A/N: TWENTY REVIEWS AND COUNTING!!! WOOHOO!!! A big thanks goes out to all
my lovely reviewers that've kept on reading and reviewing faithfully.
Sneezy Mouse: you truly are a wonderful writer, and words cannot express
all my gratitude. I haven't found the time, but I WILL catch up on my
reading with your Fred/Hermione story (don't worry, one of these days I
will review!) Thanks again, you're awesome! (Oh yeah, be happy that your
story had that affect on me! I'm usually hard as stone.) Meg: I'm honored
that I gave you and Mira your first detailed review. I'm pleased that you
are enjoying my story. I hope it's up to your standards because, in my
eyes, my story can't even compare to "Forbidden Love." As I said to Sneezy:
one of these days I will review! Miss Rosh: I know we haven't talked in
forever, and when you had IM-ed me that one time, I was honestly going to
reply, but my ex IM-ed me, and then my phone started ringing off the hook,
and I was busy selecting my colors for my font...ARGH!!! We'll get to
talking again, when I don't have my away message on.
Okay, this A/N is getting long.
I actually forgot to mention in my last A/N that I don't own Harry Potter. So now you know...DON'T SUE ME!!!
Chapter 16: It Gets Better and It Gets Worse
Penelope sat there, admiring the being that is Percy Weasley. He was everything she'd ever hoped for and more. Time flew by as Percy spoke. She hadn't asked him anything; he had just begun to talk. He worked for the Ministry, which sparked Penelope's high interest, and he spoke about how one day, he wished to become the Minister of Magic. Penelope had to say something now.
"One day, I wish to become the...Mistress of Magic." Percy stared at her, wide-eyed.
"You really wish for that?" he asked. Penelope nodded.
"The wizarding world seems so down these days. The Ministry needs someone who can take charge, and fix the wizarding world one step at a time. For instance: the need to start working on the thickness of cauldrons. Haven't you noticed that the bottoms of cauldrons are so thin? If you put a hot potion in it, the bottom, most likely, will melt and you'll have hot bubotuber pus all over you-"
"I did a report on the thickness of cauldrons, and I must agree with you on that. Nobody at the Ministry would listen to me when I told them about it, but I laughed, and I said, 'When you have bubotuber pus running down your front, don't say I didn't warn you.' You know Miss-" he frowned. He never did catch her name.
"Stoneriver. Penelope Stoneriver." Percy tensed at the name.
"Penelope... Penny, may I call you?" Penelope nodded so hard that her head would've fallen off. "Penny, Miss Stoneriver, if I hadn't spoken to you tonight, I would've never known we had so much in common. If only I had known you in my Hogwarts days."
"I'm a permanent exchange student. I just came this year."
"Really?"
"Yes, from Beauxbatons. I joined the rest of the fifth years. I'm in your brother's class."
"Ron, yes, yes, Ron. He's a fifth year. What would one with a great mind such as yourself be doing at Beauxbatons? I didn't even catch that French accent." Percy said.
"Well, I'm not French. I was born in Ireland." Penelope explained.
"You're a lass. I should've recognized that." The two were silent for a while, "What are you doing here all by yourself? Your date must be off fetching you a drink or something, I presume."
"What date? I had one, but he flaked on me."
"Sounds uncalled for from a Gryffindor-"
"He's a Slytherin." Percy snorted.
"Never trust a Slytherin. They're slimy, and they break promises."
"Trust me, I know way too much than I should about that." The two were silent again. Percy glanced around. "I never got to ask why you're here anyways." Percy looked over at Penelope.
"Professor Dumbledore invited me. Had I known it was just because he needed another chaperone, I wouldn't've come. I have much work to do at the Ministry. But I hadn't expected meeting a fine young lady such as yourself, Miss Penny Stoneriver." Penelope blushed. "Would you.would you grant me this dance?" Percy asked and Penelope's heart almost stopped indefinitely.
******
"You what!?" Alina stepped away from Oliver, dropping his hands.
"I want you to come to America with me." Oliver repeated, stepping closer to her again.
"What's in America?"
"Alina, come with me to America, please. It'll be over the summer holidays. Puddlemere wants to trade me with the Fitchburg Finches, and I was going to check out the team. I...I don't think I can bear being so far away from you." Oliver's hands found hers again, and they just stood there for a while.
"Why?" she squeaked. Oliver looked down and began kicking the dirt at his feet. They could hear the music from the Ball playing quietly behind them. When he didn't answer, Alina dropped his hands for a second time, and she wandered to the lake's edge. The water looked black, with stars reflecting off of it. With a slight breeze, water rippled against the shore.
"I want to be with you. I really, *really* like you." Hearing his words, as corny as it sounded, Alina's heart just wanted to jump out of her chest. It was pounding hard against her. She felt tears threatening to spill from her eyes. She was still trying to fully comprehend what he had just said.
"Oliver wants to be with me. He likes me. Oliver Wood likes me. ME! Go for it!" Alina's mind screamed.
"What if my parents don't let me go to America with you?" she asked, turning to face him. But instead of seeing just him, she saw a presence lurking behind him. She blinked. Her eyes were deceiving her. It was nothing. She needed to stop the paranoia. He couldn't come. Not tonight.
"I don't care what your parents say. They can't keep me from you." Oliver said, walking to her, "I'll move heaven and hell just to be with you." Alina's heart stopped when Oliver put a gentle hand on her cheek, and his lips met hers. After all those times they'd practiced Quidditch together, with all those almost-kisses... The flirting, the teasing...it finally paid off. Tonight was their night, and it felt too perfect to be with him.
Yet, there was something lingering at the back of her mind. A certain black haired, green-eyed person with a scar on his forehead. Him. She couldn't deny the fact that he had a special place in her heart. But it wasn't her duty to fall for him. She's supposed to be protecting him.
Alina opened her eyes for a moment to catch a pair of yellow eyes staring back at her. Her eyes hadn't deceived her. He was there. Her breath seemed to catch in her throat, and not because of the affect Oliver had on her.
This beast towered two feet above her, with fangs sharp and glinting in the moonlight. Claws out, ready to stab right into an unsuspecting victim. He stood a mere three feet away, and she could hear his ragged breath. Keverene is his name, as he's the darkest werewolf to walk the earth. Keverene is believed to not even be a true werewolf. Some say he has no human form, and he's only wolf. He could walk around in his wolf form, even when there wasn't a full moon. So what's he doing at Hogwarts? Two words: Harry Potter.
He knew of Harry, and how he stopped the rein of the Dark Lord. Keverene believed that if he had at least one drop of Harry's blood in his system, he'd be unstoppable. Getting Harry's blood wasn't enough, though. He wanted to kill him to be sure he'll stay powerful.
But who's to save our young Mr. Potter? Didn't you ever wonder why these strange permanent exchange students came to Hogwarts in their fifth year, and see Snape every so often?
Incase you haven't caught on, Alina and her friends are werewolves. Alina is continuing the job once belonging to her brother. Her brother had watched Keverene from the shadows, and made sure Keverene didn't come within a good distance of Harry. But her brother was killed while on duty, and Alina believed that what better stand-in than her brother's sister? Her parents didn't approve of it. Period. They didn't want her coming to Hogwarts. Alina, though, had to find a way to get herself expelled from her old school and into Hogwarts. And she did. Her parents couldn't object to it once she had already contacted Albus Dumbledore himself.
"Oliver," Alina squeaked as Oliver nibbled on her neck. "Oliver." He looked up at her quizzically. "Please, whatever you do, don't turn around. You will run, as fast as you can, back up to the Great Hall. Warn everybody to stay inside." Alina ordered.
"What are you talking about?" Oliver asked.
"Just do as I say. Go!" Oliver looked at her oddly before turning around to meet the yellow eyes of Keverene. Oliver seemed to have lost his voice. Alina figured he couldn't even breathe. He backed away, and then pushed Alina aside. He ran up the path back up to the castle as Alina fell at the feet of the werewolf.
Keverene looked down at Alina on the ground, and then followed the path that Oliver took up to the castle.
"You thought it was going to be easy, Keverene." Alina said his name with so much loathe. He turned to look at her, sprawled on the floor. "You thought that after my brother died, it was just going to be another walk in the park. Think again. If you want to kill Harry, you have to get to-"
The werewolf charged for Alina, and seized her with one paw. His claws dug in her back, and she cried out in pain. Wasn't anybody going to check on her? She knew now that she couldn't battle him on her own.
******
Harry walked around to the front to see the lake. It was quiet, too quiet. He had to admit he felt something was up. After Oliver had come running in the Great Hall, screaming about a big hairy beast, Harry began to worry. Not about this monster Oliver had claimed to see, but Alina's safety. She wasn't with him when he came running in the Great Hall.
He heard a faint cry, and his usual, constantly vigilant self had turned on. Where was the noise coming from? Was someone in trouble? Did anybody know that there was a person in trouble? Was it Alina?
Harry made a dash for the path to the lake when he heard Cho calling after him.
"Where are you going? They said the last dance is coming up after this." Cho said. He stood his ground about ten feet away from her. She began walking towards him. "You're not going out to the lake, are you? You don't actually believe what that nut Oliver Wood said? There can't possibly be something out there. How could a beast get into Hogwarts? This school is protected." Cho explained.
"It probably came from the Forbidden Forest. And, someone is in trouble. I could've sworn I heard Alina-"
"Alina? Why do you care about her? Look, she's just probably trying to get attention by crying her eyes out as loud as she could. You don't really think she's in trouble, do you?" Cho looked at him closely, "You weren't thinking of saving her, were you? Typical Harry Potter." Cho derided. Harry fixed the sleeves of his blazer, and brushed past her up to the Great Hall.
"Are we going to dance or what? It's what you want, isn't it? That's why you came out here to get me." Harry called over his shoulder, and then he went through the front doors, not looking back at Cho again.
She stood on the path, looking back at the lake.
"You think you've got this planned out, Halliwell. You think you're going to get him. Think again. I win. You lose, and that's final." Cho muttered under her breath before turning back towards the castle. She entered the Great Hall, and saw everyone looking towards her and whispering. Camille, someone whom Cho had considered a friend even though she was a part of 'Alina's Clique,' and was a year young than her, went up to Cho. She had worry washed over her face, and she was going pale by the second.
"Did you, by any chance, see Alina outside?" Camille asked as she rubbed her hands together.
"I haven't seen her. Why would I want to? What's going on?" Cho asked.
"Alina is missing. Nobody can find her. She wasn't with Oliver." Camille explained.
"Look, I could care less if she's missing. I don't really care what-" Megan ran over to them.
"Camille: 'big hairy beast'? Does that ring a bell or not?" Megan questioned, ignoring Cho.
"Reminds me of Alina, actually." Cho scoffed. Megan gave her an icy glare.
"I never liked you, Chang. You're on my list. And if you ever cross the line again, by insulting one of my friends or myself, I will place it upon myself to teach you a lesson. Mark my words, you won't be pretty afterwards." Megan sneered. Cho stared back at her with the same contortion.
"I tried talking to Oliver, and he said that Alina was still back at the lake when he left." Penelope said as she came running up. Megan looked at her friend, bug-eyed. "My guess is that she's probably still down there, or we can't spot her in here." Now, Mikaela and Erin appeared in the semi- huddle, with Harry and Ron standing behind them.
"Any news?" Mikaela asked.
"I heard someone crying, and I'm sure it came from the lake." Harry piped up.
"Oh no. You are not going to get involved in this, Harry. This is stupid. C'mon, let's dance." Cho tried to take Harry's hand, but he pushed her away.
"My friend is probably in trouble. I can't dance with you while she could be dying now."
"'Probably.' Harry, she's probably in trouble." Cho said as she tried to reach for his hand again.
"No. Don't do this. Go away. I don't need this from you now." Harry said, inching away from her.
"The two of you: please stop it! I've got a plan. Ron: you and I will go around the Forbidden Forest to see if she could be there. Penny and Camille: look around the school to see if Alina had slipped in unnoticed. Mika and Erin: take the far right end of the lake. Harry: you look around the far left end of the lake with Cho." Cho tried to protest, but Megan spoke before she could get the chance, "It's too late. You're involved in this now. Deal with it. You're going to have to work with Harry to look for Alina." Megan looked back to the rest of the group, "If you find yourself in danger, send up yellow sparks. If you find Alina, send up red sparks. Let's split up now, we might have some time if she's still alive." Megan had forced herself to say. She didn't want to think the worst was going to happen. But then again, anything is possible.
"Why don't we tell Dumbledore?" Cho asked. Megan turned back.
"Stop stalling." Cho gave Megan a dirty look, "We can't tell Dumbledore because he can't do anything do help. It's too long of a story; you won't understand." Megan said before turning on her heel and running out of the Great Hall. Everyone else followed behind, with a displeased Cho trailing behind Harry.
******
Alina tried shimmying her way up to the surface. She hated water. She couldn't even swim. She had a feeling she was going to die. Water was flooding into her mouth. People probably thought she was somewhere inside the castle. Everything that had led up to her in the lake happened all too fast...
Keverene grabbed her, and threw her over his shoulder. She couldn't tell where he was taking her because everything looked so different in the dark. She had a feeling, though, that he was going to take her to the Forbidden Forest so he could kill her without anybody hearing.
But the lake was still in view when Keverene had stopped walking. Something was probably in his way. Maybe it was a centaur. But she didn't hear the hooves against the ground. Instead she heard human voices. Someone was ordering someone to take Keverene out. Next thing she knew, she was on the ground, with Keverene inches away. She looked over and saw Keverene with a silver rod through his stomach. The sight was revolting. Blood gushed from his body. Who'd do such a thing? She looked up to see two hooded men, their faces almost completely out of view. One man was short and pudgy, and the other was tall and thin. The shorter one had whipped his wand out of his robes, and pointed it directly at Alina. The taller one put a sallow hand on the other man's shoulder.
"She is one of them," he said coldly, referring to Keverene as 'them.' He knew what she was. But how was that possible? Only the teachers at Hogwarts, and her close friends knew of her secret. But this man, this man she's never met in her life, or at least she never knew she had met, knew about it.
The taller man removed the hood from his head to reveal his face. After taking a look at his face, Alina had wished he'd kept it on. He was complexion was whiter than white. He had wide scarlet eyes, and a flat nose with slits for nostrils, almost as those of a...snake.
She gasped. She knew who it was.
"Throw her into the lake." Lord Voldemort ordered the shorter man. The shorter man outstretched his arms, and she saw that he had one normal hand and one silver hand that shined in the moonlight. When the man took hold of her, grabbing her wrists, and bringing it over her head as he dragged her, Alina began to scream.
"NO! PLEASE DON'T THROW ME INTO THE LAKE! PLEASE DON'T! HAVE MERCY! I CAN'T SWIM! OH, LORD, HAVE MERCY! PLEASE!" Alina begged as she kicked her feet around. The hem of her dress had caught on to something on the ground, and it ripped. She felt rocks scraping against the back of her legs, and could've sworn that she felt her own blood against her skin. "PLEASE, I BEG OF YOU, HAVE MERCY ON ME! DON'T KILL ME, PLEASE!" Alina stopped screaming as her eyes locked with those scarlet ones. She felt chills run up and down her spine, and throughout the rest of her body. He looked at her like she was a servant, the lowest form of being on the earth. "Why do you want me?" Alina felt that begging for mercy wouldn't work. So, she wanted to know why he wanted her. What did she do to deserve it? He let out a bone chilling cackle.
"You, Miss Halliwell, will lure Harry Potter to us." He said as the other man had stopped dragging her. She felt her wrists being bound together, and looked above her to see the man tying them together. With a swish of a wand, she felt her ankles being bound together. Then, she couldn't feel the ground supporting her anymore. Now, she had to look down to the men. She was levitating over the black water, and over towards the middle of the lake. "Let's see if our hero pulls through." With that, Alina was dropped into the lake.
A/N: Oh shit, what an ending. You know you wanna review. You know you wanna beg me for the next chapter because you wanna see what happens. Who will save her? Will everyone's favorite hero (Harry) be able to pull through and save her? Well, you'll just have to WAIT! Dang, I'm so pissed that I don't know how to get italics to work. I had a lot of words italicized, and I didn't want to add the starry thingies around all the words that I had made italic. Oh well. One day I'll find out how it works. Also, I'm unhappy with the format of everything. It looks all messy. Well, one of these days (you know I'll eventually put it off; pooey) I will make the story look a little nicer by spacing it a bit more and stuff. Oh well, the cuteness Matt O'Leary himself is going to be on TV tonight, I should be off now. Talk to y'all later. -Gryffindor Heiress
Okay, this A/N is getting long.
I actually forgot to mention in my last A/N that I don't own Harry Potter. So now you know...DON'T SUE ME!!!
Chapter 16: It Gets Better and It Gets Worse
Penelope sat there, admiring the being that is Percy Weasley. He was everything she'd ever hoped for and more. Time flew by as Percy spoke. She hadn't asked him anything; he had just begun to talk. He worked for the Ministry, which sparked Penelope's high interest, and he spoke about how one day, he wished to become the Minister of Magic. Penelope had to say something now.
"One day, I wish to become the...Mistress of Magic." Percy stared at her, wide-eyed.
"You really wish for that?" he asked. Penelope nodded.
"The wizarding world seems so down these days. The Ministry needs someone who can take charge, and fix the wizarding world one step at a time. For instance: the need to start working on the thickness of cauldrons. Haven't you noticed that the bottoms of cauldrons are so thin? If you put a hot potion in it, the bottom, most likely, will melt and you'll have hot bubotuber pus all over you-"
"I did a report on the thickness of cauldrons, and I must agree with you on that. Nobody at the Ministry would listen to me when I told them about it, but I laughed, and I said, 'When you have bubotuber pus running down your front, don't say I didn't warn you.' You know Miss-" he frowned. He never did catch her name.
"Stoneriver. Penelope Stoneriver." Percy tensed at the name.
"Penelope... Penny, may I call you?" Penelope nodded so hard that her head would've fallen off. "Penny, Miss Stoneriver, if I hadn't spoken to you tonight, I would've never known we had so much in common. If only I had known you in my Hogwarts days."
"I'm a permanent exchange student. I just came this year."
"Really?"
"Yes, from Beauxbatons. I joined the rest of the fifth years. I'm in your brother's class."
"Ron, yes, yes, Ron. He's a fifth year. What would one with a great mind such as yourself be doing at Beauxbatons? I didn't even catch that French accent." Percy said.
"Well, I'm not French. I was born in Ireland." Penelope explained.
"You're a lass. I should've recognized that." The two were silent for a while, "What are you doing here all by yourself? Your date must be off fetching you a drink or something, I presume."
"What date? I had one, but he flaked on me."
"Sounds uncalled for from a Gryffindor-"
"He's a Slytherin." Percy snorted.
"Never trust a Slytherin. They're slimy, and they break promises."
"Trust me, I know way too much than I should about that." The two were silent again. Percy glanced around. "I never got to ask why you're here anyways." Percy looked over at Penelope.
"Professor Dumbledore invited me. Had I known it was just because he needed another chaperone, I wouldn't've come. I have much work to do at the Ministry. But I hadn't expected meeting a fine young lady such as yourself, Miss Penny Stoneriver." Penelope blushed. "Would you.would you grant me this dance?" Percy asked and Penelope's heart almost stopped indefinitely.
******
"You what!?" Alina stepped away from Oliver, dropping his hands.
"I want you to come to America with me." Oliver repeated, stepping closer to her again.
"What's in America?"
"Alina, come with me to America, please. It'll be over the summer holidays. Puddlemere wants to trade me with the Fitchburg Finches, and I was going to check out the team. I...I don't think I can bear being so far away from you." Oliver's hands found hers again, and they just stood there for a while.
"Why?" she squeaked. Oliver looked down and began kicking the dirt at his feet. They could hear the music from the Ball playing quietly behind them. When he didn't answer, Alina dropped his hands for a second time, and she wandered to the lake's edge. The water looked black, with stars reflecting off of it. With a slight breeze, water rippled against the shore.
"I want to be with you. I really, *really* like you." Hearing his words, as corny as it sounded, Alina's heart just wanted to jump out of her chest. It was pounding hard against her. She felt tears threatening to spill from her eyes. She was still trying to fully comprehend what he had just said.
"Oliver wants to be with me. He likes me. Oliver Wood likes me. ME! Go for it!" Alina's mind screamed.
"What if my parents don't let me go to America with you?" she asked, turning to face him. But instead of seeing just him, she saw a presence lurking behind him. She blinked. Her eyes were deceiving her. It was nothing. She needed to stop the paranoia. He couldn't come. Not tonight.
"I don't care what your parents say. They can't keep me from you." Oliver said, walking to her, "I'll move heaven and hell just to be with you." Alina's heart stopped when Oliver put a gentle hand on her cheek, and his lips met hers. After all those times they'd practiced Quidditch together, with all those almost-kisses... The flirting, the teasing...it finally paid off. Tonight was their night, and it felt too perfect to be with him.
Yet, there was something lingering at the back of her mind. A certain black haired, green-eyed person with a scar on his forehead. Him. She couldn't deny the fact that he had a special place in her heart. But it wasn't her duty to fall for him. She's supposed to be protecting him.
Alina opened her eyes for a moment to catch a pair of yellow eyes staring back at her. Her eyes hadn't deceived her. He was there. Her breath seemed to catch in her throat, and not because of the affect Oliver had on her.
This beast towered two feet above her, with fangs sharp and glinting in the moonlight. Claws out, ready to stab right into an unsuspecting victim. He stood a mere three feet away, and she could hear his ragged breath. Keverene is his name, as he's the darkest werewolf to walk the earth. Keverene is believed to not even be a true werewolf. Some say he has no human form, and he's only wolf. He could walk around in his wolf form, even when there wasn't a full moon. So what's he doing at Hogwarts? Two words: Harry Potter.
He knew of Harry, and how he stopped the rein of the Dark Lord. Keverene believed that if he had at least one drop of Harry's blood in his system, he'd be unstoppable. Getting Harry's blood wasn't enough, though. He wanted to kill him to be sure he'll stay powerful.
But who's to save our young Mr. Potter? Didn't you ever wonder why these strange permanent exchange students came to Hogwarts in their fifth year, and see Snape every so often?
Incase you haven't caught on, Alina and her friends are werewolves. Alina is continuing the job once belonging to her brother. Her brother had watched Keverene from the shadows, and made sure Keverene didn't come within a good distance of Harry. But her brother was killed while on duty, and Alina believed that what better stand-in than her brother's sister? Her parents didn't approve of it. Period. They didn't want her coming to Hogwarts. Alina, though, had to find a way to get herself expelled from her old school and into Hogwarts. And she did. Her parents couldn't object to it once she had already contacted Albus Dumbledore himself.
"Oliver," Alina squeaked as Oliver nibbled on her neck. "Oliver." He looked up at her quizzically. "Please, whatever you do, don't turn around. You will run, as fast as you can, back up to the Great Hall. Warn everybody to stay inside." Alina ordered.
"What are you talking about?" Oliver asked.
"Just do as I say. Go!" Oliver looked at her oddly before turning around to meet the yellow eyes of Keverene. Oliver seemed to have lost his voice. Alina figured he couldn't even breathe. He backed away, and then pushed Alina aside. He ran up the path back up to the castle as Alina fell at the feet of the werewolf.
Keverene looked down at Alina on the ground, and then followed the path that Oliver took up to the castle.
"You thought it was going to be easy, Keverene." Alina said his name with so much loathe. He turned to look at her, sprawled on the floor. "You thought that after my brother died, it was just going to be another walk in the park. Think again. If you want to kill Harry, you have to get to-"
The werewolf charged for Alina, and seized her with one paw. His claws dug in her back, and she cried out in pain. Wasn't anybody going to check on her? She knew now that she couldn't battle him on her own.
******
Harry walked around to the front to see the lake. It was quiet, too quiet. He had to admit he felt something was up. After Oliver had come running in the Great Hall, screaming about a big hairy beast, Harry began to worry. Not about this monster Oliver had claimed to see, but Alina's safety. She wasn't with him when he came running in the Great Hall.
He heard a faint cry, and his usual, constantly vigilant self had turned on. Where was the noise coming from? Was someone in trouble? Did anybody know that there was a person in trouble? Was it Alina?
Harry made a dash for the path to the lake when he heard Cho calling after him.
"Where are you going? They said the last dance is coming up after this." Cho said. He stood his ground about ten feet away from her. She began walking towards him. "You're not going out to the lake, are you? You don't actually believe what that nut Oliver Wood said? There can't possibly be something out there. How could a beast get into Hogwarts? This school is protected." Cho explained.
"It probably came from the Forbidden Forest. And, someone is in trouble. I could've sworn I heard Alina-"
"Alina? Why do you care about her? Look, she's just probably trying to get attention by crying her eyes out as loud as she could. You don't really think she's in trouble, do you?" Cho looked at him closely, "You weren't thinking of saving her, were you? Typical Harry Potter." Cho derided. Harry fixed the sleeves of his blazer, and brushed past her up to the Great Hall.
"Are we going to dance or what? It's what you want, isn't it? That's why you came out here to get me." Harry called over his shoulder, and then he went through the front doors, not looking back at Cho again.
She stood on the path, looking back at the lake.
"You think you've got this planned out, Halliwell. You think you're going to get him. Think again. I win. You lose, and that's final." Cho muttered under her breath before turning back towards the castle. She entered the Great Hall, and saw everyone looking towards her and whispering. Camille, someone whom Cho had considered a friend even though she was a part of 'Alina's Clique,' and was a year young than her, went up to Cho. She had worry washed over her face, and she was going pale by the second.
"Did you, by any chance, see Alina outside?" Camille asked as she rubbed her hands together.
"I haven't seen her. Why would I want to? What's going on?" Cho asked.
"Alina is missing. Nobody can find her. She wasn't with Oliver." Camille explained.
"Look, I could care less if she's missing. I don't really care what-" Megan ran over to them.
"Camille: 'big hairy beast'? Does that ring a bell or not?" Megan questioned, ignoring Cho.
"Reminds me of Alina, actually." Cho scoffed. Megan gave her an icy glare.
"I never liked you, Chang. You're on my list. And if you ever cross the line again, by insulting one of my friends or myself, I will place it upon myself to teach you a lesson. Mark my words, you won't be pretty afterwards." Megan sneered. Cho stared back at her with the same contortion.
"I tried talking to Oliver, and he said that Alina was still back at the lake when he left." Penelope said as she came running up. Megan looked at her friend, bug-eyed. "My guess is that she's probably still down there, or we can't spot her in here." Now, Mikaela and Erin appeared in the semi- huddle, with Harry and Ron standing behind them.
"Any news?" Mikaela asked.
"I heard someone crying, and I'm sure it came from the lake." Harry piped up.
"Oh no. You are not going to get involved in this, Harry. This is stupid. C'mon, let's dance." Cho tried to take Harry's hand, but he pushed her away.
"My friend is probably in trouble. I can't dance with you while she could be dying now."
"'Probably.' Harry, she's probably in trouble." Cho said as she tried to reach for his hand again.
"No. Don't do this. Go away. I don't need this from you now." Harry said, inching away from her.
"The two of you: please stop it! I've got a plan. Ron: you and I will go around the Forbidden Forest to see if she could be there. Penny and Camille: look around the school to see if Alina had slipped in unnoticed. Mika and Erin: take the far right end of the lake. Harry: you look around the far left end of the lake with Cho." Cho tried to protest, but Megan spoke before she could get the chance, "It's too late. You're involved in this now. Deal with it. You're going to have to work with Harry to look for Alina." Megan looked back to the rest of the group, "If you find yourself in danger, send up yellow sparks. If you find Alina, send up red sparks. Let's split up now, we might have some time if she's still alive." Megan had forced herself to say. She didn't want to think the worst was going to happen. But then again, anything is possible.
"Why don't we tell Dumbledore?" Cho asked. Megan turned back.
"Stop stalling." Cho gave Megan a dirty look, "We can't tell Dumbledore because he can't do anything do help. It's too long of a story; you won't understand." Megan said before turning on her heel and running out of the Great Hall. Everyone else followed behind, with a displeased Cho trailing behind Harry.
******
Alina tried shimmying her way up to the surface. She hated water. She couldn't even swim. She had a feeling she was going to die. Water was flooding into her mouth. People probably thought she was somewhere inside the castle. Everything that had led up to her in the lake happened all too fast...
Keverene grabbed her, and threw her over his shoulder. She couldn't tell where he was taking her because everything looked so different in the dark. She had a feeling, though, that he was going to take her to the Forbidden Forest so he could kill her without anybody hearing.
But the lake was still in view when Keverene had stopped walking. Something was probably in his way. Maybe it was a centaur. But she didn't hear the hooves against the ground. Instead she heard human voices. Someone was ordering someone to take Keverene out. Next thing she knew, she was on the ground, with Keverene inches away. She looked over and saw Keverene with a silver rod through his stomach. The sight was revolting. Blood gushed from his body. Who'd do such a thing? She looked up to see two hooded men, their faces almost completely out of view. One man was short and pudgy, and the other was tall and thin. The shorter one had whipped his wand out of his robes, and pointed it directly at Alina. The taller one put a sallow hand on the other man's shoulder.
"She is one of them," he said coldly, referring to Keverene as 'them.' He knew what she was. But how was that possible? Only the teachers at Hogwarts, and her close friends knew of her secret. But this man, this man she's never met in her life, or at least she never knew she had met, knew about it.
The taller man removed the hood from his head to reveal his face. After taking a look at his face, Alina had wished he'd kept it on. He was complexion was whiter than white. He had wide scarlet eyes, and a flat nose with slits for nostrils, almost as those of a...snake.
She gasped. She knew who it was.
"Throw her into the lake." Lord Voldemort ordered the shorter man. The shorter man outstretched his arms, and she saw that he had one normal hand and one silver hand that shined in the moonlight. When the man took hold of her, grabbing her wrists, and bringing it over her head as he dragged her, Alina began to scream.
"NO! PLEASE DON'T THROW ME INTO THE LAKE! PLEASE DON'T! HAVE MERCY! I CAN'T SWIM! OH, LORD, HAVE MERCY! PLEASE!" Alina begged as she kicked her feet around. The hem of her dress had caught on to something on the ground, and it ripped. She felt rocks scraping against the back of her legs, and could've sworn that she felt her own blood against her skin. "PLEASE, I BEG OF YOU, HAVE MERCY ON ME! DON'T KILL ME, PLEASE!" Alina stopped screaming as her eyes locked with those scarlet ones. She felt chills run up and down her spine, and throughout the rest of her body. He looked at her like she was a servant, the lowest form of being on the earth. "Why do you want me?" Alina felt that begging for mercy wouldn't work. So, she wanted to know why he wanted her. What did she do to deserve it? He let out a bone chilling cackle.
"You, Miss Halliwell, will lure Harry Potter to us." He said as the other man had stopped dragging her. She felt her wrists being bound together, and looked above her to see the man tying them together. With a swish of a wand, she felt her ankles being bound together. Then, she couldn't feel the ground supporting her anymore. Now, she had to look down to the men. She was levitating over the black water, and over towards the middle of the lake. "Let's see if our hero pulls through." With that, Alina was dropped into the lake.
A/N: Oh shit, what an ending. You know you wanna review. You know you wanna beg me for the next chapter because you wanna see what happens. Who will save her? Will everyone's favorite hero (Harry) be able to pull through and save her? Well, you'll just have to WAIT! Dang, I'm so pissed that I don't know how to get italics to work. I had a lot of words italicized, and I didn't want to add the starry thingies around all the words that I had made italic. Oh well. One day I'll find out how it works. Also, I'm unhappy with the format of everything. It looks all messy. Well, one of these days (you know I'll eventually put it off; pooey) I will make the story look a little nicer by spacing it a bit more and stuff. Oh well, the cuteness Matt O'Leary himself is going to be on TV tonight, I should be off now. Talk to y'all later. -Gryffindor Heiress
