Harry Potter and Unexpected Beginnings

Chapter forty

Harry spent an exhausting day training under Charlie Weasley. He had no idea the brother of the girl he loved, was so intent on perfection. They had spent nearly four full hours going over the lapis gelu, turning the Bogart Harry had gotten from Tonks for the Patronus spell, to stone. Over and over he turned it to stone and back again. By the time lunch rolled around, his head was aching worse than it ever had with any of his Occlumency lessons. He wanted to return to his dormitory and rest, but he promised Ginny and Sabrina he'd have lunch with her. Reluctantly, Harry joined Charlie on his walk down to the Great Hall, where most of the students were already enjoying their meal. Harry sat next to Ginny while Charlie joined Tonks at the teacher's head table. The longer Harry spent in the noisy room, the worse his head felt.

"You look awful mate," Ron said with a frown.

"Where have you been all day?" Hermione asked, using her usual 'you're going to get in trouble' tone.

"I've been with Charlie in the Room of Requirements," he answered absently.

"Why were you there?" Ginny asked, watching as Harry leaned his head against his hand, covering his eyes with his palms.

"I've been practicing that stupid lapis gelu spell," he said softly, his head aching even beyond his own voice could tolerate.

"You should go see Madame Pomfrey," Ginny said with a concerned frown. "You look really pale."

"I just need to lie down for awhile."

"What about afternoon classes?" Hermione asked.

"Dumbledore gave me the day off, so I could work with Charlie." The four remained silent for a few minutes, with Harry fighting the pain throbbing behind his eyes. He hadn't realized he had said so much about what had happened that morning, and at this rate he was certain he would tell Voldemort himself the secrets he wished to know, if he had them. With a sigh of pain, exhaustion and grief, Harry stood up from the table.

"I'm going to my room," he said, squeezing Ginny's shoulder. "I'll see you guys later." Harry left the noise of the Great Hall and quietly walked up to the Gryffindor common room. He offered the fat lady the password, then stepped through the exposed hole and went straight to the sixth year boy's dormitory. He kicked his shoes off, pulled off his glasses and climbed onto the made covers of his bed, pulling the drapes closed around him. The curtain clad bed made the light of the exposed Spring sun less painful, as he tried to focus his mind on relaxing. His head ached so fiercely that he felt like it was splitting in two. He couldn't concentrate on clearing his mind. It was as if something was taking over his thoughts.

He moaned in confusion as images of his common room echoed through his mind, and he felt as though he were climbing the stairs all over. He saw himself standing outside his own dormitory, staring at the sign that indicated the sixth year boys. He felt the warmth of the Spring air as it drifted in through the open window from the common room, and frowned. The window was never open when students were in class. A house elf must have opened it to allow the musty, closed smell to clear and forgot to shut it again. He sighed heavily, trying to refocus his mind, but he could feel himself standing outside the door, reaching for the handle, but he couldn't feel it, he couldn't make it turn. It was as though there were a spell blocking him from entering.

"Harry Potter," he heard the wind whisper, as it blew across the empty room. "Harry Potter." Harry didn't want to be disturbed; he didn't want to talk to anyone right now, so he rolled to his side, issuing his back to the room.

"You are very powerful, Harry," the wind said again, and Harry moaned against the words. "Very powerful. You could rule the world, if you only had the courage. I can help you, Harry. I can give you the answers you seek."

"What answers," he thought, his head beginning to pound again.

"You want to know about your godfather. You want to know what lies beyond the veil. He's still alive Harry, but he's trapped. I can help you bring him back. Together we can bring back those you love. Your power and mine, together we will be invincible, even Dumbledore won't be able to stop us."

"No," Harry thought. "Sirius is dead, he'll never come back. I know that now. There's nothing I can do to bring him back, to bring any of them back."

"There is a way Harry. Go to the Mirror of Erised. There you will find the answer. Follow the path to the Forbidden Forrest. He's waiting for you Harry. You must save him."

"It's not possible," Harry thought. "He's dead and I don't know where the mirror is."

"Use your mother's azurite, it will lead the way. Once you are there, you must ask the mirror specifically to show you the way to your godfather. There you will find him. Do as I say Harry and the world can be ours."

Harry saw the door of his dormitory disappear as he quietly descended the stairs back down to the common room. He felt his head exploding in pain, as flames burst into life within the fireplace and he stepped in feeling the heat, hearing a voice echoing in his head. "Riddle estates," it said and Harry could feel himself being pulled back into the common room, back up to his bed where he lay moaning loudly.

"Harry? You all right mate?" a voice called out to him, as a warm hand touched his shoulder. Harry opened his eyes, and then closed them again with a loud moan. His head was exploding in a very familiar way.

"No," Harry whispered. "Voldemort...it was him..."

"What? Harry snap out of it, what's going on?" the voice said and Harry struggled to sit up, fighting to regain control. What had happened? Why was he so determined to see find the Mirror of Erised?

"Harry, come on, sit up and talk to me. What's going on?" Harry opened his eyes again, seeing the blurry red hair trying to come into focus. He felt himself being pulled upright, but the pain in his head was nearly unbearable. He moaned again, as he forced his eyes open. What had happened? Why was he feeling like he'd just stood in the same room as Voldemort? Why had he used the floo network? Where did he go? Why was he still here?

"Harry, answer me," Ron said, as Harry focused his eyes on his best friend. "What's going on?" Harry blinked, the pain subsided slowly and he was able to focus. He remembered coming up the stairs and lying on his bed. Then he remembered coming back through the common room and up the stairs, but he was already upstairs. He saw the closed door in front of him, but was unable to open it, but he was already inside. Then it hit him with all the force of reality.

"He was here," Harry said in alarm, pulling his wand from his cloak and standing up, forcing his legs to support him.

"Who was here?" Ron asked, staring blankly at his best friend.

"Voldemort. I saw him, I heard him. He was here, in Hogwart's, here in our house. I saw him Ron. He told me to go find the Mirror of Erised. He said Sirius was still alive, but he was trapped. He said the mirror would show me the way to get him back."

"But that's impossible, Harry. There's no way he could have gotten in. Dumbledore said so himself."

"I'm telling you Ron, he was here. I heard him. I've got to tell Dumbledore. I can save Sirius." Harry headed out the door and down the stairs, taking them two at a time. He had to hurry, Sirius needed him. He had to find a way; he had to find the mirror.

Harry passed by several students on their way back to their dormitories, as he rushed down to the second floor. He stood there unaware he had been followed. He issued the password Dumbledore had said earlier that day, then stepped through to the staircase the gargoyle exposed. He nearly ran up the winding stairs, ignoring the fact that they were moving, and began pounding on the closed door. Instantly it opened, revealing a very shocked expression from an aging wizard.

"He was here, Professor," Harry gasped as he stepped into the room, followed by Ron, Hermione and Ginny. He turned and glanced to Charlie who was sitting in a chair in front of Dumbledore's desk and Professor McGonagall who sat next to him.

"Who was here Harry?" Dumbledore asked stepping around to stand in front of the young man.

"Voldemort, he was here. I heard him, I saw him in Gryffindor Tower. He was there, I swear it. I heard him, I saw him come up the stairs, but he couldn't get into the room. He said Sirius was still alive, that I had to get to the Mirror of Erised and that it would show me the way to bring him back. He said he wasn't dead, he was trapped. I have to save him, he needs me."

"Harry calm down," Dumbledore said with a frown. "I know you want to find a way to save Sirius, but there is no way back from the veil."

"There is, I know there is. Voldemort told me I was powerful, he said I could rescue him. I have to try."

"Where would you go Harry?" Dumbledore asked, placing a warm hand on his shoulder.

"What?" Harry frowned at the old man, unable to believe what he was being asked.

"Harry, sit down," Dumbledore conjured up a chair for each of them, and leaned against his desk as he examined the confused expression on the young man's face. "Since the veil was first discovered, the greatest scholars and wizards of the world has spent exhausting hours and years trying to figure a way of bringing back those who have passed through. There is no way back, Harry. I'm sorry."

"But he said...he told me I could use the Mirror of Erised to find him. He said the mirror would show me the way."

"Harry I've already told you, the Mirror of Erised only shows us what we want to see. You want Sirius back, and that is exactly what it will show you. I'm sorry Harry, but there is nothing you can do."

"Is it possible he was really in Gryffindor Tower?" Hermione asked, as Ginny wrapped her arms around Harry, who was suddenly grief stricken beyond words.

"I can not believe he was here himself," Dumbledore said, looking at the expression on Harry's angry face. "Harry you said he couldn't get into your room?" Harry shook his head, pushing away from Ginny.

"It was like there was something blocking him, like the door was locked or something."

"Very interesting," the Headmaster said softly.

"What is it Albus?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"If I am not mistaken, the reason he could not enter was because Harry was inside."

"But I thought you said he would never be able to get into Hogwart's as long as you were here?" Ginny asked.

"Lord Voldemort is unable to get into Hogwart's, but there may be another way. He may have used a medium in order to make contact."

"Like he used Harry last year?" Hermione asked. "Is that also how he was able to make contact with Harry today?"

"I believe so. Harry, you've been under a great deal of stress lately because of the new powers you've developed. Even if you don't feel it, you're weakened due to the strain of the sudden development of the Imago- figura. It is possible that in that momentary weakness, he was able to make contact as he did last year. Did you see him in any form, as you did before?" Harry shook his head.

"I felt myself walking up the stairs and trying to reach for the door, but was unable to open it. Then I heard him calling me, telling me about Sirius and then he left."

"How?"

"Through the fireplace...the floo network."

"You didn't see him even then? No impressions like last time, no image of a great snake?"

"No sir."

"Very interesting." Dumbledore walked around his desk and sat down in the large chair, his fingers tapping together as he thought.

"What could it have been?" Hermione asked.

"If I am not mistake, Miss Granger, Harry has experienced what is known as 'locus vehere'."

"Spirit travel," Hermione whispered.

"What?" Ron asked.

"It's called locus vehere," Dumbledore said again. "In simpler terms it's known as spirit travel or what Muggles call astral-projection. It's when a wizard can travel outside his body and into a distant host. Voldemort mastered this ability when he was very young, and still at the orphanage. We learned about it when he arrived here at school. He tried possessing the teachers in order to learn the answers of tests. I should have expected this. He would be able to possess anything and send it through the floo network."

"Anything?" Ron asked.

"Yes, any form of mammal, reptile, insect, anything capable of moving on it's own accord."

"But the wards surrounding the castle, wouldn't they protect against such things?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, to a point. If he were able to possess something small enough, it would be simple to send it in without detection. The floo network is the least guarded and most massive form of communication in the wizarding world. It is nearly impossible to ward against every location."

"So what do we do now?" Ginny asked, holding Harry's hand tightly in her own.

"There are spells I can use to protect the fireplaces of the castle, but it will still be difficult. Professor McGonagall will help set up wards in your common room. Did Voldemort say anything else to you, Harry?" He thought for a few minutes, going over everything in his head.

"He said I was very powerful and together we could rule the world."

"As I suspected," Dumbledore said.

"What Professor?" Charlie asked.

"The powers Harry has recently discovered has made him a threat to Voldemort. If he cannot kill him, then he will try and coerce him into joining him. Harry, you have to do everything you can to resist him especially now. I told you before, there is a very thin line between Imago- figura an evil. If it is crossed, it is extremely difficult to return."

"But Sirius," Harry said in a soft tone. "Are you sure there's no way? Maybe Voldemort found a way to save him." Dumbledore stood up and walked back around the desk, placing a reassuring hand on the boy's shoulder.

"I wish there were Harry. Sirius was a good friend and I miss him too. But there is nothing we can do. He's gone." Harry looked defeated as he stood up and walked out the door, leaving the others to watch him go.

"Professor, are you sure?" Ginny asked, her tone cracking with the emotion she felt inside Harry's heart.

"There is no way, Miss Weasley. I'm sorry. Go with Harry now and stay close to him. He needs you more now than he ever has." Ginny nodded and followed the young man who had just left.

"What's going to happen now Professor?" Charlie asked, feeling the sadness of the situation himself.

"I can't honestly say. We will have to do everything possible to help Harry with his training and help him work through this. If Voldemort convinces him into turning sides, there will be no hope left for any of us."

Ginny found Harry in his dormitory, searching his trunk. She sat on the end of the bed, watching as he pulled nearly all the contents out.

"What are you looking for?" she asked him.

"Voldemort said I could find the Mirror of Erised with my mother's azurite. I have to try."

"But Dumbledore said there was no way to bring Sirius back," Ginny said. The hair on the back of her neck began to prick and she knew there was danger ahead.

"I have to try Ginny," he told her, lifting the small box he kept his parents rings and his mother's necklace in. He lifted it and held it up to the light. The deep blue immediately began to glow, casting a prism of blue rainbows around the room. Harry stood up and walked toward the window, as the glowing slowly disappeared. He walked back into the middle of the room, watching the blue begin to glow brighter.

Harry grabbed his father's old cloak and headed out of the room, the necklace glowing with each step. Ginny knew what he was doing and hurried after him. She had to talk him out of this; she had to convince him to listen to what Dumbledore said.

"Please, Harry, wait." Harry stopped and looked back at her. He could see the fear shining in her eyes.

"Stay here Ginny. I'll be back."

"No, please. Harry you have to listen..."

"Ginny, Sirius is the only family I've ever known. If I can help him, I'm going to. I have to try."

"Then I'm going with you," she told him.

"No you're not. I have to do this alone."

"The hell you will," Ginny snatched the cloak from his hand and swinging it around to land across her shoulders. Harry frowned as she disappeared from sight.

"Ginny, please. You have to stay. I can't worry about you right now."

"Don't you dare assume you have to protect me," she demanded from beneath the cloak. "I'm quite capable of taking care of myself. Now if you're fool enough to go against Dumbledore's orders, than you're going to have to accept my going with you."

"Fine, but if things get dangerous, you're staying behind even if I have to petrify you to do it." Harry reached out and felt where Ginny was standing, stepping beneath the invisibility cloak with her. Together they left the common room, following the glowing of the azurite.

They wound around the castle so many times, Harry lost track of where they were. It seemed like hours, but they finally found a door to what he assumed was on the fifth floor. He pushed on it, but it wouldn't budge. The necklace was glowing with brilliancy, convincing him that he was within reach of where he was destined to be. He raised his wand, whispering the 'alohomora' spell, and then pushed the door open. The room beyond was empty with the exception of another door opposite the first one. They stepped to it, whispering the unlocking spell and walked through. Again the room was empty and again there was another door. Three empty rooms later, Harry found his patience thinning. He pushed yet another door open, but his one led into a dark room. As they progressed toward the middle of the room, candles burst into flame on the walls, reflecting off the tall mirror that sat in the center of the room. Harry slipped the cloak off his shoulders, walking up to stand in front of it.

"This is the Mirror of Erised?" Ginny asked in a soft whisper. Harry nodded silently. "What do we do now?" Harry stood in front of the mirror, remembering what Voldemort had told him.

"Show me how to find Sirius Black," he said, watching as clouds began to swirl around the glass. Within moments, Harry saw the image of the Forbidden Forrest. The image continued to move between the dark trees until it came to a halt at a clearing. There stood a large glowing orb and then the image disappeared.

"I know where we have to go," he told Ginny. "It's near Grawp." Harry picked up the cloak again and slipped it over their heads, returning the way they had come, not seeing the final image that floated in the mirror. The image of a thin pale face, with glowing red eyes that smiled out from the darkness of the forest. The image of Lord Voldemort.