Chapter Seven
They looked at the dog, who looked right back at them in a reproachful sort of way. In an instant though, it was o longer a dog who sat there, but a man with long black hair and blue-gray eyes. He looked like an angry parent.
"Where were you three?" he demanded in a low whisper. Harry pointed upstairs, signaling they should go to their room before continuing, and Sirius nodded in agreement. Shutting the door, Sirius asked again, "where were you three?"
"Out for fresh air?" Ron tried weakly.
"We made a phone call to the psi-network," Hermione explained, looking down at her feet. "To get some help on a problem that we're having."
"A problem?" Sirius repeated. "Is it really something worth getting killed over?!"
"It might be," Harry said. "Its kinda connected with the night my parents were killed. And its the reason I'm still living right now." Sirius gave him a curious look. "Its about a missing person, Jessica Bennet.
"I remember hearing about that case," he sighed, sinking to the bed. "Heard about it in Azkaban. But as for a connection-"
"She was killed the night Harry's parents were," Ron interrupted. "She was going to tell the muggle police about their plot to kill Harry when he was a baby. Lucious Malfoy killed her."
"Malfoy killed her, did he?" Sirius inquired. All three of them nodded. "That would be something to prove."
"We have a peice of her jewelry," Harry continued. "A psychic is going to use it to help find her body. That way her spirit can be at rest. I have to find her. I owe it to her now."
"Besides, we won't get a wink of sleep otherwise with the images she keeps showing us," Ron added. "Horrible nightmares about the night she died."
"And who's the psychic that's helping?"
"Her name's Camerane," Hermione answered. Sirius let out a tiny gasp of surprise.
"What?" Harry questioned.
"Er...nothing," Sirius lied. "Harry, why didn't you tell an adult about this?" He was stern again, and Harry imagined that his own dad might have been the same way, were he there with them.
"Everyone has enough on their minds with you-know-who being back," Harry explained. "They wouldn't exactly find this an important task."
Sirius let out a heavy sigh. "Well, at least you aren't going after you-know-who this time. I'll talk to Dumbledore about staying with you for the next few days. When is this...Camerane woman coming to see you?"
"At two, while everyone else is school shopping," Hermione said quickly.
"Right. I won't be able to get back by then. Promise you'll wait for me? Harry?" But Harry couldn't hear them anymore. His eyes had glazed over and became void, like they had earlier.
Harry found himself in a strange dimension filled with a silver-blue mist, and no apparent celing, walls, or floor. Suddenly he found himself face to face with Jessica, but not her ghost. No, she appeared soldi, as solid as a living human being.
"Where are we?"
"I call this place between," Jessica said softly. Her voice was light and cheerful, like most nine year olds were. "Its where spirits can come, if they aren't haunting a specific place, and talk to living people. Normally spirits who are ready to pass come here to speak there last messages before leaving, but sometimes a spirit can come down and speak."
"Jessica, we're going to find you," Harry said suddenly, remembering Camerane. "We have a psychic coming over to look at a peice of jewelry of yours, a librarian who knew you gave it to me."
"Mrs. Wilkons," Jessica nodded. "She's a nice old lady. Oh Harry I'm so glad you're going to help me! I've been waiting so long, worrying about you!" And then Jessica did something Harry never could have expected. She hugged him. And like a solid person, she didn't pass through him, as a ghost would have. Why not? Harry thought. Maybe in this place spirits could hug a living person.
"Can you do me a favor, Harry?" He nodded, wondering what it could be now. "When you finish with the charm you have, and after you've found me, could you give it to my dad."
"But, both your parents-"
"I know. I mean my real dad. Could you give it to him. He'll want it, I know he will. Its about all he'll ever have left of me after this."
"But I don't know who it is and-" A second image cut through Harry's mind. A tall man in the dark night, someone Harry recognized very well. He gasped, looking at Jessica, but she just gave him a sad yet hopeful look.
"I will."
"Oh thank you Harry!" Her hug became even tighter.
"Jessica, you've been protecting me this far," Harry began. "Are you still going to-"
"Of course. All of you. Don't worry, Harry..."
"Harry...Harry?" The voice was cutting through the realm, snapping him back into present reality. Sirius was looking at him with great concern, but Ron and Hermione seemed to be waiting for him to explain what he'd seen. They, of course, knew what had happened. Sirius had no idea what so ever.
"She just wanted to ask another favor," Harry said, pulling the charm out of the pocket. "She wants us to give this to her dad after we find her."
"Harry, her parents are dead," Hermione reminded them.
"Her real dad." This gained him a few curious looks. "I'll explain later. Sirius...you really need to go, before someone else wakes up and finds you here." Not every adult trusted him, even the Weasleys still had their doubts, though Dumbledore trusted him completely. Sirius nodded, promising to come back, and changing into the black dog again, he left.
"I'm going to try and get some sleep," Hermione stated in a matter-of-fact voice, walking out of the room.
"This is weird, Harry," Ron yawned, lying down again. "Really weird."
They looked at the dog, who looked right back at them in a reproachful sort of way. In an instant though, it was o longer a dog who sat there, but a man with long black hair and blue-gray eyes. He looked like an angry parent.
"Where were you three?" he demanded in a low whisper. Harry pointed upstairs, signaling they should go to their room before continuing, and Sirius nodded in agreement. Shutting the door, Sirius asked again, "where were you three?"
"Out for fresh air?" Ron tried weakly.
"We made a phone call to the psi-network," Hermione explained, looking down at her feet. "To get some help on a problem that we're having."
"A problem?" Sirius repeated. "Is it really something worth getting killed over?!"
"It might be," Harry said. "Its kinda connected with the night my parents were killed. And its the reason I'm still living right now." Sirius gave him a curious look. "Its about a missing person, Jessica Bennet.
"I remember hearing about that case," he sighed, sinking to the bed. "Heard about it in Azkaban. But as for a connection-"
"She was killed the night Harry's parents were," Ron interrupted. "She was going to tell the muggle police about their plot to kill Harry when he was a baby. Lucious Malfoy killed her."
"Malfoy killed her, did he?" Sirius inquired. All three of them nodded. "That would be something to prove."
"We have a peice of her jewelry," Harry continued. "A psychic is going to use it to help find her body. That way her spirit can be at rest. I have to find her. I owe it to her now."
"Besides, we won't get a wink of sleep otherwise with the images she keeps showing us," Ron added. "Horrible nightmares about the night she died."
"And who's the psychic that's helping?"
"Her name's Camerane," Hermione answered. Sirius let out a tiny gasp of surprise.
"What?" Harry questioned.
"Er...nothing," Sirius lied. "Harry, why didn't you tell an adult about this?" He was stern again, and Harry imagined that his own dad might have been the same way, were he there with them.
"Everyone has enough on their minds with you-know-who being back," Harry explained. "They wouldn't exactly find this an important task."
Sirius let out a heavy sigh. "Well, at least you aren't going after you-know-who this time. I'll talk to Dumbledore about staying with you for the next few days. When is this...Camerane woman coming to see you?"
"At two, while everyone else is school shopping," Hermione said quickly.
"Right. I won't be able to get back by then. Promise you'll wait for me? Harry?" But Harry couldn't hear them anymore. His eyes had glazed over and became void, like they had earlier.
Harry found himself in a strange dimension filled with a silver-blue mist, and no apparent celing, walls, or floor. Suddenly he found himself face to face with Jessica, but not her ghost. No, she appeared soldi, as solid as a living human being.
"Where are we?"
"I call this place between," Jessica said softly. Her voice was light and cheerful, like most nine year olds were. "Its where spirits can come, if they aren't haunting a specific place, and talk to living people. Normally spirits who are ready to pass come here to speak there last messages before leaving, but sometimes a spirit can come down and speak."
"Jessica, we're going to find you," Harry said suddenly, remembering Camerane. "We have a psychic coming over to look at a peice of jewelry of yours, a librarian who knew you gave it to me."
"Mrs. Wilkons," Jessica nodded. "She's a nice old lady. Oh Harry I'm so glad you're going to help me! I've been waiting so long, worrying about you!" And then Jessica did something Harry never could have expected. She hugged him. And like a solid person, she didn't pass through him, as a ghost would have. Why not? Harry thought. Maybe in this place spirits could hug a living person.
"Can you do me a favor, Harry?" He nodded, wondering what it could be now. "When you finish with the charm you have, and after you've found me, could you give it to my dad."
"But, both your parents-"
"I know. I mean my real dad. Could you give it to him. He'll want it, I know he will. Its about all he'll ever have left of me after this."
"But I don't know who it is and-" A second image cut through Harry's mind. A tall man in the dark night, someone Harry recognized very well. He gasped, looking at Jessica, but she just gave him a sad yet hopeful look.
"I will."
"Oh thank you Harry!" Her hug became even tighter.
"Jessica, you've been protecting me this far," Harry began. "Are you still going to-"
"Of course. All of you. Don't worry, Harry..."
"Harry...Harry?" The voice was cutting through the realm, snapping him back into present reality. Sirius was looking at him with great concern, but Ron and Hermione seemed to be waiting for him to explain what he'd seen. They, of course, knew what had happened. Sirius had no idea what so ever.
"She just wanted to ask another favor," Harry said, pulling the charm out of the pocket. "She wants us to give this to her dad after we find her."
"Harry, her parents are dead," Hermione reminded them.
"Her real dad." This gained him a few curious looks. "I'll explain later. Sirius...you really need to go, before someone else wakes up and finds you here." Not every adult trusted him, even the Weasleys still had their doubts, though Dumbledore trusted him completely. Sirius nodded, promising to come back, and changing into the black dog again, he left.
"I'm going to try and get some sleep," Hermione stated in a matter-of-fact voice, walking out of the room.
"This is weird, Harry," Ron yawned, lying down again. "Really weird."