Nothing belongs to me except the stuff that does.
Chapter 7: Danger Gets Closer
That night after they'd all unpacked, Harry, Ron and Hermione headed for Dumbledore's office. They arrived and said the password. They entered to find Dumbledore sitting at his desk with a particularly worried expression on his face.
"Hello," he said to them.
"Hi, Professor Dumbledore," said Harry. "We need to tell you something." He nodded to Hermione who pulled out the letter she'd received. She handed it to Dumbledore who examined it carefully as she told him about her grandfather. When she finished, Dumbledore surprised her.
"I know, Hermione," he told her. "I know about your grandfather. I've known every since you started going to school here. Now it looks to me that – and I don't want you to get overly worried when I tell you this—but it looks as though someone is after you. You are in the safest place you could be, though, Hermione. I promise you that."
"But what about my parents?" asked Hermione. "My grandfather wanted to kill them too."
"I think we'd better find out if they received a letter like this," said Dumbledore.
"They didn't that I know of," said Hermione.
"Okay," said Dumbledore. "You are safe as long as you are inside this building. I want someone with you at all times. Harry and Ron here can help you out with that. You will not for any reason leave the building. You will be excused from Care of Magical Creatures class. The same for you as well Harry, because after last year you are obviously in danger as well." Harry and Hermione nodded.
"Dumbledore," said Harry. "Where are Snape and Hagrid, and why isn't there a Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher?"
"They are all very busy people, Harry," said Dumbledore. "They are out working to unite our side so we are ready for the times yet to come. Now that's all I can say. Why don't you three go get some sleep now? Classes start first thing in the morning. They nodded and headed back to their dorms.
"Harry, I'm really worried," said Hermione as they were walking down the hallway.
"It'll be all right, Hermione," said Harry. "We're in this one together. Like Dumbledore said, this is the safest place we could be." Harry felt a sudden jolt of pain hit him in the head. His scar began to ache.
"You're a mudblood, are you?" said Voldemort.
"No!" a girl's voice shouted. She and another girl were walking in the forest.
"Don't lie!" Voldemort shrieked in a high pitched voice.
"She's not!" another girl's voice shouted.
"Sticking up for your little muggle friend?" said Voldemort. "Well, Chang, you once had an uncle who worked for me. Then he left and soon after died. He owed me, Chang. And what he owed me, he'll pay with you."
Harry moaned in agony. His scar was pounding harder now and he was brought to the ground.
"Don't hurt her!" the other girl's voice shouted.
"Avada Kedavra!" Voldemort roared. There was a flash of green light and Harry's scar hurt so badly that he couldn't even concentrate anymore. He just lay on the ground overtaken with pain.
"No! You killed her!" shouted Cho.
"You'll be next," said Voldemort, laughing evilly and raising his wand.
"No! Please!" shouted Cho.
"Avada Kedavra!"
Harry felt a wave of excruciating pain as he heard the words. Then, suddenly the sharp pain faded and Harry regained consciousness to find himself lying on the ground in the hallway with Ron and Hermione over him screaming "Harry! Harry, are you all right?"
"Voldemort," Harry was gasping for breath. "People—woods –he killed them. Cho!" Harry realized that his crush, Cho Chang, had been one of the two girls who had just died. Harry forced himself to his feet.
"I have to talk to Dumbledore right now!" shouted Harry.
"We're coming with you!" shouted Ron and Hermione in unison as the went after Harry who had already taken off running down the hallway. He didn't care. He arrived at Dumbledore's office and shouted the password. He went running inside and obviously startled Dumbledore who looked like he'd just been awoken from sleep.
"Dumbledore!" he shouted. "My scar hurt. I had a vision. Two girls were killed by Voldemort in the forest here!" Ron and Hermione came bursting in the door after him.
"Goodness!" exclaimed Dumbledore. "You three stay right here. I'm going to go investigate this." He ran out the door. Harry still hadn't calmed down. He sat in a chair and massaged his forehead, which still hurt. Ron and Hermione both knew better than to say anything to him and stayed silent. Cho Chang had been one of the girls that Voldemort just killed. Harry's crush, Cho Chang. He wished, hoped and tried desperately to convince himself that it was only a dream but he got that sickening feeling deep in his stomach that made him realize that he knew it was true. She was dead. And so was someone else. Harry sat for a long time feeling guilty. If he could have told someone, maybe they wouldn't have died.
After a few minutes, which had seemed like hours to Harry, Dumbledore returned to the room. Harry could tell by his expression that it was true. Dumbledore looked at him, thinking how he could tell this boy who had lost so many people already, that two more people he knew were dead.
"Harry," Dumbledore said quietly. "They died." Harry nodded, knowing it was true but not wanting to believe it. He closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath.
"Harry, there's nothing you could have done to prevent it. I don't want you to feel guilty." It was as though Dumbledore could read his mind.
"Who were they, Dumbledore?" asked Ron.
"Leslie Guthrie and Cho Chang," said Dumbledore. "They were both sixth years from Ravenclaw. This is what I'd feared. We haven't even been here a day and two students have already been murdered." Ron's mouth fell open when he heard Dumbledore say Cho Chang. He looked at Harry with disbelief. Harry gave him a look that said shut up and he took the hint well. Hermione was still just standing with a shocked expression. She looked terrified. Harry assumed that up until very recently she hadn't really experienced anyone she knew dying.
"How did You Know Who get here?" asked Hermione. "I mean he can't just walk right in here, can he?"
"Maybe he apparated," suggested Ron.
"Ron, are you ever going to read Hogwarts, A History?" asked Hermione. "How many times do I have to tell you that you can't apparate on Hogwarts grounds?" Ron made a disgusted face.
"She's right Ron," said Dumbledore. "However, there are many other ways that someone could get in here. All the rules of magic can be broken by very powerful wizards." He looked as though he was searching through his mind for a logical answer as to how Voldemort got into Hogwarts grounds. "Harry, could you tell me what you heard Voldemort saying to them?" asked Dumbledore. "If you don't feel comfortable you don't have to."
"No, it's all right," said Harry. The realization that Cho was actually gone hadn't really penetrated into his mind yet. "They were in the woods. Voldemort said that Leslie was a mudblood. Then he said something about Cho's uncle who used to be on his side but had died and owed him something. He said he'd pay with Cho. Then he killed both of them using the killing curse." Dumbledore nodded.
"From now on, no student is permitted out of the building on any condition," he said. "We'll never know what made them want to go into the woods. Just do not leave the building for any reason." He told Harry, Ron and Hermione, "and then you'll have nothing to worry about."
"But that means no—" Harry began.
"Yes, Harry. I'm sorry but no quidditch. I will also have to see if we can move Care Of Magical Creatures class inside the building," said Dumbledore. "None of you students realize the seriousness of the danger we are facing. The last time it was this bad you all were too young to remember. Now why don't you head off to bed. It really is late. Don't tell anyone else about what happened tonight. I'll tell them at breakfast tomorrow morning." They nodded and headed back to the dorm.
"I'm really sorry about Cho," said Ron as they were walking back to the dorm.
"It's okay. I'm fine, really," said Harry, but he didn't feel fine inside. He didn't feel sad either. He felt angry. He was angry at Voldemort. Voldemort took everything that was important away from him. Even before he was old enough to remember he'd taken his parents. He'd tried to kill Harry four times, and now he'd taken his crush and it seemed as though he was after Hermione. Harry felt the anger flooding inside him. He couldn't take it. He felt as though if Voldemort was there then he could have killed him a thousand times over and he still would not have been satisfied.
Harry tried to remain calm as he went to bed, but he couldn't sleep. He was still angry. He hated Voldemort; absolutely hated him, more than anyone else ever had. I myself would die just to make sure that he's dead and is not going to ruin anyone else's lives, thought Harry. Harry remembered earlier that day when he'd seen Cho and her friend, Leslie sitting at the Ravenclaw table. An owl had flown in and given Cho a letter. She and Leslie had read it and looked excited. Harry wondered if maybe…then he drifted off to sleep.
