A/N: I could
not find Professor Sprout's first name, so don't blame me for the possibly
awkward part. (If anyone knows her name, I'd love to know!)
Chapter 24: The First Trial
"Harry
James Potter and Tom Marvolo Riddle," the old wizard said almost with a laugh,
"I knew this day would come. It's
earlier than I thought, but it was inevitable. Yes, quite. Very interesting."
He
paused, looking both men up and down. Harry looked apprehensive, almost fearful of what was to come. Voldemort glanced at the wizard with
something near a challenging sneer.
"My,
my," the old man tutted, "This should turn out to be an interesting War."
"And
why is that?" Voldemort asked, though not genuinely interested.
"Most
people come here, and only one of the pair returns. However, yours is much different, for you didn't agree to the
death. Harry, I'm most impressed with
you. You're only in this as a defense. Very interesting."
They
stood in silence a bit longer, then the wizard spoke again. "Well, why don't you have a good night's
rest first? You'll find your
bedchambers down those two halls. Harry, yours is to the right, and Tom, yours is to the left."
"Voldemort,"
the Dark Lord hissed.
"What?"
"I
am not "Tom". I am Lord Voldemort."
"You
were born Tom Marvolo Riddle, and I shall call you nothing else," the wizard
replied, a little tensely.
Voldemort
gave the man a glare, but quickly shrugged it off and swept down the
hallway. Harry looked at the old wizard
with something like an apologetic smile.
"He's
not a very happy person, is he?"
"No,
Harry, he's not. He's also a very angry
man, and sorrow and anger are the creators of hate. Try never to follow that path, Harry," the man sighed, placing
his hand on Harry's shoulder, "Well, you best get to sleep. You have many a hard day ahead of you."
The
man's hand was so familiar and comforting, that for a moment Harry forgot the
severity of the situation. It seemed
more like the night before a quidditch match; nervousness, but comfort that it
wouldn't be the end of the world if you lost. Harry smiled, nodding.
"Good
night, sir," he said, heading down his hallway.
The
wizened man watched the boy move from sight, then turned his eyes to the one
blank wall in the room. He looked up,
to where the wall met the ceiling. Only
someone who knew what they were looking for would have spotted it; many colored
threads were beginning to appear, weaving in and out, coming together. The beginnings of a new tapestry.
****
Ron
had fallen asleep, but Hermione, still sitting next to him, was awake. She was reading by her wand light, and the
only thing that broke the silence in the room was the occasionally turning of a
page. Her eyes were growing heavier,
but she just had to finish this one last chapter; then she would go to bed.
Thump. The book fell to the ground, along with
Hermione's wand. Yet it wasn't because
the girl had finally succumbed to sleep. Far from it. Her eyes had sprung
wide open, along with her mouth, and she sat there in shock.
"Harry…"
She
turned quickly to Ron, but he was still asleep. With a shaking hand, she grabbed her wand and headed out of the
hospital wing, towards Hogwarts' grounds.
"Harry!"
she called into the night when she had gotten outside, "Harry, where are
you? Are you okay? I felt something."
In
the inky blackness, Hermione spotted a dark shape on the ground. She rushed over, finding the limp Azar.
"Azar! Azar, wake up!" she cried, shaking the
girl. Then she brandished her wand,
yelling, "Eneverate!"
"Oh,
hi Hermione," Azar said, opening her eyes and looking around, "Where's Harry?"
"Wasn't
he with you?"
"He
was last thing I knew. What's going
on?"
"I
don't know. I felt something from
Harry…fear, I think. Then I came out
and just found you here, unconscious."
Azar's
eyes widened. "You felt fear, I was
unconscious, Harry's gone…? We've got
to get to Dumbledore's office."
"I've
owled Bill," Dumbledore said, trying to reassure himself and Sirius at the same
time, "Minerva, Severus, Filius, and Sprout are searching the towers, and the
castle, along with the other professors. Arthur and Molly are on their way. I hope we're overreacting."
Sirius
sat heavily on a chair, holding his forehead in thought. "What about the girls? Are they okay?"
"Yes. I decided it best that they sleep behind the
fireplace for tonight."
Sirius
gave him a perplexed look, then shook his head. "Where's Remus?"
"He
was meeting with Hagrid and the other giants in Norway. I sent an owl, so they should get back
within a few days."
There
was silence a moment, and then Sirius slammed his fist on the desk.
"Damn
it! Why are these things always
happening to Harry?!" he yelled.
"Sirius,
don't panic," Dumbledore said sternly, "What we need now are calm heads."
Sirius
opened his mouth to retort, but stopped mid-breath. He sighed, thinking. "What are we going to do? Do you
think it's the same circumstances that Malfoy kid disappeared under?"
"Possibly…"
Dumbledore said, carefully weighing what he should say next, "Or… It might not be the first time Harry tried
to take things into his own hands."
"What?! Harry wouldn't be that idiotic!"
Dumbledore
sighed, giving Sirius a reproving look. Sirius shook his head, standing up sharply.
"He
just can't have… What about Azar being
stunned? Harry wouldn't do that."
"Either
he touched another portkey, or he agreed to go. A person can't be magically taken from Hogwarts against their
will unless they unwittingly touch a portkey."
Sirius
sat down again, biting his lip.
"I
should have been able to stop him, Albus. I should have seen the signs or…or something. God, what if he went after Voldemort? What if he's…?"
"Don't
think about that, Sirius," Dumbledore said sternly, "Harry is a strong
boy. We'll do all we can to find him,
but right now we must trust in his abilities."
"Why
didn't I make him promise, Albus?" Sirius said, his voice floundering, "He made
me promise not to die. I should have
made him do the same. Maybe then he
wouldn't have gone off like this. We
have to find him, Albus. Alive…"
****
"Good
morning!" the old wizard called brightly to Harry, though it was a strange
comment considering the Hall was just as dark as it had been the night before.
"Morning,"
Harry answered.
Voldemort
was already up, sitting in one of the two chairs by the fireplace. The elder wizard was standing by a table in
the middle of the Hall, examining something.
"What
are you looking at?" Harry asked, curious.
"Your
wands."
Harry
and Voldemort both reached for their wands in surprise, finding them missing.
"What
bloody right have you to take our wands?!" Voldemort yelled.
"Temper,
Tom. I'm merely examining them to see
that they are fit for the three trials ahead."
Voldemort
slumped back into the chair, folding his arms. Harry had to try hard not to laugh at how much the Dark Lord looked like
a sulky child.
"Tom,
this is not your wand," the wizard commented suddenly.
"No. It was borrowed so that when I met up with
that boy, I wouldn't need to experience any…inconveniences."
"Ah,
yes. Priori Encantatem. But you may wish that you had kept your
own. No matter."
The
wands suddenly flew back into the hands of their owners.
"Well,
shall we get on with it?"
Voldemort
and Harry just looked back at him.
"Follow
me." The wizard headed down the wide Hall,
into the darkness. The two followed
him, unsure. They came to a door, where
the wizard stopped.
"You're
first challenge shall just warm you up," the man said, "It shall be…a
bake-off!"
"What?!?!"
Voldemort yelled, exploding with rage. Apparently he was more apt with life-or-death situations than that of
everyday life.
'Thank
you, Ron!' Harry thought happily to himself, remembering how his friend had
practically forced him to take Moody's class.
"That
is not a task!" Voldemort ranted on.
"Yes
it is," the old wizard retorted, "It is one that so many of the world's finest
witches and wizards would fail at. Besides, it's been over fifty years since I had a decent meal."
Voldemort
glared at the man, suspicious, for only one man had won an argument with Lord
Voldemort, yet this man had done it twice so far. The wizard opened the door, ushering them in. The room looked like a kitchen, mirrored
over. It was enough to make almost
anyone dizzy.
"Each
of you has the exact same utensils. You
have twelve hours to make a full meal, complete with appetizer, main course,
and desert."
"Twelve
hours of cooking?!"
"You
may find you'll need it, Tom. And don't
even think of disrupting your opponent, for once I leave the room, your areas
shall be separated magically. Very well
then, I suggest you hop to it."
The
man left the room, and Harry shot Voldemort a confident grin.
"All
those years of studying the Dark Arts, just to lose in a cooking competition."
"Don't
be so cocky, boy. There are three
tasks, remember."
"Yes,
so you have two more chances to win."
Voldemort
ignored him, searching the shelves and drawers for a cookbook.
Hours
later, Harry sat relaxed in a chair, drinking some lemonade. A feast that would make even the most
spoiled child gaze in wonder lay on the table by his side. He smiled slightly to himself, enjoying the
entertainment of Voldemort's attempts at cooking.
"Stupid
pot of…" the man growled as his soup boiled over once more.
"You
may want to use less temperature."
"Don't
you tell me what to do! I know more
than a sixteen-year-old boy."
"Just
a suggestion."
"Well
here's one for you. A cold meal, no
matter how lavish, isn't very appetizing."
"Yes,
well that's why I have a warming spell on it."
Voldemort
grumbled, going back to his piecrust. A
small plume of black smoke issuing from Voldemort's oven, however, took Harry's
attention.
"Uh,
Voldemort?"
"Keep
quiet, boy, or I'll make you wish you'd never been born."
Harry
smiled a bit, letting the smoke increase by the second. It wasn't until Harry feared that the whole
kitchen might catch on fire that he spoke up again.
"Tom…"
"Don't
you dare…" Voldemort's face fell when he saw the smoke and he rushed to the
oven. Opening it, he pulled out a piece
of charcoal that had once been a steak.
"That's
a keeper. What is it, your twelfth
try?"
"Apparently
arrogance has brought the Boy-Who-Lived to making shoddy jokes," Voldemort said
bitterly.
Just
then, an alarm went off from somewhere and the old wizard entered again.
"Very
well. Off to bed with you again."
"But
I-"
"Sorry,
Tom, time's up."
Harry
ran into the hall and to his bedroom before he had to face the wrath of a very
unhappy Lord Voldemort.
~*~*~
A/N: First of all, I want to offer my condolences to all those affected by the events of September 11th. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.
My, what a short chapter. I couldn't figure out how to do it, so voila! Also, any ideas for the two other tasks would be welcome. I have a few vague inklings, but any suggestions would be welcome.
Thank you, reviewers! I just wish there were still reviewer alerts so I would know each time someone reviewed my stuff… Oh well, I'll just go to reviews every so often.
Jona: lol. Thanks!
QtPie079: Thanks! ^_^ I will try.
Kelly bee: Be careful, 'cause I love being evil. ^-^ Thanks!
Princess: Thanks! And I'll stop writing when I stop breathing, "And I'm sure even then God negociates." (Ever After). One night I imagined Ron falling down the stairs, I decided it'd be a good way to get him out of the way a bit. ^-^
Lucky Woods: *claps hands in glee* Ah, that's just what I love to hear from reviewers! Thanks!
Julia: Sorry, school's taking away from my free writing time. *sigh* Thanks!
Kelly: ^_^ Thank you!
Dilandra: Thanks! (Though history may or may not repeat itself in this instance. ^_^)
Katrina Skyfrost: I was really slow with getting this chapter out, wasn't I? Yeah, I agree, stupid school. Thanks!
Raven of Death: Good, my hint worked a bit. Ooh, not to the death. (I'm not that brave…yet.) I SO wanted to make the Sneak-O-Scope go off, but I couldn't figure out a reason why, so I dropped it. Ah well. Thanks!
Jeanne: I love opening my email and seeing an author alert from Jeanne, but that doesn't happen anymore. *wails* If I were rich, I'd do that whole thing, but I'm not so I can't. *sigh* Anywasy, Thanks!
Lin-z: School's deflated my ego a bit. (Except sometimes in creative writing or English…) I hope this is an okay chapter, though I'm doubting it. Thanks!
Super saya-Jin Gotan: ^_^ Thanks! I'm glad you kinda caught onto the WWW, 'cause that was the point of the chapter…sorta.
loldudeo: ^-^ Thanks! And dance away! Killing off Azar…oh, don't go off giving away plot secrets! ~_O
sweets: So little time INDEED! Oh, possibilities… I just need a few more for the trials, that's what I need. ^_^ Thanks!
LeeJordan9986: Thanks!
Lady Grizabella: Thanks, especially for sharing the pic with me! That's so cool! You're an awesome artist, LG! Of course, Percy and Ginny may not have that long to wait… *shutting up, shutting up*
Roselyn Riddle: Thanks…but I can't make any promises on Draco.
Holli: Ga, I DO need to hurry! But it's so hard. I'm the nearest to writer's block I ever remember being! And yeah, hopefully Harry'll learn his lesson. ^_^
Erin: Thanks! And, to give away a not very extremely plot point, Draco does come out. He wasn't quite to the point where he got his soul sucked, though he was often in a lot of pain, physically and mentally.
1: Thanks!
Princess: Could I not continue?! ^-^ Thanks!
nadya: I'm not sure when I'm gonna finish it, but it shouldn't be too much longer… Thanks.
Jenny: Thanks! Stay sane! ^-^
Thanks you all oh-so-very much!!!
And always remember, be excellent to each other!!!
-Ady
