Disclaimer: I don't own anything besides all of my Harry Potter
merchandise.
Dedication: This chapter is dedicated to JK Rowling - the master of foreshadowing.
Wow, it took a long time to write this chapter. *smacks self* Well, it's up now. Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. I love 'em! I won't say a think more but save my ramblings until the end. Happy reading!
*****************THE MYSTERY OF STONE MANSION*******************
Chapter 6: Of Threats and Friendship
The next morning, sunlight streamed through the windows into every corner of Stone Mansion. Light bounced off of every golden trinket in Harry's room, illuminating the entire space. Harry awoke immediately wondering for a moment why he felt so miserable. Then the events of the previous night caught up to him.
He didn't want to get up. Maybe if he just buried himself under pillows and blankets everything would be okay. It would be just like it was two days ago. He'd be in his dormitory awaiting quiditch practice, Ginny would be all right, and Ron and Hermione - well, nothing would be different.
But the brilliant sparkle of the small gold objects even shown through the mass of blankets concealing him as if it were trying to force him to get up. He finally gave in and dragged himself out of bed. He crossed to the bureau and took out a pale gold robe. After pulling it over his head, he glanced at the clock. It was nine. Surly the others would be up by now, though the thought wasn't very comforting.
As he opened the door leading to the hall, he found it empty. In fact, he didn't come across anyone until he reached the entrance hall. A door to his right opened and closed. Cho had come out of the library. She looked up and saw Harry standing at the bottom of the stairs. She smiled. "Hi," she said. "I was just doing some reading. Care for breakfast?"
Harry couldn't keep from smiling himself. He still had someone left. As they began toward the dining room, a sudden thud and a small squeal echoed through the hall. It seemed to come from the basement. Cho and Harry looked at each other. Slowly they made their way across the hall. They creaked open the door and peered inside. Directly below them, feet dangling in the air, was Gabbla. Malfoy had slammed him against the wall and now was holding him by the throat. Gabbla was wildly gasping for breath on the verge of suffocating. "I swear, tell me or I'll -"
"Let him go!" Harry yelled, bounding down the stairs.
Malfoy turned to Harry and smirked. "If you wish, Potter." He dropped Gabbla who collapsed to the floor, clutching his throat, still gasping for air.
"What do you think you're doing?" Harry shouted.
"I don't think that's any of your business, Potter. Unless you want to make it yours. Of course your precious weasel and mudblood will be there to mop you up afterwards."
Harry started toward Malfoy, but Cho held him back. "Take that back, Malfoy," Harry snarled. "Don't you dare call Hermione that."
"What's going on?" The others appeared at the top of the staircase. Hermione looked concerned, but Ron seemed rather uneasy and pale. Hermione looked from Harry and Cho to Malfoy and Gabbla. "What is going on?" she repeated.
"Malfoy attacked Gabbla," Harry muttered, while throwing both Hermione and Ron a dirty look. At this, Hermione looked even more shocked than before.
"Gabbla, are you alright?" she said as she started down the staircase.
"Gabbla is alright, miss. There is no need for miss to worry about little Gabbla," the elf muttered, getting up and massaging his throat.
"Harry, Ron, Cho, can I talk to you for a minute," Hermione said without taking her eyes off of Gabbla as he stumbled out of the room. They followed her out to the entrance hall. She closed the door behind her.
"Now, look, I don't want anyone to do anything rash," she began. "Let's just think this through."
"Hermione, are you crazy?" Harry shouted.
"This might not be what it looks like," she said simply.
"Malfoy is the murderer! He just attacked Gabbla!" Harry yelled before he realized that he didn't really want to argue with her at the moment. Then he fell silent.
"I know what this appears to be, but couldn't he have been trying to get information out of Gabbla? I mean, Gabbla is the only one who knew what was going on from the beginning."
Harry didn't say anything, but merely scowled at the floor.
"We can't be sure who is the murderer now unless we catch them red handed - with the wand," she added looking at Harry. "I realized something this morning when I was studying. Could it be possible that Dumbledore had placed a spell on the murderer to make them not know what they are doing - to make them oblivious to the fact that they are the murderer?"
Now that Harry thought about it, it made sense. It's exactly what happened to Ginny in his second year. Hadn't she opened the Chamber of Secrets unwillingly and unknowingly? This realization, however, didn't stop him from being mad at Hermione. He looked over at Ron. Ron was looking very nervous, indeed, and was still quite pale. He wasn't looking at Hermione, even though she was still talking. At once, Harry knew that Ron hadn't spoken to Hermione yet.
Harry, however, didn't care. He didn't say anything. Hermione looked from him to Cho, to Ron with a skeptical look.
"Just keep that in mind, alright?" she said. She was answered with silence.
"Well, anyone for breakfast?" Cho asked breaking the stillness.
"Sure," Harry muttered, glad to get away from the pair of them.
They followed Cho into the dining room where there was a batch of fresh pancakes and orange juice sitting on the table. As the door swung shut, Harry caught a glimpse of Malfoy trudging moodily up the stairs. He turned around to find that Ron, Hermione and Cho were already seated.
Harry's heart skipped a beat. There was an empty seat next to Cho. Cho, herself, looked up at Harry. Her eyes fell to the chair next to her and then back up at Harry. His arms felt very limp as he sat down next to her.
Most of the meal was eaten in silence, due to the fact that Harry didn't feel like striking up a conversation he didn't wish to have with his two old friends. However, feeling as though he should at least talk to Cho, he brought up the subject of the World Cup the summer before last. This went on for some time until Cho stood up and said, "If you would excuse me. Harry, could I talk to you?"
Now feeling a burning heat in his entire upper body, Harry stood up and followed Cho, leaving Ron and Hermione in the dinning room. Cho lead him into the lounge and closed the door behind them. Turning to him suddenly she asked, "Harry, can I ask you something personal?"
Feeling increasingly uncomfortable, he answered with a shaky voice, "Sure."
"Well, I just wanted to know - well, is everything alright with you, Ron, and Hermione? You seemed awfully cool when we were with them."
He sighed with relief and shook off the deadweight feeling in his arms. "Actually, no, they aren't." Before he could control his speech, he found himself telling Cho everything that had happened the night before. "So now Ron just expects me to accept that they'll be spending all of their time together and leave me to following them around."
Cho looked at him thoughtfully for a moment then said, "You care for them very much, don't you?"
Harry looked away from her and didn't speak.
"Come on, Harry, I know you do. You three have always been there for each other. That's four years of friendship. You don't want to throw it away." She paused as Harry crossed the room and sat down in a nearby couch. He still wouldn't look at her. She followed and sat down next to him. "Harry, people change, and there isn't anything anyone can do about it, but that doesn't change their friendship. They'll still be your friends no matter what."
Harry looked up and met her eyes. They seemed to whisper this truth to him. Maybe things wouldn't be as bad as he thought them to be. She said all of this with such honesty, how could he fail to believe her? "You're right, Cho. Thanks, thanks a lot," and he gave her a small smile.
"You know, Harry," Cho began, tearing her eyes away from his and looking at the floor. "You might meet someone, yourself, someday - someone who you want to be with." She looked up at him once more, her head tilted slightly and her lips parted. She leaned into him. "I really like you, Harry." A tingling sensation spread throughout his body. He could not think. All he could see was Cho's beautiful face coming slowly toward his, and he didn't want to stop it.
~*~Well? I'm very sorry to those of you who don't like the Harry/Cho or Ron/Hermione relationships. I'm just writing this after what might happen after the 4th book. Will you all still read it if it includes these relationships? Trust me, they're important.
Overall, I'm very happy with the way things are going in the story. I love foreshadowing!
So what do you really think of the story so far? Pick up on any clues anyone? Who do you think it is so far? I need reviews to breath! Friday, Oct. 3rd is my birthday, and I just thought I'd tell you all that! I'd love some reviews!
Love, Carmen Willows
Dedication: This chapter is dedicated to JK Rowling - the master of foreshadowing.
Wow, it took a long time to write this chapter. *smacks self* Well, it's up now. Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. I love 'em! I won't say a think more but save my ramblings until the end. Happy reading!
*****************THE MYSTERY OF STONE MANSION*******************
Chapter 6: Of Threats and Friendship
The next morning, sunlight streamed through the windows into every corner of Stone Mansion. Light bounced off of every golden trinket in Harry's room, illuminating the entire space. Harry awoke immediately wondering for a moment why he felt so miserable. Then the events of the previous night caught up to him.
He didn't want to get up. Maybe if he just buried himself under pillows and blankets everything would be okay. It would be just like it was two days ago. He'd be in his dormitory awaiting quiditch practice, Ginny would be all right, and Ron and Hermione - well, nothing would be different.
But the brilliant sparkle of the small gold objects even shown through the mass of blankets concealing him as if it were trying to force him to get up. He finally gave in and dragged himself out of bed. He crossed to the bureau and took out a pale gold robe. After pulling it over his head, he glanced at the clock. It was nine. Surly the others would be up by now, though the thought wasn't very comforting.
As he opened the door leading to the hall, he found it empty. In fact, he didn't come across anyone until he reached the entrance hall. A door to his right opened and closed. Cho had come out of the library. She looked up and saw Harry standing at the bottom of the stairs. She smiled. "Hi," she said. "I was just doing some reading. Care for breakfast?"
Harry couldn't keep from smiling himself. He still had someone left. As they began toward the dining room, a sudden thud and a small squeal echoed through the hall. It seemed to come from the basement. Cho and Harry looked at each other. Slowly they made their way across the hall. They creaked open the door and peered inside. Directly below them, feet dangling in the air, was Gabbla. Malfoy had slammed him against the wall and now was holding him by the throat. Gabbla was wildly gasping for breath on the verge of suffocating. "I swear, tell me or I'll -"
"Let him go!" Harry yelled, bounding down the stairs.
Malfoy turned to Harry and smirked. "If you wish, Potter." He dropped Gabbla who collapsed to the floor, clutching his throat, still gasping for air.
"What do you think you're doing?" Harry shouted.
"I don't think that's any of your business, Potter. Unless you want to make it yours. Of course your precious weasel and mudblood will be there to mop you up afterwards."
Harry started toward Malfoy, but Cho held him back. "Take that back, Malfoy," Harry snarled. "Don't you dare call Hermione that."
"What's going on?" The others appeared at the top of the staircase. Hermione looked concerned, but Ron seemed rather uneasy and pale. Hermione looked from Harry and Cho to Malfoy and Gabbla. "What is going on?" she repeated.
"Malfoy attacked Gabbla," Harry muttered, while throwing both Hermione and Ron a dirty look. At this, Hermione looked even more shocked than before.
"Gabbla, are you alright?" she said as she started down the staircase.
"Gabbla is alright, miss. There is no need for miss to worry about little Gabbla," the elf muttered, getting up and massaging his throat.
"Harry, Ron, Cho, can I talk to you for a minute," Hermione said without taking her eyes off of Gabbla as he stumbled out of the room. They followed her out to the entrance hall. She closed the door behind her.
"Now, look, I don't want anyone to do anything rash," she began. "Let's just think this through."
"Hermione, are you crazy?" Harry shouted.
"This might not be what it looks like," she said simply.
"Malfoy is the murderer! He just attacked Gabbla!" Harry yelled before he realized that he didn't really want to argue with her at the moment. Then he fell silent.
"I know what this appears to be, but couldn't he have been trying to get information out of Gabbla? I mean, Gabbla is the only one who knew what was going on from the beginning."
Harry didn't say anything, but merely scowled at the floor.
"We can't be sure who is the murderer now unless we catch them red handed - with the wand," she added looking at Harry. "I realized something this morning when I was studying. Could it be possible that Dumbledore had placed a spell on the murderer to make them not know what they are doing - to make them oblivious to the fact that they are the murderer?"
Now that Harry thought about it, it made sense. It's exactly what happened to Ginny in his second year. Hadn't she opened the Chamber of Secrets unwillingly and unknowingly? This realization, however, didn't stop him from being mad at Hermione. He looked over at Ron. Ron was looking very nervous, indeed, and was still quite pale. He wasn't looking at Hermione, even though she was still talking. At once, Harry knew that Ron hadn't spoken to Hermione yet.
Harry, however, didn't care. He didn't say anything. Hermione looked from him to Cho, to Ron with a skeptical look.
"Just keep that in mind, alright?" she said. She was answered with silence.
"Well, anyone for breakfast?" Cho asked breaking the stillness.
"Sure," Harry muttered, glad to get away from the pair of them.
They followed Cho into the dining room where there was a batch of fresh pancakes and orange juice sitting on the table. As the door swung shut, Harry caught a glimpse of Malfoy trudging moodily up the stairs. He turned around to find that Ron, Hermione and Cho were already seated.
Harry's heart skipped a beat. There was an empty seat next to Cho. Cho, herself, looked up at Harry. Her eyes fell to the chair next to her and then back up at Harry. His arms felt very limp as he sat down next to her.
Most of the meal was eaten in silence, due to the fact that Harry didn't feel like striking up a conversation he didn't wish to have with his two old friends. However, feeling as though he should at least talk to Cho, he brought up the subject of the World Cup the summer before last. This went on for some time until Cho stood up and said, "If you would excuse me. Harry, could I talk to you?"
Now feeling a burning heat in his entire upper body, Harry stood up and followed Cho, leaving Ron and Hermione in the dinning room. Cho lead him into the lounge and closed the door behind them. Turning to him suddenly she asked, "Harry, can I ask you something personal?"
Feeling increasingly uncomfortable, he answered with a shaky voice, "Sure."
"Well, I just wanted to know - well, is everything alright with you, Ron, and Hermione? You seemed awfully cool when we were with them."
He sighed with relief and shook off the deadweight feeling in his arms. "Actually, no, they aren't." Before he could control his speech, he found himself telling Cho everything that had happened the night before. "So now Ron just expects me to accept that they'll be spending all of their time together and leave me to following them around."
Cho looked at him thoughtfully for a moment then said, "You care for them very much, don't you?"
Harry looked away from her and didn't speak.
"Come on, Harry, I know you do. You three have always been there for each other. That's four years of friendship. You don't want to throw it away." She paused as Harry crossed the room and sat down in a nearby couch. He still wouldn't look at her. She followed and sat down next to him. "Harry, people change, and there isn't anything anyone can do about it, but that doesn't change their friendship. They'll still be your friends no matter what."
Harry looked up and met her eyes. They seemed to whisper this truth to him. Maybe things wouldn't be as bad as he thought them to be. She said all of this with such honesty, how could he fail to believe her? "You're right, Cho. Thanks, thanks a lot," and he gave her a small smile.
"You know, Harry," Cho began, tearing her eyes away from his and looking at the floor. "You might meet someone, yourself, someday - someone who you want to be with." She looked up at him once more, her head tilted slightly and her lips parted. She leaned into him. "I really like you, Harry." A tingling sensation spread throughout his body. He could not think. All he could see was Cho's beautiful face coming slowly toward his, and he didn't want to stop it.
~*~Well? I'm very sorry to those of you who don't like the Harry/Cho or Ron/Hermione relationships. I'm just writing this after what might happen after the 4th book. Will you all still read it if it includes these relationships? Trust me, they're important.
Overall, I'm very happy with the way things are going in the story. I love foreshadowing!
So what do you really think of the story so far? Pick up on any clues anyone? Who do you think it is so far? I need reviews to breath! Friday, Oct. 3rd is my birthday, and I just thought I'd tell you all that! I'd love some reviews!
Love, Carmen Willows