With a bite to his lips the boy managed to physically stop himself from swearing. He didn't want any of them near that situation. One lifetime of seeing Hermione petrified was more than enough.
"Petrification is rare, especially the kind that can't be casually reversed." Harriet noted, comparing her mental notes with the physical ones the bushy-haired witch made. "A high level curse?"
It showed how desperate he was to keep them safe when he felt relief at that being their conclusion.
Unfortunately, it was short lived and dissolved with a snort from the redhead, "Don't you think Dumbledore would be able to figure it out if that were true? Or have the Aurors come in and arrest someone?"
Hermione sighed before nodding in agreement, "You're right, it has to be something else. I have another theory, but it seems even more ridiculous. What if it is a Bas…"
"Stop!"
All three heads turn towards Harry. Harry, who was trembling with anxiety. Harry, who couldn't get the image of Hermione lying frozen in a bed out of his mind. Harry, who couldn't shake the feeling of the cold waters of the chamber soaking his pants, or the stillness in Ginny Weasley, or the feeling of burning venom as fangs ripped into his…
"Just… stop, please. Stop investigating this, let the adults handle it for once."
The three witches shared a look, one he didn't like in the least bit, "You… know what caused this, don't you?"
He looked away from his twin, stared at the nearby wall and tried, desperately, to force away all the feelings building inside of his chest and his head. "This isn't a game Harriet…" he finally whispered into the room, his words drawing an even deeper silence than before. "It's dangerous. People have… could die. We were lucky in my world, lucky that petrification was the only outcome but it… it could have been much worse."
"Then we need to…"
"No!" he interrupted with a snap, earning a wide-eyed stare from Hermione. But he couldn't apologize, not yet, not before she understood. "I can't, I won't, watch as you stare up from a hospital bed for weeks on end again. You were lucky the first time Hermione, do you understand that?" Even with his argument there was doubt, maybe even defiance, in their eyes. He had one more card to play, one he didn't want to use but desperate times called for it. "Do you really want your parents to have to bury you?"
She reeled backwards, tears immediately forming in her eyes. His sisters looked ready to protest but he pushed on, needing them to understand.
"You almost died Hermione, you, and others. You were lucky, that's all there was to it. Brilliant yes, but lucky. Others were lucky too. Hell, we were all lucky. Let someone else fix things this time, let someone else risk their lives instead of the twelve-year-old's."
This time there was no arguments or defiance, only downcast eyes, and defeat. After what felt like an eternity Hermione spoke once more, "Was I… at least right?"
He stared back at her, a hint of disbelief in his eyes before he erupted into laughter. It figured that she would care about that despite everything else.
"Yeah Mione, you're right."
His raven-haired sister chimed in a second later, "Do you also know who's behind it? If you knew the first time maybe it is the same person, we can at least tell Dumbledore."
Harry shook his head, "It's not the same. Last time it was a possessed student, but the reason for it is different."
Amy frowned, "Okay, so if we aren't investigating can we at least try to make a list of suspects? I hate sitting around not doing anything."
He smiled at her complaint. That certainly sounded like him. "Well, like I told Harriet, it isn't Riddle." Immediately, he held up his hands to stop the arguments obvious on all three of their faces. "It certainly sounds like it is her, but that's the problem. She's the Head of Slytherin House for goodness' sake, why would she make herself into such an obvious suspect?"
The logic seemed to satisfy the two bookworms, although the redhead grumbled a bit.
"If I had to take a general guess, it would be Pandora Malfoy."
Hermione blinked, then frowned as if she were trying to match a face to a name, which she might very well have been. Harriet, however, didn't seem as convinced as her sister instantly appeared to be. "Why her?"
"Her personality is a closer fit." He reasoned. "I will agree that all the attacks thus far seem to be connected to me, but that only makes her seem more suspicious. She's… weird towards me. She's intelligent enough to frame someone but not a criminal mastermind. Plus, the Parselmouth trait has traces in the Black family, which she is via her mother, even if it's rare."
Harriet sighed, "It isn't exactly concrete evidence."
He smiled in return, "No, it isn't, which is why I haven't brought it up to anyone until now. If I had proof it was her, I would've said something to Dumbledore, trust me."
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