Harry Potter, Dark Wizard? The wizarding world has long had cause to wonder. No need here to detail his suspect entry into the most recent TriWizard Tournament, or the fact that he's more than once escaped reprisals for violating the laws controlling under-age magic. Events surrounding Potter have long been suspiciously fishy. Now, however, the Prophet has proof of what we all suspected.
According to an anonymous source from within Hogwarts itself, Potter has been incanting in nothing but Parseltongue ever since he recovered from his encounter with He-Who-etc. and his followers this past November. Even more shocking, any professor at Hogwarts who tried to discourage the practice has been threatened with dismissal.
Harry started skimming, looking for the most damning bits. There actually wasn't much substance to the story; much of the space in the article was taken up with background that everyone knew and with old pictures of Harry from the Tri-Wizard Tournament.
"That ungrateful bastard!" Ron exclaimed as he read over Hermione's shoulder.
"Ronald!" she admonished.
"Well, it's true," Ron whispered furiously. "Harry could have had Aran brought up on full charges for what he did, not to mention humiliate him in front of the whole Board of Governors and make it so that no one would ever hire that git to teach again. And then he turns around and does this!"
Harry hadn't noticed any proof that Aran was behind the article, but Ron seemed sure and Warren had also insinuated as much, so he read on, looking for some.
Our source inside Hogwarts, who would speak only on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals, said that he believes Potter and his adopted brother, Draco Snape, formerly Malfoy, learned the Dark Arts from their adoptive father, Severus Snape, a former Death Eater spy.
'Just look at the facts,' the source said. 'They're as plain as the nose on Snape's face. Potter and the Malfoy boy [sic Draco Snape] were down in those dungeons with that man for months. They weren't seen by a single soul during all that time. Even the headmaster was barred from entry. And then the next thing we know, Malfoy [sic Draco Snape] was accused of murdering a girl! I don't have thing against either one of them; they were both fine boys before Snape got his hands on them.
'But apparently the staff here thinks whatever Snape taught them is fine. When they came back to classes, Potter was using that filthy dark language for all his spells and nobody said so much as a word of objection. You never know what it is that he's actually casting. He might be pouring hexes left and right, for all we know. But the boys act like it's just fine and proper and they've corrupted the other students into thinking the same! It's time the public knew just what sort of school Albus Dumbledore has been running. He could have taken the lead here in condemning these aberrant magical practices. Instead, he's been rewarding Potter and Malfoy [sic Draco Snape] with ice-cream parties! It's an outrage, through and through!'
The source also said, off the record, that he caught the brothers cheating with a dark artefact and that they attacked him when he tried to take it away. The incident was then covered up by the school and ever since, the source has been constantly watched and threatened to prevent him from saying anything.
"I thought 'off the record' meant something wasn't going to be printed," Harry mumbled.
"Well, clearly Aran is a fool to have trusted Skeeter at all," Hermione put in. "But we'll show her--"
Harry pretended to study the article while he thought about that. "Um . . . brilliant idea, but don't you think she's got herself registered by now?"
Glancing around to see if he was still being stared at, Harry noticed Draco stomping his way over from the Slytherin table.
"She must have," said Ron, his hands balling into fists. "Otherwise she'd never have had the nerve to print that big bloody load of lies, would she now? Just look at it! Facts all screwed up, a right ugly headline over the whole thing, and just like before with Malfoy, a so-called source whose head is stuck straight up his arse!"
Draco had arrived by then, but he didn't react to Ron's comment. Instead, he shouldered his way in next to Harry and dropped a roll of parchment on top the newspaper as he sat down. "Good thing Severus got us that solicitor, Harry. Have Hedwig deliver this, will you? We'll sue Skeeter, the Daily Prophet, and Aran for libel!"
Harry sighed. He knew that his brother meant well, but this was clearly another instance of his impulse control issue. They couldn't bring anyone to court without revealing things that needed to be kept secret.
"What do you mean you've both got a solicitor?" asked Ron, his eyebrows drawing together. "What would you lot need a solicitor for?"
Uh-oh. Harry's arms started itching even worse. Unable to stand it, he gave up scratching and started more-or-less clawing at one spot on his left arm. He'd have given his vault for a needle right then, but now it seemed like every eye in the Great Hall was on him. He certainly wasn't going to transfigure anything using Parseltongue. Even though no one would know what he was doing, they'd stare at him simply for doing it!
"My fortune's been restored to me, and more than that you don't need to know," said Draco calmly.
It was one thing to say that, but sooner or later Ron would have to know, Harry supposed. How was Ron going to feel to know that Harry had had loads of money to give away, and he'd given it all to Draco?
After a few moments another hand stilled his. Harry looked up, a little bit alarmed, but no one else seemed to realise that his brother had reached under the table and grabbed his wrist.
"Harry," said Draco in a low voice. "I think we'd better go find Severus."
Harry nodded shakily and reached out to grab the newspaper so they could bring it along. He noticed there was actually blood under his fingernails. Draco saw it too, he thought.
But nobody else, thank God.
Harry and Draco had almost reached the front of the hall when a commotion at the head table grabbed everyone's attention. Snape was stalking toward Aran, a copy of the Prophet clenched in his hand. He looked for all the world like some apocalyptic angel of death. Robes flapping behind him, boots clicking ominously on granite, his face was contorted into a mask of rage the likes of which Harry hadn't seen since Snape had caught him poking into his private memories the year before.
Harry wondered if he'd looked as frightened and ready to bolt as Aran did, now. The man jumped to his feet, but then seemed to realise he had no hope of getting away. In the next moment, he actually closed his eyes, just like a small child who thought that if he didn't see the monster, it couldn't see him.
Severus Snape saw him all right. His angry black gaze was focused on nothing else. Walking straight up to the man until he stood just a few feet away, Snape raised his wand and held it levelled at Aran's throat.
Oh, God. Harry started to hold his breath. His father was going to kill Aran. Right here, right now, in front of hundreds of witnesses. Draco must have thought the same; he cried out with a strangled sort of squeak.
Snape's stance remained rigid, his wand arm not wavering in the slightest as he called out in a booming voice, "Aaron Alexandros Aran! You have publicly slandered me! You have cast dishonour upon my good name! You have reviled my son for the world at large to see! In front of all these witnesses, I demand satisfaction as is my right!"
Aran's eyes snapped open. "What? You-- I-- I did nothing of the sort!"
Snape took the paper clenched in his other hand and stepping forward two quick strides, smacked Aran in the face with it. "Do you deny being the scurrilous source for this disgusting rag of a periodical?"