Disclaimer: I don't own nothing
Here's chap 9. R&R
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Neville was lying on the floor, motionless. "Is he...dead?" a boy asked starting to panic. Harry tried hard to stop the tears flowing through his eyes, but he realized he couldn't hold it. Hermione had stop saying her words ("It happens tonight...it happens tonight.") and stated laughing hysterically.
"It happened...it happened!" she started screaming as she laughed. It was not a normal kind of laugh, however, as it was an evil kind of laugh.
"Professor Lupin! Come down here Professor Lupin!" Dumbledoor shouted, his eyes blazing. Nobody could see Lupin, but Harry noticed his face somewhere. It wasn't attached to his body, for it was in the fire. He was laughing just as hard as Hermione was, in fact, they even looked identical. Harry wasn't sure if he was the only one who could see the mysterious face. Just then, the face mouthed out the words.
"Goodbye, Hermione." The flame disappeared and Hermione stopped saying her new words. Instead she started to choke.
"Professor!" Snape screamed pointing at Hermione. The glares turned from Neville to Hermione.
"It's a curse," Dumbledoor said calmly, "and the only person who knows the counter curse is Professor Lupin!'' People started eyeing the room closely. Hermione was still choking, and Harry knew she was going to die.
"Sir! I saw Professor Lupin!" Harry exclaimed frantically.
"Where is he, Potter?" Snape asked, tears in his eyes too.
"I dunno, but I saw him in the fire!" Harry replied as whispers waved around the room. Dumbledoor was thinking so hard Harry thought his head was about to explode. Harry was also thinking of a solution, but didn't find any answers. Harry looked at Dumbledoor and knew that Dumbledoor had an idea. He murmured something and Hermione stopped choking.
"How did you do it, Headmaster?" Professor Mcgonagall asked with awe.
"She's unconscious, but not cured." Dumbledoor said with sorrow. "If we don't find Professor Lupin in an hour we will lose her. Now Harry, what did Lupin say in the fire?" Harry waited awhile before he answered.
"He didn't say anything, Professor," Harry replied stuttering.
"What do you mean, Harry? He had to say something."
"All he said was "Goodbye, Hermione" and then disappeared," Harry said while tears ran freely through his eyes.
"Interesting," Dumbledoor said, "very interesting."
"I suggest that we organize a search party for Remus," Professor Mcgonagall said stepping up. "He's hiding for a reason, Dumbledoor, and he's not going to come to us if we just call for him."
"I agree with Minerva," Snape said firmly.
"Then that's what we'll do," Dumbledoor said, "Minerva, you go with Severus and search the entire school and all the secret passageways. Madame Pomfrey, please go down to the forest and tell Hagrid to search the entire castle grounds." They all left to do what Dumbledoor assigned them to do.
"And you Harry," Dumbledoor said quietly, "go back to the Gryffindor Common Room and tell them to all get to their dormitories, and please don't tell them anything that happened tonight."
"Yes sir, but what about Neville?" Harry asked looking at the motionless body.
"I'm afraid there is nothing we can do to save Neville. If the Gryffindor's ask about him, just don't say anything," Dumbledoor said. Harry slowly walked away.
When he got to the Common Room, he was bombarded by questions. Harry didn't say anything, he just cried. He then told them all to go to their dormitories. In his dorm, only three of the five beds were occupied. Seamus was expelled and Neville was dead. There was no talk whatsoever, but Harry knew Ron and Dean were awake. Harry thought about Hermione for a moment and suddenly bolted out of his bed.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Ron asked sitting up on his bed.
"I'm not going to let Hermione die out there! She's got 45 minutes to live and I'm just laying here! I'm going to find Lupin and drag him over to Hermione and make him cure her! If he refuses, I will kill him," Harry murmured uncontrollably.
"What are you talking about?" Dean asked but Harry ignored him. Harry pulled out his chest and got his Invisibility Cloak. He put it on and stormed out of the room.
He quietly crept out of the Common Room. He looked for Snape and Professor Mcgonagall for almost 15 minutes before he could find them. He slid up behind them unsuspected.
"We've checked everywhere Severus, and we still can't find him!" Professor Mcgonagall whispered.
"He must be Apparting," Snape said.
"You two are such idiots, you can't even find me!" a voice traveled across the ceiling. Snape and Professor Mcgonagall both turned around.
"Show yourself, you little coward!" Snape shouted.
"If you really want me to, I will," the voice said again. Two streaks of fire swirled around the room and they combined into each other to form Lupin.
"What have you done to the girl?" Professor Mcgonagall asked in a shrill voice. Lupin started laughing madly.
"Hermione? I haven't done a thing, but it looks like she's only got 15 minutes to live," Lupin said looking at his watch and stepping forward towards Snape.
"That's not true!" Harry yelled jumping out of his cloak, "I saw you! You were trying to kill her!"
"Potter! What the hell do you think..." Professor Mcgonagall started but Lupin interrupted her.
"Why hello, Harry," Lupin said with a grin to big for his face, "It seems like you have joined the little party we got going here. I've heard that you have formed a quite strong relationship with Hermione. It's just a pity that she has to die, though."
"She's not going to die! You're going to go into the hospital wing and fix her!" Harry shouted, tears in his eyes.
"Do you really think I'm going to do that? I'm afraid it's not in my instructions from Lord Voldemort."
"Yes, I do think you are going to fix her," Snape said nastily as he mumbled something under his breath. Suddenly, a yellow light came out of Snape's wand and collided with Lupin. Lupin fell over, nearly dead. He was not dead, however, as he was more reborn.
"Oh my God, what has happened?" Lupin asked as Harry stared at him blankly, "A man snuck up behind me before dinner and cast the Imperius Curse on me!"
"I want you to fix Granger, Lupin," Snape said coolly.
"What's happened to Hermione?"
"Apparently, you tried to kill her. She's got 10 minutes to live so you better hurry to the hospital wing!" Professor Mcgonagall said harshly. Harry was still in a daze.
"Yes, Headmistress," Lupin said as he set off to the hospital wing. Snape, Mcgonagall, and Harry followed Lupin. When they got to the hospital wing, Hermione only had 5 minutes to live.
"Professor Lupin!" Dumbledoor said as he opened the door to the hospital wing, "Where have you been?"
"No time to explain, Dumbledoor," Snape said. Lupin immediately got to work on Hermione. He couldn't remember what spell to use so he had to search in a spell book.
"Hurry up, Professor Lupin!" Harry whispered at the 2 minute mark. Finally, with 30 seconds to live, he found the spell.
"I got it!"
"Just hurry up and cast the spell!" Professor Mcgonagall said impatiently. Harry found himself praying that Hermione would live. Ten seconds remained. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...
"Incendiochias!" Lupin shouted as Hermione's life was about to be taken away. A puff of blue smoke came off of Lupin's wand, and Hermione awakened with life.
"Where am I?" Hermione asked, baffled.
"Oh, you're alive! You're alive!" Harry said as he gave her a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. Harry looked around as he hugged Hermione again. All he could see was happy faces.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Stay tuned for Chapter 10!
