Ok, here's the fourth chapter. Thanks to all those who've reviewed, please
continue. I had REAL problems with that meeting in the third chapter, and
well... It didn't turn out great, but I felt like there was a need for a
meeting... You'll probably notice I have a great interest in mythology in the
coming chapters. Please review! : - )
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and co is JK Rowlings. I'm just playing around with characters.
THE ESCAPE FROM AZKABAN
He was staring into the flames in the fireplace, thoughtfully. He was frustrated, and full of anger. The latest mistakes had cost him a lot, and those fools he had sent to the Weasley's had failed, terribly. Those who had returned he had already punished, he smiled as he remembered their screams, begging him to let them live.
He had let them live. Just the power of deciding to let someone live or not was... exhilarating. Those clumsy idiots would however be needed for his plan to work, so he couldn't kill them. His forces were not yet strong enough, and he was certain there were many more wizards out there who would join him. And before long, they would strike terror on those who had joined Dumbledore.
But there was still something that worried him. The boy had slipped through his fingers once more, and now Dumbledore was extra careful now. Finding the famous Harry Potter wouldn't be easy. He had learned from a reliable source the boy was now surrounded by even more of that ancient magic that Dumbledore used to protect him. He got up and stared out the window, over the seemingly never ending fields.
Potter couldn't be allowed to live, the boy had proven himself to be a bigger threat than he could have foreseen. At the age of eleven, the boy had put a stop to him finding the philosopher's stone. A year later, Potter had not only defeated his younger self, but also taken on a basilisk and defeated that as well. And two years later, the boy who lived had escaped him, once again. Last year, Potter had outdone himself when he had destroyed the prophecy under his very nose, under his servant's very nose.
The boy must die, he thought, before he becomes stronger. He was not yet a full grown wizard, he was still vulnerable. All he would have to do was to figure out a way to lure Dumbledore away from the boy. And then make his move. He was going to kill Potter himself, of course. Taking the famous Harry Potter's life was going to be a true pleasure.
He stared out the window and suddenly noticed a raven, sitting on a branch on one of the dead trees outside. It flew off as he looked at it. There was something about that bird. As he realized it, he mumbled viciously:
"So, Dumbledore has once again called upon the last of the Ancient ones... "
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
"Enter!" he said loudly and irritated.
In came Peter Pettigrew, a small rat nosed wizard.
"I apologize for disturbing you, master, but they are here"
He turned and looked at the small man with his red eyes.
"Let them in" Voldemort snarled and pulled out his wand from his robe.
Malfoy, Dolohov, Nott, Jugson, Crabbe, Macnair, Avery and Rookwood entered the room. He looked at them, one by one.
"So, you've finally managed to escape... And managed to be seen doing so by one of Dumbledore's spies!" he snarled as they looked up on him with fear in their eyes as he raised his wand...
Harry woke up, the lightning shaped scar burned like mad on his forehead. He sat up in his bed, his hand on his forehead. Voldemort, he thought, he was still connected to Voldemort. How was this even possible? If Voldemort knew Harry was in his mind sometimes, why hadn't he sensed that Harry had seen what he'd seen at that very moment?
Perhaps Voldemort wanted him to see... Or was this just a dream? Was this something Voldemort had planted in his mind, as he did when Harry had dreamt of Sirius, being tortured?
Harry sighed frustrated and got up. The house was quiet, too quiet. He looked out the window, the part that wasn't hidden behind the dark curtain, trying to sort all of his thoughts out. He wished more than ever that he could talk to Sirius. Ask him what he thought, and what he was going to do. He went downstairs to get some water, his mouth was really dry. Suddenly, he heard a voice from the room where the meeting had been held. He sneaked closer to the door and listened closely.
"They've escaped Azkaban, as you said they would."
It was Melinda Atwood that had spoken.
"Yes... I was hoping that I would be wrong. Tell me, Melinda, how many were hurt?"
Dumbledore, Harry thought silently and concentrated on listening closely. The dream had been true then; those death eaters that the order had seized at the ministry of magic had escaped.
Melinda had paused.
"They killed them... I found two of the guards further on, but they were in really bad shape, they can't even speak. I brought them to St Mungos, but it doesn't look too good... They didn't stand a chance against all those death eaters... I arrived too late to help them..."
She sounded really sad now, Harry thought.
"You couldn't know that this was going to happen tonight, Melinda. There were no warnings what so ever. And you shouldn't have followed them that far, did he see you?"
"Yes..."
"Then Voldemort knows that we have been informed. He was probably hoping that the quarrel within the ministry would keep them from learning of the prison break for a few days... There was no one left to tell what had happened..."
"But... What is he planning then? If he hoped no one would notice that they had escaped, what's so good about that? Why the discretion?"
"I do not know yet" Dumbledore said calmly.
"School starts in just a few days. What if he's after Potter?" she said suddenly.
"That is, of course, a possibility" Dumbledore said sounding thoughtful. "I'll see what the others have found out; perhaps we'll have an answer tomorrow."
Suddenly, the door opened and Harry stumbled back, she had already spotted him.
"Harry?" she said. "I thought I heard someone out here... I'm guessing you've heard everything?"
She looked at him sternly with her violet eyes.
"I was just... I had this dream and...
"You saw" she said quietly now looking worried. "Harry, I thought... It's dangerous, if you and Voldemort are still connected to each other... I thought you'd learned occlumency by now..."
"Well, I haven't" Harry snapped.
"How come? I thought Dumbledore would..."
"He asked Snape to do it."
Melinda looked at him, frowning, then she went into the room and sat down in one of the armchairs, Harry followed since he had lots of questions to ask her.
"Severus Snape? Well, from what I've heard, he's supposed to know..."
"He doesn't like me much, and it got even worse when he started teaching me, and now he literally hates me."
"Well, if he won't teach you, then perhaps I should. Maybe Dumbledore can talk to him..."
"Look, there's nothing professor Dumbledore or anyone else can do. Snape won't just stop hating me; he won't continue to give me lessons in occlumency. Besides, I don't think I want to..."
"What did you do that was so terrible, Harry?" She asked and looked up at him.
"He's hated me ever since he first laid eyes on me, because of who my father was. And then last year I made it worse by looking into what seemed to be his worst memories and he began to hate me, even more. Didn't think that was possible." Harry said and threw himself down in the armchair opposite Melinda's.
Melinda was still looking at him, her eyes were still kind.
"I'm guessing these memories were... awkward for him, memories he didn't want anyone else to know?"
Harry now stared into the flames of the fireplace.
"My father and Sirius Black didn't like Snape, so they gave him a hard time when they all were students at Hogwarts...I do understand, why he's still angry..."
"Yes... Being hurt like that can certainly leave marks. And unfortunately, since James isn't around to take the blame, he's being cruel to you...
She paused.
"You do look a lot like him, except for your eyes..." she said suddenly.
Harry stared at her.
"How do you know that?"
"I met your parents once, and Sirius Black."
"When did you meet them?" he asked silently.
"Well... It was a long time ago, during what has recently become the first war. I thought very highly of them all, they were good people. Really good people. None of them deserved the fate that was awaiting them... And now, history is repeating itself... Voldemort is back and alive in the world. Though, Dumbledore always said he would be back before long. No one listened of course..."
She sighed.
"Everything is really messed up right now. The ministry is trying to choose a replacement for Fudge, and they have been so busy doing that they can't see what's going on under their very noses. Tomorrow, they will probably panic when they learn that all those death eaters have escaped and rejoined Voldemort. They will continue arguing, and give Voldemort all the time in the world to recruit wizards for his cause. He's growing stronger and stronger for every day that passes..."
Melinda looked at him again. She looked really tired and worn out.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't be telling you all this. You have enough to think about as it is. There's still a few hours before the sun rises. Maybe we should get some sleep, the both of us."
End of chapter 4.
Well, that was chapter 4. I'll update as soon as possible. Please, review! : - ) And, of course, thanks to all of you who have reviewed : - )
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and co is JK Rowlings. I'm just playing around with characters.
THE ESCAPE FROM AZKABAN
He was staring into the flames in the fireplace, thoughtfully. He was frustrated, and full of anger. The latest mistakes had cost him a lot, and those fools he had sent to the Weasley's had failed, terribly. Those who had returned he had already punished, he smiled as he remembered their screams, begging him to let them live.
He had let them live. Just the power of deciding to let someone live or not was... exhilarating. Those clumsy idiots would however be needed for his plan to work, so he couldn't kill them. His forces were not yet strong enough, and he was certain there were many more wizards out there who would join him. And before long, they would strike terror on those who had joined Dumbledore.
But there was still something that worried him. The boy had slipped through his fingers once more, and now Dumbledore was extra careful now. Finding the famous Harry Potter wouldn't be easy. He had learned from a reliable source the boy was now surrounded by even more of that ancient magic that Dumbledore used to protect him. He got up and stared out the window, over the seemingly never ending fields.
Potter couldn't be allowed to live, the boy had proven himself to be a bigger threat than he could have foreseen. At the age of eleven, the boy had put a stop to him finding the philosopher's stone. A year later, Potter had not only defeated his younger self, but also taken on a basilisk and defeated that as well. And two years later, the boy who lived had escaped him, once again. Last year, Potter had outdone himself when he had destroyed the prophecy under his very nose, under his servant's very nose.
The boy must die, he thought, before he becomes stronger. He was not yet a full grown wizard, he was still vulnerable. All he would have to do was to figure out a way to lure Dumbledore away from the boy. And then make his move. He was going to kill Potter himself, of course. Taking the famous Harry Potter's life was going to be a true pleasure.
He stared out the window and suddenly noticed a raven, sitting on a branch on one of the dead trees outside. It flew off as he looked at it. There was something about that bird. As he realized it, he mumbled viciously:
"So, Dumbledore has once again called upon the last of the Ancient ones... "
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
"Enter!" he said loudly and irritated.
In came Peter Pettigrew, a small rat nosed wizard.
"I apologize for disturbing you, master, but they are here"
He turned and looked at the small man with his red eyes.
"Let them in" Voldemort snarled and pulled out his wand from his robe.
Malfoy, Dolohov, Nott, Jugson, Crabbe, Macnair, Avery and Rookwood entered the room. He looked at them, one by one.
"So, you've finally managed to escape... And managed to be seen doing so by one of Dumbledore's spies!" he snarled as they looked up on him with fear in their eyes as he raised his wand...
Harry woke up, the lightning shaped scar burned like mad on his forehead. He sat up in his bed, his hand on his forehead. Voldemort, he thought, he was still connected to Voldemort. How was this even possible? If Voldemort knew Harry was in his mind sometimes, why hadn't he sensed that Harry had seen what he'd seen at that very moment?
Perhaps Voldemort wanted him to see... Or was this just a dream? Was this something Voldemort had planted in his mind, as he did when Harry had dreamt of Sirius, being tortured?
Harry sighed frustrated and got up. The house was quiet, too quiet. He looked out the window, the part that wasn't hidden behind the dark curtain, trying to sort all of his thoughts out. He wished more than ever that he could talk to Sirius. Ask him what he thought, and what he was going to do. He went downstairs to get some water, his mouth was really dry. Suddenly, he heard a voice from the room where the meeting had been held. He sneaked closer to the door and listened closely.
"They've escaped Azkaban, as you said they would."
It was Melinda Atwood that had spoken.
"Yes... I was hoping that I would be wrong. Tell me, Melinda, how many were hurt?"
Dumbledore, Harry thought silently and concentrated on listening closely. The dream had been true then; those death eaters that the order had seized at the ministry of magic had escaped.
Melinda had paused.
"They killed them... I found two of the guards further on, but they were in really bad shape, they can't even speak. I brought them to St Mungos, but it doesn't look too good... They didn't stand a chance against all those death eaters... I arrived too late to help them..."
She sounded really sad now, Harry thought.
"You couldn't know that this was going to happen tonight, Melinda. There were no warnings what so ever. And you shouldn't have followed them that far, did he see you?"
"Yes..."
"Then Voldemort knows that we have been informed. He was probably hoping that the quarrel within the ministry would keep them from learning of the prison break for a few days... There was no one left to tell what had happened..."
"But... What is he planning then? If he hoped no one would notice that they had escaped, what's so good about that? Why the discretion?"
"I do not know yet" Dumbledore said calmly.
"School starts in just a few days. What if he's after Potter?" she said suddenly.
"That is, of course, a possibility" Dumbledore said sounding thoughtful. "I'll see what the others have found out; perhaps we'll have an answer tomorrow."
Suddenly, the door opened and Harry stumbled back, she had already spotted him.
"Harry?" she said. "I thought I heard someone out here... I'm guessing you've heard everything?"
She looked at him sternly with her violet eyes.
"I was just... I had this dream and...
"You saw" she said quietly now looking worried. "Harry, I thought... It's dangerous, if you and Voldemort are still connected to each other... I thought you'd learned occlumency by now..."
"Well, I haven't" Harry snapped.
"How come? I thought Dumbledore would..."
"He asked Snape to do it."
Melinda looked at him, frowning, then she went into the room and sat down in one of the armchairs, Harry followed since he had lots of questions to ask her.
"Severus Snape? Well, from what I've heard, he's supposed to know..."
"He doesn't like me much, and it got even worse when he started teaching me, and now he literally hates me."
"Well, if he won't teach you, then perhaps I should. Maybe Dumbledore can talk to him..."
"Look, there's nothing professor Dumbledore or anyone else can do. Snape won't just stop hating me; he won't continue to give me lessons in occlumency. Besides, I don't think I want to..."
"What did you do that was so terrible, Harry?" She asked and looked up at him.
"He's hated me ever since he first laid eyes on me, because of who my father was. And then last year I made it worse by looking into what seemed to be his worst memories and he began to hate me, even more. Didn't think that was possible." Harry said and threw himself down in the armchair opposite Melinda's.
Melinda was still looking at him, her eyes were still kind.
"I'm guessing these memories were... awkward for him, memories he didn't want anyone else to know?"
Harry now stared into the flames of the fireplace.
"My father and Sirius Black didn't like Snape, so they gave him a hard time when they all were students at Hogwarts...I do understand, why he's still angry..."
"Yes... Being hurt like that can certainly leave marks. And unfortunately, since James isn't around to take the blame, he's being cruel to you...
She paused.
"You do look a lot like him, except for your eyes..." she said suddenly.
Harry stared at her.
"How do you know that?"
"I met your parents once, and Sirius Black."
"When did you meet them?" he asked silently.
"Well... It was a long time ago, during what has recently become the first war. I thought very highly of them all, they were good people. Really good people. None of them deserved the fate that was awaiting them... And now, history is repeating itself... Voldemort is back and alive in the world. Though, Dumbledore always said he would be back before long. No one listened of course..."
She sighed.
"Everything is really messed up right now. The ministry is trying to choose a replacement for Fudge, and they have been so busy doing that they can't see what's going on under their very noses. Tomorrow, they will probably panic when they learn that all those death eaters have escaped and rejoined Voldemort. They will continue arguing, and give Voldemort all the time in the world to recruit wizards for his cause. He's growing stronger and stronger for every day that passes..."
Melinda looked at him again. She looked really tired and worn out.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't be telling you all this. You have enough to think about as it is. There's still a few hours before the sun rises. Maybe we should get some sleep, the both of us."
End of chapter 4.
Well, that was chapter 4. I'll update as soon as possible. Please, review! : - ) And, of course, thanks to all of you who have reviewed : - )