Current song: Down to the Cellar by Dredg. Go. listen. NOW.
How amazing was the last HP film? It ended perfectly in my opinion. I'm still in tears and always will be after seeing Snape's death…that part was just…*heartbreak*
Sorry I haven't been on for a while and sorry for the shortness of this chapter but I think it will do. Please review!
Harry had risen from the table and lunged across the bar floor; people with a mixture of shock and amusement were staring at him, Ron and Hermione as they made their way to the door. Spells shot at them and missed them by inches as Harry ducked every few seconds of the escape. Before he exited, he heard Ron mutter, "Expulso!"" and he saw that bottles behind the men had exploded, delaying them and giving the trio some time.
"Nice one, Ron!" Harry said, as they made their way to the streets of Hogsmeade, trying to keep concealed amongst a sea of people. "How did they find us?"
"It seems Riddle has carried out a search," Hermione said, panic rising in her voice.
"Well, we can't just stay here, then!" Ron said. "What's Riddle going to do, wipe out an entire city just to find Harry?"
Hermione didn't answer. She was pointing ahead of Ron, to the men who had pursued them earlier; they looked outraged, were outside the bar and made their way towards the pair of them, death gleaming in their eyes.
"This way!" Harry said, pointing at a narrow alley way. They made a run for it, avoiding carts and complaining vendors; Harry looked back every now and then, but every time he did, the men were still on their tails. He heard Hermione whimpering, Ron grunting and his own panting as he sprinted past people in the cold snow, trying his best to avoid being in the slightest contact with these hit men.
"Depulso!" he heard Hermione cry, and a cart that a vendor was pulling pushed in front of the men, delaying them even more. "Harry – over here!" she said, as she and Ron turned to the left of the alley, a slightly thinner one with posters all around, and they started running sideways.
"Go – quick!" Ron was saying. They had reached another path that lead three ways. "Over here," Ron said, running towards the middle road. It was chilling running in the snow, and Harry could not wait to get away from the men. Harry turned his back; the men were still running after them, shooting spells. "We can't lose them!" Ron said, and Harry heard fear in his voice.
"Yes – we can!" Harry said. He turned around, so he was facing the men, running backwards, and said, "Expelliarmus!" the men toppled off their feet – the force of Harry's spell hit them so hard they flew back about 10 feet, one of them into a nearby cart. The trio stopped running and turned to look at the mess they had utterly caused.
"Nice, Harry," Hermione said, admiring his spell work.
"Thanks," he said. "Now that we know Riddle's chasing me, I say we get out of the city as fast as we can."
"We still have to see Lady Sybil," Hermione pointed out matter-of-factly.
"Oh, Lady Sybil my arse!" Ron exclaimed, dusting off his tunic. "I say we forget about the old hag and seek somebody else for information on this – this key!"
Hermione ignored Ron's complaining and said to Harry, "I know a memory spell we can use on them, so that they won't report anything back to Riddle." Harry nodded…sometimes, Hermione scared him. She walked up to the unconscious men. Fortunately for them, the alley they were in was empty and dark; Harry saw her raise her left hand and place it directly over one man's forehead. "Obliviate," she said. She then went to the other man and repeated the process. She rose. "That ought to do it."
"So what do we do now?" Ron said, his eyes transfixed on Hermione.
"Well, we still have to find this Sybil woman," Hermione said. "If we have to get this key."
"Not again with the key," Ron said, face-palming. "Hermione, why can't we just go to this library, find the book and defeat Riddle? Doesn't that seem much easier?"
"Yes it does Ronald, but that's not the point," Hermione said, her eyes narrowing.
"I think Hermione's right," Harry said, his arms crossed. "We've got to see Lady Sybil. She could even help us on how to defeat Riddle."
Ron put his hands up in defeat. "Fine. But if you bloody well ask me, it's a waste of time."
-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-
"My Lord, you wished to speak with me?" Bellatrix said, bowing with extreme lowness.
"No, not to you, Bella," Riddle said impatiently. "Go and fetch Lovegood – I wish to speak with him more."
It only took several seconds before Lucius Malfoy came in with a reluctant-looking Sir Lovegood in his hand. He dragged him to the middle of the room and forced him into a kneeling position in front of Riddle. Lovegood bowed and then said, or rather stuttered, "My…my lord…"
"Enough," Riddle said. "I am about to conduct a citywide search for this 'Harry Potter' that you speak of. And I desire more information. What does the boy look like?"
Like his father, Lovegood thought to himself, but did not immediately speak. "I know not," he said. "I only heard of him, from a seer."
"A seer?" said Riddle curiously. "I might as well outlaw them. Lucius, order Rowle to search Hogwarts and Dolohov to take Hogsmeade. Find this 'Harry Potter'…and bring him to me."
"My lord," said Lovegood, reaching a hand out, "my daughter, my daughter Luna…you promised to me, my lord, that for my assistance you would exchange my daughter Luna."
"Oh, we both know why your daughter lies in my dungeon chambers, Lovegood," Riddle hissed indifferently. "You disobeyed me. You and your daughter's tolerance of these filthy non-magical people I am kind enough to allow into my city – the way you show it, although government warnings for you have grown quite severe. If you ask me, I do believe you deserve a cell next to your daughter."
Lovegood gulped audibly.
"However, I am not that cruel," Riddle finished.
"Please, my lord, please," Lovegood cried, tears streaming down his face, "my daughter; she is all I have. Take me in her place, imprison me, but please just let her go –"
Riddle stared down at him in disgust. "Take this filth back to his house," he ordered Lucius, who was by the doorway. "And make sure he stays there."
-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-
"Homenum Revelio," Hermione said, wavering her hand around the alley street. Nothing happened. "Good. We are alone. Nobody heard us."
"I have a feeling Sybil is in the closed streets," Harry said, as Ron dragged the guards who had chased them earlier out of sight. "Somewhere people don't normally go."
"Perhaps Knucktorn Alley?" Ron suggested, as he dragged one of them behind a cart.
"Knockturn Alley?" Both Hermione and Harry had asked.
"Yes, Knockturn Alley," Ron hissed. "I've never been there myself – I was advised not to by mother. But I hear it's where a small amount of people go."
"Then that's our place," Harry said, dusting his hands off on his pants. "Hermione, would you care to perform a dissaparation?"
Hermione held out her hands. "Grab on," she said, and Harry and Ron agreed and slipped their fingers in her hand. She blushed when Ron's hand closed in hers. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, whispered "Knockturn Alley" and prepared for the dissaparation.
It happened almost quickly; the unfamiliar feeling of being sucked into something strange, like they were magnets being attracted to metal. She had a queasy feeling, then landed on the floor; opening her eyes and looking around, she saw they were in a dark alley, with candles held up, wax dripping on the floor.
"Hello, deary," said an elderly woman.
Hermione only gave a small smile. "Is this it?" she whispered savagely into Ron's ear.
"This is it," Ron said. "Definitely."
"I see Lady Sybil's shop!" Harry said, pointing ahead. "That must be it." The shop was short, probably with only two floors, and was painted a mystic purple with midnight blue thrown in there somewhere. Crystal balls surrounded the shop, in a wind chime sort of manner.
"I, er – don't want to go in there," Ron said, a terrified expression on his face.
"You've faced harsh training at Draconifors, and you're telling me you can't handle an old woman?"
"She could be an evil hag for all we know!" Ron argued. "And now with half the country searching for Harry, what are the chances?" He added sarcastically.
"I, for one, can't wait to see what she has to say. Honestly, Hermione, what Lovegood had to didn't motivate me much."
"Only because you're terrible at listening," Hermione snapped. She dusted off her dress. "Come on then!" she lead them across a small street to the corner where the building lay. Now seeing it up close, Hermione didn't want to enter either.
"Er – should we knock?" Harry asked awkwardly, as they edged closer to the place.
Hermione rolled her eyes, pulled her hand that was under her dress sleeve and gave three, hard and firm knocks on the door. "Perhaps she's not home," she concluded after a moment of silence.
"Perhaps she's deaf," Ron said. "HELLO – CAN YOU HEAR US? WE WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK TO LADY SYBIL!"
Harry face-palmed while Hermione glared daggers. "Sometimes I wonder how someone as civilized as Mrs. Weasley could raise someone as barbaric as you!" she hissed at him under her breath. Ron shrugged at Harry.
The door slid with a creaking sound as it opened, by itself, with no assistance of Harry, Ron or Hermione.
"She really needs to secure this place," Harry pointed out as he watched the door swing slowly open.
"And dust it, too," Hermione added.
The inside was dark, with lit candles on the walls. It was covered in spider webs (Ron whimpered) and had several jars and potions on tables, with a large one in the middle with a big crystal ball stacked on top. "Hello?" Harry said, and his voice suddenly blew a candle out.
"I suggest we leave," Ron said. "The old fraud's probably placed a trap for us some –" he yelped suddenly as a scrawny arm grabbed his and started breathing heavily, as if having a panic attack.
"Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger of Muggle & Burrow, students of Draconifors and Lapifors, educated within the gates of Hogwarts; rebels against King Tom Riddle and his party, supporters of King Albus and ultimate believers to fight for the freedom of all – the three heroes, the first ones known in history to overturn a Hogwarts king…you have come." The voice was raspy and mystical; Harry could feel his eyes widen and Hermione had grabbed his arm for support after she nearly fell over. Ron, who had been grabbed, was trying to break free but was petrified. A woman came out of the darkness, gasping for air, wearing a dress ever so ridiculous looking; it reached only right over her knees and after that she had high boots worn for men. Her attire was the color of the outside of her house and her hair was bushier than Hermione's, but was tied down at the front with a red and purple cloth. She held abnormal spectacles in her hand. "Oh hello dearies!" she said, as if the previous scare had not happened at all. "Come to get your palms read? Tea leaves? Or perhaps a crystal ball prediction? Only the best ay Lady Sybil's!"
"I think we were just leaving," Ron said, freeing himself from her grip; his arm was red where she had grabbed him and he quickly made his way for the door, but Hermione, her eyes still transfixed on the crazed woman, grabbed him by the back of his tunic before he could leave.
"You…you must be Lady Sybil," Harry said. "I am –"
"Oh, wait, no!" the woman said. "It is rude of me not to predict the identity of my guests. You are…yes, yes, it's coming to me…just there…aha! You are specifically Borin Wilkinson, best selling parchment maker and blacksmith – I see a horrid future for you, my friend."
"Erm…no," Harry said. He looked at Hermione and Ron, who wore the same expression. This woman was a joke. "My name is Harry Potter."
Sybil grabbed her spectacles and shoved them on, staring at Harry, inches away from his face. "Are you, really? Knockturn is not a good place to be for you, young boy! Not the whole country, in fact!"
"We'll we're working on that," Ron said impatiently, rolling his eyes.
Sybil instead turned to him. "And you are?"
"Ron Weasley," Ron told her. "I –"
"And what about you?" she added at Hermione, as if uninterested at Ron's background.
"My name is Hermione," Hermione said, or rather muttered.
"RAH!" Sybil said, making a despicable noise. "I knew I would be meeting the three freedom fighters someday! My prediction has proved many wrong!" she said triumphantly. "What are you doing here, Harry?" she said.
"Well, we were advised by Sir Lovegood that you know a lot about this certain…erm ,key, if you will."
"A key?" Sybil said. "Oh I know lots of keys dear boy, please specify. Come and sit," she said, directing Harry, Ron and Hermione to the shaky stools by the table.
"Well, Lovegood didn't say much, considering he doesn't know much," Harry said, wobbling in his seat. "But it's got to do with…the Godric Touch. Lovegood said it's not just any key…he said it in sort of a metaphorical way."
Sybil looked taken aback and almost surprised to reply. "I've never heard of such a key," she said. "The Godric Touch, yes, but a key…never. Perhaps I will receive a sudden prediction by morning, my dear boy."
"Well, good, then," Ron said, rising from his seat. "We'll make sure to that."
Hermione kicked him in the shin, then faced Sybil. "Thank you, madam. We will come to you as soon as we can."
"But you're not going up there alone, are you?" Sybil squeaked, looking around at them. "There are guards roaming about, searching the entire place for you! I have a room upstairs. 3 beds, nothing special, but I think it will last you the night until I can get a prediction perhaps by morning."
"Thanks, but I really think we should be settling in a motel," Ron said, grabbing for Hermione's hand.
"A hotel that could be run by Riddle's spies," she said, staring at the crystal ball.
Harry felt the same as Ron. He did not wish to stay at a crazed woman's house but he didn't want to risk going out to the streets of Knockturn. "3 beds will do it," he said, smiling nervously at Sybil.
"Ah, good, good!" Sybil said. Harry looked at Ron, who looked enraged, and Hermione , who looked clearly terrified. "Settle in upstairs then, you have an incredible journey ahead of you!"
Not so much a cliffhanger ending but oh well. Sorry for the shortness, but there are lots of things to come! I am very tired right now so I will go to bed…
Stay tuned for chapter 8, I think I will include more Ginny explain a lot more about this "key".