Disclaimer: nothing belongs to me except the plot, oh and maybe a few extra
liberties I've taken along the way.
Ok... just received review alerts in my email inbox and suddenly I could feel my heart speeding up. I just know someone's going to flame me soon. aak! Sorry paranoid moment.
Hm... sorry about this chapter coming so late had a hard time with my computer, it kept hanging. But this chapter's an extra long one so I hope it makes up for the delay. There isn't that much action in here. But let me tell it my way, take things slowly and let people get acquainted with the characters. There are some loose ends here and there which I will take care of as the story moves on. Hope you like this. Please R & R. Thanks a mil!
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Chapter 8
More deatheater attacks. Each night Harry would wake, covered in a thin sheen of cold sweat, his blankets twisted among his limbs and shoved half off the bed. Elusive specks of light danced in his vision, as if they were remnants of the dreams. There was pain in the dreams. Always the same excruciating torment, one long stretch of unrelenting crushing pain. Yet because of the different faces, he was able to distinguish between them. At first he would cry, tears streaming silently down his face. He would weep for them, knowing he was helpless but compelled to watch their agony. Then he had no more tears to shed. Just anguish that condensed and crystallized in his heart, carving deep wounds within.
He sometimes welcomed the pain, a greater suffering which eclipsed that of his own. A distraction from the turmoil of memories that wracked his mind. But he hated himself for thinking that way, it was selfish. Disgusting.
Harry paused in mid-step. It took a few moments for Ron and Hermione to notice; by the time they looked back, they were already a few metres ahead. Ron's shout died at the base of his throat as Hermione urgently squeezed his elbow. He threw a questioning glance at the brunette, who indicated to their friend with a slight tilt of her head. Curious, Ron followed Harry's fixated gaze toward a clump of trees to their right.
Red ribbons encircling the condemned trees read: Diseased, By Order of the Parks Department. The destruction had already begun, clipped branches were stacked neatly as if they were two-by-fours. Some of the trees stood blighted, trying to raise their stunted arms, creatures clubbed mute, only its sudden voicelessness making it clear they had been speaking all along.
Time lay stagnant for a few moments, the air coagulating with a strange hint of ruin and muted tones of fear. There was an unspoken anticipation of something. As if they were waiting. Then the suffocating silence broke under the sudden whisper of dry leaves under Harry's feet as he moved to meet them, smiling. Autumn wind wailed into the vacuum, leaves rustled harshly or caught up in a sudden gust and danced across the grayish sky. They suddenly found they could breathe again, not having noticed when they stopped.
It was a Hogsmeade weekend. They had started off early, to miss the rush of students with their cheerful greetings and scarves that threw splashes of colour against the bleak sky. They savoured the indifferent dawn and subdued air that brought a momentary peace in the havoc of their lives. There would be time for light-hearted fun later. The somber autumn morning suited their mood at the moment.
"Sorry," Harry said as he caught up with his friends.
Then half to himself, slightly dazed, "I felt like I could feel them speak."
"Who?" Ron glanced warily over the barren landscape. There wasn't a person in sight.
"The trees."
"Don't scare me, Harry." Ron laughed nervously. In response Harry only smiled wistfully.
Hermione glanced thoughtfully at Harry, her nimble mind filing away the information for future reference.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The warm butterbear felt comforting in their cold hands and it burned a path down their throats as they gulped it down thirstily. The second one, they held onto, nursing it to keep their fingers toasty while they sat in companionable silence. They enjoyed these moments of comfortable silence, none of them felt the need to speak.
The first students were beginning to trickle in, most were wide-eyed third years. The older students opted to sleep in as the novelty of Hogsmeade had worn thin.
As others began to crowd the room, the room became animated with new voices and laughter. The three friends mingled and chatted about schoolwork with their peers, grateful for the reminder of normality in their tumultuous lives. At eleven the trio parted separate ways and promised to meet up again before they left.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Harry emerged from the dusty shop, carrying a parcel packaged in green parchment paper. He shrunk it quickly before furtively slipping it into his pocket.
He unconsciously smoothed down the robes before stepping into another shop to buy new quills. Brushing the tops of the quills with his fingertips, he marvelled at the range. Just as he was about to pick out a pure white one with a black tip, he was stopped by a hand on his upper arm. Harry's breath shortened, he resisted his first impulse to wrench his arm out of the firm grasp. He flailed silently among memories even as his mind reasoned that the Dursleys' could not possibly be in Hogsmeade. It was irrational. He tried not to struggle as the grip tightened slightly.
"Harry."
Harry relaxed immediately at the familiar voice, the tension seeping out of his rigid muscles. "Seamus!"
"Were you expecting someone else, love?" The sandy haired boy smiled flirtatiously.
"Not really... Merlin, don't do that again."
"Harry, are you alright?" Seamus frowned.
Harry took a deep breath and smiled convincingly. "So... why were you looking for me again?"
Seamus' face broke out in a big grin. "I'm going to take you shopping!"
Harry laughed at his friend's enthusiasm. "What's the occasion?"
"There's going to be a big birthday bash for one of the Slytherins next Friday. And invitations are out by word of mouth only. You know how Slytherins are, them with more money than they know what to do with. It'll be a hell lot of fricking fun. They'll be alcohol, dancing and everything. C'mon, when's the last time you went out on a party?"
" Well, I dunno about that, I'll ask Ron and Mio..."
"Aw... those two are never any fun. Anyway, it'll be a chance for them to be alone," Seamus winked suggestively, "Besides, I'm going, aren't I your friend too?"
"er... yes... I guess."
"So you're going?" Hopeful expression plus puppy dog eyes.
"Maybe." Harry replied rather vaguely.
"Yes, I knew you would go! Meanwhile let's get you some clothes!" Seamus shouted, ignoring Harry's protestations and dragging him down the street.
It was lucky that they had the presence of mind to stop by Gringotts to withdraw money before they went off on their spree. In the end it turned out that Seamus didn't have to drag Harry anywhere. Harry showed a natural talent at shopping for clothes; he had a great deal of taste. It also helped that he looked good in almost everything.
The shop assistants were all over him, offering the latest and most expensively cut designs which Harry politely refused. He felt guilty enough that he was spending money on himself and was not about to splurge half his Gringotts account. But the guilt was pushed to the back of his mind. He was genuinely having fun! Seamus had a way of cheering him up. With Seamus there were no demands, no reminders, no responsibilities. Harry could live for the moment and act just like any other teenager. He felt almost normal laughing and walking around with the other boy.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Spotting Hermione and Ron sharing an ice cream cone and stamping their feet to keep warm, Harry laughed fondly, "You guys are nuts. Eating ice cream when it's so cold?"
"Hey Harry!" Hermione giggled, her cheeks red with the cold.
"Where did you go all day? We didn't see you anywhere." Ron added, smiling.
"I was with Seamus."
Ron frowned slightly, seeing Seamus tagging along behind Harry for the first time. "Oh, really?"
"We were just walking around." Harry was irritated to find he was blushing and added hastily, "I bought some new clothes!"
Ron did not return Harry's beam, choosing instead to stare suspiciously at the Irishman who was currently looking rather dreamily at Harry's profile. Harry's smile faded.
"That's great Harry! So what did you buy?" Hermione enthused, trying to lift Harry's mood.
"I... well I know I shouldn't have spent so much on myself." Harry looked crestfallen and uncertain.
"Don't be silly, you hardly buy anything for yourself. Besides you need new clothes." Hermione declared, before grinning widely, "So where did you go? Any particular shops that are good? The next time we come out I'll show you some of my favorites!"
Harry laughed at his friend's eagerness, "I didn't know you liked to shop for clothes!"
Hermione mock pouted and said airily, "There's alot about me that you don't know. Women are mysterious creatures."
Ron choked on his ice cream. For a moment Hermione looked as if she was offended but she grinned and stuffed a handful of dry leaves down the back of Ron's robe. Harry and Seamus laughed as Ron chased the screaming Hermione down the road.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Harry! Wait!" They turned to find a panting second year Gryffindor running after them.
"Laurie! What..."
"Professor Snape wants to see you, he says it's urgent!" Laurie gasped out.
"Did he say what he wanted?" Hermione asked urgently.
"No. He just said something about someone here to see Harry. I can't really remember the rest." Laurie explained apologetically.
"I think I'd better go then." Harry replied quietly. "You guys go back to the common room first."
"Do you want..." Ron attempted.
"No." Harry said firmly. Then his face softened when he saw his friend's worried expression. "I'll be fine. Tell you when I get back."
"Harry wait!" Seamus cried out to the fast disappearing back.
The footsteps halted and from further down the hallway came the exasperated voice. "What?"
"Want us to take your stuff back?"
"Sure, thanks!"
The single black bag Harry had been carrying came hurtling down the corridor, causing them to wince and duck. But before it reached them, it stopped dead, floating innocuously inches from their faces.
The two boys laughed nervously. Ron plucked it from midair.
"I..I'm going to the library." Hermione announced suddenly.
"Do you want me to go with you?"
"No, I just want to check up something, Ron."
"Meet you at dinner?"
She smiled, "It's a long time til dinner."
"I know but you always spend the whole day there."
"I'll only be there for five minutes." Then seeing his expression, added guiltily, "I promise."
Hermione watched as the two boys disappeared down a turn. She waited until she could no longer hear their voices and muttered an incantation, watching as multicolour threads wove across the length of the corridor. The traces of magic lingered for awhile before slowly dissipating and becoming hazy. She frowned.
* *** * *** * *** * *** * *** * *** * *** * *** * *** * *** * *** *
To JE: ooh... demanding aren't we.... i like it when you go totally off tangent. the dictionary thing was funny. and whoa this is a long review.... what do u mean my draco is nicer? when the draco in your mind gave harry a blowjob? haha... wait until i get to the sex scenes. then it'd be fun.... but it's still a long way off.... sigh... working on it...
To Ice Lupus: argh! more stress!
To ncgal: thanks =)
To katrina: guess this chapter explains it.
To Jade Maxwell: haha i wanted to do that for a long time. seamus tends to get on my nerves too.
To frizzy: jealous? they aren't in much of a relationship yet for draco to be jealous. hm.... i think he just doesn't like seamus.
To Silver Angel: yeah.... it would be cool for harry to be an artist. he seems the type.
To BJ Jones: stay tuned and find out =) more soul searching ahead for all parties.
To eMJay: yup... i guess i took a few liberties... damn... hm.... i'll try to explain that one away... haha
To suse: glad you managed to find the story again.... sorry about the change of title. hmz... yah... looking forward to writing abt harry's breakdown... isn't that sadistic? haha
To KittenBabyGirl: yeah... must learn to strike a balance between work and play.
To Slytherin-ferret: i would pay you to tell my english teacher that but then again she'll go like: if only you put that much effort into your school work... haha. thanks.
Ok... just received review alerts in my email inbox and suddenly I could feel my heart speeding up. I just know someone's going to flame me soon. aak! Sorry paranoid moment.
Hm... sorry about this chapter coming so late had a hard time with my computer, it kept hanging. But this chapter's an extra long one so I hope it makes up for the delay. There isn't that much action in here. But let me tell it my way, take things slowly and let people get acquainted with the characters. There are some loose ends here and there which I will take care of as the story moves on. Hope you like this. Please R & R. Thanks a mil!
* *** * *** * *** * *** * *** * *** * *** * *** * *** * *** * *** *
Chapter 8
More deatheater attacks. Each night Harry would wake, covered in a thin sheen of cold sweat, his blankets twisted among his limbs and shoved half off the bed. Elusive specks of light danced in his vision, as if they were remnants of the dreams. There was pain in the dreams. Always the same excruciating torment, one long stretch of unrelenting crushing pain. Yet because of the different faces, he was able to distinguish between them. At first he would cry, tears streaming silently down his face. He would weep for them, knowing he was helpless but compelled to watch their agony. Then he had no more tears to shed. Just anguish that condensed and crystallized in his heart, carving deep wounds within.
He sometimes welcomed the pain, a greater suffering which eclipsed that of his own. A distraction from the turmoil of memories that wracked his mind. But he hated himself for thinking that way, it was selfish. Disgusting.
Harry paused in mid-step. It took a few moments for Ron and Hermione to notice; by the time they looked back, they were already a few metres ahead. Ron's shout died at the base of his throat as Hermione urgently squeezed his elbow. He threw a questioning glance at the brunette, who indicated to their friend with a slight tilt of her head. Curious, Ron followed Harry's fixated gaze toward a clump of trees to their right.
Red ribbons encircling the condemned trees read: Diseased, By Order of the Parks Department. The destruction had already begun, clipped branches were stacked neatly as if they were two-by-fours. Some of the trees stood blighted, trying to raise their stunted arms, creatures clubbed mute, only its sudden voicelessness making it clear they had been speaking all along.
Time lay stagnant for a few moments, the air coagulating with a strange hint of ruin and muted tones of fear. There was an unspoken anticipation of something. As if they were waiting. Then the suffocating silence broke under the sudden whisper of dry leaves under Harry's feet as he moved to meet them, smiling. Autumn wind wailed into the vacuum, leaves rustled harshly or caught up in a sudden gust and danced across the grayish sky. They suddenly found they could breathe again, not having noticed when they stopped.
It was a Hogsmeade weekend. They had started off early, to miss the rush of students with their cheerful greetings and scarves that threw splashes of colour against the bleak sky. They savoured the indifferent dawn and subdued air that brought a momentary peace in the havoc of their lives. There would be time for light-hearted fun later. The somber autumn morning suited their mood at the moment.
"Sorry," Harry said as he caught up with his friends.
Then half to himself, slightly dazed, "I felt like I could feel them speak."
"Who?" Ron glanced warily over the barren landscape. There wasn't a person in sight.
"The trees."
"Don't scare me, Harry." Ron laughed nervously. In response Harry only smiled wistfully.
Hermione glanced thoughtfully at Harry, her nimble mind filing away the information for future reference.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The warm butterbear felt comforting in their cold hands and it burned a path down their throats as they gulped it down thirstily. The second one, they held onto, nursing it to keep their fingers toasty while they sat in companionable silence. They enjoyed these moments of comfortable silence, none of them felt the need to speak.
The first students were beginning to trickle in, most were wide-eyed third years. The older students opted to sleep in as the novelty of Hogsmeade had worn thin.
As others began to crowd the room, the room became animated with new voices and laughter. The three friends mingled and chatted about schoolwork with their peers, grateful for the reminder of normality in their tumultuous lives. At eleven the trio parted separate ways and promised to meet up again before they left.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Harry emerged from the dusty shop, carrying a parcel packaged in green parchment paper. He shrunk it quickly before furtively slipping it into his pocket.
He unconsciously smoothed down the robes before stepping into another shop to buy new quills. Brushing the tops of the quills with his fingertips, he marvelled at the range. Just as he was about to pick out a pure white one with a black tip, he was stopped by a hand on his upper arm. Harry's breath shortened, he resisted his first impulse to wrench his arm out of the firm grasp. He flailed silently among memories even as his mind reasoned that the Dursleys' could not possibly be in Hogsmeade. It was irrational. He tried not to struggle as the grip tightened slightly.
"Harry."
Harry relaxed immediately at the familiar voice, the tension seeping out of his rigid muscles. "Seamus!"
"Were you expecting someone else, love?" The sandy haired boy smiled flirtatiously.
"Not really... Merlin, don't do that again."
"Harry, are you alright?" Seamus frowned.
Harry took a deep breath and smiled convincingly. "So... why were you looking for me again?"
Seamus' face broke out in a big grin. "I'm going to take you shopping!"
Harry laughed at his friend's enthusiasm. "What's the occasion?"
"There's going to be a big birthday bash for one of the Slytherins next Friday. And invitations are out by word of mouth only. You know how Slytherins are, them with more money than they know what to do with. It'll be a hell lot of fricking fun. They'll be alcohol, dancing and everything. C'mon, when's the last time you went out on a party?"
" Well, I dunno about that, I'll ask Ron and Mio..."
"Aw... those two are never any fun. Anyway, it'll be a chance for them to be alone," Seamus winked suggestively, "Besides, I'm going, aren't I your friend too?"
"er... yes... I guess."
"So you're going?" Hopeful expression plus puppy dog eyes.
"Maybe." Harry replied rather vaguely.
"Yes, I knew you would go! Meanwhile let's get you some clothes!" Seamus shouted, ignoring Harry's protestations and dragging him down the street.
It was lucky that they had the presence of mind to stop by Gringotts to withdraw money before they went off on their spree. In the end it turned out that Seamus didn't have to drag Harry anywhere. Harry showed a natural talent at shopping for clothes; he had a great deal of taste. It also helped that he looked good in almost everything.
The shop assistants were all over him, offering the latest and most expensively cut designs which Harry politely refused. He felt guilty enough that he was spending money on himself and was not about to splurge half his Gringotts account. But the guilt was pushed to the back of his mind. He was genuinely having fun! Seamus had a way of cheering him up. With Seamus there were no demands, no reminders, no responsibilities. Harry could live for the moment and act just like any other teenager. He felt almost normal laughing and walking around with the other boy.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Spotting Hermione and Ron sharing an ice cream cone and stamping their feet to keep warm, Harry laughed fondly, "You guys are nuts. Eating ice cream when it's so cold?"
"Hey Harry!" Hermione giggled, her cheeks red with the cold.
"Where did you go all day? We didn't see you anywhere." Ron added, smiling.
"I was with Seamus."
Ron frowned slightly, seeing Seamus tagging along behind Harry for the first time. "Oh, really?"
"We were just walking around." Harry was irritated to find he was blushing and added hastily, "I bought some new clothes!"
Ron did not return Harry's beam, choosing instead to stare suspiciously at the Irishman who was currently looking rather dreamily at Harry's profile. Harry's smile faded.
"That's great Harry! So what did you buy?" Hermione enthused, trying to lift Harry's mood.
"I... well I know I shouldn't have spent so much on myself." Harry looked crestfallen and uncertain.
"Don't be silly, you hardly buy anything for yourself. Besides you need new clothes." Hermione declared, before grinning widely, "So where did you go? Any particular shops that are good? The next time we come out I'll show you some of my favorites!"
Harry laughed at his friend's eagerness, "I didn't know you liked to shop for clothes!"
Hermione mock pouted and said airily, "There's alot about me that you don't know. Women are mysterious creatures."
Ron choked on his ice cream. For a moment Hermione looked as if she was offended but she grinned and stuffed a handful of dry leaves down the back of Ron's robe. Harry and Seamus laughed as Ron chased the screaming Hermione down the road.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Harry! Wait!" They turned to find a panting second year Gryffindor running after them.
"Laurie! What..."
"Professor Snape wants to see you, he says it's urgent!" Laurie gasped out.
"Did he say what he wanted?" Hermione asked urgently.
"No. He just said something about someone here to see Harry. I can't really remember the rest." Laurie explained apologetically.
"I think I'd better go then." Harry replied quietly. "You guys go back to the common room first."
"Do you want..." Ron attempted.
"No." Harry said firmly. Then his face softened when he saw his friend's worried expression. "I'll be fine. Tell you when I get back."
"Harry wait!" Seamus cried out to the fast disappearing back.
The footsteps halted and from further down the hallway came the exasperated voice. "What?"
"Want us to take your stuff back?"
"Sure, thanks!"
The single black bag Harry had been carrying came hurtling down the corridor, causing them to wince and duck. But before it reached them, it stopped dead, floating innocuously inches from their faces.
The two boys laughed nervously. Ron plucked it from midair.
"I..I'm going to the library." Hermione announced suddenly.
"Do you want me to go with you?"
"No, I just want to check up something, Ron."
"Meet you at dinner?"
She smiled, "It's a long time til dinner."
"I know but you always spend the whole day there."
"I'll only be there for five minutes." Then seeing his expression, added guiltily, "I promise."
Hermione watched as the two boys disappeared down a turn. She waited until she could no longer hear their voices and muttered an incantation, watching as multicolour threads wove across the length of the corridor. The traces of magic lingered for awhile before slowly dissipating and becoming hazy. She frowned.
* *** * *** * *** * *** * *** * *** * *** * *** * *** * *** * *** *
To JE: ooh... demanding aren't we.... i like it when you go totally off tangent. the dictionary thing was funny. and whoa this is a long review.... what do u mean my draco is nicer? when the draco in your mind gave harry a blowjob? haha... wait until i get to the sex scenes. then it'd be fun.... but it's still a long way off.... sigh... working on it...
To Ice Lupus: argh! more stress!
To ncgal: thanks =)
To katrina: guess this chapter explains it.
To Jade Maxwell: haha i wanted to do that for a long time. seamus tends to get on my nerves too.
To frizzy: jealous? they aren't in much of a relationship yet for draco to be jealous. hm.... i think he just doesn't like seamus.
To Silver Angel: yeah.... it would be cool for harry to be an artist. he seems the type.
To BJ Jones: stay tuned and find out =) more soul searching ahead for all parties.
To eMJay: yup... i guess i took a few liberties... damn... hm.... i'll try to explain that one away... haha
To suse: glad you managed to find the story again.... sorry about the change of title. hmz... yah... looking forward to writing abt harry's breakdown... isn't that sadistic? haha
To KittenBabyGirl: yeah... must learn to strike a balance between work and play.
To Slytherin-ferret: i would pay you to tell my english teacher that but then again she'll go like: if only you put that much effort into your school work... haha. thanks.