A Past Reclaimed by nuw255
Chapter Notes: Harry gets his revenge on Malfoy, but can he get away with it or will he be caught?
Harry did his best to remain perfectly silent and still as he stood, hidden beneath his Invisibility Cloak, in the Slytherin seventh-years’ Transfiguration class. As the class period dragged on however, his legs began to tire. He wasn’t used to standing still for an entire hour, and he shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other in an effort to relieve the protesting muscles in his legs. Fifteen minutes before the end of the lesson, he was startled by the sound of chairs scraping against the floor as everyone in the class got up to move. He silently cursed himself for not paying attention to what McGonagall had been saying, and pressed himself more firmly against the wall in order to avoid Goyle’s elbow as he moved to partner Blaise Zabini.
“Find somebody else, Crabbe!” Malfoy snapped, catching Harry’s attention. “I’m working with Millicent today.”
Harry stifled his laughter as Millicent Bulstrode shot Malfoy a disgusted look and turned back to her chosen partner, Daphne Greengrass.
“Millicent?” Malfoy asked hesitantly as he laid a hand on her arm. She shook it off angrily. “Wouldn’t you like to work with me?”
“What’s with you?” she asked. “Can’t you see I’m working with Daphne?”
“I just thought-”
“Is there a problem, Mr. Malfoy?” Professor McGonagall asked as she strode over.
“No, Professor,” Malfoy answered quickly. “I was just asking Millicent if she’d like to work with me today.”
McGonagall’s eyebrows rose slightly.
“Yeah, and you won’t take no for an answer,” Millicent shot back.
“Mr. Malfoy, you will partner Mr. Crabbe and stop harassing Miss Bulstrode,” said McGonagall. Her tone was as stern as ever, leaving no room for argument, and Malfoy nodded angrily and turned around to work with Crabbe.
Harry’s heart sank. If the potion was weak enough to allow Malfoy to give up that easily, then what was the point?
“Millicent,” Malfoy whispered as soon as McGonagall turned her back. Harry smiled triumphantly.
“Leave me alone, Draco,” Millicent whispered back.
“If that’s what you really want,” Malfoy replied with a sad nod.
“It is,” she said.
Malfoy nodded sadly again and turned back to Crabbe. He looked so dejected that, had it been anyone else, Harry would have felt sorry for him. As it was Malfoy, however, all Harry felt was satisfaction and a bit of relief. His relief was short-lived, however; all too soon, Theodore Nott succeeded in conjuring a mouse, which promptly escaped onto the floor and started running straight at Harry. Harry shuffled sideways to try to get out of its way, but it changed course with him.
The classroom’s relative silence was broken by a loud shriek from Pansy Parkinson, who had just noticed the mouse. Professor McGonagall swung around, her wand raised as if she expected an attack. Spotting the mouse, she relaxed and Summoned it just before it ran into Harry’s Invisibility Cloak. Harry breathed a sigh of relief as he slumped back against the wall.
“Whose mouse is this?” McGonagall asked as she examined the little creature.
“It’s mine, Professor,” said Nott.
“Good work, Mr. Nott. Five points to Slytherin.” She gave a satisfied nod and Vanished it for him. “Back to work, everyone.”
The final five minutes of the lesson were some of the tensest of the year for Harry. His hearing seemed to be magnified as every little sound caught his attention, causing him to brace himself to dodge both students and conjured mice. By the time the class was dismissed, his leg muscles were screaming in protest, but there hadn’t been any more close calls. Harry pressed himself up against the wall as the Slytherins made their way out of the room, and slipped out just before the door closed behind Tracey Davis.
Navigating in a crowded corridor while invisible turned out to be even more difficult than Harry had expected. He moved slowly, doing his best to keep his distance from the multitude of students on their way to their next class. He was halfway to the end of the corridor when a disruption behind him caught his attention. Wheeling around, he saw with more than a little satisfaction that Malfoy was once again attempting to attract Millicent Bulstrode’s attention.
“Leave me alone, Draco!” Millicent shouted. “What’s wrong with you? Don’t you have a girlfriend?”
“Let’s go, Draco,” snapped a red-faced Pansy Parkinson as she tugged hard on the sleeve of his robes. He shook his arm loose of her grip and turned back to Millicent.
“What would I have to do to get a chance with you?” Malfoy asked desperately. “Just tell me and I’ll do it.”
“Just leave me alone!” Millicent yelled, turning on her heel and almost running to the end of the corridor, where she disappeared around the corner. Malfoy just stared at her retreating back until she was out of sight. Then he rounded on Pansy.
“Let go of my arm,” he snapped, jerking away from her grip once again.
“Draco, what are you doing?” she shrieked as he strode down the corridor in the same direction Millicent had just gone.
Harry felt a slight pang of guilt at possibly having broken up a couple that was rather serious about their relationship. It only lasted a second, however, as he remembered all the foul things both Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson had done to him and his friends over the years. Besides, he reasoned, even if they broke up today, they would be back together by tomorrow after the potion wore off. Malfoy might have some groveling to do, but Pansy would always take him back.
His guilt having vanished, Harry turned back around to make his way up to Gryffindor Tower. He found himself face to face with a wall of Hufflepuff seventh-years on their way to Transfiguration. They were walking shoulder to shoulder, stretched across the entire width of the corridor, and he had no choice but to start backing up to avoid a collision.
“Has Malfoy gone completely nutters?” Ernie Macmillan wondered aloud.
“Why?” asked Hannah Abbot. “Because he dumped Parkinson?”
“Nah, I don’t blame him for that,” Ernie replied. “It’s who he dumped her for. I mean, don’t get me wrong, Parkinson’s a cow, but at least she’s decent-looking.”
“I know what you mean,” agreed Justin Finch-Fletchley. “Bulstrode’s just as mean as Parkinson, but she looks like a gorilla to boot!”
Harry let out a silent sigh of relief as they reached the Transfiguration classroom, clearing his path to the stairwell once again. He rushed forward as quickly as he could manage without making so much noise as to give himself away. Within minutes, he was hurrying toward the portrait of the Fat Lady that protected the entrance to Gryffindor Tower. As he drew closer to the portrait, it swung open from the inside and Ginny stepped out into the corridor. He grinned as he slipped past her and into the empty common room.
“Hurry up, Harry,” Ginny called over her shoulder as he pulled off his Invisibility Cloak and stuffed it into his pocket. He snatched up his bag from where it was sitting next to one of the overstuffed armchairs and hurried after her.
“How’d it go?” she asked quietly as they made their way down the corridor.
“Perfect,” Harry answered with a grin.
“Excellent,” Ginny whispered, grinning back at him as she handed him a very old and worn looking piece of parchment. “Using this was a great idea, by the way; I knew exactly when to open the portrait hole.”
“That was the idea,” Harry replied as he tucked the parchment into his pocket. “We’re going to be late; hurry up!” he added, checking his watch.
“Hagrid won’t mind,” Ginny shrugged. “Besides, I’m not the one who was late getting back.”
“Not my fault,” said Harry, holding his hands up in a gesture of his innocence. “I got boxed in by a bunch of Hufflepuffs; had to back up half the length of the corridor before they made room for me to get by.”
Ginny laughed. “Well, at least we don’t have to worry about being late to a class where the professor would punish us. We probably ought to start talking about something else before we run into somebody.”
“Good point,” said Harry. “So, how are you feeling about the match this Saturday?”
“Honestly? I don’t want to sound cocky or anything, but Hufflepuff doesn’t stand a chance.” They continued chatting about Quidditch the rest of the way to Hagrid’s hut. As expected, Hagrid commented on their tardiness, but didn’t hand out any punishments. He was in the middle of a very excited speech about dragons when they arrived, and the thought that he might try to import one for them to study made Harry’s stomach clench nervously.
“So like I was sayin’,” Hagrid continued after welcoming the latecomers to class, “I been tryin’ ter get a dragon for us ter study this term. Well, I been tryin’ ter get one fer years anyhow, but since Dumbledore made me a teacher I’ve had a better reason, see. N.E.W.T. students ought ter get ter study ‘em in person, not jus’ outta books. I’ve asked fer a dragon for me older classes every year, but the school governors keep sayin’ they’re too dangerous.” Hagrid rolled his eyes, making it abundantly clear that he was of the opinion that the governors had to be insane to think such a thing.
“It would be cool to get to see a dragon up close,” Colin murmured excitedly.
“Trust me,” Harry whispered, “it’s not nearly as cool as you’d expect.”
“Tha’s why Professor Dumbledore gave me this!” Hagrid announced, pulling a large box out of one of the many pockets in his enormous coat. He placed it carefully in the snow at his feet and prepared to tap it with his pink umbrella.
“You lot might want ter stand back,” he said as he gave the box a gentle tap with the tip of the umbrella. Harry, Ginny, Colin, and Luna all scrambled backward as an enormous shape burst out of the box. It kept expanding until a fully grown dragon with a silvery-blue hide stood before them. It snorted angrily, emitting large puffs of smoke from its nostrils. Harry was speechless with shock.
“Wicked,” Colin breathed.
“Hagrid, are you insane?” Ginny hissed angrily. Hagrid just laughed from where he stood on the far side of the beast.
“Nothin’ ter worry about,” he called. “See?” The class watched in amazement as Hagrid walked through the dragon to join them.
“It’s jus’ a memory Dumbledore put in tha’ box for me,” he explained. “This way you get ter see a real Swedish Short-Snout up close without havin’ ter worry about gettin’ burned.” Harry breathed a heartfelt sigh of relief at this announcement and took a sheet of parchment out of his bag so that he could take notes.
After the initial shock, the lesson turned out to be fairly normal. Hagrid explained all about the Short-Snout’s habitat, diet, favorite pastimes - all of the things he usually taught them about the animals they studied. By the time class was over, Harry was even more glad than he had been that Hagrid couldn’t get a real dragon for them to study. Colin seemed to have a different opinion however, as Harry heard him asking Hagrid right after class if there was any chance that he would be able to get a real dragon before the end of the school year.
Harry and Ginny had just barely taken their seats at the Gryffindor table for lunch when Professor Snape swooped down on them.
“On your feet, Potter,” he snapped. Harry let out a weary sigh as he stood up. He really didn’t want to deal with Snape right now. Actually, he never wanted to deal with Snape, but that particular moment was especially bad because he hadn’t had a chance to eat anything yet.
“Follow me,” Snape growled.
As Harry stood to follow him, Ginny mouthed the words, “Good luck.” He gave her a weak smile before hurrying after the Potions Master.
As they entered the staff room, Harry relaxed at the sight of Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall - Snape was outnumbered; he wouldn’t dare resort to an actual attack. He noticed that Draco Malfoy was also present, and suddenly realized the reason he had been pulled out of the Great Hall.
“Hello professors,” Harry greeted warmly.
“Good afternoon,” Dumbledore replied. McGonagall gave him a curt nod.
“Mr. Malfoy has been fed an Elixir of Obsession, Potter,” Snape began without preamble.
Harry raised his eyebrows in feigned surprise. “Who’s he obsessed with?”
“As if you don’t know,” Snape sneered.
“Millicent,” Malfoy sighed. “Can I go see her yet, Professor?” he asked hopefully.
“No,” Snape snapped. “What do you know about this, Potter?”
“Er- I know that whoever made the potion would have needed three of Millicent’s tears,” he answered thoughtfully.
“And exactly how did you obtain those tears?” Snape asked casually.
Harry forced a laugh. “You’re not actually accusing me of this, are you?”
“Well, you do have a history with Mr. Malfoy, Potter,” Snape replied.
“This is a very serious accusation, Severus,” McGonagall put in. “I hope you have some sort of proof this time.”
“I will in a moment,” Snape said coolly. “Turn out your pockets, Potter.”
Harry reached into his pockets to comply, when he suddenly felt the small potion vial that had contained the Eye of the Maiden potion he had force-fed to Malfoy that morning. He was fighting to keep the panic from showing on his face when a sudden thought almost made him smirk. Silently and wandlessly, he Vanished the vial before turning out his pockets, producing a spare quill, a chocolate frog, and the blank Marauder’s Map. Snape glowered at him but remained silent as he tried to think of another angle of attack.
“I’m not sure when you think I slipped him a potion, Professor,” Harry said, taking advantage of the silence. “I haven’t even been in the same room as Malfoy all day except for right now, unless you count breakfast, and then we were on opposite sides of the Great Hall.”
“Mr. Malfoy, when was it that you first began to develop feelings for Miss Bulstrode?” McGonagall asked suddenly.
“I’ve loved her forever,” Malfoy replied solemnly. Snape closed his eyes and clenched his jaw as though struggling to rein in his temper. The vein in his forehead pulsed dangerously.
“Think hard, Draco,” he said, forcing his voice into its silkiest tone. “You were dating Miss Parkinson until this morning. When did you decide you wanted Miss Bulstrode instead?”
Malfoy looked confused for a long moment as he thought about Snape’s question. “It was in Transfiguration,” he answered at last.
“Well, neither Mr. Potter nor anyone else interrupted my class this morning,” said McGonagall.
“Where were you immediately after breakfast this morning, Potter?” Snape asked.
“I’ve got a free period. I went back to the common room until it was time for Care of Magical Creatures,” Harry replied
“Can anyone verify that story?”
“Ginny was with me,” Harry shrugged. “Everybody else was either in class or off somewhere else.”
“Convenient that the only witness is likely your accomplice,” Snape sneered. “Fortunately, there is another way to settle this.” He turned to look Harry directly in the eye, and Harry immediately knew what he had to do. He forced himself to sink into his memory of staring at a blank flagstone in a deserted corridor. Their eyes remained locked for a long moment before Snape broke his gaze to look at Dumbledore.
“Look me in the eye, Harry,” Dumbledore sighed. Without any hesitation, Harry turned to look into those startlingly blue eyes. Surprisingly, it took almost no effort to keep his mind focused on the memory of the flagstone until Dumbledore broke eye contact and shook his head slightly.
After a long silence, Harry decided that it might be safe to speak. “Well, if that’s all, then I’ll just be on my way,” he said.
“Not so fast, Potter,” Snape growled. “You’re hiding something. What is it?”
“Why don’t you use Legilimency to find out, Professor?” Harry retorted. “You know, you insist that I’m rubbish at both Potions and Occlumency, but for some reason you can’t break into my mind and you’re accusing me of making a perfect potion.”
“The fact remains that you are hiding something, Harry,” Dumbledore said.
“Well maybe I don’t want my personal thoughts to be on display,” Harry replied. “It’s not very polite to go around breaking into unsuspecting people’s minds, is it?. If you really want proof that I was in the common room this morning, though, just go ask the Fat Lady. I’m sure she’ll be happy to tell you.” The professors seemed to agree that this was a good idea, and soon the group was standing outside the entrance to Gryffindor Tower.
“Good afternoon,” Professor Dumbledore greeted the portrait of the Fat Lady.
“Oh, what a pleasant surprise, Headmaster,” she replied, batting her eyelashes at him.
“I was wondering if you might answer a few questions for us,” Dumbledore continued. “You see, there seems to be a bit of a misunderstanding about Mr. Potter’s whereabouts this morning after breakfast.”
“Oh, of course,” said the Fat Lady. “He and Miss Weasley came back here right after breakfast and didn’t leave until it was time for their first class. They left a bit late, actually.”
“Thank you.” Dumbledore gave a satisfied nod and, despite Snape’s protests, dismissed Harry to go back to lunch. Not wanting to tempt fate any more than he already had, Harry took off for the Great Hall at a near run.
“What happened?” Ron demanded as soon as Harry slid into his seat. “Ginny said Snape came and dragged you out of here as soon as you got in.”
“Yeah,” Harry nodded. “Apparently, somebody slipped Malfoy a Love Potion, and Snape wanted to pin it on me.”
Hermione’s eyes widened. “I’d heard that he’d dumped Pansy to pursue Millicent, but I didn’t even think of a Love Potion. Do you think Millicent did it?”
“Not likely,” Ron snorted. “The way I heard it, she’s spent all morning turning him down. It’s probably somebody who hates both of them, and Pansy too.”
“Harry, you didn’t!” Hermione gasped.
“Didn’t what?” he asked innocently.
“Don’t give me that!” she hissed. “What did Professor Snape do when he found out?”
“He didn’t find anything out, Hermione,” Harry answered calmly before relating the story of his interrogation.
“So how’d you pull it off?” Ron asked quietly after he had finished. “I mean, let’s face it; we know it was you and we’re not going to tell. Right, Hermione?”
Hermione looked tense and indecisive for a long moment before finally taking a deep breath and saying, “You know I’m not a rat, Harry. I think it was immature and wrong, but... you’re my friend. Plus, it is pretty funny,” she finished with a small giggle.
“I own an Invisibility Cloak,” Harry answered simply. “And I can do magic without a wand, so when greasy gits make me turn out my pockets I can Vanish anything incriminating without anybody realizing.”
Ron burst out laughing, and even Hermione allowed herself a small grin. As he grabbed a sandwich, Harry promised to tell them the whole story in detail that evening, when nobody would be able to overhear.
“Before or after your Occlumency lesson?” Hermione asked. Harry swore under his breath. He had completely forgotten that Dumbledore would be trying to break into his thoughts that very evening.
“After, I suppose,” he muttered after a moment. Unless he manages to break into my mind this time and decides to expel me, he thought dejectedly.