Chapter V
The Oarling's Chase
Harry, Ron, Carina, and Hermione stayed in the Gryffindor common and did not talk about the incident in the dungeons until the last student, Seamus, went up the stairs to the dormitory yawning. It was already 12:30 in the morning.
Hermione had discovered a new spell on how to treat Carina's cut behind her head. It was bleeding a little profusely when they entered the room, but Hermione patiently ran the tip of her wand near the cut for hours, a blue sparkling and soothing light wiping it. There was no trace of a wound anymore, but Hermione felt significantly drained.
Ron and Harry had been lying on the carpet near the fireplace for a long time, and the warmth they received from the fire helped much to remove the soreness they felt, but not completely. They were still stretching and exercising their joints.
"So what was the parchment all about, Harry?" asked Hermione drowsily. "I'm very convinced she's after me now."
"I'm not sure yet, but I reckon it's all the time left the Oarling has," Harry answered, standing up. "That's the only logical explanation I could think of. I don't know how much time it means. Days? Weeks?"
"It's days," Carina suggested. "The Oarling is growing very restless now."
"So you mean the Oarling has about, what…until tomorrow to get Hermione or else die?" asked Ron raising his head slightly from the floor. He was feeling very lazy to get up.
"That's just about it, midnight, I say," said Carina. "So all ve have to do is simply to keep our Hermione as far avay from Gargarin as possible." She turned to Hermione, "It's okay. Everything will all be over after tomorrow. You stay close with me, Harry, or Ron and you'll be fine."
Hermione smiled when she looked at Carina, as she was lying on the couch on her belly, eyes almost closed. "Thanks."
"What's keeping Professor Dumbledore?" asked Harry from no one in particular. "We all need the aurors that we can get.
"I believe he doesn't know about the parchment," Carina speculated. "It's news even for me."
"And what do you reckon Gargarin might be doing tomorrow to get Hermione?" asked Ron. He crawled towards the empty soft chair and used his hands to support himself up. "You know, we gotta think ahead of her."
"That's a wise thing you said, Ron," Carina praised. "We aurors were taught to think ahead of the enemy. That's what brought me here. I suspect she will use Professor McGonagall or the other teachers to lure Hermione into going alone to her. I do not know how she will, though. Polyjuice, maybe."
"That's just one possibility," said Harry, as he sat on a large comfortable chair. "There could be a million other ways. Remember, we can't allow Hermione to get out of our sight, at least from one of us."
"Correct," said Carina. "Now, if Gargarin comes chasing Hermione, one of us should hide her, and also least one of us will have to delay the Oarling long enough for her to escape. Deal?"
"Okay, but Carina…you sound as though Hermione can't take care of herself," said Ron, laughing a little. "She can fight that Oarling if she wanted to. You should have seen her tonight! She was incredible! Couldn't have done half of what she did against that monster."
"She did?" asked Carina in amazement. "I wish I've seen her face up to that monster."
"Yes, Ron and I saw her!" said Harry proudly and excitedly. "She SAVED my life! She fought that Oarling long enough to forget about killing me. If Ron and Hermione here didn't decide to come after us, You-Know-Who would be throwing a party for the Oarling because I would probably be dead." Harry didn't notice Ron glance nervously sideways, feeling guilty about almost stopping Hermione from going out of the common room. Ron didn't dare look at Hermione.
"That's…that's good news," said Carina, still unsure of the wisdom of standing up to the monster. "But Hermione probably had the upper hand that time. The Oarling can only hurt her, nothing vorse. Remember, its needs her alive, and it still has plenty of time tomorrow.
"You know, the Oarling could have done you two in already if it vanted to. I don't understand vhy it chose not to kill you and Ron. But tomorrow will be a different situation. We cannot stop the Oarling even if we all combined our powers together. It vill stop at nothing to get what it vants and at the same time its magic is too powerful for us to stop. The more Hermione faces it, the bigger the danger of her being captured. Our only chance to defeat it is to keep it from getting Hermione after its time is up. That is how to stop an Oarling. The magic vord here is DELAY, my friends. We don't have to linger for more than a second than vhat is necessary in front of that…creature. We just hit it and run. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Harry and Ron nodded. Harry understood that having Hermione around when facing the Oarling is like waving her as a red cape in a bullring was indeed a foolish idea.
"Yeah, I get your point, Carina," said Ron. "So, why don't we just keep her here in the common room? This is where we all go when there are Trolls lumbering around Hogwarts…"
"…And the most obvious," Carina finished for him. "I'm not sure if the Fat Lady can stand up to that Oarling. We'll be trapped here. We don't vant to give it that chance."
Carina was right, to Harry's disappointment. They had to keep running away from a rampaging and obsessive Oarling, for at least the whole day tomorrow. "So, Hermione, do you already know what to do?"
Hermione did not answer Harry this time because she already fell asleep ages ago on the same couch. Harry sighed as he watched his best friend who seemed to be in peace at the moment. He never felt more concerned for her like this before, even if she was very annoying sometimes, and he didn't yet know what it truly felt if he lost a good friend. Even though the Oarling might possess the essence of Hermione, but the fact that he will very well fully know it's not the true Hermione living inside, it is just the same as his friend had already died. He faced the reality of death with Cedric Diggory last year, but he didn't know him very well enough to fully care, and he knows he couldn't accept losing either Ron or Hermione. They're the only ones he has that made his life more colorful and meaningful. He hadn't realized it yet that he already felt real love for his best friends.
~o0o~
"Remember, ve can't trust anyone else except ourselves for this day only," Carina reminded Harry, Ron, and Hermione over breakfast. "When somebody vants to see Hermione we must either go vith her, or ignore the one who called just the same; we have all the time to explain our behavior after this is all over, and Dumbledore will vouch for us. The Oarling might use its favorite potion, the Polyjuice. You know about the Polyjuice Potion, right?"
Harry and Ron nodded, and they both grinned at Hermione, who suppressed her laughter. It reminded them during the time when Hermione turned into a two-legged cat.
"Looks like it's going to be a long day for us," said Ron, yawning. "I wish I had more time for sleep." Harry raised his goblet for that.
"Potions is the first class today," Hermione said. She was just playing with her fork on her bacon. "I have to admit Professor Gargarin teaches far better than Snape; it's a shame she won't be teaching potions anymore starting tomorrow, though."
Carina laughed. "That's the spirit, `my-knee."
Professor McGonagall walked all the way from the entrance of the Great Hall and approached Hermione. "Miss Granger, I need a word with you in my office immediately. Alone, please."
Harry, Ron, Carina, and Hermione looked at each other for a second. "Professor, why not just talk here in the Great Hall?" Ron asked McGonagall.
"Mister Weasley, I was talking to Miss Granger, not you," she told Ron sternly. "This is very important, Hermione. Come on, now, follow me. Mister Potter and Mister Weasley, I'll see you both after I'm done with Miss Granger."
Hermione, wearing a worried-looking face, slowly stood up looking at McGonagall. She didn't really trust if this was the real Professor and McGonagall started on her way towards the exit. Hermione followed walking rather slowly behind the teacher, and looked back towards Harry nervously. He was now walking closely behind her, trailed by Ron and Carina. When they cleared the doors, Professor McGonagall turned left; Harry grabbed Hermione's arm and pulled her the other way. They ran down the large staircase and out of sight. They sprinted towards Hagrid's hut and stood in front of the door, panting.
"Did she see us where we went?" asked Ron, gasping.
"Apparently not," replied Harry.
"See what I am telling you?" said Carina. "The Oarling might have used a Polyjuice Potion to turn into Professor McGonagall. Put that in record as its first attempt to lure Hermione."
"Proves your point," said Ron.
"Guys, what if that was the real Professor McGonagall?" asked Hermione, getting more nervous. "She won't be too happy I was ignoring her. You're getting me into trouble with this! What if I get expelled?"
"I don't believe you! Don't tell us you haven't straightened up your priorities until now, Hermione!" Ron said a little loudly. "Would you rather like to walk a zombie?"
Hermione closed her eyes and pursed her lips. She didn't know what to do.
"We can ignore anyone the whole day - only today," said Carina. "We all have to be patient with this! We don't want to be caught off guard by that Oarling!"
Hermione was now getting really annoyed with Harry, Ron, and Carina for being overprotective of her and treating her like a baby. "Look, I want to tell all of you I HATE being bossed around too much," Hermione said with disgust. "Let's treat this like a normal day without getting too much paranoid, okay?" she said rather sarcastically. All what is happening to her now is overwhelming her.
Carina made a deep breath and thought for a few seconds. "Okay, fine, but I don't want anyone of us to lose sight of you, Hermione. Is that okay with you?" asked Carina, with a hint of frustration in her voice. Harry and Ron were pretty quiet.
"Deal!" said Hermione reluctantly. They all went back to the castle wondering how they could survive the day without getting into trouble with the real teachers.
They normally had Potions with Professor Gargarin, and that meant to Hermione that she was right in thinking that was the real McGonagall who approached her during breakfast. Gargarin should have not showed up as herself that quickly. She didn't stop pestering and blaming Harry and Ron about this. Ron was so tired with Hermione's nagging that he walked along the corridors holding two large books covering his ears. There was nothing suspicious that happened the whole morning, except for Madam Hooch telling Hermione to go to the Quidditch field - alone. For them it was totally strange.
Harry had made a few sacrifices the whole afternoon looking after Hermione. She had a few other classes that Harry, Ron, and Carina did not have on schedule. So Harry missed at least two classes while he loitered along the corridors outside Hermione's classroom. He was feeling a little embarrassed when he heard some students saying that he was now bumming around, cutting classes. Hermione always gave Harry, Ron, or Carina a lecture each time she found them waiting for her outside the corridor as she went out the classrooms ("I can't believe you're being this paranoid, Harry, blah, blah, blah…")
Miraculously, they have survived a whole day of classes without any incident, dodging teachers, and ignoring anyone who went over to Hermione's class to tell her to report to McGonagall after dismissal. They also had supper in the Great Hall as usual when the wizard clock struck "Dinner" time. But still, Carina warned, the Oarling had about 4 hours left till midnight that was still considered as plenty of time. After supper, Harry suggested that they spend some time with Hagrid, because if the Oarling attacked there, they had plenty of room to maneuver. Hermione was always looking at her watch very frequently, wishing that it were all over ("Does anybody around here know a spell that can compress the time?")
Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Carina walked out of the Great Hall after supper to go to Hagrid together but their plan would change very abruptly. As they exited, they saw Professor Gargarin standing in the middle of the large staircase that was the only direct path towards Hagrid's hut. She didn't look too happy at all and was staring at the four friends. They stopped and stood there in the corridor for a moment, looking back at her also, and when they saw Professor Gargarin start to move towards them, they spun around and walked very briskly away from her. There were still other students walking around Hogwarts and that made it easy for them to get lost in the crowd.
"This is it! It's starting!" declared Carina. "We gotta get on our toes. This will be the longest 4 hours of your life, guys!"
"Where we going to hide?" asked Ron as he kept looking back for any sign of Gargarin. She was a tall witch and Ron could see her head atop the sea of students, looking frantically for them.
"Somewhere very busy, but we won't have that luxury after an hour," said Carina. They decided to go into the recreation room, where there were still students playing games. But along the way, they chanced upon Professor McGonagall, who looked furious when she saw them. "Miss Granger, I can't believe you ignored me this morning! I have been looking all over for you all day! Come with me, in my office, now!"
Hermione looked at Carina and Harry, who both wore disapproving looks. She looked at Professor McGonagall and shook her head. "No. No! I'm not going with you, Professor!" said Hermione. McGonagall hung her mouth open and closed it quickly, looking appalled by Hermione's defiance. "You come with me this instant, Miss Granger, or I…Mister Potter come…!" Before she could finish, the four ran away from her.
"This is getting weirder by the minute," said Harry. He looked at his watch. He was expecting that an hour had past, and he couldn't believe it was only 15 minutes since he last checked the time. They searched for a hiding place (this time they chose professor Flitwick's charms classroom which was empty). But before they reached the classroom, they saw Madam Hooch at the end of the dark by a lowly illuminated corridor holding her broomstick walking fast, as if she was looking for something - or someone. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Carina froze to observe her and see what she was up to. The Professor wore a not so pleasant face, that seemed to be like she was being frustrated with something, and when she saw the four standing at the opposite end of the corridor, she didn't have to pause for a second; she instantly sprinted towards them. "Miss Granger! Potter!"
"Make a break for it!" exclaimed Harry. Carina pulled Hermione by the robes and they began to escape from Hooch, who ran remarkably fast and very athletically. Harry and Ron followed from behind them running, too. When Ron looked back to see how far Hooch has gained on them, he did not see her sprinting anymore. His eyes widened he saw her riding on the broomstick zooming, about to overtake them. Worse, they still had a long way to clear the corridor! "Look out for Hooch!" Ron exclaimed as he dove on the floor. Hooch deftly scooped up Hermione by the waist with her arms and continued to speed on along the corridor. Hermione was hanging on to Madam Hooch and she was now screaming for Harry.
"Hermione!!!" Harry shouted after her. He did not hesitate for a bit when he pointed his wand towards the speeding professor. "IMPEDIMENTA!"
Madam Hooch suddenly went into slow motion, and Hermione pried herself loose from the teacher's clutches. She landed softly on the floor with her feet and ran back to Harry who was beckoning her to move faster. They all disappeared the other way while Hooch still moved very, very slowly, almost frozen at midair.
"What's the hell's happening now? This is getting really scarier by the minute!" said Ron. He looked visibly flustered. "The teachers…"
"I think the Oarling found out a way how to control the teachers for the night!" said Carina, as they walked quickly through another corridor. "They're working for it now! We can't trust them anymore!"
"How can you be so sure about that?" asked Harry, now with some feeling of disbelief with Carina for a second. "You now say the Oarling can do that, too?"
"Don't you see the look in their faces? They're not themselves now. They vant Hermione as bad as the Oarling! Ve don't vant to take any more chances!" Carina shot back.
"What if they want to protect Hermione like we do? It's possible that they know what's afoot already…Dumbledore should have warned them by now!" said Harry. Carina halted to talk to him.
"The information about the Oarling is a secret between the Headmaster of Durmstrang and Hogwarts…and the aurors. The teachers aren't supposed to know, Harry! You all have to trust me! If you don't want my help, then you have given up your friend already to that monster!" Carina was now starting to cry. Harry didn't know what to say. Things were getting very confusing pretty fast. Ron and Hermione looked at him, waiting for him to answer Carina's plea.
Despite his confusion, Harry could not help but admire Carina for her pains of protecting Hermione. Carina, he thought, was now getting emotional about it and would probably kill herself if she failed. He somehow felt bad for doubting her for a moment. After a deep breath, he finally said, "Okay, we still have about three hours to go. We'll sort this all out when this is all over."
"Thank you, Harry," said Carina, feeling relieved again. "You don't know how the safety of Hermione means to me. C'mon, let's get in somewhere they could not find us."
They all hid quietly in a dark and unoccupied classroom near where they argued. They have been inside there for about two hours now. Sometimes they would hear footsteps outside the classroom, and that would scare the wits out of them. From the window, Harry could see some teachers now mounted on broomsticks outside of the castle and combing the area, obviously looking for them. "Will you look at them," said Ron shaking his head. "It's an amazing sight…but scary. "
Their heart skipped many beats when they heard banging noises that came from the corridors. "What do you reckon they're doing now?" asked Hermione. "Omigosh, I think they're searching the classrooms!" she exclaimed in a hushed voice, both of her hands on her face.
"They will see us when we get out…Quick! Hide! Under the tables!" said Ron as quietly as he could. They quickly slid themselves under, their wands out at the ready. The banging noises came closer and closer, until the door of the classroom they were in was forced open. They saw Gargarin's silhouette from the light of the corridor; she was looking around the darkness of the classroom, and her wand was raised.
There was an uneasy pause, and Gargarin flicked her wand to light up the torches on the walls. Harry thought they would be discovered for sure if she walked deeper in the rooms. He looked at Carina to his left with Hermione beside her. They both looked very pale from where they hid and Ron was sweating at his right side. Harry felt his hair stand up when he heard Gargarin say, "They're here!"
"Carina, Hermione, run for it! We'll cover for you! Move!" shouted Harry as he and Ron emerged from under their tables and pointed their wands to a startled Gargarin. "REDUCTO!" Harry and Ron's combined spell pushed Gargarin forcibly to the side, clearing a way for Carina and Hermione to run through and get out of the classroom to escape. Harry was surprised that their magic worked against the Oarling, and that gave them the courage to fight it. Gargarin tried to stand up and try to run after the two girls, but Harry decided he had to do something drastic, teacher or not. He said to Ron, "Stunning spell…"
"STUPEFY!" they both shouted, and Gargarin was knocked out cold. Harry and Ron slowly advanced toward the unconscious teacher, their wands still pointed at her. "I reckon it's better if we stay here and stun her again if she comes around," said Ron, with a look of triumph drawn in his face. "I hope they won't get caught by the others."
"That's odd…" Harry said, looking at the Oarling. "This is all to easy." Harry didn't understand what he might be getting at. He just stood there, staring at the harmless Oarling with Ron.
~o0o~
Hermione and Carina still ran in the halls, holding hands. They chose another wing of classrooms to hide in, and screeched to a halt then crouched beside the wall under the shadows when they saw Hagrid walking along the corridor opposite them. "Carina, it's Hagrid! He can help us!" Hermione said excitedly. When Carina sensed that Hermione was about to call over Hagrid from where they hid, she clamped a hand over Hermione's mouth.
"Shhhh! We can't trust him now - he might be one them," said Carina to Hermione who had the strong urge to call Hagrid.
"No…I don't believe Hagrid could…" said Hermione and she stood up and called him. "Hagrid!"
Hagrid stopped in his tracks and bent forward a little to make out Hermione in the dark and said, "There y're! Come here!" Hagrid's uncharacteristic tone of voice was about enough to make Hermione doubt him, but things have been very confusing lately the she really didn't know what to do. "Come here!"
"He's one of them!" said Carina, and she pulled an unbelieving Hermione by the robes and they ran away again running up the moving stairs. They spotted a prefect walking by. "Quick, let's hide in the dungeons." They went inside the third floor corridor to the dungeons and hid in a storage room full of broken chairs. Hermione gasped, and she could hear her heart pounding in the silence. They waited for a few minutes; no one else came in, and they knew they weren't spotted. Carina and Hermione relaxed now.
"Oh, Harry…Ron!" Hermione called under her breath. "What could have happened to them?" She was now beginning to feel anguished. "Oh I hope, hope, hope they're all right." She now looked at Carina who was crouching beside her. "Carina, I don't think Hagrid is one of them. I find that hard to believe."
Carina sighed. "Hermione, you got to listen to me. I know what an Oarling can do. I don't want to take chances for you. I don't want to believe it myself that all the teachers are under its control, but I know how powerful an Oarling can be. You cannot trust anybody now except Harry, Ron, or me. I need your trust, Hermione. You have to trust me…Do you trust me?"
Hermione looked Carina in the eyes, thought for moment, and nodded.
"Please say you trust me, Hermione," said Carina now with tears in her eyes. "Say it, please!"
"I trust you, Carina," said Hermione truthfully.
Carina sighed and stood up feeling great. She looked up in the ceiling with a good smile in her face, now almost in the verge to laugh, and was looking victorious. She turned her back to Hermione and paced the floor, shaking her head a little with glee.
"Carina, what's the matter?" asked Hermione, confused and smiling nervously at her.
"Thank you for saying that, Hermione Granger," said Carina who now used a very different voice. "I needed you to tell me that you trusted me, that's the last missing piece I need to possess you!" Carina was now laughing shrilly in front of her, wand pointed.
Hermione was frozen in shock. Then it dawned on her. "No…You…YOU are the Oarling!!!"
"That's right, my dear," Carina replied, smiling darkly now. "And it's time to start doing what I came for…"
Hermione dashed out of the storage room and ran for the door exiting the dungeon, but it was still a long way to go. As she did, she pointed her wand over her shoulders towards the direction of Carina and bellowed, "STUPEFY! IMPEDIMENTA!" but her spells deflected off Carina like a bouncing ball thrown on a wall. Carina didn't mind chasing her. She just stood there watching Hermione run farther away from her and just kept on laughing.
"STUPEFY!" snarled Carina; Hermione felt something hit her from behind, and all she could remember was falling on the hard floor and darkness closing in on her like a huge cloud.
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