Written for Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition: Main prompt: Harry Potter Quote: "You are just as sane as I am." Additional Prompts: (word) piano, (word) dangerous, (phrase) under lock and key.
The lights flash.
Danger.
Danger.
Danger.
Harry flinches away from a noise.
Red.
Yellow.
Red.
You'll be as sane as I am.
You will.
I'll make sure.
Harry shakes his head. "No, never." He curls his limbs close to his body and buries his head in his knees.
Red.
Yellow.
Red.
You'll have no choice.
Danger.
"No!"
Harry throws himself from his bed covers and falls to the ground.
"Harry? What's wrong?"
Harry blinks and looks around his bedroom. He takes in the familiar bed covers and the ugly picture Ginny's aunt gave to her. He takes in the drawings by little Teddy attached to the large mirror and the slightly open cupboard door. Blinking again, Harry shakes his head.
"Nothing, just a dream." He turns and tries to smile.
Ginny doesn't even attempt one. "Is it the same as last night?"
Harry pulls himself off the ground and runs a hand through his hair. "Yeah." He let his smile drop and frowns at the ground. "It never makes any sense," he says.
"It's not meant to." Ginny tries to insert false cheer in her voice. "It's just a dream."
Harry doesn't respond and continues to stare at the ground.
"D-do you have work today?"
Harry jumps and spins around. "Yes, I'll just. . ." He continues to think about his dream as he enters the bathroom with his police gear. Every night for the past week he has had the same dream. Red and yellow lights, the fear, the voices. It's starting to scare him. Harry shakes his head. Ginny's right, it's just a dream.
The chase is the best part of the being a cop. Most hate the fact that criminals like to run away from cops, but Harry thrives off it. He loves how his feet beat out a rhythm in time with his heart. He loves chasing the person and being able to beat them. He loves the thrill.
Today is no different.
While Harry chases after a man suspected of assaulting two girls in the last week, his worries and problems all disappear and his mind focuses on one thing. Catch that man. When the man turns around a corner into an unused, unnoticed corridor, Harry expects to lose him for only a moment.
He's wrong.
The moment Harry turns the corner, all light and sounds of life disappear. He stops running and brings a hand up until he can feel the rough wall underneath his fingers. He leans against it.
Shh.
Harry turns at the soft whisper. "Hello?"
Shh!
Harry shuts his mouth and casts a careful eye around the darkness. Even with his glasses he can't see a thing. He presses himself against the wall and slows his breathing until it's almost silent.
Then he hears it.
The notes drifted from the darkness, soft and haunting. Harry feels chills run down his spine, but he can't help taking a step forward. There's something about the haunting notes that pull him forward.
His steps echo off the tiles, mixing with the piano notes. The darkness doesn't recede, leaving him to walk forward blind. He keeps his hand running against the rough wall, but he continues to move forward.
When he reaches the door, his hand hesitates over it. The notes continue as he stares at the door he can't even see. He pushes it open.
Inside is dimly lit. The walls are covered in sepia wallpaper and the floor is covered in dust. The piano sits in the middle of the room sending out low, haunting notes without anyone sitting on the stool.
Harry feels his eyes widen as he looks around the room, hoping to find some explanation for the unbelievable sight before him. The room is empty, and it's impossible, but it's all right there.
"I-is a-anyone—"
Shh!
Harry wants to back out of the room. He wants to leave and run back to the entrance. He wants to apologise to his boss for losing the suspect and go home. He wants to hold his wife and his godson. He wants to go back to the world that made sense.
He can't.
Harry backs away from the piano and, without taking his eyes off the strange sight, reaches for the door. His hand touches the door handle only for him to pull it back in shock. It's ice cold.
Harry stares at the piano, hesitant to look away, but he wants to escape. He takes one last glance before turning to the door. The handle looks normal and Harry touches it again, this time just with his fingertips. It's fine.
Harry throws the door open and steps into the darkness. Somehow the light from the room doesn't penetrate it, but that's okay because darkness is normal. Darkness is something that Harry understands and accepts so he's not afraid when the door slams behind him.
The piano music echoes around the corridor, but Harry just puts one foot in front of the other. He concentrates on his footsteps until he realises he should have already found the exit.
"Hello? Is anyone there?"
Harry turns at the desperate voice, it sounds like his suspect. He steps forward only for a blood-curdling scream to erupt. He starts running.
Harry runs until his chest is heaving and his legs are aching, but the scream continues.
"Where are you?" Harry calls out.
"Help!"
Harry turns where he stands. He can't figure out which direction the sound is coming from. He's not sure which way is up and which way is down. He can't hear anything, but the cries for help and the piano music.
"Please!"
Harry spins and spins. He looks up, although he's starting to doubt the existence of up and down.
"Please!"
This time the cry comes from his lips. He stands in the centre of darkness and begs for the strange piano room. He doesn't care about strange or unusual, he just wants safety.
The screams stop.
Harry freezes in his frantic movements and waits for them to start again. They don't. He can still hear the awful piano music and there is a strange gurgling sound. Other than that, and his own desperate breaths, there is silence.
Harry shivers and wraps an arm around his body.
Come to me.
Harry jumps and closes his eyes. He recognises that voice from his dream. But that's impossible.
Nothing is impossible.
"Who are you?" Harry clenches his fists. He doesn't like people playing games with him and whoever this sick-o was, he enjoyed playing games.
I am no one.
"You can't be—"
I am everyone.
Harry closes his mouth and glares.
Come to me.
"No!"
You will.
Harry's blinded by the sudden red light that appears once the voice stops speaking. It lights up a small chest. There is nothing unusual about the chest. It's as small as a jewellery box, but there is a large padlock on the front.
"What is this?" Harry calls out. He keeps his feet still despite the urge to move forward. The last time he gave in to his urges he found that room.
The voice stays silent, but the light flashes off and back on again. Harry watches as they flash on, off, on, off, on, off.
"Okay!"
The light stops moving when Harry takes the first step, and then the next. It doesn't take long before he's standing in front of the box. He kneels down and looks at the lock attached. It's a normal padlock except that there is no brand name engraved on the front. Instead, there is one word.
Dangerous.
"I'm not an idiot!" he calls out. If he wasn't so confused and scared he would feel ridiculous about talking to nothing, but the room seemed to respond.
The lights above him shut off, letting the darkness return. Harry stays stock still and waits for something to happen. He focuses on his surroundings, taking in the sounds of the piano still playing and the drip, drip, drip of water leaking somewhere. He takes in the stale scents which merged together into a cocktail of bad smells. He takes in everything and waits.
Nothing happens.
Harry stands and the light turns on. The chest is open, the padlock gone. Harry stumbles back and moves his hand to his waist for a weapon only to find none. He couldn't believe he hadn't thought to grab it earlier, but it was too late now. He tensed his body and started to slowly back away.
Don't move.
Harry freezes. He's not sure why he's listening to the mysterious voice. One moment it's helping him, the next it's tempting him.
There is a reason we keep it under lock and key.
Harry's chest heaves as he glances around the room. Nothing has changed. The chest is the only thing that he can see. Harry takes another step back.
Run!
Harry runs. His footsteps pound in time with his heart, but, for the first time in a while, the feeling brings no joy. Then, the growling starts.
It comes close.
Harry speeds up.
It's still coming closer.
Harry can't run any faster.
The light goes out.
Harry throws himself to the ground and rolls to the left. Maybe he can confuse whatever it is. Maybe it relies on its vision and can't see in the dark. Maybe he can make it out alive.
Something clamps onto his leg and he screams. He slams his free foot into the things face, but it holds on. The teeth sink into his leg and he screams again. He kicks.
Again.
Again.
Again.
It lets go.
Harry scrambles to his feet and limps away. He can still hear growling, but he can also hear whimpering. He seems to have hurt the beast enough to halt the chase, for now. Harry continues to move as fast as he can before he comes across a door. It's lit up with a sickly yellow light.
Harry doesn't hesitate.
Opening the door he scrambles inside and shuts it behind him. There is one light in the room, the same colour as above the door. The room is empty and silent. Harry can't even hear the constant piano song any more. He breathes a sigh of relief, but it's short-lived.
Enter the left door.
Harry ignores the voice and looks to his leg. His pants are torn and stained with blood. There are threads stuck in the wounds underneath and he can see some white peeking out from one of the deeper puncture wounds. Harry turns away and closes his eyes. He tried to keep his breathing calm.
Enter the left door.
Harry opens his eyes and glances to the far wall where there are two doors. They are plain, boring. They look like basic office doors. The left is covered in red and above the door is one word. Sanity.
Harry started to tremble. He couldn't help but go back to his dream. Red lights, yellow lights. You'll be as sane as I am. If this was sanity he didn't want it.
Harry looked to the right door and couldn't prevent a smile to appear. It was almost identical to the left except for one important aspect. The word above the door. Exit. Harry starts to laugh.
"I think I'll enter the right door."
You don't want to do that.
Harry pushed himself off the ground and hobbles towards the right door.
Stop.
"No." Harry continued to the door and grabs the knob.
Don't open that door.
Harry glares at the roof. "Screw you." He throws open the door and leaves the hell he accidentally entered.
Ginny stares down at the table top. She can't believe what has happened in the last week. Her house was a mess. The kitchen dishes are piled high and the washing hasn't been done in days. There is dust covering every surface and Ginny just can't bring herself to care.
"Is it true?"
Ginny nods, but she doesn't look up at Hermione. Her eyes well up. "He was found two days after disappearing. He was just. . ." Ginny swallows.
Hermione grips her hand. "It'll be okay," she says.
"It will never be okay." Ginny rips her hand out of Hermione's and starts to pace. "He's mumbling nonsense in the mental ward! He doesn't even recognise me."
"I'm so sorry, Ginny."
Ginny collapses back into her seat. "So am I."
In a white room in a white building a man in a white gown stared at a white wall.
"You'll be as sane as me," the man says. "You'll be as sane as me."
(w.c 2,107)
WolfWinks -xx-