Growing Darkness, Flickering Light Part II
Flip the Switch
"But it's nearly time to flip the switch
And I'm hanging by a single stitch
Laughing in the stormy face of gloom…"
Crowded House, "Instinct"
Harry awoke the following morning, and it took him a moment to remember why he was here and what he was going to have to do today. Then he remembered, and his heart fell out of his chest. Things looked so hopeless. If he won, he died. If he lost, he and all his closest friends died. But there had to be some way…some way to get out of this. But for now, all he needed to concentrate on was saving one of his friend's lives today. Whatever he had to do, he was not letting any of those seven die.
Wormtail entered his sleeping quarters at that moment, a dark room with barred windows and a cot.
"Good morning, Mr. Potter." He smiled cheerfully, acting as though this was just as every-day as a butler bringing his master breakfast.
Harry looked at him with a steely gaze. Suddenly, Wormtail's smug expression seemed to infuriate him. He leapt at him with a roar he did not know he could produce, but as he went to throttle him around the neck, it was as if an invisible wall pushed him away. Harry hit the ground with a thud, face burning with humiliation.
"Now, now, Harry. That temper of yours! My master suspected you might try something of that sort, and I have been properly protected. So, no more attacks all right? Let's keep things moderately civil." Wormtail wagged his finger at Harry, infuriating him even more.
"CIVIL?? CIVIL??? This isn't a bloody tea party!! Things stopped being bleeding civil when you kidnapped my seven best friends and me!! " Harry bellowed.
Wormtail looked unfazed.
"Tea sounds quite good right now, now that you've mentioned it. Perhaps I'll make a cup to watch you perform your task and one of your friends die a gruesome death."
"You're so sure I'm going to fail." Harry said angrily.
"Yes, I am, Mr. Potter. Now, if you'll follow me." Wormtail smiled, motioning for Harry to follow him.
Harry muttered furiously under his breath, trying to get his nerves under control.
Wormtail looked back at him.
"Mr. Potter, you kiss your mother with that mouth? Oh wait, that's right. You don't have a mother."
Harry felt such an anger inside of him that it literally felt as though his blood was boiling. But he knew Wormtail was looking for a reaction, and he wasn't giving him that. He stayed silent, gritting his teeth.
Wormtail led him back into the huge room he had been in yesterday, and like yesterday, it was completely pitch-black. When they entered, a spotlight once again shone on them.
"Are you expecting a song and dance number or what?" Harry asked as Voldemort entered from his high perch up on the wall.
"Very amusing, Mr. Potter."
"Thanks, I've been considering stand-up if this whole wizard thing doesn't work out." Harry smiled sarcastically.
"Enough with the bantering, Potter. It is time for your first task."
"Doesn't bantering usually involve both sides of the conversation providing witty dialogue? Because I wasn't hearing much from you."
"SILENCE!!" Voldemort roared, his patience growing thin.
Harry held up his hands in mock surrender. Sarcasm was proving an easy mask for the fear steadily growing inside of him.
"Here is the way things will go. I will give you five minutes to speak with the person who will die if you don't complete the day's task. I would consider final farewells, Potter. Then Wormtail will lead them away, and you will come back here for today's task."
Harry didn't say anything.
"Ready to say good-bye to one of your friends?"
"I'm not going to fail." Harry said icily, knowing that Voldemort was just letting him see his friend so it would be harder on him if they died and that was infuriating him.
"Oh, yes, Potter, you are. Wormtail, lead him to the farewell chamber."
"The Farewell Chamber? Cheeeesy." Harry rolled his eyes.
He could see Voldemort's eyes flash an even brighter red from his ledge high up on the wall. Wormtail seized him roughly by the forearm, leading him to one of the rooms off to the right. Pulling a key from his robes, Wormtail unlocked and opened the door, and revealed the first person to die if Harry failed. Sirius Black.
Sirius looked up as he came in the room, expression somber.
"Five minutes, Potter." Wormtail said, leaving.
"Sirius…I don't know if I can do this." Harry said, his voice choked.
"Of course you can, Harry. You've faced far worse."
"I've never faced losing all of you."
"Harry, don't even think about us. Just concentrate on what you have to do, and get it done. I'll find some way to get you and all your friends out of here. Trust me, Harry. Trust yourself." Sirius said, his face masking any emotion.
"I can't not think about the possibility that I might murder the seven people I care the most about!" Harry exclaimed.
"I know it's hard, Harry. I can't even imagine being in your place through all this. But if one of us dies, Harry, you aren't the murderer. Voldemort is."
"I know, but, indirectly, I'd be killing you." Harry said quietly.
"But that's not going to happen." Sirius said determinedly.
"What if I mess up? Everyone just expects that it will all turn out okay as long as I'm here, but that's not true! I can make mistakes, stupid mistakes that could end up killing one or all of you!" Harry said, his eyes glassy.
"Harry, all we ask is that you try your best."
"Sirius, this isn't a bloody Transfiguration test! If I fail, you die!" Harry yelled, his voice full of emotion.
"It's all right, Harry. You can do this." Sirius walked over, and hugged Harry as a father embraces his son.
"You the closest thing to a father I've ever had, Sirius. I couldn't live with myself if I let you die."
"You know you're like a son to me, Harry, and I know you well enough to know that you have courage enough to pull this off." Sirius said firmly.
Wormtail opened the door at that moment.
"Time to go, Mr. Potter. You come with me, Black."
"Didn't you used to call me Sirius?" He said scathingly, looking disdainfully at the man he had once called his friend.
Wormtail didn't reply, just gave Sirius a smug look, leading him off.
Harry was left alone for a moment in the room that was painted in a medical sort of looking white color. His heart was racing, his palms sweating. You can do this. He heard Sirius' voice echo in his head. He refused, right then and there, to let Sirius die. It just wasn't an option. Gripping his fingers into fists, Harry took a few steadying breaths.
Wormtail came back in.
"Ready to see Black die?" He asked him, grinning as if they were about go play Monopoly.
"Ready to see me prove you wrong?" Harry said, plastering a fake grin on his face.
"We shall see, Mr. Potter. We shall see."
"Nice touch with the cryptic there. I'm shaking, really."
"You need to learn to keep your mouth shut, Mr. Potter."
Not really feeling like talking anymore, Harry went silent and prepared himself for what he was about do. Wormtail led him down a dark corridor that was lit by torches every few steps. An eerie silence seemed to mask the hallway, it seemed as though the outside world no longer existed.
Finally, they reached a large oak door covered in intricate snake carvings. Wormtail fumbled for a key in his pocket, and opened it. A huge room that was surrounded with green-tinted pillars lay before them. Two enormous doors were in either far corners of the room. And Sirius was chained in a glass-encased cell in the farthest, darkest area of the room.
"Mr. Potter, so nice of you to join us." He heard Voldemort say, stepping out of the shadows.
Harry looked over at Sirius, who seemed to be working hard not to look afraid.
"The task will begin the moment I descend into the upper chamber of this room. The creature you must defeat will be coming from that door. Around it's neck will be a key to open the other door, which will lead to a switch. The switch will stop the flow of water coming into your friend's cell, and he will not be drowned. You must break the cell and free him, also with that key before fifteen minutes are up, or you fail and he dies."
"Do I get a weapon or anything?"
"Oh, if you're going to twist my arm." Voldemort smiled wryly, taking out Harry's wand and throwing it to him.
Harry caught it quickly, staring back at Voldemort with a steely expression.
"I'm ready." Harry said tightly.
"I can hardly wait." Voldemort smiled softly, going up to a raised platform in the corner of the room, and it slowly ascended to the upper chamber, where he and Wormtail would watch.
Harry stood in the darkness of the room, practically shaking. The door that held the creature began slowly opening, creaking ominously. Harry braced himself, his hand gripping the wand so tightly he feared it might snap in two.
A light came from the room behind the door, and Harry watched as the creature stepped out. An exquisitely beautiful woman who stood about six feet tall stepped out of the room. She wore a dress of gold silk that flowed over her curves perfectly. It glittered brilliantly as she walked into the room. Harry nearly laughed out loud.
"This is the best you've got? What's she going to do, blind me with that dress?" Harry said to Voldemort.
"Looks can be deceiving, Mr. Potter." Voldemort's cold voice resounded through the room.
Harry looked at her again, and it slowly dawned on him what she must be. A veela. Of course, he should have known that right off. He started to feel the usual veela power sink in as she walked closer. His mind started going a little hazy, and a wide, stupid smile spread across his face. She smiled as well, revealing perfect white teeth. Still smiling, she pulled a glittering sword from a scabbard over her shoulder.
This seemed to snap Harry back to reality. He reacted quickly, lunging towards her and knocking the sword out of her grip. Hitting the ground rolling, Harry got up, now holding the sword within his grasp. She lay on the ground, breathing heavily. The veela turned to face him.
"Zat…was a mistake." She said in an oddly calm voice.
And before Harry's eyes, wings began to sprout out of her back and her beautiful mouth grew into a beak. Her crystal blue eyes turned a flashing red, and flapping her wings slightly, she was raised a few feet above Harry.
Harry couldn't help but feel a slight tremor of fear. Veelas looked truly horrifying in their original form. He grasped the sword nervously, waiting for the right moment to strike.
She breathed in deeply, exhaling with a slightly blissful noise that ended in a sort of hissing. And then, with a roar of rage that nearly knocked Harry off his feet, the veela flew straight at him, knocking him onto his back. He pushed the sword roughly up at her, and it struck her forearm. Blue-silver blood poured from it, and she roared again…an inhumane roar that seemed to shake the room. Harry sprung to his feet again, readying for a second attack. She held up her hands, which slowly grew into deadly claws. Flying towards him again, she dodged Harry's sword, and slashed him across the chest. Harry felt his chest stinging with pain, but he ignored it, and came at her with the sword again. She deflected it with her claws, roaring even louder.
Landing on the ground, they engaged in what felt like a very strange fencing match. She came at him relentlessly, and every move he attempted with his sword was deflected by her razor sharp claws. Finally he was backed up against the wall, pushing her clawed hands back with the sword that he held with both hands horizontally. She roared again, his ears almost aching with the horrible noise.
Suddenly, her face morphed back to it's original form. Her claws disappeared, and her wings disappeared within her back. She grabbed the sword from his hands, throwing it and it clattered to the ground. When Harry made a move towards it, she grabbed him by the shoulders and did something very strange. Kissed him.
Harry was immediately overcome by a very odd, but strangely pleasant feeling. The full veela power surged through him, and he felt like he was drunk. The image of her was blurred in front of his eyes, and he felt as though he was leaving his body. Not that he really minded…
"Harry!!!" He heard a sudden gurgling voice.
It was Sirius. The task!! Sirius' voice seemed to jolt him back to reality, and he pulled away from the veela's lips, kneeing her in the gut. She fell back with a high-pitched scream, and looked as if she was going to morph again. But before she could, Harry grabbed the sword and plunged it into her heart. With one last withering scream, the veela died.
Harry got on his knees next to the corpse, yanking the necklace off her neck. It had a key on the chain, and he raced towards the other wooden door, casting a desperate look towards Sirius. The water line was right under his eyes, Sirius was now just holding his breath. He didn't have much time. Pushing the key into the lock, he heard it click. Blood soaked through his shirt as she ran into the room. It was a very long hallway, and at the end, a switch. Harry raced towards it, trying to ignore the weakening pain from his chest wound. His feet going faster than he could have ever imagined, Harry reached the switch, and pulled it triumphantly. But he still had to break the cell's walls if Sirius was going to live.
Harry raced back, about to collapse from exhaustation, and seized the veela's sword from her lifeless body. He ran towards Sirius' cell, and slashed the sword towards the glass. The metal instantly shattered the wall, and a wave of water poured over him, knocking him onto his back. Sputtering slightly, a drenched Harry pushed himself up against the force of the water, and stepped slowly towards Sirius. He put the key into the lock binding Sirius' hands, and heard the click once again. The chains fell off of him, and Sirius threw his arms around a shivering, soaked Harry.
"Well done, Mr. Potter. You saved one pathetic life and slaughtered my prize veela." Voldemort stepped back onto platform, lowering it back to the ground.
"Didn't you have an expendable veela or something I could've fought?" Harry joked weakly.
"Congratulations on surviving your first task. You have my word that they will only grow in difficulty." Voldemort snapped his fingers, and Wormtail went towards Sirius, waving his wand and pulling Sirius behind him. Sirius probably could've disabled it, but he was still catching his breath and smiling at Harry.
"I knew you could do it, Harry." He said, still taking in ragged breaths.
Harry smiled back, and suddenly felt Voldemort's ice cold hand on his arm. His scar felt like it had suddenly ignited. It had been burning dully ever since he arrived, but now it felt like someone was holding a lit match to it. He grimaced, determined not to cry out.
"One of your friends survived, Mr. Potter. And perhaps others will. But when you reach the tasks you must do to protect Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger, I assure you-you will fail. And they will die. Just as your parents did, screaming for my mercy. But it will not be given to them."
Harry could barely hear him, his head was throbbing so badly. But he got the idea however, and felt his relief at the completion of the first task marred by the fact that Voldemort was basically implying that Ron and Hermione were going to die.
~*~
Back in the prisoners cell, everyone was sitting in their cells, feeling a mixture of boredom and fear. Cho was twisting her long dark hair around a finger, looking aimlessly off into the distance. Lupin was sitting in the corner of his cell, looking terrified. His best friend might be dead right now and he wouldn't even know. Hermione and Ron were talking quietly, about really nothing at all, just something to distract them. Ginny was listening quietly, still very pale. And Hagrid paced madly around his cell.
"I want ter get some brandy." He finally said, raking a hand through his crazy mess of hair.
"You and me both, Hagrid." Ron chimed in, grinning weakly.
Just then, the door opened, and Wormtail walked in, followed by Sirius.
"You're alive! He did it!" Lupin leaped up, happily.
"Back in your cell." Wormtail said roughly.
"All right, all right, rat boy." Sirius muttered, stepping back into his cell.
"So, I just have one question. If Harry does all seven tasks, do we just get let go?" Cho asked Wormtail.
Wormtail looked at her for a moment, and then laughed. He gave no other response, leaving the room, still snickering.
"I think you should take that us a no." Ron said grimly.
Sirius told them all about the task, and they all listened with rapt attention.
"Poor Harry…I can't even imagine." Ginny said softly.
Ron looked over at Hermione, a serious expression on his face.
"We've got to find a way out of this place. Or we're all going to die."
She looked at him sadly.
"I know, Ron. But there's always a way. Always a light at the end of the tunnel, you know?" She smiled weakly.
"And we're going to find it." He said, taking her hand through the bars.
~*~
A/N- Whew! The first task out of the way at least! Coming up soon…the second task (surprised?), R/H start searching for a way out, some H/G and much later, an appearance from the perennial leather pants wearer, in fanfic anyway. Don't know who I'm talking about? Think really hard… Hehe, it's all to come, my friends. Please review! Love to all! ~FleurHartz~
Flip the Switch
"But it's nearly time to flip the switch
And I'm hanging by a single stitch
Laughing in the stormy face of gloom…"
Crowded House, "Instinct"
Harry awoke the following morning, and it took him a moment to remember why he was here and what he was going to have to do today. Then he remembered, and his heart fell out of his chest. Things looked so hopeless. If he won, he died. If he lost, he and all his closest friends died. But there had to be some way…some way to get out of this. But for now, all he needed to concentrate on was saving one of his friend's lives today. Whatever he had to do, he was not letting any of those seven die.
Wormtail entered his sleeping quarters at that moment, a dark room with barred windows and a cot.
"Good morning, Mr. Potter." He smiled cheerfully, acting as though this was just as every-day as a butler bringing his master breakfast.
Harry looked at him with a steely gaze. Suddenly, Wormtail's smug expression seemed to infuriate him. He leapt at him with a roar he did not know he could produce, but as he went to throttle him around the neck, it was as if an invisible wall pushed him away. Harry hit the ground with a thud, face burning with humiliation.
"Now, now, Harry. That temper of yours! My master suspected you might try something of that sort, and I have been properly protected. So, no more attacks all right? Let's keep things moderately civil." Wormtail wagged his finger at Harry, infuriating him even more.
"CIVIL?? CIVIL??? This isn't a bloody tea party!! Things stopped being bleeding civil when you kidnapped my seven best friends and me!! " Harry bellowed.
Wormtail looked unfazed.
"Tea sounds quite good right now, now that you've mentioned it. Perhaps I'll make a cup to watch you perform your task and one of your friends die a gruesome death."
"You're so sure I'm going to fail." Harry said angrily.
"Yes, I am, Mr. Potter. Now, if you'll follow me." Wormtail smiled, motioning for Harry to follow him.
Harry muttered furiously under his breath, trying to get his nerves under control.
Wormtail looked back at him.
"Mr. Potter, you kiss your mother with that mouth? Oh wait, that's right. You don't have a mother."
Harry felt such an anger inside of him that it literally felt as though his blood was boiling. But he knew Wormtail was looking for a reaction, and he wasn't giving him that. He stayed silent, gritting his teeth.
Wormtail led him back into the huge room he had been in yesterday, and like yesterday, it was completely pitch-black. When they entered, a spotlight once again shone on them.
"Are you expecting a song and dance number or what?" Harry asked as Voldemort entered from his high perch up on the wall.
"Very amusing, Mr. Potter."
"Thanks, I've been considering stand-up if this whole wizard thing doesn't work out." Harry smiled sarcastically.
"Enough with the bantering, Potter. It is time for your first task."
"Doesn't bantering usually involve both sides of the conversation providing witty dialogue? Because I wasn't hearing much from you."
"SILENCE!!" Voldemort roared, his patience growing thin.
Harry held up his hands in mock surrender. Sarcasm was proving an easy mask for the fear steadily growing inside of him.
"Here is the way things will go. I will give you five minutes to speak with the person who will die if you don't complete the day's task. I would consider final farewells, Potter. Then Wormtail will lead them away, and you will come back here for today's task."
Harry didn't say anything.
"Ready to say good-bye to one of your friends?"
"I'm not going to fail." Harry said icily, knowing that Voldemort was just letting him see his friend so it would be harder on him if they died and that was infuriating him.
"Oh, yes, Potter, you are. Wormtail, lead him to the farewell chamber."
"The Farewell Chamber? Cheeeesy." Harry rolled his eyes.
He could see Voldemort's eyes flash an even brighter red from his ledge high up on the wall. Wormtail seized him roughly by the forearm, leading him to one of the rooms off to the right. Pulling a key from his robes, Wormtail unlocked and opened the door, and revealed the first person to die if Harry failed. Sirius Black.
Sirius looked up as he came in the room, expression somber.
"Five minutes, Potter." Wormtail said, leaving.
"Sirius…I don't know if I can do this." Harry said, his voice choked.
"Of course you can, Harry. You've faced far worse."
"I've never faced losing all of you."
"Harry, don't even think about us. Just concentrate on what you have to do, and get it done. I'll find some way to get you and all your friends out of here. Trust me, Harry. Trust yourself." Sirius said, his face masking any emotion.
"I can't not think about the possibility that I might murder the seven people I care the most about!" Harry exclaimed.
"I know it's hard, Harry. I can't even imagine being in your place through all this. But if one of us dies, Harry, you aren't the murderer. Voldemort is."
"I know, but, indirectly, I'd be killing you." Harry said quietly.
"But that's not going to happen." Sirius said determinedly.
"What if I mess up? Everyone just expects that it will all turn out okay as long as I'm here, but that's not true! I can make mistakes, stupid mistakes that could end up killing one or all of you!" Harry said, his eyes glassy.
"Harry, all we ask is that you try your best."
"Sirius, this isn't a bloody Transfiguration test! If I fail, you die!" Harry yelled, his voice full of emotion.
"It's all right, Harry. You can do this." Sirius walked over, and hugged Harry as a father embraces his son.
"You the closest thing to a father I've ever had, Sirius. I couldn't live with myself if I let you die."
"You know you're like a son to me, Harry, and I know you well enough to know that you have courage enough to pull this off." Sirius said firmly.
Wormtail opened the door at that moment.
"Time to go, Mr. Potter. You come with me, Black."
"Didn't you used to call me Sirius?" He said scathingly, looking disdainfully at the man he had once called his friend.
Wormtail didn't reply, just gave Sirius a smug look, leading him off.
Harry was left alone for a moment in the room that was painted in a medical sort of looking white color. His heart was racing, his palms sweating. You can do this. He heard Sirius' voice echo in his head. He refused, right then and there, to let Sirius die. It just wasn't an option. Gripping his fingers into fists, Harry took a few steadying breaths.
Wormtail came back in.
"Ready to see Black die?" He asked him, grinning as if they were about go play Monopoly.
"Ready to see me prove you wrong?" Harry said, plastering a fake grin on his face.
"We shall see, Mr. Potter. We shall see."
"Nice touch with the cryptic there. I'm shaking, really."
"You need to learn to keep your mouth shut, Mr. Potter."
Not really feeling like talking anymore, Harry went silent and prepared himself for what he was about do. Wormtail led him down a dark corridor that was lit by torches every few steps. An eerie silence seemed to mask the hallway, it seemed as though the outside world no longer existed.
Finally, they reached a large oak door covered in intricate snake carvings. Wormtail fumbled for a key in his pocket, and opened it. A huge room that was surrounded with green-tinted pillars lay before them. Two enormous doors were in either far corners of the room. And Sirius was chained in a glass-encased cell in the farthest, darkest area of the room.
"Mr. Potter, so nice of you to join us." He heard Voldemort say, stepping out of the shadows.
Harry looked over at Sirius, who seemed to be working hard not to look afraid.
"The task will begin the moment I descend into the upper chamber of this room. The creature you must defeat will be coming from that door. Around it's neck will be a key to open the other door, which will lead to a switch. The switch will stop the flow of water coming into your friend's cell, and he will not be drowned. You must break the cell and free him, also with that key before fifteen minutes are up, or you fail and he dies."
"Do I get a weapon or anything?"
"Oh, if you're going to twist my arm." Voldemort smiled wryly, taking out Harry's wand and throwing it to him.
Harry caught it quickly, staring back at Voldemort with a steely expression.
"I'm ready." Harry said tightly.
"I can hardly wait." Voldemort smiled softly, going up to a raised platform in the corner of the room, and it slowly ascended to the upper chamber, where he and Wormtail would watch.
Harry stood in the darkness of the room, practically shaking. The door that held the creature began slowly opening, creaking ominously. Harry braced himself, his hand gripping the wand so tightly he feared it might snap in two.
A light came from the room behind the door, and Harry watched as the creature stepped out. An exquisitely beautiful woman who stood about six feet tall stepped out of the room. She wore a dress of gold silk that flowed over her curves perfectly. It glittered brilliantly as she walked into the room. Harry nearly laughed out loud.
"This is the best you've got? What's she going to do, blind me with that dress?" Harry said to Voldemort.
"Looks can be deceiving, Mr. Potter." Voldemort's cold voice resounded through the room.
Harry looked at her again, and it slowly dawned on him what she must be. A veela. Of course, he should have known that right off. He started to feel the usual veela power sink in as she walked closer. His mind started going a little hazy, and a wide, stupid smile spread across his face. She smiled as well, revealing perfect white teeth. Still smiling, she pulled a glittering sword from a scabbard over her shoulder.
This seemed to snap Harry back to reality. He reacted quickly, lunging towards her and knocking the sword out of her grip. Hitting the ground rolling, Harry got up, now holding the sword within his grasp. She lay on the ground, breathing heavily. The veela turned to face him.
"Zat…was a mistake." She said in an oddly calm voice.
And before Harry's eyes, wings began to sprout out of her back and her beautiful mouth grew into a beak. Her crystal blue eyes turned a flashing red, and flapping her wings slightly, she was raised a few feet above Harry.
Harry couldn't help but feel a slight tremor of fear. Veelas looked truly horrifying in their original form. He grasped the sword nervously, waiting for the right moment to strike.
She breathed in deeply, exhaling with a slightly blissful noise that ended in a sort of hissing. And then, with a roar of rage that nearly knocked Harry off his feet, the veela flew straight at him, knocking him onto his back. He pushed the sword roughly up at her, and it struck her forearm. Blue-silver blood poured from it, and she roared again…an inhumane roar that seemed to shake the room. Harry sprung to his feet again, readying for a second attack. She held up her hands, which slowly grew into deadly claws. Flying towards him again, she dodged Harry's sword, and slashed him across the chest. Harry felt his chest stinging with pain, but he ignored it, and came at her with the sword again. She deflected it with her claws, roaring even louder.
Landing on the ground, they engaged in what felt like a very strange fencing match. She came at him relentlessly, and every move he attempted with his sword was deflected by her razor sharp claws. Finally he was backed up against the wall, pushing her clawed hands back with the sword that he held with both hands horizontally. She roared again, his ears almost aching with the horrible noise.
Suddenly, her face morphed back to it's original form. Her claws disappeared, and her wings disappeared within her back. She grabbed the sword from his hands, throwing it and it clattered to the ground. When Harry made a move towards it, she grabbed him by the shoulders and did something very strange. Kissed him.
Harry was immediately overcome by a very odd, but strangely pleasant feeling. The full veela power surged through him, and he felt like he was drunk. The image of her was blurred in front of his eyes, and he felt as though he was leaving his body. Not that he really minded…
"Harry!!!" He heard a sudden gurgling voice.
It was Sirius. The task!! Sirius' voice seemed to jolt him back to reality, and he pulled away from the veela's lips, kneeing her in the gut. She fell back with a high-pitched scream, and looked as if she was going to morph again. But before she could, Harry grabbed the sword and plunged it into her heart. With one last withering scream, the veela died.
Harry got on his knees next to the corpse, yanking the necklace off her neck. It had a key on the chain, and he raced towards the other wooden door, casting a desperate look towards Sirius. The water line was right under his eyes, Sirius was now just holding his breath. He didn't have much time. Pushing the key into the lock, he heard it click. Blood soaked through his shirt as she ran into the room. It was a very long hallway, and at the end, a switch. Harry raced towards it, trying to ignore the weakening pain from his chest wound. His feet going faster than he could have ever imagined, Harry reached the switch, and pulled it triumphantly. But he still had to break the cell's walls if Sirius was going to live.
Harry raced back, about to collapse from exhaustation, and seized the veela's sword from her lifeless body. He ran towards Sirius' cell, and slashed the sword towards the glass. The metal instantly shattered the wall, and a wave of water poured over him, knocking him onto his back. Sputtering slightly, a drenched Harry pushed himself up against the force of the water, and stepped slowly towards Sirius. He put the key into the lock binding Sirius' hands, and heard the click once again. The chains fell off of him, and Sirius threw his arms around a shivering, soaked Harry.
"Well done, Mr. Potter. You saved one pathetic life and slaughtered my prize veela." Voldemort stepped back onto platform, lowering it back to the ground.
"Didn't you have an expendable veela or something I could've fought?" Harry joked weakly.
"Congratulations on surviving your first task. You have my word that they will only grow in difficulty." Voldemort snapped his fingers, and Wormtail went towards Sirius, waving his wand and pulling Sirius behind him. Sirius probably could've disabled it, but he was still catching his breath and smiling at Harry.
"I knew you could do it, Harry." He said, still taking in ragged breaths.
Harry smiled back, and suddenly felt Voldemort's ice cold hand on his arm. His scar felt like it had suddenly ignited. It had been burning dully ever since he arrived, but now it felt like someone was holding a lit match to it. He grimaced, determined not to cry out.
"One of your friends survived, Mr. Potter. And perhaps others will. But when you reach the tasks you must do to protect Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger, I assure you-you will fail. And they will die. Just as your parents did, screaming for my mercy. But it will not be given to them."
Harry could barely hear him, his head was throbbing so badly. But he got the idea however, and felt his relief at the completion of the first task marred by the fact that Voldemort was basically implying that Ron and Hermione were going to die.
~*~
Back in the prisoners cell, everyone was sitting in their cells, feeling a mixture of boredom and fear. Cho was twisting her long dark hair around a finger, looking aimlessly off into the distance. Lupin was sitting in the corner of his cell, looking terrified. His best friend might be dead right now and he wouldn't even know. Hermione and Ron were talking quietly, about really nothing at all, just something to distract them. Ginny was listening quietly, still very pale. And Hagrid paced madly around his cell.
"I want ter get some brandy." He finally said, raking a hand through his crazy mess of hair.
"You and me both, Hagrid." Ron chimed in, grinning weakly.
Just then, the door opened, and Wormtail walked in, followed by Sirius.
"You're alive! He did it!" Lupin leaped up, happily.
"Back in your cell." Wormtail said roughly.
"All right, all right, rat boy." Sirius muttered, stepping back into his cell.
"So, I just have one question. If Harry does all seven tasks, do we just get let go?" Cho asked Wormtail.
Wormtail looked at her for a moment, and then laughed. He gave no other response, leaving the room, still snickering.
"I think you should take that us a no." Ron said grimly.
Sirius told them all about the task, and they all listened with rapt attention.
"Poor Harry…I can't even imagine." Ginny said softly.
Ron looked over at Hermione, a serious expression on his face.
"We've got to find a way out of this place. Or we're all going to die."
She looked at him sadly.
"I know, Ron. But there's always a way. Always a light at the end of the tunnel, you know?" She smiled weakly.
"And we're going to find it." He said, taking her hand through the bars.
~*~
A/N- Whew! The first task out of the way at least! Coming up soon…the second task (surprised?), R/H start searching for a way out, some H/G and much later, an appearance from the perennial leather pants wearer, in fanfic anyway. Don't know who I'm talking about? Think really hard… Hehe, it's all to come, my friends. Please review! Love to all! ~FleurHartz~