Disclaimer: I own nothing.
A/N: I am so so so so so so so so so SO SO SO sorry that I haven't updated in forever. I have been having such bad writer's block, it's not even funny. But I'm on a roll now, I've got like the next three or four chapter written. I hope you don't hate me for not updating in so long. If you do, you'll forgive me after you read these next few chapters. They rock!
Also, expect weekly updates from now on. I'm going to be writing the chapters during the week, and then every Friday or Saturday I'll post them. It's not going to be for just one story, I'm working on all of them. So expect the updates every weekend, you're just not going to know what story they are for.
Sadly, this story is drawing to a close. I think I'm only going to have about five more chapters, but I'm not exactly sure. All I know is that this one is almost done.
And just so you're all aware, I'm only 2 reviews away from the virtual party. In case some of you didn't get the message, I'm changing it to 50 total reviews instead of 100. Right now, as I am typing these words, I have 48. I might have more by the time this is posted, but for the time being, I need 2 more. Then I'll let you know how to get to the party. So if you want a party, review!
Okay, author ramblings are over. On with the story!
Chapter 7: A New Vision
Harry groaned and opened his eyes. He immediately regretted doing so as the bright sunlight streaming through the window fell on his face, making his pounding headache worse. He pulled himself into a sitting position and looked around.
He was definitely in the hospital wing. He would recognize those bright white walls anywhere. What he didn't know was why he was in there. He didn't remember falling off his broom, or fighting off a basilisk or anything, so why was he there?
A door at the end of the ward opened, and Madame Pomfrey came bustling in. she was carrying an empty tray in her hands and was muttering darkly to herself. Harry followed her movements with his eyes as she hurried right past him and toward her office. Suddenly, she stopped and whirled around. Her eyes met Harry's and she shrieked, dropping the tray with a crash. She put her hand up to her chest, breathing hard, glaring at Harry.
"Potter, don't EVER sneak up on me like that again!" she said accusingly. "You nearly gave me a heart attack!"
Harry raised his eyebrows. "I haven't moved from this bed!" he said indignantly. The nurse ignored him, pulling out her wand and levitating the tray to her office.
"Never mind now, boy. I'm sorry I wasn't here when you woke up. I needed to take some potions down to Hagrid, and that is not a short walk," she explained. Harry looked at her oddly.
"Why didn't you Floo?" he asked. She opened her mouth to answer, seemed to think better of it, and snapped it shut again.
"That is a very good question, Mr. Potter, I'll have to think about it when I have time." The whole time the medi-witch was talking she was clattering about in a cupboard next to Harry's bed. She had already pulled out several potions and there were still more on the way. She shoved one into Harry's hands.
"What are all these for?" the black-haired boy asked, looking at the bottled.
"Just some potions for you to take to help me see what's wrong with you," the nurse said impatiently. "Now drink!"
Harry obediently tipped the glass phial to his lips and downed it in one go. He pulled a face and coughed.
"This stuff is terrible!" he exclaimed. The nurse scowled and shoved another potion at him. He groaned. "How many of those to I have to drink? He asked, dreading the answer.
"All of them."
Harry groaned and downed the next one. The medi-witch hovered over him, making sure he drank every last drop. He slowly made his way to the last potion. When he finished that one, Madame Pomfrey pulled out her wand and began moving it up and down his body. She reached his feet and frowned, before moving back up to his head. She made a frustrated tutting noise and put her wand away.
"What's wrong with me this time?" Harry asked, only half joking. The nurse turned away and began gathering up the empty potion bottles.
"Nothing," she said finally. "There's absolutely nothing wrong with you. That's what I can't figure out. There is no reason you should have collapsed."
Suddenly, it all came back to him. Voldemort messing with his mind. Dreams. Luna. Collapsing in front of his friends. Asking Ginny to help him. Falling to the floor in front of Ginny. Being taken to the Hospital Wing. And the nurse couldn't even figure out what was wrong with him.
Madame Pomfrey had left the room, laving Harry alone with his thoughts. He still had a massive headache, and trying to figure things out only made it worse. He drifted off into an uneasy sleep.
A rustle behind them caused Harry to sit bolt upright. He listened carefully and heard it again. He stood up and pulled out his wand, careful not to wake Luna. They were still under the willow tree by the lake where they had fallen asleep. A twig snapped to Harry's right and he whirled around, his want tip coming to a rest directly between Draco Malfoy's silver eyes.
"Honestly, Potter, you'll put an eye out with that thing if you're not careful," Malfoy scolded him in a chiding voice that reminding Harry strongly of Hermione.
"Shove off, Malfoy," Harry snarled, refusing to lower his wand. The blonde standing in front of him was the prick who had stolen Hermione from him. It took all the self restraint he possessed to keep himself from beating the stuffing out of Malfoy. The Slytherin seemed to sense this and smirked.
"Come on, Potter. Think you can take me?" he said quietly. Harry tried to ignore the attempt to bait him. "Your Weasel friend isn't here to back you up."
Harry felt a surge of anger at the mention of his "Weasel friend." He took a menacing step forward.
"Don't talk about Ron like that, you little git," he said in a deathly quiet voice. His wand was still pointed in Draco's face. "You have no right to insult him. You and your little Death Eater friends did that to him."
"Very intimidating, Potter, but you've got one little detail wrong." Malfoy said smoothly.
"Yeah? What's that?" Harry spat angrily.
Malfoy slowly reached his right hand down and grasped his left sleeve, his grey-blue eyes never leaving Harry's face. Harry's own emerald eyes followed every movement the blonde made. As the black material of Draco's school robes was pulled out of the way, Harry was met with…bare skin. Smooth, pale, perfect skin. No Dark Mark etched into the flesh, marring the surface. Which could only mean one thing.
Malfoy held his right hand out to Harry. "Hi, Draco Malfoy, non-Death Eater," he said solemnly, his former smirk absent. Harry stared at the other boy for a moment, before slowly lowering his wand and reaching out and shaking his hand. Draco pulled his sleeve back down.
"I suggest that you learn all your facts before you make assumptions, Potter," he said quietly. "You might find allies where you thought there were enemies." He turned as if to walk away, then suddenly faced Harry again, reaching into his pocket, pulling out a wand. Harry's grip immediately tightened on his own wand, before he realized that the wand in Draco's hand was facing the wrong way. "Oh, and tell your girlfriend to keep track of her things. I found this in the Entrance Hall." He threw the wand to Harry, who stretched his hand out to catch it.
As soon as the smooth wood made contact with Harry's skin, his scar exploded with pain, nearly blinding him. He tried to drop the wand but it seemed welded to his flesh. His hands flew to his forehead in an attempt to block the pain and he dropped to his knees. He was vaguely aware of Draco at his side, asking him what was wrong, before images began flashing through his mind.
He was standing on against the wall of a large room. The room was beautiful, with blood red carpeting and a high-risen ceiling painted black. The walls were mad out of smooth grey marble, cool to the touch. There were no windows in the room, which made Harry assume that the room was some kind of dungeon chamber. There was no one else present, which gave Harry a slight chill. He had a bad feeling that the room was not going to stay empty for long. He started for the door and reached for the handle. The knob turned before his fingers could touch it and the door swung open, revealing the tall, pale form of Lord Voldemort.
Harry froze, fully expecting Voldemort to raise his wand and hex him into next week. The Dark Lord, however, walked right past Harry and came to a stop in the middle of the room. It dawned on Harry that no one could see or hear him, just like when he went into the diary and the Pensieve. He moved back off to the side, not wanting to miss anything. The pale man's lips curled into a thin smile.
"Bing her in," he commanded curtly, his voice echoing through the empty, silent room. Double doors at the other end of the room swung open and two Death Eaters entered the room, holding either arm of a girl who was walking between them. Harry's breath caught in his throat as he recognized the girl. Luna. Her long blonde hair hung limp and scraggly around her shoulders. He clothes were filthy and torn and she looked as if she hadn't bathed in weeks. Her face was covered in cuts and bruises, and her eyes were burning with a hatred and fury Harry had never seen there before.
The Death Eaters shoved Luna to the floor so that she was kneeling before Voldemort. Voldemort smiled down at her.
"Well, my pet," he purred, almost lovingly. "Have we come to a decision yet?"
Luna pulled a face and spat at Voldemort's feet. The snake-like man bent down and seized a handful of Luna's hair, yanking her head back so hard it looked like he was going to snap her neck.
"Tut, tut," he whispered. "We mustn't forget our manners now. Perhaps it's time for a minor refresher course. I shall send Lucius down to your cell later on for some…lessons." Harry saw Luna's face pale and he had a horrible feeling he knew what those lessons would consist of.
Voldemort smiled again. "Very good, pet. I see you are finally beginning to understand. Now," he snarled suddenly, "tell me. Who is the Secret Keeper to Harry Potter's whereabouts?" Luna remained silent. Voldemort's red eyes flashed dangerously. He yanked hard on Luna's hair, which he still held in his fist, causing her to cry out in pain. "I know he has one, and I know you know who it is! Who is it?"
"I've told you, I don't know!" Luna yelled. Voldemort sneered at her.
"Liar," he breathed. He shoved Luna away from him and stood up. He turned to the Death Eaters that had brought Luna in. "Take her back to her cell. Have a little…chat with her, see if you can't change her mind. When she decides to cooperate, let me know." With a nod, he dismissed the Death Eaters. Each one grabbed an arm and dragged Luna back out of the room. Voldemort watched them go, then turned and clapped his hands together three times. The door he had come in opened, and Lucius Malfoy stalked into the room, his white-blonde hair flashing in the torchlight. He approached Voldemort and bowed, kissing the hem of the man's robes.
"You called, my lord?" he asked, standing up straight. Voldemort smiled.
"I did indeed, Lucius, my boy. Are you having any luck locating the Potter boy?"
Lucius shook his head. "No, sir, none whatsoever. But we are trying," he added hastily.
Voldemort smiled. "I know you are. But I have a feeling that Potter's going to be coming out into the open soon enough."
Lucius looked confused. "What do you mean, my lord?" he asked.
"I mean my plan is working. He is already bewildered. Once I get done with him, he won't know who to trust. He's already having trouble deciding what reality is. If fate is kind to us, I should be able to manipulate him enough so that he turns on everyone who cares for him, including that muggle-loving fool Dumbledore." He laughed, and his cold voice echoed around the room. Lucius smiled.
"Excellent, my lord. He may even finish off the old man for us."
"No, you fool, he would be so frustrated that he would look to us for assistance. He would join our ranks and we would be unstoppable. Now, get back to work."
"Yes, my lord," Lucius said silkily, bowing and backing out of the room.
Voldemort chuckled to himself. "Soon, Potter. Soon."
A/N: Another chapter done! Yay! Once again, I am so sorry it took so long for me to update. But never fear, I will have the weekly updates now. Well, please REVIEW!
