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(Enchanting Melodies) Chapter 293: Of Choices Made
🕑 Added 2024-06-25 13:53:53 +0000 UTCChapter 293: Of Choices Made
23 November 1994, Rome, Italy
Harry sipped on his goblet, doing his best not to cringe at the bitterness of the juice⌠After all, it wouldnât do to insult the hosting school publicly. It came as a bit of a surprise, but he grew to like this school... Its library was sparce, to say the least, the spells were publicized, and he heavily believed that any sensitive tomes were hidden from the public⌠However, there was something nice about the lack of nonsense that was seen in everything around the school.
There was still a weird obsession with Ancient Rome everywhere, but there were no hidden passages, no secret chambers, no confusing corridors⌠Sure, a lot of the wonder was lost but it was efficient, spartan for the lack of a better word.
It provided a lack of distractions that Harry found to be very valuable since he had a lot on his mind. The revelation of Lily hiding pertinent information from him was weighing very heavily on his mind and he needed to delicately decide what to doâŚ
The situation was delicate. Lily was possibly his greatest ally against Dumbledore. She had gained a frightful control over the British Ministry of Magic in just a few months, and had an entire army of enhanced werewolves supporting her⌠He did not want her to be an enemy, and yet she had broken his trust.
It was probably the first time that he had tried to trust someone else. To be completely fair to himself, it was a very impulsive decision⌠However, he was so caught up with the allure that there was someone else like him, someone that could keep up with him and be on his side, that he ignored a lot of warning signs.
There was also Daphne to consider. She was very attached to Lily and was convinced that she was the key to save her sister. Like he had stated before, the entire situation was so delicate.
And to make all of this worse, he had to attend some mindless feast to celebrate the end of the task⌠The Champions all came and showed their prizes. It was funny that the Hogwarts Champions, who actually won the task, didnât get any prizes since they hadnât defeated any of the beasts in the arena.
It was just hours of showboating that Harry barely had the patience to sit through. Thankfully, no one tried to engage him in conversation. Daphne was surprisingly quiet during all of thisâŚ
Speaking of the blonde she spoke up, âDo you mind if we talked privately for a second?â
Deciding that it was a great chance of getting away, he nodded, and they snuck out of the hall under a notice-me-not charm. They ended up in one of the corridors and Daphne quickly put up some privacy charms, âYou werenât kidding about wanting to be alone. Is there something wrong?â
âYes. No. I donât know,â she stammered, âItâs all so complicated and I donât know if I should just go ahead and say it. I thought about not doing anything, but I wouldnât be able to forgive myself if something happenedâŚâ
âWhatâs going on Daphne?â he asked, âJust say it and be done with itâŚâ
âYour mother is working with Albus DumbledoreâŚâ she quickly spoke up.
Harry froze. He hadnât expected that⌠No, that wasnât completely true, he expected that Lily was doing something else behind his back⌠But working with Dumbledore, the man that she had claimed was one of the main instigators in the Fire of Godricâs Hollow, the man who had almost killed Harry numerous times⌠He didnât expect that much.
To be honest, he didnât think she was Dumbledoreâs subordinate⌠He had a good estimation of her personality. She was ruthless, pragmatist, power-hungry, and obsessive, but her most defining character trait was her pursuit for her freedom.
So, either Dumbledore was offering her something she desired, or his goals were also something that she wanted.
But no, there was no need for speculation without additional information, âExplain!â he simply retorted.
âGranger gave me this photo of her and Dumbledore talking to each other in his office⌠I wanted to tell you immediately, but she used some kind of compulsion charm that bypassed my family crest and made me tell her everything⌠She said that it was to help you, to protect you from Dumbledore and asked me not to say anything. But I just couldnât⌠What if she was lying? What if she wanted to hurt you? I just couldnâtâŚâ
Harry quickly analysed his friendâs rambling⌠It didnât make sense that Lily would protect him from Dumbledore without asking him first. Sure, it was a plausible idea on the surface, but they both knew that Harry was a reasonable person and that he definitely wouldnât have tolerated someone going behind his back to Dumbledore to protect him. And she definitely wouldnât have hidden Mariaâs origins from him for no reasonâŚ
No, the former headmaster must have asked her to stop his investigation as much as possible⌠He wouldnât have done that if what he was planning wasnât delicate enough that Harry could stop⌠And Lily must have agreed to let his plan continue⌠She must have planned to use it to her advantage somehowâŚ
The fact that it was Hermione Granger that told her was very interesting. He had no illusions that she was completely under Lilyâs control since she probably had the Diary⌠So, that meant that the girl must have wanted the leash around her neck gone and thought that him making Lily leave was the best idea to have more freedom.
But one thing was for certain. By telling him this, Daphne was putting her lessons with Lily, and the potential of a cure for her sisterâs condition, in jeopardy. He appreciated the show of trust and her dedication, âThe threatened to stop her lessons, didnât she?â
Daphne looked down, âYes⌠But what would they had mattered if we were both dead before I found a cure for my sister. We both know that it would have taken years to figure that one out⌠And Dumbledoreâs plan ends in June⌠I wouldnât have been able to help my sister if I was deadâŚâ
Yes, and Lily also wouldnât have agreed to her lessons at all if Daphne wasnât his friend and held some influence over her decisions, but Harry didnât voice it. Instead, he gave her a warm smile, âI appreciate your trust in me, Daph.â
âOh, isnât that cute?â a familiar voice spoke up from behind him.
Daphne stiffened but Harry turned unconcerned to stare at his biological mother, âHello, Lily.â
âOh, Harry dear⌠Weâre quite in the predicament, arenât we?â
He snorted, âYou could say thatâŚâ
âWhile I admire Daphneâs loyalty to you, sheâs not really giving you the full picture.â
âAnd what is the full picture, then?â
Her smile became slightly more assured, âAlright, I made a mistake⌠I wanted you to be safe, so I made a deal with Dumbledore to keep you out of his, and in exchange, he wouldnât kill you⌠I know that this is a breach of trust, but you can see my point hereâŚâ
âI do see it, and I also know that itâs full of shitâŚâ
That seemed to take her aback, âWhat are you talking about?â
âMaria De Luca,â he retorted, âYou didnât seriously believe that I would take your word for not finding the girl⌠Youâre many things, Lily, but youâre not incompetent. But imagine my surprise when I used a bit of scrying and see you at the girlâs orphanage and even obliviating the nuns there to hide her involvement. You were probably the one who made sure that there were no signs of her disappearance in the muggle authorities, werenât you? Now, thereâs misleading my investigation, and thereâs hiding evidenceâŚâ
Lily frowned, âHuh, you found out about that, huhâŚâ
âYes, maybe I am, but thatâs not it. The way you hid as an Unspeakable in our midst, the way you tried to obliviate me⌠You didnât think Iâd forget about that, did you? You were never planning on me knowing you were there, or even alive for that matter⌠If you didnât want to speak with me, you could have had an actual real Unspeakable here, since youâre in control of the department, instead of personally coming to find me⌠So, you need me for somethingâŚâ
âYouâre my son!â
Harry hummed and continued, âMaybe, but you waited months, took over half of Magical Britain before even thinking about me. Maybe thereâs a part of you that cares about me, but thereâs something else, something more to it⌠Something that you want enough to go through Dumbledoreâs insane ritual.â
âDonât pretend like you wouldnât have done the same! Youâre just like me!â
âYouâre right⌠Maybe I would have done something like this to protect Daphne. Maybe I am just like you, but thereâs one fundamental difference. Youâre ready to betray everything and everyone to achieve your goals, whatever they may be, but Iâm not. Then again, maybe Iâm wrong. Maybe youâre telling the truth. Maybe youâre an idiot that trusted Dumbledore enough that he would keep his word. Maybe youâre even his lackey, one of his mad followers, and that you lost your precious independence once more⌠Maybe youâre not as smart as you think you are⌠Maybe you were dumb enough to lose your freedom once more.â
âThatâs enough⌠Iâm just using Dumbledore, exactly like Iâm usingâŚâ she stopped herself in the end.
Harry hummed leadingly, âLike youâre using who? Me?â
Lily stayed silent and her entire countenance changed. Her pleading expression morphed into a frosty neutral one, the slight passion in her eyes fizzled out and she spoke up in a monotone voice, âWhat a disappointmentâŚâ
âBecause you couldnât trick me?â
âNo, because you cannot see the bigger picture. You threw away an entire army and a nation supporting you because I did something without telling you first. I tried being the loving mother, I really did. But you made it so hard⌠It was the first time that I struggled while doing something. It was a frustrating experience.â
Harry hummed, âOne that mothers everywhere experience⌠But youâre not a typical mother, are you?â
âAnd you are not a typical son⌠I was actually looking forward to meeting you, to see if you inherited anything from me. And you did, that mind of yours is spectacular⌠Itâs a shame that you waste it the way you do.â
âHow am I wasting my intelligence then?â
She snorted, âYouâre quick to judge the world, too quick. Youâre impulsive, but I guess you got that from your father⌠But youâre thinking too small. You use your brilliant mind to mess with people, watch them slowly tie a rope around their necks with your tricks, instead of doing anything proactive. Youâre just so passive. Why didnât you try to actively go after Dumbledore? Why didnât you actively try to impact magical Britain to make it serve your needs when you graduate. You certainly could, carve out a small piece of the world, a heaven for your own desires⌠You try to distance yourself from the game, while messing with people left and right, finding pressure points, and not use them. You live your life on a knifeâs edge, not accomplishing anything without it being a reaction, not realizing even a fraction of your potential.â
âThen I should have been like you, then? Take over werewolf packs and ministries like some kind of shadow leader?â
âNo, you should have a goal, an ambition to follow⌠Something to strive towards instead of just trying to find out what Dumbledore is planning and paranoia about being used as someone elseâs pawn.â
That struck home, oddly enough. When was the last time he had a proper goal to strive towards? Sure, he wanted to be remembered, to be someone important, to discover the mysteries of magic⌠But he hadnât built a new artefact in months⌠He hadnât challenged himself without it being a crisis for so longâŚ
No, this wasnât about him⌠He would deal with that later. Now, the main issue was Lily, âMaybe youâre right, but youâre still trying to distract me. Tell me what you really want from me?â
The redhead chuckled bitterly, âNo. Maybe youâre right, maybe I was planning on betraying you in a dramatic fashion⌠Maybe I was planning to sacrifice you for some obscure ritual⌠But maybe I just wanted to be a mother to you, to experience what it was like to be my son and you spit on my face⌠Thatâs your punishment⌠You donât get to know. Maddening, isnât it? Youâre like me⌠You need to know, to unearth the truth⌠Not knowing is like this itch on the back of your head, one that you canât scratch... Maybe you revealed an enemy⌠Maybe you lost the chance at having someone to relate to and one of the greatest allies against your enemies. Youâll never ever know⌠I'm not going to fight you because I know for sure that you'll regret this. One day, you will wake up alone and in danger, and you will see just how much you messed up. You will come to me, begging for help, and I hope, for your sake, that I will be in a generous mood then. I will not fight you because there's no reason to... No matter what you think my plans are, you will always come back to me.â
She turned and started to walk away, âI will admit that I'm not a good person. I've done my share of atrocities and I haven't hidden any of them. But you're not a saint either, Harry. You have lied, just as I did, made hidden plans, just like you did, and manipulated people for my own ends, just like you have. And as much as you dislike me, all the paths you take, if you survive your journey, will lead to you becoming me⌠Donât worry, just give it time... One day, you'll wake up and see me in the mirror and I hope you remember this moment when you do...â
And just like that, she was gone, leaving Harry just as confused as he was irritated. This had definitely not gone well, and he might have just lost his biggest supporterâŚ
This was a fucking mess.
AN: I don't really like the resolution of this... Especially the way that Harry reacted, then again, he didn't really have time to think about what Daphne told him and he's not really rational when it comes to Dumbledore, since he tried to kill him and all. I rewrote this chapter twice and this was the best I could come up with. Anyway, I might rewrite this part, and I'd really appreciate your suggestions with this and if you could tell me what feels off...
Comments
Darren Burns
Harry reacted just as I would of weather she likes it or not lily did betray harry by making a deal with dumbledore
Delltree100
Has Harry lost a great supporter or has Lily lost a chance to do a good thing? I'm pretty sure Harry has a plan for Lily's betrayal and little by little he finds the truth. Prophecies are absolute, especially those made by a god. Lily is a purely logical woman who has forgotten what stubbornness and illogical determination can do, she is too accustomed to her plans going perfectly that it has made her arrogant and slightly careless.
