Harry Potter & The Messenger's betrayal

By: Rachelfan5000

Disclaimer: This is like the billionth time I've written this, and surprise, surprise, I don't own Harry Potter.

Chat of Today! : Um, I don't know. REVIEW!

Watching: The Box (I always watch it!)

Listening to: David Sneddon - Don't let go (One of ma fav songs)

Quote: "And you look into my eyes and softly say, Don't let go," - David Sneddon

Chapter 13 - Revealing and Lies (The chapter everybody, including me, has been waiting for!)

The dark mark, sure, it had faded since it had been cast a few minutes ago. But whatever had cast the Dark Mark into the sky was long gone, the few students who had been in the grounds at the time were staring, paralysed with horror. A few had the sense to run inside, but they shouldn't have bothered, there was no real visible threat anymore. Or perhaps just the sight was enough of a shock.

Harry put his arm around Ginny who was gawping at the mark as though it was the last thing she had expected.

"What do you think happened, Harry?" she asked, making no effort to speak eye to eye and remaining to gaze at the mark.

"I don't know," Harry scanned the grounds, "noone seems to be hurt or anything, just afraid."

"I'm afraid, what if whoever did this is still here? Invisible to the naked eye or something," Ginny shivered at her own words.

"Whoever did this wouldn't have stayed - look," Harry motioned towards Albus Dumbledore, closely followed by Professor McGonagall, just entering the grounds, Madam Hooch was already there, calming down terrified students. "Death eaters are clever enough to avoid Dumbledore," he added firmly. Ginny nodded, and wiped her eyes.

"I guess you're right," she replied agreeably. She too cast her eyes over the grounds, in much more detail than Harry did as she soon pointed out a big crowd of people shadowing another, who appeared to be saying something.

"Wonder who's stuck in the middle of that," Ginny said, then her and Harry ran towards the crowd, Ginny noticed it was right underneath the dark mark. They tried to stand on tiptoes to see what was happening, but neither Harry nor Ginny were tall enough. Harry did, however, notice Professor Dumbledore make his way towards them.

"Make way, students," Professor Dumbledore said loudly, his eyes were riddled with concern. Professor McGonagall stood behind him and began to hush up the loudly jabbering students.

"Back to your common rooms, students, I will escort the Gryffindors and the rest of you I am sure will find your house prefect waiting by the door, " But Harry and Ginny were too bothered about what the witness in the middle had to say to listen.

There was a girl with a mass of tangly black curls, her brown eyes were crying so viscously she had to choke out all the words she spoke to Dumbledore. Harry recognised her immediately; she was the first year Gryffindor Rachel had teased at the sorting. Roxanna Stevenson.

"It's Roxie," Ginny said in a hushed sort of way. Roxie was speaking in a half-choked, half-sobbing kind of way, and in pure fright, she jumped at any sudden movements or noises. It was impossible to hear what she was saying.

"Mr Potter, Miss Weasley, will you please care to join your fellow Gryffindors," Professor McGonagall barked, and Ginny shrugged.

"We might as well leave, we're not gonna understand a word out of Roxie's mouth," Ginny whispered, they left the grounds, following Professor McGonagall, although before they left Harry did hear Roxie being asked to join Professor Dumbledore in his office.

Harry and Ginny soon lost the other Gryffindors and slowed down whilst climbing up the staircases, they moved as soon as Harry and Ginny were on them, which was actually quite sickening.

"Do you think that girl - Roxanna - is okay, she looked dead terrified," Ginny asked Harry turning her head to face Harry, she didn't bother to walk anymore and just stopped.

"I'm sure she's fine, but she can certainly turn on the waterworks," Harry replied confidently, "I think she's had some bad luck in the past involving Voldemort, that's all." Harry remembered her tearful face at the sorting.

"I suppose you're right," but Ginny still seemed concerned.

****

They entered the common room; shaken after the day's events, the first thing the two knew were Ron and Hermione running towards them.

"Where have you two been? I've been dead worried, I'm not sure about Ron though," she added the last part with a glance at Ron. She and Ron both looked like they had been rushed from Hogsmeade all the way to the Gryffindor common room, which was now full of Gryffindors describing the event outside with exciting new twists Harry was sure had never happened.

"So what happened outside?" Hermione asked before anyone could speak, "There's a first year called Matthew Bligh telling everyone there was a hooded figure and he bravely chased him off, but I don't think anyone believes him," Hermione smiled.

So Harry and Ginny took turns to describe what had happened, minus any private moments between the two. When they were finished Ron looked speechless and Hermione was still asking questions.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Hermione asked, her bushy hair falling forward, there was no effort to toss it back.

"Well how did you spend the day?" Ginny asked, both Ron and Hermione blushed and looked at each other, but they didn't say anything with reason to blush about. Then Hermione abruptly changed the subject.

"So you didn't see anyone," Hermione looked slightly disappointed. Harry assured her whoever had cast the sign was long gone by the time they reached the grounds.

"Oh come on 'Mione, it's not like you wanted to come face to face with You-know-who, or something," Ron told Hermione, and for once Hermione didn't object to 'Mione. Instead she shrugged.

"Is the girl you talked about okay?" Harry opened his mouth to reply, but the Portrait of the fat lady swung open and Roxie returned.

"Oh, she looks just fine," Ron said, indicating Roxie who had immediately seemed to get a million fans wanting to know exactly what had happened in the grounds. She smiled happily and enjoyed the retelling, part of which Ron, Hermione Harry and Ginny listened in on.

"And I was out there, on one of the school brooms, when this black figure came out of nowhere, he said these funny words and that mark - the dark mark, was shot into the sky. I didn't know what to do, he knocked me over and I think he was about to do something to me but then people saw the mark and started screaming. I think that was what saved me," Roxie recited as though she had rehearsed the retelling over and over in her head.

"Wow," muttered Ron as they moved away from the crowd into one of the quieter corners of the common room. Ginny had left to join Rachel to hear the retelling of Roxie's story again.

"Not wow, Ron," Hermione replied.

"What do you mean, Hermione?" Asked Harry, Hermione leaned into closer to them.

"From what Roxie says the black figure apparated, that must be a lie, something strange is going on, because you can't apparate into the Hogwarts grounds."

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Kinda a cliffy, not much though, * smiles * be sure to review you people, you are the reason I write, so if I don't get any reviews I stop writing, does that sound fair to you? It sounds okay to me, of course, the more reviews I get the quicker I'll write again, the only reason this chapter came quick was because I so much wanted to write it.

Can anyone guess the plot? I'd be surprised if anyone could; I know how many twists this ficlet has within, near the ending. Oh well, I'd like you to know I think it's the next Quidditch match in the next chapter and then I might have christmas in the next, but I probably won't, but those two things are going to be the highlights in the next few chapters.

Susy (Rachelfan5000)

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( (") Review Bunny would like to praise the following:

Iniysa: Glad you liked it, (The fic and review bunny)

Rhysel Ash: I like Cliffhangers, apart from when I'm reading them, lols, hope this cleared up the cliffy, and I added a small one at the end, just for you * giggles *

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( (") That's all for today, please review and you'll see your name here!! One word REVIEW!