A/N: Sorry it took quite a while to update this chapter, but at least it's long. The song in the beginning is: Foo Fighters – Best of You.
Chapter 27: The First Part of TrainingDraco woke up next morning due to the sun shining in his eyes; he had forgotten to close the curtains last night. He groaned and rolled over on his side. He didn't want to get up. All he wanted to do was stay in bed and do nothing.
I've got another confession to make
I'm your fool
Everyone's got their chains to break
Holdin' you
Draco rolled over on his other side and gave another groan. Flashes of the fight he had had with Nora entered his mind and he just couldn't keep them away. It was like watching some stupid movie and not being able to switch the channel.
Were you born to resist or be abused?
Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?
Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?
Draco remembered the days in Hogwarts when things had been just perfect. When they had been friends.
---- Flashback ----
The next day it was finally weekend and Draco was walking around the Hogwarts grounds, alone. He couldn't hang out with Crabbe and Goyle because they were pigging out in the kitchens once again and since he had already had lunch an hour ago, he wasn't really that hungry. Pansy and Millicent were out of the question too, because, even though they were somewhat bearable at times, they were talking about girl stuff and didn't want him there, not that he even wanted to be there to hear them gossiping about boys. So now he was walking all alone in the snow, the snow crunching beneath his feet with every step he took. Suddenly he heard people laughing and shouting. He looked up and a bit ahead to the right were Harry, Hermione, Nora, Ron, Ginny, Seamus and Dean having a major snowball fight. For a minute Draco thought about joining, but then, looking at Potter and Weasley he decided it was better not to. Besides, he wanted nothing to do with them, especially not with… her. He began walking again, when all of a sudden he received a snowball square in the face.
"Hey! What the -?" He shouted angrily wiping the snow off his face, but when he saw Nora walking over to him his expression softened and his heart melted, no matter how hard he tried to scowl at her and act indifferent while ignoring the stinging pain on his face.
"Hi!" She said breathlessly. Her cheeks were rosy colored and her hair was tangled with snow. "You wanna join us?"
"Uhm… No, I don't think I should," he answered her, trying hard not to care and eyeing the four boys who were looking over at him, expressionlessly.
"Oh, come on, they won't mind," she said following his gaze, "Hermione and Ginny want you to join too, and the others, well, I don't really care what they think." Draco hesitated, but before he could say anything Nora had grabbed wrist and dragged him over to the others. As soon as they reached them the boys began pelting him with snowballs. The three girls took this as a challenge and made it guys vs. girls, with Draco on the female half.
They had a wonderful day, just throwing snowballs at each other. After a while they had grown tired though and as it wasn't time for dinner yet, they sat down on a blanket, which Hermione had brought along, and talked. Draco was actually quite enjoying himself and Nora thanked Merlin that the other boys noticed that he was actually quite nice, though to them he would always remain a Slytherin. Draco knew this and deep inside he felt very void.
---- End ----
Are you gone and onto someone new?
I needed somewhere to hang my head
Without your noose
You gave me something that I didn't have
But had no use
I was too weak to give in
Too strong to lose
My heart is under arrest again
But I break loose
My head is giving me life or death
But I can't choose
I swear I'll never give in
I refuse
Draco rolled over on his other side again, trying to get the memory of the snowball fight out of his head. He began to feel the hollowness that he had experienced during that day again. Draco realized that, because of his father, he would never have real friends, like Harry, Nora, Hermione and Ron were. Nora. Tears rolled down his cheeks but he didn't bother to wipe them away; more would come anyway.
Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?
Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?
Has someone taken your faith?
Its real, the pain you feel
Your trust, you must
Confess
Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?
Draco buried his face in his pillow so that if someone entered his room they wouldn't be able to see he was crying. He wanted Nora back so badly that he felt sick. He couldn't stand the thought of never being able to touch her again. To hold her close to him like he had in Australia.
---- Flashback ----
"We could try walking and if it really doesn't work than we'll ask one of the teachers to heal her," Justin told the group. They nodded and Nora was left no choice but to try and walk. Five minutes later, though, she was already a few meters behind the other three and had to limp. Nora gave out a long sigh in frustration. This was all not going as planned.
"Love the way you walk, Quasimodo," came the voice of Draco beside her. She looked at him and glared.
"You try it with a crippled foot, you git," she replied coldly. Draco laughed and then held his hands up in the air and said:
"I come in peace. Want me to help you?"
"How? You can't use magic to levitate me, Muggles would see."
"What Muggles? There isn't a Muggle around for miles. Besides, I could carry you." Nora was startled by his offer, she didn't know if he was asking that to really help her or just because he liked her, and she wanted to decline the offer, but on the other hand, a little voice in her head kept shouting: 'YES! PLEASE! TAKE ME IN YOUR STRONG ARMS!' She hated that little voice. Draco watched her think it over and his heart sank a little when she replied.
"No, that's quite all right. I don't want to wear you out," she told him, smiling awkwardly.
"You won't," Draco said, and before she could do anything he swept her off the ground and in his arms and started walking. She tried to protest but felt too exhausted to even try, and after a while she, absentmindedly, put her head on Draco's shoulder and her arms around his neck. Draco smelled the refreshing scent of fruit that emerged from her hair.
Nora was vaguely wondering what on earth she was doing in Draco's arms. She felt like she was betraying Dean. 'Don't be silly,' the annoying little voice in her head said, speaking up once more. 'Dean is gone and he even said that you and Draco were meant to be together.' 'Quiet,' Nora snapped at it. She closed her eyes and felt the hot sun on her face, along with the throbbing pain from her ankle. Very slowly she dozed off.
Draco looked at her beautiful face, her closed eyelids, her soft lips. How he longed to touch them, to kiss them. But he had to control himself and concentrate on getting her back to the hotel safely. Draco pulled her a bit closer to him as he gave her a gentle hug.
---- End ----
Has someone taken your faith?
Its real, the pain you feel
The life, the love
You die to heal
The hope that starts
The broken hearts
Your trust, you must
Confess
Draco rolled over on his back, gave a frustrated, strangled shout, grabbed his pillow and chucked it through one of the open windows. A few seconds later he heard it reach the ground with an unsatisfying soft plop. How could his life go from almost completely perfect to total catastrophe in one second? He longed to see Nora, he needed to talk to her, explain it to her but he knew she'd never stay and hear him out until most was blown over and that would take ages. Yet, he'd wait. He'd spend his whole life waiting until she gave him a chance to explain, even if it was at his deathbed.
Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?
Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?
I've got another confession my friendI'm no fool
I'm getting tired of starting again
Somewhere new
Draco slowly got out of bed. He heard two high-pitched screams but didn't rush out of his room to see what was wrong. He paced around his room, needing to find a way to explain to Nora, to tell her about his nightmare.
Were you born to resist or be abused?I swear I'll never give in
I refuse
Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?
Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?
Has someone taken your faith?
Its real, the pain you feel
Your trust, you must
Confess
Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?
Hermione looked around at her surroundings. It was almost completely dark and there were eerie hedges towering above her. It looked like some kind of maze. She started to run and find the exit but no matter which way she ran nothing indicated that she was nearing the end. Hermione could hear a cold cruel laugh from above as she ran down the small paths. Looking up through the dark grey clouds and the thunderous sky she saw the white face and red eyes of Lord Voldemort, his features showing signs of pure glee. Hermione sped up and turned corner after corner, running deeper into the maze, hearing Voldemort's high-pitched laugh above her all the time. In some very mysterious way… this all seemed familiar to her.
"Run, little mudblood, run. For it is all you have in your power to escape the darkness that hides in this fascinating maze," he said, laughing at her. A shot of panic ran through Hermione and she started running even faster, concentrating hard on finding the exit.
"Oh no, my sweet little child, there is no exit, you are doomed to be torn apart by the beast of all darkness that is following your repulsive Muggle scent." Hermione's heart sank. There would be no way to get out of here; she'd be doomed to die a painful death.
"That is right." Voldemort laughed again, watching her run through the maze. Hermione couldn't help but think how this was all so familiar. It began to rain heavily and within minutes she was completely soaked. Apparently Voldemort alone could see where the beast was and it's location was not pleasing him much. "You seem to be going in the very opposite direction the beast goes," he said angrily. 'Thank God.' Hermione thought, but something else entered her head. 'What if it's trick? What if he wants you to keep running that way?' She started panicking again and decided to turn right at the next chance she got. It took quite a while for a right turn to come up, but when it did she turned the corner as fast as she could. 'What if that was his plan?' A thought told her. Hermione didn't know what to do; she was frustrated and panicking like she'd never panicked before. She lost her grip on things and slipped in the mud, falling flat on her face.
"Very good," Voldemort said gleefully, laughing loudly. Hermione quickly got up and started running again, though she saw no point. She knew no one would be able to save her and the beast would catch up sooner or later. She might as well stop running right now and let the animal come and devour her, but she still kept her fast pace, hoping that she'd be able to escape someway or the other. Hermione looked up, but Voldemort's large face was still floating above her, laughing ever so horribly. She kept recognizing the scenes from somewhere, but she didn't know from where.
Hermione turned another corner in the endless maze of doom. A fork of lightning flashed across the sky, lighting the maze for a split second. And in that small second of light Hermione saw dark looming shadows and one shadow that caught her attention. It had been another human. Another girl. Hermione kept running, hoping to find her, the cold hard rain splashing against her body. She was judging by Voldemort's happy laughter and shouts of joy that her doom was nearing her every second. Just then she ran straight into someone and fell in the mud. Hermione quickly got up, wanting to see who the other girl was that was trapped in this awful maze.
"N-Nora?" she asked, almost in disbelief. The other girl looked up, fear written all over her face.
"H-Hermione? Oh my god! I-I'm so scared!" Nora said, standing up, too.
"Me too! And there's no way out of here!" Hermione shouted, feeling very nauseous.
"I know," Nora said softly. Somewhere to the left loud growls were emerging and the two girls looked at each other, eyes wide, tears running down their cheeks.
"Come on," Hermione said softly and she began running again, Nora right behind her. The two girls ran through the small paths, turning corners every now and then, at lightning speed, but still the growls were getting closer. There was a sudden fork of lightning right beside them and out of shock the two fell painfully on their backs, their whole bodies splattered with mud and what looked like…
"Blood?" Hermione said quietly looking at her arms and stomach. Nora had noticed, too. Their t-shirts were covered with dark red bloodstains, as were their arms. A loud rumbling growl made them look up and they stared into the eyes of evil.
There, staring at them, stood two gigantic leopards and instantly the two girls knew what the beasts were. They had learned the whole book of 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them' by heart and knew that the animals in front of them were Nundus, the most dangerous beasts in the world. The Nundu was a gigantic African leopard that moved silently, despite its size, and who's breath could cause disease virulent enough to eliminate entire villages. Fewer than a hundred skilled wizards working together had never yet subdued it. Hermione and Nora knew their lives were at an end; they would never be able to fight this beast with their bad wounds and no wand. Another fork of lightning flashed as Hermione and Nora looked into separate pairs of eyes of the Nundus.
"Attack!" Voldemort yelled and no second later the Nundus jumped, mouths open wide and large pointy teeth glistening as the rain poured down on them as hard as ever. Hermione and Nora each let out a deafening cry as the Nundu's teeth sank painfully into their skin of their throats.
Someone was shaking Hermione around and she snapped her eyes open, sweat all over her body. She looked around her surroundings and to her relief she was in her bedroom. Hermione turned her attention to the person that had shaken her awake and found herself gazing in the caring and scared eyes of Harry.
"Thank god you're awake," he said, giving a weak smile. "Ron's checking on Nora. We both thought you two were being murdered in your beds with all that screaming."
"I-I had a nightmare," Hermione whispered, still in unbelievable shock.
"I thought so," Harry replied, pulling Hermione into a hug.
"Wait. Why is Ron checking on Nora?" She asked.
"You two woke up screaming at the same time so Ron and I split up," he replied.
"Oh... Nora was in my nightmare… is it possible we both dreamt the same thing?"
"Not sure. Could be, but I doubt it. We'll have to ask her what her nightmare was about first, before we jump to conclusions," Harry said. He let go of Hermione and got up. "If you get dressed we'll ask her on the way to breakfast. Training starts in about half an hour." Harry walked out of the room, leaving Hermione behind to change. He and Ron were already dressed and had been on the way to breakfast when the two girls woke up.
Ten minutes later Hermione walked out of her room fully dressed and nervously wringing her hands. She quickly walked over to Harry, still frightened over the dream.
"Do we ask her now or at breakfast?" she questioned.
"I was thinking now, because at breakfast the others will be there, too," Harry replied.
"Where is she?"
"Ron's still comforting her."
"But Ron's not very good at that… It'll take all day for him to make her feel better," Hermione said, folding her arms.
"I'll bet he's doing a fine job, besides, it's better that we stay outside and wait. Too many people will just frustrate her," Harry told her. Hermione shrugged and leaned against the wall beside Harry. She observed him as he gazed anxiously at Nora's door. It had been a long time since Hermione had been alone with him and she realized how much she had missed her friends during the trip. Out of the blue Hermione turned to Harry and gave him a friendly hug, nearly crushing his ribs. When she let go of him again Harry's eyebrows nearly disappeared under his untidy hair in confusion.
"What was that for?" He asked. Hermione blushed a little.
"I missed you," she replied. Harry gave a smile and shook his head a little.
"I thought you were trying to kill me," he said. Hermione chuckled, still blushing. "Which reminds me…" Harry went on. Hermione looked at him and could see he was thinking hard. "I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"For being such a prat yesterday," he answered, looking at the ugly dark red carpeting on the floor. He was vaguely wondering if the color was dried up blood when Hermione spoke again.
"It's all right. I kind of understand. Besides, it's not like you and Ron haven't acted that way before. It's really sweet, actually, but you've got to learn to control your over protectiveness at times," she said. Harry looked at her and gave a small smile. Just then the door across from them opened and Ron walked out, quietly closing it behind him. He turned around and gave a small jerk with his head out of shock.
"You're not scared of us, are you?" Harry asked. Ron scowled at him.
"No, I just didn't think you were standing there, waiting," he replied.
"Isn't Nora coming?" Hermione asked worriedly.
"She is, she's just getting dressed," Ron answered.
"Oh, right," Hermione said, feeling a little flustered. Another door opened and out walked Draco, his hair messy and an expression on his face that they had never seen on him before. Draco said nothing; he just turned and walked towards the large staircase, on his way to breakfast. The three friends stood in the hall in awkward silence. Harry and Ron felt a little guilty. Hermione felt sorry for Nora and Draco. The door across them opened again and out walked Nora in shorts and a t-shirt looking dreadful. Her hair was a complete disaster, her whole face was tearstained, her eyes weren't shining like they always did and her expression was full of anguish and misery. Hermione even had to blink before she could verify that it really was her best friend. But after that she immediately walked forward and pulled her into a friendly and soothing hug. Nora gave a sob in response.
"Need some help with your hair?" Hermione asked softly. Nora nodded and gave another sob. If she wasn't in any state to control her hair, then how was she supposed to keep on living? She gave another few sobs, not caring about Harry and Ron seeing. She was still mad at them for their over protectiveness and thought it wouldn't hurt for them to see what they'd done to her. She knew it wasn't entirely their fault, though… oh all right, it wasn't their fault at all but she needed to blame this massive disaster on someone, besides herself. Hermione muttered a spell and Nora's hair started to untangle itself and fall neatly down her back.
"I heard you had a nightmare," Hermione said calmly, still hugging Nora, who gave another sob.
"I did," she replied, sniffing a couple of times, as her nose was completely clogged.
"I did, too."
"Really?" Nora sniffed again.
"Yes. What was your nightmare about?" Hermione questioned casually. Harry and Ron just watched, not daring to disturb the two.
"It was the same one as I had in Australia, with the Nundu, but this time you were in it," Nora gave some more sniffs and a few sobs, while pointing childishly at Hermione.
"Really?" Hermione asked, wondering what this meant.
"Uh-huh."
"I had the same nightmare. You were in mine."
"Really? What does that mean?"
"I don't know, but I think we ought to tell Dumbledore," Hermione said. Nora gave a nod and another sniffle. "Let's have some breakfast, shall we?" Hermione announced, speaking up a bit so that she was sure Harry and Ron could hear, too. Nora nodded and they were about to walk towards the stairs when she held Hermione back. Harry and Ron stopped, too, wondering what was wrong.
"I can't go like this," Nora exclaimed desperately. Even though she was wretched, it didn't mean she wanted others to see.
"I'll fix it," Hermione muttered another spell and Nora's face cleared up, the tearstains vanishing from sight.
"Thanks," Nora whispered. She gave one more sniffle, rubbed her face with her hands and then the four headed down for breakfast.
"We both had the same nightmare," Hermione announced to Harry and Ron when they started descending the grand staircase.
"Really? The exact same nightmare?" Ron asked her. She nodded.
"Yes. The exact same nightmare, and Nora's had it before, too."
"What? When?" Harry asked shocked.
"In Australia, but that was a while ago, somewhere in January," Nora replied, her voice rough. She cleared her throat and went on. "It was the exact same nightmare, except this time Hermione was in it, too. First it was just me all alone."
"Wonder what this means," Ron thought out loud as they entered the entrance hall.
"Dunno," Harry replied. "But we've got to tell Dumbledore about this; maybe he can figure it out," He was actually asking a bit, needing to see if Nora and Hermione would allow him to bring it up during breakfast. To his relief the two girls nodded and they entered the dining room. Dumbledore and Draco were already seated, sitting in the same chairs as last evening.
"Good Morning," Dumbledore said happily. "I see you've made it here all right. Have a seat." The four students sat in the same seats as last evening, too. Like all the other times, Draco tried to catch Nora's attention, but she just ignored him, hating his guts. Their headmaster smiled at them all, eyes twinkling as usual. "I hope you've all had a good night's rest," he said, as food appeared on the table. Dumbledore piled his plate full, as did the others, waiting for a reply. "Well?" Harry, Nora, Hermione and Ron glanced at each other.
"Well, you see, sir, Ron and I did, but they had a bit of a troubled sleep," Harry replied, gesturing at Nora and Hermione, not knowing how to formulate this.
"How come?" Dumbledore asked, watching the two girls. Draco was listening intently, hoping Nora was all right.
"Well, it seems there's this nightmare that has come up before," Harry went on.
"What kind of nightmare?" Dumbledore questioned, his face serious. Hermione decided to answer.
"Well, we were both running through a dark gloomy maze, Voldemort in the sky, laughing, saying there's a beast in the maze with us that'll be our doom. We try to run and find the exit, but there isn't any. So we just run around, delaying our death, and then we bump into each other and try to escape the beast together but we fall and get devoured by two Nundus," she explained rapidly. Dumbledore was in deep thought and Harry, Ron and Draco watched the two girls with shock, horrified about the nightmare.
"No wonder they screamed so loud." Ron muttered to Harry, who nodded in reply, unable to speak; they hadn't heard the whole story of the nightmare before. To them it was a big shock that nightmares could be so horrifying, though Harry had had his share of them. Draco watched Nora intently. He could remember when she had had that nightmare the first time. He and Justin had been talking…
---- Flashback ----
Draco walked out of his room, hair ruffled, his head in completely disarray. His mind just wouldn't stop flashing those images of him and Nora kissing. He walked into the bathroom, splashed some could water on his face and hoped all his troubles would just go away, but alas, no such luck. Draco groaned and then went back into his room to change, thinking 'This sucks.'
When he walked back into the living room Justin was sitting on the sofa with a bowl of cereal. Draco sat down next to him, more images of him and Nora running through his mind.
"Hey," Justin said with his mouthful. "Want some?" He asked, pushing his cereal bowl under Draco's nose. Draco shook his head.
"No thanks," he replied.
"You sure? It's very good," Justin told him, taking another bite of the cereal. Draco shook his head again.
"I'm fine," he said. Justin eyed him for a few seconds but then went on eating. Draco sighed. Justin ignored it. Draco sighed again. Still Justin went on with his breakfast. Draco sighed a third time.
"All right, what's wrong?" Justin asked, putting his cereal down. Draco looked at him with a look on his face that said: what-are-you-talking-about? "Oh please, the sighing, the confused looks. It doesn't take a genius to notice you're stuck on something."
"Fine," Draco said. He was about to go on when Padma exited her bedroom.
"Hey guys," she said cheerfully.
"Hey," Justin and Draco replied. The three spent the next few minutes in silence until Padma spoke again.
"What's wrong?" She asked, suspicious of the awkward stillness.
"Nothing. Guy stuff," Justin replied simply, shrugging.
"Oh. All right then," Padma said and she walked into the bathroom to take a shower.
"So, what's wrong?" Justin asked again. Draco gave another sigh.
"I kissed her," he said quietly. Justin's eyes widened.
"HER?" He asked, pointing to the bathroom where water was now running.
"No! Not her! Her!" Draco replied, pointing to the girls' bedroom where the door was open.
"Ooooh." Justin calmed down a bit. "Oh. Why?"
"Because I love her."
"Then what's the problem?"
"She doesn't love me! I mean, things were fine when we were just friends, but my heart wants more. I don't know what to do," Draco said, putting his head in his hands. Justin put a hand on his shoulder.
"Do you really want more?" He asked. Draco nodded.
"Yes."
"Just tell her, then." Draco hesitated.
"I-I can't. I really want to, but I can't," he replied, a lump in his throat.
"Why not?" Justin asked. Draco looked at him as if he was insane.
"Oh please. You know what I've done to her the last few years, to you too," he answered. Padma exited the bathroom and walked into her bedroom.
"Just tell Nora you love her, I know she'd at least consider what you said, Draco," Justin told him. Just then a high-pitched scream rang loud and clear through the room. The two boys jumped up and ran into the girls' bedroom where Padma was sitting beside Nora's bed, hugging the trembling girl. Draco put a hand over his chest, hoping she was all right.
---- End ----
Draco would never forget the way he had felt back then. All those horrible thoughts that had entered his mind of what had happened. Hoping she'd be ok.
"Well, we should certainly look that up," Dumbledore said as he got up. "Now that breakfast is over, I'll lead you to the training room." He walked out of the dining room and the five students followed in silence. The old man led them through millions of corridors and up and down tons of staircases. Even though they took a few shortcuts it still took a long time before they finally reached a wall that held a large door with the Hogwarts crest. Dumbledore opened the door and walked inside, the students following him.
They found themselves in a gigantic room with a large red rug in the middle. The floor was made out of wood and the walls were just gray bricks. One side of the walls contained a few windows; the rest had torches on them.
"This is where we will train everyday. Our first session will be simple. Each one of you will get acquainted with the Amulet; for during battle it only helps people it has acquainted with before. Each one of you will touch the Amulet, while Hermione is still wearing it, and when the process is completed your color will light up the room. I do not know if there will be any side effects or if this procedure affects the carrier. We'll see. Any questions?" Dumbledore asked. Hermione raised her hand. "Yes, Hermione?"
"What did you mean when you said: 'When the process is completed your color will light up the room'?" She asked.
"Very good question. Everyone has their own personal color and it lights up when something very powerful happens to you," Dumbledore explained. "Any other questions? Hermione?"
"Yes. What did you mean when you said: 'I do not know if this procedure effects the carrier'? Who's the carrier?" Hermione asked.
"You are."
"Oh. Right."
"No more questions? Good. Harry, you will be the first to try this out. All you do is walk over to Hermione and hold the Amulet in your hands." Harry gulped before walking forward. He stood in front of Hermione and slowly grabbed the Amulet with his right hand. He was afraid some pain might be involved, but instead a warm comforting feeling spread through his veins. After nearly five minutes of the soothing feeling the room was filled with a bright red light, coming from Harry.
"Ah. Red," Dumbledore whispered. "The color of Gryffindor." Everyone watched Harry with astonishment and they looked as if expecting him to turn into Godric Gryffindor at any second. Harry let go of the Amulet and stepped aside. The wonderful red light vanished.
Hermione's heart was beating fast as Harry walked forward to take the Amulet in his hands. She was truly hoping this wouldn't hurt. Harry took the Amulet in his hands and at first Hermione felt nothing. 'Good.' She thought, but then… she began to feel something… a feeling though she couldn't quiet place… it didn't belong in her. Soon another emotion entered her and it didn't belong in her, either. In three minutes Hermione had it all figured out: these were Harry's feelings. While he was getting acquainted his feelings and thoughts were being put into her. It was quite bizarre. A red light flashed and Hermione could hear Dumbledore mutter: "Ah. Red. The color of Gryffindor." Everyone stared at Harry, flabbergasted, but she had known all along.
"Ron, you're turn." Ron took a deep breath and then took his place in front of Hermione. She gave an encouraging smile and he took hold of the Amulet. He, too, could feel the calming warmth flow through him. fifteen minutes later an orange light was coming from Ron. No one found this too astonishing.
"Orange. Who couldn't have guessed?" Dumbledore said, chuckling. "Draco, your turn." Ron stood beside Harry while Draco took his place in front of Hermione. He held the Amulet in his right hand and felt the warm soothing feeling. About half an hour later Draco's color turned the room into green.
"Ah. Green," Dumbledore whispered. "The color of Slytherin." Nora looked up and saw that there was indeed a green light coming from him. This meant that Draco was a descendant of Slytherin and it made her even more determined to keep him out of her life. Slytherin's were never nice. He had probably been faking his niceness all along. She was just another victim in his scheme. "Nora. You may go." Nora walked to Hermione, who gave her a reassuring smile. Nora, too, felt the calm comforting feeling rush through her and fifteen minutes later the room was filled with a beautiful cerulean light.
Every time when one of her friends took her Amulet in their hands Hermione could feel their thoughts and emotions being transferred into herself. She knew all of their deepest thoughts and most sincere feelings. With Harry, for example, she felt his need to prove himself to the world, to show everyone his courage. With Ron she felt his need to become someone great so that he could be special like his brothers. She knew about Draco's need to show the world his good side and she could feel his undying love and devotion for Nora burst through her veins. She also knew about Nora's love and returned affection for Draco, along with pure hatred, and sorrow for Dean's death. Dumbledore's voice snapped her back to reality.
"Now that we have all been acquainted… yes, Harry?" Dumbledore asked.
"Doesn't Hermione have to 'acquaint' with it, too?" Harry asked.
"No, Hermione has probably gone through the process when she first touched the Amulet, isn't that right?" Dumbledore asked Hermione. She nodded.
"Yes."
"Really? When?" Ron asked.
"That was in the changing room, when I tried on my Halloween costume. I was all dressed up and picked up the Amulet to try it on. It had been in my hand for about one second when I felt completely warm and calm. I just stood there; loving the feeling it gave me. Then about five minutes later I lit up and my changing room was filled with a beautiful violet light. I just thought it was some special effect," Hermione told them, shrugging.
"Fascinating," Dumbledore said, though the others couldn't really think of something interesting about that; it had just happened to them. "All right. Now the next part of today's training is to explore the castle again, but stay together. It will teach you how to cooperate in a group. Off you go," he finished. The five students walked out of the room and stood still, looking every which way, wondering where to go.
"Where to?" Ron asked. The others shrugged.
"Straight ahead?" Harry offered.
"All right," Ron replied shrugging and the two started walking into the corridor in front of them. Nora, Hermione and Draco followed in silence.
"Did you ever know Nora had had that nightmare before?" Ron whispered to Harry as they turned a corner. Harry shook his head.
"Nope," He answered. "Never had a clue. You?"
"Me neither. Let's try that door," Ron said excitedly , pointing to a large oak door in front of them.
"All right," Harry replied. Ron slowly opened the door and walked inside. Harry followed. The two walked around and turned their heads every which way to look around.
"It seems to be some kind of torture room," Ron whispered, gazing at a bloody guillotine. Harry nodded, keeping his eye on a skeleton chained to the wall.
"Let's get out of here, before some creep comes in and uses some of those devices on us," he whispered back. Ron nodded and they quickly ran out of the room and back into the corridor where Nora, Hermione and Draco where waiting for them in silence.
"Well?" Hermione asked.
"Torture room," Ron replied.
"Let's go," Hermione said at once, and she hastily walked off into another corridor. This one seemed a bit larger than the one before so they were probably on the right track.
"Left?" Ron asked, peering into a corridor. Harry peeked in, too.
"Definitely not. There's hardly any light," he replied. The five kept peeking into every corridor or hall they saw, hoping to find a way to the more secure part of the castle.
"Look, stairs," Nora said after a while of wandering around, pointing ahead. Harry squinted.
"Yes. At last," he muttered.
"Finally, a way out of this dark level," said Ron. Hermione nodded. When they reached the stairs, though, their hopes sank. They had expected a staircase that went downwards, not only upwards. Past the stairs was some sort of balcony with a large, flat, wooden bridge leading from it that went across a large area of blackness.
"Where does it lead?" Hermione asked softly.
"I don't know. Maybe to another part of the castle?" Harry replied hopefully.
"How far up are we anyway?" Ron wondered while leaning over the edge of the balcony they were standing on.
"I don't know. I thought we were on the second floor or something, but this seems to be about a million stories high," Harry told him.
"Should we risk it?" Hermione asked, looking at the others.
"We don't really have a choice, do we?" Harry responded.
"I suppose not," Hermione said. She looked over the edge, not being able to see anything beside darkness. "Is it safe?"
"Of course not," Ron replied stupidly. "That wood's probably all rotten and moldy, just waiting to brake as soon as someone steps on it." Harry smacked him hard on the arm.
"Shut up. You're scaring her," He whispered angrily.
"Oh. Right," Ron whispered back. He went on in a loud, fake, confident voice. "Of course it's safe, Hermione. That staircase has probably just been made out of really sturdy wood and could carry an elephant." Harry covered his face with his hand and shook his head. How Ron had gotten seven OWL's was beyond him.
"Who goes first?" Harry asked. Nora and Hermione took a step back and Ron stared at his shoes, holding his breath.
"I'll go," Draco said and he walked forward without hesitating. He carefully put one foot on the moldy wood, testing to see if it was sturdy. Then he put his other foot on the wood, too. Draco jumped a little and when nothing happened he slowly headed forwards over the blackness. Harry took a deep breath and then got on the flat bridge, too. He took a few steps as Draco walked further.
Ron was about to get on the wood, too, when an awful stench reached his nose. He turned around and saw Hermione and Nora do the same thing. Standing in the doorway was a troll, looking stupidly around him. The two girls let out a high-pitched scream and Ron gave a yell. Suddenly they were all very eager to get on the weak bridge and Ron quickly walked across it, Hermione and Nora right behind him. When they reached Harry, he turned around, a bit confused.
"What are you doing here? I don't think this wood's sturdy enough to hold all of us at one time," he told his friends. They started talking all at once, pointing to where the troll had been. Draco walked back over, looking irritated.
"We'd better get a move on or this thing will snap," he said.
"They say there was a troll behind them," Harry told him.
"A troll? Where?" Asked Draco seriously. Hermione, Ron and Nora pointed to the end of bridge. Harry and Draco squinted their eyes to get a better look.
"I think I see it," said Harry. "We've really walked a long way, haven't we? I can hardly see the side of the castle we came from."
"Yeah, me neither. Though I can't see the other side either," Ron announced. The others looked to the other side.
"Come to think of it, neither can I," Hermione said quietly, panic in her voice.
"Me neither," muttered Nora.
"Me neither," said Harry and Draco. All of a sudden the bridge shook immensely. Only once. They were all shaken around and then it stopped as suddenly as it had come. The five students looked at each other in worry.
"Earthquake?" Ron asked in a rather hopeful whisper. Hermione whimpered and shook her head, her eyes wide with fright.
"That was no earthquake," she whispered back. "That was a…" A loud rumble and another massive shake interrupted her.
"Troll?" suggested Nora, terror apparent in her voice. Hermione slowly nodded.
"Definitely," she replied. Another rumble erupted and the bridge shook again.
"He's on this bridge, isn't he?" asked Draco. Hermione nodded again, letting out another whimper.
"Well then what are we waiting for?" Harry inquired. "RUN!" He yelled. No one needed him to tell them twice. Everyone began running for the other side of the castle that was still out of their sight. Harry, who was in front, stopped at a sudden creaking sound. The others ran into him.
"Why'd you stop?" Came Ron's muffled yell from underneath his friends, who were all lying on top of him, except Harry, who put his finger to his lip.
"Shhh. Listen," he whispered. After about a minute of listening Ron spoke up again.
"Listen to what? I can't hear a bloody thing," he muttered, irritated that no one had gotten off him yet. Harry just put his finger to his lips. Another awful creaking sound came.
"That," he said.
"So?" Ron asked, pushing his friends off him. Another crack was heard.
"Ron," Harry said seriously, "this bridge is falling apart, and who knows what's beneath all that darkness there." He looked down. Ron gulped.
"Oh." Harry nodded.
"What do we do now?" questioned Hermione.
"I suggest we all grab a good hold of this bridge until we find some other plan," Harry replied.
"Why grab hold of the bridge?" asked Ron.
"Well, I've noticed that every few meters this bridge has some invisible cables holding it up. What I'm hoping is that, if this bridge has to break at all, it breaks in half at the point we're standing. If you hold on to it, then you're safe from falling into that darkness because those invisible strings will still be holding it up. But I'm afraid the bridge is just going to break into a million pieces and that we won't have a chance," Harry explained, worry in his eyes and voice.
"I see," Ron said, though the others knew he hadn't understood a single word. More cracking and creaking sounds erupted.
"Look, just grab on to the wood," Harry told them. The others obeyed at once and sat down on the bridge and grabbed hold of something sturdy. They sat in fear; all hoping Dumbledore would come and save them. Not a minute later after sitting down the bridge gave an awful groan and they heard a snap. Before they could even realize what was coming the students felt themselves fall downwards. The five gripped their piece of wood tighter and felt a jerk as they were stopped from falling into the darkness by the bridge.
"IS EVERYONE ALL RIGHT?" Harry yelled.
"Yes!" Came everyone's reply.
"Ok, good!" He shouted back, glad his plan had worked. He looked around and saw that Ron was on his half of the broken bridge and that Nora, Hermione and Draco were on the other side. Harry wished he had his broom with him or that he wasn't here at all, that he was on the Quidditch pitch. He knew Ron was wishing he were in the kitchens eating, rather than hanging on to a little piece of crappy wood that would probably break at any second. Hermione wished she were in a library where she was safe from all these dangers and it was obvious that Nora and Draco wished they had never left there beds and wanted to be left alone for longer than just a few seconds.
Tears ran down Nora's cheeks. Life seemed hopeless. Just than she heard a small 'snap' and saw the silver necklace Dean had given her for Christmas slide off her neck and fall into the darkness. She made a lunge to grab it, but to no avail. More tears poured from her eyes as her mind screamed 'DEAN!'. She felt like she was losing him all over again. That necklace had been the one thing she had left of him and she loved it with all her heart. Nora had never taken the necklace with the gold heart and little diamond in the middle off, ever. She wore it when she slept, when she showered, all the time. As she watched the necklace fall into the darkness she could clearly read the words engraved on the back of the small golden heart: I (heart) You.
Hermione, who was hanging just above Nora, had seen it all happen and she felt awful for her friend. As she tried to get a better grip on the wood her sweaty hands slipped and she felt herself fall again. She gave a shriek.
"HERMIONE!" Nora yelled as she saw her best friend fall past her. Harry, Ron and Draco looked up to see Hermione fall. With his quick reactions learned from being Seeker, Draco reached out and grabbed Hermione's wrist but she was to heavy for him to hold with one hand and he was torn away from the bridge. Nora was about to scream out: "DRACO!" but she stopped herself and could only watch as two of the most important people in her life fell into the same darkness as her most loved possession had.
"NORA?" Harry shouted. Nora looked up.
"What?" she asked, a bit softly.
"No, just checking you were still there," came his reply. Nora gave a weak smile; she still had two friends who cared for her.
"I'm fine," she said. It was only a bit louder than she normally spoke, but Harry and Ron still heard.
"Glad to hear that," Ron replied. Nora gave another weak smile. Just then more bone chilling creaks were heard.
"Right, so be prepared to fall!" Harry shouted right before the bridge failed and they all fell into the darkness behind Hermione and Draco.
Nora could hear the air rush past her as she fell deeper into the darkness. She prepared herself for the hard landing that would be her death, but when she landed it was a soft one and she even bounced up again. She slowly opened her eyes, afraid of what she might see, but slowly things came into view… things that were in her bedroom. Nora opened her eyes fully and found that she was in fact in her bedroom, lying on her bed, beside… Dean's necklace. She picked it up and held it to her heart.
"Thank God," she whispered.
Harry closed his eyes, waiting for the impact with the hard ground, but it never came. Instead he found himself on his broom, flying around in the Quidditch pitch.
"What the…?" he whispered, looking around. He tried to see anything out of the ordinary, only to conclude that he was really on his broom. "Creepy," he muttered.
Ron shielded his face with his arms, not wanting to fall to his death. He had even tried flapping his arms, hoping he could fly back up, but that hadn't worked. He waited for the painful impact with the ground but when it came, it didn't really happen like he had expected. First of all: he was still alive. Second of all: he wasn't really feeling any pain and Third of all: It was comfortably warm and he heard concerned voices all around him.
"Harry? Hermione? Nora?" he asked. No one replied. "Draco?" He tried carefully.
"Sir? Is you all right? Is sir hurt?" A squeaky voice asked. Ron felt something tugging at his shirt and he looked up to find a house elf standing in front of him.
"Where am I?" He asked.
"Sir is in the kitchen, sir," The house elf replied. "How may Tabby be helping you, sir?" The elf asked. It was dressed in a clean and white pillowcase and even had little shoes. Apparently the house elves had allowed Dumbledore to give them footwear, though they had refused any other clothes.
"Erm…" Ron said while looking around. He saw that he was indeed in the kitchens where about a dozen house elves were running around. Either he was in heaven or he wasn't dead. "You could get me some food," he replied, grinning to himself. Tabby snapped his fingers and immediately a bunch of house elves ran up, carrying trays of food.
Hermione felt her hands slip away from the wood. She struggled hard to get a better grip but she was already falling. She heard her name being called out by Nora and looked at her best friend helplessly. Suddenly Hermione felt a hand grip her wrist and as she tried to see who had saved her she found herself gazing in Draco's shockingly beautiful blue/gray eyes. Now was the first time she had not seen the coldness that had filled his eyes for the past years. Now she understood what Nora had kept blabbing on about whenever they had discussed Draco in Hogwarts.
Hermione felt herself being jerked back up a little when Draco stopped her from falling even further but she could see in Draco's eyes that the both of them wouldn't make it. She saw his hand slip and then felt herself fall again. Hermione closed her eyes tightly, waiting for herself to hit the ground but when she landed it was on something soft. Carefully opening her eyes she found herself sitting on a bunch of pillows, surrounded by thousands of bookshelves.
Draco lunged out to grab Hermione. He knew he'd be sorry if he didn't at least try to save her. He felt his hands close around her wrist and felt a jerk. He looked at his other hand and then at Hermione. He shook his head slightly. Then his hand slipped and the two of them fell into the blackness. Draco just let himself fall. He didn't close his eyes, shield his face or do anything else. He just let himself fall. When he entered the dark substance it was too dark for him to see anything and he almost knew for sure that this was no ordinary blackness… it had to be magical. When he landed, it was on something soft. Draco looked around and found himself in his bedroom, lying on his soft bed. He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep instantly.
A/N: Good? I spent a pretty long time writing this. I hope it was a bit interesting. The song in the beginning was: Foo Fighters – Best of You. Thanks to all my reviewers! I appreciate it.
Kat – I put house elves being able to have shoes in there on purpose to show that these house elves weren't being mistreated. I cleared it out a bit in the chapter. Thanks for reading and reviewing my story. )