Hey people. This has actually been written for a few days. So it isn't tainted by the bad case of writer's block I have today. Anyway, I actually like this one. It makes me happy. Which is sadistic, and you will understand once you've read it.
Not mine, swear to god. No really, it's true. I'm flattered you think so, but no.
Nessy woke in the semi darkness and pulled back the covers of her bed. It was morning and the clean, clear light that shone through the crack in the curtain cast a line over her pillow. It was remarkable how the sun managed to find her eyes through that tiny sliver in the curtain.
She wandered downstairs in a daze, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. The common room was deserted, a familiar sight, and she walked straight through the portrait hole without giving it a thought. She sighed. Waking up alone was a curse that had plagued her since she was a small child.
She shivered at the eerie feeling the castle emanated to its early morning wanderer, and pulled her black robes more tightly around herself. Her feet padded the familiar route to the library. She'd spent so many days there with her father, shifting through piles of books. He always said if his wasn't careful she'd turn into Hermione. Nessy smiled sadly in remembrance. Hermione, the last headmistress.
She turned the corner to the library, sun catching dust as it flooded through the tall windows behind the shelves.
She turned around a shelf to see a tall man in black robes, pouring over a book that lay on the table.
"Morning dad" Nessy said, making the tall man jump. When he moved she could see that the book on the table wasn't open, but the cover glistened like the night sky. "Did you even go to bed last night?"
"Ness, what are you doing up?" he demanded forcefully, once he had adjusted to the shock she gave him.
Nessy frowned, her green eyes searching his face. Why did it matter she was up? And how was it she had startled him? She didn't have a memory of ever having done that before. After years of fighting Tom, it took a lot to startle Harry Potter.
"Go back to bed Ness." Said her father, hurriedly. Nessy noticed for the first time that his eyes were wide with fear.
"What's going to...?"
"Just go Nochless!" Her father nearly screamed. He was glancing around now, as if waiting for an attack.
Nessy was scared at the name. She stumbled back. He only used it when there was danger. But there couldn't be, this was Hogwarts. No one knew they were there. Why now? And if someone was coming, why wouldn't they leave?
"But no one can apparate-"
"The wards are failing Ness! There haven't been students for so long... Please go! You can't be hurt Nessy! Look!" He was frantic now, and with a sweeping motion, as if it would explain everything, he, pushed the bottom half of the book on the table. It separated from the top. Nessy's eyes widened. That was the last one. He would be coming now.
She turned to run, but as she did, she heard a crack behind her, and a sudden explosion threw her and a couple bookshelves clear across the room. She landed in a heap, and was quickly buried by several hundred books. Dazed on the floor, she heard a high pitched laugh. It felt as if her heart had been filled with ice, and was slowly pumping her blood cold.
"So, Harry Potter! It's been a while." His voice was amused, and very deadly.
"Has it really Tom? Time just flies by. Seems like only yesterday I was watching you and Bella running away down Knockturn Alley."
There was no response to that, save for a series of cracks, sizzles and crashes that could only have been a volley of curses.
It seemed that her father had come of the worse. She heard him breathing heavily, and a quick stream dirty words was falling from his mouth.
"And it seemed almost yesterday, when I was having a little chat with your wife. Charming lady, what was her name? Pity she had to die." You could hear the evil smile on his lips, and even though Nessy hadn't yet extracted herself from the books, she knew the expression that had come across her father's face. Tom Riddle would never know what his words were doing to Harry Potter. He couldn't fathom the immense power that was building in his equals heart, the horrible wrath that only lost love could trigger. Tom Riddle would never know, unless Harry forced him to.
Books slid off Nessy as she maneuvered her way to the surface. She had to see what was going on. She couldn't sit idle while her father faced the only man who could kill him. Her head breached the surface, just in time to see her father disappear. Just disappear. There was no crack, he was just gone.
"DAD!" She screamed, scrambling and sliding to get out of the books, but she couldn't get a grip on anything around her.
Voldemort turned to her, a menacing smile on his face, but then he stopped, an exasperated look on his evil features.
"You would try to possess me Potter?" he asked amused, but suddenly, his red slits that were his eyes widened, and he began to scream. He fell to his knees, writhing and twisting, like a snake in it's death throes. With every twitch he seemed to become more like a man, less like the creature that the last bit of his soul had taken to haunting.
And then he was still and there was silence. Nessy sat shocked, no longer trying to escape the pile of books. What was going on? And then the black haired body on the ground shifted, and another black haired man seemed to fall out of him. Her father got to his feet, took two sure steps towards her, and crumpled to the ground as if he had never even had muscles to hold him up.
"DAD!" Nessy screamed again, even louder this time, and throwing aside A Thousand and One Ways to Make Your Pet Rat More Interesting she kicked and wriggled wildly until she was sliding down an avalanche of books. She crawled, sobbing to her father's side. "dad" she cried wetly, her long flyaway black hair getting stuck to her face by her tears.
Nessy thrashed about in her bed. "Dad" she whispered weakly, as tears slid down her face. "Dad..."
"Nessy wake up! It was only a dream!" Hermione was shaking her. Her eyes flicked open, wet and blue. She trembled helplessly, as she looked up into the young face of someone who'd once been like a mother to her. She didn't realize her surroundings.
"Me' mums eyes..." she muttered weakly.
"Someone go find Professor McGonagall" Hermione said over her shoulder to the girls standing behind her. Someone, she thought it was Lavender, sprinted through the door.
"Professor..." Nessy was still trembling. Her eyes were looking up at Hermione, shrouded with disbelief. She still hadn't fully woken up yet. She was still living in the future, where Professor Granger was dead and gone.
"That's right, Lavender's gone to get Professor McGonagall" Hermione calmly. She hadn't realized Nessy was talking about her.
"McGonagall..." She said confused, and then something about her eyes changed. They widened in the shock of remembering, and then she began to cry again. There was a surreal quality about her big sapphire eyes when they were filled with tears. She had remembered. This wasn't her Hermione, who'd comforted her when her father was out late, and it wasn't certain if he would return. This wasn't the Professor who had dedicated her life to making sure that Hogwarts remained open, who had taught until the last student was taken home. Who tutored her in potion making before she was supposed to be taught. This was just a girl her age. She was still alone.
A light from spilled through the door as it opened into the dark dormitories.
"What's all this?" said a stern voice, that softened as McGonagall's eyes fell on the quivering girl. "Come now Miss Thrower. Come with me."
McGonagall helped the crying girl out of bed and started to lead her towards the common room.
"I'm okay, I'm fine, no really." Protested the still sobbing girl as she helplessly was led out the portrait hole. Why wouldn't the tears stop? She'd never not been able to make them stop.
"Everlasting Gobstopper" said McGonagall primly to the gargoyle that hid the headmaster's office. It leaped aside. Usually girls found crying at night were not taken to see Dumbledore, but he'd asked her to keep an eye on this one, and she knew when to assume there was something more to the situation.
She steered the sniffling girl up the stairs, and wondered what the dream had been to cause such a reaction. The poor girl had been a wreck since she had gotten her. You would think she would have run out of tears by now.
There was a choking sound from the small girl as they reached the door, and the Professor looked down to see the girl's eye's tightly shut, her face screwed up as she tried to force the tears to stop. Nessy's breathing slowed as she attempted to stop the wracking sobs. By the time a tired looking Dumbledore had answered the door wearing a floppy golden nightcap and matching slippers, she'd gotten herself together. Sort of.
Her eyes were closed, and she was breathing quietly. Tears still glistened on her cheeks as she stood facing the headmaster, but she quickly brushed those away.
"I told you I was fine Professor." She stated in a tightly reigned voice. McGonagall just stared at her.
"Come in Professor, Miss Thrower." Said Dumbledore in a tired, yet cheerful voice. His eyes were sad however.
They walked in, and sat facing the comical looking headmaster in the two seats across from the desk. Dumbledore settled behind it.
"So, before we begin, Minerva, I think you need to be filled in on some details." He hadn't thought it would be necessary to tell his deputy headmistress the truth about the young time traveler, but that had quickly proved to be wrong.
He quickly outlined the fantastic tale for the stunned woman before him. Throughout the entire tale, Nessy kept her eyes screwed shut, and said nothing.
"But Albus!" said McGonagall when he had finished, "Why?..." she glanced at Nessy "She's so young! Why couldn't..."
"They're all dead" said Nessy, a little louder than she had intended. A quick stream of tears forced their way out of her eyes, which she just pressed tighter closed. Her shoulders were quivering.
McGonagall tried to put a comforting hand on Nessy's back, but she jerked away. Dumbledore sighed.
"You should let yourself cry, Nessy. Holding it all inside wont help you in the end."
Nessy just shook her head. She let go a trembling breath, and relaxed her shoulders. Then she opened her eyes.
"Would you care to tell us what your dream was about, Miss, er, Potter?" Said McGonagall tentatively.
"My dad" said Nessy sadly.
"Which-" Professor McGonagall was about to ask, but Dumbledore held up his hand.
"Go on" he said.
"Well, it was the day he died," Nessy recounted the story as accurately as she could remember. When she got to the end, she choked, and closed her eyes tight again.
"Interesting." said Dumbledore musingly.
McGonagall just looked shocked. "That happens here?" she said palely, "In the Hogwarts Library!"
"No" said Nessy plainly, her eyes still shut tight.
"No?" asked Dumbledore curiously.
"No, it won't happen here. Not anymore." The angry blue eyes snapped open, anger flowing from them like electricity.
"No it won't" said McGonagall kindly, and the blue eyes softened considerably.
"What are you thinking about Albus?" Asked McGonagall curiously, for the old man seemed lost in thought.
"I was just puzzling over the cause of Lord Voldemort's demise." he said carefully. McGonagall shuddered at the name, but Nessy looked a little surprised.
"What do you mean, Professor?" It had never occurred to her to think of what had killed Voldemort. As far as she had considered, her father had killed him, and she needn't think further than that. Merlin knew she had avoided thinking of that morning as long as she could.
"Well, the way you described it Nessy, Your father disappeared, and then Voldemort dropped dead. I was just considering the possible reasons."
"And what do you think, Albus?" Asked McGonagall eagerly.
"Love." Said Dumbledore. That was it for Nessy. This old codger was mad.
"Love?" she gaped at him. "I don't think there was any love lost between my dad and Tom Riddle..."
"No, but your father's love for your mother." said Dumbledore cryptically. The two girls, one eleven, one somewhere in her mid fifties stared across the desk at the silver haired man with the funny night cap on. He elaborated, looking at Nessy in the eye. "The power the dark lord knows not." This seemed to clear a little of the confusion up for Nessy, but McGonagall just looked even more puzzled.
Dumbledore began to explain. "Love" he began "Is a wonderful and terrible thing. Lost love, as Nessy, you found out over and over again, hurts more than the cruciatus curse. More than the worst torture wizard kind could dream up. Voldemort knows nothing of this. He is incapable of love. What he fears most of all, is death. When he goaded your father about the loss of your mother, he caused him pain beyond Voldemort's own twisted imagination. Your father must have been aware of his weakness. He possessed Voldemort, and forced on the mind of a man who has known only hate and cruelty, a heart full of the torture of lost love. Voldemort could not stand the pain. He died of it."
McGonagall was looking amazed, maybe even a tiny bit skeptical. Love so powerful it could kill did not fit into her four corners and four walls way of thinking about magic.
Nessy on the other hand, believed every word. It sounded familiar, as if perhaps she had heard it before. Maybe her father had mentioned Voldemort's weakness before... But she was still confused.
"But Professor," she began carefully "If that's true, why did my father die too?"
Dumbledore looked at her sadly. "If he were possessing Voldemort, it would have been their shared pain."
"So," Nessy was looking a bit desperate now. "There's another way to kill him right? Once we get all the Horcruxes, we can just use Avada Kedavara right?" Please tell me he won't have to die again. Just tell me that. She finished the last bit in her head.
Dumbledore sighed heavily.
"I don't know, Nessy. I just don't know."
Nessy didn't try to stop it this time. She burst into tears, and nothing for the rest of the night could calm her down.
Poor Nessy... what am I talking about, it's so much more fun to write her cracking up than actually sane. Which doesn't mean this will be one of those pathetic dramas where the main character does nothing but cry. This if a one time thing for my... I mean your enjoyment. This is a good chapter in my opinion, cause it explains stuff. I like explaining stuff. I also like McGonagal behaving confused. It makes me happy. Review, tell me what you think of my reason Voldy died, and I'll be seeing you!
Ta.
