“Puuh, I’m glad to be out of there.” Ron exhaled a deep breath as he slammed the door to the Vanishing Cabinet shut “ from the outside.
In unison the four students walked out of the murky corridor towards the much brighter main hallway. The windows were pitch black, but torches illuminated their path. “Just how long were we trapped in there? It’s night!” Hermione exclaimed.
“Well, time is relative when you’re in the Cabinet,” Simon explained. “And you spent two days longer in it than we did.”
Hermione’s eyes grew wide. “Two days?”
“No surprise I’m starving,” Ron said dreamily.
“But what’s more important: how did you get into it in the first place?” Simon ignored Ron’s comment.
“Crabbe and Goyle threw us in.”
“And Malfoy,” Harry added.
“No, I did not,” Malfoy spat.
“But Simon”” Harry started.
“I used Legilimency, Harry. But only long enough to get the main idea of the picture, not for details. I might owe you an apology, Draco,” Simon grimaced.
“That took you long enough,” Malfoy said, still sulking.
Harry shook his head and reached for the Marauder’s Map. Filch was in his office, as were McGonagall and Snape. “Let’s see that we get away from here. The teachers are busy right now.”
“Yeah, let’s go down to the kitchens,” Ron suggested grinning widely.
Malfoy rolled his eyes, but followed the group silently.
“Well, well, well.”
Harry stopped in his tracks as did the others. He shut his eyes tightly, wishing he had just imagined the cold, sleek voice in front of them. How could he have come down here so quickly? They had just checked the map and all professors had been marked to be in their offices. But when he reopened his eyes, there was no mistaken the slim figure or the pale face standing only steps away in the shadows. Black eyes were piercing theirs.
“I must say, this is quite an unexpected company to be found on an intimate night-time stroll,” Snape drawled.
“We…ehm…we…” Hermione’s attempts to think of a sufficient explanation were useless. They all shifted uncomfortably.
“Into my office,” Snape announced sharply. With a billowing robe, he turned on his heels and marched towards the dungeons.
When they reached the eerie office, Harry wondered once again how someone could sit comfortably between various parts of many creatures captured in transparent containers and shelves all around. The sole source of light was a meagre fire gleaming in the fireplace. Snape leaned against his desk, showing no indication that they were allowed to sit down.
“Well? Would you care to explain?”
Ron was first to open his mouth and shut it again, not unlike a gaping fish. Malfoy was rather interested in the black leather-bound books lined on the shelf to his right. Hermione was biting her lower lip and Harry kept his eyes focused on the spider-webs covering his shoes. Simon swallowed hard to work up the courage to answer.
“We were inside the Vanishing Cabinet.”
“To save Ron and Hermione,” Harry added quickly.
“Ah. And what caused Ms. Ganger and Mr. Weasley to take refuge inside this rather valuable Cabinet?” Snape asked in a sarcastic tone.
“B-Because…we…we were thrown in,” Hermione stuttered.
“Who would have done such a thing?” Snape continued his inquiry, not quite believing them.
“W-we don’t know,” Ron said, his eyes roaming the room restlessly and doing everything to avoid eye-contact with his menacing teacher.
The look on Snape’s face told them clearly, that he didn’t believe their story. Without him having to say another word, Hermione and Ron launched into a string of explanations.
“We really don’t know-”
“We were just standing there-”
“Talking-”
“Someone came from behind-”
“And just grabbed us-”
“Must have been two-”
“Couldn’t see-”
“They just attacked and then I don’t remember what happened. When I woke up, we were inside the Cabinet already,” Ron finished.
“We really don’t know who did this,” Hermione added.
Harry gave them an irritated look. The two didn’t even hint at Crabbe or Goyle. Or Malfoy, for that matter. Draco had moved from studying the book titles to examining his shoes. He looked exhausted, maybe even relieved. Simon was concentrating hard, probably trying to hide what he knew from Snape’s Legilimency skills.
Snape still seemed sceptical. “No hunch, nothing at all that could give your attackers away? No one with a grudge against you?” he asked, sending calculating looks at the five students.
Ron and Hermione shook their heads quickly, eager to get out of the cold office.
Snape observed them for a while, Harry was certain the Potions Master wasn’t convinced, but fortunately, Snape decided to leave it at that. He took ten points from each student for wandering around the school at night. Harry thought that was rather unfair, since they had no feeling of time while inside the Vanishing Cabinet, but kept his temper under control.
When they were finally allowed to return to their dormitories, Harry noticed the odd look Snape gave them.
“Now, that was scary,” Hermione said as soon as the door closed behind them.
“Ssh, he can still here us,” Simon whispered and ushered them forward to the steps leading upstairs to the Entrance Hall. On its base, he stopped.
“Sorry about that, but I didn’t mean to risk any of you letting something slip,” he said mysteriously, giving Ron a stern look. The red-haired boy was pale and seemed a bit frightened. Hermione only nodded her understanding and took Ron by the arm and lead him up the stairs.
Harry and Simon turned to find their way to their own dormitories.
“What did you do to them?” Harry asked.
“I didn’t want Crabbe or Goyle expelled either, so I helped them with their explanations a bit,” Simon answered.
“But they’re morons, no one gets how they manage to pass the end-of-terms each year, so what’s the big deal? How come they even knew about the Cabinet and where to find it?”
“This is why there’s a Mastermind behind every mischief…” Malfoy grinned sheepishly.
When he finally turned in, Harry could almost see the morning glum outside his window. Luckily, it was the weekend and he’d be able to sleep in late. As predicted, it was in the afternoon hours, when Harry finally woke.
“About time,” someone uttered from the other side of the room. The Malfoy heir was rested on his bed, an open book on his lap.
Harry, too tired for a confrontation, moved into the back of the room to wash up and get dressed. After some time, he realized Malfoy was following his movements with his eyes.
“What is it, Malfoy?”
“Simon’s gone,” Draco informed him, awaiting Harry’s reaction.
“What do you mean, gone?” Harry asked feeling slightly worried.
“Gone to Diagon Alley.” A grin spread over Draco’s face, something Harry thought wasn’t reassuring at all. “You saved my life in there,” Draco continued.
“Not really. Simon helped as much,” Harry corrected him.
Malfoy got up from his bed and came closer. “Always the noble one, aren’t we. Don’t think you can rest on that. I suggest you give a few things around here a bit of thought,” he snarled and left, a mystifying expression spreading over his face.
Even before Harry reached the Great Hall, he was hit by a red hairball. Ginny squashed him in a fiery hug. Harry couldn’t help it. He smiled widely and pecked her cheek.
“Hermione just told me how you saved them,” she announced.
Hermione wasn’t far either. At the mention of her name, she came closer and looked amused at the couple. “Where’s Simon?”
“Haven’t seen him yet. Malfoy seems to think he’s in Diagon Alley. Maybe getting a new wand. How are you? And Ron?” Harry didn’t want to think about Simon’s whereabouts and Malfoy’s good mood that seemed to be connected with it.
“We’re good. Ron’s catching up on homework. I think I’d better go and check on him in the library,” Hermione answered with a smirk.
Ginny scanned the hall shyly, but they were alone. She gave him another tight hug and leaned her head against his chest. Harry pulled her closer, into the corner. He longed to kiss her, but was too scared. What if he couldn’t Occlude probably? What if he’d spy on her thoughts again? He leaned his forehead against Ginny’s head, closed his eyes and tried to enjoy the moment, ridding his mind of all distracting thoughts. He smelled her hair, the shampoo she’s used this morning, raspberry. He couldn’t help but smile. All negative emotions were gone. He felt Ginny move, she turned her head and pressed her lips against his neck. Harry shifted his position a bit and returned the kiss. A cold shudder ran down his back. For just a little moment, Ginny’s thoughts tried to push a way into his mind, but Harry succeed in shoving them out and far away. He kissed her sweet lips again.
Later, Harry walked to the library, his head hung down. He found Ron and Hermione bickering at their usual table in the back.
“Where’s Ginny? Are you guys now officially a couple?” Hermione asked.
Harry felt the blood rush to his face, simply shrugged and looked away. “Why didn’t you tell on Crabby and Goyle yesterday?” He knew that Simon had done something and that he’d probably get an earful now.
“Lestrange influenced us with his Legilimency,” Ron snapped with his tongue. “So, if we spill the beans on them, he’d open a can for me, too.”
“Simon doesn’t want anyone expelled,” Harry explained quickly. “Not you, not Crabbe, Goyle or Draco, okay?”
“Woah. Since when are you so cuddly with Dra-co?” Ron asked, stressing the last word.
Harry looked at him surprised. Did he really just say Draco?
“Harry, you’re becoming a true Slytherin more and more,” Ron said with a grave voice. He grinned. “First Lestrange, now Malfoy, you’ll be going to Hogsmeade with him next.”
Harry rolled his eyes. Ain’t gonna happen.
“Hi, may I?” Simon was suddenly next to him and pulled a chair away from the table to seat himself.
Harry nodded and glanced at Ron. His friend was eying Simon suspiciously and made a movement indicating he wasn’t going to stay. But Hermione held Ron’s arm.
“Please, Ron. You should talk to Simon,” she whispered.
“Right. He could tell on me anytime,” Ron spat and tore his arm free from Hermione’s grip.
“I won’t, so you can sit down again,” Simon said quietly.
“It’s you own fault anyway. You almost killed him,” Harry reminded Ron.
“I know and I’m sorry,” Ron swallowed hard.
“Yeah, what happened happened. I won’t nag about it, but as unhappy as we’re all are with this situation… I don’t want to miss out on Hermione’s, Ginny’s or Harry’s friendship,” Simon stated firmly.
Hermione’s jaw dropped and she glanced at Simon uncertainly,
“Well, I know what you said about me last week. You’re the most intelligent girl in Hogwarts, sweet and clever, with a right sense of justice…No, I don’t want to miss that,” Simon told her, looking gently at Hermione.
The girl blushed and studied the table in front of her, beaming.
“You…” Ron spat and stormed away from the table.
“He’s a bit sensitive lately,” Hermione said shyly.
“Oh, he hates me. But he might come to his senses at some point.”
“How did it go in Diagon Alley? Did you get a new wand?” Harry asked quickly into the heavy silence.
“I did. Ollivander found a great one right away,” Simon answered and pulled his new wand out of his pocket.
The following days were tough on Harry. Whenever Ron and Simon met, a cold atmosphere dominated the mood. Ron kept his temper under control but still seemed to fear that Simon wouldn’t keep his word, or even worse, that he would make the race in the end and win Hermione’s heart. Only when Ginny was around him, Harry forgot all the troubles. He could spend hours just watching her and the dark world around them would just vanish.
Due to their Apparition classes, the sixth year students could be found down in Hogsmeade, accompanied by two professors who conjured a protection spell around a field to prevent any of the students from accidently apparating to Alaska.
No matter how hard he tried, Harry just couldn’t manage to apparate even a few inches from the spot of grass he was standing on. As usual, it was Hermione who got it right first. Suddenly, she appeared right next to Harry with the customary plopp.
“No success?” she asked.
Harry shook his head and Hermione took him through the procedure again, step by step. Harry squeezed his eyes shut in concentration, thought of the tiny hill near the gates of the field and raised his wand. A plopp sounded in his ears and a cold shudder run down his back. Only when he felt a strange, circling sensation in the pit of his stomach, did he realize that the plopp had been made by him. The landscape around him swirled in a blur until he felt pebbles under his feet. Looking around, he saw that he had ended up about ten feet from his intended spot but at least he had apparated. He tried again, meaning to return to Hermione who stood grinning in the middle of the field. Another plopp and the area passed him in a blur.
“Aaarrg!”
Harry crashed into something solid. Draco lost his balance, toppled over and Harry landed on top of the Malfoy offspring.
“Why, thank you Potter,” Malfoy yelled and shook dirt off his robes. “You’re a walking disaster.” He disappeared with a quite plopp.
“Oopps, you’d better practice some more,” Hermione said.
By the end of the lesson, the distance between intended target and reached target had decreased a bit, but Harry would need a few more classes if he didn’t want to get wet feet at some point.
No matter how hard he practiced, however, Harry only made tiny progress if at all. The ray at his horizon was the actual progress he could account for during his Occlumency lessons with Simon.
“Yes! I think you finally did it!” Simon exclaimed happily at the end of their lesson on a Friday afternoon. “I guess it’s time to let Dumbledore know about your success.”
“You mean “ no more extra lessons?” Harry asked, almost relieved.
“Yep. I guess Ginny gave you the final kick you needed.”
“Ah well, I can’t invade her thoughts every time I kiss her,” Harry said blushing.
By now, Harry was able to fend off most of Simon’s attacks. He wasn’t sure if Simon, being the extraordinarily gifted Legilimens he was, couldn’t find other ways to snoop around his thoughts. But Simon assured him, that even talented Legilimens, like Snape and most importantly Voldemort, would have quite some trouble accessing Harry’s emotions these days.
That night, Simon brewed another portion of Confundus Potion. Slytherin parties had become a rare occasion lately, so the common room was filled with students enjoying themselves. Harry discussed their Quidditch techniques with Theodore Nott. Even though their next game was three weeks away, he was just as nervous as before his very first game. If he was destined to lose the Slytherins a match this year, it would be the one against Gryffindor “ and Ginny.
But since Ravenclaw beat Hufflepuff in a disastrous match earlier the week, the Slytherins needed every single point they could get their hands on to secure the House Cup. He noticed Draco standing near the doors to the dormitories, surrounded by Simon, Frederic and Ethan. Draco looked miserable. It wasn’t the first time that Harry suspected trouble between Simon and Draco. He shrugged and refilled his cup. Simon had been experimenting with the ingredients again and as it turned out had developed a new tasty flavour.
Upon Simon’s report to Dumbledore, the headmaster insisted that Professor Snape should verify this information personally. After their next Potions class, Snape called Harry forward.
“Mr. Lestrange and you will report to my office at six tonight,” he demanded.
With a foreboding feeling in his stomach, Harry left the classroom to walk upstairs for another exciting class of History of Magic. Why was it Snape to oversee the test, why couldn’t Dumbledore see for himself? When he turned around a corner, Ginny smiled at him. She gave him a hug, but Harry wasn’t in the mood to respond accordingly.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Snape’s going to test my Occlumency skills tonight,” Harry said solemnly.
“Oh. Simon’s says you quite good at it now, don’t you worry, you’ll manage and show him,” she said encouragingly.
Harry smiled and kissed her. Closing his mind wasn’t a problem now, but later... Snape would attempt violent attack at his mind.
“Legilimens!” Snape stood with a raised wand in front of Harry and gave him no time whatsoever to prepare for an attack,
Ginny, as she hugged him, her lips drawing closer...
“No!” Harry yelled.
“So, Mr. Potter. That was supposed to prove your incredible progress?” Snape mocked.
“I wasn’t prepared!! Harry retorted angrily.
“Oh, are you suggesting that we asked the Dark Lord to politely announce his next attack by owl post?” Snape said with cocked eyebrows.
Harry trembled with anger, he glanced helplessly at Simon.
“Come on, I know you can do this. It’s nothing you haven’t done before,” Simon encouraged him.
“Are you prepared now, Mr. Potter?” Snape asked with a bored face.
Harry took a deep breath and nodded.
“Legilimens!”
You won’t, oh you won’t get anything out of me at all, Snape, you... Harry thought.
“I beg you pardon?” Snape asked. “It’s Professor or Sir!”
“I didn’t say a thing,” Harry yelled again.
“You thought it,” Snape answered coldly. “Legilimens!”
Harry concentrated hard on what he had learned during the past weeks. Memories started to surface but he pushed them back down, away from Snape’s preying eyes. When Snape released the spell, Harry grinned. But the grin was quickly suffocated by Snape’s ironic expression.
“Well, I suppose Potter finally learned to accept and use what he’s been taught. Good work, Simon. But the Dark Lord will still feast on his mediocre abilities.”
The two men were looking intensely at each other, and though Harry knew they were communicating, he couldn’t break through their mental defences. Thinking this was the closest to a compliment he’d get, Harry turned and quietly left the office. Not long after he was joined by Simon.
“Congrats, Snape will let you pass!”
“So no more lessons,” Harry stated.
“Nah. You still need to improve your skills. He’s right. You improved, but should He attack your mind for longer than a few seconds, you’d break,” Simon explained. “You know now the basics of Occlumency, but you should also continue to strengthen your Legilimency. That way you can fight back in a much more fierce and unexpected way.”
“So, the stronger the Legilimency, the stronger the Occlumency?” Harry tried to understand.
“Yes. The more you explore your skills, the better you learn to handle it.”
Simon’s words preoccupied Harry for the rest of the day. If he understood correctly, he hadn’t reached the limits of his skill by far. Nor had Simon. The young man was already a cool and distanced person. If he delved deeper into the mist of his mind, would that also mean that all kinds of emotions would have to be suppressed? What would happen, if he, Harry, would improve his skill? Would he also experience difficulties in expressing his emotions?
With the end of March drawing closer, Simon’s eighteenth birthday was due. After hours of consideration, Harry finally settled on presenting his friend with a special flask. It magically displayed warnings if a dangerous potion was filled in and changed it colour accordingly. He sent Hedwig off, the order dangling from her beak.
The fifth and seventh years were busy studying for their OWLs or respectively NEWTs. Therefore, Simon was spending lots of time with his fellow students in the library or secluded corners to find the peace required to prepare for the exams. Ginny, who should have followed suit, preferred to spend her time with Harry. They continued to keep their new-found relationship quiet, but once in a while found a spot where they could be for themselves.
Hedwig returned on a rainy day with the present. Simon looked over curiously as she nibbled on Harry’s breakfast.
None of your business, Harry thought and grimaced towards Simon, then left to take the bottle to his dormitory before class.
Apparently, Simon, Frederic and Ethan had done a bit of early celebrating. All three of them arrived fairly late for breakfast in the Great Hall on Friday morning, looking rather tired and puffy eyed. They shared a huge pot of coffee and Simon wasn’t particularly interested in any birthday wishes.
Harry let them be and sauntered to the green houses where he met Ron and Hermione.
“Where will Simon celebrate tonight?” Hermione asked, while cautiously planting seeds of Papaver Somniferum.
“The Room of Requirement,” Harry answered. “Since Terry, Ginny and you are invited; he can’t host a party in our common room.” Harry avoided looking at Ron.
“Who else is coming then?” Ron inquired dryly.
“Well, Frederic, Ethan, Draco. He also mentioned about Snape, though I can’t see him coming.”
Ron snorted. “Now I’m glad I wasn’t invited. A party with a bunch of Death Eaters and an overgrown bat sounds like a load of-”
“Ron!” Hermione interrupted him.
Ron only grinned and shovelled dirt onto the seeds.
Harry, Simon and Ginny met right after dinner and took the stairs to the seventh floor. While Simon traced the stone wall hiding the entrance to the Room of Requirement, Harry worried about the party. Even if Draco had been rather quiet lately, the boy would surely not miss out on a chance to humiliate Hermione. Surrounded by his buddies, the chances were even higher that Draco would fall out at some point.
“Nice, don’t you think?” Simon asked from the door.
The room was small, but looked comfortable. A fire crackled on one side of the wall. Many fluffy cushions were lying in front of it. A long table, full of snacks and a good-looking cake was to the right of the door. A cauldron stood next to it.
“Simon, don’t you think a few chairs or a coach would have been nice?” Ginny asked.
“Nope. This is way more comfortable,” Simon said and slumped down on a few cushions, leaning his upper body against the wall.
“When will the others be here?”
“About half an hour. What about Hermione?”
“She wanted to change, but will be here soon,” Ginny answered
“Harry, why don’t you start a fire beneath the cauldron,” Simon requested.
“What?”
Simon grinned, got up and started filling the cauldron with water. Harry conjured fire and Simon placed the cauldron above.
“You do know this is not allowed,” Hermione asked from the door. “What if Dumbledore finds out? Or if Snape comes by?”
“Nothing,” Simon said lazily. “I went to see him this afternoon. He won’t come.”
Harry looked at Hermione in surprise. She was wearing a black skirt with a thin, blue shirt; her hair was done in a nice twist.
“What happened to you?”
“What, you don’t like it?” Hermione asked and started tugging on her skirt to check if it still fit.
“I think he meant to say ‘You look good’," Ginny translated giggling.
Simon was busy counting the drops of bluish liquid falling into the cauldron. When he returned the flask to his robes, he looked appreciatively at Hermione. “She’s right, you do look good.”
“What’s this?” Hermione stepped closer to the cauldron.
“A variation of the Confundus Potion,” Simon answered and when Hermione looked interested, he started to explain further.
Harry and Ginny grinned at each other and retreated to a corner of the room.
Soon, the Slytherins and Terry arrived.
“Just in time,” Simon commented and started handing out cups of the drink.
Hermione couldn’t throw of her usual scepticism but tried it anyway.
“What did you change this time?” Draco asked. “It’s entirely different.”
“Two bottles of Firewhiskey,” Simon announced. “Cheers!”
“Brilliant,” Frederic said and took another sip.
“Yep, but might be a tiny bit dangerous,” Simon added in an eerie voice.
“Why?”
“It’ll give you a good hang-over.”
Only a few minutes into the gathering, the guest divided into two parties with Simon wandering back and forth between both groups. Ginny and Hermione were chitchating animatedly about girls’ stuff, while Terry and Harry said next to them, not really knowing what to talk about. Harry got up to refill his cup. On his back, a few words spoken by Frederic caught his attention.
“...don’t know how you can hang around with that Mud...” Harry stopped
“...blood all the time,” Frederic finished, looking directly at Harry.
“It’s my business with whom I’m spending my time,” Simon said sharply. He stood up and gave Frederic a cold stare. “You might want to consider your choice of words.”
“Just because I’m talking facts?” Frederic asked. “She’s a dirty Mudblood and worth less than the heap of traitors over there.”
He had spoken loud enough for Ginny, Hermione and Terry to hear. Hermione jumped up and looked form Simon to Frederic to Simon.
“Watch what you’re saying,” Simon said quietly with narrowed eyes.
Ethan got up slowly now to stand behind Frederic.
“Simon, get real.”
“I am. The only ones acting out are you!” Simon was breathing hard, crimson spots showed on his cheeks.
“That’s not you talking,” Frederic continued.
“Whatever!” Simon was close to yelling, a strange sight for the usually quiet, controlled boy. A vein at the side of his throat was pumping visibly and his fingers were twitching nervously at his sides.
“You know what you pr-” Ethan tried to intervene.
“Of course, I know what...OH dangit!” Simon swore loudly and turned away from them. He covered his eyes with his right hand, thumb and middle finger were pressing softly onto his eyelids. His forehead was wrinkled in distress.
Frederic opened his mouth to say something, but Malfoy was faster. “Not such a smart move after all, eh?” A mocking grin spread across his face, then he walked towards the door with a victorious strut.
“OUT!” Simon yelled, advancing on his friends. “You two as well!”
For a moment, no sound could be heard, then Ethan and Frederic followed Draco out of the room. Simon waited until the door fell shut to let himself fall onto a few pillows, obviously exhausted.
“Are you okay?” Terry walked to his step-brother and put a hand on his shoulder
“Y-Yes, I’m sorry I lost control,” Simon whispered.
“No worries, it was just a matter of time with all the troubles going on. Your last one was ages ago,” Terry assured him.
Simon glanced at Ginny, Hermione and Harry who started at him incredulously. He shook his head and went to grab another cup of the Potion.
“I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” Terry said cautiously.
“Sure, but I don’t want be bombarded by your emotions for the rest of the night,” Simon said. He took a sip and sat back down.
“What do you mean?” Hermione asked concerned, stepping closer. “What just happened?”
A knock on the door prevented Simon from answering. Simon closed his eyes briefly before he addressed the newcomer.
“Great. Come in, Severus. It’s impossible to keep any of this hidden from you, isn’t it?”
Indeed, it was Professor Snape who entered and walked straight up to Simon, thrusting a black clothe into his hands. “Go on,” Snape instructed his god-son.
“Please, no. What would that look like?” Simon pleaded.
“It’s for the best,” Snape said firmly.
Simon took the cloth and started folding it carefully. Snape went to the cauldron and let the Potion disappear. “No more of this foolishness. Especially for you, Simon.”
Simon nodded, then looked at Hermione. “The last chance for tonight to tell you how gorgeous you look.”
Hermione blushed furiously and studied the floor.
“Hurry up,” Snape told him.
Simon rolled his eyes and lifted the black cloths to his eyes and tied it behind his head. Snape stepped in front of him and checked it, before he touched the cloths four times with his wand.
“Four hours? Isn’t that a bit much?" Simon asked desperately.
“Not at all. Four hours without Legilimency will do you good.”