Chapter 19- Dementors on the Move

Once most of Harry's things were packed he rushed downstairs into the common room to find it in complete pandemonium. Girls were crying, prefects were shouting orders and first years were running around in complete panic.

"All students," Harry heard a voice say. He didn't see who was speaking or where the noise was coming from but he knew somehow the headmaster was talking to them.

"I understand this is all very confusing but please listen to the prefects as they lead you to your designated areas." After that the common room fell into hushed whispers except for the calls of the prefects.

"First years over here!"

"Third years follow me!"

"Sixth years, this way!" Ron called as he bounded down the stairs and into a clearer section of the common room. Harry followed him and waited for everyone to show up.

"Ron, what exactly is going on?" Harry asked. Ron still hadn't thoroughly answered his question.

"The Dementors are coming here right now Harry." Ron explained as he craned his neck to find everyone in the crowded masses. "Dumbledore's got a bunch of rooms set up for us to stay in. Secret rooms I mean." Ron waved his hand motioning for a group of people to join him.

"Why can't we stay in the common rooms?"

"In case they get in."

'Get in?!?' Harry hadn't even considered the fact that the Dementors would try and get through the doors of Hogwarts. He had always assumed that they'd just pick him up when he was playing Quidditch or something.

"They can't..." He whispered, afraid of what the answer might be. "They can't get in here." He said louder so that Ron could hear him this time. "Can they?"

"I'm not sure," Ron shrugged.

After a few minutes the common room had gotten somewhat under control and all the years were gathered with their leaders as they filed out through the portrait hole. Ron led Harry and some of his classmates down a few flights of stairs and through hallways Harry had never seen before. They went up spiraling staircases and through many portraits and past seemingly innocent curtains. Harry had never known there were so many passages in Hogwarts. After a bit of walking they came to a portrait of a veela stroking a small unicorn.

"It's been a while since I've had visitors," the veela said to them, curtsying politely.

"Godric Gryffindor," Ron recited.

"Don't you wanna stay and talk to me?" The veela asked, frowning.

"Not really," Ron mumbled.

The veela scoffed at them before slowly opening to reveal the room they would be staying in. The room was about half the size of the Gryffindor common room but considering the small amount of students staying, it was quite spacious. There was even a staircase like the one in the common room that Harry assumed lead up to the bedrooms. .

"Now what?" Neville asked.

"I guess we just wait," Ron said as he collapsed onto one of the armchairs. "Dumbledore just said to lead you here and stay until he says its safe. I guess he doesn't want us to worry too much."

"Well what does he think we're gonna do locked in here?" Lavender asked as she began pacing the room.

"How long does he think we're gonna be here for? I mean have you seen this? There's a fridge in here! And I bet the rooms have closets and everything. Are we being held up here for weeks or something?" Dean commented as he explored the room a little bit more.

Harry always thought that when the Dementors came they would just be here for a while before Dumbledore and the Professors started to fight them off. He never expected he'd be held up in a room for an extended period of time. How long were they going to be here?

"I guess he's just doing what he thinks is right," Harry managed to say before he joined Ron in front of the fire.

"I don't wanna be here," Parvati whimpered.

"I don't think any of us do," Seamus mumbled.

'Fantastic,' Harry thought, 'Let the guilt trip begin.' He figured none of them would be in this mess if it weren't for him.

For a while all of them just sat around staring into the fire, their minds racing. There were so many things not explained, even to the prefects apparently as Ron hadn't known anything. How long were they going to be hiding? Why do they have to hide? When were the Dementors coming? Would they be able to get inside the school? Would they find them?

'Will they take me?' Harry thought to himself.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

He was in a dark room. The only source of light was a small moonbeam breaking through the glass window. He saw a cloaked figure staring out a window, his back was turned to Harry and his face was covered with the hood from his black coat. Behind the man was a shorter, stouter man whose face he could not make out, but the quavering voice sounded exceedingly familiar.

"I'm sorry master," the short man sputtered. "The house has been searched many times but it's nowhere to be found."

"You must look again Peter. Do not fail me. I do not like it when my servants do not do their part," the first man hissed.

"Master, master please," the other man pleaded, "Please understand. The manor has been searched and nothing has been found. There's nothing there. Maybe...maybe there's..."

"There has NOT been a mistake! The diamond was there last, and that is a fact. How dare you doubt my knowledge? Such insolence should not be tolerated, but I shall spare you this ONE time. Now go tell the Dementors to bring me the boy."

"Yes master, thank you, thank you so much," the short man whimpered as he groveled at the other's feet. "The Dementors are already on their way to get the Potter boy."

"Potter? I don't want Potter! The plan is not ready yet you fool! We need the other boy, and that girl if they can find her. Who executed the orders?!?"

The short man was shaking now. "Uh...I...I...I did master, it was me."

"Oh now Peter, and just when I said that I would spare you. Crucio!"

Harry heard high-pitched screams of terror before being slowly pulled out of his dream.

Harry awoke due to the harsh pain of his scar. He hadn't felt it burn like this in a very long time. He struggled to sit up and inspect his surroundings. He had fallen asleep in the same seat he had taken in front of the fire and apparently so had everyone else. Hermione must've come in while he sleeping as she was asleep on the floor. He stretched and rubbed his eyes, trying to adjust himself to the dim light of the room. The fire had died out long ago and only the moon shining through the many windows lighted the room.

Now that he was awake Harry thought it would be impossible for him to fall asleep again. Especially not after that weird dream he just had. He could remember it all but he knew it couldn't have been good. He struggled to remember what he had experienced. Voldemort was angry; he knew that much due to his scar. He also knew the Wormtail was there, he was the one who made him angry. He said something wrong to the Dementors, but he couldn't remember exactly what. And he was mad about something else too. He couldn't find something.

In frustration Harry closed his eyes again and tried to force himself back to sleep. There was no good in trying to stay awake, as it would probably just increase his depression. But now he definitely couldn't sleep, he had been thinking too much and his head was drowning in thought. This wasn't just another one of his stupid dreams. His scar was hurting which meant Voldemort must've been angry, that had to be real.

Harry was brought out of his ramblings by a high-pitched screech that made him cringe. He opened his eyes and found that he wasn't the only one who heard it. The sound sent a chill up his spine. He looked around, fearing that the sound came from somewhere in the room. He heard it again, only this time it was louder, and it sounded as though it came from multiple sources.

"What was that?" Hermione asked sleepily as she struggled to get up from the floor.

"It was the wind," Seamus said airily as he flipped over on his stomach, trying to fall asleep again.

"The wind doesn't make the same noise twice in a row you git," Lavender said, rubbing her eyes.

"I think we'd be happier if we didn't know what the noise was," Ron said, staring out one of the windows.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Neville asked, trembling slightly. Harry got goose bumps as he walked over to where Ron was standing.

"Shit," Harry cursed under his breath. Out the window he saw the Great Lake was beginning to freeze over, and even the glass window was becoming cold to the touch. There were more high-pitched screams, it sounded like some sort of battle cry.

"What's going on?" Hermione asked anxiously as she pushed herself in between Harry and Ron. She gasped in horror as she looked down upon the grounds.

"I can't believe they're actually here," Harry announced, turning towards the rest of the group, worried looks plastered on their faces.