Chapter 4
The Portkey
By the time Quiddich tryouts came, she was ready. She got her broom, wore blue robes, and put on Quiddich equipment that she had bought at the Leaky Cauldron. She was ready. She knew she was.
When she got to the field, only five players were on the team. Two seventh years had left. Both were chasers.
"Aime, you're first. We're going to have you try and shoot a few times. Just try and do your best to score," said Sara Jones. She was the captain and keeper for the team.
"Okay, thanks Sara."
Aime mounted her broom with the quaffle and easily scored all her shots even while the keeper was guarding the goal posts.
"Wow, Aime! Nice job. After killing an ogre, that was simple, right?"
"I didn't exactly kill it. I just-turned it into an owl."
"Same thing, Aime. Jeff, you're next." She pointed to a tall fifth year boy.
Jeff turned out to miss two shots. Aime was in the lead. By the end of the tryouts, Aime was top scorer and she was so happy, she couldn't believe it.
But something made her think about Ravens. What were they? Why were they thought of as worthless? And how did Duckly know she was one?
"Well, Aime, you're in! You're our new chaser. We will meet when I tell you. Let me make a schedule for practices. Oh, we are so going to win this year!" Sara said.
Aime went up to the dorms to tell the Chong twins about her good fortune. She was the new chaser!
Eric and James were in the lobby. Aime went to tell them the good news.
"Aime, you did it? That's awesome!" Eric said.
"Wow, not many first years make it on the team. I've heard that in England, it's very hard to become a player as a first year. Harry Potter was a first year seeker."
"Yeah, I've heard of him. He's in so many books. And to think how he's actually escaped Voldemort four times! I've heard he's a fifth year at Hogwarts now," Aime said.
"You just found out you're a witch a few weeks ago and you already know about Harry Potter?" May asked.
"Of course! Everyone does! Let me get my hat, and we can go to lunch," Aime said.
"Sure thing, Aime."
Aime went upstairs. May and April followed to get their wands. But then, Aime saw something.
"My hat, where's my hat?"
"Aime, no one comes in here except first year girls."
"Well Violette didn't steal it, did she?"
"She isn't the type. She's like April here, never even talking," May said.
"Well someone took it. This place is a mess! Someone really wanted my hat."
There were pieces of parchment on the floor. May's ink had been spilled all over her nightstand. Aime's robes were out of order, and her black hat was on its side.
"We'll find it. Or you can use a summoning spell."
"No, I don't know the proper words. Plus, I don't want to summon my hat when anyone could catch it and hold onto it. My spell would be intercepted. Either that or it would run into a door. I'll just ask around."
They went to lunch, but Professor Readen wasn't there. Aime didn't know why, but it didn't seem to be a good time to have the professor away during lunch. She was edgy all through the rest of the day. They played wizard's chess, but Aime kept thinking about who took her hat. Sure, it wasn't like the world would end if she didn't have her hat, but something seemed wrong with this picture.
When Aime was going down the stairs, she saw her hat. It was lying in the middle of a hallway. Aime kneeled beside it and picked it up.
The world was spinning around her. She felt like she was being pulled forward. When she stopped spinning, she fell on her back and nearly blacked out. Her hat was a portkey.
When she got back up, she was in a swamp. Her robes were clinging to her legs. She felt heavy with all the water in her clothes. She walked to a tree and leaned on it for support.
Where was she? How would she get back to school?
Then she heard a voice-a terrible cold voice. She turned around to see a man with snake-like eyes peering at her. She was stunned.
"What did you say?" Aime asked.
"How did you do the things you've done?"
"I-I don't know. Who are you.you seem familiar."
"I am the greatest sorcerer in the world-greater than Salazar Slytherin himself!"
"You-your Voldemort! What do you want with me?" Aime asked.
"You fear not my name. How brave of you. Well, you are going to help me get Harry Potter. You will help me."
"What? No! I won't help the worst wizard in the world!"
"As I see it, you have no choice."
"But, why me?"
"Because, you are the only person in the world who has succeeded in performing a spell without teaching. You are powerful, Larks. Too powerful. So, I will give you a choice. You may die here, now, or you may give me Harry Potter. Then, you will live. But, it ends here. Die-or give me Potter?" Voldemort said.
"Neither!" Aime yelled. She took her wand and yelled, "EXPELLIO!"
Voldemort was thrown back into a tree. Aime was running. She ran behind a tree, thought hard, and was ready. Voldemort would most likely curse her- yell, "CRUCIO," and torture her. She had to hurry, but she didn't know how quickly a first year could apparate. It may take minutes. She thought hard and then cast her spell.
"Apparacio Toethrilles!" She yelled.
"Crucio!" Voldemort yelled.
Aime gritted her teeth through the immense pain of the unforgivable curse. She tried to concentrate, but it was taking too long to apperate. Any moment, Voldemort would have his wand against her, ready to kill her. She finally disapperated and apperated far from the swamp-at Toethrilles.
"Ahhh!" She was screaming.
Other people saw he and ran towards her. Among them was James.
"She's been hit with an unforgivable curse! Someone get Readen!"
"I'm already here. James, get Aime to the nurse. I'll be there soon. Tell Nurse Johnson that I want to speak with Aime. I don't want to talk to a girl having dreamless sleep."
"Yes sir."
James picked up Aime and carried her to the nurse. He met the twins and Eric in a hallway, and together, they brought her to the hospital wing.
"Oh, my! An unforgivable curse? She's in horrible condition. Lie her down. I'll prepare a potion."
"Nurse, Readen wants to talk to her first."
"Well, I expected that. Just help her into a bed."
"Voldemort." Aime muttered.
"It was You-Know-Who?" asked May.
April gasped.
Eric spoke up now. He brushed his green hair back and said, "Aime, what happened?"
"Readen will-want to hear."
Just then, Readen burst into the hospital wing. He looked worried.
"What happened?"
Aime sat up as best she could and began, "My hat was a-a portkey. I picked it up and was in a swamp.Voldemort told me he wanted Harry Potter. He was going to kill me if I didn't help him get Harry. He said I was too powerful and.I hit him with a curse. I hid, and he used an unforgivable curse on me as I apperated here."
"You apperated?"
"Yes."
"You need rest. I will inform the Ministry what has happened. Pamela, please give Aime a dreamless sleep potion."
Nurse Johnson nodded and got to work.
"Aime, I-" Eric began.
"She needs rest. Come back tomorrow to see her," Nurse Johnson said.
"Sure."
"Okay."
"Guys, bring parchment and Vapor. I need to send an owl tomorrow."
They said bye and left Aime to sleep. She didn't have any dreams, to her joy.
By the time Quiddich tryouts came, she was ready. She got her broom, wore blue robes, and put on Quiddich equipment that she had bought at the Leaky Cauldron. She was ready. She knew she was.
When she got to the field, only five players were on the team. Two seventh years had left. Both were chasers.
"Aime, you're first. We're going to have you try and shoot a few times. Just try and do your best to score," said Sara Jones. She was the captain and keeper for the team.
"Okay, thanks Sara."
Aime mounted her broom with the quaffle and easily scored all her shots even while the keeper was guarding the goal posts.
"Wow, Aime! Nice job. After killing an ogre, that was simple, right?"
"I didn't exactly kill it. I just-turned it into an owl."
"Same thing, Aime. Jeff, you're next." She pointed to a tall fifth year boy.
Jeff turned out to miss two shots. Aime was in the lead. By the end of the tryouts, Aime was top scorer and she was so happy, she couldn't believe it.
But something made her think about Ravens. What were they? Why were they thought of as worthless? And how did Duckly know she was one?
"Well, Aime, you're in! You're our new chaser. We will meet when I tell you. Let me make a schedule for practices. Oh, we are so going to win this year!" Sara said.
Aime went up to the dorms to tell the Chong twins about her good fortune. She was the new chaser!
Eric and James were in the lobby. Aime went to tell them the good news.
"Aime, you did it? That's awesome!" Eric said.
"Wow, not many first years make it on the team. I've heard that in England, it's very hard to become a player as a first year. Harry Potter was a first year seeker."
"Yeah, I've heard of him. He's in so many books. And to think how he's actually escaped Voldemort four times! I've heard he's a fifth year at Hogwarts now," Aime said.
"You just found out you're a witch a few weeks ago and you already know about Harry Potter?" May asked.
"Of course! Everyone does! Let me get my hat, and we can go to lunch," Aime said.
"Sure thing, Aime."
Aime went upstairs. May and April followed to get their wands. But then, Aime saw something.
"My hat, where's my hat?"
"Aime, no one comes in here except first year girls."
"Well Violette didn't steal it, did she?"
"She isn't the type. She's like April here, never even talking," May said.
"Well someone took it. This place is a mess! Someone really wanted my hat."
There were pieces of parchment on the floor. May's ink had been spilled all over her nightstand. Aime's robes were out of order, and her black hat was on its side.
"We'll find it. Or you can use a summoning spell."
"No, I don't know the proper words. Plus, I don't want to summon my hat when anyone could catch it and hold onto it. My spell would be intercepted. Either that or it would run into a door. I'll just ask around."
They went to lunch, but Professor Readen wasn't there. Aime didn't know why, but it didn't seem to be a good time to have the professor away during lunch. She was edgy all through the rest of the day. They played wizard's chess, but Aime kept thinking about who took her hat. Sure, it wasn't like the world would end if she didn't have her hat, but something seemed wrong with this picture.
When Aime was going down the stairs, she saw her hat. It was lying in the middle of a hallway. Aime kneeled beside it and picked it up.
The world was spinning around her. She felt like she was being pulled forward. When she stopped spinning, she fell on her back and nearly blacked out. Her hat was a portkey.
When she got back up, she was in a swamp. Her robes were clinging to her legs. She felt heavy with all the water in her clothes. She walked to a tree and leaned on it for support.
Where was she? How would she get back to school?
Then she heard a voice-a terrible cold voice. She turned around to see a man with snake-like eyes peering at her. She was stunned.
"What did you say?" Aime asked.
"How did you do the things you've done?"
"I-I don't know. Who are you.you seem familiar."
"I am the greatest sorcerer in the world-greater than Salazar Slytherin himself!"
"You-your Voldemort! What do you want with me?" Aime asked.
"You fear not my name. How brave of you. Well, you are going to help me get Harry Potter. You will help me."
"What? No! I won't help the worst wizard in the world!"
"As I see it, you have no choice."
"But, why me?"
"Because, you are the only person in the world who has succeeded in performing a spell without teaching. You are powerful, Larks. Too powerful. So, I will give you a choice. You may die here, now, or you may give me Harry Potter. Then, you will live. But, it ends here. Die-or give me Potter?" Voldemort said.
"Neither!" Aime yelled. She took her wand and yelled, "EXPELLIO!"
Voldemort was thrown back into a tree. Aime was running. She ran behind a tree, thought hard, and was ready. Voldemort would most likely curse her- yell, "CRUCIO," and torture her. She had to hurry, but she didn't know how quickly a first year could apparate. It may take minutes. She thought hard and then cast her spell.
"Apparacio Toethrilles!" She yelled.
"Crucio!" Voldemort yelled.
Aime gritted her teeth through the immense pain of the unforgivable curse. She tried to concentrate, but it was taking too long to apperate. Any moment, Voldemort would have his wand against her, ready to kill her. She finally disapperated and apperated far from the swamp-at Toethrilles.
"Ahhh!" She was screaming.
Other people saw he and ran towards her. Among them was James.
"She's been hit with an unforgivable curse! Someone get Readen!"
"I'm already here. James, get Aime to the nurse. I'll be there soon. Tell Nurse Johnson that I want to speak with Aime. I don't want to talk to a girl having dreamless sleep."
"Yes sir."
James picked up Aime and carried her to the nurse. He met the twins and Eric in a hallway, and together, they brought her to the hospital wing.
"Oh, my! An unforgivable curse? She's in horrible condition. Lie her down. I'll prepare a potion."
"Nurse, Readen wants to talk to her first."
"Well, I expected that. Just help her into a bed."
"Voldemort." Aime muttered.
"It was You-Know-Who?" asked May.
April gasped.
Eric spoke up now. He brushed his green hair back and said, "Aime, what happened?"
"Readen will-want to hear."
Just then, Readen burst into the hospital wing. He looked worried.
"What happened?"
Aime sat up as best she could and began, "My hat was a-a portkey. I picked it up and was in a swamp.Voldemort told me he wanted Harry Potter. He was going to kill me if I didn't help him get Harry. He said I was too powerful and.I hit him with a curse. I hid, and he used an unforgivable curse on me as I apperated here."
"You apperated?"
"Yes."
"You need rest. I will inform the Ministry what has happened. Pamela, please give Aime a dreamless sleep potion."
Nurse Johnson nodded and got to work.
"Aime, I-" Eric began.
"She needs rest. Come back tomorrow to see her," Nurse Johnson said.
"Sure."
"Okay."
"Guys, bring parchment and Vapor. I need to send an owl tomorrow."
They said bye and left Aime to sleep. She didn't have any dreams, to her joy.