Spinning, spinning... This is going to be a big one, Harry remembered thinking as he was pulled inside-out and crushed, as he was torn into little pieces. He didn’t even care anymore if they got into Hagrid’s hut or not, he just wanted this to end. He vaguely wondered if Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Luna felt the same way.
And then, it was over, just as suddenly as it had started. Harry was facedown on a rough wooden floor. He turned his head to see how the other four had done, getting splinters all over his face in the process. He slowly opened his eyes. Ron was lying there, in the same position Harry was. His face was screwed up as if he didn’t know the painful Apparition was already over.
Harry rolled himself onto his back and stared up at the ceiling. It was completely dark. The ceiling looked like a big slab of wood, no decorations, no color, nothing. It seemed a bit too close to Harry for a ceiling, but he attributed its closeness to the aftereffects of Apparating.
After a moment of staring up, Harry groaned and pulled himself to a sitting position. The next second he swore loudly as his head smacked into the “ceiling”, which he realized was the underside of Hagrid’s bed. He coughed, eyes streaming, and gritted his teeth against the extreme pain in his head.
He heard something above him roar, and he was unceremoniously pulled from under the bed by the neck and lifted ten feet into the air. Through his tearful eyes, he could just make out the massive silhouette of Rubeus Hagrid himself. “Hagrid!” Harry choked. But Hagrid apparently didn’t hear him, and it was too dark for Hagrid to be able to recognize his friend. The half-giant stuck his big hairy face into Harry’s and bellowed, “WHAT’RE YOU DOING HERE?” He tightened his grip on Harry’s neck.
The pain in his head subsided a bit, just enough for Harry to gasp, “Hagrid! It’s me! Harry!”
Hagrid abruptly dropped Harry, who gratefully gulped in as much air as he could. The fall didn’t help his head, however, and Harry felt the pain slowly evolving into a monster of a headache. He closed his eyes. Somewhere above him, he heard Hagrid switch on a light.
“What the ” Blimey, Harry, it is you!”
Harry was swept into a crushing bear hug, and he was certain he felt another of his bones break. Hagrid gently put him down and said, “What’re you doing here, Harry? An’ how’d you get in under my bed?”
Harry groggily put up a hand. His head was spinning, and Hagrid seemed to be standing on the wall, which Harry knew mustn’t be right. “Ugh... Can I please sit down, Hagrid? I don’t ” I don’t feel so good.”
“Oh, yeah... Sorry ’bout tha’...” Hagrid led Harry to the bed, and Harry gingerly sat down, taking care not to jolt his head.
Slowly, his breath began to come back, and the pounding in his head eased. He told Hagrid how the other four had caught him up in Godric’s Hollow, and how they’d Apparated to the little hut. When Hagrid heard that Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Luna were also there, he began to search for them. He pulled Ron out from under the bed, then found Luna draped over the back of a chair. Neville had somehow managed to end up in the rafters, where he was hanging on for dear life when Hagrid found him. Hermione had Apparated into a small closet at the other end of the hut, and was much less battered than the others had been. Hedwig had somehow been able to come along, too, and was now happily perched on the headboard of Hagrid’s bed.
After they’d all been somewhat revived, they sat on the edge of the bed and Hagrid pulled up a chair across, staring at them. A few minutes later he said, “So... Why exactly did you need t’ get in ’ere at the same time anyways?”
Hermione said quickly, “We have to get into Hogwarts, Hagrid, and we need your help doing it. That ” that’s why we came in here, first, because we knew we couldn’t get into the castle otherwise.”
Hagrid raised one bushy eyebrow. “An’ why is getting’ into Hogwarts so important? Harry?”
Harry glanced at the other four, who looked at him expectantly. He sighed. Great. Guess I’m going to have to do all the explainig myself. “We need to get into the Headmaster’s office, to talk with Dumbledore’s portrait there. Erm... We have to ask it about ” about ””
Suddenly the whole story spilled out. Dumbledore gathering information about Voldemort’s life; Harry’s “lessons”; finding the fake Horcrux, which Harry still wore around his neck; the long, dismal summer at Privet Drive...
When he got to Ginny’s death, Harry’s voice caught, and he tried to get the words out, struggling against tears. Hagrid hadn’t known Ginny well, but he cried anyway, drenching himself in giant tears. He finally got out a huge handkerchief from his pocket and forcefully blew his nose.
Luna and Neville, on the other hand, had known Ginny well, but hadn’t heard about her death either. Neville was crying into the pillow. Luna just sat there, looking as detached as ever, but traces of moisture betrayed her emotion. Ron and Hermione too looked on the verge of tears.
This was horrible. It was as if Harry were back at Ginny’s funeral, only ten times worse. He’d tried to think of her as little as possible, but something like this was just too much.
Harry clenched his fists and swiped at his eyes. “Hagrid!” he said loudly.
Hagrid looked up. “Wha’? Oh yeah...” He gave an enormous sniff, then nodded at Harry. “Keep goin’.”
Harry told him about walking from the Burrow, when he’d thought he heard Nagini in the grass. “But now I expect it was just Ron and Hermione, and Luna and Neville, sneaking after me.”
Hagrid frowned thoughtfully. “Don’t count on it, Harry. I’ve been hearin’ You-Know-’Oo’s been workin’ overtime lately. I wouldn’t be surprised if that was ’is snake, sent to spy for ’im.”
“Spying?” Harry said in surprise. “What...” He stopped.
Harry remembered talking to Hedwig about Ginny, when he’d been on the road. He had thought he was alone, that Voldemort hadn’t known about the connection between Harry and Ginny. But if Nagini had been spying... Then Ginny’s death hadn’t been a random murder. It was all planned, an attack on Harry’s heart.
A cold fury rose up in Harry. Everything else was blocked out, everything but the rage building inside him. But after a moment the rage died, to be replaced with fear. He realized just how much he had given away, on that lonely country road... how much he’d said, about Ginny, Ron, Hermione, the Weasleys... He knows. After all this time... He finally knows.
Out of a deep well of despair, Harry dimly heard a voice calling him. “Harry! Harry!”
He shook his head, opening his eyes to see Hermione staring at him, a concerned look on her face. “Are you alright?”
“Um... Yeah, I-I’m fine,” he lied. He tried to concentrate on what Hagrid was saying, but a single thought kept chasing through his head: He knows... He knows everything, and Ginny’s dead and it’s all my fault...
“...but I’m not sure how you’re plannin’ to do this, Hermione,” Hagrid said. “Getting’ into the grounds is one thing, but into the castle itself... I dunno, there’s probably loads of protections on it, to keep anyone from sneakin’ in...”
Ron butted in, “But you’re the Keeper of the Keys, Hagrid! Surely with that title you’d have some keys... Maybe for a back way into Hogwarts?”
Hagrid looked very uncomfortable. “Well, yeah, bu’...”
Luna said, “Yes, there is a back way into the castle. I’ve seen other students use it a few times, but it’s usually locked. I’m sure Hagrid has the key, don’t you, Hagrid?”
Hagrid sighed heavily. “Yeah, I’ve got the keys,” he admitted. “But tha’ doesn’t mean I’ll give ’em to you. You can’t jus’ go sneakin’ around Hogwarts. You and me could all get in serious trouble...”
“But Hagrid,” Hermione said pleadingly, “you know us. You can trust us, we’re not going to try anything except get into the Head’s office. Besides, we’ll only be in there a few moments, you won’t even know we’re there, and we’ll be gone before you know it.”
Ron nodded, grinning. “Yeah, Hagrid! Come on, we’ll never tell!”
Harry quietly spoke. “Please, Hagrid. I really need to get in there.”
Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Luna turned to stare at Hagrid, who seemed to be thinking about their proposal very hard. After a minute, he sighed again and walked over to his huge table, where he opened a hidden drawer. From it he pulled a large brass key, the handle of which was roughly shaped like an ornate “H”.
Seeing the looks on the kids’ faces, Hagrid held up the key and said, “Believe me, the key for the front doors is abou’ twice as big an’ fancy. This one is nothin’ compared to the main key.”
Neville’s mouth was hanging open. He stammered, “Those keys must’ve cost a fortune!”
Ron lunged suddenly for the key, which Hagrid lifted easily above his head. “If you kids are goin’ to get into Hogwarts, I’m goin’ with you, at least to the entrance. Either I come, or you don’t go at all. Alright?”
Harry looked around at the others, then said, “Fine. Let’s go.”
Hagrid, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Luna, and Neville snuck over the back lawn to the castle. Hermione reached the back first, and Hagrid motioned for her to stand against the stone wall. Within a few minutes they were all lined up along the wall, but there was no sign of a door anywhere.
Hagrid shiftily looked round the area, then pulled his big pink umbrella from a huge coat pocket. Harry had reason to believe that the umbrella hid the pieces of Hagrid’s snapped wand, and he was almost sure of it as the half-giant stepped up to the wall and tapped three diagonal stones in an apparently random order. That part of the wall immediately faded away to reveal a small wooden door. In the very middle was a large brass keyhole.
Hagrid rummaged around in his pockets and triumphantly drew out the key. “’Ere we go,” he muttered. He quickly unlocked and opened the door, then ushered the five friends inside.
He pulled Harry aside just before he went in. “I’ll take care of Hedwig for you. Do wha’ you ’ave to do, then get out this same way. I’ll stay just here and keep watch. And Harry,” he said seriously, looking down at the boy, “be careful, alright?”
Harry nodded, then entered the castle.
The passageway they were in was completely dark, and very narrow, almost like a tunnel. Several times Harry heard someone gasp as hey were trod upon by the person behind.
After walking through the seemingly endless dark for a few minutes, Harry heard Neville yelp. The next second he smashed into Ron, who was directly in front of him. “What’s going on?” Harry panted, straightening his glasses.
“Dunno,” said Ron. “Everybody suddenly stopped, and I ran into Luna. Hey Neville!” he shouted up front. “What happened? Why’d you stop?”
Neville’s voice sounded muffled as he answered, “I ran into a wall. I think this passage is a dead end, Harry.”
“Let me through,” Harry told Ron, who squashed against the wall to make room for his friend to pass. “’Scuse me... Sorry...” Harry pushed his way up to Neville and asked, “It’s a dead end? Are you sure?”
“See for yourself,” Neville said. He stepped aside for Harry.
Harry put his hands out and took a step. His hands immediately met a cold, stone wall. He blindly felt around, beginning to panic. The stone surrounded his sides and front. He couldn’t find any breaks in the wall. But Hagrid wouldn’t put us in here if it was a dead end! he reasoned. Than a small voice in the back of his head whispered, Ah, but how do you know it was really Hagrid? It could have been anyone, just using Polyjuice Potion... A Ministry official, a Death Eater, even Voldemort himself! This could be a trap, and you walked straight into it...
Harry gritted his teeth and kept feeling around. That had to have been Hagrid, he was too like himself to be an imposter ” wasn’t he? Hagrid wouldn’t let ayone trap him to make a Polyjuice, that had to be him... The doubt remained, however, so Harry shoved it to the very back of his mind and devoted himself to finding a way for them to get out.
“Um... Harry?” he heard Hermione say behind him.
“What?” he snapped. He was getting quite frustrated, his efforts bearing no results. A bright light suddenly appeared behind Harry and Neville, who turned in surprise. Hermione was holding up her wand. It lit up the entire passage with a glowing light. Hermione had a knowing expression on her face as she waved the wand around, causing the light to bounce back and forth. “Forget about ‘Lumos’, did you?”
Harry mentally kicked himself. How could he have forgotten about magic? They had Apparated, to get into a magic school, and he had completely forgotten his wand. Harry pulled his wand out of his robes and murmured, “Lumos.” The passageway was immediately flooded wih light. Behind him, Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Luna did the same.
It was much easier to search for the exit with light, but Luna was still the first to discover the door. “I think I’ve found it,” she said dreamily, raising her wand and pointing at the ceiling. They all looked up to see a big wooden trapdoor just over their heads.
“Now why didn’t we notice that before?” Ron said indignantly.
“We just weren’t looking in the right place,” Hermione said, coming up behind Harry. “How d’you suppose we can get up there, Harry?”
“Er...” Harry said, mind whirling with ideas. “We could ” stand on top of each other’s shoulders, to get to it... Or we could take turns using my broom to fly through...”
“Yeah, Harry, but how do we get it open?” Ron asked. “That thing looks like it weighs a ton, and unless it opens from the inside, there’s no way we can do anything!”
Neville had been quiet for a while, but when he spoke up, he said only, “There is a handle, isn’t there?”
Everyone looked up again. Hermione said, “Yes...”
“So then it can’t be locked, or else there’d be a big lock on the outside, which would be too easily noticed. This thing has supposedly been here for a long time, and I’ve never seen a trapdoor like this anywhere in the school.”
“Yeah, so?” Ron said impatiently. “That really doesn’t help us out here, Neville...”
“But it does!” Neville said, clearly getting excited. “If the people who built this passage didn’t want it to be noticed, a large trapdoor being pushed up into a corridor whenever anyone used it would surely draw attention! Students would see if a big slab of the floor suddenly moved up...”
“...So the door probably comes down,” Harry finished slowly. A plan was beginning to form in his mind, but Hermione said it aloud first. “Why don’t you use your Firebolt to get up there, then you can unlatch the door for the rest of us, Harry?”
Harry grinned. “Just what I was thinking, Hermione.” He knelt down and pulled his magically enlarged backpack off his shoulders, setting it carefully on the ground. He then plucked out his magnificent Firebolt racing broom and placed it next to the backpack.
He shrugged the bag back on and extended the broomstick toward Ron, who looked surprised. “You want to do it, Ron? You could probably use the practice.”
Ron’s face turned red, and for a moment he seemed torn between blowing up or taking the Firebolt, which he was staring at longingly. Finally, he sighed and said, “Hand it over.”
Harry grinned and passed the broom over to Ron. Ron jumped on it and took off with a “Yahoo!” of excitement. Everybody ducked as he zoomed about above their heads. “This is great, Harry!” he shouted in ecstasy.
“Er, Ron?” Harry said. Ron screeched to a halt in midair. “Yeah?”
Harry pointed up. “The trapdoor, please?”
“Oh. Right. Sorry.”
Ron looked slightly embarrassed as he flew up to the ceiling. Reaching the door, he twisted until he was hanging almost upside-down. Then he grabbed the knob and pulled as hard as he could. For a minute it wouldn’t budge. Ron grunted, “I think it’s st ””
Something clicked, and Ron almost fell backwards as the heavy trapdoor suddenly swung down. He was hit by an avalanche of ancient dust and spiraled to the ground, coughing and sneezing violently.
“Hahaha...!” Hermione laughed loudly at Ron. “What’s so funny?” he choked. “You are, Ron,” she answered, dusting off his robes. “My goodness, you are a mess!” She brushed a pile of dust off Ron’s head, which made him sneeze even more, which made her laugh harder.
Harry stared at them for a moment, then shook his head and said, “Oy!”
Ron looked up at Harry, startled, and cleared his throat meaningfully. He stepped away from Hermione, who had just done the same. “Sorry, Harry, that was a bit... stupid,” Ron said, ears reddening.
Harry chose to ignore their little episode, and the kids all gathered under the open trapdoor.
Harry looked up. “Well... Here we are. So who wants to go first?”
Silence. Then, a timid-sounding voice spoke up. “I will, Harry.”
Harry turned to see Neville standing there, looking a bit surprised at his own daring. He came forward and said, “I’ll go.” He glanced round at the others. “But I’m going to need a boost up.”
Ten minutes later, Neville was standing atop Harry’s shoulders. Harry struggled to hold him up while Neville felt around the dark space above the trapdoor. “I think there’s a rug or something on top. I’ll try to move it...” Neville called down. There was a muffled thumping sound, then Neville suddenly fell backwards. Harry tried to catch him as he came down, but he missed and Neville smashed into the floor.
After a moment he sat up dazedly and said, “I- I’m okay.” He was clutching a large green-and-silver striped throw rug in his arms, which he held up triumphantly. “I got it, though!”
Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Luna peered up into the dark doorway. Harry took a deep breath and said, “Let’s go, then.”
He climbed up the human ladder the other four had made and was soon inside a big, dark room. He didn’t look round until he’d gotten his friends in. When he did, he was shocked to see that the passageway had led them straight into...
“...the Slytherin common room!” Hermione breathed.
And so it was. Even though it was too dark to see much, Harry could just make out a circle of comfortable-looking black chairs crowded around a fireplace built into the far wall. The room almost looked exactly like the Gryffindor common room, but for one thing: On the wall, above the firplace, was a huge tapestry of a green coat-of-arms, with a large silver snake in the center.
Neville looked down at the rug he still had draped over his arm. “Well, now we know why the rug I found is these colors.” He stared back at the now-closed trapdoor. “The rug must’ve been covering the passage for years!”
“I’m just surprised no one found it till now,” Harry commented.
“Well not everybody’s Fred and George,” Ron muttered.
Harry cautiously looked round, then motioned for the others to follow him. “Let’s go,” he said. “I dunno if anyone’s hung around here, but if they have, I for one don’t want to be caught.”
They quietly left the common room, coming out on a long, deserted hallway. “Right,” Harry said. “Anyone know the way from Slytherin to the Head’s office? I’ve only been round here once, four or five years ago, and I didn’t go straight to the office from ””
“Oh no!” Hermione exclaimed suddenly. They all turned to her. “I just realized... If we’re going to be sneaking through Hogwarts, there are the portraits and paintings everywhere! What if they spy on us, they won’t all just ignore a bunch of students creeping about when school is closed! And what about the ghosts, and Peeves, I doubt they’ll have left, too!”
Harry swore to himself. He had forgotten the permanent residents of Hogwarts. Just one more glitch in his originally perfect plan, something else to dodge.
“Well ” Let’s just go quietly, everyone, and maybe they’ll all be asleep,” he said doubtfully.
Twenty minutes or so later, Harry finally knew where they were in the school. To his relief, they’d ended up rather close to the office anyway.
Hogwarts felt very strange without teachers and students milling around. Everything, every room was quiet and empty ” Like a graveyard, Harry thought. The comparison sent a chill up his spine. He’d never been inside the school while it was closed, and he never wanted to do so again.
“We go up that staircase,” Harry whispered, “then turn to the right, and down that corridor is Dumbledore’s office.”
So far, none of the portraits had awakened, but at one point Harry could have sworn he saw the portrait of a fat, bald wizard staring at him through cracked eyelids. Harry had swung around, and the wizard had immediately clamped his eyes shut and let out a loud, unconvincing snore. Apart from that one incident, however, the pictures hadn’t shown any signs of consciousness.
They hadn’t met any of the ghosts either, but Harry had a feeling that they would soon. Sure enough, halfway to the staircase, Harry heard something and pulled the other four into a small space in the wall just as the ghost of the Bloody Baron glided by. Luckily, he didn’t seem at all aware of their presence, and after a moment floated down another corridor, out of sight of the five friends.
Harry let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. He slowly released the others and peered out of the convenient space. Not seeing the Baron, he pushed the four back out and leaned against the wall.
“Blimey, Harry!” Ron whispered, massaging his neck where Harry had pulled him by the collar. “I know you don’t want us to be seen, but this is a bit much! It was just the Bloody Baron...”
Luna murmured, “If the ghost had seen us, he would most likely have reported us. He doesn’t care for anyone, if we were Slytherins he still might have told about us.”
“Exactly,” Harry said. “I don’t want to risk anything we don’t have to.” He looked round again, then said, “Let’s get out of here ” Quick, before anyone else comes along.”
They quietly crept up the staircase, then walked silently to an pen doorway, which housed a spiraling marble staircase. Harry beckoned for his friends to go up first. After they’d all disappeared at the top, Harry glanced back, to make sure they weren’t being watched, and ran up the steps, taking them two at a time.
He got to the top to find the others clustered together, waiting for him at a large, ornate wooden door. Harry looked up. The ugly gargoyle that usually guarded Dumbledore’s office was missing.
He looked at the other four. “Go on, Harry,” Ron mouthed.
“Don’t you want to come, too?” he whispered, puzzled.
Hermione shook her head. “We’ve all agreed... We think this is something you ought to do on your own, Harry.”
“Besides,” Ron said, “I’ve been in there only once or twice before, when we got in trouble and stuff. I’d feel weird, just standing around while you talk with the Headmaster’s portrait.”
“Right.” Harry swallowed. “Okay, so... I guess I’ll be seeing you in a bit. If I’m not out in an hour ””
“Go on,” Hermione said. “Just go, we’ll be right here when you get back. And Harry ” Be careful.”
“Alright, so... see you,” Harry said awkwardly. Taking one look back, he reached for the door. To his surprise, it was unlocked, and he easily pushed it open. He glanced over his shoulder again, then stepped through the door into Dumbledore’s former office.
The door clicked shut behind him as he stood, just inside. The large, circular room looked exactly as it had when Dumbledore was still alive, except that the perch by the desk, which usually held Fawkes, Dumbledore’s phoenix, was empty.
Stepping a little to the side, Harry noticed that the Sorting Hat was also missing. He frowned and walked over to the shelf where it was always kept, but it had disappeared without leaving a sign that it had ever been there.
Harry was about to turn and walk back to the wall of portraits of the past Heads of the school when a quiet voice spoke behind him. Harry froze as the voice said, “Hello, Harry... I wondered if you’d be coming here again.”
Harry’s voice felt dry. He swallowed and asked, “Who ”?”
“Why don’t you see for yourself?” the voice invited.
Harry slowly turned and sharply took in a breath. At the desk was one of the last people he’d expected to see there... Sitting calmly, hands folded neatly on the desk in front of him...
“Professor?!” Harry gasped.
Harry Potter and the Seventh Soul by PadfootBaby
Chapter Notes: WARNING: I can't write Hagrid very well so if he's a bit OOC, that's why!!!