Unleashed Shadows. Fourth Chapter
*
Author's Note:
Okay, firstly I'd like to clear things up by saying im REALLY REALLY SORRY for not writing in about half a year (or was that more?). Seriously, I didn't know it was that long. And I really want to thank peoples who have still been reviewing. Thankyou so much for reviewing the first three chapters, and if there is still anyone left reading this, considering how inconsistent I've been with my writing, I'm surprised. I bet you'll have to read this over to remember what's going on. its really been that long!
Sorry Phoenix Flight, I know it's confusing, I hope to clear some things up soon. Future chapters will make everything easier to understand, as well as not being as dark. I'm going to slow some of the plot down as to lighten the atmosphere a bit. I was reading back and everyone and everything seems so tense. This story is mainly to be focused around central plot of Harry discovering Snape is his father, how he copes and issues that derive from that. It is NOT slash. As opposed to things I might've said before.. I read slash, but I don't write it. I doubt there will be romance, except for perhaps a little Ron/Hermione or Harry/Hermione (maybe). You have to remember that this is only their Fifth Year and they've only shown small signs of having relationships in the first four books. So, for all I know, they're only friends. But, tell me what you'd like. Even though I'm not planning on a romance, you could always convince me. Though if there is one, I would prefer Harry/Hermione, but that might be because I've never read a decent Ron/Hermione story.
I've decided on the Animagus thing, but I'm not going to say anything as to ruin future chapters. And these future chapters will be a LONG, LONG way in the future.
**
And so, FINALLY. the fourth chapter is here. I mean it, that was AGES. A year? Next time I do that, I tell you people first so you can talk some sense into me. At least you can be sure the next chapter will be up, I've finished writing it! Be proud of me.
Disclaimer: Characters: not mine. Plot: pretty much mine. Sue: don't even think about it, you're wasting time.
// is for italics, and are for flashbacks, which you might find will be occurring more and more in later chapters.
***
"Are you," Snape was speaking directly to Harry, "accusing /me/ of having anything to do with your pathetic delusions. Four years, Potter, and you still can't control what most here call an -"
Madame Pomfrey cleared her throat and Snape's lips pressed into a thin line. His eyes, though, were blazing as he cleared his own throat and started again, this time he turned to Hermione.
"I can assure you, Miss /Granger/, that I have nothing at all to do with the disappearance of Mister Potter's memory or the particular /delusions/ he may have been having. I suggest that you do not make anymore assumptions in matters such as these. If you believe /further/ questioning should be in order, then I would be most pleased to answer these in my quarters after school hours." His face was expressionless but his voice suggested that whoever dared to question him after classes would not see the light of day again. With one more glance at Harry, this one slightly softened, he strolled silently out of the room.
Harry almost yelled after him, but his head still swam with all his Professor had said. "Delusions?" he asked Hermione softly.
Hermione hesitated, but finally gave in despite the warning glanced coming from the nurse to her left. She quietly recalled all that had happened the day after he was found on the floor of the Griffindor common room, eyes closed and body trembling. He had been whispering two words over and over: Death Eater. [A/N or is that one word?] Ron had conjured Harry to the wards when he stopped, lost in the nightmare. There was nothing anyone could've done until Harry had woken.
"HARRY!"
Hermione was in tears before Ron and Seamus could look up. She had been sitting in front of a blazing fire, reading her Arithmacy textbook (Magical conversions and elimination), when Harry, who had been quietly studying tactics for the next Hufflepuff/Gryffindor Quidditch game, jerked as though a full body bind had been thrown at him full force. He hit the ground with a thud and continued to twitch and jerk like he was having a spasm.
Hermione was quick, and even while she wiped to sudden tears with the sleeve of her robes, she was kneeling by Harry's side. Her brown eyes widened considerably when she looked at Harry. His eyes had glazed over, what used to be a shining emerald was now a dull olive. His face was contorted into a frozen expression of pain and surprise. His scar. his scar was as red as the flames that glowed dangerously in the fireplace.
Reaching for Harry's wrist and turning to Muggle First Aid, Hermione checked his pulse and turned him onto his side, just in case he was having a fit. Ron and Seamus sat frozen in front of their chess game; eyes glued to scene unfolding in front of him. Seamus broke out of his trance first and raced for the Fat Lady's Portrait as soon as the momentary shock passed. The painting swung open and Seamus dashed out, no doubt to find a teacher.
"RON! HELP ME!"
Hermione was shaking as she tried to lift Harry's form up. The twitching had stopped, but what replaced it chilled both Hermione and Ron to their very bones.
"Death Eater. Death Eater. Death Eater. Death Eater."
Hermione breathed deep and tried to block Harry's insistent voice. But each time he repeated it Hermione could not help but shiver despite the warmth in the room. "Ron, you've got to help me. RON." Her voice faded, drowned out by the endless muttering of cursed words. The small grandfather clock in the common room rang once, echoed softly by the chimes of other clocks in the school. It was one a.m.
"Death Eater. Death Eater. Death Eater."
Ron awoke from his fixed glare to both Harry's and Hermione's whispered words. He whispered too, as if not to disturb something important. "I'm here, Hermione." The droning continued, but it no longer seemed as though it was Harry who was speaking. His lips moved, yes, but the voice was no longer his, it was raspy, cold and cruel.
"Death Eater. Death Eater. Death Eater. Death Eater."
Ron walked slowly to Hermione's side, avoiding Harry's glance. The expression on his best friend's face scared him and it scared him in a way even Gryffindor courage dared not stand against. "Use a spell, Hermione."
But Hermione wasn't listening; her eyes were fixed on Harry. And her breath was held. Ron knew how she felt, Harry had stopped chanting and jerking, and if it wasn't for the lurching breaths he took every few seconds, Ron would've sworn he was dead. The silence was eerie and the shadows from the dancing flames seemed to draw closer with every second. And though the repeated words might not have had anything to do with it, Ron could not help but notice how the shadows somehow resembled to frightening shapes of Death Eaters. "Hermione." Ron urged. But Hermione did not react, she seemed entranced by the scar on Harry's forehead and Ron twisted his head around to see why she did not answer him.
The scar that had brought Harry Potter so much fame over the years had been seemingly faint over the last few months. Now, it shone bright red, redder than the ruby's on Godric Gryffindor's Sword, redder than blood. It was everything Ron could do to tear his eyes off the shining scar, which seemed to cast shadows over Harry's forehead, enticing, entrancing. Ron turned suddenly as the Portrait Hole opened and Seamus stepped through, breathless and panting.
"H-Harry. Teachers all asleep. N-No Prefects. Except Hermione." He added the last of it with a whisper, taking it everything in front of him. Then he froze again at the sight of Harry.
Ron wanted to yell for help. Perhaps he could. Perhaps he should. He didn't know what to do. "Hermione. please. Hermione." No answer, nothing but the strange shadowy figures that seemed to lean closer when he called. "Oh. Merlin." - and then a few words better not repeated. Fear struck him when Harry's breathing slowed and he realized he had to do something fast.
Pulling his wand out with shaking fingers, a quick muttered spell acquired in Charms brought a stretcher from mid-air. Letting it drop onto the carpet next to Harry, he somehow managed to pull his best friend onto it. He prayed with everything that it would hold the other boy's weight, and perhaps Merlin was on his side this time, because it did. The shadows seemed to leap back into the fire and both Hermione and Seamus seemed to wake from a stupor. Ron practically ran to the Infirmary with Hermione and Seamus on his tail, their feet pounding on the wooden floors of the corridors, their footsteps echoing.
Harry lay on the stretcher beside him all the way, now silent except for the single whisper that escaped his lips as they passed the stairs to the dungeon, a whisper that managed to miss the ears of Ron, Seamus and Hermione.
"Snape."
"Woah." Words were at a lost for Harry as he absorbed this. It was bad, sure, but he was relieved to know it wasn't as bad as he expected. When he had heard the word 'delusions' from Snape, the worst had immediately sprang to mind. -The school was in danger. Voldemort was attacking. The Death Eaters had invaded Hogwarts. His friends were hurt. /He/ had hurt someone.
Sure, these sounded quite exaggerated and maybe even on the ridiculous side, but consider the events surrounding Harry Potter's life, and you find that these statements are not so farfetched at all. In fact, the probability of these events occurring was higher than anyone would've believed. Later, the Boy Who Lived would discover that if he had said something, he would have made one: Professor Trelawney /very/ proud.
**
Well, there goes another chapter. hehe. Was that even long? It three pages long on Microsoft Word, and that's pretty long for me. But I guess it's not that long at all, considering there are some people that write 11 page chapters!! I know! Well, thanks for reading, if there are any people left. and please review! Suggestions and advice is always welcome too.
*
Author's Note:
Okay, firstly I'd like to clear things up by saying im REALLY REALLY SORRY for not writing in about half a year (or was that more?). Seriously, I didn't know it was that long. And I really want to thank peoples who have still been reviewing. Thankyou so much for reviewing the first three chapters, and if there is still anyone left reading this, considering how inconsistent I've been with my writing, I'm surprised. I bet you'll have to read this over to remember what's going on. its really been that long!
Sorry Phoenix Flight, I know it's confusing, I hope to clear some things up soon. Future chapters will make everything easier to understand, as well as not being as dark. I'm going to slow some of the plot down as to lighten the atmosphere a bit. I was reading back and everyone and everything seems so tense. This story is mainly to be focused around central plot of Harry discovering Snape is his father, how he copes and issues that derive from that. It is NOT slash. As opposed to things I might've said before.. I read slash, but I don't write it. I doubt there will be romance, except for perhaps a little Ron/Hermione or Harry/Hermione (maybe). You have to remember that this is only their Fifth Year and they've only shown small signs of having relationships in the first four books. So, for all I know, they're only friends. But, tell me what you'd like. Even though I'm not planning on a romance, you could always convince me. Though if there is one, I would prefer Harry/Hermione, but that might be because I've never read a decent Ron/Hermione story.
I've decided on the Animagus thing, but I'm not going to say anything as to ruin future chapters. And these future chapters will be a LONG, LONG way in the future.
**
And so, FINALLY. the fourth chapter is here. I mean it, that was AGES. A year? Next time I do that, I tell you people first so you can talk some sense into me. At least you can be sure the next chapter will be up, I've finished writing it! Be proud of me.
Disclaimer: Characters: not mine. Plot: pretty much mine. Sue: don't even think about it, you're wasting time.
// is for italics, and are for flashbacks, which you might find will be occurring more and more in later chapters.
***
"Are you," Snape was speaking directly to Harry, "accusing /me/ of having anything to do with your pathetic delusions. Four years, Potter, and you still can't control what most here call an -"
Madame Pomfrey cleared her throat and Snape's lips pressed into a thin line. His eyes, though, were blazing as he cleared his own throat and started again, this time he turned to Hermione.
"I can assure you, Miss /Granger/, that I have nothing at all to do with the disappearance of Mister Potter's memory or the particular /delusions/ he may have been having. I suggest that you do not make anymore assumptions in matters such as these. If you believe /further/ questioning should be in order, then I would be most pleased to answer these in my quarters after school hours." His face was expressionless but his voice suggested that whoever dared to question him after classes would not see the light of day again. With one more glance at Harry, this one slightly softened, he strolled silently out of the room.
Harry almost yelled after him, but his head still swam with all his Professor had said. "Delusions?" he asked Hermione softly.
Hermione hesitated, but finally gave in despite the warning glanced coming from the nurse to her left. She quietly recalled all that had happened the day after he was found on the floor of the Griffindor common room, eyes closed and body trembling. He had been whispering two words over and over: Death Eater. [A/N or is that one word?] Ron had conjured Harry to the wards when he stopped, lost in the nightmare. There was nothing anyone could've done until Harry had woken.
"HARRY!"
Hermione was in tears before Ron and Seamus could look up. She had been sitting in front of a blazing fire, reading her Arithmacy textbook (Magical conversions and elimination), when Harry, who had been quietly studying tactics for the next Hufflepuff/Gryffindor Quidditch game, jerked as though a full body bind had been thrown at him full force. He hit the ground with a thud and continued to twitch and jerk like he was having a spasm.
Hermione was quick, and even while she wiped to sudden tears with the sleeve of her robes, she was kneeling by Harry's side. Her brown eyes widened considerably when she looked at Harry. His eyes had glazed over, what used to be a shining emerald was now a dull olive. His face was contorted into a frozen expression of pain and surprise. His scar. his scar was as red as the flames that glowed dangerously in the fireplace.
Reaching for Harry's wrist and turning to Muggle First Aid, Hermione checked his pulse and turned him onto his side, just in case he was having a fit. Ron and Seamus sat frozen in front of their chess game; eyes glued to scene unfolding in front of him. Seamus broke out of his trance first and raced for the Fat Lady's Portrait as soon as the momentary shock passed. The painting swung open and Seamus dashed out, no doubt to find a teacher.
"RON! HELP ME!"
Hermione was shaking as she tried to lift Harry's form up. The twitching had stopped, but what replaced it chilled both Hermione and Ron to their very bones.
"Death Eater. Death Eater. Death Eater. Death Eater."
Hermione breathed deep and tried to block Harry's insistent voice. But each time he repeated it Hermione could not help but shiver despite the warmth in the room. "Ron, you've got to help me. RON." Her voice faded, drowned out by the endless muttering of cursed words. The small grandfather clock in the common room rang once, echoed softly by the chimes of other clocks in the school. It was one a.m.
"Death Eater. Death Eater. Death Eater."
Ron awoke from his fixed glare to both Harry's and Hermione's whispered words. He whispered too, as if not to disturb something important. "I'm here, Hermione." The droning continued, but it no longer seemed as though it was Harry who was speaking. His lips moved, yes, but the voice was no longer his, it was raspy, cold and cruel.
"Death Eater. Death Eater. Death Eater. Death Eater."
Ron walked slowly to Hermione's side, avoiding Harry's glance. The expression on his best friend's face scared him and it scared him in a way even Gryffindor courage dared not stand against. "Use a spell, Hermione."
But Hermione wasn't listening; her eyes were fixed on Harry. And her breath was held. Ron knew how she felt, Harry had stopped chanting and jerking, and if it wasn't for the lurching breaths he took every few seconds, Ron would've sworn he was dead. The silence was eerie and the shadows from the dancing flames seemed to draw closer with every second. And though the repeated words might not have had anything to do with it, Ron could not help but notice how the shadows somehow resembled to frightening shapes of Death Eaters. "Hermione." Ron urged. But Hermione did not react, she seemed entranced by the scar on Harry's forehead and Ron twisted his head around to see why she did not answer him.
The scar that had brought Harry Potter so much fame over the years had been seemingly faint over the last few months. Now, it shone bright red, redder than the ruby's on Godric Gryffindor's Sword, redder than blood. It was everything Ron could do to tear his eyes off the shining scar, which seemed to cast shadows over Harry's forehead, enticing, entrancing. Ron turned suddenly as the Portrait Hole opened and Seamus stepped through, breathless and panting.
"H-Harry. Teachers all asleep. N-No Prefects. Except Hermione." He added the last of it with a whisper, taking it everything in front of him. Then he froze again at the sight of Harry.
Ron wanted to yell for help. Perhaps he could. Perhaps he should. He didn't know what to do. "Hermione. please. Hermione." No answer, nothing but the strange shadowy figures that seemed to lean closer when he called. "Oh. Merlin." - and then a few words better not repeated. Fear struck him when Harry's breathing slowed and he realized he had to do something fast.
Pulling his wand out with shaking fingers, a quick muttered spell acquired in Charms brought a stretcher from mid-air. Letting it drop onto the carpet next to Harry, he somehow managed to pull his best friend onto it. He prayed with everything that it would hold the other boy's weight, and perhaps Merlin was on his side this time, because it did. The shadows seemed to leap back into the fire and both Hermione and Seamus seemed to wake from a stupor. Ron practically ran to the Infirmary with Hermione and Seamus on his tail, their feet pounding on the wooden floors of the corridors, their footsteps echoing.
Harry lay on the stretcher beside him all the way, now silent except for the single whisper that escaped his lips as they passed the stairs to the dungeon, a whisper that managed to miss the ears of Ron, Seamus and Hermione.
"Snape."
"Woah." Words were at a lost for Harry as he absorbed this. It was bad, sure, but he was relieved to know it wasn't as bad as he expected. When he had heard the word 'delusions' from Snape, the worst had immediately sprang to mind. -The school was in danger. Voldemort was attacking. The Death Eaters had invaded Hogwarts. His friends were hurt. /He/ had hurt someone.
Sure, these sounded quite exaggerated and maybe even on the ridiculous side, but consider the events surrounding Harry Potter's life, and you find that these statements are not so farfetched at all. In fact, the probability of these events occurring was higher than anyone would've believed. Later, the Boy Who Lived would discover that if he had said something, he would have made one: Professor Trelawney /very/ proud.
**
Well, there goes another chapter. hehe. Was that even long? It three pages long on Microsoft Word, and that's pretty long for me. But I guess it's not that long at all, considering there are some people that write 11 page chapters!! I know! Well, thanks for reading, if there are any people left. and please review! Suggestions and advice is always welcome too.
