A/N: Shoot... this is going way too fast but I can't stop it! It's like a
freakin' bullet train about to hit a big brick wall and I can't pull the
brake. Oh well, at least it'll be fun along the way... maybe. Hope you guys
have enjoyed so far, and thanks for the reviews for those of you willing to
tear yourselves away from your busy lives for five minutes. Keep reading;
keep reviewing!!
* ** *** **** *** ** *
Harry met Hermione in the common room before they headed off to breakfast. "Are you worried, Harry?" she asked quietly as they walked through the halls.
"I'm not allowed to be worried," he muttered.
Hermione stopped. "Harry, stop. Don't say things like that. At least not to me. If you want to pretend that you are infallible, do it, but don't do it in front of me. I know you, Harry. I know the real you," she said firmly.
Harry looked at her for a moment, then a grin started to form in one corner of his mouth. "Ok, Hermione. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I was just thinking about what everyone else would think. They wouldn't want their hope to come out of this alive worried. I just... forgot that you don't look at me that way," he grinned.
"I haven't seen you as the Boy-Who-Lived since the first day we met, Harry."
"Well then, to answer your question, yes, I am worried. I have a bad feeling about this." Another grin crept over his features slowly as he added in a serious tone. "Maybe one of Professor Trelawny's death omens will come true."
Hermione reached out and smacked him in the arm. "Harry! Don't say things like that!"
"But you said you didn't want me to act like I was infallible around you," he grinned, rubbing his arm.
"Death is an entirely different situation," she replied softly. She suddenly had the mental image of Harry lying on the ground in some muddy battlefield and she could feel her heart wrench.
Harry saw the tears forming in the corners of her eyes and he moved to her to wipe them away. "Hey, Hermione, I'm sorry. I... I'm sorry," he said again, kissing her forehead as he held her close.
"I don't want you to leave me," she whispered.
Harry put a hand under her chin and gently lifted her face so that she was looking into his eyes. "I won't leave you, I promise," he said firmly. There was no trace of a grin, his eyes seemed to be deeper, and she let his promise sink in, warming her to the bone. He leaned down and kissed her deeply, as though to seal his promise before they continued their walk to the Great Hall.
There was a buzz going around the Hall as they walked past the three tables to the Gryffindor table all the way at the far end. An owl was sitting on Hermione's seat and the two of them realized that mail must have come, and that was what the buzz was about. She took the "Daily Prophet" from the owl, dropped a few coins in the pouch, and the bird vacated her seat.
~~~~~~~~***~~~~~~~~
Terror In Azkaban
Last night a riot broke in Azkaban as two hooded figures entered. The guards were instantly silenced by the Killing Curse and it seems that the hooded figures convinced the dementors to join them. Many cells were opened and the terrible souls that had been captive were let free. Among them were Mr. and Mrs. Lestrange, convicted in the torture of Mr. Longbottom, a former Auror, and his wife.
Eyewitness accounts from the very few prisoners who were left in their cells, alive, stated that the hooded figures wore masks. They moved from cell to cell asking a simple question. "Do you swear allegiance to the Dark Lord, Lord Voldemort?"
"The one that was speaking, his voice was calm, smooth. They didn't even seem to be affected by the dementors," one prisoner said. His sanity seemed to come back to him after the dementors had followed the two hooded figures away. Before they vanished, however, the Dark Mark was sent into the air and the two figures as well as those who joined them started to laugh.
The Ministry has no comment at the time, and they do not know exactly who was under the hood. They have no comment on whether the Dark Lord has risen once more, or if this attack was merely intimidation.
~~~~~~~~***~~~~~~~~
"Bloody hell," Harry muttered as he read along with Hermione.
"He's back," Hermione said softly beside him. Beneath the table, Hermione's hand found Harry's and squeezed tight.
* ** *** **** *** ** *
A hooded figure with a silver hand walked down to Lucius' dungeons with a human figure in his arms. He had kidnapped her from a neighboring village as food for the dementors. To make sure that she had enough trauma to relive, he first made her watch as he tortured and slaughtered her family. He put her in a cell at the bottom of a corridor, and the dementors swarmed around. He woke her from his spell, and almost immediately the screams started. Wormtail turned and shut the door into the dungeons to ensure that the dementors wouldn't wander about the Malfoy Mansion.
"Your work was commendable, Lucius, Nott," Voldemort said, his lips once again peeling back from his teeth in a horrible grin.
"Thank you, My Lord," they replied, bowing.
"Ah, the Lestranges," Voldemort said as two new figures approached.
They both dropped to their knees and kissed the foot of Voldemort's robes before standing again. "My Lord, we knew that you would come for us, your faithful servants."
"Yes, you were faithful. Even on the word that you would be sentenced to life in Azkaban, you declared your allegiance. You will be honored beyond any of your fellow Death Eaters. You will help to lead the Dark Side in battle against the Light. When we emerge victorious, you will share in the spoils, and you will have power beyond that of any other besides myself."
"Thank you, My Lord. We are truly unworthy," a woman's voice said, as both figures bowed.
"Now, to unveil my plans. With an army of Death Eaters, we could take villages, cities, maybe the Ministry itself, but with an army such that we have begun creating, we will conquer Hogwarts and indeed, the whole of Britain. Beyond that, we will work toward taking all the world, until the entirety of the earth will cower beneath the Dark Mark." Voldemort listened as his Death Eaters cheered. "MacNair has informed me that he has recruited many creatures of the Dark for our army. Creatures such as Erklings, who like to eat children, for we will not allow Dumbledore to evacuate them, Goblins, Red Caps, Pogrebin, Vampires, werewolves, and even the Chimaera, the Nundu, and the Trolls. He has informed me that he will work toward an alliance with the Banshee, the Dragons, the Manticore, and will have enough Bicorn for us to ride into battle on. With this army, we will inspire fear into the hearts of even the bravest warriors. We cannot fail." Again the walls shook as the Death Eaters cheered and shouted.
* ** *** **** *** ** *
Draco moved silently throughout the Slytherin common room handing the students packages. When the night of the downfall of Hogwarts came, the students wearing these green jumpers with the Dark Mark in glowing red would not be harmed. He had forced all those who were not willing to declare themselves followers of Lord Voldemort out of the room. "Remember not to take these out until the night of the battle. It won't be too long now, but we must not let the others know about it. They will pay for their sin of not declaring allegiance to the Dark Lord."
* ** *** **** *** ** *
Dumbledore, McGonagall, Arabella Figg, Mundungus Fletcher, Arthur and Molly Weasley, Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, Severus Snape, Filius Flitwick (the Head of Ravenclaw), and Sprout (Head of Hufflepuff) were all gathered in the staff room.
Harry and Hermione made their way to the room, summoned there for the meeting. They would be the link between staff and student.
"Friends, we come here tonight to discuss very serious matters. It seems that Lord Voldemort has risen again. We must discuss how we will defend the world. No doubt his first real attack will be against Hogwarts, as it houses both myself and Harry Potter," he said, nodding toward the dark- haired boy sitting with his hand gripping Hermione's tightly. The centaurs, besides Firenze, who decided to fight against Voldemort when he was slaying unicorns in the Forbidden Forest, refuse to take part. They claim to be observers. I expected nothing more. We must decide the best way to evacuate the younger students who will not be allowed to stay and the older students who will not desire to. I am open to suggestions," Dumbledore said, opening his hands in gesture.
* ** *** **** *** ** *
A/N: Uh-oh, both sides are plotting, but Voldemort already has most of his army and Dumbledore hasn't even got a plan! Ack! Hurry, Albus! Think!! (As you might be able to tell, I have no more control over this story. They are acting independently of my fingers. In fact, my fingers are starting to cramp from trying to type fast enough to keep up with an accurate description of what they are doing.) Read/Review, and as soon as I get home from work tonight, I will press play in the happenings of my mind and record another chapter of the saga unfolding before my eyes. (It's not my fault, it's not my fault, it's not my fault.)
* ** *** **** *** ** *
Harry met Hermione in the common room before they headed off to breakfast. "Are you worried, Harry?" she asked quietly as they walked through the halls.
"I'm not allowed to be worried," he muttered.
Hermione stopped. "Harry, stop. Don't say things like that. At least not to me. If you want to pretend that you are infallible, do it, but don't do it in front of me. I know you, Harry. I know the real you," she said firmly.
Harry looked at her for a moment, then a grin started to form in one corner of his mouth. "Ok, Hermione. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I was just thinking about what everyone else would think. They wouldn't want their hope to come out of this alive worried. I just... forgot that you don't look at me that way," he grinned.
"I haven't seen you as the Boy-Who-Lived since the first day we met, Harry."
"Well then, to answer your question, yes, I am worried. I have a bad feeling about this." Another grin crept over his features slowly as he added in a serious tone. "Maybe one of Professor Trelawny's death omens will come true."
Hermione reached out and smacked him in the arm. "Harry! Don't say things like that!"
"But you said you didn't want me to act like I was infallible around you," he grinned, rubbing his arm.
"Death is an entirely different situation," she replied softly. She suddenly had the mental image of Harry lying on the ground in some muddy battlefield and she could feel her heart wrench.
Harry saw the tears forming in the corners of her eyes and he moved to her to wipe them away. "Hey, Hermione, I'm sorry. I... I'm sorry," he said again, kissing her forehead as he held her close.
"I don't want you to leave me," she whispered.
Harry put a hand under her chin and gently lifted her face so that she was looking into his eyes. "I won't leave you, I promise," he said firmly. There was no trace of a grin, his eyes seemed to be deeper, and she let his promise sink in, warming her to the bone. He leaned down and kissed her deeply, as though to seal his promise before they continued their walk to the Great Hall.
There was a buzz going around the Hall as they walked past the three tables to the Gryffindor table all the way at the far end. An owl was sitting on Hermione's seat and the two of them realized that mail must have come, and that was what the buzz was about. She took the "Daily Prophet" from the owl, dropped a few coins in the pouch, and the bird vacated her seat.
~~~~~~~~***~~~~~~~~
Terror In Azkaban
Last night a riot broke in Azkaban as two hooded figures entered. The guards were instantly silenced by the Killing Curse and it seems that the hooded figures convinced the dementors to join them. Many cells were opened and the terrible souls that had been captive were let free. Among them were Mr. and Mrs. Lestrange, convicted in the torture of Mr. Longbottom, a former Auror, and his wife.
Eyewitness accounts from the very few prisoners who were left in their cells, alive, stated that the hooded figures wore masks. They moved from cell to cell asking a simple question. "Do you swear allegiance to the Dark Lord, Lord Voldemort?"
"The one that was speaking, his voice was calm, smooth. They didn't even seem to be affected by the dementors," one prisoner said. His sanity seemed to come back to him after the dementors had followed the two hooded figures away. Before they vanished, however, the Dark Mark was sent into the air and the two figures as well as those who joined them started to laugh.
The Ministry has no comment at the time, and they do not know exactly who was under the hood. They have no comment on whether the Dark Lord has risen once more, or if this attack was merely intimidation.
~~~~~~~~***~~~~~~~~
"Bloody hell," Harry muttered as he read along with Hermione.
"He's back," Hermione said softly beside him. Beneath the table, Hermione's hand found Harry's and squeezed tight.
* ** *** **** *** ** *
A hooded figure with a silver hand walked down to Lucius' dungeons with a human figure in his arms. He had kidnapped her from a neighboring village as food for the dementors. To make sure that she had enough trauma to relive, he first made her watch as he tortured and slaughtered her family. He put her in a cell at the bottom of a corridor, and the dementors swarmed around. He woke her from his spell, and almost immediately the screams started. Wormtail turned and shut the door into the dungeons to ensure that the dementors wouldn't wander about the Malfoy Mansion.
"Your work was commendable, Lucius, Nott," Voldemort said, his lips once again peeling back from his teeth in a horrible grin.
"Thank you, My Lord," they replied, bowing.
"Ah, the Lestranges," Voldemort said as two new figures approached.
They both dropped to their knees and kissed the foot of Voldemort's robes before standing again. "My Lord, we knew that you would come for us, your faithful servants."
"Yes, you were faithful. Even on the word that you would be sentenced to life in Azkaban, you declared your allegiance. You will be honored beyond any of your fellow Death Eaters. You will help to lead the Dark Side in battle against the Light. When we emerge victorious, you will share in the spoils, and you will have power beyond that of any other besides myself."
"Thank you, My Lord. We are truly unworthy," a woman's voice said, as both figures bowed.
"Now, to unveil my plans. With an army of Death Eaters, we could take villages, cities, maybe the Ministry itself, but with an army such that we have begun creating, we will conquer Hogwarts and indeed, the whole of Britain. Beyond that, we will work toward taking all the world, until the entirety of the earth will cower beneath the Dark Mark." Voldemort listened as his Death Eaters cheered. "MacNair has informed me that he has recruited many creatures of the Dark for our army. Creatures such as Erklings, who like to eat children, for we will not allow Dumbledore to evacuate them, Goblins, Red Caps, Pogrebin, Vampires, werewolves, and even the Chimaera, the Nundu, and the Trolls. He has informed me that he will work toward an alliance with the Banshee, the Dragons, the Manticore, and will have enough Bicorn for us to ride into battle on. With this army, we will inspire fear into the hearts of even the bravest warriors. We cannot fail." Again the walls shook as the Death Eaters cheered and shouted.
* ** *** **** *** ** *
Draco moved silently throughout the Slytherin common room handing the students packages. When the night of the downfall of Hogwarts came, the students wearing these green jumpers with the Dark Mark in glowing red would not be harmed. He had forced all those who were not willing to declare themselves followers of Lord Voldemort out of the room. "Remember not to take these out until the night of the battle. It won't be too long now, but we must not let the others know about it. They will pay for their sin of not declaring allegiance to the Dark Lord."
* ** *** **** *** ** *
Dumbledore, McGonagall, Arabella Figg, Mundungus Fletcher, Arthur and Molly Weasley, Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, Severus Snape, Filius Flitwick (the Head of Ravenclaw), and Sprout (Head of Hufflepuff) were all gathered in the staff room.
Harry and Hermione made their way to the room, summoned there for the meeting. They would be the link between staff and student.
"Friends, we come here tonight to discuss very serious matters. It seems that Lord Voldemort has risen again. We must discuss how we will defend the world. No doubt his first real attack will be against Hogwarts, as it houses both myself and Harry Potter," he said, nodding toward the dark- haired boy sitting with his hand gripping Hermione's tightly. The centaurs, besides Firenze, who decided to fight against Voldemort when he was slaying unicorns in the Forbidden Forest, refuse to take part. They claim to be observers. I expected nothing more. We must decide the best way to evacuate the younger students who will not be allowed to stay and the older students who will not desire to. I am open to suggestions," Dumbledore said, opening his hands in gesture.
* ** *** **** *** ** *
A/N: Uh-oh, both sides are plotting, but Voldemort already has most of his army and Dumbledore hasn't even got a plan! Ack! Hurry, Albus! Think!! (As you might be able to tell, I have no more control over this story. They are acting independently of my fingers. In fact, my fingers are starting to cramp from trying to type fast enough to keep up with an accurate description of what they are doing.) Read/Review, and as soon as I get home from work tonight, I will press play in the happenings of my mind and record another chapter of the saga unfolding before my eyes. (It's not my fault, it's not my fault, it's not my fault.)