The Sword of Light
by Jardyn39
Part Four of "The Apprentice Piece"
Chapter Eleven: Midnight
"What do you mean, it's not midnight yet? Come on," said Kales impatiently.
"I promised. We're not going into the girl's dormitory until then. Hermione insisted."
"I cannot believe you asked permission."
"It seemed the right thing to do."
The clock in the common room began to chime.
"After you," said Harry, and they proceeded through the door and up the stairs until they reached the floor occupied by the Sixth years. Harry double checked the door sign and entered.
The staircase had been dark and completely silent. He expected to find the dormitory to be the same.
Instead he found the room to be in a complete state of confusion. Lavender was sitting on her bed watching in bemusement as Hermione and Parvati stood arguing in the middle of the room. Harry could immediately see why Hermione was pleading with Parvati to show a little modesty, and managed to avert his eyes for the most part.
Almost immediately, Hermione gave up and scribbled a note which she stuck to the front of the dormitory door. It read "Midnight is too soon."
Kales became small and flew straight through the wall towards the boys' dormitories. Harry followed. He was getting better now, although he did get disoriented travelling through the stone walls that were sometimes feet thick.
Harry gasped when he saw the sleeping boys. Before him were Ron, Neville and himself. The bed hangings of Seamus and Dean's beds were closed. He had forgotten to close his again.
Ron and Neville had a sort of dull glow to them. Ron's was fairly constant but Neville's varied, sometime becoming very bright. His own body was glowing brightly all the time. The light, or whatever it was, shone through the bedclothes immediately touching them but nothing else.
Harry moved closer to his sleeping form and immediately felt a kind of strong pull towards himself. Kales pulled him away again.
"The light you can see is a form of life-force," explained Kales.
"Why does Neville's vary like that?"
"I imagine he has a charm that has shielded his life-force. It looks like it is beginning to break."
"Why does my body have a life-force at all when I'm over here?"
"I need you to see a couple of things before I answer. Boy, look inside those hangings."
"I'm not sure I should," said Harry.
Kales flew inside and then out again, the size of a tiny bird.
"He's fast asleep. Please, you have to know."
Reluctantly, Harry walked over and leaned through the curtains.
"What are those things?" asked Harry, totally horrified at the sight before him.
Dean was indeed fast asleep and he too had a dull glow. On the bed with him were three of the small goblin like creatures he'd seen before. Each was taking bites out of Dean. He looked completely oblivious and no physical marks were being left.
Harry could not look any longer.
"They are feeding on his life force?"
"Yes," said Kales. "They take some nourishment. Only rarely do they take enough to affect the individual in the waking world, though."
"Why aren't they attacking Ron and Neville?"
"Because of you," said Kales. "Look there, there is one of them trying to take a bite from that boy." He was pointing at Ron and sure enough another creature was trying to get close enough to bite him. The creature was shielding it's eyes as if blinded from the light coming from Harry's sleeping form.
"These small creatures may look and act in what may seem like a strange and horrible way, but really they are quite harmless, even when they feed in vast numbers."
Harry wasn't entirely convinced.
"Come back down to the other room. Time is short," said Kales and he disappeared through the floor. Harry decided to take the stairs but arrived down in the common room moments after Kales.
"Are there any creatures that can harm us in the waking world?" asked Harry.
"Yes. There are some creatures that actively seek out and feed upon those with stronger life-forces. They are alien to this world, though, and are relatively rare. I propose to show you something similar tonight. Are you prepared to go up there yet?"
Now that there might be danger lurking upstairs Harry realised he was less concerned with sensitivities.
"Let's go," he said.
"Good. Please remember you are here to observe. Any further questions you have should wait until we get back to the safety of the stadium."
Harry nodded and Kales shrank back to the size of a bird and few up the stairs. Harry followed and soon they were back outside the Sixth Year girl's dormitory. Harry ventured inside. The girl's were asleep and all of their bed hangings were open. Lavender and Parvati had dull life-forces.
Hermione's was startlingly bright.
"Why is Hermione so much brighter than everyone else?" asked Harry in wonder. "The others are dull by comparison."
"The brightness is an indication of their will to live. It could be a strong belief in themselves or perhaps in another. I'm not even sure you can see the same thing that I can. I wouldn't describe the other auras as dull. They are just different."
Harry walked over to Hermione as she slept. On her side table there were two pieces of parchment. Harry smiled as he read her message. On the larger piece, which as blank, Harry pointed his finger and carefully drew his short message. He made marks by scorching the surface with a fine flame. When finished his message was somewhat untidy but none-the-less legible.
He looked up towards Kales and smiled.
"They are coming, Boy," said Kales quietly. "Let's retire over there so we're not seen. We will leave as soon as you have seen enough."
Curious, Harry followed.
Kales was now the smallest Harry had seen him. He was the size of a fly. Harry crouched down behind the end of Parvati's bed. He looked down and realised one of the small creatures was climbing up on the dark side of Parvati's bed, the side in shade from Hermione's life-force. The creature froze. It then dropped to the floor and ran deeper into the shadows. It suddenly looked very afraid of something.
"I think there are two of them," whispered Kales, although Harry had no idea where he was now.
Harry looked up and to his horror two man sized creatures appeared through the outside wall. They looked like winged gargoyles. Both looked around the room and headed straight for Hermione.
At first they landed on Hermione's bed and looked quite transfixed. They looked like they were almost basking in the life-force Hermione was emanating.
One shook his head violently and snarled at the other which then also appeared to come back to its senses.
The creatures then appeared to bite and paw at Hermione. Their claws appeared to pass deep into Hermione's skin as they tried to rip at her life force. Hermione was asleep and showed no physical sign of being hurt by this, but looked like she could feel the clawing.
She would jerk in her sleep after a deep cut.
After a few moments the light coming from Hermione intensified and the creatures flew off the bed, clearly afraid. As the light returned to its normal level, they cautiously returned.
"Now we must go. I promise she will be fine tonight," said Kales.
Reluctantly, Harry followed.