Harry Potter and the Sword of Gryffindor - 12. Chapter 12

Draco had given up after Harry joined Crabbe in the argument. Harry chuckled softly as Draco through his hands in the air and sat on the couch across from him, joining into some discussion that was going between Millicent, Pansy, Blaise and four seventh year Slytherins.

"So, Harry." Crabbe continued their discussion. "What do you think would happen if we added just a touch of sage to this potion?"

"Hmmm" Harry murmured as he thought about the question. "Well if added a smidge of bat guano after that it'd make it into decent plant growth potion."

"Exactly!" Crabbe said with a smile. Harry really was coming along on these potions. That was when something Draco was saying across from them caught Harry's attention.

"Of course Potter and Granger are exceptions." Draco was saying. "They'd be identified and sent on up!"

"What's that?" Harry called out, confused and not sure if he really wanted to know.

"Oh, we're just discussing how to purify Hogwarts without killing all the half-bloods" Pansy explained with a wave of her hand. She'd come to Harry's quarters that first week and released the concealing charm to show her dark mark. They weren't friends, and he doubted he'd ever trust her, but she had been giving some good information lately.

"Draco!" Harry reacted sharply to his lover's involvement in that discussion.

"Harry!" Draco taunted with a slight smile, then got a little more serious. "You know how I still feel about…half-bloods and muggles. Hell, your own family, except for your aunt, confirmed everything my father told me about them!"

"They're not all like that." Harry reminded him.

"I know, but most of them are." Draco retorted. "Just look at how they treat couples like us! Denying them the right to marry like it's something disgusting and perverted."

"Well, when it comes to Potter it is..OW!" Blaise said, screaming when Draco delivered a punch to the arm.

"Draco, they hadn't locked me in my room until you showed up. I mean, sure the only reason they refrained from their worst behavior was because they were threatened by some wizards, but that still doesn't justify killing them…" Harry argued back, ignoring Blaise's comment.

"We're not even talking about that anymore." Pansy said with a sigh. "We've moved on to talking about how to preserve the Wizarding world without using violence."

"Oh," Harry said, startled. He looked over at Crabbe, silently asking if he minded Harry moving on to the other discussion. Crabbe just smiled his acceptance of the change in topic.

"So what exactly are we talking about here?" Harry asked, leaning forward with a gleam in his eyes.

"Well, we were discussing who should and should not be allowed into Hogwarts." Blaise explained. "Pansy here argues that only purebloods should be allowed, while Draco was arguing that some exceptions should be made for those who aren't pureblood but have a lot of intelligence or are very strong. They're both saying that another school should be set up for those that aren't pureblood. Draco wants that school to identify the stronger and intelligent students in the first year, and then transfer them to Hogwarts in second year."

"How many students in Hogwarts right now would qualify under that system?" Harry asked, putting aside the pureblood/half-blood argument for now.

"A little more than two-thirds of the school right now." Goyle said from where he was perched next to Millicent.

"How would that affect the school's revenue?" Harry asked, knowing that money was always a consideration to Slytherins.

"It would actually increase the bottom line." Crabbe said from next to Harry. "Most of the students in that grouping are here on scholarship or tuition waivers. There' some pureblood families like the Weasley's that get tuition reductions or waivers but most of the students pay full fees. Even you, there Potter."

"Gee, thanks Crabbe." Harry smirked, remembering the invoice he'd countersigned with Arthur for his tuition payment. It had been quite a sum.

"In fact, we think tuition could probably be lowered without the burden of supporting so many muggle-born and half-blood students." Blaise added.

"But what about their contribution to our society as a whole?" Harry argued, changing tactics. "You can't say that people like Hermione won't make great contributions beyond just her blood."

"Well, if she managed to marry into the Weasley family, and they manage to get pureblood mates for their children, I can see them being a respectable family in a few generations, their slight amount of muggle blood would be inconsequential at that point." Pansy Parkinson said as if lost in thought. "You know, getting fresh blood in the families is always a good thing. Prevents inbreeding. It's just making sure there's not too much muggle blood that's tricky."

"What exactly is the big deal with muggle blood anyway?" Harry groaned.

"Please, Potter," Blaise said as if talking to a first year. "Even you understand that muggle blood usually weakens the blood lines. It's only when a blood line starts to get thin from too much breeding that you draw in fresh blood from the outside. Wizards or witches descended from squibs are the best for that, but strong wizards and witches from muggle parents are usually found to have squib blood if you look hard enough. Granger probably has squib blood somewhere in her family, that's why she's so strong. When you think about it, since she's such a strong witch, and if she married a pureblood like Weasley, her children would probably be an acceptable match for all but the highest families."

"So Granger is unacceptable, but her children would be?" Harry demanded a little angrily.

"Only if she married a pureblood, but yes." Pansy said, then corrected herself. "Not for families like the Parkinsons or the Malfoys. Goyle's or Crabbes, are maybes. But for most of the less wealthy pureblood families, they'd definitely be acceptable. Oh, sure, there'd be some teasing but they'd remember Granger's skills and accept them."

"I still don't see why there's so much importance on strength in the blood lines!" Harry said in an exasperated tone.

"Harry," Draco said patiently. "What would the muggles do if it became widely known we existed and how strong we can be?"

"They'd demand the government send in the army and either kill us or ship us off somewhere we can't bother them." Harry admitted, then quickly added. "That's why we have contacts between the Ministry and their government, and we have laws preventing people from doing magic in front of them. We also have people who obliviate memories and stuff like that."

"Of course." Pansy said, nodding at his words. "But their government knows about us. During their last great war they demanded our help and we were forced to oblige secretly. What happens when something comes along and they demand our help again? I don't like the fact that muggles can dictate to us whenever they want. However, when we mix our blood with theirs indiscriminately, without due cause, we weaken our ability to resist them. In the old days, when the Ministry was established, it was established by us to keep them out. Now, with so much mixing of the blood we just aren't as strong as we were before."

"That's one of the reasons so many of us have…concerns about his attacks on muggles." Crabbe said, lowering his voice so just the group could hear. "How much longer will it be until the muggles demand he be stopped or they'll send in their troops?"

"Too late for that." Harry quipped, then froze. No one was supposed to know about that.

"Harry!" Draco hissed at him, a shocked look on his face.

"How did the Ministry respond?" Blaise asked cautiously, and quietly. Harry looked around. The few other people in the common room were absorbed in their own books. He sighed realizing this cat was already out of the bag.

"They told the muggle representative that such a response would all but guarantee a victory for you-know-who." Harry admitted. "The muggle representative accepted that but stressed if something didn't happen soon they would have no choice but to start smashing every wizard settlement and deporting everyone they found."

"They can't do that!" Pansy said in a violent hiss. "We'd hide in the countryside, we'd fight back!"

"They outnumber us by thousands to one." Harry reminded her in a low voice. "They have so many troops and tanks, and helicopters and jets and their bullets and bombs kill as well as Avada Kedavra does, and just as permanently. How much will you enjoy living in the woods being hunted or burned at the stake when caught?"

"They wouldn't burn us at the stake." Millicent said in a horrified whisper.

"No, they'd just let you rot your life away in some deserted island somewhere." Harry hissed back.

"Harry, our parents should really know about this." Crabbe said slowly.

"Why? So they can increase the attacks on muggles and force their hand? Harry said sharply. "I'm sure Voldemort will just love watching muggle tanks rumble down Diagon Alley crushing everything under them."

"No, Harry." Goyle added. "So they can urge him to stop the attacks on muggles for a while. They won't tell him why, but they can maybe convince him to cool them down for a bit."

Draco had said the same thing when Harry had returned from that meeting and discussed it with him. Now Draco was just leaning back on the couch, looking at Harry with calm eyes. Harry met those eyes, and saw there the answer to the problem.

"Okay." He said finally. "But you only tell them that you heard me worrying about the possibility of the muggles saying this, not that they actually did."

"Agreed." Parkinson said with a smile. "Now, Harry, having seen how the muggles dictate to us, can you really say that having close relations with them is a good thing? Can you say that them having the upper hand over us because we aren't as strong as we once were is a good thing?"

"No, Pansy, I can't." Harry admitted. "I've lived in both worlds and I must say that I like the Wizarding world better. We should be stronger so they can't dictate to us like this."

"That's all most of us, and our families ever wanted." Millicent said softly, a look of sympathy on her face.

"Then why all the violence, not only now, but the first time Voldemort rose to power?" Harry demanded, not accepting their statements on face value alone.

"He first rose to power on promises of making us stronger again." It was Draco talking. "By the time his…methods…became obvious, it was too late to turn back. Most of our families felt like they had to finish what they had started, and then they became trapped into the seduction of the dark powers."

"What's changed then?" Harry asked, his meaning clear - Why were they even flirting with the idea of no longer fighting with Voldemort?

"You did, Harry." Blaise said, her eyes gleaming. "When you first came to Hogwarts, you were Dumbledore's Golden Boy. You still are in many ways, but you've changed still."

"Mostly because of your parents trying to kill me." Harry muttered, and took a perverse joy in seeing all their faces go pale. "But that's neither here nor there. Go on Blaise"

"You see the dangers the muggles pose now, you even are starting to agree with us a little." Blaise continued.

"I'm never going to agree that half-bloods like Hermione should be discriminated against." Harry's whisper was vehement.

"Of course not," Pansy said with a flick of her hand. "But you're not saying that families should be forced to accept mixed marriages either, are you? You're not saying that it's the smartest thing in the world for us to be weakening the blood lines now are you?"

"No." Harry admitted. They did have a very good point. "But people shouldn't be ostracized or treated as anything less just because who their parents are."

"So let's say in order to attend Hogwarts you had to be of a certain strength or intelligence?" Draco asked. "Even though it's not based on pureblood status, most of those who aren't pureblood wouldn't be able to attend."

"They'd still get educated though?" Harry asked, running the problem through his brain.

"Of course." Pansy said. "They should be able to use whatever powers they have to the best of their ability. They just won't be trained here."

"I…still don't see why Hogwarts can't teach them all." Harry said.

"Harry, how many students sleep in a Gryffindor dorm room?" Crabbe asked him.

"Five."

"Right, what would you say if it use to be three?" Crabbe pointed out. "It was three in most of the Houses almost since the founding, until the last fifty years, when they let more muggle-born and half-bloods in than ever before. Now almost every House fills to overcrowding. I heard they were even considering expanding Hufflepuff to six per room if things keep up like they were. Having to order new beds and everything to fit so many in per room. Think about how big classes are now? How much better would you learn if there were fewer students and each Professor could spend more time with each student. Weren't you complaining in here just last week that you had so many students in your first-year classes that you couldn't really help those that needed extra work? Weren't you saying the only reason they got any help at all was because Draco was there with you?"

"Yes." Harry said, and suddenly a lot of their arguments started to make some more sense. Oh, definitely not the way Voldemort forwarded them with death and violence, but these other approaches they were discussing were much more…acceptable.

"You have some very valid points." He said after thinking things over again. "Maybe when Voldemort is gone, and we get older, we can find ourselves in positions to…change things from within. No violence, no excluding people because of their blood, but maybe improving things for our children."

"That's what we want, more like what our parents always wanted as well." Blaise said.

"It's just that until you said that, there was only two choices, two ways to go." Pansy said softly. "Either Dumbledore's way and watch things continue to deteriorate, or Voldemort's way and something had to be done."

"I've seen Voldemort's way, and I've seen his followers." Harry snapped, remembering Cedric Diggory's death and the laughter of his followers, remembering the cruel taunting of Bellatrix Lestrange. "It's no longer about protecting the Wizarding world for them, it's about torturing and maiming and taking pleasure in the violence!"

"Keep it down!" Draco hissed as Harry's voice raised in volume, attracting the glances of a few of the other students in the room. They purposely returned to their books when the group of older Slytherins glared at them.

"Look Potter." Michael, the seventh year boy who had remained silent until now said, his voice even lower than the others had been. "We can't deny what our parents, and a few of us have done. Everyone who has taken the mark has already come to you like you said. Some of our parents have expressed their desire to quit Voldemort's ranks, if they could find someone to…carry forward these issues in a way that will be listened to by our people. You're Voldemort's sworn enemy, if you survive this fight then people will listen to you, and if you support the most important of these goals, then many of us will follow you as well as some of our parents."

"All of your parents?" Harry asked pointedly, looking at Pansy.

"Almost all of Slytherin house, as it stands now, will." Pansy responded to his look. "Most of us sitting here right now have one or both parents that will support you. Mine won't. Those of us in Slytherin who aren't here right now…their parents probably won't either."

"But we don't want to end up like some of our parents." Blaise said softly. "My mom, she's so consumed by the dark arts that I doubt she'll ever back down from Voldemort's side. My dad, well he's just sick of it all. Sick of the bodies buried in the gardens. He wants it to end."

"Why isn't the lot of you consumed by the Dark Arts?" Harry demanded vehemently. "I know most of you have used them."

"Not speaking for the others, but for me," Blaise began, pausing for a deep breath. "I saw what it did to my mom. When I was young, she was a lot more kind and I loved being around her. When I was 10 she really started to change, becoming more violent, more spiteful. Since you-know-who has been back, she's gotten even worse. I don't want to grow up like that and I definitely don't want to treat my own children like that."

"Most of us don't." Pansy said with a soft sigh. "When I took the mark, I had to use all three of the Unforgivables. Harry, I felt the rush, I felt the pleasure, and I enjoyed it so much. Then that night I remembered how my mother had become so cruel these last few years, and the things she did when I broke the rules and then I saw that child's face that I had…killed…and I realized I didn't want that for my own children."

"I…I think I can agree to this." Harry said, leaning back on the couch and really looking at each of them in turn. There was silence between them for a long while, before he spoke again. "I just don't know how I'm going to trust everyone. I mean, things are going to go rough. The Prophecy doesn't say I'll even win, it just says that either I will kill him or he will me. How can I know any of you except Draco won't turn on me when the going gets rough?"

"How do we know you will really support our goals once you defeat him?" Crabbe asked softly.

"Blood Oath." Blaise said, and everyone looked in the Slytherin's direction. Blaise blushed under the glances before Pansy nodded.

"That would work." She said simply. "It'll even override, his domination of those that are marked."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, leaning forward again. "Is this some Dark Art?"

"Not really." Blaise explained. "Blood Oath is one of the oldest traditions in the Wizarding world. It hasn't been done in hundreds of years, at least it hasn't been recorded as having been done. It's very complicated, requiring months of preparation. Potions have to brewed, spells cast, a place to take the oath prepared, and it has to be done under a full moon, although it can be done indoors, but it has to be the night of the full moon, shortly after moonirse."

"Basically it acts as a common bond between those who take it." Pansy continued. "It's kind of like your bracelet, in fact it's based on the same principle of magic. An oath is prepared between a liege and potential followers. The Oath acts as a contract between them. The liege agrees to protect his followers, or to do certain actions, and his followers agree to protect him and support him throughout his life. It counters any other loyalty marker, like the dark mark. If we do it, you'll have to stand ready to protect me because Voldemort will know I have rejected him. It'll remain on my arm like a scar, but it'll be dead, inactive."

"What else?" Harry demanded, a queasy feeling in his stomach.

"Well, Draco will have to a part of it as your future spouse." Blaise continued. "It'll bind us to him as well. It will also mean that if you betray us, betray the conditions of the oath as they're written down, we will all know about it if it happens. You will have a very limited power of Command over us, and if any of us are ever in danger, you'll know it and you'll get a basic impression of where we are. Even if you weren't a Gryffindor, you'd feel a desire to help us out."

"And if any of us die, you'll feel it as if it was happening to you." Crabbe added softly.

"You've all been researching this." Harry said. That much was very obvious.

"Ever since the conversation on the train." Michael said softly. "We wanted some way that you could trust us and that we could trust you."

"Dumbledore would never approve." Harry thought out loud, then added. "But then he'd never approve of me agreeing with you about muggles."

"So you agree with us?" Pansy said, a look of hope on her face. That look told him a lot of what was going on with them. They really were scared of the price that was incurred by using the Dark Arts. They didn't want to go down that road, but saw little hope of any other chance without a miracle, or at least without him.

"I wonder how much would be different if I'd let the Hat sort me here." Harry thought out loud.

"This conversation would have taken place a lot sooner." Draco muttered, a slight smile on his face.

"Who would be taking this oath and what exactly will it say?" Harry asked after thinking hard for a few minutes.

"Mainly sixth and seventh year Slytherins for now." Michael said softly. "There's a few that have really been seduced by the power of the dark arts. We know who they are and they won't learn of this. Fifth years and below are just too young yet. We form the power base of Slytherin and they'll follow our lead here at school."

"No one else can find out about this." Harry whispered furiously. "I don't think most people would understand."

"If we have our way," Blaise said softly. "No one but those who take it will ever know about it…"

Blaise was interrupted by the door to the common room opening. Everyone was surprised when Professor McGonagall walked in, looking around with her lips curled downwards. When she saw Harry sitting there, she strode purposely towards the group and when she spoke, her tone was harsh, almost angry.

"Mr. Potter, a word with you, please."

"Yes, ma'am" Harry said, rising to his feet nervously. His parting look at Draco, and nod, was a silent request for Draco to get things in motion. He followed McGonagall as she strode out of the dungeon and led him towards her office. As he walked, the thought over the conversation he had just had, realizing he was committing himself to their cause for the rest of his life, and wondering exactly what they were expecting him to do. The whole thing was very Slytherin and he idly wondered if this was how Voldemort had gotten started, with a conversation in the Slytherin common room.

The thought of him walking down the same path as Voldemort caused a panic in him and he almost ran back towards the Slytherin common room to tell them he'd changed his mind. However, they had reached McGonagall's office, and she was telling him to sit down.

"Do you understand why I have called you here, Mr. Potter?" She asked in a disapproving voice.

"Probably something to do with what happened in the Gryffindor common room tonight." Harry replied.

"Yes, exactly." McGonagall said, leaning back in her chair, steepling her fingers and boring into him with her eyes. "My finding you in the Slytherin common room would seem to lend some credence to the complaints of your Housemates, would it not?"

"It's their own fault!" Harry hissed at her. "They were the ones who made that whole…thing into such a confrontation! Draco was down there and I wanted to spend time with him!"

"Is that the only reason?" McGonagall asked.

"No." Harry admitted. "They approached me on the train. They are having some second thoughts about their…loyalties."

"You believe they are feeling you out to see if they can find an alternative to following in their parent's footsteps?" She asked cautiously.

"Yes." Harry answered.

"Then by all means, continue spending time with them." McGonagall said with a smile.

"But what about Gryffindor?" Harry asked. "I don't want to lose my friends…"

"Harry, they truly are your friends." She said with a soft smile. "More importantly they are Gryffindors. When the day comes that they see what good comes of your spending time with the Slytherins, they will be ready to reconcile with you. Until that day comes, I might suggest you keep a distance between yourself and some of the others. Tempers are running quite hot. I'm afraid I overhead young Mr. Weasley begging his brothers to supply him with certain…products for him to use. I do believe I instilled enough fear in them to keep that from happening, still, it might be wise of you to let things calm down for a while."

"Thank you, Professor." Harry said softly, feeling a sadness come over him. It really had been a long day.

"No problem, Potter." She said softly, a look of concern on her face. "I must say that quite a few Gryffindor first years have approached me to say how much they are enjoying your classes. I managed to sit in on one of them the other day."

"I know, I recognized the cat." Harry said with a smile.

"Really? I thought I was well hidden." She replied.

"I noticed you about halfway through." Harry admitted.

"Oh, that's better then. I'd hate to think you were putting a show on for me." She said with a smile. "Still, I must say that I was quite impressed with your style. Those students were so confident, so eager to try what you were showing them, and you handled even their failures so well that they didn't lose one bit of that confidence."

"Thank you Professor." Harry said softly, a blush rising to his cheeks. "I can't believe it. The first few days I was so nervous, but now it feels so natural."

"Have you ever considered teaching as a possibility in your future?" She asked him. "I know you want to be an Auror, and I still support you completely, but I saw such skill in handling children with you that I wondered if it might be something you'd be happier at."

"Maybe." Harry admitted. "I still want to be an Auror, but I'm pretty certain that I will want more than that someday. Maybe one day after our kids our grown I might like that."

"Sometimes I wish I had waited until my own kids were grown to start teaching." McGonagall said softly, and Harry was shocked to see a hint of tears in her eyes.

"Professor?" Harry asked quietly. She shook her head for a moment, and then smiled again.

"It's not proper for that conversation yet, Harry." She said softly, and he realized that was one of the few times she had ever used his first name. "Maybe over the summer you'll invite me for tea and we will get to know each other better. For now, let me just say that I was married once and had four wonderful children."

"What happened?" Harry couldn't help but ask, although he had a good idea.

"My husband was an Auror, Harry." McGonagall said softly. "As was my oldest son. I lost them both the first time. My youngest three I sent to America and they've lived there ever since. I see them on Summer Holidays. No more for now. Off to bed with you."

"I'm sorry, Professor. Have a good night." Harry said as he left the office. He was halfway down the hallway when he heard what sounded like a cat letting out a mournful wail. He almost rushed back to the office, but realized the chances of her being under attack were slim when he heard the tenor of the next wail. He continued back to his quarters, shaken by the grief he felt at that sound. As he heard the wail again, more faint now, he broke into a run, praying Draco was back from the Slytherin common room. That sound so closely matched those feelings still locked inside him and he couldn't unlock them until he was safe.

Safe in Draco's arms.