A broken Pact
Disclaimer: Must I do this? NOTHING!
Harry sat on a bench at the Quidditch Pitch, just thinking, waiting. He though about Ron, He thought about Hermione, He thought about…
"LAST CALL FOR HOGSMEADE!" Prof. McGonagall's voice flew through his ears. He leapt up and sprinted for the entrance to the grounds.
"Potter," she said when she spied him. "Nice of you to join us." He gazed up at her.
"I am sorry, Professor. I was thinking about… Never Mind." He did not wish to share with her the events of the summer.
"I know, P- Harry." He looked up at her. "No need to be sorry. Move along now… oh, Wait one moment." There was a 'pop' and she was gone. She had disapparated. When she returned, Dumbledore was with her.
"H- headmaster." Said Harry, once again bowing to his mentor.
"Harry." Dumbledore solemnly replied with a nod. Harry straightened and looked the aged wizard in the eyes, though t'was painful for him to do so, knowing how much sadness would be awaiting him. The headmaster always looked at him with concern and sadness now, and Harry wondered why.
"I wish to accompany you to Hogsmeade, Harry." Said Dumbledore sternly, though he was not angry. "I would like to… talk."
Harry and Dumbledore walked along the streets in Hogsmeade, wandering and talking until they came across Honeydukes Sweet shop, which intrigued Dumbledore, who loved sweets. They entered.
"Ah… all is so pleasing to the eye!" the headmaster sighed as he gaped at the shop. "W-what would you recommend, Harry?"
"Definitely… this." Said Harry, pulling something off the topmost shelf.
"Ah…" cried Dumbledore, examining the package. "Ingredients to make your own candy, only one galleon." He looked at Harry. "A bit expensive, though."
"Allow me, headmaster." Harry replied, Pulling out the gold coin needed.
"Thank you, Harry, but…"
"Please…" Harry said insistently, "take it."
"Alright." Said Dumbledore, and he approached the counter to purchase it.
"Harry," Dumbledore asked as they sat in the Three Broomsticks later that afternoon, a butterbeer in each one's hands. "What is wrong?"
"Pardon?" Harry was obviously confused.
"You are always sad… the emerald fire that once burned in your eyes is gone entirely. Even Prof. McGonagall knows that something is wrong, many a time has she come to me worried about you!"
"She--- she is worried about me, sir?" Dumbledore nodded. "I- it's Ron and Hermione, sir. I can't help but feel it is my fault." His sad eyes gazed into Dumbledore's concerned ones. "It was my fault wasn't it?"
"No, Harry. We've talked about this and I don't want one more wo--"
"Don't you see?" Harry inquired quietly.
"My Parents, Cedric, Sirius, Ron, Hermione…. All connected to me! Everyone he kills is connected to me!"
"Ron and Hermione are not dead." Replied Dumbledore firmly.
"We don't know that!"
"No, but if you believe that you have already given up hope. I don't want to hear one more word about this. Do you understand?"
"But if I…"
"NOT ONE WORD!"
"Yes, Headmaster." There was silence for a few moments.
"Professor… did you hear that?"
"Hear what?"
"That pop… I could have sworn…" he was interrupted by screaming coming from outside the door. They both leapt to their feet, bolting out the door together.
Twenty or so Death Eaters filled the streets, shooting hexes and unforgivables at passerby's as the went. Harry whipped out his wand on instinct, as did Dumbledore, and they separated, fighting off Death Eaters.
"DUMBLEDORE!" came the voice of Snape. "SHOULD POTTER REALLY BE…" he ducked a Crucio. "FIGHTING? HE IS STILL YOUNG."
"I CAN HANDLE IT!" Harry yelled back. He was sick of being treated like a child. Suddenly, a portion of the stone street shot up fifty feet in the air, and a man appeared in a wisp of smoke, it was Voldemort. He was holding up Ron and Hermione, bound in chains. Harry watched in horror (ducking a killing curse) as he dangled them, lifeless over the edge.
"RELEASE THEM, VOLDEMORT! I'M THE ONE YOU WANT!" he bellowed, Death Eater surrounding him slowly.
"COME AND GET THEM,POTTER! COME UP AND FIGHT LIKE A MAN!" Harry glanced at Dumbledore, Snape and McGonagall, who were fighting the Death Eaters away. Dumbledore's eyes said to stay put, but he was torn.
Sirius Black sat in a small room, wondering what he ought to do. 'Hmmm…' he thought. 'Harry is in Hogsmeade today… perhaps a little trip there?' and he disapparated.
"LET THEM GO, VOLDEMORT!" he called again. His eyes were burning with fury, his body shaking violently, the pain in his scar almost unbearable. "YOU HEAR ME? I SAID LET THEM GO!" Sirius suddenly popped up beside him, and seeing the situation, glared up with Harry, one hand on his shoulder.
"AND I SAID, COME AND GET THEM!" Harry had had enough. He growled low in his throat, then pointed his wand at the castle and murmured, "Accio Firebolt."
The broomstick came rushing at him, and he reached out to grab it, but Sirius threw his arms around the young man's chest and arms and restrained him.
"Sirius… ugh… Let Go." Harry struggled, wanting desperately to get to his friends, but Sirius, weak though he was, was still strong. Snape was soon there as well. Harry watched the broomstick fall to the ground. Snape grabbed the wand from Harry's hand gently.
"Potter, you can't go to them."
"Why not?" though Snape was now… not hated as much, Harry still refused to obey him thoroughly.
"Because… you promised Dumbledore." He looked into the shifty black eyes and knew that this was true, but he still struggled, wishing that he could do the shield curse, but, Snape held his wand. No sooner, however, had he thought this, then Sirius was thrown off of him. He had done it… wandless. He had preformed wandless magic. He mounted the broom and kicked of, rising ten feet before looking back at Snape and thrusting his hand forward, muttering "Accio Wand." It came to him. As he looked down, he met Dumbledore's eyes. "I'm sorry, sir." He said, then he sped up to where Voldemort stood, now almost ready to scream at the pain in his scar.
"Release them!" he demanded once more. He was greeted with a curse being thrown at him, that almost knocked him off his broom.
"What will you give me for them?" Asked Voldemort. He wanted a trade, and Harry was sure he knew what it was.
"What do you want?" he inquired, knowing the answer.
"You… in their place."
"No." He replied coldly.
"Then no trade." He said, and he dropped Ron and Hermione. Harry glared at him, then dived after them, standing on his broom, so that he could catch them. He did. As he lowered himself to the ground, setting them down, then watching as Voldemort pointed his wand at Harry and yelled, "CRUCIO!" Harry sank to his knees, mouth agape as though screaming, though no sound escaped his lips. For five minutes he suffered this pain, his scar finally splitting and a trickle of blood flowing down his face. Finally, Voldemort apparated, leaving him on one knee, gasping.
Sirius and the professors surrounded him, as well as Dumbledore, all gazing at him worriedly. Many had gone insane after such torture. Dumbledore helped him rise, staring at his scar. Prof, McGonagall preformed a cleaning spell, and the blood was gone.
"Come, Potter. Back to the castle." She conjured stretchers for Ron and Hermione and the four of them went back to the castle, and the hospital wing. Harry looked back. Dumbledore's eyes were following him, carrying one message. I trusted you.