Chapter 17
HARRY'S POV
I was sliding through the floor. I moved towards a room with shelves and crystal balls. There was a figure up ahead. Before I could look to see who it was, I was striking out at it. The man fell. His face was bleeding from my venomous fangs. I tried to stop, but I kept striking out, again and again and again.
Then, suddenly I heard someone.
"HARRY!? HARRY?! Is he okay?"
I snapped open my eyes. Amy, Dumbledore, and MacGonagall were all surrounding me. Madam Hooch was keeping the rest of the Quidditch players back. They were stretching their heads to see what was happening. The students and teachers in the stands were looking down at him. Whatever happened, happened in front of the entire school.
"Mr. Weasley!" I exclaimed. "He's not okay!"
"What's wrong with him?" Amy asked, her voice high pitched and worried. "What happened? Is he okay?" She turned to Dumbledore. "Is he gonna be alright?"
"He needs the hospital wing," Dumbledore said.
"Come on, Harry," Amy said. "Let's get you to the hospital wing."
"No -" I gasped. "No - I don't need the hospital wing! Mr. Weasley, he's in danger."
Amy looked at Dumbledore in worry. "What's he talking about?"
"Minerva," Dumbledore said, "take Harry to my office. Amelia, get the Weasley kids and Professor Snape and bring them to my office. Quickly!"
AMY'S POV
I was worried. Really worried. I didn't want to feel worried, at least not for Harry. I didn't know what was happening. Whatever it was, I could sense my father mixed into it. I sprinted over to the Gryffindor Quidditch team.
"Ron!" I cried. "Fred, George!"
They came hustling over. "What's wrong?" There was worry in all of their eyes.
"Is Harry okay?" Fred asked.
"Yeah, Harry's fine," I said. "It's your father - something's wrong!"
I dashed into the stands to get Snape and Ginny. After quickly explaining the predicament, we hurried into the castle and up to Dumbledore's office. We found the door open and Dumbledore, MacGonagall, and Harry inside.
"You called?" Snape asked.
"Yes -" Dumbledore said. "I'm afraid it can't wait until morning."
DUMBLEDORE'S POV
I sent Amelia to bed. The Weasleys were sent to Grimmauld Place. Harry was taken by Severus to begin Occlumency lessons. I waited in my office, alone, pondering what to do. If the connection was open... that would be very bad news for Harry. I prayed he would be a good Occlumens.
I walked over to my desk. I was also thinking of Amelia. I got a letter from Sirius about how Snape told him that Amelia wanted to join the Order. Was she telling the truth? Was she oblivious?
Did she even know the truth about herself?
It was troubling. I began writing a letter to Sirius. I thought it best to let her join. After all, if she was an imposter, maybe the Order would rub off on her.
But was it right to trust her? I trusted Tom Riddle, and look what happened.
AMY'S POV
I had no intention of going to bed like Dumlbedore told me. I wanted to find out what happened to Potter. After he left the room with Snape, I pretended to go to bed and followed them down to Snape's office. I disillusioned myself and stood in the doorway, listening to their conversation.
"Potter, you are here because the Headmaster wishes me to teach you Occlumency," Snape said.
So that was what this was. Occlumency!
"Occlumency is the ability to sheild your mind from unwanted tresspassers. In this case, the Dark Lord," Snape went on.
My father was a part of this? Well, it was only expected, I guess.
"Why does Professor Dumbledore think I need it?" Harry asked.
"This may not be an ordinary class, Potter," said Snape, "but I am still your teacher, and you will therefore call me 'sir' or 'Professor' at all times."
"Yes... sir," said Harry.
"Anyway, the Dark Lord is highly skilled at Legilimency -"
"What's that? Sir?"
"It is the ability to extract feelings and memories from another person's mind -"
"He can read minds?" Harry asked quickly. I smirked.
"Only Muggles talk of 'mind reading.' The mind is not a book, to be opened at will and examined at leisure. Thoughts are not etched on the inside of skulls, to be perused be an invader. The mind is a complex and many-layered thing, Potter... or at least, most are..." Snape smirked. So did I. "It is true, however, that those who have mastered Legilimency are able, under certain conditions, to delve into the minds of their victims and to interpret their findings correctly. The Dark Lord, for instance, almost always knows whern somebody is lying to him."
I grinned. Not with me!
"Only those skilled at Occlumency are able to shut down those feelings and memories that contradict the lie, and so utter falsehoods in his presence without detection," Snape explained.
"So he could know what we're thinking right now?" Harry asked. "Sir?"
"Distance matters in this case, Potter," Snape said.
"So why do I need to learn Occlumency?" Harry asked.
"The usual rules do not seem to apply with you, Potter. The curse that failed to kill you seems to have forged some kind of connection between you and the Dark Lord. The evidence suggests that at times, when your mind is most relaxed and vulnerable - when you are asleep, for instance - you are sharing the Dark Lord's thoughts and emotions. The Headmaster does not wish this to continue," Snape explained.
I thought that this would be valuable information for my father if he didn't already know it. I made a mental not to tell him sometime.
"It appears that the Dark Lord has been unaware of the connection between you and himself until very recently. Up till now it seems that you have been experiencing his emotions and sharing his thoughts without his being any the wiser. However, the vision you had shortly before Christmas represented such a powerful incursion upon the Dark Lord's thoughts -
"I was seeing into the snake's head, not his!"
"Don't interrupt me, Potter," Snape said dangerously.
"How come I saw through the snake's eyes if it's Voldemort's thoughts I'm sharing?"
"Do not say the Dark Lord's name!" yelled Snape.
"Professor Dumbledore says his name," Harry mumbled.
"Dumbledore is an extremely powerful wizard," Snape muttered. "While he may feel secure enough to use the name, the rest of us..." He rubbed his left forearm where the Dark Mark was burned into his skin.
"I just wanted to know why -" Harry began.
"You seem to have visited the snake's mind because that was where the Dark Lord was at that particular moment," Snape snarled. "He was possessing the snake at the time and so you dreamed you were inside it too."
"And Vol - he - realized I was there?"
"It seems so," said Snape.
All of this was really interesting, I thought. I was learning a lot.
"How do you know?" Potter asked.
"It is enough that we know," Snape said. "The important point is that the Dark Lord is now aware that you are gaining access to his thoughts and feelings. He has also deduced that the process is likely to work in reverse; that is to say, he has realized that he might be able to access your thoughts and feelings in return -"
"And he might try and make me do things?" Harry asked. "Sir?"
"Yes," said Snape. "Which brings us back to Occlumency. Take out your wand."
They began the lesson. Snape entered Harry's mind several times. One time, Harry accidentally blasted a spell towards my direction. I had to duck to not get hit. Finally, it was over. Snape told Harry to come back the next week. Harry left Snape's office, closing the door behind him.
Snape turned to where I was. "I know you're there, Amelia," Snape said in a bored voice.
I gasped theatrically. I disillusioned myself. "How'd you know?" I asked lazily, walking over to Snape's desk chair and sitting down, yawning.
"I figured you would come to see what was going on," Snape said, glaring at me, presumably angry because I sat down without permission. At his look, I put my feet up on his desk.
"Yeah, well, I know now," I said, grinning. "I can't wait to tell Dad."
"Amelia -"
I ignored him and instead leapt to my feet. "I'll see you later... sir."
I left Snape's office without another word. I was going to tell Father right away. I snuck down through the castle silently, easily avoiding detection. I left the building and went into Hogsmeade village. Hogwarts had this dumb thing where you can't Disapparate on the grounds. In order to make a quick getaway you would have to leave. The easiest way to do this was by going into Hogsmeade, the small village outside of the castle. There, I Disapparated and appeared at Malfoy Manor.
I slammed the door open and strutted in confidently. "FATHER!!! I HAVE SOME NEWS!!"