Chapter 7

You shake your head no, "I just can't risk it. And if you two try to come I'll put you in a full body bind right here in the Great Hall."

"Harry!" Hermione cries, "You can't go alone."

"I have to." You rise from the table. "Besides, it'll look suspicious if all three of us walk out of here."

"That's easy enough to cover up," Ron points out. "You aren't serious are you?"

"I am," you say, quickly leaving. You here them get up to follow you. Quickly you make it to the hallway and grab the charm. You feel the familiar hook behind your belly button as your taken away from Hogwarts.

With a hard thump you land on the ground.

"Lumos," you whisper, trying to figure out where you are. Looking around you recognize the cemetery where Voldemort had come back. Slowly you look around, trying to detect any sign of movement. "Hello?" you whisper tentatively into the night air. No one answers. "Knox." The light on your wand disappears as you start to walk around. You peer behind tombstones and around trees, but see no one. An old shed in the southwest corner of the cemetery catches your attention. You make your way over there and look inside, it's empty. Puzzled, you sit on the ground and try to figure things out. There must have been a reason to bring you here, benevolent or not, and there was no way you were going to return to Hogwarts and just do nothing for the rest of the year. You glance at your surroundings and notice a broken tombstone. You decide to walk over there, and as you get closer you recognize the tombstone of Tom Riddle. You glance at the horizon and see a mansion standing there – it must be the Riddle Mansion. Making your mind up quickly you decide that is where you must go.

You march across the cemetery and onto an empty street. Not wanting to be seen you creep through the alleys, trying to stay in the shadows. It feels like hours, but you finally make it to the Riddle Grounds. You stand slightly in the shadows, observing the house. There doesn't appear to be any activity.

"Who's there?" A voice says in the darkness. Surprised, you step back and try to hide in the shadows a bit more. A loud clang lets you know that you ran right into the gate.

"I know you're there!" The same voice rings out. "Show yourself!"

If you decide to reveal yourself go to Chapter 2

If you decide to run for it go to Chapter 6