Hullo,
It is I, the Earl of Immensely Depressedylvania. Now, I have to say, I was most despondent about the recent review I've gotten. So much infact, that I took a sort of hiatus to get over the assault of the bad review. What with worrying over my test in Anatomy, refurnishing the run-down bathroom in my house, screwing up in Psych so I now remember horrible memories I originally blocked out and having massive blowouts with my ex-best friend and girlfriend...It wasn't a good weekend for me. So, in regards to the review, I'll try to be as rational as I can be while discussing the issues at hand, without taking out most of my anger on the reviewer. Though I AM decidedly angry at this point still. Anyways. Moving on.
hessian: Weren't expecting Malfoy to get attacked, huh? I thought that scenerio is at the back of every good Harry Potter fan's mind...Must just be me ..
eeediot101: I know huh! BAD gryffindors! Bad bad!
skittles-07: Why do I worry you? ::lip twitches:: Denial Land is quite lovely in the spring as a matter of fact. Onto the nitty gritty...I worked on Jimmy playing a lesser role in the last chapter, but hey, no ones perfect, least of all me. And I didn't play out Jimmy and Skye's relationship. They JUST got together, of course its gonna be all rainbows and butterflies, haven't you ever been in love? As for Harry not understanding, I THOUGHT I explained his views on the issue pretty clearly. He doesn't approve because he knows its too dangerous. Skye is way too into Voldy's territory for it to be ANY kind of good for Jimmy. He's worried for his brother's safety, so I don't think he's being childish. Harry's incredibly protective of his friends and family, they're his WORLD. Might I bring up a certain task in a Triwizard Tournament. Ok, Harry's love life...Now, seriously...Obviously you've never lost a lover. But I have, so I know how this works. Harry just lost Cienna and Hermione simultaneously, there's no WAY he's going to let that happen again. And in order for him to never lose again, he's not going to gain. Its called a defense mechanism, all people who've lost loved ones go through it. Falling in love again is the farthest thing from Harry's mind right now. Now, the issue about the eyes. No, they weren't always red, but there's a reason behind the fact that SKYE has red eyes. Its not like I pulled it out of my ass now. But if you can't be patient enough to read about it in the upcoming chapter, then here's a hint : Why are Tom Riddle's eyes red to begin with?
Did that sound a bit too snappy? Sorry...my bad mood's leaking out...::retracts the claws::
HoofsTails Gal: You have no idea how much I love you. I really do. Hearing praise and humour amidst so much analytical criticism is nice. ::gives you a big fat cookie::
Onto the bloody Harry Potter Essay. heh.
Bob33: The big tamale and the reason for my turmoil. Senor Bob. Yanno, my former best friend's name was Bobby...Prolly why I disliked this review so much. ANYWAYS. I'm glad you liked my first story, but I honestly don't see why you don't like this one as well. Harry WAS out of character, YES, I know that. But it was on purpose. He's a teenager who just lost people EXTREMELY close to him, naturally he's gonna be off-balanced, teetering on cyncism and indifference. He's gone back to who he used to be because he got Jimmy. In Harry's mind, Jimmy was just karma's way of giving Harry a break (lose 2, gain 1). So, Harry relaxed a bit. But he ws NEVER a player, I don't know where you got that from. I NEVER wrote Harry as anything even close to a player. He's always been shy and reserved. Its the GIRLS who brought Harry out of his shell. As for JIMMY being a player, I think not. He's a FLIRT, yes, but not a player. I think all of you are completely forgetting Jimmy's origins here. He's from America, grew up in Miami, and has ALWAYS had and done whatever he wanted. Jimmy Potter is EXACTLY like his father (I didn't name him Jimmy for the hell of it yanno). So, if it seems like Jimmy's overshadowing Harry, thats cause he IS. Jimmy is incredibly flamboyant, so naturally he'd outshine modest Harry. Now...I didn't build Jimmy's character? Its already there, you just have to stop disliking him because he's the twin, and actually READ into him. He's an arrogant, mischevious, intelligent little bastard who possesses a room whenever he walks into it. As for him outshing EVERYONE, well, YEAH. He was taking advanced courses in Dunlap, of course he'd beat the pants out of everyone else in classes beneath his level.
::takes a deep breath::
NOW! Harry's rage towards Voldemort. It hasn't just gone away, its always been there. His rage drove him to devote himself to the Order in the beginning of the story.His rage drove him to close off everything and tear himself apart when no one was looking. But always traveling and mainly being on his own, Harry was ok with that. And its not like he was on a pleasure cruise while he was traveling with the Order. I assumed the reader would be able to sum up from the fact that he's traveling with AURORS and the ORDER OF THE PHOENIX, that it'd automatically include training. Its not like they, or he himself for that matter, would let him loaf around the whole time...Anyways.Soon as he got back to Hogwarts, it changed, cause he got Ron back. Harry walked back into his life, the way he left it before Cienna died, and he got a fresh perspective on things. You couldn't very well expect me to make him this moping pile of depression. Enough fics are done on that kinda Harry. I wanted mine to be more believable. Because no one on the face of this earth consumes himself 24/7 with his misery. NO ONE. Eventually, you're gonna forget, and have a few moments of enjoyment. But trust me, Harry's FAR from normal. He does change back, yes, just because he's reminded of what he's lost. But then everyone does that. As for Hermione...Ok, have you even READ the chapters? Hermione pops up a few times. Quick references, silent reveries, that sort of thing. Harry hasn't forgotten her, far from it. But if I didn't insert her enough, I'm sorry. I was angry at a friend who plays Hermione in a RPG and she needed to be punished. Stupid reason, I know, but oh well.Ok, I think that covers everything.
I apologize if I sounded rather harsh. I've just worked VERY VERY hard on this story and it insults me deeply to hear someone rip apart its integrity when its not even finished yet. There's a reason for everything I do. I neither forget nor overlook anything I've written in previous chapters. I AM a professional writer for a reason yanno.
Ok, now that I'm properly agitated. Onto the bleeding chapter.
Harry yanked upwards, his hands clutched stiffly among a mat of black hair. His body gave a lurch as the Thresal between his thighs landed with a muffled thud. Looking behind him, he watched as four other ghostly horses descended from the foggy sky. He gave himself a few moments to take in how intimidating the scene looked: Five eerily black horses with blank eyes, riders perched atop, rigid and cloaked in black. He only hoped the confidence at their dramatic entrance from the mist lasted long enough for them to find what they came for.
Certain that they all had arrived more or less in one piece, Harry dismounted his horse. A grimace shivered through his skin as an awful squelching sound came as his feet contacted with the ground. Only too late did he react, and sunk about four inches into the earth.
"UH! Yuck!" Ron exclaimed somewhere behind him. So much for intimidation.
"Bleeding hell, Potter! Couldn't you land us on something solid?" Draco hissed as he struggled to release his feet from the deep muck.
Neville shuttered," Ohhhhh, its going in my shoes!"
Harry fought against the suction, slowly making his way towards what looked like solid dirt. Sure enough, his drenched sneakers touched dry earth and he looked down to see the damage. He was covered in a combination of mud, slime and some other element he didn't care to figure out. Glancing up, he observed the others gradually following in his wake, emerging with grim and disgusted faces. Harry bit his tongue as he saw Jimmy carrying Skye towards them all, her feet perfectly clean. Harry didn't know how long it would take, or even if he could, to get used to seeing his only living relative draped with Voldemort hellspawn. You would think they'd cool it in the light of their mission...or common respect for HIM.
"A whole bloody country, and you pick a fecking BOG to land us in, "Draco continued to grumble, trying to dislodge several leaves from his shoes.
"Shut up already, we need to get going," Skye snapped at him, pulling out her wand.
"Easy for you to say, you're all CLEAN," The ruffled blonde shot back.
"Well, I'm sorry. Maybe next time you can ask Harry to carry you," Skye cooed sweetly.
Ron sniggered as Harry held up his hand to silence whatever retort Draco had on his lips, though he had a few of his own as well," Enough. Lets go."
The group trudged away from the bog and emerged in a clearing.
"So, which way?" Harry asked, turning to Skye.
The raven-haired girl closed her eyes and stretched out her slender arm. Jimmy held back a grimace as crimson started to creep to the surface of Skye's porcelain skin, slowly forming the Dark Mark. Her face contorted in pain as she continued to conjure the mark, forcing it to do exactly what it was meant to do : Lead Death-Eaters to their Lord. She gave an almost inaudible whimper as it seared through her flesh. With a loud exhale she popped open her eyes and jerked her chin to the right," North. Just short of twenty miles."
"Why can't you just TELL us? Why summon up the Mark?" Draco inquired crossing his arms, trying to hide how uneasy he was at the presence of the Dark Lord's symbol.
"I've never actually gone on my own...He's always summoned me, so, I never had to know EXACTLY where he was. He always led me, "She answered, quickly pushing her sleeve down over the throbbing patch of red.
"And you always went, like Daddy's good little girl," Harry couldn't help but mumble. He regretted it of course. Jimmy rarely scowled, but when he did, it was like the Death Curse shot through the eyes. Harry received one of these scowls, but braved it like any Gryffindor worth his mane would.
"C'mon, lets go before they know we're here," Jimmy said through gritted teeth. He grabbed onto Skye's hand and waited as Draco latched onto the girl's free hand.
"See you there," Draco muttered, and in an instant, they were gone.
Harry sighed as thoughts of the Slytherin version of the Golden Trio danced across his thoughts, and then linked elbows with Ron and Neville.
"You really shouldn't have said that, mate," Ron commented.
"Lets not talk about that now," Harry replied and with a pop, they disappeared..
Harry felt himself yanked down roughly, landing on his knees harder than he would've liked. He rounded on Jimmy who had pulled him and was about to retort when his brother slapped a hand over his mouth.
He pointed to the other side of the large shrubbery they were crouched behind and barely noticed the muffled speech he heard. Carefully, Harry bent over and peeked through an opening in the leaves, spotting two normal looking wizards leaning against a thin, jagged opening in the mountain side. Harry frowned.
"They may not look like much, but trust me, they're nasty," Skye whispered in his ear.
"Whats the plan?" Ron asked quietly, crouching down on his right.
"Quick attack, stun 'em before they get a chance to alert anyone," Harry muttered. All heads nodded in agreement. "Once we're inside, we'll break up into two groups. Skye, Neville, Ron and Draco will go and find Hermione and any other survivors while me and Jimmy find Voldemort."
A series of whispered protests met Harry's ears instantly.
"We're sticking by you, Harry-"
"I didn't come all this way not to-"
"Thats not fair!-"
Harry sighed heavily," I need a few people to go get the survivors. I want to know, if anything else, that Hermione gets out safe and sound... PLEASE."
"I'll do it, Harry," Ron stated confidently, though his skin betrayed his bravado. He was fully aware of the importance to Harry of getting Hermione back in one peace. It was almost as important to himself, if not more.
The six teenagers stood up, hunching over to make sure they were unseen. Harry held up his fingers, mouthing along as he ticked off from three on his fingers.
In a flash of light, the two Death-Eaters were frozen solid, lying with shocked looks on their faces on the muddy ground. One by one, the group scrambled through the slit in the rocks. Harry came in last, struggling as a corner of his cloak caught on a sharp edge.
"Be careful, my father wasn't dumb. He has this entire place rigged with spells and enchantments," Skye said in a hush.
Harry gave an almighty wrench and freed himself from the rock, instantaneously sending himself flying into the others. They all pitched forward, Skye in front. She threw her hands out to avoid a collision with the wall and tumbled right out of sight. Unable to stop the momentum from the others behind him, Jimmy quickly followed in suit. Neville grabbed onto Jimmy in a vain attempt to help him, but only toppled in after him. Ron tried to grab for them, but lost his balance on the one foot and disappeared through the rock. Draco gave a shout as he was yanked in as well, the edge of his cloak snagged onto Ron's belt. Harry flailed his arms out, trying to grab onto something, only to plunge in after the group.
He hurtled down a rough slide, hearing the others' screams echoing off the darkness. Soon, to his horror, he could only hear their echoes. His heart slammed into his chest as he free falled, then his bottom collided hard with packed earth. He blinked his eyes furiously, trying to get a hold on his surroundings and shrug off the pain. Shakily, he got to his feet and quickly ignited a light from the tip of his wand, only to find himself all alone.
/ / ------
Ron grunted as pain shot up his ankle. Suddenly, his body was thrown forward as something heavy slammed into his back. He spit out dirt as whatever it was groaned."Merlin...what did I hit?" Malfoy groaned, rolling over and slowly getting to his feet.
"Me," Ron growled.
"Weasel?"
"Who else would it be?"
"Where are you?"
"Here."
"Where?"
"Over- OUCH! That was my nose!"
"Sorry."
Malfoy grabbed hold of Ron's arm as he helped him up. Ron shuttered as his ankle instantly gave out.
"Crap!" He hissed, leaning into Malfoy's support.
"Sprained it on the way down," The blonde mumbled.
"What was that anyway?" Ron asked, blinking as Malfoy's wand lit.
The beam of light swiveled and landed on a smooth wall. It trailed up, finally getting to the ragged ceiling, a large dark hole carved out of the rock.
"Bloody 'ell! That's at least a thirty foot drop!" Ron exclaimed, gripping tighter onto the side of the Slytherin's robes.
"Lucky we weren't killed," Malfoy said quietly. He flicked his beam of vision downwards and examined the room they had landed in. All three directions ended in walls. With a sigh he grumbled," Well, North it is."
Ron shifted into the helping arm and limped alongside Malfoy as they walked slowly into the only direction they could.
/ / -----
"HONESTLY, Neville, you're worse than a chick."Neville scowled and scurried to catch up, his beam of light landing on the very dirty back of Jimmy Potter," What's that supposed to mean?"
Jimmy huffed, wiping dirt from his cheek," It means that you nag more than a wife. We're going this way cause its the only way we can go."
"But doesn't that seem, you know, SUSPICIOUS?" Neville inquired, throwing anxious glances all about them. Yes, he had a Potter with him, but still. He didn't like the look of this cave.
"Course its suspicious, but unless you can fly back out that hole, we have no choice," Jimmy replied.
Neville frowned, his plump hand clutching his wand tighter. He shouldn't be so worried. The group was split up, but they'd eventually find each other again. Harry and the others were more than capable of taking care of themselves. The nervous Gryffindor gave a soft sigh and followed in stride with Jimmy. They'd all be alright. They had to be. Until then, he'd try not to be such a bother to Jimmy Potter.
"So...Do you think the others broke off into two's like us?"
"I suppose its possible, if all that jerking and turning in that tunnel didn't break 'em up," Jimmy answered, his eyes alert and flicking back and forth for any trace of an alternate route.
"Jimmy?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you think we'll get out of here alive?" Neville looked up at the half-lite face. The boy was silent for a few minutes and Neville was almost going to apologize when he whispered.
"I hope so..."
"What happens if one or more of us...doesn't?"
"Then we don't...Its our job to get Harry as far as we possibly can, and if one or all of us has to die in order to do that, well...So be it. It was our fate," Jimmy said, his jaw set firmly through his words.
Neville could tell he meant it, though the boy's throat spasmed at the thought. Jimmy loved Harry, he knew that. Through all the arrogance and witty remarks, Jimmy was just as vulnerable as anyone else. And with the Skye thing...Neville had a feeling Jimmy would've called the whole thing off had Harry said so. A person couldn't ask for a more devoted twin than Jimmy was. He was willing to die for his brother's destiny...But what about his own life? Neville thought this wasn't the time nor place to start prodding into the personal life of one of his newest heroes. So, he simply walked alongside the silent boy, trying to take some of the Potter's bravery and nobility for himself, and amusing himself with the little characteristics of Jimmy's personality that his keen skills of observation picked out.
/ /-----
Skye stumbled in the darkness, shaking with fright and cold. It wasn't this cold before, was it? Bloody hell, why did she have to lose her cloak? Stupid tunnel. That was her best cloak too. The girl sighed then squeaked as her toe rammed into a protruding rock. She hopped around, her frustration peaking at the pain in her foot. How much worse could this get? Alone in her father's lair, what a wonderful idea. She could only hope she'd find her way either out or into one of the others. Her stomach cringed. Jimmy was probably alone as well...What if he got hurt? What if he was already hurt? Skye wouldn't be able to live with herself if something happened to him...Suddenly, the reality hit her like a ton of bricks. Jimmy could die tonight. As powerful and talented as he was, he could STILL fall victim to a surprise attack by any of the Death-Eaters, or worse, Voldemort himself. Skye trembled like mad at the thought of living without her Jimmy. The love of her life. Her light. The purpose that drove her onto becoming a better person. She could lose that...In a craze of terror, Skye dashed down the dark hallway. Tears were spilling down her face as she pushed herself faster. He can't die, he can't die, he can't die. Through the blur of her tears, she thought she could see a figure standing at the end of the hallway, waiting. Her heart leapt as she instantly recognized it.
"Jimmy!"
She ran faster, her lungs burning for oxygen. He was drawing nearer, closer. Almost there.
"Jimmy! Oh my god, you're ALIVE!"
Skye had intended to jump into his arms and smother his face with kisses when something told her to stop. A voice inside her head screeched for her to turn around and run for her life. But her body reacted all too late. Jimmy vanished and she was thrown into darkness, her terrified scream bouncing off the walls.
/ / ------
Draco came to an abrupt halt, his blood turning cold as his ears strained," Did you hear that?"Ron nodded vigorously, his hope that he had just heard things gone," What do you think it was?"
Draco continued on, hoisting Ron higher," A scream.."
Ron shifted his arm around Draco's neck, looking behind them as if they were next," Who's scream?"
"If you ask me, sounded like...a girl's."
Ron didn't have time to reply. Draco had suddenly stopped, almost upsetting him from the blonde's arms," What the hell, Malfoy?"
Draco's face was aimed forward, so Ron followed his gaze. He honestly wished he hadn't. Standing at the end of the hall with a wand pointed at them, bathed in cold darkness, was Lucius Malfoy.
/ / ------
Jimmy struggled to break free of Neville's strangling grasp. The boy looked weak, but DAMN did he have a good grip. "Neville, c'mon! You're restricting my blood flow."Neville cast furtive glances all about them," I heard it. Didn't you? I swear I heard it."
"Course I heard it, but going to pieces over a scream isn't exactly smart," Jimmy replied, finally wrenching himself free of Neville's hands around his arm.
"What if it was one of ours?" Neville asked in a whispered panic as Jimmy rubbed his sore bicep.
"All the more reason to keep going, only more quickly this time."
"I beg to disagree, boys. You won't be going ANYWHERE."
The two Gryffindors spun around to see a slender silhouette walking towards them through the pitch black around them. Jimmy squinted his eyes until it slowly took the shape of a person at the edges of their light beams. It was a woman. Neville gave a strangled cry. Jimmy merely frowned.
" I wouldn't be so cocky if I were you. Looks like one good hex would finish you off."
The woman chuckled horribly, her sleek dark hair shimmering against the little light," It'll take a lot more than one little hex from you to kill ME off. I thought you would've learned your lesson the first time."
Jimmy shifted in front of Neville as the woman proceeded closer," What do you mean 'first time'?"
"My goodness you're thick. Don't remember our previous encounter? Lost your dear ol' Godfather, didn't you ickle Pottykins?" She simpered with a sick grin.
Neville yanked furiously at the back of Jimmy's ropes, standing on his tip-toes to reach his ear," She thinks you're Harry...SHE was the one who made Sirius Black fall through the veil...She's also the one who tortured my folks to insanity."
Jimmy curled his lip into a dark smirk, raising his wand to chest-height," Oh, well, in THAT case, I don't have to be merciful."
The woman's eyes gleamed," My, haven't we grown arrogant over the years."
" I'm not Harry Potter you twit. I'm his brother, Jimmy Potter."
The woman paused," Brother? Well well, what a nice surprise indeed for the Dark Lord. Two birds with one stone as they say," She replied, eyeing Neville over Jimmy's shoulder. "Well then, JIMMY, come along then. Lets see if the namesake of 'noble' James Potter and brother of The-Boy-Who-Lived can match skills with the most powerful witch at the Dark Lord's side: Bellatrix Lestrange."
Jimmy dug the heel of his foot into the dirt, feeling Neville shift out from behind him," Lets go old hag."
/ / ------
Harry picked his way through the dirt as quietly as he could manage. That scream had long since vanished, the silence after more unnerving than the yell itself. He couldn't stand the quiet, it just made his own noises all that more loud. It seemed his heart was thumping off the walls around him. How could no one hear it? Harry swallowed hard, raking his light back and forth ahead of him. Nothing had happened since the scream, nothing. Was he alone now? Where were the others? How was he going to get Hermione out now? Was this all a trap, just like fifth year?
Suddenly a pair of feet swept into his view. He stopped frozen, his light flicking upwards in a rush. His gut gave a lurch as his throat constricted. Harry's eyes began to well, barely noticing the ray of light bouncing slightly as his hand trembled. He couldn't speak. He needed to speak. Just one word. A single word was all he needed to force through his quivering throat.
She rose a hand to her hip, the other holding out her wand trained on him. She walked forward and pressed the cool tip of her wand against his forehead. She smiled emptily.
"Harry," She said quietly.
Harry finally felt breath rush back into his lungs, making his brain process the image infront of him properly. He shook his head slowly, disbelieving what was right in front of his very eyes," Hermione."