The Abuse in a Violently Different Dimension
By Juu & Jekyll
3. Must Be Dreaming
This is the right turn wrong
Universe taking me in full bloom
Fireball careful with that there
See what you made me do
The moment he heard the other person speaking, Harry had his wand raised and a protego ready on his lips. He took a step to the side, as he whirled around, and took a defensive stance.
There was an unfamiliar man, probably somewhere mid twenties, with a friendly, yet worried look on his face. Harry did not recognize him from anywhere and wondered what the man was doing there at such an odd time.
Was he another Death Eater that had gotten inside Hogwarts? It seemed ridiculous that they were able to get in so easily without anyone noticing. Weren't there protective wards?
"Harry?" the man finally asked again when he didn't receive an answer. "Is there something wrong?"
Harry shook slowly his head. Why did people keep asking that when clearly things were all messed up?
"I-I'm alright. I mean, everything is good," he smiled to pacify the unknown man who grinned relieved back.
"That's good to hear. Now, I don't know why you are out after curfew, but I can take a good guess. You do realize you can come to me when people are picking on you, right? My office is always open, well not this late at night though."
The man smiled kindly and Harry had no idea what to think of him. The man was under the impression that he was a professor at Hogwarts?
"Nevertheless," the man continued. "I still will have to take 10 points from you, which saddens me greatly as you are in my own house, but nevertheless. Rules must be obeyed. Now off with you to the dorms," the man said as he made shooing motions with his hand.
Harry turned bewildered around and started to walk obediently towards the Gryffindor tower. Why was he listening to this stranger? He didn't really understand, other than the fact that something really seemed off about… well, about everything.
With his mind still on this, he found himself in front of the Gryffindor entrance and muttered the password: "Emerald Dragon."
"No offence, but that is not the password. Not to mention the fact that you are not one of my Gryffindors. I must ask you to leave."
Harry glanced startled up at that polite, yet stern voice and stared incredulous at the painting. It wasn't the Fat Lady who had hung there for how long he could remember. Instead of her, there was a tall woman with black hair in a stern bun, and silver piercing eyes. She was holding a book and appeared to have been sitting in an uncomfortable straight-backed chair.
"Who are you? Where is the Fat Lady?" he asked.
The painting seemed to be offended by his tone of voice. "I am Machia Vellian, the protector of Gryffindor Tower and I do not have any knowledge of this 'Obese Lady' you are talking about. Now please, go to your ownHouse."
"But... I am a Gryffindor!" Harry tried to defend himself.
"You can try to deny it with words. Or even with that fancy Gryffindor tie and the crest on your robes, but you are a Hufflepuff, mister Potter."
"I am-? I am a what!"
"Please cease making such a ruckus, or do you prefer me to call a professor?"
That actually sounded like a nice thing to Harry; it would probably clear up the confusion he was in, but a foreboding feeling made him reconsider.
"No, I… I'll be going," he said as he distractedly found his way back.
'What in Merlin's name had that been about?' Harry wondered disorientated as he stumbled away from Machia Vellian's painting. This day had seriously messed with all his senses and he was pissed off, dead-tired and he had no bloody idea about what was going on.
"You should've let me in! I belong in Gryffindor!" he shouted over his shoulder, feeling the same fury, he had felt in Dumbledore's office growing steadily inside him again. "I am really a Gryffindor!"
There he was; totally confused and everything around him acted abnormal and just wasn't the way it was supposed to be. Harry had no idea what he should do.
"Where am I supposed to go then?" He wondered out loud and trailed distressed away from the Gryffindor tower.
"I have a suggestion," someone spoke up. "What about heading to bed, Mister Potter? Late is the hour and near is the morrow."
The one speaking this time was not a professor, but the statue of a woman. She was slightly taller than him and oddly enough made of a silvery looking material. At the woman's feet stood a small basket which was covered by a little blanket to conceal the contents.
She wore a long, medieval dress with a cloak over it and her hair fell over her shoulders like a waterfall. To Harry, she looked rather captivating. Still, the words she'd just spoken were not of much use to him.
"Yeah well, I just tried! But it didn't really work out, now did it? I can't get to my bloody bed!" he answered biting.
A portrait on the wall now also started to intervene. "Stop chattin' with Morgane and just get to the Hufflepuff cellars!" He yelled gruffly. "I'm tryin' to get some sleep here!"He was joined by other portraits that yelled their outrage.
"Shut your trap, Hengist! We are all trying to sleep here!"
"Inform a teacher!"
"Student out of bed! Student out of bed!"
The cacophony of yelling, screaming and screeching voices was really loud. Harry covered his ears with his hands, trying in vain to keep the voices out.
"Shut up!" he yelled back. "Shut! The! Fuck! Up!"
At the last syllable of the word the heat that had concentrated deep in Harry's' chest searched for release. He let it go and it took the shape of a fiercely blazing fireball that propelled itself through the hallway.
It left a scorched and sizzling path on the stone. It also silenced all the portraits as they fled their burning frames for safety.
Harry slowly lowered his hands and stared distraught around him. "What have I done?" he asked almost fearfully. "Why does this keep happening? In the forest, with that Death Eater and now here? How can I control this?"
He slumped onto the ground and covered his aching eyes. Doing so kept him from noticing how there appearing water out of thin air that doused the burning flames on the portrait frames.
"How can I stop it?" he asked himself.
"Anger management, perhaps?"
He sat straight up and whirled around to face the silver statue. The fire hadn't appeared to have touched her. Not even soot dirtied her profile.
"How?" he asked, not knowing himself if he was asking how she was undamaged or how he could stop these fires from happening. The woman gave him a mystic smile and he realized that she was quite pretty. For a statue, that is.
"You are an elemental. Such a pleasant surprise," she commented airily, not answering his question.
A scowl crossed his face and he swept with an arm at the mess he just made. "Play tell how is that pleasant?"
Again she didn't answer him. She glanced him over, tapping thoughtful with a finger against her lips.
"This might be interesting. But first, young man, you look exhausted. It is time for you to sleep. And since you do not wish to go to your own bed, let us see. Oh, right! I know this secret room. It is on this same floor and if you walk three times-"
"You mean The Room of Requirement?"
She looked surprised. "You know of it? Not so secret then. How interesting... Well, I suggest you go there to sleep; you need it. And then tomorrow you can come back and we will have a little chat."
"I want to talk now!"
"Calm down. Do you really think you are in the right state to absorb everything I will tell you?"
"I sure a-" he interrupted his own answer by involuntary yawning. She send him a sly smirk.
"Come back tomorrow," she advised him again. "Things will look more natural then. Answers will come to you more swiftly."
She glanced over his shoulder. "And do not worry about the little mess. I will take care of all of it. You go rest now."
Harry, tired of everything and feeling drained, gave a nod and followed her advice.
Hopefully in the morning everything would make sense again.
To be Continued
VG Jekyll (august 2014): Rewritten! Changed Morgane's way of speech to be more formal and instead of underlined, which I now find difficult to read, it's in italics.
[Must be Dreaming – Frou Frou]
