Ok, ok...I know...I've been a lazy bum, and stupid for not have gotten this out sooner...I'M SO SORRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'll make it up to you...somehow...
Chapter 8: Pursuit!
Hermione sat, quietly, ever so quietly in between the cold, callous walls of the Malfoy dungeon. She shivered like the air. Earlier, when she had yelled, they had come back. They were awful, dark specters, floating in the darkness. Hermione knew them to be ghosts with no souls. They were black as the air around her and as icy as the walls. The only defined shape they had were eyes. Hermione preferred the daemon better than the two specters that guarded her cell.
She sobbed, curled up with her head resting on her head. She quietly rocked back and forth. Harry had often teased her about this position. He said it looked as if she was a basketball. Hermione closed her eyes in pain. It hurt to think about Harry.
There was no window in her cell, no light from the outside. The specters needed no light to see. She could tell if it was night or day. She had no idea how long she had been there. She buried her face in her arms and, silently, tears began to descend down her face.
"Damn you, Malfoy." She thought bitterly.
"Hermione?" a voice, silent as the specters drifted down from another cell. She couldn't tell how far away it was because the narrow corridor warped the sound a bit. She recognized the voice.
"Draco?" She ran to the heavy oak door. She shouted through it. "Draco, is that you?" Remembering the specters, she backed up quickly, but they didn't drift through dramatically through the walls, like last time. She hesitantly returned to the door.
"Hermione!" she heard the light clanking of metal and the sound of something being thrust into the keyhole. The door swung, silently, out into the hall. Standing in the doorframe, silhouetted by the torch he held was Draco Malfoy.
Albus quietly walked the halls of his magnificent school. His august purple robes swept the stone floors as he padded softly across the great hall. He folded his arms inside his robes. He smiled to himself. His students were safe, the school was safe, the art of magic was safe. That had all been threatened only sixteen years ago. Had it been only sixteen years? It seemed only yesterday that Voldemort had been terrorizing the world. Albus had enjoyed a brief respite, but he knew, in his heart, that it wouldn't last.
Now, he was back, and even more fearsome than he ever was. Albus sighed to himself, he knew, this time, he might not last, and the School itself would perish. He walked quietly, ruminating on old days. He remembered James and Lily. How would they have known? That their lives had been given up to a boy who had faced, and survived the Lord Voldemort four times, now? Only one other man had even survived him once, and that was himself.
A sound from a nearby corner in the hall distracted Albus from his thoughts. As he approached the shadowed corner, he saw two glowing yellow eyes. The eyes belonged to a mangy tabby.
"Oh. Hello, Mrs. Norris." Albus smiled slightly. Mrs. Norris had never cared for him much, so Albus wasn't surprised when she howled and stalked off the way he had come.
"Albus!" he turned to see Professor McGonagall hurrying towards him at her normal brisk pace. "There are some students missing."
"What?" Albus shook his head, not quite sure of what he heard.
She sighed. "I noticed the Gryffindor common room open, and I am sure I felt something brush against my arm as I walked here." Albus smiled, remembering Harry's invisibility cloak.
"I believe." He said, smiling faintly, "That Miss Granger has decide to take things into her own hands." He moved down towards the hall.
"Albus. We simply cannot have students running around rampant in the school."
"Albus." Another voice entered the room. It was Filch. "There's something running around the school. I'm not sure what it is. Mrs. Norris has been clinging to me all day." He motioned to the cat by his side.
Albus' eyes widened. He turned to Minerva, a look of alarm on his face. "Where did you say Hermione was?"
"It wasn't a student, Albus." Filch replied, even though there was no need to say it.
"By the dungeons. Why, Albus?"
"It seems we have a feline visitor." Albus said, gravely.
When they got to the Slytherin common room, they were too late. The room looked as if it had been thrown in a typhoon and then put back. The room looked neat and orderly, but Albus could tell something was wrong. There was a heavy smell of sulfur in the air, and the candles were all lit. Albus looked around the room.
"What are you looking for, Albus?" Minerva watched him, a worried look on her face.
"This." Albus waved to the floor. There, glowing a soft green, was the Dark Mark.
Harry ran down the stairs, closely pursued by Ron who was holding a lantern and travelling too slow for Harry. They ran smack into Hagrid, who was, in turn, closely pursued by Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore.
"Hey, there, Harry, watch were yer goin'!" Hagrid picked him up, but the warm black eyes were filled with sorrow. Albus stepped forwards. "Harry, come with me." He turned to Ron. "You need to back to your room, Mr. Weasley."
Ron looked at Harry, then Albus, then the others. "I'm not leaving." Ron said, quietly. Professor McGonagall looked as if she were about to say something, but Albus merely nodded. He quietly waved his hands, and the room around them dissolved, and then reappeared as Professor Dumbledore's office.
Fawkes whistled his lovely song in greeting, which seemed to slightly lighten the grave situation.
"Harry." Professor Dumbledore turned to smile at him. "I know I will not be able to stop you from gallivanting off, but I have to ask you one question: Do you understand the gravity of this situation?" Harry nodded.
"Good. Now that we're on the same page, let me tell you that you might not come back alive this time. You have no defense against Voldemort, and-"
"With all due respect, sir." Harry interjected. "I think I will be fine." Dumbledore nodded.
"Then take this." Dumbledore handed him a jeweled encrusted sword that Harry recognized. He looked at the hilt and read the words on it: Godric Gryffindor. Harry smiled and knew, somehow, that he would live through this.
"How do we get to Malfoy's Estate?"
"Simple." Professor Snape's voice caused all five of them to jump. "You summoned me, Albus?" he stared, coldly at the others.
Dumbledore nodded and smiled slightly. Snape looked down his hooked-nose at Harry with disdain. "Here." Snape handed Harry a small silver ring. Harry picked it up gingerly and turned it around in his fingers. It was a skull with a snake coming out of its mouth. "Put it on." Snape whispered. Harry reached out his hand, which Ron grasped, tightly. He then grabbed the sword and jammed the ring on his finger at the same time.
They disappeared in a flash of green light.
"Will they be able to stop him?" Minerva's voice was solemn and grave.
"We shall see." Albus replied.
Ok...really short, but I will get more out soon!!!!!!!!!! Bye!
Chapter 8: Pursuit!
Hermione sat, quietly, ever so quietly in between the cold, callous walls of the Malfoy dungeon. She shivered like the air. Earlier, when she had yelled, they had come back. They were awful, dark specters, floating in the darkness. Hermione knew them to be ghosts with no souls. They were black as the air around her and as icy as the walls. The only defined shape they had were eyes. Hermione preferred the daemon better than the two specters that guarded her cell.
She sobbed, curled up with her head resting on her head. She quietly rocked back and forth. Harry had often teased her about this position. He said it looked as if she was a basketball. Hermione closed her eyes in pain. It hurt to think about Harry.
There was no window in her cell, no light from the outside. The specters needed no light to see. She could tell if it was night or day. She had no idea how long she had been there. She buried her face in her arms and, silently, tears began to descend down her face.
"Damn you, Malfoy." She thought bitterly.
"Hermione?" a voice, silent as the specters drifted down from another cell. She couldn't tell how far away it was because the narrow corridor warped the sound a bit. She recognized the voice.
"Draco?" She ran to the heavy oak door. She shouted through it. "Draco, is that you?" Remembering the specters, she backed up quickly, but they didn't drift through dramatically through the walls, like last time. She hesitantly returned to the door.
"Hermione!" she heard the light clanking of metal and the sound of something being thrust into the keyhole. The door swung, silently, out into the hall. Standing in the doorframe, silhouetted by the torch he held was Draco Malfoy.
Albus quietly walked the halls of his magnificent school. His august purple robes swept the stone floors as he padded softly across the great hall. He folded his arms inside his robes. He smiled to himself. His students were safe, the school was safe, the art of magic was safe. That had all been threatened only sixteen years ago. Had it been only sixteen years? It seemed only yesterday that Voldemort had been terrorizing the world. Albus had enjoyed a brief respite, but he knew, in his heart, that it wouldn't last.
Now, he was back, and even more fearsome than he ever was. Albus sighed to himself, he knew, this time, he might not last, and the School itself would perish. He walked quietly, ruminating on old days. He remembered James and Lily. How would they have known? That their lives had been given up to a boy who had faced, and survived the Lord Voldemort four times, now? Only one other man had even survived him once, and that was himself.
A sound from a nearby corner in the hall distracted Albus from his thoughts. As he approached the shadowed corner, he saw two glowing yellow eyes. The eyes belonged to a mangy tabby.
"Oh. Hello, Mrs. Norris." Albus smiled slightly. Mrs. Norris had never cared for him much, so Albus wasn't surprised when she howled and stalked off the way he had come.
"Albus!" he turned to see Professor McGonagall hurrying towards him at her normal brisk pace. "There are some students missing."
"What?" Albus shook his head, not quite sure of what he heard.
She sighed. "I noticed the Gryffindor common room open, and I am sure I felt something brush against my arm as I walked here." Albus smiled, remembering Harry's invisibility cloak.
"I believe." He said, smiling faintly, "That Miss Granger has decide to take things into her own hands." He moved down towards the hall.
"Albus. We simply cannot have students running around rampant in the school."
"Albus." Another voice entered the room. It was Filch. "There's something running around the school. I'm not sure what it is. Mrs. Norris has been clinging to me all day." He motioned to the cat by his side.
Albus' eyes widened. He turned to Minerva, a look of alarm on his face. "Where did you say Hermione was?"
"It wasn't a student, Albus." Filch replied, even though there was no need to say it.
"By the dungeons. Why, Albus?"
"It seems we have a feline visitor." Albus said, gravely.
When they got to the Slytherin common room, they were too late. The room looked as if it had been thrown in a typhoon and then put back. The room looked neat and orderly, but Albus could tell something was wrong. There was a heavy smell of sulfur in the air, and the candles were all lit. Albus looked around the room.
"What are you looking for, Albus?" Minerva watched him, a worried look on her face.
"This." Albus waved to the floor. There, glowing a soft green, was the Dark Mark.
Harry ran down the stairs, closely pursued by Ron who was holding a lantern and travelling too slow for Harry. They ran smack into Hagrid, who was, in turn, closely pursued by Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore.
"Hey, there, Harry, watch were yer goin'!" Hagrid picked him up, but the warm black eyes were filled with sorrow. Albus stepped forwards. "Harry, come with me." He turned to Ron. "You need to back to your room, Mr. Weasley."
Ron looked at Harry, then Albus, then the others. "I'm not leaving." Ron said, quietly. Professor McGonagall looked as if she were about to say something, but Albus merely nodded. He quietly waved his hands, and the room around them dissolved, and then reappeared as Professor Dumbledore's office.
Fawkes whistled his lovely song in greeting, which seemed to slightly lighten the grave situation.
"Harry." Professor Dumbledore turned to smile at him. "I know I will not be able to stop you from gallivanting off, but I have to ask you one question: Do you understand the gravity of this situation?" Harry nodded.
"Good. Now that we're on the same page, let me tell you that you might not come back alive this time. You have no defense against Voldemort, and-"
"With all due respect, sir." Harry interjected. "I think I will be fine." Dumbledore nodded.
"Then take this." Dumbledore handed him a jeweled encrusted sword that Harry recognized. He looked at the hilt and read the words on it: Godric Gryffindor. Harry smiled and knew, somehow, that he would live through this.
"How do we get to Malfoy's Estate?"
"Simple." Professor Snape's voice caused all five of them to jump. "You summoned me, Albus?" he stared, coldly at the others.
Dumbledore nodded and smiled slightly. Snape looked down his hooked-nose at Harry with disdain. "Here." Snape handed Harry a small silver ring. Harry picked it up gingerly and turned it around in his fingers. It was a skull with a snake coming out of its mouth. "Put it on." Snape whispered. Harry reached out his hand, which Ron grasped, tightly. He then grabbed the sword and jammed the ring on his finger at the same time.
They disappeared in a flash of green light.
"Will they be able to stop him?" Minerva's voice was solemn and grave.
"We shall see." Albus replied.
Ok...really short, but I will get more out soon!!!!!!!!!! Bye!