The Living Dead
Disclaimer: Only a few more days until I own HP! Sadly, though, it still belongs to J.K. Rowling.
Chapter 2: Long Lost Friends
Until...
Harry's quiet stay in his black void ended quite suddenly. He began to feel himself come back into shape; and he ceased to be a shadow. Slowly, the feeling in his arms returned, then his feet. And then, words appeared in his mind, something that had not happened all his long stay in the void...What's happening?
Once again, he became self aware. Slowly, lost memories returned to him. Memories of Dudley breaking his glasses, of when he was first visited by Hagrid. A sense of gravity returned to him, and he marveled at how heavy he really was, compared to being weightless. At long last, he gained control of his eyes, and opened them immediately.
The room he was in was quite strange. It had red wallpaper, red carpeting, and was completely empty except for a bouquet of flowers and a guestbook. He struggled into a sitting position in order to get a better look around.
There was a woman in the room with bushy brown hair. She looked vaguely familiar, though he couldn't tell since he didn't have his glasses. She had turned to walk out the door, but suddenly spun on her heal to look at Harry.
"Hello," said Harry, plucking up his courage, "May I ask who you are?" The woman he spoke to stared at him in pure shock. He thought he saw her mouth drop open, but couldn't tell. Damn glasses! He thought, searching frantically for them.
"Um, did you see where my glasses went?" he asked sheepishly. Still gaping at him, she reached into his front pocket and pulled out his glasses. "Thanks," said Harry, putting them on. That's when he noticed what he was wearing.
It was strangely formal, especially for a hospital. He guessed that was where he was, anyway, because his last memory was of him and Voldemort staring each other down. He had spent a lot of time in the 'void', so he must have been unconscious for at least a week. But still, he wondered, since when did hospital patients go to bed with tuxedoes?
In fact, looking around, he noticed that if this was a hospital, it was a very strange one indeed. Then he saw what he was lying in. A black coffin, shining, with golden metal handles. And, on the lid of the coff-the thing he was in- was an engraved metal plaque that stated clear as day:
God Rest Harry Potter "The Boy Who Lived" July 31, 1980- June 20, 1998
All color had drained from Harry's face. He was dreaming, he had to be. He couldn't be...no. This was just some insane joke. Fred and George- such kidders. Probably hired this woman to look shocked when he "came back to life". Yes, that was it.
"How-how..." stuttered the woman, stepping forward to get a closer look at him. He could see her face clearly now. She seemed so strangely familiar...
"H-Hermione?" he asked, afraid of the answer. She looked so-well-old. Actually, she reminded him of Professor Lupin, with bags under his eyes. No, he must have made a mistake, this couldn't be her. The light was playing tricks on him.
"Sorry," he mumbled, "Thought you were someone else." She gave no response except to stare at him more intently. She moved still closer, until their faces were barely an inch away. There were tears in the woman's eyes.
"Harry?" her voice cracked. "Oh, Harry, I've missed you so much!" And with that, she proceeded to pull him into the most bone-crushing hug Harry had ever experienced. Her arms were trembling slightly, and he could tell that she was sobbing with joy, but over what he couldn't fathom.
"Um, miss, are you alright?" Harry asked skeptically. The woman's sobs just increased, and she pulled away far enough so that Harry could see her face clearly.
"H-Harry, don't you remember me?" The woman looked at him pleadingly, but Harry shook his head.
"I don't remember meeting you," he said hesitantly. She gave a slight smile at this.
"Oh, we met, long ago, on a train. In search of a toad, of all things," she said smiling, but it disappeared when she saw the blank look on Harry's face.
"You just said it, Harry. It's me, Hermione." (A/N: You know, it's awful nice of me not to leave you guys hanging here. Especially since it's 11 pm!!!)
"Hermione?" Harry breathed, "What happened? You look older..." Harry stopped short when he saw a silver badge on Hermione's robes that read: Professor Granger - Charms.
"Professor? But, Herm, you're only seventeen, right?" Harry was afraid of the answer. He couldn't have been out for that long, could he have?
"Oh, Harry, I wish I was still that young. Things have changed. Lots of things," she added. Harry looked at her blankly. Hermione closed her eyes.
"You've been dead for seventeen years."
Thoughts and questions raced through Harry's head. Seventeen years? Seventeen? Dead? He couldn't have been dead; there was no way to bring them back to life. And if he was dead, why was he so well preserved? Well, that explains the coffin. He thought grimly. Harry put his head in his hands. Why did everything have to happen to him? All because he was Harry Potter: The Boy Who Lived.
"Harry, is it really you?" pressed Hermione. Harry nodded.
"Where are we?" he asked.
"The Valley Hill Morgue. You've been in this room since you...well, you couldn't have died, could you? I mean, you wouldn't be alive right now..."
"I guess," Harry replied; he wasn't really listening to Hermione anymore. He was trying to figure things out for himself. Dead, 17 years, coffin, morgue, he shook his head in frustration. Best to leave it until he was alone or something; he might burst out crying or feel the urge to hit something. Suddenly, Hermione grabbed his hand.
"Come on, Harry! We'll be late! I was supposed to be back before one; but he may give us some leeway if he finds out...oh, this is so wonderful! He must have known, otherwise..."
"Hermione, where are we going?" Harry asked over her excited ranting.
"To the safest place there is," she replied, "Hogwarts."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
There you go! Chappy 2 up and running. Please review; I've only had one so far, and I might not continue if I don't get any. (Wink wink) Oh, and to all of us Americans.Happy 4th!!!
Phire Phoenix: Thanks for the review! I read one of your fics.I think it was called "A Link between Worlds". Really good! I hope you continue! Oh, and I don't care if you advertise on mine, cuz I do that sometimes too.
~*~Ze Czech~*~
Disclaimer: Only a few more days until I own HP! Sadly, though, it still belongs to J.K. Rowling.
Chapter 2: Long Lost Friends
Until...
Harry's quiet stay in his black void ended quite suddenly. He began to feel himself come back into shape; and he ceased to be a shadow. Slowly, the feeling in his arms returned, then his feet. And then, words appeared in his mind, something that had not happened all his long stay in the void...What's happening?
Once again, he became self aware. Slowly, lost memories returned to him. Memories of Dudley breaking his glasses, of when he was first visited by Hagrid. A sense of gravity returned to him, and he marveled at how heavy he really was, compared to being weightless. At long last, he gained control of his eyes, and opened them immediately.
The room he was in was quite strange. It had red wallpaper, red carpeting, and was completely empty except for a bouquet of flowers and a guestbook. He struggled into a sitting position in order to get a better look around.
There was a woman in the room with bushy brown hair. She looked vaguely familiar, though he couldn't tell since he didn't have his glasses. She had turned to walk out the door, but suddenly spun on her heal to look at Harry.
"Hello," said Harry, plucking up his courage, "May I ask who you are?" The woman he spoke to stared at him in pure shock. He thought he saw her mouth drop open, but couldn't tell. Damn glasses! He thought, searching frantically for them.
"Um, did you see where my glasses went?" he asked sheepishly. Still gaping at him, she reached into his front pocket and pulled out his glasses. "Thanks," said Harry, putting them on. That's when he noticed what he was wearing.
It was strangely formal, especially for a hospital. He guessed that was where he was, anyway, because his last memory was of him and Voldemort staring each other down. He had spent a lot of time in the 'void', so he must have been unconscious for at least a week. But still, he wondered, since when did hospital patients go to bed with tuxedoes?
In fact, looking around, he noticed that if this was a hospital, it was a very strange one indeed. Then he saw what he was lying in. A black coffin, shining, with golden metal handles. And, on the lid of the coff-the thing he was in- was an engraved metal plaque that stated clear as day:
God Rest Harry Potter "The Boy Who Lived" July 31, 1980- June 20, 1998
All color had drained from Harry's face. He was dreaming, he had to be. He couldn't be...no. This was just some insane joke. Fred and George- such kidders. Probably hired this woman to look shocked when he "came back to life". Yes, that was it.
"How-how..." stuttered the woman, stepping forward to get a closer look at him. He could see her face clearly now. She seemed so strangely familiar...
"H-Hermione?" he asked, afraid of the answer. She looked so-well-old. Actually, she reminded him of Professor Lupin, with bags under his eyes. No, he must have made a mistake, this couldn't be her. The light was playing tricks on him.
"Sorry," he mumbled, "Thought you were someone else." She gave no response except to stare at him more intently. She moved still closer, until their faces were barely an inch away. There were tears in the woman's eyes.
"Harry?" her voice cracked. "Oh, Harry, I've missed you so much!" And with that, she proceeded to pull him into the most bone-crushing hug Harry had ever experienced. Her arms were trembling slightly, and he could tell that she was sobbing with joy, but over what he couldn't fathom.
"Um, miss, are you alright?" Harry asked skeptically. The woman's sobs just increased, and she pulled away far enough so that Harry could see her face clearly.
"H-Harry, don't you remember me?" The woman looked at him pleadingly, but Harry shook his head.
"I don't remember meeting you," he said hesitantly. She gave a slight smile at this.
"Oh, we met, long ago, on a train. In search of a toad, of all things," she said smiling, but it disappeared when she saw the blank look on Harry's face.
"You just said it, Harry. It's me, Hermione." (A/N: You know, it's awful nice of me not to leave you guys hanging here. Especially since it's 11 pm!!!)
"Hermione?" Harry breathed, "What happened? You look older..." Harry stopped short when he saw a silver badge on Hermione's robes that read: Professor Granger - Charms.
"Professor? But, Herm, you're only seventeen, right?" Harry was afraid of the answer. He couldn't have been out for that long, could he have?
"Oh, Harry, I wish I was still that young. Things have changed. Lots of things," she added. Harry looked at her blankly. Hermione closed her eyes.
"You've been dead for seventeen years."
Thoughts and questions raced through Harry's head. Seventeen years? Seventeen? Dead? He couldn't have been dead; there was no way to bring them back to life. And if he was dead, why was he so well preserved? Well, that explains the coffin. He thought grimly. Harry put his head in his hands. Why did everything have to happen to him? All because he was Harry Potter: The Boy Who Lived.
"Harry, is it really you?" pressed Hermione. Harry nodded.
"Where are we?" he asked.
"The Valley Hill Morgue. You've been in this room since you...well, you couldn't have died, could you? I mean, you wouldn't be alive right now..."
"I guess," Harry replied; he wasn't really listening to Hermione anymore. He was trying to figure things out for himself. Dead, 17 years, coffin, morgue, he shook his head in frustration. Best to leave it until he was alone or something; he might burst out crying or feel the urge to hit something. Suddenly, Hermione grabbed his hand.
"Come on, Harry! We'll be late! I was supposed to be back before one; but he may give us some leeway if he finds out...oh, this is so wonderful! He must have known, otherwise..."
"Hermione, where are we going?" Harry asked over her excited ranting.
"To the safest place there is," she replied, "Hogwarts."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
There you go! Chappy 2 up and running. Please review; I've only had one so far, and I might not continue if I don't get any. (Wink wink) Oh, and to all of us Americans.Happy 4th!!!
Phire Phoenix: Thanks for the review! I read one of your fics.I think it was called "A Link between Worlds". Really good! I hope you continue! Oh, and I don't care if you advertise on mine, cuz I do that sometimes too.
~*~Ze Czech~*~
