Okay guys, we are definitely getting into the action now... Enjoy!!! A special thanks to Corridore for putting the Harry Potter Lexicon site on her website so I could look all of this stuff up!!! (www.hp-lexicon.org) Chapter 23 Harry's feet stayed glued to the floor. Adele had told him to leave, but he seemed unable to move; he could only stare at her in horror. Her whole body shuddered with pain as she turned to look at him. "Leave, Harry. Now. RUN!" she cried, falling onto the floor again. She looked up at him, her eyes blank again. "Help me, Harry. Please help me," she whispered. Harry's brain suddenly clicked into place. The Imperio curse, he thought frantically. He began to back away slowly, then took off at a full run. He heard a voice behind him mutter "Petrificus Totalus," and felt his body become rigid. "Harry Potter," said a sinister voice behind him. "Always the little hero..." A figure in a dark clothing appeared in front of him, pulling off an invisibility cloak to reveal the face of a familiar-looking man; Harry didn't know who he was but he remembered him from the Department of Mysteries. Harry tried to say something but his lips would not even move; he felt as if he were made of stone. The man reached down and grabbed Adele's arm roughly. He dragged her a few feet until he was within an arm's length of Harry. He dug into his pocket and pulled out a stone that was glowing blue. Grinning evilly, he laid a finger on Harry's shoulder and Harry felt himself being pulled irresistibly backwards. It's a portkey, he thought desperately, still unable to move. What's going to happen now? ******************* The noise in the Gryffindor common room had begun to die down. Ron was sitting in an armchair, a dull expression on his face as he studied his astromony chart. In an unusual move, Hermione dropped the book she was reading and gazed out the window, sighing. Ron looked at her, worried. "What's wrong, Mione?" She shook her head. "Harry should have been back by now. What if something's wrong?" she asked. Ron shrugged. "If it would make you feel better, we could go look for him. Maybe he is just talking to whoever he was partnered with." Hermione sighed again. "I guess he could be... I'm still worried about him, Ron. What if he ended up on duty with Draco again? I know last time he said they split up, they didn't do the round together..." "What?" Ron asked, concern overwhelming his expression. "He did a prefect round without a partner? I thought you could get into big trouble for that." "We could get into big trouble for most of the things we do, Ron. Now let's go find him." Hermione answered. Ron laughed. "I think we're really starting to affect you negatively, Hermione..." he said, putting his arm around her waist and walking with her out of the common room. ***************** After an hour of searching, Ron and Hermione were no longer as relaxed about the subject. Harry was nowhere to be found. "Ron, what happened to him? What's going on?" Hermione asked, clearly distraught. Ron was at a loss for words. "I dunno... I guess... well, let's find Dumbledore. Maybe he knows, and if he doesn't, he can send people out to look," Ron reasoned. Hermione nodded, tears welling up in her eyes, and the pair took off running towards the Headmaster's office. They reached the gargoyle guarding the entrance. "We don't know the password!" Hermione cried, frustrated. They began to call off possible words. "Fizzing Whizbee!" "Mars bars!" "Sugar quill!" "Lemon drop!" "Snickers!" "Chocolate frogs!" "Twizzlers!" Hermione screamed, kicking the door. The doorway opened and she looked at it, stunned. "That was it? Come on, Ron!" She grabbed his arm and pulled him inside. "Mione, what the bloody hell is a twitzler??" he asked, confused. "Twizzler, Ron, it's a muggle candy, but never mind that now! We've got to get to Dumbledore's office!" They ran up the stairway, taking the steps two at a time. Breathing heavily, they knocked on the door, then barged in without waiting for an answer. Dumbledore looked up at them over his half-moon glasses. "What has happened?" he asked, standing up as he felt the urgency of the situation. "Harry's disappeared," Hermione started, tears streaming down her face. "We can't find him anywhere, he should have been back from prefect duty hours ago..." Dumbledore turned to Fawkes. "Alert the teachers. We will search the entire school until he is found." Fawkes took off and flew out the door. "Where... where do you think he is?" Hermione asked in a timid voice. Dumbledore sat down, his head in his hands, looking older than he ever had. "I do not know, Miss Granger. I wish I did. But if my suspicions are correct, he is no longer inside the building." Hermione gasped. Just then, Professor McGonagall burst into the room. "Albus - Fawkes came - " "Mineva," he interrupted her. "Please go to the hospital wing and check to see if Adele Fleur is still there. Report back to me immediately." With a curt nod, she left the room. Hermione sank onto the floor, sobbing. Ron looked up at Dumbledore, fire burning in his eyes. "What's going on?" he yelled angrily. "How come you can't tell us?" Dumbledore sighed deeply. "It would have been Harry's choice whether or not to tell you. Obviously, he chose not to. I must respect his wishes." Ron picked up a book and threw it angrily across the room. The fiery anger coursed through his body. Finally relenting to his emotions, he too kneeled on the floor, and held Hermione close. "It's going to be okay," he whispered, running his fingers through her hair as he choked back tears. "Everything's going to be fine." ********************* Harry fell with a blur into a dark room. He heard Adele gasp with pain beside him. He fell awkwardly onto the floor, still unable to move because of the body bind curse. He heard cold laughter above him and his blood turned to ice: Voldemort. "They have come at last! Jugson, you have done your job well and you will be rewarded," the voice said. Harry hated that voice; it haunted his nights and days, his dreams and his life. "Thank you, master," he heard the man mumble. A cool blue light flickered on and lit up the room; instead of providing heat, however, the temperature seemed to drop considerably. Harry would have shivered had he been capable of moving. The Dark Lord's red eyes stared into Harry's. "And now," he began, his cold voice triumphant, "Let us begin fulfilling the prophesies." ********************** Okay, now that was a bad cliffy, I apologize for that one. But it makes it so much more exciting! Yes - I know I'm evil.
