He stiffened and resisted the urge to put his hand on his forehead. He stared out into the crowd, unseeing, assessing the pain; He sighed in relief. No, Voldemort was not right outside the school.
He did, however need to get out of here. He quickly strode out the hall.
He made it outside before it hit him. Into the dark.
The pain in his scar sharpened so fast he dropped to his knees. The grass in front of him dissolved.
He could see Voldemort. Flat face, red eyes.
He felt the disgust rise in him, as it did every time now. The horror, because he knew what Voldemort was capable of. The anger, after all the bastard had hurt or killed far too many people. And lastly, sadness. Not only for the former, but also because he knew the reasons that Voldemort had become so twisted. It could far to easily happen again in this cruel world.
"A matter of time Potter, before you'll wish you never had that scar." Harry's attention snapped back the ghastly figure –he had been studying their surroundings intently.
Did Voldemort know about the scar; The visions? Or was it simply Voldemort planning more revenge for Harry's being alive?
When he grew aware of his surroundings again, he found himself still on his hands and knees. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying not to think about what he just witnessed.
For several moments he only sound was that of crickets.
"Mr. Potter!" came the alarmed voice of Professor McGonagall somewhere behind him, shattering the silence.
"Professor," he said weakly as she helped him up.
"What happened?" the concern on her face was evident. He was surprised that she didn't scold him was being off by himself.
He shook his head. "A vision." In response to her frown he added, "I know it's rarely happened in the daytime before, but it wasn't any different then the rest. I'll be fine."
She hesitated, perhaps thinking of ordering him to the infirmary. Then she nodded and swept back into the castle. He looked after her in surprise –but then, he was graduating soon. Weird thought.
He walked around for a bit, and found himself standing not far away from Hagrid's familiar old cabin, just watching it. Remembering. He been inside so many times visiting Hagrid with his friends.
No one lived there anymore. He closed his eyes and his face twisted into a grimace.
He still remembered the offer Voldemort had given him. The intimation that if Harry were to join him, then his friends would be safe. He had been so very tempted in that dark time of his life.
But that was not an option, for so many reasons. Especially not to save his friends, which would be the only reason he would actually work for that *thing.*
"You know that you are supposed to be having fun today." He turned to see Brian at his side; Harry hadn't even noticed him arrive.
"Yeah."
"I understand you know." Harry remembered what Brian was like fifth year, when he first came to Hogwarts. After his brother died.
He looked at Brian and said, "Lets go back in."
He followed Brian back to the Great Hall, back into the bright festivities. They found where Ron and Hermione sitting and joined them.
"Where have you been?" asked Ron.
He shrugged and made a dismissive noise He
"Articulate, aren't you?"
"Mmhum."
Brian deflected Ron by asking something, starting a conversation.
Harry's eyes roomed around the room. The room was, of course, decorated. The prefects had had to do it too- was harder than you'd think. Especially when it came to conflicting opinions. Harry shuddered.
Ariana was off dancing somewhere. He noted a few teachers dancing.
The night wore on.
He had to deflect Parvati away at one point. She seemed to think that because she was a fellow Gryffindor (though not a Lightning), and in his year, she had the right to date him.
After a very brief stint as her boyfriend he'd started to notice the look she got whenever he would get recognition of some kind. He was trying to be nice.
"Ron wanted to discuss something."
"But Harry, just one more dance for me?" She was simpering for god's sake.
"Sorry, muscle cramp…" He really wasn't in the mood to bother with her.
"Maybe we should go for a walk to loosen it…"
"No thanks."
"I'm sure you won't mind a little company then-" She giggled. He tried to smile in response, but it came out as a grimace.
"Actually-
"Hi Harry," he heard a soft voice greet from his left.
He gave a true smile to the red head, who seemed not to notice Parvati's put off look. "Hi Ginny." Before she could add anything, he said, "Oh, right, I owe you a dance, don't I?"
He didn't, actually. Ginny glanced at Parvati and got the point. "Right, and since I'm getting tired, you'd better pay up now."
He breathed a sigh of relief as they left Parvati behind. "Now I really owe you."
"And you had better make good on it next time you hear my brothers planning to play a prank on me."
He grinned, remembering her yelling at her brothers last time he was at the Burrow. They had muttered about her becoming their mother for the rest of the week.
He'd been glad when she was one of the students picked for the Lightning program.
Around twelve they voted on the student's costumes. Most visually/interesting/weird, Most complicated/cool, Most well thought out (In other words, Actually Has a Story or Intellectual Reason For Wearing the Costume). And Most outrageous/surprising. Harry actually won that one –for once Snape seems to have been right.
Even later in the morning students slowly trickled into the common room and up to their dorms. Ron captured Harry's feelings precisely with, "Sleep. Blissful sleep."
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Nothing too dramatic I'm afraid. Yet.
If this is late, it's because I'm having trouble with FF.net
