Chapter 8 Pumpkin patch maze and revolution
Harry's nightmare before Christmas.
By JaneSkellington93
Declaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, Nightmare Before Christmas, and any media used.
Key: *notes
"Oogie talking/singing"
Hedwig speaking
Slowly Harry's world returned to him and for a moment Harry thought he was back in hogwarts infirmary due to the clean smell that petunia's home smelt like after she made him clean it. Of course the illusion didn't last long as the next thing he heard was a high pitched screech coming from somewhere to his left. Opening his eyes, Harry was greeted to the sight of a cold steel ceiling, various old school medical equipment, and half sitting half leaning on one of the desks was Jack Skellington holding a bottle with a smoky black thing inside it. And every time he shook the bottle the black thing would screech in protest.
"Oww… what happened?" Harry asked, revealing he was back in the world of the living.
"Ahh… Young man, glad you're awake. I was worried that I wouldn't have been able to revive you after that stunt with the lightning containment unit." Dr. Finkelstien said, rolling up to the bedside.
"Hi doctor. What happened?" Harry asked
"Well you young man were able to stop the lightning containment unit from overloading and removing the roof from my home so thank you. I just never expected my brain to be switched or the town deceived into making a dangerous halloween." Dr. Finkelstine stated just as a third person entered the room this person was pale with black wild hair and blue eyes hiding behind a pair of round lenses just like Harry had. It took Harry a minute to figure out why he looked familiar and then it clicked.
"Dad?" Harry asked, looking the man up and down.
"Harry!" The man said smiling ear to ear rushing to the boys bedside.
"Oh i'm so glad that your mother didn't see that or she would have had mine and Jack's hides for it." James Potter stated with a laugh offering his son a hug who gladly curled into the man's arms.
"Harry are you okay?" James asked
"I'm okay, why do you ask?" Harry asked
"Well after the stunt with the knife and the lightning containment unit you thankfully didn't hit the ground but a black smoke came out of your scar, Jack was fast enough to catch in a jar. But we don't know what it is." James stated
"I don't know what it is dad. I didn't ever know there was something in my scar." Harry stated looking over to Jack as he shook the jar again it screamed.
"What is that?" Harry asked just as Dr. Finkelstein cleared his throat'
"Mr. Potter Do you know how you came into halloween town?" The good Doctor asked
"A jack-o-lantern door that i came across while i took a walk by the forbidden forest. Why do you ask." Harry asked
"Well a rule of halloween town is that any new resident to enter the town is that they need to be dead." Dr. Finkelstein stated
"Now before you panic, I did run a few tests. It seems that you were in fact killed when you were an infant, But thanks to your mother's spell work you were revived but only half way." Dr. Finkelstein said
"Wait, I'm Half dead?" Harry asked
"As of my test, yes. You are half dead. Which is a good thing so you will be able to return to halloween town any time you would like. All though I will have to get in contact with Scary Godmother, once all this oogie nonsense is over with." Dr. Finkelstine stated more to himself than to the room.
"But how did I end up half dead?" Harry asked James could only shrug as he wasn't too sure himself.
"Lily may know more than we do." Jack spoke up, putting the bottle down on a nearby table.
"Oh and harry this is for you from Sally she had this made up while you were resting she didn't tell me what it did." Jack stated handing Harry another card like his halloween card this card had a candy cane on the back with a snowy background, with a silver border, on the face of the card Santa stood where the Ace would sit on the upper right hand corner was a gingerbread cookie, on the lower left hand corner was a Reindeer. Just like with the halloween card he needed to think of what christmas meat meant to him and for him christmas was at first just another day, but when he got to hogwarts it became a day of friends and family, of happiness, and being considered a family member to the weasley's. In an instened the card flashed to life in a flurry of snow like with the fire it spread to his entire body and changed what he was wearing instead of his jumper, and jeans he now wore a pair of black fingerless glove with white fur at the wrist looking down he saw that he was now wearing a long sleeve off-white dress shirt, red vest with white fur lining the edge, black dress pants that tucked into a pair of black boots with white fur around the top, and a red top hat with a white silk ribbon tied around the base with a Holly barry pin holding the ribbon together.
"Wow what does this form give me?" Harry asked looking over himself.
"Like with Jack when he wears his sandy claws costumes you will be able to make snowballs to throw at you enemies, you'll be able to call on a snow flurry making the airera slick, and you will be able to make snowman bombs like with the pumpkin bombs you will simply pull one from your hat and throw it once it hits the target it exploded." Dr Finkelstine explained
"Thank you." Harry said
"Harry, we really need to get a move on it's christmas eve and Oogie's planning something that involves Sandy again." Jack stated just as Harry canceled his new form that he was thinking of calling Glacia animo.
"Where do we need to go next?" Harry asked
"For now I need to gather some information so i would like you to stay here for now until i get back and I think James would like to spend some time with you."Jack said with a smile as he made his way to the elevator. Once Jack left James took Harry to the side away from the bottle while the doctor was looking for something.
"What's up dad?" Harry asked once they were on the other side of the room.
"I was wondering where you've been living all this time. Your mother and I did our best to find you once we came to halloween town. But we couldn't find you." James explained.
"I was dropped off on aunt Petunia's doorstep. And I've lived with them since." Harry stated James went stiff for a moment
"What? You weren't supposed to go to her at all in fact we had a will that explained who you were to go to should your mom and I die unexpectedly. And one of these was Sirius Black as he is your god father. After him was your godmother Alice Longbottom. There were also a few others but i don't remember them all." James explained
"But if Sirius Black is my godfather, why was he in azkaban. Everyone has been saying that he sold out our family to voldemort that halloween night." Harry explained and for a moment James went stiff.
"What?" James asked confused and angered at what had happened.
"That is what everyone was saying." Harry said. James sighed and did his best to keep his anger in check, once he felt that he was somewhat calmer he opened his eyes and found Dr Finkelstein giving Harry a red soul robber and explaining all that it could do.
~With Jack~
After leaving Harry with James and Dr. Finkelstein Jack headed towards the Witches shop as he needed to get a few things that they were going to need as well as refilling the crystal bottles they had. Once that was done Jake made a quick detour to the pumpkin patch to see how bad the possession of the pumpkins was just as bad as Clown had told him. He barely got through the gate when the pumpkins at the entrance broke open and the ghost's that had been possessing them attacked him. Backing out Jack made his way back to the doctors where he ran into Sally who had a basket full of clothes with her.
"Sally!" Jack called catching the ragdoll's attention.
"Oh Jack is everything all right?" Sally asked, stopping by the door.
"I just need to see if the doctor has finished a device to let us get through the pumpkin patch Oogies ghost's are not letting anyone through." Jack stated "Are those for harry?" Jack asked, pointing to the basket.
"Yes they are for Harry. I had a vision that when he gets back to the mortal world he is going to need them." Sally stated.
"I understand. Let's go up." Jack stated offering his arm to Sally who took it, the two then entered the tower. At the top of the tower they saw Harry practicing with a soul robber. James was leaning back against a wall looking both proud and angry about something.
"Harry?" Sally called while Jack went over to James and asked him what was happening. James then explained what Harry told him and that he was angry at his former home for the ingested that they had done. Sally handed Harry the clothes and explained that she had vision and that the clothes he had would need to be replaced when he got back to the mortal world.
"Why is that Sally?" Harry asked taking the clothes
" My vision was fuzzy at best but I think someone has tampered with them. What they did I wasn't able to see." Sally explained
"Okay then thank you." Harry stated with a nod. Dr. Finkelstine then got the room's attention as he had finished the scaring device for Jack to hide in his sandy claws bag. As like any resident in Halloween town made or not a good scare will always have them jumping. Now that Harry and Jack were equipped the two left for the pumpkin patch in the hopes that they will be able to figure out what Oogie has done to the pumpkin's and how to fix them. Trying to get to passed the gate became easier now that they had the scare device which worked like a charm. The ghosts were scared out of the pumpkins and then were destroyed by Harry and Jack using their soul robbers. With the way clear Harry and Jack entered the pumpkin patch and were horrified to find the pumpkins smashed, half eaten, and some of them were even rotten which shouldn't happen at all.
"My god what happened?" Jack asked the air looking at the destruction before him.
"I don't know but we have company." Harry stated as a few ghosts appeared and attacked them. It didn't take long to beat them and the two of them made their way through the pumpkin patch, going through they spotted a stout man with gray skin. Wearing overalls, faded yellow gardening gloves, black boots, with an axe embedded in his head.
"Behemoth! The pumpkin patch is a mess!" Jack said approaching the zombi with Harry right behind him looking at the destruction before him.
"It's the bad'uns. They ruin it… break the bridge" Behemoth said gesturing to the broken mess that once was the bridge with white water rapids underneath.
"The big pumpkin head. The bad'uns eat it, too. My precious pumpkins…" Behemoth said sadly. Jack looked out towards where the big pumpkin head was and glared just as he was about to comment when a cats screeching was heard all over the place and then Oogie came one the air
"Hello? Testing… Testing… 1,2,3, Am I On?" Jack and Harry both began to walk around trying to find a way across.
"A-hem! Denizens of Oogie Town! Jack has returned! According to the reports… hee hee… He's enjoying our dangerous Oogie town so much he's screaming in horror! Rejoice! This is all thanks to your efforts! Ba ha ha ha! Barrel, my star pupil, my prodigal son, my shining star. Be a good boy and finish the work your half-witted, half-pint, half-alive, playmates could not because if you don't there's more than half a chance I'll be very, very, very ANGRY!" Oogie shouted wiched cut the connection to the mic and then much to the group's shock standing before them there was an org swing its club nearly knocking Jack out of the pumpkin patch Harry led Behemoth away from the org while Jack kept the org bussy.
"Come on big guy I'm over here." Jack called rushing at the org how was startled and froze where it stood, while Jack struck it with his soul robber and then changed into Sandy's costumes and froze the org where it stood. But the ice wouldn't last long.
"BOMBARDA!" and the orgs shouled was removed from its body
"Harry!" Jack called as the young wizard appeared next to him, his wand drawn.
"Is behemoth okay? " Jack asked douging the orgs hand which it was using its dismembered arm as a club.
"Well it's creative, I'll give it that much." Harry stated taking on his Kukurbo Flamo form and proceeded to roast the org. Jack only nodded and used his soul robber to break the org into pisces. Which then returned into the ground as if nothing happened.
"Well that just happened." Harry said, watching as the bone sinking into the ground.
"Yes but we need to keep moving. To save the pumpkin patch we need to get to the big pumpkin head and exterminate Oogies monsters." Jack stated showing Harry an alternate route by using the soul robber but there were still a lot of Oogies monsters after a bit Jack and harry were greeted by lock, shock, and barrel jumping out from behind a curled root,
"Hey Jack, hey Harry, wants some candy?"Barrel asked, mockingly waving a lollipop.
"No thanks we've had enough of your treats." Jack said
"Ah Jack, we're just getting started." Lock stated as the three tricksters jumped down from the root.
"Our biggest trick is yet to come" Shock stated with a smile.
"You're going to get so lost. And after what we did to the mayor's house… OOps! Wasn't supposed to tell you that. Catch you later Jack and Harry." Barrel called back as the three rand off into the maze.
"Wow, he reminds me of Hagrid." Harry said as the two watched the three leave.
"Oh how so and who is Hagrid?"Jack asked, trying to figure out what barrel and the other two had done.
"Hagrid is the groundskeeper at Hogwarts, he also can't keep a secret too well." Harry explained.
"Oh my well, you'll have to tell me that story once all of this is over." Jack stated before going over to one of the stationed jack-o-lanterns that acted like a lever that made the root curl up and allowed entry into the path that the three had run through. Once they were through Jack and Harry walked through the shout path which led to a dead end and another jack-o-lantern lever which opened another path way. But that path only led to a view of the green river that ran right through the pumpkin patch. Sighing the two left and mad there way back. And Jack took a left finding some of halloween' town exploding jack-o-lanterns and got an idea. He remembered there was a secret path that was covered by a stone. Using his soul robber Jack grabbed one of the jack-o-lanterns and moved over towards the stone and threw the jack-o-lantern at the stone which exploded on contacked and broke the stone.
"Wow that was loud" Harry said following Jack into the passageway.
"Well a few of the residents will sometimes get lost in the maze and so we made this to help them get out" Jack explained once on the other side Jack and Harry made their way through the maze. Running into an org and after a few minutes were able to beat it and keep going. Harry would admit it later on that the maze was fun to go through but it was a hassle and not something he would want to go through again but right now he was just trying to keep up with Jack. After a few fights with orgs and ghost they were able to make it to the big pumpkin head looking up Jack and Harry were shocked to see a swarm of ghost attacking the big pumpkin head from the inside out
"They're attacking from within." Harry said shocked just as Hedwig landed on a nearby post holding a package.
"Harry, I have a package for you from hermione." Hedwig said
"Okay girl i'll look at it once we deal with this." Harry said, sending Hedgwig away.
"I'll climb up and see how bad it is." Jack said using his soul robber to climb up the roots towards the top of the pumpkin.
"I'm right behind you" Harry said following what Jack did and landed on the top of the pumpkin where there is a whole at the top of the pumpkin that would allow them to enter. And once they did they were attacked by skellingtons, with well placed hits from the soul robbers and spells Jack and Harry were able to clear the top most level of the pumpkin.
"Why do I feel like we are going to have to clear each level before we can head to the mayor's house and fix what has happened to it." Harry said with a sigh Jack nodded and made his way down to the next level where they were attacked by ghosts after a bit they were beaten.
"I don't like fighting ghosts." Harry said panting.
"It's not my favorite thing to do either Harry." Jack said and made his way to the third level which was full of possessed pumpkins that heald oogie skellingtons after some spell work and creative hits with their soul robbers the level was cleared.
"Why would Oogie attack the pumpkin head? It doesn't make any sense." Harry asked/stated looking at the destruction before him.
"Well the pumpkinhead gives us pumpkins year round, it also provides the town with food, and it is also one of the strongest places for magic. So that means Oogies is trying to cut off the magic that we need to make halloween scary every year." Jack stated his eye sockets going wide. Harry could only stair at jack because of his conclusion.
"Why would Oogie do that? He needs that magic just as the rest of you guys do." Harry stated following Jack down to the next level where they found a barrel eating a sugar pumpkin raw, along with some Oogie skellingtons doing the same.
"What!? You made it through my maze?" Barrel stated shocked to see harry and Jack there
"Now Barrel, it's time I taught you a lesson." Jack said approaching the tricksters knocking the pumpkin's out of Barrel's hand. Then Barrel began to bounce around like Lock did which only made things difficult.
"Again with the jumping around." Harry said firing a stunner at Barrel which did as it was made to do and stunned the boy but it wouldn't last that long as the twenty Oogie skellington converged on Harry and Jack causing them to split up from each other.
"Oh come on seriously." Harry said kicking one of the skellingtons heads off. While Harry was doing that JAck was able to knock Barrel down and keep him down but Jack was knocked away from Barrel by some of the skellingtons.
"Of course once this is over with; i think i'll have to incorporate Oogies monsters for next years halloween." Jack stated almost offhandedly striking three skellingtons and throwing them at Barrel who wasn't able to dodge them and found himself staring at the ceiling. While Barrel was seeing stars Harry and Jack finished removing the skellingtons from the pumpkin. With all that done the thanksgiving and boxing day doors appeared and just like all the other doors Jack shrunk them down to the size of a keychain and placed them into his breast pocket while Harry held on to Barrel justa as he was coming out of his daze.
"Barrel, pranks are one thing, but real danger is not a good idea."Jack said gently kneeling next to Barrel just as the stars vanished.
"... i'm sorry Jack." Barrel said sounding sincere
"Now …no more serving Oogie." Jack said
"Okay Jack." Barrel said standing up leaving the pumpkin. Jack sighed knowing that Barrel will go back to lock and shock but he has been the only one of the three that does try and keep to the town's good side.
"Well Barrel be okay?" Harry asked, watching as Barrel walked back towards wherever he came from.
"He will but I can only hope that after all this is done I can ask some of the townspeople to take them in so this won't happen again. I should have done that last time but everything happened so fast that I lost track of my plans." Jack said mournfully. Looking to the sky as the two left the pumpkin head and made their way back to town.
Authors note: I am so so very sorry for not posting this chapter until now I'v been preoccupied with other things going on. and so I present the next chapter Ill try to update more regularly but don't hold me to this please. I hope you like how this chapter is written.