A helping hand

By Moon-Ying

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. If I did I would be living in Scotland and having afternoon tea with a bunch of famous people. ^_^

Author's Note: nothing much, just another strange chapter that I hope you like J Thanks very much for all those who have R/R! I wuv you all! I couldn't pick on the title name so it has two. After reading this bit pick the title that fits best. ^_^

Chapter 6

Alone and Deserted

Or

(The Voice in the Darkness)

Harry blinked. He couldn't believe what Lecai had told him. A letter from Sirius? Why was he writing to Snape? They hated each other! How did Sirius know he was here? Did it have something to do with Hedwig? Did this mean she was safe?

"What did you say?" Harry slowly asked as if he didn't trust his own voice. A thousand questions ran throughout his mind.

"Oh nothing," the dejected house elf murmured in response. Bewildered, he watched as she jumped off the bed; her hat fell to the floor once more. "It's nothing to push Heruamin's buttons about," she told him, repeating Harry's own words. She picked up her hat and sulked all the way to the door.

"Wait, Lecai!" Harry called out. "Sirius is my godfather! Why did he write to Snape? What did he say?"

"Oh this and that," the elf sniffed. She reached up and clasped the doorknob with her long fingers. "Lecai can't really remember at all."

Harry pressed his mouth together. "Well if he wrote then it must be for me, right?" he whispered thoughtfully. "Then I don't think Snape would mind if I took a little peek."

Lecai suddenly spun around, a great smile lighting up her face. "Then let Lecai help Harry! Harry needs clothes!"

"Er…no thanks, Lecai," Harry stopped her quickly. "No magic. I'll just use my invisible cape. I won't be seen that way."

Lecai looked disheartened, her smile slowly fading. "Okay," she sniffed.

"Don't start crying either!" Harry firmly ordered, walking to his chest. "I don't mean to hurt your feelings. I just want to see the letter and be back here before Snape even knows it. It's safer this way."

Another wretched snuffle told Harry that Lecai didn't quite forgive him for the refusal. With a little sigh, he looked away from the brooding elf and moved closer to his trunk. It stood in a shadowy corner over the room, covered with shadows and Hedwig's empty cage. His heart sank at the sight. He prayed that he faithful owl was all right and under Sirius' protection.

He pushed aside his thoughts and quickly knelt in from of it. Quietly his fingers moved to open the lid. All first all he saw was his familiar robes of black and some parchment. He had to dig for the Invisibility Clock, for the cape that felt like water was sewn into the threads.

"Ooh!" Lecai exclaimed in awe. Her eyes widened as she stared at Harry as he threw the cloak over his head. "Harry's invisible! Lecai can't see Harry!" she jumped up and giggled, her blue hat falling again to the floor in her impulsive excitement. "If Lecai can't see Harry than neither can Heruamin! How scandalous!"

Folded inside the darkness of the garment Harry didn't hide his grin. "Now don't tell Snape about this, all right? Technically I'm not doing anything bad. If the letter is mine, I have a right to see it"

"Of course, Harry!" Lecai replied enthusiastically, her wide eyes growing wider. "Lecai will not tell! Lecai will take it to Lecai's grave! Never tell Heruamin! Never! Lecai promise! Harry can trust Lecai. Yes, sir-ee!"

"Well it's good to know you are up to the job, Lecai," Harry said with a sigh. "I'll be back in a few minutes. Er…where's the dinning room anyway?"

"Lecai can use magic to-"

"NO magic, Lecai!"

"Oh," the little elf murmured and quickly looked down. But Harry saw the signs of more tears growing in her bright eyes. "The room of dining is the last door in the man foyer! Lecai can go with Harry! Lecai can show the way!"

Harry was already on his way to the door but at her words he turned around. "I know the way. Don't follow. It might be suspicious." Lecai nodded in the direction of his voice.

"Ooh! Harry is invisible!" she chanted. "Lecai cannot see Harry!" she giggled and covered her large eyes, almost trembling with amusement. Harry was truly worried for a moment. Then he remembered that elves, by nature, are always strange creatures.

He turned to the door and quietly opened it up. The door opening up on its own made Lecai have another fit of the high-pitched giggles. He sighed and quickly stepped out into the hallway. It was dark and freezing, almost like a tomb. Instantly Harry's lips began to tremble but he didn't want to go back inside the room to get his school cloak for fear of Lecai. She would no doubt have a hay day. Harry had to squint through the darkness to see anything. From what he could tell there were no windows to provide light from the moon to fill the halls.

Well I'm not going to get my wand, Harry told himself. I better just go along the wall.

Harry recalled how he got to the room. From the front entrance, he went of to the staircase and up and stairs. There was a long hall that greeted him and the first door he ever saw was hallway down the passageway. He couldn't recall anything being in the hallway like a side table or anything. It was probably a very empty hall just like Snape would have liked it to be. So typical. Still Harry had a surefire way not to be found out. So caution was the way to go. No one ever heard that caution was the cause that killed the cat!

Harry began his journey at a painfully slow pace. He tediously felt along the cold walls, finding them very smooth and freakishly cold. There were no wall hangings and no pictures to bump into. It was so frigid that Harry began to wonder if Snape ever heard of indoor heating. But he guessed that the Potions Master never ventured into the Muggle world very much.

He trip down the hall was mercifully without any errors and before long Harry found himself before the ancient winding staircase that led to the lower floor. He opened that the steps weren't very worn. Biting his lower lip, his right foot shot downwards to the first step. It was strangely quite. Maybe I should slid down the banister, he mused with a smile. But he quickly abandoned the idea, amusing and easy as it sounded.

The foyer was darker and colder than the hallway had been. It was like Harry was suddenly rendered blinded and he shook so badly that he could hardly breathe. But he didn't want to give up so far into the game. The letter from his godfather was just down the path. Harry needed to know what it said otherwise he wouldn't get a decent wink of sleep. Taking a small step he slowly moved forward. He couldn't remember if there was anything in the foyer that was waiting to be bumped into and broken either. He didn't think so. So he went, walking on the tips of his numb feet. Soon it felt like he was walking on pins. He frowned with the pain and wished he had put on another pair of socks or even shoes for that matter! But all his clothes were still with his Uncle. He didn't have anything else.

Harry had a lapse in the middle of the darkness. A little voice told him very quietly that he shouldn't be doing thing at all. It made him stop and look around, not sure what to do. Did he really ant to betray Snape trust, if he had ever trusted Harry? It was just like last night that Snape took him from his uncle's house. That had been exceptionally kind and uncharacteristic of him to do so. Harry probably owned him the promise not to go snooping around his house in the middle of the night. For the first time Harry felt guilty. Guilty to the point that he almost gave up the idea. It was safer to ask in the morning what was in the letter Sirius sent.

He bit his lower lip. No, he couldn't do that. It would be too obvious. What it Snape didn't want him to know? Snape would guess in it was his own house elf that told Harry about the letter. It was better to go now and see for his own eyes what Sirius had written. Then he would go back to bed as if nothing had happened and no one would know.

With a small sigh he moved forward and found the last door in the foyer easy enough. Glancing all around him, he made absolute sure that he was alone despite the fact that his poor eyesight only allowed him to see two feet in front of him. Harry walked forward to the entrance of the dining room while his hand searched for the knob, giving it a little twist in the end. The door quietly swung open to reveal a dimly lightened chamber. Harry hurried inside and closed the door.

The silence was thick as he looked about the room. It was comfortably warm and there was a small fire happily burning in the fireplace. The light cast a homey glow to the room, lighting up the walls filled with wall tapestries. The light was too poor to tell want they were of but Harry had more important issues on hand at the moment. There was a table in the middle of the chamber. It was made of a glossy wood and shimmered along with the empty chairs. The table was bare expect a few loose papers and a sterling candelabra.

Harry judged the situation in his head before pulling off the cape. He didn't know if that was a good idea but he was getting too warm. He hung it over his arm and quietly made his way to the table. There was a piece of paper with his Godfather's writing on the top of the pile. Immediately his hands picked to it up and he began to read.

Severus,

Dumbledore sent Remus on a mission to Untililth, to the elves there. I got permission to go with him so it's a bad time to send Harry to us. If you can't keep Harry safe talk to Dumbledore. Dear God, don't send him back to his relatives and don't let his friends take him either. That's far too dangerous. We should be back by the end of the month. Don't owl me. We are leaving immediately.

Sirius

Harry was stunned. He couldn't believe what he had just read. It had to be a terrible lie. As if in a dream he let his hand fall to his side, the letter fluttering back onto the table. There was an exigent pain in his heart as he closed his eyes.

So I'm alone and deserted, he mused in disgust. Poor Harry Potter, no one wants to be around him. It's too dangerous. He felt anger rise up in his stomach. He didn't need anyone to watch him. He was old enough to look after himself. He wasn't a child anymore!

He let his head hang in defeat. What was he saying? He needed to be protected for his own safety. Everyone knew it. Why didn't he? If he had been on his own, Voldemort would have already had killed him. No one was there in the dream and he did a bloody well job trying to protect himself then!

A chill passed through his bones like a wintry draft. For a moment he wondered if dreams predict the future? What if the nightmare was telling him that Voldemort would find him and kill him? Dread slowly crept into his veins like a dreadful poison. What if next time Harry met Voldemort there was no mum or dad to protect him? What if his own strength betrayed him and all he had was his own worn body? What then? Would the world plunge into darkness? Would muggles and wizards both perish under the sinister hand of the Dark Lord? Would there be anyone to stop Voldemort if he died?

Harry quickly raised his hands to the sides of his face, his palm cupping his ears like he was hearing the most horrid scream. He wanted his thoughts to stop and quick. They were driving him mad. He didn't have the solutions. No matter how magical he was, his endless questions went endlessly unanswerable. That was they way everything went. He was in continual darkness.

"No…" he hissed softly. He shook his head, inhaling deeply. "I can't give up hope." In the back of his mind he could picture Voldemort's angry scowl. "I have to think of a way out of this…I won't let it be the end for me…. I'll fight it…. I will…" A sickening feeling weighed down his shoulders suddenly; it was the same feeling he had when he saw Cedric murdered at the tournament. That sad, miserable consciousness like he was inches around from disaster. Harry was tired of it.

But it would be so easy to give up, a calming voice crept inside his mind without much warning. Hope is an endless struggle. You should no that.

A chill stopped his heart for a second. Oh God…Harry found himself shaking his head at the mysterious voice. It sounded so familiar….

"No…" he softly gasped. No. No…a thousand times NO!

Everyone around you has lost hope. It's not something you can have for long…Just give up…It's easy…so temptingly easy…You are weary from this life. It's because of hope that you are struggling. Why are you struggling against something that is to come no matter what?…There is no end to this war, boy. It will come despite your struggling.

Harry bit his lower lip painfully. "No…This is a dream. I'm dreaming…."

Be assured that this is no dream, boy. I'm too powerful now. Hoping against the odds is foolish. Why don't you give up?

"Voldemort…" he whispered, almost doubling over. The pain and anguish he felt was almost unbearable. He squeezed his eyes shut, his hands still clinging to the side of his head. "I'll fight you…I won't give up…"

I can see you, boy. You are so scared. And there is no one to save you once again. This time there is no mum or dad to rescue from death.

"Shut up…Stop it…I-I won't listen to you…"

A wicked high-pitched laugh filled his mind. But you can't stop me…I'll talk and talk and slowly drive you out of your mind. No one else can hear me expect you. You are mad, boy. Totally insane. But how you are so strong. So strong in your hope and your faith in men. Why don't you join me? We can me a terribly vicious pair, you and I. We can rule the world together.

"Lair! You will share the world with no one!" Harry suddenly straightened up, his eyes burning with brave anger. "You're a lair! I'll fight you! I'll kill you! I won't let you win!"

Yes, you are strong. But it would take me long to break your spirit. When I kill your friends, when you see so many suffering and dying, when people start to vanish, when the world is metamorphosed from good to evil, you will lose your hope and your strength. It's inevitable.

"Stop it!" Harry suddenly cried. He flung himself straight and glared around the empty room. His room bounced off the walls and hit his ears dead on. He was startled at the aching pitch but not impeded. "You bastard, you coward! Come and get me now! Materialize and kill me!!! I dare you! You're a big coward! You are wasting your time trying to get into my mind! Just kill me now if you have the guts! Face it, Voldemort! One of us will die and if it is me, then others will come and hunt to down!" Harry was seething with anger. He spoke nothing more for a moment, waiting for Voldemort's answer to his summons.

"I'll kill you this time, you bastard!" he hissed softly, not feeling the least amount of fear in his body. "Each day I'm growing stronger…I'll get you…I'll bring you down…"

There was more laughter in his mind. But it was quieter this time, almost hesitant. It filled Harry with rage. No, my dear boy, no, the voice whispered to him How foolishly brave you are. How brave you challenge death…but your pride will not last long. How unfair it would be to kill you now. I'll wait until you break. It will be much worthier than. I'll wait until you have lost all sort of hope. Then I will came. You have my word, Harry Potter. I will get you one day.

"Then you have my word that I will be ready for on when you come," Harry whispered.

You will never be ready for me. You will never get prepared for the evil that will come for you. You will never be set to witness this kind of fear and death. It will be beyond what you will expect. Mark my words. When it is time, you will weep for the happy days of your youth. A Terrible cloud of immaculate evil is about to rain down upon this world. See if you can live through the first phase.

A chill passed through Harry. And then there was nothing more. He urged his brain to feel for Voldemort's presence but he could find none. The coward had fled once more. He sighed, slowly closing his eyes. Quietly his rage and bravery left him until he was just a numb shell.

He just talked with the Dark Lord! Was he crazy? Was he dreaming? No, everything was just too real to be a dream. It was real, painfully real. Harry felt ill suddenly as if he needed to throw up. His stomach gave a nauseating shake.

I should have never talked to him, he thought, paling as reality settled. It was so stupid.

The chamber door suddenly flew open. Harry jumped and spun around. He tripped over his cloak and almost crashed into a chair but he caught himself in time. His heart was pounding like mad in his chest as he stared wide-eyed at the tall shadowy form before him.

At first he couldn't see what it was in the threshold. For a terrifying moment he knew it was Voldemort and he could feel a chilling numbness take hold of his limbs. His mind told him to grab his wand but he didn't have it. The realization made him all the sicker. Voldemort moved into the light, the door slamming shut by tiny invisible hands, and Harry thought he would died.

Dear God, it was just Snape. Snape! Oh man! Suddenly the thought of the crazed wizard was a lot better than a pissed Potions Master.

Still relief flooded his veins and Harry had the urge to double over and breathe deeply. But he didn't. The expression in Snape's face told him that he moved a single inch that he would curse him. To Harry it seemed better to explain himself and quick. But he didn't know what to say. He really didn't want to rat out the house elf. Maybe he should say that he had a hunch? Then Harry wondered if he knew him talking to Voldemort.

"Lecai told Heruamin Harry was snooping!" the little elf exclaimed at Snape side. Her long fingers were tugging on his black robes as if she were a child. "Lecai was right!"

"Lecai!" Harry called out in surprise, his heart skipping a beat. "What are you doing?! Ratting me out?" He stared at her in utter disbelief.

The elf glanced at Harry before jumping behind Snape. "Lecai tell nothing!" she replied. "Lecai keep the silence!"

Snape glared at Harry. "I believe to told you quite clearly that I didn't want you to go into my things, Potter," he told him, his voice a chilling whisper. "What part of that did you fail to comprehend?"

"But she…"

"My house elf knows enough sense not to betray me," Snape went on rudely. "She came to be directly to tell me of your night excursion."

"But she…" Snape would never believe him. Frowning, he ran his hands through his hair. "Damn it, I have a right to now what the letter was about!" Harry told him. He was on the verge of just walking out. He was losing his composure quickly. Was the man too deaf to hear Voldemort talking?!

"Yes you do," Snape replied, breaking Harry's thoughts. "And you should have enough sense to wait till the morning for me to show it to you instead of spying around my home." Snape held out his hand suddenly. "Give me the cape."

Harry stared at him. He wanted so much to say no and hide the cape but he knew he shouldn't. With a sigh, he walked over and handed Snape the cloak. Snape quickly put in a pocket of his black robes without looking down at it. Harry bit his lower lip.

"You won't use it, will you?" he suddenly asked.

"Potter, I have no need for such a childish trip," Snape told him with an insulted scowl. "But I will keep it safe."

"I hope so," Harry murmured, earning him a glare from Snape. "Where do you think Sirius and Lupin went? Do you know if it's dangerous?"

Snape shrugged and glanced at his watch. "It's still late in the night. We will talk in the morning about what is to become of you. I don't want to sneaking around again, is that clear?"

Harry gave a mute nod as he walked out of the room, glaring at Lecai as he went. Hell if that elf didn't betray him! He was so angry that he knew he wouldn't fall asleep for a long while tonight.

"Sir…" Harry's small voice hung in the darkness like mist. Snape slowly turned around and glared at him, half-curious and half glaring. "Did you hear," he began. "I mean before you…er…nevermind…. I thought I heard something…That's all."

"Potter, this house is old and it is full with drafts and ghosts," Snape told him with an assertive air. "Whatever you heard, it was probably just the wind magnified by your over imaginative brain. Good night, Potter. And don't you dare search my house again."

Normally the look Snape gave him would be enough to send chills straight to his heart. This time it didn't happen. Instead he slowly nodded and murmured, "Thanks…I think…. Good night, sir."

Snape gave him a very curt nod. Harry glared at the elf one more time before turning and making his way through the darkness again.

Author's note: that be the end for the sixth chapter. Did you like it? More is on the way! Muhahaha *cough* I hope by the next chapter things will begin to liven up. But the part was Voldemort sure was scary! (I kinda scared myself writing it. ^.^ )