Disclaimer: I Know should have had one of these at the start but as i've been writing this fic while i have been sick I've forgotten so here it is. I dun own Jack Sh*t i'm just borrowing them.
Chapter 3:
Ron made his way up the stairs towards the Head boy's dorm a depressed look on his face, things had never been the same after last Halloween. A lot of the students had lost their innocence that year as the horrors of Voldemort's return had really been driven home. Out of all the students Ron had fared the worst, he had lost both of his best friends. He could still remember the hollow feeling inside when they hadn't shown up at the feast that evening but he had dismissed it. It wasn't till the next morning when their bodies were found that he finally found what Harry had felt his entire life...he felt hollow.
He muttered the password to the portrait and it swung open and he climbed inside and stopped in shock as he saw a leather clad figure sitting on his bed. "Who the bloody hell are you?"
"Really Ronald I'm hurt you'd think you'd recognize your best friend."
Ron stared in shock feeling his knee's weaken. "I don't know who you are but this is a really sick joke and I want you out of my bloody room before I hex you through the wall." He drew his wand and started towards the figure clearly intent on his threat. The figure turned to face Ron a familiar smirk on it's face and a pair of emerald green eyes. "H-Harry?"
"Hello Ron."
"But-but, your dead!" Ron's wand fell from his fingers and he sat down on the floor with a thump. "I saw your body!"
"I am dead, at least I think I am, not really sure at the moment, I need the marauders map Ron, I know you had it last and I need it now."
"Why are you back, what's going on Harry!" Ron did the only thing he could think of, his mind was coming unhinged, here was his very dead best friend sitting their having a conversation with him, what was next was Hermione going to walk in through the portrait.
"I'm back to kill the people who did this to Hermione and I, they are dead, they may be walking around now, but soon enough they are all going to join their fat friend." Harry's eyes seemed to gleam in the light and Ron felt a shiver go down his spine at the raw seething hatred he saw reflected in Harry's eyes.
"It's in the bottom drawer of the cabinet, let me help Harry, who did this to you?" Ron watched at Harry rummaged around in the bottom draw before he pulled out the scrap of parchment. Nodding he grabbed Ron's wand off the floor and tapped the map.
"I solemnly swear I am up to no good!" Soon enough the ink spread along the page and Harry smirked as he saw who he was looking for. "I see you."
Ron shuddered at the manic tone in his friend's voice. "Harry we should go see professor Dumbledore straight away, we need to tell the order members you're alive."
"Haven't you been listening, I'm dead D-E-A-D, dead, I died last year with the women I loved, the girl I planned to ask to marry me, to be the mother of my children, they beat me senseless whilst their friends were raping her and all I could do was listen to her scream, well I'll be listening to them scream as well tonight, tonight it all ends."
Ron scrambled to his feet. "I can't let you do this Harry, your not a murderer!"
Harry looked at his friend and for a moment the hint of madness dimmed at he reached out handing Ron his wand. "Harry Potter died one year ago Ron, I am vengeance." Taking advantage of Rons lack of readiness, Harry swung his fist and smack Ron solidly on the Jaw sending the red head sailing onto his bed out cold. "Sorry Ron, but your not going to stop me, rolling the map up he placed it in his pocket and he calmly walked out of Ron's room and let the portrait swing shut. Grabbing it's frame he pulled it off the wall and set it to the side.
The image in the painting looked shocked. "What do you think you are doing!"
Harry gave it a piercing look. "Saving my friend." He nodded calmly to the stunned painting and turned on his heel and started walking back down the stairs.
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Dumbledore stood in his office and looked at the faculty members. "I have called you here today to make a grave announcement, one of our students was brutally murdered this afternoon in the school kitchens."
Gasps filled the room as the teachers looked horrified. McGonnagal lowered her hand from her mouth. "My word Albus who was it?" Surrounding her several of the teachers nodded
Dumbledore sighed and sat down on his seat looking tired. "It was Mr Goyle, he was battered unconscious and placed in the school oven and then locked inside with an apple in his mouth." Several of the Teachers blanched at the thought of such a death. "The house elves were able to witness the event and it was one of them that alerted me to it but I arrived too late to prevent the tragedy."
Snape's face hardened. "Did they see who murdered the boy?" Dumbledore nodded his face pensive as he steepled his fingers together. "Well who was it?"
"Dobby the house elf said it was Harry Potter."
The room exploded in a chorus of denials, he was dead, it couldn't be, it's not possible. Dumbledore waved them to silence. McGonnagal looked her long time colleague. "Surely you're not going to believe this codswallop Albus, Potter died last year."
Dumbledore nodded. "Normally I would dismiss such a claim if it wasn't for one thing left on the oven door." He gestured to a piece of Parchment on his desk and an image sketched on it.
Snape and Lupin paled recognizing the significance of the design. "Dear merlin!" Lupin murmured his already pale face almost now devoid of blood. "God help those he's after because no one else can help them."
McGonnagal rounded on both of them. "What are you three on about, it can't be Potter, and what is the drawing?"
Snape sat down heavily on a seat and looked up at his Gryffindor counterpart. "It is the symbol of the Crow, I'm sure you recall the legend Minerva, It seems Potters Spirit has been brought back from the underworld for Revenge and it seems that Mr Goyle was on his list." He looked at Dumbledore. "I must warn my student headmaster, it's obvious he is here for some of them." He rose. "If Mr Goyle was involved in Potters death then it's highly likely Mr Crabbe and Mr Malfoy were also involved, if we do nothing Potter will kill those he feels responsible for his death."
Nodding Dumbledore waved Severus away. "Go, find your students bring them to my office, it is the best protected room in the castle. If Harry is running around he won't be able to get them if they are here." He rose from his seat looking determined. "Whilst we are all for Mr Potters and Ms Grangers murders being brought to Justice, this is not the way, the feast starts in three hours and I do not want to alarm the pupils or Harry so we must go on as if nothing has happened, those teachers not with classes begin searching the grounds, at all costs Harry must be captured."
Lupin nodded looking grim. "He has been through a terrible ordeal and legends say that the souls the crow returns are mad with revenge, grief and anger, Harry may not be sane so beware when you confront him as he is also undead and most spells and hexes won't work against him."
Dumbledore nodded to Remus and the other teachers. "If you have no further questions good luck to us all and let us hope we can prevent another murder."
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TBC...