No Fortress Is So Strong, Chapter 14
Title: No Fortress Is So Strong
Summary: In 1981, the two Potter sons had their fates switched, and Nicolas Potter became a famous face. But there are those who know the truth, that the real Chosen One was the younger child. The Slytherin. Now, two brothers share a destiny.
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Brothers. Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Notes & Caveats: This is a rewrite of the fanfiction story Slytherin Serpent. The premise was originally thought up in 2004, rewritten in 2006, and rewritten again in 2009. This is the only complete version.
This chapter is as yet unbeta’ed for spelling, grammar, and brit-picking. I apologize for this in advance. If you spot any error, no matter how small, please tell me in a review so that I can fix it.
Many thanks to Micah, who examined this story for plot and continuity errors.
“When brothers agree, no fortress is so strong as their common life.” ~Antisthenes
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Chapter Fourteen: Teamwork
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“Check,” Harry said smugly, and Zabini scowled fiercely at the board.
“How did you do that?” he grumbled. Harry gave a wicked grin and didn’t answer. After several long moments, Zabini blew out a long breath, reached out, and knocked over his king.
“Ha!” Harry said triumphantly. “I win!”
“Yeah,” Zabini glared, then sat back and crossed his arms. “Now, how did you do it?”
“Like I’d tell you,” Harry retorted. “You never tell me how you beat me.”
“That’s because I beat you through sheer incompetence on your part,” Zabini said vaguely, taking a closer look at the board.
“Potter!” one of the prefects shouted, and Harry looked up in surprise. The prefect beckoned.
“I have to go,” Harry said to his friend, indicating the scowling prefect. Zabini nodded absently, still examining the board. Sighing, Harry got to his feet and made his way through the Common Room, threading his way between kissing couples and intent study groups.
“Your brother,” the prefect said, looking disgusted. Harry brightened and shouldered open the wall. Outside, leaning against the stone wall, was Nick.
“Harry!”
“Hi,” Harry grinned. “What are you doing here? I didn’t even know you could come down here!”
“I can if I have family,” Nick shrugged. “’M not allowed to bring anyone else, though.”
“So I can go up to Gryffindor, if I want?”
“Sure,” Nick replied. “But never mind that now. Me, Jon, Katie, and Hermione have been working on something we wanted to show you. Come up to the library with me, all right?”
“Yeah, sure,” Harry said, falling into step with his older brother. “Is this about…?”
“Yeah.”
“Oh,” Harry said, nodding.
It took about ten minutes to reach the library, and Hermione, Katie, and Jon were waiting for them.
“What are we doing?” Harry asked, whispering. He sat down beside Hermione, who had a piece of parchment in front of her.
“We don’t have a lot,” Hermione whispered back, “but we just know something’s going on. I mean, someone tried to kill Nick!”
“What do you have?”
“Well…just that,” Jon said reluctantly from where he sat across the table. Harry glanced at Nick, who was blushing.
“Well,” Harry began, “we should first try to decide who would want to hurt Nick.”
“One of Voldemort’s followers,” Nick replied instantly, and Jon winced slightly at the name.
“All right. Also, have any of you seen what’s in the corridor on the third floor?”
“No,” Jon said, and the other three shook their heads.
“It might be relevant, somehow,” Harry whispered, cleaning closer. “It’s a three-headed dog, and it’s standing on a trap door.”
“It’s guarding something!” Hermione gasped, and Harry grinned at her conspiratorially and nodded. “Maybe whoever tried to hurt Nick wants it?” she continued, and Harry shrugged.
“Who knows? We need to find out what its guarding.”
“There is no way I’m doing down that trap door,” Katie hissed in a loud whisper, and Harry shook his head.
“That’s not what I mean,” Harry said quietly. “Remember when we were eavesdropping, Nick, and Snape asked Quirrell if he’d figured out how to get past that beast of Hagrid’s, yet?
“Yes.”
“That rather implies that Hagrid knows what his beast is guarding, right?”
“Do you think we can get him to tell us?” Katie asked curiously.
“We can try,” Harry replied.
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Hermione knew Hagrid best of the four of them, having visited him often during the year. Harry thought he stood the best chance of wrangling the answer out of him without raising any suspicions, so the plan was that Hermione would take Harry down to Hagrid’s hut to introduce her new friend.
It was the best plan they could think up.
So it was this icy January day that the two first years bundled up in their thickest, warmest clothes and hurried down to Hagrid’s hut. Hermione knocked, the thud muffled by her thick woolen mittens, and immediately several loud, ferocious barks sounded. Harry started in alarm.
“Don’t worry, Harry,” Hermione said bracingly. “It’s just Hagrid’s boarhound, Fang.”
“Hagrid has a dog?” Harry asked contemplatively, but Hermione didn’t have time to answer as the front door swung open abruptly.
“Why, Hermione!” Hagrid said in pleased surprise, leaning back against the exuberant leaps his enormous boarhound was performing. Drool flew everywhere, and Harry took an involuntary step back in surprised dismay. He was going to have to pretend to like that?
“Hi Hagrid!” Hermione said, looking honestly happy to be there.
“Come in, come in!” Hagrid said. “And Harry, good ter see yeh! Back, Fang!”
“Hi Hagrid,” Harry said cheerfully, thinking he might as well get on with it. “Is that your dog? Wow! He’s really big!”
“That ‘e is,” Hagrid chuckled, beckoning them to a gigantic table set in the middle of the one-room hut. “Now, don’ be ‘fraid of Fang ‘ere, he’s a right ninny ‘e is.”
“I’m not afraid,” Harry said guilelessly. “I love dogs! The orphanage had one, for a while. He loved to play fetch with a stick.” Friendly and childlike, Harry, that’s the key…
“Well now, is that righ’? I’m sure Fang would love to play some fetch with you, if’n you wanted to, that is.”
“Oh yes,” Harry said brightly. “I’d love to!” Kneeling, Harry reached out and scratched the dog behind his ears, trying to ignore the copious amount of drool being deposited on the knee of his robes. “Hiya Fang,” he said blithely. “Would you like to come play with me, some time?”
“’Ere yeh go, Hermione,” Hagrid said from above Harry’s head, and Harry looked up to see Hagrid depositing several large mugs and an enormous tea kettle on the table. Relieved by the responsibilities of polite decorum, Harry stood and wiped off his drool-covered hand before sitting down on one of the giant chairs and accepting a mug of tea and a plate full of what looked like rock cakes.
Beside him, Hermione looked a little bit flustered and confused, and kept glancing at Harry periodically. Harry gave her an impatient look and a tiny nod towards Hagrid, and Hermione, brilliant Hermione, caught the hint at once.
“So, Hagrid,” she said, her voice a little shrill but steady enough despite that. “I, er, saw a book in the library today that mentioned a magical creature called the Hippocampus…”
“Ah,” Hagrid said, looking delighted. “I’d love to have one o’ them, I would! Let’s see, a Hippocampus is like a cross between a horse and a fish, see, ‘cept the horse halves are very fishlike also, like seahorses, see? Don’ have fur and such, and sorta finlike hooves.”
“How do they swim?” Hermione asked, expression rapt despite the fact that Harry knew she would have read about this all before. He found himself feeling vaguely impressed.
“Well now, like yeh would expect, I expect,” Hagrid said. “Take horses, now - not particular graceful swimmers now, are they? They paddle, doglike. So you take a horse and you put a fish tail on it and you get a magical animal that swims awkward-like. Don’ know how they swim at all, really, ‘cept them being magical an’ all.”
Harry took the opportunity at once, widening his eyes with innocent delight.
“Are there fish dogs out there somewhere, Hagrid?” Harry asked, and forced a frown when Hagrid shook his head indulgently.
“Not yet at least,” Hagrid amended, seeing Harry’s expression. “Things like Hippocampi and Hippogriffs, they’re not natural see. Wizard bred creatures. Don’ see why there won’ be a dog cross one o’ these days.”
“Are there any magical dogs, Hagrid?” Harry asked plaintively.
“Oh, plenty!” Hagrid said delightedly. “Oh, let’s see, there’s the crup o’ course - like a Muggle Jack Russell Terrier but with a forked tail. Very loyal, crups. An’ the Ministry ‘as a ‘alf dozen albino bloodhounds to chase Nogtails off properties…and then there’s my favorite, the three-headed dog.”
Harry gasped out loud, Hermione echoing him half a beat late.
“No,” Harry said. “You must be joking. A three headed dog?”
“Aye,” Hagrid said, chuckling. “I give you my word they exist.”
“Have you ever seen one?” Harry asked, forcing his tone to dip doubtfully.
“Why, I ‘ave one!” Hagrid said, grinning.
“Don’t be silly,” Harry scoffed. “I haven’t seen it! What’s its name?”
“Well, ‘is name is Fluffy, and he stays in the castle.” Harry gaped at that.
“Why does he stay in the castle? Don’t you take him on walks and stuff?”
“Ach, he’s just guarding the Stone is all, ‘e is quite happy actually, see, all teh Professors an’ me toss him playthings and treats all the time.”
“Wow, a real three-headed guard dog, Hermione!” Harry exclaimed without missing a beat. “Can you believe it?”
“Wonderful!” Hermione squeaked, looking a bit pink. “You must be so good with animals, Hagrid!”
“Well, what I’d really like is a dragon,” Hagrid said bashfully, blushing a bit pink himself. “Wanted one ever since I was a boy, in fact! Beautiful creatures, dragons.”
“Can you do that?” Hermione asked, looking alarmed.
“Well, they’re regulated creatures,” Hagrid admitted. Harry and Hermione exchanged looks of relief. Harry glanced surreptitiously at his wristwatch. He was running out of topics.
“Are there lots of dragon breeds?” he threw out, desperate for something to say.
“Lots,” Hagrid affirmed. “I’d really like a Chinese Fireball - beautiful creatures they are, bright red and gold. Ah, but there are no Gryffindors here righ’ now, are there? I think you’d like the Peruvian Vipertooth, Harry - seems like a very Slytherin type to me - small dragon, but the fastest. I’ve seen one before, in the mountains.” Hagrid looked dazed with the memory, for several long seconds he just sat and stared dreamily into the far corner.
Hermione cleared her throat discreetly, and Hagrid shook his head, blushing. “An’ I think you’d love the Swedish Short-Snout, Hermione,” Hagrid said fondly. “Blue, they are, with blue flames. Absolutely stunning.”
“I’d love to see one,” Hermione said earnestly. “When I get a chance, I’m definitely going to look up a picture of one, and all the other dragons! And the Peruvian Vipertooth, right Harry?”
Harry nodded fervently.
“And magic dogs,” he said loyally, reaching down to scratch Fang’s head.
“Oh, Hagrid,” Hermione said, checking the time. “We have supper soon! Thank you so much for the tea!”
“My pleasure, Hermione,” Hagrid said, heaving himself to his feet.
“Thanks for talking with us about animals,” Harry said, ducking his head a little shyly. “When Fluffy comes out, can we see him sometime?”
The little tidbit, intended to reassure Hagrid that they hadn’t noticed his slip, seemed to work. Hagrid looked pleased as punch.
“O’ course, Harry,” he said cheerfully. “I’ll let you know when he’s got some time off!”
“Okay,” Harry said. “Thanks Hagrid!”
“All righ’, you two! Off to supper with yeh now!” he chuckled, and waved them out the door.
“Bye Hagrid!” the two students chorused, and waved their thickly mittened hands. Hagrid waved back from the doorway, then retreated to keep Fang inside and out of the cold. The two of them trudged slowly back to Hogwarts.
Chapter Fifteen