By Tegan
Echoes
Chapter 3: The Attack
Another crash echoed through the stone castle, pulling Hermione's attention from Harry, who laid on the floor, grasping his forehead in pain. Her heart raced and her hair stood on end tingling her scalp and arms, as she stood up racing towards the door. She prayed that the noises were only Peeves causing trouble, but she realized Harry's pain and the destruction occurring within the castle were probably related.
Hermione had only moved a few steps, when suddenly, a long thick tree limb smashed through the large bay windows shattering the glass. Before she had time to react, many naked branches began searching, reaching, grabbing. Shards of glass flew everywhere, gliding across the floor and through the air like a bright firework. Hermione fell backwards, sliding with the glass and the wind. Razor thin cuts on her hands and forearms began to seep blood, though Hermione did not notice. She stared in shock and confusion, as the limb receded and the howling, aching wind raged through her hair.
Hermione blinked a few times, attempting to gather her wits. What had she just witnessed? The storm rushing in was more frigid than anything she had ever experienced. The howling in her ears filled her with a sense of misery and pain.
As she watched, a thick gray trunk came forth lurching at the window. A red bulging eye with a large dilated pupil stared at her from within the twisted bark. She stared back at the grotesque thing in shock and fear. A skull-like face strained out of the wood. She realized the face was human, despite the absence of a nose and eye.
Hermione did not move.
She, in fact, could not move. She could only continue staring at the rope-like bark and hideous face, a human face, but so distorted and in such anguish Hermione could not fathom. Screams and cries pervaded her ears, as their bone-chilling pain crept through every part of her body. Hermione was frozen in horror and fear. She was abruptly grabbed by Harry, who had recovered enough to drag her stiff body into the corridor and away from immediate danger. He threw his Invisibility Cloak over their heads.
Hermione tried to speak, to scream, but she only produced a slight whimper.
She looked at Harry, and reality flooded back into her mind. She became aware of her surroundings and could move, and the pair strode swiftly through the corridors.
The whole castle moaned, as if being crushed or torn apart by whatever was attacking. Crashes and screeches echoed through the corridors. Shadows of branches clawing moved against the dimly lit walls, while frigid gusts blew through the castle from broken windows everywhere. Their feet crunched upon the shards of broken glass as they made their way down the long corridor.
As she followed Harry, Hermione still felt dazed, but her initial shock had worn off. She found herself observing all that was around her, trying, with little success, to concentrate and form a plan. She soon realized that they were heading towards the main doors, most likely towards the trees.
"Shouldn't we go to the center of the building, away from the attack?" Hermione's voice quivered slightly as she spoke.
"I doubt if we would be safe anywhere in the castle. Besides, I want to find out what is happening," Harry said determinedly.
At that moment, Hermione did not understand, or agree with Harry's plan.
A loud crash made them jump back in fright, as a small table exploded against the wall. Peering into the classroom, from where the table had originated, Hermione saw another large tree limb thrashing and convulsing, grabbing objects and slamming them about.
A high pitched yelp arched over Hermione's head. She looked up in confusion, but saw nothing.
"Move now!" Harry commanded and pushed Hermione along, the wind whipping through her hair and clothes.
As they rounded the corner, giant gray twisting bark reached out filling the Entrance Hall having broken through the thick oak doors. Limb upon limb with spindly branches moved wildly from ceiling to floor. Splinters and rubble rolled and jumped with the storm. The floor was slick with a dark liquid. Frantic wind and snow blew the bitter cold into the room.
Hermione's eyes looked at all this, yet she did not really see.
The agonizing cries and moans became louder layering and echoing in her ears, heightening her senses. Within the moving limbs, Hermione realized that not one, but many human forms shrieked, cracking and spilling blood onto the floor. Gaping mouths piled next to mouths screeching and wailing and crying such fits of rage and pain it was unimaginable. Eyes bulged, bodies lunged out only to be molded back within the bark. There was constant motion: Twisting, grabbing, pulling.
The branches dripped, not sap, but thick red blood. With each loud cracking and popping sound, more liquid fell, puddling onto the floor.
It was all too much.
Hermione could taste sour acid flow into her mouth. Harry yanked her back, dragging her hunched body as she spread sickness down the hall and onto her clothes.
As they rounded the corner, she slid back against the wall shaking fiercely. The gore and undulating limbs, the screaming and the pain fell through to every part of her body.
Harry grabbed her head with his hands brushing her tear and vomit drenched hair from her face. His fingers trembled slightly as he did so.
"Hush Mione, you need to pull yourself together," Harry hoarsely whispered.
She stared at Harry. Why was he not affected? His hands shook, yes, but he did not collapse into hysterics. What was wrong with her? She had always been brave in the face of danger, so why now did she act this way?
She breathed in deeply, pushing all of her fear and horror to the back of her mind.
"I'm sorry, Harry," Hermione tried to keep her voice even and calm, but to her ears, she sounded weak and shaky. "I just can't believe this is happening."
"Neither can I," Harry winced as he said this.
Hermione watched him breathe deeply and stand up.
"All of the normal exists have been blocked. Come on. We can get out through the secret passageway on the third floor," and he led her back down the corridor to a set of side stairs.
She looked up the long flight of stairs, not knowing if she could climb. Her legs felt ready to buckle. They were numb and wobbled as she moved.
Suddenly above them, a house-elf jumped from one wall to the other, appearing and disappearing instantly. It made a high squeaky yelp as it did so.
They both looked up in amazement.
"What in the world was that?" Hermione's eyes grew large with wonder and for an instant her fears subsided.
"That must be how house-elves travel, through walls," Harry sounded as surprised by this discovery as Hermione was.
It made sense. How else would they clean and enter locked, warded rooms?
Slowly Hermione climbed the long flight of stairs. She still trembled, but she could feel her legs once more.
The stairs were in chaos like the rest of the castle. Tapestries flapped in the wind. Pictures shook banging their frames against the walls.
Hermione tried to detach herself from the violence and confusion that surrounded her. She needed to look at the situation as an objective observer.
She watched as the characters in the portraits jumped from picture to picture, anchoring themselves against trees and doorways, congregating and talking loudly.
"What has happened?" A lady in waiting asked.
"Is Hogwarts under attack?" A small boy cried.
Sir Cadogan, who was now in a picture with three women in crinolines, was gallantly protecting the fair maidens brandishing his heavy sword up high.
Debris knocked into their legs and slammed into the walls and steps from the strong winds entering through broken windows. Small twisters swirled paper and mistletoe around in the air. Wind whipped down the many stairs, howling loudly. These sounds were mixed with unnatural cries of agony and furniture and glass breaking as wooden arms slammed them against floors and walls.
Everytime something flew at them, Hermione was sure that they had been discovered.
"Impedimenta!" Hermione cried as a sliver of glass the size of a long sword jetted towards them. The sliver stopped midair only inches from Harry's chest.
Harry stood frozen staring at the glass shard with unblinking eyes. Hermione felt the warm air from a heavy breath under the cloak, and turned to look at a very shaken Harry.
"Thank you," Harry gasped, his face pale with shock.
"It was instinct. I didn't even think." It was true, she hardly remembered casting the spell. "I suppose I've given our position away though," Hermione said regretfully.
Harry nodded silently dumbstruck by the event.
Hermione was beginning to regain her wits, and she studied Sir Cadogan as he swished his blade into the air.
She looked back at Harry, "It might be wise to uncover for a bit anyway."
Hermione pulled the Invisibility Cloak onto their shoulders, and her bobbing head looked up at Sir Cadogan who chivalrously bowed.
"Brave knight," she began, sounding more confident than she felt, "we need to know if our way to the statue of the humped backed witch is clear. Will you scout out the area for us?"
"A mission! I boldly accept," and he leapt quickly from picture to picture, his armor clanging as he moved.
"He may not be the wisest painting, but at least we will know if our escape is possible."
Glass crashed, a tapestry flew off the wall dancing and twisting in the air, and another house-elf ran screaming near the top of the stairs.
It felt longer, but within moments, Sir Cadogan had returned.
"I see no villain or devilish monster blocking your path, good Lady. If I had, I would certainly have volunteered to slay the beast."
"Thank you," Hermione breathed out a sigh of relief, and they again covered their heads, as they ventured upward.
Wails of agony echoed up the stairs, freezing Hermione's insides as she remembered the cause of the cries.
They had taken only a few steps when the castle suddenly began to moan and creak with such force, Hermione had to cover her ears. Harry, Hermione, and the animated pictures all turned in unison to look up.
The staircase allowed Hermione to see to the very roof of the castle, which now looked arched and bent as if being crushed. The walls tilted inward growing closer together the further up they climbed.
A horrifying image of a collapsed ceiling trapping, suffocating her under tons of heavy stone and debris entered her mind. She swallowed hard trying to empty her mind of these thoughts.
"We'd better hurry." Harry gasped, and they ran up the next flight of stairs to the third floor.
A house-elf ran over their feet disappearing into the wall.
At the far corner, Hermione could see the white statue of the humped backed witch.
Another tiny squeaking creature came flying down from the ceiling and disappeared into the floor below. Hermione suddenly felt for the poor house-elves. They must be terrified.
Drawing Hermione from her thoughts, Harry moved her quickly to the statue's side. Papers and garbage laid at the witch's feet, holly clung to her head.
"Dissendium," Harry said tapping his wand on the statue, and it opened slightly allowing enough room to squeeze through.
The black tunnel smelled thick and moldy. Hermione thought something was different from her previous visit. She looked out into darkness searching for an answer.
"Lumos," and Harry's wand lit the air beyond their initial entrance. What Hermione saw was unreal.
Through a thick dusty haze, roots small and large twisted, searching, reaching, clawing out into the emptiness of the tunnel.
Hermione had to close her eyes for a moment to keep from losing her wits again.
The statue slid back heavily against the wall, dulling the horrific shrieks and moans of the castle. Now softer noises could be heard, and the scratching and rubbing of wooden fingers against tunnel walls became just as frightening.
Hermione breathed in deeply, only to cough as her lungs filled with the fine particles that filled the air. She could hear clumps splattering on the soft floor, dust poofing into the air as they landed.
"Come on. Don't let the roots touch you." Harry motioned for her to follow.
The tunnel was normally only wide and tall enough for two people to barely stand. Now with the roots hanging low, fighting to grab hold, they were forced to crouch down low, single file; Hermione behind Harry.
As she hunched low in an attempt to reach Hogsmeade, the roots from the tunnels clawed and grabbed narrowly missing Hermione's hair and back. Chunks of dirt, torn loose from the moving roots, rained down, dust infiltrating her mouth and nose and eyes making seeing and breathing difficult.
Hermione had to move slowly through the thick haze of falling earth. She tried to keep her eyes open, but they watered up and blurred so that she could not see. She wiped a clean line across her face with the inside of her shirt and knelt in the soft ground coughing.
"I can't breathe Harry," she gasped taking more soot into her lungs.
"Here put this over your face," and Harry handed her the Invisibility Cloak.
Harry coughed as he said this placing the large arm of his knit sweater over his mouth.
Hermione had always like that sweater; she realized it was probably ruined now. She pondered the absurdity of such a thought.
Harry began moving again and they continued on. As he shuffled awkwardly through the layer of soot, his feet brought up more dust into Hermione's eyes.
The ground reminded her of a beach, though much more unevenly grained than sand. Underneath the thick layer of dust and chunks was the hard floor. It was bumpy and irregular, and Hermione stumbled from its unevenness and her lack of vision.
Her warm breath moistened the cloak as she used it to filter the air. The cloak also helped filter the damp, dying smell of the tunnel. The soot tickled her nose as it fell lightly, while the chunks landed roughly bringing up more dust.
Hermione imagined she could feel the roots softly stroking her hair, teasing her in a gruesome parody of a lover's caress. The dirt fell so unevenly, some finely grained soot, others fast hard chunks, that she convinced herself that it caused the sensation. If she shook her head a pile would surely form around her.
"Let's hope there is not a cave in," Hermione's muffled voice said nervously through the cloak.
The tunnel curved slightly and they had to move very slowly to avoid touching the sides. The light from Harry's wand reflected off the tiny particles back into their eyes, making it difficult to tell where the dust ended and the tunnel began. The scratching roots grated into Hermione consciousness, tightening her stomach.
As the tunnel steeped up hill, Hermione had to use her bloodied, glass-filled hands to climb. She tripped on the slick soot, landing on her knee. She pushed herself back up and limped as every step gave her sharp pains.
Not only did her knee and hands hurt, but the lack of breathable air and odd angle at which they walked made Hermione's muscles ache and her body feel out of breath and worn out.
Luckily, soon after the slope, the tunnel ceased its attack from the lack of tree roots. The air became clearer, so the pair sat down and rested for a moment. Hermione had calmed down enough from the shock and horror of what she had previously witnessed to now feel empathy for the lost souls within the trees. She felt a strong need to save them.
"Harry, we have to help those poor people," Hermione pleaded.
"I know, but I don't think going back into the castle is our best option." He paused and added, "At least the castle was almost empty."
Hermione was outraged, "The castle was not empty by any means Harry. What about Dean and Trevor and all the poor house-elves and Crookshanks and Hedwig? What will happen to them?"
As she said this, her throat tightened, and she became silent. Severus was surely inside the castle. He could have been one of those lost souls, who cried out to her in agony. Her eyes began to tear up, and she closed them hanging her head in misery.
A driving need to go back, to help him, enveloped her soul.
She pulled her sore knees up to her chest and brought a dirty wounded hand to her mouth staring absently into space.
"We have to help him," Hermione croaked.
Harry listened to her plea, misunderstanding its meaning.
"Dean is smart, Hermione," Harry comforted. "He can take care of himself."
Hermione looked up sharply, realizing what she had said.
"Maybe we can find help in Hogsmeade. Let's go," and Harry rose to continue through the tunnel.
The rest of their short journey through the earth was uneventful, and they quickly found the end. Harry reached at the ceiling above him. A thick wooden trap door opened to the cellar of Honeydukes.
Hermione was covered filthy in a layer of soot, when she finally climbed into the cellar. She shivered slightly and a light dusting fell from her hair and clothes.
The moldy, rotting smell was replaced by a smoky scent, and it was definitely cooler. As Hermione climbed the stairs to the main store, she could feel a slight breeze wisp under the door.
When they entered the candy store, the Invisibility Cloak around them, they found the place dark and in shambles. Jars of sweets laid strewn across the floor, intermingling with glass and snow from the broken windows. Wild gusts of snow and wind shot through the store, bringing with them a strong smell of smoke. The air was frigid, so that her nose froze when she breathed in. Hermione had never seen a storm so fierce or cold, and believed it was the work of Dark Magic.
"I doubt we will find help here," Hermione whispered nervously to Harry under their camouflage.
"You can Apparate to the Ministry," Harry said, quickly moving them to a dark corner and pulling the Invisibility Cloak from her.
Hermione had passed her test only a few weeks ago. She had been granted a special license, due to her performance as a student and her home situation.
She tried in vain to Disapparate, but she did not even splinch.
"The snow storm," Hermione formulated as she watched its unnatural wickedness. "It must hold a Binding Curse. I won't be able to Apparate anywhere."
Fear for Snape and the others, as well as a helplessness, gripped at her heart, when she realized that she could not find a solution to their dilemma.
"Harry, we have to find help!" She said this with such forcefulness, it became a fact, rather than a simple statement.
"I'll try sending a message to the Burrow." He uncloaked himself for a moment. "I doubt if it will get very far in this weather," and Harry cast a Messenger Spell sending a small silvery dart zipping out the opened window.
"We should see if we can find help in town," Harry said as he placed the Invisibility Cloak back over their heads, and they stepped into the deep snow.
Hermione doubted they would find any help in Hogsmeade, but she hoped that she could walk beyond the storm's boundaries and Apparate.
Hermione cast an Opernix Spell on their feet to hide their tracks.
The wind was blowing the snow in swirls and rushes so that their visibility was very low. Through the hazy darkness, Hermione saw an eerie glow of blue, light up the town to her left. They made their way towards the glow and out of town.
A few steps into the wind, and the whirling darkness engulfed them so that they could not move or breathe. Hermione stuck her face into Harry's shoulder to catch her breath.
She placed a Warming Spell on her body, but felt no noticeable difference. She realized the magical nature of the storm must impede on other spells besides Apparition.
Each building they passed showed the same signs of destruction that Honeydukes had. She heard explosions and looked towards Zonko's shop to see sparks and fireworks launch out of its windows and roof. Glass and garbage intermixed with the snow, so that she had to watch her path carefully. It looked much as she would have pictured a Nuclear Holocaust. Perhaps this was the end of her world.
As they neared the blue light, Hermione was horrified to find that most of the town was ablaze. Blue flames raged with the fierce snow, growing larger, spreading with each gust of wind. The flames were rising with the storm coming nearer.
Hermione stilled and watched the approaching flames, as all her hopes for finding help drained from her body leaving her empty. How was she to find help now? She felt no warmth from the flames.
Harry was the first to turn around, back towards Honeydukes.
Hermione followed, as the wind and fire raged angrily, pushing them in the wrong direction.
As they passed the Three Broomsticks, which was only beginning to burn with the unnatural fire, Hermione could see dozens of blurry cloaked figures illuminated by the flames, their black robes flapping chaotically. Screams carried in the wind, and flashes of yellow, red, and green exploded into the stormy sky.
Dazed people sporadically crossed their path. One man ran past them only to be shot with a strong green flash falling into the snow. He flopped to the ground like a ragdoll, lifeless. A flash of red barely missed them as it struck an unlucky victim, who wailed in pain as his arm lit up in a bright blue flame.
The iciness of the air was nothing to the internal chill Hermione now felt. Her heart and gut ached with a bitter cold, and she began having doubts. She knew she would die, and with her, all hope of saving the poor lost souls back at the castle. Next to her, she could feel Harry's body tremble.
"Harry..."
"I'm fine," he cut her off.
She doubted if that were true.
As the cloaked figures came closer, Hermione recognized them for what they were. She prayed that the snow and wind would not betray them to the Death Eaters. She knew that an Invisibility Cloak was useless against the Dementors.
The main road to Hogwarts was filled with the enemy walking and moving towards the castle. The Death Eaters and Dementors were in such numbers that they had no choice but to veer off into the snow and away from the main road as they neared the Shrieking Shack. This abandoned home was the only thing around that appeared quite normal. They trudged through the deep snow, wind biting at their faces and hands. She had nearly tripped twice since leaving, and now her feet were becoming numb with the cold.
Hermione stumbled onto a soft lump, almost falling over in the process. She looked down to see a young woman, long blonde hair shadowed her face. Hermione bent down and stuck her hand out of the cloak to determine if she was dead or alive. Her large soft blue eyes stared unfocused. She was alive, but only barely, her skin had gone cold and pale.
Harry grabbed Hermione dragging her away quickly.
"We can't just leave her," Hermione pleaded.
"She is lost Hermione. You know that," Harry's arms were shaking violently as he pulled her back.
Hermione did know. She understood why her eyes had looked so blank. The young woman was but an empty shell, no thoughts, no fears, no emotions left at all. Hermione watched helplessly wanting to instill the soul back into the girl's body, but lacking the ability to do so. Hermione knew it was the result of the Dementor's kiss.
"There is nothing we can do for her, she is in a state of living death," Harry begged her to continue.
Hermione glanced quickly over her shoulder to see cloaked figures coming towards them. Hermione did the only thing she could. She followed Harry and left the girl alone to die in the bitter cold.
She knew that her decision and the girl's image would haunt her more than all of the screaming victims already scarred into her mind.
Everything seemed to be driving them into the forest and back towards the castle. The wind, the fire, the Dementors and Death Eaters all urged them on. They could not go back, they could not follow the road, their only option was to move forward into the Forbidden Forest.
Hermione's mind raced.
This could not be happening. Such violence and horrific pain and suffering were only to be read in books and newspapers, not to be lived. She moved, but did not know she was walking, dazed by the trauma.
"Entering the forest is a terrible idea," Hermione stated hoarsely.
"I know, but I don't think we have much choice," Harry said solemnly.
And so, the pair trudged through the snow to face the unknown hell of the Forbidden Forest.
**Thank you for everyone who read and reviewed. Thanks especially to besnaped for all of your wonderful reviews.
**Special thanks to rhitmcshanm and Jaded Green who helped me a lot with this chapter.
** The line, "in a gruesome parody of a lover's caress" was rhitmcshanm's idea. It was beautiful!
**If you read this on WIKTT, I made a few slight changes so that it flowed better with Chapter 4.