Disclaimer: see previous chapters.
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The tome of Merketh - chapter 8
As new year approached, Harry felt a large weight settle in his stomach. Harry was sitting in the living room pretending to read the newspaper. In less than a fortnight, he would have to return to school and read that book. He would have to feel the pain of the people getting slaughtered, then learn to control the power he is given.
Then - then he would have to come face to face with Voldemort again. nobody to save him this time. The last time Harry had seen Voldemort, he had slit Harry's throat with a dagger. He still had nightmares about that.
Harry started violently as he felt a hand grip his shoulder. Sirius backed away quickly.
"It's ok Harry, it's just me." Sirius said soothingly.
"Sorry. I was miles away."
"What's on your mind?" Harry looked at him. The man was already so worried about Harry that he had problems blocking it out. In fairness the empathy was something that Harry now liked about himself, it's just too many emotions from other people gave him a headache.
"Nothing. I was just thinking about my homework."
"Right." Sirius said sceptically.
"I'm just starting to dread the next term, you know."
Sirius nodded "I know. you have a big thing coming up. I'm not sure that I'd be brave enough to do what you are." Sirius said
"Yes you would." Harry replied almost instantly
Sirius smiled and suggested that the two of them go outside for a spot of quidditch practice. Harry knew that Sirius was well aware that flying was the only way that Harry could truly forget his problems.
As they headed out to the broom cupboard, Harry felt a pain go through his scar. His knees buckled and he cried out. Sirius was at his side within seconds, but the pain did not go away. For fifteen minutes Harry sat on the floor feeling Voldemort's bloodlust. This degree of agony was only felt when Voldemort was out on an attack.
Eventually the pain reduced to a tolerable level and Harry sat back, panting. Harry felt to nauseous to speak. He just leaned on Sirius. The floo alarm went off.
Sirius ran into the living room, wand raised. Harry shakily stood and pulled out his own.
A face appeared in the fireplace a short while later. Dumbledore's. Harry entered the room and knelt next to Sirius.
"What Happened?" Sirius asked before Albus could open his mouth.
"There was an attack."
"Where?" Harry asked, filled with dread.
"The burrow." Dumbledore replied gravely.
Sirius gripped Harry's shoulder
"they are all alive. The aurors were able to get them out in time."
"Are they ok?" Harry asked, not liking the grim expression on Dumbledore's face
"Arthur and Ginny were both hit with curses."
"What curses?" Harry asked panic now rising in his chest
"Arthur was hexed. Easily reversible." Dumbledore paused
"What about Gin? Is she alright?" Harry found that he was shouting now
"We are unsure what she was cursed with. She is currently" Dumbledore paused. Harry began to feel sick again
"she is in a coma. We can't wake her until we find out what she was cursed with."
"Will she live?" Sirius asked gently
"I honestly don't know. The longer she is unconscious the weaker she'll get."
"Can I see her?" Harry asked. Surely this wasn't true. He loved her. She couldn't die!
"No. She is in Saint Mungo's. It isn't safe for you or her." Harry bolted. He ran up to his bedroom and locked the door behind him.
Harry paced up and down, torn between anger and grief. Some moments he stamped, threw objects as he passed them. Why did it have to be Ginny?! Other moments he cried. The sky darkened outside. Sirius had come up and knocked on the door, but Harry just wanted to be alone. The sky darkened. Harry collapsed exhausted onto his bed. He sensed someone outside his door and this time didn't send them away
Sirius was one of those people that refuse to be ignored. He entered the room and sat down in one of the armchairs in Harry's room. when Harry began to cry again, Sirius moved to the bed and put his arm around his shoulders.
There had been a time when Harry would have been ashamed to show this level of emotion to Sirius but after everything that had happened in the last few years he didn't care so much anymore.
"Harry, come downstairs, Star will cook us something that we can eat. Then I'll try to contact one of the Weasleys to see how they're all doing." Harry nodded in response and followed his godfather out to the kitchen.
They ate quietly. Sirius was obviously at a loss as to what to say to him. Harry silently wondered who would be next. Another of his friends perhaps? Dumbledore? Sirius?! The thought of loosing Sirius terrified Harry. He knew what he must do. nobody else would die because he was to cowardly to take a power that would destroy that monster.
Sirius stood and went to the fireplace. He tried Hogwarts. An irritated looking Snape told him that they were all at Saint Mungo's and probably would be for the next few days. After demanding that Sirius arrange his social life during the day in future he broke the floo connection.
With nothing else better to do, they went to bed. Harry did not sleep however. He concentrated on Sirius'semotions and when he felt that he had gone to sleep, Harry turned on his light and got dressed again. he covered himself in the invisibility cloak and stole downstairs.
Harry flood to Honeydukes sweet shop and crept through the repressive silence and darkness down to the basement. Harry nearly had a heart attack when in the darkness he knocked over a barrel of chocolate frogs. After the crash that the barrel made, Harry sprinted to the basement. He wrenched open the door and climbed down to the entrance to the secret passageway.
Harry entered the castle and took out his wand. Where was Dumbledore hiding the book? He whispered a location spell. The wand spun several times. 'Damn!' Harry thought, Dumbledore had expected that.
Harry entered an empty classroom and sat on a desk. He swung his legs absently. Where could the book possibly be hidden? Harry slid onto a chair and rested his face in his arms. He was so tired. Everything that had happened was too much. He needed that book! He HAD to stop that maniac!
Suddenly Harry snapped his head up. There was another presence in the room. it wanted him to follow. Harry stood up. It was the tome. It was calling to him!
Harry jumped up and followed the 'presence'. It led him up staircases and up towards the astronomy tower. Instead of walking into the room with the telescopes he moved into a room he had never been in before. He opened the door and faced a large selection of boxes. Large and small, all with locks on. Clearly the person was supposed to spend so much time flipping them open the boxed that they would be caught before finding the book. The presence directed Harry towards the window. Against the wall, several broomsticks leant against the wall. Harry clambered out side and jumped onto a broomstick.
Between one two tiles another box was wedged. Harry sat on the roof and wrenched the box open. He pulled the book out and opened it. The screams again filled his head.
"No Harry!"
Bill Weasley flew out of the window towards Harry and sat beside him.
"Put that away."
"No! nobody else can get hurt! If I'd done this sooner, Ginny would be fine!"
"Harry please put it away. It you get all that power in this state, you may not be able to control it!"
Harry looked into the eyes of his girlfriend's eldest brother. He looked tired, and very pale.
He placed it in the box without putting it down.
"What happened at your house?"
"He attacked, our wards gave us enough time to escape, or so we thought. A couple of the deatheaters sent a few curses our way as we loaded into the fire place. Dad jumped into the path of one headed for Fred." Bill's voice cracked "I saw the curse headed for Ginny, but I wasn't fast enough. She collapsed. I am so worried. I love my family. Our house was destroyed, so at the moment we are holed up in St Mungo's."
"Bill, I am so sorry. If I'd done this sooner."
"It's not your fault. Even if you had got the power before, you wouldn't be trained in it yet. Besides, they weren't after you of Ginny. They were after Mum, Dad and me. We're all helping Dumbledore in this war. I think they wanted us out of the way." Bill rested his face in his hands. Harry, Ginny loves you, our whole family does. Don't get yourself killed."
Bill and Harry flew back into the castle. They then portkeyed back to Silvermoon Manor. Sirius, it seemed wasn't aware Harry was missing.
The living room was full of Weasleys. All had shocked looks on their faces when Bill and Harry appeared out of nowhere.
"What's going on?" Harry asked
"the burrow was destroyed, and this house is both safe and large enough to accommodate the Weasley family." Sirius replied. "Why did you just appear in the living room?"
Bill muttered something in Sirius's ear about telling him later. With a suspicious look at Harry, Sirius continued "Molly and Arthur are still at the hospital with Ginny. Harry, I want you to share your room with Ron."
Harry lead the way up to his room. Ron followed mutely behind. Harry pressed a button on one of his armchairs to transform it into a spare bed and began to pull a sheet onto it. Ron sat in the other chair looking numb.
"Therr. I'm done." Harry said and gestured towards the bed. "Are you alright Ron?"
"No I'm bloody well not!" Ron snapped. He leapt onto his bed and pulled the blanket over his face.
Slightly taken aback Harry turned the light off and got into his own bed. Ron was still awake. He was scared and - angry. Not a Voldemort but at him! The warning Ron had given Harry when he began dating Ginny soared through his mind:
"If anything, I repeat, anything, happens to my sister I'll never forgive you!"
the pieces came together in Harry's mind. Ron believed that Voldemort hurt Ginny due to her connection with Harry, making it his fault. Harry wished he disagreed with him.
THANKS FOR REVIEWS!!!!!!!!
The tome of Merketh - chapter 8
As new year approached, Harry felt a large weight settle in his stomach. Harry was sitting in the living room pretending to read the newspaper. In less than a fortnight, he would have to return to school and read that book. He would have to feel the pain of the people getting slaughtered, then learn to control the power he is given.
Then - then he would have to come face to face with Voldemort again. nobody to save him this time. The last time Harry had seen Voldemort, he had slit Harry's throat with a dagger. He still had nightmares about that.
Harry started violently as he felt a hand grip his shoulder. Sirius backed away quickly.
"It's ok Harry, it's just me." Sirius said soothingly.
"Sorry. I was miles away."
"What's on your mind?" Harry looked at him. The man was already so worried about Harry that he had problems blocking it out. In fairness the empathy was something that Harry now liked about himself, it's just too many emotions from other people gave him a headache.
"Nothing. I was just thinking about my homework."
"Right." Sirius said sceptically.
"I'm just starting to dread the next term, you know."
Sirius nodded "I know. you have a big thing coming up. I'm not sure that I'd be brave enough to do what you are." Sirius said
"Yes you would." Harry replied almost instantly
Sirius smiled and suggested that the two of them go outside for a spot of quidditch practice. Harry knew that Sirius was well aware that flying was the only way that Harry could truly forget his problems.
As they headed out to the broom cupboard, Harry felt a pain go through his scar. His knees buckled and he cried out. Sirius was at his side within seconds, but the pain did not go away. For fifteen minutes Harry sat on the floor feeling Voldemort's bloodlust. This degree of agony was only felt when Voldemort was out on an attack.
Eventually the pain reduced to a tolerable level and Harry sat back, panting. Harry felt to nauseous to speak. He just leaned on Sirius. The floo alarm went off.
Sirius ran into the living room, wand raised. Harry shakily stood and pulled out his own.
A face appeared in the fireplace a short while later. Dumbledore's. Harry entered the room and knelt next to Sirius.
"What Happened?" Sirius asked before Albus could open his mouth.
"There was an attack."
"Where?" Harry asked, filled with dread.
"The burrow." Dumbledore replied gravely.
Sirius gripped Harry's shoulder
"they are all alive. The aurors were able to get them out in time."
"Are they ok?" Harry asked, not liking the grim expression on Dumbledore's face
"Arthur and Ginny were both hit with curses."
"What curses?" Harry asked panic now rising in his chest
"Arthur was hexed. Easily reversible." Dumbledore paused
"What about Gin? Is she alright?" Harry found that he was shouting now
"We are unsure what she was cursed with. She is currently" Dumbledore paused. Harry began to feel sick again
"she is in a coma. We can't wake her until we find out what she was cursed with."
"Will she live?" Sirius asked gently
"I honestly don't know. The longer she is unconscious the weaker she'll get."
"Can I see her?" Harry asked. Surely this wasn't true. He loved her. She couldn't die!
"No. She is in Saint Mungo's. It isn't safe for you or her." Harry bolted. He ran up to his bedroom and locked the door behind him.
Harry paced up and down, torn between anger and grief. Some moments he stamped, threw objects as he passed them. Why did it have to be Ginny?! Other moments he cried. The sky darkened outside. Sirius had come up and knocked on the door, but Harry just wanted to be alone. The sky darkened. Harry collapsed exhausted onto his bed. He sensed someone outside his door and this time didn't send them away
Sirius was one of those people that refuse to be ignored. He entered the room and sat down in one of the armchairs in Harry's room. when Harry began to cry again, Sirius moved to the bed and put his arm around his shoulders.
There had been a time when Harry would have been ashamed to show this level of emotion to Sirius but after everything that had happened in the last few years he didn't care so much anymore.
"Harry, come downstairs, Star will cook us something that we can eat. Then I'll try to contact one of the Weasleys to see how they're all doing." Harry nodded in response and followed his godfather out to the kitchen.
They ate quietly. Sirius was obviously at a loss as to what to say to him. Harry silently wondered who would be next. Another of his friends perhaps? Dumbledore? Sirius?! The thought of loosing Sirius terrified Harry. He knew what he must do. nobody else would die because he was to cowardly to take a power that would destroy that monster.
Sirius stood and went to the fireplace. He tried Hogwarts. An irritated looking Snape told him that they were all at Saint Mungo's and probably would be for the next few days. After demanding that Sirius arrange his social life during the day in future he broke the floo connection.
With nothing else better to do, they went to bed. Harry did not sleep however. He concentrated on Sirius'semotions and when he felt that he had gone to sleep, Harry turned on his light and got dressed again. he covered himself in the invisibility cloak and stole downstairs.
Harry flood to Honeydukes sweet shop and crept through the repressive silence and darkness down to the basement. Harry nearly had a heart attack when in the darkness he knocked over a barrel of chocolate frogs. After the crash that the barrel made, Harry sprinted to the basement. He wrenched open the door and climbed down to the entrance to the secret passageway.
Harry entered the castle and took out his wand. Where was Dumbledore hiding the book? He whispered a location spell. The wand spun several times. 'Damn!' Harry thought, Dumbledore had expected that.
Harry entered an empty classroom and sat on a desk. He swung his legs absently. Where could the book possibly be hidden? Harry slid onto a chair and rested his face in his arms. He was so tired. Everything that had happened was too much. He needed that book! He HAD to stop that maniac!
Suddenly Harry snapped his head up. There was another presence in the room. it wanted him to follow. Harry stood up. It was the tome. It was calling to him!
Harry jumped up and followed the 'presence'. It led him up staircases and up towards the astronomy tower. Instead of walking into the room with the telescopes he moved into a room he had never been in before. He opened the door and faced a large selection of boxes. Large and small, all with locks on. Clearly the person was supposed to spend so much time flipping them open the boxed that they would be caught before finding the book. The presence directed Harry towards the window. Against the wall, several broomsticks leant against the wall. Harry clambered out side and jumped onto a broomstick.
Between one two tiles another box was wedged. Harry sat on the roof and wrenched the box open. He pulled the book out and opened it. The screams again filled his head.
"No Harry!"
Bill Weasley flew out of the window towards Harry and sat beside him.
"Put that away."
"No! nobody else can get hurt! If I'd done this sooner, Ginny would be fine!"
"Harry please put it away. It you get all that power in this state, you may not be able to control it!"
Harry looked into the eyes of his girlfriend's eldest brother. He looked tired, and very pale.
He placed it in the box without putting it down.
"What happened at your house?"
"He attacked, our wards gave us enough time to escape, or so we thought. A couple of the deatheaters sent a few curses our way as we loaded into the fire place. Dad jumped into the path of one headed for Fred." Bill's voice cracked "I saw the curse headed for Ginny, but I wasn't fast enough. She collapsed. I am so worried. I love my family. Our house was destroyed, so at the moment we are holed up in St Mungo's."
"Bill, I am so sorry. If I'd done this sooner."
"It's not your fault. Even if you had got the power before, you wouldn't be trained in it yet. Besides, they weren't after you of Ginny. They were after Mum, Dad and me. We're all helping Dumbledore in this war. I think they wanted us out of the way." Bill rested his face in his hands. Harry, Ginny loves you, our whole family does. Don't get yourself killed."
Bill and Harry flew back into the castle. They then portkeyed back to Silvermoon Manor. Sirius, it seemed wasn't aware Harry was missing.
The living room was full of Weasleys. All had shocked looks on their faces when Bill and Harry appeared out of nowhere.
"What's going on?" Harry asked
"the burrow was destroyed, and this house is both safe and large enough to accommodate the Weasley family." Sirius replied. "Why did you just appear in the living room?"
Bill muttered something in Sirius's ear about telling him later. With a suspicious look at Harry, Sirius continued "Molly and Arthur are still at the hospital with Ginny. Harry, I want you to share your room with Ron."
Harry lead the way up to his room. Ron followed mutely behind. Harry pressed a button on one of his armchairs to transform it into a spare bed and began to pull a sheet onto it. Ron sat in the other chair looking numb.
"Therr. I'm done." Harry said and gestured towards the bed. "Are you alright Ron?"
"No I'm bloody well not!" Ron snapped. He leapt onto his bed and pulled the blanket over his face.
Slightly taken aback Harry turned the light off and got into his own bed. Ron was still awake. He was scared and - angry. Not a Voldemort but at him! The warning Ron had given Harry when he began dating Ginny soared through his mind:
"If anything, I repeat, anything, happens to my sister I'll never forgive you!"
the pieces came together in Harry's mind. Ron believed that Voldemort hurt Ginny due to her connection with Harry, making it his fault. Harry wished he disagreed with him.