Bab 94: Chapter 94: "Whispers of the Mind"
Before making any moves against Fletcher, Harry thought it would be better to understand the situation and learn all the secrets by looking into Fletcher's memories first.
It was also an ideal moment for Harry to get better at legilimency, the art of reading minds, something he had been cautious about for so long because he didn't want to accidentally hurt someone and cause them lasting damage. But with Fletcher, someone Harry saw as a bad guy and an enemy, lying defeated, it seemed like the perfect chance to practice without worry.
Harry applied a body-bind curse to Fletcher, making sure he was immobilized but conscious. For the legilimency to work, Fletcher needed to be conscious and his eyes had to be open.
With a few well-placed slaps, Fletcher snapped awake, fury burning in his eyes as he glared at Harry. Anticipating nothing useful from Fletcher's verbal reactions, Harry had already cast a silencing charm on him. He wasn't in the mood to listen to any insults or curses Fletcher might hurl his way.
Next, Harry got his wand ready, focused, and cast "Legilimens" on Fletcher. Harry wasn't yet very skilled with this spell, so he still needed his wand to help him dive into Fletcher's mind. Reading someone's memories just by looking them in the eyes was something only really expert legilimens could do.
This was Harry's initial attempt at using the spell on a person, and he felt a mix of excitement and nervousness. Penetrating someone's mind was more complex than he had imagined. Fletcher's mental defenses were up, presenting a challenge. Harry persisted, though, and after several attempts, he managed to break through.
The first memory that unfolded before Harry was of Fletcher finding the ancient key in a dark, cluttered shop in Knockturn Alley. The shopkeeper had dismissed it as a trinket, a fake Gryffindor emblem, possibly the creation of an overenthusiastic student. Fletcher, sensing its significance, bought it for a bargain.
Coming back to the present, Harry realized he still had a lot to learn about using the Legilimency spell. He couldn't get all the important memories from Fletcher at once. He needed to go back into Fletcher's thoughts a few more times to understand everything completely.
On another dive into Fletcher's memories, Harry watched as Fletcher meticulously sifted through numerous ancient texts. After much research, Fletcher realized that the item he'd stumbled upon was actually a key and not just any key, but one that could unlock Gryffindor's lost treasure.
During another peek into the past, Harry observed Fletcher's attempts to discover where this treasure might be hidden, using the key as his guide. However, Fletcher couldn't find the treasure's location on his own and needed more help.
Harry then saw Fletcher reach out to his wide network of contacts to procure a special spell. This spell was designed to reveal the treasure's location when used in conjunction with the key. Once Fletcher cast this spell on the key, he was astonished to learn that the treasure was hidden somewhere within Hogwarts itself.
In a subsequent memory, Harry watched Fletcher as he maneuvered to get himself appointed as the Defense Against the Dark Arts (DADA) teacher at Hogwarts and his reaction to being easily accepted. Fletcher had been pleasantly surprised at how smoothly he had infiltrated the school.
Harry's journey through Fletcher's memories continued. He saw the moment Fletcher realized the treasure was located in the Hogwarts library. The casting of the earlier spell had guided Fletcher to a specific shelf and wall within the library.
On Halloween, despite his efforts to use the key, Fletcher couldn't activate it and unlock the treasure. Determined, he then resorted to using force to access the secret behind the wall. However, no matter how powerful the spells he hurled at the wall, it remained undamaged. After several unsuccessful attempts and fearing the arrival of other professors, Fletcher retreated.
Following that, Harry saw Fletcher tormented by the fear of being confronted by Dumbledore. Given Fletcher's absence during the feast, he was sure Dumbledore would suspect him of causing the library's chaos. Fletcher had even considered fleeing Hogwarts, but when no reprimand came, his confidence swelled, and he decided to stay and continue his quest for the treasure.
After further research in the library, Fletcher learned that activating the key would require blood from a Gryffindor descendant. This revelation made him confident that the key would unveil Gryffindor's hidden treasure.
However, acquiring the necessary blood proved challenging. Despite his brazen tactic of attacking and drawing blood from students, hoping one would unlock the key's magic, his attempts largely failed to get a reaction from the key. Only a few times did the key react, and even then, the reaction was too weak to fully activate the key.
As the memories continued to unfold, Harry observed Fletcher's increasing boldness and desperation. With the Aurors' involvement imminent, Fletcher's anxiety spiked. Knowing his time was running out, he became even more determined in his quest to find the right blood to unlock the treasure hidden within Hogwarts.
Today, Fletcher had made a plan to target Harry. Knowing the Potters had ties to the Gryffindor family, Fletcher was keen on using Harry's blood for the Gryffindor key. He had found out that Harry had a routine of exercising outside every morning, making it an opportune time for an ambush.
From Fletcher's point of view, Harry witnessed his own attack.
Fletcher had positioned himself in a corridor near the castle's exit, waiting to strike with a stunning spell. The surprise Fletcher felt when his spell didn't work was almost palpable. Before he could try again, he was taken aback by a powerful kick from Harry, losing his balance and then being disarmed and stunned. Fletcher couldn't believe he had been bested by a first-year student from Hogwarts.
Through repeated attempts, Harry was able to extract all the information he needed from Fletcher's memories. Each successful attempt at legilimency not only provided valuable insights but also significantly improved Harry's skill in the art.
Harry was aware of the potential harm his probing could cause Fletcher's mind, but since Fletcher was an enemy, he had little concern for his well-being. The improvement in his legilimency skills was a welcome side effect, as it meant Harry could delve into someone's thoughts in the future without worrying about unintentional harm.
During his exploration of Fletcher's memories, Harry stumbled upon a treasure trove of spells. These were spells of a thief and treasure hunter - perfect for tracking, stealth, and breaking through formidable defenses. Harry recognized the practicality of these spells in everyday situations at Hogwarts and anticipated they would be incredibly beneficial down the line.
Realizing time was running out and needing to keep this encounter hidden from Dumbledore, Harry figured it was time to wrap things up. He erased Fletcher's recent memories with a well-controlled Obliviate charm, specifically targeting the memories involving the Gryffindor key and the memories of the past year. By doing this, Fletcher wouldn't remember anything about the key, and Dumbledore would stay in the dark about what had just happened.
For his next move, Harry got both himself and Fletcher under his invisibility cloak and pulled Fletcher towards the moving staircases. Harry made sure to remove all spells from Fletcher to ensure there was no trace left behind. He then placed Fletcher's wand back in his pocket and gently nudged him down the stairs.
Harry believed that falling from a great height was the best way to disguise Fletcher's loss of memories. At Hogwarts, where magic is everywhere and there is a skilled healer around, such a fall would hurt Fletcher badly but he would probably survive.
Harry wasn't too worried about Fletcher's well-being after seeing Fletcher's last thoughts of harming or even killing him after his attack on Harry failed. Fletcher knew revealing his identity as the attacker would draw the wrath of many powerful families at Hogwarts, whose children he had targeted. To protect his identity, Fletcher had decided to silence Harry completely.
So, Harry didn't bother to check if Fletcher survived. Fletcher should feel lucky that Harry didn't want to deal with an Auror investigation at Hogwarts; otherwise, Harry might have taken even harsher steps.
Feeling content with the outcome of his morning's unexpected events, Harry toyed with Fletcher's backup wand as he returned to his dormitory. The wand, surprisingly, had chosen him as its next owner, functioning better than the spare wand he used for mischief. Harry found it quite interesting and a bit funny how easily he had managed to get this wand to work for him, and now he had a really good backup wand.
Back in his room, Harry started getting ready for his classes, his mind already thinking ahead to when he could next pursue the mystery of the Gryffindor key and the treasure it promised.
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