Author's Note: Um, sorry? I've forgotten all about this... I'll finish it up for you all quickly... get it resolved in a few more chapters... Seeing this story collecting dust saddens me....:'( You guys probably don't even remember me anymore....
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Chapter 14
Rude Awakening
Harry was dreaming. It had become a relatively normal occurrence these days, but not even the past few nights had warned Harry about the danger in napping. Flailing and kicking about, with his face scrunched up, a completely foreign expression draped his usually benevolent features. Hatred.
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"Rise and shine!" said Ron cheerfully as he shrugged his long-time pal awake.
"Waa....huh?"
Groggily, Harry blinked at Ron. "Ugh, can't you see I'm trying to sleep?"
Not to be deterred, Ron promptly tossed him out of his chair.
"You didn't have to do that!" said Harry crossly, rubbing a now aching backside. And, to his amazement, found that he ached all over. Attempting to stand, he lifted one leg, only to feel it plop heavily back down to the ground.
"Ron... I feel like I've just run a marathon in my sleep!"
"Perhaps you did," shrugged Ron. "That still doesn't change the fact that we both need to meet Sirius. Now, move!"
"You're right, Ron, but let me stretch out a little," said Harry, wincing.
He had thought a quick nap before meeting his god-father would've made him more alert come nightfall. Instead, he felt drained and tired, haunted by feelings of depression from a dream he couldn't even remember.
Looking at Ron, he couldn't help but feel jealous. His friend was practically jumping off the walls, a hard light of excitement in his eyes. Honestly, couldn't he just pretend to be a little less... energetic? It almost hurt to look at him.
Ron opened the curtains of the classroom Harry had been using to nap in, demonstrating to Harry, who was just putting on his glasses, the darkening sky.
"I planned everything just right," said Ron quickly. "I've enchanted our beds so that anyone who takes so much as a glance at them will imagine that we're in there, fast asleep."
"Ron, I didn't know you could do that!" said Harry, impressed.
Ron's eyes darkened for a second, before he chirped back brightly, "With friends like you and Hermione, I have to learn a few tricks, if I want to keep up. Don't I?" Not allowing Harry a chance to answer, he continued, "Anyway, we won't be missed for the moment. You have the invisibility cloak, right?"
Harry nodded, patting a bag hanging from his side, where it jiggled against the wand he had secured to his side.
"Then, let's go."
Allowing Ron to drag him off, he realized where they were going only after a few minutes.
"You're heading for the secret passageway already? Shouldn't we wait for Hermione?"
"Hemione? Come off it, Harry. She's probably already told on us. You saw how she reacted to Sirius' letter."
"Well, yes," stumbled Harry, "but she'd never... not after promising us..."
"Sirius might be hurt, all alone in the woods, while we're here waiting for the professors to catch us out!"
That got Harry moving faster. Losing Sirius, the only true link he had left with his parents, was too painful to even dwell upon.
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They scurried into the hidden passageway quickly in the dark, mostly from all the experience they'd gained throughout their years at Hogwarts, quiet and fearful of being found out.
Arriving safely at the first secret stairway, it was Ron who broke the silence. "Remember all those years ago, when we first snuck out of here?"
Rather surprised by this, Harry paused. "Yes," he said softly, recognizing the seriousness in Ron's tone.
"Those were some good times, huh?" he said whimsically. "Back before... well, back before Voldemort."
Ron opened his mouth as if to continue, when they both heard something moving behind them.
Harry turned his head toward the sound, whispering, "Ron, did you hear...?" when he felt something hard and heavy hit his head, throwing him off balance. Toward the dark twisting stairs.
Gasping, his hands grasped frantically for his wand, only to feel emptiness at his side. Craning his neck as he fell, he used the last bit of his strength to look back up the stairs, where Ron was probably desperately fighting for his life against whatever alien force had shoved him ruthlessly to certain death.
And he got the biggest shock of his life.
His one, last look probably lasted for a fraction of a second, but to Harry, it all happened in slow motion. In that one glance that seemed to last a lifetime, he saw everything with a sudden burst of clarity, and a certain sense of deja vu. The person who had come up behind them, he now saw, had been Hermione, who had a toothy grin frozen on her face. But her eyes... her eyes followed him as he plunged into the dark depths.
To her side was Ron, whom Harry saw, sported a fierce smile, two wands grasped in his right hand. "My wand," he realized.
And then, all he saw were stairs. Dozens upon dozens of harsh, stone steps rolling about his vision, and the sound of crunching bone filled his ears.
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Walking along the halls, busily searching out Harry and Ron, she had caught, out of the corner of her eye, Ron's bright red hair heading down a familiar corridor and had decided to catch up. They had walked quicky though, even with Ron half-carrying a bemused Harry after him, which was why she hadn't been able to catch up until she had passed the entrance to the secret passageway. Coming up behind them loudly, she saw Harry turn his head toward her and she had smiled despite her anger at being ditched by her two friends.
Then the most unexpected thing happened. Ron's face contorted, becoming not the friendly, amicable Ron she had known for five years, but some sort of monster who posessed Ron's face, his hair, his voice... but was definitely not Ron. HER Ron didn't have that crazed, fanatical light in his eyes, had definitely not swung at his own best friend while his back was turned... no....
And then, all there was to do was watch as Harry's helpless body flailed about frantically, before falling down... down...
She wanted to scream, wanted to curse, wanted to do something. But her body was frozen in shock. She heard the rumple of soft flesh hitting harsh edges, and then, a loud, sharp crack that echoed loudly throughout the twisting passage.
"No... oh my God..." she whispered, finding herself. She rushed down the stairs. "Harry, Harry!" It came out, a dry, cracked sound that she could hardly recognize. Dully, she noted that it took her quite a few minutes to reach his prone body at the base of the stairs, even at a full-out, reckless run, a cry of hysteria breaking from her as she saw the unnatural twist of his neck.
Bending over his body, she rocked his body with her suddenly clumsy hands, searching for a pulse. She didn't dare touch his neck... she didn't want to look at it at all. She felt for his wrist, trying to remember the proper spot...
...when she realized her second bit of folly for the day as she felt something hit the back of her head, and she slumped to the ground.
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It took Ron a moment to figure out just where the hell he was. His head was swimming, and his hands automatically reached for his temples. Except he ended up knocking himself hard with the stone that was clenched in his right fist. "What...?" he thought absently, bringing whatever it was that was in his hand up to the light. And dropped it with a scream. The rock was speckled with blood. "Oh, I think I'm going to puke," he muttered. "Hey, Harry... where'd you run off to?"
He took a step and stumbled, catching himself before he fell and accidently killed himself. Deciding to bring out his wand, he confusing himself even more as he found he was actually carrying two wands at his side. Things were going very, very oddly.
He looked back at the ground, trying to see what had tripped him, but all he saw was the smooth stone floor. Shrugging, he refocused on the issue on hand. Reaching Sirius. Wherever Harry had suddenly decided to disappear to, he would probably find him with his godfather anyhow. And it wasn't exactly as if Harry wasn't prone toward disappearing. He had, afterall, the invisibility cloak.
"I won't let him down," he thought stubbornly. "Can't go back now, Hermione probably has the entire place upside down looking for us. Learning that stupid spell for nothing..."
And he continued on his way toward the end of the passage, the foreign evil in his mind ever whispering.
**to be continued...**
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Ouch! Sorry to end this itty witty chapter with a cliffhanger... I've been trying to reach this point in the story for a looooooooooong time. :-D Aren't I evil... It's all coming to a head now, isn't it? Ron is brain-dead and it seems Hermione and Harry really ARE dead... R/R for the next action-packed chapter! I promise I'll let you guys know more about dear ol' VOldy and and Auntie Di real soon ;-) Right now, I have a calculus midterm with my name on it... (gulp)
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Chapter 14
Rude Awakening
Harry was dreaming. It had become a relatively normal occurrence these days, but not even the past few nights had warned Harry about the danger in napping. Flailing and kicking about, with his face scrunched up, a completely foreign expression draped his usually benevolent features. Hatred.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Rise and shine!" said Ron cheerfully as he shrugged his long-time pal awake.
"Waa....huh?"
Groggily, Harry blinked at Ron. "Ugh, can't you see I'm trying to sleep?"
Not to be deterred, Ron promptly tossed him out of his chair.
"You didn't have to do that!" said Harry crossly, rubbing a now aching backside. And, to his amazement, found that he ached all over. Attempting to stand, he lifted one leg, only to feel it plop heavily back down to the ground.
"Ron... I feel like I've just run a marathon in my sleep!"
"Perhaps you did," shrugged Ron. "That still doesn't change the fact that we both need to meet Sirius. Now, move!"
"You're right, Ron, but let me stretch out a little," said Harry, wincing.
He had thought a quick nap before meeting his god-father would've made him more alert come nightfall. Instead, he felt drained and tired, haunted by feelings of depression from a dream he couldn't even remember.
Looking at Ron, he couldn't help but feel jealous. His friend was practically jumping off the walls, a hard light of excitement in his eyes. Honestly, couldn't he just pretend to be a little less... energetic? It almost hurt to look at him.
Ron opened the curtains of the classroom Harry had been using to nap in, demonstrating to Harry, who was just putting on his glasses, the darkening sky.
"I planned everything just right," said Ron quickly. "I've enchanted our beds so that anyone who takes so much as a glance at them will imagine that we're in there, fast asleep."
"Ron, I didn't know you could do that!" said Harry, impressed.
Ron's eyes darkened for a second, before he chirped back brightly, "With friends like you and Hermione, I have to learn a few tricks, if I want to keep up. Don't I?" Not allowing Harry a chance to answer, he continued, "Anyway, we won't be missed for the moment. You have the invisibility cloak, right?"
Harry nodded, patting a bag hanging from his side, where it jiggled against the wand he had secured to his side.
"Then, let's go."
Allowing Ron to drag him off, he realized where they were going only after a few minutes.
"You're heading for the secret passageway already? Shouldn't we wait for Hermione?"
"Hemione? Come off it, Harry. She's probably already told on us. You saw how she reacted to Sirius' letter."
"Well, yes," stumbled Harry, "but she'd never... not after promising us..."
"Sirius might be hurt, all alone in the woods, while we're here waiting for the professors to catch us out!"
That got Harry moving faster. Losing Sirius, the only true link he had left with his parents, was too painful to even dwell upon.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
They scurried into the hidden passageway quickly in the dark, mostly from all the experience they'd gained throughout their years at Hogwarts, quiet and fearful of being found out.
Arriving safely at the first secret stairway, it was Ron who broke the silence. "Remember all those years ago, when we first snuck out of here?"
Rather surprised by this, Harry paused. "Yes," he said softly, recognizing the seriousness in Ron's tone.
"Those were some good times, huh?" he said whimsically. "Back before... well, back before Voldemort."
Ron opened his mouth as if to continue, when they both heard something moving behind them.
Harry turned his head toward the sound, whispering, "Ron, did you hear...?" when he felt something hard and heavy hit his head, throwing him off balance. Toward the dark twisting stairs.
Gasping, his hands grasped frantically for his wand, only to feel emptiness at his side. Craning his neck as he fell, he used the last bit of his strength to look back up the stairs, where Ron was probably desperately fighting for his life against whatever alien force had shoved him ruthlessly to certain death.
And he got the biggest shock of his life.
His one, last look probably lasted for a fraction of a second, but to Harry, it all happened in slow motion. In that one glance that seemed to last a lifetime, he saw everything with a sudden burst of clarity, and a certain sense of deja vu. The person who had come up behind them, he now saw, had been Hermione, who had a toothy grin frozen on her face. But her eyes... her eyes followed him as he plunged into the dark depths.
To her side was Ron, whom Harry saw, sported a fierce smile, two wands grasped in his right hand. "My wand," he realized.
And then, all he saw were stairs. Dozens upon dozens of harsh, stone steps rolling about his vision, and the sound of crunching bone filled his ears.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Walking along the halls, busily searching out Harry and Ron, she had caught, out of the corner of her eye, Ron's bright red hair heading down a familiar corridor and had decided to catch up. They had walked quicky though, even with Ron half-carrying a bemused Harry after him, which was why she hadn't been able to catch up until she had passed the entrance to the secret passageway. Coming up behind them loudly, she saw Harry turn his head toward her and she had smiled despite her anger at being ditched by her two friends.
Then the most unexpected thing happened. Ron's face contorted, becoming not the friendly, amicable Ron she had known for five years, but some sort of monster who posessed Ron's face, his hair, his voice... but was definitely not Ron. HER Ron didn't have that crazed, fanatical light in his eyes, had definitely not swung at his own best friend while his back was turned... no....
And then, all there was to do was watch as Harry's helpless body flailed about frantically, before falling down... down...
She wanted to scream, wanted to curse, wanted to do something. But her body was frozen in shock. She heard the rumple of soft flesh hitting harsh edges, and then, a loud, sharp crack that echoed loudly throughout the twisting passage.
"No... oh my God..." she whispered, finding herself. She rushed down the stairs. "Harry, Harry!" It came out, a dry, cracked sound that she could hardly recognize. Dully, she noted that it took her quite a few minutes to reach his prone body at the base of the stairs, even at a full-out, reckless run, a cry of hysteria breaking from her as she saw the unnatural twist of his neck.
Bending over his body, she rocked his body with her suddenly clumsy hands, searching for a pulse. She didn't dare touch his neck... she didn't want to look at it at all. She felt for his wrist, trying to remember the proper spot...
...when she realized her second bit of folly for the day as she felt something hit the back of her head, and she slumped to the ground.
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It took Ron a moment to figure out just where the hell he was. His head was swimming, and his hands automatically reached for his temples. Except he ended up knocking himself hard with the stone that was clenched in his right fist. "What...?" he thought absently, bringing whatever it was that was in his hand up to the light. And dropped it with a scream. The rock was speckled with blood. "Oh, I think I'm going to puke," he muttered. "Hey, Harry... where'd you run off to?"
He took a step and stumbled, catching himself before he fell and accidently killed himself. Deciding to bring out his wand, he confusing himself even more as he found he was actually carrying two wands at his side. Things were going very, very oddly.
He looked back at the ground, trying to see what had tripped him, but all he saw was the smooth stone floor. Shrugging, he refocused on the issue on hand. Reaching Sirius. Wherever Harry had suddenly decided to disappear to, he would probably find him with his godfather anyhow. And it wasn't exactly as if Harry wasn't prone toward disappearing. He had, afterall, the invisibility cloak.
"I won't let him down," he thought stubbornly. "Can't go back now, Hermione probably has the entire place upside down looking for us. Learning that stupid spell for nothing..."
And he continued on his way toward the end of the passage, the foreign evil in his mind ever whispering.
**to be continued...**
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Ouch! Sorry to end this itty witty chapter with a cliffhanger... I've been trying to reach this point in the story for a looooooooooong time. :-D Aren't I evil... It's all coming to a head now, isn't it? Ron is brain-dead and it seems Hermione and Harry really ARE dead... R/R for the next action-packed chapter! I promise I'll let you guys know more about dear ol' VOldy and and Auntie Di real soon ;-) Right now, I have a calculus midterm with my name on it... (gulp)