Chapter 29: Into the Dark
Harry left Dumbledore's office feeling as if he had betrayed a great friend, but at the same time making the best decision of his life. It had been decided by him to hold another meeting that night, and as usual, all of the members attended. Harry fidgeted nervously during the session as he watched the students practice the spells they had begun learning so long ago. He couldn't help feeling the need to tell them everything that could happen.
"What's wrong?" Hermione asked, placing her hand on his arm.
"Nothing," Harry lied. "Just thinking." Hermione moved back to practicing with Ron, but not before casting a suspicious glance in Harry's direction. Harry looked around the room, at each and every student there that night. When Voldemort came for the stone, would they want to stay behind? He swore to himself that he wouldn't let a single student stay to help; it was far too dangerous. But then, when did he ever have a say in these things? At the Department of Mysteries, he had tried to make the others stay at the school but they wouldn't hear of it. This couldn't be any different, there was no doubt in Harry's mind that a number of the members would want to stay and fight. It was at this moment that Harry knew that they all deserved the truth, the facts of the Serpent's Stone. He blew the small whistle and the room fell into silence.
"I um…think you all ought to know something," he said. Everyone stared attentively at him. "There's something, someone rather, that is planning to come to Hogwarts. Well, not really come, so much as uh…attack." A nervous wave swept through the crowd, and murmurs penetrated the room. "I'm not saying that we're going to fight or anything," Harry continued. "I just want all of you to know what could happen. Voldemort-" Harry was cut off by a number of gasps. "Listen! Voldemort is after something staying here at the school, it's called the Serpent's Stone. It's some kind of stone that is used to bring back the dead and kill those already alive; I'm really not sure how it works exactly. If Voldemort gets his hands on this, the world as we know it will end. When he comes, you're all going to evacuate the school."
"What about you?" interjected Neville, "Aren't you coming with us?" Harry shifted his weight.
"No, I have to stay…it's predestined or something," he joked, but at the same time, serious.
"You can't stay here alone," Neville continued.
"I wont be, the teachers will be here."
"So will I," Neville said, puffing out his chest with courage.
"No, absolutely not," Harry said.
"Why shouldn't I? If we lose this, we lose everything. Don't you see? When V-V- You-Know-Who comes, it's going to change everything. This is it, Harry."
"You're not staying, and that is final."
"Watch me," Neville said before storming from the room. In a stream of red hair, Ginny was chasing after him. Harry heaved a sigh and looked to the group.
"You're all leaving with an escape route Dumbledore planned," he said. "You're dismissed."
Everyone filed out slowly, all of them looking at Harry as if it was the first time they had ever seen him. In Harry's opinion, these new first impressions he was getting were not good.
"Smooth move, Harry," Ron said.
"What did I do wrong?" Harry asked.
"You could've done that a little better. First you tell them that the most powerful wizard is going to come after us, and then you say that everything they worked for is worth nothing because they all have to run. I reckon that just about all of them want to stick around," Ron explained. Harry had no idea of what Ron was talking about. Why were they angry with him for wanting them to go? He was doing it for their safety!
"Just let it go," Hermione said. "Harry is right in wanting them to leave, and Ron is right in saying that the choice of words was a little iffy. I just think we should talk to Neville now, I really don't want to see him get hurt."
"Fine," Harry agreed, "Let's see if we can talk some sense into him." Hermione rolled her eyes, but chose to remain silent for the rest of their trip back to the Gryfindor Tower. When they climbed through the portrait hole, they could see Ginny's red hair on the other side of the couch before the fire. The trio listened as they heard her voice talking to Neville.
"He could be right," she murmured to Neville. "It'll be dangerous staying to battle people who're far more advanced than us in magic."
"Then you can go," they heard Neville say, "But I've made up my mind."
"I'm not going without you," she said. Neville did not respond, and Harry took this as the time to make their presence known.
"Neville," he said. Harry saw Neville's head poke out from behind the couch. "We need to talk." Harry, Hermione, and Ron took their respective seats among Ginny and Neville. "Listen, I know you want to stay, I really do. I understand why, but you just can't."
"I can," Neville said. During this time between Harry and Neville, Harry could hear Ron quietly telling off his sister.
"Neville, I'm telling you tha-" Harry was cut off by the room suddenly being plunged into darkness; the fires that had lighted the room had been extinguished by an invisible force. "What just happened?" Harry asked to no one in particular. He could hear older and younger students alike panicking in the dark. Then, from nowhere, came the voice of Albus Dumbledore:
"ALL STUDENTS MAKE HASTE TO THEIR COMMON ROOMS AND EXIT THE SCHOOL BY FLOO! TRANSPORT TO: 'FLOOSTOP 385' IMMEDIATELY!"
The fire in the Gryfindor sprang back to life, this time the flames were green: the color that it took when it was ready to transport someone. Harry, Hermione, and Ron quickly started sending students to their unknown destination, making sure that everyone got out. When it came time to send Neville and Ginny, they wouldn't even budge.
"Not now, come on, we have to go," Ron said to his sister. She shook her head and turned her back to the fire. Harry heaved a sigh.
"Let's go then," he said. "We really don't have the time to debate this."
It looked as if Ginny and Neville couldn't believe their ears. It was clear that they had expected Harry to put up a better fight to send them through the fire. Harry took great strides to the portrait hole with Hermione, Ron, Neville, and Ginny close behind. As Harry clambered past the painting of the Fat Lady, he literally walked straight into Lavender Brown.
"I was coming back to get to the fire! What a second, what are you all doing? You're all not staying, are you? If you all get to stay, then I do too!" she said this all very fast. Harry rolled his eyes.
"Go through the fire, please Lavender, I can't protect this many people," he said.
"Who says we need protecting?" Ginny asked defensively. Harry threw up his hands in frustration.
"Fine! Do what you want, Lavender. Just be careful," he urged. Lavender nodded and took out her wand.
"Excuse me," said the Fat Lady. They all jumped from the surprise and turned to look at her. "I believe that all of you must be going through that fire. Professor Dumbledore's orders."
"We can't," Harry said.
"Then I must alert the Headmaster that you are here," she said, before walking out of her portrait.
"Great, just great," Ron mumbled. "Just what we needed."
"Let's just get going," Harry said.
Harry had no idea of what to do. They were a large group in the middle of a pitch-dark corridor, with far less expertise in magic than the wizards currently invading the school. They didn't dare light the tips of their wands, seeing as it would give away their position. They didn't know how many wizards were in the school, but they ventured to believe that it was many. They stepped lightly, although they didn't know where they were going, but Harry had it in his mind to head towards Dumbledore's office. He didn't expect the great professor to be there, but it was a start.
The only sound that could be heard was the breathing of the students behind him. It was obvious by their shallow, yet heavy, breaths that they were terrified beyond anything they had ever known. It was difficult to calculate where he was going, considering the corridor was in utter blackness. Every step felt as if he was heading in the wrong direction or that he was leading the people with him to their death. A thousand thoughts were flying across Harry's mind, but he couldn't make any sense of them. He tried to calm himself out of the panic that was starting to penetrate his heart.
In the distant, he could see the silhouette of the stone gargoyles that protected Dumbledore's office. It was then that Harry heard the first sounds of something other than his group of himself. It was the voices of wizards that he did not recognize. Thinking of nothing better to do, Harry silently urged the group to crouch down low beside the gargoyles and wait to see where the voices were coming from. A soft echo seceded each word that was uttered by the pair of wizards coming up the hall Harry and the teenagers had just inhabited.
As the unknown speakers continued their conversation, Harry realized that they were both out of breath.
"Damned lucky to get outta that one," one said. "That good-for-nothing Dumbledore tried to kill us!"
"Got awfully close," said the other. "Better keep moving, and clear this place out of all them other Dumbledore followers."
"Didn't one of those paintings say something about some students being around?"
Harry could feel Hermione twitch nervously.
"I reckon I heard that, too! I bet that Harry Potter is one of them."
It was then Harry's turn to shift his weight in fear.
"I imagine you're right," said the first one.
Harry clutched his wand as the pair came by his hiding place, and once they passed he made his move.
"Petrificus Totalus!" he cried twice, one to each Death Eater. The men's arms were snapped to their sides, and then they fell to the ground on their backs. Harry rushed his group away before the noise attracted any more Death Eaters.
"How many Death Eaters are here?" Hermione whispered.
"I have no idea," Harry replied.
Harry was feeling useless as they continued to wander aimlessly around the castle. He wasn't sure of whether he was looking for Voldemort or trying to hide from him. The halls had only small patches of light from the moon shining through the windows. Each shadow cast played another trick in Harry's mind, each time he saw one as another Death Eater. Harry's intuition told him to go to the Great Hall, although he had no idea why. His heart was pounding in his ears as he checked around each corner before proceeding to go around it. Suddenly, from somewhere behind them, bright red lights streaked across the corridor, along with deep voices all shouting: "STUPIFY!"
"GET DOWN!" Harry bellowed. He threw himself to the ground, taking care to grab Hermione and Ron to pull them down with him. Laughter bounced of the stonewalls of Hogwarts and the assailants stepped towards them. Harry couldn't believe his eyes as he realized it was the Serpents of Salazar.