Sweet Deception

CHAPTER SIX: Traveling Backwards

Harry stared into Ron's cold eyes, feeling a very strong sense of pain oozing through his body. He could feel his blood start to drip down onto the knife, then pass to the floor. He found some inner strength and took the knife out of his stomach . Ron looked at him in disbelief, and Harry drew back his right arm, took all the energy he had, and hit Ron straight between the eyes. Ron flew backwards and hit his head on a table they'd always used to study on, clearly unconscious.

Harry turned and ran out of the portrait hole. As soon as he got out, he looked both ways to see if anyone was following him. He turned left and started heading for Dumbledore's office, sure that he had to be safe there. He grabbed his side, feeling the pain rising up, and looked at the blood on his hand. He found some inner strength, pushed aside the pain, and kept running.

As he turned the corner nearest the kitchen, he tripped and stumbled over something. The pain shot up through his abdomen again.

"Ouch!" said a muffled voice.

"Dobby?" asked Harry incredulously. He breathed hard, trying to stop the bleeding.

"Harry Potter!" said Dobby, beaming with affection.

"What are you doing here?"

"Winky is talking about bad things that goes on in the school, and Dobby comes down to find out about them, sir." Dobby looked at Harry's side. "Harry Potter is hurt!"

"Dobby, it's crazy out there! Take me back to the kitchen, please! I need to sit down and have some time to just -- think."

Dobby smiled, nodded, and beckoned for Harry to follow him to the kitchens. As they got there, Dobby gave the password ("Flibbertigibbet") and Harry entered.

"Dobby has a healing potion that he always keeps handy," said Dobby. He lowered his voice. "It's for Winky when she's suicidal. Dobby will go get it for Harry Potter."

"OK."

He looked around the all-too-familiar kitchen, having come here before, and spotted Winky in the corner, looking somewhat depressed. Harry walked over and sat down next to her.

"What's the matter, Winky?"

Winky looked at him with tears streaming down her face. "It's the school, Harry Potter. It is gone absolutely crazy! Winky is getting very afraid for her safety, Harry Potter, and she thinks that you should be as well."

Harry smiled. "It's all right, Winky. Fred and George just made their joke a little dangerous this time. I'm sure we'll find some sort of way to sort things out. Is that OK?"

Winky shook her head. "Winky does not think that Harry Potter understands."

Harry nodded. "I do."

Winky persisted. "Harry Potter does not know! He should not be messing around in things he has no understanding of!"

Dobby put a hand on Harry's shoulder. "Dobby thinks it's best if Harry Potter goes along with Winky. She's been very on edge lately, and it would be most unwise to disturb her." He handed Harry the potion.

Harry nodded in agreement. "OK, Dobby." He took the potion and drank it. He instantly felt better and looked down, noticing the wound was gone.

He stood up and headed for the door.

"Where is Harry Potter going?" asked Dobby.

"I'm going to sort things out," Harry replied bluntly. He opened up the portrait and started walking out.

Dobby ran over to the portrait and shoved Harry aside, closing it before Harry could leave.

"No!" he shouted. "Harry Potter must not go back out there!"

"But I have to get a hold of my friends!" Harry replied desperately. "They need me out there, Dobby!"

"You don't understand!" Dobby persisted. "You is the only one who is unaffected by the bean! You is the only one who can save us! Don't run into the trap!"

"There is no trap, Dobby!"

Harry went back over to the portrait hole, picked Dobby up, and shoved him aside. He opened up the door and ran away as quickly as he could, desperate to try to get away from any other scary house elves that were trying to kill him.

"You will pay for this!" shouted an angry Dobby from behind Harry.

Harry sprinted down the hall. He was wondering why Dobby was in such a bad mood, seeing as how Dobby was always there to help.

He turned the corner and literally ran into Hermione. He stumbled backwards, staring at her as if it were the first time he'd ever seen her.

"S-Sorry," he stammered.

She blushed. "It's all right."

"How's the potion coming?"

"It's getting there. I actually think I found a way to speed things up."

"Did you really?"

"Yeah."

Harry could feel excitement swelling up in him. "Great! That means that we'll be back there in no time!"

Hermione smiled. "Yeah. I'm kind of frightened, though. I mean, we don't know how he lived. I mean, it could be dangerous."

Harry sensed that something was wrong, but he didn't pressure the situation. "You were so excited about it when we first began."

Hermione blushed a little. "That was before I thought more about it. Harry, did you know that if you died back there, you'd still die here?"

Harry stared blankly at her. "But we can't be seen there."

"No, we can't, but we're still solid."

"We are?"

"I did some research. You weren't able to be seen, heard, or felt in Tom Riddle's memory because it was just a memory. But since we're forcing ourselves to go back in time, we just won't be seen. We'll still be heard and felt. It's basically like the Time-Turner I had in third year, but the potion puts an invisible shield around us. I'm scared, Harry."

Harry scratched his head. "So we can't talk at all there?"

"Well, we can, but we'll be heard. We just have to time everything right."

"Timing is everything."

Hermione nodded. "This has to be one of the stupidest things I've ever done."

"Hermione, look around. Stupid right now is good."

"Harry, how come we don't have any effects of the bean?"

Harry stared at her bluntly again. "What do you mean?"

"Well, when we had the attraction to each other, I know that you took a bean and I did, too. How come we aren't suffering from the effects?"

"I thought we had a bean that was one of the originals; one that didn't have any effects, including the lasting one?"

Hermione looked down, pondering. "I guess we did, didn't we?"

Harry started walking towards to girls' bathroom. "Come on, we need to get working on that potion before any other odd things happen."

***

You know, Harry, I am getting sick and tired of your attitude towards me! I have done absolutely nothing to you, and you treat me like vermin!

Sorry, I just wanted to see how that looked. You know, just because I tried to kill you and all doesn't mean you need to hold the grudge against me. Remember in your first year when I even offered to bring your parents back? All I needed was a little bit of help from you, and that was it. But no, you had to be a stubborn little wizard just like your father.

Oops, I feel I have offended you. Oh well. I've been offending you for fifteen years now, don't think that I'm going to stop now.

You know, Harry, you've put a lot of things in perspective for me. I mean, I now realize what it's like to be on the verge of death and come back more powerful than ever. I'd look over your shoulder every once in a while, because it's more than Salazar controlling the happenings at the school. That's right, Harry. I'm joining in for a little bit of fun as well. Ooh, sweet revenge.

So, I understand that you're going back in time to relive Salazar's life. Well, at least the life at Hogwarts. That should be very interesting...very interesting indeed. See, I've communicated with him enough to know that you are in way over your head. You and Hermione. You think that you know everything, but you don't. This will be the time when Hermione returns for victory as Harry Potter gets put under the grave, exactly where he belongs!

I bet you're wondering why I have so much confidence in Hermione. I've been watching her especially. All the research she's done on the potion, all the research she's done on Salazar, and all of it's for you. I think that you're very selfish, you know. Letting her do that, all by herself. Well, you know what I say to that? Well, that's another day.

You know, I'm actually starting to really worry that my competition might leave me. You're the only one I've ever had to compete with in my whole entire life, and now I think that I may just win. Victory has never smelled so sweet.

Like I've stated before, Harry, look over your shoulder every once in a while. I find that there may be more there than you bargained for. And be aware of your enemies, but be more aware of your friends. Stay close to your friends, but closer to your enemies, and you will succeed and maintain life.

Well, this has been fun, but it's all mumbo-jumbo, so I think I'm going to let you ponder over all of this. Good luck, Harry. I'll be sure to go to the funeral.

TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE

I AM LORD VOLDEMORT

***

Harry and Hermione entered the girls' bathroom, and Harry saw a book on the ground.

"What's that?" he asked, pointing to it so she'd know what he was talking about.

"It's a book about Salazar Slytherin. I found it in the library. I just took it and ran since Madam Pince is suffering from after-effects as well. I saw her and Professor Flitwick snogging behind the counter." She shuddered. "He really needs to get taller so it's easier for him to reach, if you know what I mean. She looked like a child molester."

Harry laughed. "That's definitely something different."

Hermione picked up the book and thumbed through the pages. Harry could've sworn that her eyes turned yellow at one point, but he shrugged it off and just looked over her shoulder.

"It says that Salazar Slytherin did a great deal with mythical creatures and that he was an extremely dangerous person, but it doesn't go into any detail. It says here that he always put the people in his House to extreme challenges and some of them nearly died. He didn't sound like such a great Head of House, but I guess he was good enough since he stayed. It also states here that Salazar had strange ways of getting these creatures. It also says sometimes he sent his students to get them. Harry, if he finds out we're there, we're going to have to do quite a bit."

"I realize that."

"All right, well, according to the potions book, if you hurry the process of the potion, it may take away the invisible power."

Harry stared at her again. "Did you neglect to tell me that in the halls or did that minor detail just slip your mind?"

Hermione looked down. "I didn't want you to get scared."

Harry felt as if he could hit her. "Hermione, this is going to be dangerous! We don't live a thousand years ago! We could die!"

"I know! I've already thought about all of that, Harry. Just, calm down a little, please."

Harry backed down, not wanting to fight this time since he always lost anyway.

"It looks here as if we'll be OK. But Harry, just listen to what I say when we get there, OK?"

"Why?"

"I've done enough studies to know more about it than you, needless to say."

Harry nodded in agreement. "Well, I guess that works. How much longer?"

"It should be ready tomorrow morning. The rest of the school's out and about trying to kill everyone else, so do you think we'd be safe in the dormitories?"

"Not a chance."

There was all of a sudden a really loud bang on the door, and Harry and Hermione jumped.

"They're in there! I know it!" Draco. There was no mistaking that voice.

"Oh, no!" said Harry quietly.

"He's probably got a mad mob out there trying to kill us!" said Hermione. Harry couldn't miss the panic in her voice.

"I know. Come on, we'll need to find another way out."

"No! If we leave and they come in, they might find the potion and take it!"

Harry thought a moment. "What are we going to do?"

There was another loud bang, and more voices this time. Harry went over to the door and looked around for any somewhat strong item that he could use for a barricade.

"Harry, that's useless!" shouted Hermione, the banging and screaming outside getting louder. She ran over to the cauldron and pulled out two viles from her robes and started filling them.

"Hermione!" shouted Harry. "What are you doing? I thought it wasn't finished yet?"

"It isn't! But we have to get out of here! Just come out the window with me and I'll take the viles and just hope it's finished enough!"

Harry ran over to her as she finished filling the viles. The bangs got louder and louder, and Harry knew that if they didn't get out of there soon, the door would fall down and they'd be trapped.

"Come on!" shouted Hermione. She grabbed his hand and ran to the window. She opened it up, and Harry looked down.

"Hermione, you aren't serious!" he said, dazed. He looked down even further and felt his stomach sink.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I am. Come on, we can run across the roof!"

"But--"

The banging continued, getting heavier with each second.

"Come on!" She grabbed his hand and pulled him outside. They started running carefully on the roof just as the door fell down and Draco, with a mad mob, came inside the bathroom.

"Where did they go?" they heard him shout.

Hermione took Harry's hand and they ran across the roof until they got to the Gryffindor Tower. Harry nearly fell twice, but he caught himself just in time.

As they approached the Gryffindor Tower, Harry saw the same owl he'd been seeing for the past three days or so banging on the window. He went over to it and removed the letter.

"Who's that from?" asked Hermione.

"No one," said Harry quickly, trying to hide the letter.

"Don't be stupid, it has to be from someone!"

"It isn't."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "OK. Come on, let's go inside."

She opened up the window and they carefully lowered themselves into the common room. It was very dark since the house elves decided that they weren't going to make any more fires in the common rooms until the school calmed down.

Harry and Hermione left through the portrait hole, and all of the halls were dark since the house elves refused to light the torches as well.

"We need to find some source of light," whispered Hermione.

"I know," whispered Harry back. "And where do you suppose we'd find this source of light?"

"Hard telling. Come on, let's walk."

They started walking down the hallways, very slowly and softly, listening for any strange noises and not wanting to make any themselves.

They walked down to the Entrance Hall, where they stopped, seeing a mad mob standing in the middle of it where the snogging contest had taken place just days ago.

"All right," came the voice of Draco. "All those filthy little mudbloods are hiding in these halls. Find them! Let none survive! Salazar Slytherin will remain king!"

A cry of agreement spread throughout the hall. Harry and Hermione stayed low, not wanting to be seen, but wanting to get all the information they could possibly get.

"Aren't all of you tired of putting up with them? Don't you all want this to be strictly a pureblood school?"

The same cry of agreement broke out around the hall.

"This is crazy," whispered Hermione. "We need to do something."

"How about get out of here?" whispered Harry back.

They both felt a cold hand on their shoulders. They turned up to see Filch staring in their faces.

"I don't think you'll be doing that," he whispered.

Hermione opened her mouth to scream, but he put a hand on it, surprisingly very gently. He kneeled down by them.

"You must fail to remember that I'm on your side," he said. "I'm a Squib; they're trying to kill me, too."

Harry let out a sigh of relief. "Good. I mean, good that you're on our side."

"Listen, all of the mudbloods and Squibs are hiding in the Room of Requirement. Do you want to come and stay safe there with us?"

Harry and Hermione nodded.

"All right, then. Come on, come with me."

He took them down the hall, then up a staircase, up another staircase, down another hall, through the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, up another staircase, and down another hall.

"This isn't how we got here before," said Harry.

"Well, this is the safest way to get there," said Filch. He stopped, as if looking around for something. "Ah, here it is," he said after about two minutes of searching. He walked through a wall, and Harry and Hermione followed.

They found themselves in the Room of Requirement, a fire in the fireplace, candles and torches lit around the whole room, and about three-fourths of the school in there.

"Hiya Harry," said Colin glumly.

"Filch," said Hermione gently, "how come none of these people are out trying to kill everyone else?"

"Well, we figure that the only ones trying to kill are the purebloods."

Harry looked around and saw Dumbledore and McGonagall sitting in the back. In fact, he looked around and saw all of the teachers.

"I thought that all of the teachers were purebloods?" he asked.

"Not all of us," said Dumbledore, "but most of us. We figure that we don't have an effect from the bean for reasons unknown."

Harry nodded.

"Please, sit down," said Dumbledore, pointing to two open seats by the fire. Harry and Hermione sat, and as soon as they did, the room continued every conversation that had been going when they entered.

Harry looked at Hermione and saw that she was particularly interested.

"What's up, Hermione?" he asked.

She snapped out of her gaze and turned to him. "Oh, nothing. I was just thinking about the potion is all. I just hope it works."

Harry put his hand on hers. "It'll be OK."

"Yeah."

As soon as she went back into her gaze, Harry opened up his most recent letter from Voldemort. As soon as he read it, he threw it into the fire. As soon as the letter fell out of his hands, Hermione snapped out of her gaze again and watched it burn.

"What did you do that for?" she asked.

"It was worthless."

Hermione gave him an odd look. "No letter is worthless. What did it say?"

"Nothing."

Hermione give him a Don't-give-me-that-tone glare. "Really now?"

Harry nodded. "Listen, Hermione, when are we going to take the potion?"

Hermione shook her head. "I don't know. Sometime tomorrow. But we can't let anybody know we're going it or we might be stopped."

Harry nodded. "Why don't we do it tonight? I mean, after everyone's gone to sleep?"

Hermione thought for a moment. "That might not be such a bad idea."

Harry nodded again. "So tonight?"

"Tonight." Hermione took in a deep breath, then let it out very slowly. "Are you nervous? Scared? Any feelings at all?"

"I'm a little shaky."

"That makes two of us."

Colin came over at that instant and sat down by Harry, looking down. "What's going on, Harry? How come everyone's gotten really mean?"

Harry thought of snapping at Colin, but when he saw the hurt in Colin's eyes he pushed his feelings aside. "I don't know, Colin. But listen, we will sort it all out. Hermione and I." He emphasized the "Hermione and I" part so Colin wouldn't ask if he could help.

"Oh. OK. Well, I'm going to go to sleep. See you two in the morning?"

"Maybe," said Harry.

Colin gave him an odd "What?" look, but then stood up and trailed off to the other side of the room. He found himself a sleeping bag and curled up in it. Harry smiled.

"I'm glad he's safe."

"Really?" asked Hermione.

"Yeah. I like having some look up to me and think that I'm perfect. It's really comforting."

Hermione smiled. "Don't get too cocky." She looked around the room and saw that everyone was following Colin's suit.

"Well, once they all go to bed, we attack."

"Attack?"

"Well, you know what I mean. So I say in a couple of hours, we'll know exactly what it was like to live in the life of Salazar Slytherin."

***

About two hours later, after everyone had gone to bed and the fire, the candles, and the torches had faded out, Hermione pulled Harry aside and took out the viles.

"All right, a little prewarning," she said. "We won't actually be inside of Salazar, so we're going to have to keep a low profile. We're basically going to be Slytherin students."

"But I thought we're going to be invisible?"

"Well, if we are invisible then just keep quiet and out of the way. If not, we're students. Got it?"

Harry nodded.

"You've traveled by Floo Powder before?"

Harry nodded again.

"Well, this'll basically be just like that. Keep your elbows tucked in, and just go with the flow. Don't try to stop too soon. The potion will stop us at the desired time, I've already set it."

Harry nodded once again.

"So, are you ready?"

"As ready as I'm going to get."

"OK."

Hermione handed him a potion and he took it.

"OK. On the count of three?"

He nodded again.

"One -- two -- three."

Harry took the potion and downed it. Hermione did the same thing. He looked at her and she looked back at him. They stared at each other for a few seconds, then Harry could feel the world spinning around him. He closed his eyes, not wanting to get dizzy. He felt his feet lurch from the ground. He again felt the world spinning around him.

He opened his eyes and saw a bright swirl of every imaginable color. He saw himself, he saw his family, his friends, his family's friends, and his teachers. He watched as the years decreased. It was an amazing sight, watching the world as he knew it completely disappear and go back one thousand years.

As soon as it stopped, he knew that he was living one thousand years ago. He saw Hermione and went over to her.

"So what do you think?" he asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Do you think we can be seen?"

"Ah! There you two are!" Harry and Hermione turned and saw Salaazar Slytherin walking towards them. He put a hand on each of their shoulders and gave them cold stares. "I've been waiting for you."