I do not own Harry Potter. This is my own idea. All rights are reserved
to JK Rowling
I would like to give my sincerest thanks to those who took the time to review my first two chapters. Hermione-weasley84; Alayna; ednyadove; glowbug; straycat; peachesNcream; and JustMe. I have taken everything to heart and am glad you are enjoying the story.
Please take the time to review so I know if I should continue this tale or not.
Chapter 3: An Unwelcome Anniversary
*She was exiting a large stone building and walking down the enormous never ending steps leading to the street below when she heard footsteps behind her. Quickening her pace, her heart thumping loudly in her chest, she reached the bottom of the stairs and turned left onto the deserted street. The footsteps behind her accelerated their speed as well and seemed to be rapidly closing the distance between them.
She made another left into a small alleyway that was pitch black. She had no idea why she made that turn but had a sense that there was safety waiting at the other end. Glancing around at the buildings on either side there were no doors or windows to be seen. All the fire-escape ladders were pulled up out of her reach. Looking straight ahead she saw a dingy bar on the corner at the other end. Breaking out into a run as she got close enough to make out the name on the bar, The Leaky Cauldron. But just as she saw the name she felt a hand on her shoulder that spun her around.
A man dressed in a black robe with a hood over his face was standing before her. Realizing that she was utterly alone in the forsaken alley with this faceless man caused her to become more fearful for her life, if that was even possible. Her heart felt like it was going to burst through her chest at any moment as she took in the man's appearance. She could see some blonde hair sticking out from underneath the hood triggering the thought that she knew the shady man.
She hurriedly searched her pockets in a subconscious action to find something, anything, which would help her out of this situation. Her fingers closed around a smooth, thin object. Removing her eyes from the man and onto the object she extracted from her pocket she noticed it was some sort of stick. She grasped the stick with all the might she possessed in her right hand, pointing it at the man before her. Reverting her eyes back to the man she observed that he also had a stick in his hand and was pointing it at her face.
She shuddered as the man at last spoke, her left hand traveling automatically to her throat to clutch at the charm on her necklace. "I have waited a long time to make the three of you pay for defeating my Lord," he said to her in a deep, gruff voice. All of her attention was on the wood pointed at her face. "Getting rid of you will make all of you suffer. Revenge is sweet." Her jaw dropped and her mouth went dry as she heard him mumble something under his breath. Even with watery eyes from the lack of blinking, she saw a green light emerge from the tip of the stick. As her body moved instinctively to the side she felt the beam graze her left temple and was immersed in agonizing pain. Collapsing to the ground she went unconscious and remembered nothing more. *
~ ~ ~
Hollie awoke in a cold sweat to find herself in the safety of her flat. The first rays of the sun were filtering through the closed shades in her bedroom resulting in the slowing of her heartbeat. Even though the sun was just rising, her room was bright and cheerful. Wiping away the moister falling into her eyes from her forehead she slowly rose from the warm bed. She put on her blue robe that was draped over the armchair next to her bed and matching slippers making her way over to her desk. Taking out a pen and some paper she decided to write down the things she could remember from the nightmare. For the past eight months, since she had moved into the flat, the dreams were becoming more and more vivid. This had been the first time she saw the name of the bar and the only time the dream had continued past the man placing his hand on her shoulder. There was now no doubt in her mind she was remembering what happened to her the night she lost her past, and in reality, the future she should have been living. She scrawled down:
Large Stone Building with Numerous Steps
Dark Alleyway
The Leaky Cauldron
Blonde Man with Robe
Three of Us
Stick with Powers
She figured that since today was her day off from the bookstore and it was the anniversary of her accident, she would try to locate this building and the bar and maybe get some answers. The thought of the bookstore triggered another memory, but a more recent one. 'The young man that purchased a book on death a few months ago, he had the same blonde hair as the person in my dream,' she thought. 'That can't be! The man in my dream was a lot older.' She paused trying to think back on the day she spent hiding behind the bookshelves. It finally came to her, 'He said he was buying it as a present for his father, maybe the man who attacked me was his dad.' She could feel the tenderness surrounding her left temple as her fingers gently slid back and forth. Her small scar, hardly noticeable, ached every morning much to her dismay. After having that detailed dream, at least she now knew how she received the scar. Rubbing her temples with her fingers she tried to ease the throbbing in her head. 'It just doesn't make any sense!'
She pushed the thoughts aside feeling that there were more pressing matters on which to focus her attention. Reverting back to contemplating looking for the building and bar from her nightmare she remembered Adam telling her that she was found in an alley near the museum. Assuming that was as good a place to start as any, and taking the intensity of the dream as a sign, she rose from her desk and began to get ready for the day ahead.
~ ~ ~
Walking around aimlessly, enjoying the cold wind against her face and through her hair, Hollie glanced at the buildings on either side of the street to see if they resembled the building in her dreams. None of them looked remotely like the one she remembered but she was enjoying the festive decorations that adorned the shops in the spirit of the approaching Christmas holiday. She took to questioning the window shoppers passing her on the street but everyone she talked to had no idea what The Leaky Cauldron was or where it was located.
The stores were bursting with customers. With just two days until Christmas people were anxiously trying to complete their shopping. Women pushing strollers were trying to keep their children under control and men were running from store to store desperate to find the perfect gift for their girlfriend or wife. "Why did I wait till the last minute again," one man commented as he brushed past Hollie, not even offering an apology. Another man ran into her as he was exiting a jewelry store, obviously not looking where he was headed. He helped Hollie off the ground and to her surprise asked her for a favor.
"This might sound like a weird request, but I could really use a woman's opinion." His eyes were kind and his face was pleading. She sighed, nodded, and followed the man back into the jewelry store. "My wife likes rubies," he told her as he held up a pair of small ruby earrings in a square white gold setting. "She doesn't like anything extravagant. Do you think this is too much?"
"I think they are simple, yet elegant," she replied as she fingered the earrings pensively. The red rubies made her think of the young man from her dreams. She smiled up at the nervous man, "I think your wife will love them, I know I would."
He thanked her profusely for her assistance and went to the counter to purchase the gift. She left the jewelry store absorbed in thought. How she longed to have someone special in her life. Looking at the people on the street she saw couples walking by hand in hand enjoying the happy atmosphere around them. On the sidewalk opposite her she saw a man twirl his girl around and hold her close to him gently touching her lips with his own. She sighed, leaned against the wall, closed her eyes and breathed deeply. She had been on only two dates in the eight months she had been conscious. Neither lasted more than a couple hours. Although both men seemed nice and had great personalities they just did not give her the feeling the redhead in her dreams did. There was just no way that she could settle for something when she was positive that at one time she had the real thing.
Extracting herself from her reverie she decided not to waste another instant. It was now time to go to the museum. She waited at the bus stop for what seemed like an eternity when it finally pulled up and opened its doors. "Will this take me to the museum?" she inquired.
The driver furrowed his brow and replied, "Why would you want to take the bus to the museum when it is just around the bend?" He pointed to the intersection up ahead. She thanked the driver and walked briskly to the corner. She immediately recognized the stone steps and the building in front of her as the one from her dream. Crossing the street she stared up at it for a few moments before taking the steps two at a time to the museum's entrance. She did not hesitate a second as she quickly entered the building and proceeded to the information desk.
"How may I help you today?" the receptionist inquired. She was an older woman in her early sixties with graying hair and brown eyes. Even though she did not smile she still seemed pleasant.
"I was wondering who I would need to speak to about a person that might have been in here a year ago today." It sounded completely ridiculous to her as she spoke. 'No one is going to remember a particular person on a day so long ago when thousands of people come through here everyday,' she thought.
"I'm sorry, dear, but that would be me you are supposed to talk to but I can assure you that who ever you are inquiring about I will not have the faintest idea if they were here a year ago." She seemed to have lost the pleasantness about her in exchange for an agitated attitude.
"Sorry to have bothered you," Hollie commented as she turned on her heal and exited through the same door she entered. Retracing her path down the stone steps she turned and walked down the street in the direction she had seen herself take.
After a few minutes she came upon a small alley and made a left. It looked exactly like it had in her nightmare. No doors or windows and the fire- escape ladders were all up and out of her reach. She could see the dingy bar in front of her. "I can't believe this is real," she said aloud to herself when she saw The Leaky Cauldron was written across the side of the tavern.
Exiting the alleyway onto the street she stared at the door in front of her, contemplating whether to go in or not. 'It isn't as if I was in there in my dream. I was just heading in this direction,' she thought. She noticed all the people passing the bar by without a single glance. She came to the conclusion that no one was aware of its presence. In the end she made up her mind that she had nothing to lose by going in to see if there might be answers to her questions inside.
I would like to give my sincerest thanks to those who took the time to review my first two chapters. Hermione-weasley84; Alayna; ednyadove; glowbug; straycat; peachesNcream; and JustMe. I have taken everything to heart and am glad you are enjoying the story.
Please take the time to review so I know if I should continue this tale or not.
Chapter 3: An Unwelcome Anniversary
*She was exiting a large stone building and walking down the enormous never ending steps leading to the street below when she heard footsteps behind her. Quickening her pace, her heart thumping loudly in her chest, she reached the bottom of the stairs and turned left onto the deserted street. The footsteps behind her accelerated their speed as well and seemed to be rapidly closing the distance between them.
She made another left into a small alleyway that was pitch black. She had no idea why she made that turn but had a sense that there was safety waiting at the other end. Glancing around at the buildings on either side there were no doors or windows to be seen. All the fire-escape ladders were pulled up out of her reach. Looking straight ahead she saw a dingy bar on the corner at the other end. Breaking out into a run as she got close enough to make out the name on the bar, The Leaky Cauldron. But just as she saw the name she felt a hand on her shoulder that spun her around.
A man dressed in a black robe with a hood over his face was standing before her. Realizing that she was utterly alone in the forsaken alley with this faceless man caused her to become more fearful for her life, if that was even possible. Her heart felt like it was going to burst through her chest at any moment as she took in the man's appearance. She could see some blonde hair sticking out from underneath the hood triggering the thought that she knew the shady man.
She hurriedly searched her pockets in a subconscious action to find something, anything, which would help her out of this situation. Her fingers closed around a smooth, thin object. Removing her eyes from the man and onto the object she extracted from her pocket she noticed it was some sort of stick. She grasped the stick with all the might she possessed in her right hand, pointing it at the man before her. Reverting her eyes back to the man she observed that he also had a stick in his hand and was pointing it at her face.
She shuddered as the man at last spoke, her left hand traveling automatically to her throat to clutch at the charm on her necklace. "I have waited a long time to make the three of you pay for defeating my Lord," he said to her in a deep, gruff voice. All of her attention was on the wood pointed at her face. "Getting rid of you will make all of you suffer. Revenge is sweet." Her jaw dropped and her mouth went dry as she heard him mumble something under his breath. Even with watery eyes from the lack of blinking, she saw a green light emerge from the tip of the stick. As her body moved instinctively to the side she felt the beam graze her left temple and was immersed in agonizing pain. Collapsing to the ground she went unconscious and remembered nothing more. *
~ ~ ~
Hollie awoke in a cold sweat to find herself in the safety of her flat. The first rays of the sun were filtering through the closed shades in her bedroom resulting in the slowing of her heartbeat. Even though the sun was just rising, her room was bright and cheerful. Wiping away the moister falling into her eyes from her forehead she slowly rose from the warm bed. She put on her blue robe that was draped over the armchair next to her bed and matching slippers making her way over to her desk. Taking out a pen and some paper she decided to write down the things she could remember from the nightmare. For the past eight months, since she had moved into the flat, the dreams were becoming more and more vivid. This had been the first time she saw the name of the bar and the only time the dream had continued past the man placing his hand on her shoulder. There was now no doubt in her mind she was remembering what happened to her the night she lost her past, and in reality, the future she should have been living. She scrawled down:
Large Stone Building with Numerous Steps
Dark Alleyway
The Leaky Cauldron
Blonde Man with Robe
Three of Us
Stick with Powers
She figured that since today was her day off from the bookstore and it was the anniversary of her accident, she would try to locate this building and the bar and maybe get some answers. The thought of the bookstore triggered another memory, but a more recent one. 'The young man that purchased a book on death a few months ago, he had the same blonde hair as the person in my dream,' she thought. 'That can't be! The man in my dream was a lot older.' She paused trying to think back on the day she spent hiding behind the bookshelves. It finally came to her, 'He said he was buying it as a present for his father, maybe the man who attacked me was his dad.' She could feel the tenderness surrounding her left temple as her fingers gently slid back and forth. Her small scar, hardly noticeable, ached every morning much to her dismay. After having that detailed dream, at least she now knew how she received the scar. Rubbing her temples with her fingers she tried to ease the throbbing in her head. 'It just doesn't make any sense!'
She pushed the thoughts aside feeling that there were more pressing matters on which to focus her attention. Reverting back to contemplating looking for the building and bar from her nightmare she remembered Adam telling her that she was found in an alley near the museum. Assuming that was as good a place to start as any, and taking the intensity of the dream as a sign, she rose from her desk and began to get ready for the day ahead.
~ ~ ~
Walking around aimlessly, enjoying the cold wind against her face and through her hair, Hollie glanced at the buildings on either side of the street to see if they resembled the building in her dreams. None of them looked remotely like the one she remembered but she was enjoying the festive decorations that adorned the shops in the spirit of the approaching Christmas holiday. She took to questioning the window shoppers passing her on the street but everyone she talked to had no idea what The Leaky Cauldron was or where it was located.
The stores were bursting with customers. With just two days until Christmas people were anxiously trying to complete their shopping. Women pushing strollers were trying to keep their children under control and men were running from store to store desperate to find the perfect gift for their girlfriend or wife. "Why did I wait till the last minute again," one man commented as he brushed past Hollie, not even offering an apology. Another man ran into her as he was exiting a jewelry store, obviously not looking where he was headed. He helped Hollie off the ground and to her surprise asked her for a favor.
"This might sound like a weird request, but I could really use a woman's opinion." His eyes were kind and his face was pleading. She sighed, nodded, and followed the man back into the jewelry store. "My wife likes rubies," he told her as he held up a pair of small ruby earrings in a square white gold setting. "She doesn't like anything extravagant. Do you think this is too much?"
"I think they are simple, yet elegant," she replied as she fingered the earrings pensively. The red rubies made her think of the young man from her dreams. She smiled up at the nervous man, "I think your wife will love them, I know I would."
He thanked her profusely for her assistance and went to the counter to purchase the gift. She left the jewelry store absorbed in thought. How she longed to have someone special in her life. Looking at the people on the street she saw couples walking by hand in hand enjoying the happy atmosphere around them. On the sidewalk opposite her she saw a man twirl his girl around and hold her close to him gently touching her lips with his own. She sighed, leaned against the wall, closed her eyes and breathed deeply. She had been on only two dates in the eight months she had been conscious. Neither lasted more than a couple hours. Although both men seemed nice and had great personalities they just did not give her the feeling the redhead in her dreams did. There was just no way that she could settle for something when she was positive that at one time she had the real thing.
Extracting herself from her reverie she decided not to waste another instant. It was now time to go to the museum. She waited at the bus stop for what seemed like an eternity when it finally pulled up and opened its doors. "Will this take me to the museum?" she inquired.
The driver furrowed his brow and replied, "Why would you want to take the bus to the museum when it is just around the bend?" He pointed to the intersection up ahead. She thanked the driver and walked briskly to the corner. She immediately recognized the stone steps and the building in front of her as the one from her dream. Crossing the street she stared up at it for a few moments before taking the steps two at a time to the museum's entrance. She did not hesitate a second as she quickly entered the building and proceeded to the information desk.
"How may I help you today?" the receptionist inquired. She was an older woman in her early sixties with graying hair and brown eyes. Even though she did not smile she still seemed pleasant.
"I was wondering who I would need to speak to about a person that might have been in here a year ago today." It sounded completely ridiculous to her as she spoke. 'No one is going to remember a particular person on a day so long ago when thousands of people come through here everyday,' she thought.
"I'm sorry, dear, but that would be me you are supposed to talk to but I can assure you that who ever you are inquiring about I will not have the faintest idea if they were here a year ago." She seemed to have lost the pleasantness about her in exchange for an agitated attitude.
"Sorry to have bothered you," Hollie commented as she turned on her heal and exited through the same door she entered. Retracing her path down the stone steps she turned and walked down the street in the direction she had seen herself take.
After a few minutes she came upon a small alley and made a left. It looked exactly like it had in her nightmare. No doors or windows and the fire- escape ladders were all up and out of her reach. She could see the dingy bar in front of her. "I can't believe this is real," she said aloud to herself when she saw The Leaky Cauldron was written across the side of the tavern.
Exiting the alleyway onto the street she stared at the door in front of her, contemplating whether to go in or not. 'It isn't as if I was in there in my dream. I was just heading in this direction,' she thought. She noticed all the people passing the bar by without a single glance. She came to the conclusion that no one was aware of its presence. In the end she made up her mind that she had nothing to lose by going in to see if there might be answers to her questions inside.