Beware The Curse Of Shallot
Chapter One: Losing Grip
Hermione smiled with relief as she saw Harry racing along the platform. It was 10.59 am and Harry had less than one minute to get safely on the train.
'Harry! Get a move on!' yelled Ron, sticking his head out of the window beside her.
'I'm trying!' Harry yelled back breathlessly. He flung his bags inside the compartment and swung himself in, using his momentum to pull the door shut behind him. Simultaneously the whistle shrieked and the Hogwarts Express began chugging slowly forward.
'Phew,' Harry said behind them. They spun to see Harry sitting on the floor, bags strewn about him, glasses askew and with a dopey expression on his face. He lifted a hand and waggled his fingers.
'Hi guys.' Ron and Hermione looked at Harry, then each other and burst out laughing. Hermione swooped down and hugged Harry, knocking his glasses to the floor.
'Whoops!'
'Harry, I'm so glad you're ok,' smiled Hermione. 'I was so worried that something had happened. You haven't owled either of us for a week!'
'I know, I'm sorry,' Harry said, a mischievously guilty look spread across his features. Ron suspected that Harry was actually quite enjoying this telling off. After all, Hermione was there on the floor with him, still with her arms around his neck, looking earnestly into his eyes. Ron blinked and shook his head. 'I shouldn't be thinking like that,' he told himself. Hermione got up and began picking up Harry's things.
'How's your summer been, Herm?' Ron asked, trying to catch the attention of the other two.
'It's been good. I went to the south of France again. How about you guys?'
'Stuck at the Dursleys again,' Harry replied glumly.
'Stuck at the Burrow,' Ron said.
'Ah, poor boys,' Hermione said, mock-sympathetically. 'I-' Hermione gasped and fell to the floor. The boys darted towards her in alarm.
'Hermione, what's wrong?' Harry asked frantically. Hermione half-knelt, half-lay on the floor, shuddering and gasping for breath. Suddenly she stopped, and collapsed fully onto the floor, smiling serenely in a cruel parody of sleep.
'Feel my fury, feel my pain,
Feel your life begin to drain.
Feel my power, feel my might,
You will lose your life tonight,' sang a ghostly voice, the words echoing around the compartment. As the song ended, Hermione's eyes fluttered open. She blinked a few times to bring the world into focus, then blinked again in surprise as she realised that Harry and Ron's heads were floating just above her.
'Hermione, are you ok?' Ron asked. 'I-I'm fine,' Hermione said uncertainly, shakily sitting up.
'What happened?'
'We were just about to ask you that. You were talking to us and then you collapsed on the floor,' Harry said.
'You were shaking. And there was singing. A weird echoing voice,' Ron added. 'I had a weird dream-like thing. There was a woman, all dressed in white, with hair the same colour as mine,' Hermione frowned. 'Now I think about it, she looked a lot like me. She was singing, too.'
'Do you remember what?' Hermione immediately recited the rhyme that had bounced around the compartment only moments before.
'That's it,' Harry said, nodding. 'That's the song.'
'So what does it mean?' They all shrugged.
Chapter One: Losing Grip
Hermione smiled with relief as she saw Harry racing along the platform. It was 10.59 am and Harry had less than one minute to get safely on the train.
'Harry! Get a move on!' yelled Ron, sticking his head out of the window beside her.
'I'm trying!' Harry yelled back breathlessly. He flung his bags inside the compartment and swung himself in, using his momentum to pull the door shut behind him. Simultaneously the whistle shrieked and the Hogwarts Express began chugging slowly forward.
'Phew,' Harry said behind them. They spun to see Harry sitting on the floor, bags strewn about him, glasses askew and with a dopey expression on his face. He lifted a hand and waggled his fingers.
'Hi guys.' Ron and Hermione looked at Harry, then each other and burst out laughing. Hermione swooped down and hugged Harry, knocking his glasses to the floor.
'Whoops!'
'Harry, I'm so glad you're ok,' smiled Hermione. 'I was so worried that something had happened. You haven't owled either of us for a week!'
'I know, I'm sorry,' Harry said, a mischievously guilty look spread across his features. Ron suspected that Harry was actually quite enjoying this telling off. After all, Hermione was there on the floor with him, still with her arms around his neck, looking earnestly into his eyes. Ron blinked and shook his head. 'I shouldn't be thinking like that,' he told himself. Hermione got up and began picking up Harry's things.
'How's your summer been, Herm?' Ron asked, trying to catch the attention of the other two.
'It's been good. I went to the south of France again. How about you guys?'
'Stuck at the Dursleys again,' Harry replied glumly.
'Stuck at the Burrow,' Ron said.
'Ah, poor boys,' Hermione said, mock-sympathetically. 'I-' Hermione gasped and fell to the floor. The boys darted towards her in alarm.
'Hermione, what's wrong?' Harry asked frantically. Hermione half-knelt, half-lay on the floor, shuddering and gasping for breath. Suddenly she stopped, and collapsed fully onto the floor, smiling serenely in a cruel parody of sleep.
'Feel my fury, feel my pain,
Feel your life begin to drain.
Feel my power, feel my might,
You will lose your life tonight,' sang a ghostly voice, the words echoing around the compartment. As the song ended, Hermione's eyes fluttered open. She blinked a few times to bring the world into focus, then blinked again in surprise as she realised that Harry and Ron's heads were floating just above her.
'Hermione, are you ok?' Ron asked. 'I-I'm fine,' Hermione said uncertainly, shakily sitting up.
'What happened?'
'We were just about to ask you that. You were talking to us and then you collapsed on the floor,' Harry said.
'You were shaking. And there was singing. A weird echoing voice,' Ron added. 'I had a weird dream-like thing. There was a woman, all dressed in white, with hair the same colour as mine,' Hermione frowned. 'Now I think about it, she looked a lot like me. She was singing, too.'
'Do you remember what?' Hermione immediately recited the rhyme that had bounced around the compartment only moments before.
'That's it,' Harry said, nodding. 'That's the song.'
'So what does it mean?' They all shrugged.