Time Changes Everything
A Harry Potter fan fiction by Pottergirl
Chapter 16:- The Storm
Author's notes at the end!
Disclaimer:- Everything belongs to J.K.R!
Harry looked up from his thick Potions book wearily. Around him, the Commonroom was silent…only he, Ron and Hermione occupied it at that hour. And that too, at the insistence of Hermione, who was at that moment, surrounded by a towering stack of books, her nose in a thick Arithmancy text book. Harry closed his eyes, tiredness setting in.
It was nearing the end of January and the landmark match against Hufflepuff, on the first of February had drawn very close. Harry groaned inwardly as he was reminded of it…not that he feared Hufflepuff much…now that Cedric had gone…Harry tried to block out those dark thoughts. He had Quidditch practices and studies to worry about.
He didn't have time to ponder why his scar hurt him so often, the pain building up slowly each time until he got a splitting headache. Ron and Hermione were getting more and more suspicious, especially after the incident a few days earlier when he'd fainted due to the intense pain in his scar in Potions. More worrisome than the pain was the dread…that Voldemort was up to some very dark activity and that he was only gaining power…rapidly.
'I don't get a single, bloody word of this thing!'
Ron's voice broke through Harry's reveries, jerking him back to reality. Ron had put his book down in his fury.
'Don't curse, Ron!' Hermione snapped immediately and Harry could notice the edge of impatience in her voice…even if she was going to come out top-of-the-year. Harry put his own thick Potions book down.
'I think it's enough for today, Hermione…we all need sleep for the test tomorrow. And we've got Quidditch practice,' said Harry, trying to pour oil on troubled waters. Hermione looked as if she was about to retaliate strongly and she opened her mouth to say something, then closed it and took a deep breath.
'I'm sorry, Ron,' she said in a low, tired voice. 'I guess it has been too much on us.'
Ron grinned.
'Hermione Granger, top-of-the-year, saying that?'
Hermione grinned and punched Ron's arm playfully. 'I can tell you about that Transfiguration chapter tomorrow, if you want.'
Harry smiled slightly and got up. He never knew what to expect from Ron and Hermione those days…one moment they'd be fighting, the next moment, they were all okay. Harry stood up from the armchair and stretched; he had become very stiff, sitting in the chair for so long and he yawned.
'Quidditch at six,' he commented a little wearily. Ron yawned in answer.
'I could sleep for hours tonight…History can do wonders to you,' he managed through his yawn.
Harry walked over to the window and opened it. A cool breeze whipped around him as the shutters opened and he saw the full moon in the shy, a perfect image visible in the Hogwarts Lake stretched out before him. A few dark clouds floated before the moon, casting dark shadows on the Hogwarts grounds. A slight shiver ran through Harry…he did not know whether it was due to the cold or due to the sight of the full moon. Professor Lupin…he thought uneasily.
The night was forbidding and Harry's eyes narrowed apprehensively.
'Harry?' Ron called, ready to go with his books in his arms.
'Coming,' Harry replied. Something about the sight before him made him uneasy…tearing himself away from the twilight-lit grounds before him, he closed the shutters of the window and turned to follow Ron and Hermione towards the dormitories.
~*~*~*~
Harry felt as if he was shaken awake. He sat upright in bed quickly, his heart pounding madly, his scar throbbing on his forehead. He was drenched in sweat, yet he felt cold. Before he could even wonder what had awoken him, a loud flash of light followed by a loud rumble that sounded throughout the dormitory, distracted him. He looked at the window and found a rainstorm raging outside, rain lashing against the windowpanes, lightning flashing across the sky and thunder rumbling all round.
Harry's hand automatically flew to his scar, rubbing it, trying to stop the pain in it. He did not recall having any dream and for a few moments, he sat still, not thinking of anything. His scar gave a sharp twinge and there was a flash of lightning. Harry felt a familiar feeling of dread course through him, rising in his throat. He wiped the sweat on his face with his towel and got out of bed.
He just couldn't be in bed…he couldn't sleep like that…not with his scar burning, his body sweating all over and the weather so stormy and chilly.
He glanced at his watch and found it was five in the morning. He had an hour left to Quidditch practice and he decided he'd rather dress and take his broom down with him to the Commonroom and wait there.
Harry dressed and went down to the Commonroom with his Firebolt, hoping to find some peace and comfort in its stillness and relative quietness – the sound of the thunder and rain was lesser there. He propped his broomstick up against a wall and re-lit the fire in the grate.
Bright flames were soon dancing in the fireplace and he walked over to the windows where he had stood and gazed out at the grounds below earlier than night. He hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should ruin the peacefulness but then pushed the shutters open. The Commonroom was on the leeward side of the storm and he was not lashed by rain or wind. The moon had traveled further across the sky and was scarcely visible through the thick, low black storm clouds.
Harry folded his arms across his chest…it was still extremely cold. He wondered if the storm would lessen in an hour…he had Quidditch practice and this storm was tougher than the usual storms – and colder. He gazed out over the dark grounds for a moment and then turned to close the window, the thunder and lightning suddenly become disturbing.
He reached out to grasp the shutter of the window and froze. His gaze caught a hooded figure in the grounds below. Harry let go of the window shutter, his eyes glued to the dark, hooded figure.
His immediate thought was that this stranger was being drenched in the downpour and yet it didn't seem to care. It slowly made its way across the grounds and apparently…Harry thought with a feeling of dread…it was going towards the Forbidden Forest. Harry watched it with narrowed eyes and he didn't need to think hard to realize his scar was now burning with pain. Harry gripped the edges of the window, his teeth gritting in the intense pain but he did not take his eyes of the figure below. He knew very well that that was no ordinary legible person, making his way across the grounds. He felt a small shiver pass through him at a realization – stupid as it may have seemed, the figure could even be Voldemort…like it had been in his first year, in the Forbidden forest.
There was a loud flash of lightning and the figure stopped dead in its tracks. Harry fought against the pain to stand upright…it had risen to a crescendo, testing his will. The blinding lightning made him cover his eyes with his arm and stagger away from the window. There was a resounding boom of thunder and then the pain in his scar was gone…completely.
It was a moment before his mind stopped whirling and he hurried forward to the window. It was too late…the figure had vanished. Harry didn't even want to think; he pulled the shutters of the window close and sank down into an armchair, exhausted and before he knew it, he had sunk into an incredible slumber, as if after drinking a sleeping potion.
~*~*~*~*~
Harry opened an eye warily and saw Ron, bending upon him, a hand on his shoulder.
'Harry? Its Quidditch practice, wake up…' Ron looked quite concerned and Harry suddenly remembered the events he had experienced, apparently, only some time ago and he sat upright in his chair.
'You okay?' Ron asked, his eyebrows knitting together. Harry got up from his chair, nodding. The rest of the team – Fred, George, Alicia, Angelina and Katie stood before him, clutching their broomsticks.
Harry nodded, trying to manage a small, reassuring smile.
'Really, it's okay, I just fell asleep here during the storm…'
Harry turned to look out of the partly open window. The storm had cleared and dawn was beginning to break through. He turned back to the rest of the team and followed them out through the Portrait of the Fat Lady.
As they made their way down dark, silent corridors, broomsticks hanging limply by their sides, yawning in the case of the girls and muttering secretly to each other in the case of Fred and George, Harry couldn't help his wind wandering off to earlier than night. He recalled wearily how he had seen the strange, hooded figure out in the downpour in the Hogwarts grounds. Harry had only taken his eyes off it for a moment when his scar had hurt unbearably but the mysterious stranger had vanished in a blinding flash of lightning and an angry roar of thunder.
'Ow!!'
On hearing Ron's faint cry, Harry whipped around. Ron was now on the marble floor of the Entrance Hall and had apparently slipped on a patch of water. Muttering, Ron got to his feet, rubbing the rather unfortunate area of his anatomy that had taken the brunt of the fall.
'Watch where you're going!' came a familiar voice. Argus Filch, caretaker at Hogwarts was on the floor of the Entrance Hall, scrubbing it. His scowl had a good reason – there were large splodges of muddy water in a trail on the marble floor of the Entrance Hall. He wore a large scowl on his face and flashed his eyes at the Gryffindors.
'What are you doing out of bed at this hour?' Filch demanded.
'Quidditch practice,' said Harry, holding up his Firebolt. Filch turned back to his work, muttering about students getting up early and ruining his day. Harry glanced at Ron, who's attention was still attracted towards the sore portion of his back.
'Where did all the mud and water come from?' Katie wondered aloud as they crossed the Entrance Hall.
'Students out of bed, what else do you suppose?!' Filch seemed to be giving vent to his frustrations.
'Someone was out in the storm last night!'
Harry almost froze. Possibly, the mysterious figure in the rain had been a student…he hadn't thought about that.
'A student?' he asked. Filch looked up from his work and wiped his runny nose with the back of his hand.
'Ruining my morning…mud all over…If I catch 'em, I'll make sure…'
Harry was puzzled and couldn't clear his head…what if it had been a student? He looked back at the wet patches. The person in the grounds had been drenched…it was entirely possible the wet patches were from his drenched robes…but who was it? And why had he disappeared? Was last night's scar pain related in anyway to the stranger?
'Well, what're you doing…standing here, gawking at me?!'
Filch's demeanor jerked Harry out of his thoughts and with a slight shove from Ron, he hurried on, desperately wanting Quidditch to distract him. He pulled open the doors of Hogwarts and almost collided with someone. Harry looked up into the person's face.
'Malfoy!'
_____________________________
Authors Notes:-So there you have it, chapter 16. It's quite late but there are TWO, legible reasons for it. One – I fell sick, terribly, terribly sick…and Two – I wrote a quarter of chapter 16, then deleted it by mistake during a computer-organizing mission! Isn't that stupid of me? But I should add that both this chapter and the one that got deleted were the same – no plot changes.
Also, about this chapter…now here-on is where you'll find out if you are good detectives or not. One of my reviewers, unknowingly, I suppose, has already pointed out a part of the mystery in her review and I have saved her name. I'll disclose it later. Any other theories can be put forward in reviews and emails (Ameerak86@hotmail.com). I hope the people wanting H/G fics were not disappointed by this chapter as it had no H/G…but I don't want to write plot-less fluff.
Don't worry, I hope to include a good breakthrough in the next chapter…which, I hope, will be up soon. My exams begin in 3 weeks and writing is a little difficult. But don't worry…the chapter content is all there in my mind and soon it will take the form of chapter 17!
MAJOR NEWS:-
Ananova reports that the release date for HP Book 5 will be given tomorrow, Wednesday, the 20th of March…A mid-summer arrival of HP book 5 is expected. Anyway, lets just hope for the best!
That's it for today, please keep reviewing and I'll put the next chapter up faster!!
Thankyou!
-Pottergirl ameerak86@hotmail.com