A/N: This thing is pickin' up, isn' it...! I love it! *tee hee* This is fun! A little Clue here, a little clue there.. It's great!
I just got the third book of Angelic Layer today! It's great! I hope Misaki can beat Sai! GO MISAKICHI!
I went to The Ring website and saw some really tripped out stuff on there... Just look up "The Ring" on google.com the way I have it written right here...
Chapter Twenty-Two
Harry woke up in the middle of the night to a strange sound. He walked to his trunk and listened. It was coming from inside of it. He opened the trunk and found the source. It was the pocket sneakoscope that Ron had given him in his fourth year. He wondered, briefly, why it was sounding off.
He put it back and closed the trunk. He ruffled his hair in confusion. "I need to get that thing fixed..." he muttered.
He yawned and walked to the door. He walked down the stairs, listening to his own heart beat and the sound of many people sleeping. He wished that he could sleep.
He walked into the common room and sat down in the chair in front of the fire. It was a warm feeling that spread through him. He closed his eyes and enjoyed it.
"You don't sleep..." said a soft voice.
Harry opened his eyes and saw Avalon sitting in front of the fire, her long black hair swirled around her and onto the floor. She had her knees to her chest and her black eyes stared at the fire, never once glancing at him. "Avalon... why are you awake?"
"I can't sleep... I never sleep..." she said in a hushed tone. "If I do, then he wins..."
Harry tried to process this. "What are you talking about..."
"If I close my eyes just briefly, then he wins..." Avalon said. She was rocking back and forth in her spot anxiously. "I close my eyes, then I admit defeat..."
"What are you talking about... are you in some kind of staring contest?" Harry said. His sleep deprived brain couldn't process what she was saying. It was beginning to make his head hurt.
Her head whipped around and her eyes bored into him. He felt himself sink into her eyes. He felt himself slowly engulfed by their flames. Then, he hit ground.
He glanced around and found himself to be outside. "The lion roars for the one.... He is the number you search for..." said a voice that wasn't Avalon's.
Harry stared up at the speaker. It was Astra, but it wasn't. She was much older in appearance. She looked to be in her thirties. She wore silver robes that almost matched her hair. "Look for the lion... he will die for the purpose. HE is waiting for the final blow. HE is waiting for you, Harry..." she said to him.
She touched his forehead with a hand and he felt himself disappear into the air. He fell to the ground again. He opened up his eyes and found himself by the lake. He shook his head to regain himself. "What is happening..." he muttered.
Then, He saw Avalon in a long black Gothic dress that swept the ground. Her waist length hair cascaded around her in waves. Her black eyes bored into him with a fiery intensity. "The countdown is almost done, Harry...."
"Wha? I know that, but we don't know who the final person is..." Harry growled.
"The Omega Time is nearing..." Avalon said with a voice that seemed to intensify her eyes. "Be ready...." Then,... Harry woke up....
Harry yawned as he tried to eat breakfast. "I heard you yelp in your sleep, Harry... what have you been dreaming that wakes you up like that?" Neville said from a little ways down the table.
Harry yawned again. "You know what? I don't honestly know... I can't remember..."
"What are we going to do about herbology without Professor Sprout?" said Seamus.
"I was wondering if I could come back as the herbology professor...." said Neville as he munched on some sausage.
Ron nearly choked on his milk. "Professor!"
"Yeah... I like herbology and it only takes knowledge to really do it... not magic..." Neville's ears went pink. He was a bumbling idiot when it came to magic.
"And I think you will make a grand professor, Neville..." said Hermione as she stuck her tongue out at Ron. Ron stuck his out at her and they glared at eachother. Harry laughed. It was normal.
Ginny sat down on the other side of Harry. He smiled down at her and kissed her cheek. She kissed his cheek and then put some food on her plate. "I had a wonderful dream last night!" she said cheerfully. "It had you in it, Harry..." she said as she gave him a sly grin.
Harry felt the heat rise in his cheeks. He gulped and smiled. "Really... what was I doing?"
Astra watched as Ginny leaned over and whispered something into Harry's ear. His face went as red as Ginny's hair. She giggled when she pulled back. Astra stifled her laughter at the two and shook her head.
Astra felt a twinge in her head again. She had been getting them since the had figured out that they were dealing with a countdown. It was beginning to bother her. "Are you alright, Astra?" asked Nevaeh, who was siting next to her.
"Yeah... I'm fine... but I keep getting these damned small headaches every couple of days." she said. Instinctively, she clamped her hand on her star pendant.
"What're you doing, Astra? Is something wrong with your necklace?" asked Harry.
Astra lifted her hand and looked down at the pendent. It was glowing from the light hitting it. "I uh... I don't know..."
Harry thought about Astra for a moment. She looked a bit like she was defending the necklace from something. Draco came up with a book in his hand and a pair of glasses on his nose.
"You've got to be joking...." said Harry.
Draco glanced up. "Excuse me?"
"What are you doing, Draco..." said Ron. "The glasses, the book..."
"What... I can't read a book every now and then?" he said with an innocent smile.
He sat down on the other side of Astra and took off his glasses. He set them on the book and began putting food on his plate. He was grumbling a little bit as he ate.
"What are you up to with those glasses, goat-boy..." Astra said as she picked them up.
Draco snatched them away from her. She raised an eyebrow and grinned madly. "Get outta here... you actually need them!"
"Draco needs glasses?!" Ron sputtered.
Draco's cheeks had turned a shade of hot pink. "It's none of your business, Weasley... or you Potter..." he growled.
Astra snatched them from his clutches. She peered through them as she kept Draco away from them. "Give them back!" he growled.
She had her foot on his chest as she looked them over. "I see... Vogue eyewear.. VERY expensive eyewear you've got... silver rimmed... very small lenses... and..", stopped suddenly and smiled, "Yer shittin' me..."
"Give them back, Astra or I'll--"
"Oh you'll do nuthin', goat-boy.." she said with a wide grin, her foot still firmly planted on his chest. "Yer far sighted...."
He grabbed them from her finally. He put them on the book and glared at her. "Only a little bit..." He glared at Harry and Ron. "There now... Happy?! I'm far sighted... I need these stupid glasses!"
"Ah, quitcher bitchin'...." Astra said. "You ain't the only one to need glasses at some point. I'm just a teensie bit near sighted, so I wear these, 'kay?" she indicated her glasses.
"I'm the same..." Harry indicated his glasses with a smile. He felt kind of weird trying to make Draco feel better about needing glasses. Draco looked a little bit satisfied.
"No one in my family needs glasses, why is it that I do..." he growled.
"Well... you can always get surgery done to them to correct them...." said Hermione.
"Nah... if he doesn't need them all that much, then it isn't as bad as that!" Astra said as she kissed Draco's cheek.
"I only need them when I'm reading something like this..." he said as he indicated the book.
"Then, he doesn't need them all the time and I can enjoy those ice like eyes of his!" Astra giggled. Draco smiled a quick smile and went back to eating.
After Potions, Harry went back to the dormitories to put his books away. He saw Colin's scrapbook on his bed. He walked over to it and sat down on his bed. He opened the book and looked through it. He saw some pictures of him as a second year. He found a picture of Ron belching slugs on the Quidditch field. He saw a picture of Harry with his hand in front of his face. He found several pictures of the other students as well, although they looked more recent. Almost every one of them was moving.
Harry found a picture of Colin and his brother standing together at their home. Harry guessed it was their home, since he had never seen their house. He found a picture of Colin with a girl Harry didn't recognize. He guessed that she was a muggle.
He found a picture of himself, Ron, Hermione and Ginny when they were on one of their walks. He also found a picture of Draco stuffing his face with chocolate. Harry reminded himself to show Astra that picture.
He lifted the book into his lap and a bunch of pictures fell out. Harry looked through them. He found one of Justin.
Harry shifted the picture around. He wondered it there was something wrong with it. The face was distorted, like one of those funhouse mirrors. Harry tapped the picture and it still remained like that.
He set that one aside and found a picture of Susan Bones. Her face was distorted as well. He looked through and found a picture of Fred, whose face was distorted. Harry got a chill up his spine.
He put these pictures in a small pile and went through the rest of them. There weren't any others like the three that he had found. He saw a picture of Dean Thomas in front of one of the tapestries with a lion roaring at something. He found a picture of himself trying to study. He found a picture of Hermione ripping a piece of parchment to shreds, looking rather angry.
He picked up the distorted ones and took them to dinner with him. He found Hermione, Ron and Ginny at the Gryffindor table. "Harry! You're late!"
"I found some pictures that you might want to look at..." Harry said in a huff as he sat down. Hermione took the pictures and looked through them.
"These things couldn't be any creepier..." Ron said as he looked over her shoulder.
Hermione looked up. "Where did you find these...?"
"In Colin's scrapbook.... He hadn't gotten to them yet..." Harry said.
"These are recent. Were the other pictures like this?" she asked him. Harry shook his head. "Odd... very odd..."
"I don't think they were like that when he produced them..." Harry said.
"You're saying that you think that they changed when the people died?" Hermione said. "That's an awful leap, if you ask me...."
"Omega.... Omega...."
Harry turned and saw Astra looking intently at her fork. "What did you say, Astra?"
"The omega time is upon you all..." Astra repeated the message on the wall. "Omega is the last letter of the Latin alphabet. Alpha being first... hence the phrase Alpha and omega...." She paused and fiddled with her necklace. "Omega is a substitute for end...."
"The end...?" Harry said.
Just then, Harry felt a chill go up his spine. He saw out of the corner of his eyes, Dean Thomas standing at the doorway. Dean smiled sadly at him. Then, he beckoned Harry with a finger.
Harry stood up. He didn't hear the questioning remarks from his friends as he started walking for the entrance to the great hall. He walked through and saw Dean looked at him in that beckoning way again.
Dean walked through the main hall and out the doors. Harry followed him outside. Then, Dean seemed to disappear as soon as Harry hit the grass. "Dean? Dean!"
There was a heart wrenching scream of agony. Harry heard Ginny calling for him and he heard the footfalls of Astra. "Wait up, Harry!" Astra called.
Harry ran toward where he had heard the scream. He kept running until... he came upon the lake. The moon shone on it with brilliance. He saw a sickening sight on the tree next to the lake. Dean was tied to the tree, mutilated beyond recognition, except his face.
Harry ran toward Dean and cut him down. His blood dribbled on Harry's robes. Harry saw the letters A, J, S cut into his forehead. "One..." Harry whispered.
"Harry!"
Astra's voice could be heard clearly now. Harry lifted his gaze to her. She was standing next to him, staring down at the bloody mass on Harry's lap. "Oh God...." she said.
"We can't help him now.... he's dead..." Harry said softly.
"It isn't that... He's the last one... That means Voldemort will be around here at any time! We've got to get him inside right now!" Astra said.
"But Voldmort did this.... he should be around here..." Harry growled.
"Voldemort can't have done that... have you ever actually looked at those slashes? He used someone with claws to kill them! They will be going to Voldemort right now..."
Suddenly, Astra's head whipped up. She looked as if she were listening. "The end.... The end time... The endgame!" she said.
I just got the third book of Angelic Layer today! It's great! I hope Misaki can beat Sai! GO MISAKICHI!
I went to The Ring website and saw some really tripped out stuff on there... Just look up "The Ring" on google.com the way I have it written right here...
Chapter Twenty-Two
Harry woke up in the middle of the night to a strange sound. He walked to his trunk and listened. It was coming from inside of it. He opened the trunk and found the source. It was the pocket sneakoscope that Ron had given him in his fourth year. He wondered, briefly, why it was sounding off.
He put it back and closed the trunk. He ruffled his hair in confusion. "I need to get that thing fixed..." he muttered.
He yawned and walked to the door. He walked down the stairs, listening to his own heart beat and the sound of many people sleeping. He wished that he could sleep.
He walked into the common room and sat down in the chair in front of the fire. It was a warm feeling that spread through him. He closed his eyes and enjoyed it.
"You don't sleep..." said a soft voice.
Harry opened his eyes and saw Avalon sitting in front of the fire, her long black hair swirled around her and onto the floor. She had her knees to her chest and her black eyes stared at the fire, never once glancing at him. "Avalon... why are you awake?"
"I can't sleep... I never sleep..." she said in a hushed tone. "If I do, then he wins..."
Harry tried to process this. "What are you talking about..."
"If I close my eyes just briefly, then he wins..." Avalon said. She was rocking back and forth in her spot anxiously. "I close my eyes, then I admit defeat..."
"What are you talking about... are you in some kind of staring contest?" Harry said. His sleep deprived brain couldn't process what she was saying. It was beginning to make his head hurt.
Her head whipped around and her eyes bored into him. He felt himself sink into her eyes. He felt himself slowly engulfed by their flames. Then, he hit ground.
He glanced around and found himself to be outside. "The lion roars for the one.... He is the number you search for..." said a voice that wasn't Avalon's.
Harry stared up at the speaker. It was Astra, but it wasn't. She was much older in appearance. She looked to be in her thirties. She wore silver robes that almost matched her hair. "Look for the lion... he will die for the purpose. HE is waiting for the final blow. HE is waiting for you, Harry..." she said to him.
She touched his forehead with a hand and he felt himself disappear into the air. He fell to the ground again. He opened up his eyes and found himself by the lake. He shook his head to regain himself. "What is happening..." he muttered.
Then, He saw Avalon in a long black Gothic dress that swept the ground. Her waist length hair cascaded around her in waves. Her black eyes bored into him with a fiery intensity. "The countdown is almost done, Harry...."
"Wha? I know that, but we don't know who the final person is..." Harry growled.
"The Omega Time is nearing..." Avalon said with a voice that seemed to intensify her eyes. "Be ready...." Then,... Harry woke up....
Harry yawned as he tried to eat breakfast. "I heard you yelp in your sleep, Harry... what have you been dreaming that wakes you up like that?" Neville said from a little ways down the table.
Harry yawned again. "You know what? I don't honestly know... I can't remember..."
"What are we going to do about herbology without Professor Sprout?" said Seamus.
"I was wondering if I could come back as the herbology professor...." said Neville as he munched on some sausage.
Ron nearly choked on his milk. "Professor!"
"Yeah... I like herbology and it only takes knowledge to really do it... not magic..." Neville's ears went pink. He was a bumbling idiot when it came to magic.
"And I think you will make a grand professor, Neville..." said Hermione as she stuck her tongue out at Ron. Ron stuck his out at her and they glared at eachother. Harry laughed. It was normal.
Ginny sat down on the other side of Harry. He smiled down at her and kissed her cheek. She kissed his cheek and then put some food on her plate. "I had a wonderful dream last night!" she said cheerfully. "It had you in it, Harry..." she said as she gave him a sly grin.
Harry felt the heat rise in his cheeks. He gulped and smiled. "Really... what was I doing?"
Astra watched as Ginny leaned over and whispered something into Harry's ear. His face went as red as Ginny's hair. She giggled when she pulled back. Astra stifled her laughter at the two and shook her head.
Astra felt a twinge in her head again. She had been getting them since the had figured out that they were dealing with a countdown. It was beginning to bother her. "Are you alright, Astra?" asked Nevaeh, who was siting next to her.
"Yeah... I'm fine... but I keep getting these damned small headaches every couple of days." she said. Instinctively, she clamped her hand on her star pendant.
"What're you doing, Astra? Is something wrong with your necklace?" asked Harry.
Astra lifted her hand and looked down at the pendent. It was glowing from the light hitting it. "I uh... I don't know..."
Harry thought about Astra for a moment. She looked a bit like she was defending the necklace from something. Draco came up with a book in his hand and a pair of glasses on his nose.
"You've got to be joking...." said Harry.
Draco glanced up. "Excuse me?"
"What are you doing, Draco..." said Ron. "The glasses, the book..."
"What... I can't read a book every now and then?" he said with an innocent smile.
He sat down on the other side of Astra and took off his glasses. He set them on the book and began putting food on his plate. He was grumbling a little bit as he ate.
"What are you up to with those glasses, goat-boy..." Astra said as she picked them up.
Draco snatched them away from her. She raised an eyebrow and grinned madly. "Get outta here... you actually need them!"
"Draco needs glasses?!" Ron sputtered.
Draco's cheeks had turned a shade of hot pink. "It's none of your business, Weasley... or you Potter..." he growled.
Astra snatched them from his clutches. She peered through them as she kept Draco away from them. "Give them back!" he growled.
She had her foot on his chest as she looked them over. "I see... Vogue eyewear.. VERY expensive eyewear you've got... silver rimmed... very small lenses... and..", stopped suddenly and smiled, "Yer shittin' me..."
"Give them back, Astra or I'll--"
"Oh you'll do nuthin', goat-boy.." she said with a wide grin, her foot still firmly planted on his chest. "Yer far sighted...."
He grabbed them from her finally. He put them on the book and glared at her. "Only a little bit..." He glared at Harry and Ron. "There now... Happy?! I'm far sighted... I need these stupid glasses!"
"Ah, quitcher bitchin'...." Astra said. "You ain't the only one to need glasses at some point. I'm just a teensie bit near sighted, so I wear these, 'kay?" she indicated her glasses.
"I'm the same..." Harry indicated his glasses with a smile. He felt kind of weird trying to make Draco feel better about needing glasses. Draco looked a little bit satisfied.
"No one in my family needs glasses, why is it that I do..." he growled.
"Well... you can always get surgery done to them to correct them...." said Hermione.
"Nah... if he doesn't need them all that much, then it isn't as bad as that!" Astra said as she kissed Draco's cheek.
"I only need them when I'm reading something like this..." he said as he indicated the book.
"Then, he doesn't need them all the time and I can enjoy those ice like eyes of his!" Astra giggled. Draco smiled a quick smile and went back to eating.
After Potions, Harry went back to the dormitories to put his books away. He saw Colin's scrapbook on his bed. He walked over to it and sat down on his bed. He opened the book and looked through it. He saw some pictures of him as a second year. He found a picture of Ron belching slugs on the Quidditch field. He saw a picture of Harry with his hand in front of his face. He found several pictures of the other students as well, although they looked more recent. Almost every one of them was moving.
Harry found a picture of Colin and his brother standing together at their home. Harry guessed it was their home, since he had never seen their house. He found a picture of Colin with a girl Harry didn't recognize. He guessed that she was a muggle.
He found a picture of himself, Ron, Hermione and Ginny when they were on one of their walks. He also found a picture of Draco stuffing his face with chocolate. Harry reminded himself to show Astra that picture.
He lifted the book into his lap and a bunch of pictures fell out. Harry looked through them. He found one of Justin.
Harry shifted the picture around. He wondered it there was something wrong with it. The face was distorted, like one of those funhouse mirrors. Harry tapped the picture and it still remained like that.
He set that one aside and found a picture of Susan Bones. Her face was distorted as well. He looked through and found a picture of Fred, whose face was distorted. Harry got a chill up his spine.
He put these pictures in a small pile and went through the rest of them. There weren't any others like the three that he had found. He saw a picture of Dean Thomas in front of one of the tapestries with a lion roaring at something. He found a picture of himself trying to study. He found a picture of Hermione ripping a piece of parchment to shreds, looking rather angry.
He picked up the distorted ones and took them to dinner with him. He found Hermione, Ron and Ginny at the Gryffindor table. "Harry! You're late!"
"I found some pictures that you might want to look at..." Harry said in a huff as he sat down. Hermione took the pictures and looked through them.
"These things couldn't be any creepier..." Ron said as he looked over her shoulder.
Hermione looked up. "Where did you find these...?"
"In Colin's scrapbook.... He hadn't gotten to them yet..." Harry said.
"These are recent. Were the other pictures like this?" she asked him. Harry shook his head. "Odd... very odd..."
"I don't think they were like that when he produced them..." Harry said.
"You're saying that you think that they changed when the people died?" Hermione said. "That's an awful leap, if you ask me...."
"Omega.... Omega...."
Harry turned and saw Astra looking intently at her fork. "What did you say, Astra?"
"The omega time is upon you all..." Astra repeated the message on the wall. "Omega is the last letter of the Latin alphabet. Alpha being first... hence the phrase Alpha and omega...." She paused and fiddled with her necklace. "Omega is a substitute for end...."
"The end...?" Harry said.
Just then, Harry felt a chill go up his spine. He saw out of the corner of his eyes, Dean Thomas standing at the doorway. Dean smiled sadly at him. Then, he beckoned Harry with a finger.
Harry stood up. He didn't hear the questioning remarks from his friends as he started walking for the entrance to the great hall. He walked through and saw Dean looked at him in that beckoning way again.
Dean walked through the main hall and out the doors. Harry followed him outside. Then, Dean seemed to disappear as soon as Harry hit the grass. "Dean? Dean!"
There was a heart wrenching scream of agony. Harry heard Ginny calling for him and he heard the footfalls of Astra. "Wait up, Harry!" Astra called.
Harry ran toward where he had heard the scream. He kept running until... he came upon the lake. The moon shone on it with brilliance. He saw a sickening sight on the tree next to the lake. Dean was tied to the tree, mutilated beyond recognition, except his face.
Harry ran toward Dean and cut him down. His blood dribbled on Harry's robes. Harry saw the letters A, J, S cut into his forehead. "One..." Harry whispered.
"Harry!"
Astra's voice could be heard clearly now. Harry lifted his gaze to her. She was standing next to him, staring down at the bloody mass on Harry's lap. "Oh God...." she said.
"We can't help him now.... he's dead..." Harry said softly.
"It isn't that... He's the last one... That means Voldemort will be around here at any time! We've got to get him inside right now!" Astra said.
"But Voldmort did this.... he should be around here..." Harry growled.
"Voldemort can't have done that... have you ever actually looked at those slashes? He used someone with claws to kill them! They will be going to Voldemort right now..."
Suddenly, Astra's head whipped up. She looked as if she were listening. "The end.... The end time... The endgame!" she said.