It was a perfect Halloween day. Even though it was only morning, the wind was already howling and caused a slight shiver among the Hogwarts students as it passed in the windows. The one place it didn't get to, was the dungeon of Professor Snape. A fight would errupt there, in only moments, to be replaced by a storm later on. None of them knew though and class started happily, or rather as happily as a Potions class could go.
*~*~* Harry
I suppressed a groan and sat down next to Ron, who was also grumbling about our awful luck. Although all us Gryffindors had begged Professor McGonagall not to hold classes on Halloween, she wouldn't budge. And worst of all, Halloween just happened to land on the day we had Potions.
I glanced over at the other side of the room. The Slytherins, however, were grinning, happy about class. All they wanted was a chance to make Gryffindor lose even more points.
"I hate this" I told Ron.
"You can say that again" he groaned at me.
Hermione plopped down in the seat behind us. "Stop grumbling" she told us, "At least it's Halloween."
Ron sighed. "Hermione, sometimes your optimism scares me. You're the only one I know who could try to make the best of Potions."
Hermione gave a small grin. "Well, it helps a bit" she said.
"No it doesn't" argued Ron.
They were interrupted as Snape entered the room. "Good morning" he said coldly, glaring at us with his black eyes. He seemed even meaner than usual.
"I'm sure all of you know it's Halloween. And if you don't, you're even more ignorant than I imagined." He said that last sentence while glancing at Neville. Neville blushed to the roots of his hair, and buried his face in his arms.
"But that doesn't mean I'm going to let you have your fun and games" he continued. "No, we're going to be making a very complicated potion today, and if you mess up, it will affect your mark."
Our side of the room groaned, while the Slytherins snickered. Snape smiled as wide as them.
He paired us off, in horrible pairs I might add, and started rattling off instructions. I was with Pansy, Ron with Malfoy, and Hermione with Goyle.
She was close to tears. Everyone knew Goyle was completely hopeless at Potions, and Snape would surely blame Hermione for that gorilla's mistakes.
"It'll be okay" I whispered to her.
"No, it won't" she answered. "This is horrid!"
"Well, you could use some optimism now" I told her, with a grin.
She gave a small smile at that, then went back to her table.
*~*~* Ron
This was the worst that could happen. I, me of all people, was paired with Malfoy. He was going to be insulting me all lesson and there was no way he could get in trouble. So it was going to be me, staying behind and doing Snape's dirty work.
"Just great" I grumbled sarcastically as I went to join Malfoy at his table.
"Weasel" he greeted me with a sneer.
"Shut up, Malfoy" I retorted.
"That's just getting so old. Can't you think of any better comebacks?" he drawled.
I launched a string of swear words at him. Unfortunately for me, Snape came around to our table just then.
"Weasley!" he barked. "Don't use that kind of language in my class! 50 points from Gryffindor!"
I was seething with anger. Everything turned red in front of my eyes.
As soon as Snape turned his back, I punched Malfoy in the stomach. "We'll take care of this after class"
"If you're not too scared" he drawled angrily, his arms around his stomach.
The rest of the class went even worse. Malfoy somehow snuck the wrong ingrediants into our potion so that when Snape checked, it didn't work at all.
"Weasley messed up all our stuff" he told Snape while giving me an evil grin behind his back.
"Detention and 30 points from Gryffindor" he barked at me. "And if you ever sabotage anyone's work again, I'll be going to Dumbledore."
I wanted to hit him. And I would have, except the bell rang just then. Now I could take care of Malfoy.
*~*~* Hermione
I followed Harry out of class as the bell rang. It hadn't gone as bad as I had expected. I hadn't let Goyle anywhere near our potion, well, my potion so it had all worked out.
"Where's Ron?" I asked.
"Dunno" he said.
We walked up the stairs and saw a red-faced Ron tapping his foot impatiently.
"What are you doing?" I asked him.
"Waiting for Malfoy" he said angrily.
I sighed. Ron would never learn to control his temper. "What did he do this time?" I asked.
He never got a chance to answer. At that moment, Malfoy walked up, his two bodyguards behind him.
"So you showed" he sneered. "Pity. You won't be so brave, once I finished with you."
"Big words" said Harry, "but never any action."
Malfoy turned to him. "Oh you just wait and see."
Ron was grinning. I was guessing he had a plan. "Why is it that we're always the ones scared, Malfoy? How bout this time, we go see how brave you are."
"At least twice as brave as you, Weasel" he smirked at us.
"Prove it" I burst out. I was getting rather tired of this. "Prove that you're brave. Unless you're too scared to."
He glared at me. "Not at all, Mudblood."
My voice quivered slightly as I spoke my next words. "Then, tonight, during the feast, go to the Hogsmeade graveyard. We'll be following you to make sure you don't chicken out. There, you'll find a small crypt, hidden at the edge. Stay there, for an hour, and we won't doubt you again."
He glared at me, once again. "Fine" he spat, then walked away.
*~*~* Draco
Damn damn damn! I don't know why I agreed to that. I've always been scared to death of crypts, I don't know why this would be any different.
It all started when I was around 6, when one of my father's friends had died in an unfortunate accident. At least, that was what he said.
I had gone to the funeral, draped in black dress robes to show mourning. It was a quiet affair, my father approved of my behaviour for once. And even I found that I was rather good, until it was time for the burial.
They didn't bury him in the ground, as most do, but in a crypt. It was a quiet little place in a field, right in the center of the graveyard.
We all filed down, four people in the front carrying his coffin. They laid him down in the quiet crypt, and one by one, people paid their respects again, then filed out.
I was the last one to do so. Well, actually my father was, but I wanted to be just like the adults so I went after. I was quite fascinated with the coffin at the time, the different blends of wood and its shiny surface. And that there was actually a human being lying under there.
I guess I didn't hear when my father called for me, or maybe he just didn't call. Whatever the reason, while I was still studying the coffin, I heard the heavy door slam shut.
I was overcome with fear. Had they actually forgotten me down there? They wouldn't...but they already did.
I pounded with my tiny fists on the heavy stone door, shouting for help, hoping that someone would hear me. They didn't.
After a few minutes, I was exhausted and I slid down, sitting on the cold floor. It was then that I realized that I was with dead bodies.
They seemed to come alive in my fear, haunting me, the decayed bodies coming after me. A tear rolled down my cheek, followed by another, then another. I sobbed for what seemed like hours, tears of fear and lonliness.
I was still crying when they finally came back for me. My mother rushed over and swept me up in a hug, while my father stood more off to the side, a bit disapprovingly.
Like I said, I've been scared to death of crypts since then. And now, I would have to go in one.
*~*~*
After the feast, all went as planned. The three Gryffindors and the Slytherin snuck out though at different times, the three together, the Slytherin alone. By the time the Slytherin got to the graveyard, the Gryffindors were already there, waiting for him. And so started the terror that was take place later that night.
*~*~* Hermione
I waited with Harry and Ron at the entrance to the graveyard, pulling my cloak a bit tighter around me. A frigid wind swept by us, causing shivers down my spine.
A figure came closer in the darkness, and even without seeing, I could tell it was Draco.
"So you weren't too scared to come" snarled Ron.
I wanted to hit him on the head, he was being somewhat of a brat. But this was Draco we were talking about and he had never been really nice to us. And yet something just made me feel a bit guilty.
"Of course, Weasel" Draco snarled right back.
"So, go when you're ready" Harry told him.
I looked closely at Draco. Little beads of sweat were running down his face, and when I leaned in, I could see that his hair was soaked.
Could it be? Maybe he was scared? But of what? It wasn't that bad, going into a crypt. Of course, it wouldn't be something I would do, but he was a guy!
I felt a twinge of guilt. After all, I was the one who suggested that he do this. Maybe I could give him a way out.
I reached out and grabbed his arm. He whipped around, a bit surprised. He was scared, I could see it in his eyes. They were flickering around desparately, looking for a way out.
"You don't have to do this if you don't want to" I told him quietly. He looked at me, with puppy dog eyes, scared and without their usual coldness.
"Oh, but I do" he whispered back. "But it's just not something you would understand"
And he walked away, just like that, into the cold dark graveyard. A smoky fog rose up and engulfed him, though just to the waist of his robes. His cloak swirled about like a shadowy figure from a movie, and maybe in some people's minds, he was.
Now he was at the crypt. Dragging open the heavy door, he entered. And as he slammed it shut, I felt a feeling of dread. Something horrible was going to happen tonight, I could feel it. I had tried to stop it, but I couldn't. And now, it was too late.
*~*~* Draco
I almost cried as I walked into the crypt. Why did I have to force myself into this? I could've said no, Hermione even offered me a chance. But that damned pride kept me back. I wish I wasn't born into such a well known family, then I wouldn't have that pride lurking over me all the time. But I am, and I do, and there's nothing I can do about it.
I closed the door mostly, leaving only a little crack for air. Then I sat, waiting out the hour I had to stay.
I must've fallen asleep or something, for when I looked up again, I was in Malfoy Manor. It looked the way it had about ten years ago. I was confused. What was going on?
I was in the living room, sitting on the couch and sucking my thumb. I touched my face with my other hand and saw that I was crying. Small sobs escaped me, and echoed off the large room. I swung my legs on the leather couch, it was too big for me to read the ground.
A man stormed into the room, and I could see that it was my father. He seemed to be raging mad at me for his face was slightly red. And with his pale complexion, just like mine, you usually couldn't tell if he was mad. He must be enraged at me.
I gasped as I remembered it clearer. If I had the right memory, then I didn't want to see what was going to happen next.
"Do you know that you did something wrong?" my father asked, fighting to keep control in his voice.
I forced my head to nod, and to my dismay, tears were rolling down my cheeks. I refused to look up at Father, what I knew he would do was too horrible. And besides, I could feel the anger radiating off of him, I didn't want to be caught in it, though I knew I would.
"Then you know why I must punish you" said Father, this time completely losing control. His silver hair went flying, and he turned as red a tomato, though I would have never thought it able to happen.
I forced myself to nod again, starting to cry even harder. I bit my lip, hard, as my father picked up the whip.
He lashed it down, deep into my back. I cried out from the pain and collapsed onto the couch, curling up into a little ball.
Father knelt down by my side. Only what he did next never happened to me. When this had happened to me, he had apoligized for losing his temper and we cried tears of pain together. But this Father who was not really my father, he was different.
As he knelt, he whipped me again. "Let that be a lesson to you" he snarled. And he just left me there, shaking and sobbing. I sobbed softly, still shivering from the pain.
After the pain had subsided a bit, I got up to explore a bit. I knew that I was about five, but why was I here?
Suddenly the room burst into flame, fire licking at my heels. I froze, then shaking myself awake, went to collect some of my more cherished items.
Father entered the room, unaware of the fire in the room. Even though he had performed a cruel act upon me only a few moments ago, he was my Father and I couldn't leave him to die.
"Father, there's a fire!" My words came out in a squeaky voice. I cursed silently, but ignored it. I tugged on his sleeve, trying to get him to listen to me.
"What?" he roared. His face turned a dark shade of red and horns spouted from his head. His hair turned dark black and a moustache of the same colour grew on his face. I backed off, scared, and tripped over a ridge in the carpet. Devils, big and small, loomed over me, while the fire burned, sending smoke into my eyes. I closed them, ridding my vision of the evil characters.
When I opened them again, I was back in the crypt, all by myself. I shook my head, trying to clear it. How could that have happened? It wasn't even like I remembered. And I hadn't thought about that in over five years. So why did I happen to remember it now?
As I was buried in my thoughts, someone entered the room. Footsteps sounded and stopped right in front of me.
"Who are you?" I asked, looking up.
The figured laughed, the threw off his hood. "Me, boy? I, am the Devil"
*~*~* Harry
I looked over the graveyard. Not a soul moved in that quiet place, and I shivered slightly at the thought.
Turning back to Ron and Hermione, I saw that they were both silent, perhaps absorbed in their thoughts.
I tapped Hermione on the shoulder. She whipped around to face me, her face surprised.
"Oh, Harry, it's you" She shook her head slightly, her hair almost whipping me.
"Of course it's me. Who else would it be?" She seemed preoccupied somehow. I don't know with what though, after all it was Halloween. And we didn't have any homework, at least, I don't think we did.
"What's wrong Herm?" I asked, making another stab at conversation.
She had a surprised look on her face when she turned around to face me. Why was she so surprised? I'd been right here the whole evening.
"Whatever makes you think something's wrong?" she asked, slightly red in the darkness.
Now I knew something was wrong. Hermione was terrible at lying. But she was so stubborn, there was no way, I could get her to tell me.
"I'll leave you to your thoughts then" I told her, then walked towards Ron. Maybe I could make better conversation with him.
"Thanks Harry" she said quietly after me.
I turned back to face her. "For what?"
She shrugged. "For everything, I guess. For always being there for me, for believing in me. For being my friend."
Now I was the one confused. "And why mention that now?"
Her voice quavered slightly. "Cause something's gonna happen tonight. It's gonna storm, and it's gonna bring something huge." She shook her head again. "I don't know where that came from. Just leave me alone for a while, kay?"
"Kay" I answered, and walked away. Hermione sure was acting strange lately. But she'd never been wrong about anything before, maybe that meant that I should believe her on this too.
I grabbed my head. There was so much to be answered. And Hermione's answers weren't helping at all. She had almost looked like Professor Trelawney when she had said that.
I tapped Ron on the shoulder and we started talking about Quidditch. Soon, I forgot all about Hermione's weird behaviour.
*~*~* Draco
I stared at him disbelievingly. "You're kidding, right?"
He shook his head. "Nope, I really am the Devil. And I'm here to take you away." He smiled, baring his sharp teeth at me.
"But why?" I asked him, slightly frightened now. "Aren't I a bit young for that?"
"Not at all" he replied, his face getting darker now. "Everyone has their time, and now's yours"
"It...It is?" I asked, stuttering slightly. I cursed quietly, hoping he wouldn't hear that I was scared.
He cackled slightly. "Of course it is. And I'm the one to take you."
He took a step towards me, then another, then another.
I edged back, scared. "Don't kill me" I hated to beg, but dying was a lot worse.
The Devil chuckled. "Oh, but I have to. And I'm going to enjoy taking your life."
He slipped his hand in his pocket and pulled out a small jack-o-lantern, alit with a small flame. Its flickering light lit the dark crypt, and as the light spread, so did the feeling of fear, pain and rejection. Bitterness and hate spread from that tiny pumpkin, filling the room with a black shadow. Heat flamed, making the place feel like an oven. It was like I was in Hell.
"Touch this" he said quietly, with a voice of persuading.
I jumped back, fairly aware of what would happen if I did. "No" I screamed at him.
His dark eyes flashed. "Touch this" Again he said it, though this time his voice was soothing, even more persuading than before. His black eyes held my icy ones and cast a spell upon me, enchanting me.
"Touch it" he said again, and this time, against my will I took a step forward, then another and another.
By now I was right in front of him and his tool of evil. Spells controling my every move, I reached out and touched it.
The Devil grinned. "Excellent" he said, releasing me of the spell.
I snapped back to my senses. Nothing happened for a second, but I knew it would. He watched, waiting.
A moment later, it started. The jack-o-lantern grew larger and larger, until it was about the size of my head. The suction started.
It was a horrible pain, beginning with my feet, I got sucked into the pumpkin. And inch by inch, as I got in, the horrible feelings got stronger and stronger.
I couldn't take it anymore. I screamed.
*~*~* Hermione
A bone-chilling scream came from the crypt. It made the three of us jump a foot in the air.
"What was that?" I asked, really freaked now.
"I don't know" said Harry.
"It came from the crypt" said Ron reasonably.
I paled. "Do you think something happened to Draco maybe?"
I didn't wait for them to answer. Running at full speed, I took off for the crypt. When I descended the stairs, Harry and Ron were right behind me. Together, we dragged open the heavy stone door.
I stopped in my tracks when I saw what had happened. "Oh my god" I gasped.
"What?" asked Ron, pushing me aside to get a better look. I let him. The shock was too much.
"What could have happened?" asked Harry. He was as pale as I.
I knelt down by Draco's body. "This is all my fault" A tear dropped down my face.
Harry knelt down beside me. "How is it all your fault?"
"I was the one who told him to come down here." I sobbed. "And for him to stay here"
I collapsed on the ground, sobbing. "He wouldn't be dead, if we hadn't told him to come"
I was hysterical now. I got up and went over to Ron, shaking him by the shoulders. "Don't you see? We have murder on our hands! He's dead because of us, because we had to challenge him to some stupid little dare!"
Harry laid a hand on my shoulder, and I fell back, exhausted from my screaming. My adrenaline rush had ended, and now I was just tired.
"We as good as murdered him" I whispered, tears coarsing down my cheeks.
*~*~*
Lightning flashed, and rain poured out of the sky as the three teens ran back to Hogwarts, not mentioning their crime to anyone. Unnoticed, they slipped back into their dorm to consult with each other what they would do next.
*~*~* Harry
The three of us huddled in the boy's dorm, without any regard for the rules. This was too serious of a situation to care about little things like that.
Hermione was still pale as a ghost, and now she was shivering. I was really worried about her.
"So what are we going to do about this?" asked Ron. Of the three of us, he'd been the most calm all along. I guess it was because he hated Malfoy more than me and Hermione.
"One thing is sure" said Hermione. "We have to let someone know about this"
"No!" said one of us. I realized that it was me. My voice was talking, I couldn't even understand myself. I guess it was the shock.
"Nobody can know about this" my voice was saying. "Think of what it'll do to us, to the people around us. They'll think we're murderers, they'll never have any respect for us again."
"But they aren't like that" said Hermione softly. "They're our friends"
"I think Harry's right" agreed Ron. "We can't tell a soul about this. Hermione?"
"Fine" she said wearily. She seemed too tired to argue.
We sealed our promise with blood, the deepest connection we could have. Then we all trudged wearily off to bed, guilt in our heads.
The next day, Dumbledore announced that Draco was missing. Nobody knew where he was. Only the three of us knew, and we didn't tell.
The day after that, his body was found in the crypt. Rumors flew about how he might have gotten there. A ghost perhaps, or the workings of the Dark Lord. Every kid we met had a different version of the story.
Hermione was struggling not to tell, she felt the most guilty of us all. Like she said, she was the one who had told him to go down there. Of course, none of us blamed her, but still, she thought she was guilty.
We managed to get through the next few days. Soon, it got easier and easier. It just seemed to slip from our minds.
*~*~*
Now it's three years later and Ron's the only one left. Tragedy has struck again and again to the threesome people thought unseparable. And all because of one silly dare.
*~*~* Ron
I'm the only one left. Isn't that just so surprising? Out of the three of us, I'm the only one left.
Our years were marred by tragedy. Exactly a year after the incident, Hermione committed suicide. The day after Halloween, they found her body in the same crypt Draco had died. A note addressed to me and Harry was found in her hand.
I'm sorry to leave you so soon, it said, but I can't bear this guilt. No matter what you say, I know I'm the one who killed him. His death was caused by me. (Here the words got shaky) And I can't live with this horrible guilt. So I'm ending my life, just like I ended his. You two have been the best friends I've ever had. Goodbye.
Love Always,
Hermione Ann Granger
Harry was devastated with her death. He just kinda let go of everything after that. He quit Quidditch, his grades slid, he was kinda like a robot. Just functioning enough to pass, nothing more.
He snapped a lot sooner than I thought he would. Halloween night, he went and killed himself. Just like the two people ahead of him. Shut himself up in the crypt, and the next morning, he was dead.
I was the only person who knew why they died, but I wouldn't tell a soul. Even if they were both gone I would still keep my promise. We sealed it with blood, we did, and if I broke it, I knew I would pay.
And you know what's the saddest thing? I was the only one of us who graduated from Hogwarts. Sure, I was deeply affected, but I had something to hold up. All my life, the one goal I always kept in perspective was graduating from Hogwarts. It had been my dream, to stand up on that podium holding my diploma with the rest of my friends. Only my friends wouldn't be up there with me.
I just passed the exams. Without Hermione to help me, I never got high marks anymore, I just passed.
I didn't try to look for a job after grad. I knew I wouldn't live that long. For I had a tradition to seal.
And now it's Halloween eve and I stand in front of the crypt just as my friends had. Taking a deep breath I step in and await my fate.
*~*~*
And so our tale ends here with tragedy and sorrow. The guilt of the three ends, as they meet their fate by death.
*~*~*
Disclaimer: I still feel like doing a long disclaimer thing. So here it is. Draco, Hermione, Ron, Harry, Crabbe, Goyle, Dumbledore, Snape, Potions, McGonagall, Slytherin, Gryffindor, dungeons, Hogsmeade, Malfoy Manor and Lucius all belong to JK Rowling. The Devil belongs to my little orange monsters because they've decided that, and the evil pumpkin thing belongs to the Devil. I've decided that Halloween(in my fic anyways) belongs to me cuz it's my birthday. =)
A/N: I don't like the ending of this. It didn't quite work. And then in the middle one of the character people was refusing to be killed so I had to changed the whole story around and kill another one of the character people. And I really don't like the ending but I don't know what I can do to fix it so it'll be better. I've been writing waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much non-happy stuff for some reason. Cuz first, I wrote all happy stuff, and then I wrote all non-happy stuff (yeah, I know the word's unhappy, but I don't care). And my ANs on my two Halloween story things are really really long and pointless and babbly kinda. But that's okay. The teacher people in my school place thing are on strike!!!!! Yay!!!!! I think this might be why I'm writing such long author notes things. Please review. Like I said, Halloween is my birthday, so you can all give me a present by reviewing. Please?
*singing*
Happy Birthday to me
I live in the sea
I eat the small fishies
And the big ones eat me!
Review? =)
*~*~* Harry
I suppressed a groan and sat down next to Ron, who was also grumbling about our awful luck. Although all us Gryffindors had begged Professor McGonagall not to hold classes on Halloween, she wouldn't budge. And worst of all, Halloween just happened to land on the day we had Potions.
I glanced over at the other side of the room. The Slytherins, however, were grinning, happy about class. All they wanted was a chance to make Gryffindor lose even more points.
"I hate this" I told Ron.
"You can say that again" he groaned at me.
Hermione plopped down in the seat behind us. "Stop grumbling" she told us, "At least it's Halloween."
Ron sighed. "Hermione, sometimes your optimism scares me. You're the only one I know who could try to make the best of Potions."
Hermione gave a small grin. "Well, it helps a bit" she said.
"No it doesn't" argued Ron.
They were interrupted as Snape entered the room. "Good morning" he said coldly, glaring at us with his black eyes. He seemed even meaner than usual.
"I'm sure all of you know it's Halloween. And if you don't, you're even more ignorant than I imagined." He said that last sentence while glancing at Neville. Neville blushed to the roots of his hair, and buried his face in his arms.
"But that doesn't mean I'm going to let you have your fun and games" he continued. "No, we're going to be making a very complicated potion today, and if you mess up, it will affect your mark."
Our side of the room groaned, while the Slytherins snickered. Snape smiled as wide as them.
He paired us off, in horrible pairs I might add, and started rattling off instructions. I was with Pansy, Ron with Malfoy, and Hermione with Goyle.
She was close to tears. Everyone knew Goyle was completely hopeless at Potions, and Snape would surely blame Hermione for that gorilla's mistakes.
"It'll be okay" I whispered to her.
"No, it won't" she answered. "This is horrid!"
"Well, you could use some optimism now" I told her, with a grin.
She gave a small smile at that, then went back to her table.
*~*~* Ron
This was the worst that could happen. I, me of all people, was paired with Malfoy. He was going to be insulting me all lesson and there was no way he could get in trouble. So it was going to be me, staying behind and doing Snape's dirty work.
"Just great" I grumbled sarcastically as I went to join Malfoy at his table.
"Weasel" he greeted me with a sneer.
"Shut up, Malfoy" I retorted.
"That's just getting so old. Can't you think of any better comebacks?" he drawled.
I launched a string of swear words at him. Unfortunately for me, Snape came around to our table just then.
"Weasley!" he barked. "Don't use that kind of language in my class! 50 points from Gryffindor!"
I was seething with anger. Everything turned red in front of my eyes.
As soon as Snape turned his back, I punched Malfoy in the stomach. "We'll take care of this after class"
"If you're not too scared" he drawled angrily, his arms around his stomach.
The rest of the class went even worse. Malfoy somehow snuck the wrong ingrediants into our potion so that when Snape checked, it didn't work at all.
"Weasley messed up all our stuff" he told Snape while giving me an evil grin behind his back.
"Detention and 30 points from Gryffindor" he barked at me. "And if you ever sabotage anyone's work again, I'll be going to Dumbledore."
I wanted to hit him. And I would have, except the bell rang just then. Now I could take care of Malfoy.
*~*~* Hermione
I followed Harry out of class as the bell rang. It hadn't gone as bad as I had expected. I hadn't let Goyle anywhere near our potion, well, my potion so it had all worked out.
"Where's Ron?" I asked.
"Dunno" he said.
We walked up the stairs and saw a red-faced Ron tapping his foot impatiently.
"What are you doing?" I asked him.
"Waiting for Malfoy" he said angrily.
I sighed. Ron would never learn to control his temper. "What did he do this time?" I asked.
He never got a chance to answer. At that moment, Malfoy walked up, his two bodyguards behind him.
"So you showed" he sneered. "Pity. You won't be so brave, once I finished with you."
"Big words" said Harry, "but never any action."
Malfoy turned to him. "Oh you just wait and see."
Ron was grinning. I was guessing he had a plan. "Why is it that we're always the ones scared, Malfoy? How bout this time, we go see how brave you are."
"At least twice as brave as you, Weasel" he smirked at us.
"Prove it" I burst out. I was getting rather tired of this. "Prove that you're brave. Unless you're too scared to."
He glared at me. "Not at all, Mudblood."
My voice quivered slightly as I spoke my next words. "Then, tonight, during the feast, go to the Hogsmeade graveyard. We'll be following you to make sure you don't chicken out. There, you'll find a small crypt, hidden at the edge. Stay there, for an hour, and we won't doubt you again."
He glared at me, once again. "Fine" he spat, then walked away.
*~*~* Draco
Damn damn damn! I don't know why I agreed to that. I've always been scared to death of crypts, I don't know why this would be any different.
It all started when I was around 6, when one of my father's friends had died in an unfortunate accident. At least, that was what he said.
I had gone to the funeral, draped in black dress robes to show mourning. It was a quiet affair, my father approved of my behaviour for once. And even I found that I was rather good, until it was time for the burial.
They didn't bury him in the ground, as most do, but in a crypt. It was a quiet little place in a field, right in the center of the graveyard.
We all filed down, four people in the front carrying his coffin. They laid him down in the quiet crypt, and one by one, people paid their respects again, then filed out.
I was the last one to do so. Well, actually my father was, but I wanted to be just like the adults so I went after. I was quite fascinated with the coffin at the time, the different blends of wood and its shiny surface. And that there was actually a human being lying under there.
I guess I didn't hear when my father called for me, or maybe he just didn't call. Whatever the reason, while I was still studying the coffin, I heard the heavy door slam shut.
I was overcome with fear. Had they actually forgotten me down there? They wouldn't...but they already did.
I pounded with my tiny fists on the heavy stone door, shouting for help, hoping that someone would hear me. They didn't.
After a few minutes, I was exhausted and I slid down, sitting on the cold floor. It was then that I realized that I was with dead bodies.
They seemed to come alive in my fear, haunting me, the decayed bodies coming after me. A tear rolled down my cheek, followed by another, then another. I sobbed for what seemed like hours, tears of fear and lonliness.
I was still crying when they finally came back for me. My mother rushed over and swept me up in a hug, while my father stood more off to the side, a bit disapprovingly.
Like I said, I've been scared to death of crypts since then. And now, I would have to go in one.
*~*~*
After the feast, all went as planned. The three Gryffindors and the Slytherin snuck out though at different times, the three together, the Slytherin alone. By the time the Slytherin got to the graveyard, the Gryffindors were already there, waiting for him. And so started the terror that was take place later that night.
*~*~* Hermione
I waited with Harry and Ron at the entrance to the graveyard, pulling my cloak a bit tighter around me. A frigid wind swept by us, causing shivers down my spine.
A figure came closer in the darkness, and even without seeing, I could tell it was Draco.
"So you weren't too scared to come" snarled Ron.
I wanted to hit him on the head, he was being somewhat of a brat. But this was Draco we were talking about and he had never been really nice to us. And yet something just made me feel a bit guilty.
"Of course, Weasel" Draco snarled right back.
"So, go when you're ready" Harry told him.
I looked closely at Draco. Little beads of sweat were running down his face, and when I leaned in, I could see that his hair was soaked.
Could it be? Maybe he was scared? But of what? It wasn't that bad, going into a crypt. Of course, it wouldn't be something I would do, but he was a guy!
I felt a twinge of guilt. After all, I was the one who suggested that he do this. Maybe I could give him a way out.
I reached out and grabbed his arm. He whipped around, a bit surprised. He was scared, I could see it in his eyes. They were flickering around desparately, looking for a way out.
"You don't have to do this if you don't want to" I told him quietly. He looked at me, with puppy dog eyes, scared and without their usual coldness.
"Oh, but I do" he whispered back. "But it's just not something you would understand"
And he walked away, just like that, into the cold dark graveyard. A smoky fog rose up and engulfed him, though just to the waist of his robes. His cloak swirled about like a shadowy figure from a movie, and maybe in some people's minds, he was.
Now he was at the crypt. Dragging open the heavy door, he entered. And as he slammed it shut, I felt a feeling of dread. Something horrible was going to happen tonight, I could feel it. I had tried to stop it, but I couldn't. And now, it was too late.
*~*~* Draco
I almost cried as I walked into the crypt. Why did I have to force myself into this? I could've said no, Hermione even offered me a chance. But that damned pride kept me back. I wish I wasn't born into such a well known family, then I wouldn't have that pride lurking over me all the time. But I am, and I do, and there's nothing I can do about it.
I closed the door mostly, leaving only a little crack for air. Then I sat, waiting out the hour I had to stay.
I must've fallen asleep or something, for when I looked up again, I was in Malfoy Manor. It looked the way it had about ten years ago. I was confused. What was going on?
I was in the living room, sitting on the couch and sucking my thumb. I touched my face with my other hand and saw that I was crying. Small sobs escaped me, and echoed off the large room. I swung my legs on the leather couch, it was too big for me to read the ground.
A man stormed into the room, and I could see that it was my father. He seemed to be raging mad at me for his face was slightly red. And with his pale complexion, just like mine, you usually couldn't tell if he was mad. He must be enraged at me.
I gasped as I remembered it clearer. If I had the right memory, then I didn't want to see what was going to happen next.
"Do you know that you did something wrong?" my father asked, fighting to keep control in his voice.
I forced my head to nod, and to my dismay, tears were rolling down my cheeks. I refused to look up at Father, what I knew he would do was too horrible. And besides, I could feel the anger radiating off of him, I didn't want to be caught in it, though I knew I would.
"Then you know why I must punish you" said Father, this time completely losing control. His silver hair went flying, and he turned as red a tomato, though I would have never thought it able to happen.
I forced myself to nod again, starting to cry even harder. I bit my lip, hard, as my father picked up the whip.
He lashed it down, deep into my back. I cried out from the pain and collapsed onto the couch, curling up into a little ball.
Father knelt down by my side. Only what he did next never happened to me. When this had happened to me, he had apoligized for losing his temper and we cried tears of pain together. But this Father who was not really my father, he was different.
As he knelt, he whipped me again. "Let that be a lesson to you" he snarled. And he just left me there, shaking and sobbing. I sobbed softly, still shivering from the pain.
After the pain had subsided a bit, I got up to explore a bit. I knew that I was about five, but why was I here?
Suddenly the room burst into flame, fire licking at my heels. I froze, then shaking myself awake, went to collect some of my more cherished items.
Father entered the room, unaware of the fire in the room. Even though he had performed a cruel act upon me only a few moments ago, he was my Father and I couldn't leave him to die.
"Father, there's a fire!" My words came out in a squeaky voice. I cursed silently, but ignored it. I tugged on his sleeve, trying to get him to listen to me.
"What?" he roared. His face turned a dark shade of red and horns spouted from his head. His hair turned dark black and a moustache of the same colour grew on his face. I backed off, scared, and tripped over a ridge in the carpet. Devils, big and small, loomed over me, while the fire burned, sending smoke into my eyes. I closed them, ridding my vision of the evil characters.
When I opened them again, I was back in the crypt, all by myself. I shook my head, trying to clear it. How could that have happened? It wasn't even like I remembered. And I hadn't thought about that in over five years. So why did I happen to remember it now?
As I was buried in my thoughts, someone entered the room. Footsteps sounded and stopped right in front of me.
"Who are you?" I asked, looking up.
The figured laughed, the threw off his hood. "Me, boy? I, am the Devil"
*~*~* Harry
I looked over the graveyard. Not a soul moved in that quiet place, and I shivered slightly at the thought.
Turning back to Ron and Hermione, I saw that they were both silent, perhaps absorbed in their thoughts.
I tapped Hermione on the shoulder. She whipped around to face me, her face surprised.
"Oh, Harry, it's you" She shook her head slightly, her hair almost whipping me.
"Of course it's me. Who else would it be?" She seemed preoccupied somehow. I don't know with what though, after all it was Halloween. And we didn't have any homework, at least, I don't think we did.
"What's wrong Herm?" I asked, making another stab at conversation.
She had a surprised look on her face when she turned around to face me. Why was she so surprised? I'd been right here the whole evening.
"Whatever makes you think something's wrong?" she asked, slightly red in the darkness.
Now I knew something was wrong. Hermione was terrible at lying. But she was so stubborn, there was no way, I could get her to tell me.
"I'll leave you to your thoughts then" I told her, then walked towards Ron. Maybe I could make better conversation with him.
"Thanks Harry" she said quietly after me.
I turned back to face her. "For what?"
She shrugged. "For everything, I guess. For always being there for me, for believing in me. For being my friend."
Now I was the one confused. "And why mention that now?"
Her voice quavered slightly. "Cause something's gonna happen tonight. It's gonna storm, and it's gonna bring something huge." She shook her head again. "I don't know where that came from. Just leave me alone for a while, kay?"
"Kay" I answered, and walked away. Hermione sure was acting strange lately. But she'd never been wrong about anything before, maybe that meant that I should believe her on this too.
I grabbed my head. There was so much to be answered. And Hermione's answers weren't helping at all. She had almost looked like Professor Trelawney when she had said that.
I tapped Ron on the shoulder and we started talking about Quidditch. Soon, I forgot all about Hermione's weird behaviour.
*~*~* Draco
I stared at him disbelievingly. "You're kidding, right?"
He shook his head. "Nope, I really am the Devil. And I'm here to take you away." He smiled, baring his sharp teeth at me.
"But why?" I asked him, slightly frightened now. "Aren't I a bit young for that?"
"Not at all" he replied, his face getting darker now. "Everyone has their time, and now's yours"
"It...It is?" I asked, stuttering slightly. I cursed quietly, hoping he wouldn't hear that I was scared.
He cackled slightly. "Of course it is. And I'm the one to take you."
He took a step towards me, then another, then another.
I edged back, scared. "Don't kill me" I hated to beg, but dying was a lot worse.
The Devil chuckled. "Oh, but I have to. And I'm going to enjoy taking your life."
He slipped his hand in his pocket and pulled out a small jack-o-lantern, alit with a small flame. Its flickering light lit the dark crypt, and as the light spread, so did the feeling of fear, pain and rejection. Bitterness and hate spread from that tiny pumpkin, filling the room with a black shadow. Heat flamed, making the place feel like an oven. It was like I was in Hell.
"Touch this" he said quietly, with a voice of persuading.
I jumped back, fairly aware of what would happen if I did. "No" I screamed at him.
His dark eyes flashed. "Touch this" Again he said it, though this time his voice was soothing, even more persuading than before. His black eyes held my icy ones and cast a spell upon me, enchanting me.
"Touch it" he said again, and this time, against my will I took a step forward, then another and another.
By now I was right in front of him and his tool of evil. Spells controling my every move, I reached out and touched it.
The Devil grinned. "Excellent" he said, releasing me of the spell.
I snapped back to my senses. Nothing happened for a second, but I knew it would. He watched, waiting.
A moment later, it started. The jack-o-lantern grew larger and larger, until it was about the size of my head. The suction started.
It was a horrible pain, beginning with my feet, I got sucked into the pumpkin. And inch by inch, as I got in, the horrible feelings got stronger and stronger.
I couldn't take it anymore. I screamed.
*~*~* Hermione
A bone-chilling scream came from the crypt. It made the three of us jump a foot in the air.
"What was that?" I asked, really freaked now.
"I don't know" said Harry.
"It came from the crypt" said Ron reasonably.
I paled. "Do you think something happened to Draco maybe?"
I didn't wait for them to answer. Running at full speed, I took off for the crypt. When I descended the stairs, Harry and Ron were right behind me. Together, we dragged open the heavy stone door.
I stopped in my tracks when I saw what had happened. "Oh my god" I gasped.
"What?" asked Ron, pushing me aside to get a better look. I let him. The shock was too much.
"What could have happened?" asked Harry. He was as pale as I.
I knelt down by Draco's body. "This is all my fault" A tear dropped down my face.
Harry knelt down beside me. "How is it all your fault?"
"I was the one who told him to come down here." I sobbed. "And for him to stay here"
I collapsed on the ground, sobbing. "He wouldn't be dead, if we hadn't told him to come"
I was hysterical now. I got up and went over to Ron, shaking him by the shoulders. "Don't you see? We have murder on our hands! He's dead because of us, because we had to challenge him to some stupid little dare!"
Harry laid a hand on my shoulder, and I fell back, exhausted from my screaming. My adrenaline rush had ended, and now I was just tired.
"We as good as murdered him" I whispered, tears coarsing down my cheeks.
*~*~*
Lightning flashed, and rain poured out of the sky as the three teens ran back to Hogwarts, not mentioning their crime to anyone. Unnoticed, they slipped back into their dorm to consult with each other what they would do next.
*~*~* Harry
The three of us huddled in the boy's dorm, without any regard for the rules. This was too serious of a situation to care about little things like that.
Hermione was still pale as a ghost, and now she was shivering. I was really worried about her.
"So what are we going to do about this?" asked Ron. Of the three of us, he'd been the most calm all along. I guess it was because he hated Malfoy more than me and Hermione.
"One thing is sure" said Hermione. "We have to let someone know about this"
"No!" said one of us. I realized that it was me. My voice was talking, I couldn't even understand myself. I guess it was the shock.
"Nobody can know about this" my voice was saying. "Think of what it'll do to us, to the people around us. They'll think we're murderers, they'll never have any respect for us again."
"But they aren't like that" said Hermione softly. "They're our friends"
"I think Harry's right" agreed Ron. "We can't tell a soul about this. Hermione?"
"Fine" she said wearily. She seemed too tired to argue.
We sealed our promise with blood, the deepest connection we could have. Then we all trudged wearily off to bed, guilt in our heads.
The next day, Dumbledore announced that Draco was missing. Nobody knew where he was. Only the three of us knew, and we didn't tell.
The day after that, his body was found in the crypt. Rumors flew about how he might have gotten there. A ghost perhaps, or the workings of the Dark Lord. Every kid we met had a different version of the story.
Hermione was struggling not to tell, she felt the most guilty of us all. Like she said, she was the one who had told him to go down there. Of course, none of us blamed her, but still, she thought she was guilty.
We managed to get through the next few days. Soon, it got easier and easier. It just seemed to slip from our minds.
*~*~*
Now it's three years later and Ron's the only one left. Tragedy has struck again and again to the threesome people thought unseparable. And all because of one silly dare.
*~*~* Ron
I'm the only one left. Isn't that just so surprising? Out of the three of us, I'm the only one left.
Our years were marred by tragedy. Exactly a year after the incident, Hermione committed suicide. The day after Halloween, they found her body in the same crypt Draco had died. A note addressed to me and Harry was found in her hand.
I'm sorry to leave you so soon, it said, but I can't bear this guilt. No matter what you say, I know I'm the one who killed him. His death was caused by me. (Here the words got shaky) And I can't live with this horrible guilt. So I'm ending my life, just like I ended his. You two have been the best friends I've ever had. Goodbye.
Love Always,
Hermione Ann Granger
Harry was devastated with her death. He just kinda let go of everything after that. He quit Quidditch, his grades slid, he was kinda like a robot. Just functioning enough to pass, nothing more.
He snapped a lot sooner than I thought he would. Halloween night, he went and killed himself. Just like the two people ahead of him. Shut himself up in the crypt, and the next morning, he was dead.
I was the only person who knew why they died, but I wouldn't tell a soul. Even if they were both gone I would still keep my promise. We sealed it with blood, we did, and if I broke it, I knew I would pay.
And you know what's the saddest thing? I was the only one of us who graduated from Hogwarts. Sure, I was deeply affected, but I had something to hold up. All my life, the one goal I always kept in perspective was graduating from Hogwarts. It had been my dream, to stand up on that podium holding my diploma with the rest of my friends. Only my friends wouldn't be up there with me.
I just passed the exams. Without Hermione to help me, I never got high marks anymore, I just passed.
I didn't try to look for a job after grad. I knew I wouldn't live that long. For I had a tradition to seal.
And now it's Halloween eve and I stand in front of the crypt just as my friends had. Taking a deep breath I step in and await my fate.
*~*~*
And so our tale ends here with tragedy and sorrow. The guilt of the three ends, as they meet their fate by death.
*~*~*
Disclaimer: I still feel like doing a long disclaimer thing. So here it is. Draco, Hermione, Ron, Harry, Crabbe, Goyle, Dumbledore, Snape, Potions, McGonagall, Slytherin, Gryffindor, dungeons, Hogsmeade, Malfoy Manor and Lucius all belong to JK Rowling. The Devil belongs to my little orange monsters because they've decided that, and the evil pumpkin thing belongs to the Devil. I've decided that Halloween(in my fic anyways) belongs to me cuz it's my birthday. =)
A/N: I don't like the ending of this. It didn't quite work. And then in the middle one of the character people was refusing to be killed so I had to changed the whole story around and kill another one of the character people. And I really don't like the ending but I don't know what I can do to fix it so it'll be better. I've been writing waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much non-happy stuff for some reason. Cuz first, I wrote all happy stuff, and then I wrote all non-happy stuff (yeah, I know the word's unhappy, but I don't care). And my ANs on my two Halloween story things are really really long and pointless and babbly kinda. But that's okay. The teacher people in my school place thing are on strike!!!!! Yay!!!!! I think this might be why I'm writing such long author notes things. Please review. Like I said, Halloween is my birthday, so you can all give me a present by reviewing. Please?
*singing*
Happy Birthday to me
I live in the sea
I eat the small fishies
And the big ones eat me!
Review? =)