Disclaimer: Nothing is mine.
Keeping Harry Sane
Of Mean Wizards, Bad Spells, and Hogsmeade Trips
Part four
When they stepped inside they quickly dropped hands. They chamber was just as Ginny remembered it. Dark, damp and incredibly horrible. As a result of the darkness she couldn't see anyone or anything. Their wand lights created a small circle of light around them, but after that, it was darkness.
Harry leaned in really close to her and barely muttered, "Stick close to me. Keep your wand ready." He stood up straight and started to walk to the back of the room, towards the statue of Slytherin. His footsteps echoed loudly around the chamber, making it sound as though there was more than one person walking. Ginny blinked and jogged a few paces to catch up with him. This place gave her the creeps and even if Harry hadn't told her to, she would have stuck to him like glue.
By the time they were halfway to the statue they still hadn't seen anyone. Ginny was beginning to wonder if maybe they had been wrong about where Lisa was. Maybe the Death Eaters had tricked them. Harry didn't seem to think so, though, he was still walking purposefully towards the statue, which was getting closer. That was the statue that the basilisk came out of, Ginny remembered with a start. They couldn't have another one of those, could they?
"Ah, Mister Potter, We've been expecting you." An extremely unpleasant voice drifted out of the shadows. Ginny jumped and spun around the way the voice had come from. "We thought you would be back to get your friend. Oh, I see you have brought your own friend. Spiffing, more fun for us."
Harry was peering through the gloom in the general direction of the voice. Ginny couldn't tell if he knew who it was or not. "Show yourself, Wormtail, we're not afraid."
Ginny wanted to yell 'speak for yourself,' she was positively shaking with fear, but she wouldn't show Harry that. She heard a few raspy words and then the chamber was bathed in bright light. Ginny had to shield her eyes at first. When she had gotten used to the light she looked around herself. She could really see the room properly now. It was large, almost as big as the Quidditch Pitch, with large stone pillars every ten yards or so. All the pillars were decorated with different carved snakes. They were standing right below the large statue of Salazar Slytherin, which was as tall as the ceiling. The ceiling had to be nearly one hundred feet up. She let out a small gasp, and looked around to find the person who had talked.
Over in the far corner of the large room were four people. Three grown men all in black robes and one young girl on the ground, uncontious. Lucius Malfoy was hovering near where Lisa lay, keeping an eye on her, and another man, who was seated next to Lisa. Ginny had never seen him before. The man that had spoken, Ginny figured his name must be Wormtail, was leaning against a pillar. Ginny recognized him as the sleepwalker.
Ginny felt Harry tense next to her as he saw Wormtail. "Traitor," he muttered, biting his lip.
"What was that, Potter. Like to speak up a bit?" Wormtail was grinning at Harry. Ginny had the sudden urge to go and punch him in the face, but didn't.
"I said," Harry said in a strange, stiff voice. "Traitor!"
Wormtail laughed a cold, yet strangely high and squeaky, laugh. "Yes, I suppose I am. What are you going to do about it? You want your friend back, don't you?"
Harry grit his teeth and walked a pace or two towards Wormtail. Wormtail laughed again. "How about a duel?" he suggested. Ginny, whose legs were already shaking, fell over. "No help from anyone else. No seconds. Only magic. If I win, you turn yourself in, and I get to keep Turpin. And your other friend," he pointed to where Ginny was sitting on the ground, "is mine. If you win, you get Lisa."
"You can't hurt Ginny," Harry said.
"Oh, can't I? We'll just see about that." A wicked grin was slowly spreading over his face. Harry turned around and looked at Ginny.
"What if I don't?"
"Oh has Harry Potter gone soft? Refusing a duel. That isn't very courageous, Potter. You are in Gryffindor aren't you?" Wormtail's small watery eyes were narrowed in hate.
Harry turned to face him again. His eyes were blazing with hatred. "That doesn't prove anything. You were in Gryffindor," he said in a soft, even voice. Wormtail didn't respond, he was still leaning against the pillar. He seemed to be waiting for some kind of response. Harry sighed and turned. "One moment," he called to Wormtail as he walked over and squatted next to Ginny. "How are you with this?"
Tears were coursing down her cheeks. She threw her arms around his neck and said, "Just be careful, ok?" She could still her his words in her head. I feel as though when I walk through the halls people look at me thinking that I'm going to stop him for good. I don't know if I can… I'm only seventeen. He might be only seventeen, but if anyone could do this, it was Harry.
He hugged her back and said, "Don't worry, I won't let him win."
"That's the attitude. Now go." She stood up and pulled him to his feet. Over his shoulder she saw Wormtail go and talk to Malfoy. Harry walked back over to where he had stood before.
"Ok, Wormtail."
Wormtail smirked. "So maybe Potter has some courage left in him." He turned to Malfoy. "Get her." Malfoy scowled the 'Malfoy Scowl' and walked towards Ginny.
"What are you going to do to her?" Harry said.
"Oh don't worry. I won't do anything to her… yet." By this time Malfoy had reached Ginny, and put both his hands tightly around each of her wrists. "It's just so she doesn't interfere." Wormtail sniggered. "Though I doubt she could do anything."
It was probably a good thing that Malfoy was holding Ginny, otherwise Wormtail would have had a nasty bruise. Wormtail shot Ginny a look before turning back to Harry. "She's a pretty catch, Potter."
Harry, whose nerves were already pulled to the limit, glared and opened his mouth to say something rude, but obviously thought better of it and closed his mouth. Shaking his head slightly and smiling, as if laughing at a joke only he could hear, Harry opened his mouth again. "Let's just get this over with, ok?"
"Fine by me," said Wormtail, and before Harry could even raise his wand, Wormtail had shouted, "expelliarmus." Harry flinched and jumped out of the way. The spell hit the nearest pillar and bounced away harmlessly.
Harry grit his teeth and the duel began in earnest. Ginny watch horrified as they dueled. It wasn't a little kid duel, there were no jelly leg hexes or tickling charms, Wormtail was shooting dark curses at Harry, and Harry—well, Harry was dodging them. Every now and then he would shot a curse like expelliarmus or something, but nothing drastic. As every minute passes, Ginny could sense Malfoy getting happier and happier. At one point she could have sworn she saw him smile, but later she attributed it to a trick of the light.
It was as Harry dodged the Simeia curse—it causes your to turn into a monkey for a certain amount of time, doesn't sound very dangerous, but does a monkey know what to do with a wand?—that Ginny remembered something very important. Dumbledore. They had knocked on his door, and he said that he would come. He would come...wouldn't he? Please let him come soon, Ginny prayed silently, shutting her eyes.
When she reopened them, she found Harry standing next to her, and Malfoy no longer holding her wrists. She grinned. "I knew you would win."
"Hold that thought. It's not over. I think Wormtail got tired, he's 'talking' to Malfoy. More like planning. So I came over to talk to you. So how are you?"
Ginny mouthed wordlessly at him. He was so…calm. "How are you?"
"I asked you first."
"Well, seeing as you're the one fighting a dark wizard, and I'm just standing here doing nothing, I think I should ask the question."
"Ok then," said Harry, without missing a beat, "I'm fine, now how are you?"
"Fine."
"Good."
"Yes."
"So?"
"So what?"
"So what do you want to talk about?"
"I don't know, you're the one who came over here and bothered me. I was enjoying freaking out about you." Harry laughed. Ginny pursed her lips. "This is not the time for laughing."
"You look—and sound—just like McGonagall." Ginny couldn't help it: she laughed.
"Potter," called Wormtail from across the chamber. "Any year now."
Harry stopped laughing, but was still smiling. He leaned in really close and whispered, "he's telling me to hurry up? It was his idea to stop." Ginny gave him a weak smile, and he continued. "Ok, so I have to go, wish me luck."
"Good luck." He leaned over and kissed her cheek. Smiling he walked over towards Wormtail, and Malfoy returned to holding Ginny's wrists. The duel went on, Wormtail must have thought it was getting rather boring because now he was sending unforgivable curses at Harry. Even though Harry managed to dodge most of them, he eventually got hit with an imperious curse. Ginny watched as his face went slack and calm. Wormtail grinned evilly. Little did he know, thought Ginny.
"Bend over," barked Wormtail. Harry bent over. Ginny felt fear grip her. Harry could resist this curse. She knew he could. Why did he just bend over? "Hop on one foot." Seeing Harry hop seemed to amuse Wormtail; he started laughing. He stopped laughing and plastered his evil grin back on. He pointed at Ginny and said, "Kill her."
Ginny gasped and shrank back. Harry turned and started walking towards her. She remembered Moody's lessons from a few tears ago. She could remember the sense of peace that had come over her when she had been place under the imperious curse. She had not been able to fight it; although, she had tried. Maybe Harry had so many things running through his head he could not concentrate enough to fight it off.
Then an awful thought came to Ginny. It was an awful and stupid thought. It came the way that awful thoughts come when you are scared. What if Harry wanted to kill her? Later, not only years, but minutes, she would realize what a stupid and illogical thought it was, but at the moment she almost believed it. Almost…until she saw something odd flicker in his eyes. Things aren't supposed to flicker in peoples eyes who are under the imperious curse. This was a hoax. Harry was not really under the spell. She almost smiled. Malfoy released her arms and backed away. Ginny tried to plant a horrified expression on her face, but was not really succeeding. Malfoy was now standing next to Wormtail, so Harry had his back to both of them. He took full use of this by mouthing 'get out your wand.'
Pretending to be in a panicked fright, she backed away and reached into her robes. She couldn't help but think that she was very lucky to still have her wand with her. They had forgotten to take it. Over Harry's shoulder she could see Malfoy and Wormtail whispering with cruel smirks on their faces. Oh how she wanted to go over there and strangle them. Turning back to Harry she saw he was mouthing something. 'On three. One, two…'
"THREE!" he screamed and spun around. Ginny stepped up next to him; they both had their wands raised.
***
Ron was bored. He was sitting next to Hermione in the Gryffindor common room on a Friday night. Hermione was doing Transfiguration homework, and was in a bad mood. As she said she had wasted a whole ten minutes trying to get Ron to do homework. But as he said, he had the whole weekend to do that.
"So," began Ron trying to make conversation, "what do you want to do this weekend?"
"Mmm…"
"Pardon?"
"Mmm…" Hermione said thoughtfully again, as she presses her quill end to her mouth.
"Excuse me. Are you listening to a word I have said?"
Hermione looked up suddenly and stared at Ron, like he had too many heads. "What? Did you say something?"
Ron, after he checked just to make sure he only had one head, shook his head. "Of course I didn't say anything," he said sarcastically. Hermione must have missed to sarcasm, and was about to go back to her homework, so Ron kept talking. "Yes, yes I did say something." Hermione continued to give him a funny look. "Stop looking at me like that."
"Like what?" Hermione asked while looking longingly at her homework.
"Like however you were just looking, and," he said noticing her quill tip slowly moving towards the parchment, "don't do that." He snatched it away just before she could put her quill on it.
"Hey!" she cried indignantly. "We have NEWTs soon, I have to be ready. You really should start studying."
Ron gave her an exasperated look. "Hermione its only October, we have like ten months."
"Yes I know, but you can't start studying to soon. I really don't know when Harry is going to study. He is never around. Do you know where he is?"
Ron snorted. "I'd be the last to know. He'd probably tell Ginny."
"Are you still upset about this morning? You really should forgive Harry. He'll have forgiven you by the time he gets back—from where ever he is. You know how he is."
Ron snorted again. "Yeah, I do. He thinks he knows everything."
"Ron, you know you're wrong. He obviously knows Ginny somehow that we aren't aware of—"
"I'll tell you how," interrupted Ron. "He's getting it on with my sister!" Ron nearly yelled.
"Shh, Ron, now you know that is not true."
"How do I know it isn't true? He has been spending an awful lot of time with her. Haven't you noticed?"
Hermione glanced around nervously as if to make sure they weren't behind them. "Yeah, I noticed." She was interrupted by an 'ah-ha' by Ron, but continued as if nothing had happened. "But I don't think it is anything like that." Again she glanced around nervously. "You know as well as I do that Ginny has been… well, she likes Harry."
"What does that have to do with it?"
"Well," said Hermione her voice barely above a whisper. "I'm not really exactly sure, but it must have something to do with it."
"Maybe," said Ron sarcastically, "Harry feels bad for her."
Hermione nodded seriously, having missed the sarcasm once again. "Maybe."
"I'm still sticking to my original theory."
"Fine be stubborn."
"Fine!"
"Fine! Now let me finish my homework."
"What to go to Hogsmeade this weekend?" Ron asked suddenly.
Hermione looked up sharply; she had been staring at her homework, which was still in Ron's hand. "What? With you?"
"No with Neville. Of course with me."
Hermione seemed to be considering. "Well with Harry too, right?" Ron made a face. "Ron," Hermione said in a disapproving voice. "Harry's our best friend."
"Well, he sure isn't acting that way recently. Let him go with Ginny."
"What is your problem? You would be lost without Harry. I know you know it. I won't go with you if Harry doesn't go."
"Fine," said Ron, "let him come, I don't care."
***
Ginny wished she had a camera. The look on Wormtail's face, when he realized Harry wasn't under the curse, was priceless. It was a strange mixture of horror, at the fact that Harry and Ginny were both pointing their wands at him; disbelief, not wanting to believe that Harry knew how to shack off the curse; and confusion, of how he could possibly have resisted it. All this made him look like he had swallowed something sour, sweet, and bitter all at the same time. Of course it only lasted a second, then his expression turned wholly sour again.
Malfoy was a different subject. He barely flinched when Harry had yelled, and now he looked calm. Almost too calm. The man who had been sitting next to Lisa got up and joined Malfoy and Wormtail. It was three against two.
Hugs and kisses for anyone who e-mail's me, and lets me know what they think. ~Ice Lily