Harry Potter Back to the Past

"Sap is an assassin who belongs to the Malfoy family," said Zneeze plainly.

"What? Are you kidding? How can it be? I've never heard about it!" said Malfoy very much surprised.

"But his father is a death eater! How can he be the master of an assassin?" asked Harry, who was also startled.

"He can be a death eater as well as the master of a group of assassins," said Zneeze as-a-matter-of-factly.

"A group? How can my family be so powerful? I just can't imagine it," said Malfoy, unable to believe Zneeze's words.

"That's what Sap told me. He always says that I look like my grandma, Minorus," said Zneeze, smiling and added, "Well, I really resemble her."

"If Sap is really an assassin, who is the one he is supposed to kill?" asked Harry suspiciously.

"If you want to know, you may ask him. Sap...!"

"He... he's always here," asked Harry.

"I suppose so," replied Malfoy, looking around.

"What're you looking at? He's here," said Zneeze.

"Hi," Harry turned his head and saw someone veiled up. It was too dark to see him. More precisely, he was totally in black. Only his eyes could be seen. They were as cold as ice. He held up his hand to greet them.

"How can you be an assassin belonging to my family? It can't be! It just can't be!" shouted Malfoy as soon as he saw Sap.

"My master is your grandpa," said Sap plainly.

"I'm never told about it," said Malfoy. He was quite surprised to imagine that a stranger could know more about his family than himself.

"So I suppose we're brought here because of this organization but why am I brought here? I'm not involved," said Harry, staring at Sap.

"Because you're the key," said a strange voice coming from Malfoy. His voice was cold and his eyes were as fierce as he was near the lake.

"You again, who are you?" said Harry.

"An evil spirit implanted in him by Albun," said a new voice. Zneeze looked thoughtful for a moment. It seemed that the voice was familiar to her. The owner of the voice came out. She looked the almost the same as Zneeze.

"Minorus? Aren't you dead?" said Sap who looked frightened.

"You had thought so but of course I'm not. I've been watching you from the moment you thought you had killed me," said Minorus with a cunning smile.

"But..." Sap was too surprised to say anything.

"I summoned my broom of course. A cliff could have killed me? Nonsense!" bellowed Minorus.

"Your wand was in my hand..." stuttered Sap.

"I've got another wand! Don't you know that?"

A terrible thought struck Zneeze. She realized everything. Minorus was the one whom Sap was supposed to kill! "Oh God! You had to kill my grandma but why did you save me? Tell me why!" gnarled Zneeze who was then unable to control herself.

"Er, it is because..." Sap was startled by Zneeze's question. Actually, he did not quite understand why he had save Zneeze. He had asked himself a thousand times but was unable to find the answer. He, an assassin, should be cold-blooded. Under no circumstances would he save his own enemy. He searched from the bottom of his heart but could not get the answer.

"You don't need to tell me. I know why. It's just that you want to kill me -- just like you thought you had done to my grandma! isn't it?" Zneeze's eyes were full of tears.

"No, listen..." Sap grasped Zneeze's arm.

"Don't trust him! He's a traitor," Minorus interrupted.

"Sap has betrayed you, hasn't he?" asked Harry who began to understand their relationship.

"And you're going to betray me once again?" Zneeze muttered, still struggling from Sap's grasp without looking at him.

"No, listen to me," Sap tried to explain. He grasped Zneeze's arm tighter.

"Let go! I won't listen to you!" Zneeze tried to break away from Sap but she failed. Instead, Sap pulled her towards him. He unveiled his face and kissed on her lips. "I love you, Zneeze," said Sap. Zneeze was taken aback by his act and remained speechless and motionless. After a moment, she turned away from him and muttered, "I won't trust you." Tears fell down her cheeks. She knew that she felt the same for him but it was just because of their background that they could never fall in love with each other. She shook off Sap's hands and tried to run out of the room. However, as she reached the entrance, she bumped into a big mass of body. It was Professor Albun.

"No one can go out of here. It's finally time to settle our mutual debts, Minorus," said Albun. He glanced at Minorus and had a glimpse of Malfoy.

"Fine, even if you don't find me, I'm going to kill you. It's just a mistake that I didn't kill you that time."

"Zneeze, you've got to trust me," said Sap who had run near to Zneeze. A flash of light shone in air. Sap took out a knife. "This knife is supposed to have killed you but now..." Without hesitation, he struck the knife into his own heart. Zneeze's mouth was left open for a moment.

"Why? Why? I would rather you kill me! Sap!" Zneeze's voice could not save Sap. He smiled to Zneeze and fell dead. His body began to disintegrate. Zneeze wanted to pick up the knife to finish herself off but she was interrupted by the incoming voice.

"Oh, such a grand family Reunion," said a voice behind Albun. Sumud penetrated through Albun. The atmosphere became tenser and tenser.

"Who are you again? How's your relationship with them?" Harry was annoyed. It was just because he was confused. He was too confused to identify who they were and the relationship between them. It was too complicated to understand. Yes, too complicated.

"You... you penetrated through Albun?! You're a phantom?" Zneeze was so surprised that she could no longer support herself and sat on the ground.

"I'm not dead. I became like this only because of your good grandmother," snapped Sumud, staring at Minorus.

"You ask for it. Can't you still remember what you have done to my daughter?" Minorus was furious and grinded her teeth. It seemed that she was going to lose her temper.

"He raped your daughter then?" Harry said after thinking for a while.

"Ha, ha! You think that she is a man? I tell you Sumud is actually a woman but she did nothing to my daughter but it's her husband, Albun..." Minorus was then too furious to say anything. Her eyes were full of tears.

"So Draco's right. Sumud is female. I should have trusted him earlier," sighed Harry. He regretted that he did not believe Malfoy. However, by then Malfoy was already controlled by that evil spirit. He could never tell Malfoy his true feelings, never...

"It's not yet too late, Harry. Do you still remember what that evil spirit said? You, Harry, you're the key!" Harry was startled to hear that. He turned round. Professor Salty Fish was at the window.

"How can I call back Malfoy, and why am I the key?" Harry put all of his trust in Professor Fish; although he did not know why. He had known her for only a month, but it seemed to him that he had known her for a very long time. Professor Fish descended from the window. She put down her broom. Minorus' face changed. She was filled with both surprise and joy.

"Sumire, Sumire..." Tears of joy fell from Minorus eyes. She hugged Salty Fish. At the same time, Zneeze recognized the name. Sumire was her aunt who had already passed away.

"Aunt Sumire? It can't be. She's dead," said Zneeze, opening her eyes widely.

"Wait a moment, please! Answer me, professor, how can I call back Draco? I've got so much to tell him!" Harry was so eager to save Malfoy that his usual curiosity about the matter had deteriorated.

"Listen, if you want to save him. The spirit will soon have full control over Malfoy. You--your feelings, your emotions--they are the only things strong enough to call out the spirit. Only you can seal it. Face the facts, Harry: you know the truth of the whole thing," said Professor Salty Fish earnestly. Harry frowned slightly, not quite comprehending. Before he took any action, Albun ran towards Malfoy. Salty had freed herself from Minorus, pulled out her wand and pointed at Albun. "Stupefy!" Albun stopped abruptly.

"Are you really Aunt Sumire? You don't resemble the Aunt Sumire in the picture hung at home," asked Zneeze suspiciously.

"I am if you think I am," said Professor Fish cryptically.

Harry tried his very best to recall his memory. He realized the whole thing. "I know how to save him!" he said joyfully. He caught hold of Malfoy's shoulder, more precisely the evil spirit's shoulder, even though the evil spirit tried to struggle from him. "Stop, stop moving, it's no use. You'll never be able to control him again," said Harry confidently.