Learning to Vanquish

Chapter Eight

You Did What?!

"I'm sorry, Harry," the school nurse told him. "I can give you a potion for one night but there's nothing safe for you to take on a regular basis. Everything I have either stops working or makes you sick or both." Harry wasn't terribly surprised; it was what he had been expecting. What he really needed, he decided as he went back to his common room, was a way to stop the dreams. He changed direction and went to the library, hunting for books on dreaming. He finally asked Madam Pince for help when all he could find were books on dream interpretation. She helped him find several books on sleep and dream states.

In reading the books, he discovered a technique called lucid dreaming, which was about directing your dreams. It seemed like a good idea, so he decided to give it a try that very night.

That night, he found himself in a hard wooden chair in a stone room. It felt cold and damp, with bars on the window. There was a fire in the fireplace, but it was feeble. Kneeling on the floor before him was Lucius Malfoy. His head was bent so all Harry could see was his hair. He could feel himself start to speak, but decided to take control and see if he could move on his own. He reached out his hand and stroked the head. Once.

Malfoy's head snapped up in surprise. Harry could feel the same surprise within himself. He knew it was Voldemort's and decided to push things. Just a little. "Is there a problem, my dear Lucius?" he asked. His voice was Voldemort's. "If you're going to behave . . ."

Harry lost control of Voldemort's body but he remained stuck. Voldemort wrestled him for control. For no reason other than that he could, Harry fought back. Months of seeing what Voldemort was doing, feeling what he was feeling, the horror of the vision the other wizard had shown him during his History of Magic OWL gave Harry a huge burst of energy. He pulled back his hand and struck Malfoy hard with the back of his hand. Voldemort shouted, "Get away from me, you fool! The boy is trying to possess me!"

As the two continued to struggle, others entered the room. One of the others surprised Harry, a shock he fought to hide beneath a shield of Occlumency. He seemed to have succeeded, because Voldemort paid no more attention to Professor Snape than he did to any of the others.

As the Death Eaters entered the room, Harry found himself losing the battle. He finally realized that Voldemort was able to pull on the strength of his followers, using their very essence for his own needs. He finally became strong enough to push Harry completely out of his mind.

Harry sat straight up in bed, screaming. His head felt as if it was about to burst along his scar, but he had an indescribable feeling of triumph as well. He couldn't yet beat Voldemort, but he wasn't a helpless weakling when facing him any longer. He had a weapon!

First, however, he had to calm his friends. Neville had already run to notify the headmaster, and Dean had gone for McGonagall. Harry debated whether or not to tell the others what had happened. On the one hand, he trusted the other four but on the other, some of the things he had learned were best kept quiet. When Professor McGonagall came into the room, Harry decided he wasn't going to tell the other boys anything. He'd tell Ron later.

Professor McGonagall seemed to be thinking the same way. "Follow me, Potter," she ordered him as soon as she made sure he was up to walking. "The rest of you, go back to bed. Yes, you, too, Weasley." She led the way to the headmaster's office.

Once there, Harry told the headmaster everything he could about the dream. At Dumbledore's request, he then wrote everything down, in as much detail as he could remember. He had just finished this when Professor Snape walked into the room.

Although not especially imposing physically, Snape was one of the most menacing people Harry had ever known. It was all in his voice, in what he said and how he said it, and in the feeling that he had access to great, dark power that could destroy you if he decided to unleash it. Tonight, none of the menace was present. He quietly walked into the room and sat in a chair before Dumbledore's desk. His face was tired and lined and Harry was reminded irresistibly of Lupin.

"It was a bad meeting tonight?" Dumbledore asked his spy quietly. "You weren't expecting it to be."

"I wasn't expecting Potter to possess the Dark Lord," Snape said. Harry thought he was trying for his normal sneer, but he didn't seem to have the energy to maintain it. "Successfully, I might add, if not for long. What on earth possessed you . . ." Snape had to stop while Harry giggled nervously. He couldn't ever remember Snape making a joke before, even an unintentional one. "Yes, yes, very droll, Potter. What were you thinking to try such a thing?"

Dumbledore stared thoughtfully at Harry. "Why did you possessed Voldemort?"

"I was trying out this lucid dreaming thing I'd read about," Harry told them. "I didn't know it'd mean I could possess him. Did he tell everyone that's what had happened?"

Snape sneered at Harry, but it lacked its usual force. "He is claiming that he was trying to plant information in your mind and you were able to resist him slightly. That is what he claims distracted him. None of us are entirely certain of what happened next; I believe he hit us all with multiple Cruciatus curses but, frankly, I don't remember."

"He drew power from you," Harry realized in astonishment. "He used your power to recover from what I did."

Snape and Dumbledore stared at Harry in surprise. "What makes you think that?" Dumbledore asked.

"Let me," Harry started, then realized how much Snape would object to how he had been about to make his request. "Excuse me, sir, but I'd like to see your Mark. Would you show it to me? To us?"

Snape and Dumbledore both looked startled but Snape did roll up his sleeve. His Mark was not just dark and clear on his arm, as it usually was; it looked raw and open. "This is how it looks," Snape said, "immediately after he gives it to you. What do you think you know?"

Harry pulled his thoughts together. He wanted to sound adult and sensible, because he didn't think they'd believe him otherwise. "I could feel him pulling power from all of the Death Eaters," Harry told them. "I could definitely feel it from those present, but he might be able to do so from anyone he's Marked. I think he uses your Marks as more than just a summoning device."

Harry couldn't quite read the look Snape gave him. He thought he could see respect but he could also see a wariness, a caution and even a fear that hadn't been there before. "Most of us have suspected his Mark to be more than just an identification and a summoning tool, but he has kept the secrets of the Mark close to him."

Harry had another, greater concern. "Did he give any indication he doesn't trust you, sir?" he asked Professor Snape. "Because I was a little startled when I first saw you. I Occluded my mind, more than before, but I don't know if it worked."

Snape's smile was twisted, but he didn't seem to be upset with the question. "On the contrary, he crowed that you now knew for certain I was with him, but had no hope of ever proving it. He did catch your surprise, but your taking Occlumency seriously this year means that he didn't catch the reason for it. Very good, Potter. Headmaster," he turned to Dumbledore, "I believe you and I have a great deal to discuss, both together and with the Order. And no matter how much our 'lucid dreamer' thinks he is ready, he is still too young to be burdened with what must be discussed. I recommend we send him to his bed, with a one night's dose of Dreamless Sleep potion, and have a long discussion with him tomorrow about why lucid dreaming while seeing through a madman's eyes is a Very Bad Idea."

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as he surveyed both Harry and Snape. "Only one night's dose, Severus? One might think you'd been intimidated."

"Hardly," Snape answered. His sneer was slowly returning to normal strength. "However, it is true that that potion is dangerous if taken more than very occasionally." Snape stood up and led Harry to the hospital wing. When Harry started to object, Snape refused to let him say anything. "You tried this because you are exhausted and not thinking straight because you experience his actions every night. You need a night's rest while we endeavour to find a better solution. And, although you've taken it before, it is a dangerous potion that should be administered by a professional and the patient should be observed while under the influence, every single time. You deserve a restful night's sleep for the rest of the night; even I will admit you've earned it."

Harry was so stunned by the Potion Master's words that he meekly took the potion and climbed into the bed without a word of complaint. The potion pulled him quickly into sleep and he spent the rest of the night in quiet, restful slumber.

Harry woke the next morning to discover that the Ron and Hermione had found him in the hospital wing. He struggled to sit up, discovering as he did so that his entire body ached. "I'll bet it didn't take you long to figure out where I was," he grumbled.

"Of course not," Hermione said. "It was either here or Professor Dumbledore's office and it's easier to check here."

"Madam Pomfrey doesn't seem very upset, so I'm guessing you're not in too bad a shape," Ron said. "How do you feel?"

"Sore," Harry said. "When we can be sure no one else can hear us, I'll tell you what happened. What time is it? I don't want to miss any more classes than I absolutely have to."

"It's Saturday," Ron told him patiently. "No classes, but you have missed breakfast. Do you want to go to the kitchens for something, or do you want to go to the Room of Requirement to tell us what happened?"

Harry thought about it for a moment while he got dressed in the clothes Ron had brought. He wasn't very hungry and he desperately wanted to talk to the two of them. "Room of Requirement," he announced.

Once they were there, with the door locked and warded with half a dozen charms Hermione had found, they sat down. Harry took a deep breath and told them everything he had seen, and done, the night before. When he finished, there was a profound silence that stretched out.

Ron was the one who broke the silence. "You possessed Voldemort and were able to, what, move his body around?" When Harry nodded, he whistled. "Mate, I hate to say this to you, but do you reckon this is how you can defeat him?"

"I don't know, but at the very least it's something else I can use against him," Harry said. "There are some problems with it, though."

Hermione nodded. "Yes, there certainly are. I see two, no three, problems; once we start analyzing what happened, we'll probably find more. First, it leaves you exhausted and in pain. Second, he has the Death Eaters to draw on whereas you have only your own personal power. Third, it's very difficult and he can and will fight." After a moment of quiet, she pulled out a roll of parchment. Let's make a list of what we know and what we need to find out."

Ron and Harry smirked at each other. "Then let me guess where we'll go next," Ron said.

"The library!" both boys chorused.

Hermione huffed, but grinned as well. "Where else can you do research?" she asked. "We can start to find answers there, but we'll have to apply them. Well, you'll have to apply them," she said quietly, looking at Harry with an expression of terrible guilt. "We'll do whatever we can to help you, Harry; you know that, don't you?"

Harry smiled at the both of them. "Of course, I know. Why do you think I'm here? Dumbledore and Snape took what I told them to the Order; I take it to you two. We're all using it to fight."

They discussed all aspects of the dream they could think of, coming up with a long list of questions. As soon as they walked out the door, they found themselves facing Snape. "Amazing," he sneered at them. "Three Gryffindors together, not out of bounds, not breaking any rules. Or are you?"

"Excuse me, sir," Hermione said, quietly but firmly. "We just finished planning a study and research session and are now headed to the library. Completely in bounds and, well, isn't that what students are supposed to do?"

Snape raised an eyebrow and looked coldly at Hermione. "Careful, Miss Granger. That could have easily been considered impertinent. Might I ask what class this study and research session was for?"

Harry glared at the man. "Not a class. Not that it should matter, but I was telling my two best friends about the dream I had last night. They're helping me, erm, interpret it."

Snape's expression was sour. "Wonderful. Teenagers who think they can discover more than their elders. Others are doing what needs to be done, Mr. Potter; you needn't concern yourself."

Harry thought for a minute. He didn't want to have this discussion out in the corridor where anyone could hear. He could still see the door to the Room of Requirement; he supposed that meant they could walk back to where they had been. "Sir, could we speak for a moment in here?" he asked, trying to keep his voice polite.

Apparently, he succeeded, because although Snape sneered as he preceded Harry into the room, he did come in. At a glance from Harry, Hermione reset the locks and wards. "Professor, maybe the Order can do what needs to be done, but the prophecy says otherwise. I can't afford, we can't afford, for me to ignore anything I can use to fight and defeat Voldemort. I told Ron and Hermione the dream because they're good at helping me figure things out."

Snape gazed darkly at Harry for several minutes, obviously calculating what he had said. "Let me see," he finally said, holding out his hand to Hermione. When she looked to Harry for help, confused as to what Snape wanted, he snapped at her, "Your list of research subjects, Miss Granger. I may be able to help you shorten the process." Looking rather stunned, Hermione handed her list over.

Snape glanced down the list quickly, nodding to himself. "You'll find nothing on the Mark in the library, except perhaps a picture of it. You may find a little more by looking under the incantation, that's Morsmordre, but I wouldn't count on it. Although Mr. Potter came up with the idea because of lucid dreaming, what occurred had little or nothing to do with dreaming; that line of research is useless." He continued down the list, Hermione quickly scribbling down everything he said. The comments were helpful, if stated sarcastically.

When he came to the end of the list, he stared but then looked at Hermione, considering. "This last item: soul connections. Why would you be looking into that?"

Harry looked at Hermione startled; it wasn't something she had mentioned when they had been discussing what they needed to research. He glanced over at Ron, expecting him to be as startled and confused, but found that Ron was smiling slightly and nodding.

"I hadn't been going to tell Harry about that until I'd done some research," Hermione admitted shame-facedly. "It was something that Ron had mentioned. The connection doesn't seem to be mental; it seems to be much deeper. He had mentioned several types of soul bonds and it got me to thinking that maybe . . . Well, I wanted to look into it, that's all."

Snape's eyes narrowed for a moment but then his normal sneer returned. "That's another fruitless line of research. I don't believe that three teenagers still in school have a hope of finding answers their elders haven't found. However," he continued with a sour look, "I can't stop you lot from wasting your time. We will make no allowances if you fall behind in your real classes." He stood and swept out of the room.

Harry let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. Ron looked as stunned as he felt, but Hermione seemed to be considering something. "Did either of you two get the feeling," she asked, "that he hadn't thought about soul bonds or connections and wanted to steer us away from them?"

Exchanging a look with Ron, Harry realized that she was probably right. "What do we do about it?" Ron asked.

"Continue on as we planned," she answered. "With an emphasis on soul bonds and connections."

The three friends spent as much of their free time as they could in the library researching, but none of them had much free time at the end of the term. Ron and Hermione had to spend a lot of time on prefect duties, between helping to decorate the castle for Christmas, keeping the increasing pranks of the other students from getting out of hand, and helping the younger students prepare for exams.

The Christmas holiday finally arrived. Almost all of Gryffindor Tower would be going home; the only two exceptions were Harry and Neville. Harry, of course, wasn't welcome at home and would be endangering himself and the Weasleys if he went with them to the Burrow. Neville's grandmother had been ill all autumn; he had suggested he stay at Hogwarts to allow her more peace and quiet. In gratitude for his understanding, she had sent an amazing number of gifts and snacks. Ron had been willing to stay to keep the other two boys company; however, his parents had insisted he come home this year. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley's reconciliation with Percy, and the fact that Charlie was in England for the holiday this year, meant they would be able to have the entire family at home for Christmas. Ron was obviously torn. On the one hand, Christmas would be much more fun at the Burrow, even with Percy; however, on the other hand, he felt as if he were abandoning Harry. It was something of a relief when the Hogwarts Express finally left with Ron firmly on it.

Harry had asked Ron to see if he could get any information from Percy on Azkaban. The fact that no one had reported anything about the transfer to Voldemort worried Harry terribly. None of the professors would discuss the subject with him and, when he wrote to Lupin, he was told it wasn't a subject for letters. He was just going to have to wait.

Later that night, Harry heard Sirius's voice in the mirror. When he went over to pick it up, Sirius was grinning at him. "Somebody has apparently been dying to talk to you about a hundred different things," he said. "And you wouldn't believe the amount of parchment he wants to send through."

"Who?" Harry asked.

"Your doppelganger," Sirius said. He stepped out of the mirror and the other Harry stepped in. Harry could see Neville trying to look into the mirror without Harry noticing, he waved Neville over so he could see properly.

"Mate, you are a cruel, cruel man," his counterpart said, shaking his head. "Why didn't you tell me Hermione's as good at snogging as she is everything else?"

"I didn't know," Harry said, "and I never planned on finding out. You've kissed Hermione?"

Harry could hear Sirius's sniggers as his counterpart answered, "Yes, I most certainly have. And I plan on continuing to do so as often as she'll let me. With the way you talked about her, I was sure you fancied her; I suppose I was wrong." The other boy shrugged. "She's also very determined to help you defeat old Tommy; well, so am I. Do you know what that girl did?" Before Harry could shake his head, the other boy went on, "She talked Professor Dumbledore into an unlimited pass to the Restricted Section in the library; Madam Pince practically accused him of being an impostor taking Polyjuice. As if that stuff'd really fool anyone."

Harry smirked. "It will. Fooled Malfoy into thinking Ron and I were Crabbe and Goyle. Too bad he didn't know the information we were looking for."

Harry's counterpart goggled and Harry could hear Sirius choking in the background. "Oh. Well, I have notes from Hermione with everything, and I do mean everything, she's found out. She got some details about the ritual Tommy killed himself with. I'm really, really glad he failed in this universe; if he managed to make it work in yours, he is one nasty piece of work. She's also looked up everything about love as a power in magic; there's actually quite a bit on that. Some of what you need to make the most powerful spells in that group work is . . . " The other Harry trailed off. "Never mind that. She's also written out some things for you to try and some questions she wants you to answer. She'd love to do more research on all of this, but she needs more information to do it."

Harry looked at the stack he could see next to his counterpart. It was dauntingly tall and he didn't want to think about how long it would take him to get through the stack. "Er, tell her how much I appreciate her hard work," he finally said.

His counterpart smirked at him. "Yeah, that'd be my reaction, too. Does she have a boyfriend? You ought to ask her out. She's a terrific girlfriend."

Harry shook his head, imagining Ron's reaction to his asking Hermione out. "No, I think she likes Ron," he finally said. He could see Neville trying to snigger quietly in the corner of his eye.

His counterpart nodded. "Is that Neville there with you?" he asked. "Do you think I could talk h him? It'd be cool to tell Neville I talked with his counterpart."

Harry glanced over at Neville, who looked fascinated with the concept. He handed the mirror over to the other boy and sat still, thinking over the implications. He could hear the other two talking, but his mind was really on the information Hermione had gleaned from the library. Voldemort had apparently cast a difficult, dangerous spell, probably to gain immortality, which had gone so badly wrong in the other world that it had killed him. Did the fact that it had worked in this universe mean that the dark wizard truly was immortal, or was there a possibility of finding a weakness to exploit? Realistically, Harry knew it was likely to be the former, but the latter possibility was a very heady thought. He discovered he really wanted to be going through that pile of parchment. Interrupting Neville for a moment, he asked him to ask his counterpart to start sending the notes through as soon as they finished their chat.

A little later, Neville carefully set the mirror on Harry's bedside table and sat next to him. "Now I know why they've been running those tests on me," he said to Harry. "I thought they thought I just wasn't trying hard enough, but they think something might be wrong, don't they? Something they can fix."

"I think that's what they're hoping for," Harry confirmed. "Pretty mad, huh, seeing how one person can change things?"

"It really makes me think of what I can do to change things," Neville agreed. "Especially with what you told me earlier this year; that if he'd chosen me to go after first, I'd be the Boy Who Lived." After sitting for a bit in a companionable silence, Neville laid his hand on Harry's shoulder. "If you ever need anything, Harry, let me know." After another minute, he grinned. "So, you're not interested in Hermione, huh? Think I should tell her that? Or that you're waiting for Ron the Thick to make his move?"

Harry did the only thing possible. He grabbed his pillow and hit Neville over the head with it. Neville Accioed his pillow over and the two of them began a huge pillow fight over the entire dorm. When they finally called a truce and went to bed, Harry found himself falling asleep with a huge smile on his face.

The next morning, Harry found the stack of parchment that had come through the mirror had fallen in the night and was all over the floor around his bedside table. Sighing, he picked up the scattered pages and started reading through it. There was a good bit he thought he would need Hermione to help him decipher, especially the bits about love as a magical power, but what he found especially interesting was the information on how Tom Riddle in the alternate universe died. He had been trying to perfect and cast a spell that would enable him to stay alive by loosening the hold his soul had on his body. In theory, it would have enabled him to leave his body for another at his death. After considering it, Harry copied the pages with the spell Dumbledore had taught him that summer and sent the headmaster one copy.

Thinking to get as much help from his counterpart and his friends, Harry wrote up all the notes they had put together from his trip into Voldemort's mind. While they were being sent, he owled a letter to Hermione asking if she could think of anything else they should send.

Christmas day dawned bleak and snowy. Neville and Harry opened their gifts together and spent the rest of the day talking quietly. That changed the next day.

The Daily Prophet that morning had DARK MARK SIGHTED; FOUR DEAD, FIVE KISSED screaming across the front page. Harry and Neville read the article thoroughly, but the only real additional information was that it had happened nearly two hundred miles north of London. Neither of them recognized the names of the victims; three of them had been Muggles. The day passed slowly; the two of them tried to keep themselves occupied with chess or Gobstones, but neither of them could stop thinking about the attack.

After a restless night's sleep, Harry went looking for Snape. He found him in his office, apparently marking exams and essays. When he knocked and walked in, Snape looked up at him tiredly. "Did you see anything about the attacks?"

"No, sir," Harry answered, "but that is why I'm here." Harry took a deep breath to steel himself for what he wanted to ask. "You've been helping me learn Occlumency, but it's not enough. Vol-, er, Riddle will keep coming after me and I'll have to fight him. I need to learn more than defence. I need to learn how to attack him."

Snape looked at him for several minutes before he finally answered. "The kind of training you want, Potter, is outside what students are taught here. I will have to discuss the possibility with the Headmaster. If I get his approval and agree to teach you, you must take it seriously and listen. Do you understand?"

Harry nodded, his mind on the five people who'd been Kissed. Snape regarded him thoughtfully. "I'll consider it. You're dismissed."

Three days later, Harry was summoned to Dumbledore's office. After offering tea, biscuits and sweets, Dumbledore asked Harry, "Are you certain you wish to add these additional lessons on top of what you're already handling? What will give if something must?"

Harry sighed. "I'm not sure. Probably either the DA or Quidditch. I'm going to try very hard not to have to give up anything."

The Headmaster nodded. "I've given Professor Snape approval to give you the lessons you've requested. Please, don't make me regret it."

Harry nodded quietly and went straight to Snape's office. When he wasn't there, he tried the Potions classroom. Snape was there, straightening out the supplies cupboard. "I just spoke to Professor Dumbledore, sir. He said he would approve the lessons."

Snape nodded and stepped away from the cupboard. "I have several duties which I cannot put aside for now. We will begin once term recommences. Read that book there and be ready to put it into practice." He indicated a book on one of the desks, Battle Magicks and Techniques.

Harry picked up the book and nodded. "Yes, sir. I will be as prepared as I can be."

"See that you are," Snape said as he turned back to the cupboard.