A/N: Hey, I told you in the last chapter that this one would be awfully short. If you didn't remember that... READ MY AUTHOR'S NOTES FROM NOW ON, YOU SILLY GOOSE! :). (pouts) oh yeah, I'm still not getting any reviews... It's making quite sad, actually...

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters, though I sure as hell wish I did. Meh.

Chapter 4: Unending Whispers

I slammed into the ground next to a gigantic lake; its surface was cool and serene. I stood up and fell again, much to my dismay, and lay there in pain. I had never felt pain so intense before, nor as much pain as that in one night. Within the course of a few days, the world as I knew it had turned upside down, and I kept asking myself: was this the escape from reality I'd been praying about? It didn't seem possible. I wanted magic, freedom, and an answer to my questions on life. I wanted escape, I wanted adventure, I wanted to explore. I didn't want rape, confusion, and torture. I didn't want to see death in the face, but that night, I had. What kind of world was this when the wishes it grants brings more pain than happiness? I cursed myself for my foolishness; cursed the day I was born, cursed my mother for conceiving me, and cursed the day my father met my mother. The pain, the horrible agony I was in was unbearable; I could scarcely breathe. But one name echoed in my head; one name would make it all better.

Dumbledore.

Yes, I had to find Dumbledore. This... this Dumbledore would make it safe again, he'd make it okay. The Lupin man had said so... but wasn't it him that made me go to those bad people? What if this Dumbledore was just another name for Voldemort? What if he was just another bad man?

I shook my head; no, Lupin smelled good. He smelled safe.

Smelled?

Yes, smelled. I could... tell things through my nose now; I might as well accept it. I mean, there I was, nearly dying in the world of magic, and I wouldn't even accept a bloody gift. How stupid was I, really?

Suddenly I realized how unsafe it was to just be laying there; anyone could be nearby, waiting to pounce on me. I tried to stand up, but just wavered and fell. Sighing, I knew I wasn't going to get anywhere by attempting to walk, so I laid myself out flat, and slowly dragged my body forward with my arms. Every few minutes, I had to stop and rest. The sun had set and I was left alone in the darkness. For once, I hated the sunset. But I dragged myself on; I had to go on. My luck didn't improve from there. I found myself at a slope, making it twice as difficult to climb up to that damn—well, I didn't really know where I was going, but the hill sure as hell didn't help. Every few feet, I'd slowly feel myself slide down again, so I'd grab onto the grass and pull as hard as I could to keep myself in position. It was long and grueling work, and sweat was glistening on every part of me. The cool air dried it, sending chills up and down my body, and I realized how much colder England was than Scottsdale.

I'm going to die... I thought, miserably.

No, no you won't, you prat. Don't be stupid! Another voice yelled back.

I have no idea where I'm going or where I am! I snarled. Mother will never be able to find me, and no one cares!

Oh shut up, you, before I have to knock you out with a spoon.

A spoon?

Yes, a bloody spoon. Now hang in there and get to that castle!

What castle?

That castle!

Oh, that's really helpful. Now I know exactly where it is. I thought sourly.

You dolt, ahead of you! I looked up and found a large blurry shape. I shook my head, not able to see it. Focus... focus... you can do it, Will!

I squinted and saw a large, bright full moon with a castle silhouetting it. I gasped. It was beautiful. The stars shown above by the dozens, by the hundreds, by the thousands, sparkling and twinkling at me merrily. I blinked, amazed, and crawled forward as fast as I could. Suddenly, darkness overcame most of the grounds, and I looked up to see the moon being shadowed by dark clouds. I looked up and saw them moving quickly across the sky, when a roll of thunder broke the silence, and rain started to fall in big, fat, droplets. I screamed as the thunder roared and the lightning flashed, and much to my displeasure, the ground was getting slippery. It was growing hard to hold on to the grass, and I could feel the mud oozing into my shoes and rain soaking into my socks. I had to get to that castle, and I had to get there fast. A wave of adrenaline washed over me, and I suddenly found that I could stand. Not waiting for the rush of power to go away, I ran up the large hill and towards the castle. I pushed open the doors and stumbled into a large hall filled with a few hundred people. The candles blew out from the wind and I stood there in the shadows, my face only lit when lightning struck outside. Silence overcame the large room, and I just stared about wildly, feeling nauseous.

Calm down, The obnoxious voice said. The candles flickered back on in one large wave, and revealed an astonished 'audience'.

"No, I won't calm down!" I hissed.

No one can help you if you're crazy and paranoid. Images of Voldemort and his Death Eaters ran through my head. Flashes of Bill, the smells of Bill, the sounds of Bill were all around me. I looked around, ready to either fight or cry.

"Leave me alone, I'm not crazy!" I wailed and started hitting my head. "Get out! Get out of my head!" Once I had hit myself many times, not only did I have a major headache, but also the room was spinning.

You prat, look around you!

"I'm not a... a 'prat', I can see perfectly well." I turned my gaze and saw everyone staring at me. Ahead of me was a tall very old man with a very long, white beard and blue eyes that were blinking at me in confusion. Exhaustion hit me like a hammer, and I looked around the room, dazedly.

"Need... Dumbledore..." I gasped out, staggering forward through the hall. My shoes squeaked a little, and my hair hung limp and wet around my face. "Lupin sent..." I swallowed. "Please, they hurt me... I..." There was whispering all throughout the hall, and I looked around wildly. "Don't touch me!" I gasped out when I felt the wind blow on me. "They keep on hurting..." I swayed a little and took another step forward into the hall. I gasped for air. "Can't... breathe..." I started shaking and hyperventilating, my body shaking madly while I was convulsing. I fell to my knees and started crawling forward. "Please... need... Dumbledore... Need answers..." A familiar smell hit my nostrils among the scents of the hundreds of others. A boy, the troubled boy, the musky but sweet smelling boy, the boy who had taken care of me was here, here in the same room. "Where are you?" I called out, standing up feverishly. People around me were staring at me wide-eyed and fearfully. I turned my head to the right and connected the smell to the boy. There sat a boy of sixteen with untidy jet black hair and eyes as bright and green as mine. He was staring at me, confused about what to do. He smelled of... pain. He was in pain before I came here! And... confusion. Worry. Fear. I smelled fear all around me. I took a few uneasy steps towards him when I felt my knees buckle. "You..." I said quietly, fearfully. I was falling, falling almost in slow motion. I don't remember hitting the ground... My mind was going blank and my vision was dissolving into blackness after I uttered out one last word: Help.