Chapter Five: Separate Personalities, Separate Ways
"Where's Harry and Jasna?" Ron asked looking out the window, "They've been gone for ages. What time is it, Hermione?"
"Eight o'clock," Hermione said,
promptly, not looking up from her book.
Ron turned to her.
"Aren't you worried at all?"
"Not in the least."
"Just because you had a small disagreement-"
"It was NOT just a small disagreement, Ron!" Hermione cried, angrily, "I'm
still mad at him! We're his best
friends, Ron, or at least we're supposed to be. What is he hiding from us?
He's never hidden anything from us before!"
"Hermione, you don't know that. He
could have hidden tons of stuff from us.
If he-"
"Then more the reason!" Hermione interrupted, "He needs to open up!"
"I think you're being nosey!" Ron cried.
"Nosey?" Hermione was
incredulous, "You think I'm nosey?"
"You just don't like Jasna, that's all!" Ron yelled, angrily.
"That's not true!"
"Yes it is!" he protested, "It is and you know it! You hate her and you can't wait to find what her deep dark secret
is so you'll have a reason to hate her!
All because you're…" but Ron couldn't bring himself to finish. He turned away; he couldn't face her. Hermione's anger left temporarily and a look
of confusion crossed her face.
"Because I'm what, Ron?" she asked.
"Because you're… Never mind."
"Because I'm WHAT, Ron?" she repeated.
"Because you're… seeing Krum." Ron muttered. Hermione sighed.
"Yeah," she said, "Because I'm seeing Viktor."
Harry blinked. Swell wooden trees… What? He couldn't think straight. Harry blinked again, but everything was so dark. So many trees. Swell wooden trees… What was with that thought?
Harry heard a groan of pain and looked across from him. He saw a familiar looking girl, tied to a nearby tree. She looked so familiar but he couldn't remember who she was. He saw a man walk over to the girl and tilt up her head as he poured something down her throat. The man grinned. He was tall and it seemed as if someone had tossed a bale of hay on his head for a toupee. The straw-colored hair stuck out at all angles and his eyes had a wild light in them. Harry yawned and caught the man's attention. He laughed a hysterical laugh.
"I see that Harry Potter has
awoken from his slumber!"
"What?"
"But he is still a bit weary. No
matter."
"Who…"
"Am I? Well, actually, that's a very
interesting story-"
"No," Harry interrupted and nodded at the girl, "Who's she?"
"Oh," the man sounded disappointed, "She, my good lad, in case you've
forgotten, is the child of the Dark One."
"What?"
"She is the Dark Lord's daughter."
"Who?"
"Maybe I should have given you that potion in smaller amounts," the man said.
"Who are you?" Harry asked.
"Ah, so now he takes an interest in me!
I, I am the highly esteemed Robert Bronson. But you can call me Bob.
I am a willful servant to the Dark Lord. And he will be so pleased with me when he learns I have brought
him not only Harry Potter, but his beloved daughter as well!" Harry's head was
slowly clearing and he shook it.
"How did you get onto school
grounds?"
"It really isn't all that hard," Bob said, "There was no big plan
involved. I've been living in this
forest for months and when I saw you two on the lake, it was just too perfect!"
"So what are you going to do with us?" Harry asked.
"You needn't worry about that," Bob grinned. Harry glanced over and noticed that the familiar girl was wide-awake. She was watching him and Bob, watching them talk. She was fiddling with something… She winked at him and he decided he'd distract Bob.
"What are you waiting for? Aren't you planning on taking us to your Lord?" Harry raised an eyebrow skeptically.
"Well, my Lord and I… We haven't been on the best of terms. But when he finds that I have his daughter and his worst enemy, he will accept me again! It will be most spectacular! There will be respect and rewards…" Bob went on and on with a glazed look to his wild eyes about how wonderful it would be when Voldemort discovers how loyal he was to him. Harry wasn't really listening. He looked over at the tree where the girl had been tied to and was surprised to see she was no longer there. He looked around but couldn't find her. Had she left him here alone with that maniac? Who was she, anyway? Harry still couldn't remember. He couldn't remember how he even got in the forest with a lunatic. The last thing he remembered was studying with Ron and Hermione for a Transfiguration quiz they had. And now, all of a sudden, he was here, tied to a tree, listening to a madman ramble on about dark magic and Voldemort, his least favorite subjects. Suddenly, as Bob kept going on about whatever he was going on about, he suddenly made a strange sound and fell to the forest floor, unconscious. Harry watched him fall, then looked up and saw that girl with her wand pointed at him.
"He was getting on my nerves," she said and grinned. She walked over to the tree and untied him.
"That man… He said you were
Voldemort's daughter…" Harry said as his binds were loosened
"You knew that already, Harry. Come on,
they're probably wondering where we are.
It's pretty late, you know."
"What?" Harry asked as he rubbed his wrists, finally free. The girl smiled at him.
"Ron and Hermione will wonder
what happened to us."
"I'm wondering what happened to us!" Harry cried. He suddenly didn't trust this girl. Why should he trust the daughter of Lord Voldemort?
"Harry, don't play dumb. Come on!" she tried to pull him by the arm, but Harry pulled away.
"How do I know this isn't just a trick?" he demanded. The girl rolled her eyes.
"Please, Harry, not now! Oh… Wait, I see what's going on… You don't
remember me!"
"Should I?"
"Yes."
"Well… You suck!" Harry cried. Jasna
rolled her eyes again.
"You don't even know my name and you say I suck?"
"You're Voldemort's daughter! I know
that you suck!"
"That's your answer to everything!"
"That's my answer to everything because you suck!" Jasna let out a deep sigh
and shook her head.
"Well, there's only one way to fix this," she said, "Sorry Harry, this is for the best." And with that, she pushed him and he fell over backwards.
"Hey!" Harry cried, "What was
that for?"
"Remember me now?" she asked him. Harry
shook his head. Jasna sighed and when
Harry got back to his feet, she punched him in the head.
"OW!" Harry cried, rubbing his
cheek.
"How about now?"
"I think it's coming back to me…" Jasna slapped him, "OW! JASNA!"
"There we go!"
Ron was looking out the window again. Where were the two of them?
"Oh, come off it, Ron. They're probably…"
"Probably, what, Hermione?"
"Um, never mind…" Hermione mumbled.
"No, tell me."
"Just drop it!" Ron was silent for a moment.
"Ohhhhhhhh! I get it…AH!" Ron yelled. Hermione rolled her eyes, and went back to the book she had been reading. Ron sank down in an armchair and looked into the smoldering flames.
"You know, Hermione, you…oh never mind."
"Ok."
"What?! You're supposed to ask me what I was going to say!"
"Why?"
"Because… um…er…You're supposed to! It's tradition!"
"I…see…"
"You know," Ron said. "You've been reading that book for like, five hours. What's it about anyway?"
"Oh, nothing. It's actually about this girl who was TRYING to read this book, but this git kept bothering her, so eventually, she cruelly tortured him until he died."
"Oh…"
"Yes."
"That sounds….pleasant…"
"Oh, it is."
"WHERE ARE HARRY AND JASNA!" Hermione didn't reply, seeming to be absorbed in her book again.
"Hey, let's see the title of that book then."
"Um, no. I don't think so."
"Oh come on."
"NO." Hermione hid the cover of the book, and started towards the girl's dormitory.
"Good night Ron."
"Oh, let's just see the book!" Ron leapt at Hermione, and in the short scuffle that followed, Hermione dropped the open book on the floor. She hid her face as Ron stared at the open pages.
"Hermione…Um, Hermione? WHERE did you get THAT?!"
Hermione blushed as she picked up her book.
"It's not that big a deal, Ron."
"Hermione, 'Post Mortem, Morgan Le Fey's guide What to Do After the Kill?' Oh, yes, that's not bad at all!"
"Ron, shut up."
"What are you doing reading
something like that?"
"Where are Harry and Jasna?" Hermione suddenly became very interested in the
window.
"Hermione, is there something you aren't telling me?" Ron asked her. Hermione rolled her eyes.
"It's for an ESSAY, OK Ron?" She
screamed, "It's research! And its very
interesting research!"
"Where'd you get that book?" Ron asked her.
"From the forbidden section of
the library. Professor Binns gave me a
pass. It's History of Magic, Ron! You remember Morgan Le Fey? The powerful witch who killed so many? It's research on her and it just got so
gruesome… At first, I thought it was barbaric and wished he'd given me another
topic, but then it became so interesting!
Listen to this: If you slashed open his chest with a saber, then you
will probably want to make sure the blood isn't found-"
"Hermione!" Ron interrupted, "I don't want to hear it. Keep it to yourself."
"OK, I will then!" Hermione cried. As
Hermione sat down in her chair again, Ron looked towards the portrait
hole. After a few minutes, he said,
"OK, Hermione, now I'm worried." Hermione closed her book and sighed.
"Look, Ron, I told you, I'm not
going to kill you or anyone else for-"
"No, not that," Ron muttered, still watching the portrait hole, "It's nine
o'clock and Harry and Jasna aren't back yet.
And I don't see them on the grounds."
"You're right, actually," Hermione finally agreed, "They're going to get in
trouble. They aren't supposed to be out
this late." Ron turned to Hermione, fully concerned.
"Do you think something could have happened to them?" But Hermione laughed.
"What on earth could have?"
"I don't know. But maybe something."
"They'll be back by morning, they're probably… out."
"Yeah," Ron grinned, "Out." Hermione smacked him upside the head, but had to laugh and shake her head. As she walked back to her chair, though, she frowned.
"But…" she muttered. Ron stopped laughing and looked at her curiously.
"But what?"
"Well, what if Jasna… I mean, they weren't getting along… Do you think…"
"Hermione!" Ron cried, surprised, "I thought you said you wouldn't hold
anything against her!"
"You're right," Hermione smiled, feeling foolish, "It's probably nothing."
"Harry, I don't know where we're going." Harry stopped walking. He had been following her for an hour now.
"Well, gee, thanks for telling me NOW Jasna!"
"What? It's not my fault," Jasna said angrily. "You're the one who's been around this school and these woods before. You've been here longer than I have. You find the way out!"
"Fine then! I will!" Harry walked ahead of Jasna, hesitated upon seeing the vast woods all around him, and set off in a random direction.
"Harry. Harry? HARRY!"
"What?!"
"We just CAME from that way!" Harry looked ahead of him. The trees looked symmetrical. He didn't know where to go.
"Well, climb a tree."
"What?"
"Climb a tree. Then maybe we'll be able to see Hogwarts."
"Oh. Ok.." Jasna set off towards a particularly large pine tree, and looked for a worthy branch.
"Oh stop. I'll do it." Harry reached up for a branch, and stepped up among the bristly twigs and needles.
"All right, I'm off." Harry began to slowly climb up. Jasna leaned up against the tree trunk, and anxiously watched Harry slipping on each branch, and slowly progressing upwards.
Harry reached as high as he could go. The branches above him were all too small to climb. He pushed aside some pine needles ("Ow!") and looked out over the Forbidden Forest. The trees swayed slightly in a night breeze, and he sighed happily at the peaceful moon and stars above him. He squinted, the image was bathed in moonlight, so he had no trouble seeing, but he couldn't see Hogwarts. He twisted around on his branch to try and see behind him, and his heart stopped as he felt his foot slip.
"Ah!" He reached out and grabbed at the branch. He was swaying as he held on single handedly to the branch. The ground below seemed to shake and spin as he felt his fingers slowly slipping.
"Harry?!" Jasna heard his call, and saw the branches above her shaking violently.
"Harry? Are you ok?" Harry looked down at her, and said
"Do I SOUND ok?!"
"Ok, hold on, I'm coming." Jasna grabbed a branch, but even before she took her first step, she heard the crashing of branches, and frantic yells. Harry lay on the ground, not moving, his glasses broken. Jasna couldn't move for a while. He didn't move either. Finally, she began breathing again, and slowly got down from the branch, and crept up to his still form.
"Harry?" She questioned quietly. She poked him, and he stirred.
"Harry?" She was greeted by moans of pain, as Harry turned over to face her, and his eyes opened.
"Ugh, wha-wha…what happened?" He said groggily, holding his head.
"You…just fell out of a tree."
"Oh, thanks for informing me! I was NOT aware of that!" Harry said angrily, and stood up crookedly. Apparently, this was not a good idea, and he fell backwards. Jasna stared down at him, and said
"Maybe you shouldn't move for a while."
"Gee, you think?"
"Look, no need to get mad at me. You're the one who fell. And it's not like I pushed you." Harry sat up, and glared disbelieving at her.
"You know, you are really unsympathetic. I bet you don't even have a heart. You-"
"Yeah, yeah, that's nice. Now did you see Hogwarts, or not?"
"You know, I didn't. I was too busy trying not to fall." Jasna yelled in frustration, and glared down at Harry.
"ARGH! You good for nothing little-"
"Stop, you'll give me even more of a headache with your ramblings." Jasna stomped off to the other side of the tree, and said to Harry.
"FINE! You stay on your side, and I'll stay on mine!"
"Shut up!"
"Oh! Is that how it's gonna be, then?! I'm not talking to you!"
"Good." Jasna slumped against the trunk, and thought evil thoughts of torture and pain.
Harry lay back down on the ground, and massaged his aching temples. He looked at his cracked glasses, and pulled out his wand. He muttered and put his fully repaired spectacles back on. He lay, looking up at the night sky.
Jasna sat alone and huddled on her side of the trees, with only her thoughts to comfort her boiling rage. Why did he make her so mad? She sighed. She knew that everything made her mad. She had to tell him something, but it was harder now that she herself had declared they were not talking. Stupid temper.
"Harry?" She said quietly. "Harry?"
"What is it?!" Harry snapped. Jasna bit her tongue to keep from retaliating with more hate-laden words.
"I need to tell you something. It's important."
"Then say it." Jasna took a deep breath, and blurted.
"I'm bipolar. Now how's your head doing?" She quickly faced away from him, and went back to her side of the tree.
Harry stared at the back of her head, which was bent low with the strain of letting someone know a deep secret.
"Jasna?" She would not answer. She merely sidled out of sight behind the pine.
Jasna pulled her knees up to her chin, and bit her lip.
"Jasna?" Harry was in front of her, now. "What did you say?"
"You heard me! How's your head?!"
"My head is fine…Now what did you say before that?"
"I said…I said…"
"Bipolar. You're bipolar…"
"Yeah. What's it to you?!"
"Jasna, it's a very BIG deal, you know!"
"How?!"
"YOU ALWAYS DO THAT!"
"Do what?!"
"THAT!"
"O…k…"
"Yeah, now listen. It's-"
"Yeah, yeah. It's creepy, and now you're scared of me. I get it, ok? You think I haven't been told that all my life? It's bad enough, my father being who he is! But no, that's not enough punishment for Jasna! No! No, Jasna deserves to die! She does! But no, lets drag her life out on a thread, making her suffer. Let's make her LIVE! That is the ultimate torture! You wouldn't understand Harry, you wouldn't understand. The whole reason I came into being was an act of suffering! Evil is why I am…Torture is why I exist!" Jasna breathed heavily as she avoided Harry's eyes.
"Jasna, I…I… I wasn't thinking that. You think I'm as shallow and cruel as all that?!"
"Well what do you expect me to think?! All my life I've survived on glances in the hall, the mutterings of a name that I have grown to hate, and I wish, I wish, Harry…I wish that I had never been born. Truly, I do rue the day I came to be. It would be better that way, it would have been better. People are cruel, and I hate them. The only one I care for is my mother, she is why I live."
"Jasna, if you would let people into your heart, you would see how wonderful some people are, and then you would rejoice on the day you were born."
"If I let them in, they'll only hurt me more when they're gone!"
"We all have that possibility! But Jasna, haven't you ever heard 'It is better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all'? You're no exception! You need to TRY!"
"Why should I? No one ever tried with me! Not even my own father."
"Well that doesn't mean you just sit there and pout about it! Make an effort!"
"You…really…SUCK! You push and pry and WON'T LEAVE ME ALONE!"
"You are such a git sometimes." Harry said, and grinned. Jasna controlled her anger.
"Git? You are so English!"
"What'd you think I was?
Russian?" Jasna didn't answer. Harry
sighed and shook his head, sadly, "I was wrong about you."
"Wrong?" she asked, "Wrong? How were
you wrong about me?"
"I thought you were brave," he
said, "I thought you were resourceful.
I thought you were faithful, I thought you were kind, I thought you were
truly a great person. But most of all,
I thought you were smart."
"Are you calling me stupid?"
"Yes, I am calling you stupid. To
refuse to at least try to understand the concept of love." Jasna laughed.
"You're telling me about love?"
she cried, "You? What do you know about
love?"
"A lot more than you, I can tell you that!"
"You don't even have parents for crying out loud!"
"And your father is the most-hated being alive!"
There was silence as the young witch and wizard stared at each other. Finally, Jasna turned away.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. Harry looked up at the entanglement of leaves and branches above him, "I really am. It's my… instability. I didn't mean to insult you. Harry, please," Harry sighed and also turned away from her, "Harry, you're the closest thing I ever had to a real friend. I'm so sorry, Harry, please!" she begged.
"Jasna… I just can't do this. One minute, we're friends. Then we yell at each other. Then, you're there, apologizing. Do you know how hard it is to understand someone like you?"
"Harry, please, don't do this…" Jasna pleaded, tears in her eyes.
"We should find Hogwarts…"
"You're mad at me."
"Well what do you expect?" Harry snapped, angrily.
"Don't be mad at me."
"And why not?"
"I can't handle you mad at me right now. Please, don't be mad at me!"
"Too late!"
"Fine!" Jasna cried, loosing her temper herself, "Just… FINE! You can find your own way back to Hogwarts!"
"That's fine by me!"
"Well good!" and with that, they both set off in separate directions.
