Harry Potter: Don't touch

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"BLACK IS STILL AT LARGE! The Ministry of Magic announced today that Sirius Black, the most dangerous criminal in the history of Azkaban Prison, has still not been caught.

- We are doing..."

Potter didn't have time to read any further as Ted snatched the Daily Prophet from him.

- Stop reading rubbish and get to the table," Mr Tonks said. - 'And call your mate, I haven't seen him in a while.

- What's wrong with Tonks? - Harry asked.

He had assumed that dinner would be when Nymphadora returned from the Ministry, and since she wasn't here, he could mind his own business for now.

- She had business at the Ministry, she wouldn't be here for dinner. She'll probably be here for dinner.

- Okay, we'll be right there," Potter replied.

The older Tonks had to give the older Tonks credit - their acting skills were of a fairly high standard. If Harry hadn't learnt from Moody at the beginning of the summer that the escaped criminal Sirius Black was after him, he wouldn't have realised it. Andromeda and Ted skilfully avoided any topics related to Sirius Black without arousing any suspicion, and Potter himself pretended not to notice the excellent acting around him. Justin, who had been a guest at the Tonks' house for about a month now, was also greatly impressed by Andromeda and Ted's departure from unpleasant topics, and even put forward the theory that they might be unaware of Black's motives. However, this was a version Harry hadn't even considered. It couldn't be that his foster parents didn't know that he was being hunted by a maniac, could it?

Potter went up to the first floor and went into his room. Nothing had changed in a couple of hours - Finch-Fletchley was lying on the bed in the same pose. Harry shook him by the shoulder.

- Get up!

No response.

- 'Justin, we're called for lunch, I covered for you at breakfast, but Ted's already suspected something; if he finds out you're asleep before lunch, he'll be getting us up at six o'clock in the morning. And if you can just bolt home at any time, I'm going to be in huge trouble.

- Now, give me five minutes,' Finch-Fletchley muttered horribly inarticulate.

- There's no time. I've got to get you back to normal, like you haven't been asleep but... Studying Potions all this time... Oh, I'm laughing myself, get up! I'll have to renew the transfiguration charms on my bed soon.

Those words had already had an effect. Justin got out of bed and with his eyes closed headed for the wardrobe. Harry watched Finch-Fletchley's movements for a while, made sure he wasn't going to run into anything, and went to get the mail.

While Finch-Fletchley cleaned himself up, Harry read the message Lockhart had sent him. The letter itself didn't inspire confidence: the envelope smelled of perfume and the return address had hearts drawn on it. However, Potter decided that whatever Gilderoy had written, it should at least be read.

After reading it, Harry realised that he had been wrong. He would have been better off burning the letter without reading it.

- Do you happen to know any kind of invigoration spell? - Justin asked.

- Would Aguamenti do? - Without taking his mind off the contents of the letter, Potter replied.

- I'm serious.

- Me too... I don't know. I doubt there is one. There's no wishing-room nearby, there's no way to check yet. But I can try to invent one. If you're willing to wait two or three years.

- I need it now," Justin yawned. - Okay, I'm ready to play the cheerful man. Let's go to lunch.

When Potter and Finch-Fletchley arrived in the dining room, there was no one there - Mr and Mrs Tonks had already eaten, so Justin didn't even have to pretend. He kept his head on the table and ate his food normally.

When Finch-Fletchley came back into the room, he saw the letter with the hearts on it and exclaimed with joy. The remnants of sleep instantly slipped from him. There it was, the spell of vigour. It's called the Lockhart Letter.

- Wow, a love letter! That's awesome! Who's it from? No, don't tell me, I'll guess. Zhou? Or maybe Luna? Ginny? Susan?

- You've got a lot of dirt on me! - Harry wondered. - Do you memorise all the girls who talk to me?

- Yeah," Justin smirked. - Am I right? My money's on Zhou.

- Close. It's from Lockhart.

- Ugh, Harry, I thought you weren't one of those....

- Fuck you! - Potter laughed.

It was Justin's foolishness that had been keeping Harry's spirits up for the past month. Conversations like this were a great respite from Moody's perpetual airing of the atmosphere.

"If I were Sirius Black, I'd be sitting outside the house waiting for you to turn your back."

- I'm tolerant of it, though," Justin settled back on the bed. Again? - What did he write?

- In short, he was rejected from the Aurorat and he asked me to organise a popular uprising.

- Really? - Finch-Fletchley was surprised.

- Read it," Harry pointed to the letter and, following Justin's example, lay down on his bed....

- The horror! - Justin only ran his eyes over the text. - How about we show this to Tonks? She works for the Aurorat, she'd bring Lockhart to justice in no time. I'm sure they'll put him in Azkaban for sedition. Just as Black's cell's been vacated!

- Screw him. I'd rather just ignore it. It's easier that way. Let Lockhart get on with his life, maybe write another book, just as long as he doesn't bother me anymore. If you want support so badly, you can tell Tom the letter. He'll be even more furious than you are and will fully support the idea of "turning Lockhart over to the Aurorate."

In early August, Tom Riddle finally agreed to communicate with Justin.

Finch-Fletchley glanced at the open diary lying on the bedside table, a pen lying next to it.

- 'Come on, you'd better, he doesn't like me.

Harry shrugged and walked over to the book, intending to briefly recount the contents of the letter and conversation, as an inscription appeared on the page.

I heard you, I think he should be killed.

- There, he's heard it all, as it were. You don't have to recount it. He thinks Lockhart should be killed. I'm not surprised. You can have a chat about your hatred of the teacher. The pen is next to the diary, in case you didn't know," Harry walked back to the bed.

It's the middle of a summer day, homework piled up, and he's lying on the bed talking about killing a teacher. Nothing out of the ordinary.- Why would he write anything if he can hear?

- He's better able to absorb information that way... I guess... Tom? - Harry turned to his diary without getting up.

That's how I absorb information better

- You see, he...

Suddenly there was a rumble from downstairs. It felt like all the hangers and the wardrobe fell on someone at the same time.

- I bet it was Tonks. - Justin suggested.

- I bet," Potter agreed.

- Twenty c... Hmmm... Nutcrackers, okay?

- No problem," Potter shrugged, pulling out his wand. - Tom, remember, we had a bet. Confirm it if this one denies it later.

The Diary didn't answer anything.

- Harry, what are you, a masochist? Why did you agree to this? Someone dropped a cupboard on themselves! A cupboard, you know! It's definitely Tonks!

- Or it's someone trying to impersonate Tonks, and given that she's got Ministry business at the moment...

- Bloody hell! - Justin remembered Nymphadora's location.

- It's got to be Moody!

- Cancelled! I've changed my mind! - Justin grabbed his wand and pointed it at the door.

- Too late, Tom's already memorised it. I'll give you the slaps after we get away from Mad-Eye. Did you learn any of the stuff Moody showed us?

- Yeah, loads. I learnt less in two years at Hogwarts! Not if you're talking about area defence spells, no.

- I remember them for some reason. Protego totalum! Virendium patronus! Salvia Hexia!

Three colourful beams of spells flew out of Potter's wand.

- What the hell do you need a non-magic spell for? Do you seriously think he's walking here on a map? - Justin asked.

- Aha! So you do know something! - Potter rejoiced.

- Only theory, I don't know how to apply it... What about your snakes on patrol?

- No idea. I told them that if they saw or felt Mad-Eye, they'd tell me immediately. They're not talking. He must have stunned them. Throw the birds towards the stairs, if there's an invisible Moody, they'll hit him. I learnt his style a long time ago.

- Avis! - Justin exclaimed.

The flock of birds flew down the corridor without any trouble.

- No, there's nothing there. He's waiting. He probably thinks we're falling for his trick and going to meet Tonks.

- "Listen," Potter had a terrible thought. - I've hidden the snakes so Moody won't find them. And they'll let me know if they see Moody, so... What if it's not Mad-Eye, but... Sirius Black.

- Unlikely... Though it could very well be....

Harry quickly started going over in his head everything Mad-Eye had told him about the actions he needed to take if he met Black.

"At this point only hide and attack only in the back."

"Dodge a deadly spell either downwards with Gliseo or upwards with Spangifire, respond with Avis as a last resort. There are plenty of birds, some will catch Avada."

"Protect the area with strong area defence spells, while Black is casting them he'll be vulnerable to attack, a regular stupefy will suffice."

- Tom! - Potter shouted.

He walked over to his diary and wrote:

Stop pretending to be deaf! Do you know any strong defence square spells?

Orvo. Horizontal sweep. Think of the person you hate the most. You need the caster's blood. Why do you need it? - Tom's answer appeared.

I think we're being attacked by Sirius Black!

Your school mate? - Riddle asked.

The Dark Lord's right hand man. What other spells do you know?

Riddle fell silent. Harry felt joy for some reason, mixed with some strange distant sadness. What the hell?!

- Have you learnt anything? - Finch-Fletchley asked. - 'The birds I sent out on a scouting mission could probably populate every birdhouse in the world.

"Tom, for fuck's sake!"

Still no answer!

- Now, now. - Without thinking for a second, Harry faintly swung his wand:

- Diffindo!

A small cut appeared on his arm, from which blood immediately flowed. Potter thought of Piers, swung his wand again and exclaimed:

- Orvo!

Harry realised at once that the protection spell had worked. A bright red film covered the door to the room and all the walls. The next batch of Justin's birds were cut into tiny pieces as they flew through the film.

- What the fuck is this?! - Justin stepped away from the door and turned away.

- 'Do you think I know? - Harry struggled to hold back the gagging. - Tom told me about this spell, and I did it on the first try. You better not touch that stuff. At least it'll keep Black busy.

Justin quickly ran over to the diary and scribbled something in it.

- He's not answering! Harry, this friend of yours is scaring me more and more. He wasn't exactly the brightest wizard in the world, and now he's gone silent for some reason. Suddenly he said to use some kind of spell that's going to kill us.

- It's okay," Harry tried to calm down. - Okay, it's not fucking okay! But at least it'll protect us from Black. We stay here until that maniac leaves.

Harry and Justin sat in silence for the next few minutes. Each was tense to the max, and when footsteps sounded outside the door, they both stood on opposite sides of the entrance.

- Erm! Harry, Justin are you alright? Why have birds taken over our house and what is that red stuff hanging in front of the door? Is that blood? - came Tonks' voice.

- Tonks? Is that you?" asked Harry.

- 'No, I'm Moody under the werewolf. Of course it's me. What are you doing?

- Where did Harry Potter first meet Nymphadora? - Justin intervened.

Harry gave him a thumbs-up. He was about to ask the same thing.

- You're Nymphadora! We met at a workout. I don't remember Justin Finch-Fletchley checking anyone's identity. Maybe you're Moody in disguise.

- All right, it's you, I get it. It's Justin, Justin, I vouch for it," Harry said. - 'Don't go near that red thing, it's dangerous. Did you knock the cupboard over in the corridor?

- It was an accident, it was just in the way. They let me out of the Ministry early... So what are you doing there?

- Us? Well, nothing. We'll fix it.

- All right, then. I'm going to go chase the birds out, then.

Tonks' voice has gone distant.

- Harry, what a-" Justin started as Nymphadora walked away.

- Don't say anything," Potter interrupted him. - I know everything, it's my fault. Everything! I've got it all figured out. Let's just forget it.

- No, it's just a complete... Okay! - Justin waved his hand. - How do I get this red stuff off?

- I-I don't know.

Finch-Fletchley raised his eyes to the ceiling and fell silently onto the bed.