Hollowed Halls
Doors slammed shut as bodies rushed out into the cool early October air. It was one of those esoteric days in mid fall when temperatures got rather cold. The sky loomed above, laced with thick gray clouds. A gentle wind gathered fallen leaves and made them twirl about one another in a serene dance. Students sat scattered over the grounds in small clusters. Down by the lake, Harry sat with Ron and Hermione discussing schoolwork. The trio had finally gotten back on speaking terms after a rather nasty row with Malfoy in which Ron had gotten detention and lost Gryffindor 30 points.
"Hermione, do you understand this assignment?" Ron asked perplexed.
"Um…not really. Do you Harry?" she replied and turned to face her friend.
He didn't respond. He was staring off towards the Forbidden Forest with what appeared to be a wistful and longing expression. Ron waved his hand in front of Harry's eyes but the young wizard didn't blink.
"Harry? Did you hear me?" Hermione questioned impatiently.
"HARRY!" Ron yelled and snapped his fingers.
Still the dark-haired wizard gave no response. Instead he stood and began walking slowly towards the entrance to the forest. Ron and Hermione jumped up and ran after him.
"Harry stop. Where are you going?" Hermione pleaded.
"Ron, go get Hagrid," the girl ordered.
"And hurry!" she shouted as Harry made his way at a slightly faster pace towards the dense mass of trees.
Ron sprinted across the grounds towards Hagrid's hut. He made it there in record time and pounded on the door loudly with his fist. There was no answer.
"Hagrid open up!" the red head yelled desperately.
Footsteps could be heard and then the door was pulled open and Ron came face-to-face with Professor McGonagall.
"Yes Mr. Weasley?" the elderly woman asked.
"It's Harry. He got up and just started walking towards the forest. He isn't responding to anything…we've got to hurry," Ron explained and turned to catch up with Hermione.
Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall, along with Hagrid and Fang closely followed him. By that time Hermione was hanging on for dear life. She was attempting to stop her friend at all costs. As they came to the edge of the forest, he simply shrugged her off, leaving her lying on the ground. The small group arrived only moments after Harry had entered the forest.
"You alright 'Mione?" Ron asked as he helped her up.
"I'm fine…but I don't know about Harry," she confessed and the group headed in after the non-responsive boy.
Harry hadn't heard his friends' pleas. He had however, felt Hermione latch onto his arm as they neared the forest but she felt light, like a butterfly as he shrugged her off. He made his way slowly through the thick underbrush of the forest floor. It felt as if there was some invisible rope pulling him along. For a moment as he walked he became aware of the forest around him and was surprised that he made no sound as he moved. He wasn't sure where he was heading but he just kept going, being pulled by the invisible tether line.
Far behind him, the small group entered the forest and began cautiously making their way into its depths. Hagrid and Fang led the way along the floor of the woods, trying to avoid the clumps of crinkled leaves. They had to make their way at a somewhat slow pace in order for Professor McGonagall to keep up. Her accident the previous year had left her quite weak. Currently she was leaning heavily on her walking stick.
"Hagrid we need to stop for a minute," Hermione called from McGonagall's left.
Hagrid turned around and took the aged witch by the hand, helping her to sit down on a nearby rock. Seeing they were stopping, Ron heaved a sigh of relief and plopped down in the middle of the trail.
"Ron! Sit somewhere else," Hermione snapped.
"I'm too tired to move," he muttered.
"Shall I do it for you?" the bushy-haired girl growled, extracting her wand.
'Miss Granger there is no need for that," Minerva said sternly.
"Ron's fine where 'e is," Hagrid said quietly.
The group fell into silence as they took a much-needed rest. The forest was extensive and although they'd traveled only a short distance, the cluster of foliage had tired them out.
Harry neared the heart of the forest where there was a small clearing. As he drew nearer he thought he could make out the outline of a body. Once he arrived at the small tree-less opening he realized that there was indeed a figure standing there, or rather hovering several inches off the ground. It took his memory a split second to realize that this was the girl from the room. He took a cautious step towards her, trying to stay as quiet as he could. He didn't want to frighten her. Up until that point, her back had been towards him. With his first step into the clearing, she'd turned about face and her feet had made contact with the ground.
"What are you doing here?" Harry heard himself ask.
There was no answer. This meeting seemed quite different than the last. She was awake for one thing and this fact gave the boy some bizarre comfort. Without thinking he took two rather large steps and was standing face-to-face with her.
"I want you to see something," she said in a firm but subtle voice.
Without waiting for a response she took the stunned boy by the hand and the forest seemed to melt away, being replaced by a foggy looking haze. The duo found themselves in a dark hallway. Footsteps were coming from behind them at a frantic pace. Harry whirled around and saw his father running towards them. The boy tried to get out of the way but he seemed to be frozen in place. Instead of colliding, James simply sprinted through the two youths. It was as if they weren't even there. Shortly after his father had run through him, a shadowy form appeared from around the corner, Voldemort. The demonic wizard advanced quickly on his prey.
"Avada Kedavra!" he shouted and James fell to the ground with a loud 'thud'.
Harry wanted to scream but no sound passed through his vocal chords. In the blink of an eye they were in Lily and James's bedroom. There they found Lily, tears streaming down her face as the murderous creature advanced upon her and her infant treasure. Harry saw her crying but just stood there.
"Please no! Not my baby! Not my son!" the woman begged as she too suffered the same fate as her husband.
Now the baby was alone with the murderer of his parents. He looked so innocent yet so very afraid. Voldemort advanced on the child, wand brandished at the boy's body. An evil grin spread over the Dark Lord's face as he uttered the curse that should have done away with the child.
Teenage Harry stood there and watched as Voldemort tried to kill him. He couldn't believe what he saw; the spell seemed to bounce off of the little boy. It was if there was a shield enveloping the tiny baby.
'My mother's love,' he thought as the image dissipated to blackness.
"How do you feel?" the mystery maiden called, her soft voice echoing strangely in the darkness.
"I…I feel…" Harry began.
He was at a loss for words. He'd just witnessed his parents being murdered by his arch nemesis and he couldn't speak. It wasn't because he was struck with grief or anger. He was struck by something entirely different. He didn't feel anything at all. It was like all of his emotions had been numbed, cut off from the rest of him.
"I feel nothing…no pain…no anger…nothing," he finally managed to say.
He closed his eyes and gently shook his head. When he opened them, the clearing in the forest surrounded him. He spun around in a quick circle, a look of confusion on his features.
"It was only a memory," the blue-eyed female stated simply.
"Come, give me your hand," she instructed.
He did as he was told and he felt a rush of cool air as they disappeared from the forest. Not sixty meters away, the small search party advanced towards the clearing.
"I think I heard something," Hermione whispered excitedly.
"Yeah, my stomach…I'm starving," Ron replied, rubbing his grumbling abdomen.
The three adults just shook their heads and continued making their way to the edge of the tree-less area. Dark shadows played at the edges of the open space. Suddenly, a crash echoed from somewhere beyond the clearing.
"Oh no…not the spiders again…Hagrid why couldn't you have raised a giant butterfly or something?" Ron whined in a high pitched voice as he clung to the closest thing he could find, Professor McGonagall.
"Mr. Weasley…let go…MR. WEASLEY!" she shouted.
"S-sorry Professor," the red head mumbled apologetically as he let go of her arm.
The fur on the back of Fang's neck stood on end as he began to growl. Soon his growl grew to a fierce bark, his body going rigid. Out of the darkness of the trees beyond, a figure emerged. To everyone's surprise, and Ron's relief it was not a giant spider. Instead it was a fiery looking centaur. Immediately Fang stopped howling and cowered behind Hagrid's bulky form.
"Hello there Aryan," Hagrid greeted.
"Your kind are not welcome here," Aryan stated, staring the half giant straight in the eye, the centaur's dark topaz eyes shining wildly.
"We're lookin' fer Harry Potter," Hagrid explained.
"The one you seek is not here," the ancient creature snapped.
Suddenly the sound of hoof beats echoed through the forest, as a small pack of centaurs appeared, all looking rather angry. All of them carried bows and arrows. A select few grasped spears as well. The group of wizards bunched tightly together as they became surrounded by the pack.
"Centaurs are supposed to be wise and patient," Hermione sputtered as one of the spears was jabbed in her direction.
"Don't believe everything you read Miss Granger," Minerva stated quietly.
Far away from the forest, Harry and the stranger appeared at the front step of an old, run down house. Harry was about to ask where they were when he heard the girl's voice in his mind.
'Godric's Hollow,' she said.
Harry nodded slightly and pushed open the weather beaten door. It screeched heavily on its hinges. The pair stepped in and the ancient floorboards bent under their weight. The walls of the foyer had been decorated by time; spider webs clung to the upper portions of the walls while bits of old paint fell to the floor like acid snow. The sapphire-eyed girl moved farther into the house, walking towards an open doorway. Snapping out of his momentary fixation of his surroundings, he followed her. The pair quietly entered what turned out to be the kitchen. Harry glanced around him as a sense of familiarity washed over him.
"I used to live here," he murmured in a tone filled with awe.
The girl kept silent as a soft smile crept onto her unnaturally hued lips. Her raven black hair began to flutter about her shoulders as if being moved by an invisible breeze. At that moment, Harry turned to face the girl and his eyes widened to the size of gallions. There, hovering behind the girl were what appeared to be two ghosts, one male and the other female.
"Hello Harry dear," the female said quietly.
"M-Mum?" Harry stammered, dumbfounded.
"Yes darling," Lily replied as she glided to his side.
She leaned over and placed a loving kiss on his left cheek. His hand flew to the spot where her lips had touched him. He had actually felt the kiss. At this realization, a look of confusion filled his eyes.
"We're not ghosts son, we're spirits," James explained, seeing the puzzled look in his son's gaze.
"There's a difference?" the teenager questioned sheepishly.
"Yes. Spirits are bound to wherever it is they die," James continued, a look of sadness playing on his translucent face.
"Oh. Did you choose to become a spirit?" the boy queried.
"Well, in a way we did. We knew you'd somehow find your way back here," Lily interjected.
"And we wanted to be here when you did," James finished, shooting a playful grin at his wife.
All the while, the ethereal girl remained shrouded in silence. It was if the spirits of the Potters had not seen her. Upon their arrival she had taken her leave and retired to the couch in the living room. Harry had noticed she'd left but somehow was not concerned. His attention was focused on his parents.
Meanwhile, the search party was attempting to remedy their situation with the mass of angered celestial interpreting creatures. They were having very poor luck, as they were greatly outnumbered.
"We're not trying to get in anyone's way or anything…we're just trying to find one of our students Aryan," the Headmaster stated calmly, taking a step towards the leader of the pack.
"You have been warned. If you are found here again, you will not regress from this forest of your own volition," Aryan spat before he turned and galloped off, followed promptly by numerous sets of hoofs.
Hermione breathed a large sigh of relief as she put her wand back in her pocket and looked at the rest of the search party. It had been at least half an hour since they'd entered the forest and her nerves were beginning to fray.
"Professor Dumbledore, you think we'll find Harry?" Hermione asked in a worried tone.
"I'm not sure Miss Granger," the elderly man answered.
Back at Godric's Hollow, the mysterious girl reemerged in the kitchen and placed a slender hand on Harry's shoulder, startling him. The apparitions of his parents didn't seem to notice her. His emerald gaze met her sapphire and a thought passed between the two; 'It is time we take our leave'. Harry gave her a look begging to stay longer but she merely shook her head. He sighed and returned his focus to his parents.
"I guess I'd better go. Will I be able to come back?" he muttered sullenly.
"I don't think so baby," Lily answered, running a motherly hand through his hair.
"I believe it's a one time thing," James added, patting his only offspring on the shoulder.
So Harry and his eerie companion made their way to the door and with one last glance at the interior of the dilapidated and decaying building, they took their leave. Once outside, Harry felt a sudden chill, pulling his robes about him to fight off the cold feeling. The raven-haired girl took his arm and nodded at him to close his eyes. Upon following her order, he felt the familiar navel jerk and knew they were once again using some sort of portkey. When he reopened his eyes, he was several feet into the forest on the opposite side of the clearing where he'd found the girl. He looked around him for any sign of her but came up empty handed. Slowly he made his way into the clearing, where he found the small search party. He looked at them in a daze.
"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed, being the first to see him.
"What are you all doing here?" he questioned curiously.
"You just sort of got up and walked off into the forest," Ron supplied with a shrug.
"I did? I don't remember that. I know I was at Godric's Hollow. I got to see my parents. It was amazing," the famous wizard replied in awe but his happiness was turned south when he was met with skeptical looks.
"Harry that's impossible. How would you know where it is?" Ron queried.
"How would you get there, Mr. Potter? You have not yet received your apparition license and you do not have access to a portkey," Professor McGonagall added, looking at the boy incredulously.
"But I did see them. I was there…this girl…the girl from the room brought me," Harry explained frantically, looking to his friends for recognition.
"Harry no one but you saw her. It was probably just your imagination," Hermione stated blankly.
Before Harry could make another utterance of protest, the group of five escorted the confused and discontent teen back to the castle and straight to the Infirmary.
'Why didn't they believe me?' Harry pondered as he made the trek out of the forest and back to the stone fortification.