A/N: Hey everybody! FINALLY! It's Thanksgiving break, and soon I'll
probably be on the 10th chapter (I doubt it, though)!
Disclaimer: Grrr. Look in the 2nd chapter, foo (A/N: means fool, if you're not ghetto *cough cough*)!
Chapter 6: Accept or Reject?
Harry and Hermione froze. They sat bolt upright just in the nick of time. Ron walked in, and as he laid his eyes on them, Hermione was back to reading her book (upside down), and Harry looked like he was napping. Ron squinted at the pair of them.
"What just happened here?" he said in a quiet and fierce tone.
Harry pretended to jerk awake, and Hermione looked up from her book, her face very pink.
"What are you talking about, Ron?" said Hermione, trying to act innocent.
"Were you guys just---"?
"INoI!" Hermione shrieked in a high-pitched voice.
"I mean, were you---"?
"Of course not!" screeched Harry.
Ron looked at them both suspiciously. His face then turned to normal and he said,
"Well, c'mon, Harry, you're probably hungry. Anyway, the sorceress wanted me to get you."
Harry's stomach lurched. He had forgotten just then that he was about to find out what he had to 'do' in the Order, as he and Hermione had just---you know.
He got up rather quickly and started walking away from Hermione, not daring to look back at her, as Ron would definitely know what they were up to.
Ron went out of the portrait hole, and as Harry was about to go with him, Hermione sprinted to them.
"Wait," she said breathlessly. Harry's eyes widened. Was Hermione going to confess to Ron that Harry and her were in love, or perhaps tell Ron that Harry and her--- IkissedI? Harry didn't know which one was worse!
"I want to come with you guys. I'm a part of this too, you know."
Harry breathed. 'Whew!' he thought, and the trio went downstairs to the Great Hall.
**********
As Harry walked in the Great Hall, he saw that the sorceress was seated at the staff table, along with Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall. Harry had no time to think of where the other professors might be, because at that moment, the sorceress spoke to him.
"Harry! I see you have come to join us at last!" she shouted.
She snapped her fingers, disappeared in black clouds, and reappeared in front of Harry.
"Come, my darling," she said to him, seating him down at the Gryffindor House table. "You have much to learn and --- much to eat."
She grinned maliciously. Harry couldn't help but trust her, though, and he listened intently while he grabbed some bacon and toast.
"Harry," she said to him, "the Order of the Phoenix has chosen a task for you. Now, you may accept this and get it done with, or you can reject it, and go back to the Weasley home for the rest of your vacation and come back to Hogwarts carefree and pretend like nothing happened."
Harry gulped. It was like the sorceress was talking about him and Hermione, not this 'task' he was going to do. He continued to listen, however.
"Now, this is what your task is," she said, and she smiled at Harry.
"First you must find the Dark Lord, using only your sources, skills, and, perhaps, friends"---she grinned evilly at Hermione--- "to find your way to him. I already know where Lord Voldemort is, and you cannot ask me about any of his whereabouts I at allI. But, Harry," she said, looking intently at him in the eye, "there is more."
This time Ron gulped very obviously. The sorceress stared at him. She then turned her attention back to Harry.
"You must kill his servant, Peter Pettigrew, and then rid the Dark Lord's powers by using a curse only the sorcery world knows about."
Harry leaned in closer to hear more, dying to know what she was going to say next.
"It is called the Mugglesense Curse. It rids all of the powers of the person being cursed, and that person will become a muggle."
"Well, Harry, you know how the Dark Lord hates muggles and muggle- borns. pretty soon he'll start hating himself and desist of his killings and stop pretending to be the greatest wizard in the world."
"For he IcannotI be the greatest wizard in the world when he is a muggle."
Then Harry understood---but he wasn't very confident. This was going to be impossible! How would he ever find Voldemort without the sorceress's help or Dumbledore's help? He looked at Hermione, who didn't even say anything; she just looked at him and sorrow.
She couldn't help him. Hermione probably wouldn't even want to get NEAR Voldemort, for goodness sake; she'd be the first in line to kill!
"So, Harry," said the sorceress to him, looking at him gravely in the eye, "do you accept... or reject?"
Harry thought for a moment; did he really want to do this? Did he want to spend his next two weeks trying to find out where Voldemort was hidden, go after him and perform the Mugglesense Curse? Did he really want to risk his neck for something like this, where he'll surely be killed? He thought and thought until his head started to hurt.
And very reluctantly, Harry looked deeply into the sorceress's yellow eyes and said,
"I accept."
**********
Meanwhile, 300 miles away from Hogwarts, Voldemort was talking to his servant, Wormtail.
He was sitting in a very comfy, red chair in front of a fire, in a shabby old house that nobody used. The house was 'said to be haunted', but Lord Voldemort was actually the haunting in it.
Ever since the last task ended at the Triwizard Tournament, Voldemort went back into hiding as usual and he found himself living in a house that everybody feared.
"Wormtail," he said in his high, cold voice.
"Y-yes master?" replied a short, bald man with a squeaky little voice.
"Harry Potter has gotten away too many times. It is time for us to finally get rid of the little weakling and spare him the agony," Voldemort croaked, his malicious voice making his servant's teeth chatter.
"W-what shall I d-do, m-master?" asked the servant, hunching over.
"Alert the Death Eaters to keep a close watch on the dear old boy," the cold voice answered, and he laughed shrilly.
"Harry Potter better watch himself this year."
Disclaimer: Grrr. Look in the 2nd chapter, foo (A/N: means fool, if you're not ghetto *cough cough*)!
Chapter 6: Accept or Reject?
Harry and Hermione froze. They sat bolt upright just in the nick of time. Ron walked in, and as he laid his eyes on them, Hermione was back to reading her book (upside down), and Harry looked like he was napping. Ron squinted at the pair of them.
"What just happened here?" he said in a quiet and fierce tone.
Harry pretended to jerk awake, and Hermione looked up from her book, her face very pink.
"What are you talking about, Ron?" said Hermione, trying to act innocent.
"Were you guys just---"?
"INoI!" Hermione shrieked in a high-pitched voice.
"I mean, were you---"?
"Of course not!" screeched Harry.
Ron looked at them both suspiciously. His face then turned to normal and he said,
"Well, c'mon, Harry, you're probably hungry. Anyway, the sorceress wanted me to get you."
Harry's stomach lurched. He had forgotten just then that he was about to find out what he had to 'do' in the Order, as he and Hermione had just---you know.
He got up rather quickly and started walking away from Hermione, not daring to look back at her, as Ron would definitely know what they were up to.
Ron went out of the portrait hole, and as Harry was about to go with him, Hermione sprinted to them.
"Wait," she said breathlessly. Harry's eyes widened. Was Hermione going to confess to Ron that Harry and her were in love, or perhaps tell Ron that Harry and her--- IkissedI? Harry didn't know which one was worse!
"I want to come with you guys. I'm a part of this too, you know."
Harry breathed. 'Whew!' he thought, and the trio went downstairs to the Great Hall.
**********
As Harry walked in the Great Hall, he saw that the sorceress was seated at the staff table, along with Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall. Harry had no time to think of where the other professors might be, because at that moment, the sorceress spoke to him.
"Harry! I see you have come to join us at last!" she shouted.
She snapped her fingers, disappeared in black clouds, and reappeared in front of Harry.
"Come, my darling," she said to him, seating him down at the Gryffindor House table. "You have much to learn and --- much to eat."
She grinned maliciously. Harry couldn't help but trust her, though, and he listened intently while he grabbed some bacon and toast.
"Harry," she said to him, "the Order of the Phoenix has chosen a task for you. Now, you may accept this and get it done with, or you can reject it, and go back to the Weasley home for the rest of your vacation and come back to Hogwarts carefree and pretend like nothing happened."
Harry gulped. It was like the sorceress was talking about him and Hermione, not this 'task' he was going to do. He continued to listen, however.
"Now, this is what your task is," she said, and she smiled at Harry.
"First you must find the Dark Lord, using only your sources, skills, and, perhaps, friends"---she grinned evilly at Hermione--- "to find your way to him. I already know where Lord Voldemort is, and you cannot ask me about any of his whereabouts I at allI. But, Harry," she said, looking intently at him in the eye, "there is more."
This time Ron gulped very obviously. The sorceress stared at him. She then turned her attention back to Harry.
"You must kill his servant, Peter Pettigrew, and then rid the Dark Lord's powers by using a curse only the sorcery world knows about."
Harry leaned in closer to hear more, dying to know what she was going to say next.
"It is called the Mugglesense Curse. It rids all of the powers of the person being cursed, and that person will become a muggle."
"Well, Harry, you know how the Dark Lord hates muggles and muggle- borns. pretty soon he'll start hating himself and desist of his killings and stop pretending to be the greatest wizard in the world."
"For he IcannotI be the greatest wizard in the world when he is a muggle."
Then Harry understood---but he wasn't very confident. This was going to be impossible! How would he ever find Voldemort without the sorceress's help or Dumbledore's help? He looked at Hermione, who didn't even say anything; she just looked at him and sorrow.
She couldn't help him. Hermione probably wouldn't even want to get NEAR Voldemort, for goodness sake; she'd be the first in line to kill!
"So, Harry," said the sorceress to him, looking at him gravely in the eye, "do you accept... or reject?"
Harry thought for a moment; did he really want to do this? Did he want to spend his next two weeks trying to find out where Voldemort was hidden, go after him and perform the Mugglesense Curse? Did he really want to risk his neck for something like this, where he'll surely be killed? He thought and thought until his head started to hurt.
And very reluctantly, Harry looked deeply into the sorceress's yellow eyes and said,
"I accept."
**********
Meanwhile, 300 miles away from Hogwarts, Voldemort was talking to his servant, Wormtail.
He was sitting in a very comfy, red chair in front of a fire, in a shabby old house that nobody used. The house was 'said to be haunted', but Lord Voldemort was actually the haunting in it.
Ever since the last task ended at the Triwizard Tournament, Voldemort went back into hiding as usual and he found himself living in a house that everybody feared.
"Wormtail," he said in his high, cold voice.
"Y-yes master?" replied a short, bald man with a squeaky little voice.
"Harry Potter has gotten away too many times. It is time for us to finally get rid of the little weakling and spare him the agony," Voldemort croaked, his malicious voice making his servant's teeth chatter.
"W-what shall I d-do, m-master?" asked the servant, hunching over.
"Alert the Death Eaters to keep a close watch on the dear old boy," the cold voice answered, and he laughed shrilly.
"Harry Potter better watch himself this year."