Dark scene. Sorry. And I am forever in debt to A97865! You ROX! Why, I can't really say because it would spoil stuff I'm using later. But David knows! (heck anyone who had to suffer through 'Kat is HYPER!' night knows! Who knew I have no tolerance for caffeine?)
Chapter 22 - Old Memories and Dark Dreams
~*~
"Explain your failure, Wormtail." Voldemort's cold voice spoke from the undulating shadows surrounding his skeletal form.
"No failure my Lord!" The pathetic form of Peter Pettigrew wailed from his prone position at Voldemort's feet. His silver hand glinted dully in the torchlight; his body shook from the aftermath of the Cruciatus Curse, punishment for a job poorly done. "She can't withstand the Imperius Curse, my Lord, just as you expected! We captured Rowan Myfanwy as you asked, but she did not have the Amulet. Dumbledore wiped the memory from the staff's minds."
"Yet that Muggle-loving fool, Dumbledore, undoubtedly knows." Voldemort's long-fingered hands steepled contemplatively. "Why didn't you simply use the girl against Dumbledore? Or did you not think of that, Wormtail." Voldemort's wand rose fractionally, prompting a strangled sob from cowering wizard.
"I would have, my Lord! I intended to! Avery used a Memory Charm on her and I hid in her robes as a rat." Wormtail's small eyes became slightly frenzied, "but Sirius Black never left her side after we returned! There is no way I could fend off both of them. Black would kill me in an instant! Myfanwy would pour Veratiserum down my throat first!"
"Nervous about confronting your old comrades, Wormtail?" Voldemort questioned silkily. "Do you wish their deaths of me?" Wormtail's jaw slackened in shock at Voldemort's offer. The lidless lips curled upward in a cruel parody of a smile. "Or would you prefer the power to bring them to my side? A . . . slightly altered . . . Black and Myfanwy would make an interesting addition to our side. An excellent addition to the Lestranges and both from old wizarding lines." The Dark Lord swept past Wormtail's prostrate form, a voracious glitter darkening his crimson eyes. "Arrange another 'experiment', Wormtail, and inform Lucius." Voldemort halted as a thought occurred to him. "And remind him that I will not remove the memories of his actions toward the girl. Her price for any . . . inconveniences . . . may be in blood."
Wormtail bowed low and kissed Voldemort's robes before Disapparating into the night.
~*~
Harry blinked blearily - barely making out the fuzzy, dawn bathed shapes of his dormitory - and groped for his glasses. Nearby he heard the deep breaths of Ron, Seamus, Neville and Dean, still sleeping, undisturbed by the strange dreams funneled in by Harry's scar.
Harry settled his glasses on his nose and reached over to his nightstand for his pocket watch. The still dim light of false dawn was just enough for him to make out the hands' position. It read just after five. The others wouldn't awake for several hours yet. Then most of them would finish packing, eager to begin the first day of the Christmas Holiday.
Harry, as always, would stay at Hogwarts with Ron, Hermione, Ginny and the twins staying as well. Without the lure of the Yule Ball this year even fewer students were staying over the Holidays than usual. Most of the students were returning home, making up for the lost family time last year. They'd have the Gryffindor common room to themselves and possibly the rest of the school as well. Harry sincerely hoped to see more of his godfather with the school deserted.
Harry snapped his watch closed, moved to set it back on his nightstand, but stopped and sat back against his pillows instead. A stag, a dog, a rat, a wolf and a unicorn, all standing in a field of lilies. Harry traced the delicate figures with his index finger. Now he knew what it meant! James Potter, Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew, Remus Lupin, Rowan Myfanwy and Lily Evans! Sirius had told him his grandparents had the watch made for his father when James became Head Boy. Harry was willing to bet it was made with the advice of Lily Evans to become a private joke among the six of them. A beautiful, if unusual, design and a sly inside joke for the six friends.
He had to tell Dumbledore about the dream! Sirius and Rowan needed to know too. Harry crept out of his four-poster and started dressing.
"Where are you going?" A sleepy-sounding Ron asked from behind Harry. Harry turned to see his best friend blinking owlishly in the early morning light.
"To Dumbledore. I had another dream." This woke Ron immediately.
"A . . . about You-Know-Who?" He asked, carefully keeping his voice low and glancing at the three other boys in their dormitory. Harry nodded. Ron threw off his covers and started pulling on his robes over his pajamas. "Let's go then, Dumbledore has to know."
"Ron! What are you doing?" Harry demanded softly. Ron was acting unusually businesslike, almost like Hermione.
"Harry, I'll get the story out of you later anyway. Why wait and make you tell it twice?" Ron shrugged reasonably. "Where's the invisibility cloak? I'll go get Hermione."
~*~
"It's five in the morning, Harry." Hermione yawned, tying her robe's pink sash as Ron pulled the invisibility cloak off himself. Harry stopped his distracted pacing and started for the portrait hole, clearly expecting the other two to follow. "Harry, no one's going to be awake. Shouldn't we wait a bit?" Hermione's voice stopped him. Harry turned back to see his two friends standing at the bottom of the dormitory stairs, watching him in worry. "What's this all about, anyway?"
"Harry had another dream about Voldemort." Ron told her and Harry impatiently gave Hermione an account of the dream conversation between Voldemort and Wormtail.
"We have to tell Dumbledore." Ron insisted, grabbing Hermione's arm and pulling her toward the portrait hole. Hermione dug her heels in and tossed Ron off her arm. She raised an eyebrow and stared at them for a moment before shaking her head.
"At five in the morning?" She sighed again, then turned and headed back up the dormitory stairs.
"Hermione!" Ron and Harry protested. Hermione turned back to them and placed her hands on her hips.
"It will wait until after breakfast you two! There's no need to wake up Dumbledore at an ungodly hour for this! Or Snuffles, or Professor Myfanwy!"
"Well, it's not like those two slept much last night anyway." Ron shrugged "They're probably still in Myfanwy's office."
"Ron!" Hermione looked absolutely scandalized.
"What?" Ron protested, looking at Hermione with insulted innocence. "I just meant that they've been chasing werewolves all about the Forbidden Forest for most of the night and now they're starting a 'talk' that'll probably last several hours! Why, Hermione? What did you think I'd meant?"
Hermione blushed scarlet and raced up the stairs to the safety of her dormitory.
Ron looked at Harry then back at the place Hermione had just vacated in confusion. "Girls are weird." He finally concluded sagely.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Yes, I'm still alive. Surprised? Yeah, me too. But Finals are over and that's what was distracting me the most from writing. I absolutely had to pass Japanese and that takes a lot of study! I have my Degree!!! My very first college degree! I'm so proud of myself!
Lia Snowstar: I am much better, thank you. Honestly the powdered hens teeth would have been preferable to what I did take! I've another Snape/Sirius/Rowan fight scheduled for next chapter. Deserted hallways, no Dumbledore, Snape insulting Rowan . . .should be fun! Why don't you just send me an email with which flashbacks you want and I'll see what I can scare up? I've got a few written out, mostly, and I'm probably going to write the sequel and the immediate prequel right after I finish this one. The prequel covers right after Rowan leaves Hogwarts (she's a year behind the others) and up through the development of the Wolfsbane potion. And, yes, the entire pack is very fun to write! James and Sirius are hilarious together, I've found.
TatraMegami: Thanks!
Celtic Ember: *snicker* I was looking for a sharp objects after the third final on Monday! I will not abandon this story, I promise! The ending is written, as is the opening chapter of the sequel. Now just have to get there . . .
Viper2005: No promises on the cliffhangers. I'll try not to, but no promises.
Nell: Thank you! And, yes, they're way too young. Hence me putting in a few older couples. *winks*
Harriet: Thanks:)
Galadriel7: I've been studying so hard I haven't had time to read Imogen's latest yet! Though she warned me the last time I chatted with her that I'd be ready to kill her . . . Let's all start praying her life settles down soon so she can get back to writing! Imogen is also going to have a baby so that could be interfering. That's basically the story with everyone. The Queen's are swamped with real life right now and a lot of the GT'ers got together at Paula's (Firebolt909) house this weekend for "Towerstock". (this is also behind the 'groovy' layout we've got at the moment) I wouldn't expect them to get anything productive done; Lot's of insanity, maybe, but nothing productive.
May 2002
