Blind Confrontations:
Chapter 4: Nightmares and Visions
He dreamed as he slept, mostly his usual nightmares of Sirius falling through the veil, but not this time, this time as Sirius fell the dream shifted and once more he found himself staring out of the eyes of his mortal enemy....Voldemort
He could feel that peculiar mix of emotions that signified that he was once more sharing the mind of the most brutal and twisted wizard in history. He could feel satisfaction coursing through Voldemorts mind and an almost delightful glee when Voldemort realised that he was no longer alone in his mind. "So Potter come for a visit have you, well I have a special performance for you tonight." Harry watched as Voldemort apparted into a familiar street, it was Grimmauld place. Voldemort stood in the shadows and he turned his gaze and Harry could see several others with his arch enemy, voices distorted by the masks they wore. "Is everything prepared?"
One of the masked figures turned to Voldemort and bowed. "Yes Lord, Crabbe and Golye have the quick silver blade prepared, Avery and Mc'nair are standing by incase the target attempts to flee."
Harry feel Voldemorts sense of satisfaction grow at his flunkies words. "well done Wormtail, now we simply wait, remind me to reward that foul little house elf when we return....ahh here comes our Prey now. Harry could only watch Horrified as Remus Lupin suddenly appeared in the street from nowhere, but he knew from where, number 12. He watched as Voldemorts arm raised wand clasped in those bony pale fingers and a harsh shout of Stupefy. Harry watched feeling Relief as Lupin conjured the shield charm but that relief turned to horror as the stupefy slammed against the protego spell breaking it with a sound like shattering crystal. Lupin crumpled into a heap on the floor and Harry sat bolt upright in his bed screaming his hand pressed firmly to his brow in an attempt to stop the searing pain driving through his brain like a drill. His hand felt wet and sticky and the sharp metallic tang of fresh blood filled Harry's nostrils as he scrambled out of his blankets bolting from his room in a mad dash to get to Dumbledores office, he didn't care who saw him, he had to warn Dumbledore, they had to save Lupin. He bolted for the stair cases not bothering with steps, leaping over banisters and bouncing off them to slow his descent till he reached the floor that lead to Dumbledores office as he bolted along the corridor he yelled out the password causing the gargoyle to spring out of Harry's path as he scrambled up the moving stairs and bang against the office door gasping for breath. The door swung open and a shocked Dumbledore dressed in a purple flannel night shirt that stopped just above his knee's stared down at the gasping Harry.
"Harry what's wrong, your bleeding, I shall summon Madam Pomfrey at once."
"NO!" Harry straightened his side burned and he sucked in air trying to get the words out. "Lupin...Voldemort....Number 12.....Got Lupin!"
"Harry calm yourself, I don't understand a word you're saying, what about Remus?"
"Vision, Voldemort was at Grimmauld Place, Kreacher told him the street....Saw Lupin leaving and Voldemort stunned him, check on him, please I can't lose him as well, they will all be gone if it's true."
Harry this may be another trap like last years vision?" Dumbledore tried to reason with the rapidly deteriorating teen in his office. "This may be nothing more than a ploy to make you act."
Harry nodded. "I know, why I came here to see you, I can't take the chances like last year but you need to check on him." Dumbledore nodded and gestured for Harry to take a seat while he went to his office to try and raise the last of the Mauraders. Almost thirty minutes had past and still Dumbledore received no word and Harry was slowly slipping into a full blown panic, suddenly he heard Dumbledore gasp.
Dumbledore watched Horrified as a sickly green light filled his office lit from where on the school ground. He rushed to the window throwing it open his eyes franticly searching for the source of the light, and there floating high above the lawns was the dark mark in all it's infamy and Voldemorts voice magically amplified echoed across the grounds. "A present for you Albus, and a warning for all those who will not bow to me!"
The chair Harry was sat on toppled over as Harry heard the voice his hands clasping over his ears as the noise caused waves of pain to crash through his head. He fell to his knee's panting for breath as the dying echoes of Voldemorts sonerus charm faded. "H-r-y, -arr-, -an you -ear -e." Harry shook his head to clear the ringing in his ears. "Harry...can you hear me?" Harry nodded his hands still clamped over his ears. "Harry stay in this office till I come back do you understand, stay here under no circumstances leave." Dumbledore waited for Harry to acknowledge and with a nod of his head Harry agreed and Dumbledore left his office his wand drawn and proceeded to the main hall. the doors swung open of their own accord in the presence of the schools Headmaster and Dumbledore was met with the grisly sight of a tortured and murdered body of Remus Lupin. He stood there horrified at the grisly remains of one of this school former pupils.
"Sweet merlin...Albus what has happened here, who is that, heavens mercy is that Lupin..."
Albus never moved his gaze from the dead body. "Get him down Minerva, t-take him to the Hospital wing.
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Harry waited in the head masters office fighting every instinct in his body to escape from the room as it rapidly became claustrophobic. He spun around as he head the Gargoyle down stairs begin to move and soon enough heard the office door swing open and Dumbledore walk back into the room. "Harry...."
"No..."
"Harry I am sorry, but it is Remus....I...had him taken to the hospital wing..." Dumbledore lay a hand on the boy he felt was like a grandson to him trying to think of a way to ease the boys burdens. He winced as he realised his words had inadvertently given Harry hope that the last real surviving link to Sirius and his own parents was still alive. "He is dead Harry..."
The hopeful expression was crushed and Harry tore himself from Dumbledore's grip and bolted for the office scrambling up the stairs as he ran for the hospital wing, it wasn't true, Remus would be alive, he'd be injured but alive and soon enough he would be well with Madam Pomfreys magic and he and Harry could swap stories about his parents and God father. He burst through the doors at such a speed that he slipped and skidded across the rough stone floor, his voice hoarse as he yelled for Remus almost hysterically. "Potter, you shouldn't be in here."
Harry turned to Madam Pomfrey's voice. "Where is he, is he ok, you can heal him right, you've healed me so much, please please say you can heal him..."
"I..." She trailed off at a loss for words when the head masters voice filled the silence.
"He is gone Harry...Voldemort used a silver weapon on him, as a werewolf this was deadly to Remus..."
Harry pushed himself to his feet ignoring Dumbledores words. "where is he, I need to see him, he cant be dead." Harry fumbled around and grabbed a glass container from one of the shelves lining the room and he hurled it at the floor, the tinkle of glass filling the room spreading outwards and soon Harry's mind had a picture of the room, he could see the two dimensional images of Madam Pomfrey and Dumbledore and there lying on a bed was a still unmoving shape. Harry staggered over to the bed and he fell to his knee's and started to run his fingers over the inert form. He wanted to scream, the flesh was cold to the touch and he could hear no heart beat.
Dumbledore turned slightly as the hospital doors open as Minerva arrived with her two charges, he knew now more than ever Harry would need his friends. Hermione gasped in horror as she saw the still form of Remus laying on the bed and Ron at her back felt hollow as another piece of his best friends past was gone. Quietly the approached the mumbling Harry, only Hermione could make out his words. "I cant see you any more Remus, I can't see you..."
"Harry.....Harry ple..." Hermione gasped in surprise as Harry almost threw himself at her, his arms going around her slim waist as his emotional dam was finally torn asunder and he howled into her stomach like a wounded animal, sixteen years of abuse in one form or another was let loss and he clutched to her like a drowning man to a life preserver, his tear soaking her nightgown, but she didn't care, she kneeled and wrapped her arms around him and rocked him in a tender embrace as he cried, she knew now where she finally stood emotionally, she loved him and his pain brought tears to her eyes and soon she too was sobbing. Ron watched the scene feeling the hollowness in his stomach grow, he knew of Harry's feelings for his girlfriend, for Hermione, but he knew he would never act upon them, but watching as Mione comforted their distraught best friend he was struck for the first time the Hermione might share Harry's feelings, while he knew neither would betray him physically it still made his mind swim. Silently he walked forward and he to knelt and he wrapped his arms around both of them in an attempt to ease their pain.
Soon Harry began to calm down his howling dropping to a whimper and soon not even that, but he wouldn't release his hold on Hermione and he knelt on the stone floor clutching to her like dear life, keenly aware of both her presence and Rons. Suddenly the hospital doors swung open and Harry stiffened as he heard the voice of Serverus Snape. "I came as soon as I was summoned Headmaster."
Harry's voice was harsh and hate filled. "You...you knew about this didn't you, your the spy in Voldemorts inner circle, you knew what he was planning!" He felt his friends arms tighten around him.
Snape sneered at the sight of the mighty trio kneeling on the floor. "Not that it is any of your business Potter but I was unaware of the Dark Lords plans."
"LIAR!" Harry tore from his friends grips his sorrow turned to rage as he crossed the distance between himself and Snape in seconds surprising the potions master as his fist lashed out catching Snape across the Jaw full strength sending him crashing across stone floor. Harry pounced pinning Snape beneath him and started to lash out with every ounce of hatred he had for the man beneath him. The wind was knocked out of him as Ron tackled him side on driving him from off the top of Snape and pinning him in a wrestling type hold.
"Get him out of here, I can't hold Harry for Long!" Ron grunted as one of Harry's elbows caught him in the stomach . Hermione quickly joined Ron helping to pin th struggling Harry to the floor while Snape picked himself up blood trickling from his nose and his eye already swelling shut. "Let him up, we'll see how clever he thinks he is now I'm ready for him." Snape drew his wand with a menacing snarl and pointed it at the trio.
"That will be enough!" Albus's voice filled the hospital ward his eyes no longer twinkling but burning with anger. "Severus you will proceed to my office immediately, Poppy give Harry something to calm him down before he hurt somebody or himself." With that he swept regally from the ward still dressed in his purple flannel night shirt Snape following behind him.
Harry stopped struggling and once more found himself sobbing in his friends arms. "I'm sorry." he whispered as he sensed Madam Pomfrey pouring something into a glass and handing it to Hermione.
"Make sure he drinks all of it, it will help him sleep." Hermione nodded as she accepted the glass from the school nurse and and held it to harry's lips and poured in straight down his throat. Soon enough after a few minutes of Harry's protests the blind teenager lay asleep in his best friends arms. Gently they tried to lift him from the stone floor and carry him to one of the cots, as Hermione tried to slip out of his embrace his arms tightened and he whimpered in his sleep. She looked at Ron helplessly and was relieved when he simply nodded.
Ron watched as she lay on the bed besides Harry and he pulled up a chair and sat at the edge of the bed watching his girlfriend and his best friend sleep together and for once felt no jealousy stir within his heart.
TBC.............
AN: Just in responce to a query yes there will be a battle between Harry and Voldemorte but it will not be the final co0nflict in Harry's life, remember I am spanning this through Hogwarts Harry attending a University and when he is in his twenties...so please be patient and just enjoy =)
Yours truly
The Evil known as Kai Lun Mau