All characters owned by J K Rowling of course

Chapter Three – Harry Potter

Harry looked over at Hermione. She had a look of peculiar intensity on her face. If it wasn't such a strange situation he would have found it funny. They had the doll tied up and hanging upside down in a pentagram. Various magical items that they had filched about the school surrounded it. Numerous blood red candles were burning around the room filling the room with a heady scent.

There was something about this that made Harry uneasy. He wasn't sure what it was. "Is this really the best way to find out if it is cursed or not? I mean isn't this dark magic?"

"Harry," said Hermione. "This might not be the best way but it is quick. Now have you all your counter charms ready?"

Hermione had written out a long list of charms and curses in case the doll got out. Harry cast his eyes down the list. Most of them he hadn't heard of but it all looked pretty powerful stuff.

"It doesn't make sense Harry," said Hermione. "Are you sure this is the doll you dreamed about?"

"It's just a stupid doll," said Ron.

"Stupid or not, I saw it in my dream and then we seemed to lose a day?"

Hermione got a small vial out and carefully dropped two drops onto a mixture of Unicorn Hair, extract of Xiufdw and Dragons toe nail clippings that were in a pot in the middle of the pentagram. The mixture fizzled and a small cloud, shaped like a small demon emerged. The smoke flowed into the dolls mouth and the doll's eyes flicked open. The mouth opened and a small tongue flicked out between razor sharp teeth. Its eyes glowed yellow. It looked at them and its eyes narrowed. The chains rattled as it tried vainly to escape.

They all took a step back.

"Why have I been brought here?" A voice hissed from the doll.

"We…" Hermione squeaked. She then coughed to bring her voice under some of control. "We," she started again, "need to know if any magic has been used on that doll. If it is cursed or not?"

"Doll, what doll?" The voice said.

"The doll you are in you moron," said Ron rolling his eyes.

"This doll has not been cursed," the demon said.

"Is it magical?" asked Harry.

"What do you mean by magic?"

Harry looked confused. Magic was magic?

"Earth magic or sky magic?" said Hermione.

The doll grinned. "Neither."

"Is it possessed?" Asked Harry.

"Yes," it hissed.

"See I told you!" said Ron pounding his fist on the table.

Hermione gave him a withering look. "Of course it is. He is in there." She turned back to the doll. "Are there any other demons in there with you?"

"No other demon has possessed this doll."

"Thank you," said Hermione.

"Release me," hissed the demon. The doll started straining against its restraints. The pentagram started flaring with light as the magic in it fought against the demon.

Hermione added another drop of liquid to the pot and the demon left the doll. It cackled with laughter and disappeared in a mix of smoke and small electrical discharges and then was sucked back into the pot.

"I hate ruddy demons," said Ron.

Harry nodded in agreement. "Never a straight answer to anything."

"Well maybe it is okay?" Said Hermione dubiously, looking at the doll in a strange way.

"It may be okay but it still looks horrible," said Harry.

Hermione looked at him in the eyes. "I think we should talk to Dumbledore about this."

Harry shook his head and regretted it. His head started to ache. "He'd think we been drinking. What do we tell him? Everyone else has had a day more than we have?"

"It might be you know who!" She insisted.

Harry shook his head. "Voldemort wouldn't appear here in Hogwarts. Not after last time."

Hermione's watch started squeaking. "Lunch time! Lunch time!"

"That watch of yours is asking for an appointment with a hammer," said Ron.

"Come on let's go! We'll take a look at it again after lunch."

Still talking about the doll and the missing time they filed into the great hall. There were three long tables set up. One for Gryffindor, one for Slytherin and one for Hufflepuff. Where was Ravenclaw?

Harry looked about him. People were busy eating. There was a salmon with ginger main course followed by lemon meringue pie. People were just ignoring the space next to them.

Ron started tucking into the salmon with ginger and eating it with ill-disguised gusto. He tapped the table and a small sauce stand waddled over to him. Ron dipped his spoon in and poured it on the fish. Didn't he notice?

"Ron, don't you think it funny that the Ravenclaw table has gone?"

"What's Ravenclaw?" said Ron, in between mouthfuls of fish.

"The other house, Ravenclaw."

Hermione was staring at him curiously. "What are you wittering about Harry?"

"We are missing an entire house here."

"What do you mean? We have the three houses of Hogwarts." Ron counted them off with his sticky hands. "Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Slytherin."

"He's right Harry," nodded Hermione. Using her wand she levitated a piece of lemon meringue pie over to her bowl.

Harry felt very strange. He couldn't be wrong could he? He had been wrong about several things recently. His head started to ache. He drank some more lemonade in the glass in front of him.

His head was really starting to hurt now. He clutched his head with his hands and stared at the table willing the pain to go.

Hermione looked at him worriedly. "If you have a head ache I can make it go away?" Harry didn't say anything just stared at the table trying not to be sick. Hermione tapped him on the head with her wand and said a small incantation.

His head felt like it had been dipped in ice and the headache vanished. That felt better. He held his head curiously, wondering where the headache had gone? Oh well. It had gone that was the important thing. What had he been worrying about?

The gorgeous smell of the fish wafted under his nose and he started tucking in.

After they had finished the meal Harry, Ron and Hermione trooped upstairs to the Gryffindor common room.

"Nihildum seeatium," said Hermione confidently in front of the fat lady.

"Come in children, come in," she said happily. She was busy washing her napkin in the stream in the picture.

They all three walked into the common room. It was a large round room full of squashy armchairs and a fire blazing cheerfully in the grate. The pictures were all of famous Gryffindor seekers. Most of them were empty as they were watching a match in another picture against Slytherin. Judging by the boos and catcalls, Gryffindor were losing.

Inside George was busy trying to sell things to the first years. He had a range of books with rather serious sounding titles like "First Year Potions – An Analytical Analysis of the Variety of Herbological and Faunicological types of Toxic substances in the Leaf of Trifoleum Repens (Clover)". Despite himself Harry was curious. What could be getting the first years interest so much? He walked over to look over the shoulder of what a boy was finding absolutely hysterical. When he looked over his shoulder the page the boy was looking at seemed to blur and a block of very tedious looking text was there. The boy looked put out at this and glared at Harry.

Harry shrugged his shoulders and went over to George. "What's with these books George?"

George looked unbearably smug. "Very nifty spell. It is a comic book but if anyone but the buyer tries to look at it, it reverts to a page of text. Great for having fun in lessons! One galleon to you Harry!"

Harry smiled. Tempting. "Did you and Fred design it then?" He looked around. "Where is Fred?"

George gave a half smile as if he was the butt of a joke but didn't know what it was. "Whose Fred? I designed this myself."

"Your brother Fred?"

"I've only got two brothers, Ron and Percy; may the red tape strangle him."

"Your twin brother," said Harry, feeling this situation was getting slightly surreal.

"I'd love to chat about my family Harry, but I've got galleons to make." George wandered off with a gaggle of first years clamoring around him. He gave Harry a slightly worried shake of his head before getting back to his sales banter.

This was getting very strange. But so were Fred and George. Probably some joke they hadn't explained to him. Harry was feeling tired. Ron and Hermione were sitting by the fire. He walked over and plonked himself down on the chair next to them. Hermione and Ron were having an enthusiastic discussion about Hogwarts history. Well Hermione was enthusiastic. Ron was just saying that the original castle designers should have placed the Slytherin common room in the moat. Hermione was telling him why that couldn't happen.

Harry drifted off…

He was running through the wood again. It was nighttime and the moon was casting eerie shadows around him. His cloak was getting caught on the brambles and tearing. He was fighting for breath. He had been running for miles. He knew he shouldn't look back but he couldn't stop himself. A cloaked figure was gliding through the wood towards him. He caught his hand on something sharp and looked down. A small figure with razor sharp teeth and a tongue like a snake had bitten his hand…

Harry woke up with a start. He was covered in sweat and shaking. Ron and Hermione were both looking at him in bemusement.

"I take it you don't agree with my idea of putting the Slytherin table on the moon then?" Said Ron.

"What's wrong with you Harry?" Said Hermione looking both exasperated and concerned at the same time.

"I had that nightmare again."

"The one with the doll?" Said Ron. "What was it doing, taking tea with Barbie?"

"Shush Ron!"

"I'm serious Ron," said Harry, rubbing his head. "Someone else was chasing me through the wood this time."

"Did you recognize them?"

"No, that doll bit my hand." He looked down at his hand. There was a clear imprint of teeth marks on his palm. .