Story: The Titans of Secrets
Chapter Twenty Eight: Change of Path

"Gi–Gilligan–? How–? Why–?" Harry stuttered. Riddle laughed mockingly in the background.

"You see Harry Potter, I can be very persuasive," he said, emphasizing the word 'I'. "Young Gilligan just needed a little bit of reminding that his family no longer cares for him."

"That's not true, I am afraid Tom," Dumbledore retorted, placing a hand on Harry's shoulder. Riddle rolled his dark eyes.

"Shut it you old fool. Now give me that cloak of yours Potter!" he boomed, pointing his wand at them. Gellert approached them and pointed Dumbledore's wand at Harry.

"Give it and you will be set free," Gellert intimidated. Dragonfly took a step forward but Riddle sharply turned his wand at her.

"One more step and consider yourself unlucky, girl!" Gritting her teeth, Dragonfly looked around. There seemed to be no escape now. If she were to even move a muscle, Riddle would kill her. Dumbledore and Harry were armless. Oh if only she could perform wandless, non-verbal magic. Wandless. Gilligan still had a wand, didn't he? Hoping that her friend would look her way, she slowly jerked her head.

It worked. Gilligan's misty green eyes caught her brown orbs and he winked. Dragonfly was puzzled; she did not tell him anything, did she?

"All right, Sixteen. Seems like your brother won't give up that cloak. Just grab it from him and we will let him go," Riddle said lazily. Gilligan nodded at him, causing a lump to form in Dragonfly's throat. He was still on their side and could not be trusted!

"Give me dad's cloak, Harry," he ordered. Harry's lips quivered. "I think I must take it by brute force –"

"Why, Gilligan? Answer me. . . I'll give it to you. . ." Harry whispered. Dragonfly could not hear his tone of hurt.

"Because Harry, no one! Not even a single soul except maybe Ginny, really wanted to ask 'how are you?'! Not you, nor mum nor dad! They were just worried sick about you but not about me! They expected me, the youngest Potter and an underage wizard, to take care of you and protect you even at the cost of my life! Was I born to be your bodyguard?! Or am I just a spare?

"And you! You aren't the old Harry you were before! You are so self-centered that you did not once care about what I was doing! I used the excuse of being sick to meet up with Riddle and Grindelwald but you never visited me or made sure that I was doing okay. . . Everyone loves you. . . Because you are the star of Puddlemere United. . . Why, even Ginny loves you! The only one who even cares about me loves my brother over me!"

Gilligan's words caused a great tide of guilt to wash over Dragonfly. Her knees felt weak when she recollected the time when he told her how wrong he felt. She bit back her apology knowing all too well that her identity would be revealed to several people.

"Gilligan –" Harry started but was interrupted.

"Enough, Harry! I've had enough! Now I know you will never trust me! I've broken the trust of everyone who loved me so it's better I turn dark. Yes, that's the only way to pacify my hurt," he lashed out before pointing his wand at Harry. Dragonfly felt truly helpless. She did not know what to do and how to stop Harry from getting hurt. It seemed that a Wendigo was chasing her and she had met a terrible dead end. "You'll get out of here alive. Riddle keeps his word and mum will be so delighted that her favorite son returned. Now, I need that cloak." Gilligan aimed his wand at Harry who did nothing to defend himself. "Stupe – Reducto!"

Shocked as anyone would be when Gilligan turned around at the last moment and sent the reductor curse at the shaft, Dragonfly froze. The shaft creaked before raining down in brash. The Unspeakable immediately threw her wand in the air. "Protego Totalum!" An invisible shield formed and her vision went hazy. The ash lifted and swirled in the air but she had not a moment to breath.

"Argentea Nebulus!" The silver Phoenix shot out of her wand and flew to a few feet away. She had commanded it to show where Riddle and Gellert were. "Petrificus Totalus! Incarcerous!" She cast spells in a single breath which she would have otherwise thought impossible had it not been the situation she was in. A heavy thud followed just as ropes shot out of her wand and disappeared in the fog. "Harry Potter?" she called out.

"Here." His voice came before someone grabbed her free hand. The sound of footsteps approached them and she looked around in panic. However the dust and the fog made it hard for her to spot anything.

"Can you hear that?" she asked.

"I can," Harry replied.

"Concentrate Dragonfly, Harry. Use your hearing," Dumbledore advised. Dragonfly closed her eyes and tried to concentrate. The sound was coming from behind her. One by one, with the hunger of a beast it approached them. Beast. . .

"Behind you!" Harry shouted and she spun around.

"Stupefy!" The red beam illuminated the monstrous face of the Wendigo for a second, its wine eyes looking even more terrifying in the scarlet light. It did not deter and panic coursed through her.

"Spells won't work on Wendigos!" Dumbledore informed.

"Dragonfly, mist!" Harry suggested and Dragonfly obliged.

"Argentea Nebulus! Accio wands!" Her silver Phoenix shot out of her wand for not the first time that day and she dropped Harry's hand to catch the four wands which came flying to her. She passed one to Dumbledore and proffered the other one to Harry just as the Phoenix charged at the Wendigo, temporarily blinding it.

"Argentea Nebulus! Incendio!" Harry exclaimed and a black and blazing bird flew out of the tip of his illuminated wand. The Wendigo flailed back, swinging its fur-less paws around in its blindness. Harry passed her a vial. "Throw it at the Wendigo and break it before it hits the beast. I don't have enough strength. Do it, Dragonfly! Now!" he ordered. Without questioning him, she threw it at the monster but before she could break it, another voice helped her.

"Reducto!" It was Gilligan's curse.

The sound of the glass breaking into a million pieces was heard before the Wendigo let out an ungodly roar – the same sound she heard the night she rescued Harry in the Forbidden Forest.

A wave was heard followed by the sound of being pulled in. The haze thinned and she looked at Dumbledore who had gotten rid of the mist she and Harry had produced. Dragonfly looked at the Wendigo and saw nothing but two antlers on the ground. She turned to Harry.

"What was that?"

"Heat inducing potion. My incendio along with it has burnt it till nothing but its antlers is left. Wendigos are weak to heat and I figured having one potion on me was safer," he replied. Dragonfly was about to compliment him when a low groan of pain was heard before someone crashed to the ground. She wheeled around to look at Gilligan on the ground, wincing in hurt. Harry ran to him. "Gilligan!"

"What's happening to him?" Dragonfly asked Dumbledore but it was someone else who answered.

"A curse was placed upon him when he signed a magical contract initiated by Tom Riddle. It will slowly drain his magical core." Out of the shadows stepped another hooded figure: Silverflight.

"Silverflight! Please help my brother, ma'am!" Harry pleaded, rubbing Gilligan's palm. Silverflight shook her head.

"I am afraid I don't have the necessary qualifications, Mr Potter. But I know of someone else who can cure your brother."

"Who is it? Please! Please call them! Please! I'll do anything! Please!" His voice was desperate as Dragonfly's lips curled downwards. Silverflight gave him a reassuring smile as Dragonfly approached them, Dumbledore behind her. "Sir! Please help Gilligan! I'm sorry about him but please save him! I beg you!" he pleaded Dumbledore next.

"Harry –" But Dumbledore could not complete his sentence. A wind rushed against them and there stood Blackburn. The newly arrived Unspeakable knelt down in front of Gilligan and started muttering complex charms under his breath. Everyone waited with bated breath as the time passed without a trace. Some time later, Gilligan opened his eyes. Dragonfly let out a sigh of relief and Harry hugged his brother.

"Thank you, Blackburn sir!" Harry thanked the smiling Unspeakable.

"I'm sorry, brother. . ." Gilligan apologized weakly.

"No. . . I'm so glad you are okay." Dragonfly could not help but smile at Harry when he uttered those words. Although she felt betrayed, internally, she was very happy that Gilligan was alright.

"Right. Can I have your attention?" Blackburn asked. Everyone looked at him and Dumbledore greeted him solemnly. "Headmaster Dumbledore, I return your greetings with utmost respect. I have a favour to ask of you, sir."

"I would be honoured to help you, Unspeakable Blackburn," Dumbledore replied, a twinkle was back in his electric blue eyes.

"Right. I need you to escort Gilligan back to Hogwarts now and let him rest. He will be fine within a day, I can assure you that."

Dumbledore nodded and helped Gilligan up. Blackburn passed them a portkey. "Thank you, Unspeakables Blackburn, Silverflight and Dragonfly. You too, Harry. I will be grateful to you four." And the aged Headmaster disappeared along with the youngest Potter. Dragonfly turned to look at Blackburn but he was looking at where Riddle and Gellert where tied up, petrified.

"Good job, Dragonfly, Shade," Silverflight appreciated, winking at Dragonfly and the reality dawned on her.

"Shade!" she squeaked out, looking at a sheepish looking Harry.

"I don't think I can be an Unspeakable anymore, right?" he asked addressing Blackburn. The latter shook his head.

"I am afraid you are right, Harry Potter."

"Speaking of that, we just remembered something! Come on Unspeakable Blackburn sir, we must complete it!" Silverflight exclaimed before dragging a confused Blackburn away. She winked at Dragonfly again before disappearing into one of the several shelves.

Dragonfly turned to look at Harry who met her gaze. "I think since I know who you are, it's only fair you know who I am too," she said.

"But – you'll lose your job, Dragonfly."

"I am no Unspeakable without you, Shade." And she closed her eyes.

Cliffhanger again lol. Two more chapters to the end.

Gilligan got his redemption. Sort of. I hope it was okay. His character aesthetic will make much more sense now (the Reducto part).

Your thoughts on this chapter? Comment!

Thank you for reading!

Miyoko x