Hermione let out a strangled cry and hurled herself towards her friends. Harry narrowed his eyes at her and quick as a flash had pulled out Godric Gryffindor's sword, blocking Hermione from Katherine. He did not put the deadly sharp weapon down after one very long minute.
"What-" Hermione said. Ron came to meet her. Hermione looked up into Ron's eyes.
"Is that you Kat?" Ron asked stupidly. "Harry?"
"Do you realize who you're talking to?" Katherine said timidly. "Well?"
"Yes!" Ron almost shouted the word. "That's Harry and you're Katherine…right?"
"That's the Prince you're talking to." Katherine said frankly. "He'll only respond to Prince unless you're me or Voldemort. I suggest you call him Prince."
"What's going on here?" Hermione cried.
"I don't believe we invited guests." Harry sneered suddenly. "Why don't you just leave before I have to cut one of you down." The sword glinted in the light.
Katherine rounded on Harry. "Harry!" She snapped.
"What is your will?" He asked formally.
"Why don't you go- curry the horses."
"Anything for you, my Lady." Harry said and without another word walked down into the stables.
"Come in." Katherine pointed towards the cave. "But don't touch anything."
~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~*
"Come with us!" Hermione pleaded. "Come back home, we all miss you terribly."
"I cant." Katherine said and avoided her eyes. "We cant."
"That's mad." Hermione said. She moved to grab one of Katherine's hands, but she jerked herself away.
"I said, touch nothing. I meant it." She said coldly.
"But- but- why?" Hermione said. Ron put an arm around her shoulder. "And what's wrong with Harry?"
"I suppose you want an explanation." Katherine said after a moment with fussing with her baby.
"We don't intend to move until we hear one." Ron said comfortably.
"It's a long story."
"We've got time."
"Fine. Well when we got captured, Voldemort was kept us for a while in Hogsmeade, for training. But Harry was resisting Voldemort's ideas. So they had an informal duel. Harry lost and Voldemort brainwashed him. I wanted to keep my will so I surrendered. I've been miserable for almost a year. I can't stand it to be used like this. Harry would hate it to, if he were in a good state of mind. He just follows the Dark Lord's every wish. But it's getting a little better because I think Harry is beginning to know his mind again. The other day he refused to go on an errand for Voldemort. And I can tell the brain washing is wearing off because he left to curry the horses without a fight.
"Back to the story. Voldemort hates me. He hates Harry too, but not as much as me. When I chose not to be brainwashed, Voldemort moved us here. He made sure there was no way of me escaping. And it works all to well."
"What did he do?" Ron asked.
"You didn't wonder about the baby?" Katherine said morosely. "If either of us leave he kills the child. And I can't have that happen. We're stuck. I think that's why Voldemort is laying off the brainwashing. He knows that Harry would never leave him if he killed his son."
"So it is Harry's?" Hermione asked quietly.
" Of course. Otherwise he wouldn't be affected by little Tom."
"You named him Tom?"
"No. Voldemort took the liberty of naming him. I call him Jamea when we aren't being watched over. I'm sure I'll get it for having you here, but he shouldn't suspect anything unless you moved anything in here or touched the baby, or us."
"We wont!" Hermione said. "Oh my god, we wont!"
"You should probably go."
"But- no!" Ron said. "We came to talk to you, and rescue you!"
"I'm afraid you'll see us sooner than you think. Now go, before Harry gets back and pitches a fit and ends up killing you."
"No! We refuse."
"I have other ways of making you leave, and they aren't pretty."
"You- you would use dark magic on us?" Hermione said.
"No, she wouldn't." Harry had appeared in the cave now. He picked up his child. "She's to nice. But I will. Master will have us both tortured for letting you in here and the longer you stay the worse our punishment."
"You're taller, Harry." Hermione said quickly, biding her time.
Harry pulled their names out of the back of his mind. "You're right Hermione, I am taller. It hurt a lot, but my growth spurt finally came." They all laughed rather tensely. "But please go."
"Why?" Hermione asked again. "Why can't you come with us? Nobody's here!"
"You want to know why?" Harry almost yelled.
"Why?" Ron asked. "Yes, of course we want to know!"
"This!" Harry showed them his wrist. It was like a silver bracelet with spheres around it. The spheres had blue lightning coursing around them. "This is why we can't leave Ron! If we leave the town without permission, the bracelet falls off our arms and attaches around Tom's neck and kills him. That's WHY we can't LEAVE."
"Harry?" Hermione said timidly. She had been struck by sudden inspiration. And if it backfired, he would be no worse off than he already was. "Do you want to be normal again?"
"Yes I do." Harry said solemnly. "I don't like it here."
"Well close you're eyes." Hermione said. She raised her wand and said forcefully, "OBLIVIATE!"
Everybody ducked, but Harry and he was hit with the charm. He staggered and looked up at them.
"What the bloody hell- hey! It worked!" Harry said. 'I'm me again! Oh god I hate Voldemort!" Ron and Hermione cringed. "I can say it now. I- hate- Voldemort. I HATE VOLDEMORT! I'd swear I'd been screaming that for a year, but nothing came out."
"Now why didn't I think of that…" Katherine said and hugged Harry. They all sat down again.
"We're going to be at Hogwarts pretty soon." Harry said.
"You are? You're coming back to graduate?" Hermione said hopefully. Harry and Kat exchanged looks.
"No." Harry said slowly. "It's going to be an attack. Don't go to school on the 23rd. There may be an-"
"An attack? Voldemort's going to attack the school?"
"Worse." Katherine said.
"What could be worse?"
"We're attacking it."
"YOU ARE?"
"We have no choice!" Katherine said, bursting into sobs. "Our- our training is done. He's going - going to- to transform us into our ancestors, make their knowledge mix with our knowledge."
"But Merlin and Cyrena were good people!" Hermione cried. "That should work against him!"
"One would think so." She said.
"Voldemort is powerful. He can change history. But he needed two bodies. We're the bodies." Harry said. "When Merlin and Cyrena leave us- well, the loss of power may kill us."
"And he's going to take Jamea away from us!" Katherine wailed. "Jamea is going to be his heir, if we die. We don't want that for him…"
"It's important that you aren't at school on the 23rd." Harry repeated. "Spread the word. Tell Dumbledore."
"We will!" Ron said, "you can count on us."
A/N: Sorry so short, but there was nothing else I wanted to add to this chapter, just because it was pretty eventful. Don't complain about how short it is, because frankly, I don't give a damn. The next chapter is the finale and it should be very long.
Weekly Dedications: To Lipsmacker and Idgit and Krissy, you three are the bomb reviewers and are totally cool on my list!
"What-" Hermione said. Ron came to meet her. Hermione looked up into Ron's eyes.
"Is that you Kat?" Ron asked stupidly. "Harry?"
"Do you realize who you're talking to?" Katherine said timidly. "Well?"
"Yes!" Ron almost shouted the word. "That's Harry and you're Katherine…right?"
"That's the Prince you're talking to." Katherine said frankly. "He'll only respond to Prince unless you're me or Voldemort. I suggest you call him Prince."
"What's going on here?" Hermione cried.
"I don't believe we invited guests." Harry sneered suddenly. "Why don't you just leave before I have to cut one of you down." The sword glinted in the light.
Katherine rounded on Harry. "Harry!" She snapped.
"What is your will?" He asked formally.
"Why don't you go- curry the horses."
"Anything for you, my Lady." Harry said and without another word walked down into the stables.
"Come in." Katherine pointed towards the cave. "But don't touch anything."
~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~*
"Come with us!" Hermione pleaded. "Come back home, we all miss you terribly."
"I cant." Katherine said and avoided her eyes. "We cant."
"That's mad." Hermione said. She moved to grab one of Katherine's hands, but she jerked herself away.
"I said, touch nothing. I meant it." She said coldly.
"But- but- why?" Hermione said. Ron put an arm around her shoulder. "And what's wrong with Harry?"
"I suppose you want an explanation." Katherine said after a moment with fussing with her baby.
"We don't intend to move until we hear one." Ron said comfortably.
"It's a long story."
"We've got time."
"Fine. Well when we got captured, Voldemort was kept us for a while in Hogsmeade, for training. But Harry was resisting Voldemort's ideas. So they had an informal duel. Harry lost and Voldemort brainwashed him. I wanted to keep my will so I surrendered. I've been miserable for almost a year. I can't stand it to be used like this. Harry would hate it to, if he were in a good state of mind. He just follows the Dark Lord's every wish. But it's getting a little better because I think Harry is beginning to know his mind again. The other day he refused to go on an errand for Voldemort. And I can tell the brain washing is wearing off because he left to curry the horses without a fight.
"Back to the story. Voldemort hates me. He hates Harry too, but not as much as me. When I chose not to be brainwashed, Voldemort moved us here. He made sure there was no way of me escaping. And it works all to well."
"What did he do?" Ron asked.
"You didn't wonder about the baby?" Katherine said morosely. "If either of us leave he kills the child. And I can't have that happen. We're stuck. I think that's why Voldemort is laying off the brainwashing. He knows that Harry would never leave him if he killed his son."
"So it is Harry's?" Hermione asked quietly.
" Of course. Otherwise he wouldn't be affected by little Tom."
"You named him Tom?"
"No. Voldemort took the liberty of naming him. I call him Jamea when we aren't being watched over. I'm sure I'll get it for having you here, but he shouldn't suspect anything unless you moved anything in here or touched the baby, or us."
"We wont!" Hermione said. "Oh my god, we wont!"
"You should probably go."
"But- no!" Ron said. "We came to talk to you, and rescue you!"
"I'm afraid you'll see us sooner than you think. Now go, before Harry gets back and pitches a fit and ends up killing you."
"No! We refuse."
"I have other ways of making you leave, and they aren't pretty."
"You- you would use dark magic on us?" Hermione said.
"No, she wouldn't." Harry had appeared in the cave now. He picked up his child. "She's to nice. But I will. Master will have us both tortured for letting you in here and the longer you stay the worse our punishment."
"You're taller, Harry." Hermione said quickly, biding her time.
Harry pulled their names out of the back of his mind. "You're right Hermione, I am taller. It hurt a lot, but my growth spurt finally came." They all laughed rather tensely. "But please go."
"Why?" Hermione asked again. "Why can't you come with us? Nobody's here!"
"You want to know why?" Harry almost yelled.
"Why?" Ron asked. "Yes, of course we want to know!"
"This!" Harry showed them his wrist. It was like a silver bracelet with spheres around it. The spheres had blue lightning coursing around them. "This is why we can't leave Ron! If we leave the town without permission, the bracelet falls off our arms and attaches around Tom's neck and kills him. That's WHY we can't LEAVE."
"Harry?" Hermione said timidly. She had been struck by sudden inspiration. And if it backfired, he would be no worse off than he already was. "Do you want to be normal again?"
"Yes I do." Harry said solemnly. "I don't like it here."
"Well close you're eyes." Hermione said. She raised her wand and said forcefully, "OBLIVIATE!"
Everybody ducked, but Harry and he was hit with the charm. He staggered and looked up at them.
"What the bloody hell- hey! It worked!" Harry said. 'I'm me again! Oh god I hate Voldemort!" Ron and Hermione cringed. "I can say it now. I- hate- Voldemort. I HATE VOLDEMORT! I'd swear I'd been screaming that for a year, but nothing came out."
"Now why didn't I think of that…" Katherine said and hugged Harry. They all sat down again.
"We're going to be at Hogwarts pretty soon." Harry said.
"You are? You're coming back to graduate?" Hermione said hopefully. Harry and Kat exchanged looks.
"No." Harry said slowly. "It's going to be an attack. Don't go to school on the 23rd. There may be an-"
"An attack? Voldemort's going to attack the school?"
"Worse." Katherine said.
"What could be worse?"
"We're attacking it."
"YOU ARE?"
"We have no choice!" Katherine said, bursting into sobs. "Our- our training is done. He's going - going to- to transform us into our ancestors, make their knowledge mix with our knowledge."
"But Merlin and Cyrena were good people!" Hermione cried. "That should work against him!"
"One would think so." She said.
"Voldemort is powerful. He can change history. But he needed two bodies. We're the bodies." Harry said. "When Merlin and Cyrena leave us- well, the loss of power may kill us."
"And he's going to take Jamea away from us!" Katherine wailed. "Jamea is going to be his heir, if we die. We don't want that for him…"
"It's important that you aren't at school on the 23rd." Harry repeated. "Spread the word. Tell Dumbledore."
"We will!" Ron said, "you can count on us."
A/N: Sorry so short, but there was nothing else I wanted to add to this chapter, just because it was pretty eventful. Don't complain about how short it is, because frankly, I don't give a damn. The next chapter is the finale and it should be very long.
Weekly Dedications: To Lipsmacker and Idgit and Krissy, you three are the bomb reviewers and are totally cool on my list!
