Categories > Books > Harry Potter > Black Vengeance - 1
Of Black Thoughts
13 reviewsHarry is sunk in misery with the death of Sirius, but events are afoot that will force him to react.
5Original
The Black Vengeance
The story begins a couple of days after the prophecy has been revealed to Harry by Dumbledore.
Chapter 1 - Black Thoughts
Hogsmeade weekend, just before the end of term, was often a rarity, but a very welcome one. Pleasant as it was to relax inside the school, it was a far superior thing to be able to actually go over to Hogsmeade just before the beginning of the summer holidays. Very likely, the entire school above the third year was in Hogsmeade that day, and despite the return of the Dark Lord, the students seemed intent on making the most of their chance of gaiety.
However, the spirit of relaxation and joy that pervaded the remainder of the school did not affect Harry Potter. On the contrary, Harry could not remember the last time when he had felt so miserable. He had partaken of his breakfast which consisted of a few morsels of toast, and simply left without talking to anyone. He staggered up the stairs, and back to the Gryffindor tower. Everyone and everything he trusted was falling apart. Now that he knew the prophecy revealed him by Dumbledore, many questions and puzzles assaulted Harry's mind - how could he manage to fight Voldemort, much less defeat him? Where would he find people to train him up sufficiently to fight one of the darkest and most powerful wizards of his time? Was he justified in taking his friends with him on his tasks - Harry was honest enough to admit to himself that he did need them with him if he was to achieve his goal of defeating Voldemort? Where would he find allies that would accompany him in his venture, for the thought of taking on Voldemort and a horde of Death Eaters with a handful of students was ridiculous in the extreme. But the one question that was most prominent was `Whom can I trust'? He had no answer to that crucial question, and it frightened him greatly.
He had trusted Dumbledore, and Dumbledore had betrayed him, and manipulated him. He had trusted Sirius, and Sirius was dead - tears sprang to his eyes as he thought of Sirius. Shaking his head angrily, he considered who else was safe to trust. He would trust the Weasleys, Hagrid and probably Professor McGonagall and Professor Lupin with his life, but they were all too close to Dumbledore, and would likely run back to the headmaster the moment he finished telling them. He hesitated to speak to Ron and Ginny - while they were probably on his side, he had no desire to put the two younger Weasleys at odds with their parents and siblings and Harry was perfectly certain that if it came to a point where the adult Weasleys had to choose between him and Dumbledore, they would choose Dumbledore. The Weasleys had been harmed enough because of him - Percy had split up with his parents because they had chosen him, and he would not cause any more disruption in their family. No, he needed someone he could trust and talk to, someone who did not report to Dumbledore. As of now, the tentative list of people was limited to the others who had unhesitatingly accompanied him on his ill-fated rescue mission in the Ministry. He was fairly confident that Hermione, Luna, and Neville were not under the thumb of the wily headmaster - but would, or could they even understand? Dumbledore had admitted to his various omissions and commissions a few days ago, but had he told Harry everything he had done to Harry's life? Harry did not think so - he would need to go over his life thoroughly, and check what else could have been contrived, and arranged by the manipulative old coot. He needed to think quietly, and there was one place which would likely be empty on a Hogsmeade weekend at the end of the term - the library.
__________________________________________________________
While Harry was ruminating in the confines of the library, more serious events were afoot in Hogsmeade. Two figures, or more accurately, a small, wispy looking wizard and a tall, slender, and regal witch, both dressed in Hogwarts uniform, sat at a corner table in the Three Broomsticks, talking in hushed tones. A kettle of tea and a few cups lay on the table in front of them, but after the first few customary drinks, and a few desultory attempts at small talk, the couple had essentially grown silent, and slender witch was fidgeting in her seat, glancing at her watch twice a minute, and looking at the door. Her companion was looking far more composed; nevertheless, the nervousness surrounding the duo was palpable.
"Oh! I do wish they would hurry up! I don't like this at all", murmured the girl. "We will be in so much trouble if anyone finds out."
"Calm down, Daph. I am sure everything will be fine. Look around - everyone is so self absorbed that no one will notice us. Also, everyone has put up silencing charms - it is impossible to talk otherwise. No one will think us different."
"How can you be so calm, Theo? And why did they have to pick this time?"
"You know very well that we do not have too much time left, if we are to go through with this. And we .... ah!" The exclamation was drawn from the weedy looking wizard, by the opening of the door and the next instant, someone had entered the room. A tall witch with greying hair and a cold, stern expression, dressed in simple green robes, had just appeared in the doorway, looking all round her without actually appearing to do so. She spotted the Slytherin pair in a corner, and swiftly crossed the room, sitting down at the table.
"Hullo!", smiled the slender Slytherin witch, pouring the newcomer a cup of tea. "How are things, auntie?"
"Not so good!", returned the elder witch grimly. "Sirius Black is dead!"
"What?!"
"Don't look at me like that! It was an accident. He fell through the Execution Veil in the Department of Mysteries."
"I think you had best explain things, auntie", sighed Daphne.
`Auntie' glared at her, but swiftly and briefly explained what had occurred at the Department of Mysteries.
"This makes everything so very difficult", muttered Daphne.
"Do we still go through with our plan?", queried Theo.
"We have no choice!", the older witch returned sharply. "It will be only a matter of a few weeks at the best before the Dark Lord learns of what we have done. As much as it annoys me, you have to speak to Potter immediately!"
"Very well, I will do that", murmured Theo. "If he is not in Hogsmeade today, I will try to catch him tonight. You do realise that he will require some token of our good faith to even consider this?"
"I have thought of it. This is the first little titbit of information, which should help you curry favour with him", the older witch answered, handing the wizard a small sealed envelope. "Read it, and pass it on to him. Now, I cannot be seen here. I must go."
She rose, and looking down at the younger witch and wizard, her expression softened, "Good luck! And try not to mess up our only chance. I would rather live, and more so that you two lived."
__________________________________________________________
"Harry! What are you doing here?"
Harry had been in the library from mid-morning and had not even bothered to come down for lunch. Jerking his head back, he glanced to see who had just greeted him. He frowned, "I was reading a bit and then thinking. What are you doing here, Cho?"
"Looking for you. I was asked to give you this letter."
"Who sent me this letter?"
"My mum. If you have any replies, please give it to me during breakfast tomorrow, and I will take it back with me."
"Why would your mother be writing to me? What have I done?"
"Look - I have no idea why my mum would be writing to you, nor what you might have done. I was instructed to find you and give it to you. I am just the messenger. Let me know if you have a reply tomorrow morning. Goodnight!"
"Thank you, Cho. And goodnight", he called after her back.
Wondering why Mrs. Chang would be writing to him, he looked over the envelope, but it was a plain brown cover, with no special markings, and addressed to him. He ripped open the cover, and on a stiff parchment, written in an elegant hand, was
Dear Mr. Potter,
I have heard of the demise of Mr. Sirius Black and I offer you my heartfelt condolences for the loss you are feeling. As his solicitor, I need to discuss with you several points regarding the will of Mr. Black before we can have a public reading of the said document. Please let me know when and where we can confer about this matter. Given the current situation, it would be ideal if you if you would send back your reply through my daughter, Cho and we can meet after the current term is ended.
Yours sincerely,
Mei Chang.
He put the letter into his pocket and fell back into his chair. The letter was extremely curious - but more so was the puzzle why had Mrs. Chang not sent the letter by owl? Why send it through Cho? Wherefore the insistence that he send the letter back through the same channel? The only reason he could think of was secrecy. But with Umbitch - er Umbridge - out of the picture at least for the moment, who would intercept mails to Harry? There was very likely only one person who might compromise the necessary secrecy. He needed to find a way to meet Mrs. Chang.
Scarcely had he leant back in his chair, when someone else called out his name. He needed peace and quiet to think, and he obviously was not going to get it. Sighing, he turned to the new source of interruption. Three people stood in the doorway of the library. The nearest was Hermione Granger - with her bushy hair and bossy voice, she was unmistakable. Behind her was the tall, slender and queenly figure of the first Slytherin DA member, Daphne Greengrass. Bringing up the rear, was a slight, wispy looking wizard, with raven hair, and cold, midnight black eyes - the second Slytherin DA member, Theodore Nott.
"Harry - where were you today? Ron and I looked for you everywhere in Hogsmeade. We were worried that you had gone off somewhere on your own ...", she spoke all in one breath
Harry cut her off, "I have been in the library all day, Hermione, I have not done anything stupid."
"Hello, Potter! Do you have a few minutes? I think we need to talk.", came the mild, grave voice of Theodore Nott.
The story begins a couple of days after the prophecy has been revealed to Harry by Dumbledore.
Chapter 1 - Black Thoughts
Hogsmeade weekend, just before the end of term, was often a rarity, but a very welcome one. Pleasant as it was to relax inside the school, it was a far superior thing to be able to actually go over to Hogsmeade just before the beginning of the summer holidays. Very likely, the entire school above the third year was in Hogsmeade that day, and despite the return of the Dark Lord, the students seemed intent on making the most of their chance of gaiety.
However, the spirit of relaxation and joy that pervaded the remainder of the school did not affect Harry Potter. On the contrary, Harry could not remember the last time when he had felt so miserable. He had partaken of his breakfast which consisted of a few morsels of toast, and simply left without talking to anyone. He staggered up the stairs, and back to the Gryffindor tower. Everyone and everything he trusted was falling apart. Now that he knew the prophecy revealed him by Dumbledore, many questions and puzzles assaulted Harry's mind - how could he manage to fight Voldemort, much less defeat him? Where would he find people to train him up sufficiently to fight one of the darkest and most powerful wizards of his time? Was he justified in taking his friends with him on his tasks - Harry was honest enough to admit to himself that he did need them with him if he was to achieve his goal of defeating Voldemort? Where would he find allies that would accompany him in his venture, for the thought of taking on Voldemort and a horde of Death Eaters with a handful of students was ridiculous in the extreme. But the one question that was most prominent was `Whom can I trust'? He had no answer to that crucial question, and it frightened him greatly.
He had trusted Dumbledore, and Dumbledore had betrayed him, and manipulated him. He had trusted Sirius, and Sirius was dead - tears sprang to his eyes as he thought of Sirius. Shaking his head angrily, he considered who else was safe to trust. He would trust the Weasleys, Hagrid and probably Professor McGonagall and Professor Lupin with his life, but they were all too close to Dumbledore, and would likely run back to the headmaster the moment he finished telling them. He hesitated to speak to Ron and Ginny - while they were probably on his side, he had no desire to put the two younger Weasleys at odds with their parents and siblings and Harry was perfectly certain that if it came to a point where the adult Weasleys had to choose between him and Dumbledore, they would choose Dumbledore. The Weasleys had been harmed enough because of him - Percy had split up with his parents because they had chosen him, and he would not cause any more disruption in their family. No, he needed someone he could trust and talk to, someone who did not report to Dumbledore. As of now, the tentative list of people was limited to the others who had unhesitatingly accompanied him on his ill-fated rescue mission in the Ministry. He was fairly confident that Hermione, Luna, and Neville were not under the thumb of the wily headmaster - but would, or could they even understand? Dumbledore had admitted to his various omissions and commissions a few days ago, but had he told Harry everything he had done to Harry's life? Harry did not think so - he would need to go over his life thoroughly, and check what else could have been contrived, and arranged by the manipulative old coot. He needed to think quietly, and there was one place which would likely be empty on a Hogsmeade weekend at the end of the term - the library.
__________________________________________________________
While Harry was ruminating in the confines of the library, more serious events were afoot in Hogsmeade. Two figures, or more accurately, a small, wispy looking wizard and a tall, slender, and regal witch, both dressed in Hogwarts uniform, sat at a corner table in the Three Broomsticks, talking in hushed tones. A kettle of tea and a few cups lay on the table in front of them, but after the first few customary drinks, and a few desultory attempts at small talk, the couple had essentially grown silent, and slender witch was fidgeting in her seat, glancing at her watch twice a minute, and looking at the door. Her companion was looking far more composed; nevertheless, the nervousness surrounding the duo was palpable.
"Oh! I do wish they would hurry up! I don't like this at all", murmured the girl. "We will be in so much trouble if anyone finds out."
"Calm down, Daph. I am sure everything will be fine. Look around - everyone is so self absorbed that no one will notice us. Also, everyone has put up silencing charms - it is impossible to talk otherwise. No one will think us different."
"How can you be so calm, Theo? And why did they have to pick this time?"
"You know very well that we do not have too much time left, if we are to go through with this. And we .... ah!" The exclamation was drawn from the weedy looking wizard, by the opening of the door and the next instant, someone had entered the room. A tall witch with greying hair and a cold, stern expression, dressed in simple green robes, had just appeared in the doorway, looking all round her without actually appearing to do so. She spotted the Slytherin pair in a corner, and swiftly crossed the room, sitting down at the table.
"Hullo!", smiled the slender Slytherin witch, pouring the newcomer a cup of tea. "How are things, auntie?"
"Not so good!", returned the elder witch grimly. "Sirius Black is dead!"
"What?!"
"Don't look at me like that! It was an accident. He fell through the Execution Veil in the Department of Mysteries."
"I think you had best explain things, auntie", sighed Daphne.
`Auntie' glared at her, but swiftly and briefly explained what had occurred at the Department of Mysteries.
"This makes everything so very difficult", muttered Daphne.
"Do we still go through with our plan?", queried Theo.
"We have no choice!", the older witch returned sharply. "It will be only a matter of a few weeks at the best before the Dark Lord learns of what we have done. As much as it annoys me, you have to speak to Potter immediately!"
"Very well, I will do that", murmured Theo. "If he is not in Hogsmeade today, I will try to catch him tonight. You do realise that he will require some token of our good faith to even consider this?"
"I have thought of it. This is the first little titbit of information, which should help you curry favour with him", the older witch answered, handing the wizard a small sealed envelope. "Read it, and pass it on to him. Now, I cannot be seen here. I must go."
She rose, and looking down at the younger witch and wizard, her expression softened, "Good luck! And try not to mess up our only chance. I would rather live, and more so that you two lived."
__________________________________________________________
"Harry! What are you doing here?"
Harry had been in the library from mid-morning and had not even bothered to come down for lunch. Jerking his head back, he glanced to see who had just greeted him. He frowned, "I was reading a bit and then thinking. What are you doing here, Cho?"
"Looking for you. I was asked to give you this letter."
"Who sent me this letter?"
"My mum. If you have any replies, please give it to me during breakfast tomorrow, and I will take it back with me."
"Why would your mother be writing to me? What have I done?"
"Look - I have no idea why my mum would be writing to you, nor what you might have done. I was instructed to find you and give it to you. I am just the messenger. Let me know if you have a reply tomorrow morning. Goodnight!"
"Thank you, Cho. And goodnight", he called after her back.
Wondering why Mrs. Chang would be writing to him, he looked over the envelope, but it was a plain brown cover, with no special markings, and addressed to him. He ripped open the cover, and on a stiff parchment, written in an elegant hand, was
Dear Mr. Potter,
I have heard of the demise of Mr. Sirius Black and I offer you my heartfelt condolences for the loss you are feeling. As his solicitor, I need to discuss with you several points regarding the will of Mr. Black before we can have a public reading of the said document. Please let me know when and where we can confer about this matter. Given the current situation, it would be ideal if you if you would send back your reply through my daughter, Cho and we can meet after the current term is ended.
Yours sincerely,
Mei Chang.
He put the letter into his pocket and fell back into his chair. The letter was extremely curious - but more so was the puzzle why had Mrs. Chang not sent the letter by owl? Why send it through Cho? Wherefore the insistence that he send the letter back through the same channel? The only reason he could think of was secrecy. But with Umbitch - er Umbridge - out of the picture at least for the moment, who would intercept mails to Harry? There was very likely only one person who might compromise the necessary secrecy. He needed to find a way to meet Mrs. Chang.
Scarcely had he leant back in his chair, when someone else called out his name. He needed peace and quiet to think, and he obviously was not going to get it. Sighing, he turned to the new source of interruption. Three people stood in the doorway of the library. The nearest was Hermione Granger - with her bushy hair and bossy voice, she was unmistakable. Behind her was the tall, slender and queenly figure of the first Slytherin DA member, Daphne Greengrass. Bringing up the rear, was a slight, wispy looking wizard, with raven hair, and cold, midnight black eyes - the second Slytherin DA member, Theodore Nott.
"Harry - where were you today? Ron and I looked for you everywhere in Hogsmeade. We were worried that you had gone off somewhere on your own ...", she spoke all in one breath
Harry cut her off, "I have been in the library all day, Hermione, I have not done anything stupid."
"Hello, Potter! Do you have a few minutes? I think we need to talk.", came the mild, grave voice of Theodore Nott.
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