A/N: If I mucked up on genders again – I'm so…so…sorry! Particularly to Giesbrecht and Bandy whose profiles I haven't been able to check – but you have to appreciate the reason for the roughly equal male : female ratio in the story, equal opportunities, rights for all, etc...[God I'm such an economist!]. Right, demand for chapter 2 then…
Harry Potter
Lord of the Net
THE RETURN
Chapter 2: Back to the Web
'Harry you shouldn't be here,' Dumbledore mused mildly, 'whatever will Poppy say now?'
'She'll fuss as usual and get on with something else instead,' Harry answered with a small grin.
'Again I find my wisdom is no match for your youth,' Dumbledore replied heartily before guiding Harry into a chair. 'Now Harry, what do we have to do?'
'Put me back in.'
'Out of the question,' it was Mysis who interrupted and not Dumbledore, 'there is no way you would survive in there, the state you're in, a simple virus could literally delete you.'
'It's what has to be done,' Harry replied firmly, his breathing still ragged.
'I'm afraid Mysis is right Harry,' Dumbledore said stepping between the two, 'she has told me all about the internet since the summer, I cannot allow you to go.'
'Then they'll die.'
* * *
'Are we gonna die?' Wes whispered the question to Stephen.
'Dunno,' he replied, 'do you think that's what he wants?'
'Who?'
'Voldemort,' Stephen replied while trying not to laugh, 'remember…he's the evil bugger who bought us all here.'
'Oh yeah…'
'I'll tell you one thing though,' Stephen continued.
'What's that?'
'Harry will never stand for it.'
* * *
No matter how hard he tried Harry found he couldn't stand for anything, even sitting was a gross pain, he'd never had such a strong attack before when Voldemort had been in such a vindictive mood, maybe it was the new blood-link between them playing a part. 'Look,' he shouted over the argument that had grown with Ron and Hermione siding with Harry or the teachers respectively, 'either I go and they stand a chance of living or we leave them to die!'
'But we can always–'
'Always what Hermione?' Harry retorted, 'wait and see what happens? And how would the parents of my friends feel if they see the bodies of their children flashed all over the news and internet?'
'I don't think Voldemort would go that far Harry,' she replied.
'You're right Hermione,' Harry said sarcastically, 'maybe he'll just emblazon their houses with a Dark Mark or two.' Breathing hard he stared into his friend's face and was surprised but also pleased to see Hermione return the gaze with equal force.
'Fine,' she said after a few minutes, 'there's a way we can solve this straight away…send me in.'
'WHAT!' the explosive reply came from both Ron and Harry at the same time.
'Send me in, I'm a Muggle too remember, I spent quite a few years of my life being amazed by the magic of a computer before I found out about real magic, then that took over.'
'All the same – you just can't go apparating yourself into a computer,' Ron replied, he was slightly pale at the idea of another of his friends going into another Muggle machine.
'Good idea Ron,' Hermione replied, 'you can come in with me.'
* * *
'You're assuming that Harry's all right,' Wes replied in a sombre tone to Stephen's comment, 'what if all the good wizards in the world are dead and Voldemort has taken over?'
'You think none of them would have contacted us?'
'The may not have had the chance,' Wes continued, 'he could have killed them all like that,' he snapped his fingers loudly in the cave, 'we can't assume anything.'
'Yeah,' Stephen replied, almost riled at Wes's boldness, 'well we can believe what we want.'
'And what do you believe that will help us?' asked Wes.
'I believe that someone will bring us back.'
* * *
'NO!' Ron shouted, 'and for the last time I will not be dragged into one of those bloody machines.'
'Look,' Hermione continued, staring down her taller friend, 'if it wasn't for Harry's friends we may not even be here, and now you just want to leave them to Voldemort.' Ron flinched as usual at the use of the name in such a context but continued to ignore his friend's tirade. 'The problem isn't just going to disappear Ron,' she continued, 'you remember what happened to Cedric,' Ron tried to look away from his friend but her voice pulled him back, 'Voldemort killed him without a thought, and now…now he'll do the same to Harry's friends.'
'Ron,' Harry's voice croaked and again Ron felt unable to look away, turning he gazed deep into Harry's eyes and saw the pain that existed in his friend, 'you have to…please…I don't want to lose any more friends.'
Ron turned between Harry and Hermione then turned to look at Dumbledore and Mysis who did very good impressions of flooring tile collectors, he was stuck. 'Fine,' he whispered hoarsely, trying to hide the quiver in his voice, 'you just better make sure you don't lose us.'
* * *
'So anyone got any bright ideas?' James asked for the fifth time in a row.
'Look, just drop it, okay 77?' Bandy snapped.
'My name is–'
'SHUTTIT!' Stephen shouted in unison with Wes and Beverly. 'Right, Netsurfer we all know what your real name is, but for now I don't think we should use them.'
'Why?' asked Ashley.
'I think that,' Stephen looked flustered with everyone focusing on him, 'and this will sound stupid, that anything we say can be heard.'
'I agree,' said Katy, 'hell anything's possible.'
'So we call each other by our web names,' said Giesbrecht, 'the problem for me is that my names are both the same.'
'Lucky for me it's entirely the opposite to that,' Stephen replied, 'Lord of the Net is nowhere near my real name.'
'Well,' Wes said, 'looks like I'm in Giesbrecht's situation.'
'Same here,' said Beth, 'although you could all call me Liz…but then I'd have to punch you.' She added causing an outbreak of laughter in the small cave where they were being held.
Suddenly a quiet clapping cut through the jubilant atmosphere, 'Very amusing I'm sure…Liz,' from the shadows Lord Voldemort stepped out a wall causing most of the group to step back. 'Not so amusing is it now? Would you like to try and punch me?' laughing sinisterly he elevated his wand arm and began to wave it over the group, 'now where was I, I'm getting bored now…who wants to go first?'
* * *
'Ready?' Hermione asked Ron who was pale beneath his freckles.
'I guess so,' he replied with a small nod, 'are you sure this will work Harry?'
'Hey,' he replied to his friend, 'if I'm half Muggle and half wizard and managed to survive, and you two are whole Muggle and whole wizard there should be no problems at all.' Behind him Mysis was hacking into Stephen's web mainframe so she could run a source check on Voldemort's bug.
'Bingo!' she muttered as the page with the small icon popped up, then just as before it spread to the whole screen. 'Just touch it with the mouse to get in I expect Hermione, Ron you'll have to hold onto her or it may not work.'
'Be careful in there,' Dumbledore said to his two young students as they stood by the machine, 'and just remember that there's no Muggles to help this time.' With this he stepped back giving Hermione and Ron space to disappear within the machine.
'Get ready for the ride of your lives,' Harry said as Hermione moved the mouse arrow over the icon, then she turned to face Ron, with a nod from him he grasped her hand and together they pushed down the mouse button. Nothing happened. 'Um…that's not right.'
* * *
'What do you mean, who's first?' Stephen asked Voldemort boldly.
'Speak when you're spoken to you little Muggle rat,' Voldemort spat, and aimed his wand at Stephen, 'Reducto,' he hissed and the blast sent the boy slamming into the wall.
'You evil git!' Wes shouted and with a raised fist he charged towards the Dark Wizard, again Voldemort sent a blasting curse outwards catching Wes in his stomach and sending him backwards into the arms of Voltora and Giesbrecht. Over to their left Lunar Bard and Bandy picked up a shaken Stephen, who was bleeding from a deep cut in the back of his head.
'Well, only two heroes in the entire group,' Voldemort muttered, 'or are any of you willing to take a chance?' he swept the wand over everyone else and as satisfied when no one else even looked him in the eye. 'I'll be back you pitiful wretches.'
* * *
Ron and Hermione were suddenly aware that they still held each others hands and hurriedly released them with embarrassed looks that everyone else missed. 'I don't understand,' Mysis continued as she returned to working the keyboard with rapid typing, 'this is just…illogical.'
'Everything Voldemort does is illogical,' Dumbledore muttered, 'delving into the dark arts, trying to take over the world, killing and ruining the lives of all.'
Breathing hardly Harry moved over to the computer screen and clicked on the icon repeatedly, 'But the Professor is right sir, even Voldemort would have a logical way in.' Leaning in closely Harry began to study the screen as Mysis, Dumbledore and his friends continued to debate the conundrum that had confronted them. It was actually quite amazing Harry thought as he studied the screen, the icon had a very realistic look, the snake crawling through the skull seemed to shimmer before his eyes while the harsh bone shone under the lights, and the eyes, there was something about them. Moving further in he peered into one of the eyes and caught his breath when he realised what he was seeing, in the single dot that was the sparkle in an eye was the cave where he had confronted Voldemort with Stephen during the summer. 'Hey guys,' he said, 'look at this,' and he pointed to the point on the screen, then in a whirl of colours Harry found himself flying into the skull, 'n-n-n-n-not a-a-a-ag-again,' he stuttered as he began to fly towards the cave.
* * *
'Hear that?' asked a groggy Stephen as a low rumbling sounded in the cave, but everyone else was more focused on him then to see the wall behind them shimmer and merge as a flailing silhouette moved in towards them. Using all his strength Stephen pulled himself up and gave Voltora a sharp push sending her stumbling towards the digital vortex, 'Get out!' he shouted and as the first shadowy figure moved in, Voltora was sent flying back out of the wall.
* * *
Ron and Hermione blinked their eyes as the girl tumbled off the desk and into the chair where Harry had been sitting, 'what's…' Ron started, then with a shake of his head he realised he didn't actually want to know what was going on.
* * *
Wiping blood from his chin Harry stared up into eight faces that were strangely familiar, then eager hands lifted him up and he found himself facing Wes and Stephen, 'nice to see you again,' he said light-headedly, then with a small exhalation he pitched forwards again.
'Told you he'd come,' Stephen said to Wes.
'And he does like to make an entrance,' the other boy observed, 'now what?
============================================================================
A/N: You'll never know what until I do the next chapter – whooooooohahahahahahaha – ahem. Sorry, forgot I'm the author of a serious story. Well I'm hoping you enjoyed this chapter and that it was worth the wait for it, sorry it took so long, I am writing two major stories at the same time [this and the Siege] and soon I'll probably be writing some more short stories. But have no fear, I will once again [hopefully] make the wait worthwhile.