mickume/harry_potter_tiny · Datasets at Hugging Face

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The boy was unfazed. There was a void in those red eyes.
"How could you get rid of yourself?", he asked and it sounded like a riddle. She hated riddles.
"I’m going to kill you!", her screams echoed around her as if they came back to her.
"When I am at my weakest, I am at my strongest", he hissed. Another riddle.
Lightning came to her. Very weak. Her body trembled. She couldn’t hold it in. It was in her veins like many other times before, but it felt different. It was slipping from her. They ran in a circle around each other, all the time his hands were kept behind his back. The boy mostly looked bored.
"They never showed you your true nature and when it pushed through, they thought you to fear it. I will make you unlearn this".
Flames appeared and surrounded her. He didn’t move, not even flinch. She swore he was standing still yet it was magic, and it wasn’t hers. She could never do that and it scared her. The heat drove her out of balance as her concentration broke down. The buzzing feeling in her was gone and with it the lightning as well. She stood there in horror afraid she would burn.
"The imposter tried to bring it out of you and he finally did at the end. A piece of it at least", he kept talking to her.
Astoria’s eyes widened with horror as she realized he was closer, inches away from her. Circling her. Draco did it once and it made her feel like prey. This was different. This was true fear. And a true predator faced her.
"Imposter?", she asked, trying to keep him talking.
"You saw it yourself. But you were taught not to trust yourself", he said.
Memories suddenly flashed before her eyes. Moody’s voice changed at times. The way his face sometimes twisted into a look that she had never seen before.
"Yes. Those were the clues", he smiled at her with approval. She felt repulsed by that.
"You never searched his mind to find out. I can’t tell you that".
"Why would he want to train me? For what?", she asked as if she felt he could tell her anything.
"You never searched his mind to find out", he repeated.
"What’s your name?"
"Nicola" he said.
She shivered. How could this possibly be?
"You wonder how I am in your consciousness?", he smirked. Astoria already figured he could hear her thoughts as he had clearly invaded her mind long ago but it still shocked her when he responded to them.
"I am your consciousness as you were mine. We were one for ages, long before I had this body and long before you were born in your body. We lived many lives", he said.
"An accomplished wizard", the words slipped from her mouth as she felt there could be a connection.
"Yes, that’s the standard of it. We are the only magical family to achieve immortality through generations", he said staring at her.
That’s wrong, she realized. Astoria knew she wasn’t immortal. And she knew her grandfather died. As others before him did as well. They were no gods. They were human.
"I didn’t say it was perfect", he quickly cut her train of thoughts, irritated by them. "But it connects us. We are connected. We stay like that even after death and we live on in another body with another name, but the blood is the same and so is the magic that binds us".
Blood-magic, she once heard Igor Karkaroff say it.
"Yes", Nicola confirmed that to her, "That’s how it began".
"Am I cursed?", she suddenly blurred out. It seemed like that to her.
"Every curse is a blessing, and every blessing is a curse", he replied coldly. More riddles.
"That’s a stupid way to just say "yes", Astoria sighed.
"I will help you unlock your potential. You will know more when you start to remember how you were. You will feel it as it will be familiar to you", he said and the flames rose higher.
"I’m afraid of fire", she shrieked as she could feel the heat on their skin.
"I will purge you out of fear", he said slowly, his voice cut through her.
I have to get out, she realized with horror and turned. Flames were surrounding her, heading her way from all directions. Her screams echoed as fire burned her skin, but Astoria managed to run in the darkness and hide behind one of those rocks just on time when the flames tried to crash down on her.
The last flame, she heard someone say to her one time about her grandfather. Her body hurt and somehow so did her mind. The place shook as another wave of flames surrounded her. They melted everything in their way.
There was no escape.
A month passed. They kept her alive through magic. Healers came and went, all swearing to never witness such a condition.
There is hope, Harry thought. Sometimes she would flinch, mumble in fear. He shivered the first time he heard her voice again. Draco visited sometimes but rarely. He also looked scared. A boy named Theodore Nott from Slytherin came. Some other students, most out of curiosity and Dumbledore finally forbid it. They locked her body somewhere and Harry had no idea what was happening.
That changed one night. Someone broke in the castle. It was considered impossible, yet the signs were all there. The castle’s defensive charm was breached. Like a hole in a shield. There were signs of forced entrance in her room. It caught fire and that alarmed the teachers. It was Snape who found her, her shirt open with a wound in her chest.
It got to the news. No specification about who the victim was or in what state, but there were circling speculations of an assassination attempt. Harry was convinced it was true and so was Hermione who told him about her family. They had tried to kill her.
Harry was called after that in Snape’s office. Hundreds of herbs and glass bottles filled with potions surrounded him. It was a rare sight to see. A jar behind him contained floating eyes, each one a different color. Harry flinched with disgust and Snape snapped his fingers in his face.
"Concentrate, Potter", he said.
The door opened and Dumbledore came in. Harry was so relieved to see him he even shouted as he got up to welcome him. He didn’t trust Snape and felt it was mutual.
"Thank you for coming, Harry. I hope you are well prepared for the Tournament?", Dumbledore asked politely as he sat and took out from his pocket a box of sweets. He handed one to Harry and Snape, but Snape ignored him.
"I think you’ve heard that there was an accident with Astoria’s body", he said calmly, and Harry nodded.
Sleep was rare for him after that night. Guilt ate him from the inside. Fear visited and his thoughts circled around her and the coming Tournament, just days ahead of him.
"We think there is a way to get her out of this state", Snape said and then slowly added, "With your help".
If he knew how, he would’ve already done it. Hermione had some ideas, but they were either too risky or just not applicable to the situation. All dead-ends.
"There is a way for a wizard to infiltrate another’s consciousness. Severus here will show you how. We have tried but Astoria seems to have put her own defensive walls. We hope you can pass them as she already knows you in her mind", Dumbledore explained.
"Knows me? How?", Harry asked confused.
"You have shared minds before", Snape answered. "That is the correct way to explain it when it comes to her."
"Will you do it, Harry? We don’t want to force you and we need to warn you it could be dangerous", Dumbledore warned him.
"Good", the professor said calmly, clearly expecting this answer. "Severus is the best there could be at Legilimency – the art of breaking into one’s mind".
"We will also practice Occlumency, a skill to defend yourself from it", Snape added with a sharpness in his voice.
"I would presume so", Dumbledore responded with a soft smile and turned to Harry. "I know you were very dear to Astoria Elroy and this is why I expect you to be the only one able to reach her".
"I will do my best, professor", Harry responded immediately as he turned to Snape. The excitement died on his face.
The rest of the day Snape spent trying to penetrate his mind and then shout when succeeding. Harry was sweating with exhaustion around sunset yet all he did was scream from pain in a chair. This continued for days. Snape would mock him, humiliate him and more as he explored memories Harry didn’t wish him to see. Private moments. Progress was slow and it just felt wrong, unnatural to experience.
One day Snape took him to a different room. Astoria was lying there in a tightly made bed. She had lost weight. Her face was sickly and her lips dry. She looked dead.
"You can try now", Snape said. "But be careful. She might hurt you in her mind. If you sense danger, leave immediately", he warned him.
Harry nodded and took out his wand. Snape hit him with a book on the head like he used to do in class.
"I don’t think you heard me well, Potter. If you sense anything out of place, you leave", he hissed at him.
"I will", Harry snapped back and Snape hit him again.
"If she hurts you, it will damage your mind. If she kills you, nothing can bring you back".
"Kill me?," Harry gasped with surprise.
No response followed.
Astoria looked weak, dangerously weak. They had some rough patches in their relationship, but in their core, Harry believed to still be friends. Or so he hoped. Everything else was mistakes that others mostly pushed her to do. Astoria, in her true self, was good. Snape, however, did not share that opinion clearly as he glared at the dying girl with wrinkled eyebrows from worry.
"We don’t know what’s happening in her mind. It’s been too long", he said quietly and refused to tell more.
It took a few attempts, but Harry found himself in a dark space that wasn’t a room. There was light but he saw no source. The floor looked like it was glass as he recognized fist his reflection in it. His eyes looked tired.
Heat consumed him. Like a deadly summer afternoon. It should’ve been dark and cold, but he was sweating. Snape had warned him not to take anything off from himself or to move things in her mind. It was extremely dangerous, but he felt he was in.
Noise grabbed his attention. There was a shadow on the ground in front of him. He didn’t hesitate as all the inconveniences and questions left his mind as he ran forward.
"Astoria!", Harry screamed her name with all the air in his lungs.
It took him a while to finally reach her. He kneeled, almost crashing into her. She was badly hurt, but she looked like before. More alive, more full in a way.
Her nose was dripping blood and it looked like it was in such a state for a while. There was blood on her lips, spilling from her mouth. She was warm like fire. Her body was covered in scars, any place he could see skin shine through her clothes – was cut. Some wounds appeared older than others.
One of her eyes was scratched badly, looking swollen. Other scars looked like someone had burned her. Harry gasped from surprise, seeing the state she was in, gripping her tightly. Their eyes met and Harry felt he was going to melt from the heat.
It really was Astoria, his friend. She was alive. He could see her, feel her warm body full of life as her heartbeat echoed through him. Tears came down his face.
"Oh, Tori", he whispered and smiled.
She suddenly shook in his arms.
"Harry?", Astoria asked and she blinked at him in disbelief. Her fingers touched his face, his eyes, his lips, traced the scar on his forehead and ran through his hair. Only then did she realize he really was there. Then horror took over her expression.
Her movements were swift. Faster and stronger. She pushed him away and rose up. Her long braid falling down her left shoulder.
"You need to leave", Astoria said firmly but this wasn’t a warning, it felt like a command.
Fear flooded her eyes as she looked around. Harry stepped back, afraid as well, remembering what Snape had told him. No, he couldn’t just leave now as he just reached her.
"You’re in a comma. You need to wake up! Or you will die!", he shouted at her.
"When I am at my weakest, I am at my strongest", a foreign voice caught his attention.
There was another figure standing there. The sound of steps filled the space around them. He was far away and it looked like a shadow but Harry heard him as if he was next to him.
Harry trembled with the realization they weren’t alone.
"Who is this?", he asked, turning to look at Astoria. She didn’t seem surprised. And suddenly all her wounds had answers attached to them.
Someone kept her here and he hurts her, he realized in horror. And he was probably going to hurt him too.
"You need to leave, Harry", her voice was firm as she pushed him back.
"I can’t leave you here", he pleaded with her.
Flames surrounded them. Harry quickly tried to grab her as he knew she was afraid of fire but Astoria didn’t flinch. The flames were familiar to her as he realized where the burned marks on her skin came from.
"You need to wake up", Harry said again as he saw the shadow approach them.
"You should kill him", the voice spoke. It was a man. There was no doubt about that.
Astoria turned to Harry. Her expression was stoic. She looked calm, yet tense.
"I will come back. I just need to win", she said coldly.
Harry grabbed her arm. He was so happy to see her. To touch her. He felt her absence, he worried and now he knew all along she was fighting for her life.
"Come with me", he pleaded once more but she shrug him off.
Astoria turned to him and stared into his eyes. Driving him away as the connection felt disturbed. Suddenly, Harry found himself panting on the floor, sweat dripping from his face. Dumbledore was the first person he noticed as he grabbed him and helped him get back on his feet.
"What happened, Harry?", his voice always calm, yet he could detect worry.
"She’s not alone", he gasped, "And she’s hurt".
The fire wasn’t gone. Harry felt hot and he took of his jacket. The cold air sunk into the skin of his arms but it wasn’t enough. His breath was heavy. He couldn’t release it and when he manages, gasping for more air was even harder.

The boy was unfazed. There was a void in those red eyes.

"How could you get rid of yourself?", he asked and it sounded like a riddle. She hated riddles.

"I’m going to kill you!", her screams echoed around her as if they came back to her.

"When I am at my weakest, I am at my strongest", he hissed. Another riddle.

Lightning came to her. Very weak. Her body trembled. She couldn’t hold it in. It was in her veins like many other times before, but it felt different. It was slipping from her. They ran in a circle around each other, all the time his hands were kept behind his back. The boy mostly looked bored.

"They never showed you your true nature and when it pushed through, they thought you to fear it. I will make you unlearn this".

Flames appeared and surrounded her. He didn’t move, not even flinch. She swore he was standing still yet it was magic, and it wasn’t hers. She could never do that and it scared her. The heat drove her out of balance as her concentration broke down. The buzzing feeling in her was gone and with it the lightning as well. She stood there in horror afraid she would burn.

"The imposter tried to bring it out of you and he finally did at the end. A piece of it at least", he kept talking to her.

Astoria’s eyes widened with horror as she realized he was closer, inches away from her. Circling her. Draco did it once and it made her feel like prey. This was different. This was true fear. And a true predator faced her.

"Imposter?", she asked, trying to keep him talking.

"You saw it yourself. But you were taught not to trust yourself", he said.

Memories suddenly flashed before her eyes. Moody’s voice changed at times. The way his face sometimes twisted into a look that she had never seen before.

"Yes. Those were the clues", he smiled at her with approval. She felt repulsed by that.

"You never searched his mind to find out. I can’t tell you that".

"Why would he want to train me? For what?", she asked as if she felt he could tell her anything.

"You never searched his mind to find out", he repeated.

"What’s your name?"

"Nicola" he said.

She shivered. How could this possibly be?

"You wonder how I am in your consciousness?", he smirked. Astoria already figured he could hear her thoughts as he had clearly invaded her mind long ago but it still shocked her when he responded to them.

"I am your consciousness as you were mine. We were one for ages, long before I had this body and long before you were born in your body. We lived many lives", he said.

"An accomplished wizard", the words slipped from her mouth as she felt there could be a connection.

"Yes, that’s the standard of it. We are the only magical family to achieve immortality through generations", he said staring at her.

That’s wrong, she realized. Astoria knew she wasn’t immortal. And she knew her grandfather died. As others before him did as well. They were no gods. They were human.

"I didn’t say it was perfect", he quickly cut her train of thoughts, irritated by them. "But it connects us. We are connected. We stay like that even after death and we live on in another body with another name, but the blood is the same and so is the magic that binds us".

Blood-magic, she once heard Igor Karkaroff say it.

"Yes", Nicola confirmed that to her, "That’s how it began".

"Am I cursed?", she suddenly blurred out. It seemed like that to her.

"Every curse is a blessing, and every blessing is a curse", he replied coldly. More riddles.

"That’s a stupid way to just say "yes", Astoria sighed.

"I will help you unlock your potential. You will know more when you start to remember how you were. You will feel it as it will be familiar to you", he said and the flames rose higher.

"I’m afraid of fire", she shrieked as she could feel the heat on their skin.

"I will purge you out of fear", he said slowly, his voice cut through her.

I have to get out, she realized with horror and turned. Flames were surrounding her, heading her way from all directions. Her screams echoed as fire burned her skin, but Astoria managed to run in the darkness and hide behind one of those rocks just on time when the flames tried to crash down on her.

The last flame, she heard someone say to her one time about her grandfather. Her body hurt and somehow so did her mind. The place shook as another wave of flames surrounded her. They melted everything in their way.

There was no escape.

A month passed. They kept her alive through magic. Healers came and went, all swearing to never witness such a condition.

There is hope, Harry thought. Sometimes she would flinch, mumble in fear. He shivered the first time he heard her voice again. Draco visited sometimes but rarely. He also looked scared. A boy named Theodore Nott from Slytherin came. Some other students, most out of curiosity and Dumbledore finally forbid it. They locked her body somewhere and Harry had no idea what was happening.

That changed one night. Someone broke in the castle. It was considered impossible, yet the signs were all there. The castle’s defensive charm was breached. Like a hole in a shield. There were signs of forced entrance in her room. It caught fire and that alarmed the teachers. It was Snape who found her, her shirt open with a wound in her chest.

It got to the news. No specification about who the victim was or in what state, but there were circling speculations of an assassination attempt. Harry was convinced it was true and so was Hermione who told him about her family. They had tried to kill her.

Harry was called after that in Snape’s office. Hundreds of herbs and glass bottles filled with potions surrounded him. It was a rare sight to see. A jar behind him contained floating eyes, each one a different color. Harry flinched with disgust and Snape snapped his fingers in his face.

"Concentrate, Potter", he said.

The door opened and Dumbledore came in. Harry was so relieved to see him he even shouted as he got up to welcome him. He didn’t trust Snape and felt it was mutual.

"Thank you for coming, Harry. I hope you are well prepared for the Tournament?", Dumbledore asked politely as he sat and took out from his pocket a box of sweets. He handed one to Harry and Snape, but Snape ignored him.

"I think you’ve heard that there was an accident with Astoria’s body", he said calmly, and Harry nodded.

Sleep was rare for him after that night. Guilt ate him from the inside. Fear visited and his thoughts circled around her and the coming Tournament, just days ahead of him.

"We think there is a way to get her out of this state", Snape said and then slowly added, "With your help".

If he knew how, he would’ve already done it. Hermione had some ideas, but they were either too risky or just not applicable to the situation. All dead-ends.

"There is a way for a wizard to infiltrate another’s consciousness. Severus here will show you how. We have tried but Astoria seems to have put her own defensive walls. We hope you can pass them as she already knows you in her mind", Dumbledore explained.

"Knows me? How?", Harry asked confused.

"You have shared minds before", Snape answered. "That is the correct way to explain it when it comes to her."

"Will you do it, Harry? We don’t want to force you and we need to warn you it could be dangerous", Dumbledore warned him.

"Good", the professor said calmly, clearly expecting this answer. "Severus is the best there could be at Legilimency – the art of breaking into one’s mind".

"We will also practice Occlumency, a skill to defend yourself from it", Snape added with a sharpness in his voice.

"I would presume so", Dumbledore responded with a soft smile and turned to Harry. "I know you were very dear to Astoria Elroy and this is why I expect you to be the only one able to reach her".

"I will do my best, professor", Harry responded immediately as he turned to Snape. The excitement died on his face.

The rest of the day Snape spent trying to penetrate his mind and then shout when succeeding. Harry was sweating with exhaustion around sunset yet all he did was scream from pain in a chair. This continued for days. Snape would mock him, humiliate him and more as he explored memories Harry didn’t wish him to see. Private moments. Progress was slow and it just felt wrong, unnatural to experience.

One day Snape took him to a different room. Astoria was lying there in a tightly made bed. She had lost weight. Her face was sickly and her lips dry. She looked dead.

"You can try now", Snape said. "But be careful. She might hurt you in her mind. If you sense danger, leave immediately", he warned him.

Harry nodded and took out his wand. Snape hit him with a book on the head like he used to do in class.

"I don’t think you heard me well, Potter. If you sense anything out of place, you leave", he hissed at him.

"I will", Harry snapped back and Snape hit him again.

"If she hurts you, it will damage your mind. If she kills you, nothing can bring you back".

"Kill me?," Harry gasped with surprise.

No response followed.

Astoria looked weak, dangerously weak. They had some rough patches in their relationship, but in their core, Harry believed to still be friends. Or so he hoped. Everything else was mistakes that others mostly pushed her to do. Astoria, in her true self, was good. Snape, however, did not share that opinion clearly as he glared at the dying girl with wrinkled eyebrows from worry.

"We don’t know what’s happening in her mind. It’s been too long", he said quietly and refused to tell more.

It took a few attempts, but Harry found himself in a dark space that wasn’t a room. There was light but he saw no source. The floor looked like it was glass as he recognized fist his reflection in it. His eyes looked tired.

Heat consumed him. Like a deadly summer afternoon. It should’ve been dark and cold, but he was sweating. Snape had warned him not to take anything off from himself or to move things in her mind. It was extremely dangerous, but he felt he was in.

Noise grabbed his attention. There was a shadow on the ground in front of him. He didn’t hesitate as all the inconveniences and questions left his mind as he ran forward.

"Astoria!", Harry screamed her name with all the air in his lungs.

It took him a while to finally reach her. He kneeled, almost crashing into her. She was badly hurt, but she looked like before. More alive, more full in a way.

Her nose was dripping blood and it looked like it was in such a state for a while. There was blood on her lips, spilling from her mouth. She was warm like fire. Her body was covered in scars, any place he could see skin shine through her clothes – was cut. Some wounds appeared older than others.

One of her eyes was scratched badly, looking swollen. Other scars looked like someone had burned her. Harry gasped from surprise, seeing the state she was in, gripping her tightly. Their eyes met and Harry felt he was going to melt from the heat.

It really was Astoria, his friend. She was alive. He could see her, feel her warm body full of life as her heartbeat echoed through him. Tears came down his face.

"Oh, Tori", he whispered and smiled.

She suddenly shook in his arms.

"Harry?", Astoria asked and she blinked at him in disbelief. Her fingers touched his face, his eyes, his lips, traced the scar on his forehead and ran through his hair. Only then did she realize he really was there. Then horror took over her expression.

Her movements were swift. Faster and stronger. She pushed him away and rose up. Her long braid falling down her left shoulder.

"You need to leave", Astoria said firmly but this wasn’t a warning, it felt like a command.

Fear flooded her eyes as she looked around. Harry stepped back, afraid as well, remembering what Snape had told him. No, he couldn’t just leave now as he just reached her.

"You’re in a comma. You need to wake up! Or you will die!", he shouted at her.

"When I am at my weakest, I am at my strongest", a foreign voice caught his attention.

There was another figure standing there. The sound of steps filled the space around them. He was far away and it looked like a shadow but Harry heard him as if he was next to him.

Harry trembled with the realization they weren’t alone.

"Who is this?", he asked, turning to look at Astoria. She didn’t seem surprised. And suddenly all her wounds had answers attached to them.

Someone kept her here and he hurts her, he realized in horror. And he was probably going to hurt him too.

"You need to leave, Harry", her voice was firm as she pushed him back.

"I can’t leave you here", he pleaded with her.

Flames surrounded them. Harry quickly tried to grab her as he knew she was afraid of fire but Astoria didn’t flinch. The flames were familiar to her as he realized where the burned marks on her skin came from.

"You need to wake up", Harry said again as he saw the shadow approach them.

"You should kill him", the voice spoke. It was a man. There was no doubt about that.

Astoria turned to Harry. Her expression was stoic. She looked calm, yet tense.

"I will come back. I just need to win", she said coldly.

Harry grabbed her arm. He was so happy to see her. To touch her. He felt her absence, he worried and now he knew all along she was fighting for her life.

"Come with me", he pleaded once more but she shrug him off.

Astoria turned to him and stared into his eyes. Driving him away as the connection felt disturbed. Suddenly, Harry found himself panting on the floor, sweat dripping from his face. Dumbledore was the first person he noticed as he grabbed him and helped him get back on his feet.

"What happened, Harry?", his voice always calm, yet he could detect worry.

"She’s not alone", he gasped, "And she’s hurt".

The fire wasn’t gone. Harry felt hot and he took of his jacket. The cold air sunk into the skin of his arms but it wasn’t enough. His breath was heavy. He couldn’t release it and when he manages, gasping for more air was even harder.