Under Your Spell

The Love Potion

They disapparated, making sure that Ron was gripping hands tightly with them, and arrived once again at Spinner's End. As the air shifted and settled around them, all three of them pulled their cloaks tighter around themselves, steadying their restless feet. They had arrived where Harry and Professor McGonagall had previously apparated, across the road from Snape's house in the shadows. 

Snape's house was in ruins, snarfed up by the flames born from McGonagall's exploding spell. The fire had obviously been extinguished fairly soon afterwards, but the entirety of the attic and some of the top floor had been burned away; exposing the bowels of the house to the now dusky air. Harry heard Hermione's sharp intake of breath. He walked outwardly across the road, signalling Hermione and Ron to follow. The street was eerily quiet. Harry scoped the houses either side of Snape's to detect any sign of life, but found none. The windows were blackened either by lack of light or heavy hangings. Flicking his wand at the heavy cast-iron gate, which creaked open upon silent command, Harry approached the house warily, shifting lightly on his feet. The front door, he discovered, was bolted from the inside. Immediately, he realized that he had not re-bolted the door after entering, and he and McGonagall had disapparated from the attic...

Someone had been watching them at Privet Drive, someone had deliberately splinched Ron to throw them off Grimmauld Place, someone had followed himself and McGonagall the last time at Spinner's End. Someone had sent him that letter. Someone had re-bolted Snape's door...

...someone was watching them now...

Harry felt the sweat beading on his brow. He swung his wand, unbolting the door, and swept inside, wand aloft, closely followed by Ron and Hermione. 

"Homenum Revelio," Harry whispered. Nothing happened. Harry's panic subsided slightly.

"You think someone's here?" Whispered Hermione, straining over the silence of the dusk. Harry turned to face them both. 

"Someone's following us. McGonagall said so herself. That's why she accompanied me to the Three Broomsticks, that's why she delivered me to Aberforth personally. She knows something we don't."

There was a silence, punctuated only by their breathing. The sound of all three brains ticking was almost tangible in the dark damp air. Finally, Hermione's quick-witted mind broke the silence.

"We should split up and have a look around," she reasoned quietly. "We can't stay here long, but we can see what clues were left behind. Harry nodded slowly. 

"I'll take the front of the house," Ron chipped in quickly. "I can keep an eye on the front door."

"I'll take the back," added Hermione, her eyes fixed on Harry. "I'll watch the back door. You'll be safer upstairs, Harry. Just be careful." Harry nodded slowly, confirming their ideas. 

"Ok," he said finally, "but whatever you do, if you find something, don't touch it. It could be cursed. We all know what Snape was like." They all nodded in grim unison.

The trio split up, and Harry headed up to the attic through the hidden staircase. It seemed steeper than when he had last climbed it. It was also darker, thanks to the soot that had poured down from the fire. It had come to him that McGonagall had set the house on fire purposefully, but Harry had no idea why. She had obviously wanted to hide something. Realising that he could no longer see his own feet, Harry illuminated his wand, and followed it's dim light up the remaining steps into the attic. Here it was very cold, and wet. Night had fallen swiftly, and a handful of stars flung in the jet black sky winked at him. Most of the roof had either burned away or collapsed inwards, creating a thick layer of ash, soot, and partially burned brick over everything. 

Listening keenly, Harry heard nothing but the soft rushing of wind. It was only then did he start to delve through the burned remains of Snape's attic. Siphoning through the delicate ashy remains of countless letters from Pettigrew's desk, Harry couldn't help but feel resentful and great anger towards McGonagall. She had vanquished whatever evidence they could have had to prove the identity of 'Sirius'' letter. 

There was a sudden shout from below, followed by an enormous bang. Harry straightened up, and Hermione's face flooded into his mind. Abandoning the task at hand, he flew down the stairs, tripping over his own feet in his haste. He found Ron in the tiny scullery in the kitchen, crouched over Hermione's figure laying sprawled on the floor. Blood lay in a trickle from her right temple. Immediately, Harry's heart skipped a beat. 

"What happened?" He cried, dropping to his knees beside Hermione. Ron looked up, horrified. 

"I-I don't know," he began shakily, gesticulating wildly. "There was a shout, and a bang. I came in here, and she was just lying here. I think she's been cursed." Harry scanned Hermione's body, and saw a small red bottle clutched in her hand, dribbling pink fizzing liquid onto the flagstoned floor. He prised it from her grip, oblivious to Ron's warnings. Harry swore quietly.

"It's a love potion," he remarked quietly, placing the bottle on the floor with a clink. At the sound, Hermione's eyes snapped open, focussing on Harry immediately. 

"Harry, is that you?" She blinked a few times, uneasy.

"It's ok, Hermione. Just lie still for a minute. Ron, pass me Hermione's beaded bag. We should get some dittany on this cut." Harry raised his hand to examine the cut on Hermione's temple, but instead, Hermione reached up and clasped his hand. Harry felt an unusual warm flooding through his arm. Aware of Ron's incinerating gaze on his back, Harry disentangled himself, avoiding Ron's eye, and trickled dittany onto Hermione's temple. Immediately, it healed. Before he could draw back from inspecting the cut, Hermione moved her head forwards, and kissed him. 

Fireworks danced through Harry's head, and it took him an ashamedly long time to realise that Ron was still standing behind him, holding the bottle of dittany. Breaking the kiss, Harry rocked back on his heels, restraining Hermione's attempts to kiss him again. Ron had turned his back, his ears and the back of his neck tinted vermillion. 

"Ron..." started Harry, but he was interrupted by a loud bang. They turned, apart from Hermione, who was oblivious to the earth around her, to see a shadow approaching them from down the hall. Harry freed himself from Hermione, and advanced, wand at the ready. In the doorway, appeared a woman in her early-thirties. She was tall, with thick dark curly hair, and was dressed in a black coat and boots. Harry instantly recognised her pointed nose, and piercing dark eyes.

Standing in front of them was Ethel Black, and her wand was pointed straight at Harry.

"Locomotor Mortis!" She screamed, and all went black.