so i don't get very many readers, but a huge thanks goes out to the two that do read and review this! you both rock and you both get an ENTIRE plate of brownies! yay! hope you enjoy the new chapter:)
Chapter Eight
"I don't get it," Wood said, still lying on the bed. "Why is he so nice to you? Kindness isn't a trait he's supposed to possess." I shrugged.
"I don't understand it either," I answered, sitting down next to him on the bed. "He kidnapped me, gave me this room, and told me to ring the bell if I wanted anything."
"So he was never going to kill you was he?"
"No. And I told Harry that, but he never listens to me!"
"He does too listen to you, but not when he's being stubborn."
"Why does he always have to rush to my rescue?" I sighed, lying down next to Wood.
"What kind of a question is that?" Wood laughed. "I thought you were smart." I sent him my worst death glare.
"Oh come on Jenna, he loves you. He always has, why else would he always rescue you. Why else are you the one always being captured? He'd rescue any of the others, sure, but you he'd give anything for." I pounded my fist on the bed.
"But he's being stupid! Voldemort's going to kill him and then there really won't be any hope left for us! I'm just not worth it."
"Aye, but to him you are." I rolled on to my side, eyeing him.
"Weren't you the one who first jumped up to rescue me tonight?" I smirked. He blushed and went temporarily mute. "That's what I thought." I closed my eyes, surrendering to the sleep that had been tugging at my eyes for hours.
The wind gently blew my hair away from my face. The sun was shining brighter than it had in weeks, and birds twittered. The giant squid was basking in the shallow end of the lake, but the grounds were subdued. Not a student was to be found outside, all were inside, mourning. Dumbledore's funeral had taken place earlier in the morning and I was the only one left outside. I was sitting by the giant sycamore, hidden in the shade. I saw
Harry walk towards me from the castle.
"What are you still doing out here?" he asked gently. I shrugged, tears coming to my eyes. I had cried so much lately it didn't seem possible to possess more salty liquid.
"I know how hard this is for you Jenna," he whispered, sitting down beside me. "I'm sure Draco's all right though." A choked laugh came out of my throat.
"How can you even care about that?" I accused. "He's the reason Dumbledore's dead. I knew he had to do something, but I never dreamed it was this bad." Harry shook his head, his black hair swaying with it.
"I reckon you were right about him after all," Harry sighed. "He couldn't do it Jenna. I watched him up there, he would never have been able to kill Dumbledore. He's not a murderer. I also think that if you hadn't ever gotten involved in his life, he might have become a murderer."
"Are you saying I changed him?"
"Yes. You have an effect on people, you know." I smiled slightly, my eyes still glistening with tears.
"I'm sorry Jenna," Harry wrapped his arms around me. "I'm sorry for not being the friend I swore I'd be." I let the tears flow unchecked, burying my head in his chest.
"Oh Harry, I'm sorry too," I sobbed. "I've been miserable without you."
"You have nothing to apologize for," he stroked the back of my head tenderly. "I was hard headed and eager to pin something on Malfoy."
"We're both so stupid, you know that?" I laughed suddenly. "We're fighting over who's sorrier." He laughed too.
"Jenna, next year's going to be the hardest yet, I have no one left to protect me," Harry said seriously, his green eyes flashing. "Normally I'd do everything in my power to keep you away from danger, but I want you to come with me. I can't do it alone Jenna, I need you." Never had our bond felt as strong as in that moment. I laid my head on his chest again.
"I wouldn't dream of leaving you Harry," I answered. "And besides, even if you didn't want me to come, you know I wouldn't let you go without me." He laughed.
"Because you're too damn stubborn for your own good," he smiled.
"Speak for yourself Potter," I smirked.
My dream changed to a memory that wasn't my own. It was something I had never experienced, but I knew whose memory it was.
It was a feeling of jealousy I had never experienced before. I was glaring at…myself. I was standing with Cedric.
"What does he think he's doing, talking to her," I heard George's voice growl from next to me.
"She won't fall for his pretty boy act," my voice came out. Only it wasn't me speaking, it was Harry's.
"Then why is she laughing?" George demanded. Harry held him back.
"She's just being polite," Harry answered. Cedric left and I walked over to the boys.
"Hi George, hi Harry," I heard myself say. I could hear George breathing heavily next to Harry.
"Have a nice chat with Cedric?" Harry asked politely. I saw myself eyeing the two boys.
"Don't tell me you two stood over here glaring the whole time?" Now I remembered this conversation. The one where I had yelled at George. But why was Harry remembering this? I did my yelling and ran off, George turned on his heel and left. Harry just sighed.
"Hey Diggory," he called out to Cedric who was talking to some friends. Cedric looked up in surprise.
"Yeah Harry?" he asked in a friendly tone.
"Can I talk to you somewhere private?" Cedric nodded and they walked into an empty classroom.
"Are you…interested in Jenna?" Harry asked.
"Well, honestly? Yes. She's really smart and nice and funny and-"
"Gorgeous," Harry finished.
"Well, that too, but that's not why I like her, if that's what your thinking." I could tell Harry was thinking.
"Ok, just…treat her well. All right?" Cedric gave Harry a quizzical look but nodded.
"Hey Potter," he called as Harry turned to leave. "You aren't, jealous are you?" Harry didn't answer as he walked out."
Once again my dream changed, to a memory that Harry and I shared.
Cedric was lying spread eagled on the ground, gray eyes wide open. I couldn't scream or move and Harry was being tied to a headstone by Wormtail. All I could focus on was Cedric dead. I could feel George beside me, shaking me. See, I wasn't really in the graveyard, I was just connected to Harry. It was one of those weird moments we had. I felt all the pain Harry went through that night, saw everything he did, and didn't wake up until the next morning. All night, all we both saw was the graveyard, and Voldemort rising from the cauldron, like a pale snake. I felt tears flowing down my face as I looked at Cedric, but I couldn't blink, couldn't move, couldn't do anything. Voldemort sent his Cruciatus curse on Harry and I started shuddering involuntarily.
"Jenna," Wood was shaking me awake. "Jenna, wake up." I bolted up, gasping for breath, a cold sweat breaking out all over my body. Wood's face mirrored fear and concern.
"Are you all right?" he asked. "You were sleeping, and suddenly you started crying and shaking." I shook my head and cowered away from him, the dream still so vivid in my mind.
"Jenna," Wood reached out gently, but I backed away, falling off the bed.
"Don't touch me," I snapped. He backed up, looking shocked.
"I just…never mind," he shook his head and took the chair by the fire. I climbed back onto the bed, leaning against the wall it was positioned beside. I brought my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them.
"Why did you ever trust him?" a voice hissed in my ear. "He's never been nice to you. He doesn't understand. Like Potter, Potter never understood." I looked around.
"Did you hear that?" I asked Wood.
"Hear what?" he questioned, turning in his chair and giving me a strange look.
"That voice…never mind." I dropped my gaze but could still feel Wood's eyes on me.
"Would you stop looking at me?" I fumed, glaring at him. He walked over.
"I know we didn't get along in the past, but I do care, and I'm worried about you," he said gently, sitting beside me. I turned away.
"I don't need you to care about me Oliver," I said quietly.
"Why are you afraid?" My eyes widened and I looked at him.
"How…what makes you think I'm afraid?" I questioned.
"Because every guy who's ever said he cared about you has hurt you in some way," he replied. I opened my mouth to reply but no words came out. He spoke the truth, but the question was, how did he know all this?
"My mind isn't as one tracked as you thought," he said. "I've heard the guys talking, I've seen what happened while you lot were still at Hogwarts. Jenna, I'm not going to take advantage of you, I just want to be your friend right now."
"He's lying." The voice was back. "He's lying Jenna. He's going to hurt you just like they all did. Remember when George left you so he could start his joke shop?"
"I let him leave," I whispered. "I made him go."
"Perhaps. But what about Draco? He left you. You opened your heart to him, did he ever give his to you? He kept secrets from you, and then he ran with out so much as a goodbye."
"He didn't have a choice." Tears were springing to my eyes.
"Jenna, who are you talking to?" Wood asked, but his voice sounded distant and I couldn't answer.
"I suppose you are right, but tell me Jenna. What's Harry's excuse? He wouldn't give Draco a chance, cursed him, fought with you, called you a traitor. He never wrote you, he disappeared without saying goodbye also. Tell me, what's his excuse for all the things he ever did to you?"
"I …I…get out of my head!" I screamed. The room was surrounded in mist. "Get out of here! Leave me alone!"
"Jenna!" Wood was so far away and I didn't know where I was. I heard the ringing of a bell, but it didn't register in my mind. Suddenly the mist was gone and I was thrown back into the reality of the small room.
"Miss Atkins?" Voldemort hissed. I looked up at him. "Mind wandering is very dangerous in this house." He had a triumphant smirk on his face.
"You were the voice," I choked out.
"Delirious," he told Wood. "Perhaps I should take a look at her." At that moment, a sharp knock came from downstairs. "Or perhaps our friends have returned with the ransom. Come you two." Wood took my arm and helped me down the stairs to the grimy front hall.
"Couldn't clean could you?" I spat at Voldemort. He simply continued smirking in that annoyingly evil way. He opened the door and bowed to Harry, Fred, George and Draco.
"Didn't mind busting down my door last time boys," he twirled his wand idly, a habit he'd always had. "Why the change this time?"
"We decided to be polite," Harry spat, glaring with a hatred I'd never seen on his face.
"You brought the papers?" Voldemort asked. Harry brandished a bunch of rolled up papers, tied with a string.
"All right, hand me the papers, I give you the boy. Malfoy and Potter, drop your wands, step inside, and I give you Miss Atkins," Voldemort smiled, which only made him look uglier, if that were even possible. I gave Harry one more last desperate look.
"You know Harry, I feel I'm not being fair in this," Voldemort spoke again. "Before you make your final decision, there's something I should tell you. Have you ever wondered how you and Miss Atkins' original bond came to be so strong you could communicate through mind power only?" I looked at the evil thing standing beside me. What was he playing at?
"Do you, perhaps remember years ago when I killed that ridiculous lump of a boy Longbottom?" Hisses were sent in his direction. Harry slowly nodded.
"And I suppose you think you've destroyed all the horcruxes I created in years past?" Harry again nodded.
"Well, when I killed Longbottom, I made one more," Voldemort was smiling ear to ear now, his red eyes flashing.
"Who remembers Miss Atkins fainting during that battle?" he turned his monstrous grin towards me. My eyes grew wider as understanding dawned on me.
"That's not possible Voldemort," Harry's voice shook with anger.
"Isn't it? I made Nagini one, did I not? What makes you think I couldn't have made Miss Atkins' a horcrux too?" I was beginning to feel dizzy. I couldn't be…but yet it explained so much. How Voldemort always seemed to find me no matter where I was hidden, how he had spoken to me through my mind, how Harry and I's connection had grown so strong…
"You're lying," Harry growled, the only one brave enough to speak.
"You think so Potter?" Voldemort whispered maliciously. "Do the spell Potter. Test her, see if I'm lying, I give you permission. Try anything else though, and I will kill the other friend of yours, Wood was his name?" Harry's tongue darted out over his lips and I knew he was thinking.
"Do it Harry," I spoke up. "I think he's telling the truth." Harry raised his wand, his beautiful emerald eyes begging for it to be false. He whispered the spell and I felt a warm sensation around me as gold light emanated from my body. I gasped.
"Gold, Potter," Voldemort chuckled. Harry was shaking his head furiously.
"She can't be!" he shouted, begging for it to be a lie.
"And yet, she is. So then, are you going to trade her life for your own, or let her live here with me?"
"Harry, he isn't going to kill me, just…go. Be safe," I reached out my hand to the ebony haired boy.
"But the only way to defeat him, is to kill you," he whispered, taking my hand in his. I could feel the jealousy steaming from three of the other boys.
"I'll make you a new deal Voldemort," Harry's stared at the Dark Lord, determination set in his face. "We'll give you the papers and Wood goes, I'll stay and she stays with me." I gasped. What the heck? Voldemort pondered the offer, running a slim white finger over his chin in thought.
"I get to keep her and you?" he asked as though disbelieving it. Harry nodded, holding my hand tighter.
"But you have to let me stay with her," he added. Voldemort stared at us for a moment, then clasped his hands together.
"Deal Potter," he held out his hand to shake. Harry offered his free hand a red light glowed from their shaking hands. George handed over the papers, and Voldemort pushed Wood over to them, pulling me and Harry back.
"No doubt you will attempt another rescue mission," he spoke to George, Fred, Draco and Wood. "Good luck then." He shut the door in their faces. "Take Mr. Potter up to your room and stay there." I nodded and led Harry upstairs, shutting the door behind us. I immediately threw my arms around the brunette, tears again falling from my face.
"It's going to be all right Jenna," he rubbed my back soothingly. "I promise." Somehow, I had lost faith in those words.
