Chapter 8
A Small Price to Pay
"No, no, I've got it! Snape could be the one killing all the students," Ron said excitedly as Harry and he walked back to the common room after eating dinner in the Great Hall.
Harry looked at Ron weirdly, jumping over the trick step that led to the common room. "Snape? You've got to be kidding me. He's actually been human this year!"
Ron snickered as he stopped to admire some paintings hanging on the castle wall. "You-Know-Who has weird supporters, remember? Just look at Wormtail," he said as they continued their walk to the tower.
"Excuse me, coming through!" Parvati Patil yelled as she pushed her way past Harry and Ron, headed for the Gryffindor tower.
Harry moved just in time to avoid being run over by Parvati. "Oh yeah, Old Voldie is surely up Snape's hide," he said sarcastically to Ron.
Ron, still thinking his idea was true said, "Maybe You-Know-Who is mad at Snape. After all, Snape was a former Death Eater."
"Doesn't mean Snape went crying back to Voldemort," Harry stubbornly replied.
"Maybe we should just ask Hermione what she thinks," Ron said as they stopped infront of the portrait of the Fat Lady. "Pumpkin Potions." He said the common room password as she swung open.
Harry shook his head as they entered the crowded and noisy common room. "Not such a good idea. Hermione is in denial about her parents right now. I think anyone would be, though."
Parvati walked over to Harry from across the common room. "You two are talking about Hermione, right?"
Harry and Ron both nodded.
Parvati sighed sadly. "It's gotten worse. Hermione won't even get out of bed any more. She draws her curtains together, locks them, and then cries! I'm so worried about her."
Harry glanced at Ron, whose face had gone white. "She wouldn't commit suicide, would she?" Ron stuttered, his eyes opened widely.
Parvati looked at Ron. "I really don't know. Hermione refuses to talk to anyone. She only comes out for classes. The poor girl won't even eat or go down to the library."
"Please tell me you are joking," Harry gasped, staring at Parvati.
She shook her head sadly. "I can't say I'm not. I've never seen anyone like this before. She is really starting worry me, and everyone else."
Harry and Ron stared at each other, unable to believe what they had just heard. "This can't be happening!" Ron finally said, breaking the few moments silence.
"Oh, but it is. Voldemort is coming back to power, and the killing has already started," Harry said, staring off into space.
Parvati's eyes widened as her chin started trembling. "I need to go now," she muttered as she started walking up the stairs to the Girls' Dorm.
Harry watched as Parvati walked up the stairs, tuning out the other conversations that were going on in the common room. "How much do you want to bet that the whole school will be in an uproar by next week?" He asked, turning to face Ron.
Ron stared at the ceiling, not wanting to show Harry his fear. "Shouldn't take too terribly long. I'm just wondering about what is going to happen to all of us."
*~*~*~*~*~*
A.J. slipped into one of the many secret rooms of Hogwarts. She needed to be alone, far away from all the other students. She sighed sadly and sat onto an old and dusty chair, which nearly cracked under her weight.
'This isn't fair,' she thought, her eyes wondering around the room, as if searching for another body hiding in the shadows, waiting for her to reveal all of her innermost secrets that she had been hiding from the school.
"I'm getting blamed for killing Maret and her sister, even though I didn't do it," she said out loud, thinking that she was alone in the room.
"Not everyone believes that," a voice from behind her said as the person laid a hand on her shoulder.
A.J. jumped from the chair, startled by the voice, and the fact that she wasn't the only person in the room. She spun around to find George. "What are you doing here?" she asked suspiciously, her voice quivering ever so slightly.
George stood his ground, crossing her arms over his chest. "I followed you here of course."
A.J. started to tremble, but it was barely noticeable. "Why?" It wasn't in a cold tone of voice, but instead a simple question.
George looked over to her and sat onto an old chair. "You're hiding something from the school, A.J."
A.J. stared at him. "H-how do you know?"
"You've been acting very weird, sneaking around the castle. Come on, you're defentully hiding something from me and the rest of the school."
She started pacing back and forth, now extrememly worried. "I-I can't say anything," she muttered, staring at the ground.
George gently lifted her head to look at him. "A.J., we're all starting to worry about you."
A.J. spun away from George, unable to face him anymore. She could feel the tears coming to her eyes. She quickly wiped her eyes on her sleeves. 'You have no idea what it feels like to be responsible for so many lost lives,' she thought.
"I've got to go," A.J. said as she quickly left the room, leaving George to figure out what had just happened.
*~*~*~*~*~*
"Another student is dead, Headmaster," Snape said as he went bursting into Dumbledore's office.
Dumbledore's eyes, which usually twinkled, were now a dull grey, snapped open. "Which student was it, Severus?"
Snape hung his head sadly. "Hermione Granger."
"How did she die?" Dumbledore said as he and Snape started walking towards the Hospital Wing. They were both walking quite fast, and had to avoid smashing into several students.
"We have no idea WHAT happened," Madam Pomfrey sadly replied
"Albus! Severus! Wait!" Professor McGonagall yelled down the hall, trying to get their attention. "Miss Granger is still alive!"
Inside the Hospital Wing, Hermione was lying in a bed, staring at the ceiling with a dazed expression on her face.
"We think she is in a state of shock," Pomfrey explained, standing in the doorway with Snape, McGonagall, and Dumbledore.
Dumbledore walked over to Hermione, studying her face, looking for clues for what might have happened to her. "What happened, Miss Granger?" Dumbledore asked, his voice was calm and soothing.
Hermione looked at Dumbledore, her eyes were a glossy white and they looked empty. "A-a girl..."
"Keep going," Dumbledore said, trying to get more information out of her.
Hermione's eyes started coming in and out of focus. "She...tried to kill me...must have been...seventh year..." she said, her voice trailing off.
Dumbledore looked sadly at Pomfrey. "Where was she found?"
Pomfrey glanced up from looking at Hermione. "In front of the Hufflepuff common room."
"Severus, please bring A.J. Solo to me for questioning," Dumbledore sternly said.
"You don't think?" McGonagall started to ask.
Dumbledore started walking towards the door. "I never said that she did it, but it is better to be safe than sorry."
"I shall fetch her now. Send Miss Solo to your office?" Snape asked.
Dumbledore gravely nodded as he left the Hospital Wing, headed for his office.
*~*~*~*~*~*
"You wanted to see me, Professor?" A.J. asked as she entered Dumbledore's office.
Dumbledore smiled. "Yes. Go ahead and sit down."
A.J. sat, staring at the floor.
"I wanted to talk to you about Miss Granger," Dumbledore said softly.
A.J. shuddered violently. "I didn't do anything to her."
"Miss Solo, I haven't accused you yet, but all the evidence which we have points directly at you."
"But why would I want to try and kill Hermione?" A.J. asked, her voice full of fear.
Dumbledore looked gravely at her. "A.J., I know who your father is, remember?"
A.J. stared at him. "But...but, he's not even my real father!"
"I never said he was, I just wasn't sure if part of him had rubbed off onto you. I've know you for seven years, A.J., and this is the first time you have ever acted like this."
A.J. shrugged and shook her head. "Doesn't mean that I did it."
Dumbledore sighed. "You may be excused."
A.J. stood from her chair and started walking towards the door. "I really didn't do it..." she mumbled as she walked out of Dumbledore's office.
*~*~*~*~*~*
"Everything is going according to plan, my Lord," came a high and squeaky voice.
A tall man, with a cold and cruel face stepped into the light beam from the flashlight held by the squeaky man. "Very good, Wormtail. I have decided not to kill you tonight." The voice was pure evil and full of coldness. It could have only belonged to one person, Lord Voldemort.
Voldemort grabbed the flashlight from Wormtail and starting shining the light around the room, revealing the all too familiar features of the Shrieking Shack. As he moved the beam around the shack, it fell upon no other than A.J. Solo.
"You called, my Lord?" she asked coldly.
"Yes, young A.J. How is the killing going?" Voldemort asked, smiling.
A.J.'s eyes narrowed as she stared at the floor. "Very well, my Lord."
Voldemort grinned broadly. "You shall make a fine Death Eater once you grow up a little more. Who told you to start killing anyway?"
"My father, Lord."
"Yes, very good thing you have a Death Eater for a father, young one."
"Quite," she quickly replied, knowing that it wouldn't be a good idea to get on Voldemort's bad side.
"You don't want to be late for your meeting with Harry Potter and his red-headed freak," Voldemort said. "Stupid gits, trying to find Chrissy Raustinberg's body."
A.J. started walking from the room and towards the entrance of the shack.
"What are you doing here?" Harry asked as Ron and he ran into A.J.. Voldemort and Wormtail were hiding in the shadows, listening in on the conversation.
"I was wondering the same thing about you," A.J. said. "Shouldn't both of you be at the school?"
"No crap, and you?" Harry snapped at her.
"Listen, it's none of your business what I'm doing here," A.J. snarled.
"All is going according as planned, Wormtail," Voldemort whispered in the shadows as both of them dissapperated far from Hogwarts to continue their plan for world domination.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Destroying the World
He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has risen to power, and is after the world, writes reporter Rita Skeeter. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had started his rise back to power right after the Triwizard Tournament. People just weren't to sure how long it would take him to rise to full power again. Even though He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named hasn't risen to full power yet, he is still more powerful than that fateful night when he tried to kill Harry Potter, leaving him powerless and almost dead. "The Ministry of Magic is doing all that it possibly can," Cornelius Fudge said during an interview. "We have specialy trained Aurors searching the world for You-Know-Who' and his Death Eaters." Hundreds upon hundreds of muggles have been killed, and many of their cities have been completely destroyed. Many of the students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and other schools of Magic have been interviewed about the rise of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. One student from Hogwarts, seventh year A.J. Solo, refused to have any say on the rise. Many of the students from Hogwarts say that she is hiding something, and that it would not be wise to trust her. Many people have also started to claim that they have been seeing the ghosts of the people killed by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Whether this is some run away rumor is quite unknown. We can only hope and pray that we can stop He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named before he can complete his plans for world domination.
Harry re-read the article for the fifth time, wondering if he should believe it or not.
"Earth to Harry, Earth to Harry. Do you read me?" Ron joked tapping him on the shoulder.
Harry's eyes snapped back into focus. He shook his head, trying to clear his mind. Ron and he were sitting in the Great Hall eating breakfast. It was the last day of school until Spring Break, and most of the school was in an uproar, making it quite hard to hear anything. "Oh, yeah. I'm just not too sure if I should believe this article or not."
"Who wrote it?"
"Rita Skeeter," Harry responded instantly.
Ron threw his head back and started laughing. "Oh yeah! You can really trust that article!" he said, extremely sarcastically.
"She may actually be telling the truth this time," Harry replied.
Ron snorted his pudding. "Right, and Snape is going to adopt you. Harry, come on, this is that Skeeter Cow. She couldn't write a truthful article to save her life. When did you get such a big change of heart for that Skeeter woman, anyway?"
Harry shrugged his shoulders helplessly. "I haven't...just with the rise of Lord Voldemort, she might be so scared that she is actually going to try to write something truthful.
"Okay, Harry. Believe what you want...but I doubt that it is true. Cory released her, and now the world wizarding world is stuck with Skeeter again," Ron said, trying to talk some sense into Harry.
Harry was about to respond as a high pitched scream echoed through the Great Hall. A.J. came bursting into the Great Hall, panting extremely hard. "Another student...dead," She said, trying to hold her balance. She slowly walked over to the Hufflepuff table and sat down with her friends.
Harry and Ron stared at each other. "Another death?" Ron quietly asked.
Harry slowed nodded. "Yeah, and I bet A.J. did it, too. I mean, what was she doing out of the Great Hall?"
Ron shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know."
Across the Great Hall, all of the Professors, including Dumbledore had started quickly walking out of the hall towards the scene of the crime.
"I really do wonder who died this time," Ron said curiously. "That person probably has some kind of relation to Maret and her sister."
A.J. suddenly stood from the Hufflepuff and started walking towards Harry and Ron. "I know who was killed, and who killed the person," she said. Her voice was full of coldness, and she was glaring angrily at Harry and Ron.
Ron stared at A.J. "How do you know?"
A.J. smiled evilly. "Simply, the person tried to kill me first.
Harry, who was know wondering who had been doing all the killing, asked. "So, who was it?"
A.J. started at him strangely, as though she had a dark and dangerous secret. "Oh, it was Cho Chang."
*~*~*~*~*~*