(A/N: A big thanks goes to Hermione_Potter_14 and Destroyerdt, since they seem the only two persons following the story so far. Thanks so much. I also would like to thank IronChefOr for hir great help as BETA reader. Last chapter we've left Harry and Hermione in an awkward situation, but troubles are just at the beginning...)
Chapter 10. ULTIMATUM FROM HELL
That night, Harry hadn't been able to fall asleep very easily, even though his roommates had been deep asleep for several hours. Despite the fact he was incredibly tired, he kept tossing and turning in his bed, thinking over that day's events. His first school day, his meeting with Dumbledore, the misunderstanding with Hermione.
That had been the first time he'd ever seen her jealous. Harry strongly hoped that talking with her the next day, they would easily be able to solve the problem.
Cradled by this hopeful thought, he finally felt his eyelids become heavy, until he relaxed completely and fell asleep. Hermione appeared in a dream. She was standing in front of him frowning, her arms crossed.
"I would have NEVER expected something like that from you, Harry. Wandering around the castle at night, hand in hand with another GIRL!"
"We weren't doing anything bad, I swear," Harry tried to justify himself.
"This is the secret you were hiding from me, isn't it? Tell the truth!"
"I told you the truth. I'm sorry, I didn't want to hurt you…" Harry felt absolutely terrible. More than anything, the thought of losing Hermione was becoming unbearable.
Then, the image changed and Harry found himself again walking along a dark, desolate street. After a while, three hooded figures emerged from a dark alley and started running toward him, making him relive the nightmare of the previous night. The running escape, the Death Eater's arrival, the duel between the Death Eater and the witch, the desperate shouting of a little girl, and then a dazzling beam of light.
Harry woke up abruptly, sweating, his scar throbbing. What is this nightmare? Who are those people? he asked himself as he felt his heart beating violently in his chest.
Unfortunately, nobody would be able to answer his questions that night. Resigned, he lay back down on the bed, doing his best to calm down, hoping that the sunrise would come as quickly as possible.
***O***
The following morning, Harry reached the common room with no thoughts other than to resolve his misunderstanding with Hermione. His head was still throbbing from to the lack of sleep and the pain in his scar. Not finding her among the crowd of students, he rushed out of the portrait hole to the corridor, and down toward the Great Hall.
Still immersed in his thoughts, he walked quickly, dragging his school bag along and bumping into other students along the way. At the bottom of the last flight of stairs, directly in front of the large hourglasses filled with colored gems marking Houses' points, he realized that someone else was waiting for him.
"Look who's coming," mocked Malfoy, showing a pleased grin as he leaned with his back against the stone walls. Crabbe and Goyle were standing on his sides like two large gorillas. "You always need to be in the center of attention, don't you Potter? The school year hasn't even started yet, and everybody is already talking about you and your nocturnal escapades."
Harry shot him an icy glare as he passed by. "Shut up, Malfoy. And look who's calling the kettle black," whispered Harry through clenched teeth.
"Oh, I'm so scared. What're you going to do if I don't shut up?" continued Malfoy. Seeing that Harry wasn't reacting to his provocations, but instead kept walking, he shouted one last taunt. "Run away little girl! Know that this year, you'll get what you deserve, once and for all."
With something more important on his mind, Harry ignored Malfoy's words and entered the Great Hall looking for Hermione. When he saw her sitting at Gryffindor table close to Ron, his heart did a somersault. Here we are, he thought nervously, moving closer in slow steps. Unconsciously, he brought his hand to his neck and tightly grasped the jade amulet Hermione gave him for his birthday.
Ron shot a quick glance at Harry and understood immediately. "There you are mate. Now I… well, I need to go…" he stuttered, standing up. "I've forgotten... upstairs... my… my… one of my books. See you later."
Hermione commented on his sudden departure with only a raised eyebrow, while stubbornly skimming the new Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook open on the table, Advanced Defensive Magic: a Practical Guide by Ashley Protector. Harry sat by her side, desperately searching for the right words with which to begin, despite the fact his throat was dry and it seemed impossible to utter even a sound. He had just opened his mouth to speak when Hermione turned to him abruptly with a serious look.
"I need to apologize, Harry," she started, leaving him speechless. "I've thought about this all night and I realized that my reaction yesterday was too rash. I handled the situation in a superficial way, without even giving you a chance to explain."
Harry was caught by surprise and kept looking at her with wide eyes.
"I trust you, Harry. After all, you and that girl weren't doing anything wrong."
"We weren't," he agreed.
"It's just that, well… I knew there was something you were hiding from me and I've tried so many times to figure out what was troubling you that… well, last night I thought that maybe I was the problem."
"Don't you dare saying anything like that again!" replied Harry, horrified. "It's true. I have a troubled life, but if I didn't have you in my life, I… I…" Not able to find the right words, Harry grabbed her hand and held it tightly in his hands. "If I didn't have you, I wouldn't be able to go on."
Hermione smiled and sweetly brushed his cheek with her fingers. "You know, I'll always be with you, whenever you need me. And I'll be there to listen to you, any time."
They stared at each other for several moments. Harry wondered if it was the right time to talk. He knew that he could trust Hermione blindly, and that he needed to be completely honest with her. He lowered his gaze, almost ashamed about what he was going to say.
"Well, I-I don't exactly know what's happening to me. The only thing I'm sure of is that I can't do this alone." He again raised his gaze and met Hermione's, full of anxiety. "I'm scared. Yeah, it's true... The Boy Who Lived, the one who's supposed to fight against the Dark Lord and win."
Hermione sighed deeply, her eyes now full of comprehension. "Everybody fears something, Harry. Even those who live a quieter life and have no troubles at all. You don't need to be ashamed of…"
"It isn't death I'm afraid of," he cut her off. "I'm scared to lose the one I love. And the worst thing about it is that… HE knows."
Silence fell between them. This time, even Hermione wasn't able to find comforting words.
Suddenly, Harry grimaced in pain and raised a hand to his scar.
"What's wrong?" whispered Hermione, alarmed.
"Hi, Potter," Theo Mustle greeted as he approached. He was now staring at Harry with an awkward expression in his blue eyes. "I-I just wanted to apologize for yesterday."
Still disoriented from the pain, it took Harry a few seconds to realize what Theo was talking about. "W-what do you mean?"
"Potions. I was so enthusiastic to answer correctly, I let Professor Snape mistreat you." Theo seemed sincerely sorry.
"Don't worry. I'm accustomed to Snape's behavior by now. It isn't your fault," replied Harry, removing his hand from his forehead, even though his scar was hurting more than ever.
"Anyway, next time I'll be careful. I don't like to be used to make fun of someone else." Finishing his sentence, Theo turned his attention to Hermione, who had been listening to them in silence. "Hey, aren't you going introduce me to your girlfriend? My name is Theo Mustle."
Hermione smiled slightly, even though she was still worried about Harry. "I'm Hermione."
"Nice to meet you, Hermione." Theo smiled too, but then he looked nervously at the sky outside the window. "I'd love to stay here and chat, but I need to go now. I want to find a desk in the front row for Professor Erudio's lesson. See you later in class."
Harry and Hermione stared at the boy as he quickly moved away and exited the Great Hall. He was dragging along a heavy, black leather school bag, overflowing with more books than Hermione could have ever dreamed of squeezing into her own school bag.
"I think you've found your new competition, Hermione. Ahhhh!" Harry raised his hand to his scar once again.
"Let's go to the hospital wing," urged Hermione. "You won't be able to attend any classes today."
"Do you really think that Madam Pomfrey will be able to help me?" whispered Harry sarcastically. He then stood up and threw his school bag over his shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. Let's go or we'll be late."
"As stubborn as Ron sometimes..." Hermione commented to herself in a whisper, following Harry out of the Great Hall.
***O***
"I'm happy to welcome you to my Defense Against the Dark Arts class. It is a great privilege and honor for me to be your teacher this year." Magnus Erudio greeted the students in a very formal tone, as he sat at his desk at the front of the classroom. He was wearing a long purple robe and his usual odd hat in the shape of a bent horn. His eyes were staring blankly at some indistinct place in front of him; the tip of his long gray beard was almost touching the floor.
Once again, the classroom had was decorated to reflect the new teacher; this happened each year, since there had been a different teacher every year. This year, the walls and the shelves were full of clocks of every different type and shape; their rhythmic ticking filled the air. Harry was, as usual, sitting with Hermione, in one of the last desks in the back; he was desperately trying to pay attention as the pain in his scar seemed to not want to stop.
A group of Slytherin students were following the lesson as well. Among them, Draco Malfoy was glaring at Erudio with hostility, sitting in the second row with his housemate Theodore Nott.
"We will learn how to use the most important defensive spells and to understand in which situations they are most useful. We will spend most of our time practicing, until we are ready for what is waiting for us… out there." Erudio stopped talking; most of the students shot nervous glances at each other. "It is perfectly normal to fear the worst. However, being prepared to fight is more useful, don't you agree?"
In the icy silence that followed his words, a hand rose uncertainly in the air.
"Mr. Finnigan, am I right?" asked Erudio, his blind gaze still fixed in space.
"Y-yes, sir," Seamus replied, almost whispering. "I was just wondering, sir… well, me mam always says that it's not our job to fight... that we should leave it to more skilled adult wizards. Do you… do you really believe that we will need to…"
"Your mother is right, Mr. Finnigan. It isn't your job or duty to fight against Death Eaters. But it is also true that you need to learn how to defend yourself, in case your life is in danger. During the school year, we will practice every kind of allowed defensive technique, until each one of you - nobody excluded - is able to effectively react to any kind of dark magic attack."
Ron, Neville, and Dean looked enthusiastic about the idea and sat up straight in their chairs to listen more attentively; Lavender, Parvati, and the other girls - except Hermione, who didn't blink - looked rather doubtful. Harry, on the other hand, had not been able to follow Erudio's speech. With his elbows propped up on his desk, he kept pressing his hands against his forehead, as if to try to stop his brain from throbbing painfully.
"Before we start with this year's program, I need the help of two students for a practical demonstration of what you've already learned these last few years. Mr. Potter, Mr. Mustle, if you would be kind enough to come forward, please?"
Hearing his name, Harry did his best to gather his strength and sighed deeply, feeling feverish. Under Hermione's worried stare, he slowly stood up and approached the teacher's desk. Theo was already waiting for him, standing there, taller and looking even stronger than Harry.
"Very well!" exclaimed Erudio, leaning back in his chair, as if anticipating something extremely interesting. "I would like you to show the class an example of a magical duel. I warn you: only legal attacks. You may start any time."
The two boys stood in front of each other, grasping their wands like swords. They pointed them at each other for a few seconds, waiting. Harry's scar was still hurting unbearably. For a brief moment, he even considered stopping the duel and leaving the classroom for the hospital wing, following Hermione's suggestion. Theo, however, made the first move.
"CONJUNCTIVITUS!" A ray of white light erupted from his wand and flashed toward Harry, who used the Shield Charm.
"PROTEGO!" The ray of light rebounded back to Theo, who jumped out of the way to avoid being hit. "TARANTALLEGRA!" shouted Harry and a ray of violet light rushed from his wand toward Theo, who promptly reacted.
"IMPEDIMENTA!"
Harry and Theo kept staring at each other in silence, pacing the room under the watchful eyes of their classmates and Professor Erudio. Harry had to admit that Theo was very skilled at casting curses.
"PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!" This time, Harry attacked first. Caught by surprise, Theo didn't have time to defend himself and flattened himself to the floor to avoid the ray of red light that shot out from Harry's wand; it hit a stone column, scratching it.
Suddenly, Harry felt a sharp pain in his scar and raised a hand to his forehead, groaning. Not noticing Harry's difficulty, Theo shot another curse while still laying down on the floor. "STUPEFY!"
The curse hit Harry directly in the chest; everybody watched the scene as if it was in slow motion. For a fraction of a second, the jade amulet around Harry's neck glowed green and emitted a shining aura that enveloped his body and deflected the curse to one of the empty desks in the first row, destroying it (everyone in the front had moved back when the duel began to increase in intensity). Despite the amulet's protection, Harry was thrown against the shelves behind him, hitting his head violently.
A general turmoil ensued. Hermione rushed toward him, followed by Ron and the other students. Harry could only hear indistinct, blurred voices. Then, a dark veil fell over his eyes as he lost consciousness.
***O***
When Harry woke up, he found himself wrapped in darkness, laying on a slab of concrete. Above him, the night sky was lit by frequent red lightning bolts. Around him, emptiness... nothing. He slowly got up and looked around. Something about this place worried him greatly. He took a few steps, then heard a voice. More precisely, it was a sort of a moan or cry.
"Who are you?" he asked, alarmed. "WHO ARE YOU?" he shouted, but not reply came.
The moan became stronger; it sounded as though it was coming from everywhere. Harry had to cover his ears and close his eyes, as the sound was driving him crazy. Then, it suddenly stopped and he opened his eyes again. A short distance away, there was someone huddled on the ground, hooded and covered with a dark cloak.
Harry approached cautiously. "Do you… do you need help? I heard you crying."
"I-I'm so scared…" replied the trembling voice of a little girl.
"Of what?" asked Harry, feeling uneasy. "Can you tell me?"
"The evil wizard. He… he killed my father, and now he's hunting me," she explained sadly. Her face was still hooded.
Harry looked around, wary, but there wasn't another living soul aside from the two of them. If the evil wizard she was talking about was still there, they had to leave that place immediately.
"Do you know a way out of here?" At Harry's question, the little girl shook her head. "Don't worry, we'll find one together. Come on, I'll help you stand up."
Harry stretched a hand out toward her, and she finally lifted her head. Their eyes met for the first time. Small and minute, her face was framed by a mane of black hair and her eyes were deep and jade green. Harry was amazed by those beautiful eyes; he felt as if he had already seen them, somewhere else.
Suddenly, the wind started to blow strongly. The little girl covered her eyes with her hands and shouted between sobs. "He's coming! He's coming!"
Harry didn't have time to react as everything around him changed. The little girl was gone. A blood-chilling scene had taken her place now. Houses were on fire. Hundreds of people were running away, crying and shouting, their faces covered in blood. Then, a voice overpowered all the others... a voice Harry knew all too well.
"You're wondering what the future will be like, aren't you Harry? Here it is. This is the future that is waiting for you and your friends. A future of war, suffering, and death."
"No… it can't be true. I won't let it happen!" he shouted, looking in every direction, trying to find him.
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, my dear Harry. No one will stand in the way of my plans. And when this war ends, I will bring order to everything. I, Lord Voldemort, incontrovertible master of this world."
"You're insane!" shouted Harry in disgust.
"I believe the crazy person here is you, Harry. Do you really think you have any chance against me? As the prophecy says, one of us will die at the hand of the other. Certainly, the one who will die is you, my silly, pathetically unskilled boy. But you still have a choice. Yes, there is always a choice… If you stand by my side, I'll grant you your own life as well as that of your friend. Be careful, as this is your last chance. This is the last time I'll show you any compassion. Accept now... otherwise, meet your destiny..."
"NEVER! I'll never join you. I'll fight you until the end!" shouted Harry. His voice was firm and determined, his eyes fixed on the horrible sights before him.
"Very well. You made your choice." Voldemort's voice wavered slightly in disappointment. "If that is what you really want… then DIE!"
"Aaaahhhh!" Harry woke up from his dream, screaming. His body was tensed from the unbearable pain he was experiencing. Rising a hand to his forehead, he felt something warm and wet on his face. Blood was trickling out of his scar.
"Harry? Harry?" The placid voice of Albus Dumbledore brought him back to reality. "Everything is all right, you're safe now."
Harry was trembling from head to toe as the Headmaster helped him settle back into his bed. They were in the hospital wing. The tepid afternoon sun still lit the room with its golden rays. Harry looked around, panting. The other beds were empty; Madam Pomfrey watched the two of them from her desk near the entrance.
"Where… how…" stuttered Harry, trying to gather his thoughts.
"You hit your head badly during the Defense practice this morning. You passed out and woke up just now," Dumbledore explained, staring at him with a kind expression in his blue eyes and a reassuring smile on his face. "How are you feeling?"
"Confused…" Harry replied, brushing his aching head. Then their eyes met. For a few seconds, they stayed there, in silence. Harry knew that the Headmaster was waiting for something. Maybe he knows what I'm hiding from him, Harry thought.
Harry turned his gaze and fixed it onto the blue sky outside the window. He recalled the nightmare he just had. The little girl crying, huddled on the ground, the images of destruction and death, Voldemort's words. He knew that it was the right time to tell Dumbledore what he was going through. He had opened his mouth to speak when he suddenly heard the sound of footsteps in the corridor.
The door opened abruptly, and Severus Snape appeared. His face was livid and grave.
"Bad news, Severus?" asked Dumbledore, frowning.
Snape shot a malevolent glare at Harry before replying. "Unfortunately, yes."
"I'm coming," replied the Headmaster worriedly. He then turned to Harry. "I'm sorry, but I need to go. Your friends are waiting outside and I'm sure they'll keep you in good company."
Dumbledore moved toward the door when Harry called him back. "Sir, there is something I need to tell you."
The Headmaster turned to him again. "Go on, I'm listening."
Harry looked at Snape, hoping that he wasn't going to interrupt him. "I'm… I'm still having nightmares," he started, uncertain of what to say next. "I'm hearing Voldemort's voice. He wants me to join him. He says that if I don't do what he wants... it'll be the end... for me... and my friends."
Dumbledore remained still, an odd twinkling in his eyes; Harry felt encouraged to go on. "I'm not scared to die. If this is my destiny, then I'm going to die on a battlefield. But I don't want innocent people to pay for my mistakes."
"In war, there will always be innocent people who pay for the mistakes made by others." The Headmaster then sighed deeply. A tired and sad expression appeared in his eyes. "You've done a wise thing, Harry, talking to me about your nightmares. Voldemort is trying to destroy your will to fight. You need to stay on guard from his mind attacks. When you feel better, you'll start your training with Professor Erudio. He'll help you, I promise. Now, I must go, but we can talk again when I return."
Harry nodded. Dumbledore then joined Snape and they both left the hospital wing, closing the door behind them. Even though Harry had not been able to explain in detail what his nightmares were about exactly, simply having mentioned them made him feel better.
The door opened again, and Ron's, Hermione's, Ginny's, and Neville's heads peeked in.
"What is all this ruckus out here?" Madam Pomfrey scolded the new arrivals. After a certain insistence from their side, she agreed to let them in, though only for a few minutes.
Ginny and Neville took a seat on a nearby bed as Ron chose an old, wooden armchair. Hermione stood close to Harry, keeping a worried eye on him, as if expecting him to pass out at any moment.
"Don't worry, I'm fine," insisted Harry, smiling slightly.
"When that Theo Mustle threw you against that bloody wall, I just wanted to go up there and punch him in his stupid, ugly face," ranted Ron, shaking his fist in midair, mimicing the act. "He was so stupid to not realize that you were in trouble. Only an idiot couldn't have seen that!"
"Maybe you're right, but honestly, I'm sure it would've been better not to accept the duel in the first place," replied Harry, resigned. "It's all this damned scar's fault," complained Harry, vigorously brushing his forehead, as if trying to erase that unlucky mark in a lightning bolt shape.
"Well, the most important thing is that you're feeling better," started Neville. "If you ask me, Theo doesn't seem too bad. He's okay, and always ready to help others… at least with homework."
"Of course!" joked Ron. "Next time you need help, I'll tell him to send you a stunning curse from me. Have you seen how he poses? Mr. Know-it-all! Oh, didn't mean to offend those present…"
Harry saw Hermione frowning at Ron, and realized that she was doing her best to not answer him back.
"Someone told me that Jane Porter and Theo Mustle are friends," Ginny intervened in the discussion. "Apparently, they come from the same town and have known each other since they were small children. Anyway, I like Jane, she seems okay too, to me," she ended with a shrug.
"Shall we stop the gossiping? We're here for Harry, aren't we?" Hermione scolded them, deeply annoyed. "By the way, don't you think that my amulet worked perfectly?"
Harry put a hand under his collar and took out the tiny jade pendant. "Are you serious?" he asked, doubtful.
"Didn't any of you notice it? When the curse was cast, the amulet gave off a protective aura that diverted the hit," Hermione explained.
"Tell me then why Harry was thrown across the classroom all the same?"
"Ronald Weasley, I'll have you know that if the curse hadn't been diverted, the consequences could've been worse than a simple blow to the head. What if it hadn't been just a simple stunner?"
Harry sighed. All the bickering had caused his headache to return, so he chose to change the topic. "Did you notice Snape's odd behavior? He entered the hospital wing looking angry, and Dumbledore followed him right away."
"We saw him coming, yeah, but we didn't hear anything at all."
"I'm afraid something bad has happened. My scar has hurt since this morning…" explained Harry, skipping the details about the vision he just had.
"Well, if anything has happened, we won't have to wait long to find out about it," whispered Hermione, indicating towards the door with a slight nod of her head. When everybody turned, they saw professor McGonagall staring at them from the threshold. On her tired face, an expression of pain and resignation.
5
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