Visions of an Empath

A/N: For everyone who has read this story thus far, you all know the time line for Deathly Hallows is totally screwed, and the same holds true for this chapter. Dialogue from the book was used and rearranged to my liking.

Chapter 15

Hermione blushed every time she looked at Harry during breakfast. Ron, on the other hand, would randomly turn green and cover his ears. Harry finally got fed up with his friends.

“What is going on with you two?”

Hermione blushed even more. “I-It’s nothing, Harry,” she stammered.

Harry scowled at her and turned to look at Ron. “Tell me the truth, Ron.”

Ron buckled immediately under the weight of Harry’s gaze. “I can’t believe you got to have sex before I did!” he blurted out. “I’ve been dating much longer than you have. Hell, I’ve been with Hermione for months, and she hardly lets me touch her. You’ve only been with Snape a few weeks, and you’ve already gone all the way.”

Harry gaped at Ron in shock before bursting into laughter. Out of all the reactions he expected Ron to have, that one had been the most unexpected. He saw Hermione glare at Ron and laughed even harder. Ron was in for it now. He couldn’t bring himself to feel sorry for the redhead, though. After all, Ron had just practically called him slut.

“Ronald Weasley!” screeched Hermione, blushing in mortification.

“She’ll never put out for you now, Weasley,” said Draco mockingly.

Hermione glared at furiously at Draco, causing the blonde to shrink away from her. She transferred her glare back to Ron. “I.. Will.. Kill.. You.. Ronald Weasley,” she said through clenched teeth.

Ron squeaked in fear and fled from the table. Hermione calmly pushed away from the table and walked sedately out of the room. Draco sat still for all of a minute before he scrambled out of his chair and followed the furious brunette. He wanted front seats for the humiliation Weasley was about to suffer.

Harry shook his head ruefully and began to eat. Hermione would deal with his wayward friend. Ron really should learn when to keep his mouth shut. He always managed to land himself in hot water because of his big mouth.

“I’ll be in the library with Ron and Hermione if you need me,” said Harry, pushing his empty plate away. He climbed to his feet and kissed Severus and Lucius on the cheek and walked out of the room.

Harry found Hermione and Ron already sequestered in the library and snickered softly at the scene he encountered. Hermione was calmly reading a thick book, but Ron was bound and gagged in the corner, mumbling angrily through the gag in his mouth. Harry sat down at the table with Hermione and stared at her for a long moment, trying to keep his face impassive.

“Is there something you want to tell me, Hermione? Some secret fetish you wish to share?”

Hermione raised her eyebrow and sat back in her chair. “Wouldn’t you like to know, Harry?” She suddenly leaned forward and smirked at Harry. “I’ll tell you if you tell me. What was it like with them?”

Harry looked at Ron and saw the redhead shaking his head frantically. Harry smirked wickedly and leaned closer to Hermione. “It was amazing. Of course, it hurt at first because I was still a virgin, but he made me come twice before it was all over.”

“And what about Snape? Did you bond with him, too?” asked Hermione eagerly.

“Yeah,” sighed Harry, with a gentle smile. “Lucius held and kissed me while Severus fu-”

“I don’t want to hear anymore!” yelled Ron. “Please! No details!”

Hermione laughed at Ron. “So you finally figured out how to get the gag out. Took you long enough.”

“That’s not funny, Hermione,” pouted Ron. “I can’t believe you would do that to me. Now I’m traumatised.”

“Poor baby. You’ll survive,” said Hermione unsympathetically. “So, Harry, any ideas on the remaining horcruxes?”

“We need to go to Hogwarts,” said Harry seriously. “I have a feeling a horcrux is there.”

“And just how do you expect us to do that? Hogwarts is run by Death Eaters these days,” said Ron reasonably.

“It wouldn’t be all that difficult if we could enter the castle in our animagus forms,” said Hermione. “Unfortunately, Harry is the only one who could do that at the moment, and I don’t see Lucius and Severus allowing Harry to do that by himself.”

Harry grinned ruefully. “That’s certainly true. However, I may be able to convince Lucius and Draco to accompany me on my adventure.”

Ron scowled at Harry. “I hope you don’t think you’re leaving us behind again. We’re in this together, so if you go to Hogwarts, we’re going to Hogwarts. Now help us with our transformations, so we can do this.”

Harry smiled at Ron. He was so glad they were here. He’d missed them terribly over the last few weeks. “Let’s do this, then.”

They spent the next three hours working on their animagus transformations. Ron was actually the first to complete his transformation. When he realised that he’d really done it, he yipped excitedly and ran around the room, tripping on his own feet and skidding across the floor. Ignoring his friends’ laughter, he bounced right back up and transformed back.

“Wow! That was absolutely amazing! I’m colour blind, but I can smell and hear so much better,” said Ron exuberantly. “Come on, Hermione. You try it.”

“I’ve been trying, Ron,” said Hermione peevishly. “It’s not working!”

“You’re thinking too much,” said Ron.

Hermione growled, dearly wishing she had claws to use on her irritating boyfriend. To her surprise, her body began to shrink. Harry picked her up and stroked her silky fur, and she purred loudly. Ron was right. This was amazing. All of her senses were much sharper in this form, and the way Harry was petting her felt absolutely divine.

“Replacing me already, Harry?”

Harry looked up and saw Lucius leaning against the doorframe. “Ah, Lucius. You’re just in time. I have something I need to ask you.” He set the cat back on the floor, and few moments later, Hermione stood in its place. She sat down beside Harry while Ron sat on his other side.

Lucius saw the seriousness on all three faces and felt a knot of dread in his stomach. The only time Harry got that look on his face was when he wanted to do something extremely dangerous. He sighed softly. There was no question that he would help however he could. There was absolutely no way he’d allow Harry off on one of his adventures without him by his side.

“What do you have planned now?”

“I need to get into Hogwarts,” said Harry hurriedly.

“What? I thought you’d gotten what you needed at Hogwarts,” said Lucius harshly. “Death Eaters are in charge of the school now, and if you think I’m letting you waltz into Hogwarts now, you have another think coming.”

“It’s important, Lucius. I wouldn’t have said anything if it wasn’t,” said Harry seriously. “You remember the night Severus became a vampire?”

“Yes,” said Lucius suspiciously. Almost immediately, though, he realised exactly why Harry had asked him that. He sighed and rubbed his temples. “You had another one of those feelings, didn’t you?”

Harry shrugged helplessly. “I just know a horcrux is at Hogwarts. I’m not exactly sure what it is yet, but I do know it’s there.”

“And how do you plan to remain undetected while you’re there? The term began last week,” said Lucius resignedly.

“The same way Wormtail did,” said Harry reasonably. “We’ll infiltrate the school in our animagus forms. You and I at least can blend in with our surroundings, and Hermione will be overlooked simply because she’s a cat. And if somehow we are discovered, we’ll take care of them. Once we retrieve this horcrux, the only thing left standing in our way will be Nagini and Voldemort himself.”

“When do we leave?” sighed Lucius. He hoped Harry realised what he was in for when Severus discovered his plans. He’d be lucky if the vampire would let him out of bed ever again.

“No time like the present,” said Harry determinedly.

“You just don’t want Severus to find out,” Lucius accused Harry. “You’re afraid he’ll stop you.”

Harry shrugged. “Quit stalling, Lucius. The sooner we leave, the sooner we’ll return.” He wasn’t stupid. He didn’t need Lucius pointing out what Severus would do when he found out. He didn’t really have a choice in the matter, though. The horcrux had to be destroyed, and it was located in Hogwarts.

“So be it,” said Lucius resignedly. “We’ll need to apparate to Hogsmeade and continue on to Hogwarts in our animagus forms.”

Harry turned to Ron and looked pleadingly at the redhead. Ron sighed in resignation and said, “I’ll distract them for as long as I can, but you owe me for this, Harry. I wouldn’t face off against an angry vampire for anyone else, you know.”

Harry grinned and hugged Ron quickly. “You’re the best friend ever, Ron.”

***

Harry changed into his mini-drake form and flew into Honeydukes, swooping down into the cellar to reach the secret passage. A few moments later, another mini-drake and a small cat joined him. Harry changed back and opened the passage.

“This passage will take us directly to the third floor in Hogwarts. Hermione, do you know where the Ravenclaw dormitories are?”

The cat morphed back into Hermione. “They’re on the west side of the school. I’m not sure of the exact location, though.”

“That will have to work. Hopefully, we’ll be able to follow someone the rest of the way. Let’s go.”

Harry and Hermione transformed back and headed into the passage. When they reached the end of the passageway, Harry transformed and opened the passage door before changing right back. It was a good thing he did, too. As the two drakes and the cat stepped into the corridor, three dementors swept toward them, peering suspiciously into the open passageway.

Hermione meowed and bolted down the corridor with Lucius and Harry flying unnoticed above her. She streaked up the stairs until she reached the seventh floor and a familiar door stood before them. She transformed back and opened the door, hurrying inside, only to find Neville and Luna already in the room.

“Neville! Luna!”

“Hermione, you’re all right! And you’re here! Why are you here? Where’s Ron and Harry?” asked Neville worriedly.

Harry transformed back and grinned at the other teen. “Did you miss me, Neville?”

Neville crowed in delight and rushed forward to hug Harry tightly. “I knew you’d come, Harry! I knew it!” He leapt back in horror, though, when Lucius appeared seemingly out of nowhere. “What is he doing here?”

“A lot has happened in the last few months,” said Harry softly. “For one, Lucius is on our side now.”

“He’s a Death Eater, Harry. He’s just trying to trick you,” said Neville stubbornly.

“He’s a Drake, Neville, and I’m his mate,” said Harry patiently. “Vold-”

Neville quickly covered Harry’s mouth before he could finish his word. “Don’t say his name, Harry. It’s taboo. You say his name, and they’ll be able to find us.” Harry nodded in understanding, and Neville removed his hand.

“The Dark Lord forced Lucius to drink a potion that activates any magical creature blood. You see, he thought Lucius was a veela, and he would have a new sex slave. However, he was in for a huge shock when Lucius turned into a Frost Drake instead,” said Harry gleefully. “Lucius took out the whole roof when he escaped.”

“So what’s been happening here?” asked Hermione curiously.

Neville sighed softly. “It’s not Hogwarts anymore. You know about the Carrows, right?”

“Yeah. I still can’t believe the Ministry allowed two Death Eaters to teach here,” said Harry bitterly.

“They do more than teach, Harry,” said Neville soberly. “They’re in charge of all discipline, and let me just say that they certainly like to dole out punishments. They even make Umbridge look tame. And what’s worse, the other teachers have to refer us to the Carrows if we do anything wrong. Of course, they don’t if they can avoid it because they hate the Carrows as much as we do.”

“Amycus, the brother, he teaches the Dark Arts,” said Luna. “Alecto, the sister, teaches muggle studies.”

“Yeah, Amycus tries to make us practice the Cruciatus curse on people who’ve earned detention.” Neville pointed to a deep gash on his cheek. “I refused, and this is what I got in return.” He pointed to another gash on his face. “I got this one for asking Alecto how much Muggle blood she and her brother had because I was tired of listening to her go on about how Muggles are like animals and how stupid and dirty they are.”

Luna smiled airily. “So what have you been up to, Harry?”

“I’ve been working on defeating Vol-... the Dark Lord. That’s why I’m here, actually. There’s something we need to find... something that belonged to Ravenclaw. Have either of you come across something with her eagle on it? I know it’s at Hogwarts, but I don’t know where exactly,” said Harry quickly.

“Well, there’s her lost diadem,” said Luna softly. “The lost diadem of Ravenclaw. Daddy’s trying to replicate it.”

“When was it lost?” asked Harry eagerly.

“Centuries ago. Professor Flitwick says the diadem vanished with Ravenclaw herself, and nobodies found traces of it since,” said Luna. “I can show you what it looks like, though. We have a statue with her wearing it in our common room.”

“That would be great, Luna. Thanks,” said Harry. Maybe he could use his power to see the past to find some clues while he was there.

“Follow me,” said Luna, heading toward a small cupboard that opened onto a steep staircase.

Harry, Hermione, and Lucius transformed and followed the blonde girl onto the stairs. They hurried up the staircase until they reached a wall. Luna calmly reached out and touched the wall, waiting as it melted away, and slipped outside. As soon as they all passed through, the wall resealed itself.

Luna looked around and smiled. “We’re on the fifth floor. This way.” She headed toward a spiral staircase. They climbed up the stairs until they reached a door with no handle or keyhole. Luna reached out and knocked once, startlingly loud in the silence. The beak of the eagle on the knocker opened and asked, “Which came first, the phoenix or the flame?”

Harry transformed back, staring at the door incredulously. “What kind of question is that? Don’t you guys have a password?”

“Oh no, you’ve got to answer a question,” said Luna serenely.

“What if you get it wrong?” asked Harry nervously.

“Well, you have to wait for somebody who gets it right. That way you learn, you see?” said Luna calmly.

“Yeah,” said Harry slowly. “We can’t really afford to wait for anyone else, Luna.”

“I see what you mean,” said Luna seriously. “Well then, I think the answer is that a circle has no beginning.”

“Well reasoned,” said the eagle, and the door silently opened.

Harry looked curiously at the deserted common room. It was very different from Gryffindor. Blue and bronze curtains graced arched windows, painted stairs adorned the domed ceiling and midnight-blue carpet, and they had a wonderful view of the surrounding mountains. He saw a white marble statue of Ravenclaw and walked closer to it. Harry looked closely at the statue and saw a delicate-looking circlet on top of her head etched with tiny words. He climbed onto the plinth to read them.

“Wit beyond measure is man’s greatest treasure,” whispered Harry.

Just as he finished reading the inscription, the common room door opened. Harry immediately transformed into his drake form and darted into the shadows. He saw Alecto Carrow walk into the room, glaring at Luna evilly.

“Who were you talking to, girl?”

Luna smiled benignly. “Myself, of course. It helps with the boredom, you know.”

Alecto sneered at the girl. “Why aren’t you at breakfast with the rest of the students? You know what happens to those who don’t follow the rules.” She pulled out her wand and pointed it at Luna.

Lucius quickly transformed behind her and quietly whispered the killing curse, watching dispassionately as the woman fell lifelessly to the floor. Hermione changed back and glared at Lucius. “You didn’t have to kill her, Lucius.”

Lucius just raised an eyebrow at the irate girl. “Yes, I did. We’re at war, Miss Granger, and we need to take out as many enemies beforehand as we possibly can. We don’t need them coming up behind us sometime later because we merely stunned them now.”

Hermione scowled at Lucius and opened her mouth to argue, but Harry transformed and stepped out of the shadows. “Hermione, Lucius is right. This is one enemy I don’t want to have to worry about later on. Right now, we need to find the diadem without the Vol-... the Dark Lord discovering our presence here.”

Hermione’s lips tightened in displeasure, but she reluctantly nodded.

Harry turned back toward the statue and placed his hand on the smooth marble. He slowly lowered his shields and gasped at the images that flooded his brain.

“Mother, it’s beautiful”

Rowena smiled at the teenaged girl beside her. “Yes, he did very well, Helena.”

“May I please try on the diadem?”

“Not right now, Helena dear. One day soon, though,” said Rowena regretfully.

Harry jerked his hand away from the statue with a gasp. He’d seen that girl before, here at Hogwarts. The Grey Lady!

“Harry, what did you see?” asked Hermione quickly.

“We need to find the Grey Lady. I think she knows where the diadem is,” said Harry.

“But she could be anywhere in the castle, Harry. We’re trying to stay hidden, and we need to do something about her,” said Hermione, pointing to Alecto’s body.

Lucius calmly cast Incendio on Alecto’s body and banished the remains. “Let’s go.”

Harry and Lucius immediately transformed and flew toward the door. Hermione sighed and looked at Luna, who just smiled airily and headed toward the door. Hermione finally transformed and followed them out of the room.

At the foot of the stairs, Harry glimpsed a ghostly white figure at the end of the corridor and flew in that direction. As he neared the ghost, however, he saw that it was Hufflepuff’s ghost, the Friar. Luna finally caught up with him and smiled at the ghost.

“Good morning, Friar,” she said sweetly. “Have you seen the Grey Lady around lately?”

“The Grey Lady? I’m afraid I haven’t. She may be in the Great Hall, though.”

The two drakes immediately darted toward the stairs. With an irritated meow, Hermione shot off after them while Luna thanked the Friar and followed at a more leisurely pace. The drakes had the advantage, though. They bypassed the stairs completely, diving toward the ground at a rapid pace.

Harry and Lucius reached the entrance hall just in time to see the Grey Lady drift through the wall, leading to another corridor. They followed her into the corridor and saw her at the end of the passageway. Harry quickly transformed and yelled, “Hey! Come back!”

The Grey Lady paused and looked at him curiously.

“You’re Rowena Ravenclaw’s daughter, aren’t you? Helena?”

She looked at him in surprise. She didn’t think anyone was aware of her relation to the famed Founder. “Yes, I am.”

“I need to know anything you can tell me about the lost diadem.”

Helena gave him a cold smile. “I’m afraid that I can’t help you.” She turned to leave, but Harry moved between her and the wall.

“This is urgent. If that diadem is at Hogwarts, I need to find it,” said Harry fiercely.

“You are hardly the first student to covet the diadem,” Helena sneered.

“I don’t bloody care about the diadem itself. I need that diadem to defeat Vol- the Dark Lord... to protect Hogwarts. Or aren’t you interested in that?”

Helena glared at Harry. “Of course I care about Hogwarts! How dare you-”

Harry interrupted her tirade with an impassioned, “Help me then!”

Helena stared at Harry a moment longer and finally said, “I stole the diadem from my mother and ran away with it. When my mother fell ill, she sent a man to find me. The man loved me despite my constant refusals, and she knew he would not stop until he had done as she asked.”

Helena looked away, a look of long remembered pain on her face. “He tracked to the forest where I was hiding, and when I refused to return with him, he flew into a rage and stabbed me. The Baron was always a hot-tempered man.”

“The Baron?” asked Harry incredulously. “You mean-?”

“Yes, the Bloody Baron,” said Helena, lifting her cloak aside to reveal a single dark wound in her chest. “When he realised what he’d done, he killed himself.”

“And the diadem?”

“It remained where I had hidden it when I heard the Baron blundering through the forest toward me. It was concealed inside a hollow tree,” said Helena.

“Where was this?” asked Harry.

“A forest in Albania.”

“Albania.” A place Voldemort had spent an innumerable amount of time, before and after his first defeat. “You’ve already told someone this story, haven’t you? Another student?”

Helena closed her eyes and nodded. “I had no idea he would... he seemed to... understand... sympathise.”

Harry sighed softly. Yes, Tom Riddle was very persuasive, and he would understand perfectly the desire to possess such a prize. “Well, you weren’t the first person Riddle tricked into spilling their secrets.”

So Voldemort discovered the location of Ravenclaw’s precious item. He’d traveled to Albania, probably as soon as he left Hogwarts, and retrieved the diadem, turning it into a horcux. But when did he return it to Hogwarts? He hadn’t been back except for...

“He returned to ask Dumbledore for the DADA position,” said Harry softly. “That’s when he brought the diadem here. He must have hidden the diadem on his way to or from Dumbledore’s office.”

As he pondered the location of the diadem, he suddenly knew exactly where it was. He remembered hiding Severus’ Potions book in the Room of Requirement and placing a wig and battered tiara atop a statue’s head. It was the perfect hiding place since so few people knew about it at the time.

“Thanks,” said Harry, bowing briefly to Helena and transforming back into his drake form. He flew out of the corridor, passing Hermione and Luna, and headed back toward the staircase with Lucius right behind him. Hermione growled angrily and shot after them. She was bloody tired of being left all the damn time.

Harry made it to the seventh floor and flew back to the Room of Requirement. Neville was the only one in the room when he entered. He transformed and said, “Neville, I need to find something in here. Can you leave for just a few minutes?”

“How close are you to defeating him, Harry?” asked Neville seriously.

Harry felt Lucius settle on his left shoulder and smiled briefly. “So close I can almost taste it.”

Neville nodded in satisfaction and left the room without another word. Harry left the room and paced the corridor, thinking ‘I need the place where everything is hidden.’ On his third pass, the door appeared, and Harry hurried back inside. The room he entered was the size of a cathedral but looked like a city. The walls were built from objects hidden by thousands of former students.

Harry looked around in disbelief. This could take a while. He looked at the drake on his shoulder. “We may as well split up. Lucius, you take that side. Look for a stone bust of an old man wearing a wig and a tiara. It should be standing on a cupboard.”

Lucius transformed and headed in the direction Harry pointed him. Harry headed in the opposite direction, searching for anything familiar from his last trip into the room. As he went deeper into the cluttered room, he finally saw it. He quickly wrapped the wig around the diadem and tucked it into his pocket. There was no telling what kind of spells were on the bloody thing.

“Lucius! I found it!”

Lucius turned into a drake and flew toward Harry. The brunette grinned triumphantly and changed into his drake form. They flew out of the room and saw a very angry cat sitting in the middle of the corridor. She hissed at the two drakes, her fur standing straight.

Harry changed back and tried to placate the angry feline. “Don’t be so mad, Hermione. I got the diadem. We can go back home now.”

Hermione growled once more, turned around, and stalked off. Harry just shrugged and turned into a drake, following his miffed friend back to the third floor. They hurried passed the dementors patrolling the corridor, and Hermione transformed long enough to open the passageway before turning into a cat again.

Once they were back in Hogsmeade, they quickly apparated back to the safe house. Harry only had time to take the diadem out of his pocket and hand it to Hermione before Severus stormed into the room, snarling in absolute fury. He stopped in front of Harry with a dark scowl on his face.

“You aren’t leaving this house ever again,” growled Severus. “I turn my back for five minutes, and you run off Death Eater Central. What if the Dark Lord discovered your presence there?”

“I had to, Severus. The last horcrux was there,” said Harry nervously, pointing to the wig wrapped diadem in Hermione’s hands. “Only Nagini is left now.”

Severus didn’t even look at the diadem. He simply transferred his glare to Lucius. “Why didn’t you stop him? Are you trying to get him killed?”

Lucius raised his eyebrow at Severus. “I’d like to see you stop him, Severus. I did the only thing I could, and that was go with him to keep him safe.”

Severus growled in frustration. Harry stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Severus’ waist, laying his on the other man’s chest. “It’s almost over, Severus. We now have the means to defeat the Dark Lord for good.”

Severus sighed and held Harry close. When he’d come into the library and found the Weasley brat all alone, a tight knot of dread settled in the pit of his stomach. And when Ron refused to look at him, Severus knew that Harry had done something stupidly rash. And then the redheaded brat had the audacity to transform into a fox, running out of the room before he could drag any information from the annoying teen.

As if summoned, a little red fox ran into the room with an excited yip. In the next moment, Ron stood in front of them with a wide grin. “Did you get it?” When Harry nodded, Ron punched him in the arm, ignoring the warning growl from Severus. “That’s for leaving me to deal with an angry vampire. I had to hide to keep from telling him where you went. You owe me big for this.”

“Be thankful you stayed,” said Hermione irritably. “I spent the whole time chasing after him. It gets tiresome very quickly. I think I would have preferred the angry vampire.”

“Where’s Draco?” asked Harry curiously, noticing the younger blonde’s absence.

“He’s working on a few potions,” said Severus shortly.

“So what’s for lunch? I’m starving,” said Ron, rubbing his stomach. At the incredulous looks from everyone, he shrugged. “I’ve burned a lot of energy in the last three hours. The first two hours, I was worried Snape was going to show up, and the last hour, I was running and hiding.”

Harry and Hermione just laughed at Ron, the tension in the room broken by Ron’s bottomless stomach. This was familiar territory with them. Ron was always hungry, and it didn’t matter what was going on at the time.