starting yelling for the team to stop practicing and to finish up. They all silently retreated to the pitch in the darkness, their dark figures disappearing into the change rooms.

Parvarti sighed and stood up. "Finally! I think I need to defrost ... my fingers are dead blue. Lets get going, Hermione - let's meet the boys with some warm supper at the table."

Harry and Ron sat down at Gryffindor table, half an hour later, very hungry. Harry glanced at the staff table as he dug into some hot-pot eager to get some food in his stomach. Worry and Quidditch had drained his energy severely. He noticed that Sirius and McGonagall were missing from the table, along with the Headmaster and pondered whether it had anything to do with the Order.

"So Harry," Ron whispered holding his fork upright in his hand as he leaned forwards to talk to him and making sure that Parvati couldn't hear what he was saying. "When are you going to find the registry?"

"I'll do it on Friday night," Harry replied taking a sip of his pumpkin juice. "Pretend you're sleeping till everyone is, and we'll sneak out under the invisibility cloak."

"Righto ... Hermione is coming, isn't she?"

"I am not going to be apart of this," she hissed into Harry's face. "I doubt that cloak of yours would fit the three of us anymore. We are too big for it ..."

Harry nodded and smiled, placing his hand on hers for a moment. "Are you sure you don't-- ?"

"This trip is not to prove something dangerous, Harry ... it's not necessary ... and I don't want to get expelled," she sharply said, stabbing her carrots with her fork.

"You think being stuck in a cupboard for the next ten years and treated like dirt is not worthy enough, Hermione?"

Hermione gave Harry a poisonous glare, ignoring the loud laughter by Seamus and his Dean on her other side. "Damn it Harry ... think of what I said last year when you went nuts that Voldemort was torturing Sirius when he really wasn't."

"Hermione --" Harry replied through gritted teeth ... he took a deep breath and controlled his anger. "This is different, I just have to do this ... I have to find out. Would you want to go through what I went through as a child?"

Hermione pursed her lips, but then turned away from him. "Fine, fine! And take Lilac with you. She could be an asset besides the map, and goodness knows she has more common sense then the both of you put together." Hermione huffed, a little irritated, and didn't speak to him for the rest of dinner. Hermione didn't want to be overbearing, she was just worried for the both of them.

***

Stars twinkled in the cold heavens outside of Hogwarts. A few scattered clouds trailed past in the high attitudinal winds and owls would glide by, hooting softly when they landed in the owlery, happy to have caught a mole or a mouse. Harry stayed up listening until he was sure that Neville, Dean and Seamus were fast asleep. He quietly removed himself from his warm bed, trying to make as little sound as possible while they retreated into the deserted common room, where the only things present were Crookshanks, Persia, Lilac and her siblings ... and Neville's croaking toad.

Ron stood behind him, breathing quite loudly, when they heard someone coming down the stairs, making their hearts jolt.

"Hermione don't do that," Ron whispered when he and Harry hid behind an armchair by the dying fire and poked their heads out to see the frizzy haired girl.

She looked at both of the idiots standing side by side, ready to throw the cloak over themselves. "The map, and Lilac?"

"Got everything ..." Harry said back whisking Lilac and putting her in his jacket. A moment later she stretched her head out, looking more fluffier then ever. "And don't make a sound, unless there's anything suspicious," he said to the cat who was ogling at him, licking her pink nose.

"Well, if you're not back within two hours at the most, I'm going to tell Sirius," Hermione announced with crossed arms; with a flick of her hair, she returned to her dormitory.

Ron led the way, while Harry struggled in the darkness to view the map as they travelled to room 202 of the Charms department. Snape, Flitwick and McGonagall were sleeping, as their little dots stood still on the spot in their dorms. Filch was moving about in the Great Hall and Mrs. Norris was currently with him. Peeves was in the Owlery causing havoc most likely. Harry breathed in deeply, knowing that they were safe for the moment and looked down at his feet.

"Ron ... crouch down a bit, you're pulling the cloak over your feet." Harry pointed out.

"Ohh, sorry Harry ... at least I'm not a Midget like you-- Ouch! bloody hell."

"You deserved that, you prat ..." Harry said in an undertone after elbowing Ron in the ribs. "Now lets go by this shortcut. We should arrive directly at the Statue of Morris the Miserable, on the second floor," he said, eyeing the map again.

The second floor corridor was deserted as expected, the statue of Morris the Miserable looked on dolefully, with a huge frown on his scarred face and his shoulders were hunched as he held out his wand. Harry stared at him, he looked like he was about to cry. Perhaps he was about to kill an animal and felt sad to do so.

"-Come on, lets get going," Ron said, making Harry look away. Lilac purred against his chest and every so often her head would stick out again and she'd look attentively ahead. She was bobbing up and down slightly, that Harry would sometimes have to hold her up in case she slipped out of his jacket. He gently let the cat go as they stopped in front of the door which held the registry.

"Alohomora," he said his wand pointed at the door handle, the door thankfully clicked open. Lilac sat down by the doorway, flicking her tail, but watching for any signs of danger. With one last look of the map, Harry and Ron walked inside and closed the door. Another door within met their eyes and Harry muttered the spell, but it didn't open.

"Oh bloody hell," Ron shortly responded, cramming against Harry in the little dark space, the light of their wands wavering.

"Well, this was unexpected." Harry gulped.

Suddenly a soft smoky voice echoed within the small space. Harry and Ron stood still listening to it.

"He who enters must first choose the right answer," it said

"Er ..." Harry blinked thinking about a sphinx being in the room but looking around, he couldn't see any. Ron looked on over his shoulder and about, panting now in alarm. "What is the question?" Harry asked.

"Pick the right word, and the door will open, pick the wrong word and the alarms will resound all over the castle," it said. Ron held his breath behind Harry.

"Asphodel ... Monoceros ... wand ... bandaid ... books ... bed .... house elf ... which one of these may apply to many written in this room you seek?"

Harry cursed himself for not having Hermione come along. Ron looked at him with confusion. "Harry," he whimpered, "we're screwed!"

"Not know Ron ... think!"

Monoceros was a constellation ... so that was no use to people unless they were studying Astronomy. Asphodel - potions. Wand - everyone written on the registry needed one -- however, Bandaid was something that many in the registry would use since they are Muggle-borns. And pure-minded wizards who would want to sabotage the registry wouldn't know what a bandaid was.

"A Bandaid," Harry said cautiously, but at the same time throwing it into the wind.

The door clicked open, and Ron whistled a sigh of relief. "That was lucky."

Harry was first to remove the cloak from his shoulders and began looking around with his lit wand. The room was small as he looked around. There were no windows, and to one side, a large shelf stood with stacks of parchments. Ron nudged him and to the right a desk was laid out, polished and smooth, nothing on it, except for a long row of parchment which was centred, and a deep purple quill stood still and silently over the left hand side of the page.

Harry walked over to it, thinking it was the thing he was looking for. There were names written on it already, and the paper had moved along causing the parchment to roll over the other side of the desk. Harry crouched down, his lit wand giving the needed light to view the parchment. With head tilted he saw what was written upside down:

The date of the year was just below, and the names thereafter started, with their birth dates. Harry's eyes travelled eagerly over the paper. He didn't dare lift up the parchment in case he would disturb it, and then they would be in really deep trouble.

"September ... October ... November ... December ..." Ron muttered under his breath by his side, looking up with him. Babies names were scribbled on in purple ink. "December the 28th," Ron stopped.

There were two babies born on that day: Marcus Taddleshot and --

Harry heart nearly stopped. "No."

Ron sighed, "Florence Dursley," Ron sighed, with a heavy heart. "Sorry mate."

Harry sat down on the ground, hands pressed firmly on his cheeks shaking his head. "What now, Ron ... what do I do?"

"Tell Sirius. Maybe he'll have a chat with them." Ron tried to comfort him, a saddened look on his face. "You'll need to talk with them, there is no way of knowing what is going to happen to her until you see them."

Ron looked over at the registry, the quill now moving to scribble another magical baby which had been born.

Harry stared at his cousin's name upside down ... shaking his head, mind numbed by the experience. He could just see her being locked away, starved ... unwanted. Or then again maybe not. Maybe her fate would be different to what he had experienced.

A screeching noise outside the room made Ron and Harry snap out of their thoughts. Lilac seemed to be in some sort of fight. Harry looked at his map, and panting seeing that Mrs. Norris and Lilac were battling each other.

"OUT!" Harry yelled, pushing Ron out the door, quickly trying to pull the cloak over their heads as Lilac tried to bite Filch's cat in the struggle. However, in the darkness, a hand reached out and snatched the cloak from their grasp.

"I've got you now, Potter," Filch spat over the horrible noise the cats were making. "And you too, Weasley ... Oh you're both in a fine mess now."

Harry gulped and Ron cringed in silence, thinking about being thrown out of the school. Harry thought the same. They were gone for sure, and Filch watched them with bright hungry eyes, like he had just caught the prize catch of the day.

By then, Lilac and Mrs. Norris had stopped fighting and looked towards their masters. Harry bowed his head, and thanked himself that Hermione did not come at least. He couldn't imagine what she would say when she found out. Filch breathed heavily through his red, flared nostrils, a nasty smile plastered on his wrinkled and stubbly face. Harry looked away and picked up Lilac who meowed sorrowfully at him, thinking that she had failed him, her purple eyes glittery in the starlight.