| Jarvey
Join Date: May 2008 Location: Leicester, UK
Posts: 567
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Krysta Hedwig
Sixth Year | 
Hi guys. Sorry it's been so long. xxxx
Chapter 23: …Beware of A Big Surprise
"What do you think of my tail?"
Harry rolled over and looked into the yellow eyes that smiled at him.
"It's nicer than your last one." he told her.
"I like her ears." Announced Ron stroking them affectionately.
"He's been doing that for two days." Hermione informed him, shaking her head with a smile.
"The sun will be up soon." She told him. Harry looked of the hourglass-shaped window. She was right.
"We're running out of time and little sister's coming soon. We have to get ready for her."
"My sister or your sister?" he asked. She shrugged.
"Both I think." She said sleepily.
"You're tired." He said and she demonstrated by lying down, staring at the horizon through the window.
"I like her ears." Ron said again.
"So you think he knows, Harry?" she asked in a quiet voice. He looked at Ron who still played with Hermione's ears.
"He wishes it. But he's willing to wait." She smiled.
"There's too much to do, you see." She murmured. He nodded. He understood.
"Too much has to pass before I can tell him." She added.
"I like her ears." Ron repeated.
"I have to tell you something, Harry." he lay down close to her and she took his hand.
"You have to stay behind, when the moment comes."
"I have to stay." He agreed.
"That's how it has to be." She added, and he nodded sadly. "Blood is thicker than water, Harry. It's all about blood. It's always been about blood."
"Why me?"
"That's how it has to be." She told him again.
"I don't want to leave you or little sister."
"I know."
"It's all about blood."
"Yes."
"He'll be with you." He told her, moving his face closer. She nodded softly.
"He's always with me." He smiled.
"I like her ears."
"I suppose I ought to get going then." He announced looking through the window again. The slightest hint of gold had appeared over the hill.
"Before you go…"
He turned back around to face her and she moved her face close to his. Close enough that they touched softly. This was goodbye.
"I like her ears…"
Harry woke with a start, crying out-loud. He stared around him at the anxious faces, total bewilderment taking hold of him. He clambered unsteadily to his feet, taking in his surroundings in confusion. Where was he? He touched his lips; somehow her touch seemed to linger there. He caught sight of Ron curled up on the floor a few feet away, his knees drawn up to his chin. A stab of guilt ran through him. Why had he dreamt that? He wasn't supposed to have dreams like that…not about her. But it hadn't really been like that. It hadn't…had it? Was there such a thing as a lover's kiss between friends?
"Harry?"
He spun around to face the speaker. It was Krys who watched him with concern. "You alright?" she asked. He nodded.
"Just a…just a dream I…I don't know…what's happening?" he asked. She studied him for a few more seconds.
"She's been gone for an hour or so. We're hoping it won't be long. Time is short." She told him and he nodded. Yes, that was it. Hermione had gone for potion supplies. Her small feline form slipping out of the door which Harry had opened from a distance drawing the attention of only two vamps, who hadn't noticed the lynx slipping through the shadows. Fred and George had seen to that.
Finally the sneaking around and secretive behaviour of the twins had revealed. As it turned out they had been planning the end of year feast of the century. All year they had been working on a brand new fireworks display. The contents of the mysterious bag they’d been carrying had been some of their prototypes and this was how they’d executed their distraction.
The entire bag had been thrown into the pool at the base of the Slytherin statue. It took barely seconds after the almighty explosions began for the entire hoard of vampires to begin panicking. Mortally afraid of fire, their temporary state of catatonia had given Harry and Hermione the opportunity they so desperately needed. By the time the dark abominations had reached the door, Harry had already closed it again; it was like having a remote control voice.
"She's close." He agreed, nodding.
"How do you know?" Krys asked. Harry touched his lips again and smiled.
"I just know."
*
He was right. Ten minutes later Hermione lay gasping for breath in a heap on the floor surrounded by staff and students. With a shaking arm she handed a shoulder bag to Professor Snape who glanced at her with a little concern for a second, before disappearing from sight. Ron immediately gripped her hand as it became free and she fell against him.
"Oh Lord." He breathed in horror. He held up his other hand in alarm. It was stained crimson with blood and several people gasped.
"It's…not…mine." Hermione managed to gasp in between sharp breaths. She struggled slightly but managed to face Professor McGonagall. Harry couldn't miss the desperate fear in Hermione's eyes.
"Professor Dumbledore…he's…" she gulped in some air and let out a moan. Harry quickly moved forward and took her other arm, so she was supported between her friends. Professor McGonagall stepped forward eagerly.
"Yes, Miss Granger?"
"He's…" she breathed deeply and deliberately and Harry could feel her begin to regain some of her strength.
"He's still alive."
Professor McGonagall's hands flew to her face, the relief flooding into her eyes.
"Where is he? Hermione where is he? How much blood has he lost?" It was Krysta. She was irrational.
"Hey back off!" Ron cried angrily, moving in between Krys and Hermione. He seemed livid and Harry couldn't help feeling the same way. Harry was as worried as anyone about Dumbledore, but Hermione was clearly in some state of stress or shock. After what she'd been through in the last few hours, Harry wasn't surprised.
After a short staring match with Ron - which he actually won - Krysta wandered off a little distance to the edge of their safety perimeter where a single glare from her, sent a vampire scurrying several feet in the other direction.
"Wow, they're really scared of her." Said Ron, watching her go. Sirius snorted a little. He'd clearly given up his Animagus form permanently. Everyone had seen him now anyway.
"So would you be if you were a vampire, and you'd seen what she does to their kind. She burned one from the inside out once. Slowly watched him crumble to nothing in agony. It took over an hour. She watched the whole time."
Ron gulped a little and looked very glad he wasn't a vampire.
"What did it do?" asked Harry in horror. Sirius' face looked downcast and he was silent before answering.
"It killed a child." He answered and Harry's face fell. In the back of his mind something clicked and a name came into his mind.
"Kye." He spoke quietly and Sirius looked up. "It killed Kye…didn't it?" Sirius visibly swallowed the lump in his throat and he turned from them, moving away. Harry closed his eyes, sensing the grief.
"Who's Kye?" whispered Ron, looking confused. Harry took a deep breath and lowered his voice so only Ron could hear.
"Their daughter."
Ron's mouth fell open in horror and shock. No words came out. What could he have said?
The atmosphere in the Chamber of Secrets was suddenly very cold.
"How long?"
"Longer if you keep asking me that, Black." Hissed Snape. Sirius turned on his heel and faced away from the small bubbling cauldron.
"Is there going to be enough?" Krys asked. Snape didn't answer or look up. He just kept stirring gently. The silence was uncomfortable.
*
Someone was calling his name.
"Harry! Harry! Where are you?"
He blinked. Sunlight was sleepily flickering above him. They continued to call.
"Harry! Answer if you can hear us!"
He just wanted to sleep. He lay there staring up at the broken rays of light that filtered through the barren trees; cold wintry sunshine that gave no warmth, just enough light to know that it was day.
"Harry!"
Who was that? Why couldn't he feel anything? Why couldn't he remember anything? Where the hell was he?
Something scuttled over his leg making him shake it in panic and he managed to raise himself to a sitting position. He winced. Everything hurt: his back, neck and leg muscles screamed in protest as he tried to get to his feet. He stayed where he was on the woodland floor, blinking hard. His glasses were gone and everything was in a blur. How the hell did he get here? The last he remembered was…
And then it hit him like a freight train.
She was still down there.
"You know you can't hurt him, Tom. Let him go."
Her voice echoed through his mind and he covered his face in a pointless attempt to either wipe the memory or enhance it. He couldn't decide which.
"Get out of here!"
"I'm not going to leave you down here with them!"
"Go Harry! Find Dumbledore. Just go!"
"No!"
He held his head in his hands and shook it slowly. How could he have left her there to die? How could he have closed the door on her tomb like that?
Because she told you to.
Yes she had told him to. Constantly shaking, Harry staggered and stumbled to his feet, grabbing a nearby tree-trunk for support, he let out a moan of despair.
"Harry! Harry!"
"Harry!"
Another voice had joined the first and an ounce of recognition crossed Harry's consciousness.
"Sirius?"
He was shocked to find that his voice was practically none existent. It came out as a hoarse, deep rumble that was barely recognisable as human.
"Sirius!"
He tried again and this time his vocal chords seemed to co-operate a little more, though just a little.
"Harry!"
The voice sounded farther away and Harry panicked. They were going the wrong way.
"Sirius!" he cried again, desperately and fighting tears. They were going to miss him completely.
"Harry?"
"Sirius! I'm here!" he cried again, his voice breaking the last words off in a rumbling whisper.
To Harry's relief he could hear the crunching of running footsteps in the undergrowth not too far away. He could hear the snapping of twigs and the thumping of large feet on the hard winter soil.
"Over here!" he wailed again, his voice beginning to sound a little stronger.
The sounds stopped.
"Shout again Harry. We'll follow your voice!" he heard his Godfather yelling through the trees. He sounded far away again.
"Over here! Sirius! I'm here!" he cried again, beginning to panic once more. He heard the thumping of feet again; two sets, one heavy one light. Harry's heart skipped as he realised they were getting closer now.
"Keep shouting!" Sirius called again and Harry responded eagerly.
"Here! I'm here! Over here!"
He carried on yelling, whatever random words came into his head.
"I'm here, I'm here. She's still there, still down there, she made me! Made me leave! Made me leave her! Wouldn't leave with me! Find Dumbledore! Find Dumbledore!"
He kept yelling and shouting. Delirium had taken over him completely now and even when a blanket was being placed around him and hot liquid forced into his mouth he was still shouting out.
"She, she still there…with them! With them!" he wailed as arms encircled him
"Harry it's alright. You're safe now. You're safe." He carried on mumbling random thoughts, but his yelling ceased and as he was half led, half carried through the Forest his random burbling and mumbling continued and didn't stop until finally the shock got the better of him, and he passed into unconsciousness once more.
Someone was stroking his hand. He breathed out gently and murmured slightly.
"He's coming 'round."
He recognised that voice immediately.
"Ron?" he croaked.
"Hush, don't say anything. You must be in shock." That was Hermione's voice he thought as the hand holding his gave it a gentle squeeze.
Harry closed his eyes and smiled, relaxing into the soft mattress. Instinct more than conscious knowledge told him he was once again in the Infirmary.
"We got out." He murmured and felt the hand holding his let go suddenly. There was a sob and he heard feet running quickly from his bedside. He opened his eyes and was shocked to find that Hermione was gone. Ron moved closer and gave him an uncomfortable lop-sided smile.
"Harry, there's…some things you should know." Harry opened his eyes properly and tried to sit up gain. Ron didn't stop him.
"What happened?" he asked, dreading what the answer may be. For Hermione to run away like that…Harry wasn't sure he wanted to know. Ron looked even more uncomfortable. He looked sideways and grabbed a chair from behind him. He pulled it close to Harry's bed so he could talk in a low voice.
"Harry after we all left you in the Chamber…" Ron began in a deep voice. Harry thought how grown up his voice sounded. He nodded.
"There was barely enough potion to go around. We were lucky." He commented. Ron shook his head.
"Not that lucky. The potion worked but some people were already changing back by the time we'd reached the surface. Its kinda hazy…I was a pixie for god's sake." He continued keeping his voice as low as he could. Harry listened his eyes wide in concern.
"But you made it to the surface?" Harry asked. Ron nodded but his face still looked grave. The vampires had followed us up. I guess they're not as stupid as we thought. It was already dark…whilst the rest of us flew off into the forest the people changing back into humans…" Ron's voice trailed off as though he didn't have the courage to finish.
Harry's mouth opened and closed in horror, his eyes welling with tears.
"No." he whispered. He couldn't believe it. "How many?" he asked in as solid a voice as he could muster.
"Harry I…"
"How many Ron?" he asked insistently and a few faces looked up from neighbouring beds at Harry's raised voice. Ron pursed his lips fighting with the decision; to answer the question or not.
"Over fifty people haven't been found yet." He finally replied. Harry closed his eyes and cursed silently under his breath. That was nearly half a house. He couldn't breath. He swallowed hard, trying to fight the tears, unable to draw breath he whimpered and choked.
"Harry there's…something else." Ron continued cautiously. Harry looked at him nervously and saw Ron looked white as a sheet. He looked sicker than Harry had ever seen him, and Harry had watched Ron vomit slugs before now.
"What is it?" Harry asked, again fearing the answer. Ron was shaking his head and for the first time since knowing Ron Weasley, Harry watched a tear roll down his friend's cheek.
"Is it the people? The one's who are still missing?" he asked slowly and carefully.
Inside he was praying the answer would be a 'no', but deep down he already knew the answer. Ron nodded and Harry's heart stopped beating long enough to make his chest burn. With fifty people missing…the chances were they knew some of them. Ron took a deep breath.
"Dean…" he began, his voice weak. Harry felt another pull inside his chest. He nodded, barely able to see.
"Lavender…Angelina…" Harry murmured and whimpered "…Neville…"
"Oh god." He whispered, his voice non-existent. Ron sniffed and to Harry's horror, the list of names continued.
"Colin…Susan…Cho…"
Harry sobbed
"Heather…"
His hands covered his mouth in pure terror and disbelief. This couldn't be happening.
"And Harry…"
Ron was close to full-blown tears. Harry blinked hard to clear his vision. Nothing could prepare him for this. Ron closed his eyes and then opened them again looking directly at his friend.
"Fred…and Ginny."
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