Disclaimer: Your off the deep end if you think I'm J.K. Rowling… I'm no where NEAR that talented… so don't sue me because I don't own her stuff… thank you.
Author's Note: Oh Yeah… Go me!!! I'm so proud!!! It's been like what??? 3 days??? This is awesome… It's shorter than I would have liked, but I couldn't really help that…
So OK story time!!! So we get 15 minute breaks in the middle of class, so we all go outside… Stephanie, Dave, and Caitlin all go out to the sidewalk to smoke… I'd go too, but I was out… so I sit against the wall, and I fall asleep… I swear I'm literally fast asleep on hard concrete… next thing I know, Dave yells in my face and kicks my foot lightly and wakes me up… in the process scaring me shitless… OK so I wake up suddenly and my head goes back and bangs straight into the brick wall… It hurt like fuck!!! I am so serious…
HAHA anyways now that I am done with my little useless prattle here, ONWARD!!! Here's the chapter!!! ENJOY!!
Walking in Darkness
Chapter 7: Porcelain
Red eyes pierced through the dim firelight, gleaming maniacally at the people gathered around him. All stood silently, shrouded in heavy black robes, white masks fixated over their eyes. He leered at each one, eyes searching the crowd mechanically. They paused on one figure. His body was thin and frail, not overly tall. The hood of his robe covered his hair, but Voldemort didn't need to see it to know who he was, unlike most of the wizarding world. He knew that beneath the thick black material the young man wore his flaming red hair proudly.
A lone figure sat in the middle of the encircled group. Her small body was heaving up and down in silent sobs that racked her small frame. Tears streamed down her soft tanned cheeks, leaving streaks of black mascara cascading from her deep aqua eyes. The only sound in the entire room was her rasping breath drawn raggedly in.
"Step forward my son, prove your allegiance to me." Voldemort's voice came out as little more than a hiss that nonetheless reached the Death Eaters ears.
"Yes my Lord. What exactly do you want me to do with her?" said the all too clear voice of Percy Weasley.
"I want you to have a little 'fun' with her my pet. Do only what you want." was the Dark Lords reply. The gleam in his eyes however told a different story. Percy knew what was expected of him.
"Yes my Lord." He smirked evilly and stepped up to the young woman gracefully. She didn't get a chance to realize what he was doing before his left boot hit her in her stomach, throwing her onto her back. He sat on top of her, pulling her hair up, forcing her to look him in the eye.
"Are you ready for pain bitch?" He asked scathingly.
The word "Crucio" was heard leaving his thin lips and he smiled maliciously. While she writhed under him in pain, he made careful work of removing her clothes. And when he finally ended the blinding curse, a new form of pain swept through her, and the cold smile on his face was flooded with an evil laugh. Her cries and pain-filled screams joined his laughter as he pounded into her roughly, the pain of the intrusion too intense to not to notice the numerous cuts and bruises marring her once beautiful body.
The last thing the girl remembered before darkness claimed herwas the sound of jeering laughter, and a high cruel voice saying "See now what happens when you disobey me my dear? Remember it well."
# # # # # # # # #
Harry's eyes wrenched open in the darkness. The fire had gone out hours ago and the room now had an odd chill to it. The covers had become twisted from his writhing and they were soaked through with sweat. His lips trembled slightly, remembering the scene that had plastered itself to the inside of his eyelids the second he had drifted off. Without looking at the bed next to his, the Gryffindor knew that Draco would not be there. He knew where he was and what he was doing.
The raven-haired boy hauled himself out of bed and walked to the fireplace. Tiredly he stoked the coals, trying to build up some kind of warmth back into the room, though he doubted that the fire would make much of a difference. He had just witnessed a person he had considered family not long ago, committing terrifying and gruesome acts never expected to arise from him.
Remembering the scene once more Harry raced to the bathroom, barely making it in time. The thick acidic liquid sprayed from his mouth, burning his throat unmercifully. For long moments he remained there, leaning over the toilet in a vain attempt to remove all contents from his stomach. If only there had been any contents in there to begin with.
The image of Percy committing such dreadful acts upon that innocent girl seemed permanently etched in his mind. Another wave of sickness hit him and he vomited once more into the porcelain bowl. Subconsciously the sound of the sink being turned on registered to him, but it wasn't until he was done heaving and a wet cloth was pressed into his hand that Harry realized Draco was back.
Slowly he raised his head and looked at the boy darkly. His features still held the remnants of disgust and anger. His silver eyes reflected something close to worry, though not quite and Harry caught himself wondering who had taken over Draco's body.
"I saw it." Was all Harry said, locking his gaze with the other boy's.
"I figured as much. Do you know who the girl was?" Draco asked quietly. He himself looked like he had vomited not long ago, probably immediately after Apparating to the school gates. Harry wiped his mouth with the cloth he'd been handed, tasting the vile substance against his tongue.
"No. I'm glad I didn't. Seeing someone I once considered family rape and torture an innocent person was horrifying enough. I'm not sure what I would have done had I known her." He paused for a moment. "Did you?"
He nodded. "It was Marcus Flint's younger sister, Annaleise. She wasn't marked, but she knew information vital to their cause that she divulged to a still unknown person. Now she is Voldemort's new pet." He spat angrily.
Harry nodded solemnly. He rose unsteadily onto wobbling legs. His head throbbed and he swayed precariously at the sudden motion, but he locked his knees and pulled himself together before making his way back to his bed. Draco followed close behind him, divesting himself of the long black robes he had been wearing since earlier that night when the tattoo on his left forearm had burned, summoning him to the meeting.
Neither fell asleep quite yet though, laying awake far into the morning trapped in their own thoughts. Images played themselves repeatedly through both boys' minds. For Harry it was all those times he's spent with Percy, memories of a boy he knew had died. For Draco it was of his own post-marking ceremony and of what he had done to that small girl with bright shining eyes that he would never forget.
# # # # # # # # #
"Hermione, how do you expect us to figure out where Dumbledore would hide Harry? We don't even have a reasonable idea to help us!" Whined Ron, not for the first time that day. It was Saturday morning and they were once again flipping through the thousands of books residing in the dusty library.
"Ron must you complain? We had no idea where to look for Nicholas Flamel either but we still found him!" She replied back irately. They had been skimming through books in their spare time since their meeting with Dumbledore, and no amount of pleading from the red head was going to stop their search. She was determined to find Harry.
"But you heard Professor Dumbledore. It would be dangerous if we knew! Dumbledore MUST have told us that for a reason, and here you are going against his wishes naught but a day later!" He sighed, picking up a copy of Safe Havens and Secrets: A Tour of Britain's Best Hiding Places.
"Yes he said that, but how many times has Dumbledore ever told us not to do something and wanted us to do it! He obviously wants us to find Harry." She rolled her eyes at her grumbling friend and began another search through the hundreds of stacks surrounding her.
The problem was that she knew Ron was right. Without Harry all the roles weren't being filled. It had always been that Harry would snoop around and find an idea worth looking into, Hermione would research it, and Ron would provide unwavering valor and loyalty.
Looking back at where Ron was doodling on a scrap piece of parchment, steadfastly ignoring the book propped up in front of him, Hermione felt badly for him. They were the dream team, all three of them. But no matter how hard he tried, Hermione was always the mind, and Harry was always the Boy-Who-Lived and Ron was just Ron. He never got any of the credit, though sometimes Hermione thought he deserved it the most. Ron was the one who knew how to strategize. His brilliant chess skills made him an excellent thinker and he had saved both Hermione and Harry countless times.
Strolling down the aisles Hermione plucked a few books from the shelf and brought them back to the table. Without Harry to snoop around unnoticed, they needed to work even harder to find him, which meant not letting Ron sketch anymore on spare bits of parchment.
# # # # # # # # #
Harry rolled onto his back. He wasn't sure what time it was, he hadn't seen daylight in several days and had lost all sense of time since then. Instead of trying to find his watch to check the time, Harry just stared up at the ceiling. The dragon was eyeing him contemplatively. Her eyes shone with intelligence and she seemed to be wondering what he was doing lying about like that.
Finally Harry forced himself to sit up and look around at the four bleak walls surrounding him. In truth the room was far from bleak, having a very comfortable aura surrounding it. But having been locked in there for several days was beginning to take its toll on him. He longed to see the sun once more. And more that that he longed to play Quidditch again. He wanted to feel the wind rushing through his hair as he arched upwards into the smoldering sky on his Firebolt.
Trying to get his mind off his current predicament, Harry walked to his desk and began a letter to Hermione and Ron. For nearly half an hour he sat scrawling on a piece of parchment. Looking at the finished product Harry couldn't help but be proud. He reread it slowly making sure there were no mistakes.
Dear Ron and Hermione,
I hope all is well with you. I am sorry I couldn't say good-bye, but I was rather put in a bit of a pinch. Dumbledore told me to gather what I needed and get out as fast as I could. I miss you two terribly. But considering the circumstances I am quite content with staying to myself here. Even if it is bloody boring.
I cannot tell you where I am and I ask you not to look for me. I know you Hermione and I bet that right after Dumbledore told you not to look for me you went straight to the library to do some research. You wont find me. So please don't waste your time buggering on about me. I'm fine.
Ron, keep an eye on her will you? We both know she needs it. Well, maybe not so much without me there to pull her into a mess again. And keep yourself out of Malfoy's hair. I don't want to come back having missed all the glorious fights. That would be quite disappointing to me.
On a darker note, Ron I ask you to not trust Percy a bit. I've had a recent vision and it seems Percy and Voldemort have gotten quite close lately. Percy is a new member of Voldemort's inner circle. The things he's done have just been awful. I hardly believe it's the same Percy I came to consider family.
I hope to see you all as soon as I can.
Harry.
It wasn't the best he could have done, but it was far better than his previous attempts at letters over the years. He decided that somewhere along the line he had actually grown up, though he couldn't figure out when. He still felt like that same fourteen year old who'd had a fish swordfight with Ron in the back of McGonagall's classroom. It was rather a disturbing revelation.
Pulling out an envelope, Harry folded the letter and sealed it. Looking around he realized it was a Saturday and Draco was no where to be found. He sighed and pulled out the Marauders Map, idly wondering where everyone was.
"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." He said, tapping the parchment. Thin black lines appeared where his wand had hit. Across the sheet little dots moved slowly. Each had a name above it in tiny letters that were barely readable.
It took him only a moment to find Hermione and Ron. As he had thought they were tucked away in a corner of the library. Longingly Harry stared at the map willing himself to drop through it and find himself in the library with them. Not wanting to stare at their dots any longer he scanned the page looking to see where everyone else was.
Gryffindor common room was swarming with students. He spotted Ginny, Seamus, Dean, Neville, Colin, Dennis and Lavender all sitting around the huge fireplace. He saw several others that he recognized from lower years scattered through out the room.
In the Great Hall Harry noticed Parvati and her sister Padma were talking with Terry Boot and surprisingly, Blaise Zabini. He watched them for several moments until Blaise's dot moved and headed out the door. Following the small black mark Harry saw him meeting up with Hannah Abbot in the hall and walking towards a closet off of the Entrance Hall. This drew a smile from him and he turned away.
A small blotch paced back and forth through the Headmaster's office. Three dots labeled Albus Dumbledore, Severus Snape, and Minerva McGonagall were there, obviously meeting for something.
Harry say that the Slytherin common room was barely full. The only people in there were Vince, Gregory, Pansy, Draco, Lissa and two people Harry did not recognize. He sighed distressfully. Folding up the map he decided that now was a good time to go take a shower.
# # # # # # # # #
Draco reemerged into his dorm room to find it empty. Surprised he glanced around and spotted a piece of parchment lying on Harry's bed. Walking over to it curiously he unfolded it. With a small gasp, Draco realized that it was a map. But not just any map. It was a thorough map of Hogwarts and its grounds with moving dots labeled with the students names.
˜Well, well. It looks like Potter has a little secret to his night time wanderings after all' He thought, scanning the page. A small undignified snort escaped him as he saw that a dot labeled Blaise Zabini was currently overlapping another dot labeled Hannah Abbot.
The pale boy stepping out of the bathroom didn't catch his attention in time, resulting in the map being shrewdly snatched from his hands. Looking up his grey-silver eyes met emerald as he was stunned with a burning death glare.
"What in bloody hell do you think your doing?" Harry scathed.
"Just looking at this lovely piece of artwork you have here Potter. Where ever did you get it?" Draco drawled. His eyes burned like molten silver. His glare matched Potters fiercely.
Maybe it was being stuck in the same room for a week, or maybe it was being locked in that same room with Draco. Maybe it was just that he missed all of his friends, including Hedwig. Whatever the reason was, Harry snapped.
"Stay the fuck away from my things!" He hissed in a dangerous tone.
"It's my room Potter, I will do as I please. I still reserve the right to kick you out at anytime." He breathed back equally angry. No one spoke to a Malfoy like that.
"Don't bother Malfoy, I'll leave on my own!" replied Harry, pushing past him and making for the door. A pale hand reached out and grasped his hand, roughly tugging him backwards. The momentum of the pull sent Harry spinning into Draco's chest. Despite his anger, Harry felt his breath quicken.
"You leave now, and then I'm dead at the hand of the Dark Lord. Not to mention what he will do to you and your precious little Weasel. Or for that matter what Dumbledore will do to all of us!" Draco whispered, somehow finding his voice unable to rise in volume.
"Fine. I'll stay."
"Good."
# # # # # # # # #
"What do you want me to do about this Severus? This is out of my hands. Mr. Weasley has made his decision." Dumbledore sighed. He had been in his office with Minerva and Severus for little over an hour discussing the events of the meeting the evening last.
"I understand that Albus, but surely there is something we can do to counter him?" Severus asked softly. His eyes were turned to the ground in a rare display of concern.
"There is nothing. The best we can do is attempt to protect Harry as long as we can." Minerva snapped, obviously perturbed.
"Minerva is absolutely correct Severus. There is nothing we can do. And I also think it best that we tell Molly and Arthur as soon as possible. Their lives may be in danger."
A/N: YAY!!! It's done!!! Haha and you cant throw rotten veggies at me!!! Because… well because I said so… oh and no popcorn either… but anyways did y'all like it??? Review me majorly please!!! Your comments entertain me...
Speaking of comments… To my amazing and intelligent reviewers!!! (you didn't think I'd forget you did you?)
Gia – HAHA… I'm sorry, but it was NECESSARY I swear!!! If she hadn't, then my whole story would basically go to crap!!! So well just keep reading and you'll see!!! Thanks so much!!
Dstrbd child – No way!!! I couldn't do that!!! Harry's, well Harry… I may do something about Ron though… he annoys me… thank you!!
JAML – Thank you SO much!!! That's so sweet!!!
I Forget – My favorite beta who still likes to review… haha… OMG YOUR SO CUTE I WANNA PINCH YOUR CHEEKS!!! I never actually understood the pinching cheeks concept actually… it always seemed rather violent… thank you!!!
Hermione21 – Haha thank you!!!
Kountry Sister – Why Thank You!!! I'm very touched at being the one you like!!! That's like that vamp story I like when I hate vamp stories… Thank you so much for liking it!!!
Sak – Wow, I didn't realize my writing would have such an impact… that's really cool… what does glib mean??? (stupid moment) I guess you didn't have to wait long then!!! Thank you!!
Sotty-chan – lol… I hope you keep reading!!! And I'll try to keep writing (as much as it pains me to practically live on this computer)
Tsuyuno – Thank you, I am a bitch!!! And I love hearing it (no sarcasm meant, I'm serious) haha… yes, Hermione is endangering Harry, BUT like I said before, it's IMPORTANT that she finds him… can't tell you why though, otherwise you won't keep reading
Earwen Tiwele - ::hides from glare:: I'm SORRY!! Lol… thank you so much, my back is feeling much better, and summer school is only 3 more weeks (thank god) so hopefully I won't go completely insane… anywayz… THANKS!!
I Love Y'all to bits!!! Thank you SOOO much!!! I'm actually beginning to be proud of myself here… yes yes I know, it is a miracle… haha… love y'alls!!! R/R and keep reading!!! Bye!!
