The New Lightning Bolt

Chapter Five

Memories

"Harry! Wake up!" Ron yelled to his best friend while poking him hard in the ribs. "Hermione he's up here! Come on, Harry. Wake up!"

"I'm up," he tried to say to his friend. He rolled over, dug his face into his pillow, and went to grab his glasses off his nightstand and felt nothing. He moved his hand about trying to feel them, but only felt his alarm clock. Hermione came rushing into the room.

"Harry! Oh my gosh. Where have you been?" she asked sounding like Mrs. Weasley. She ran over to him and sat on the edge of his bed and started patting his arm.

"Where are your glasses Harry?" Ron asked looking underneath the bed trying to find them.

Harry's head shot from his pillow like a rocket and he looked at Hermione and Ron who was now looking under his own bed. He remembered Voldemort's spell and that his glasses were unnecessary, not that he had a choice because of their location. "I don't need them, Ron," he said, but nothing came out. He cleared his throat and tried again but it was useless. Ron was sifting through the junk underneath his bed and Harry was getting impatient. He snapped a couple of times and Ron turned to look at him so did Hermione. Harry pointed to his throat.

"What do you want? A glass of water?" Hermione asked getting up.

Harry shook his head and sat up untangling himself from his covers. He got up and went to his book bag and got out a piece of parchment. He handed it to Ron who looked a bit puzzled and pointed his wand at it.

Ron? Hermione?

"Wow, Harry, that is cool," Ron grinned.

"Harry, that is advanced magic. Maybe we should show Professor Dumbledore," Hermione said.

Dumbledore showed me this so I can write what I want to say because I can't talk.

"Why can't you speak?" Ron asked.

Voldemort erased my voice.

"What spell did he use, Harry?" Hermione asked trying to hide the worry in her voice.

Don't know. Professor Dumbledore is going to ask Voldemort which one so he could perform the counter curse. Do you want to come with me to his office to see what he found out?

"Sure. But where are your glasses?" Ron said looking around his feet.

I don't need them. Voldemort fixed my eyes.

"What?" Hermione gasped.

Listen. When I get my voice back I'll tell you the whole enchilada.

Is that all you think about, Potter? Food?

"What the...who is this?" Ron asked the paper.

Harry grabbed the parchment and read the last line.

How did you do that Malfoy? Harry thought to him as to not draw any more attention to the paper.

With this little mental connection we have, Potter, I can see your surroundings and be apart of them with out having to be near you. Nifty, isn't it?

"Harry, what's happening?" Hermione asked not even trying to hide her concern.

Why don't you tell the Mudblood the truth?

Don't call her that. And get out of my head! Harry screamed mentally and saw Malfoy, where ever he was, grab his head.

Not so loud, Potter.

"Harry? Are you okay?" Ron asked.

Harry held up an impatient hand and went back to his conversation with Malfoy. What do you want?

I am only here to tell you that Dumbledore wants to see us.

Okay. Now get out of my conversation with Ron and Hermione and I'll be at his office in a couple of minutes.

But, I am coming to get you.

What are you talking about? You can't get in the Gryffindor common room.

And why not?

First of all, you are not a Gryffindor so you won't know the password and secondly you don't know where it is.

For your information, Potter, I do know where your common room is because you know and I also know the password, Slytherin sucks, because you know it.

You hacked into my memories?!

What did you expect?

Dirty Slytherin. Did you think about how you are going to get in when you can't say anything...especially the password? Harry noticed the silence. Didn't think of that, did you?

"Harry, snap out of it," Hermione said waving a hand in his face. She grabbed the paper and demanded, "Tell me what you are doing."

Nothing.

"Then why are going into a trance and acting like you're having a fight inside your head?"

Nothing is going on, Herm. I promise.

He turned around and sat on his bed and then plopped down with his arms going a stray. He sighed deeply and noticed Ron hovering above him looking worried. He slid his head to the side and saw Hermione still looking at the paper. He put is head back and gave a lopsided smile at Ron.

"You alright?" Ron asked lying on the other part of Harry's bed. He nodded.

Potter, Draco said mentally in a singsong voice, looky what I found.

Harry looked into Draco's surroundings and noticed he was right in front of the portrait of the fat lady, but the secret door was opening. How did he manage to open it? He only got into the common room because the fat lady new him so well and when he waved a tired hand she took pity on him and swung open for him. She would never even think about opening the door to a Slytherin even if this Slytherin knew the password. Draco's hand twitched. Ginny stepped out of the portrait and gasped at Malfoy standing in front of her.

"What do you want Malfoy?" Ginny hissed. "And what happen to your hair?"

Draco just lifted a hand and a couple sparks flew into her face. He grabbed the closing portrait and walked around her into the warm common room. He noticed his hand flinched again as if he were doing magic. He walked to the staircase without anyone seeing him and he made his way to Harry and Ron's dormitory. His hand flinched one last time before Harry was pulled out of Draco's mind with a squeal from Hermione.

"Draco Malfoy!" she squealed. "He is the one who wrote in here," she said as she waved the paper.

"What?" Ron said getting up and walking to her side.

Harry waved his wand and the parchment came to him. Hermione and Ron came to Harry who was now sitting up facing the door. They stood in front of him reading the parchment upside down.

Hello Granger. I know you are reading this because Potter can still see you. I think one of your friends has something he has kept from you ever since you were petrified. Something that if someone else knew he would be very embarrassed. So I think I will. Potter likes you only as a friend, but the other doesn't. The Weasel has a crush on you.

"See Harry? That's Malfoy talking," Hermione said pointing at the word Weasel. He looked at Ron and he seemed to be going redder than his hair either in extreme embarrassment that his secret was out and Hermione new or in extreme anger that Malfoy knew. He couldn't tell which one?

Come on, Potter. Dumbledore is waiting.

Harry leaned sideways glancing behind Hermione to catch Malfoy leaning against the open doorway wearing a pleased smirk on his face. He leaned back and looked at them both. He noticed they were all embarrassed and jittery and they obviously hadn't seen Malfoy yet. He raised his wand and they both looked at him curiously. He thought of a memory charm and a second later they both seemed disorientated. He got slowly up and they stood aside remaining where they were. He made his way to the door and he pushed Malfoy ahead of him steering him out of the common room.

Your memory charm was too powerful.

What?

You heard me. It was too powerful. You probably made Granger forget half of her assignments, in which I take my hat off to you, he theatrically bowed as they rounded a corner.

Stuff it.

Why so hostile?

Because you almost ruined my friend's friendship!

What?! I saved their friendship...in an involuntary way!

They were supposed to find out their feelings for each other by themselves.

So I helped them a little on accident.

You call that a little?

Whatever.

They reached the gargoyle and Harry put his hand to his forehead.

Do you know the password?

Sugar quill. Why?

Do you have a voice?

Relax. We'll just wait for someone to come along.

Your brilliant plans amaze me.

Sod off, Potter.

They were silent for a while and Harry took this time to surf Malfoy's mind. He sifted through boring stuff to find something deep that he might use against him. He rested on a particular thought and dug in. It was the night Draco's wand broke. He felt the emotion flow through his mind when he reached the broken wand. The wand was his father's and he felt the special connection he had to his father even though he was strict and demanding. He wanted to be like him with the same grace and power, but Harry felt a nagging sensation that Draco didn't want to follow the dark path his father had. He pushed the thought away because he had already known this about Malfoy after the swirling of the hair. He knew and felt the anger radiating from him from the talk about his father between him and Voldemort.

"I am glad you made it," Dumbledore said as he walked up to them. "Let's go into my office. Sugar quills," he said to the gargoyle and it sprang to life and stepped aside. Once they were in the room and comfortably seated Dumbledore continued. "We know what curse he used and you are both lucky. There are some spells that could erase your voice permanently, but Voldemort did not use one. There is, however, no spell to make your voice comeback." They looked at each other. "Professor Snape is brewing the potion that will return your voices." They both sighed.

I think he did that on purpose.

"How long will it take?" Draco mouthed.

Dumbledore looked over his half moon spectacles at them. "Two months."

"What?!" they both mouthed.

"I know this is quite a shock for the both of you, but I know you will make it. Until then I have taken the liberty of setting you two up as partners in all you class projects until your voices have returned."

More great news.

"Voldemort is in custody at Azkaban in the highest security. We had to use Veritaserum on him because we can not find his wand to do a Priori Incantatem."

Say anything...you die.

I wasn't going to.

"Until the potion is made you two will practice your gifts and will not fight with wands, without wands, nor in here," he said taping his temple with a long slender finger. "You two are going to be kept under close observations because I do believe that Voldemort's target is no longer just on Harry, but on you too, Mr. Malfoy."

Great. Now I am like Harry Potter. I am at the top of a crazed lunatic's most wanted list.

Isn't that what you wanted?

I didn't want any of this, Potter.

I think you did. I think you wanted a symbol like my scar so you could supposedly have privileges. You were jealous of my scar, but now that you have that swirl people are going to treat you different. Everywhere you go people are going to gawk at your hairline.

You're just sour because this swirl thing will take some of your privileges away from you. Admit it, Potter.

Admit what?

Your jealous of my swirl and you are afraid people will forget you. You are afraid of competition.

I am not jealous of anything about you, Malfoy. I really never wanted to be famous. I just want to be normal.

Well, I guess your wish will come true. Every one is going to be all over me.

Self centered, egotistical bastard.

"Would you two stop glaring at each other? I know you are having a fight." Dumbledore's words wrenched them out of their fight and he looked over them. "Why can't you behave and work through this together like you did facing Voldemort and getting separated?"

Moron.

"Knock it off you two."

"Sorry," mouthed Draco. Harry nodded shyly.

"You two will go down stairs to dinner where your friends are waiting," he said as they all got up. "You probably already know that I told the school of your encounter and I do think they are very anxious to see how you two are doing." He shoed them out of his office and went back to grab something while they walked ahead in silence.

What's wrong?

What's it to you?

Sorry, Malfoy. Just wondering.

I don't need your pity, Potter.

Whatever. You know what your problem is Malfoy?

My hair.

What? Harry thought not expecting an answer.

My hair, Draco thought sounding very sad.

There is nothing wrong with your hair, Malfoy. So it grows weird, so what?

That's easy for you to say, Potter. You can hide your present from Voldemort with your hair. Mine is my hair.

I thought you wanted a present from Voldemort figuratively speaking.

He ruined my hair. Now every one is going to think I have girly hair.

You've always had girly hair, Malfoy.

Fuck you, he said bringing a hand to cover his hairline.

Listen, it is not ruined and according to what you just told me in Dumbledore's office, I thought you wanted my so called privileges, which I do not have.

He ruined my hair.

Quit saying that. If you are truly that insecure about your hair why didn't you try slicking it back or something?

I did, Potter. It has a mind of its own. It won't obey.

Welcome to my world.

Sod off.

We're right at the doors of the Main Hall and you have two choices. Choice number one is to swallow your insecurity and walk in there with you head held high as you usually do with your trademark smirk or you can chose choice number two, which is to turn around and go hide somewhere.

You are forgetting that the whole Slytherin table is not going to like that fact that I just banished their Dark Lord like the bloody Boy Who Lived.

Why don't you blame the whole thing on me.

And you soak up the glory? I think not.

I am only trying to help.

Like I said I don't need your pity, Potter.

So what are you going to do?

I...don't know.

Listen...why don't we go get a bite to eat by ourselves and go try to tame your hair.

Unless you know how to get into the kitchen I think it is a stupid plan.

Come on. Harry led them to the picture of the bowl of fruit and tickled the pear. It became a handle and he pulled.

How do you know this stuff?

Never under estimate the son of a Marauder.

What?

Tell you later.

"Harry Potter," squealed a voice. Harry was almost knocked over by the force of Dobby throwing himself at him. "I heard of your fight with He Who Must Not Be Named and ex-master." He peeked his head around Harry and saw Draco standing near the exit looking a bit nervous. "He is my ex-master. Is he a friend of yours?" Harry nodded and smiled sincerely.

Malfoy, shake his hand.

What? You are joking right?

Just do it. Malfoy walked over to Dobby and stuck his hand out.

"A friend of Harry Potter is a friend of mine," Dobby said and shook Draco's hand.

Harry got Dobby's attention and pointed to his open mouth, the universal sign for wanting food, and in no time he and Draco were surrounded with trays of different foods. They each took a tray and went to the exit and Harry waved back a Dobby and made Malfoy do the same. They exited the door to an empty corridor and set off to an empty classroom.

This classroom is never used.

Great. Then no one will find us here.

They ate in silence and each thought of why Harry Potter was doing this. Harry especially had a hard time because he could be with his friend in the Great Hall listening to what he has missed and trying to have his best friends remember what they forgotten, but instead he was with his worst enemy. Draco thought Harry was only doing this because he was acting on his Saint Potter instincts or doing this to find something about him that he could use in future events. They each finished their meal and tried to think of something that would break the uncomfortable silence.

Should we start on your hair?

Nothing is going to work, Potter. It doesn't like to be tamed.

Have you tried glue?

I am not putting glue into my hair.

Then you haven't tried everything.

I bet there are some spells we could use.

Then let's go to the library.

With my hair still like this?

Um...you can use my dad's cloak if you promise not to "borrow" it afterwards.

Okay.

You stay here and I'll go get my cloak.

If you ditch me I will personally see to your death.

I won't. You can watch my surroundings just to make sure. Alright?

Fine.

Harry made is way out the door and up to the Gryffindor tower. He could feel Draco's presence inside his mind. The walked passed the Great Hall and the doors opened. Hermione and Ron were the first ones out.

"Harry!" they both said at the same time. Hermione ran up to him and hugged him while Ron gave him a pat on the back.

"Where have you been?" she asked once again sounding like Mrs. Weasley.

Harry pointed to his throat testing to see if they remembered. They didn't.

Told you your spell was too powerful.

Shush.

Harry pulled out the paper that he had written on earlier and ripped off the part where Malfoy started to talk on it. He handed the paper face down to Hermione and began writing to her on it. Ron looked on.

"Harry, that is advanced magic. Maybe we should show Professor Dumbledore," Hermione said.

Déjà vu.

Harry ignored Malfoy and flipped it over and pointed to his response earlier. He then pointed to the next part and answered Ron's question that was about to escape his lips. Hermione read on and saw that he didn't know which spell.

"Harry, have you gone to Dumbledore to see what spell he used?" Hermione asked.

He nodded and turned the paper over to write on the other side. He pulled out his wand as he stepped over the trick step on the third floor stairwell.

Dumbledore said that Professor Snape is making the potion to get my voice back. It is going to take two months.

"Tough luck, Harry," Ron said with a sympathetic look.

"Not to be nosy or anything but how did you know we were going to ask those questions?" Hermione looked from her paper to stare at him.

Because you've already asked me before. You just can't remember because I modified your memories.

"What?" Hermione squeaked. "How could you? Why did you do it?"

Harry looked at her and shook his head in a way that meant he couldn't tell. Hermione stopped and stared at him.

I can't say.

Hermione looked at him one last time before shoving the paper in his chest and stormed off. He looked at Ron who was just confused. Ron grabbed the paper.

"Tell me why you had to do it."

Because someone told Hermione that you liked her. You were all shaking and very angry.

Harry took out the other part of the parchment and handed it to Ron. He took it and read it and looked back to Harry. He spoke one word. "Malfoy." Harry nodded. "How did he do this?"

He was around the corner.

"Why did you have to modify mine? Why not just Hermione's?"

I meant it for only her, but it was too powerful and affected you. Sorry.

Harry looked at Ron using sad puppy dog eyes hoping that he would believe the lie he just wrote. Ron stared at the paper and then back at Harry. "It's alright," he said as he broke into a grin. "Come on, Harry. Let's go to bed."

They made their way upstairs to the portrait of the fat lady. Ron said the password and they were sucked in through the hole by many hands grabbing them inside.

"Harry!" many people called and soon enough he was being hugged by the girls and patted on the back by the guys. Harry looked at Ron and he tried to pry them of their hands saying he was tired. He was very thankful for Ron and his friendship. They ran upstairs to their dormitory and tripped on various items while trying to close the door.

"That was close," Ron said as he tiptoed around the junk to his bed. Harry got into his bed with his clothes still on as Ron changed. He drew the curtains around him and sat himself up against the head post. "Night, Harry." Harry waved a hand and wrote 'Good night' on the paper.

Don't forget.

I am coming after he falls asleep.