The Legacy Curse
Chapter One: Beginnings
Harry looked down at himself. He was wearing a black tux. He shifted his gaze up towards the banner that hung from the ceiling. It read 'Happy 21st Ron!' in bright red letters, much the same colour as Ron's cheeks were. He heard himself call out, "Happy birthday, Ron", along with everyone else in the room. All of their Gryffindor classmates from Hogwarts were there, and a few from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff as well. All of Ron's siblings were there; well, except Ginny, Harry noticed, but he though nothing of it, she apparently hadn't been going to a lot of family get-togethers. Remus, Sirius and lots of other people that Harry didn't know and presumed were family were there. Even Dumbledore was there! But strangely, Hermione wasn't. Harry thought to himself, 'Hmm, that's odd; I would've thought that Hermione would be here.' After all, she and Ron had been going out for a couple of years now, well, actually, since their final year at Hogwarts actually. 'I wonder if she's not here because she knew that I was going to be.'
Harry woke up, startled. He reached for his glasses, but couldn't find them. He blinked once, trying to clear his vision, but everything was still out of focus. He reached up to rub his eyes, and he realized that he was still wearing them. Then the images flashed in front of his eyes briefly. Fawkes, a glittering sword, a green cave, Cedric's body, a huge snake with poison dripping from its fangs, and finally, a flash of green light with the one sound that Harry knew would haunt him forever, Voldemort laughing maniacally.
"Harry, are you okay?" asked Hermione; leaning over the arm of the chair Harry had fallen asleep in "You looked like you were having a fit or something."
"What? Oh, yeah, I'm okay. What time is it?" Harry replied.
"Its, ah, quarter past one,"
"What are you doing here?"
"Well, this is the Gryffindor common room, and I am in Gryffindor, so I am allowed here. And, you know, I could ask you the same thing," retorted Hermione.
"Yeah, well, I fell asleep. I don't know when, and you just woke me up now. So what are you doing up?"
"I couldn't sleep. I was too busy thinking about you," Harry looked at Hermione quizzically. "I mean, about what you've gone through since you arrived at Hogwarts."
"And what is there to think about? So what; I, or rather, we, beat more than we should've had to at school. I mean; its school for fuck's sake. The biggest worry you should have at school is failing an important test, not looking over your shoulder every ten seconds expecting something to leap out of the wall and curse you or something. And we were barely teens then."
"Harry, there's no need to get so emotional over it, it's all over now. I was just telling you what I was doing up, like you asked me, now lets forget this conversation and got to bed." Hermione's voice trailed off as Harry interrupted her.
"Forget it, how? After all, you are the brains of it. You don't actually do anything. You don't have to face what comes after it, the nightmares, the nights waking up in a cold sweat, afraid of the night, and everything in it. You just don't understand, and you never will!" Harry got up and stormed to the boy's dorm.
Chapter One: Beginnings
Harry looked down at himself. He was wearing a black tux. He shifted his gaze up towards the banner that hung from the ceiling. It read 'Happy 21st Ron!' in bright red letters, much the same colour as Ron's cheeks were. He heard himself call out, "Happy birthday, Ron", along with everyone else in the room. All of their Gryffindor classmates from Hogwarts were there, and a few from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff as well. All of Ron's siblings were there; well, except Ginny, Harry noticed, but he though nothing of it, she apparently hadn't been going to a lot of family get-togethers. Remus, Sirius and lots of other people that Harry didn't know and presumed were family were there. Even Dumbledore was there! But strangely, Hermione wasn't. Harry thought to himself, 'Hmm, that's odd; I would've thought that Hermione would be here.' After all, she and Ron had been going out for a couple of years now, well, actually, since their final year at Hogwarts actually. 'I wonder if she's not here because she knew that I was going to be.'
Harry woke up, startled. He reached for his glasses, but couldn't find them. He blinked once, trying to clear his vision, but everything was still out of focus. He reached up to rub his eyes, and he realized that he was still wearing them. Then the images flashed in front of his eyes briefly. Fawkes, a glittering sword, a green cave, Cedric's body, a huge snake with poison dripping from its fangs, and finally, a flash of green light with the one sound that Harry knew would haunt him forever, Voldemort laughing maniacally.
"Harry, are you okay?" asked Hermione; leaning over the arm of the chair Harry had fallen asleep in "You looked like you were having a fit or something."
"What? Oh, yeah, I'm okay. What time is it?" Harry replied.
"Its, ah, quarter past one,"
"What are you doing here?"
"Well, this is the Gryffindor common room, and I am in Gryffindor, so I am allowed here. And, you know, I could ask you the same thing," retorted Hermione.
"Yeah, well, I fell asleep. I don't know when, and you just woke me up now. So what are you doing up?"
"I couldn't sleep. I was too busy thinking about you," Harry looked at Hermione quizzically. "I mean, about what you've gone through since you arrived at Hogwarts."
"And what is there to think about? So what; I, or rather, we, beat more than we should've had to at school. I mean; its school for fuck's sake. The biggest worry you should have at school is failing an important test, not looking over your shoulder every ten seconds expecting something to leap out of the wall and curse you or something. And we were barely teens then."
"Harry, there's no need to get so emotional over it, it's all over now. I was just telling you what I was doing up, like you asked me, now lets forget this conversation and got to bed." Hermione's voice trailed off as Harry interrupted her.
"Forget it, how? After all, you are the brains of it. You don't actually do anything. You don't have to face what comes after it, the nightmares, the nights waking up in a cold sweat, afraid of the night, and everything in it. You just don't understand, and you never will!" Harry got up and stormed to the boy's dorm.
