Harry Potter: The Making of a Dark Lord

Bones Manor, Guest Rooms

Several hours later Harry was seated comfortably on his bed reading carefully through a book that Tonks had given him. It appeared to be some sort of condensed Auror training manual, and the table of contents made Harry very excited.

There were chapters on advanced offensive spells, advanced shields, silent casting, spell chaining, combat transfiguration, disillusionment, combat apparition, teamwork, and many other interesting subjects. Harry knew he could become a force to be reckoned with if he mastered everything in this book.

He felt he had handled himself pretty well against Tonks earlier that day, and the newfound power behind his spells gave him a feeling of exhilaration. He was not tired at all, despite the frequency with which he had cast spells all day long.

Harry was startled momentarily as his communication mirror buzzed and vibrated on his nightstand. Something must have happened at Hogwarts, he thought with sudden dread.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Harry," Parvati smiled as her face appeared in the mirror.

"Hey, Parvati. What's going on? Did something happen?" Harry asked curiously, not having expected to hear from her again so soon.

"Nothing big, but I thought you would want to know what people are saying about you. You are quite the topic of conversation around here today," she smirked.

"Merlin," Harry groaned. "I can only imagine. Did I run away because I murdered Cedric or because I'm in training to be the next Dark Lord?"

"Both, actually," laughed Parvati. "Most people seem to think that Dumbledore is hiding you, and that's why he got booted from the Wizengamot. And that little blond girl from Ravenclaw is telling everybody that you fell victim to gum disease and rotting fangs or something. Haven't you been brushing your teeth, Harry?" she asked coyly.

Harry couldn't repress a snort. Luna Lovegood was a sweet girl, but she was hopelessly and gloriously insane.

"Every day, Parvati. It will take more than gum disease to bring down The-Boy-Who-Lived. Although maybe that's why Dumbledore's always offering me lemon drops…"

Parvati chuckled, but then became more serious. "There's, er, something else, Harry…Hermione came back to classes today."

"And?" Harry prompted.

"Well, she looks, um, pretty bad. Even worse than she did at the beginning of the year. She won't talk to anyone, either. Ginny Weasley came into the dorm this afternoon to talk to her, and Hermione told her she didn't know anything and to just go away."

"Hmph," Harry muttered. "Well, if she's feeling guilty, she deserves it. Just keep your ears open around her, okay?"

"I will Harry; no worries."

A silence followed her words, and Harry struggled to find something to say. If he wasn't talking about quidditch with Ron, conversation didn't come easily to him.

"Oh, I forgot," said Parvati, rescuing Harry from further consternation. "I think I should be thanking you for this, as you are sort of responsible for it."

She beamed a beautiful smile at him and tilted the mirror lower, giving Harry a view of her breasts outlined behind a set of periwinkle robes. His eyes widened for a second and his brain hiccupped, wondering what Parvati was doing.

"The pendant, Harry," Parvati laughed, "look at the pendant."

Only then did he realize that there was a small gold pendant lodged between the swell of Parvati's breasts.

"Oh," said Harry. "It's, er, nice. What is it?"

"It's a present from Uncle Dinesh. It's my namesake, the goddess Parvati, riding on her lion."

Harry moved his face closer to the mirror, straining to get a closer look at the pendant. It was made of gold, and, just as Parvati said, had a depiction of a bare-breasted woman riding on the back of a lion. The woman had four arms, the palms of each hand extended upwards. There was a small diamond in the middle of the woman's forehead. It was, Harry thought, a very striking ornament.

"It's beautiful," Harry said, still somewhat embarrassed over having been caught staring at Parvati's breasts. "So you're named after a goddess, then?"

"You bet," Parvati replied. "Appropriate, don't you think?" she asked, batting her eyelashes. "She's the wife of Shiva, the destroyer and creator god, and is said to have tamed him and become the true source of his power."

"Wow," Harry replied. "No pressure for you, then, huh?"

Parvati rolled her eyes. "Anyway, thank you, Harry. Dinesh sent a pendant to Padma too—hers was a lotus flower—and thanked us for sending you his way. He called the gifts a 'finder's fee,' the bloody prat."

"Well, you're welcome then," Harry said, smiling. "Dinesh is quite, er, remarkable. Just so long as you were able to get a present out of saving my life, I suppose it was worth it."

Parvati stuck out her tongue at him.

There was a sudden knock on his bedroom door, causing Harry to jump slightly.

"I need to go, Parvati. I'll talk to you again soon. Bye," he said hastily, then slid the mirror under the covers of his bed.

"Come in," he said loudly, sitting up and shifting his feet to the floor.

The door opened to admit Madam Bones, a small bag levitating behind her.

"Hello, Madam Bones. Any new information from Dumbledore?" Harry asked eagerly.

"I'm afraid there is not much more I can tell you at the moment, Mr. Potter," Bones replied cautiously. "Professor Dumbledore is still being stubborn, so it may be some time before we learn the contents of the prophecy."

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