Chapter 20: The Insane
disclaimer: not mine, it all belongs to the lovely J.K. Rowling.
AN - yes, well, i hope i still have readers. I've been a terrible updater. When i read stories i hate it when people don't update for weeks. What does that make me...A HYPOCRITE! So once again, i'm sorry for not updating, i was in Hawaii for part of the long break between these chapters...but still. However i really like the way this chapter turned out, so please forgive me and review it, let me know if you like it too. please!
Reviewers:
creator masashi: you reviewed for chap 1, but wutev. I'm glad you like it, and i was completely unaware of the fact i used the word reprimand a lot. I'll look backand see if i can fix it. thanks for the tip. and yeah the first chapters were pretty short.
LilCountryGal: you reviewed for chapter 18 but i don't remember if i responded to you, so if i did, then i'm doing it again. i'm glad u like it, and that you didn't think it was choppy. Thanks for the support! lol wait, u reviewed for nineteen too, yeah go u! I'm glad you still like it, sorry again for the long break between updates, hope u like the chapter!
Walking through the halls in the dead of night was different when you were alone. At least that was what Jake was thinking as he did just that under Jimmie's invisibility cloak. Not having his friends with him to ease the tension made him edgy. He was making sure each step he took was soundless and was also checking the Marauder's Map every five seconds to make sure that there was still no one near him.
It took him nearly an hour to get to Professor Sarscan's room. When he did finally reach it he was so nervous and excited at the same time that he could barely breath. Growing more paranoid by the second he eased the door open and crept toward the closet off to the side of the room. Unlocking the lock with a flick of his hand again he came face to face with the thick metal door that apparently held a crazy man. Slowly slipping off the invisibility cloak he stretched his fingers over the lock on this door. Closing his eyes and concentrating hard on it he murmured the spell he had learned earlier and felt the lock move underneath his fingers. Smiling in victory he grasped the handle tightly, took a deep breath and pulled it open.
He barely had time to even look at the huddled figure in the corner before it sprang up with a loud cry and launched itself on Jake. The two were thrown backwards clear over the professors desk and they slammed onto the floor. As terrified as Jake was at the moment he only managed to grasp the simplest facts about the person attacking him. He was male, scraggily and shaking violently. His eyes were the most frightening though. As the crazy man fought with Jake, his eyes only held fear, hopelessness and desperation.
As the two rolled around on the ground, each becoming increasingly more bruised and cut up Jake heard the man mumbling and grunting but nothing discernable. They both heard the side door to the classroom slam open. Jake, knowing it was Sarscan felt even more terrified. The man paused for only a second before he seemed to grow more terrified as well. Then his actions became even more frantic and it almost didn't seem like the man was actually trying to hurt Jake. It was more like trying he was to get Jake to understand something, but not having any other way to communicate it.
Just before Sarscan intervened Jake understood something the man said to him.
"Help me. Please." came the man's raspy voice just before he was flung away from Jake up against the wall. Jake watched in horror as Sarscan held the man there with just his hand, fingers stretched unnaturally out. The look in Sarscan's eyes was almost more horrifying than that of the look that had been in the man's eyes. The professor looked simply deranged, almost animal-like. As he held the man writhing on the wall he smiled maniacally.
Although he seemed to not even register the fact that Jake was there.
"Wormed your way out did you?" Jake shivered at the sound of the professor's voice, as did the man. It was icy cold, just the kind of voice Jake had been waiting and expecting to come out of his mouth since the first time he had met him.
"What have I told you? If you would only stay there, quietly, then I wouldn't have to do this." Jake saw the color drain from the man's face and he lay suspended in the air. His whole body seemed to shake, but Jake could see his mouth, trying to form words, trying to plead.
"But you always have to draw attention to yourself. I thought that lifetime imprisonment would have been a suitable punishment for what you did…but you seem to think differently." The professor finished sneering. With a flick of his other hand a spell went over the room. Jake assumed it was a silencing spell and dreaded what he was about to witness. Sarscan relaxed his other hand and the man fell to the ground, but only had time to whimper there before Sarscan's mouth curved and he placed both hands out in front of him and growled 'crucio'. Then Jake was able to witness the man's true indescribable power.
Jake watched horrified as the man writhed on the ground, screaming and crying out, begging in a hoarse voice for mercy when he managed to catch a short breath, but Sarscan just laughed.
"HOW DO YOU THINK THEY FELT!" he screamed at the man. "HOW DO YOU THINK I FELT WATCHING YOU DO THIS TO THEM! HOW DO YOU THINK MY SON FELT AS YOU RIPPED HIS SKIN OFF OF HIS BODY WITH YOUR WAND!" the man whimpered something in response, but Jake couldn't understand it.
Soon, but what seemed like an eternity later to Jake, the man collapsed. He was unconscious but still twitching on the ground. Sarscan still stood there, hands outstretched, breathing heavily. After another minute or so his hands fell to his sides and he relaxed somewhat. Jake held his breath as the professor turned around to face him.
The anger that had momentarily faded on his face flew back into his features and the intense ferocity that Jake had seen on Sarscan's features before was now directed at him. Jake cowered and was about to plead to be left alone, that he wouldn't say a word. His eyes landed on the twitching man and somehow instead of whimpering for his life he found himself saying;
"How could you do that to someone?" and after those words were uttered Sarscan seemed to explode. He lunged forward at Jake, but Jake scuttled back and up to his feet. Sarscan stepped forward until Jake was pressed in to the wall and Sarscan's nose was right in his face.
"HOW COULD I DO THAT TO SOMEONE?" he screamed. "THAT SOMEONE KILLED MY FAMILY! THEY KILLED EVERYTHING THAT MEANT ANYTHING TO ME, RIGHT BEFORE MY EYES. HE LEFT ME TO SUFFER IN MY MISERY ALONE. HE LEFT ME WITH NO ONE TO UNDERSTAND ME, WHO I WAS, WHAT I COULD DO! THAT MAD DESERVES WORSE THAN WHAT I JUST DID TO HIM, HE DESERVES…TO CONSTANTLY FEEL LIKE I DID. TO CONSTANTLY FEEL TORMENTED. HE RUINED MY LIFE THAT'S HOW I CAN DO THAT TO HIM!" the professor finished, panting. Jake didn't know how he was even able to find words after that.
"But…you used an unforgivable…" he stuttered.
"He's a deatheater you idiot, I think he's used to it." Sarscan snarled.
"But…it's wrong." Jake stuttered, wondering why he was still talking.
"And what are you going to do about it?" Sarscan sneered, face inching closer to Jake's menacingly. Jake's lips trembled nervously before he said something stupid.
"I'll tell McGonagall th…that you did an un…unforgivable." Sarscan took a step back and regarded him coldly.
"Oh you will?" he drawled. "Well, I'll have to ensure that you won't, won't I?" Jake's eyes widened, seriously thinking he was going to die in the near future. He saw Sarscan raise his hands with a disturbed look on his face. Fearing the worse he closed his eyes tightly and turned his head to the side.
He heard what Sarscan spoke, but couldn't understand the words. A split second later he felt the spell, coursing through his body in a tingling ripple. And that was it. A few minutes later he opened his eyes cautiously to find Sarscan turned away from him casual relocking the door and tidying up. The professor turned to look back at him and the deranged look was gone, replaced by his usual slightly unhinged but not enough o be scarily abnormal look.
"Well you didn't think I would kill you did you Jake?" the professor scoffed. Jake didn't answer. "Oh I couldn't kill on of my best students." Sarscan said oddly nicely. "You'll find out how the spell works soon enough. Now I suggest you get back to your dorms before I have to report you for being up after curfew." He said with a wink in a playful voice as he cleaned up a blotch of blood with a flick of his hand.
Horrified and absolutely terrified Jake shakily stumbled over to grab his cloak and map. He then took one last look at the now humming professor before throwing the cloak haphazardly over his shoulders and racing away from the room. He did not concentrate on being quiet, or if anyone was near him. He was only concerned with getting as far away from the professor as he could.
Once back in the common room he rested in a chair for a few moments, regaining his breath. He then, as if in a daze, walked the steps up to his dorm. He quietly folded up the cloak and the map and placed them back in Jimmie's trunk. He then sat down on his bed, staring off in to space in a state of shock.
He felt remotely like he could cry. Like he could just break down sobbing, but he wasn't quite sure why. He knew he couldn't fall asleep though, so he sat there, eyes wide and bright in the darkness, feeling the blood on his skin dry until the sun rose.
When Jimmie and Ethan awoke the next morning they didn't notice the oddness surrounding Jake for a few minutes. Neither of them were morning people, so they rolled around in their covers, grumbling about sunlight and evil mornings. When Jimmie did finally sit up, before Ethan, it didn't take him long to spot the zoned out, horrified looking, blood shot eyed, and blood caked and bruised form of his best friend sitting on the bed next to him. Forgetting about his morning hatred he flung the covers up and walked hurriedly over to his friend, Ethan following soon after. They both approached cautiously. Jake's eyes flashed to Jimmie, looking at him brokenly. Jimmie sat down next to him and gently put a hand on his shoulder.
"What happened to you?" he whispered nervously. Jake was silent for a long time, and when he finally looked back up at Jimmie his eyes were desperate because he was finding it increasingly hard to open his mouth.
AN - wohooo! yeah! there u go!