Chapter 14: Death in Kent

He was late! Regulus forgot to wake him for the feast and now he was going to be late, and after James told him to make sure he was there. Harry took a secret passage and continued to sprint to the Great Hall cursing under his breath. His first real entertainment since he came here and he was about to miss it!

Five minutes later he halted outside of the double doors, straightened his robes and calmly strolled in. A dark brown haired brown eyed first year waved him over. Harry sedately walked over to the Slytherin table, relieved that the feast had yet to begin and took the seat between the brown haired Slytherin and Regulus.

"Late are we Potter?" Phineas Arcturus Yaxley said innocently raising a well manicured eyebrow.

"Of course not Yaxley. In case you haven't noticed the feast has yet to begin. Perhaps I should transfigure you into a watch so that you can tell time?" Harry shot back good naturedly.

Regulus smiled in amusement but when his dark haired friend turned to him his smile faltered somewhat at the annoyed glare.

"And talking about time…next time I'll transfigure you into an alarm clock so you'll wake me on time."

Two blue eyes widened in surprise and confusion, "What is that suppose to…oh!"

Harry would have continued to torment his friend if Dumbledore hadn't risen to his feet to give his annual Halloween speech.

"Welcome all to another fine Halloween. I hope you will enjoy this scrumptious feast before us, so with out further wait…tuck in!"

Large orange Jack O' Lanterns floated in the air above the tables with spider webs clinging in between, with large lifelike spiders scurrying about. Fake sugar rats ran across the table, every so often leaving behind green candy sprinkles, and muggle style ghosts flew about over their heads moaning.

Harry gave a slight smile as he imagined what expression Ron would make at the spiders. His heart clenched as he thought about his best friend and his eyes wandered over to where the Marauders sat laughing. James and Sirius were gesturing excitedly while Remus looked on in amusement and Peter laughed happily at his friend's antics.

For a moment he could imagine Hermione and Ron in Sirius' and Remus' places causing him to smile sadly. Ron would be joking with him and Hermione looking on while trying to maintain her disapproving air. He missed them more than anyone else, they were like three parts to a single soul and now that they weren't here he felt despairingly empty. They had been together for so long that it now was awkward not hearing their voices every day, Ron talking about the Cannon's chances this season or Hermione rattling on about Hogwarts A History. Life just felt so wrong…so empty without them.

"Harry? Are you going to sit there and glare at the Gryffindors or are you going to eat?" Yaxley asked curiously.

"I wasn't glaring Arct, merely observing, and yes I am going to eat…eventually."

Harry began to load his plate as he heard an annoyed groan.

"Potter how many times do I have to tell you? My name is Phineas or Arcturus not Arct and definitely not Archie!"

Regulus let out a snort of laughter which earned him a reprimanding glare from the brown haired boy.

Yaxley curled his lip back from his teeth in a snarl, "Shut it Reggie."

Regulus quickly stopped laughing and mock glared back

"Ok children, keep that up and I'll be forced to label you both Hufflepuffs."

"Harry!" Both boys glared in unison causing the aforementioned boy smile back cheekily.

"One of these days Potter…"

"Yes I know you are going to catch me in a dark passageway all along."

Arct's lip twitched slightly, "You don't think I am serious?"

Regulus shrugged slightly and turned away to talk to a second year girl next to him who had been trying to gain his attention for the past five minutes.

"Oh I believe that if you caught an enemy in an empty corridor you'd have a go." Harry's eyes shifted slightly towards the older Lestrange brother who sat with Snape.

Arct's eyes widened in slight surprise and got a steely gleam in them, "Very good Potter, very good indeed. I've noticed much the same from you."

Harry nodded slightly back before looking down at his plate. The green sprinkles were lying across the white plate, and with a slightly annoyed move he turned his plate over to rid it of the candy before quickly loading his plate with some food. When he looked up again he noticed Snape and Lestrange watching him closely. Harry gave a slight glare and turned back to his plate to begin eating.

"You know Potter," Yaxley said while glaring over at the two third years, "by the time we are fifth years we should know some excellent curses and I am sure we could handle our own in a dark passageway."

Harry gave a soft bark of laughter his eyes dancing at his friend's suggestion.

"That we will my dear Archie."

"Well my dear Potter right now I am more inclined to use my fist." Arcturus replied with a glare.

Harry shrugged in a laid back manner and brought his goblet to his mouth.

The dinner passed rather pleasantly and Regulus soon introduced Harry and Arcturus to the brown haired second year girl that he was talking to. Elanor Brulstrode was nothing like her future niece who reminded Harry strongly of Aunt Marge's dog ripper. This girl overall had a very pretty face, wavy brown hair, blue eyes and a slightly mysterious smile. He would even go as far as to call her beautiful if it wasn't for the fact that she was related to Millicent.

Harry alternated between talking and picking around the green sprinkles that mysteriously found their way onto his plate, much to his disgust. His friend's didn't seem to hold any qualms eating the sprinkles from the candy rats; apparently these rats were a favorite at parties.

Elanor and her friend Verena talked nearly nonstop with the three first years, occasionally Verena would shoot an older boy named Zacharias mooning looks much to her friend's annoyance, but Harry enjoyed the conversation immensely.

A few times during the supper Harry glanced over to the Gryffindor table, waiting for the Marauders to pull their prank, whatever it was supposed to be. James and Sirius refused to tell him anything, other than that they would indeed be pulling a prank at the feast. Harry had almost giving up hope that anything would happen when a loud outraged yell came from his right. He quickly turned and his mouth dropped open in surprise as he noticed the large amount of hair now clinging to Verena's face.

"What…wha…who?" The second year stuttered out in terror.

Elanor was about to answer when a choking sound drew their attention down the table.

Right and left other Slytherins were growing facial hair that would rival Dumbledore's own. Total silence descended upon the Great Hall until finally after a burst of laughter from the Hufflepuff table, the rest of the students dissolved into merriment. Harry looked around the table and noticed that only he and a few other students lacked the beards making him join in the laughter at the look on Regulus' and Arct's face. He glanced over at the Marauders and only laughed harder as he saw McGonagall berating them loudly while they proclaimed their innocence. James caught his eye and gave a sly wink before wiping his face clean.

Harry shook his head in amusement and then turned back to his friends who were glaring at him.

"What?"

"Potter where is your beard?" Arct asked arms crossed in front of his chest.

Harry shrugged perfectly innocently, "I'm not the only one without a beard you know."

"It was Sirius and his friends I am sure of it!" Regulus glared over at his brother, "They must have put something in our food."

Elanor glared at both and Harry and Regulus, "Your relatives are total prats!"

Both boys shrugged.

Verena looked as if she was on the verge of tears and her face was bright red from embarrassment, "How do I get this disgusting hair off of my face?"

"A counter curse." Regulus offered.

"Which one?" Yaxley asked curiously causing the black haired boy to shrug.

"Personally I think that we should just wait until the teachers figure it out." Harry said before taking a sip of his juice.

"Of course you'd wait, seeing as you don't have a beard." Verena pouted.

"Verena how many counter curses do you know for pranks that make you grow a beard?" Harry asked in amusement.

She blushed even darker, "Well none I guess."

The green eyed boy toasted her, "Exactly, and we don't know what will happen if we use the wrong counter curse."

The two second years looked confused and Elanor opened her mouth to say something when a loud bang caused them all to look to the right.

Snape sat coughing as a smoke cloud surrounded him. After the smoke cleared the Great Hall burst into a new round of laughter as Snape's beard was now twice as long and silver.

"Well I guess that answers what will happen with the wrong counter curse." Arct said dryly.

Eventually with the help of Dumbledore the teachers figured out the correct counter curse and after they dismissed the other houses, the staff went around ridding the Slytherins of their beards. Since Harry didn't need to wait in line to get de-bearded he walked out of the Great Hall and into the nearest boy's bathroom.

After relieving himself he went to the sinks and began to wash his hands.

The door quietly opened behind him allowing a few boys entrance and they walk into the room.

Harry turned to dry his hands but instead of the towels he expected, a wand was pointed in his face.

"Potter!" a voice snarled in hatred, "thought that you'd get away with it didn't you?"

Harry stared coolly back at the older boys.

"Snape, what are you on about?

A pink tinge was coloring the pallid boy's cheek in his anger, "Don't play innocent with me Potter! We know that you helped your idiot cousin and his little moronic friends."

Lestrange who was standing behind his smaller year mate smiled nastily at the first year.

"Yes Potter, you won't escape this time. No one here to save you."

Harry raised his eye brows in confusion. What did he mean this time? Who had 'saved' him from being attacked before?

He snorted at the older boy, "Lestrange I wouldn't count on it. Snape easily has twice the brain capacity as you do." he smiled slightly before looking at Snape, "Which isn't saying much, seeing as an ant surpasses him."

Both Lestrange and Snape looked furious and the bigger boy pulled back his wand to curse the first year. Harry grabbed Snape's wand, which was still pointing in his face, and kicked the boy in the knee. He smiled slightly as he heard a cry of pain and a thud, but he didn't stand still long enough to see the boy on the ground. Harry quickly dove behind a sink, a blue colored curse passing over his head. Crawling on his belly he looked around the sink, a vicious smile on his lips as he saw the two older boys. Slowly Snape pulled himself to his feet, avoiding his left knee a grimace on his face.

"Come on out you coward!" Lestrange hissed.

Harry dropped Snape's wand and slowly held out his hand and whispered a water spell at the two Slytherins. Immediately he was rewarded with hisses of outrage as the two boys were drenched and puddles formed around their feet.

"Potter!" Snape yelled and continued cursing under his breath.

Still smiling Harry sent a freezing charm at them and right out laughed as the water quickly turned to ice, trapping the boys' feet.

"Send a melting charm at your feet." Severus whispered, shaking slightly, his hair full of icicles which hung around his pale face.

"Now now boys, I must be going and I hope that we won't have to repeat this." Harry said in a patronizing voice as he stood up and moved out in the opening.

As he was finishing his sentence the much larger boy shot a very nasty hex at him which he easily side stepped.

"Honestly, I guess you haven't learnt your lesson yet." He said with a raised eye brow before sidestepping another hex.

With a sigh he sent a low level electricity curse at the boys and smiled slightly when both yelled and slumped into unconsciousness.

He didn't like hurting two third years at all, but as Slytherins the only thing they respected was power; and it is better for him to beat them here in private than out in front of the school. After this little experience they would not be as keen to attempt to attack him again.

Harry lowered his hand and turned to leave when he two ice cold eyes caught his gaze.

"Return to the common room Mr. Potter, I'll deal with these two."

The seventh year's voice was as cold as his eyes and as the young man took in the two third years anger filled his eyes.

Harry gave a slight nod of acknowledgement before he calmly strolled out of the bathroom and made his way to the common room.

Once the first year was out of the bathroom Lucius locked the door and turned back to the third years his gaze as icy as ever. Slowly he enervated each boy and waited until they were lucid enough to understand what he was saying before he spoke.

"Snape, Lestrange…I thought I told you to leave the Potter boy alone, as he is under my protection."

Neither boy spoke; both stared at the seventh year.

"Answer me," the blond hissed, "did I or did I not tell you to leave the boy alone?"

"Yes." The brown haired boy sneered, his eyes flashing.

Malfoy sent a mild pain curse at the impertinent boy and smiled slightly at his yell of pain.

Once the curse was lifted Lucius sneered back, "Watch your cheek. That is only a little taste of pain; notice I am only mildly displeased. Lestrange I would suggest that you follow my orders in the future unless you would like a taste of when I am very displeased."

His cold eyes swiveled to Snape, "Ah and the half-blood," his voice simmered, "Your mudblood roots are showing dear little Prince, I would suggest that you do not cross me. I would be more than happy to purge the blood pool of your filth."

Snape turned slightly pink but he kept his breathing in check.

"Now get back to the common room and if I even see you glance at Potter you will feel my wrath!"

Lucius unlocked the door and motioned the two through.

Harry made his way back to the common room thinking the whole way over Lestrange's words, "No one is here to protect you." Did he mean Malfoy? Why Malfoy tell the other Slytherins to leave him alone? Most Slytherins never did things out the goodness of their hearts; they always had an outside motive. So what did the seventh year want?

He frowned in contemplation as he walked into the common room or the den as he called it, and made his way upstairs to where he knew Regulus and Arct would be waiting for him.

Sure enough as soon as he pushed the door open Regulus was by his side asking what took him so long to get back to the room.

"Nothing Regulus, I just took a detour." Harry said looking around to note who was in the dorm room.

When he saw that it was only Arct and Regulus he motioned them over towards a corner and quietly told them what had happened. When he was finished Arcturus was looking at him oddly, "Harry you mean to tell me you didn't know that Malfoy had ordered us to let you be?"

"He did what?"

Regulus looked just as confused as Harry did.

"On the second morning of school Malfoy told me, Rebastion, and Charlus to not 'bother' you on his orders. I figured that he would tell Regulus the same, but I know for a fact that he told the rest of the house."

Both Regulus and Harry looked at one another, "Did he say why?"

"No, just that we would regret it if we didn't. You know how every one scurries around here under Malfoy's orders."

Harry nodded thoughtfully and rubbed his chin.

"I wonder what he wants?" Regulus whispered.

"Well he is engaged to your cousin Black, why don't you simply go ask her?" Arct muttered rolling his eyes.

"That could work." Harry said with a frown.

"Yes or it could not," Regulus said with a yawn, "Look guys, I think we should talk about it in the morning once we are all rested."

Harry and Arcturus nodded in agreement before walking over to their own beds.

He pulled his drapes closed and put up a silencing charm around his bed to drown out his noisy room mates. Lost in his thoughts he finally drifted off to sleep a little after one and was immediately sucked into his dream.

The fire was the first thing he noticed as he was staring deeply into it's' depth. He looked down at his long pale fingers as they tapped the arm chair of his red velvet padded chair. A vicious smirk played across his lips as he brought a wine glass to his lips.

"My Lord." A voice said from behind and he needn't look to know that the man would be kneeling.

"Rise and report."

He heard a soft movement of robes as he returned to staring into the flames.

"My Lord the plans you requested have been finished. Our people have finished making the Portkeys to Kent and they can transport five people per key."

"Tell them that I expect no survivors, and that's including women and children." Harry hissed out.

"Yes my Lord. Do you want them to wait on your command?"

Harry briefly closed his eyes in annoyance. If he wasn't in such a good mood he would have already cursed this idiot multiple times.

"They are to leave at four, make sure they are prompt or it will be on your head."

"Of course my Lord."

"Leave." Harry hissed out still staring at the fire.

His followers would make a point of the small population of wizards in Kent. None would be left alive and the Wizarding world would have no other option than to take him seriously. Soon they would all learn what it is to fear, they would learn to fear him. They would learn to fear his name, even to speak his name!

Slowly he let out a laugh that grew until if would freeze most people's insides at the coldness it contained.

Harry jerked awake with a slight gasp and quickly sat up.

Riddle was planning an attack! He silently cast a tempus charm and found that it was 3:30 AM, only thirty minutes until they port keyed to Kent.

Quietly as to not wake his room mates Harry grabbed a piece of parchment and cast a spell on the paper to change his hand writing before he quickly wrote,

"Dumbledore,

Voldemort is planning an attack on Kent in the magical section. His followers will be port keying in at four AM. Send help or it will be a massacre."

Harry tapped the paper with his wand and it instantly folded itself into an air plane and with another tap it flew out the window.

With a sigh he went back to his bed, he could only pray that Dumbledore would get there in time. As he tried to drift off to sleep red eyes swam in his mind and that cold laugh haunted his thoughts.