CHAPTER TWELVE
THE LIFE OF ANOTHER
The professor ushered Harry, Ron, and Hermione back to the Gryffindor Common Room in silence. They weren't even punished, only given a sigh as they went in.
Hermione looked sick, like she was going to faint. Ron was in shock, his eyes wide in a gape. Harry watched them quietly.
This can't be happening. It can't be.... How could she have just died...like that!
Although he had always disliked her, Harry had never wanted Pansy to die. He had never wanted anyone to die.... This was the first death Hogwarts had seen in fifty years.
Hermione took in a deep breath to calm herself. She closed her eyes and opened them, looking terribly pale. Ron was biting his lip and then wetting it, as if wanting to talk, but nothing came.
"Are you okay?" Harry asked, not directing it at one of them in particular...but both of them.
"Fine...." Ron muttered.
Hermione hesitated. "I think that I am going up to bed now...." she whispered. She looked to see that they had heard her before getting up from her chair and making her way to the girls' dorm.
She died.... And no one knows how....
Hermione shuddered.
I saw....
* * *
Vetil stared open-mouthed at Andeline. His throat felt parched, moisture gone from it.
"That's the truth?" he rasped.
"Yes...." Andeline whispered, as soft as a breeze.
Vetil looked away from her, directing his gaze at the floor.
Andeline trembled. Then she added, "You know...things will happen. I am sure. But...how can we prevent it?"
Vetil shook his head. "One will die? Who?"
"One of the three...." Andeline said softly with a shrug. But Vetil only saw her mouth the words. She said them too quietly to hear.
"Talk louder, Andeline. I can't hear you."
"There's nothing to say. When tragedy strikes...it will be over. Nothing will matter anymore...."
"Don't talk that way! You can't predict the future!"
Andeline interrupted in a hushed tone that seemed to cut through his words in their silence. "Somebody can...."
"What?" Vetil shouted, biting off the word so that it ended with a sudden snap.
Justin and Andrew stirred from across the room.
"Andeline..." Vetil said, lowering his voice with a wary glance at the two boys across the room, "you'd better leave. And what do you mean by someone can?" he asked, turning toward her again. "Someone in this school?"
The girl nodded.
"Who?"
"I dunno.... But someone can...." she muttered.
Vetil looked harder at Andeline through the velvety darkness that obscured her from his total view. She faced him; her mouth set in a determined line and quickly walked toward him.
The moonlight streamed into the room from the window. As the mystical light hit Andeline's face when she walked into it, Vetil saw her bright eyes.
Andeline grabbed his hands, not harshly, but hastily. She bit her lip and put something into his palm.
"No, Andeline! Do you want to die?"
"One cannot die when they're practically there!" she said in a louder, firmer voice. Then she added, "Give it...as you have to. Please.... I must...."
"No...." Vetil groaned, jumping from his bed and thrusting the object back into her palms. "Wear it.... We are here for a reason, Andeline. For the Light. And there's nothing you can possibly do right now! It would be useless if you gave up you life for nothing!"
Her hands trembled and she clutched the bead tightly in her hands. Then, in a harsh, soft tone, she said, "They didn't die for nothing.... They were killed, murdered by the Dark! I cannot stand here and watch their deaths go in vain!"
Andeline gave one last look at Vetil, throwing the bead on a necklace onto the floor with a clatter.
"Andeline!"
But she had fled out of the room.
* * *
Harry dreaded the dawn. He had stayed up most of the night, unsure if he were dreaming or not.
Dreams.... Powerful tools that worked in your mind...either for or against....
The absence of the other boys' calm breathing—sometimes snores—made Harry feel uneasy. He knew that they too, were awake.
Sometimes in the middle of the night, Harry thought that he heard Neville whimper softly. But throughout the might...he had heard many things. Was his imagination playing tricks on him?
But the dreaded dawn came...as it must. It was part of time...the inevitable force that no one could stop, threading its way around lives, bending and twisting as a pattern in the making; unstoppable as the spinning of the earth.
Groans escaped the mouths of the boys as they reluctantly got out of bed.
"Harry?" Ron asked, coming to him.
"Hmm?"
"It's time to go down to breakfast," Ron said.
Harry sighed deeply and stood up, Ron eyeing him.
"I wonder how she died?" he said.
"Me too...." Ron answered, pulling him along. "Come on. I think that Professor McGonagall is going to say something this morning."
They slowly made their way down the stairs to the common room and out into the corridors. Then, they went to the Great Hall.
There was a hushed silence over the students in the chamber, and the two boys made their way uneasily to the Gryffindor table. They seated themselves on either side of Hermione and looked at their food grimly.
Harry picked at his meal, not really eating it, and he noticed many of the other students acting the same way.
Hermione had her face buried in The Many Phases of the Moon and Their Meanings. Her food lying beyond the book was unnoticed.
"What's so interesting about that book?" Ron asked. His voice rang strangely into the muffled room.
Hermione didn't answer. She just flipped a page and read on.
Ron sighed.
Then, Professor McGonagall stood up. She looked around the Great Hall, which quickly silenced, before solemnly starting to speak.
"As you have heard...a sixth year Slytherin girl was found dead in their common room last night."
No one moved. Silence seemed to buzz, even though that was impossible.
The professor continued.
"I ask that anyone who has information on this case to step forward."
There was a subtle whisper that traveled through the crowd.
"What's going to happen to her?" someone asked above the mumbling.
The professor sighed. "Her parents have been notified. They are coming today for her."
Another ripple of whispers passed through the body of students.
"What's Dumbledore going to do?" another voice asked.
Harry felt Hermione stiffen beside him, and Ron's eyes suddenly widened once more. He too felt a great apprehension. Was she going to tell them?
"The headmaster...is in no condition to handle this," the professor said with a twitch in her mouth. Professor Snape glanced at her fiercely, but she ignored it.
A louder rush of words passed through the kids. "What's wrong with him?"
Silence.
Harry looked over to Hermione. She had closed her book and merely stared with glazed eyes at the cover.
The professor drew in her breath slowly. Then, she started hesitantly to speak.
Don't say it! Harry thought. No! It's going to cause confusion and havoc!
But the professor whispered, "They have a right to know...." in a soft voice before saying, "He is in a not awakening sleep. A sort of coma that...is unknown to us."
Just as Harry expected, the room erupted with frightened voices.
"What?"
"How could that happen?"
"Was it You-Know-Who?"
"Are we still safe?"
"What's going to happen to Hogwarts?"
Professor Snape stood up. "Silence!" he yelled.
The noise abruptly stopped. Harry saw a few first years wiggle nervously. Among them was Vetil, looking a bit more unenthusiastic than usual.
Harry's eye caught the boy's hands. One was stiff in his lap, but the other was clutched tightly around something. It scared Harry suddenly more than anything to see Vetil looking so unhappy.
He's usually such a hyper kid...so full of energy. What happened?
Suddenly, Harry spotted Andeline standing by the entrance, looking paler than usual. She watched the students ruefully.
There was a sudden rush from the end of the Gryffindor table as Vetil jumped out of his seat and ran toward Andeline. She saw him and turned swiftly out of the exit.
"Andeline!"
Heads turned in Vetil's direction, watching him run with suspicious eyes. Harry scrambled out of his seat, following Vetil out of the Great Hall while Ron called his name.
He ran out of the doors and stumbled while turning. "Ah!"
Harry righted himself and sprinted after the leaving figure of Vetil some hundred yards in front of him.
"Vetil!" he called.
Vetil didn't stop at the sound of Harry's voice. For once, he wanted to be left alone.
Where's Andeline?
He ran down a long corridor.
She must be at the end of this hallway....
But Vetil came up to the turning point and stared down the dark stairs. Andeline was no where in sight.
* * *
Andeline's tears streamed down her face rapidly, blurring her vision and making her stumble into the walls and down the stairs. Or was that caused by the pain in her?
She choked down a sob, biting her lip and ran faster. Suddenly she hit a pillar with her left shoulder, painful fire racing up the wounded arm.
Andeline let out a cry and stopped, grasping the pillar that had caused her so much pain for support. Her body shook violently and her legs trembled like jell. She let herself slide down onto the cold floor, grasping the stone and scraping her fingernails on it, hurting her hands.
I'm losing myself.... It won't be long now....
Andeline took insecure breaths, closing her eyes and tried to calm down.
Why? Why?
Those two words echoed in her head painfully; the question that would never be answered...could never be answered. And something tore at her.
Her hands stopped their grating. A peaceful void filled her.
Not much longer.... Now....
Everything went black.
* * *
Harry caught up with Vetil who was staring at the corridors as if he had just lost his hope...his life.
"Vetil?"
He turned and looked at Harry with the same large eyes as the first time he had seen him.... But now...the eyes were filled with loss instead of curiosity. For a second, Vetil looked almost...not living.
Then he said, "Why?"
That simple word.... That one word could ask it all.
In his voice, Harry heard fear, sadness, and a trace of hurt. It was the song of a lone wolf in the night...a cry so harrowing it made him shiver.
"Are you alright?" Harry asked.
Vetil hesitated. Then: "Yes, but Harry? Help me find her. I have to give her something.... Please."
Harry nodded and followed Vetil down the still hall. He paused suddenly.
"Hold on! Vetil! The Marauder's Map!"
"What?"
"Hold on! I got the very thing to help us locate anyone on Hogwarts' grounds!"
Instead of looking hopeful, Vetil looked frightened.
"Oh, Harry.... I don't...I don't think—"
Harry was puzzled. "What do you mean? It can locate anyone on the grounds."
"But...."
"Oh, gosh! Come on!" Harry grabbed Vetil's wrist to steer him toward Gryffindor Tower, but he let go abruptly. Vetil felt cold...ice cold....
"A-are you...sick?" Harry asked.
"No."
Harry narrowed his eyes suspiciously. He bit his lip in consideration. "Well," he said with a shrug. "Come on."
Vetil reluctantly followed Harry back toward Gryffindor Tower. After walking up and down some corridors, they came up to the portrait of the fat lady.
"Sand-shells," Harry muttered.
The picture swung open and the boys entered. Then, they made their way up to the sixth year boys' dorms, and Harry quickly dug through his trunk, locating the map.
"Here it is!" Harry smiled to himself. Now, they could solve Vetil's problem.
He quickly scanned the page. Most of the students were in the Great Hall, including Ron and Hermione.
Then, Harry's smile faded. He looked at the map again. Not only was Andeline not on it, neither was Vetil, who was standing right behind him.
* * *
Ron looked at the exiting students. He told Hermione to come, and she followed, only after he threatened, "You'll be late for class."
They hurried through the crowd, looking for Harry while going to their classes.
"Um...Transfiguration is first," Hermione muttered.
"Harry'd better not be late for that...." Ron taunted. He quickly silenced under Hermione's glare.
They blended in with the crowd that flowed through the hallways like water in a riverbed.
They got to the Transfiguration classroom...and Harry was not there.
"Where is he?" Ron asked impatiently to Hermione.
She answered, "He'll be here." And Ron gave her a skeptical look.
They sat down, leaving a seat for Harry.
"Wonder what we'll be doing in class today...." he voiced into the silence.
Hermione shrugged and opened her book to read.
Professor McGonagall came in a few minutes after all the students (except Harry) arrived. She looked around the murmuring group and they fell silent, staring hopefully at the professor.
She sighed.
No one seemed to move, not even breathe. They were all anticipating their teacher's words with anxiety.
Finally, the professor spoke: "Take out your notes."
No one moved. They sat in shocked silence, staring up at the professor.
Suddenly, and outburst of questions swarmed the room, as if all the students had recovered from their shock at the same time...floodgates opening.
"But, professor!"
"How can we?"
"Study? At a time like this?"
"Quiet," Professor McGonagall said.
No one listened. The questions continued to stream out of the students' mouths.
"Is Dumbledore really—"
"How about our safety?"
"We can't do work!"
"How about our school?"
"SILENCE!" the professor shouted in an outrage. She slammed her books onto the teacher's desk.
BANG!
Everyone stopped what they were doing, shocked at her madness. They stared up at the professor and saw that her lips were tight in a grimace. Her brows were furrowed in a look of anger. She was as still as the rest of her class, as still as stone.
Professor McGonagall took in a deep breath, followed closely by the students as they watched her.
She opened her mouth. "We have to keep our studies. That is the only reason why Hogwarts is still up. We must still knowledge you. Nothing of real harm has been done."
After these last words, silence once again fell upon them. All eyes were upon the professor, asking for further explanation.
Suddenly, the door swung open and Harry ran into the class. He abruptly stopped and recoiled from the stares that bore into him.
He opened his mouth to explain but was interrupted by the professor.
"Potter...you are late."
"Er—"
"That is not acceptable."
"Professor! I was helping—"
She sighed and Harry's voice trailed off into the silence. "Take a seat, Potter."
He stood, frozen to the spot. "Y-you're...." Harry stammered. Then, he hastily made his way to Ron and Hermione, surprised that he had escaped punishment.
"What—" Ron started.
"Shh!" Harry hissed.
Professor McGonagall walked to the front of the class and again repeated, "Take out your notes." She added, "...and a quill."
In the noise of the rush to find a quill and their notes, Hermione whispered to Harry. "Where were you? What were you doing?"
"Yeah," Ron accompanied her.
Harry opened his mouth, but the rustling was dying down and Professor McGonagall seemed to be looking right at him. So he hurriedly said, "I'll tell you later."
They nodded and returned their attention to their assignment.
* * *
Vetil ran down more corridors, into the very bottom of Hogwarts, into darkness....
"Andeline!" he hissed urgently, trying to locate her.
Time is running out! Cursed time! Where is she?
Vetil gritted his teeth in frustration. Andeline! He thought again. His thoughts whipped into the nothingness in front of him.
She should be able to hear me! He thought urgently. Andeline!
Vetil stumbled. He groaned and continued, faintly aware of the growing stitch at his side. He cried out in frustration.
Suddenly, footsteps came from beyond his vision, running toward him. Vetil gasped and closed his eyes, backing up into the wall.
Just then, a torch shone and Professor Snape ran down the hall, looking furious.
Don't be seen.... Do not be seen. Hide yourself.... Vetil thought urgently.
The footsteps drew closer, grew louder.
Do not be seen....
A strange cold sensation ran up his arms and legs and he bit his lip. The cold ice flowed through his veins.
Professor Snape stopped and looked back. Had he seen...? No. He was in a hurry and had to move on.
The footsteps died away and Vetil opened his eyes. A faint trace of the ice was all that was left. He looked around and quickly ran on.
Come on...come on.... Andeline!
Suddenly, Vetil came to a staircase leading down. He stared at the bottom and made out a pale figure sprawled on the floor.