Down at the breakfast table, Harry waited anxiously for the mail to
arrive. He saw an owl land in front of Renata.
"What's that?" asked Ron.
"It's from a secret admirer. 'Renata, I like you, I like you a lot, I can't keep my eyes off you.' Interesting." She set it down. Soon, she had a pile of five or six and she still hadn't gotten his.
Finally he saw the owl that had his. Harry prayed she wouldn't recognize the writing.
Renata said, "Okay, and this one says, 'You're pretty. You're smart. You're a Quiditch player. And you're a complete pain in the neck. Maybe that's why I like you so much. The truth is, I can't tell you who I am.Cause you terrify me. That's all for now'. Me? How do I scare anybody?"
Harry and Ron both turned to each other, nodding and laughing.
Harry looked again at the pile of Valentines in front of Hermione, almost as many as Renata had gotten. The number of cards received by both astounded Harry and he was sure Ron thought the same.
The boys helped Hermione and Renata gather their cards and walked with them to Defense Against the Dark Arts.
They were nearly there when Harry got the funny feeling someone was watching them. He turned and saw no one.
Renata asked, "What's the matter, Harry?"
"Nothing. It's just.nothing." They weren't more than a few steps further when Harry heard a harsh voice shout something that sounded like a spell.
Harry and the others barely had time to turn and see the man carrying a torch before it happened. The torch was huge and rather than made of ornately carved and decorated gold, with green jewels on it. The flames were a thousand shades of green. It seemed as though a swirling hole of green so dark as to almost be black opened. It grew and began to pull them nearer.
"Renata! Ron! Hermione! Grab hands!" Harry tried to find a grip on the wall or on something with his left hand. Renata took his right hand. I don't know what's going to happen but I will not let her die! He found a grip on the stone wall but it was beginning to slip. "I can't hold on!" The wind whistled past his ears. He would not let go of her unless he could get her clear of.of whatever it was that was pulling them.
The hard, rough stone was tearing at his flesh. He couldn't keep his grip. His hand was wet with blood. He lost his grip entirely. "No!" He lost his grip and first Ron, then Hermione and Renata, and lastly himself were sucked in through the hole. With a last, determined effort, Harry grabbed the leg of the man with the torch pulling him through the circle or portal or whatever it was, too.
To Harry it seemed they swirled in green nothingness for an eternity. Harry and the others hit the ground with a hard thud. They seemed to still be at Hogwarts. Exactly where they'd been before the man with the torch showed up. Harry didn't want to get up. His head hurt. He was vaguely aware of Pumblechook running off, still carrying the torch. The Green Flame Torch.
Harry realized this with such a suddenness that he sat up and immediately had to lie down. His head hurt and he was dizzy.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Renata. He couldn't tell if she was breathing or not. He fought his nausea and sat up until he could see her better. He crawled to her. "Don't be dead. Don't be dead. Don't be dead," he whispered. "I won't lose you." She had a pulse but she didn't look like she was really breathing, if she was, it was too shallow for him to be able to tell.
Harry wracked his brain, trying to find an answer. He had it. Years ago, before Hogwarts, his health class at the Muggle school he had gone to had covered CPR. Harry tilted Renata's head back, pinched her nose, and began to blow air in to her mouth. He watched for two seconds to see if she breathed. No response. He tried again. This wasn't working, what was the next step? Oh, right. Pump her heart. She had to breathe. Fifteen pumps, two breaths. Harry began to worry he'd done something wrong. It'd been nearly a minute. Maybe he hadn't gotten up soon enough. He heard someone stir behind him but he could only help one person at a time.
At last, Renata began to cough. Harry had his face poised above hers for another breath.
"What are you doing?" she said weakly.
"I just saved your life. Stay there and don't die. I've got to check on Ron and Hermione." He turned and went to Ron and Hermione. Hermione seemed fine, she was sitting up, but Ron was still out.
"Is he okay?" he asked.
"He hit his head on the wall. Help me get him leaning against the wall. I know some Healing. If our magic works here." Harry and Hermione eased Ron up against the wall. "Check on Renata, Harry. I think I know how to heal Ron. He might be sore later and he might still have a nasty bump on his head, but he'll be alive. That's what is important."
Harry turned his attention to Renata.
She was trying to sit up and only manage to lean on her elbows, and she still looked like she was going to fall again.
"Here. Let me help you." He took her by her shoulders and backed her up so she could lean on a wall. "Are you okay?"
"I think so. What did you do?" She looked like she was trying to smile.
"Er.CPR. You weren't breathing, Ren. I didn't know what else to do. I didn't want you to.I took a health class in school and they taught us. I never thought I'd have to use it."
"Yeah, well there was a time when you never thought you'd discover witches and wizards were real." She looked at him. "You didn't let me go."
"Of course not."
"You called me 'Ren'." She smiled.
"Harry, I've got Ron awake. I think he'll be all right. How are you?"
"Nothing wrong with me. I've got Renata all right too."
Renata noticed the blood on the floor. "Harry, you're bleeding!"
"Oh, I guess I forgot about my hand. I was gripping the wall kind of hard before." He looked at it for the first time. His skin was in strips, with new raw skin beneath.
Hermione came over on her knees. She pointed her wand at Harry's palms. "Doluit."
Harry watched in amazement as the skin healed, but gaped when he saw the imprint of a serpent that was left on one palm and the lion on the other.
Hermione stared. "I.I don't know why it did that."
Harry was shaken too. "It doesn't matter. Let's go find Dumbledore. We need to tell him that Pumblechook has the Green Flame Torch."
Ron said, "I don't think Dumbledore is here. Remember about Merlin? We were sent into another dimension. We were sent here to be killed. There's no one to help us. Search the school, search the world. I think maybe only people that somebody with the Torch put here are here."
Renata looked around before she spoke quietly. "He's right. We're on our own."
"Let's check the school to be sure. We'll cover more ground if we split up but." None of them wanted to be alone, "If there is anyone here we'd be better off together."
Struggling and leaning on each other, they stood, looking around. They went from room to room, covering most in the castle and found no one. Even Pumblechook seemed to have vanished. Ron admitted that if he saw so much as a spider he'd jump for joy. There was no food in the kitchens but Hermione managed to whip something up with her wand. She made them soup and they ate there in the kitchen, sitting on the floor by the fire.
Ron and Harry sat across from Hermione and Renata. Harry put on his cloak and lay down on the ground next to Ron. Hermione and Renata were asleep across from them, on the other side of the fire. They had searched the castle all day, and he was exhausted. Renata must have thought he was a sleep because she came over and began talking softly to him.
"Why won't you just admit it, Harry? You know you like me. I know which card is yours. Why won't you tell me what I already know? I'm being silly. I'm glad you weren't awake to hear me say this." She leaned down and kissed his cheek. He heard her stand up and walk across the room and lie down on the other side of the fire, near Hermione.
Harry touched his cheek and smiled. He fell asleep.
"What's that?" asked Ron.
"It's from a secret admirer. 'Renata, I like you, I like you a lot, I can't keep my eyes off you.' Interesting." She set it down. Soon, she had a pile of five or six and she still hadn't gotten his.
Finally he saw the owl that had his. Harry prayed she wouldn't recognize the writing.
Renata said, "Okay, and this one says, 'You're pretty. You're smart. You're a Quiditch player. And you're a complete pain in the neck. Maybe that's why I like you so much. The truth is, I can't tell you who I am.Cause you terrify me. That's all for now'. Me? How do I scare anybody?"
Harry and Ron both turned to each other, nodding and laughing.
Harry looked again at the pile of Valentines in front of Hermione, almost as many as Renata had gotten. The number of cards received by both astounded Harry and he was sure Ron thought the same.
The boys helped Hermione and Renata gather their cards and walked with them to Defense Against the Dark Arts.
They were nearly there when Harry got the funny feeling someone was watching them. He turned and saw no one.
Renata asked, "What's the matter, Harry?"
"Nothing. It's just.nothing." They weren't more than a few steps further when Harry heard a harsh voice shout something that sounded like a spell.
Harry and the others barely had time to turn and see the man carrying a torch before it happened. The torch was huge and rather than made of ornately carved and decorated gold, with green jewels on it. The flames were a thousand shades of green. It seemed as though a swirling hole of green so dark as to almost be black opened. It grew and began to pull them nearer.
"Renata! Ron! Hermione! Grab hands!" Harry tried to find a grip on the wall or on something with his left hand. Renata took his right hand. I don't know what's going to happen but I will not let her die! He found a grip on the stone wall but it was beginning to slip. "I can't hold on!" The wind whistled past his ears. He would not let go of her unless he could get her clear of.of whatever it was that was pulling them.
The hard, rough stone was tearing at his flesh. He couldn't keep his grip. His hand was wet with blood. He lost his grip entirely. "No!" He lost his grip and first Ron, then Hermione and Renata, and lastly himself were sucked in through the hole. With a last, determined effort, Harry grabbed the leg of the man with the torch pulling him through the circle or portal or whatever it was, too.
To Harry it seemed they swirled in green nothingness for an eternity. Harry and the others hit the ground with a hard thud. They seemed to still be at Hogwarts. Exactly where they'd been before the man with the torch showed up. Harry didn't want to get up. His head hurt. He was vaguely aware of Pumblechook running off, still carrying the torch. The Green Flame Torch.
Harry realized this with such a suddenness that he sat up and immediately had to lie down. His head hurt and he was dizzy.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Renata. He couldn't tell if she was breathing or not. He fought his nausea and sat up until he could see her better. He crawled to her. "Don't be dead. Don't be dead. Don't be dead," he whispered. "I won't lose you." She had a pulse but she didn't look like she was really breathing, if she was, it was too shallow for him to be able to tell.
Harry wracked his brain, trying to find an answer. He had it. Years ago, before Hogwarts, his health class at the Muggle school he had gone to had covered CPR. Harry tilted Renata's head back, pinched her nose, and began to blow air in to her mouth. He watched for two seconds to see if she breathed. No response. He tried again. This wasn't working, what was the next step? Oh, right. Pump her heart. She had to breathe. Fifteen pumps, two breaths. Harry began to worry he'd done something wrong. It'd been nearly a minute. Maybe he hadn't gotten up soon enough. He heard someone stir behind him but he could only help one person at a time.
At last, Renata began to cough. Harry had his face poised above hers for another breath.
"What are you doing?" she said weakly.
"I just saved your life. Stay there and don't die. I've got to check on Ron and Hermione." He turned and went to Ron and Hermione. Hermione seemed fine, she was sitting up, but Ron was still out.
"Is he okay?" he asked.
"He hit his head on the wall. Help me get him leaning against the wall. I know some Healing. If our magic works here." Harry and Hermione eased Ron up against the wall. "Check on Renata, Harry. I think I know how to heal Ron. He might be sore later and he might still have a nasty bump on his head, but he'll be alive. That's what is important."
Harry turned his attention to Renata.
She was trying to sit up and only manage to lean on her elbows, and she still looked like she was going to fall again.
"Here. Let me help you." He took her by her shoulders and backed her up so she could lean on a wall. "Are you okay?"
"I think so. What did you do?" She looked like she was trying to smile.
"Er.CPR. You weren't breathing, Ren. I didn't know what else to do. I didn't want you to.I took a health class in school and they taught us. I never thought I'd have to use it."
"Yeah, well there was a time when you never thought you'd discover witches and wizards were real." She looked at him. "You didn't let me go."
"Of course not."
"You called me 'Ren'." She smiled.
"Harry, I've got Ron awake. I think he'll be all right. How are you?"
"Nothing wrong with me. I've got Renata all right too."
Renata noticed the blood on the floor. "Harry, you're bleeding!"
"Oh, I guess I forgot about my hand. I was gripping the wall kind of hard before." He looked at it for the first time. His skin was in strips, with new raw skin beneath.
Hermione came over on her knees. She pointed her wand at Harry's palms. "Doluit."
Harry watched in amazement as the skin healed, but gaped when he saw the imprint of a serpent that was left on one palm and the lion on the other.
Hermione stared. "I.I don't know why it did that."
Harry was shaken too. "It doesn't matter. Let's go find Dumbledore. We need to tell him that Pumblechook has the Green Flame Torch."
Ron said, "I don't think Dumbledore is here. Remember about Merlin? We were sent into another dimension. We were sent here to be killed. There's no one to help us. Search the school, search the world. I think maybe only people that somebody with the Torch put here are here."
Renata looked around before she spoke quietly. "He's right. We're on our own."
"Let's check the school to be sure. We'll cover more ground if we split up but." None of them wanted to be alone, "If there is anyone here we'd be better off together."
Struggling and leaning on each other, they stood, looking around. They went from room to room, covering most in the castle and found no one. Even Pumblechook seemed to have vanished. Ron admitted that if he saw so much as a spider he'd jump for joy. There was no food in the kitchens but Hermione managed to whip something up with her wand. She made them soup and they ate there in the kitchen, sitting on the floor by the fire.
Ron and Harry sat across from Hermione and Renata. Harry put on his cloak and lay down on the ground next to Ron. Hermione and Renata were asleep across from them, on the other side of the fire. They had searched the castle all day, and he was exhausted. Renata must have thought he was a sleep because she came over and began talking softly to him.
"Why won't you just admit it, Harry? You know you like me. I know which card is yours. Why won't you tell me what I already know? I'm being silly. I'm glad you weren't awake to hear me say this." She leaned down and kissed his cheek. He heard her stand up and walk across the room and lie down on the other side of the fire, near Hermione.
Harry touched his cheek and smiled. He fell asleep.
