A New Day has Come
A/N: Okay…(winces) I know how mad some of you may be. It's not even such a good chap(well no, it's all right actually) but u gotta give me some credit…School s hell this year and we've got these official exams in Lebanon called Brevet at the end of the year and to pass the year we need to pass these exams AND our school finals at the same time and we need to
study so much and I'll stop blabbering cos u probably don't wanna know about all that. So anyway, thanks for all da lovely reviews and plz keep 'em coming. They really make my day! Oh and, ignore the fact that there's no italics and the thoughts are in normal font – 10x
-Enjoy!
Chapter 7
The wind ruffled Mo's hair as he soared, invisible, above the castle grounds on the broomstick he had stolen. Mo wasn't a big fan of Quidditch, but he pretty much liked flying in general. It had definitely come in handy now.
It hadn't been long since he'd escaped, and he figured they probably hadn't even noticed yet that he was gone, or discovered Allie lying by the little room. By the time they did, he'd be safe in his hiding place- which he was going to look for now. He'd decided there was no way he was going back to his father or go back to the castle and surrender willingly. No, he was sick of being a prisoner. Even at his father's mansion, he would be a prisoner, in some way or other. He hadn't really ever had real freedom in his life; he'd always had to be sneaky and careful in everything he had to do, to avoid his father's wrath on anything Mo did that he disapproved of.
It wasn't that he had a plan in mind. He didn't, not really anyway. All he knew was that his father wasn't aware that he had escaped, the professors weren't going to be able to find him, he had Alice Dumbledore's wand, and all that meant one thing: He was the one in control now, and it was going to stay that way.
A small smile crawled up his face as he found himself to level with the tops of huge trees; he was approaching the forest by Hogwarts' grounds. He'd heard about this forest; it was dangerous and called the Foreboding or Forbidden Forest or something like that. Not that Mo was afraid. No, the only thing that made him slightly hesitate was the old wooden cabin by the edge of the forest. There could very well be someone in there, a gardener or gamekeeper or something…
But I'm invisible…he won't see me. He frowned. He might hear me though...
He decided to check, just in case. Tilting the broom downwards slightly, he dived till he was hovering right above the cabin. He slowly edged down until he was able to peek inside one of the windows.
The cabin was empty.
Mo smiled, and he accelerated upwards till he was back above the forest again. He looked at his watch. It was still only around one in the afternoon, which pleased him. It looked like luck was going his way for once. Now, to find an appropriate hiding place in the forest. When they discovered he was gone, they were probably going to look for him all day; these people were stubborn. And he decided he would watch them from up, to enjoy himself. Maybe he could work out some sort of truce with them then.
The forest was gloomy with its dark greenness and the unsettling sounds of the beasts that came every now and then from within it. Mo made sure to stay above the tree tops to remain in the light, where he could see down into the forest and the rest of the grounds as well.
He soon discovered it wasn't going to be that easy. The trees were thick, some taller than others, and some thorny, scratching Mo's legs and back as he tried to wedge between them. He tried to go higher, but the trees were getting taller as he went on, and the broom wasn't able to withstand the pressure of the increase in the height. Finally, he landed on a branch, gently removed the broom from underneath him, and climbed down very slowly, looking around him. The tree next to his right was large, with broad, sturdy, branches, and it was standing behind a bigger tree. Beneath that tree Mo could make out a clearing of some sort, which seemed to be devoid of any creatures. He had made out a low, dangerous growling as he had passed, the growling of what was unmistakably a werewolf, but it seemed this area was safe. He leaped onto a large branch of the tree next to him, and, clutching the broom, settled himself comfortably on it beneath smooth green leaves. This was perfect. If he looked up, he could see the castle grounds. If he looked down, he'd see that clearing…
*****************
Severus trudged along irritably, dragging his feet across the Quidditch pitch, glaring into the darkness that was descending as the sun slipped beyond the horizon. He was annoyed and tired; they had been looking all day for that little bastard brat, searching all of Hogwarts, all of Hogesmade, anywhere that was remotely close, and even the old alley where they'd attacked the death eaters. Severus Snape considered the day a waste of his valuable time. They had tried revealing charms, on the Headmaster's suggestion that Riddle had probably cast an invisibility charm on himself, but their attempts had been fruitless.
"It seems he has disappeared into thin air," Dumbledore said quietly from beside him. The rest of the professors had gone back to the castle after their failed search.
"Perhaps it's for the better," Snape replied, kicking a stone pebble with his boot, sending it flying in the direction of the forest. "What good was keeping him going to do us?"
"You don't understand, Severus," the headmaster said. "Say Voldemort wasn't able to defy mortality- say he finally died, one day. If we didn't do anything about it, then Morpheus Riddle, his heir, would carry on his father's work for him. And even if Voldemort didn't die, imagine what would happen in a few years, after young Riddle is grown…imagine two dark lords…"
Snape nodded. He didn't want to admit it, but the old man was right, as he always was. "But what would we do anyway?" he demanded. "Were you planning on keeping him locked up in the castle for the rest of his life?"
"Of course not," Dumbledore replied.
"What then?"
"We could have stamped the evil out of him. Didn't you notice that even now he doesn't seem to be anything like his father?"
"It could be an act," Severus said stubbornly. "Look at what he did to Alice."
Dumbledore sighed. "I know, Severus, but you do realize he could have easily harmed her, or killed her, and he didn't."
Snape shook his head. Dumbledore had a point, but his problem was that he was way too trusting. He always tried to find the good in people, even if they were descended from such pure evil.
"We haven't searched the forest," the taller man said suddenly.
Snape stared at him. "He's not crazy, though. He wouldn't go in there…would he?"
"He's not from around here, so he won't know how dangerous it really is," Dumbledore remarked.
Snape cursed under his breath. The man was right again. "We'll split up and go in, then, shall we, Headmaster?"
Dumbledore nodded. "Red sparks for trouble, green if you find him," he said.
"Right, let's get this over with," The potions master straightened his robes and took his wand out, his eyes glinting.
***************************
The cries of the wind were eerie and its fingers chilly and harsh. Mo huddled on the tree branch, his arms tightly embracing his backpack and the broomstick. He had been pleased at first as he watched, from a distance, the figures on the ground roaming the area, obviously looking for him. But as the day had drawn by and the night had drawn closer, bringing with it the bitter cold, and the cries of the beasts had grown louder, Mo's good mood began disappearing, his spirits dampening.
You could've flown back, on the broom, to your father, or at least away from Hogwarts, a nagging voice said inside him. But you wanted to stay, didn't you? You wanted to stay at Hogwarts, where they treated you like a prisoner, you wanted to stay, for some God- unknown reason…
He frowned. No, it wasn't true. He had only stayed to find a hiding place, to take pleasure from watching them looking for him…
You also wanted to have a truce with them.
He cursed, willing the voice to shut up. He needed some sleep, that was it. In the morning he'd get out of this place and go far away… not to Voldemort, just away from here.
He closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the tree, his sweaty black hair brushing the gnarled trunk. No sooner had he begun to doze off than the rustling of footsteps alerted him, and he shifted noiselessly in his position, casting his eyes downward apprehensively.
He saw the dark figure and the billowing of robes and swore silently, dread filling him. It looked like he might not make it out of here after all. Not if Severus Snape had something to say about it.
The potions master stepped closer, the fallen leaves crackling under his boots. He looked up and down, and Mo held his breath as Snape's gaze traveled upwards to the tall tree which stood in front of Mo's tree.
You're invisible, man. He won't see you anyway.
Then why was Snape lingering? He was smiling slightly- well sneering, actually- Mo noticed- did that mean he could sense Mo's presence somehow? Suddenly Mo's nose started tingling, and he was overcome with an overwhelming temptation to sneeze. It was just like those moments where you know you aren't supposed to do something and suddenly all you want is to do that something.
He desperately tried to ignore it, to think about anything else- anything at all, but the urge was too strong, and he succumbed to it, letting out a discreet but hearable sneeze- especially to the sharp ears of Severus Snape.
The second the latter jerked his head in Mo's direction, Mo directed Allie's wand at him. "Expelliarmus!" he whispered. Snape's wand flew out of his grip and came flying towards Mo, who caught it deftly.
Yes!
Anger flickered over Snape's face at being caught off guard so easily, and he glared up at where he assumed Mo was, which was accurate, thanks to the direction the wand had flown in and from the sound of Mo's sneeze.
"You must think yourself incredibly clever, Riddle," His silky voice dripped with disdain. "But I know where you are now."
Mo bit his lip. "You seem to have forgotten that I have two wands and you have none, Professor," he said quietly, after a moment.
Snape laughed a dry, scornful laugh that Mo decided might have made hundreds of poor defenseless Muggles and wizards tremble, during his Death Eater days.
"You're not the only one who can do wandless magic, Riddle."
Damn. "Ah, but you can't send up sparks for your headmaster to come, can you?" Mo assumed that that was how they worked when they split up.
Snape folded his arms. "I don't need him," he said coolly. "It's only you, one unqualified wizard. Who, I might add, is a coward. Look at yourself, hiding in a tree, instead of facing me. Your father would be disappointed." He smirked. "He always hated cowards…Tell me, Riddle, does the Dark Lord still hate cowards?"
Mo started shaking with anger. "I'm not stupid," he hissed. "You're not going to make me come down, if that's what you're trying to do."
"Such a pity," Snape mused, rubbing his chin. "I was looking forward to an interesting duel… man to man…"
Mo's spine started tingling with the anticipation of a duel, and it was all he could do to stop himself from leaping down.
"You make a tempting suggestion," Mo said. "But I'm afraid I'll have to refuse."
The black-robed man sneered. "As you wish. I gave you a fair chance; now I'll have to take you back to Hogwarts."
He had almost actually succeeded in intimidating Mo, but then Mo's old confidence kicked in. He was the one in control of the situation here; he had the two wands, and he was invisible. He had the upper hand, not Snape.
"Except if I stun you first," Mo said his voice deadly serious.
Snape raised one elegant eyebrow. "You wouldn't."
"Try me," Mo said softly.
"Very well, Riddle. Give it your best shot."
Mo aimed the curse at the older man, who easily blocked it.
"You see Riddle? My own wand won't hurt me."
Not bothering to respond, Mo hurled the curse at him again, this time using Allie's wand. But again, the potions professor blocked it, smirking all the while.
"You may have caught me by surprise before, but I'm ready for you now," he said coldly.
Mo started to get worried. This wasn't getting anywhere, and on top of that, Dumbledore could arrive any second, and then he really wouldn't stand a chance.
Snape suddenly sent a couple of hexes whizzing past him, and Mo just barely ducked as he shifted sideways on the tree branch. The curses seemed stronger than Mo had expected, considering Snape was using wandless magic.
"Tough luck," Mo spat. "Those were way off," he lied.
"I'm sure," Snape said sarcastically. "Now look here, Riddle, I have better things to do with my time than play games with a worthless brat like you. For a moment there I had thought there was some use in you, but I know now I was right from the beginning…" He licked his lips. "Get down this instant, and we'll sort this out man to man."
"No," Mo said stubbornly.
Snape suddenly screamed the revealing charm at him. Nothing happened. Mo started laughing. "You think I didn't know you would try that at some point, professor? I took the appropriate measures…" He smirked.
"How perceptive of you," Snape spat. "Now, what is it that you want, Riddle, if not a fair duel? Do you want me to get out of here and leave you to go home? I can tell you from now, that's not going to happen."
"Why? Why do you want to keep me? It's not going to make my dad any weaker, I assure you."
Snape pursed his lips. "The headmaster has his reasons," he said curtly, after a pause.
Mo snorted. "Right."
"I'm not leaving, Riddle. We could stay like this forever, you know. We'd see who lasts longer," Snape spat, but Mo could tell he was getting impatient.
"Oh, be my guest," Mo said airily. "Why don't you spend the night here? I'm sure it'll be fine. Just watch out for the werewolf cries; they're pretty frequent out here."
"I do believe I know this forest better than you do, thank you very much. I'm aware of the…" he paused, "werewolves," he spat out, as though repulsed by the very thought.
Mo watched him curiously. "I don't think we're getting anywhere," he said, quietly.
"Which is why you'd better get down."
Mo didn't reply. Snape was wrong; they wouldn't stay there forever. Dumbledore would definitely be here soon and he had to do something fast.
Think, Mo, think. The best solutions are the simplest ones.
"Still there, Riddle?"
And then suddenly Mo smiled. Snape had given him the answer himself.
"Where else would I be?" he said dryly, thinking rapidly. A nice silencing charm would do, and then-
"So have you decided yet if you wish to surrender?" came Snape's voice. Mo silently put the charm on his bag, his broom, the tree, and his whole body with the exception of his mouth.
"Still thinking, professor," Mo called out cheerfully. Heart pounding, he settled on his broom, got his stuff, and soared upwards, invisible, not even bothering to look back.
"Well Riddle? I haven't got all day," came Snape's impatient voice from the distance. Mo laughed to himself as he moved higher and further away. The things one could do with magic! He felt stupid at not thinking of it from before. He briefly considered tossing Snape's wand back, but decided it might come in handy later.
Grinning, he flew faster, and Snape's shouts became more and more distant until they were carried away by the wind.