And again-thanks for your reviews, you guys are best!
Juliss
*************************************************************
Chapter 5: Old friends.
"If it is death Ollivander promised to me, he was pretty smart to guess,"-thought
Severus, looking at Willow's trunk, approaching with astounding rate.
However, it became clear that the rampaging dragon obviously wasn't
smart in his choice of tree, because Whomping Willow trembled violently
and one of the great branches hit dragon's paw, in which it seized the
car.With cry of fury beast jerked wounded claw back, ripping the door off
and sending Severus rolling right into the tangled swishing crown of tree.
-Fuck!-was his last word before the infuriated Willow planted a carefully
aimed blow across his head.
***
Harry slept, but his sleep wasn't quite.During last two nights the same
dream-his mother, dying in the flash of green light with terrified scream...but
her face changed...was it Hermione?He gasped and jerked out of dream.
He sat still in his bed several minutes, wiping his forehead and trying
to understand what awakened him.Was it sound?Scream in the dream, or something
more real? He drew the curtains near his bed aside and peered into the
darkness behind the window.But darkness wasn't complete.The red glow, similar
to the light of bonfire, tossed in the sky and illuminated the edge of
Forbidden Forest.Then the tremendous burst made the tree-tops sway, as
in the hailstorm.Harry flung the window open and climbed on the sill to
take a better look.
Whomping Willow was on fire, and a strange gigantic silhouette moved
in the flames, howling and wriggling.Dragon?
Dormitory was almost empty, because the majority of students were taken
home by their parents.Neville's gran arrived at Hogwarts and dragged her
grandson home a hour after the cancelled match, and Seamus mom came in
evening and took Seamus and Dean.Only Harry and Ron remained in their dorm,
not because Mrs. Weasley didn't try to get her son and also Harry, but
because the last refused to leave Hogwarts, and Ron, of course, stayed
with him in spite of shrill cries of Mrs. Weasley and Ginny's tears.Hermione
remained, too- she just didn't inform her parents that something's wrong
at school, and, being dentists, they were completely ignorant about woes
and troubles of wizarding world.
Harry pinched his arm, to be sure that this is not the continuation
of his crazy dream,hissed in pain (he was almost certain it is and pinch
was rather strong), jumped from the sill and rushed to Ron's bed.
After several pushes and kicks Ron woke up with moan and stared at
Harry.
-What?Dementor's attack?Snape's after you with long knife in his greasy
hand?Or you just watched a very fascinating sexual dream and want to share
details with me?
-Yeah, exactly.Look at this and you'll be overexcited.
Ron dropped the blanket on the floor and goggled at the picture outside,
his mouth open.
-Well...Now he definitely will be sacked, this greasy git!Unique exotic
tree burned, the extinct specimen of dragons is on fire...and what is it?-added
he, pointing at the dark mass in the scorched branches.
-Looks like a car after a go with asphalt roller...-muttered Harry
thoughtfully.
-Or with dragon and mad hitting tree-continued Ron, squinting his eyes.
-Well, if IT IS CAR...
-Do you think anybody could survive this?And, besides, which idiot
will come at Hogwarts on car...-Ron chocked and grinned, when Harry crinkled
his eyebrow.
-Well, there is no plenty of such idiots-proceeded Ron tentatively,
but Harry put already his robes and dived under his bed to fetch a Invisibility
Cloak from his trunk.
When they descended to common room,first person they saw was Hermione,in
her dressing gown and with very glum expression on her face.
-Er...-said Harry.
-No explanations, just let's go-said she exasperatedly and marched
to Portrait's hole.
-Hey, Hermione, are you going to stalk in these garments in Hogwarts
corridors and seduce all the staff, including Filch and Bloody Baron ghost?There
is no enough room for three of us under this cloak!-chortled Ron.
-Of course not!-snorted the girl, muttered something and vanished.
-Invisibility Charm!-breathed Ron in disbelief-Aren't we supposed to
master it only on seventh year?
-Shut up and go-snapped Harry, putting the cloak on.Actually, it was
no enough space even for two of them under it, so the Ron's shoulder and
Harry's left toe floated in thin air.With the nostalgia Harry recalled
their third year when they was getting into it without problems.Now Ron
was the tallest boy at school, and definitely not a best companion for
cloak-sharing.
***
With a lot of puffing, stamping over each other feet and cursing they
managed to get into the Entrance Hall.But there their motion was rudely
interrupted.Actually, they walked headlong into something and tumbled onto
the floor.Something screamed and fell onto their top.
-Hermione!-cursed Ron-Where are your eyes?
-To whom you are speaking?-sounded an anxious Hermione's voice from
behind.
-What...-throttled Ron, realizing that it wasn't Hermione.
-Shut up!-hissed a female voice from his back, and with a soft popping
noise woman's figure appeared from the thin air.
-Professor Millstone?-asked Hermione in rather small voice and became
visible, too.
-Oh yes-muttered woman, tossing her long hair back and looking indignantly
at Harry and Ron, fighting their way out of cloak.
-Potter, of course.And not difficult to guess who you are.Miss Granger
and Mr. Weasley, if i'm not mistaken?
-Er...-mumbled Harry.
-Well-continued Melian Millstone-you have seen this, have you?I have
a feeling that we must to hurry.
And without spare word she turned around and headed for doors.
Embarrassed, but quite relieved, the rest of company followed her,
Ron grinned and muttered in Harry's ear:"Well, it wasn't that bad, laying
here on the floor with teacher, you know."
"Yeah, and with me, too"-smirked Harry back, escaping the furious glare
of Hermione.
It was still quite dark outdoors and freezing, too, because of increasing
wind.Hermione quivered in her airy gown and snatched the cloak from Harry-not
that the magical material helped a lot.They moved silently in the red glow
of fire, still devouring the trunk of Willow.Stench of burned flesh from
dead dragon was overwhelming.They were almost level with the far end of
Quidditch Pitch when they heard the loud splash from the lake and distant
cries:"Help, help!".
Ron and Harry looked at each other and sprinted to the lake, Melian
and Hermione on their heels.Certainly somebody was in the water, and this
somebody was drowning, because the screams becomes more and more indistinctive.Boys
threw off their robes (Hermione flashed and turned around, but Melian looked
quite interested)and jumped into the freezing water.Several minutes after
they climbed onto the bank, dragging the unconscious body of..."Tehhie!!!!"-screamed
Melian and put her arm on her mouth, looking faintly.
The shriek apparently wakened the girl, because she opened her huge
dark eyes, still unfocused, and twisted on the ground, coughing the water
off her lungs.At that moment Harry gasped and lunged at Hermione, making
her fall down with yell of pain.
-What-blurted she, but Ron and Melian fell next to her, trying to hide
their heads behind the boulder.Hermione moved a little and peered at the
castle's entrance.Door was ajar, and the two enormous towering hooded figures
glided towards their group over the wet grass and swirling mist of dawning.The
wave of abominable sucking fear washed Hermione's heart.
Harry made a strange throttled noise and gripped Ron's shoulder with
such strength, that nearly broke it.
-Dementors-whispered Hermione, fingering for her wand feverishly.
-Don't move-breathed out Melian.
Dementors slowed their motion, as if hesitating, and then turned to
the remnants of willow and dragon.They moved noiselessly close to scorched
tree and picked something in the grass next to it.Then the ominous figures
turned and glided back to the castle, dragging something dark and heavy
with them.The door closed, Harry released his grip and drew a sigh of relief,when
something cold touched his arm.
He turned and looked with astonishment in Tehhie's face,pale and full
of genuine grief.
-Severus...-muttered girl.
***
His first feeling was overwhelming pain, but he so used to it in last
few days that it didn't bother him.Appeared that nothing could bother him
already, so he just forced his eyes to open and looked around.
He laid with his back placed against the wall in his own office.The
fire in hearth was kindled and the red glow danced at the desk, paintings
on the wall...and his hands, covered with fresh blood.His own blood, of
course.And this pain.But he welcomed it as the sign which showed that he
is still alive.
Then the door creaked and somebody walked in the room.Sickening wave
of panic rose from Snape's stomach, but he merely smiled-it was the usual
effect of Dementors' presence.Then the man bended over him.Snape narrowed
his eyes and looked into his own face with wry smile.
-Well-said Lucius Malfoy, eyeing his victim with visible contentment.-Lucky
bastard.But here you are.After all your struggle and foolish tricks and
jumping-you are here.Let me think...What you prefer-to die right now or
to be tortured first.
-Better to be tortured-answered Severus with same wry smile, looking
at Malfoy's pocket.His wand was there, no doubts.But he was too weak to
fight with Malfoy now, especially in the presence of two Dementors, obviously
obeying to him.
-As you please-grinned Death Eater, pulled out his wand and hissed:"Crucio!".But
nothing happened.Somehow spell didn't work, and Snape grinned in Malfoy's
shocked face.
-Surprise.Don't work, yeah? Or may be i have no one whole bone to be
broken and muscle to be ripped, so don't waste your magic.By the way, how's
Voldie?Didn't get to much upset after bathing in pitch?
-You moron!-roared Malfoy, hitting him hard with the toe of his boot
in the temple.Snape's head jerked and sight blurred, but he managed to
straighten.
-Stupid loser!-proceeded Malfoy, his face twisting in fury.
-Rise him!-ordered he to Dementors, they grabbed Snape's hands with
their cold rotten arms and jerked him up.But he was so unsteady on his
legs that they gripped his shoulders and pressed him against the wall.
-Let's try old effective remedy!-hissed Death Eater, clenching his
fist and taking aim.SMACK!Severus throttled and folded, looking at his
belt.It was strange, but there was no hole there, as he dimly suspected.Dementors
pushed him back, and Malfoy smiled, then aimed again.SMACK!"Damn, my stomach
could be quite useful in the future!"-thought Snape after the tenth blow.Strange,
but he was still in his conscience.
After a several minutes of such a sport Malfoy took a break, nursing
his fist and smiling at twisting Snape.
-That's for your insults in my Master address-said Death Eater.
-You Master isn't even smart enough to invent his own spell-forced
out Snape through the gritted teeth.
-You know?-said Malfoy with the slight shadow of surprise in his voice.-Anyway,
he was smart enough to decipher the Scrolls of Morgan, which he found in
Dumbledor's office last year.
-Yes, great specialist in robbery, i'm ready to admit-answered Snape
flatly.Actually, it was truth-at the end of last year Voldemort burst in
Dumbledor's office at Hogwarts, and his main trophies were Gryffindor's
sword and Dumbledor's Pensive, to Snape's great amusement.However, now
it didn't seem so amusing.
-Bark, if you want-spitted Malfoy-He is on the threshold of greatest
magical discovery of century.He found a lot of useful stuff in these scrolls.More
than your wretched imagination could fancy, Severus.He is ready to restore
the Excalibur!