***In response to the question "How do you rank yourself among writers?" Vladimir Nabokov commented:
"I often think there should exist a special typographical sign for a smile -- some sort of concave mark, a supine round bracket, which I would now like to trace in reply to your question."***
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Ron was frantic. Harry wouldn't wake up. All the other Gryffindor boys had gone down to breakfast. Ron had thought Harry was just sulking about what happened with Cho, but then he realized that Harry was out cold. Ron had yelled in his ear. He had knocked Harry off his bed. He had even dumped cold water on his head. Finally, he noticed that Harry's hand was clutched around something. When he examined it he felt something happening--like it was pulling on him. He jumped away, then put a sock around Harry's hand. Ron pulled Harry's other arm over his shoulder and lurched off to the infirmary. He met Hermione on the stairs. When she saw Harry the color drained out of her face and the breath hissed out of her as if she had been slammed in the stomach. She looked at Ron.
"I don't know, Hermione. I tried to wake him up--he's alive. He's breathing. But he won't wake up. He--he has some sort of jewel in his hand, under the sock. It--it pulled me... or something. I... don't know..."
Without saying a word Hermione took the arm with the jewel still in its hand over her shoulder and they both walked Harry to the infirmary.
---
Madame Pomfrey, Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore stood around Harry, examining him and the jewel. Ron and Hermione sat on a nearby bed, holding eachother in silence. Ginny sat in a corner, unnoticed.
Dumbledore sighed. "Well, it's clearly a Manskiri curse. I should have thought of such a thing."
"They are so rare. You couldn't know," Professore McGonagall interjected.
Hermione asked in a small, weak voice: "What is it?"
"A Manskiri is a very simple, virtually indestructable enchantment. It can be fixed on any object but is strongest in hard, cut gems like that one. As a person looks at the object, he or she is drawn into an imaginary world created by his or her mind. It is like a dream in many ways." Dumbledore paused for a moment. "I had no idea that these times weighed upon him so," he commented as he looked sadly at Harry.
"What do you mean, Professor?" Hermione asked.
"One reason I did not foresee this possibility is that few would be trapped as Harry is. He must have been feeling terribly alone--disconnected. If he was feeling otherwise, the curse would not have held him."
"You said Harry was safe," Ron spat, his voice as sharp as a razor.
"I thought he was. He would have been safe--he still is--from a normal attack. But now Voldemort isn't truly the one attacking Harry. Harry is attacking himself."
A single tear ran down Hermione's cheek as she stared at Harry with empty eyes. "There's nothing we can do?"
Dumbledore hesitated. "You could follow him by allowing the jewel to pull you into his imagined world. Then you would have to convince him that he has something to live for. But... you must be careful, if you care more about him than you do about living in this world-" Dumbledore stopped and looked back and forth between them. "That won't be a problem for you two though, will it?"
Ron squeezed Hermione's hand and then resolutely replied "no sir, it won't." Before anyone could stop him he locked his eyes on the jewel and suddenly crumpled to the floor. Hermione screamed in fear. Dumbledore put a hand reassuringly on her shoulder as McGonagall levitated Ron onto another bed. Nearly twenty minutes later Ron awoke.
"It's like he's dead... on the inside... like he can't feel anything. He kept... smiling. I think... I think Harry believes he's happy about his choice, but he's not. Something wasn't right about that smile. I should have realized something was wrong last night... Harry wasn't mad that we didn't come for him earlier. He looked-" Ron shuddered "-pleased. He said it was proof that he doesn't belong here. He said he was supposed to have died when V-V-Voldemort killed his parents. He said he was just... fixing... a mistake..." Ron broke down for a moment. Hermione crawled up behind him and layed her head on his back with her arms around his shoulders. Ron grabbed one of her hands and continued, "He said nobody needs him... nobody needs him like I need Hermione."
"I don't see how I could-" Hermione said, "but I have to try."
She spent even longer that Ron in Harry's self-imposed cage and came back with the same haunted expression. She broke down into tears and couldn't say a thing.
"As Hermione said, I doubt I can help him, but I have to try," Dumbledore murmured.
Professor McGonagall looked at him. "Are you sure you will be able to come back?"
Dumbledore smiled. "My duty towards my students is more than enough to tie me to this world."
After rather a short time compared to Ron and Hermione, Dumbledore returned. "You were right, Minerva, to question me. returning was-" Dumbledore made an unpleasant face "-much more difficult than I had imagined." Dumbledore muttered to himself for a few moments and then added, "I will contact some wizards. Don't lose hope."
Professor McGonagall's eyes shot towards Dumbledore as an idea struck her. "Remus! Surely he would talk to Remus!"
Hermione and Ron looked at eachother. Hermione said "He... hasn't been talking to Professor Lupin. He gets letters from him all the time and just burns them. I mean... it's worth a try, of course, but..."
"I will contact Remus. Any possibility for hope is worth seeking. We will find a way," Dumbledore said as he bustled off.
"What's his hurry, Minerva?" Madame Pomfrey asked.
Professor McGonagall glanced at Ron and Hermione, and then over at Ginny, who was still sitting quietly in one corner of the room. She hesitated, and the answered "the world that Harry has created is sustained with his energy. That energy will run out if we don't help him... soon."
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Hehehe... I love cliff-hangers.
"I often think there should exist a special typographical sign for a smile -- some sort of concave mark, a supine round bracket, which I would now like to trace in reply to your question."***
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Ron was frantic. Harry wouldn't wake up. All the other Gryffindor boys had gone down to breakfast. Ron had thought Harry was just sulking about what happened with Cho, but then he realized that Harry was out cold. Ron had yelled in his ear. He had knocked Harry off his bed. He had even dumped cold water on his head. Finally, he noticed that Harry's hand was clutched around something. When he examined it he felt something happening--like it was pulling on him. He jumped away, then put a sock around Harry's hand. Ron pulled Harry's other arm over his shoulder and lurched off to the infirmary. He met Hermione on the stairs. When she saw Harry the color drained out of her face and the breath hissed out of her as if she had been slammed in the stomach. She looked at Ron.
"I don't know, Hermione. I tried to wake him up--he's alive. He's breathing. But he won't wake up. He--he has some sort of jewel in his hand, under the sock. It--it pulled me... or something. I... don't know..."
Without saying a word Hermione took the arm with the jewel still in its hand over her shoulder and they both walked Harry to the infirmary.
---
Madame Pomfrey, Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore stood around Harry, examining him and the jewel. Ron and Hermione sat on a nearby bed, holding eachother in silence. Ginny sat in a corner, unnoticed.
Dumbledore sighed. "Well, it's clearly a Manskiri curse. I should have thought of such a thing."
"They are so rare. You couldn't know," Professore McGonagall interjected.
Hermione asked in a small, weak voice: "What is it?"
"A Manskiri is a very simple, virtually indestructable enchantment. It can be fixed on any object but is strongest in hard, cut gems like that one. As a person looks at the object, he or she is drawn into an imaginary world created by his or her mind. It is like a dream in many ways." Dumbledore paused for a moment. "I had no idea that these times weighed upon him so," he commented as he looked sadly at Harry.
"What do you mean, Professor?" Hermione asked.
"One reason I did not foresee this possibility is that few would be trapped as Harry is. He must have been feeling terribly alone--disconnected. If he was feeling otherwise, the curse would not have held him."
"You said Harry was safe," Ron spat, his voice as sharp as a razor.
"I thought he was. He would have been safe--he still is--from a normal attack. But now Voldemort isn't truly the one attacking Harry. Harry is attacking himself."
A single tear ran down Hermione's cheek as she stared at Harry with empty eyes. "There's nothing we can do?"
Dumbledore hesitated. "You could follow him by allowing the jewel to pull you into his imagined world. Then you would have to convince him that he has something to live for. But... you must be careful, if you care more about him than you do about living in this world-" Dumbledore stopped and looked back and forth between them. "That won't be a problem for you two though, will it?"
Ron squeezed Hermione's hand and then resolutely replied "no sir, it won't." Before anyone could stop him he locked his eyes on the jewel and suddenly crumpled to the floor. Hermione screamed in fear. Dumbledore put a hand reassuringly on her shoulder as McGonagall levitated Ron onto another bed. Nearly twenty minutes later Ron awoke.
"It's like he's dead... on the inside... like he can't feel anything. He kept... smiling. I think... I think Harry believes he's happy about his choice, but he's not. Something wasn't right about that smile. I should have realized something was wrong last night... Harry wasn't mad that we didn't come for him earlier. He looked-" Ron shuddered "-pleased. He said it was proof that he doesn't belong here. He said he was supposed to have died when V-V-Voldemort killed his parents. He said he was just... fixing... a mistake..." Ron broke down for a moment. Hermione crawled up behind him and layed her head on his back with her arms around his shoulders. Ron grabbed one of her hands and continued, "He said nobody needs him... nobody needs him like I need Hermione."
"I don't see how I could-" Hermione said, "but I have to try."
She spent even longer that Ron in Harry's self-imposed cage and came back with the same haunted expression. She broke down into tears and couldn't say a thing.
"As Hermione said, I doubt I can help him, but I have to try," Dumbledore murmured.
Professor McGonagall looked at him. "Are you sure you will be able to come back?"
Dumbledore smiled. "My duty towards my students is more than enough to tie me to this world."
After rather a short time compared to Ron and Hermione, Dumbledore returned. "You were right, Minerva, to question me. returning was-" Dumbledore made an unpleasant face "-much more difficult than I had imagined." Dumbledore muttered to himself for a few moments and then added, "I will contact some wizards. Don't lose hope."
Professor McGonagall's eyes shot towards Dumbledore as an idea struck her. "Remus! Surely he would talk to Remus!"
Hermione and Ron looked at eachother. Hermione said "He... hasn't been talking to Professor Lupin. He gets letters from him all the time and just burns them. I mean... it's worth a try, of course, but..."
"I will contact Remus. Any possibility for hope is worth seeking. We will find a way," Dumbledore said as he bustled off.
"What's his hurry, Minerva?" Madame Pomfrey asked.
Professor McGonagall glanced at Ron and Hermione, and then over at Ginny, who was still sitting quietly in one corner of the room. She hesitated, and the answered "the world that Harry has created is sustained with his energy. That energy will run out if we don't help him... soon."
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Hehehe... I love cliff-hangers.