“Professor, what just happened…?” someone shrieked softly. Harry tried to open his eyes but couldn’t. Someone placed Harry’s arm around their shoulder and lifted him into the air. Harry hung limply. His legs didn’t seem to want to move. The person lifting him slowly started to walk. The other person in the room put Harry’s other arm around their shoulder and began to walk next to them.
Harry opened his eyes. Hermione and Lupin were supporting him as they walked down the hall. Harry expected they were going to the hospital wing. He shuffled his feet, but it didn’t support him; he merely moved his feet back and forth on the ground. They turned the corner that led away from the hospital wing.
“Shouldn’t we take him to the hospital wing?” asked Hermione. Lupin shook his head.
“We need to take him to Professor Dumbledore first.” he said calmly. Hermione still looked concerned. They came to the gargoyle statue.
“Canary Creams,” Lupin mumbled to it. Harry found the password rather amusing, though Hermione looked quite perturbed. Harry could now actually use his legs to support a little of his weight. This seemed to relieve Hermione, who did not look like she wanted to support Harry while going up the stairs.
Dumbledore was pacing quietly about his office when they entered. “Is something wrong Remus?” he asked calmly. Lupin hesitated. Now that Harry thought of it, it was very hard to describe what had happened. Harry felt nervous; he would have to explain about how he knew about the veil’s power in the first place.
That was where he started. He explained about the Room of Requirements; how he had gone there to find the book. Lupin looked sharply at Hermione, who opened her mouth to say something in defense but Harry interrupted. He told them that she had tried to stop him from finding the book. He went on to the other dreams he had, and how he separated from the overgrown serpent. He explained how well he was mastering Occlumency.
Then he moved on to the dream tonight; how he had possessed the snake. It was only when he finished that he realized that it was Lupin that had saved him. He was the one who entered Harry’s mind. Dumbledore’s face was unreadable. He looked as if he was impressed, upset, and even fearful all at the same time.
Dumbledore stood up and started to pace again. “It seems, Harry, that you have acquired the highly advance skill of Legilimency, though I must admit, it does not surprise me. The only thing that surprised me was that you over came Voldemort’s own skill at your age. If you remember, the same event happened in your fourth year when you witnessed his return. Your wands connected, and beads of light began to slide along the connection. Those beads of light normally take the easier, or weaker, rout to one of the two wands. By focusing your mind you were able to make your half of the connection harder to move across. You did not actually move the bead of light. You simply made it to harder than Voldemort’s path to come to.”
Next to him Harry could see Lupin looked quite impressed, and Hermione absolutely fascinated, as though she just got a new book.
“You also said that you had managed to use Occlumency to rid yourself of two previous dreams. This should continue at all costs. Voldemort has worked for six years now to find a way to kill you, and will not hesitate to do so as you saw tonight. If you find yourself willingly walking strait into his thoughts, it will most likely be fatal.” Harry nodded. He hadn’t thought of this before. Hermione looked rather confused.
“Professor… Why does Voldemort want to risk so much just to try to kill Harry? Last year he wanted Harry to get the prophecy, but it smashed. Surely he has other things that would be more important to him than this….” Hermione said softly. Dumbledore’s gaze turned from Hermione back to Harry.
“You will know in time.” said Dumbledore shortly. He was not angry, but obviously meant to end the subject. “Now I think that you should go to the hospital wing and you to the Gryffindor common room.”
“I really don’t need to go to the hospital wing-” but as soon a Harry stood up his knees buckled and he had to grab the desk for support. Dumbledore inclined his head making Harry feel slightly embarrassed.
Hermione helped Harry out of Dumbledore’s office while Lupin stayed behind to talk to Dumbledore. Hermione looked rather pale. Harry looked at her for a moment. “Hermione…” But she started to sob as a small tear ran down her cheek.
“Oh Harry, you should have seen yourself! You looked like you were just going to die right there in the middle of the library! And *sniff* and your eyes were all red….” she started to sob uncontrollably into his shoulder, which unfortunately made Harry’s knees buckle again. “Oooooh… I'm sorry!” she wailed and lifted him back to his feet. Harry got the feeling that she needed to go to the hospital wing more than him. Maybe they had something to calm her down.
Madam Pomfrey was leaving the hospital wing before she saw Harry. “What have you done this time Mr. Potter?” she said in an exasperated voice. Hermione stepped forward.
“It wasn't his fault!” she said loudly while Madam took hold of Harry and led him into a bed.
“Well I meant no offence,” said Madam Pomfrey, “Come here a moment Ms. Granger.” she added once Harry was sitting in a bed and holding an odd looking potion that Harry recognized as a dreamless sleep potion for it was the same colour as the potion he drank after the third task. Hermione, looking quite distressed, steeped into the room. Madam Pomfrey opened a cabinet and started scanning different potions.
She sat Hermione down in a small bed and gave her a potion before locking the door to the wing behind her. “What…?” Hermione whispered after she left. Harry was glad that Hermione was still there. Somehow he would have felt guilty if he saw Hermione sobbing back to the common room.
“Cheers,” said Harry before taking a sip of his potion. Hermione, who still looked quite distressed, did that same. Just before he fell asleep in his bed, Harry saw Hermione take a deep breath and slide under the covers.