Hokey-dokey. Here be the next chapter. (Sigh, only four months out of school and my English is failing already…) Yes, yes, they are slow in coming, and I swear the rest is almost completed, except for a few…coughplotholescough. Never fear, though, they will be filled with what I hope to be some rather interesting cement in the very near future. If that didn't make a lick of sense, then, by all means, just skip to the actual story and ignore all that above the solid line below. M'kay? 'kay. ~8]
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Disclaimers: I don't own them. Honestly. Because if I did, then the next movie would have been released yesterday, not two months from now. What's that? You haven't seen it yet because it hasn't been released? My point exactly ~8]
Chapter 21: Decisions
It wasn't until they were safely hidden from the prying eyes and ears of Snape, Filch, and (possibly the worst of the lot) Mrs. Norris, did Hermione think it was safe to speak aloud once again. When she felt she could do so without a waver to her voice, she turned to Ron in the dimly lit corridor they had hunkered down in.
"What…what should we do?" the young witch asked quietly, her eyes looking pointedly at the Map.
Eyes still perfectly round in shock, Ron shook his head slowly. "I-I don't know. I mean, how do we know it really isn't him? If we get the teachers involved, it'll probably be days before any of them could agree on what to do about it. I mean, we've come this far without their help, right?"
Hermione nodded with a slight smile, quite pleased with what they'd accomplished in the past few days. "Right. And I'm sure Dumbledore doesn't need something else on his hands at the moment…"
"Exactly." Ron gave his wand a harsh squeeze, his eyes narrowing as he stared at the Map. "We owe it to Harry, we do," he said quietly.
"We do."
Ron chewed his lower lip contemplatively for a moment as he considered a plan of action. If they were going to set about doing this themselves, then they had better do it right…He snapped out of his reverie, startling Hermione a bit.
"Alright, here's what we'll do," the red-haired Gryffindor began, "First, we sneak into the dormitories and grab Harry's Invisibility Cloak from underneath my bed. I stashed it there earlier after we found it in the History classroom."
Hermione nodded enthusiastically in agreement. "That's an excellent idea. We're certainly going to need it later on."
"And then second," Ron continued with a sigh, "…well, secondly I guess we'll cross our fingers, cross our toes, and follow that bastard wherever he goes."
Hermione gave a soft chuckle, shaking her head slightly. "Couldn't have said it better myself, Ron." Standing up from her crouching position, she turned to check the safety of the nearest hallway. Assured that it was clear and free of unwanted obstacles, Hermione clutched her wand in hand. "Alright, then," she said softly upon giving a small nod to Ron, "let's have at it, shall we?"
His heart thumping madly in his chest, Ron returned her nod.
"We shall."
* * * * * *
Amongst his friends at the nightly Dinner Banquet, Harry Potter laughed loudly alongside Ron at the embarrassing dream that Hermione had just finished telling them about.
"That's the best I've ever heard, Hermione," Harry said to her once their laughter had died down, "but, honestly, you should hear the nightmare I had the other night--"
Harry was quite disturbed to find that someone, probably Malfoy, the little git, had begun hissing in his ear as began telling his story to his friends. It wasn't the soft, almost comforting sound of 'white noise' as he'd often heard from his cousin's television set when his favorite program had been temporarily knocked off the air, but one of a harsh and disturbing nature…
Harry's eyes snapped open in the darkness of his cell, awakened by the constant noise. A voice quickly brought him into the present.
"Hello again, little one. Did you missss me?"
As two crimson eyes suddenly flashed in the darkness, Harry determined his nightmare to be quite real indeed.
Stifling a startled gasp, Harry addressed the reptile in Parseltongue. "Nagini. Why are you here?"
The treacherous snake tsked softly, its glossy body slithering closer to Harry across the smooth floor.
"Don't you remember? I promised I'd be back. Or don't you trussst me?"
It's called a 'snake' for a reason…Refusing to take the bait, Harry shifted uncomfortably. "Kill me and Voldemort will have your head."
"Who said I wanted to kill you? I just thought we'd have a little fun together before you're sacrificed for the greater good of our kind," Nagini explained in a tone reeking of false innocence.
"Your kind? And who would that be?" Harry spat angrily. "Cowardly butcherers of the unarmed and the meek in the name of 'Madman Voldemort'--?"
A loud hiss interrupted Harry's tirade. "Watch your tongue, boy, or I'll take extreme pleasure in biting it off for you."
Threatening the boy with a flash of its bared fangs, Nagini slithered underneath his crooked knee to come up between his legs, languidly winding itself around Harry's waist as he gave a slight shudder. The young wizard had squeezed his eyes shut as he attempted to control his breathing, trying his best not to panic as the serpent made its way across his trembling chest.
Nagini caught a glance of Harry's expression before it slid around to the back of his neck, softly hissing in satisfaction of the terror it had caused to well up in its playmate. The large snake then rested his head atop Harry's shoulder, flicking its tongue and issuing a long hiss mere inches from his ear. When it noticed the boy sharply intake a breath did Nagini quickly contract its body, all but squeezing the air from Harry. Harry gasped loudly, his eyes snapping open to look askance at his tormentor.
"You bloody little…bastard--" Cut short, the young man released a strangled cry as the venomous reptile squeezed harder, so that the edges of Harry's vision began to redden.
"Language, Potter," Nagini chastised before relaxing its muscles and its crushing hold. Harry breathed in quickly, lest the snake choose to 'surprise' him again. He then felt Nagini's head lift from his shoulder, circling around in an arc to meet him face to face.
Fiery red eyes met those of jade, and without warning the serpent flicked its tongue across Harry's scar, causing him to jerk his head violently. "Tender, are we?" Nagini taunted before another flicker of the forked tongue got the Dark Lord's pet a taste of Harry's blood. Nagini sampled it as had its master before making his declaration.
"Fresssssh."
That single act left Harry feeling more violated and enraged than he had since his arrival, and turned his head slightly to angrily hiss at the serpent in Parseltongue.
"Don't touch me!" yelled Harry through clenched teeth, and although his eyes flashed dangerously at the serpent snaked around him, a thin stream of tears born of anger and frustration had managed to leak out. He wouldn't be able to mask his terror for long.
Nagini replied by hinging its jaw open as wide as possible, baring glistening fangs as it released a loud and furious hiss from the back of its throat. It then drew back before suddenly lunging forward, snapping its jaws closed a mere finger's breadth away from the tip of Harry's nose.
Although Harry didn't so much as bat his widened eyes, the serpent gave another short hiss of satisfaction as it noted the increased flow of tears that slid down the boy's face.
"You don't fool me, boy," Nagini hissed quietly, "I can see quite clearly through your façade. You may act brave like the wretched Gryffindor you are, or were, I should say, but don't think I can't feel you trembling with fear beneath me."
The snake paused for a moment, leering at Harry. "Or, are you trembling because you're enjoying this as much as I?"
As Nagini flicked its tongue to have another taste of the blood which ran in a thin line from Harry's scar, the young wizard violently flinched to the side before the snake could make contact.
"I said no!" Harry yelled furiously, only to be rewarded with the snake's crushing weight coiling around him tightly as before.
"Hold ssstill, damn you!"
Harry gasped for breath as he vainly struggled to wrench himself free of the serpent's grip, doing its best to crush the life from him before he could have his last dance with Voldemort.
Nagini only tightened its coils painfully as it hissed menacingly into Harry's ear. "If you don't behave, whelp, then I'll summon a Death Eater in here to hold you down whilst I demonstrate my ability to wriggle my way into some pretty 'tight' situations!" A loud whimper escaped Harry at the serpent's insinuation, and a new fear instantly gripped hold of him. He stiffened as a wave of nausea immediately swept over him, causing Harry to vapor lock in the process.
As Harry's vision began to blur from lack of oxygen, he for no apparent reason thought back to all those times he had caused magic to stir within the Dursley household without a wand or similar conduit to focus his energy. The same anger and frustration he felt now rivaled that he oftentimes experienced while living amongst Vernon's brood. With that realization in mind, Harry focused his most malevolent of thoughts towards Nagini, in hopes that something would break the surging dam of energy that coursed through his body. To be honest, Harry wasn't sure if it was energy or unbridled hatred that flowed through his veins, but nevertheless, something gave.
Harry was pulled forward slightly as Nagini's head jerked back, and the reptile released a loud and sudden hiss of pain. The young wizard watched in surprise and curiosity as Nagini's head hung limply, its body uncoiling somewhat. Sucking in a great lungful of air did Harry note the serpent's glazed eyes narrow before it spoke. "That hurt, Potter," it hissed quietly, but before Harry could fully comprehend what had happened his thoughts were interrupted by the slow creak of the cell door as it was pushed open by the Death Eater standing guard.
"Come, Nagini," the guard ordered in Parseltongue, "Lord Voldemort wishes to speak with you."
Nagini twisted his head around angrily, hissing for effect. "Now?"
"Yes, now." The Death Eater's tone indicated that he didn't wish to be on the receiving end of Voldemort's wand when he returned sans his beloved pet.
Turning once more to Harry, Nagini slowly looked him over a few times, muttering, "Decisions, decisions…"
"Nagini--" The snake whipped its head around angrily, glowering at the impatient Death Eater.
"I said that I'm coming!" Then, emitting what sounded to Harry like a sigh, the serpent uncoiled itself ever so slowly, relishing its last moments with its playmate. It then slid across the floor dejectedly, muttering, "Another time, perhaps."
An instant after Nagini's tail slithered through the remaining crack in the door, it was slammed shut again, the brief glimpse of light gone for what Harry feared wasn't to be long at all. He released a shuddering breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, and the rush of air that left his body seemed to deflate him entirely of any sense of false bravado he'd had only moments before. Suddenly light-headed from his unconventional use of magic, Harry thumped his head back against the wall, and feeling the blood from his scar trickling down his cheek, he wiped at it gingerly. He paused, bringing blood-slicked fingertips closer to his face.
His hand had yet to quit shaking.
The longer Harry stared at it, the more it appeared to him the representation of all that he had been subjected to in the last week. Fetched from what all assumed was one of the safest places for Harry to be, he had been brought into what he could only think of as another, yet seemingly undiscovered circle of Hell, were there such a place. He vaguely wondered where the monstrous demons with hot, prodding pokers that his aunt and uncle spoke frequently of were supposed to be, but considered Voldemort and his wand a thoroughly complete representation of what many Muggles had long-feared, but never seen.
And Nagini. Nagini had threatened to…
Blocking the horrific thought from his mind, Harry brought his knees to his chest again, resting the elbow of the trembling arm atop his kneecap. He then haltingly ran the offending hand through his hair, streaking the wet crimson stains through his jet black strands. Head nestled against the crook of his elbow, Harry silently let the tears continue to flow uninterrupted down his face, leaving his eyes open lest he again fall asleep through what might be his last few moments alive.
* * * * * *
Even though the rest of the teaching staff was trying their best not to appear as chickens running about with their heads cut off as they attempted to quell the rumors of the students who were (supposed to be) sleeping, Albus Dumbledore sat quietly at his desk, the epitome of calmness, the eye of the storm. Appearances, however, could be deceiving.
The headmaster stood from his desk to gaze out the tall paned-glass window behind him, turning his eyes to the twinkling and pulsating stars visible in the blackened sky. He was in the middle of extracting the importance of the night's planetary configuration when quite suddenly did the fireplace on the opposite side of the room erupt, and out stepped a figure, unharmed, from the blazing embers.
Mars is in the fifth house…
With a sigh directed towards the heavens, Dumbledore didn't even turn to face his Floo-powder transported guest. He knew who it was.
"You came," Albus said matter-of-factly, not bothering to hide the slight tone of surprise to his words.
"As soon as I could upon receiving your post," the visitor replied rather indignantly. "What kind of person do you take me for--"
…and Jupiter seems to be out of alignment…
Holding his own tongue, Dumbledore interrupted his guest with a wave of his hand, motioning towards the empty chair positioned in front of his desk as he continued to study constellations and the like. "Have a seat, won't you? I'd advise you to make yourself comfortable. We've got ourselves quite a bit to discuss--"
The man had scarcely sat down when he just as soon jumped to his feet in disbelief. "Discuss? There is nothing to discuss, Albus, nothing. As far as you're concerned, I was never here to begin with. Now quit wasting my time and tell me where he is!"
Casually looking askance over his shoulder at the other man, the Headmaster ever so slightly narrowed his eyes. "I should ask you the same thing, Lucius."
The hardened eyes of Lucius Malfoy bored into those of the Headmaster, whose were visible only for a brief second before he turned back towards the paned glass.
"Isn't blackmail a bit beneath you, Albus?" he asked harshly.
Though his expression was hidden from the other man, Albus emitted a sound which sounded to Lucius much like a chuckle.
…with an eclipse on the horizon?
"Blackmail, Lucius? Wherever did you get such a foolish idea?" Without turning could Dumbledore watch for the slightest change in his guest's facial expression, shifting his eyes from the night sky to focus on that being reflected behind him in the mirror-like glass of the window panes. To his surprise there wasn't any, but only because Lucius was hiding his emotions well at that particular moment. "I simply owled a letter to inform you of your son's disappearance," Dumbledore continued, "He's resting, by the way, in an Infirmary bed. He was discovered not long ago by friends of Mr. Potter, incidentally. Go and see him; there is nothing to stand in your way."
Lucius snorted derisively. "Except my conscience, right, Albus?" When the Headmaster didn't answer, Malfoy turned from his chair angrily as he began to storm out of the suddenly confining office. "I won't stand for any of this! Potter is of no concern of mine, you Muggle-loving old fool--"
In one fluid motion did Dumbledore whirl away from the window, his robes repeating the motion to billow around him as he thumped his fists upon the desk, eyes unnaturally cold and hard. "Sit down, Mr. Malfoy. I will not be insulted in my own office!"
Lucius all but stumbled backwards into the empty chair in front of the enraged Headmaster's desk, his visage more hardened than the younger wizard had seen in years. He vaguely wondered if his son had ever listened to those same words come from Dumbledore's mouth, perhaps sitting in the same chair as he. Lucius couldn't help but smile internally at the thought.
"We've another guest coming to join us, Lucius," Dumbledore said quite calmly as he instantly regained his composure, busying himself as he fixed a pot of chamomile tea, "so I would appreciate it if you wouldn't mind staying a bit longer."
Lucius watched his old headmaster curiously with a raised eyebrow as the older wizard walked from one side of the room to the other, fetching a pot of tea in one hand and a mortar full of fresh herbs in the other. Not a trace of the livid man Lucius had encountered a moment ago remained. Before he could think any further on it, Dumbledore suddenly stopped his process of tea-making and turned towards the office door.
"Please, come in. We've been expecting you," Lucius heard Albus address to no one in particular, since there never had been an audible knock on the door. Lucius turned just as the thick oaken panel swung open briefly, and was quite surprised at the appearance of the Headmaster's visitor.
"Severus," he welcomed with an icy smile, as the door clicked soundly behind his former colleague.
It wasn't until he turned did Snape hear the oily voice of the Death Eater.
"Oh, good," the Potions Master replied with disdain, ignoring the Headmaster momentarily as he glared at the venomous smile of the man he had long ago learned to hate, "I see you haven't started the tea party without me."
"Please, Severus," spoke Albus with the slightest hint of forewarning, again waving a hand as he motioned the younger man towards the nearest chair. Taking his own, Dumbledore then looked pointedly into the eyes of the seated men before restating his earlier claim.
"Gentlemen," he sighed tiredly, "we've much to discuss."
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Ooohh…interesting. Whatever will happen next? And how did that naughty snake get in there?
::Shrugs Shoulders:: Well, don't look at me, ask the auth--ooohhh. I get it…I'll get to work filling those plotholes now…
Meanwhile, enjoy these brief author's notes!
The Countess de Bathory: Okay, this vague reference has been hangin' around for quite a few chapters now. Nothin' special, just thought I'd throw her in for a good measure of creepiness. See, back in the day (the early 17th century, to be exact), this Hungarian chick named Erzsebet (Elizabeth) Bathory had this nasty habit of torturing and then murdering over 600 women and young girls (virgins at first, I believe, and when they ran out she took whoever she could find) so that she could bathe in their blood. Why? Well, seems she got this wacky idea that their blood made her skin look younger and the essence of perfection, earning her the nickname "The Blood Countess" and causing her to be the inspiration for Bram Stoker's Dracula. Was she the inspiration for this story? Heck, nah. Caffeine was.
Planetary Alignments: Surprise, surprise, I B.S.'d my way through that little plot device. Does it mean anything? Well…no. But it sure interested Dumbledore. And as long as someone affiliated with this story knows what's going on, then that's all that matters, doesn't it? Uh…yes.
Wow, that was brief and potentially yet incredibly non-informative. Anyhoo, until the next chapter, feast your eyes on the ever-elongating list of "The Bold and the Beautiful!"
Rolllllll Calllllll: Lady Foxfire! Raven! Allocin! Loopy! The Female Vampire Lestat! Tarawen! Iris! Zahrah Thomson-Radcliffe! Guess! Beccy! Amerkat! Mouse! Lili! Lady of Arundel! ArchArtist/Writer! Breea! Lassy D! Kim! Urania! Quoth the Raven! Melanie! Katma! Mel! Stonehenge! Agent 99! SiriusBPadfoot! Oceansun! Joey! AANNNDDD Psychochick! Yay!! You are the Squirrel Nut Zippers (they're really candies, I swear it!) which feed the monster of creativity within my soul! ~8]