Harry Potter and the Orb of Power

Chapter 19: Eyes in the Dark

    The fall season passed quickly; Harry continually felt as if there wasn't enough time in the day to get all of his work done. With the new Keeper chosen, Harry had to have the team practice twice a week, in order to get Ron and Dean plenty of time to prove themselves worthy of the team. Ron had to keep borrowing Harry's Firebolt, which made practices very difficult. The first game of the season, Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw, was approaching fast, and Ron needed to get his own broom before the season. Adding to his Quidditch woes, Harry's prefect duties were becoming a nuisance, taking large chunks of time out of his already busy schedule. In addition to this, Snape's sessions with Harry on the Ingenium Potion that he insisted that Harry master were rather tedious. Snape was particularly vicious on the day before Halloween, which Harry found particularly fitting since Snape had been flitting around like a monster, preying on any student that remotely crossed his path. Harry was in the dungeons with him, practicing the Ingenium Potion.

    "Are you almost done yet, Potter?" Snape demanded from behind his desk.

    "Yes," Harry said coldly.

    "You will address me as sir, Mr. Potter. I won't tolerate your rudeness."

    "Yes, sir." Harry stared coldly at the hook-nosed teacher, who was reading the Daily Prophet. No doubt there was some article that was bad-mouthing him and Snape was taking enjoyment out of it.

    "I do not hold Minister Fudge in high regard, but I believe nonetheless he has the measure of your character," Snape said, smirking maliciously. "'Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lied, seems to be attempting to generate attention to fill his massive ego'," Snape read, savoring every word. Harry tried to block out Snape's voice, but to no avail. The yellow, watery potion that he was supposed to be making was orange and rather thick. Harry didn't understand why he couldn't do well with this potion. Snape looked up from the Daily Prophet, and swooped down to observe Harry's potion. Snape grimaced and spoke to Harry. Snape's voice was low and meaningful, as if he didn't want to be overheard, but wanted Harry to hear every single word.

    "Now listen to me, Potter. Listen very well. I've read your essays on the potion, and I've seen the results of your potion-making, and have come to the conclusion you are not trying."

    "But...," Harry started to say, but Snape cut him off.

    "Silence. It is imperative that you learn the essence of this potion. I will not tolerate you failing this simple work. You will continue to do extra work until you understand what you're doing." Snape gave Harry a meaningful look, and quite unexpectedly, Harry's scar twinged. Harry snapped his hand to his forehead instinctively, and Snape's eyes widened.

    "Now, Potter, you fail this session. Pack up your things, and I will see you again to practice the potion again." Snape turned quickly and swept out of the dungeons, his cloak billowing behind him. Harry scowled, and packed up his school things. He looked at his orange potion.

    "Evanesco!" Harry muttered, and his attempt at the Ingenium Potion disappeared. He threw an evil look at Snape, who had just turned out of sight, and picked up his school bag. Harry shook his head, and rubbed his scar, which was stinging a little bit, and left the dungeons.

* * * * *

    "It started to hurt? When Snape looked at you?" Ron asked for what seemed to Harry to be the fiftieth time he asked. They were heading for Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Harry's scar was still hurting.

    "Yes," Harry said rather impatiently. "Right after Snape told me about the potion."

    "But it doesn't mean anything right? Nothing to do with You-Know-Who?" Ron asked, bracingly.

    "Maybe it does have something to do with Voldemort," Hermione said, while Ron winced at the sound of the name. "After all, Harry's scar constantly keeps him in tune with Voldemort."

    "True enough, but the timing of it is rather suspicious. You think Voldemort can hear what I hear?" Harry asked, feeling his insides squirm at the thought. Just the thought of Voldemort having inside information on him made him nervous.

    "Well, if you can see what he sees, perhaps it works the other way around too," Hermione said slowly. "I doubt he has control over when it happens. You both seem to have inside glimpses on what is happening to each other. It's a good thing it only happened during a Potions lesson."

    "Yeah," Harry said as the three of them entered into the classroom. Mrs. Figg was standing in front of the class, writing something on the chalkboard. The bell rang, and the class fell instantly silent. No one wanted to test Mrs. Figg after the incident in the beginning of the year.

    "Good afternoon class. Now since it's the last class before your day off for Halloween...," Mrs. Figg began to say. Harry sighed with relief. She was giving them the class off. "I expect that you will all pay attention, as it is still a class." Harry frowned and looked over at Ron, who looked as if someone had cheated him out of money. Hermione looked relieved, which almost prompted laughter out of Harry. "Today we will be doing a practical dueling lesson. I need two volunteers from the class. Mr. Potter, Ms. Granger, to the front please." Harry scowled.

    "Wonder if she knows the definition of the word 'volunteer'," he whispered to Hermione as they walked to the front. Hermione grinned nervously.

    "Very good. Now. You all know a decent amount of jinxes and curses that no doubt serve you well amongst yourselves. However, due to recent circumstances, these jinxes will not be serving much good. But before I can teach you advanced magic spells for use in dueling, as you no doubt know you have a serious lack of them, I must teach you how to defend yourselves against them. Therefore, I will first be instructing you on how to block many unfriendly curses. Now, since these two have performed quite admirably under recent circumstances, I'll have them practice first. Ms. Granger, I want you to attack Mr. Potter with a spell you think will disable him. Mr. Potter, you are to defend yourself against this attack, and redouble on Ms. Granger. On three, begin." Hermione looked nervously at Harry, who grinned weakly. Both of them put wands at the ready.

    "One..." Harry gathered himself, ready to use the Shield Charm. Hermione's face looked rather grim. "Two..." Harry looked into Hermione's eyes, and in a split second, Harry realized Hermione probably knew more charms and spells than he did. The Shield Charm would probably not work against her. "Three!"

    "Expelliarmus!" Hermione shouted, a red light shooting from her wand.

    "Defendo!" Harry shouted. The red light hit his clear shield, and dissipated. "Expelliarmus!" Harry's own wand shot out a red light, heading straight for Hermione.

    "Caligo!" Hermione shouted in response. A grey cloud of fog smoked out of Hermione's wand, and Harry's Disarming Spell lost its potency as it bounced off of the fog. Harry immediately recognized the fog as the protection Mrs. Figg used in their first class. "Petrificus Totalus!" The spell rocketed towards Harry.

    "Defendo!" The wall again blocked the spell, but Harry was quickly losing strength. Harry was about to try another spell, when Mrs. Figg stood between them.

    "Enough!" She flicked her wand, and Hermione's cloud was gone, as well as Harry's shield. The rest of the class was staring, transfixed, at the duel between the two of them. Mrs. Figg looked at Harry, and Harry noticed that she had cold, emotionless blue eyes. Harry felt goosebumps prickle his skin, and he looked away. "Very well, you can return to your seats." Hermione grinned sheepishly at Harry, who grinned back too.

    "Brilliant," Ron said to the both of them, when they returned to their seats.

    "Can anyone tell me what Harry and Hermione did wrong?" Mrs. Figg called out to the class. Hermione blushed furiously, and Harry frowned as he looked at Mrs. Figg. The old woman was frowning, and she looked around at the class, who was looking very confused.

    "Please, Professor," Parvati raised her hand. "They looked like they did very well."

    "Yes, it looked fine and dandy, Ms. Patil, but they showed an utter lack of understanding of the defense concept. The two of them used standard defense spells that are easily countered. For example, Potter used the Shield Charm which, while potent itself, drains a great amount of energy from the spellcaster, meaning that repeated use makes the charm more likely to fail. Furthermore, the Shield Charm does not deflect major curses that you are likely to see." Harry frowned and looked at Hermione, who was scribbling furiously, taking down notes. Harry took up his quill and began to write too.

    "And while Ms. Granger used a clever Absorbing Spell, it too has its drawbacks. The Absorbing Spell, which creates a fog that absorbs magical energy and grants it to the spellcaster, has two drawbacks, one it shares with the Shield Charm. Any ideas?" The class again failed to raise their hands. Harry looked uncertainly at Hermione, and raised his hand.

    "Yes, Mr. Potter?" Mrs. Figg said with a slight frown.

    "Well, Professor, the cloud can be taken away with a spell like the Reductor spell," Harry said uncertainly.

    "Yes, very good, Mr. Potter. The Absorbing Spell, while it looks like a cloud, is really a box of sorts, that can be dismantled with the right spell. The Shield Charm also can be disarmed with the right spell. What is the second fault? I'm sure Ms. Granger can tell us." Mrs. Figg smiled at Hermione, who was scribbling so furiously that she was ripping the parchment.

    "I can't stop!" Hermione shouted, trying to contain her hand.

    "As you can see, Ms. Granger now has an excess of energy. This means two things. The first is that Mr. Potter puts an exceptionally large amount of energy into his spells. The second is that Ms. Granger did not respond to his spell with one of equal force. That is to say, the Full Body-Bind is not as strong of magic as the Disarming Charm. This equivalent relationship means that the use of the Absorbing Spell is quite tricky." Hermione had finally settled down, and had tears in her eyes when she looked at her notes. Harry showed her his.

    "You can use mine later," Harry mouthed. Hermione smiled sheepishly, wiping her tears away.

    "In dueling circumstances, you'll also want to get a spell off at your enemy as quickly as possible. During this duel, you'll have noticed that Ms. Granger and Mr. Potter, as exceptional as they are at dueling, were woefully slow at their attacking spells. This is not only because of the low standards of dueling you all are part of. It is also because these defensive spells that you are using do not facilitate retaliation, only defense. In dueling occasions, you'll need defensive tactics that will allow you to attack your opponent as quickly as possible. Therefore, while today we will be practicing the Absorbing Spell and Shield Charm, you'll also be practicing this: The Reflecting Charm. It's a favorite of mine," Mrs. Figg said, with an uncharacteristic smile. It quickly subsided, and she looked once more at Harry. "Mr. Potter, to the front again please." Harry stood up and walked to the front of the class.

    "Disarm me," Mrs. Figg ordered. Harry looked at her, and got ready.

    "Expelliarmus!" Harry bellowed, the red light shooting at Mrs. Figg.

    "Reflecta!" Mrs. Figg shouted back, with a swinging motion with her wand. A blue light shot forth, hit the red Disarming Spell, and bounced it back at Harry.

    "Defend-" Harry started to say, but he was hit with his own spell, and was blasted back. His wand flew out of his hand. The class gasped.

    "Simple, and effective. Now, pair up, and you'll practice these spells." Mrs. Figg had a look of grim satisfaction as she helped Harry up. Harry picked up his wand, and paired up with Dean, who was closest to him. He noticed Ron and Hermione paired up together, but forgot instantly. "First practice the Shield Charm, while the other attempts to Disarm!"

* * * * *

    "What a class," Ron breathed. "In one class I learned three defensive spells. Mrs. Figg is a great teacher."

    "Hmm..." Harry responded noncommittedly. While Mrs. Figg was no doubt a good teacher, he couldn't ignore the attitude that she took with him. It wasn't a hatred along the lines of Snape, but she had a distaste for Harry that he could not place. All of those times at her house she had not shown such an animosity for him. It was very puzzling.

    "...of course, those spells will come in handy, but I can't wait for the offensive spells," Hermione said brightly. "We're learning loads we should have learned from the Dueling Club in second year."

    "Definitely. Mrs. Figg didn't look pleased when she saw that Harry was the best in the class, though," Ron said, looking at Harry. "Sorry, mate, don't think she fancies you that much."

    "I know, I was just thinking about that," Harry said, frowning. "Reckon she knows Snape?"

    "Maybe they fancy each other. That's their common link, their hatred for Harry Potter," Ron said, laughing.

    "She's too old for Snape," Hermione said dismissively. "She looks as old as Dumbledore."

    "Still. They seem to both hate you," Ron said. "How about a Quidditch practice for tomorrow?"

    "Ron! We've got loads of homework! You can use the day off to get ahead in your classwork! I'm already two weeks ahead!" Hermione scolded.

    "Well, bugger for you. We need to practice for our first game!" Ron retorted.

    "I hate to say it, but Hermione's right. I don't want to fall behind in school work," Harry said, not wanting to catch Ron's eye.

    "You're kidding!"

    "Sorry, mate, but with everything going on, we need to learn as much as possible," Harry said, not even believing himself. He didn't want to admit it to Ron, but they were learning loads of important information this year, and they couldn't pass up that opportunity. Harry remembered back to the incident in Diagon Alley, where his feeble knowledge of magic almost got he and Hermione killed. He didn't want to be in that position again.

    "Reckon we should go to the library for more research on the Orb and Malagar?" Hermione asked.

    "Definitely, then we hit the books," Harry said. Ron ogled at both of them, but kept his opinion to himself.

* * * * *

    "Find anything yet?" Harry asked impatiently. He had looked through dozens of books, and found nothing to do with the Orb of Power or Malagar.

    "Orb of Thessala, Orb of Annihilation, Orb of Fortune-Seeking, Orb of Knowledge, Greyheilm's Orb, no Orb of Power," Ron said, reading an index on famous Orbs. "Figures, the one we're looking for isn't in here."

    "There has to be something. If it's this powerful, then there has to be a book on it," Hermione said, going through a copy of "Orbs and Their Properties".

    "And nothing on Malagar either," Harry said, going through a book on ancient seers. Malagar wasn't in any of them.

    "She must have kept behind the scenes," Ron said gloomily. "This is pointless. If there was something on this Orb, it probably won't be in the school library."

    "Of course it will. Maybe it's in the Restricted Section," Hermione said, glancing over at the closed off section of the library. Madame Pince was sitting behind a desk, her eyes glaring hawkishly at students who were talking too loud.

    "Maybe not. The Sorceror's Stone wasn't in a restricted book, and that was a rather important object," Harry objected.

    "Let's call it a night," Ron said. "Let's just get the homework done, so we can enjoy tomorrow." Harry and Hermione agreed, and packed up their books.

* * * * *

    Harry woke up on the day of Halloween, feeling refreshed. The night's work was long and hard, but he had managed to finish all of his homework, including the nasty essays Snape wanted him to do on the Ingenium Potion. Harry quickly dressed, and headed for the Common Room, where he found Ron and Hermione whispering to each other.

    "Hey guys," Harry said, enjoying the sunlight that was streaming in through the window. Ron turned, and Hermione stood up.

    "Hiya Harry!" she said quickly, looking at Ron.

    "Hey mate, you feeling like having some breakfast?" he asked Harry.

    "Not really. I'm going to head to the library and look up some more information on the Orb."

    "You've got to be kidding me! We haven't found anything yet!" Ron moaned.

    "He's right, Harry. We should give it a break and have some fun," Hermione said, looking nervous.

    "I can't give it a break. Voldemort's looking for this Orb, we can't afford to know less than him," Harry said impatiently.

    "Yes, but the Order is on it," Hermione responded.

    "We don't even know what this Order is," Harry retorted.

    "True, but we know that they're trying to get the Orb before Voldemort," Ron said hastily. "Come on, Harry, let's get some fresh air. We can visit Hagrid, we haven't visited him in awhile."

    "Not right now. I have a new avenue of attack for research," Harry said. Thinking about Dumbledore's letter to Professor McGonagall the night Harry saw Azkaban loosed, he remembered that Dumbledore had said that the Orb "lies in a fortress, filled with unhappy memories and of lives taken in cold blood." With that in mind, Harry was going to look up some fortresses, and see if he could find out from there where the Orb was hidden.

    "Look Harry, if Dumbledore doesn't know where it is, what makes you think we'll be able to find it?" Ron asked, growing impatient himself.

    "Because Dumbledore's been off his standard lately. He's been really tired, he could have overlooked it," Harry said, feeling himself growing ashamed that he would say something like that about Dumbledore.

    "Why don't we compromise. We'll look up some of the information, and then go out and enjoy the day," Hermione said, trying to avoid a row.

    "Fine, sounds good," Harry sighed. Ron nodded too, and the three of them headed to the library.

* * * * *

    Harry, Ron, and Hermione spent two hours in the library, looking up fortresses and wars, but they couldn't find one reference to the Orb of Power, or the Seeress Malagar.

    "You know, I'm beginning to think that we'll stumble across it when we're not paying attention," Ron joked, looking through the last book in his pile.

    "Agreed," Harry said, rubbing his eyes, which were burning from so much reading.

    "Let's go outside, we need the fresh air," Hermione said. The three of them returned the books to their shelves and headed for the gates, to enjoy the bright sunshine. As they exited the castle, they saw Dumbledore and Hagrid speaking to who had long, pale-white hair.

    "What in Merlin's name is Lucius Malfoy doing at Hogwarts?" Ron hissed.    

    "And what is Dumbledore doing letting him on the grounds? He knows he's a Death Eater!" Harry said loudly.

    "Shush, don't let anyone hear you, not until we know what he's doing here," Hermione hissed. Malfoy, Hagrid, and Dumbledore were walking across the grounds.

    "Wasn't he banned from the grounds after second year?" Ron asked furiously.

    "He must have gotten Ministry permission, because if he didn't, Dumbledore would have thrown him out instantly," Hermione said. "Come on, let's go back inside." They followed Hermione inside, and spent the rest of the day in the Great Hall, playing wizard's chess and recounting some of their old victories over Draco Malfoy. Soon enough, it was time for the feast, which was, as usual, marvelous. Harry forgot all of his worries as he ate happily with Hermione, Ron, and the other Gryffindors. Nearly Headless Nick was recounting his botched execution, while everyone laughed when the Bloody Baron chased Peeves around the Great Hall. All too soon, the feast was over, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione were headed back to Gryffindor Tower. Harry decided halfway there that he was going to enjoy the Prefect Bathroom. He left Hermione and Ron, and he was all alone in the hallway. His footsteps echoed through the darkening halls, and he reached the Prefect Bathroom. He took off his clothes and swam a few laps in the middle of some of the bubbles. The room was completely quiet, the water was at a perfect temperature, and Harry felt entirely relaxed. He closed his eyes, and felt all his worries slipping away. Suddenly, he heard a whispering. Harry's eyes snapped open, and he looked around but couldn't hear anyone. The whispering continued, but Harry couldn't hear who it was. He then heard footsteps, and saw Draco Malfoy emerge from a secluded part of the bathroom, wrapped in a bath towel. Draco looked surprised when he saw Harry. He shot Harry a nasty look and then exited the bathroom. What was Malfoy doing? Who was he whispering to? Harry figured that Malfoy was up to no good, and decided to find out just what he was doing. Harry got out of the tub and got quickly dressed, and headed out of the bathroom. He saw no sign of Malfoy, and then returned to investigate the bathroom. There was no sign of anyone in the bathroom, which made Harry frown. He was sure Malfoy was talking to someone, but there wasn't a trace of anyone else in the room. Harry pondered this for a few minutes, and grabbed his things. He walked out of the bathroom and headed to Gryffindor Tower. He heard the lonely sound of his footsteps, and then heard a rumbling from behind him, a rhythmic pounding that sounded a lot like wheezing. Harry turned, and saw nothing, only shadow. Harry gazed into the darkness, and, realizing he was being stupid, shook his head, and turned towards Gryffindor Tower. After walking for a few moments, he arrived at the portrait of the Fat Lady. He gave the password and entered into the Common Room. Harry yawned and saw Neville sitting by the fire, a piece of paper in his hand. Neville looked very upset. Harry slowly walked over, and sat next to Neville.

    "You all right?" Harry asked. Neville jumped in surprise and shoved the paper in his pocket.

    "It's nothing," Neville said quietly, and headed to the dormitories. Harry watched Neville go, and was very nervous. Neville had been off lately, more than usual, and it was very troubling. Harry supposed it was something to do with his parents, and felt a wave of sympathy wash over him. He saw Neville enter the dormitories, and stood up. He then spotted Ron and Hermione sitting on floor. They were whispering animatedly about something. Harry got up to say hello, but then noticed that Ron and Hermione were holding hands. A knot clenched in Harry's stomach, and he felt like someone dropped a lead weight in his insides. He stood there, watching the two of them holding hands, and then swept wordlessly out of Gryffindor Tower. In a rage he couldn't quite explain, he walked down the hallways in the dark, not bothering to illuminate his path. So they were going out! And how did Pansy know before he, Harry, their best friend, knew? It was insulting! Harry raged down the halls, not knowing where he was going. He was so lost in thought, that he didn't notice a pair of deep, green eyes staring malevolently out at him through the darkness.