Chapter 13: Time drags
Harry avoided Hermionie and Ginny for the rest of the day. He wasn't ready to tell them anything about what had happened with his parents, he was barely ready to believe it himself. He wandered through the halls, thinking to himself about what he'd missed out on. This in no time to wallow in self pity He thought angrily. He finally made it back to his room. He crawled inside and dropped down on his bed, lowering his hood and cramming his face into the pillow.
"You saw them, didn't you?"
Came a calm voice from behind Harry. He leapt up and spun around. Albus Dumbledore was standing only feet away. Harry sighed
"Yes...how did you-"
"I may be old Harry, but I'm not daft"
"Professor! Your the absolute last person I would think to be daft!"
Dumbledore chuckled
"My parents to visited me when I was your age. I acted the same way you did. I saw you by the lake and immediately realized what must have been happening."
Harry turned away from his former professor
"There's no need to be ashamed of letting your feelings out Harry"
Dumbledore whispered
"I'm not ashamed"
Harry growled, shoving his hands in his pockets
"I never thought about my parents much in the past years. I gave up all hope of ever seeing them again, that night, after the third task, my fourth year. I thought...no, I knew, that would be the last time. I never thought about what it would be like being the only one without any family at my graduation...then Daniel came along...he gave me family...but he's not my parents. Seeing them their, almost alive, like me...It broke me up...I wanted to jump into that lake so bad and tell them both how much I missed them and that I needed them so much...but I didn't...I didn't want my time with them to end...at first I thought that was selfish...but it's not. Most people take what they have for granted...parents...children...I never had any of it...and they told me-"
Harry's voice cracked and his breath became labored. Dumbledore just stared at him
"They told me they loved me, and that they were so proud of me..."
A tear slid down Harry's cheek, and he whipped it away furiously
"No one has ever told me that before, at least not like they did. No one ever told me they loved me! Not ever...and hearing it for the first time...it's not easy, especially form your dead parents"
He sighed and sat down on the edge of his bed, burying his face in his hands. Albus sat beside him
"I know it must be hard Harry...and I know you've suffered, beyond reason. You've held it all in for too long, and that one act of kindness, it brought you to your knees...you took it much better than anyone else would have..."
Dumbledore placed his hand on Harry's shoulder
"And you can't keep what you've told me to yourself. Tell someone YOU love. Miss Weasley, Miss Granger, Mister Weasley, Remus, Sirius, Daniel.... they all want you to be happy...and for you to be happy, you need to communicate"
Dumbledore then stood up and left the room. Harry stared after him. Slowly he rose, put up his hood, and left the room as well.
~*~
He made it to the Gryffindor common room quickly and entered. Ron was standing in the corner, chewing out some 3rd year for hitting him with some charmed spit ball. Harry walked quickly through the room, earning curious glances from the students. When he got up to Ron, Ron stopped yelling at the third year.
"Oh, Hey H-er, James...how are you?"
"Fine Ron, uh, are you busy?"
"Sort of. I'm waiting for Ginny, she's up in the dormitories...dumping Collin...."
Ron chuckled evilly
"I heard what you did to my sister mate...should of asked me first, I- Ouch!"
Harry kicked Ron hard in the shin
"Shut up you stupid git! You want everyone in the common room to know?"
Ron blushed and dragged Harry off to a corner
"So what exactly do you need to talk to me about?"
"Not just you. Hermionie and Ginny as well"
Ron sighed
"Right, well, Hermionie's in the library, let's go fetch Ginny"
Harry rolled his eyes and the two made their way up the stairs. When they got closer to the 6th year boys dormitories they could hear voices
"Oh come on Collin, stop acting like such a prick"
It was Ginny
"I'M acting like a prick?! You're the one whose going on and dumping me for some invisible stranger!"
"I am not! I told you, we're supposed to be civil about this!"
"Civil? Ginny, you're off your rocker!"
"I am not!"
"Oh really?! Then WHO exactly are you dumping me for, hm?"
There was a long delayed silence. Harry and Ron glanced at each other
"Um, well, umm...."
Harry growled under his breath and pushed open the door
"Me Collin"
He said. Collin looked at him strangely
"The Professor Ginny!"
He cried
"That's sick, that's just sick"
He spun towards the door but was stopped by Ron who grabbed him by the front of the robes and slammed him into a pillar
"Your asking for it you little-"
"Ron"
Harry snapped. Ron released Collin and stepped back. Harry pointed his wand at the door and magically locked it. Slowly he lowered his hood
"HOLY MERLIN IT'S-"
"Silencio!"
Ginny cried and Collin stopped making noise. But they could see him mouthing 'Harry Potter'. Harry rolled his eyes
"Yeah, that would be me, Ginny's 'invisible stranger'"
Harry spat. Ginny blushed and Collin opened his mouth in shock.
"You better not tell anyone Collin...about me...or I swear I'll-"
Collin held up his hands, then pointed to his mouth. Ginny muttered the countercurse
"I won't tell anyone"
He said, though Ron wasn't convinced
"I better be off!"
He said, glaring slightly at Harry. Then he bounded off, slamming the door behind him. The room was silent for a moment. Ginny sighed
"You shouldn't have told him! Collin can't keep his mouth shut...he'll tell Dennis and the entire school will know before tomorrow night"
Harry rolled his eyes
"Don't worry, who're they gunna believe?"
"Him! No one's seen your face, and when you think about it, all the little clue's lead right up to you!"
Ginny wailed
"Ginny"
Harry whispered, smiling at her
"If he tells, then ah well, they know, they will in time. Collin will receive a few death threats from me, maybe I can get Sirius to scare the crap out of him before he's freed"
He and Ron chuckled. Ginny rolled her eyes
"You are such an idiot-"
"Call me names later dear, I need to talk to you guys, come on"
Harry turned, raised his hood, and left the room, Ginny and Ron following silently. They left the common room. Collin was no where in sight. While they were trudging down to the library Ginny was staring aimlessly out the windows, thinking. She noticed a small figure jogging across the grounds
"Oh my god!"
She suddenly cried, running to the window
"What?"
Ron asked, turning to her
"It's Collin! He's going into the forest!"
Ron and Harry rushed over to the window
"What is that stupid got thinking?"
Ron cried, watching him disappear into the trees
"He obviously isn't, come on, we have to stop him. Gin, go to Dumbledore, tell him where we're going."
Harry said. Ginny nodded and took off towards Dumbledore's office. Ron and Harry headed towards the forest. As they were passing the library they heard Hermionie
"Ron! Hey Ron wait up!"
The two skidded to a halt
"Where are you off to?"
"The forest"
Ron breathed
"Why?"
Hermionie asked
"Collin! Let's go!"
Harry shouted, taking off again. Ron shrugged, grabbed Hermionie's arm and pulled her along with them
"Why is he in the forest?"
Hermionie asked as they burst through the doors
"Ginny dumped him, he's probably pissed, he's gunna get himself killed"
Ron muttered. He stopped at the edge of the wood, nearly banging into Harry
"Stay close, there's no telling where he is"
Harry whispered, drawing his wand. The other two followed his lead and they entered the forest. After a moment Harry handed Ron his wand and transformed into a dog. First scent Oh Shit Was the only thing going through his mind. He changed back, grabbed his wand
"Run!"
He cried. To late. Three large spiders burst through the brush and grabbed them. Ron went white, Hermionie screamed. Harry held tight to his wand and grumbled as it picked him up and held him up-side-down about three feet in the air. He crossed his arms and glanced at Ron. He was rigid in fear. Hermionie stopped screaming and was being lifted. She had her wand, along with Rons, clutched tightly in her hands. The three were carried through the tree's, being slammed mercilessly into sharp branches. Finally they were dropped in the same clearing they visited in their second year. Collin was already there, shaking in fear. Harry's hood was down and he was staring defiantly at the spiders. Hermionie and Ron were standing at his side. Both with their wands clutched tightly in their hands. Aragog suddenly appeared, looking older and more withered than before
"Harry Potter"
The spider hissed. Mad clicking echoed from the large population
"Did I not tell you last time you should die for intruding!?"
"You made that quite clear"
Harry spat
"You also never gave us a chance and freely tried to kill us. I didn't WANT to come back as a matter of fact. I came to rescue one of my rather idiot students"
Harry glared at Collin
"A teacher now are you? You have progressed from the young boy you were last. Answer me this...where is Hagrid? He hasn't been to see me in nearly two years..."
Harry swallowed hard. If Aragog knew Hagrid was dead, they were gonners for sure. Harry was about to answer, when Collin cut in
"He's dead sir, Voldemort killed him two years ago"
A sound like no other roared from all the spiders. Hermionie nearly jumped on top of Ron. Harry's heart raced. He sprinted forward, grabbed Collin by the arm, spun around and blasted a large path between the spiders
"Go!"
He roared. Hermionie and Ron didn't need telling twice. They were off in front, blasting spiders away, Harry and Collin running behind them. Once they were out of the mass, they began to sprint faster. Collin jumped ahead as Harry, Ron and Hermionie slowed, trying to fend off the spiders. They burst out of the forest just in time to see Collin throw himself into Hagrids hut. They were out only a second before the spiders came too. Harry broke off from the other two and raised his wand
"Accio firebolt!"
He continued to run, and after a second, his broom came soaring towards him. He leapt on top of it and fixed his hood. He flew above the spiders, towards Hermionie and Ron. The first spiders were only inches from Hermionie. Ron was about 4 meters in front of her. Harry lay flat on his broom and extended his hand. By now large amounts of students were watching out the windows, wondering what the noise was. Harry grabbed Hermionie's hand and pulled up. She flipped herself onto the broom behind him. Ron was swallowed by the running spiders. They could see flashes of red below the hundreds of legs and random weak curses. Harry sighed and lurched his broom into the large mass. He zig zagged through legs, Hermionie clutching onto him tightly. Finally he caught sight of Ron, kneeling alone, trying to hold up a shielding spell. When he saw Harry, he released the spell and jumped onto the broom. Hermionie raised her wand wand blasted an exit above them. Harry shot out of the small opening, thrilled to be out of the danger. The spiders rounded the lake and returned back into the forest. The three were hovering in the air, breathing heavily. Some students were cheering and clapping. Suddenly
"WEASLEY! GRANGER! PROFESSOR!"
Came a high shriek. The three turned to see Professor Mcgonagall hanging out her window, glaring at them. Harry groaned
"The thanks we get"
He whispered, he was drowned out by Ron
"Damn Collin for being so stupid!"
Ron roared
"And Damn Ginny for dumping him and sparking his idiotic brain! And, and damn you Harry for making Ginny dump him!"
Hermionie had her heard buried in Harry's shoulder, her eyes closed. Harry maneuvered the broom through the window and landed. Mcgonagall was standing there her hands on her hips. She closed the door and sat behind her desk, staring at them all.
"Explain"
She barked
"Well..."
Harry began
"You see Professor, we saw Collin heading into the forest earlier-"
"Which is no place for the inexperienced"
Ron added, which gained him a death glare form Hermionie and Mcgonagall
"And we decided to help him. We got caught by the spiders-"
"Who don't like us in the first place"
Ron said. Hermionie smacked him
"And made a run for it...Collin's at Hagrids right now, hiding..."
Mcgonagall was silent for a moment, then
"Why did you find it YOUR responsibility to go after Mr. Creevy?"
She asked curtly
"Because he went in their because he was upset that Ginny dumped him, and Ginny dumped him for Harry"
Ron cried, sighing loudly. Harry blushed furiously Thank god for the cloak He thought. Mcgonagall chuckled
"Well, please TRY and refrain form bringing giant killing spiders onto the grounds. I will have someone go retrieve Mr. Creevy..."
Harry, Ron, and Hermionie smiled
"Thank you Professor"
Hermionie said. They all turned and began to leave
"Mr. Potter, may I have a word?"
Harry stopped and let the other two leave. He re-aproached the desk
"Yes Professor?"
He asked
"I'm afraid I have some news"
She whispered. Harry's heart sank
"Y-yes?"
"Voldemort has been sighted, he's still alive..."
(Thank you everyone! Harry didn't get around to telling his friends about his parents, that'll be in the next chapter! Please Review! Thanx again..! :)
Harry avoided Hermionie and Ginny for the rest of the day. He wasn't ready to tell them anything about what had happened with his parents, he was barely ready to believe it himself. He wandered through the halls, thinking to himself about what he'd missed out on. This in no time to wallow in self pity He thought angrily. He finally made it back to his room. He crawled inside and dropped down on his bed, lowering his hood and cramming his face into the pillow.
"You saw them, didn't you?"
Came a calm voice from behind Harry. He leapt up and spun around. Albus Dumbledore was standing only feet away. Harry sighed
"Yes...how did you-"
"I may be old Harry, but I'm not daft"
"Professor! Your the absolute last person I would think to be daft!"
Dumbledore chuckled
"My parents to visited me when I was your age. I acted the same way you did. I saw you by the lake and immediately realized what must have been happening."
Harry turned away from his former professor
"There's no need to be ashamed of letting your feelings out Harry"
Dumbledore whispered
"I'm not ashamed"
Harry growled, shoving his hands in his pockets
"I never thought about my parents much in the past years. I gave up all hope of ever seeing them again, that night, after the third task, my fourth year. I thought...no, I knew, that would be the last time. I never thought about what it would be like being the only one without any family at my graduation...then Daniel came along...he gave me family...but he's not my parents. Seeing them their, almost alive, like me...It broke me up...I wanted to jump into that lake so bad and tell them both how much I missed them and that I needed them so much...but I didn't...I didn't want my time with them to end...at first I thought that was selfish...but it's not. Most people take what they have for granted...parents...children...I never had any of it...and they told me-"
Harry's voice cracked and his breath became labored. Dumbledore just stared at him
"They told me they loved me, and that they were so proud of me..."
A tear slid down Harry's cheek, and he whipped it away furiously
"No one has ever told me that before, at least not like they did. No one ever told me they loved me! Not ever...and hearing it for the first time...it's not easy, especially form your dead parents"
He sighed and sat down on the edge of his bed, burying his face in his hands. Albus sat beside him
"I know it must be hard Harry...and I know you've suffered, beyond reason. You've held it all in for too long, and that one act of kindness, it brought you to your knees...you took it much better than anyone else would have..."
Dumbledore placed his hand on Harry's shoulder
"And you can't keep what you've told me to yourself. Tell someone YOU love. Miss Weasley, Miss Granger, Mister Weasley, Remus, Sirius, Daniel.... they all want you to be happy...and for you to be happy, you need to communicate"
Dumbledore then stood up and left the room. Harry stared after him. Slowly he rose, put up his hood, and left the room as well.
~*~
He made it to the Gryffindor common room quickly and entered. Ron was standing in the corner, chewing out some 3rd year for hitting him with some charmed spit ball. Harry walked quickly through the room, earning curious glances from the students. When he got up to Ron, Ron stopped yelling at the third year.
"Oh, Hey H-er, James...how are you?"
"Fine Ron, uh, are you busy?"
"Sort of. I'm waiting for Ginny, she's up in the dormitories...dumping Collin...."
Ron chuckled evilly
"I heard what you did to my sister mate...should of asked me first, I- Ouch!"
Harry kicked Ron hard in the shin
"Shut up you stupid git! You want everyone in the common room to know?"
Ron blushed and dragged Harry off to a corner
"So what exactly do you need to talk to me about?"
"Not just you. Hermionie and Ginny as well"
Ron sighed
"Right, well, Hermionie's in the library, let's go fetch Ginny"
Harry rolled his eyes and the two made their way up the stairs. When they got closer to the 6th year boys dormitories they could hear voices
"Oh come on Collin, stop acting like such a prick"
It was Ginny
"I'M acting like a prick?! You're the one whose going on and dumping me for some invisible stranger!"
"I am not! I told you, we're supposed to be civil about this!"
"Civil? Ginny, you're off your rocker!"
"I am not!"
"Oh really?! Then WHO exactly are you dumping me for, hm?"
There was a long delayed silence. Harry and Ron glanced at each other
"Um, well, umm...."
Harry growled under his breath and pushed open the door
"Me Collin"
He said. Collin looked at him strangely
"The Professor Ginny!"
He cried
"That's sick, that's just sick"
He spun towards the door but was stopped by Ron who grabbed him by the front of the robes and slammed him into a pillar
"Your asking for it you little-"
"Ron"
Harry snapped. Ron released Collin and stepped back. Harry pointed his wand at the door and magically locked it. Slowly he lowered his hood
"HOLY MERLIN IT'S-"
"Silencio!"
Ginny cried and Collin stopped making noise. But they could see him mouthing 'Harry Potter'. Harry rolled his eyes
"Yeah, that would be me, Ginny's 'invisible stranger'"
Harry spat. Ginny blushed and Collin opened his mouth in shock.
"You better not tell anyone Collin...about me...or I swear I'll-"
Collin held up his hands, then pointed to his mouth. Ginny muttered the countercurse
"I won't tell anyone"
He said, though Ron wasn't convinced
"I better be off!"
He said, glaring slightly at Harry. Then he bounded off, slamming the door behind him. The room was silent for a moment. Ginny sighed
"You shouldn't have told him! Collin can't keep his mouth shut...he'll tell Dennis and the entire school will know before tomorrow night"
Harry rolled his eyes
"Don't worry, who're they gunna believe?"
"Him! No one's seen your face, and when you think about it, all the little clue's lead right up to you!"
Ginny wailed
"Ginny"
Harry whispered, smiling at her
"If he tells, then ah well, they know, they will in time. Collin will receive a few death threats from me, maybe I can get Sirius to scare the crap out of him before he's freed"
He and Ron chuckled. Ginny rolled her eyes
"You are such an idiot-"
"Call me names later dear, I need to talk to you guys, come on"
Harry turned, raised his hood, and left the room, Ginny and Ron following silently. They left the common room. Collin was no where in sight. While they were trudging down to the library Ginny was staring aimlessly out the windows, thinking. She noticed a small figure jogging across the grounds
"Oh my god!"
She suddenly cried, running to the window
"What?"
Ron asked, turning to her
"It's Collin! He's going into the forest!"
Ron and Harry rushed over to the window
"What is that stupid got thinking?"
Ron cried, watching him disappear into the trees
"He obviously isn't, come on, we have to stop him. Gin, go to Dumbledore, tell him where we're going."
Harry said. Ginny nodded and took off towards Dumbledore's office. Ron and Harry headed towards the forest. As they were passing the library they heard Hermionie
"Ron! Hey Ron wait up!"
The two skidded to a halt
"Where are you off to?"
"The forest"
Ron breathed
"Why?"
Hermionie asked
"Collin! Let's go!"
Harry shouted, taking off again. Ron shrugged, grabbed Hermionie's arm and pulled her along with them
"Why is he in the forest?"
Hermionie asked as they burst through the doors
"Ginny dumped him, he's probably pissed, he's gunna get himself killed"
Ron muttered. He stopped at the edge of the wood, nearly banging into Harry
"Stay close, there's no telling where he is"
Harry whispered, drawing his wand. The other two followed his lead and they entered the forest. After a moment Harry handed Ron his wand and transformed into a dog. First scent Oh Shit Was the only thing going through his mind. He changed back, grabbed his wand
"Run!"
He cried. To late. Three large spiders burst through the brush and grabbed them. Ron went white, Hermionie screamed. Harry held tight to his wand and grumbled as it picked him up and held him up-side-down about three feet in the air. He crossed his arms and glanced at Ron. He was rigid in fear. Hermionie stopped screaming and was being lifted. She had her wand, along with Rons, clutched tightly in her hands. The three were carried through the tree's, being slammed mercilessly into sharp branches. Finally they were dropped in the same clearing they visited in their second year. Collin was already there, shaking in fear. Harry's hood was down and he was staring defiantly at the spiders. Hermionie and Ron were standing at his side. Both with their wands clutched tightly in their hands. Aragog suddenly appeared, looking older and more withered than before
"Harry Potter"
The spider hissed. Mad clicking echoed from the large population
"Did I not tell you last time you should die for intruding!?"
"You made that quite clear"
Harry spat
"You also never gave us a chance and freely tried to kill us. I didn't WANT to come back as a matter of fact. I came to rescue one of my rather idiot students"
Harry glared at Collin
"A teacher now are you? You have progressed from the young boy you were last. Answer me this...where is Hagrid? He hasn't been to see me in nearly two years..."
Harry swallowed hard. If Aragog knew Hagrid was dead, they were gonners for sure. Harry was about to answer, when Collin cut in
"He's dead sir, Voldemort killed him two years ago"
A sound like no other roared from all the spiders. Hermionie nearly jumped on top of Ron. Harry's heart raced. He sprinted forward, grabbed Collin by the arm, spun around and blasted a large path between the spiders
"Go!"
He roared. Hermionie and Ron didn't need telling twice. They were off in front, blasting spiders away, Harry and Collin running behind them. Once they were out of the mass, they began to sprint faster. Collin jumped ahead as Harry, Ron and Hermionie slowed, trying to fend off the spiders. They burst out of the forest just in time to see Collin throw himself into Hagrids hut. They were out only a second before the spiders came too. Harry broke off from the other two and raised his wand
"Accio firebolt!"
He continued to run, and after a second, his broom came soaring towards him. He leapt on top of it and fixed his hood. He flew above the spiders, towards Hermionie and Ron. The first spiders were only inches from Hermionie. Ron was about 4 meters in front of her. Harry lay flat on his broom and extended his hand. By now large amounts of students were watching out the windows, wondering what the noise was. Harry grabbed Hermionie's hand and pulled up. She flipped herself onto the broom behind him. Ron was swallowed by the running spiders. They could see flashes of red below the hundreds of legs and random weak curses. Harry sighed and lurched his broom into the large mass. He zig zagged through legs, Hermionie clutching onto him tightly. Finally he caught sight of Ron, kneeling alone, trying to hold up a shielding spell. When he saw Harry, he released the spell and jumped onto the broom. Hermionie raised her wand wand blasted an exit above them. Harry shot out of the small opening, thrilled to be out of the danger. The spiders rounded the lake and returned back into the forest. The three were hovering in the air, breathing heavily. Some students were cheering and clapping. Suddenly
"WEASLEY! GRANGER! PROFESSOR!"
Came a high shriek. The three turned to see Professor Mcgonagall hanging out her window, glaring at them. Harry groaned
"The thanks we get"
He whispered, he was drowned out by Ron
"Damn Collin for being so stupid!"
Ron roared
"And Damn Ginny for dumping him and sparking his idiotic brain! And, and damn you Harry for making Ginny dump him!"
Hermionie had her heard buried in Harry's shoulder, her eyes closed. Harry maneuvered the broom through the window and landed. Mcgonagall was standing there her hands on her hips. She closed the door and sat behind her desk, staring at them all.
"Explain"
She barked
"Well..."
Harry began
"You see Professor, we saw Collin heading into the forest earlier-"
"Which is no place for the inexperienced"
Ron added, which gained him a death glare form Hermionie and Mcgonagall
"And we decided to help him. We got caught by the spiders-"
"Who don't like us in the first place"
Ron said. Hermionie smacked him
"And made a run for it...Collin's at Hagrids right now, hiding..."
Mcgonagall was silent for a moment, then
"Why did you find it YOUR responsibility to go after Mr. Creevy?"
She asked curtly
"Because he went in their because he was upset that Ginny dumped him, and Ginny dumped him for Harry"
Ron cried, sighing loudly. Harry blushed furiously Thank god for the cloak He thought. Mcgonagall chuckled
"Well, please TRY and refrain form bringing giant killing spiders onto the grounds. I will have someone go retrieve Mr. Creevy..."
Harry, Ron, and Hermionie smiled
"Thank you Professor"
Hermionie said. They all turned and began to leave
"Mr. Potter, may I have a word?"
Harry stopped and let the other two leave. He re-aproached the desk
"Yes Professor?"
He asked
"I'm afraid I have some news"
She whispered. Harry's heart sank
"Y-yes?"
"Voldemort has been sighted, he's still alive..."
(Thank you everyone! Harry didn't get around to telling his friends about his parents, that'll be in the next chapter! Please Review! Thanx again..! :)