Voldemort At The Door
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.
With a pumping heart, and muscles that throbbed in protest, Harry Potter hurtled into Hogwarts Castle. A most horrific sight had met him on the lawn: Death Eaters on the march, with their fearless, red-eyed leader at the head… He needed to alert Dumbledore immediately.
But before Harry could so much as take the first step up the marble staircase, he caught sight of a girl. A girl who's back was to him, and who's particularly red hair was distinctive.
"Ginny!" he said. She turned to face him. "Volde- ahh… what's wrong?"
Ginny looked miserable. "Harry," she said, trembling, "who are you in love with?"
"Huh?" His face, already flushed from his sprint on the lawn, pinked even more. He had to drag his mind back to what he'd seen outside. "Listen, Voldemort's on the lawn; he's nearly to the castle gates! Tell everyone-"
"But Harry," Ginny grabbed his sleeve, "who are you in love with?"
"It's not important right now. If I don't reach Dumbledore-"
"I keep hearing people say that it's me," she offered. "Apparently, because you saved me from the evil basilisk, and because it would be awesome if Hermione and you married into the family, we're going to be together forever."
"No, Ginny-" He wrenched himself out of her grasp. "This isn't the time to talk about that! Who came up with that any- urgh, look, I have to go and tell Dumbledore that Voldemort is running up the lawn, right now. Talk to you later!" And before she could stop him, Harry tackled the stairs two at a time, and scrambled along the first floor corridor.
He made good time on the first floor, but came to a halt before a pensive Hermione.
"Harry," said Hermione, face contorted in concentration, "I have a question for you."
"Not right now!" said Harry hurriedly. He tried to pass her, but she moved to cut him off. "Voldemort is on the castle lawn! He's probably hammering on the castle doors right now!"
"Yes, I suppose," said Hermione, "but Harry, I just want to know: who are you in love with?"
"What!" He swiveled, and looked back down the length of the hall, with a thought to Ginny. Didn't the red head just ask him that?
"Some people say it's me," said Hermione. "Apparently, because I help you all the time, and because people actually listen to Rita Skeeter, we're destined to be together."
"Hermione, I haven't got time for this!" Harry tapped his foot on the floor. "Voldemort- on the lawn- must tell Dumbledore-" He dodged to the left, and back to the right, but she wouldn't move out of the way.
"Harry-"
"Oy!" Harry's red-headed best friend came down from the second floor. "Harry!" Ron stopped at the sight of his other best friend. "'Mione… Harry, I just heard from these girls- they think Hermione and I should be together!" His ears burned when Hermione turned her gaze on him, and he found it difficult to continue. "Then- then- these other girls- they said they thought Hermione liked you- no, wait, that you liked Hermione- no…ahh…I can't remember- but- they got into this massive fight-"
Harry banged his foot into the floor several times. Was his ears fooling him, or were the castle doors splintering? His red-eyed, snake-faced nemesis was so close, Voldemort was so close…He needed to get to Dumbledore, but his best friends were in the way, Hermione grilling Ron about what else the girls said and-
Harry shoved Hermione into Ron. "I'm sorry!" he called down, as he ran up to the second floor. "I have to talk to Dumbledore! Really sorry!"
"Harry!"
"No, no! Not right now! I've got to see Professor Dumbledore!" He scraped along the second floor corridor, lungs flaming. Where was the staircase to the third!
"Harry, wait up!"
There! There it was! Hiding behind a statue. He sprinted up the stairs and-
"Gaah!" Harry's foot sunk between steps. A vanishing step had chosen that moment to disappear.
"Oh no! Let me help you with that…" Someone pulled on his leg, and soon he was free.
"Thanks, eh-" Harry looked at his rescuer, and found Luna Lovegood. She stared at him, eyes unblinking and dreamy as always. "Hi Luna."
"Hello," she said. "Why were you running?"
"Voldemort's at the castle doors," he said. "I have to tell Dumbledore, but people keep stopping me…" He was thoroughly unnerved by her unblinking eyes. "Can you blink a bit?"
Luna fluttered her eyelids. "I heard it from a third year, who heard it from a seventh year, who heard it from his sister, who heard it from the exchange student… Well, anyway, they all think you're in love with me."
Harry's heart thunked against his stomach. He had a funny feeling where this conversation was going.
"And I said, that was ludicrous," Luna went on. Harry felt his heart jump up. "You can't possibly like me. I mean, I know we were talking about the veil at the end of last year, but that was no big deal-" She paused. Harry's heart stopped. It didn't know what to do anymore, and he suspected it would simply burst from all this acrobatics.
"It wasn't a big deal, was it?" asked Luna. She blushed, slightly. "Apparently it makes us soul mates, talking about death and so forth… So, Harry? What is it? Who are you in love with?"
"AAAAARGH!" Harry thought he'd attack the next person who asked that question. "Look, I've got to go! Voldemort's probably broken through the doors already! I have to warn Dumbledore!"
Luna looked highly affronted. "Well, go on, then. I see how you feel now." She made to move down the stairs, utterly crushed.
Guilt struck Harry like lightning. "Wait! Ah, Luna! It's not that I don't like you- but it's not that I do like you- I've- I've-"he couldn't think of anything, "I've just got to go! Voldemort's at the door!" And up he scaled the stairs, grimacing. Not only was the pain in his legs multiplying hundred fold, he was hurting a lot of people's feelings along the way. But didn't his friends understand there were things more important than the state of his love life!
"Potter." Something grabbed Harry's arm, and he was suddenly pulled in all directions. His momentum thrust him forward, but the thing that had grabbed him was pushing him back. He compromised by falling flat on the ground. The pain his legs intensified.
Draco Malfoy's sneering face came into view. Harry groaned. "Not now…" He stayed on the floor for a moment, every piece of him stinging.
Meanwhile, Draco dusted his robes with his hand. And dusted it again, furiously, until his hand was nothing but a blur. "Potty," he said, when he'd given up on cleaning his robes. "I just heard from Pansy who heard it from-"
Harry groaned again. He didn't need to be Trelawney to predict where this was going. "Look, if you heard some stupid rumor that I like Pansy, or whatever, it's not true! Now, go off and join your Dark Lord, so I can tell Dumbledore that he's at the door!"
"That's not it, you git!" said Draco. He was noticeably red, something that Malfoy rarely was. The boy was too pale, but not today. "There's a rumor going around that we like each other!"
"WHAT!" Harry sat up. "Who is this? Who is this person who's telling you this!"
"Well, is it true? Is it true that you like me!"
"NO!" went Harry. "Last time I checked, I LIKED GIRLS! And as far as I know, so do you! You do, don't you?"
"Don't even think that I don't!" said Malfoy, and he stomped off. "You are a filthy, disgusting, despicable half-blood! How anyone can misconstrue that as anything but hatred is just-" Malfoy turned the corner.
Harry sat on the floor, catching his breath. Things were far too strange, even strange for Hogwarts. And where was Dumbledore's office! The castle was too big for him to search the whole entire place. He sprinted up the next flight of stairs, and the next, sighing with relief when he passed no one.
And at last, Harry approached the familiar sight of the stone gargoyle. "It's about- effing- time…" It was too bad he didn't know what the password was.
Harry pondered this oversight for a moment, before reciting the whole entire inventory of Honeydukes in a speed worthy of an auctioneer. Fizzing Whizbees, Pepper Imps, Ice Mice… he ran through them all, but the stone gargoyle remained where he was, clearly unamused. Neither was Harry. After running out of sweets to name, he kicked the stupid creature, and called it very nasty names.
"POTTER!" called a familiar voice. "THAT'S TEN POINTS FOR ABUSING THE GARGOYLE! AND A HUNDRED MORE FOR SPREADING RUMORS!"
It was Professor Snape. Harry called him an unflattering name as well, and his teacher took another ten points away from him. "Watch your tongue Potter!"
"What do you mean spreading rumors! I haven't said a da-"
Snape pointed his wand at Harry's forehead. "HOW DARE YOU!" Snape hissed. "HOW DARE YOU SAY SUCH LOATHSOME THINGS! TELLING PEOPLE THAT YOU L-L-L-L-" He could not say it, would not say it. "ANOTHER HUNDRED POINTS FROM GRYFFINDOR!"
Harry had just lost two hundred twenty points. He had just seen Voldemort advancing upon the castle. He had just scoured the whole entire school looking for Professor Dumbledore. He was at the end of his rope.
"AT LEAST TELL ME THE PASSWORD TO DUMBLEDORE'S OFFICE!" He shouted at Snape as the man waltzed down the corridor. "VOLDEMORT'S AT THE CASTLE DOORS AND I HAVE TO TELL THE HEADMASTER!"
"The old fool's taking his tea in the Great Hall," Snape said, as if this was the most obvious, and disdainful thing in the world. Then he disappeared around a corner, and left Harry completely alone.
Harry cursed himself for climbing all those stairs for nothing. Then he glanced down at the stairs. He needed to descend them, and he feared who he would meet along the way. He really didn't feel like speaking to anyone until he reached Dumbledore and gave the headmaster the message. Harry pulled in a giant breath, and readied himself for the run down. He would not stop until he saw the Headmster.
He dropped a foot to the first step, and then the second, until he was speeding through the halls, and descending the stairs, passing blurs that were people, paintings, and stuffy armor. "Harry!" his blurry classmates went. "Harry!"
"Sorry!" Harry called back. "I have to talk to Dumbledore!"
He was not prepared for the scary sight at the foot of the marble staircase. Crowded in the entrance hall, blocking the doors to the outside and the Great Hall seemed to be every person he had ever known: his classmates, his teachers, and assorted wizarding folk. Mrs. Weasley was present, holding on to Ginny, and shooting dirty looks at Hermione. Rita Skeeter was there too, acid green pen ready, and her photographer fixing the camera. At least the Dursleys weren't in attendance… no, wait, there they were, squished next to the broom closet. They all seemed to be chattering about him; at least, that was all he could hear.
"Harry!" "Harry!" "Harry!"
"Harry!" said Susan Bones, pointing at the subject of everyone's conversation. The people around her started pointing too, and soon they were shoving each other hoping to climb up and speak with him. "WHO ARE YOU IN LOVE WITH!"
Harry whirled around, ready to run for the safety of Gryffindor Tower. Or the library. Or wherever else he could hide from these loonies. Forget Dumbledore and Voldemort! If the Dark Lord didn't kill him, these people surely would.
Unfortunately, the last person he wanted to see was stopping him from going anywhere. Voldemort stood in the first floor corridor, his red eyes glowing.
"Harry," he said.
"What the?" said Harry. "What are you doing here? Hermione said- You can't Apparate in here. How'd you?"
"The door," said Voldemort. The boy turned, and looked beyond the throngs of admirers. The door didn't looked to be touched at all. He remained completely confused.
"Harry," said Voldemort. "I've been hearing rumors…"
"Oh no, you haven't!" said Harry, who couldn't believe what was going on. He did not want to talk about his love life with his nemesis!
"People are saying that we belong with each other," said Voldemort. "Apparently, because I am your worst enemy, and I killed your parents, we're going to get married, and live happily ever after."
"This has got to be a nightmare," said Harry Potter. "This has got to be a nightmare…" He pinched himself.
It was.