Cursed
Chapter 8: Potions that kill
As Ron made his way to the dungeons to check on the misfortune of his best friend, he was startled to see a franctic Hermione near tears, heading the opposite way. She ignored him as she ran past.
A shiver ran down his spine as he thought what could have happened. Part of him said to follow Hermione and perhaps comfort her, but the other part of him wanted to know what was down there.
He walked quietly through the dimly lit halls, not sure of what to expect. As he finally reached the cells, it wasn't long until he spotted one that was currently occupied.
He was silent at first, though he could tell that Harry could sense his presence. He swallowed heavily. "Harry?"
The figure turned around so quickly, Ron almost jumped.
Harry walked right up to the bars, exposing his bruised and bleeding self.
Ron took a step back, not even realizing. "Harry. What happened?"
Ron took a good look at his friend, wondering when was the last time he had eaten.
Harry's lips curved into an unpleasant smile.
Ron cocked an eyebrow, trying to figure out his friends' behavior.
"Here".
Ron was startled to see that Harry had spoke, and was now holding his hand out to him.
"I have something for you."
Ron couldn't quite see what it was in this lighting, and reached over to his friends' hand. Grimacing, as he took the strange feeling item, he ran his fingers down the soft long cluster.
"Hair?", Ron dropped it quickly.
"I know how much you like her", Harry spoke sweetly.
Ron's confused face suddenly made sense of Harry's words. "You...", a picture of Hermione crying ran through his head. "Pulled...?" He looked at the fallen hair. It was a good sized chunk. It must have hurt terribly to have it torn from her head.
Ron narrowed his eyes. "Why'd you do that?!" he demanded.
Harry did not like the tone of Ron's voice one bit, and backed away with a bitter scowl.
Ron watched in bewilderment as his disturbed friend disappeared into the darkness.
"Harry," he regretted raising his voice to him. Sure he was furious at what the boy had done to poor Hermione, but he didn't want this to be goodbye. Then again, this boy was hardly his old friend which he remembered. Perhaps 'goodbye' was too far gone to speak of.
He backed away slowly, with a bad feeling in his gut. "I just...," somewhere inside that mess of a boy had to be Harry, if only a small piece. "I guess this is goodbye," it sounded more like a question then a statement. "I just wanted you to know...Harry," he squinted his eyes through the darkness but could see no one. "Youv'e been the best friend anyone could have... and I'm really gonna' miss..."
Ron's ears perked as he heard a small sound from within the dark cavern. "Harry?" He listened closely.
There was deep breathing, which seemed to be growing faster. "Harry?" Rons voice held concern as the hardened breathing seemed to radiate panic.
"Uuuuuugh. Aaaahhhhhhhhhhhh", Harry finally screamed.
"Harry!" Ron banged on the cell, frustrated that he could not get to his friend. "What's wrong!" was all he could ask. But his only answer was more screams of panic and pain.
"Hang on! I'm getting someone!" Ron yelled as he fled wildly out of the dungeons.
Snape worked diligantly at his task at hand. He'd told no one of his plans, not even Dumbledore.
Sure what he was doing was dangerous, but there was no other alternative. Desperate times called for desperate measures.
He scowled at the fowl smelling concoction he'd just created, watching it brew carefully. The liquid would have to simmer for some time. Unfortunately, time was not something that was on their side.
Thinking of that, Snape felt necessary to check on his upcoming patient. So he headed down to the dungeons.
Snape moved swiftly through the undergrounds of the great castle known as Hogwarts. His figure moved so quick, one would have to run to keep up with him. But Severus did not run, his graceful movements allowed him to move as if a fleeing phantom.
Noise could be heard up ahead. Noise that seemed to radiate torture. His pace quickened even more so, until he hit something so hard he thought in his frenzied mind that he'd been daft enough to run into a wall.
Two figures sat up in unison, looking at eachother.
"Weasley!," The Professor scorned.
"Harry needs help!" was all the redhead could say.
Ignoring the slight pain from his fall, Snape shoved the boy aside and ran towards Harry's cell.
The screaming was horrific. It sounded like the boy was being malled to death.
"Potter!" Snape yelled, as he pulled the dungeon keys from his robes. He hastily opened the old cell, noticing the the Weasley boy had caught up with him. "You stay there!" He ordered, pointing dangerously, his voice barely audible through the screaming.
"Lumos," he lighted the cell quickly, finding the cursed boy in the corner bleeding and screaming.
"Professor!" Snape was taken back as the young boy recognized him.
"Aaack! GET THEM OFF!"
Snape moved closer to examine the boy. He could see nothing on the boy but his own blood.
"GET THEM OFF!, " Harry continued to panic.
"Get what off?," Snape questioned, now completely shining his lumos charm on the boy. He saw nothing. But the boy continued to flail around in torment.
It wasn't until Harry's next move, that the elder wizard finally saw what was happening. In the mits of his one sided battle, the wizarding world's golden boy took his arm straight up to his mouth and bit a gruesome amount of flesh off.
Snapes face went pale at the grisly scene. "What are you doing?," He queried, trying to keep Harry's arm's at his sides.
"It's the snakes," Harry tried to explain. "They're biting me!"
"YOU'RE BITING YOU!," Snape yelled, trying to bring the boy back to reality.
"NO!" Harry kept his struggle going. "They're everywhere!"
Snape growled in frustration. "Get the Head Master," he barked to the dumb-struck redhead.
Ron bolted quickly down the forboding corridors, hoping that it would not take long to locate the old wizard. The narrow, winding steps leading up to the first floor, did not help to make his journey any quicker. But he continued, two at a time.
It wasn't until he was less than half way to his destination that he ran past Professor Mcgonagall.
"Mr. Weasley! I do hope you have a good reason for sprinting down these hallways."
Ron skidded to a halt, panting heavily. "Harry. It's Harry...Snape...in the dungeons", he continued rambling. "Dumbledore. I need Dumbledore!"
The witch's demeanor changed quickly. From one of irritation to that of extreme concern. "Potter?" She knew what fatal conditions the boy was under. "He's in his Office...", the red head turned on the spot, ready to dash away. "Weasley!" She called after him. "The password is butterscotch buttons." He nodded quickly before running off again, leaving a very worried witch behind.
After what seem an eternity, Ron reached the gargoyle and whispered the password. The stone monster obliged, by opening the stone wall, revealing the twisted starcase, wich Ron also ran up.
Reaching the old oak door, ready to passout, Ron pounded on the door forcefully.
After about two seconds, which was much too long for his liking, Ron was prepared to knock the door off of its hinges.
"Mr. Weasley!" Dumbledore took a step back, as it seemed the troubled boy before him was ready to knock him out of his slippers.
"Sir! I'm sorry. But it's Harry. He's really bad."
"Is Professor Snape with him?" He asked seriously.
"Yes."
"Good. Come on", the old wizard shooed them both out of his office and with the help of several secret passage ways, they got there a great deal quicker.
As they made their way toward the boys cell, Ron noticed the screaming had stopped. Though that did little to quell his fears.
It was Snapes face that he first saw in the cell. The man was lying against the wall holding something tightly.
As the Headmaster looked down, he could see the small boy in his lap, not really being held as so much as being restrained.
Small whimpers could be heard from the boy who wanted so badly to move his body. But the professor held tight, shushing him, and offering small words of comfort.
"Severus", the Headmaster whispered, as to not disturb them.
"It's imperitive I go to my office. Now."
"Ofcourse", Dumbledore and Ron looked at the scene before them, unable to take their eyes away. "How is he?" The old man continued to whisper.
But Snape did not answer. He looked down on Harry, who seemed to be rather intranced at the moment. "I need to get something for you," Snaped whispered in the boy's ear. "I'll need to leave for a short moment... then I'll be back, "he spoke reassuringly.
"...I'll be dead," Harry answered back. "I'll be dead before you get back."
The boys words stunned him.
"No, no, no. You're not going to die. I won't allow it." Snapes kind words surprised even himself. But there was no doubt, he would not let this boy die. Not while he lay there, helpless in his arms.
"I'm going to let go," he warned. "And you are not to move until I return. Understood?"
"Until you return," Harry repeated.
"Yes."
Assuming the boy understood, he loosened his grip and gently laid him down on the stone floor.
Snape watched him as he shuffled away. But the boy remained still.
Releasing a deap breath, Snape let himself out of the cell.
"Well done," the older wizard put a reassuring hand on the potions masters' shoulder.
"We're not out of the clear yet," he warned. "I'll be back as soon as I can. In the meantime watch over him. If he attempts to harm himself, send the weasley boy in to restrain him."
Rons' mouth gaped open in horror at the thought. 'He can't be serious?' But before he could ask, the Potions' master was already well on his way.
Both looked in the cell and back to eachother, each secretly hoping their assistance would not be needed.
Severus retreated to his office and extracted the two potions from the cauldrons he had been attending to.
Having them both secure within his person, he withdrew back to the dungeons.
When he arrived , he noticed that neither the Headmaster nor the Weasley boy had moved from their spots.
'Useless', he couldn't help but to think to himself.
Ignoring them both, he allowed himself entrance to the cell.
While the Potions master swept by, the elder Wizard could not deny what he saw or smelled on the younger wizards person. 'Living death.'
"Severus, please don't tell me that's what I think It is."
Snape did not bother to acknowledged him.
"Are you mad? I know there is little hope for the boy, but I refuse to let you....uthinize him!"
Ron paled. He was not quite sure of what was going on, but those words definately did not sit well with him.
Severus bit his tongue. Did he really think he hadn't thought any of this through?
"Trust me old man. I do believe I can bring him back. With this", he pulled the second vial out of his robes.
"What is that?" Dumbledore asked seriously.
"Hopefully, a remedy that will counter the effects of the first potion."
"I don't know what your planning Severus, but I see little purpose in killing him, even if you can bring him back."
"This is not actual 'living death'," Severus explained. "More of a imitation, concocted from similiar ingredients."
"If it works as it should... Potters' heart should stop beating as soon as the potion reaches his stomache. If the curse believes him to be dead, the dark magic will assume its job is complete. And there is a great chance that the curse will instantly be lifted."
"However," he held up the second vial. "The hard part will be bringing him back."
"This vile is the most important, and most important is when it is administered."
"When must it be given?" Dumbledore asked.
Snape thought for a moment. "I'd say about 5 seconds from his last heart beat."
Ron was pacing nervously. "Hermione should be here," he voiced his thoughts openly.
"She should count herself lucky she is not here to witness this," Snape explained.
"He could die!" Ron shouted.
"I know this is a desperate remedy my boy," Dumbledore spoke reassuringly, "but Harry is running out of time."
Ron sighed in obvious defeat, and despair. He did not want to believe that this could be the last time he saw Harry. It was just wrong. It wasn't supposed to be this way.
AN: Wow! Congrats to anyone who is still reading this. You guys must be pissed. What can I say? Im lazy. Oh yeah, and I'm sorry :( Next Chapter: (title still in the works) SORRYSORRYSORRY!!!!