Harry and the Nightmare...
By Ella Granger and Lizzie Baker-Smith
When Harry sleeps at night, his mind is taken over by something. He doesn't know what, but all he knows is that it's at Hogwarts - and out to get him. For every night he has a deadly dream, a dream that could hold the fate of Hogwarts…
He woke up, eyes darting cautiously around the room, searching for something. Something deadly, something evil. It wasn't human, or it didn't seem to be. It just cried out, piercing and deadly, like a knife that shattered your eardrums into such small pieces, you could never hear anything else again.
Harry was clutching his head, the palm of his hand against the lightning shaped scar on his forehead. He'd had another dream - no, a nightmare. And he knew what was going to happen to Hogwarts. he just had to tell Ron and Hermione...
It was breakfast, and all were situated in the Great Hall. Owls were continuously swooping in with letters and parcels of all kinds. Harry remembered when he had got his first letter, his first broom, his first everything. But that seemed like so long ago. It was in the past. And then suddenly he remembered the future was at steak! His dream predicting the future - and it wasn't good. He had to get Hermione! He went over to her and whispered in her ear, 'Hermione, I need your help!' She looked at him, slightly reluctantly.
'Look,' Hermione sighed, 'if it's your homework, I'm not doing it for you. You've already given me double of everything!'
Harry squirmed. 'It's not that! It's...it's...it's... well, you come to the library - bring Ron with you - and I'll explain...'
It was quiet in the library. Ron was still halfway through his sausage. 'I don't see why this couldn't have waited until after breakfast,' he moaned. Hermione glared at him.
'Oh Ron, if Harry needs our help - which he hardly ever does - then it has to be important!' She sat down with Ron by the shelves and Harry brought a book over. It was 'Hogwarts - A History.' He turned to page 211. Everyone gasped. 'I never knew Hogwarts was taken over by You-Know-Who's twin brother! And he was accompanied by a Boggart! It says here that he turned into... Professor Dumbledore?' Ron exclaimed.
'Honestly, why didn't they ever tell us that?' Hermione grumbled.
'Now there's one thing about Hogwarts I don't know!' Harry had been quiet throughout the whole of this. He opened his mouth to try and speak. 'A dream,' he said quietly. 'I had a dream, about the future, and he came back. Voldemort. Accompanied by his brother. He took over Hogwarts.' Harry swallowed. 'He killed us. All of us...'
Hermione gasped. Ron muttered something under his breath. 'Really?' he asked. 'It is just a dream anyway, right Herm?'
Hermione had collapsed on the floor. 'Oh help,' he said softly.
The next week or so it was quiet. Harry seemed to be deteriorating, he spent a lot of time alone, which he didn't do before. It was like his life was being taken over by this dream, and he was forever conscious of everything he or anyone else did.
'Harry,' Hermione asked one day, 'I think it would be good for you to go and see Hagrid. You know how much he misses you not being there to talk to, so he's invited you down to the Hut.' Harry looked suspiciously at her. 'And what if he comes down and gets me while I'm there?'
'Hagrid wouldn't do a thing like that Harry!'
'Not Hagrid... Voldemort...'
Hermione looked at him. She finally looked like she'd had enough. She slapped Harry across the face and pulled him closer, staring into his eyes. Harry didn't say anything, but his eyes were saying 'This isn't like you Hermione. Now get off before you choke me...'
'Harry, look. You've changed, you won't even go outside! Now see Hagrid, now! This is the way you let your life slip away, all over a stupid 'vision of the future.' Now get out there, and concentrate on the things you really need, like friends!' It looked like Harry had got the point, and he slowly drifted off, outside, towards Hagrid's hut.
Harry returned late that night, looking totally changed. 'I think he listened,' Hermione said to everyone in the Gryffindor Common Room, 'yet I can't help thinking whether that vision was somehow true...' Harry, from the quiet boy he had been, suddenly burst out into conversation.
'Quick, both of you!' He turned to Ron and Hermione. 'We need to get to the Forbidden Forest! Quickly! Everyone else, stay here!' They both followed him out, slightly surprised at why they had to run off so quickly. Suddenly, Neville ran after them.
'What are you doing? Harry told us to...' Dean started. Neville turned. 'Ron's got my toad,' he gasped, and ran quickly after them.
The three of them lay silently by the Whomping Willow, remembering the times that they'd been there before. And they were back, again, ready to defeat whatever was in there.
'Why are we here? What's happened?' Ron whispered to Harry.
He turned to face him, and quietly said 'There's something in there. I know what it is. We just have to keep quiet. Very qu... OW!' He yelped in pain. 'Who was that?' he hissed. 'I thought I told you to be... oh no, NEVILLE!!!!' Harry looked at him, scornfully.
'I've got my toad back...' Neville whispered, slowly getting off Harry's arm. Suddenly, there was a loud bang and a branch from the tree fell on top of them all, knocking them out...
'Where are we? I don't recognise this place. And owwwww, my head!' Hermione gasped. They were in some sort of stone cave, but there was only Ron, Hermione and Harry in there. Neville was nowhere to be seen. Ron sighed.
'Well, at least we've got rid of him, he probably ran back to the Common Room when we just about got squashed to death!' Hermione groaned. 'Oh Ron, you can be so sarky sometimes! Poor thing,' she said, looking at the stone roof. Suddenly, she noticed something.
'Hey, you two, look at this!' Hermione cried, struggling to point as her arms were tied behind her back. Harry held her hands and rubbed the rope against a rock, and gradually the rope started to come apart. Hermione smiled contentedly. 'That was nice of you,' she said. She thought to herself. 'I do like it when he holds me like that...'
'Now you can undo ours,' he told Hermione. She fiddled with them, consistently poking the boys as they were so hard to undo. When they finally came off, Ron and Harry looked at her.
'We would've been safer asking a crocodile to undo them!' Harry laughed. Ron looked at him. 'But she is a crocodile!' Hermione immediately changed subject, to stop her from hitting them.
'As I was saying, look up there...' she started. They looked confused. There seemed to be noises coming from above. 'There's a ladder going up to there, I'm seeing what's up!' And as she said that, Hermione began to climb up.
Harry and Ron followed her, more unsure than she was. When they arrived at the top it was very dark, so Hermione waved her wand and bright sparks flew out of it, lighting up the room. There was a row of shining suits of armour, but they had all collapsed to the ground. Behind them was a trail of red blood. They followed it, being careful to mind the axes, which had obviously attacked this. At the end Hermione stopped suddenly. On the floor, dead, was Neville's toad.
'He'd never go anywhere without it,' Hermione whispered, with a dry throat. 'Oh, where is he?' Ron poked it with his wand. Hermione shuddered.
'Carry on, it could be a different one,' Ron reassured them. The next part of the corridor was worse. Glass cabinets stood tall - they were a bit like glass coffins - and inside were what looked like people, but they were all red-eyed and evil. As they walked further on they heard the sounds they'd heard before.
'It's coming from that room!' Harry exclaimed, as he pointed to a brown door hidden behind a glass cabinet. As he pushed the glass, his face turned a deadly shade of white. 'Oh no,' he muttered under his breath. 'You'll never guess who's in this one...' Inside was Voldemort's brother's body. 'He's killed him. To get to Neville!'
Harry pushed it so hard it broke the glass. The body fell out onto the floor, and his jaw fell open. Hermione yelped and grabbed Harry, holding him close. He looked slightly embarrassed, but still he didn't do anything as even he was a little scared. Harry was about to face a power so strong, so deadly. He opened the door, and inside was Neville. Hermione let go of Harry and ran to Neville. He looked so different, like he wasn't there. Then suddenly he closed and opened his eyes. They were red. 'Oh God,' Ron gasped. 'He's taken over his body.'
'Nice of you to join me. I suppose you want your friend back? Well, he's under my power now. And doesn't he look well?' the voice asked. Neville's eyes were piercing, evil, deadly.
Harry stepped out, boldly. 'You'll never take him, you know that. We're stronger than you are!' he shouted. The voice laughed. 'You may be right, but you'll have to kill your friend Neville here to get to me.' Harry swallowed. Then he said something that shocked them all.
'Then I will...' He took out his wand, pointing it at Neville. Ron looked at him.
'Harry, DON'T!' Ron looked amazed at himself - he spoke out to save Neville! Harry, although he knew what he was planning to do, lowered his wand. He knew Ron would stop his plan. As he lowered it, Harry spoke to Voldemort's voice. 'Well, you can just take me instead then,' he shouted bravely. Hermione suddenly burst out into tears.
'Oh Harry, I don't want you to die! I love you, Harry! Don't go!!!! Don't do it!!!!' she cried. He looked at her, sorrow in his eyes. Now he was going to meet his parents, finally meet them.
'I am here Potter, come closer,' the voice told him. 'Closer.' Hermione screamed. 'Harry, don't! Don't die on me! Harry, I want you to live!!! You have to live! You're my friend!'
'Closer Potter...'
'Don't!'
'Come closer, closer...'
'Harry, no! He'll kill you!'
Harry turned to her. 'Well, maybe it's a sacrifice I'll have to make,' he told her. 'I'm doing this for you all.'
'Don't you get it Harry?' she shouted at him. 'He'll kill you off and then take on all of us! And as soon as he's done that he'll be strong enough to take on the whole school!' By this time tears were streaming down her face. She suddenly went quiet. 'Please Harry. Don't. My dream was to spend eternity by your side. If you die that'll never come true. And I'll miss you Harry. We all will. All of us!!!' She collapsed on the floor, her face wet and tearstained, her eyes red. Harry felt so touched by all of this. He just wanted to hold her forever, to remind her that in the morning it would all be ok. That they'd be at the Breakfast table, as always, discussing yesterdays homework whilst eating. And that maybe tomorrow it might be a day when he'd enjoy a real English breakfast. With everything. And he'd be there for her, if ever she needed help.
Harry suddenly felt loved. If this was the feeling of love, he wanted to stay like this forever. But he knew he had to take the risk. That was when he remembered…
When he had met Professor Quirrell, he couldn't kill Harry because of the feeling. Now, it was so strong. Surely this would defeat the Dark Wizard Voldemort…?
'Closer Potter!' cried the voice. Hermione was silent. Ron managed to whisper 'Good luck Harry. We'll see you later.' Harry stepped forward, right in front of Neville. 'So, here I am. I offer myself to you. Leave Neville and kill me if you must. All I know is you won't survive with us. We have good feelings. We have love.'
There was a cool breeze, and a loud clap of thunder. Immediately, Harry screamed out in pain. Hermione looked up and started crying again. Even Ron was emotional. The two just watched, as Harry lay curled on the ground.
'Is that enough Potter? You think you can take on the powerful Voldemort? Well take on this!' the voice screamed. Harry grabbed his head. 'You're evil, you know that, and you could never take the body of a good person. I'll just defeat you!' Harry screamed at him, and with everything he had, he tried to force away Voldemort. The Dark Wizard yelped slightly in pain. Then he managed to stammer - knowing this would destroy Harry's force - 'So why…could I…take Neville's…body then?' It worked. Harry stopped as Voldemort attacked, but he returned his force as soon as he figured it out. Harry gasped for breath.
'Neville feels like he's nobody. Like you made me feel. You've been torturing him like you did me, with those dreams. Apart from I could understand them. I knew what you were going to do; I knew how you'd take over Hogwarts. I saw how your brother took over Hogwarts before. But you knew his power, that's why you killed him. Bit stupid to use him as a doorstop, wasn't it? I had friends to help me, one thing Neville felt he never had. He's weak. I'm NOT!' And at that point, Harry put his whole life into it. He screamed so hard, and finally there was a huge whirlwind of dust and magic. Voldemort was slowly being pulled out of Harry. You could see his grey shape, his open mouth - screaming silently. The golden/black wind disappeared into the ground. Hermione and Ron ran over to Harry, cheering. At that point he fainted at their feet.
'Where is he? Did I do it?' Harry muttered as he woke up. He was in the hospital wing, and how many times he had been there before?! He moved slightly, and something moved. Hermione was settled, her head on his lap. She'd obviously fallen asleep waiting for him to wake up. He brushed her hair away and whispered into her ear.
'Herm, did I do it?'
She moved and looked up at him. Then she threw her arms around his neck. 'Oh Harry! You're awake! Oh, thank goodness you are! I thought you were dead when you defeated Voldemort! I though Neville was dead, but he just got up like nothing had happened. He's lost his memory, so he has NO idea what's happened!' Harry looked up. 'I defeated him?' 'Kind of,' Hermione said. 'He's still out there, but now he's even less powerful than before. He won't be back for a while.' Hermione looked into Harry's eyes. 'Oh Harry, you don't know what it's like for me. I really like you. Really,' she whispered. 'Oh, I shouldn't have told you. You don't know what it's like.' Harry shifted and then started. 'Oh, I do know what it's like Hermione. I really do. And you've showed me that. Thank you.' He turned to Hermione and kissed her on the forehead. She turned bright red. Harry thought it might be best to change the conversation.
'Are we getting to the Great Hall then? The feast will be soon!' Harry smiled. 'Oh, what will Madam Pomfrey say?' Both of them laughed. Harry got out of his bed and wandered to the door, being careful not to be seen. Hermione followed. When they were totally alone, Hermione asked Harry, 'Do you think my dreams are true? Do you think we will stay together forever?' She seemed slightly embarrassed to ask. Harry smiled.
'You know Herm, I really don't know! Maybe is my guess.'
'Would you like to?'
'I probably would!'
At that point Hermione smiled and walked along with Harry, down to the Great Hall. 'Red and Gold, you know what that means!' she said peering into the Hall. At that very moment a whole row of eyes turned to her. 'I guess we'd better go in then,' she laughed. They walked in and sat themselves at a table. The feast was lovely, and at the end of it all Hermione lay her head on Harry's shoulder and told him, 'You know, I'd really like to spend eternity with you.' Harry answered - maybe a little to loud - 'And I'd like to spend it with you.' At that point the whole Slytherin table started cat-calling, while the rest of the school cheered. Both Harry and Hermione smiled, thinking that this was going to be forever perfect. But they didn't know how one wizard on the other side of the world was planning his revenge…
IS THIS THE END?
