Chapter Nine: The Last Chance to Save Her
Harry looked quickly over his shoulder. "Come on!" he hissed. He dragged a fuming Ron behind a nearby tree.
"Harry we cant just leave her!"
"Shut up, I'm trying to think."
"Look! They got out, maybe she did too." On the opposite shore of the lake, he spotted a long procession of people. There were hundreds of students walking briskly behind a gang of teachers, in the direction of the train station. Among them were many younger pupils who did not attend the ball.
"The must've found a way out of the towers before the death eaters got there. Now, I'm trying to think." At this, Ron lunged away from Harry. At this, Ron lunged away from Harry. He screamed as he was pulled back by a hand that had grabbed onto his ankle. Harry slapped his hand over Ron's Mouth. "Shut up! They could hear you."
"But-"
"Trust me, she's not over there. We would have seen her." Harry was having a hell of a time trying to think of what to do. //She'll be ok. We just have to hurry up.// He tried to convince himself. //...but Dumbledore.// this was the part that tore at his heart the most. //He can't be dead. He's alive. He'll be ok. He couldn't be killed by a silly muggle handgun.// even so, large silent tears streamed down his cheeks. //Ok, what would Sirius do if he were here?...// "Ron! The passages! The secret passages!"
"Huh?"
"The ones on my dad's old map. The secret passages that lead into the school."
"Harry, how are we gonna pull that off now?"
"There's one that leads from the edge of the woods to somewhere in the dungeons, I'm am not sure exactly where but-"
"What about Filch!"
"Do you honestly think he's guarding them now? Lets go!" He and Ron scrambled to their feet and took off for the forest, taking extra care not to be seen. When they reached Hagrid's cabin. They scooted along one of the walls. They made it to the edge of the forest, only to be seen by a very along and whimpering Fang.
"Harry, are we almost there?"
"I think so. Help me look. You have to go through this foxhole under a boulder. It looked to be about ten feet past the tree line. It should be close." They kept their heads low and kicked at the weeds, looking for the foxhole. After several minuets Ron called, "Harry, it's over here!" When he looked, he found that Ron had indeed found it. There was a large gray boulder. Underneath the ground was hollowed out. "Well?"
"I'll go first." Harry got down on his hands and knees and crawled head first into the opening. He had disappeared up to the waist when he was thrust backwards by a cold pair of hands. His head slammed into the stone and he rolled back to where Ron was standing. He shrieked and clutched the crown of his head with one hand and whipped out his wand with the other. They both kept their eyes on the foxhole and waited. A cloaked figure crawled out of the foxhole and slowly stood.
"Potter. Weasly. I should have known."
"Snape," Harry said in a disgusted tone.
"Now, now." He made a clicking sound with his tongue. "As your teacher, I need to ask. What are you two doing back here...at such a time."
"You know very well why we're here," spat Ron.
"Ah, playing hero with Potter, are you? Well the games are over boys. There are no students left to save. They are all safely on the train. You should be heading there now too." They didn't budge. "Go!"
"Why are you here?"
"It is my duty," Snape walked towards Harry so that he towered directly over him, "to make sure that the students are safe. I was making sure that no one was left behind in my common room."
"I bet you were," snarled Ron.
There was a long silence before Snape spoke. "You must leave."
"No."
"This is not a silly game Mr. Potter. We are no long safe here!"
"Hermione is still inside they castle. They took her!"
"Weasly!" he roared. "There is only a slim chance that if you, or anyone, were to go back in there that you would be able to bring Ms. Granger out alive or at the least come out alive yourselves!"
Ron hurled himself at snape. He put his arms out just in time to cushion himself for the impact and send Ron hurtling back to the ground. "IT IS NOT SAFE! YOU WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO DO IT!"
"I have before and I'll do it again." Harry said and made a run for the foxhole.
"Mobilicorpus! Mobilicorpus!" Snape shouted. An invisible set of ropes wrapped around each of them and they rose six inches off of the ground. Despite their struggle, they could not get away. "You have made a big mistake disobeying me tonight, Potter. A big mistake indeed." Snape then turned and moved along the tree ling towards the train station muttering things like, "such foolishness," and, "idiot boys." Harry and Ron were forced to follow. When they reached the train Harry was surprised to see Snape get on. He walked down the isle with Harry and Ron trailing behind him. He could hear the sounds of crying from behind closed doors and he watched older students comfort younger ones in the compartments that had been left open. Finally, they reached an empty compartment. Snape commanded them in and slammed the door shut. As soon as the door shut, they dropped to the ground. Now at their own will, they stood up.
"It won't open!" Ron said as he tugged at the door handle.
"Lemme try." Neither could open it. Harry made a groan of frustration and sat on the bench. He lowered his head and ran his fingers through his hair.
"Hey look." Ron said as he pressed his face to the tiny window in the door. Harry joined him to see Snape going into the compartment across from them.
"Why is he here? Shouldn't he be with the other death eaters?" Questioned Ron.
"You know that's not true," said Harry. The door across the isle from them slid shut and the little shade on the window was pulled down. The train lurched and then chugged out of the station.
TBC
Harry looked quickly over his shoulder. "Come on!" he hissed. He dragged a fuming Ron behind a nearby tree.
"Harry we cant just leave her!"
"Shut up, I'm trying to think."
"Look! They got out, maybe she did too." On the opposite shore of the lake, he spotted a long procession of people. There were hundreds of students walking briskly behind a gang of teachers, in the direction of the train station. Among them were many younger pupils who did not attend the ball.
"The must've found a way out of the towers before the death eaters got there. Now, I'm trying to think." At this, Ron lunged away from Harry. At this, Ron lunged away from Harry. He screamed as he was pulled back by a hand that had grabbed onto his ankle. Harry slapped his hand over Ron's Mouth. "Shut up! They could hear you."
"But-"
"Trust me, she's not over there. We would have seen her." Harry was having a hell of a time trying to think of what to do. //She'll be ok. We just have to hurry up.// He tried to convince himself. //...but Dumbledore.// this was the part that tore at his heart the most. //He can't be dead. He's alive. He'll be ok. He couldn't be killed by a silly muggle handgun.// even so, large silent tears streamed down his cheeks. //Ok, what would Sirius do if he were here?...// "Ron! The passages! The secret passages!"
"Huh?"
"The ones on my dad's old map. The secret passages that lead into the school."
"Harry, how are we gonna pull that off now?"
"There's one that leads from the edge of the woods to somewhere in the dungeons, I'm am not sure exactly where but-"
"What about Filch!"
"Do you honestly think he's guarding them now? Lets go!" He and Ron scrambled to their feet and took off for the forest, taking extra care not to be seen. When they reached Hagrid's cabin. They scooted along one of the walls. They made it to the edge of the forest, only to be seen by a very along and whimpering Fang.
"Harry, are we almost there?"
"I think so. Help me look. You have to go through this foxhole under a boulder. It looked to be about ten feet past the tree line. It should be close." They kept their heads low and kicked at the weeds, looking for the foxhole. After several minuets Ron called, "Harry, it's over here!" When he looked, he found that Ron had indeed found it. There was a large gray boulder. Underneath the ground was hollowed out. "Well?"
"I'll go first." Harry got down on his hands and knees and crawled head first into the opening. He had disappeared up to the waist when he was thrust backwards by a cold pair of hands. His head slammed into the stone and he rolled back to where Ron was standing. He shrieked and clutched the crown of his head with one hand and whipped out his wand with the other. They both kept their eyes on the foxhole and waited. A cloaked figure crawled out of the foxhole and slowly stood.
"Potter. Weasly. I should have known."
"Snape," Harry said in a disgusted tone.
"Now, now." He made a clicking sound with his tongue. "As your teacher, I need to ask. What are you two doing back here...at such a time."
"You know very well why we're here," spat Ron.
"Ah, playing hero with Potter, are you? Well the games are over boys. There are no students left to save. They are all safely on the train. You should be heading there now too." They didn't budge. "Go!"
"Why are you here?"
"It is my duty," Snape walked towards Harry so that he towered directly over him, "to make sure that the students are safe. I was making sure that no one was left behind in my common room."
"I bet you were," snarled Ron.
There was a long silence before Snape spoke. "You must leave."
"No."
"This is not a silly game Mr. Potter. We are no long safe here!"
"Hermione is still inside they castle. They took her!"
"Weasly!" he roared. "There is only a slim chance that if you, or anyone, were to go back in there that you would be able to bring Ms. Granger out alive or at the least come out alive yourselves!"
Ron hurled himself at snape. He put his arms out just in time to cushion himself for the impact and send Ron hurtling back to the ground. "IT IS NOT SAFE! YOU WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO DO IT!"
"I have before and I'll do it again." Harry said and made a run for the foxhole.
"Mobilicorpus! Mobilicorpus!" Snape shouted. An invisible set of ropes wrapped around each of them and they rose six inches off of the ground. Despite their struggle, they could not get away. "You have made a big mistake disobeying me tonight, Potter. A big mistake indeed." Snape then turned and moved along the tree ling towards the train station muttering things like, "such foolishness," and, "idiot boys." Harry and Ron were forced to follow. When they reached the train Harry was surprised to see Snape get on. He walked down the isle with Harry and Ron trailing behind him. He could hear the sounds of crying from behind closed doors and he watched older students comfort younger ones in the compartments that had been left open. Finally, they reached an empty compartment. Snape commanded them in and slammed the door shut. As soon as the door shut, they dropped to the ground. Now at their own will, they stood up.
"It won't open!" Ron said as he tugged at the door handle.
"Lemme try." Neither could open it. Harry made a groan of frustration and sat on the bench. He lowered his head and ran his fingers through his hair.
"Hey look." Ron said as he pressed his face to the tiny window in the door. Harry joined him to see Snape going into the compartment across from them.
"Why is he here? Shouldn't he be with the other death eaters?" Questioned Ron.
"You know that's not true," said Harry. The door across the isle from them slid shut and the little shade on the window was pulled down. The train lurched and then chugged out of the station.
TBC