Mirror

***

First Tale: Mirror ~ Chapter 5

By Diana in collaboration with Meg R.

***

Someone narrates...

An eternal field of blackness. An endless space devoid of any light or any of its brethren. This is the realm of darkness.

"Ad infinitum."

At its core, a young man floated, asleep.

"Who's that?"

"Is it another?"

Curled up like a fetus in his mother's womb, he looked as innocent as one. Slowly, black lashes fluttered, tantalizing the region destitute of any color with the hints of brilliance that lay beneath.

"How could a boy--?"

"A boy? Are you blind? That's a man!"

"How could anyone have eyelashes as thick as that?"

A pair of green orbs took in the surroundings, or rather the lack of it, nonchalantly.

"Green?"

"You know, the color of the grass and the leaves. That is before autumn, of course."

"Are you implying something?!"

"That's for me to know and you to find out.."

"I know about the four seasons. I'm just saying that, That is not green! It's too vibrant, sparkling, brilliant, intelligence shines through them, heavenly..."

"Ignore her. I found it easier that way."

The void did not bother him the least.

"How?"

"He's so cool. I was blubbering when I first saw the utter emptiness of this place!"

"And that is different from your usual state when?"

"Are you picking a fight? And here I thought that your House was known for--"

"Would you let her continue already?"

"Hmph! You're just jealous of my eloquence."

"Is that what you call it?"

He arched his back like a cat, gracefully unfurling long limbs. Shimmering silver entwined with the silken threads of his garments formed elaborate symbols that stood out easily against the darkness. As he straightened up, jet-black hair fell straight below his waist.

"It's more like a curtain of ebony flowing down against such exquisite robes of..."

"I really don't think it would have dared to do otherwise when it's draped about a physique that even Adonis would have been jealous of"!

"I'm surprised that you know something about Greek mythology..."

"He is not a geek!"

"And here I was beginning to think that you might have some hidden depths. I should have known..."

A chime of golden notes rang clearly. He listened to its message attentively. Speech was an unnecessary tool for even the quietest of thoughts comes through in this limbo like silver bells tinkling through the eternal night. In the midst of such a silence, to speak was sacrilege. All to soon, the glorious symphony ended in a brilliant crescendo. It was a name. His.

"I'm impressed, I didn't know you could be so... poetic."

"Yup, you're beginning to describe it as it is. Just a bit, of course. The real thing is still so, so... "

"Don't mind that one. I think the only thing she could do is drool!"

Suddenly, his eyes began to close.

"A pity, really."

"Such vibrant fields of green..."

"Yes, yes, we get the idea. So enough already!"

Once more, the darkness ruled uncontested.

"Ad infinitum."

"For all eternity."

***

February 18, 12: 07 am

"Headmaster?" McGonagall asked again tentatively when he didn't turn around the first time but instead continued his entrancing survey of the grounds of Hogwarts.

Not looking back he addressed the question, which hung heavily in the air. "It was Mr. Macmillan."

Harry bowed his head in respect. Ernie Macmillan, he thought sadly.

McGonagall's eyes shone with unshed tears. Another student lost, she thought sorrowfully. Her lips pressed into a tight line. Raising her head bravely, she asked the other question that was weighing in her mind. "Will the school board order the closing of Hogwarts then?"

The old mage finally turned around. "Perhaps," he replied wearily.

Harry stared at him in shock. Dumbledore looked old. Very old. The lines in his face seemed to have been etched into the weathered skin. Huge purple eye bags hung underneath the somnolent blue eyes that, even more frighteningly, had lost its characteristic twinkle. The Headmaster looked as if each and every one of his more than a hundred years rested upon his shoulders heavily. The boy gulped. He had never seen Dumbledore look his age...

"I have just sent a school owl to inform the board. It is now up to the directors." He slowly sat down. "Minerva," he asked, "can you please contact St. Mungo's?"

She nodded, unable to speak with a choked up cry stuck in her throat.

Harry stared at his shoes like they held all the secrets of the universe. Or at least how to defeat Voldemort. "I, I'm sorry, Professor," he mumbled unintelligibly.

Dumbledore gave him a slight smile. "Whatever for, Mr. Potter? Whatever for? It is, after all, the school's duty to see to the safety of the students, not the other way round."

Green eyes held blue as the boy replied. "I--" He was cut off as the door abruptly swung open.

"Headmaster," a voice said worriedly, "Harry's not in his dorm and I--" Sirius suddenly stood still after rushing in like Snape had just propositioned him. "Harry," he exclaimed in relief, "you're here!"

Harry answered as intelligently. "Er, yes."

"Ahem," Dumbledore said, "as much as I would like to witness this happy reunion between the famous and the infamous, I am sure there are other areas which would be more suitable." He was about to rumble on when McGonagall amusedly cleared her throat at seeing the familiar sparkle in his blue eyes. She suddenly felt better even if the future seemed so dim. Everything will turn out fine, she thought optimistically.

"Pardon, Headmaster, Sirius," she said as she nodded to both, "but I would better get going now." She turned to Sirius. "I would leave Mr. Potter in your care, then."

Black eyes blazed with determination as they met hers, while Dumbledore merely nodded his assent.

"Er, take care, Professor," Harry said as she walked towards the door. She looked back for a moment before going out.

"I guess, Harry and I would go as well, Professor," Sirius addressed the Headmaster solemnly.

"Of course," he replied, "I have a parchment addressed to the Ministry begging to be written on myself."

Sirius nodded with understanding before sweeping out of the circular room with his godson before Harry could say another word.

The old wizard was staring at the door vaguely when something alighted on his shoulder. A song of incredible beauty soon followed. "Fawkes," he remarked with delight.

Intelligence sparkled within the phoenix's dazzling eyes of gold.

Smiling distractedly, he started to stroke the phoenix's majestic feathers of scarlet flame and golden brilliance. "Something about all this tickles familiarly at the back of my mind but... I can't seem to recall it right now," he spoke absentmindedly.

A single golden note floated heavenwards from the throat of the magical beast.

"I take it that you agree with me then," he asked.

Fawkes nodded royally before ceremoniously flying back to its golden stand.

Dumbledore indulged himself with a sigh before taking a quill to inform the Ministry of the latest incident.

***

February 18, 8:00 am

For a moment, the Great Hall was enveloped in silence. It didn't last for long.

"What!" A student exclaimed.

"I can't believe it." Said another.

Some were whimpering in fright while others were relieved. "We're going home. Finally! They shouldn't have waited for another student to, to--"

Another student interrupted her. "Yes, they should have sent us home after what happened to Hannah. I mean, why did they have to wait til there were 5 victims already?"

Harry looked mutinous. "How do they know that it's safer outside? For all we know there could have been more victims already if we hadn't been in Hogwarts at all!"

Hermione spoke worriedly. "Actually, I think that it's for the best if we disperse for now too."

"What?!" Harry asked heatedly. He angrily turned to the boy beside him. "How about you, Ron? Do you agree with Hermione?"

Ron awkwardly patted the slender boy's shoulder in a gesture of support and comfort.

"Harry, it's the people inside that castle who's being attacked after all..."

"Don't you trust Dumbledore?" He asked stubbornly. "Everything will turn out fine, just like in our second year!"

Ron gulped as he looked at Hermione. She was one of the victims then...

"Harry, it's not that I don't trust Dumbledore but..."

"If you trust him why say but?"

She exchanged a frustrated look with Ron, silently asking for help. The boy replied. "Maybe it won't take that long." An idea formed in his head. "You could stay in the Burrow while classes are suspended! I'm sure mum won't mind. You're practically part of the family already."

Hermione nodded in agreement. "Without the students here to protect, the teachers could concentrate on finding the culprit and getting a cure for the victims as well. I'm sure classes will resume in at least a week."

"Look at the bright side! We won't be having double Potions with the Slytherins!" Ron crowed cheerfully.

Harry still looked mutinous. "I still don't agree but it's not like I have a choice."

"Yes, we should start packing already. We're leaving early tomorrow morning and we'll be staying in the Great Hall again tonight." Hermione said anxiously. Well at least he's being reasonable again. She thought. She then heard her other best friend. He was chanting happily under his breath. "No Snape. No Potions. No Slytherins!" Fix one problem and another crops up! Hermione's thoughts were remorsefully as she listened to her friend add more and more not so complimentary descriptions of their rival house.

***

In the Hallways...

Draco was not amused. "I don't believe this. They're sending us home now? Doesn't anyone get what we're up against? I must do something but the old idiot will never listen to a Slytherin. Normally, I'd go to Snape but he's the problem this time!"

The boy was about to launch into a tirade when someone placed a hand on his shoulder. He jumped. "Who?" he asked as he turned around.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Mr. Malfoy," Snape said apologetically. "I didn't mean to startle you. I thought I heard you call me..."

Thoughts shot through his head like bullets as his heart beat accelerated into a probably unhealthy rate. Strike out the 'probably.' Ack! It's him! But how? How could he just appear like that? Maybe I shouldn't say his name. What if... what if he can read my mind? Does he know? Maybe, I shouldn't think. I'm not thinking! I'm not! My mind's as blank as Crabbe's. Aaargh! Does he suspect? No, I'm not thinking!!!

"Professor," the boy exclaimed. "I, I..."

"Is something the matter, Mr. Malfoy?" His black eyes sparkled with hidden knowledge.

He knows. That's it. I'm doomed. I'm not going to get away. He's smiling like a cat who's toying with its prey... Draco thought in despair. He opened his mouth to make another excuse when the professor suddenly stumbled against him. They both fell with the boy lying beneath.

"I'm sorry!" A familiar voice exclaimed. Draco felt both relieved and annoyed. Of course, he thought, it's--

"Harry," a girl cried out in exasperation. "I told you to look where you're going."

"Oh my, I'm sorry, Mr. Malfoy."

That voice got Draco's attention back to his main problem. That is until he stared into those black eyes. He lost it, then. It was as if his thoughts all went down the drain. Nothing mattered but those swirling fathomless orbs of liquid ebony. It entranced him more so than a siren's song. Unfortunately, it was as hungry, too. But to all witnesses, Professor Snape was merely looking at him with only the utmost apology and concern. Nobody noticed the strange glitter in his eyes. In the same manner, no one perceived the sudden evaporation of Draco Malfoy's brain. Not that it's usually transparent for all to see but if anyone had looked into his eyes then, they would have found them eerily empty. The house is vacant. Nobody's home. Then, Harry spoke.

To Draco, Harry's voice sounded as if he was speaking from the depths of a body of water. "Eerrrrrr soooorrrrrryyyyy, Prrrrrofeeeeessoooor."

Thin lips turned upwards for a bit before the teacher turned around to face the apologizing boy.

He smiled nicely at the black-haired boy. His eyes even crinkled as he spoke. "It's alright, Harry. But do be more careful next time, okay?"

Draco then fell back to reality with a thud as Snape faced the other student. For a moment, he'd been lost in another world. He shook his head to clear away the cobwebs that had suddenly sprouted full-grown in his brain. He felt like he'd just been through both the Imperius and Cruciatus curse at the same time. The inseparable trio was saying goodbye to the Potions Master. He quickly turned to leave too when...

"I'll be seeing you, Mr. Malfoy."

Great, Draco thought morosely as he tried to run off without looking like it. Just great.

***

The Next Day...

Dumbledore looked at the students assembled in the Great Hall. The Four Houses were all here... excepting those who were in the Hospital Wing, of course! His mind began to drift off to what he would say to the student body. Definitely, it was now absolutely out of the question for them to leave. It looked like things were about to become more interesting. A pity he lived in such interesting times. It was quite true that to wish someone an interesting life was a most potent curse.

***

At the Hospital Wing...

"Are you alright, Mr. Malfoy?" was the first thing Draco heard upon regaining consciousness. How could I be alright when my head feels like a herd of dragons just partied on it? The boy thought resentfully. He snapped at the idiot who was asking such foolish questions. "Of course not! Will someone get MacNair to get rid of that stupid hippogriff which ran me over?"

"Hmm. I take it you're fine then." The nurse nodded sagely. "Very well. Still, you're staying for observation. Oh, and Professor Snape came by. I think he wants to speak to you."

"Snape?!" Silver eyes widened in disbelief as Madam Pomfrey's words began to pierce through the fog in his brain. Oh no! Not him again. Unfortunately, he never was lucky when it came to things like this. Nope. No such thing as wishful thinking for Malfoy Junior.

"Ah! Mr. Malfoy, I'm glad to see that you're up. I trust you're feeling better." Snape said with a smile that was beginning to grate on the boy's already shot up nerves...

"Yes, Professor." Draco replied as meekly as he could. After all, there's no sense in challenging him when it's obvious who holds the upper hand. And it isn't me. "I'm fine already sir. Just a headache."

"I'm delighted to hear that. I was so worried when you collapsed like that! And just as your carriage was leaving the castle grounds! How strange! I've never seen anything like it... In fact the same thing happened to the next group that tried it which is why they cancelled the, er, leave for now. But don't you worry. The Ministry is working on it. I'm sure they'll come up with something..."

Something stupid, probably! Draco thought cynically. Oh well, at least, oops! Don't think about that Malfoy, you git! Eeew, how disgusting! For a moment there I sounded like that pauper Weasley. I'm losing it alright. A Malfoy sounding like a Weasel. What a concept! The boy thought with a snort. Oh well, it has it uses I guess. At least it kept me from thinking about-- nothing! Nothing at all. I hate Mudbloods. I hate Potty. I hate those two stupid sidekicks of scarhead, the Mudblood Granger and the pauper Weasley.

The Potions Maser suddenly smiled at him mysteriously. "Well, I'll be seeing you then, Mr. Malfoy." He turned to leave.

"Thank you for visiting me, Professor." Draco simpered with a smile plastered on his face, sincerity oozed from his voice. Finally! I thought he'd never leave.

The door closed but not before a sly voice reached his ears. "Soon." He shivered at the promise hidden behind the simple four-letter word.

***

February 25

Ron snorted. "It's just a Slytherin!"

"She, Ron! She!" Hermione said indignantly, "No matter how annoying and irritating she is--"

"Then, you agree with me," Ron crowed.

The girl continued like she had never been interrupted, "she's still a human being!"

"Don't sweat on the minor details, Hermione."

"The difference between 'she' and 'it' is not a minor detail! You--"

"Aren't snakes 'it?' Right--"

"My fair, lady..."

Harry's singing voice shut them both up. They stared at the boy who's thoughts were obviously in another time and place.

***

February 24, 10:03 pm

The demon hummed to himself contentedly. He then began to sing. Slowly. As if he wanted to savor each and every note that came out of his human lips.

"London bridge is falling down,"

In his bed, Harry began to move restlessly. Familiar faces were flashing through his mind like the proverbial silent movie. Neville's face was shyly smiling when suddenly it became a portrait of fear.

"Falling down,"

Sweat dotted his forehead as Padma opened her mouth to scream in terror.

"Falling down,"

He mumbled unintelligibly as Hannah's blue eyes began to widen in utter shock.

"London bridge is falling down,"

A strangled cry came out of his throat as he saw Cho fall limply against the cold stone floor.

"My fair lady..."

The demon smiled then. Creepily.

The door creaked open. Silhouetted in the doorway, a figure stood under its shadow. Red eyes glowed malignantly. Hungrily. "Come in, my lady," he invited silkily.

Harry began to move about agitatedly. "No," he muttered inarticulately, "don't."

But the girl obeyed unheedingly. Candlelight revealed her face as she stepped inside.

The boy moaned in distress.

Suddenly the door shut with a finality that echoed down the empty corridors. The very air was still in pregnant expectation.

"Come to my parlor said the spider to the fly..." He wittily quoted.

But not even a single sliver of light peeked through the closed door. The resonance of a song broke the silence of the night.

"My Fair Lady..."

Green eyes suddenly stared at the scarlet hangings. His lips were moving but nary a sound emerged from his dry throat. They formed a name. The name of a girl he knew.

***

Present...

"Harry?"

"Hey, you alright?"

The boy stared through them. "Pansy." He stated her name monotonously. "Pansy Parkinson."

"Yeeees, that's one Slytherin that we thankfully won't have to see anymore."

"Harry," Hermione asked anxiously, "do, do you know who did it? Do you know who Pansy met last night?"

Strangely somnolent green eyes peered at the bright blue skies beyond. It was a fair day outside the walls of Hogwarts. "My fair lady..." He just repeated again, albeit more softly this time. A hand suddenly clasped his shoulders.

"Harry."

Both Hermione and Ron jumped at the man's sudden appearance.

"Sirius!" Hermione shrieked in surprise, dropping her voluminous books. "My books!" She cried out in as even shriller voice as she fell on her knees to gather the books scattered around.

Ron shrugged his shoulders carelessly as he threw a random comment at the bushy-haired girl. "I guess, this solves the question of which is more important, Harry or books?"

The girl threw daggers over her shoulder even as she arranged the books in a manner known only to her.

Sirius smiled at them distractedly. His thoughts were focused on a certain green-eyed boy and on an event which just transpired.

***

Earlier ...

"What?!" Sirius exclaimed. He stared at the mirror suspiciously. "And why should I trust you?"

"Because if your pet werewolf drinks that potion one more time, he'll be dead," the mirror replied with finality in his tone. "Not that it's not a good thing," he said with a smirk in his voice. "Dark creatures like werewolves should be exterminated! They should not be allowed to wander about as they please. And," he continued indignantly, "most certainly should not be teaching in Hogwarts!"

"Make another crack of that nature at my friend and you'll be sporting a new look. The shattered into a thousand pieces one." Sirius said grimly.

The mirror snorted. "Well then, you better hurry if you wish to have a still living friend."

The man glared at the mirror. He muttered under his breath before loping off to his friend's office. "You better be right about this or else..."

The mirror replied to an empty room. "If I'm not I'd, I'd..." his voice trailed off as he tried to think of a worse fate than the one he was suffering now. "And what could possibly be worse than being trapped in Black's mirror?" He asked himself sarcastically.

***

In the Hallways...

Heavy muscles bunched up as Padfoot padded through the hallways silently. Meanwhile, his human thoughts were not as quiet. If that mirror's telling the truth then that means Snape is poisoning Remus. That no good slimy git! I knew it was a bad idea to trust him!. Still, the question is can I trust something that Snape gave? On the other hand, what he, it -, aaargh! - whatever says fits Remus -symptoms? condition? -- all too well... Damn it, I have to get there before--- Padfoot skidded to a halt in front of door to the DADA's office. Quickly changing back to his human form, he silently pleaded to the Higher Beings or maybe just to the ceiling as he hastily opened the door. Please, don't let me be too late this time! Nightmares of seeing their bodies swiftly flashed through his mind again. It was a very familiar scene for it had played in his mind again and again during the years he had spent in Azkaban...

***

Halloween of 1981...

His heart was beating faster than his motorcycle's engine. He thought it would burst.

It was the night of the full moon. Not a single cloud hindered the silver rays that revealed the horror which people called reality. The door was gone. It was as if it had never existed in the first place. He felt cold. It was like his blood had turned to ice.

"No," he moaned even as he ran as fast as his feet could carry him.

"James! Lily!" he shouted in utter desperation. Hoping against hope, he burst through the doorway to see that his nightmare had come true.

"No, it can't be!" He cried out, denying the proof of his senses.

"James," he moaned as he slowly fell to his knees besides the body on the floor. He felt that the blank eyes were staring at him accusingly. He felt his own sting.

"What have I done?" He asked, aghast. Lying a few feet from him was a pair of glasses. A tear fell on the glossy surface. Absentmindedly, he wiped them clean before gently giving them back to their owner.

"James..." He whispered as he pushed the messy black hair out of those unseeing eyes.

"I am sorry! I'm so sorry. I didn't know..." He confessed to the dead. Memories of the years they spent together flashed through his mind. He couldn't stop the tears from falling anymore. He didn't want to blubber over his best friend but he couldn't help it.

"Damn it all, Prongs! Wake up! You can't do this! Wake up!!" He grabbed the front of the robes and began to shake the body that would never move of its own volition again.

"Wake up," he cried in defeat. He resigned himself to the hopelessness of the situation.

It was at that moment that he heard a noise in the kitchen. "Lily," he said softly even as he almost stumbled over his own robes in his haste.

"Lily, it's alright! It's me, Sirius," he called out as he entered. It was silent once more. A mane of scarlet flame.

"No. Lily," he whimpered in disbelief.

"Lily, Harry,' he bleakly whispered. A sparkle of something caught his attention. It was just the light of the moon falling on a pool of... blood.

"What?" He asked as he bent down to look closely at it. Drip. The scarlet tear could only come from a body... his godson's.

"Harry!" He exclaimed as he examined the gash in the child's forehead. He felt his heart beat. Blood. Bleeding. Alive! He thought in triumph.

"Harry," he said again as he snatched the injured babe lying besides his mother's body on the floor. Quickly, he summoned a towel to press over the child's wound. The baby stared at him silently as he gently wiped the scarlet liquid. He's hurt but he's not even crying? What the hell? He asked himself. He cried out when he saw the lightning bolt was on the small forehead.

"What the?!"

Green eyes gazed at him knowingly.

***

Back in front of Lupin's office

Weary amber eyes stared at him uncomprehending. "Sirius? Is something the matter?" Remus asked tiredly from within the confines of his office.

Sirius quickly added the ingredient the mirror told him to get.

The exhausted teacher sighed. "What did you put in my potion? Is this about Severus again?"

Sirius frowned. "Just drink it."

"Really, Padfoot! It's just a painkiller!"

"Right," Sirius muttered under his breath. "It's a painful killer."

"I heard that. It's just something for my headache, you know."

Silence.

"I really do not understand why you persist on suspecting Severus when--"

"---- he has done nothing but poison you and try to kill you?"

"-- he brewed me this potion out of the kindness of his heart."

"He doesn't have a heart."

"Sirius!" Remus cried out in exasperation.

"Remus!" The person he was exasperated with mimicked in the exact same tone.

He laughed. "I swear, Padfoot! You'll drive me out of my mind one day."

"Haven't yet so far."

"Only because--"

***

Back in the Great Hall

"Harry, we need to talk."

The boy nodded once gravely before obediently following him. They left the two who were still arguing. This time they were bickering on the merits of books and friends.

The boy stared out the window as Sirius quietly closed the door. They were in Lupin's office.

"Harry--"

"I know."

"What? How?"

"Does it matter?"

"Yes." The older man replied calmly before suddenly lunging at the boy who merely stood there indifferently.

***

In the Hallways...

"Excuse me, Ron, Hermione but have you seen Sirius?"

"He's right-- " Ron yelped in surprise when he saw that he was pointing at a blank space.

"Right where?" Remus asked in confusion.

Hermione frowned at the empty air which Sirius and Harry previously occupied. "They must have left while we were discussing--"

"You call that a discussion?"

"Yes. What do you think--"

"Er, sorry to interrupt but this is really important."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Professor. It's just that he's so--"

"Excuse me. I am not the problem. It's you who's always starting these arguments, Ms. Know-It-All!"

"Me! What do you mean me? And... Know-It-All! Really!!!"

Remus sighed. "Sirius? Harry?"

Hermione glared at Ron one last time before pointing at the direction she suspected they'd taken. "That way!" She was right, of course.

Remus wisely grabbed Ron to stop him from making a comeback and they all left in search of their missing friends. He shook his head as he recognized the path they were taking. "I should have known." The man murmured to himself.

***

Lupin's office...

Until now those brilliant emerald orbs haunted him. Ruthlessly, he tried to pull the cursed thing off. He never heard his godson's voice.

The bracelet bit into the boy's arm painfully. "Sirius," he cried out but the overzealous man didn't hear him. The fierce black eyes burned with an almost fanatic intensity.

At the exact moment that the door opened, Sirius suddenly yanked one last time at the stubborn piece of jewelry. This time, brutally. Blood spurted abruptly from the torn flesh as the acute pressure finally broke the whole and unblemished pale skin. Three figures stared incredulously at the scene they found played out before them.

"Are you nuts?" Ron exclaimed angrily. "Look at what you've done!" The gangly boy said accusingly as he pointed at the bleeding wrist.

Harry quickly stepped between his best friend and his godfather. "It's alright, Ron," he said in a reconciliatory tone. "I'm fine."

Hermione tried in vain to wrap her handkerchief around his wrist. "Stop moving will you?!"

"I! I--" Sirius stuttered in shock.

Green eyes gazed at him forgivingly. "It's just a scratch, Sirius."

"Still, you better have Madam Pomfrey take a look at it," Remus said calmly. "Ron, Hermione," he said before the boy could object, "please take him to the Hospital Wing."

Ron immediately grabbed his friend's uninjured arm while Hermione stuck close to his other side even as she automatically replied with a "Yes, Professor." Nothing the protesting boy said could stop them. Harry rolled his eyes at their mulishness. He should have known better than to try to argue with them when their minds were already made up. Not to mention when both of they agree on the same thing. They were worse than a 'force of nature.' They become more of, of... an 'unmovable object.'

Remus waited until the children had left before turning to the haunted looking man who was staring at his hands as if they had betrayed him. "Are you alright, Sirius?"

"I? I? You are asking if I'm alright when it's Harry who's bleeding?"

"Yes, I'm asking if you're alright for I know you. Padfoot, you'd rather die than see that boy hurt and--"

A sarcastic laughter resonated bitterly in the simple office.

"-- I'm sure there's a logical explanation for all this.'

"Really? I'd like to know what reason could I possibly have to injure my godson? Are you blind? Didn't you see what I just did?!"

"Padfoot, no - Sirius. Things are never what they seem so I'd rather have an explanation. If you won't give me one then I'll just go Harry. I'm sure my student would be very willing to talk to me..."

"A reason," Sirius said mockingly. "Yes, I have an explanation. A mirror-clear one for sure ..."

***

5th year boy's dormitory: House of Slytherin...

Draco scowled as he paced about the room. "What am I gonna do?" He asked himself. "Obviously leaving isn't an option, not that I think that would do any good, anyway. He'll still be able to track us for he's part of us already!" He threw his hands up in frustration. "Aaargh! Things are getting worse! I must figure out a plan soon. He has finally attacked a Slytherin. And the number of days between attacks is shrinking. It was 8 days between Longbottom and that Hufflepuff. Pansy was attacked at the 24th making it a week between her MacMillan. That means the next one is probably in six to five days. Soon. Soon there will be no more intervals. Then, what? Will he strike us all down at once?" Just as Crabbe was getting cross-eyed from watching the blond boy, a loud thud made him look at the floor.

"Goyle," Draco shouted in disgust, "what are you doing?!"

The large boy looked at him from where he was lying down. "Duh, I fell asleep?"

Crabbe snorted with laughter while steely gray eyes looked at the ceiling as he counted Firebolts whizzing through his head.

"I think it's better for my sanity if you do not open your mouth anymore."

Goyle looked at him dumbly. Crabbe looked like the way he normally did. Stupidly.

"Aaarghh!" Draco cried out in frustration as he resumed his pacing. "Stupid, idiot, dumb, dim, thick, dense...," he was muttering under his breath more adjectives of the same meaning when the ground shook. "WHAT NOW?!"

Crabbe pointed at the blue-faced Goyle. "He can't breathe?"

Goyle was lying on the floor. He had fainted but he started to breathe again as soon as he stopped voluntarily holding his breath.

Draco looked up in anguish. "Why me? Why do you just love to do things like this to me? What did I ever do to deserve all this?"

Silence. The boy made a mental note to himself. You can't reach heaven through the ceiling. It probably interferes with the reception...

Crabbe was scratching his head. "Are you talking to me?"

Draco dropped his head in resignation. "I give up. You're absolutely hopeless."