Chapter 33: The Darkest Night (part 2).
The dark hallway seemed to stretch forever and they crept quietly forward, not daring to speak. The walls around them seemed unsteady and candles started wavering slowly, casting shadows everywhere. The thick carpet seemed to swallow their footsteps and the air around them sounded too quiet.
Someone groaned.
"What was that?" Rose whispered and Remus pulled her towards him.
"Lumus." He whispered and the light from his wand was almost blinding. He moved the wand all around them, seeing nothing. "There's no one here."
They heard the groan again and Rose approached one of the walls that surrounded them. "It's the walls, the magic is starting to collapse."
"Sooner then we thought." Remus murmred. "We have to split up." He motioned towards the end of the dark hallway. "We have better chance of finding them before this entire place collapses."
"Alright." Rose nodded. They reached the end of the hallway and peered around the corner to make sure the area was clear. "I'll go left." She whispered and he nodded. She moved her hand and caressed his face slowly. He smiled and cupped the hand that was caressing his cheek.
"I'll see you outside." He said and she nodded and turned to walk the other direction. Remus held his gaze on her before turning and walking away. His heart was heavy as he walked the deserted rooms. Why did he feel like they made a huge mistake? The urge to run after her was so strong he actually turned around, fully prepared to run. The sight of a firm wall startled him and he jumped backwards.
The wall wasn't there before.
Feeling rather stupid, he stared at the wall. "You know where I want to go." He stated and a door opened behind him, revealing a dark stairway. Remus breathed and went down the stairs, his wand in his right hand. He realized now that the house was charmed to recognize both friends and enemies but the magic inside the walls also recognized its owners. It was leading him straight to the Potters heir, to Harry Potter.
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"What was that?" Harry whispered, the echo of his parents voices still flowed around the room.
"Some kind of memories." Hermione said. "Harry, I think we're at your parents house."
"Their house was destroyed in Holloween." Harry answered. "What ever this place is, we have to find a way out." He reached towards the door young Remus Lupin stood moments ago and tried to open it, shaking the handle.
"Maybe we should try the windows." Hermione walked towards one of the large windows and tried to open it. "This place is obviously under some kind of dark magic." She said, looking outside.
"Why do you say that?"
"Well, this is a window but there is nothing outside, only blackness. This room doesn't look like a cellar or a dungeon. It looks like a living room or something but there is still nothing outside."
Harry gazed outside. The thick layer of darkness made him unnaturally paranoid. He thought he saw all kind of shapes and forms outside the window and they were all coming after him, chasing him. He briefly wondered how long will it take for the death eaters to show up. How long will it take for Voldemort to show up?
And just like someone was reading his mind (which was quite possible, he thought darkly) the locked door opened slowly and two hooded death eaters walked inside. Hermione tensed beside him and they shared a look. They were both defenceless without their wands, could they face the two death eaters and win?
One of the dark hooded men lowered his hood and revealed a thin pale face. He seemed like he was away from sunlight for quite some time and his brown eyes seemed pale hard as he gazed at them. To Harry and Hermione he seemed unnaturally tall and quite threatening.
"Harry Potter and Hermione…" He sneered a little. "Hermione Granger. I've been waiting to meet you for a long time now."
The two teenagers didn't respond and the four held a heavy silence for a while. Harry breathed deeply before speaking. "What do you want? Why did you bring me here?"
The tall man smiled a crooked smile. "We wanted you to see, Harry Potter. The dark lord will arrive shortly."
Harry looked at Hemione who bit her lips nervously. His scar was starting to ache and he moved his hand in his hair. That's it? They were simply waiting? He looked around him; feeling like someone was watching him. This entire place didn't feel right.
"James?" They heared a faint call and the tall death eater laughed. Harry turned his head around searching after the source of the voice. "James, are you in here?"
Lily Potter walked into the living room, walking straight into the body of the other death eater. He cursed loudly. She continued walking and Harry moved aside, allowing her to step right between her husband's arms.
"Where have you been?" James asked.
"I went to see Rose at the hospital." She said softly and James cringed.
"Did you see Remus?" He asked softly, moving his hand in his hair.
"No, I didn't." Lily sighed. "The nurses told me he is trying to visit as much as he can but he can't affored to loose his new job. He's working with muggles again." She paused and looked at her husband. "Did you talk to him?" James shook his head. "James! It's been two weeks, you guys can't let that happen, he's your friend!"
"I know he's my friend, Lily, I sent an owl but it returned my letter unopened."
"Maybe it couldn't find him." She offered and James snorted.
"I highly doubt that." His face turned serious for a moment. "But I suppose you're right, I should try and send him another letter. Maybe we should go and see him, Sirius and I."
"Yes, it could be great. You should ask Peter to come." Lily smiled. "Is he still abroad?"
"Yes, In Canada. He's been away for quite some time now, hasn't he?" James frowned for a moment and then smiled, bending his head to kiss his wife.
"Oh no, not again." A loud groan filled the room and Harry turned to see Alastor Moody's head inside the fire, surrounded with green flames."
James and Lily broke apart, smiling. "Hello there, Moody." James greeted the aurror and crouched next to the fire. "What happened?"
"There's been another attack." He said grimly. "Right inside St. Mungo's. I need you to come over. There are some death eaters in the scenerio, unconscious. Fotunatly, St. Mungo's is highly secured by aurrors but there is much damage."
"St. Mungo's?" Lily asked. "They attacked the hospital? I should be there and help."
"I'll see you in a few moments, James." Moody said and dissappeared from the flames.
"You can't go, you have to stay with Harry." James said, grabbing his cloak.
"Harry is fine, your mother is here. She's upstairs with him right now."
"You can't go." He said sharply and Lily glared at him.
"I beg your pardon?"
"We disscussed it before, Lily." James sighed. "I want you out of danger. I don't want you running around fighting."
"Disscussed it?" Lily hissed. "We disscussed nothing! You simply decided that I would not leave the house. Merlin, James, do you really expect me to stay in all day?"
"I just don't want to see you getting hurt."
"Oh, I see and the great James Potter is immune to all curses? The great James Potter can run around and fight while his wife rots inside the house…forget it, James, my friends are in there and I work there and I want to help!"
James stared at her when she grabbed some floo powder. "Lily…" He tried to speak but she refused to hear.
"No James! You just have to understand that you are no better then me." She tossed the powder into the fire. "Some things are worth dying for."
Harry stared in shock as his father stared at the green flames and cursed loudly. His image was starting to fade and Harry's eyes were filled with tears by the time he dissappeared. Was that the way his parents lived? It seemed like they were fighting all the time, that they always seemed upset. He breathed deeply, forcing the tears away before he turned to face the death eaters again.
"What do you want from us?" He spat and the tall death eater laughed again.
"Actually, for a long time now I wanted to meet Miss Granger." He said and Hermione swallowed.
"What for?" She found herself asking courage she didn't have.
"I hear you are quite clever for a mud blood witch." He grinned, approaching them.
Hermione made a step backwards. "So what? There are many muggle borns in the wizarding world that are clever. Some are better then pure blood wizards."
"That's an interesting theory." The tall man mused and Harry lifted his eyebrows. This was a strange situation, Hermione and the death eater disscussing calmly about pure bloods and half bloods. He forced back a smile, such a thing could only happen with Hermione.
"But hearing it from you..." The death eater continued. "Well, it's quite hypocrite of you to say that considering who you are."
Hermione stared at him for a moment and Harry held his breath. "What are you talking about?" He asked.
"I mean, after all, my dear girl you are a pure blood, a descenant of one of the most ancient wizarding families. Your line belonges to one of the five most powerfull families in the wizarding world: the Malfoys, the Blacks, the Haunters, the Snapes and the Potters. Those are the ancient five families, the family line can be traced back to the days of Merlin and Morganna."
Hermione's eyes were wide open and she stared at the tall man with shock. "How do you know that?" She asked. "How do you know me?"
He grinned. "A grandfather would never fail to recognize his grandchild."
Hermione swallowed and looked at Harry. His face turned pale and he was moving his eyes between herself and the tall death eater. She closed her eyes; her worst fears came true. Her parents were death eaters and they hurt people, her family represented everything she hated. She lifted her gaze to stare at the death eater who claimed he was her relative and spoke: "My parents? Where are they?"
His smile faltered and suddenly she had the fear that he might name the Lestranges as her parents and her head turned dizzy. But he didn't. Instead, he sighed deeply. "Your mother betrayed the family." He said. "Betrayed us by marring a half breed wizard, a monster. She thought she loved him and so she had his child." He paused for a moment. "She was no more then a common whore." Hermiones eyes watered. "She was a whore and she left you to die on the doorstep of a muggle house."
"That's not true!" Hermione cried. "It can't be!" Tears run freely down her face and Harry pulled her towards him, enveloping her in his arms.
"Hermione, don't cry." He soothed. "Don't let him see you cry, he's provoking you…" he turned his head backward where he thought he saw something moving. Hermione saw the movement and held her breath.
"There's someone there." She mouthed and Harry nodded.
The heavy curtain moved and Rose Lupin came out from the shadows, her eyes were cold and hard as she stared around the room and Harry's head started aching as he suddenly realized everything. Everything connected all the stories Remus told him, all the similarities he found. Hermione froze in his arms and averted her eyes when the older witch paused next to them and gave Harry her wand.
"Use it wisely." She said. "You have to get out of here, no matter what."
Harry nodded, amazed by the fact that her entire posture reminded him Bellatrix Lestrange…and Hermione Granger. He clutched the wand in his hand.
The tall death eater smiled.
Rose smirked as she held his gaze.
"Hello, father."
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Well, I guess I should appologize greatly for the long wait (runs away from rotten fruits and all those stuff…) But you can never rush a writers block…you just have to wait till it's gone.
I sure hope this chapter is worth the waiting. Let me know what you're thinking.
Thank you all for the great support. Don't give up on me!!
Bell.