Martyr

MARTYR
CHAPTER 3
UNEXPECTED VISITS

In his absorbed state of mind, Harry didn't notice he was being followed.

* * * * *

Ron's fist smashed into the wooden table, the resultant thud echoing around in the sparsely decorated Great Hall. Once the rest of the students were back that would change, but for now, the effects of his anger lingered to torment Ron.

Bowing his head, a short scream escaped from his lips, his head falling forward into his hands. The writhing of the snake around his forearm became agony as alternating emotions of disapproval and anger radiated up his arm.

What on earth is happening to me? Ron's mind raged, wrapping his fingers absently around his forearm. As he sat there Ron's thoughts travelled backwards, to the first time he had noticed the mark on his arm.

*
"What's that mark, Ron?" Ginny asked casually, her finger pointing to an angry red ring around his forearm.

He, Harry, Hermione and Ginny were sitting around a table outside a café in Diagon Alley, absently drinking chilled pumpkin juice. They had stopped for a break in the hectic shopping for their school things and Ron had rolled the sleeves of his robes up.

"What mark?" Ron asked absently, following Ginny's gaze to his arm.

As he watched, a faint black outline appeared, to small for Ginny to see across the table, but far too clear to Ron's eyes. With a yelp, he stood up from the table and ran off suddenly, not looking back, even when Harry called his name.

He didn't run far, just into a shop across the other side of the Alley, where he stopped and stared at his arm in fear.Black lines were appearing on his arm, joining up and creating patterns, spreading round in a circle. Ron's jaw dropped as he realised the lines were forming a snake, constantly sliding around his arm in a perpetual chase for its tail.

Swallowing his fear, Ron rolled the sleeves of his robes back down and tried to look calm as he went to rejoin his friends and sister.With what he hoped was a casual air, Ron laughed off their remarks at his behaviour and smiled good humouredly at jokes made at his expense.

For the rest of the day, Ron kept his robes rolled down.*

"Ron? Are you alright?"

A clear female voice cut through the reflective thoughts of Ron's mind and he looked up in surprise.Professor Hawkins was standing in a doorway to the Great Hall, a concerned look on her face. Not receiving an answer she walked towards him, her blue eyes shining worriedly.

"I'm...I'm fi-fi-fine..." Ron stuttered, his previous anger fleeing his thoughts.

"Is something wrong? Do you want to talk about it?" Hawkins spoke softly, sitting down next to Ron.

Panic rose in Ron's heart as the snake on his arm began to writhe faster, the burning anger welling up in his mind.

"NOTHING'S WRONG!" he roared, throwing his chair away as he stood up suddenly. Turning swiftly on his heel, Ron stormed out the hall, the smashing of pottery the only sound, as a vase on the other side of the hall burst with his anger.

In a shadowy corner of the Hall, a cloaked figure smiled to itself, its eyes having taken in the scene since Harry first arrived. Everything seemed to be going plan; now it was only a matter of time.

* * * * *

Hermione stormed away from the common room, boiling with anger. What was going on? She thought, going over recent events in her head. Was it possible Ron was lying? And if so, why? Or was it someone else I followed out the Tower last night and I didn't realise Ron was following me?

Hermione's thoughts followed the same pattern over and over again, each time without coming to a definite answer. She wasn't used to this, whenever she needed an answer a book usually supplied it.

"What's going on?" Hermione yelled suddenly at the empty corridor.

Her voice echoed around the walls and faded into silence. No reply came back but Hermione didn't expect one. Frustration built up inside her and she slumped against the wall.

First Ron accused her of being in league with a spy of Voldemort's and then he continued to make inappropriate remarks that were, admittedly, in his nature... but usually he kept the more disturbing comments inside. It wasn't like him to say 'Who died?' the day after someone did... Hermione's thoughts didn't comfort her; something was up with her friend.

Hermione pushed off the wall and turned to walk down the corridor, catching herself before she walked straight into Professor Samudra.

"Oh! Sorry sir!" she squeaked, looking up with fearful eyes.

Professor Samudra stared down at her, a set expression spread across his features.

"What are you doing?" he asked blandly, his voice low and dangerous.

Hermione shrank back, her innate trust of teachers fleeing before Samudra's gaze.

"I, I... um, I was, ah..." Hermione stuttered, her voice failing her as her feet moved her involuntarily backwards.

"STAY WHERE YOU ARE!" Samudra roared, a vein standing out on his forehead.

Hermione froze, swallowing heavily and closing her eyes, trying hard not to tremble.

"I asked you a question, answer it!" Samudra snarled, spittle flying from his mouth.

"I was thinking," Hermione whispered, her eyes still closed.

Silence followed her answer as Professor Samudra stood, impassively surveying her.

"I was under the impression you and the other two brats were to stay in your common room... was I wrong?"

"No, sir," Hermione whimpered, breathing deeply and forcing herself to open her eyes.

"So you admit to disobeying commands, is that it?" Samudra yelled, his hands balling into fists.

Hermione shrank back in fear as he advanced menacingly.

"PROFESSOR SAMUDRA!"

Samudra span around as McGonagall half ran towards them.

"Is there some reason you interrupted me while I was reprimanding this 'student'?"

Samudra spat the last word as if he was sure Hermione didn't know how to be a student.

Hermione looked warily at Professor McGonagall but what she saw there failed to hearten her. McGonagall's mouth was set in a thin line and her cheeks were flushed. Professor McGonagall's wrath wasn't directed at Hermione though.

"For your information, 'Professor', Miss Granger happens to be the top student in her year AND, we have some standards in this place that dictate the behaviour of teachers towards students. If a student has disobeyed a rule then we give detentions, we DON'T verbally berate them in a corridor!" McGonagall snapped.

Samudra looked unimpressed.

"I teach in my own way," he said shortly before shooting a glance of disgust at Hermione and sweeping away from them.

Professor McGonagall breathed heavily as she watched him go, turning to look at Hermione once he was out of sight.

"I don't know why Dumbledore hired him, its not as if we're that desperate for teachers! Ah," McGonagall paused, "I'll remind you, Miss Granger, that you are meant to be in your common room, come with me," she finished smoothly, walking off down the corridor, Hermione in tow.

* * * * *

Harry strolled down corridors and climbed stairs, his arms wrapped around him. While he walked, Harry's mind drifted, his thoughts on the recent strange behaviour of Ron, Hermione... and even Snape.

How long Harry walked, he did not know. The contradictions of his friends wore on his mind and he stomped along, forgetting the possible danger he was in with a spy in the castle.

Deep in thought, the patter of feet behind him didn't catch his attention and neither did his name, whispered from shadowy recesses in the walls, behind statues and through open doors, break his thoughts.

It was only when, with a sharp crack, a small figure appeared in front of him that Harry looked up with shock.

"Dobby?!" he asked in surprise.

"Harry Potter! Why did you not notice me? I didn't want to speak openly!" Dobby squeaked with excitement, his ears waggling up and down.

"Huh? Oh, I was thinking. How are you Dobby? And what do you mean?" Harry asked, smiling at the elf's appearance.

"Oh! Very well, Harry Potter! But I am afraid, even still!" Dobby's high-pitched voice carried down the corridor to where a darker patch of shadow stood.

"Why?" asked Harry warily, his forehead creasing with concern.

"Why?!," Dobby screeched, "Harry Potter is in danger!"

Harry chuckled softly at this statement.

"Dobby, I'm always in danger. Voldemort has risen again and is out for my blood, how much more danger could I be in? But don't worry," Harry lied, "there's nothing here that could hurt me,"

"But there is a...," Dobby whispered, leaning close.

"Yes?" Harry asked, his eyebrows raised.

"Harry Potter!"

Dobby disappeared with a crack and Harry spun around. Professor Hawkins was striding towards him, robes sweeping majestically behind her, face set with annoyance.

"I thought you, of all people, would have more sense than to wander around alone for hours! Why didn't you go straight to your common room?" she asked angrily.

Harry gulped. Why hadn't he?

"I, uh. Um, I needed to think," he answered lamely, shrugging his shoulders helplessly.

Professor Hawkin's expression softened and she looked concerned.

"From what I've heard, Harry, you, Ron and Hermione are supposed to be inseparable. And yet, I find both you and Ron alone, in states of deep thought. Ron reacted angrily to me, but I'll ask the same question I asked him: Is something wrong? Do you want to talk about it?" she said carefully, her eyes trying to gauge his reaction.

Harry thought for a moment about his options. Could he tell Professor Hawkins about his doubts? From what he had seen of her it was highly unlikely she was the spy... but still...

"No, there's nothing wrong," Harry sighed, looking down.

"You don't sound very convinced Harry, are you sure?" Hawkins pressed.

"Yes, I'm sure." Harry said firmly, staring her in the eye, daring her to press further.

"Very well Harry, I'll escort you back to your common room then," Hawkins answered taking him by the elbow and guiding him beside her.

Harry didn't resist and walked beside Professor Hawkins towards Gryffindor Tower.

Behind them, a shadowy figure slipped from behind a suit of armour and slunk away.

* * * * *

The day before the rest of the school was to turn up at Hogwarts, Harry, Hermione and Ron were sitting glumly in the common room. Each one was being strangely polite and indifferent to the others, their manner awkward and strange.

Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, they would not have to spend the day acting formally to each other. The portrait swung open and they all looked around in shock as Professor Snape entered the tower.

"Ah, sir?" Harry began nervously, unsure of Snape's reaction.

Snape gave no indication that he had heard and looked around the room, his trademark sneer set in place.

"Potter, come with me," Snape said shortly, gesturing to the portrait.

Harry paused and looked at Ron and Hermione, any previous formality forgotten in the current situation. Sighing in resignation, Harry stood and followed Snape out of the tower.

* * * * *

Professor Dumbledore sighed and lent back on his chair, sucking on a sherbet lemon and thinking. In front of him on the table the pensieve's contents swirled and merged, forming shadows of memories before splitting again and being absorbed into the twisting liquid.

Dumbledore sighed and leant forward, touching his finger to the liquid and braced himself against the falling feeling. His stomach lurched even so and Dumbledore closed his eyes, trying to regain his senses, before opening them again and looking out into his office.

Before him sat the memories of himself and Professor Snape, in earnest conversation.

"The news of my son is most pleasing, Albus. Although he has spent his youth in America he is willing to visit me here! For too long I've thought he died with his mother, when all this time he was in hiding!" Snape actually was beaming with joy as he said this, the look on his face proclaimed he would be able to perform a patronus easily.

"Severus, I find it is my unpleasant duty to warn you against embracing your son too quickly. Our informants did proclaim him dead with his mother... I think it is strange at this time for your son to appear again after almost seventeen years. He could have contacted you at any time, he was aware of you after all." Albus said warily.

Snape's smile faded the tiniest amount but his eyes held their gleam.

"I have to know, Albus. Spy or no spy, this may just be true..."

The memory faded and another swam into view, again it was Snape talking to him, this time in the Great Hall.

"Albus, he grabbed his arm, I saw it clearly. Then he looked around, as if worried that someone saw him do it. I did..." Snape said earnestly.

"That may be so, Severus, but you said it was his right forearm. I haven't heard of anything more serious than a simple curse mark that affects the right forearm." Dumbledore replied calmly, pushing his glasses back up onto the bridge on his nose.

"I know, neither have I. But something is wrong. Those three are supposed to stick to each other no matter what. And now, something is causing the bond to fail. I'm worried Albus."

"They have had their disagreements in the past," Dumbledore said, but his voice betrayed concern.

"They're Gryffindors, if they disagree they yell at each other and don't speak for a while. That's not what they're doing. They aren't avoiding each other, they're just being very formal."

The vision blurred again and surfaced at a recent interview he had been using to find new staff for Hogwarts. Samudra sat in a chair in front of him, the desk in between them.

"Professor Dumbledore, it is vital that I am part of your staff this year. It has been commanded by those with more power than you," Samudra was saying in a warning tone.

"What are your specialities and where did you say you had taught?" Dumbledore asked calmly.

"I've told you once," Samudra said through gritted teeth, "I worked with many magical creatures in India but where I taught is classified as you are not an Indian citizen,"

Dumbledore sighed and the memory shifted once more, settling again on his office, Professors McGonagall, Hawkins and Snape stood in front of his desk.

"Potter and his friends have found out about the spy, Albus," Snape said coldly.

"Come on, Severus. They may be adventurous but they're hardly going to try and take on a Deatheater now are they?" McGonagall said, disbelief running through her words.

"I will remind you Minerva that Potter and his friends have been known to go after trouble. If they know about the spy, they will try to find out who it is..." Snape replied haughtily, turning to face her.

"If they have gone after trouble in the past and been successful, why not let them try to find out who the spy is?" Hawkins asked innocently.

"I will not let you deliberately put students in danger just to find out who a spy is! In time all things come out, even Hogwarts can't keep secrets for ever..." McGonagall snapped.

"Minerva, I do not wish Harry, Ron and Hermione in danger this year if it can be helped. I'm afraid I will have to restrict them to the common room where we know they are safe," Dumbledore broke in, diffusing the argument before it really began.

The real Dumbledore sighed and focused his mind, ending the memories and propelling his mind back into his body. With a sigh, he leant back on his chair again, the same thought running continually through his mind.

What was going on?

* * * * *

Harry followed Professor Snape along corridors and up stairs, wondering where they were going and why. What did Snape want with him? He couldn't be in trouble, the school year was yet to begin...

Snape stopped suddenly and pulled out his wand, turning to the wall. He tapped it with his wand and whispered something Harry couldn't hear but the wall spiralled open, previously solid bricks disappearing.

Snape stepped through the hole and Harry followed, finding himself in a small office. A plain desk and two chairs stood in the centre of the room and a fireplace crackled merrily in one corner. By the desk sat a tall, handsome man, wearing a beaming smile that lit up his face.

"Sirius!" Harry exclaimed in joy stopped in amazement.

"I'll leave you two for an hour, after then you must return to the common room, Potter," Snape said, exiting the room. The wall spun behind him and sealed Harry and Sirius in the room.

"What are you doing here?" Harry asked, still standing still in amazement.

Sirius chuckled and then looked grim.

"I heard about the attack on Privet Drive, Harry. I needed to see you with my own eyes to be sure you were alright..."

"Yeah, I'm okay...," Harry smiled, weakly.

"What happened, Harry?" Sirius asked seriously, pointing to the other seat.

Harry sat and the emotional roller coaster he had been on since the attack on Privet Drive leapt off its railings. He found himself telling Sirius everything that had happened since the attack, his fears and doubts about Ron and Hermione, the two new teachers at Hogwarts, and even Snape's unusual behaviour.

Sirius listened intently and didn't interrupt, not even to ask about Snape's actions. When Harry had finished they had almost been in the room an hour and his throat was beginning to feel raw.

"Does Dumbledore know about the spy?" Sirius asked intently, his eyes staring into Harry's.

"Yes, he made us tell him about it," Harry croaked.

Sirius nodded absently and then leant forwards, resting his chin on his hand.

"What do you think is up with Ron and Hermione?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"I don't know," Harry sighed, shaking his head, "everything was fine until about a week after we all came to stay here. Then Ron seemed to lose a lot of his patience, he just started making comments he wouldn't have before... it was weird,"

"For now, Harry, I can only advise that you try to behave as if nothing was wrong. It will only make things worse if you confront him... and what about Hermione?"

"I told you, Hermione's story contradicted Ron's almost to the point where it sounded as if they had agreed on a story but mixed up who they were talking about. Ron said he followed Herm, she said she was following him,... either one of them is lying or here is something else going on..." Harry replied gloomily.

The wall spiralled in on itself at that moment and Professor Snape returned.

"Potter, I have to take you back to the common room," Snape said without looking at Sirius.

"Hang on," Harry said, confused, "how did you get here?" he asked Sirius.

"Floo. Dumbledore connects Hogwarts when he needs it. You got here the same way didn't you? I have only a two minute window to leave," Sirius answered.

Harry nodded and turned towards the door. Before he took a step in its direction he turned once more and flung himself into Sirius, hugging him tightly. Sirius returned it without a word, his eyes dark and worried.

"Goodbye Sirius," Harry whispered and stepped back.

"Bye Harry."

Harry turned away and followed Snape out the doorway, the stones rolling back behind them to seal off the room again. His heart sinking again, Harry trudged after Professor Snape to the Gryffindor common room.

Harry sat opposite Ron, a wizard's chessboard between them. Since he had spoken to Sirius Harry had tried to be friendly with Hermione and Ron, so far it seemed to be working.

Sirius was still a link for the three friends and the recent troubles seemed to disappear as Harry explained about his meeting in the secret room. For the first time since they had first discovered the existence of a spy at Hogwarts the three friends relaxed in each other's company.

"Queen's bishop to E3," Ron said lazily, watching as his chesspiece idly slammed its arm down on the head of one of Harry's pawns. Harry sighed in resignation. His pieces were rapidly being cut to ribbons by Ron's methodical strategies. To make things worse, one of Harry's taken pieces kept calling out 'advice'.

"Move your knight from C3 to E4!" a tinny voice screamed from the side of the board. Harry carelessly looked at the move and saw that Ron would just take his knight with a pawn if he did that.

"Oh... I don't know, pawn to E3," Harry said desperately, watching as his pawn smashed its fist into the face of Ron's offending Bishop and dragged it off the board.

"Ha! Queen to F1! Checkmate!" Ron cried in exaltation and grinned as his queen took Harry's rook and checkmated his King.

"Your piece was almost right you know. If you'd moved your knight to E2 then you could have kept the game going... shame it got the square wrong," Ron chuckled.

"Oh, Harry. I don't know why you continue to play him. Every time you just lose miserably," Hermione said, looking up from one of her schoolbooks.

"Practice makes perfect, Hermione, you should know that," Harry said good-humouredly.

"Yes, but you should play someone else. Have you even played chess with anyone other than Ron? When you actually learn something it's usually off Ron or in a game against Ron. He'll know straight away and guard against it in the future," Hermione stated calmly.

Harry shrugged and finished packing his chesspieces away. Looking at his watch he yawned tiredly.

"We should go to bed you know, school starts tomorrow afternoon," he said.

"Good point," Hermione said suddenly, as if only just realising the time, "'night"

"'Night Herm," the boys chorused before walking up the stairs to their room.

As Harry entered he put his chesspieces away and then changed into his pyjamas. With a sigh he got into bed and took his glasses off, wondering what the world had in store for him this school year. There had already been one unexplained death and several odd events and term hadn't even begun yet. A cold wave of fear swept over Harry as he curled up beneath the blankets, his mind running through endless possibilities of what might happen to him.

"Goodnight Harry," Ron's said across the darkness of the room.