A.N. – Shout out to all my amazing readers and some to the people who are precious to me, my Facebook Wifey, my Darling Gangster Rapper Fireman Striper, my Sugarplum Hunny Bun and the One with No Nickname
Chapter 4 – Dreams and Memories
Orion quickly made his way past the heavy wooden door and found himself right in the middle of the Ravenclaw Common Room. Only a few people were actually in the room, most had already ventured to bed, but those who had stayed to chat at their friends fell silent and one by one filed out if the room as Orion stood by the outward door.
He breathed a sigh of irritation as he sat down in the recently vacated sofa in front of the fire. Orion was an insomniac therefore had trouble sleeping at all, so he 'accioed' a couple of his school books from his unknown room and started to read. But Orion didn't get very far. His mind was elsewhere, in Dumbledore's office in fact, as he remembered how he had arrived at Hogwarts in the middle of the summer.
"I am so sorry Sir. It was an accident. Honestly I tripped. Please. I didn't mean to smash it." Orion whimpered to the man towering above him with a metal baseball bat in one hand and the remains of a really expensive vase in the other.
The man dropped the shards of bone china to the floor.
"You little shit. We bring you into our home and this is how you repay us." Orion's foster parent slammed the bat down on to his ankle's shattering any bone it came in contact with.
He then continued the way up Orion's body slowly, ignoring Orion who was screaming for his innocence on the cold hard floor and pleading for the man to stop, but the plea's fell on deaf ears and Orion's legal guardian persevered.
The man only stopped when he saw a movement in the corner of his eye. A single silver knife rose into the air rotating on its point that was directed towards Orion's foster father. This lone blade hovered at the eye level of the startled man and, one by one, was joined by intricate daggers of different size and design as the fragments of the broken vase disappeared.
Orion was breathing deeply through his nose with his eyes closed, trying to concentrate on steadying the smooth pieces of metal as appose to thinking about the excruciating pain emanating from several possible broken bones. A little droplet of blood rolled down the side of his face from his nose leading to many old bruises inflicted by the mad man in front of him.
"What the hell is this?" The muggle yelled, at his fostered son, scared, "How are you doing this? How the hell are you doing this?"
Orion's current father swung the bat down hard on his already broken leg making him emit an ear splitting cry of pure agony. Orion's concentration wavered and he shot the knives through the room in every direction, one dagger did graze the man's calf giving him nothing more than a paper cut, he dropped to the floor in agony. Blood started pouring out of Orion's nose as his whole body began shaking, he screamed as many of his broken bones began scraping together.
"You fucking freak!" The man raised his arm high before swinging the bat down hard, this time aiming for Orion's head.
Orion closed his eyes and prayed as he waited for the impact, but instead he felt a strong surge of incandescent magical energy just before he passed out.
When Orion woke he was still in pain but in an unfamiliar bed.
"Ah you're awake." A man's voice said softly from his side, but still startling him.
Instinctively, Orion transfigured many different objects around the room in which he now rested, into an assortment of medieval weaponry and flung them across to the man.
"Oh dear. This is new." The unfamiliar voice said.
Orion still had his eyes closed as he felt his way around the room with his mind and concentrated on driving his ammo towards the intended target, but his artillery met with an unpredicted force instead of raw flesh. He pushed harder against the barrier, it was taking all of his energy to get through this man's shield but he could feel it becoming weaker at a slow pace. This would not fare well for him as Orion would pass out before his opponents shield fell. Many thoughts ran through Orion's head as he tried to come up with a plausible way of defeating the man, but all of his plans required the use of his legs, which he didn't have at this moment in time. His body started shaking again as blackness rimmed his vision.
"Orion Cygnus Black, I'm not here to hurt you." The man said softly.
Orion relaxed a little, his heartbeat slowed and he stopped quivering but the sharp implements still attacked the man's shield.
"I was always under the impression that being dead wouldn't be this painful," Orion choked out to himself, momentarily forgetting the other man, "But am I actually dead?"
The man cleared his throat making Orion move slightly and whimper in pain.
"I do believe not, as that would mean that I too were dead, but, alas I am not, so therefore neither are you."
Orion sighed but didn't let his guard down. He knew he was an easy target so he continued to use the floating weapons as his first and only line of defence, but he was quickly becoming tired.
"Orion Black, please do call off your attack before you kill yourself for real and so that I may walk around my castle freely."
Orion was startled, he had only just realised that the man knew his name and he was certain that he had never heard the man voice before. A door opened behind him and a dishevelled looking grey haired woman ran in.
"Albus, we have an intruder...Oh." She trailed off as she saw a fake goblin made axe fly towards her, only stopping a couple of inches in front of her head.
"Hello Minerva," The man, he now knew as Albus, said as if being held hostage by a half dead boy was a normal occurrence, "Don't try to move my dear or I am afraid Orion will probably kill you as he doesn't know that you aren't a threat to his already deteriorating health."
"How the hell did he get in? Who is he? Where has all the stuff gone?" Minerva slowed down as she digested Albus's last words, "What do you mean deteriorating?"
Orion started shaking again, fearing the next phrase out of the wise mans mouth.
"Neither he nor I know how he came to be in my office. He just appeared out of thin air, barely conscious. He is Orion Black, the secret member of the Back family. And his energy is waning, the weaponry you see before you, was once the medical supplies and has been transfigured by the boy as he is basically dying, if he keeps up his only form of defence, he will die."
Orion, who had been listening to this casual banter between the two friends, began to panic. His vision was fading as his breathing became laboured and uneven. He heard the clatter of his weapons falling to the floor as he tried to concentrate on breathing rather than fighting two old and seemingly friendly people.
"Who the hell are you people?" Orion whispered scared, fighting against the darkness that was waiting to consume him.
He heard two sets of footsteps become louder as they walked towards his bedside.
"I am Professor Albus Dumbledore and this is Professor Minerva McGonagall. Welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." The man's voice said softly form somewhere near Orion's ear as he succumbed to the infringing darkness.
A single tear slid down Orion's cheek, he was man enough to not wipe it away, but to let the tiny droplet of salt water slowly make its way to the floor. He remembered the feeling when he finally realised he was safe. At the time, Orion had felt warm and loved, like his life was actually worth it. And for the first time in years, Orion settled in for the night with a smile on his face.
Hermione reiterated the password she had heard prefect Potter saying at the table in the Great Hall. The Fat Lady looked at the girl before her, who looked smaller than she had the year before, in pity before swinging open to reveal most of the Gryffindor house.
All signs of chatter diminished as Hermione stepped over the threshold. Everyone above third year looked at her in disgust, whilst all the younger years looked at Harry then glanced at Hermione before whimpering and turning away. They were frightened. Quickly Hermione made her way through the common room, the students parted like Moses parted the sea, and shuffled towards her shared dorm room. She kept her head high and face emotionless as all her former friends glared at her as if she were the devil. Hermione didn't want them to see how broken she was, how much being abandoned upset her. For the first time she realised how much Hogwarts student's resembled vultures, swarming around you. Watching. Waiting. Trying to find any weakness before they attack and rip you to pieces. Leaving you with nothing.
Hermione had just about reached the stairs when a hand caught her around the arm. She flinched and backed away from the person who touched her as she heard the venom in her captive's words.
"Listen bitch, Harry's mine. I won't let your mudblood hands touch him." Ginny's claw like hands gripped her, "Harry told me all about how you were flaunting yourself at him. You disgust me. I cannot believe I once considered you my friend." Ginny swished her flaming red hair over her shoulder and with her nose held high started to walk off.
Harry was smirking to himself in the corner
"Why the hell would I want Potter? He is just a player, not even a good looking one. He is using you Ginny and the faster you realise that, the quicker we will win the war. Oh, and I am not you Ginny I don't go up to the first rich boy I can find and push out my chest to look like I have boobs," The red headed girl tried to interrupt but failed, "Yes Ginny that is what you do. Harry used me for my knowledge so that he could survive the countless attacks he has been inflicted by Voldemort. Ginny he is using you and you know it."
Ginny swung round and slapped Hermione across the face hard, the sound resonated around the room making everyone who wasn't already listening stop and stare. Hermione's head flicked to the side. Slowly she turned her face towards the younger girl, a smirk growing on her face and her eyes dark.
"You will regret that soon, when you finally realise how twisted that boy you have on your arm really is. Enjoy your life whilst it is still yours, as he will soon take it for himself."
Harry walked over to her from his corner, the smirk that was once there had disappeared.
"Don't you dare talk to my girlfriend like that. She is ten times the woman you could ever be." He said loudly.
"If all women are like her, then I want a refund. Are you upset that I changed, that I realised how much you use everyone, that I am more intelligent than you, that I am a better person than you in every single way?" Hermione smirked as she saw how each of her questions angered Scarface.
Everything happened so fast, Harry aimed a right hook towards Hermione's temple but she twisted out of the way, throwing Perfect Potter of balance. Hermione grabbed Harry's outstretched arm and twisted it behind his back. He sunk to his knees in pain gritting his teeth as she wrapped her arm around his neck and pulled his head closer to her face. The self defence lessons she had taken over the holidays had paid off.
"If you every try to touch me again Potter I will do worse to you than wounding your pride. I promise you that." Hermione spat, into Harry's ear before hurling him on to the floor.
Hermione walked out of the stunned crowd in the common room unaware of one friendly face smiling at her defiance.
She found a small piece of parchment folded on her pillow. Hermione stretched her hand out towards it, but then brought it back as if the note was a bomb. She shook her head in annoyance at her herself. She was being silly, who ever heard of being scared of a piece of paper. Hermione flung her hand towards the tiny square and brought it to her chest before sitting down on the corner of her bed. With shaking hands she unfolded the letter and began to read.
You have friends. You just need to know where to look. Look in the shadows, behind the blinding golden light.
Hermione was surprised. With her luck lately she had assumed that the tiny piece of parchment would be filled with malicious words from an unknown member of the student body, but instead it was a single line of words that warmed her heart and made her able to fall asleep without crying for once.
Hermione dreamt of a meadow filled with beautiful flowers and tall grasses. She ran her hand over the tufts of grass, the tips tickling her palms. The sun was shining high in the sky beating down on Hermione's bare shoulders. She was wearing a black cotton sundress that swayed gently with the breeze and her feet were bare. Hermione was content listening to the bird song that emanated from the trees in front of her.
"Hermione." A voice croaked from behind her.
The bird song died away and the blades of grass and tiny flowers withered and died, turning grey. A shiver travelled through her body drawing out all the warmth from the dwindling sun.
Hermione turned around slowly, scared of what she might find.
A blond haired boy was standing a meter away from her but only just. His shirt was off and you could see his heavily defined muscles, but this beautiful picture was ruined by rivers of crimson blood streaming down his chest from sword like cuts. The man stumbled, his arm out stretched.
"Hermione, help me." He whimpered the pain was clear from his hooded eyes.
A golden light shone from behind his quaking body, blinding her ashe collapsed on the floor, eyes closed, breathing erratic, slipping out of consciousness. A sinister voice laughed from the centre of the light as Hermione ran towards the still body on the dying meadow floor.
"Draco, no, please. I need you." Tears flowed freely down her cheeks.
Dark ghostly like blurs stood around Hermione and Draco's unmoving body in a ring. She felt comforted that they were there, even though she had no idea who or what they were.
Draco's eyes flickered open slowly, "'Mione...I..." He said before his body succumbed to the pressure and his heart gave out.
When Draco had made it to the end of the passageway leading to the Slytherin Dungeons he found himself confronted by two ogre like men. The green tinge in the light made Crabbe and Goyle look every bit like the trolls they resembled. Draco tried to walk past the dumb duo but was pushed back hard. What the lacked in brains was made up with in strength.
"What are you doing?" Draco growled in annoyance.
The two boys were blocking his way out of the passageway with their arms crossed looking intimidating.
"We have a message from your father. You had better start working on your plan to kill Dumbledore and getting our allies into the castle." Crabbe said reading off of his hand, unconsciously flexing his muscled arm.
Draco didn't flinch. He was used to the pair, trying to look harder than they actually were.
"I have actually come up with a plan," The duo leaned closer intrigued, "Which is me basically putting my feet up and cheering the order on and letting them win." Draco said seriously with a straight face watching the eyes bulge in their faces.
Goyle was the first one to regain any kind of composure he had before, "Your father will not like that," He said with evil humour, "I bet your mother would love that wouldn't she. Oh, I forgot. You killed her. Shouldn't you be falling apart or something?" The malicious youth laughed as Draco's face crumpled and his eyes watered.
"Just because you've lost someone doesn't mean you should stop living." Draco whispered not loud enough for the vile men to hear.
Crabbe sneered obviously not pleased with Draco's lack of reaction, "Your father also sent us to... persuade you... to do the right thing."
"My father can go fuck himself." Draco exclaimed not bothered by his ex-body guard's threats. Nothing could possibly be as bad as what he had already experienced.
"Crucio!" Goyle whispered as to not wake up the other members of their house, a grin of twisted pleasure on his features that normally formed when presented with food.
The curse wasn't as strong as the one Draco's father had performed, so obviously Goyle didn't mean it as much as Lucius had. But this curse went on for so much longer. Draco was able to fight the pain and was still standing as his legs shook as his mind slowly went into shock and stopped processing what was happening in front of him, but rather remembered the way he killed his own flesh and blood.
Draco pulled himself out of those painful memories and saw Crabbe and Goyle looking at him in disgust at his lack of reaction. Goyle ended the curse and Draco swayed violently from the relief of being released. Draco looked unhealthily pale and was covered in a thin sheen that mixed with the green light and made Draco look sickly. But Draco taunted the two men as he believed that he deserved all the pain in the world for the things he had done.
"Is that all you've got?" Draco said through gritted teeth, wishing his death to come a little bit quicker.
His ex-bodyguards looked at each other in annoyance before nodding and turning back to Draco.
The first punch was thrown by Goyle, it hit Draco in the stomach, winding him and forcing him against the cold stone wall. He grunted against the first blow, but stayed silent when the impacts began more frequent. He didn't defend himself as he clearly deserved it. A fist connected with Draco's nose causing his head to flip back and slam against the hard wall. His vision wavered and darkness rimmed the edges of his sight. Draco collapsed against the wall and slid down it, he curled in a foetal position as the cruel duo inflicted pain on him over and over.
A sickening crack was heard reverberating around the common room as a black Italian leather boot met Draco's side. He bit his lip to keep quiet, knowing that the pair got off on the sound of pain, blood trickled down his throat as his teeth sliced through the thin skin. A well aimed blow met Draco's temple and he passed out on the cold stone floor.
A.N. - I know that the last bit is a little crap but...I really wanted this chapter up...I have spent way too long on this chapter. I also know that it was up a little later than I expected but I really have had a crap week...Thanks for reading
