CHAPTER 3:
THE NIGHTMARE
Harry felt himself spinning around inside the fireplace as hundreds of other gates of the Floo Network surrounded him. Then, he felt himself fly forwards and land on the hard floor. Looking up, he found himself in the living room of the Burrow.
"We're back!" Mr. Weasley yelled as he and Ron helped Harry to his feet. "Are you all right, harry?" he asked.
"Yeah," Harry said groggily. "I never did like Floo Powder."
"Harry!" Mrs. Weasley cried out as she entered the living room from the kitchen. "How are you, dear?" she asked as she wrapped her arms around him.
"I'm fine, thanks," Harry replied.
Hermione and Ginny hurried down the staircase. "Hi, Harry," they greeted. "Er...how've you been?" Hermione asked.
"Fine," he answered.
"Really?" Her smile faded from her face. "Even after...you know...."
"Yeah. It's taken some getting used to, but I'm fine, now. But, I'll tell you one thing. If I ever see that Lestrange woman again, I'll...I'll...."
For a moment, there was silence. Then, Ron said, "Let's go up to my room."
***
Harry let Hedwig out of her cage and placed her on the perch adjacent to Pig's.
"So," Harry began. "What have you all been up to over the summer?"
"Nothing much," Ginny replied.
"Yeah," Ron said. "Nothing much." But for some reason, his face, along with Hermione's, had gone slightly flushed.
"What's wrong with you two?" Harry asked.
"Er...it's rather hot in here, isn't it?" Hermione said quickly, fanning herself. She got up and opened the only window in the room.
Ginny giggled slightly, but stopped abruptly when Ron shot a reproachful look at her.
"So, how's life with the muggles been, lately?" Ron asked Harry.
"Same as usual," he answered. But then he remembered the weird phone call he had gotten. "Well, mostly the same as usual," he corrected himself. "Except...." And he told them all about the phone call.
"Strange," Hermione mused.
"Yeah," Ron agreed. "Kind of reminds you of Dobby, only creepier."
***
That night, as he slept, Harry began to dream. He found himself in a large room. Harry was lying on the cold, hard stone floor. It was pitch black all around him, yet the room was surprisingly familiar to Harry. He groped along the cold, slimy floor, until he felt something like an enormous chicken bone. Feeling around, he realized that he had come across a large skeleton, but of what, he didn't know. He looked over his shoulder, and saw something that made him nearly jump out of his skin. Two large, round, red eyes, as bright as automobile reflectors, and as large as basketballs, were staring back at him from out of the pitch darkness.
Harry awoke with a start, and found himself back in Ron's bedroom. He was breathing heavily, his face covered in a cold sweat. He tried to think back on the details of his nightmare, but all he could remember were those big, red eyes. Just thinking about them made his stomach do a flip-flop. It had to be one of the scariest nightmares he ever had.
"MEOW!" SCRATCH! SCRATCH! "MEOW!" Crookshanks was scratching at the window and mewling loudly.
"Mmhh...whatscrookshanksdoinginhere?" Ron's voice mumbled from his bed. "SHUT UP, YOU STUPID CAT!" He grabbed his pillow and held it down over his head.
Harry stood up and walked towards the window. "What's the matter?" he whispered to the mewling cat. He picked Crookshanks up and scratched him behind the ears. "What's wrong?" He looked out the window and into the Weasley's front lawn down below. The same two big, red eyes that he saw in his dream were looking up at him from almost eight feet above the ground. Harry's eyes widened and his mouth fell open. In his shock, he dropped Crookshanks, who gently landed on her feet and padded off out of the room. Part of Harry wanted to scream as those eyes stared back at him, but he couldn't utter a sound. Another part of him wanted to run away, but his legs wouldn't budge. All he could do was stare into those almost hypnotic eyes. He never felt this way before, as he stared into those eyes, like a combination of fear, cold, and helplessness all at the same time.
Whatever the eyes belonged to, it didn't seem to be moving. It just stood there, staring up at him. But then, whatever it was zoomed up towards the window and slammed itself against it.
Harry jumped back in horror as the eyes flew right up against the window, nothing separating them from Harry's face except a thin pane of glass. The large eyes filled the entire room with bright red light, and it took Harry a while to realize that he was screaming.
TO BE CONTINUED
THE NIGHTMARE
Harry felt himself spinning around inside the fireplace as hundreds of other gates of the Floo Network surrounded him. Then, he felt himself fly forwards and land on the hard floor. Looking up, he found himself in the living room of the Burrow.
"We're back!" Mr. Weasley yelled as he and Ron helped Harry to his feet. "Are you all right, harry?" he asked.
"Yeah," Harry said groggily. "I never did like Floo Powder."
"Harry!" Mrs. Weasley cried out as she entered the living room from the kitchen. "How are you, dear?" she asked as she wrapped her arms around him.
"I'm fine, thanks," Harry replied.
Hermione and Ginny hurried down the staircase. "Hi, Harry," they greeted. "Er...how've you been?" Hermione asked.
"Fine," he answered.
"Really?" Her smile faded from her face. "Even after...you know...."
"Yeah. It's taken some getting used to, but I'm fine, now. But, I'll tell you one thing. If I ever see that Lestrange woman again, I'll...I'll...."
For a moment, there was silence. Then, Ron said, "Let's go up to my room."
***
Harry let Hedwig out of her cage and placed her on the perch adjacent to Pig's.
"So," Harry began. "What have you all been up to over the summer?"
"Nothing much," Ginny replied.
"Yeah," Ron said. "Nothing much." But for some reason, his face, along with Hermione's, had gone slightly flushed.
"What's wrong with you two?" Harry asked.
"Er...it's rather hot in here, isn't it?" Hermione said quickly, fanning herself. She got up and opened the only window in the room.
Ginny giggled slightly, but stopped abruptly when Ron shot a reproachful look at her.
"So, how's life with the muggles been, lately?" Ron asked Harry.
"Same as usual," he answered. But then he remembered the weird phone call he had gotten. "Well, mostly the same as usual," he corrected himself. "Except...." And he told them all about the phone call.
"Strange," Hermione mused.
"Yeah," Ron agreed. "Kind of reminds you of Dobby, only creepier."
***
That night, as he slept, Harry began to dream. He found himself in a large room. Harry was lying on the cold, hard stone floor. It was pitch black all around him, yet the room was surprisingly familiar to Harry. He groped along the cold, slimy floor, until he felt something like an enormous chicken bone. Feeling around, he realized that he had come across a large skeleton, but of what, he didn't know. He looked over his shoulder, and saw something that made him nearly jump out of his skin. Two large, round, red eyes, as bright as automobile reflectors, and as large as basketballs, were staring back at him from out of the pitch darkness.
Harry awoke with a start, and found himself back in Ron's bedroom. He was breathing heavily, his face covered in a cold sweat. He tried to think back on the details of his nightmare, but all he could remember were those big, red eyes. Just thinking about them made his stomach do a flip-flop. It had to be one of the scariest nightmares he ever had.
"MEOW!" SCRATCH! SCRATCH! "MEOW!" Crookshanks was scratching at the window and mewling loudly.
"Mmhh...whatscrookshanksdoinginhere?" Ron's voice mumbled from his bed. "SHUT UP, YOU STUPID CAT!" He grabbed his pillow and held it down over his head.
Harry stood up and walked towards the window. "What's the matter?" he whispered to the mewling cat. He picked Crookshanks up and scratched him behind the ears. "What's wrong?" He looked out the window and into the Weasley's front lawn down below. The same two big, red eyes that he saw in his dream were looking up at him from almost eight feet above the ground. Harry's eyes widened and his mouth fell open. In his shock, he dropped Crookshanks, who gently landed on her feet and padded off out of the room. Part of Harry wanted to scream as those eyes stared back at him, but he couldn't utter a sound. Another part of him wanted to run away, but his legs wouldn't budge. All he could do was stare into those almost hypnotic eyes. He never felt this way before, as he stared into those eyes, like a combination of fear, cold, and helplessness all at the same time.
Whatever the eyes belonged to, it didn't seem to be moving. It just stood there, staring up at him. But then, whatever it was zoomed up towards the window and slammed itself against it.
Harry jumped back in horror as the eyes flew right up against the window, nothing separating them from Harry's face except a thin pane of glass. The large eyes filled the entire room with bright red light, and it took Harry a while to realize that he was screaming.
TO BE CONTINUED