A.N. Thank you to everyone who reviewed!!! Tad, SEEKER-2000 and I have FINALLY uploaded the 5th chapter of Harry Potter and the Torch of Darkness. For those of you who don't remember, our penname is Define Normal. Please read it! And please review!
Luv yas
Mal
Sirius tramped along the wet pavement, rain pounding onto his hood. He hadn't bothered to put on his disguise. His hood covered his head enough so no one would recognize him. He walked up the little path that led to Hogsmeade, and turned the corner. Several students and villagers were rushing around, trying to take cover from the rain. Sirius tried to catch sight of Harry, but he must've already gone inside one of the buildings, searching for Ron and Hermione. The first building he went into was the pub. Students were sitting around, swapping Chocolate Frog cards and drinking Butterbeers. Sirius stood on tiptoe to look around, and finally spotted Ron, Hermione, and Remus sitting in a corner of the room. But no Harry. He rushed over to the table.
"Sirius," Remus said, looking surprised. "What are you doing here?"
"Looking for Harry, he said he was going to come find you," Sirius replied.
"Why would Harry be looking for us, I thought he was with you!" Hermione exclaimed.
"He got mad and stormed out, saying that he'd go back to Hogwarts for the night." Sirius scratched his neck nervously. "Now I don't know where he is…"
"What made him mad?" Ron asked.
"I asked him about the troubles he's been having and he just got mad," Sirius said.
"What'd he say?"
"He-He said… he said… listen are you sure you don't know where Harry is?"
"Positive."
Sirius cursed and went running out of the pub.
Hermione turned to a bewildered Ron. "It's not like Harry to run away from Sirius… Let's go help him look."
"Yeah, alright,"
They stood up and went running out after Sirius, followed moments later by Remus.
~*~
Harry took a step back, away from the Hyncropratinous and the Dark Lord who still stood, perched on its head.
"What is little Potter doing wandering around at this time, in this weather?" Voldemort asked in his slickest voice. "Tsk, tsk, Harry. You should no better than to wander around alone…"
Voldemort lifted his wand and Harry jumped sideways, crouching behind a huge boulder. He could hear Voldemort laugh, and Harry's scar exploded in even more pain.
I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm going to die…
"I'm not going to play this game with you again Harry," Voldemort said, his voice now dangerously close. "I've grown tired of Hide and Seek…"
Harry reached into his cloak, searching for his wand. He found it and-
"Expelliarmus!"
His wand went flying out of his hand, and Voldemort caught it in his long fingers. He twirled it around once, before pocketing it.
"You didn't actually think that you could beat me, did you Harry?" A small, amused smile appeared on his face. "You, a 15 year old, horribly traumatized, under-qualified wizard? And I, the greatest wizard of all time?"
Harry opened his mouth to reply, but-
"Get him."
Before Harry could so much as move, the Hyncropratinous' giant tail wrapped around his waist and arms, lifting him off the ground, and bringing him closer to Voldemort.
"I'm going to make sure that you don't get away this time, Potter…But before I kill you, I think I'll have a little fun first…"
Voldemort laughed once more.
"Crucio."
~*~
Snape walked down the dimly lit halls of Hogwarts, looking at the rain and the lightning flashing across the sky.
I'm surprised, Snape thought. Voldemort usually likes this weather. He usually calls a Death Eater meeting. I wonder why he hasn't tonight…
Another flash of lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating the trees in the Forbidden Forest.
Perhaps it was Voldemort who caused this weather, Snape thought. He had done it before, and he could do it again. But what was his reason for this?
Snape looked over in the direction of Hogsmeade. Everything seemed all right over there. And yet… He pressed his face against the glass. There were flashes coming from over there. Not lightning, but something else. A red flash illuminated part of the area, and then a blue flash.
Oh no…
Snape went running down the hall, running to the Headmaster's office to tell him that Voldemort was in Hogsmeade.
"Harry!" Sirius yelled, cupping his hands around his mouth. "Harry where are you!"
Nothing.
Sirius was panicking. It was all his fault. Harry was missing and it was all his fault.
"Harry! Please! We need to talk! I'm sorry I made you angry, now please! Say something!"
No answer.
Sirius went running, calling out Harry's name. His godson was nowhere to be found.
James I'm sorry. I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make him mad, please forgive me. We'll find him I promise…
"HARRY!"
He can't have gone that far! I ran after him thirty seconds after he had gone! Where could he be?
"Harry! Please!"
Please be okay…
~*~
"Harry! Harry where are you!"
Harry hand limply in his bindings, the tail that was still curled tightly around his waist.
"Crucio…"
Harry whimpered lightly, unable to muster enough energy to scream.
Please make it stop, it hurts so much. Please, just make it stop…
"HARRY!"
The curse was lifted, and cold laughter filled the air. But through the laughter, Harry heard a voice.
"Harry! Please!"
Harry lifted his head slowly, looking around to see where the voice was coming from. It was familiar.
"Sirius…" Harry choked out. "Sirius, help. Please…"
"No one's going to find you Potter. Not alive, anyway… Crucio!"
This time Harry did scream. He screamed for everything. He screamed for his parents, he screamed for Ron and Hermione, he screamed for Sirius, he screamed for himself, how much pain he was in. He screamed in hope that someone, anyone would hear him.
And then Harry was left hanging in the Hyncropratinous's tail.
"Drop him."
The bindings loosened, and Harry felt himself fall to the cold, wet ground. He opened his eyes slowly, and looked up to find Voldemort standing above him.
"Had enough Harry? Prepared to die?"
Harry didn't answer. He was having trouble breathing. It felt as though his chest was on fire, for the Hyncropratinous probably cracked a couple of his ribs.
"Get up Potter," Voldemort spat. "I thought you were supposed to be brave. Stand and face me like a man. Like your father…"
Shaking, Harry obeyed, not wanting to find out what would happen if he remained on the ground. His torn and bloody robes were now also muddy. Harry's hands were bleeding from where his nails had pierced them.
"Good boy," Voldemort hissed, starting to circle. "Perhaps all of those games I played on you were worth it. Tell me, Potter, did you enjoy your little visions?"
Harry raised his eyes, and looked at Voldemort's snakelike face. A cruel smile played his lips.
"Did you enjoy seeing the Dementors again? Feel the coldness as it sweeps through your body? Do you like to hear your mother screaming and pleading with me before I-"
"Shut up," Harry growled. Voldemort's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Crucio!"
He fell to his knees again, pain wracking his body. Then he felt a cold hand around his neck, lifting him up off the ground. His scar felt like it was going to explode.
"Don't every try that again," Voldemort snapped. Then he threw Harry against a rock, where he crumpled and fell to the ground, gasping for air.
In the background Harry could still hear his godfather calling for him.
"Help me Sirius… please…"
~*~
"Where could he be?" Hermione asked, walking out of Honeydukes. "There are only so many places that Harry could go in this place."
"Maybe he went back to Hogwarts without us," Ron said.
"Ron, you go look in Hogwarts," Remus ordered. "Hermione and I will stay here."
Ron nodded and went running off. He had almost reached the gates of Hogwarts when he saw Snape, Dumbledore and McGonnagal running his way.
"Weasley!" McGonnagal exclaimed. "What are you doing here alone? Get up to the castle!"
"Professor, we're looking for Harry, have you seen him?" Ron asked desperately.
"No. He's supposed to be with his godfather, isn't he?"
"He got mad and ran off, now we can't find him-hey! Where're you going!?"
The teachers ran off, McGonnagal yelling, "Weasley get up to your Common Room and stay there!"
Ron shook his head and went running up to Hogwarts.
~*~
"HARRY! WHERE ARE YOU!" Sirius bellowed. "HARRY JAMES POTTER!"
"Haven't found him yet Sirius?"
Sirius jumped at the sound of a voice behind him. He turned and saw Remus and Hemrione standing there, both of their wands illuminated.
"It's like he just disappeared," Sirius said. "I can't find him anywhere. Where could he have gone?"
"We'll find him," Remus said reassuringly, patting his friend on the shoulder. "Come on, let's look over here."
"HARRY!" Sirius yelled. Instead of the usual silence that followed, a cry echoed through the air.
"Was that-Sirius wait!"
But Sirius didn't even bother to hear what Remus was going to say. He bolted in the direction of the cry, and didn't look back to see if the two of them followed.
Harry stood shakily on his one good leg. The other one was now cut and bloody, because of the Hyncropratinous's claws. Voldemort was watching in amusement as the Hyncropratinous circled around Harry.
Clap!
Suddenly the enormous tail connected with Harry's chest and he was sent flying against the rocky edge of a mountain, the very same mountain that Sirius had hidden out in the previous year. The fell to the ground again, ribs broken and a fresh wound on the back of his head.
Clap!
Suddenly Harry was lifted up and slammed against the rock wall, by the enormous paws of the Hyncropratinous. Claws were digging into the rocks on either side of Harry's head, and two others by Harry's waist.
"We've reached the final minutes Potter," Voldemort said softly, walking up beside the enormous paw. "I do hope you've learned your lesson. You'll be seeing your family very soon now." And then Voldemort clapped his hands together one last time.
Clap!
Harry screamed in pain as one of the giant claws went right through his side, barely missing his ribcage. Blood soaked his robes, and stained the rock behind him. Then the claw was extracted from his bloody body, and Harry fell to the ground again, sobbing in pain.
One of the last things he heard was Sirius yelling his name. One of the last things he saw was Voldemort smiling wickidly. And one of the last things he felt was a wand being put to his temple.
"Avada Kedavra."
