Harry Potter and the Wrath of Voldemort

Ch. 4: Poison

Disclaimer: Don't sue me. Read the first disclaimer for details.

Note: This is the second chapter I will give you for today. I expect you to review to find out more.

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The four of them arrived at Hogwarts at about five o'clock in the evening. Sirius needed to speak with Dumbledore about the job opening, so our favorite trio was stuck to wander around until dinner and not get into trouble. Much. They are in the Common Room.

"Guys?" Ron asked. Encouraged by them looking up and nodding, he continued. "Aren't you just a little bored?"

"Yeah. But we can't create any trouble," Harry answered. He checked his watch and added, "Dinner's only in ten minutes."

"Yeah, but can't we just do a quick prank? Nobody will know it's us!" Ron begged.

"Ron," Hermione exclaimed, "school hasn't even started yet and you are already looking for a way to get us killed! Or worse, expelled!"

"First of all, it's always Harry who looks for ways to get us killed! But c'mon, 'Mione! We won't die, and we won't get expelled!" Ron defended.

"Remember what they said? And I quote: 'You kids stay out of trouble for now.' Exactly what Sirius said! Another thing! Did either of you notice something really important?"

Ron and Harry looked at each other and shrugged; they had no idea what Hermione was getting at.

Hermione sighed in frustration. "I swear! You two must be suffering from brain damage!"

Ron looked from Harry's puzzled face to Hermione's annoyed on and back again. "What is she trying to say?" he asked Harry, who shrugged.

"Ron! Harry!" Hermione said in a very annoyed tone, standing up. "In case you haven't noticed, we're the only ones in the school besides the teachers!"

Ron looked from her to Harry, who was now nodding in understanding. "So?"

Hermione squeaked in frustration and Harry began to explain. "She means that since we're the only students, whatever we do, they'll know it's us."

Ron suddenly understood. (It's a miracle! Lol) "Oh. Well, Hermione, why didn't you just say so?"

Hermione screamed in frustration and marched up to her dormitories. Then she turned back and said in a very calm voice, "Since dinner will be here soon, you should change into your school robes." Then she left and Ron and Harry began up the stairs to the boys' dormitories.

"Do you think Hermione is angry with us?" Ron asked once they got there.

"No," Harry replied, sarcasm dripping from his voice, "she's just so happy!"

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Dinner that evening was a very casual affair; that is, until the room flooded with owls. Hedwig was among these and she dropped an envelope into his lap. The only marking on it was his name scrawled in glowing black ink.

Ron and Hermione looked over his shoulder as he opened it, asking, "Who do you think it's from?" Everything was silent and everybody was staring at him, wondering whom it was from. Harry, however, didn't notice, as he was reading a small piece of paper that was in the envelope about Fudge and the Ministry.

As he looked further into the envelope, he found what looked to be a blank piece of parchment; at least, to everyone else. To him it was a message written in blood-red ink. It read:

Harry Potter,

It seems to be so long that you have defeated me as an infant. Well, I am no longer dead, with your help, of course. You could be great, Harry Potter. We could make a great team ruling the world.

You need to figure out your priorities, and whether you value life or humanity more.

Say yes to me or you will die with everyone else who opposes me. It is a fair warning and you have until October 31 to decide whether you live or join your parents.

-Lord Voldemort

Harry was suddenly overcome by emotions: fear, rage, shock, awareness, etc. and he suddenly felt like he couldn't breathe. He turned to Hedwig, perched on his shoulder, and whispered, "How did you get this?" Then, as blackness clouded his vision, he knew one thing was certain: He'd rather die than join Voldemort. With that in mind, he finally let himself collapse backwards and onto the floor of the Great Hall, hearing faint shouts.

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In the Great Hall, they were all watching expectantly for Harry to say something when his face suddenly changed with each emotion, but the main being blind rage. They didn't know anything of it, because he was the only one who saw anything on the parchment, but whatever it was, it had struck a nerve.

They watched as he burst out sweating and Harry's goblet melted. Then he turned to Hedwig and whispered something and crumpled in his chair to the floor, pale as a ghost.

"Harry!" exclaimed Ron, Hermione, Sirius and Remus simultaneously, rushing to his limp body.

Dumbledore and McGonagall rose from their seats, and took the parchment from his hands, surprised that it had dull red forming words that needed a certain spell to reactivate. He sent Ron and Hermione to get Madame Pomphrey while he tried to figure out the letter. It finally occurred to him and he set downt he letter on the table, tapping it with his wand. He shook his head at it, but noticed an almost unreadable post-script: PS: There is a poison here only for you. Unless you didn't know, you will be fighting in a coma until Halloween, where you will wake after thinking. Choose wisely, Potter, or else. You won't get a second chance.

As if on cue, Madame Pomphrey burst in and hoisted Harry onto an invisible stretcher, taking his pulse and listening carefully to his breathing. He had a very faint but quick pulse with wheezy breath. She hurried him up to the Hospital Wing and attempted to energize him, but to no avail. Finally, after hours of waiting, she made the heart-clenching diagnosis. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harry could hear everything going on. But it was like he didn't have any connection to his body; he just heard what was going on. Finally, Harry heard the unmistakable voice of Madame Pomphrey cut through the fog and disorientation.

"I have made a diagnosis."

The whole room held their breath, even Harry who was already concentrating to keep breathing.

She continued. "Harry has been poisoned, and whatever he thought of that moment, will happen. By the looks of it, he has less than 24 hours."

At this, Harry heard Hermione's anguished sob and a "Are you sure?"

He felt Madame Pomphrey nod. "I'm sorry."

When he heard Hermione's wailing and sensed the sorrowful feeling that swept through the room, Harry tried to yell, open his eyes, anything, but his body wouldn't respond. Finally deciding to scream his fury into the darkness, he didn't know his body was finally responding.

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It was Dumbledore who first noticed the twitch in Harry's finger, but dismissed it. He would be awake on Halloween.

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"JUST WHY THE HELL CAN I HEAR EVERYTHING AND NOT TALK?" When his cursing subsided, he began to talk softly and ironically. "Oh, yeah, just talk to yourself through the dark. I swear, you're going insane. And I thought this year MIGHT be normal, but NO!" Harry's voice slowly raised to the hysterical level again as he shouted more.

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Harry began to shake and shiver in the Hospital Wing and Madame Pomphrey forced some cooling potion into his mouth, waiting for some sign of consciousness that she believed wouldn't come.

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Harry stared up (or was it down? He couldn't tell) through the blackness and lost his temper at the prayer that was forming in his head.

"GOD OR WHOEVER CONTROLS MY LIFE, CUT THE CRAP ALREADY AND LET ME GET OUT OF HERE! QUIT THE SHIT ABOUT VOLDEMORT AND GIVE ME A YEAR WITHOUT ADVENTURES!! NO!! YOU KNOW WHAT? I DON'T KNOW WHY PEOPLE TALK TO SOME BLOODY PERSON THEY CAN'T SEE! I'M SICK OF THIS! WHOEVER YOU ARE, LET ME OUT OF HERE!"

When nothing happened, Harry squeaking in steadily rising anger. Then, he didn't know how, the connection regained itself and he began to talk to himself, unaware that they could hear him or that he could talk. He just couldn't open his eyes or move. He couldn't do anything but talk and hear. But he couldn't even hear some things.

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"Ron, I don't think I can stand this anymore," Hermione sniffed.

"Hermione, it will be okay. He'll live," assured Dumbledore.

Something inside Hermione snapped and she desperately began hugging Ron, clutching him almost too tightly and crying madly, then Harry began to talk to himself.

"Oh, yeah, Harry, just make God or whoever mad at you." He laughed sardonically. "Yeah, that'll get you right out of this black whole. Oh, and look! I'm even talking to myself! What a funny little thing! Yeah.it's amazing how when you're alone in blackness, you just snap and start talking, if just to hear a voice."

"Do you think he'll wake up now, Hermione?" Ron asked.

"Just give him a bit of a shake, he'll wake soon."

Hermione began to shake him, and in result, he began talking again. "Oh, yeah, now someone's shaking you, Harry, and your friends are there, Harry. Yeah. Now I REALLY know I've gone completely off my rocker! What's next? I'm awake and being told crap about I'm going to be fine when I know the truth about the poison? I swear, Potter, you have a brilliant wish!"

Hermione shook him again angrily, and this time he opened his eyes to a teary-eyed Hermione, then Ron, Dumbledore, Sirius, and Remus, who all stared in wonder and happiness. The silence was deafening until Hermione brought him into a tight hug and exclaimed, "Potter, you have some lucky wishes!"

Harry hugged back glad he was back. "Yup, Hermione, I do," he replied, sounding more exasperated than he wanted to. He looked at Dumbledore and everyone else and saw puzzlement in everyone except Dumbledore's eyes. "What happened?"

"Maybe you can tell us, because we don't know."

"Well," Harry began, but was interrupted when the door burst open.

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Sort of a cliffhanger, isn't it? Well, I personally think this chapter is really stupid, but please just review and tell me what you think! Please with sugar on top?