Silver Blood
Chapter 23: A Fight to Remember
The ground had grown considerably stranger than previously. Instead of just being covered in the slight blue substance that erased any tracks set upon it, the ground seemed to produce a swirling gray substance when stepped upon. The mist became part of the atmosphere instead of disappearing, leaving a fog in its wake. Harry realized it was the most likely reason the forest they were currently in was surrounded in a mist, protecting it from being seen. He had no idea what forest it was, but he had a feeling people didn't venture down it too often. And those that did, he bet, didn't return.
Harry's stomach was churning violently as he was surrounded by enemies without a clue where he was or how far from Hogwarts the strange forest was. He even briefly wondered if the forest they were in was worse than the Forbidden Forest.
Seeing as how there was only one village living a short distance away, it must not be terribly popular.
There was no doubt in his mind the tyrants lived somewhere deep in the heart of the forest, hidden from all life except their own kinds. The moment they had begun their journey, led by Voldemort with all the Death Eaters following right behind, Harry had tried to dig in his memory and find all he learned about tyrants. He remembered first hearing about them in history class, very briefly.
Didn't Hermione do an assignment about them? Or maybe it was about someone connected with them, I can't remember.
Harry swallowed deeply, hoping his memory would come back before it was too late. Surely tyrants couldn't be unbeatable, they had to have some weakness. If only he could remember what Hermione had told him and Ron about them when she was in one of her moods to talk about the extra credit projects she was doing. Harry was beginning to wish he was back at Hogwarts with Ron and Hermione just talking and planning how to help everyone from a safe place. He had wanted to be there when Dumbledore arrived, and he was quite certain Dumbledore didn't want him ending in the position he was in.
But what about Violet? They would've killed her...She would've been so frightened and alone, and Voldemort's plan would've been easier to carry out. There's still a chance the tyrants won't accept me in exchange for their blood...but if they do, I just hope I remember what Hermione told us about them, or else I'm done for sure this time.
Not only was Harry nearly powerless but his shoulder was still sore and his back was burning from the nearly made gash. Melarna's grip on his arm wasn't helping any either. After she had announced Harry's return, not only helping Voldemort's plan along by figuring to feed him to the tyrants, but possibly elliminating Voldemort's worst set-back, Melarna had grown extremely confident. Harry glanced up at her noting her head was still held high.
How in the world can she deem it an honor to be his personal servant?
A past memory occurred as Harry remembered Wormtail cutting off his hand to help Voldemort rise once again to power...The personal servants of Lord Voldemort always got the more complicated yet more important tasks. And if they failed they were immediately taken care of by Voldemort himself. Harry knew from the past that getting killed by Voldemort was rare because he usually had other Death Eaters kill failures off, but those that were his most "prized" or most "used" got killed by him.
Harry couldn't understand why any of them were so devoted to Voldemort, especially Melarna. She was half demon, which meant that she didn't have to live life as a witch. Harry knew just from reading books that occasionally had stories about wizards or witches crossing paths with demons, that they didn't have live off of food or blood. They lived off of energy sources, which meant that Melarna didn't have to kill anyone. He bet she had the power to suck the life energy out of people, from what he saw of her powers previously, but demons could also live safely in alternate dimensions or just by getting solar energy. So why had Melarna chosen to work for Voldemort and feed the more demonic way?
This was it. Harry could feel it in his gut. If the tyrants didn't kill him Voldemort surely would without hesitation. Not only had Harry ruined Voldemort's reputation by surviving the killing curse twice, but he stopped Voldemort numerous times and sent most of his Death Eaters to Azkaban. Then he even sealed him in a supposed eternal slumber in ice...
Voldemort would enjoy killing him slowly. And Harry knew that Voldemort didn't need him alive any longer. There was no way his life would be spared, given that there was even the possibility that no one at Hogwarts realized he was gone. Even if they did, how would they save him? By the looks of the forest he was untraceable.
Harry suddenly collided with the Death Eater in front of him, earning a harsh side-ways glare as they all came to a stop. Harry leaned his head a ways so he could look up at the front where Voldemort stood with open arms. He was hissing something, but Harry couldn't tell what he was saying from the distance they were at. The Death Eaters seemed to know Voldemort needed space so they were more than ten feet behind him.
Just as Harry thought perhaps he was angry that there were no tyrants at the moment, the mist in front of them that was filtered through the air disappeared like a curtain opening into a secret room. Harry's eyes caught sight of the ground beneath them that began to take on a strange texture. He tried bending down slightly to get a better look but was suddenly thrown off his feet when the ground shook violently. The Death Eaters all had whipped their wands out in attempt to shield Voldemort from whatever was happening. Harry had fallen to his knees from the strong vibration and was roughly trying to be pulled back up by Melarna, who was also trying to keep her balance.
It was then Harry caught a glance behind them and realized that Voldemort had triggered something, most likely on purpose. The ground was rising behind them, a deep misty blue color, attaching itself to the trees around it. As the ground shook, Harry watched in awe and fear as a large barricade was being formed. The Death Eaters too seemed to be shocked by this, which meant that Voldemort had never called upon the tyrants before. The quaking finally subsided and Harry was pulled to his feet. The Death Eaters were looking all around them, some of them sound on the verge of scared.
Realizing there was no trouble they all went back into their original formation and stood quietly awaiting orders. Voldemort turned around, a pleasurable smirk firmly in place. Harry's anger boiled staring at the familiar expression that not only heated his blood but haunted his dreams in the past.
"This is where it all begins," Voldemort hissed, his eyes glistening even darker than they ever had. "They know we are here."
Harry saw some of the Death Eaters near him shiver slightly and was certain Voldemort knew several of them were beyond scared.
Voldemort's nostrils opened again, but instead of his usual cold expression Harry saw something else. His eyes had narrowed slightly more, he was sure of it.
"Now that our presence here is known they have temporarily closed off any ways of escaping, including apparation," Voldemort continued. "We are shielded from any outside contact," his eyes moved over until they settled on Harry, who stared back at him fiercely. "There is no way to get out."
Harry heard a quiet whimper nearby. No one else seemed to have heard, except Voldemort, who's intense gaze left Harry and settled behind him. Now that he was so close to Voldemort he could feel his emotions, ever slightly. The pleasure was building, which meant that one of the Death Eaters were in trouble.
"Merick...," Voldemort hissed, "show everyone here that the barricade has been sealed."
Harry watched as a Death Eater approached the shield, trembling slightly. Had Voldemort chosen him because he knew Merick was the one who failed to get the girl before Harry did? Or was there another reason?
Merick turned and bowed his head toward Voldemort before stepping up to the shimmering blue substance blocking the way out of the forest. His hand trembled as he lifted it and reached toward it. As if it were some kind of goo, his fingers slipped through the somewhat liquid substance and vanished within it. Harry looked up at Melarna and noticed there was a noticeable smirk teasing her lips. Feeling Voldemort's pleasure heighten, he got an eerie sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach and turned his direction toward Merick.
The Death Eater began taking his hand out of it when suddenly he let out a shriek of terror, making Harry and several others jump slightly. His scream turned abnormally high pitched as his body began shaking vigorously, his eyes rolling to the back of his head. Harry's eyes widened as sticky, shimmering blue liquid began oozing out of his eyes as his scream began to sound more like a dying animal. Harry let out a gasp, that was only heard by Melarna since the shrieking was so loud, as Merick's skin turned a raw red and began to peel off as if it were being burned away.
Harry quickly turned his head to look away, but his head was grabbed roughly and forced in the direction of the Death Eater. He tried to move but found that he had been placed under the Imperius Curse once again, and he was certain he knew who did it. Melarna's smiling face bent down by his ear as her eyes flashed almost as sickeningly as Voldemort's.
"You better watch, Potter. You'll be thankful your death will be quick compared to that," she whispered as her soft laughter echoed through his ear.
Harry tried to glare at her, but his eyes were forced to focus on the bits of the man that was left. Some skin still hung loosely from his bones and blood was sinking into the shimmering blue ground, being absorbed almost hungrily. As the corpse's fingers slipped out of the barricade and hit the ground, a blast came forcefully through the shield. It wrapped around the corpse and began sucking it dry until even the ashes disappeared without a trace. Harry felt his stomach grow slightly nauseous but held the feeling down. Melarna's smile only grew and Harry could tell the same red glint was just behind her pupils, staring hungrily at the violence and terror.
It was silent as the image faded away as if it had never happened, and Merick had never existed. Harry's eyes were focused and unblinking at the spot where the bones and ashes had been absorbed after the blood...Where had the body gone? What was the ground covered in? Harry's trance was broken when he was forced to turn away and stare back up front. Voldemort's expression hadn't changed and he stood as if the scene had been an ordinary display.
"Is there anyone else that is not ready to face the final step?" Voldemort's voice made it sound like more of a demand than a question, and it was left unanswered.
Voldemort turned around once again and began to descend through the unveiled part of the forest that had been revealed. Harry's heart was racing fiercely as he was pulled along, feeling his head pound just thinking about what the tyrants could be like. Would Voldemort give him his wand to fight with?
Inside the deeper part of the forest it was pitch black without the sun's rays so the Death Eaters all muttered lumos. Harry was desperately hoping the tyrants weren't there, but he had a horrible feeling Voldemort knew them better. Perhaps they could only live in the darkest of places concealed by the forest. Harry halted as Melarna stopped him, as did the rest of them. Voldemort had stopped them by holding out his arms.
"Tyrants...ancestors of the dark, I ask for you to do my bidding," Voldemort hissed out loud.
Harry looked around, expecting them to jump out any minute without warning. The Death Eaters were deathly silent as they too waited to see if the tyrants would make an appearance.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Harry's head wheeled around in the direction of the loud sound. He thought at first it was just his imagination before it sounded again...and again. The familiar pattern of thumps brought Harry to a terrible realization.
Are those...footsteps?
Harry knew his face had paled, realizing that these tyrants were probably given that name for a very specific reason. The Death Eaters too had become more alert as the pounding continued. Harry thought the anticipation couldn't have gotten worse until a blood-curdling, high-pitched roar echoed around them, so loud that they all had to cover their ears. Harry's attention was drawn to the large trees, covered in the same fog only thicker, a distance ahead of them. He was sure he had seen the trees move...
Harry's breath caught in his throat as he saw a gigantic figure lurking in the shadows. Once the Death Eaters realized from where the beast or beasts were coming from all their wands pointed in that one direction ahead of Voldemort producing enough light to make out what was coming their way.
Harry bit down a scream as a large, muscular leg appeared in front of them, almost half the size of the 150 foot trees. Its skin was pulled tight over all the muscle, a sickly gray color. Its feet consisted of four long toes with sharp talons on the end. Two gigantic arms made their way through the trees, just as muscular as the legs. Its hands however were nothing like its feet, but worse. Harry's eyes enlarged as far as they were able to go, while his green eyes were practically glowing with fear. Where the hands should've been were wet, meaty tentacles swimming out, lashing ahead of them. Harry thought the monster...the abomination couldn't get any worse, until its mouth came into view.
It had at least two layers of sharp daggers for teeth and a long sickly blue tongue. The lips covering over the teeth were parted as if it were growling, except that it looked like a child's worst nightmare. The final body piece came into view behind it. A long fifty foot tail emerged the same sickly gray color as the body. The skin on the tail wasn't juicy but resembling that of a snake. Strange little spikes were sticking up like hairs over the top of the tail and at the end of it a horrible, long blade-like tip trailed along the ground.
Several more hideous tyrants came behind the first one, though they were smaller. Harry had a horrible feeling the one up front was the leader and that he'd have to face it. The leader tyrant roared a deadly scream that sounded like an echo of three high-pitched shrieks together. Voldemort was completely unfazed by this and rose his arms again.
"I have a proposition for you," he hissed, as the leader tyrant tilted its head, some drool dripping down from its large mouth. "I need your ancient blood from the oldest in your species. In return I will make sure once I fully take over that you will no longer need to hide in this constricted space."
The tyrants all roared in unison as if they had understood it. Harry figured Voldemort wouldn't be talking to them if they couldn't understand. The leader tyrant blinked its dead black eyes toward Voldemort and stuck out its tongue. Voldemort appeared to understand what it was trying to say.
"And I shall give you the most important sacrifice of ours...Someone those who sent you to this dark forest care deeply about. Their one last hope of keeping you here...," Voldemort turned around and immediately locked eyes with Harry.
Melarna grabbed him roughly again and threw him forward, until he was crouched on the ground in front of them, nearby Voldemort. A hot white pain flashed through his head as he tried to scoot a small distance away from Voldemort and managed just enough so the pain was only a light throb. The tyrant up front stared down at Harry hungrily, the others behind it waiting for the answer. A sudden short shriek caused Harry to jump slightly as the leader tyrant turned to its clan. The shrieking continued until the leader tyrant stepped forward and crouched low letting out a hideously loud and hungry cry.
Voldemort turned back to his Death Eaters as they waited to see what would happen.
"It appears the leader wants to battle our young guest to see if he is a good enough sacrifice," Voldemort spoke, glancing toward Harry.
"But m-master, how will they decide?" one Death Eater spoke up.
Voldemort's lips twisted into a malicious expression as his eyes completely bore into Harry's, "They will decide depending on how long he lasts."
The Death Eaters all burst into laughter as Melarna pushed him farther, making him fall flat on the ground. Harry got up just as the ground shook and the leader tyrant came into complete view, taking a couple steps forward. It roared loudly and stared its merciless black eyes into Harry's. Using the last of his nerve, hoping that Voldemort wasn't completely enraged, Harry turned to look at him.
"Do I get to use my wand?" Harry asked.
The Death Eaters immediately started shouting out "no!" and "let him die!", "he deserves it!" and other comments that Harry did not like. Voldemort rose his hand and all the chattering died away. His nostrils flared as he stared pleasurably at Harry as if he were some treasure chest.
"He will be able to use his wand to prove himself worthy to the tyrants," Voldemort spoke softly, pulling out Harry's wand from inside his robe.
Harry almost didn't catch it when it was suddenly tossed to him unexpectedly. He caught it and stood up straight, awaiting what he was sure was his doom.
"Well, Potter, what are you waiting for?" Melarna kicked him forward while the Death Eaters howled with laughter.
The moment Harry was pushed forward past them the tyrant howled viciously and slashed one of its tentacles toward Harry, who quickly dodged it using Quidditch instincts. Harry slid on top of the strange blue substance upon the ground as he stumbled to regain his balance. The Death Eaters were cheering the tyrant on, calling Harry numerous names while Voldemort watched with a pleasing smirk covering his normally cold gaze.
The tyrant took a giant step forward, bearing its enormous teeth in Harry's direction. Its long tongue trailed out in front of it as it crouched low. Harry wasn't expecting the enormous beast to spin extremely fast for its size and whip out its long horrendous tail, the spike heading straight for Harry. Thinking fast and not trusting the timing of jumping out of the way, Harry quickly said a shielding charm to block the attack. It was one of the more advanced charms but it only protected him from the spike, not the force of the blow. Harry was thrown backward at least ten feet, landing on his back while the Death Eaters howled with more laughter. Harry felt more humiliated than he did scared.
I've got to find its weakness. There has to be a weakness! I know that I've heard something about tyrants...why can't I remember?!
Harry regained his footing quickly and stood up, posing his wand in attack in case it was ready for the next blow. He noticed, as the tyrant came back around, that after using its tail to slash at him it needed more time to regain its own balance and turn to attack again. This time though the tyrant started coming toward Harry, unclenching its jaws that could swallow him whole with plenty of space. Harry moved sideways hoping that he wouldn't get stuck within the teeth as sharp as daggers.
The ground trembled as the gigantic beast took a step forward and lunged its jaw forward. Harry kept his eye on the tentacles that were most likely able to reach him if they lashed out suddenly. The tyrant was barely ten feet away from him, which was close enough that Harry could feel its hot, raw breath on his face. Harry wouldn't be able to keep dodging blows by protecting himself or the battle would last forever. He had to get a plan together and find the tyrant's weakness.
If I don't hurry and get out of the way he'll eat me in one bite!
His robe brushed up against a tree as he found he couldn't move back any further. He had to try something or else his death was going to come sooner than expected. Remembering his training with Dumbledore and duels that he had with his friends, Harry pointed his wand at the beast posed to send its tentacles flying around him to tear him to pieces.
"Confundo! " Harry shouted.
A jet stream of blue light shot out from his wand and hit the tyrant straight in its face. The tyrant roared in protect and started shaking its head from side to side. Harry took the opportunity to run past him back to the center of their "dueling space." However, Harry had barely began to turn back around when he felt something burning across his back as he was forcefully thrown to the ground flat on his stomach. Harry winced at the pain in his back as he turned his head in time to see that the tyrant had recovered from the confusion charm quicker than expected.
Magic must not work on them as it does on people...or even ordinary beasts.
Something wet trickled down his back as he realized he was bleeding freely. While the tyrant roared its victory in hitting its opponent, Harry turned his head slightly to peer at the gash on his back. He was relieved to note that the tyrant had been confused enough that it didn't hit him directly. Harry was only grazed by it, but he was still bleeding from the deep slice. Harry quickly used his wand to summon a healing cloth that helped the pain in his wound immensely and stopped the bleeding, though it didn't heal all the way.
If I get anything deeper than that the cloth will only help the pain and bleeding by a little.
Harry pushed himself back on his feet as the tyrant's attention was now completely focused back on him. The tyrant had the advantage of being big, too big...so it would be slow attacking something fast moving.
But how can I move fast enough to miss its hits? It's bigger than a...
Harry's mind instantly clicked as a realization hit him. The tyrant was bigger than a dragon, like the one in Harry's fourth year during the Triwizard Tournament. Harry had gotten past the dragon by calling forth his broom.
And Sirius got me the fastest broom there is!
Harry's courage was restored as he gripped his wand tighter and straightened his body to full height glaring at the large beast posed and ready to take a step forward. To confuse the Death Eaters, Harry pointed his wand at the beast with one hand and then suddenly with the other he rose it to the air. After a slight hesitation, causing the Death Eaters to laugh at him because they assumed he was trying to buy time, Harry whistled as loud as he could. Sirius had taught him how to call a broom faster by whistling a certain way. Harry only hoped that his new broom would listen. He had only just gotten it, unlike his Firebolt. With confidence, Harry continued to whistle louder, hoping that his broom would come to him before the tyrant's confusion wore off.
XXXXX
"Protego! "
Pale green light erupted from the end of the wand colliding into the tough wooden doors, getting between each crack until the door was glowing brightly. After a few minutes, the light died down until it was hardly noticeable. A hand reached out to touch it and jumped back as something lashed out.
"You think this will hold," Ron said, turning to Hermione while rubbing his sore hand.
Hermione turned around and nodded firmly, "Of course. You tried it didn't you?"
"Yeah, but these are vicious beasts we're talking about," Ron said.
Hermione took a deep breath and let it out slowly, "Look, Ron. We've got to do all we can. Dumbledore told us to go around and protect the castle as much as we can from the intrusion."
Ron's eyes dimmed, "Yeah, but even with Dumbledore here now there's still way more creatures. We're outnumbered!"
"Oh Ron, honestly! Do you ever think positive?" Hermione huffed. "We have wands, remember? And we're about to be seventh years! That's got to count for something."
Ron rose an eyebrow, "Maybe for you. For me it just means I'm going to die before I graduate."
Hermione couldn't help but roll her eyes as she turned around. Waving her wand in the air she summoned a small bottle and with ease she placed it exactly five feet from the door facing in between the two separate parts of the double doors. Ron watched her with curiosity, waiting for her to finish before speaking.
"Uh...Hermione? You don't really think that tiny bottle is going to stop what's going to come through that door do you?"
Hermione faced him with a knowing smile, "You'd be surprised."
Ron sighed, "All right, Hermione. I should know better than to argue with you. I think we should head back up to Dumbledore's office. Sirius is probably wait— "
Ron's sentence was cut short as the entrance doors gave a huge jump as they were banged against from the outside. Ron yelped and stumbled backward barely catching himself before he fell. Hermione too stumbled backward, her eyes widening in shock. Ron turned to her abruptly.
"I thought you said it was an advanced spell that could hold them off! That doesn't sound like it's going to last!" Ron exclaimed.
Hermione shook her head speechless, an angry look crossing her face, "That spell was N.E.W.T. level!"
Ron's stared at her exasperated, "Please don't tell me you're going to get all bloody hung-up in a life or death situation because one of the spells, that we shouldn't know yet, doesn't work!"
Hermione sent him a glare, "Well Ronald! If you studied half as much as you should, you might actually be of some help!"
"Oh yeah, well I'll tell you something Mrs. I-love-books-more-than-my-life, you can't tell me— "
BANG!
Hermione screamed and jumped back, bumping into Ron and causing him to stumble. The doors shook violently but didn't give, though they could hear an unpleasant noise coming from behind it.
"I definitely don't want to know what's behind that door. I say we run!"
Hermione for once listened to him, turning on her heel and followed him down the hallway up the stairs. For the past fifteen minutes they had been going around the school putting up defense spells and charms to protect the castle walls from the intruders. They ran up to the third floor, panting for breath as they kept going without looking behind them.
"Okay...Ron, I think...we can stop," Hermione slowed down to catch her breath.
Ron too stopped to lean up again a wall, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
"Running for your life is a lot more work than I thought. I wonder how Harry does it," he said, taking deep breaths.
Hermione shook her head, "I don't want to know. We've got to go up and tell Dumbledore and the rest of the teachers that we've secured the doors as best as we can. They should be done with the top floors by now."
Ron slumped heavily against the wall, "I really wish Dumbledore would've gotten here sooner to save Harry. I'd feel a lot safer if he were here. I mean, he's survived the killing curse twice."
Hermione glanced toward him, "Don't worry, Harry will be back. And anyway, Harry studies about as little as you do so I doubt he'd be much help against what's surrounded Hogwarts. Harry may be a pro at defeating evil, psychotic wizards but I doubt he's ever faced a horrible beast."
"I'd still feel a lot better," he said flatly.
Hermione sighed, "So would I, but he's not here so we'll have to get by ourselves. Besides, Ron, we're going to be seventh years! We've got to get through this! I mean...we've faced worse."
Ron slowly turned his head to stare at her, "Worse? Worse than almost the entire world of magical and terrifying beasts about to destroy the castle and devour us until there's nothing left? Tell me, Hermione, what's worse than that?"
She shrugged, "The end of the world."
Ron made a noise but didn't respond, instead he gripped his wand tightly and closed his eyes.
"Look, I know that this situation seems impossible. But remember, we trained with Harry. Well, not when he was with Dumbledore, but Harry taught us as much as he knows. I've still got several more advanced charms and spells to try out. You've got to think positive, Ron! We survived a large, killing chess game, a three-headed dog, the Dark Lord sending Death Eaters to the school...a whole bunch of things!" Hermione said, approaching him and laying a friendly hand on his shoulder. "We can do this. We're not alone."
Ron sighed, "Well, I guess we don't have a choice. I'm certainly not dying without a fight."
"That's the spirit!" Hermione clapped her hand on his back, causing him to send a glare toward her. "Now, let's get upstairs and help the rest of them."
Ron lifted himself off the wall and began following Hermione. He had barely taken two steps when something out of the ordinary caught his eye. He stopped in his tracks and squinted, trying to see something that was hidden by shadows in the corner near the suit of armor.
Hermione turned, realizing he had stopped, "Ron, what is it?"
"There's something over here," he said, stepping forward. "It looks like a...a rock of some sort."
Ron took a step closer and reached his hand out to pick it up.
"NO! Mobiliarbus"
Ron suddenly found himself flying across the floor, skidding to a halt before he crashed into the wall. He stared up at the ceiling stunned and lifted his head to see Hermione in hand with her wand pointed at him, a strange look on her face.
"Hey, what's the big idea Hermione?" Ron asked, angrily.
"Don't...touch it...," she whispered.
"What?" Ron asked, standing up to brush himself off before walking over to her.
"Where did you see it?" she asked quietly.
Ron stared at her with confusion but pointed over by the suit of armor. Hermione did a sharp intake of breath and stepped back.
"Hermione, what's wrong? It's just a rock."
"No, Ron. That is no rock. It's a Pogrebin," she whispered.
Ron's eyebrows furrowed together, "A what?"
"A creature from Russia that looks like a rock. They follow people around making them feel all kinds of bad feelings like hopelessness and sadness," she explained, holding her wand out in front of them.
"We've stood up to Dementors that suck all the happiness out of us, we can stand up to this. Remember, think positive," he smiled.
Hermione turned to him staring at him with wide eyes, "Ron, the moment you begin to feel the hopelessness and you fall to your knees...," she paused, "it devours you."
"Oh...Okay, time to run!"
Immediately the two of them bolted off down the hallway as fast as they could. They heard a strange, sharp cry and a fast scurry of rough feet behind them as they continued to run.
"What do we do?" Ron shouted at her, trying not to look behind him.
"We lose it in a secret passageway. They can't go in passageways because they're protected by a certain magic charm that they dislike," she said, as they turned the corner. "We'll have to go straight for the painting of Sir Gata...Cato...what's-his-face...the knight."
"The annoying knight? The one that made our lives miserable during third year?" Ron asked, less than pleased.
"Yes that one! Behind his painting will take us up to the Astronomy Tower!" Hermione shouted. "There it is!"
Ron grinded his teeth together as they increased their pace. He took a glance behind them to see that the rock was indeed chasing them, and it was no rock. It had hair all over its body and small, but fast furry legs carrying it across the floor at high speed. Paling slightly, Ron focused on ahead of them. Hermione whipped out her wand and shouted something and the painting flew open. To their luck the knight had been sleeping. They dived into the passageway and closed it using a magical sealing charm to keep the strange creature out.
Ron was panting for breath as they sat in the dimly lit passageway staring at where the passage had closed. Sighing with relief, Hermione hoisted herself up and began walking. Ron quickly followed her not wanting to stay behind and find the creature had a special ability of getting through, even though it was quite doubtful. After the few minute walk through the narrow passage with floating candles the only light guiding them, the two made it to a dead end. Hermione flicked out her wand and tapped twice on the wall. Immediately the wall lifted up to allow them to go through.
The wall closed behind them as they stood out on the Astronomy Tower looking across the dead night around them from the safety of the highest room in the castle. Ron gulped as he glanced down from the window trying to see down at the ground.
"Hermione, I don't see any creatures...do you?"
She peeked down momentarily and shook her head, "No, but they wouldn't be easy to see. They've lived their lives in complete darkness so they're used to hiding in shadow."
Ron's voice pitched an octave higher, "And you couldn't just think positive on this one? You know, I just wish that...Hermione? What's the matter?"
Hermione had ceased any movement and was standing completely still, her eyes locked forward as if she could see something he couldn't. Ron stepped back immediately pulling out his wand.
"W-what is it? Some kind of deadly mushroom...a large purple snake, what is it?" Ron panicked, pointing his wand in every direction.
"Shhh! Can you hear that?"
Ron froze and listened carefully, wondering if she was hearing some horrendous howl from a creature that wanted to devour them...Only what he heard wasn't a howl. It was a strange swishing noise, and it sounded somewhat familiar.
"Wait...I know that sound," Ron said, approaching the window and peering out. "It's...it's..."
WHOSH!
Something whizzed by the window so fast they barely had time to blink. Hermione jumped up and threw open the window staring out after the speeding object. Ron had been startled so bad he had fallen to the floor and was quickly pulling himself up, pointing his wand out the window. They saw the tail end as it traveled off in the distance, the rough, pointy strands sticking out for them to see as the slim object made its way across the sky.
"Was that...?" Ron gapped open-mouthed.
"Harry's broom," Hermione whispered.
"H-Harry's broom! Then that means...HE'S ALIVE!" Ron shouted, his face lighting up with a smile. "Wait...how did it get here?"
Hermione too had a smile on her face as she watched it fly off until it was just a speck in the distance, "Sirius must've flown it here when he came to meet Dumbledore. It would make the most sense. Harry wanted to try it out so Sirius probably took him for a ride when they...," she trailed off, not wanting to think about Harry going to the Ministry and the cold, dead expression he had when they found him lying in the hospital wing not long after.
Ron's expression dimmed as well as he recalled what happened. Suddenly, his eyes widened with shock, "Hermione! Don't you see? We just missed our chance! Harry's broom went off and it could've led us right to him!"
Instead of the shocked or scared or even a disappointed look on Hermione's face, Ron found that he was staring into her shimmering brown eyes, a huge smile plastered on her face. She lifted her right hand which held her wand as she stared at him.
"It's taken care of. I hit it just in time with a very advanced tracking charm," her smile brightened.
Ron's expression heightened again as he lifted her up into a tight embrace, "Hermione, you really are a genius!"
Her smile grew as if to say "I know" but instead she looked at him seriously, "Come on, before it gets too far away. We have to let Sirius and Dumbledore and them know where he is so they have a chance to save him!"
Ron needed no further convincing as they dashed out of the Astronomy Tower toward Dumbledore's office in order to tell them all the only good news that had happened in a long time: Harry had yet another chance to survive.
TO BE CONTINUED...