A/N: So, without further adieu I present… THE FIFTH CHAPTER!! I'm sorry that it took so long! The only excuse I have is that I've been very busy and been battling writer's block, a truly saddening disease. I've got it all worked out though, so the chapters should be coming faster. I hope you like this chapter! I'm going to try and make the next one longer. Thanks to all who reviewed and stuck with me! You make my day!
What I Learned From Mr. Ollivander
Ch. 5
The Phin Brothers
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Give in to ghosts that haunt you
Accept the friends you want to
I feel like I am barely on
A well with all the water drawn
And are there rooms inside, protection from the passers by?
Is there a place where I can close my eyes?
I wish there was
In the hallway light you slip right by like a mirage
When I'm hard on life, I sleep in days and wander nights
With legs too weak to carry on
We fall apart like falling stars
"Werewolves" by Secret and Whisper
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Harry cringed as the door groaned. Immediately, the muted voices he had heard outside hushed into an awkward silence. He stood still for a moment inside the foyer, eyeing Tom the barman and the two aurors opposite him suspiciously.
"How may I help you, lad?" Tom asked after a moment, with a superficial smile.
"I simply need access to Diagon Alley." Harry replied, wondering what the man was hiding. It was very uncharacteristic for Tom to be secretive; at least it was for the one in Harry's dimension… Peering around the dim room, Harry noticed the aurors shooting him frequent glances, as if they were anxious for his departure. The boy frowned at this realization and directed his gaze back to Tom, who was nodding.
"Well go on then." He commanded, flapping his short-fingered hand toward the rear corner of the store. "It's in the back and in the hallway to the right."
Harry felt his irritation rise at the patronizing tone in Tom's voice, but he submerged the urge to snap at the man. Instead, he pursed his lips and nodded before obeying him. It would not do to have Tom suspecting Harry's real intentions. This way, eavesdropping would be relatively easy.
The first sight that met his gaze as he turned into the dimly lit hallway was that of a large brick wall. He quickly and conspicuously walked up to it, tapped the bricks in the correct order, and smirked as the wall separated noisily aside. He then treaded from one side of the hallway to the other, allowing the sounds of his footsteps to carry into the main room. After a pause, the wall united once more and Harry sneaked back to the hallway entrance, sinking down into the shadows. He waited with baited breath for the conversation to continue.
There was a heavy sigh. "So anyway, where was I?"
"You were telling me about an employee at a potions shop." A low, gravelly voice, that Harry knew to be Tom's, answered.
"Oh, right… Well, one of Oleander's employees came to me the other day and said she thought there was dark magic being practiced in the basement of the store, a place forbidden to employees. I asked her to explain, but she refused. Obviously, we weren't going to go in without some evidence…"
A pause.
Curious, Harry peeked around the wall he was leaning against and saw one of the aurors staring into his beer stein with harsh anxiety lines etched into the contours of his face. The auror next to him continued the story with a deep frown.
"We found her dead the next day, in the wooded area next to the Ministry of Magic. The word PRODITIO was carved into her forehead, on the palms of her hands, feet and across her stomach."
"The betrayal curse." Tom breathed and the auror nodded grimly.
"We obtained a search warrant and went with a group of ten to the potions shop. Immediately after we entered, we were fired upon from two different directions with dark spells. After half an hour of fighting the culprits were downed, and eight aurors were either dead, or doomed to die. We were the only survivors."
Tom's face was the pasty white color of the greatly disturbed. "And who were the culprits?" he asked.
"Oleander and Phrixus Phin" the auror replied, shaking his head. "There has been an arrest warrant out for Phrixus ever since the war started. We were never able to find any clues about his whereabouts, only to discover that he was locked up in his brother's basement in Knockturn Alley."
"What had he been doing in the basement all those years?" came Tom's unsteady voice.
The aurors glanced at each other significantly "All we found were illegal dark arts books piled up against the wall, a huge map of Albania with pins in it at certain locations, and a resurrections book open on the bed."
"You-Know-Who?" Tom inquired, shifting his wide-eyed gaze between the two aurors. It wasn't necessary to say anything else.
The silence was heavy, and confirming, and despite the cold, damp air of the Leaky Cauldron, Harry began to sweat.
"Why hasn't the wizarding world been informed of this?"
"It's Fudge" one of the aurors snarled, as if the name were a curse. "The spineless dunce is keeping the whole nasty business hushed up because it might cause a 'needless nation-wide panic.' He says there is no reason to believe that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is slithering about somewhere in Albania."
"What happened to the Phin brothers?"
Both aurors smiled, close-lipped. It did not reach their eyes, however, and they gleamed with a mixture of fury and desire for revenge. "They are scheduled for the dementor's kiss in two days."
Tom nodded jerkily. "Serves them right," he grunted.
"Indeed" an auror responded.
The trio sat in melancholy thought for another minute or so, draining the dregs of their drinks and taking comfort in each other's company. The candles flickered, and outside the wind sung as it swept around buildings. In the darkness of the hallway, Harry allowed his head to fall back against the wall. He had never realized the extent of media manipulation that Fudge had accomplished. In truth, it was deeply disturbing. Who knew how many years were wasted in the fight against Voldemort? How many lives could have been saved?
'It is amazing how much one life can impact others' Harry mused. One thing was for certain: if Voldemort was going to be stopped, Fudge would have to either be controlled, or killed. 'Then again,' Harry thought 'if Fudge were killed, anybody could replace him. A death eater, possibly.' The risk was unacceptable. 'At least Fudge, the cowardly imbecile he is, can be controlled.'
And with that thought, a plan began to form in Harry's mind.
When the aurors eventually rose from their stools to leave, Harry was smiling and his eyes were bright with inspiration. He stood and disillusioned himself quickly, pressing his back against the wall. The aurors turned the corner into the hall. "Remember," one said, "you cannot tell anyone. We could get fired--."
But suddenly, Harry's head was pounding, and concentration was impossible. His hands curled into fists and large black explosions materialized in his eyes. His lungs couldn't seem to breathe in enough air, he began sweating profusely, and shaking like one possessed. It took everything in the boy to remain standing instead of clambering to the floor, and keep his lips shut.
As though he were underwater, he heard the telltale crunching noise that signified the brick wall separating. The aurors strode out of the Leaky Cauldron and Harry stumbled after them. His foot cleared the wall just before it shut once more. After they were out of sight, Harry wandered blindly down the deserted road, gasping for air, looking frantically for someplace where he could be safely vulnerable.
Eventually, Harry came upon a black and narrow alleyway. It wasn't a five-star hotel, or even a modest hotel, but he felt his brain shutting down and there wasn't time to find anywhere else. He walked down the alley for a distance, before he sank down onto the pavement, ignoring the scurrying of rats not far away. Through half-lidded eyes Harry viewed the night sky, with its many bright stars winking genially upon him. He gasped as unconsciousness enveloped him and the stars blurred until the light disappeared and night reigned over all the Earth.
--
The rats grew bold once more as the human boy became still upon the pavement. They were boisterous, squeaking periodically at the discovery of a crumb and chatting with each other socially. However, they continued to maintain a wide perimeter around the human, because while he seemed to be unaware, his eyes continued to shift rapidly, and rats always had to be cautious.
--
He was in a restaurant, sitting at a table in the corner with candles weeping periodically upon the table. Scratching old wax up into crumbles with his fingernail, Harry looked at the person across from him. Her face was that of a young woman, but it was confusing to him, because he had known her while she was middle aged. Nevertheless, Professor Trelawney looked the same as ever, minus a few wrinkles and pounds.
"Tell me" Harry demanded, crossing his arms over his chest and looking at her expectantly. It was imperative that he know.
Professor Trelawney shut her eyes and shook her head slowly, as if in regret. In response, Harry's temper rocketed and he sat up straight, gripping the edges of the table.
"Tell me, now" Harry ordered. His voice was soft, but his tone dangerous.
She shook her head once more. "You know I cannot."
Harry's chair fell back and hit the floor as he stood, the sound of the crash reverberated throughout the entire restaurant. People turned and watched him fearfully.
Like gasoline to a flame, the fear only fuelled his fury. His bone-white hand reached out and gripped the front of Professor Trelawney's robe, forcing her closer to him. "You will tell me, or you will die." Harry hissed in a voice that was not his own. Shaken, Harry looked into Professor Trelawney's terrified eyes, and saw Lord Voldemort reflected in her glasses, staring at him.
Harry's heart stopped.
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