***Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all associated characters belong to J.K. Rowling. The plot of this story is mine and and so is any new characters I choose to bring in.***
In a word, it was a state of panic. Mindless panic that rushed through the feeble walls, old doors, and creepy halls. It was no use; resistance was futile. Voldemort had won; it was that simple. Escape was impossible and help was improbable.
Professors…what use were they now? Those who weren't already turned to stone were dead and as long as You-know-Who's barrier was guarding the castle there was no way of contacting the outside world.
As for the children, they would suffer. One by one they would all fall to Petrifirus. Soon enough they'd all be by themselves…each hiding in a corner waiting for to wake up from this horrible nightmare. They can't resist the darkforce forever, sooner or later their protection would slip. It was only a mere matter of time.
Petrifirus…a disease so rare that it was thought to not even exist. It travels as a mass of air that can't be detected by sight or smell. Once one breathes this poisonous air they transform into pure stone. There was only means of defense for this disease, an Egyptian amulet. The school only had so many of these valued items and by all means first come, first serve.
And so thus was the panicked state of Hogwarts, glittered with the many statues that reminded everyone of the horror that was yet to come.
" Hurry up guys we can't let You-Know-Who know we're here." Harry Potter hollered to his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger.
Most of the children that were left were from the House of Griffindor and logically stayed in their house for some sort of frail security. Hermione had figured Voldemort's plan effortlessly, he wanted to get to Harry before the Petrifirus did so logically he sent the disease to Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw to leave himself to conquer Slytherin. That only left Grinffindor to be remotely intact.
Voldemort hates Harry for what he did to him and his reputation. He wanted Harry last. Could you imagine the fear, the utter panic that Voldemort had yearned for his perfect plan?
Imagine this, you're the only one left at your school, one-half of the population is now stone and one-quarter are now dead. That last quarter is crying out for you, crying because you're their last hope. Because the famous Dumbledore is no more and because no one will ever know of this tragedy until it's too late.
Harry wasn't gonna let that happen, he was going to bring Voldemort to his knees for this. Somehow he'd have to stall the evil necromancer until the Ministry of Magic came to the rescue.
The three ran from hall to hall making sharp turns in spit-second decisions until they finally came to a dead end.
" Oh no, what are we gonna do?" asked Ron.
" By now he's on our trail, he knows what we're up to." stated Herimone.
" Guys, we're not gonna give up yet, if we can just reach Hagrid…" Harry said.
" Then what?" Ron questioned.
" Then," Harry began, " Then, I don't know yet but I do know as long as we're one step ahead of You-Know-Who we can beat this guy."
Hermione wasn't convinced.
" Sorry to sound so pessimistic guys but Harry, you're just optimistic because you've had so many victories over this guy, but they were all close calls. This is for real, we can't keep running, Dumbledore's gone we have to rally everyone up and fight!"
" I'm with her!" Ron agreed.
" No, we can't do that. Look, the only reason You-Know-Who is being so delicate is because he's out to get me personally. No offense to you guys but once he finds me he'll just kill all of you in a breath."
Sighing in defeat Ron rested his back upon a wall where his head accidentally hit a painting. The wall made a churning noise and opened up to reveal a passageway.
" What luck!" Harry explained.
" But how?" Ron asked to one in particular.
" Who cares let's just see where this thing goes."
So downwards our heroes and heroine went spiraling down the stairs incessantly.
" Good God," Hermione cried, " Will this thing ever end?"
" Don't worry about it, this staircase has to end somewhere, anywhere is better than Hogwarts right now." Ron replied.
Harry couldn't help but ask, " Hermione, I don't mean to offend you in any way but this is totally unlike you. You never act so afraid. This isn't the first time Voldemort has done something like this."
" Don't say that name!" Hermione said, her voice was sharp with anger. She sighed and then said.
" I'm sorry it's just I've never felt so afraid in my life. I don't know if we'll make it through this one. I think You-Know-Who has finally licked us. Even the instructors couldn't stop him! Mr. Dumbledore failed us! And to think I thought Hogwarts was the safest place in the world…all the spells in the world couldn't stop You-Know-Who now. With that wretched force field up no one can enter or exit Hogwarts."
Neither Harry nor Ron said anything afterwards. Hermione's words had drenched their spirits.
And then Harry saw it.
It was just on the stairs burning. A piece of parchment was on fire and to Harry it screamed one word to him. Hope.
" Look!" Harry pointed out.
Ron and Hermione looked for some sign of what Harry was talking about neither of them could see a thing.
Harry raced down the steps not caring if he tripped. He didn't know why but that piece of paper had a tug on him. The force just told him everything was going to be "okay." All his fears and troubled would vanish if he could prevent the flame from consuming that paper.
As he neared it he noticed something completely eerie. The parchment was clearly on fire…but not disintegrating. His two comrades ran to catch up with him and when they did all three stopped in front of the burning paper. Harry looked down in amazement while Ron and Hermione looked down but couldn't see anything.
Harry couldn't explain what was going on but he slowly crouched down in an attempt to snatch the paper before he was burned.
" Harry? You've lost it! We don't see anything." Ron exclaimed.
" What are you doing Harry?" Hermione asked.
The boy remained silent placing his hand next to the flames. He couldn't feel the heat from the fire. He slowly, very slowly allowed his hand to descend towards the burning parchment. Then at the final moment he snatched the parchment.
Then everything changed.
A brilliant flash if white blinded Harry's eyes. It felt as if the bright green pools that were his eyes were burning. Never in his life had he felt such a sacred fire. As if all that was Holy had washed over him.
He tried to blink. Slowly prying his eyes open. It took him fifteen minutes to open his eyes. But when he did he noticed he was in a completely different area.
The room was strangely quiet, considering the enormous amount of people that were cramped into the area. The room was overcrowded yet no one dared to speak.
Harry looked up towards the center of the room where a platform sat. And on that platform sat a grand chair. And on that grand chair sat Harry's ultimate enemy.
Voldemort. He was smiling that sinister smile while a crown sat lopsided on his head.
" Don't worry children, I won't kill you yet. While we're waiting for my special treat allow me to produce some entertainment."
Voldemort snapped his fingers and three children appeared on stage. They were none other than Crabbe, Malfoy, and Goyle.
" Hey!" Came Draco's remark, " My dad worked for you! You wouldn't dare harm me!"
" Silence boy! You will learn soon to hold your tongue. Just watch and wait for your fate. You have so much spirit boy but it doesn't compare to me. Voldemort raised his hands and spat the word "Laktos!"
Brownish goo leaped from Voldemort's palms and landed on Crabbe and Goyle. Draco slowly backed off the stage in absolute fear.
" Where are you going Draco? Don't you wanna play a game?" Voldemort taunted.
" H-h-how do you kn-kno-know my name?"
" Like you said boy, your father works for me. He is my slave to do my bidding. Now you two," Voldemort pointed to the scared boys who were ensnared in goop. " What is it that you fear?"
" I don't know…" came the reply of Goyle.
Suddenly two antennas popped from both boys' heads.
" Tsk, tsk, tsk…now boys that special gooey liquid I placed upon you…It has the power to make bad things happen. It uses your own fear to destroy you so don't lie or you'll only kill yourself."
" Honestly, we have know idea what you're talking about sir…" said Crabbe.
Before one could say Hufflepuff both boys had sprouted a set of crispy brown wings.
" Now, now boys tell me…what do your fear?"
" We don't know sir."
" Please sir let us go."
" Please spare us sir."
" We haven't thought of a fear sir."
" But you already have boys and it's a delicious idea."
Both Crabbe and Goyle had started to shrink and shrink until they had finally diminished into a pair of cockroaches. Before the two roaches could get away Voldemort stepped on them.
To Harry's amazement there were no statues in the area but there was the strange fact that both Ron and Hermione hadn't teleported with him. 'Where could they be' Harry thought to himself.
" Attention children, my advisors have informed me that my special treat has arrived. And now my advisors, go and fetch Mr. Potter."
Every head in the room gawked straight up to see five Gargoyles descend; each one equipped with some sort of stone weapon of destruction. The children parted to allow the gargoyle warriors to search for Harry.
Harry froze, his stomach churning and turning over. He wanted to throw up. This had to be a nightmare…the mother of all nightmares.
It wasn't long before his gaze met the gaze of one of Voldemort's gargoyles. It was only then that Harry gained the courage, or the cowardice, to run.
But his flee had made quite a commotion and four of the five mindless warriors were after him. Harry ran aimlessly but it was no use as each of the four warriors chasing him each grabbed a limb and dragged him to Voldemort's platform.
" Ah, Harry we meet again for the fifth and final time. Now correct me I'm wrong but it seems as if every time we meet you barely manage to slip from my clutches." Voldemort said smoothly.
Harry tried to bolt but as he did one of the stone warriors slugged him across the jaw. Harry fell and before he could get up a trickle of blood escaped from his nose.
Seeing this as some sort of game the other 3 gargoyles that were on the platform jumped into the fight while one gargoyle, absentminded continued his search for Harry.
" But not this time." Voldemort snarled.
At once a nine-foot staff appeared ready to perform the dark lord's evil spell.
The staff was long and thin made from entirely of gold with an ivory horn at the very edge. Voldemort brought his staff up and raised it high. Ready to strike the scared-to-death Harry if he dared to even quiver.
The dark hour was at hand, Voldemort raised his staff even higher and brought it down. Inches before the golden staff was brought to Harry's neck a voice cried out, "Voldemort!"
Voldemort froze, he was so close to killing his greatest enemy yet he could not. He feared the voice that called out his name.
Suddenly, a great peal of thunder struck the platform. Where the lightning bolt struck now stood a flame.
The fire began to rise and rise until it molded into a shape of a boy. Then right in front of there eyes, the flame actually became a boy.
He looked about seventeen and stood at about 5'9, his blonde hair framed his clean face. His piercing azure eyes were like bolts of lightning ready to strike at any given time. His shoes looked as if they were made of ebony crystal. He wore a black shirt and black pants gave one the impression of some sort of dark knight.
" Who dares to oppose the mighty Lord Voldemort?"
The boy said nothing which only intimidated the almighty evil one.
Voldemort attacked with his staff but the boy merely caught it with his hand and squeezed the staff. The weapon shattered into pixie dust.
" Voldemort prepare to be vanquished!" Said the mysterious youth.
