Chapter Twenty Three
"Exams!" Snape announced to the crowded common room, "As I'm sure you are all aware exams begin tomorrow and I expect that you are all well prepared. Slytherin is currently ranking second overall in the exam practice marks but Gryffindor is close behind us. I wish you all the best of luck."
He turned to leave the common room. Harry pushed his way through the crowd of students to Severus.
"Umm Da...Professor?" Harry said, he needed to apologise.
"I'm sorry Potter, I'm rather busy right now." Snape told him and left the room.
"Harry, are you OK?" Daphne asked.
Harry shrugged, "I don't know; I don't know how to make this better."
"You'll get there. Come on, lets get in some more revision." Daphne said, pulling Harry over to the table.
The week drudged by, exam after exam; although Harry felt far better as he was able to cross off the list of classes. The last exam was divination though and he was not looking forward to that one. Apart from anything else he didn't have a clue what to do apart from to make up some tragic story. He could honestly say that it was the only class he didn't feel like he'd learned anything in.
He waited in the long queue of students as Professor Trelawney called them up the silver staircase one by one.
"Best of luck" Daphne said as she was summoned. It wasn't long before she came back down looking fairly pleased with herself.
"Potter, Harry." Professor Trelawney's sing-song voice called down.
Harry climbed the ladder and went up to the smoke filled room. He took a breath and felt instantly like he needed a good nap.
"Come my dear, come and sit."
Harry sat at the small table on the other side from her. She took a drink out of a blue tea cup and passed it to Harry. She waited a few moments before looking expectantly at him,
"Well, dear?"
He couldn't really see anything so made something up,
"Umm I see a sun, which means you'll be happy. And a raven which means you have much wisdom." Harry told her, Professor Trelawney made a few notes and looked rather happy.
Next came the crystal ball. Harry stared into it. He could see something, it moved in the swirling smoke, like a shadow you see in the darkness, just before you fall asleep.
"What do you see my child?" Professor Trelawney asked after a few moments.
"I...I don't know. Something, a figure maybe?" Harry told her. He then remembered he was in an exam, and tried to force his brain to think but as soon as he did the figure in the smoke vanished, "Umm someone close to me that I know isn't what I think. That's why they're in the shadow."
"And what do they hope to do to you?" Professor Trelawney asked
"Harm, definitely harm." Harry told her, knowing that was exactly what she wanted to hear.
Professor Trelawney looked pleased with him and gave him a nod, "Well done child, you may go." She reached over and patted his arm but then her fingers clutched painfully into his skin.
"Hey, what are you doing?" Harry said pulling at her fingers but she didn't let go.
Her eyes were glazed over and she was shaking slightly, Harry wondered if she was having some sort of a fit.
"It will happen tonight. The Dark Lord lies alone and friendless, abandoned by nearly all of his followers. His servant has been chained these twelve years, a mask that holds them down. Tonight, before midnight... the servant will break free, leave the smoke and set out to rejoin their master. The Dark Lord will rise again with his servant's aid, greater and more terrible than ever he was. Tonight... before midnight...the servant...will set out...to rejoin...their master..." Professor Trelawney spoke, it didn't sound like her, a raspy, deep voice that chilled Harry to the bone.
After her last words had left the air she swayed slightly and let go of Harry's arm.
"Professor are you all right?" Harry asked, helping her into her chair.
"Yes my dear, I'm quite fine." She smiled, looking around slightly confused at his shocked face.
"Can you remember what you said?" Harry asked her.
"I said something? What are you talking about my child?" She asked, slight amusement in her voice.
"Nothing." Harry smiled, "Thank you. Can I go now?"
Professor Trelawney nodded, "Yes, your exam is done."
Harry hurried down the steps and into the Slytherin common room to find his friends.
"Harry what on earth has happened?" Pansy asked, as he came in white faced.
"We have a problem." Harry told them, "I was in my exam and Professor Trelawney had a prediction."
"Oh Harry you know she's full of rubbish." Daphne said with a wave of her hand.
"No. Not this, this was one hundred percent real I swear." Harry told them.
Draco sat up, taking his arm from around Pansy, "What did she say?"
Harry sighed and sat down, "I'm not sure. I can't remember all of it but it was something about a mask in the smoke and that is still alive but alone but someone is going to go to him tonight."
The three other students flinched at the mention of 's name.
"Harry that's not funny." Pansy whispered.
"Yeah tell me about it." Harry snapped. He couldn't calm himself, everything was suddenly very real and very scary. His scar was sending shooting pains down his face and was making it difficult to think.
"What do we do?" Draco said.
"Harry you have to write out the prophecy, as much as you can remember now and then we go to your father." Daphne said.
"Me and him aren't exactly on speaking terms right now." Harry pointed out.
Daphne shook her head, "I don't care. You have to, him or Dumbledore now."
Harry sighed and dug a bit of parchment out his bag. He quickly wrote down what he could remember which wasn't much.
"It will happen tonight. The Dark Lord lies alone and friendless, abandoned... His servant...these twelve years a mask that holds them down...before midnight... the servant will break free, leave the smoke and set out to rejoin their master. The Dark Lord will rise again...greater and more terrible than ever he was..." Daphne read over what Harry had written.
"That's everything I can remember, it all happened so fast." Harry told them.
"Let's go." Draco said.
They quickly left the common room and headed towards Snape's office. Harry wasn't looking where he was going and bumped straight into the back of someone.
"Really Potter, your family is bad for not walking with their eyes open. You should try it sometime, it saves all manner of bruised toes." Bellatrix sneered at them.
"Sorry. What are you doing here?" Harry asked.
"I came to see a friend." Bellatrix said with a wave of her hand, Harry could see she had a book partly hidden under her cloak.
"Well that's nice Aunt Bella, but we must be on." Draco said.
"And where are you off to in such a hurry dear nephew?" She asked, blocking their way
"We need to speak to Professor Snape." Daphne told her.
"Well you'd best hurry." She smirked, "He went outside to find you. Someone told him you were tying to sneak past the Dementors."
Harry's face drained even more. He pushed past Bellatrix and began to run for the exit.
"Harry wait!" Draco shouted him, he managed to catch up and grabbed Harry's arm. "You can't go out there look."
Harry saw the Dementors were crossing the school line once more and swooping viciously around.
"I can. I've learnt the spell!" Harry told him.
"Barely!" Draco pointed out.
"I can't leave him." Harry begged.
Draco took a deep breath, "I know but we have to be sensible. Snape can protect himself."
"Not against this many." Harry gestured outside, "Look I'm going, I can't have the last thing he remembers of me being that I hated him!"
"I'll come with you." Daphne said, catching up with Pansy.
Pansy caught Draco's arm as he went to follow.
"What? I should go with them." Draco told her.
"We'll follow later, me and Daphne talked on the way up here. We need to tell Professor Lupin and get this to someone." she held up Harry's rough note of what Professor Trelawney had said.
Draco sighed, "You're right," he looked out to the two figures running across the grass and then back into the castle, "Come on lets go."
Harry and Daphne raced down the grass, calling Snape's name.
"Should we get Hagrid?" Daphne asked looking around.
Harry shook his head, "He's not here. He's down south dropping Buckbeak off at the zoo." Harry ran a hand through his messy hair, "Look." he pointed to a glowing light in the forest.
"Harry that could be another Hinkeypunk." Daphne pointed out.
"But it could be Severus." Harry told her, "He came out here to save me; I owe it to him to try and save him back."
Daphne let out a loud sigh and knew she wasn't going to win this argument, "Come on then."
She lit her wand and they headed into the forest. The light darted around but they couldn't hear any calling. They called out constantly to try and get a response but the forest was ominously quiet. They kept walking, the minutes ticking along and everyone of them feeling like an hour.
"What was that?" Harry asked freezing, "I heard a howl."
Daphne looked up a the full moon, "Me too."
They headed further into the woods until they came to a large clearing by the lake. Harry looked around.
"We must have walked further than we thought." He said, "But we've not seen any sign of him."
"And we've not exactly been quiet." Daphne pointed out, "Harry, I hate to say it but something is wrong."
Harry looked around, "Maybe we just need to keep looking? He may have gone the other way."
"Or he might never have been out here. Bellatrix may well have lied." Daphne said, slightly exasperated.
Harry nodded and then, like a cruel game, the air began to grow cold. He looked up to see swarms of Dementors surrounding them. The water on the edge of the lake began to freeze and crack and Harry felt a cold bead of sweat run down his back.
"Harry we have to go." Daphne said, pulling on his arm. Her face was stark white with a blue tinge around her lips.
Harry knew she was right, but it was to late. He couldn't force himself to move as the Dementors swept lower and lower towards them.
He tried to focus on his wand and find a happy thought, but it was like they vanished before he could think of them clearly.
"Expecto Patronum!" He called, a thin white wisp escaped his wand but nothing more.
Daphne pointed her wand and repeated the words.
She needs to think of a happy thought he said to himself. He tried to open his mouth, to tell her but no words came out. He dropped his wand, his whole body felt empty and cold and worthless.
"Harry I...I can't..." Daphne fell to the floor.
Harry joined her, he hadn't the strength to stand any more, it was all gone. He closed his eyes, and gave into the screaming blackness.
Pansy and Draco hurried though the castle and hammered on Professor Lupin's door.
"What's wrong?" Lupin asked opening the door.
"Harry, Daphne and Professor Snape are in danger!" Pansy told him, out of breath, "They're outside and the Dementors are going insane."
Professor frowned, "I don't think so, well at least Professor Snape isn't outside, he just dropped of… something for me."
"WHAT?!" Draco shouted, "No, then you have to help Harry. Bellatrix told us that Professor Snape had gone out to save Harry. It's complicated but please you have to help."
Professor Lupin nodded and followed them outside, "Miss Parkinson, go and get Professor Snape; he'll want to know what's going on."
Pansy nodded and flew down the hall to the dungeons.
Lupin and Draco ran across the grounds searching for Harry and Daphne.
"Did they say where they were going?" Lupin asked.
Draco shook his head, "No just that they were going to save Snape from...those!"
Draco pointed, deep into the forest where all the Dementors were heading. Lupin clutched his wand tightly.
"You have to go back inside." He told Draco.
"I want to help!" Draco protected.
"I mean it. This is far too dangerous out here for you, go and tell Madam Pomfrey that we're going to have an emergency on our hands." Lupin told him.
"I have to help!" Draco told him.
"That is helping Draco, now go!" Professor Lupin ordered him.
Pansy rushed thought the hallways, it didn't take her long to reach Snape's office.
"What is it Miss Parkinson?" he asked in a rather bored voice.
"Harry's in danger." Was all Pansy had to say before Severus's face fell,"Where?"
"They're outside. He was looking for you." Pansy told him.
Severus swept past her moving quickly outside, Pansy struggling to keep up with his long strides. She told him what had happened but Severus wasn't listening; instead he was arming himself mentally to face whatever trouble Harry had gotten himself in.
"Remus do you know where Harry is?" Severus asked briskly.
Lupin shook his head, "No but I'm guessing there." he pointed to the Dementors, "I've just told Mr Malfoy to head inside and warn Poppy."
Severus nodded, "You too, Miss Parkinson."
"But!" the two students said at once.
Severus turned and glared at them both which sent them hurrying inside. Remus and Severus headed into the forest, following the light from their wands, trying to see where the Dementors were, under the dense tree canopy.
"This isn't working." Severus snapped.
He changed course and moved to where he knew there was a clearing. He looked up and saw where the Dementors where. There were far fewer in the air now which suggested they were attacking more closely.
"Severus..."
Severus turned around and grew wide eyed, "Tell me you drunk the potion when I gave it to you."
Lupin shook his head, "No. They came and found me to quickly. I completely forgot." he was beginning to shake with the strain of hopelessly trying not to change, "Run."
"I..." Severus looked over to the Dementors and then back to Remus.
"Find Harry, it's not the first time I've been loose in these woods." Remus forced a smile, but it turned into a grimace with the pain.
Severus nodded and ran off towards the clearing leaving Remus struggling to move in the other direction; praying to anyone that would listen that he wouldn't hurt anyone.