Darkness -Chapter 8
by Iejasu
Many thanks to my proof-reader Llarian.
Chapter 8 -Seeking, Searching, Observing and Finding
Harry pulled his cloak tighter around his shoulders. The British climate was suitable
for a mermaid, not for a human. Too much rain, moisture and some more rain.
He had used one of the relatively secure sewer paths to reach Diagon Alley
and from there he went through the network of unregistered chimneys and portals they
used for emergencies and raids. It took him quite some time to reach Hogwarts. The
ruins stuck out like a splinter violating the beauty of the
landscape and the sky above.
It had been quite some time since he had been here. In fact he had never been back
after the last battle. His nose played tricks on him. He could still smell the acid
smoke in the air, the smell of blood and other body fluids, the underlying smell of
adrenaline. Yes, one could smell adrenaline too, it was a smell that went straight
to the spine, that made one restless and strangely longing for action. Maybe it was
a leftover from those animals men had evolved from.
Sometimes he still dreamt of the battle, the moment Dumbledore died, the cold stare
of Snape as he watched the Old Wizard dying. Snape had simply turned his back on
Dumbledore and walked away, cold and rejecting as he had always been. The screams
of the many children, the eyes of those who waited for him, 'the boy who lived', to
protect them. He survived the day, many of the children did not.
Tears welled up in his eyes. How could he protect these many children, these many
wizards. He was only one person. Grimly he wiped away those tears. No use for self
pity. He would do what he was destined to do. He would fight.
When he reached the compounds of Hogwarts, he scanned the surroundings carefully.
He knew it was warded heavily. Snape might have dismissed it as "foolish wand-waving",
but when he needed it he was quite good at setting traps and using that wand of his like
a surgeon used a deadly scalpel. And he was quite the duellist. He wondered if Snape
would attack him if he tried to get into Hogwarts.
Feeling the magic that surrounded the compounds, he stopped, scanning the area with his
senses.
He used a voice direction spell that could transfer a message though buildings into a
defined area without others being able to hear it.
"Snape? I need one of your potions! I need a "Cure All"....Fred Weasley is dying. We
tried everything else..."
He waited in the Darkness. No answer.
He tried again, moving closer and trying to use his skill to avoid the traps he could only
faintly distinguish.
"Snape, you bastard! Give me that potion! Enough have died! Give me that damn "Cure All" or
I will blast you
to next week!"
He knew after using his wand, he would be in danger to get caught. Not that he used his own
wand, they raided various wands on every mission. Those wands were less reliable but they
worked, at least for some time.
*******
Snape sat in a pub, very much like the 'Three Broomsticks' in Hogsmead but it was a small
wizarding community in Ireland, dissecting the other customers. Some of the younger witches
looked expedient for his plans. Luring one of them somewhere was not that hard. With his
less repugnant appearance he could gain enough time to slip a potion into their drinks. He
had enough potions and spells that he could found a Harem if needed. Not that he had use
for that many women.
All those females were at least on the outside faithful followers of Voldemort and the
Malfoys. A picture on the wall showed the esteemed Malfoy clan with a stylish painting of
Voldemort just above them. All smiled happily and full of pride and affection.
A true Witches Weekly. Bile rose in his throat.
He knew exactly what he needed to do. He had to listen closely to all the conversations and
when he found some seemingly appropriate specimen, he would need to chat her up, deposit
some of the potion into her drink and lure her to his room. He would interview her with
vitaserum and then see if she was indeed appropriate. If she was, he would take her to
Hogwarts, with or without her consent. If not, he would admit some Obliviate. Questioned
by anyone he would simply state that he was looking for some distraction. It would only
amuse the Malfoys.
He would lock her up in his dungeons and make her his own special guinea pig until he knew
enough to train the Cat accordingly. Then he would get rid of the specimen and allow his
project to take over her personality and background, ready to be planted into the British
Wizarding community and working her ranks up to the Inner Circle.
He ordered another drink. It was clear that this would take a while.
********
Cat lay on the floor, feeling miserable. She had not realised how much she would miss
"the Professor". Without him she felt strangely lost, afraid and vulnerable. He had never
left her by her own longer than a day, maybe two. But now he was already almost three days
gone and she felt abandoned. What if he would not come back? What if he got caught? What if.....
Pictures flashed up in her brain. She saw herself sitting at a long table, eating with Harry
and Ron. But it seemed so surreal, as if that was another person. The girl that wanted
nothing but books and high marks. No, that was not her, not anymore. She was born when the
other girl she remembered had died. She remembered running away, to the Forbidden Forrest,
away from the screams and the smell and all those deaths. The howling of a man followed her
in her memory. He had gabbed her and thrown her to the floor, ripping her clothes apart
seeking for some amusement before admitting the 'Avada Kedavra' on her. Sometime later,
in a haze of fear and pain, her hand found a stone.... Moments later the Death Eater had
lain immobile on the ground, blood oozing from a gash on the forehead. But it was not enough.
She had taken the stone and hit him, hit him until there was no face left.
Spent she had fallen down to her knees and vomited.
That was the moment the other girl had died. A coward and a murderer, a whore and a mudblood.
using a stone instead of a spell.
Whimpering she crawled into the cupboard, closed the door and huddled in a corner. He would
come back, soon. He would open the door and ask her to come out.
"Snape? I need one of your potions! I need a "Cure All"....Fred Weasley is dying.
We tried everything..."
The strangely transparent voice startled her. She huddled closer into the corner, trying to
cover her ears with her hands. But it was to no avail.
"Snape, you bastard! Give me that potion! Enough have died! Give me that damn "Cure All" or
I will blast you to next week!"
She looked up. The voice demanded a "Cure All". She peeked out of the cupboard, searching
the room. She knew exactly where the potion was. Staggering she came out of the cupboard
and searched the shelves for it. She found the potion and held it in her hand, thinking.
The professor had told her not to come out, not to let anybody see her. But that voice
would not go away. It would try to enter...
Maybe if she gave the voice what it wanted, it would go away. She rushed out of one of the
entrances, the vial clutching in her hand, looking for the voice and murmuring
"He must not see me. The Cat must not be seen."
****
Harry wandered around, trying to find an entrance and feeling more and more annoyed.
He was cursing himself, Snape and the rest of the Wizarding Community of Britain.
Where was Snape? He knew there was no Death Eater Gathering tonight. His spies would have
told him.
So, why did he not come out?
He heard some rustling of leaves and turned around but there was nothing. "Hey, is there
somebody?" No answer came.
He tried to look closer and suddenly in the corner of his eyes he saw a shadow, rushing away.
"Hey!" He turned and lifted his wand.
But there was no sign of anybody. Annoyed he murmured "Only a cat."
The rustling came again but from a different direction. He turned again and ran, in order
to catch the cat or whatever it was that was making those noises. When he turned some twigs
away from the trunk of an old tree,he suddenly saw a vial. He recognised it immediately.
It was a "Cure All!"
Grabbing the potion he turned to the bushes and stared into them. Who was it? Maybe a house
elf? Or some kind of trained animal? Or was Snape able to hide in the bushes like a cat?
So many questions but Snape had always been an enigma.
"Thanks!" was all he could say and then turn to get back to his people.
*****
Cat rushed though the darkness, her feet bare to make as little sound as possible. She could
see the silhouette of the man, standing in the darkness. When she crawled nearer, the
silhouette became faintly familiar.
A tall, well muscled young wizard with dark hair and glasses. For a moment her feet slipped
as her mind added a name to the memory.
Harry, this was her friend Harry!
A part of her wanted to jump up and run to him. Hug him, crying and holding on.
"Hey, is there somebody?"
The Cat shuddered. The voice held so much anger. A demanding voice, a voice like Malfoy. A voice of a leader.
Harry would not like her. She had betrayed him, she had run away.
She was not his friend anymore.
She had betrayed his friendship, she was dead.
She ran to get a better cover.
Huddled in some bushes, she held the vial close to her chest as if seeking warmth from an
inanimate object.
But he must have caught the movement in the corner of his eyes.
"Hey!" He turned and lifted his wand. Cat froze for a second but then she put the vial
down where she sat and hurried back into the darkness. She knew the wards, she knew how to
get around them. The Professor was a good teacher.
While she vanished into the darkness she could hear the last words Harry muttered under his
breath.
"Only a cat."
Tears filled her eyes. Yes, Harry was right...She was only a cat.
TBC.....
by Iejasu
Many thanks to my proof-reader Llarian.
Chapter 8 -Seeking, Searching, Observing and Finding
Harry pulled his cloak tighter around his shoulders. The British climate was suitable
for a mermaid, not for a human. Too much rain, moisture and some more rain.
He had used one of the relatively secure sewer paths to reach Diagon Alley
and from there he went through the network of unregistered chimneys and portals they
used for emergencies and raids. It took him quite some time to reach Hogwarts. The
ruins stuck out like a splinter violating the beauty of the
landscape and the sky above.
It had been quite some time since he had been here. In fact he had never been back
after the last battle. His nose played tricks on him. He could still smell the acid
smoke in the air, the smell of blood and other body fluids, the underlying smell of
adrenaline. Yes, one could smell adrenaline too, it was a smell that went straight
to the spine, that made one restless and strangely longing for action. Maybe it was
a leftover from those animals men had evolved from.
Sometimes he still dreamt of the battle, the moment Dumbledore died, the cold stare
of Snape as he watched the Old Wizard dying. Snape had simply turned his back on
Dumbledore and walked away, cold and rejecting as he had always been. The screams
of the many children, the eyes of those who waited for him, 'the boy who lived', to
protect them. He survived the day, many of the children did not.
Tears welled up in his eyes. How could he protect these many children, these many
wizards. He was only one person. Grimly he wiped away those tears. No use for self
pity. He would do what he was destined to do. He would fight.
When he reached the compounds of Hogwarts, he scanned the surroundings carefully.
He knew it was warded heavily. Snape might have dismissed it as "foolish wand-waving",
but when he needed it he was quite good at setting traps and using that wand of his like
a surgeon used a deadly scalpel. And he was quite the duellist. He wondered if Snape
would attack him if he tried to get into Hogwarts.
Feeling the magic that surrounded the compounds, he stopped, scanning the area with his
senses.
He used a voice direction spell that could transfer a message though buildings into a
defined area without others being able to hear it.
"Snape? I need one of your potions! I need a "Cure All"....Fred Weasley is dying. We
tried everything else..."
He waited in the Darkness. No answer.
He tried again, moving closer and trying to use his skill to avoid the traps he could only
faintly distinguish.
"Snape, you bastard! Give me that potion! Enough have died! Give me that damn "Cure All" or
I will blast you
to next week!"
He knew after using his wand, he would be in danger to get caught. Not that he used his own
wand, they raided various wands on every mission. Those wands were less reliable but they
worked, at least for some time.
*******
Snape sat in a pub, very much like the 'Three Broomsticks' in Hogsmead but it was a small
wizarding community in Ireland, dissecting the other customers. Some of the younger witches
looked expedient for his plans. Luring one of them somewhere was not that hard. With his
less repugnant appearance he could gain enough time to slip a potion into their drinks. He
had enough potions and spells that he could found a Harem if needed. Not that he had use
for that many women.
All those females were at least on the outside faithful followers of Voldemort and the
Malfoys. A picture on the wall showed the esteemed Malfoy clan with a stylish painting of
Voldemort just above them. All smiled happily and full of pride and affection.
A true Witches Weekly. Bile rose in his throat.
He knew exactly what he needed to do. He had to listen closely to all the conversations and
when he found some seemingly appropriate specimen, he would need to chat her up, deposit
some of the potion into her drink and lure her to his room. He would interview her with
vitaserum and then see if she was indeed appropriate. If she was, he would take her to
Hogwarts, with or without her consent. If not, he would admit some Obliviate. Questioned
by anyone he would simply state that he was looking for some distraction. It would only
amuse the Malfoys.
He would lock her up in his dungeons and make her his own special guinea pig until he knew
enough to train the Cat accordingly. Then he would get rid of the specimen and allow his
project to take over her personality and background, ready to be planted into the British
Wizarding community and working her ranks up to the Inner Circle.
He ordered another drink. It was clear that this would take a while.
********
Cat lay on the floor, feeling miserable. She had not realised how much she would miss
"the Professor". Without him she felt strangely lost, afraid and vulnerable. He had never
left her by her own longer than a day, maybe two. But now he was already almost three days
gone and she felt abandoned. What if he would not come back? What if he got caught? What if.....
Pictures flashed up in her brain. She saw herself sitting at a long table, eating with Harry
and Ron. But it seemed so surreal, as if that was another person. The girl that wanted
nothing but books and high marks. No, that was not her, not anymore. She was born when the
other girl she remembered had died. She remembered running away, to the Forbidden Forrest,
away from the screams and the smell and all those deaths. The howling of a man followed her
in her memory. He had gabbed her and thrown her to the floor, ripping her clothes apart
seeking for some amusement before admitting the 'Avada Kedavra' on her. Sometime later,
in a haze of fear and pain, her hand found a stone.... Moments later the Death Eater had
lain immobile on the ground, blood oozing from a gash on the forehead. But it was not enough.
She had taken the stone and hit him, hit him until there was no face left.
Spent she had fallen down to her knees and vomited.
That was the moment the other girl had died. A coward and a murderer, a whore and a mudblood.
using a stone instead of a spell.
Whimpering she crawled into the cupboard, closed the door and huddled in a corner. He would
come back, soon. He would open the door and ask her to come out.
"Snape? I need one of your potions! I need a "Cure All"....Fred Weasley is dying.
We tried everything..."
The strangely transparent voice startled her. She huddled closer into the corner, trying to
cover her ears with her hands. But it was to no avail.
"Snape, you bastard! Give me that potion! Enough have died! Give me that damn "Cure All" or
I will blast you to next week!"
She looked up. The voice demanded a "Cure All". She peeked out of the cupboard, searching
the room. She knew exactly where the potion was. Staggering she came out of the cupboard
and searched the shelves for it. She found the potion and held it in her hand, thinking.
The professor had told her not to come out, not to let anybody see her. But that voice
would not go away. It would try to enter...
Maybe if she gave the voice what it wanted, it would go away. She rushed out of one of the
entrances, the vial clutching in her hand, looking for the voice and murmuring
"He must not see me. The Cat must not be seen."
****
Harry wandered around, trying to find an entrance and feeling more and more annoyed.
He was cursing himself, Snape and the rest of the Wizarding Community of Britain.
Where was Snape? He knew there was no Death Eater Gathering tonight. His spies would have
told him.
So, why did he not come out?
He heard some rustling of leaves and turned around but there was nothing. "Hey, is there
somebody?" No answer came.
He tried to look closer and suddenly in the corner of his eyes he saw a shadow, rushing away.
"Hey!" He turned and lifted his wand.
But there was no sign of anybody. Annoyed he murmured "Only a cat."
The rustling came again but from a different direction. He turned again and ran, in order
to catch the cat or whatever it was that was making those noises. When he turned some twigs
away from the trunk of an old tree,he suddenly saw a vial. He recognised it immediately.
It was a "Cure All!"
Grabbing the potion he turned to the bushes and stared into them. Who was it? Maybe a house
elf? Or some kind of trained animal? Or was Snape able to hide in the bushes like a cat?
So many questions but Snape had always been an enigma.
"Thanks!" was all he could say and then turn to get back to his people.
*****
Cat rushed though the darkness, her feet bare to make as little sound as possible. She could
see the silhouette of the man, standing in the darkness. When she crawled nearer, the
silhouette became faintly familiar.
A tall, well muscled young wizard with dark hair and glasses. For a moment her feet slipped
as her mind added a name to the memory.
Harry, this was her friend Harry!
A part of her wanted to jump up and run to him. Hug him, crying and holding on.
"Hey, is there somebody?"
The Cat shuddered. The voice held so much anger. A demanding voice, a voice like Malfoy. A voice of a leader.
Harry would not like her. She had betrayed him, she had run away.
She was not his friend anymore.
She had betrayed his friendship, she was dead.
She ran to get a better cover.
Huddled in some bushes, she held the vial close to her chest as if seeking warmth from an
inanimate object.
But he must have caught the movement in the corner of his eyes.
"Hey!" He turned and lifted his wand. Cat froze for a second but then she put the vial
down where she sat and hurried back into the darkness. She knew the wards, she knew how to
get around them. The Professor was a good teacher.
While she vanished into the darkness she could hear the last words Harry muttered under his
breath.
"Only a cat."
Tears filled her eyes. Yes, Harry was right...She was only a cat.
TBC.....