Hogwarts High
By Siriusly Amused
Author's Note: O.O This story is actually very nearly finished. I don't know exactly how many more chapters are left, but you can probably count them on one hand. I decided to answer some questions in this AN so I shall.
1. Why was Harry supposed to kill Peter? He wasn't technically supposed to. The whole, "I was supposed to kill him!" was a pathetic attempt at humor. It's the whole 'avenge the parents' thing, you know? It's not meant to be taken seriously. Mainly because I don't want to make Harry a killer in this story.
2. Do you live in Southern California? I don't, actually. I live in the mid-west. I spent a good part of my teen years wanting to live in Southern California, though. Even though I stated that they live in Southern Cali and gave them a beach and such, I've been modeling their weather after the weather we get here. Hence the snow. I was wondering how long it would take for people to point out that Southern Cali doesn't typically get snow.
3. Why did you call the chapter 'Skittles'? Because I wanted some Skittles at the time.
4. Why didn't Harry and Draco get really good at killing people and kill Lucius and Tom? Because I wouldn't have a story if they did that. Plus, I think it takes a great level of evilness to kill people and Draco and Harry (in this fic at least) don't have it.
5. Are Harry and Ginny going to get together? -smirks-
6. What happened to Draco and Narcissa? They bolted. Simple as that. After Lucius tried to kill Draco, they got scared and left. And the business with Tom shouldn't be too confusing. It's just a bunch of thieves/killers working together as one. They're stationed in Hogwarts Hills, but they do most of their stealing/killing in LA where they have less of a chance of getting caught. The only big thing they did in Hogwarts Hills was kill James and Lily and frame Sirius for it. That was back in its glory days. The business has been going down. People were getting sloppy and getting arrested. So Tom needed some new blood and because he's old and senile, he chose Draco and Harry.
7. Do you have a live journal? I do. It's siriuslyamused. I have it linked on my bio. For the website thinger. I humbly request that everyone check it out whenever there's long periods between posts. That way you'll all know what's been happening that's been keeping me from updating. Feel free to leave comments too. Even if they're, "Why the hell aren't you updating?"
Disclaimer: I don't own HP…live journal…Julius Caesar…
Chapter Twenty Four
We All Fall Down
°°°Seamus°°°
I was trying to pay attention in English class one Monday in early May. No, I really was. Mr. Flitwick was going over what will most likely make an appearance on our Julius Caesar test and, seeing as I had slept through the last Act, I was desperately trying to pay attention. It was hard to do though. See, I sit in the back of that classroom and in front of me are some of my friends. And without knowing it, they were distracting me.
In the first row sat Ron and Hermione, side by side as always. Hermione was taking notes and Ron was slouched down in his seat and absentmindedly chewing on his pen, just as they usually do. Those who know them, however, could see that neither were their usual selves. Hermione's note-taking was lackluster, and Ron's eyes randomly roamed over to his ex-girlfriend, staring at her sadly before returning to Mr. Flitwick at the front of the class.
In the second row was Harry and an empty desk where Draco had once sat. Occasionally, Harry would pick up his pen and scribble down a note on Julius Caesar, but for the most part, he merely stared blankly at the board. Lavender had pointed out to me the other day that Harry hasn't been looking well. His skin lacks color, there are circles under his eyes, and his hair is messier than usual--if that's even possible. He seems tired and worried.
The empty desk next to Harry only reminds the rest of us of the gaping void that Draco had left us with. No one knows where the narcissistic blonde bombshell went. Not even Harry. It appears that Draco and his mother just packed their things and left one night. I guess the divorce was harder on them than we thought.
Next to me is Noelle. She's not taking notes like she normally does. Not that she needs it. I have a sinking suspicion that she was a bit of a Hermione back at her old school. Her knowledge about books seems to have no boundaries. Anyway, she's not taking notes. She doesn't appear to be paying attention at all. She seems to be pissed off, actually. Her arms are crossed over her chest and her eyes are narrowed, staring at the empty space in front of her where Draco should be sitting.
Sitting on the other side of me is Lavender. She seems to be the only one who's normal. She's also relying on me to take notes today seeing as she currently finds painting her nails to be a more pressing matter. The acrylic smell of the polish wasn't helping me with my concentration. As a matter of fact, it was giving me a headache.
Throwing my pen down dramatically, I stood from my seat, grabbed Lavender's bottle of nail polish and made my way to the nearest window, retching it open and hurling the small bottle through it. I closed the window in a flourish and marched back to my desk feeling quite proud of myself. Lavender stared at me incredulously. Half the class began to applaud. Ron turned around in his seat and gave me a half smile, his pen still between his teeth.
It was then that Ron seemed to notice Harry's stressed state. The red head's eyes showed worry as he stared at his best friend. He chewed on his pen thoughtfully for a moment before turning back to face the front.
I picked my pen back up and began taking notes as fast as Flitwick could spew them. Several minutes later, there was a new disturbance:
"You threw my nail polish out the window!" Lavender shrieked loudly. She apparently had spent a good amount of time trying to get her brain to register what had happened.
"Yes. Yes, I did," I replied, continuing to write.
Lavender emitted a frustrated sound as she crossed her arms and slouched down in her seat. "I'm so mad, I could spit!" she announced to everyone. Harry, who sat in front of my charming girlfriend, turned in his seat and sent her a scared look before moving himself (along with his desk and chair) closer to Ron. His action caused even Lavender to smile and she leaned on her desk and reached to ruffle Harry's hair playfully.
It was then that I noticed that Mr. Flitwick, in an attempt to get the class's attention, was dancing an odd sort of jig in the front of the classroom. I absentmindedly wondered if that jig would be on the test.
°°°Ron°°°
Harry left to go to the bathroom in the middle of Spanish. A minute later, I had Fred and George create a spectacular diversion which consisted of sparklers while I snuck out to follow Harry. He was washing his hands by the time I got to the bathroom. We nodded our hellos as I sat on the countertop between two sinks.
"What's up?" I asked Harry as he turned the faucet off and walked to the hand dryer.
"Nothing," Harry replied. When I realized he wasn't going to say anything else, I tried another approach.
"You look tired." It wasn't the most brilliant thing to say, but it was true.
"Draco snores at night."
"Draco has been gone for days, man." I thought I had Harry in a corner with that. I thought he would come out and tell me what's been bothering him; however, he merely shrugged. He then made the mistake of looking me in the eye. It was only for a brief moment, but that moment betrayed him. I realized that something big was going on in his life. Something that he has been hiding for awhile and that he desperately wanted to tell me, but couldn't.
"I don't feel well," Harry said, hastily breaking eye contact with me to stare at the wall.
"I'll take you to the nurse," I replied, hopping off of the counter and following Harry out of the bathroom. We walked in silence until we hit the staircase. I wanted to figure something out.
"Why don't you spend the weekend at my house?" I asked. "It's been ages since you spent a few days straight with us. And we haven't spent much time together lately. We can surf during the day and shoot off fireworks with Fred and George at night."
"I work all this weekend," Harry replied at once.
"You worked all last weekend. And the weekend before it. And nearly everyday after school," I said. I continued to walk down the stairs nonchalantly, my hands in my pockets, but my face was screwed up in a thoughtful manner.
Harry stopped in front of me and turned around quickly. His face seemed torn between anger, frustration, and sadness. "Yeah, I know!" he exclaimed fiercely, his eyes two sharp slits, glaring at me. We stared at each other for a long time. Harry was breathing deeply, his mouth opening and closing as if he was about to tell me everything.
And then the bell beeped and we were swept up in a sea of students. Harry gave me one last, sad look before turning and continuing his descent down the stairs. I stayed rooted to the spot, my head turning over his expression again and again, trying desperately to figure him out.
I felt a hand on my shoulder as the mass of students around me thinned. Turning my head, I found Ginny standing on the step above mine. Her eyes were kind and understanding, as if she somehow knew what had just transpired. She smiled mischievously and poked me playfully in the back.
"Move it," she ordered.
"Ginny, I think something's up with Harry."
"Well of course something's up with Harry!" Ginny replied with a slight laugh. "I fully intend on figuring out what's up with him, but right now I have more pressing matters at hand."
"Like what?" I asked, cocking an eyebrow.
"Like study hall. Move your ass, Ronald!"
°°°Harry°°°
My brain was reeling after my conversation with Ron. I wanted so badly for him to know. I guess I thought that he could some how stop Tom. I also realized how ridiculous that was. Ron was a sixteen-year-old boy, no more powerful than me or Draco. If Ron found out about Tom and the 'business', he would probably end up dead. It frustrated me to know that my friends couldn't help me. It frustrated me so much so that I ended up walking out of the school. I hadn't taken more than two steps out the front doors when I nearly tripped over Mouse.
"Sorry, Harry," the freshman apologized at one. He appeared to be hiding behind a bush.
"What are you doing?" I asked him.
"Bins is subbing for the study hall today," Mouse explained happily. "Since he never pays any attention to us, Fred and George decided we should all play hide and seek."
That only frustrated me more. Not only could no one help me, they were all going about their happy lives, skipping out of study hall to play hide and seek.
"Who's bike is that?" I asked suddenly, pointing to a bike at the school's bike rack.
Mouse looked over his shoulder dubiously before turning back to face me, looking a little confused. "Mine, actually," he said.
"I'm going to borrow it for awhile," I told him, marching over to the bike rack.
"Okay, Harry," Mouse replied happily, making himself comfortable in the bush. "Have fun!"
I sped off on his bike, flying through the sunny streets of Hogwarts Hills, ignoring the 'Why aren't you in school's that came from the adults that I past. When the tall building came into view, I pedaled faster, the wind whipping my hair back. I let the bike lay on the ground in the front of the building as I barged in through the doors and stomped down the familiar hallways, heading toward the main office.
"Tom!" I bellowed, marching into his office.
"Ah, Harry, you're early today!"
"I want out!"
"I beg your pardon?"
"OUT! I WANT OUT! I'M TIRED OF THIS!"
Tom merely smiled. I felt large hands take hold of my arms. Two of Tom's large goons were holding me firmly in place.
"I'm sorry, Harry," Tom said softly. "But I can't let you out of the contract. As a matter of fact, I don't think I can let you leave this building again."
°°°Narcissa°°°
Draco and I both jumped when my cell phone rang. It had been days since we left Hogwarts Hills. At first I took Draco to LA and we stayed in a nice hotel. Then I realized that they would think to look for us in nice hotels, so we left again and ended up in a cheap and disgusting motel in the middle of nowhere. Draco had spent a good part of ten minutes staring at the bathroom we shared in horror. Yes, my son is spoiled.
I picked up my cell and looked at the caller ID. It was Sirius. Without thinking, I answered it.
"Cissa, you really are an idiot!" came my cousin's voice.
"Hello to you too, Sirius," I replied.
"They can track cell phones!" Sirius elaborated. I was struck speechless. Of course! How could I have been so stupid as to not leave mine and Draco's cell phones at home? Ignoring my silence, my cousin continued: "But that's not why I called! I called to tell you that he took Harry."
"Who did?" I asked.
"Tom."
"Oh my."
"They won't let Harry go and they won't let us in. They've got their men watching Remus and I. I probably shouldn't even be talking to you…"
And that was when the connection broke.
°°°Ginny°°°
First Draco, then Harry. The halls of school were filled with whispers. Everyone's eyes turned to us: their friends. We knew nothing about Draco and Harry's whereabouts, which caused all of us to become greatly disappointed in ourselves. For the first couple of days after Harry's disappearance we were mostly silent, scolding ourselves in our heads over being too caught up in our own worlds to really figure out what was going on with our two friends.
I seemed to have stepped outside of my body. It was as though I was watching my own life, vaguely aware that I was living it. I was happy when Fred and George tied for prom king, but I got angry with them later in the week when they continued to wear their crowns at school. The fact that they were acting so happy frustrated me. And then I felt ashamed of myself when I realized that they were just as worried as the rest of us; they were just trying to make others feel better.
Ron, Hermione, Noelle and I often sat together in silence. Occasionally one of us would mention how we should have paid closer attention to the boys, or taken Harry more seriously when he said he suspected Lucius was after him (though we weren't sure if Lucius was involved with his disappearance or not). Noelle and Ron seemed more angry with themselves than Hermione and me. Ron because he was closest to Harry and Noelle because she was closest with Draco. Both had confessed that Harry and Draco had been close to telling them at one point, and both were upset that they didn't pressure them to.
One day, I was on my way to the bathroom when I passed Ron in the hallway. I pass at least one of my brothers in the school's hallway everyday, so it shouldn't have been shocking. But it was. Mainly because he should have been in class, and because he was actually sitting in the hallway. At Harry's locker, no less. The locker was open and all of Harry's stuff was tumbling out of it. Ron was currently flipping through one of Harry's notebooks, page by page.
"I'm fairly sure that that's against the rules," I said, stopping by my brother.
He jumped slightly at my voice, clearly thinking that he had been caught by someone important. He relaxed once he realized that it was just me and continued to flip through Harry's notebook. "I can't just do nothing," he explained somberly.
"I understand," I said, sidestepping Ron to continue my way to the bathroom. I was nearly there when Ron called out my name. "Hmm?" I asked, turning around.
"Come here and look at this," Ron ordered.
Ignoring my full bladder, I walked back to Ron and bent over slightly to read what he thought was so interesting. At first I only saw bio notes on the chambers of the heart, but then I saw scribbling in the margins. Some of it was in Harry's handwriting and the rest was in someone else's.
"Draco's," Ron explained as if he were reading my mind. I read it.
'I hate that place, Potter.'
'And I just love it to pieces.'
I was struck speechless once I finished reading. My mouth was dry and I felt dizzy.
"I wish I knew what place they're talking about," Ron said angrily, throwing the open notebook down and running his hands through his hair.
"I think I know where it is," I said hoarsely.
Ron looked up at me, his eyes wide. "That one place?" he asked.
"Yes, that one place," I replied. A small part in the back of my brain was glad at the fact that my brothers and I could understand one another even when we're being very vague.
"There you are! Honestly, Ron, you can't go on thirty minute bathroom breaks!" Hermione had sneaked up on us. She had her hands on her hips and a confused look on her face when she saw Harry's locker open and the contents of it spilling out. "What are you doing?" she asked at last.
Ron got to his feet and began walking toward the doors determinedly. I followed on his heels and Hermione raced to keep up with us. "What's going on?" she asked me.
"We found where Harry is," I said in a rush.
Hermione's eyes widened and a fervor I hadn't seen in her for the past couple of weeks appeared. She began walking with the same, determined gait that Ron and I were using. "Where is he?" she asked.
We had reached the doors and Ron suddenly turned around and glared at us sternly. "You two are staying here," he ordered.
Hermione and I both blinked in surprise before taking on identical glares of determination, crossing our arms over our chests.
"You don't know where it is," I pointed out to Ron. "And I'm not going to tell you, so you have no choice but to take me with you."
Ron's face darkened. "Dammit, Ginny!" he exclaimed. He knew me well enough to know that I wouldn't back down, so he grabbed my hand and opened the door, turning around to address Hermione. "You're staying, then!"
Hermione merely laughed and followed us. Ron did nothing. He knew her too well too. It took me a moment to realize that Ron was leading us to the student parking lot. I wondered vaguely what he was planning on doing and was answered when he got into Old Betsy. I followed suit, getting into the front seat as Hermione climbed into the back. Ron bent over and hotwired the car. I smirked.
"You are the twin's brother," I told him. He gave me a half smile before turning his head to pull out of the parking space.
°°°Harry°°°
"Do it, Harry."
"I…I can't."
I winced when the hulking man next to me punched my arm, most likely leaving a bruise. I opened my eyes and sent a pleading look to Tom. "Don't make me do it," I begged.
"Do it or else we're locking you in the room again," Tom commanded.
I looked down at my victim, breathing deeply. It shouldn't be this hard. I mean, hunters shoot little bunnies all the time, right? But for some reason, I couldn't do it. The trapped bunny was quivering in fright, gazing up at me with it's big eyes, asking me not to hurt it. I raised the gun.
"Sir, I couldn't stop them!"
I looked up from my victim, as five people entered the room. One was one of Tom's servants. The others were Sirius, Remus, Narcissa, and Draco. I dropped my gun in relief at seeing familiar faces. Draco came up to me and looked down at the shivering bunny. His eyes widened in shock.
"What were they making you do?" he asked me.
"Draco, you've returned to me," Tom said happily, spreading his arms in a type of greeting gesture. "Now maybe you're father will do the same."
"What?" Draco asked, furrowing his brow in confusion.
"Your dad left without a trace shortly after you did," I explained to him softly.
"Like father, like son," Tom chuckled. Draco looked as though he might be sick.
Sirius and Remus marched forward, grabbed Draco and I by our wrists, and began to forcefully drag us to the door.
"They're leaving," Sirius shouted.
"No they're not," Tom replied.
The two older men pushed Draco and I out of the room and tried to close the door behind us, but we fought against them.
"Aren't you coming with us?" I asked Sirius in a frantic whisper.
"We'll be along in a minute," Sirius whispered back. "We're going to try to hold them off."
"No, we're not leaving you guys," I said, a bit louder.
I saw Tom sigh over Sirius' shoulder.
"I'm growing tired of this," the old man announced wearily. He turned to one of his men. "Kill them all, including the boys. You were all right; they're no good."
With a gigantic heave, Sirius and Remus managed to push Draco and I away from the door. They used enough force to have us stumble backwards and hit a wall. They then quickly shut the door and we heard a resounded 'click' as they locked it. Draco and I rushed to the door and began to pound our fists on it, ordering the adults to let us back in, but no one answered.
"They're down here! Faster! We finally get to kill them!"
We froze in fear as we heard the voices drawing closer to us. With one last look at the door, we took off, running down the hall, barely aware of where we were going. We rounded a corner and continued to run down a hall. When we reached the end of it, we looked to our left and saw men running in our direction. We back tracked only to stop short when we heard voices coming from that direction too. We were trapped in the hallway, breathing deeply and trying not to wet ourselves. And then a door behind us opened and numerous arms reached out of the dark room and pulled us in.
I tried to scream but a hand was clamped firmly over my mouth. I realized that we were standing in a dark closet and that there were several people in there, seeing as I constantly bumped into bodies. It was dark and I couldn't see anything. My mind went into a panic. My eyes shot around my sockets, willing themselves to adjust to the darkness, but they didn't. And then I smelt it. Clean cotton and baked goods. It was the Weasley smell. I recognized the rough hand over my mouth as Ron's.
"Are you done acting like a maniac?" he whispered next to me once he realized that I had stopped squirming. I nodded and he released me. We all stood in that cramped closet for what seemed like an eternity as we listened to the frantic hustle and bustle around us. I was vaguely shocked that not one of Tom's henchmen, with all their training, thought to look inside the closet.
The minutes ticked on and the yelling outside our safe haven cumulated to a point where we were all hugging each other, sure that our time was up and that they would open the door at any moment and find us. They didn't, however, and as the time passed, the yelling died away and a new scent drifted into our closet: smoke.
Hermione cracked the door open a bit and we all poked our head out. We saw massive flames coming from one end of the hallway. How the fire had started, none of us knew. We just knew that we had to get out of there.
It's funny. Draco and I were so clumsy in our training, yet when our lives were actually in danger, our brains sort of shut off and our bodies acted without us. Draco, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and I all managed to gracefully dodge the flames and falling debris as we quickly descended the stairs, our arms over our mouths and noses and our heads bent as to not breathe in the smoky air.
We somehow got outside and were shocked to find a mass of cop cars and sirens in the distance told us that the fire trucks were on their way. Noelle rushed to us.
"When you guys didn't show up in class, I went looking for you and found the notebook at Harry's locker. I went straight to the police," she explained to our shocked faces.
Hermione and Ginny hugged Noelle briefly before stepping aside to let Draco slump into her arms. My mind was slowly beginning to register that I was free. That I no longer had to deal with the nightmare anymore. I turned around and smiled at the flaming building. And then it hit me. I turned around in a furry and addressed the nearest cop.
"Did two men and a women come out yet? The men tall, one dark haired and the other with sandy hair? The woman blonde? All of them in their late thirties?"
The cop stared at me blankly. "No," he replied at last.
I uttered an obscenity and turned back to the burning building. "Sirius! Remus!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. "Sirius!"
"Mom!" Draco yelled beside me, catching on.
"What's going on here?" a firefighter asked. We explained to him that there were three people trapped into the building and he took off with a horde of other firefighters into the building. It seemed like an eternity when it was actually only a half an hour. I saw some firefighters carry out a body and I rushed forward, only to be disappointed to see that it was Tom. The good news was that he was dead, and according to a firefighter he died not from the fire, but from a bullet wound. Several of them in fact.
The minutes ticked on but no more bodies were pulled out. Finally, a firefighter came up to me. "We searched everywhere and couldn't find them," he said sadly. "The building's about to collapse; I have to call my men out."
I nodded sadly. Once the building did collapse, I merely stared at it. I fell to my knees and just stared at it. I didn't feel a thing. I didn't realize that there were people around me. I don't know how long I sat there, but it was getting dark when I felt comforting arms around me.
"Come on, Harry, dear. Let's get you home." It was Mrs. Weasley. She was kneeling beside me. I turned to her, the tears finally welling up in my eyes.
"I couldn't save them," I choked. "I couldn't…"
I broke down then, crying on her shoulder. She wrapped her arms around me and smoothed down my hair, just as she had done to Ron and Ginny and the others when they were young and upset.
"I know, dear, I know. Shh," she comforted, rocking me back and forth slightly as if I was a small child. She let me soak her shirt with my tears and she didn't even mind when my nose started to run. She just held me. Like a mother.
End Author's Note: I used Seamus' POV for the very first time in this fic! I hope everyone liked this chapter! -considers the ending- Well, I hope everyone liked the chapter up to the ending. I'm actually really proud of how this turned out. I think I tied things in very well, and I still managed to keep the humor even though most of the main characters are sad. The story's not over yet, so don't fret. I'm thinking one more chapter and maybe an epilogue. I'll decide on the epilogue by what you guys say in your reviews. I can't remember what else I wanted to say here.