[This Lordship Business Series] I Have Been a Brother to O.W.L.S., 6/?

[lomonaaeren]

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Part Six

“You have unexpectedly become involved in major events, Mr. Potter.”

Harry smiles a little. “I don’t know how unexpected it was, sir. After all, you knew that I take the title of Lord Slytherin seriously and I want to do things that will make people’s lives better.”

“Do you think it wise to agitate the Minister on the eve of war, my dear boy?”

Dumbledore stares at Harry. Harry stares back. After a moment, it occurs to him that Dumbledore is serious.

“You really think that Fudge is going to last long as Minister? Or, well, I suppose he might, but that he’s going to be an effective Minister for wartime? Voldemort is just going to stay quiet the way he has been and work around him. Or if Voldemort shows himself openly and people demand the Ministry do something, then someone else is going to replace Fudge. Either way, it doesn’t matter that much what he does.”

Dumbledore closes his eyes and looks like he’s asking the back of his eyelids for help. “It still isn’t the wisest idea, Harry.”

“And I told you why I think it doesn’t matter.”

“Did you have to give the goblins these wands now?”

“When would you think it was a good idea, sir?”

“After the war! When certain things are settled.”

“But we had more than a decade of peace before this, and no one did anything then, either. It’s kind of like how I kept thinking that if I just waited and hoped, someone would come and get me away from the Dursleys. But that didn’t happen. I had to tell people about the necromantic protections for it to happen.”

Dumbledore gives him a look that wouldn’t be out of place from an ancient dragon. Or Harry thinks so, anyway. It’s not like he had to face dragons, in the Tournament or otherwise.

“Hagrid came and got you away from them.”

“Not permanently. I had to go back the same day. I never should have had to go back. And if you think that everything is fine with that, sir, I don’t really know what to say.”

Dumbledore contemplates Fawkes on his perch for a second. So does Harry. Fawkes is nice to look at. Even if Ahalam is hissing complaints in Harry’s front robe pocket about how he’s the prettiest one in the room, not Fawkes.

“You may have damaged this war more than you can know,” Dumbledore whispers. “The same way you did when you stopped our efforts to gain international cooperation with the Tournament.”

“If you can only win a war by leaving children in abusive homes and hating goblins, then I think you need to change your tactics. Sir.”

Dumbledore leans back in his chair and turns his head away, and Harry knows that he’s been dismissed. He leaves, shaking his head. Dumbledore’s problems seem so easy to solve, to him. Just work with people instead of telling them that they’re too young to understand or they have to act exactly the way Dumbledore wants them to.

Or he could leave Harry out of the war altogether, but Dumbledore seems to think that it’s important that he be there.

It confuses Harry, but it’s also not really his problem.

“Do you think the phoenix is more beautiful than me? I need honesty. I need to know the spells that make my scales shine. I need to be away from the Niffler when we use them. Do you think the phoenix is more beautiful than me?”

Harry laughs and takes Ahalam out of his pocket, letting his little snake twine around his wrist. “I think that you’re beautiful and you don’t need any help. And I don’t want you to become one of the things that Salazar collects. You’re so beautiful that I would miss you in my day-to-day life.”

Ahalam flickers his tongue out as if considering that, then lowers his head to the back of Harry’s hand. “If you believe that I am so beautiful, feed me more cheese.”

“One thing has nothing to do with the other.”

“Beautiful snakes deserve cheese.”

“I’ve told you before that I don’t like how it affects your health.”

“That is a risk I choose to take.”

Arguing with Ahalam on the way back up to Gryffindor Tower probably isn’t more productive than arguing with Dumbledore, but at least it lets Harry feel better.

*

“Yes, I think you’ve almost got it.”

Harry blinks hard and tries to will away the feeling of standing on the cold, bright, black plain instead of in the sunlight streaming through the window above them. “Thanks, Ernie,” he says. His voice is detached, but a second later, the Occlumency bubble keeping him separated from his emotions pops and they come rushing back in. He staggers a little.

“Are you all right?”

Harry manages to regain his feet and give Ernie a grim little smile. “Just not used to feeling everything all at once after I deliberately kept from feeling it.”

Ernie nods sagely. “It takes time to get used to switching back and forth. But I couldn’t sense anything except darkness and cold when I tried to get into your thoughts. No other Legilimens will be able to sense much, either.”

“I keep hearing how powerful Voldemort is, though.”

Ernie looks uncomfortable at the name, but at least he doesn’t actually run away. “Well. This is still the basis of what you’ll need to defeat him. You’ll have to study more and become better and stronger, but it’s a good beginning.”

“Thanks for telling me.” Harry stretches his muscles and then whips around abruptly. He and Ernie chose this corridor on the seventh floor because it’s deserted most of the day except when people are going to and from Astronomy, but he heard a sound up the corridor just a moment ago. He knows he did.

“Lord Slytherin?”

“I don’t think this is a situation where you need to call me that. But I heard something.”

“If a stranger’s here, then I should—”

Harry doesn’t pay attention to Ernie’s convoluted explanation. Instead, he shakes his wand into his hand and prowls slowly up the corridor, sticking his head around the corner when he reaches it.

When he sees what’s going on, he sighs and puts his wand away. “It’s all right,” he tells Ernie, who’s peering worriedly after him. “It’s only Salazar.”

His Niffler is bouncing up and down near the wall, clawing at it. Harry is starting to think that there’s probably something inside the wall, like the basilisk was in second year, but he also thinks that there’s nothing he can do about it. He reaches out to catch hold of Salazar’s neck.

His Niffler squeals and bolts towards that old tapestry covered with dancing trolls Harry has seen before.

Harry chases him and darts back and forth in front of and behind the tapestry as he tries his best to catch hold of Salazar. His thoughts are darting and wheeling in much the same way. I wish I knew what the hell he’s doing…wish I knew…wish I knew…

“Lord Slytherin!”

Ernie’s voice is strangled and urgent. Harry Stuns Salazar and comes out holding the Niffler in his arms. Ernie is pointing at the wall of the corridor where Salazar was doing his best to dig through the stone before.

There’s a door there.

Harry stares at it, and then looks at Ernie. Poor Ernie has white all around his eyes. “Have you ever seen this room before?”

“No, Lord Slytherin. Nor heard of it!”

Ernie must be really distressed, to retreat into formality when he knows there’s no one around he would need to use Harry’s title for. Harry grimaces and nods. “All right. Then I suppose we should investigate a little.” He conjures a cage for Salazar that will at least hold if he wakes up from the Stunner and reaches for the doorknob.

Ernie’s hand gets there first, and he swings it open. Harry blinks at him.

“It’s right that a follower or vassal go in front of you when there might be danger,” Ernie says pompously.

“You could have cast a detection charm.”

“Were you going to?”

“Point.”

Harry stares at the room that’s been revealed. It looks like it’s crowded with so much rubbish that he would be surprised if anyone could move in there. There are frayed robes and broken chairs and open trunks and smashed-up busts and splintered swords, and that’s only the small portion he can glimpse through the half-open door.

Salazar wants something in there? How could he possibly have known about it, and why would he want it in the first place?

“You’re not going exploring, are you, Lord Slytherin?”

Harry becomes aware that he’s taken a step forwards, and steps back again, shaking his head. “Sorry, Ernie, I think it’s interesting, but you’re right. Something dangerous could be in there.”

“Please let me fetch some of the others.”

Harry blinks at Ernie. “You don’t just—not want me to explore?”

“I know my lord. I know that he might agree with me to keep the peace and then come back here on his own, when it would be more dangerous.”

Ernie’s voice is sharp. Harry winces, but says, “Well, I didn’t run off into the Forest after the centaurs, you know.”

“I know, my lord.” Ernie’s voice is soothing, as if he’s humoring Harry. “But what matters is that you don’t run off into the wilderness of this room now, either.”

Harry just sighs and nods. Ernie marches off down the corridor. Harry faces the room and leans on the wall with his arms folded.

He’ll wait, like a good little boy. Even though he’s a bit resentful that he’s being managed.

Then again, that’s more than what Fudge knows on a day-to-day basis. Harry is glad to think that he’s at least smarter than the Minister for Magic.

A sharp squeal comes from the cage that he conjured for Salazar. Harry draws his wand and Stuns his Niffler again without looking away from the room.

No, he’s not going to be drawn into a chase after Salazar. Eventually, they’ll figure out why the room is so important to him, but for right now, Harry will just remain here.