Disclaimers will only be placed on the first chapter and the last chapter.
THE SEVEN SINS
CHAPTER 1: THE BEGINNING
The seven deadly sins…food, clothing, firing, rent, taxes, respectability and children. Nothing can lift those seven millstones from man's neck but money; and the spirit cannot soar until the millstones are lifted George Bernard Shaw.
It was the 27th of October –halfway through the first school term. Harry woke up yawning, his hands reaching out to stop the alarm clock.
"Strange dream," he thought, rubbing his eyes grouchily. He started to dress into some sportswear, comfortable enough for a morning jog. Thankfully his alarm clock hadn't woken anyone –he'd bought it in Diagon Alley with a guarantee that it would not only never fail to ring, but that it would ring only for those it was intended to wake.
Finally getting his trainers done, he ran down the stairs and out towards the Whomping Willow Tree, but not close enough for danger. Slowing down by the side of the lake, he guided his limbs in graceful movements, his green eyes closed to the world. His feet swept the floor, a slight breeze brushing the grass.
Here, he was at peace.
For an hour, he stood there, under the rising sun. As soon as the sunlight hit his face, he went inside.
hpdm hpdm hpdm hpdm hpdm hpdm hpdm hpdm hpdm hpdm hpdm
"So, wait, you had the same dream as well? Too cool!" yelled Seamus, as he and Dean went down the stairs.
"Too scary, you mean. It was more like a nightmare!" Dean said, shuddering slightly.
"Hey, hey, I'll protect you," said Seamus, putting a friendly arm over his best friend's shoulders. Dean started, his brown, doe-like eyes gazing into the cobalt, earnest ones of his friend.
"Hey, you two!" The two startled friends looked towards their left to see a red-headed boy and a bushy (although recently becoming a little tamer) haired girl in the corner.
"Hermione! Ron!" Seamus bounced over to the two Gryffindors, giving them his customary morning hugs. Dean walked over, slightly behind his energetic mate, shaking his head with a fond smile on his face.
He was used to his friend's antics.
"So, anything up?" Seamus asked. He was always the most energetic one in the morning.
"Nah, just a nightmare," Ron replied, with a dismissive gesture. "But it was so weird Hermione and I had the same dream!"
Seamus and Dean looked at each other.
"Did it have lots of fire and smoke and people panicking and stuff?" Dean asked tentatively.
"Yes!" Both Hermione and Ron looked at them in astonishment. Hermione narrowed her eyes.
"But how did you…" Her eyes widened in sudden realization. "Unless!"
"Unless what?" Ron asked, scratching his head puzzledly.
"They had the same dream!" Hermione hissed. They turned down a corridor.
"What!" Ron exclaimed. "But that's impossible! How can four people have the same dream?"
Seamus shrugged, while Dean put on his 'don't-know-so-don't-ask' look on his face. Hermione just rolled her eyes.
"I'll research it in the library, later," she said. The other three didn't bother replying. Everyone knew about Hermione's obsession with research and her books by now.
Soon, a scrumptious scent of newly-made breakfast reached their noses, and they scurried to the Gryffindor table –Ron at the foremost of their group.
"Hey, Harry! Save some for me!" Ron hollered down the dining hall. The other two boys snickered, although both also walked just that little bit faster. Hermione just covered her mouth to hide her smile.
Harry, already sitting at the table, moved generously to accommodate his friends.
"Morning," he said, greeting them. They nodded, but hurriedly took their seats. Ron looked at Harry expectantly.
Harry chuckled, knowing exactly what his best friend's eyes were asking him. Grinning, he passed a plate of scrambled eggs and sausages to the group. Dean and Seamus looked at him puzzledly.
"I noticed you were both a little late, so I figured you might want to have at least a little something before everyone gobbled it all," Harry explained. The two other Gryffindors nodded, murmuring a 'thank you', then digging in.
Harry chuckled again. Hermione looked at him. "Sky cheer you up a bit?" she asked, smiling.
He grinned. "Yeah. Though I had this totally weird nightmare last night."
Immediately the four stopped eating. Hermione looked up, he fork placed slowly back down on the table.
"W-was it about Voldemort?" she asked, eyes wide.
"No." Harry frowned. "It didn't. In fact, it had– "
"Fire?" asked Ron.
"Smoke?" asked Seamus.
"And lots and lots of screaming?" Dean put down his cup of hot chocolate. He licked his lips, not noticing the slight flush on his best friend's cheeks as Seamus looked away. He looked at Harry, who was gaping.
"H-how did you –"He stuttered, getting a tad nervous with the four pairs of eyes staring in his direction.
"We had the same dream, mate!" said Ron excitedly. He scrunched up his forehead. "Well, maybe not the same version. ' Mione and I compared stories this morning and, um…" He went red.
A slight pinkish tint appeared on Hermione's cheeks. "What Ron means to say, is that while he was," she coughed, hiding her increasingly reddening face, "looking for me, I was looking for him." She looked down into her bowl of cereal.
Seamus nodded. "Sounds about right. I woke up Dean in mine."
"And I got woken up by Seam' in mine." Dean's eyebrows shot up. "Maybe it really happened…"
Ron spoke up. "But where are the burn marks if it did?"
They were silent.
"Maybe it was magical?" Seamus questioned, more to himself than anyone else.
Harry shook his head, finally speaking. "No. A fire that doesn't burn anything is completely ridiculous because that means it wasn't meant to harm anyone. And obviously this was deliberate because all of the school fires are charmed to only go in certain areas."
Harry looked at his companions, who were staring at him in shock. He blinked, then glared.
"What? I actually do read you know!" he said indignantly.
Hermione nodded, first shaking her head like a puppy shaking off water.
"Harry's right." The others turned to look at her. "It can't have been real. It must have been a dream."
Ron frowned. "But then, why did we all have the same thing?"
The others didn't answer.
-
That night, while everyone was asleep, with the exception of Professor Sprout who had night patrol duty, a red glow emitted from one of the rooms, spreading slowly at first, then faster and faster, amongst the roof, the walls, the floor boards.
Down the staircases, and up every tower, it spread like an epidemic, a disease.
It reached the borders of the grounds, glowing a pulsing, poisonous red. It changed to the murky colour of toxic blood, then stopped, seemingly absorbing down to the ground.
Throughout the castle, two people jolted awake. One, was Professor Dumbledore.
The other was Harry Potter.
Megan Finn: Thanks, girl for reviewing my fic, and for betaing it! You have absolutely no idea how much it means to me to have your approval!
Blue: Uh...this was the chapter I wanted you to beta, but that's fine! Just beta the next one, girl! And thanks for the compliments blushes
Again, reviews are appreciated.
