บท 30: Harry Gaunt - Chapter 30
Dumbledore arrived for dinner a little late as he took his seat beside Minerva. "Good evening Minerva. The hall seems very lively today."
He shuffled himself in, eager to start his meal after Horace had ruined his actual plans for this evening.
"No different than usual Albus," returned Minerva with a drawn-out sigh. She'd eaten hardly anything from her plate, which Dumbledore looked at sadly before serving his own.
Minerva still needed time.
"Don't look at me like that." Minerva said beneath her breath. "I ate earlier. There's no need for this concern everyone has." She proved her point by loading up her fork, then plopped it in her mouth with an 'mmm'.
She didn't appreciate all the sympathetic looks she'd been getting, chewing angrily. Her husband's death was murder, they should all be angry not sad.
"Minerva." Dumbledore held off beginning his meal. "I strongly urge that if you need time away from work, then we can arrange it. I am more than happy to resume teaching Transfiguration."
He'd already received news that Minerva's behaviour in class was far from acceptable, which in comparison to this year's Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor, didn't seem so bad.
The man had already sent three students to the hospital wing.
"No Albus, my place is here." Minerva huffed and sat away from her plate. "I just need more time. I won't be away from Hogwarts, I'll go mad if I am stuck at home."
She fought the fearful feelings of being alone in their house brought, where memories of their happy life would return to haunt her.
"You wouldn't have to leave," assured Dumbledore in his colourful robes. "You can stay here, do as you will until you're ready to return to classes."
There was never any question that he wouldn't do this for her.
"Besides, I may have need of you for another purpose." He whispered as he leant towards her, taking care so Filius wouldn't hear. "One that will seek to counter our recent troubles."
Minerva looked at him sharply.
"Would you be interested?" he posed, leaning away again as he stroked his beard.
If anyone should be it would be her. Tom's little group had grown far beyond anything Dumbledore had foreseen.
"I might be," she began with a touch of caution. "But we'll speak of it later. Horace has been meaning to speak to you." She gestured down the table, where upon Horace had sat with an angry scowl after leaving Dumbledore's office. "He's not pleased."
Minerva wasn't either if she was being honest.
"He's misinformed," corrected Dumbledore, beginning his meal with a clack of his cutlery. "If punishment isn't dealt, the offenses merely escalate. It's not a difficult concept. There's no reason why Mr Gaunt shouldn't receive detention like anyone else for skipping class."
He took a sip from his pumpkin juice
Minerva became still. "Which class?" she probed. "Wait, which classes did he choose?"
Dumbledore recalled them in a moment. "Creatures, History, Muggle Studies, Charms, Transfiguration and Defence." He chuckled in mild amusement. "He's certainly a unusual young man, like so few I've ever come across really. Except perhaps one."
His amusement faded. Harry was very similar to Tom. But if one needed proof that he wasn't, it was there right there at the Slytherin table.
"I've wondered that too," offered Minerva as she looked at the pair talking quietly. "Not the first bit you said, but that." Ms Black was whispering in his ear. "They do seem well acquainted."
There was a kindness there too as they snuck a glance at their opposite pair, where Severus seemed to be explaining something to Ms Rosier, his expression truly animated.
"It does appear that way," agreed Dumbledore with a tone of surprise, unsure if having House Black ally themselves with House Gaunt were really such a good thing. "I wonder what Lord Black thinks of it." He glanced to his side at Minerva. "He's not been seen for weeks now."
Nor did the experienced Lord seem to have a handle on things as more of his family became embroiled in Tom's schemes. Muggles were dying nearly every day now, and should a wizard die or go missing, it was never fully certain if foul play had been involved.
The fear was growing. And if one person near fear like no other, and how to instil it - it was Tom Riddle.
"You think Mr Gaunt is involved?" asked Minerva, her expression now mirroring why she'd been opposed to him coming here in the first place. "It wouldn't be surprising. House Gaunt does seem to struggle with sensible choices."
She arranged her cutlery in an orderly way, then tutted before pushing it away. "What's the real reason he's here Albus?" She kept her gaze across the hall. "He shouldn't have been allowed to attend. We know nothing about his previous education or why he doesn't have OWLs. He lies to me in class, skips them and then during the holidays, has a penchant for blowing up entire streets."
She bristled, unable to fathom how someone like could come into being. "I wonder if Ms Black knows anything…"
"Albus?" Minerva looked at him, he had his mouth full as her look turned to a withering stare.
He swallowed, looking sheepish. "I wished to have him here where I could…" He didn't say exactly the reason. "Assist him. Help him should the need arise."
And prevent him from aiding what was arguably his closest living relative. Which was a dangerous recipe and one Albus had felt compelled to act against as he munched another mouthful.
"He needs to be kept in-line," said Minerva. "He's clearly been allowed free reign up till now, doing who knows what to who knows who." She rose to her feet.
"I'll keep you informed on that other matter," assured Albus as she slipped past his chair.
Minerva nodded. "Good." Then strode away towards Horace. "When you're ready Horace."
She tapped him on the shoulder, continuing on and out the hall a moment later.
Horace went straight over and took the chair beside Albus.
"Horace, please-" Albus was still eating.
"No Albus, you're overstepping," stated Horace. "Assigning detention for an entire week is uncalled for. Did you not see the rain earlier today?"
It was a deluge. Harry had every right to stay inside.
"He left class under a lie." Albus didn't tolerate that kind of behaviour. "And as Professor Kettleburn has delegated to me, then it is I that will determine correct punishment."
"I am Head of Slytherin House!"
"No." Dumbledore looked at him with a smile. "He is."
Horace didn't appreciate the Headmaster's joke as he poked his fork through a sausage. "It is for nought Albus," beseeched Horace. "Any punishment you assign he will not attend, you will only alienate him."
Horace's voice became an angry whisper. "Is that what you want? Because if it is, then I'll have no part in it."
Harry was too important to discard over petty punishments, which had never worked in his many years teaching Potions. Dumbledore was just too uptight to let things go as Horace slipped away, leaving the Headmaster alone to his precious meal.
"It's just the same as before," muttered Horace as he entered through the corridors. "He's learned nothing."
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Harry was stood by the common room door while he waited for Bellatrix to say goodbye to Phyllida, who had dragged her in with whispering words once they'd arrived after dinner.
Poor Severus, he'd been exhausted and had gone in first after the many theories he'd been arguing, which seemed to perk Phyllida to no end. She'd had a great time, they'd even stayed for dessert as he heard Bellatrix reappear.
She gave him a small smile, joining his side within the corridor. Harry didn't rightly know what she'd been doing before as she led the way, guiding him along a route that he didn't know.
"Where are we going?" he asked.
"You'll see." Bellatrix didn't wait as she took his hand in a gentle motion. "In-case you feel like running off." She explained, clearly intent on intertwining her fingers with his own.
"I wasn't planning on it." Harry gave up trying to resist as he let her do so, but refused to be dragged along as he stayed by her side. "You can slow down you know."
Bellatrix kept speeding up then slowing down, forgetting that Harry was in no-rush to arrive at this mysterious location.
A part of him hoped it was the Room of Requirement. But he doubted it.
"We're almost there," she whispered, leading him up a narrow flight of stairs that led high into a tower. "I used to come here with Cissy, but after a time she grew bored of it." Bellatrix kept him close as they climbed. "It's been years."
She held onto him, saying no more as they eventually arrived in a room with a cone like ceiling, circular from the shape of the tower. It had large windows that were glass, some of which were broken as they walked together across the wooden floorboards.
"What do you think?" Bellatrix asked, looking back to see his reaction. "Too much?"
It was a little dark up here, and if not for the half-moon shining in through the window, it would be.
"Shall I repair it?" offered Harry. "I can ward it too, I expect you're not the only one who knows about this place."
Harry thought he might have seen this on the map once, which meant Sirius and James had surely found their way up here.
"That would be great," Bellatrix smiled as the moonlight shadowed her happy face. "Can you do it left handed?"
She didn't want to let go yet.
"I can actually." Harry tested to see if she'd let go. "Fine. But hold still."
He lifted their hands so he could access his right sleeve.
"I've wondered about your wand," she said as he slipped it out with his left hand. "It looks strange, is it even wood?"
She looked at in his hand, thinking that it might have been a horn of some kind as Harry adjusted his grip, letting Bellatrix return their hands to where she wanted.
Harry didn't understand this side of her, how even now her thumb seemed to caress his own.
It was very distracting.
"Sorry."
She giggled quietly. Harry's focus came back to him. "When you're ready." Bellatrix offered as she stepped close to his side to avoid the coming storm.
"Right." Harry readied his wand. "Here goes then."
He made an arc with his wand through the air, a quiet whistle the only sound before a clatter of things began to move within the room. He kept his wand within the air, his eyes pulling shut as he focused his mind.
Bellatrix simply stared. He was creating a room for them, the walls that were dirty and cracked becoming smooth and clear before her eyes. The floor, which creaked and groaned became bright, varnished and repaired as sections snapped back into place.
The glass reformed from the shattered remains, rising with little clicks as it slotted into place. There was so much more as well, too much to see as the very air itself became fresh within her chest.
It was beautiful.
"That's the first bit done," commented Harry as he surveyed the room with her, nodding satisfactorily as the things he'd imagined had come to pass.
"It's amazing." Bellatrix wanted to touch and see it all. "Here, I'll do the rest." She knew a few conjurations that her mother had taught her.
"Serelia."
She waved her wand. Nothing happened.
"It's pronounced with an 'i'. Sirelia." Harry made the motions with his wand.
Nothing happened.
"Hm." He looked back to Bellatrix, who was biting her lip at him. "I'll need my hand back now."
"Of course," she agreed airily as she let him go. "You can clue me in on the rest once the room's presentable. And warm."
Harry nodded, seeing to that right now as he stepped to the wall and begun his enchantment, applying warming charms within the stone. It was a good thing that Hogwarts would be able to sustain them as he moved his along careful patterns.
"Are you enchanting them?" Bellatrix asked in a curious tone. She came up behind him, trying to peek and get a look from over his shoulder.
Harry shifted, making room with a sigh.
"Oh I see now." She looked closely at the walls. "It's warm."
She looked back to him, smiling with her hand pressed gently against them.
Harry nodded, smiling too. "That'll probably do for now," he said, moving on as he conjured blinds for the windows further down. "We'll add more when the winter comes."
Bellatrix was fine with that. "Sometimes at home, Cissy and I are forced to wear jumpers with an enormous 'B' on them." She rolled her eyes. "It's a Pureblood tradition, apparently."
Arcturus had always insisted that they wear them. It built character.
"Do you have one's with your initials on too?" Harry turned to her rather suddenly. "Or does 'B' mean Bellatrix instead of Black?"
"Bellatrix." She corrected. "You know it then? I guess the Gaunts would do it too."
Harry turned away with a shake of his head. She knew so little about him. "I wasn't always a Gaunt," he said, making an adjustment to his simple blind. "It was only upon a visit to Gringotts that the line was identified."
The blind shifted slightly, and then again until Harry was satisfied. He could feel Bellatrix's gaze on him. "Does that change your opinion of me?" he asked, shifting back to face her. "Would it as well if I told you I am a half-blood?"
Bellatrix met his gaze.
"No." She stepped towards him. "It doesn't change anything. And if helps, I did wonder." She took another. "You can blame Martha for that one."
Harry laughed. "She's a sweet girl," he said. "Better left alone from people like me."
He swallowed as he looked up above at the tower's ceiling. He'd seen Martha at dinner smiling with her new friends.
"She's a good fit for a Hufflepuff."
Harry looked back to Bellatrix.
"I saw her too." She quirked her lips. "Or should I say, I saw you looking." Bellatrix took a final step towards him, now very close as she looked softly up him. "You're very tall my lord."
"Am I?" Harry returned. "Who knew. I never thought I'd be, I was so small when I was young."
He'd been a little boy until his fifth-year, then sprouted up once he'd left to pursue…
"Harry?"
Bellatrix searched his face.
"Sorry." He shook it away. "I try not to let that happen." He looked down at the concern within her gaze, felt the way her hands touched the front his robe. "I meant what I said," he whispered.
Bellatrix held onto him.
"There are things I cannot tell you. Things about my past you cannot know." He felt her arms wrap around him, the warmth from her chest pressed against him. "So please, do not ask more than I can willingly give."
Harry still wished that Bellatrix would go, just run away and take Cissy with her.
"It's alright Harry," she whispered into his chest as her hair spread across him. "I trust you. Do not worry…" She kissed his neck, whispering it again as she felt Harry breathe, cradling her head with his cheek.
He pulled her in, holding her gently as she murmured his name.
…
Clank.
Harry startled, his eyes flicking up towards the door and impending footsteps. Bellatrix had frozen in his arm, no doubt terrified of being found as the noise came ever near.
Crack.
They disappeared.
"What was that?" Lestrange stepped out with his brother at his side.
"Probably just an elf, little buggers are everywhere." Rabastan said as he looked around, then frowned at the spotless room. "They must have cleaned up. Maybe she did it."
Rodolphus scrunched his face, his wand in his hand as he scrutinised the room with a finer eye. This couldn't be her doing, she was too weak to cast so many charms all at once. "It hasn't been long enough." Rodolphus backed away towards the door. "We checked last term before leaving, this wasn't her."
"If you say so," said Rabastan with a shrug. "If she's anything like the other sister, it'll be fun when we-"
Rodolphus told him to shut it. "You really are a fool Rabastan."
"Says you."
"Says everyone," snapped Rodolphus as they descended the stairs. "Where the hell is she…"
"You reckon she's with Gaunt?" Rabastan skipped down the steps behind him.
"I hope not." The thought of which put Rodolphus in a sombre mood as they arrived at the bottom. "I can't do anything until he's met with him."
His express orders, as told were to obtain the Black sister, thereby breaking the stubborn Lord Flint. And secondly, help that pompous git Lucius Malfoy determine if Gaunt was worth having or not, given his apparent instability that was widely known.
"Bet she is," said Rabastan. "I saw them at dinner, she had that look in her eye." He wiggled his eyebrows.
"Let's go." Rodolphus had a meeting to get to. "Lucius is waiting."
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Crack.
"Ah!" "Ooof!"
Harry and Bellatrix tumbled across the grassy ground, the small hill they arrived upon dimly lit by the moonlight.
"Bellatrix?" Harry was on his feet within a moment. "Are you all right?"
"Y-yeah." Bellatrix took a moment as Harry helped her up. "That was different." She noted, skipping over what they'd done as she glanced at their surroundings. "Where are we?"
She didn't recognise this place. There looked to be a muggle town nearby.
Harry didn't answer straight away, instead stepping off with a mutter about distractions. "We're in Surrey," he said. "I… stayed here once."
He turned back to her. "I'll take us back."
"I've never been to Surrey," offered Bellatrix as she stepped away, an air of excitement around her. "Is it nice here?"
"No."
Harry shook his head. "We need to get back." He offered his hand, waiting for her to take it as she thought for a moment. "Bell-"
He wasn't quick enough. She ran off with a playful giggle down the hill as she bid him to follow, knowing he would.
Sigh.
"This is a terrible idea."
She was heading towards the town as he hurried after her.
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