AN: Thanks to all my reviewers!
Disclaimer: I own nothing!
Chapter 12: Hogwarts For The Holidays
December was soon upon the castle. Fluffy snow fell from the sky, covering the turrets of the castle and creating a picturesque scene. Harry, Ron and Hermione signed up to stay at the castle throughout the holidays. Harry had been surprised to see Ron stay. His mother had completely recovered physically from Voldemort's attack, but Harry knew that it would take a very long time for the emotional pain to heal.
Harry wasn't too worried about her being lonely on Christmas. Fred, George, and Ginny had gone home for the holidays and he had a sneaking suspicion that Mrs. Weasley had ORDERED Ron to say for Harry's sake.
The castle looked splendid, as it normally did around Christmas. Fifteen Christmas trees had been placed in the Great Hall, each one more amazing than the last. Some were decorated with candles, others with icicles, and even a few with real fairies. Mistletoe hung above some of the doorways and holly was strewn up at various places in the castle. Wreaths were placed on the outside entrances. Harry loved the castle at Christmas. It emitted such a warm, family-like feeling that he had never felt before Hogwarts and the Weasleys. The atmosphere was wonderful.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione soon found that they were the only Gryffindors that had stayed at Hogwarts. Many families, anxious about Voldemort, were happy to have their children back, even if it was only for a week or two.
The trio did not mind. They were able to get warm comfortable chairs by the fire. They didn't have to worry about making too much noise, and they did not have to deal with the annoyance of a sometimes-overcrowded common room.
On Christmas morning, Harry woke up to a familiar voice shouting his name. "Harry! Harry! Wake up, Harry! Come on, its Christmas and its past nine." Harry felt a pillow hit his face, and somewhat reluctantly he rose from his bed. A small pile of packages littered the area by his four- poster.
"Alright, I'm up. How long have you been awake?" Harry expected Ron to answer with "dawn".
"Er..five minutes." Ron smirked.
"Five minutes? You acted like you have been up for hours!" Harry shouted, grinning.
Ron smirked some more and shrugged his shoulders as he began to rip into his presents.
Harry joined him and was delighted with his gifts. Mrs. Weasley had sent him a plain green sweater, a homemade fruitcake, and a card wishing him well. Sirius had sent a new watch to replace the one that had been damaged in the Triwizard tournament last year. Ron had given him a box of chocolate frogs, and Hermione had gotten him a book titled Choose Your Wizarding Career: Everything From Aurors to Quidditch Players! Harry was surprised to find that the book was actually pretty interesting. After all, he really had no idea what he wanted to do after school besides maybe quidditch.
Ron and Harry went down to the common room to find Hermione sleeping on the couch. Ron shook her awake slowly. "Hermione? Why are you sleeping down here?"
"Ah! Oh.it's just you." She shook her head to clear her thoughts.
"Well who did you think it would be?" Ron asked, raising an eyebrow.
Hermione smiled. "Well I didn't really expect someone's face to be so..er..close to me when I woke up." She said. Her face and Ron's were turning red and Harry had to try extra hard not to smirk.
"Sorry." Ron whispered, but he too was grinning like an idiot. Harry rolled his eyes.
"One of you guys wanna play me in chess?" He said to break the two up. Any more of this and he thought he might vomit. Sure he was pretty used to it by now, but it was still weird to see your two best friends going all lovey-dovey on each other.
"I'll play you Harry!" Hermione shouted, breaking her and Ron's trance. She sat down across from him.
"Well, are you going to tell us why you were down here?" Ron questioned again, looking a little impatient.
"I fell asleep while I was waiting for the two of you to get your lazy selves out of bed. Normally, I would have just gone up there, but I felt kinda tired so I just laid down." Ron nodded.
A few hours later, Harry, Ron, and Hermione had tired of chess. "Let's go to lunch now. I'm starving." Ron suggested.
They made their way towards the Great Hall, and Harry couldn't help but notice Ron and Hermione's linked hands. When they reached the entrance to the Great Hall, Ron and Hermione, who were walking a little bit ahead of Harry, were greeted with a shout. "Mistletoe! Give her a kiss!" Harry looked for the source of the voice and was surprised to hear the sound coming from the mistletoe itself. Enchanted.I didn't know, he thought.
He looked at Ron and Hermione who were avoiding each other's eyes and blushing, as they stood frozen under the mistletoe. Everyone in the hall had diverted his or her attention to the scene. There were only about five students, but the teachers were glancing at the pair too. Harry was pretty sure they had kissed before, they did go on "walks" after all, but he could imagine how embarrassing it would be kiss in front of teachers and other students. The mistletoe continued to shout. "Kiss her already!" Ron glared up at it. Finally he leaned in and kissed Hermione gently. Hermione seemed surprised that he had done it, but not angry at all. She seemed to be enjoying it.
After a couple seconds the two parted, and hands joined once more they sat at the large table in the center that everyone was sitting at. Once again, Harry was feeling like a third wheel, and he wished Ginny were here to keep him company. Instantly, he regretted his thoughts. Mrs. Weasley needed her children. She had already done so much for him and she had let Ron stay over the Christmas holidays to keep him company.
Harry sat down beside Ron who was staring at Hermione, who was sneaking glances at Ron. It was all very confusing and Harry had a little bit of trouble keeping it straight. He looked at the table before him and his mouth watered at the sight. A delicious turkey had been placed in the center of the table and dish after dish of Harry's favorite foods surrounded it. He forgot about Ron and Hermione for a moment and concentrated on food.
After the meal, the three headed back up to Gryffindor tower. Harry felt full and sleepy, even though it was early in the afternoon. He decided to take a little nap. Hermione and Ron chose to start a game of Exploding Snap as Harry climbed the steps to the boys' dormitories. He collapsed on his bed and slowly drifted off to sleep.
Harry was creeping along a small path. Where it led, he was not sure. He just knew he had to follow it. When he reached his destination, he hid behind a small bush. He must not be seen. He heard a low ruthless laugh sound from a little in the distance. It was coming closer. Harry made sure he was well hidden before looking out again.
He gasped when he saw the owner of the voice. He could never forget that face, those slits that served as his eyes, and his overall serpent-like appearance. Lord Voldemort. Two men stood in front of him. Harry listened closely to hear what was being said.
"Lucius, Wormtail, you will be responsible for turning the man. He is pathetic. He is weak. He has already been under my control for a long time, but I need you to take care of him now. It will be an easy job." Even Voldemort's voice sounded like a low hiss.
"Yes Master. When will the attack occur?" Harry heard Wormtail's scared voice ask.
"Soon. Soon." Voldemort laughed again. The high, cruel sound filled Harry's head and his scar burned with pain.
"Ahhhhhhhhhh!" Harry jolted from his sleep, looking around the room frantically. It had been a dream. He had to go to Dumbledore. Harry strained his memory to remember the details. Turning the man? The attack? What was he planning? He jumped out of bed, running towards the staircase. He stopped at the sight in the common room.
Ron was holding something in his hands and was whispering softly to Hermione. Harry could barely make out his words. "It's a promise ring. I'll always be here for you Hermione, always."
Hermione looked up at him, her eyes shining with tears. "Thank you Ron. It's the best present I've ever received. I..I love you." Ron stepped back at these words and Harry could tell that it was the first time either of the two had said the words to each other. He wanted to stop watching and go to Dumbledore, he really did, but the scene before him was too compelling. He didn't want to interrupt.
Ron swallowed loudly. Even on the steps, Harry could hear the sound clearly. "I love you too." He brought her close and the two stood together wrapped in each other's arms.
Finally able to tear himself away from them, Harry tiptoed back upstairs into the dorms. He sat on his bed for a few minutes before loudly walking towards the staircase. When he reached the common room, Ron and Hermione had separated and they were each reading books. And I'm supposed to believe this? Harry thought to himself. Ron reading for leisure, yeah right. He does that just about as often as I do.
"Hi Harry!" Hermione shouted, way too perky. "Sleep well?"
While watching Ron and Hermione, Harry had completely forgotten about his dream, but it came back to him in full force now. "Er..no actually. I had a dream. With..Voldemort." Ron stared at him, speechless.
"We have to go see Dumbledore!" Hermione shouted at once. Ron nodded.
"This is really serious Harry!" He practically screamed.
"Really? Because I missed the seriousness of it. I was going to go have a walk on the grounds, maybe go have some pumpkin juice, probably catch up on my correspondence and then maybe, MAYBE I would tell someone." Harry said sarcastically.
Hermione rolled her eyes. "C'mon you two." She led the way out of the portrait hole, walking twice her normal speed. Ron and Harry followed. When they reached the stone gargoyle, Ron let out a frustrated yell.
"Ahhh! We don't know the damn password!" He screamed, kicking the gargoyle.
"Have you forgotten that I'm a prefect? I have the password." Hermione said sounding a lot like Percy, though she ignored Ron's language. "Wool socks!" She shouted and the statue jumped aside, revealing the entrance to Dumbledore's office.
Harry sighed, when he entered the room feeling that he was probably there more than any other student to have ever gone to Hogwarts. Dumbledore was sitting in his rocking chair, his eyes closed. He looked to be sleeping, but without opening his eyes he said, "What can I do for you Mr. Potter?" He sounded old and weary, not at all like the lively, energetic man that Harry had grown accustomed too.
"I had a dream Professor." Dumbledore's eyes snapped open at these words and he turned sharply to face Harry.
"Please, all three of you sit down." They did so, choosing chairs placed convienently across from the rocking chair. "Now, Harry, this is very important. Tell me everything you remember from this dream.
"Well I was walking down this path in some sort of woods. I didn't recognize anything. I just knew I should follow the path. I heard someone laughing. I reached a clearing and I kept hearing the same laughter, drawing closer. I saw Voldemort. He was there with Mr. Malfoy and Wormtail. He said it was there job to turn the man. He said it would be easy; that he had been taking care of the guy for a while and now it was there turn. Then Wormtail asked about an attack, he asked when the attack would happen. Voldemort said soon. Do you know what they were talking about, Professor?" Harry finished, hoping that Dumbledore would have some answers.
Dumbledore studied Harry closely before replying. "There are no concrete answers where Voldemort is concerned Harry. I have an idea or two, but one cannot be sure." Harry sighed, feeling rather defeated.
After a few more minutes of pointless discussion, Dumbledore sent Harry, Ron, and Hermione back to Gryffindor with instructions, to not tell anyone else about his dream. Harry had asked if he could write Sirius. Dumbledore had shaken his head.
"I'm afraid Sirius is rather busy at the moment. He really has no time for letters, but I will be sure to bring him up to date the next time I see him." Harry had understood, but that didn't stop him from being frustrated.
Harry had learned from his previous year that strange occurrences usually meant Voldemort. A lot of unusual things had been happening. Cryptic conversations, people acting differently, and now the dream. Where was Voldemort planning to attack? Harry had a sickening feeling that he would not be left in the dark for long.
Well Whaddya think? Was it good? Did it suck? Please review!
Disclaimer: I own nothing!
Chapter 12: Hogwarts For The Holidays
December was soon upon the castle. Fluffy snow fell from the sky, covering the turrets of the castle and creating a picturesque scene. Harry, Ron and Hermione signed up to stay at the castle throughout the holidays. Harry had been surprised to see Ron stay. His mother had completely recovered physically from Voldemort's attack, but Harry knew that it would take a very long time for the emotional pain to heal.
Harry wasn't too worried about her being lonely on Christmas. Fred, George, and Ginny had gone home for the holidays and he had a sneaking suspicion that Mrs. Weasley had ORDERED Ron to say for Harry's sake.
The castle looked splendid, as it normally did around Christmas. Fifteen Christmas trees had been placed in the Great Hall, each one more amazing than the last. Some were decorated with candles, others with icicles, and even a few with real fairies. Mistletoe hung above some of the doorways and holly was strewn up at various places in the castle. Wreaths were placed on the outside entrances. Harry loved the castle at Christmas. It emitted such a warm, family-like feeling that he had never felt before Hogwarts and the Weasleys. The atmosphere was wonderful.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione soon found that they were the only Gryffindors that had stayed at Hogwarts. Many families, anxious about Voldemort, were happy to have their children back, even if it was only for a week or two.
The trio did not mind. They were able to get warm comfortable chairs by the fire. They didn't have to worry about making too much noise, and they did not have to deal with the annoyance of a sometimes-overcrowded common room.
On Christmas morning, Harry woke up to a familiar voice shouting his name. "Harry! Harry! Wake up, Harry! Come on, its Christmas and its past nine." Harry felt a pillow hit his face, and somewhat reluctantly he rose from his bed. A small pile of packages littered the area by his four- poster.
"Alright, I'm up. How long have you been awake?" Harry expected Ron to answer with "dawn".
"Er..five minutes." Ron smirked.
"Five minutes? You acted like you have been up for hours!" Harry shouted, grinning.
Ron smirked some more and shrugged his shoulders as he began to rip into his presents.
Harry joined him and was delighted with his gifts. Mrs. Weasley had sent him a plain green sweater, a homemade fruitcake, and a card wishing him well. Sirius had sent a new watch to replace the one that had been damaged in the Triwizard tournament last year. Ron had given him a box of chocolate frogs, and Hermione had gotten him a book titled Choose Your Wizarding Career: Everything From Aurors to Quidditch Players! Harry was surprised to find that the book was actually pretty interesting. After all, he really had no idea what he wanted to do after school besides maybe quidditch.
Ron and Harry went down to the common room to find Hermione sleeping on the couch. Ron shook her awake slowly. "Hermione? Why are you sleeping down here?"
"Ah! Oh.it's just you." She shook her head to clear her thoughts.
"Well who did you think it would be?" Ron asked, raising an eyebrow.
Hermione smiled. "Well I didn't really expect someone's face to be so..er..close to me when I woke up." She said. Her face and Ron's were turning red and Harry had to try extra hard not to smirk.
"Sorry." Ron whispered, but he too was grinning like an idiot. Harry rolled his eyes.
"One of you guys wanna play me in chess?" He said to break the two up. Any more of this and he thought he might vomit. Sure he was pretty used to it by now, but it was still weird to see your two best friends going all lovey-dovey on each other.
"I'll play you Harry!" Hermione shouted, breaking her and Ron's trance. She sat down across from him.
"Well, are you going to tell us why you were down here?" Ron questioned again, looking a little impatient.
"I fell asleep while I was waiting for the two of you to get your lazy selves out of bed. Normally, I would have just gone up there, but I felt kinda tired so I just laid down." Ron nodded.
A few hours later, Harry, Ron, and Hermione had tired of chess. "Let's go to lunch now. I'm starving." Ron suggested.
They made their way towards the Great Hall, and Harry couldn't help but notice Ron and Hermione's linked hands. When they reached the entrance to the Great Hall, Ron and Hermione, who were walking a little bit ahead of Harry, were greeted with a shout. "Mistletoe! Give her a kiss!" Harry looked for the source of the voice and was surprised to hear the sound coming from the mistletoe itself. Enchanted.I didn't know, he thought.
He looked at Ron and Hermione who were avoiding each other's eyes and blushing, as they stood frozen under the mistletoe. Everyone in the hall had diverted his or her attention to the scene. There were only about five students, but the teachers were glancing at the pair too. Harry was pretty sure they had kissed before, they did go on "walks" after all, but he could imagine how embarrassing it would be kiss in front of teachers and other students. The mistletoe continued to shout. "Kiss her already!" Ron glared up at it. Finally he leaned in and kissed Hermione gently. Hermione seemed surprised that he had done it, but not angry at all. She seemed to be enjoying it.
After a couple seconds the two parted, and hands joined once more they sat at the large table in the center that everyone was sitting at. Once again, Harry was feeling like a third wheel, and he wished Ginny were here to keep him company. Instantly, he regretted his thoughts. Mrs. Weasley needed her children. She had already done so much for him and she had let Ron stay over the Christmas holidays to keep him company.
Harry sat down beside Ron who was staring at Hermione, who was sneaking glances at Ron. It was all very confusing and Harry had a little bit of trouble keeping it straight. He looked at the table before him and his mouth watered at the sight. A delicious turkey had been placed in the center of the table and dish after dish of Harry's favorite foods surrounded it. He forgot about Ron and Hermione for a moment and concentrated on food.
After the meal, the three headed back up to Gryffindor tower. Harry felt full and sleepy, even though it was early in the afternoon. He decided to take a little nap. Hermione and Ron chose to start a game of Exploding Snap as Harry climbed the steps to the boys' dormitories. He collapsed on his bed and slowly drifted off to sleep.
Harry was creeping along a small path. Where it led, he was not sure. He just knew he had to follow it. When he reached his destination, he hid behind a small bush. He must not be seen. He heard a low ruthless laugh sound from a little in the distance. It was coming closer. Harry made sure he was well hidden before looking out again.
He gasped when he saw the owner of the voice. He could never forget that face, those slits that served as his eyes, and his overall serpent-like appearance. Lord Voldemort. Two men stood in front of him. Harry listened closely to hear what was being said.
"Lucius, Wormtail, you will be responsible for turning the man. He is pathetic. He is weak. He has already been under my control for a long time, but I need you to take care of him now. It will be an easy job." Even Voldemort's voice sounded like a low hiss.
"Yes Master. When will the attack occur?" Harry heard Wormtail's scared voice ask.
"Soon. Soon." Voldemort laughed again. The high, cruel sound filled Harry's head and his scar burned with pain.
"Ahhhhhhhhhh!" Harry jolted from his sleep, looking around the room frantically. It had been a dream. He had to go to Dumbledore. Harry strained his memory to remember the details. Turning the man? The attack? What was he planning? He jumped out of bed, running towards the staircase. He stopped at the sight in the common room.
Ron was holding something in his hands and was whispering softly to Hermione. Harry could barely make out his words. "It's a promise ring. I'll always be here for you Hermione, always."
Hermione looked up at him, her eyes shining with tears. "Thank you Ron. It's the best present I've ever received. I..I love you." Ron stepped back at these words and Harry could tell that it was the first time either of the two had said the words to each other. He wanted to stop watching and go to Dumbledore, he really did, but the scene before him was too compelling. He didn't want to interrupt.
Ron swallowed loudly. Even on the steps, Harry could hear the sound clearly. "I love you too." He brought her close and the two stood together wrapped in each other's arms.
Finally able to tear himself away from them, Harry tiptoed back upstairs into the dorms. He sat on his bed for a few minutes before loudly walking towards the staircase. When he reached the common room, Ron and Hermione had separated and they were each reading books. And I'm supposed to believe this? Harry thought to himself. Ron reading for leisure, yeah right. He does that just about as often as I do.
"Hi Harry!" Hermione shouted, way too perky. "Sleep well?"
While watching Ron and Hermione, Harry had completely forgotten about his dream, but it came back to him in full force now. "Er..no actually. I had a dream. With..Voldemort." Ron stared at him, speechless.
"We have to go see Dumbledore!" Hermione shouted at once. Ron nodded.
"This is really serious Harry!" He practically screamed.
"Really? Because I missed the seriousness of it. I was going to go have a walk on the grounds, maybe go have some pumpkin juice, probably catch up on my correspondence and then maybe, MAYBE I would tell someone." Harry said sarcastically.
Hermione rolled her eyes. "C'mon you two." She led the way out of the portrait hole, walking twice her normal speed. Ron and Harry followed. When they reached the stone gargoyle, Ron let out a frustrated yell.
"Ahhh! We don't know the damn password!" He screamed, kicking the gargoyle.
"Have you forgotten that I'm a prefect? I have the password." Hermione said sounding a lot like Percy, though she ignored Ron's language. "Wool socks!" She shouted and the statue jumped aside, revealing the entrance to Dumbledore's office.
Harry sighed, when he entered the room feeling that he was probably there more than any other student to have ever gone to Hogwarts. Dumbledore was sitting in his rocking chair, his eyes closed. He looked to be sleeping, but without opening his eyes he said, "What can I do for you Mr. Potter?" He sounded old and weary, not at all like the lively, energetic man that Harry had grown accustomed too.
"I had a dream Professor." Dumbledore's eyes snapped open at these words and he turned sharply to face Harry.
"Please, all three of you sit down." They did so, choosing chairs placed convienently across from the rocking chair. "Now, Harry, this is very important. Tell me everything you remember from this dream.
"Well I was walking down this path in some sort of woods. I didn't recognize anything. I just knew I should follow the path. I heard someone laughing. I reached a clearing and I kept hearing the same laughter, drawing closer. I saw Voldemort. He was there with Mr. Malfoy and Wormtail. He said it was there job to turn the man. He said it would be easy; that he had been taking care of the guy for a while and now it was there turn. Then Wormtail asked about an attack, he asked when the attack would happen. Voldemort said soon. Do you know what they were talking about, Professor?" Harry finished, hoping that Dumbledore would have some answers.
Dumbledore studied Harry closely before replying. "There are no concrete answers where Voldemort is concerned Harry. I have an idea or two, but one cannot be sure." Harry sighed, feeling rather defeated.
After a few more minutes of pointless discussion, Dumbledore sent Harry, Ron, and Hermione back to Gryffindor with instructions, to not tell anyone else about his dream. Harry had asked if he could write Sirius. Dumbledore had shaken his head.
"I'm afraid Sirius is rather busy at the moment. He really has no time for letters, but I will be sure to bring him up to date the next time I see him." Harry had understood, but that didn't stop him from being frustrated.
Harry had learned from his previous year that strange occurrences usually meant Voldemort. A lot of unusual things had been happening. Cryptic conversations, people acting differently, and now the dream. Where was Voldemort planning to attack? Harry had a sickening feeling that he would not be left in the dark for long.
Well Whaddya think? Was it good? Did it suck? Please review!