Untouchable: Part 4

Chapter 9

Hermione said" Stop it, Ron. You're making it snow."
Ron said" Tell me how I broke up with Lavender again."
" Um, well, s-she came to visit you in the hospital. And you talked. I don't believe it was a particularly long conversation."
" Don't get me wrong, I'm bloody thrilled to be shot of her. It's just she seems a bit put out." We looked at Lavender, who was at the far table from us.
" Yes, she does, doesn't she? You say you don't remember anything from that night? Anything at all?"
" There is something. But it can't be. I was completely boggled, wasn't I?"
" Right. Boggled." Harry went back to looking through that potion book, I looked down." Harry. That's Katie." I looked up," Katie Bell." Harry got up, and grabbed his book before rushing off to go talk to her.

Harry hit Draco with a spell that really harmed Draco... like bad. And it was from that bloody potions book! Ginny walked to Harry and sat next to him,
She said" You have to get rid of it. Today." Harry nodded his head. He and Ginny left to go hide the book, I sighed and leaned back against the wall.

Ron and I walked up to Harry,
Ron said" So, did you and Ginny do it, then?"
Harry said" What?" I bit my lip to keep the laugh in,
" You know, hide the book?"
" Oh, yeah." Then Slughorn walked up,
He said" Ah. Dear, yes." He turned around and walked the other way,
Ron said" Still no luck with Slughorn, then, I take it?" Harry shook his head,
He said" Luck. That's it. All I need's a bit of luck."

Harry drank the liquid luck potion,
Hermione said" Well, how do you feel?" Harry smiled,
Harry said" Excellent. Really excellent." He stood up, we followed,
" Remember, Slughorn usually eats early, takes a walk, and then returns to his office."
" Right. I'm going down to Hagrid's."
" What?" Harry walked away," No, Harry, you've got to go and speak with Slughorn." Harry stopped and looked at us since we followed him," We have a plan."
" I know, but I've got a really good feeling about Hagrid's. I feel i-it's the place to be tonight. Do you know what I mean?"
We three said" No."
" Well, trust me, I know what I'm doing. Or Felix does." The door opened and he walked out of the common room, I groaned.
I said" We shouldn't have let him take that potion. Should I tail him?" I scratched at the back of my head, then looked to Ron and Hermione.
Hermione said" You're oddly protective of him, you know."
" If you were me, you would be too, Hermione. I should tail him." I went to follow him, but Hermione grabbed my arm." Hermione, let go."
" Why?"
" He's the only family I've got left, Hermione... please, please let me go make sure nothing happens to him too."
" He's on school grounds, he won't go wonder off."
" I-I... I can't trust that he'll be safe. If anything happens to him, I-I don't know how mad I'll go."
" Aiden, he'll be fine. What's in the journal?"
" Oh, just letters my father wrote to me, I guess... over the time... I've read them dozens of times. I can't get over them. He and James Potter were ecstatic when Harry and I laughed together, I-I... Harry and I were supposed to grow up together! Don't you get it?! My mother died, then his mother and father, then my father..." I felt my eyes water," We're all there is left! And I will not let anything happen to him, I can't," Tears slid down my face, as I looked at them," I'd be disappointing my father if I did."
" Oh, Aiden..." She hugged me, I hugged her back, digging my face against her neck." You're not disappointing anyone, Aiden. I swear."
" I've still got to watch him. I'll be back soon!" I rushed out, avoiding her grab at me, Hermione Granger will probably be the end of me, and... I've got to say, I'm kinda okay with that ending. At least it'll be a best friend killing me.

I was in animagus, I ran down to Hagrid, Fang, Harry and... Slughorn... oops. And I saw a dead acromantula.
Hagrid said" It's the eyes, I reckon. They unnerve some folk."
Harry said" Not to mention the pincers." Then clicked his teeth,
" Yeah, I reckon that too." He looked at Harry oddly, then saw me, I tilted my head and stuck out my tongue.
Slughorn said" Hagrid, the last thing I wish to be is indelicate, but acromantular venom is uncommonly rare. Would you allow me to extract a vial or two? Purely for academic purposes, you understand."
" Well, I don't suppose it's going to do him much good now, is it?"
" My thoughts exactly. Always have a ampoule or two about my person for just such occasions as this. Old, uh, potions master's habit, you know."
" I wish you could've seen him in his prime. Magnificent, he was. Just magnificent."
" Would you like me to say a few words?"
" Yes."
" He had a family, I trust?"
Harry said" Oh, yeah."
" Farewell..."
Hagrid said" Aragog." Ah, the spider that tried to eat Harry, Ron and I.
" Farewell, Aragog, king of the arachnids. Your body will decay," Fang howled a bit, I looked at him," But your spirit lingers on. And your human friends find solace in the loss they have sustained."

I watched Hagrid, Slughorn and Fang walk ahead, I turned into human, I looked at Harry.
I said" You good, mate?"
He said" Yeah."
" I bet that liquid luck is coming up with a bloody plan to get Slughorn's information, so... do that. Honestly, can't be any worse than what we've come up with ourselves... given our time at Hogwarts. I'm gonna head to the common room, don't die, don't be dim." I turned back into an animagus as he nodded, and I ran, headed for the castle.

I got into the dorm, I took off my bag and brought out my wand and my father's journal.
I mumbled" Lumos." I sat on my bed and began reading again, watching how similar my writing was to my father's.
———
Harry went off grounds, somewhere with Dumbledore, I hated the idea of it, I just... I feel impending dread and I don't like that feeling.

I saw the dark mark in the sky, fear consumed me... I took off.

Everyone was surrounding Dumbledore, death eaters invaded... killed him. Harry walked through the crowd, and to Dumbledore. Ginny walked to him and hugged him, McGonagall raised her wand, everyone followed her lead, light shined, the dark mark was taken out.
———
Hermione said" Do you think he would've done it? Draco?"
Harry said" No. No, he was lowering his wand. In the end, it was Snape. It was always Snape. And I did nothing." He handed her the necklace," It's fake. Open it." She opened it, a note was inside, she opened the note,
" To the Dark Lord. I know I will be dead long before you read this, but I want you to know that it was I who discovered your secret. I have stolen the real Horcrux and intend to destroy it as soon as I can. I face death in hope that when you meet your match you will be mortal once more. RAB. RAB?"
" Don't know. But whoever they are, they have the real Horcrux. Which means it was all a waste. All of it."
" Ron's okay with it, you know. You and Ginny. But if I were you, when he's around, I'd keep the snogging to a minimum."
" I'm not coming back, Hermione. I've got to finish whatever Dumbledore started. And I don't know where that'll lead me, but I'll let you, Aiden and Ron know where I am when I can." I looked at him, raising my eyebrow, not bloody likely Harry James Potter!
" I've always admired your courage, Harry. But sometimes, you can be really thick. You don't really think you're going to be able to find all those Horcruxes by yourself, do you? You need us, Harry."
" I never realized how beautiful this place was." We saw a bird soar through the sky, we all walked to the other side to watch it fly away.

To be Continued...