Slightly Demented
Harry looked up; he was surrounded by a mass of cloaks. He wanted to scream but his voice was caught in his throat. A familiar cold feeling entered his body and he heard screaming in the back of his mind. He saw a pair of rotting hands nearby. He watched, in despair, as the hands lowered their hood, revealing an eyeless, expressionless face of terrible malice. "How did I get here?" he asked himself. The screaming in the back of his mind grew louder and louder as the icy, cold hands reached out for the back of his neck. Drawing him closer and closer into the vast, gaping hole of darkness, the hands holding him trembled slightly with what could only be excitement.
"ENOUGH!" said a voice. "Let him go!" The hands reluctantly dropped Harry onto the cold ground and replaced their hood. There was a glimmer of silver somewhere in the darkness. The cloaks parted. The familiar man from Harry's previous dream stood before him giving off silver light. Eyeing him darkly he said:
"You failed me, Tom. I fear you may be losing your touch. In fact, I think it's about time your servants know who they really work for. Call them. It's time we had a meeting..."
Harry woke with a start. Above him were Ginny, Tonks, and Lupin, all of them looking rather frightened. Ginny spoke up:
"Are you okay, Harry?" she asked, "You fell asleep and then you started twitching like crazy."
"Yeah, Harry, is everything all right?" said Tonks, the concern in her voice making Harry feel uncertain whether he should tell them.
"I'm okay, I just had a bad dream." he said, trying very hard to sound sincere.
"Ere' we are!" Ernie called out from the front of the bus.
"Well, if everyone's allright, then I think that we should get a move on." Lupin said, looking curiously at Harry. Behind him Tonks was charming Harry's things. His trunk and cage began to float about waist high in the air. As they all made their way out of the bus, Harry continued to wonder about why he lied to his friends.
They stood on Grimmauld Square. All the grimy, old houses nearby didn't look very inviting. Tonks pulled out a what looked like a silver cigarette lighter. They made their way across the street to where Number 11 was. Tonks was flicking off the streetlamps, one by one. Soon they were in almost complete darkness. Harry watched as the old house "inflated" before them, pushing Number 11 and 13 aside, and he continued contemplating his dream. Dementors? Voldemort was tortured with Dementors? His head was ringing, but he couldn't tell Lupin about it. He didn't understand why, but he just couldn't tell anyone. The oddly familiar face was haunting his thoughts, but he couldn't make out who it was. The house loomed ominously before them. They walked up the steps and Harry watched as Lupin tapped the door with his wand. The usual metallic clicks and the chain were heard. He stared for a moment at the serpent-shaped doorknob as the door opened. It reminded him of a dream he had the previous year. Voldemort attacked Mr. Weasley as a snake. Voldemort was in charge then. Now, it seems, he's lost control of everything. Quietly, they stepped into the dark hall. Harry had that odd sense of foreboding. Tonks began to return the balls of light back into their places. When she finished she closed the door behind her and they all walked together toward the kitchen basement. Quietly, because they were afraid of waking anything up.
Half-way down the stairs they ran into a red-headed freckled face.
"Ron!" said Ginny, suddenly. She threw her arms around him.
"Good to see ya, mate." Ron told Harry as Ginny let go of him. He looked very pale. Harry noticed the chunk of honeydukes chocolate in his hand. They continued on down the stairs. As they stepped into the light of the kitchen basement they saw Snape and Moody, sitting at the table. Moody grinned at them all, contorting all of the scars on his face, looking slightly creepy. Snape was looking sulky.
"Where is everyone?" Ginny asked.
"Mum, Fred, and George went to go tell Dad." said Ron.
"And Dumbledore?" Lupin asked.
"I don't know where he—,"
"Dumbledore," Snape cut in, "said he had to inform some people of the attack. He also said for us to wait for him in the Hall, so, if you don't mind, I think I will go." He then got up and made his way upstairs."
"What was that all about?" Harry asked.
"I wish I knew." Lupin spoke up. "Snape hasn't been himself lately. Not that he's ever been a right little ray of sunshine before," he added grinning, "Though he is right, I think we should wait in the Conference Room." He turned on his heel and left, Tonks close behind him. Moody spoke up:
"You three take care of yourselves, I can guarantee that this won't be the last attack we see." He then got up, pushed his chair in and walked up the stairs.
"So what happened Ron?" Ginny asked, "How did Dumbledore save you?"
"I don't know, I just woke up a few minutes ago."
"You alright?" Harry asked.
"Yeah," he said, biting into the chocolate in his hand, "I can still feel the cold, though. Its like it stayed in my skin. Tell you one thing, this chocolate really helps."
*****
Miles away, on a cold island where the sun never shines, a storm had begun. Rain was beginning to fall from the sky, pounding on the few living trees that were there. Near the dark tower Azkaban, where darkness never sleeps and the cold, stifling madness could be felt for miles around, a circle of cloaks was congregated around a man gleaming of silver. They stared dumbfounded, for a moment, at the scene before them. Their once proud, powerful master, the Dark Lord himself, lay on the ground kneeling before the last person in the world they would expect to see.
"What are you doing here?" asked a raspy, female voice to the man's left, with a slight hint of fear. She grasped her wand in her robes.
"I," said the man calmly, "have been here much longer than any of you. I am the Dark Lord. I am Lord Voldemort." All around him people flinched under their masks. "The man laying on the ground pathetically whimpering before you," he motioned at the heap of robes at his feet, "is nothing more than a tool of mine. I have always commanded you through him."
"Your lying!" said the woman, pointing her wand at him "Avada Kedavra" A jet of green light flew out of her wand and headed directly for the man's chest. The man put his hand out toward the green light, and caught it. It formed a green orb in his hand.
"I now hold Death in my hands." he said, "I could toss this at any one of you right now and kill you with it. But I think you'd rather I didn't." He threw the orb in the air and it exploded. Then he continued with what he was previously saying. "I must admit, I almost felt that things would never come back to the way they were. I knew that someday Tom would regain his body, and he did. For a year I knew that this sad excuse for a living creature had returned. What's more he returned and hid from he. I felt him that night with young Harry after the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Unfortunately, Tom didn't fight for very long so I couldn't pinpoint where he was. It wasn't until a short time ago that he truly showed himself to me, during your little "party" at the ministry." He stopped and he began to eye them all, one by one.
"Lucius," he said, stopping turning to face one of the death eaters, "You and all of you little friends owe me a little favor for getting you out of Azkaban."
"What do you want?" Lucius asked, his voice showing his intense dislike for the man. Though he was right, this man did get him out of Azkaban.
"Just a little help with an assignment I'm sending you on..."
Harry looked up; he was surrounded by a mass of cloaks. He wanted to scream but his voice was caught in his throat. A familiar cold feeling entered his body and he heard screaming in the back of his mind. He saw a pair of rotting hands nearby. He watched, in despair, as the hands lowered their hood, revealing an eyeless, expressionless face of terrible malice. "How did I get here?" he asked himself. The screaming in the back of his mind grew louder and louder as the icy, cold hands reached out for the back of his neck. Drawing him closer and closer into the vast, gaping hole of darkness, the hands holding him trembled slightly with what could only be excitement.
"ENOUGH!" said a voice. "Let him go!" The hands reluctantly dropped Harry onto the cold ground and replaced their hood. There was a glimmer of silver somewhere in the darkness. The cloaks parted. The familiar man from Harry's previous dream stood before him giving off silver light. Eyeing him darkly he said:
"You failed me, Tom. I fear you may be losing your touch. In fact, I think it's about time your servants know who they really work for. Call them. It's time we had a meeting..."
Harry woke with a start. Above him were Ginny, Tonks, and Lupin, all of them looking rather frightened. Ginny spoke up:
"Are you okay, Harry?" she asked, "You fell asleep and then you started twitching like crazy."
"Yeah, Harry, is everything all right?" said Tonks, the concern in her voice making Harry feel uncertain whether he should tell them.
"I'm okay, I just had a bad dream." he said, trying very hard to sound sincere.
"Ere' we are!" Ernie called out from the front of the bus.
"Well, if everyone's allright, then I think that we should get a move on." Lupin said, looking curiously at Harry. Behind him Tonks was charming Harry's things. His trunk and cage began to float about waist high in the air. As they all made their way out of the bus, Harry continued to wonder about why he lied to his friends.
They stood on Grimmauld Square. All the grimy, old houses nearby didn't look very inviting. Tonks pulled out a what looked like a silver cigarette lighter. They made their way across the street to where Number 11 was. Tonks was flicking off the streetlamps, one by one. Soon they were in almost complete darkness. Harry watched as the old house "inflated" before them, pushing Number 11 and 13 aside, and he continued contemplating his dream. Dementors? Voldemort was tortured with Dementors? His head was ringing, but he couldn't tell Lupin about it. He didn't understand why, but he just couldn't tell anyone. The oddly familiar face was haunting his thoughts, but he couldn't make out who it was. The house loomed ominously before them. They walked up the steps and Harry watched as Lupin tapped the door with his wand. The usual metallic clicks and the chain were heard. He stared for a moment at the serpent-shaped doorknob as the door opened. It reminded him of a dream he had the previous year. Voldemort attacked Mr. Weasley as a snake. Voldemort was in charge then. Now, it seems, he's lost control of everything. Quietly, they stepped into the dark hall. Harry had that odd sense of foreboding. Tonks began to return the balls of light back into their places. When she finished she closed the door behind her and they all walked together toward the kitchen basement. Quietly, because they were afraid of waking anything up.
Half-way down the stairs they ran into a red-headed freckled face.
"Ron!" said Ginny, suddenly. She threw her arms around him.
"Good to see ya, mate." Ron told Harry as Ginny let go of him. He looked very pale. Harry noticed the chunk of honeydukes chocolate in his hand. They continued on down the stairs. As they stepped into the light of the kitchen basement they saw Snape and Moody, sitting at the table. Moody grinned at them all, contorting all of the scars on his face, looking slightly creepy. Snape was looking sulky.
"Where is everyone?" Ginny asked.
"Mum, Fred, and George went to go tell Dad." said Ron.
"And Dumbledore?" Lupin asked.
"I don't know where he—,"
"Dumbledore," Snape cut in, "said he had to inform some people of the attack. He also said for us to wait for him in the Hall, so, if you don't mind, I think I will go." He then got up and made his way upstairs."
"What was that all about?" Harry asked.
"I wish I knew." Lupin spoke up. "Snape hasn't been himself lately. Not that he's ever been a right little ray of sunshine before," he added grinning, "Though he is right, I think we should wait in the Conference Room." He turned on his heel and left, Tonks close behind him. Moody spoke up:
"You three take care of yourselves, I can guarantee that this won't be the last attack we see." He then got up, pushed his chair in and walked up the stairs.
"So what happened Ron?" Ginny asked, "How did Dumbledore save you?"
"I don't know, I just woke up a few minutes ago."
"You alright?" Harry asked.
"Yeah," he said, biting into the chocolate in his hand, "I can still feel the cold, though. Its like it stayed in my skin. Tell you one thing, this chocolate really helps."
*****
Miles away, on a cold island where the sun never shines, a storm had begun. Rain was beginning to fall from the sky, pounding on the few living trees that were there. Near the dark tower Azkaban, where darkness never sleeps and the cold, stifling madness could be felt for miles around, a circle of cloaks was congregated around a man gleaming of silver. They stared dumbfounded, for a moment, at the scene before them. Their once proud, powerful master, the Dark Lord himself, lay on the ground kneeling before the last person in the world they would expect to see.
"What are you doing here?" asked a raspy, female voice to the man's left, with a slight hint of fear. She grasped her wand in her robes.
"I," said the man calmly, "have been here much longer than any of you. I am the Dark Lord. I am Lord Voldemort." All around him people flinched under their masks. "The man laying on the ground pathetically whimpering before you," he motioned at the heap of robes at his feet, "is nothing more than a tool of mine. I have always commanded you through him."
"Your lying!" said the woman, pointing her wand at him "Avada Kedavra" A jet of green light flew out of her wand and headed directly for the man's chest. The man put his hand out toward the green light, and caught it. It formed a green orb in his hand.
"I now hold Death in my hands." he said, "I could toss this at any one of you right now and kill you with it. But I think you'd rather I didn't." He threw the orb in the air and it exploded. Then he continued with what he was previously saying. "I must admit, I almost felt that things would never come back to the way they were. I knew that someday Tom would regain his body, and he did. For a year I knew that this sad excuse for a living creature had returned. What's more he returned and hid from he. I felt him that night with young Harry after the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Unfortunately, Tom didn't fight for very long so I couldn't pinpoint where he was. It wasn't until a short time ago that he truly showed himself to me, during your little "party" at the ministry." He stopped and he began to eye them all, one by one.
"Lucius," he said, stopping turning to face one of the death eaters, "You and all of you little friends owe me a little favor for getting you out of Azkaban."
"What do you want?" Lucius asked, his voice showing his intense dislike for the man. Though he was right, this man did get him out of Azkaban.
"Just a little help with an assignment I'm sending you on..."