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<div class="chap-title">
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29. Chapter 29
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</div>
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<div class="chap-text">
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<p><em>I want to thank everyone for their support and reviews. I hope you'll enjoy
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this next chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it.<br/>
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Since I have to go to a staff party, I won't be on the discord for a few hours but I
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can sneakily update this at work. (Slytherin genes!)</em></p>
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<hr size="1" noshade="noshade"/>
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<p class='c1'><strong>Chapter 29</strong></p>
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<p>After classes the next day, Harry was hurriedly making his way towards the
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dungeons, eager to give the Umbral Locum another go as well as use the alchemical
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circle in the progress. Books and scrolls flung chaotically in his bag, he walked
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slightly off-balance as his load hung from his shoulder. That's why, when he rounded
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a corner only to find someone standing behind its bend, there was little else he
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could do but crash into this person.</p>
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<p>They were a blur of blonde and green and Harry barely recognised Luna as they both
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came crashing to the ground.</p>
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<p>"Luna!" Harry exclaimed as he saw the girl blink at him in confusion. She looked
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terrible. A large portion of her face and hair were covered in some sort of green
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slime that was slowly dripping down her body. She tried wiping it out of her eyes but
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didn't seem to succeed. Every time she tried to remove the goo, it seemed to
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duplicate in quantity.</p>
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<p>Harry got to his feet and graciously offered Luna his hand, which she took.</p>
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<p>"Thank you, Harry," she said, seemingly smiling at him but Harry couldn't be sure
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at this point.</p>
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<p>"What happened?" he asked worriedly.</p>
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<p>"I-" Luna stammered before shaking her head and trying again. "Some very lonely
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people thought they might feel better if they pranked me," she said.</p>
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<p>Harry growled as he felt a surge of anger. "That doesn't –" He was about to fly
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off the handle – he knew – but practising his Occlumency, he kept it at bay and
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calmed himself. Right now, Luna needed him.</p>
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<p>"Come with me," he said. He was still holding her hand and gently pulled her with
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him as they travelled deeper into the dungeons.</p>
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<p>"I will be alright, Harry," Luna told him happily, "There's no need to worry about
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me."</p>
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<p>Harry felt a pang of hurt in his chest when he recognised the underlying tone of
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sadness in Luna's voice. He recognised it from when he had used the same tone of
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voice himself, never quite able to fully disguise his hurt.</p>
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<p>"You <em>will</em> be alright," Harry agreed with her, "But for now, you
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<em>will</em> come with me."</p>
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<p>Luna didn't say anything after that and agreeably followed Harry into the potions
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lab. As usual, no one else was there. No one but Hedwig who was sleeping soundly with
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her head tucked under her wing.</p>
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<p>Harry lowered Luna gently into a chair and filled a basin with some water which he
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spelled warm. He grabbed a clean cloth and a stool, setting it right in front of
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Luna. She stared at him with her blue-grey eyes and Harry looked back at her as he
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felt a pang of sorrow for the kind-hearted Ravenclaw. He dipped the cloth into the
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water and very gently began removing the slime from her cheek, being careful not to
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aggravate her eyes as he did so.</p>
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<p>"Who did this?" he asked gently, dipping the cloth into the water once more and
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wiping at her forehead. With his other hand, he gently brushed some stray strands of
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hair out of her face so they would not stick to the slime.</p>
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<p>"Just some students in my house," Luna said easily, "They really don't mean to be
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cruel. I'm sure they thought they were just playing a prank on me."</p>
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<p>Harry regarded her for a moment and sighed, now slowly removing the slime from her
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hair as best he could. "Someone from your own house did this," he said, not even
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bothering to formulate it as a question. "That's not right."</p>
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<p>"No," Luna agreed, "But things rarely are."</p>
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<p>"Wait here," Harry said, "Some of it got in your eyes. Let me get something for
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that."</p>
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<p>He walked over to the potions cabinet to get some murtlap essence. He did his best
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to remain calm and not explode in righteous fury because that was not what Luna
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needed right now. He knew very well what it was like to be bullied and – even if he
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rarely got it when he was younger – what he wanted most after such an encounter was
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just for someone to care. He could be that someone for Luna right now.</p>
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<p>He grabbed the murtlap essence and sat back on the stool. Luna was looking at her
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hands and for a moment, Harry thought her eyes were devoid of their usual
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dreaminess.</p>
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<p>"They tell me I'm a freak," Luna said softly. Harry almost missed it. But those
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words reignited white-hot anger within him in a flash so sudden that he hadn't the
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time to control himself before several vials nearby scattered to pieces. Hedwig
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screeched as they did and Luna flinched slightly.</p>
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<p>"I'm sorry," Harry said, grabbing her hand, "I didn't mean to frighten you. It's
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just that – I used to –"</p>
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<p>"You remember what it's like," Luna finished for him, smiling gently as her eyes
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met his once more. "It's quite alright, Harry. You don't frighten me. You never
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could."</p>
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<p>"You're not a freak," Harry told her very sternly, "Don't let anyone ever convince
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you otherwise."</p>
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<p>"It's true that I'm not exactly average," Luna told him gently.</p>
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<p>Harry huffed. "Average?" he said, "Average is for those who are too afraid to
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dream. Average is for the cowards who relish in bullying harmless girls."</p>
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<p>He looked at her fondly, willing her to believe him. "No, you are not average," he
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said, "You are amazing. You are exceptional! You are one of the brightest, most
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promising witches in here. You are special to a lot of people, including me."</p>
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<p>Luna smiled at him genuinely. With his thumb wrapped in a piece of the cloth,
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Harry wiped away a green smudge on Luna's lips, his brow furrowed in
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concentration.</p>
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<p>"Keep your eyes open for a moment," Harry told her as he opened the vial of
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murtlap essence. "Tilt your head back a bit for me."</p>
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<p>She did as he told her, keeping her eyes open as much as he could. Carefully, he
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allowed a few drops of the essence to fall into her eyes, effectively expulsing any
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of the green slime that had contaminated them.</p>
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<p>"There," Harry said, smiling gently, "Your eyes are their beautiful selves
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again."</p>
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<p>Luna giggled. It made Harry's heart soar to hear it.</p>
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<p>"Luna," he said, "Tell me who did this."</p>
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<p>Luna smiled kindly. "Why?" she asked, "So you can hurt them? Report them?"</p>
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<p>"Well, yes!" Harry exclaimed, "They can't keep doing this to you."</p>
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<p>"They only do it because they're not happy," Luna said, "They want others to
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suffer because <em>they</em> suffer. I don't want to cause them more harm."</p>
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<p>"But Luna," Harry protested weakly, "They hurt you."</p>
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<p>"And you helped me," Luna told him appreciatively, "And that is truly all I can
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ask for. It made me exceedingly happy."</p>
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<p>"Luna –"</p>
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<p>"I will be alright," She gave his hand a light squeeze, "Just like you are."</p>
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<p>Harry sighed, but handed her the vial of murtlap essence.</p>
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<p>"Three drops per eye," he told her, "Once a day for another week."</p>
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<p>"Thank you," Luna said, surprising Harry as she pulled him into an embrace,
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burying her head in his shoulder.</p>
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<p>Almost automatically, Harry placed a soft hand on the back of Luna's hair in
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comfort, placing his chin on top of her head. Harry felt the need to linger but Luna
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finally withdrew.</p>
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<p>"You know, I always did like the fairy tales about knights in shining armour. Take
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this as my favour to you, sir knight," And with that, she kissed him on the cheek,
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swirled around and left. Harry couldn't help but blush.</p>
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<hr size="1" noshade="noshade"/>
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<p>Harry found himself drawing the alchemical circle – or containment field – in the
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exact way that Dumbledore showed him. He paid special attention to the runes that
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were the basis of the circle and spent the better part of an hour to complete it.
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When he was nearly done, his knees were hurting from kneeling on the cold dungeon
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floor.</p>
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<p>"What are you doing?" came Snape's curious question from the doorway.</p>
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<p>With a grunt, Harry lifted himself from the floor, dusting his robes as he did.
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"It's a containment field," he said matter-of-factly.</p>
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<p>"I know what a containment field is, Harry," Snape chided lightly, "What do you
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take me for? What I want to know is: why are you drawing it all over my laboratory
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floor?"</p>
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<p>Harry smirked, "Should I answer your question or assume you know the answer
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already?"</p>
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<p>"Mind your cheek," Snape said, smirking slightly, "And do tell."</p>
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<p>"Professor Dumbledore suggested that the reason the potion didn't work is because
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of the castle's innate magic interfering with it," Harry explained.</p>
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<p>"Hm," Snape said thoughtfully, "That's not a bad thought. He might be on to
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something. Did <em>he</em> teach you how to draw the circle?"</p>
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<p>"He did," Harry replied.</p>
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<p>"Absolutely fascinating," Snape said, "Well, go on then, get to it."</p>
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<p>Harry regarded Snape carefully. "Are you just going to be standing there the
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entire time?"</p>
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<p>"At a proper distance," Snape replied, "But yes. If you'll forgive me, my academic
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interests far outweigh your need for privacy at this moment."</p>
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<p>Harry rolled his eyes. "Okay, as long as you stay away from my circle."</p>
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<p>Snape chuckled. "I know that," he said, "I may not be an alchemist but I am aware
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of its basic science."</p>
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<p>Harry gathered all of the ingredients he needed, making absolutely sure that he
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left nothing behind, grabbed his stirrer and his theorem and finally completed the
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circle as he and his cauldron remained inside.</p>
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<p>For a moment, a sheen seemed to reflect on a dome-shaped wall that emanated from
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the circle, but it had vanished as soon as it appeared.</p>
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<p>"I think it worked," Harry told Snape but he got no response. When he looked at
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Snape, he could see the man smirk at him.</p>
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<p>"What?" Harry asked. Snape rolled his eyes in obvious exasperation and shook his
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head at Harry.</p>
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<p>"I don't – oh," Understanding dawned on Harry when he realized just how quiet it
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had gotten. He could not hear anything from beyond the circle and he could only
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assume that Snape – in turn – could not hear him. Well, at least they could still see
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each other.</p>
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<p>Harry shrugged, flashed Snape a toothy grin and went to work. Another thing he
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noticed – which was quite extraordinary really – was that all of his ingredients
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seemed to exhibit an unearthly glow. Frowning, he picked up his thestral hooves,
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somewhat horrified by the deep purple fog-like aura that seemed to emanate from
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within them. At the same time, the marigold flowers exuded a pleasant orange in a way
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that Harry assumed scent would look like, were it visible.</p>
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<p>When he looked at his own hands, he could see wisps of white emanate from his
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pores, licking his skin and reaching out to the other colourful variations.</p>
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<p>"Innate magic," Harry whispered to himself. He could actually see the innate magic
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of every object. He glanced at Snape who seemed to be studying him with a calculating
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look. Harry raised his hands to the man but Snape simply arched an eyebrow. So
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perhaps, those outside of the circle couldn't see it. Very well. He would best get to
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work.</p>
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<p>For now, he wouldn't change any basic ingredients from his recipe. Perhaps adding
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the containment circle would be enough to get the potion to work. He chopped his bay
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leaves; imbued his marigold flowers with innate magic and diced his figs. He grated
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his thestral hooves and watched the potion change colour as he stirred.</p>
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<p>Being closed off from everything else gave Harry a sense of calm that helped his
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focus greatly. The further he got into the potion, the more obvious the colourful
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mists around him became. They seemed to be reaching out to him. To be calling him.
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Whenever he grabbed an ingredient, his own magic seemed to embrace that of the
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element, mingling for a moment before separating once more. It was nothing short of
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fascinating.</p>
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<p>When Harry would throw in the items, their magic would be absorbed by the scalding
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hot liquid and become part of the swirling mix of what Harry was starting to think
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was a semi-sentient potion. Because indeed, the tendrils of magic that protruded from
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the potion seemed to be reaching out to Harry. They were calling him. Beckoning
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gently and soothingly. Harry thought that if he listened carefully, he could hear the
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chimes of little bells.</p>
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<p>It was nearly ready. He was sure of it. The liquid was now white. It looked like
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milk even though the swirls of magic told Harry that the concoction was far more than
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that. Now all he needed to do was to personalize it.</p>
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<p>As he would for the Polyjuice potion, he pulled out a few of his hairs and threw
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them into the cauldron. The magical tendrils absorbed the gift hungrily and in a
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manner of seconds, the hairs were gone. Devoured.</p>
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<p>The milky white substance had taken on more of a reddish tint and was sizzling
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violently. A vast portion of the potion evaporated into thin air, leaving only enough
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substance to fill a single vial. Harry bottled it carefully and dared a peek at Snape
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who was watching him with visible anticipation. It would probably be best if he broke
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the containment circle now. Before he drank the potion at least. Snape would want to
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be able to intervene should something unexpected happen.</p>
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<p>With his shoe, he erased part of the circle, breaking the field. Suddenly, he was
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flooded with sounds he had never realized were there. There were the almost inaudible
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grunts of stone settling throughout Hogwarts, the distant sounds of chatter and
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laughter, Snape's breathing and even the occasional sound of rats burrowing into the
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walls.</p>
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<p>"Well, that was certainly… interesting," Snape said. His voice sounded
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ridiculously loud and Harry frowned as he got used to the everyday sounds of life
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again.</p>
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<p>"What's wrong?" Snape asked.</p>
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<p>"Everything's just so loud," Harry said, "Just give me a minute."</p>
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<p>Snape nodded and walked over to peer into Harry's cauldron, his boots clicking on
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the floor. Harry was quickly getting used to the sounds once more and soon he was
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able to drown out most of the noise once more. When Snape looked inside the cauldron,
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there was a flash of disappointment in his eyes, probably due to the lack of leftover
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potion.</p>
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<p>"I can always make more if it works," Harry said.</p>
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<p>"I suppose," Snape replied uneasily, "Have you recovered?"</p>
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<p>"I think so," Harry said uncertainly, "Did you see?"</p>
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<p>"See what?"</p>
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<p>"The magic that exuded from everything! I think it was innate magic."</p>
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<p>Snape frowned. "I noticed no such thing. That's quite peculiar."</p>
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<p>"How so?" Harry asked.</p>
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<p>"I've never heard of the alchemical circle provoking such a response," Snape
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replied though Harry had the distinct impression that the Potions Master was talking
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to himself rather than to Harry. "Could it be because you unlocked your innate
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magic?"</p>
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<p>"Perhaps Professor Dumbledore will know," Harry suggested, "For now, I think I
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should drink the potion. Can I?"</p>
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<p>"Go ahead," Snape said, "But don't forget to thoroughly occlude your mind
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first."</p>
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<p>"I remember," Harry huffed. As if he could forget all those horrid Occlumency
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lessons he had to endure to be allowed to brew this potion.</p>
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<p>Snape gestured to him in a way that told him to carry on with it. So Harry
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occluded his mind and drank the potion.</p>
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<p>Where potions usually had a horrid taste – courtesy of all the strange ingredients
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one would mix together – this one didn't taste too bad. Harry thought he recognised
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the taste of fruit, both sour and sweet except that it was off by a few days. Still
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not too bad in his books.</p>
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<p>He vaguely thought to himself that next time he should be sitting down for this
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when he felt his legs get weaker and his body collapse. He was caught and gently
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lowered to the ground. He wanted to tell Snape thanks but he couldn't speak. He felt
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his mind beginning to wander and knew he shouldn't fight it. This is what he wanted.
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This is what the magic would provide for him.</p>
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<p>He closed his eyes and allowed the Umbral Locum to do its work.</p>
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<p>A surge of energy suddenly coursed through Harry and he opened his eyes once more.
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But what he saw was not the potions laboratory, nor was it Snape. There was nothing
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for him to recognise but he immediately became aware of the feeling of being
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surrounded. He looked around him as he stood in a greyish void. The stone floor
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beneath his feet was wet and there were puddles of water scattered here and there.
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Then, <em>they</em> came into focus.</p>
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<p>Hundreds of sprits? Ghosts? Souls? Harry would need to think on it later but right
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now, hundreds of translucent being surrounded him. Some of them were standoffish, but
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others were smiling at him brightly. A few of them clapped him on the shoulder and
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Harry became vaguely aware of the odd sensation of ice, combined with the warmth of
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touch.</p>
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<p>"Hello," Harry said doubtfully, "Who are you all?"</p>
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<p>Some of the entities looked at each other while others gave him a mournful look.
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Harry noticed that one of them attempted to speak to him because his lips were
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moving, but no sound was conveyed. The academic within Harry came to the surface and
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he decided that at this point, yes-or-no questions would have to do.</p>
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|
<p>"Are you all deceased?" Harry asked. A couple of the beings nodded.</p>
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<p>"Are you ghosts?" A kindly older lady shook her head, smiling at him. Harry
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thought he recognised her eyes and felt a pang of regret for not knowing her.</p>
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|
<p>"Did you come here against your will?" This elicited some shrugs. Some beings
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|
shook their heads while others nodded sharply.</p>
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<p>"Who are you to me? Are you family?" Harry asked. Some of the beings nodded while
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|
others shook their heads. A mixed batch then.</p>
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<p>"Is –" Harry's voice cracked a bit. "Is my mother here? My father?" The beings
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seemed to be looking around as if they were searching. Harry saw some of them
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communicate with each other and thought that their sound simply wasn't able to cross
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over to where he was. Then, the crowd parted and a familiar-looking man with untidy
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hair stepped forward, a huge grin on his face.</p>
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<p>"Dad," Harry said softly. He didn't know why but he was overcome with nervousness.
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What did he do now? James Potter reached out and ruffled Harry's hair. The mix of
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cold and warm didn't deter Harry in the slightest. He relished in the touch that was
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his father's.</p>
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<p>"I miss you," Harry said, his voice quivering. A translucent hand caressed his
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cheek, a thumb wiping away a stray tear Harry hadn't even realized was there. Then,
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he was overcome with a sense of panic.</p>
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<p>"Dad," he said, "Can you see me? In my daily life, I mean." James smiled and
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nodded solemnly.</p>
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<p>"Oh, I-" Harry realized that his dad would've seen the relationship between him
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and Snape. He would know that he called the man – who had been his enemy back in the
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day – father.</p>
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<p>"I'm sorry, dad," Harry said, "But it's just that Severus has been there for me.
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He helped me to –"</p>
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<p>James seemed pained to not be able to speak to Harry but he didn't hesitate. He
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took one more step forward and embraced his son. Cold and warmth alike spread
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throughout Harry's entire body as he returned the embrace. He was vaguely aware of a
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hand caressing his head.</p>
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<p>"Does this mean, you're okay with it?" Harry asked gently. He could feel his
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father nodding against him. Harry took a shuddering breath, feeling quite exhausted.
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He pulled back and smiled at James.</p>
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<p>"Is mum here as well?" Harry asked hopefully. James shrugged and looked at Harry
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with piercing eyes. His expression told Harry that he didn't know.</p>
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<p>Harry chuckled wryly. "I suppose I'll need to tweak this potion some more," he
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said, "Maybe next time I'll be able to talk to you, or look for you
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specifically."</p>
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<p>James put a hand on Harry's shoulder and smiled. Harry could only hope that his
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current expression meant that he was proud of his son. It certainly looked like it.
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He felt a pull at the back of his mind and sighed reluctantly.</p>
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<p>"I have to go," he said, "But it was amazing seeing you here."</p>
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<p>James nodded and grinned widely.</p>
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<p>"Until next time," Harry said as he allowed himself to be pulled back and out of
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the spiritual plane he had just visited.</p>
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<p>He opened his eyes to see Snape look at him. He didn't appear overly worried just
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yet but there was a hint of distress visible in the man's eyes.</p>
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<p>"Did you pull me back?" Harry asked.</p>
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<p>"No," Snape said, "It must've been the potion wearing off."</p>
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<p>"How long did it last?" Harry asked. He noticed that he was sitting on the floor
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and got up, testing his legs for stability.</p>
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<p>"Two hours," Snape supplied. He offered his arm in case Harry would need it.</p>
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<p>"Sure didn't feel like it," Harry grumbled, gratefully accepting Snape's arm. "But
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I suppose that was to be expected."</p>
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<p>"Did it work?" Snape asked. Harry did not miss the hope that exuded from the man's
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voice and felt a pang of sorrow for him. They walked over to a chair and Harry sat
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down in it.</p>
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<p>"Yes but mostly no," Harry told him.</p>
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<p>Snape quirked an eyebrow at him. "What do you mean?"</p>
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<p>"I was there," Harry said, "In the other plane if I can call it that. And there
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were spirits there."</p>
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<p>"Spirits?" Snape asked, "As in multiple?"</p>
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<p>"Hundreds," Harry sighed, "I don't even know who most of them were but some of
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them were my family."</p>
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<p>Snape waved his wand to summon some tea. "Was there anyone there you <em>did</em>
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recognise?" he asked, trying his best to make his voice sound neutral but not really
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succeeding.</p>
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<p>"Only my dad," Harry said sullenly, "And I couldn't even talk to him. Not really.
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They could all hear me, but I couldn't hear them."</p>
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<p>"I'm sorry," Snape said, "That must have been hard."</p>
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<p>Harry smiled. "Yes, but it was also… nice."</p>
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<p>Snape nodded and sipped his tea.</p>
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<p>They sat there in silence for a very long time. Harry had finished his second cup
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of tea when he finally spoke up again. "I'll need to make some changes but I think
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I'm getting close. That circle really helped."</p>
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<p>"I'm glad," Snape said.</p>
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<p>"Dad?" Harry said.</p>
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<p>"Hm?"</p>
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<p>"You know that – no matter what – you're my father, right?"</p>
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<p>Snape smiled and looked Harry in the eye. "Always."</p>
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<hr size="1" noshade="noshade"/>
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<p><em>Aaaah, the potion is starting to work if you'll believe it. Harry is so close
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now! Please let me know what you thought of this chapter by means of precious,
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precious reviews.</em></p>
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