PART V
*Gasp!*
Heather quickly sat upright in her bed, panting heavily. She was
completely drenched in sweat from head to toe. The amulet beneath her
night dress was glowing brighter than ever, pulsing and pounding like a
beating heart against her chest. She placed her hand on her chest as
she tried to catch up with her breath. For a moment she thought she was
hyperventilating. Then, she thought she was dying.
"Oh no," gasped Heather. "No, no, no!"
She thought she'd never get enough oxygen into her lungs as it took her
about five minutes to catch her breath. It was a miracle that none of
the other girls were woken up.
What had just happened? She thought.
What she had just woken up from wasn't a dream, it was real, and it
felt real. But she was still alive. Her mind was racing, asking itself
a thousand questions by the second. Her heart was beating rapidly and
she was trembling beneath the blankets. She looked around to see if she
woken anybody.
"Why?" she asked herself, hoping for Emerald to answer.
Dumbledore wanted, or has to kill her. She now knew what had happened.
She had just seen the future, an impossible future. But he would never
kill anyone, would he? The vision felt so real as if it had already
happened. She placed his hand on her forehead, feeling it boil like a
pot on a stove. She slowly slipped out from beneath the stuffy blankets
and walked over to the window. The room was lit with yellow and orange
rays of light shining through.
It was dawn.
"Dumbledore is going to kill me," she said under her breath.
She then turned around.
"He wouldn't," she said shaking her head.
The cold eerie hiss of a woman crept up behind her. Heather froze, wide
eyed and unable to move.
"You know it to be true," whispered Alys softly.
Heather felt as if Alys was right behind her, leaning over her shoulder
and whispering into her ear. She could even feel her hair, trickling
against her cheek and her gentle breath caressing her skin.
"Why should I believe you," said Heather. "Everything you have told so
far is lies!"
The amulet pulsed, sending waves of possessive energy all over her
body. Alys didn't reply for a moment.
"You are a strange wizard Harry Potter," she said coolly.
Heather didn't reply, fearing that if she turned her head that she
would see something horrifying. She felt Alys' disappear over her
shoulder.
Then, she walked around Heather eyeing her from head to toe. She was
beautiful, alluring, yet, frightening all at once. She retained an
eerie glow making the room chilled and ominous. Heather let out a gasp
of relief as she laid eyes on the Emerald Witch walking around her.
"You don't act like a wizard," she said softly. "You refuse to excel
your powers, accept your fate and - yes, you are very unusual Mr.
Potter."
"I have no concern for power," said Heather, feeling her blood
beginning to boil.
"Oh I think you have, I can feel it swelling up inside you. It
converges you," said Alys. "Makes you feel . . . predominant."
"Dumbledore would never do such a thing!" shot Heather, beginning to
feel reassured of her faith in the Headmaster.
Alys chuckled as she continued to circle Heather. For a few moments she
said nothing.
"I have something else to show you," she hummed softly. "Would you like
to see it?"
Something horrible was writing within Heather's stomach, rattling its
cage, desperate to be unleashed upon Alys.
"I have had enough of your trickery!" spat Heather through gritted
teeth.
"Oh you'll like this one," said Alys, sounding so very happy with
herself. She leaned into Heather's ear and whispered. "What if I could
show you more of the future?"
Alys backed away from Heather and sunk into a dark mist which formed
around the dormitory. A loud droning horn shook the room to its very
foundations as dust fell from the ceiling. Heather could feel something
inside her head, moving about and pounding her brain with sharp fiery
forks. She placed her hands on her head.
"No, no, stop, STOP!" she cried.
"Know you're fate, know what will become of this world!" roared Alys
violently.
Images of Hogwarts aflame in green flashed before her eyes. Dumbledore
leading an army of wizards and witches circled about his mind; horrible
visions of Ron and Hermione lying dead in the mud at the castle gates
tore at her mind. It was as if Alys was unlocked the part of her brain
which contained her fears.
"I will not look!" she protested as raised her hands over her eyes.
Then everything stopped as of somebody clicked their fingers. The
dormitory returned to normal and oddly nobody was awoken. Heather
wondered if it was all in her head.
"I'll never turn!" said Heather, hoping for Alys to reply.
It took a moment before the cold whisper breathed down her back.
"Very well then," said Alys calmly. "But what I'm right about
Dumbledore, what if these visions are true and you are wrong?"
"If it comes to that then I'm going down with you," said Heather
calmly. "You cannot tempt me with power and glory. You have failed
Emerald. I am a wizard. Not a pawn in your little game."
Alys' face wrinkled up into a cold sneer as she looked at Heather
straight in the eyes.
"You have already performed extraordinary magic with what I've given
you. There is no denying that you could've hexed the Weasley boy so.
You have been given a special gift Harry but you refuse to use it,"
said Alys coldly. "How very foolish."
Heather stopped for a moment to think. Alys' temptation had no effect
on her beliefs but it did make her wonder about her new powers. The
duel with Ron a few weeks ago was a prime example of Emerald's
destructive strength.
"You cannot deny that what you have foreseen is true. I have given you
the chance to carry out the deed alone but I think now it's only right
that I take control of this troubling matter," said Alys. "You have
been a good and admirable wizard Harry Potter but if you refuse to kill
Dumbledore then I'm afraid I have no choice. You're death is imminent."
There was a few moments silence between them. For a moment Heather
thought Alys was actually being sympathetic but it seemed that she
couldn't say anything sincere without a death threat attached at the
end of her sentence. She actually felt scared and Alys felt this too.
"Such a pity," said Alys softly. "You would have made a great
sorceress."
She then vanished, leaving Heather standing alone in the sleeping
girl's dormitory. She felt transfixed and somewhat frightened. Her
mouth was bone dry and her eyes were wide and emotional. She could hear
her heart pound, as if it were inside her ears, reminding her that it
was still there.
"You're death is imminent."
The sentence continued to repeat itself in her mind until she shook her
head and licked her dry cracked lips.
"Who the bloody hell were you talking to?!" said Daphne, sitting up in
her bed.
Heather glared at Daphne, breathing in and out heavily like a swelling
dragon.
"None of your business," she said darkly.
***
Funny, Alys' possession often put the taste of ivy in her mouth. Her
joints often seized and her muscles felt oddly strong yet stiff at the
same time.
Heather sat inside the window staring across at the tall green
mountains. She spotted Fawkes circling over the Forbidden Forest
crowing loudly. The sky seemed to be tinted with red as if an
apocalypse was over the horizon.
"You do know don't you?" echoed Alys voice in her mind. "The longer you
sit about the closer your death is."
She closed her eyes, willing Alys to the back of her mind. She began to
think about Ron and Hermione. What were they doing right now? Had they
accepted what their best friend had become, a monster, and a broken
shadow of her former self.
She could feel her eyes welling up. The rays of sunlight glistened
against her tears as it illuminated her pale sunken face.
***
Heather strutted down the corridor looking incredibly miserable. She
moved down the Grand Staircase, tapping her foot impatiently as she
waited for her stair to move around. When it connected to her platform,
she walked briskly down the stair, entering a side corridor on the
third floor.
Suddenly, something stabbed her into her chest. Or so she thought. A
horrible stinging sensation engulfed her entire body. She felt as if
several daggers were stuck in her. She grunted with pain, clenching her
chest and squeezing her eyes shut in agony. She looked around for
support, leaning up against the empty corridor hall in order to
restrain herself from falling. The pain accelerated, reaching to the
point of Heather letting out a horrible scream. For a moment she
thought she was dying, then, the pain slowly died down.
She was left gasping for air.
"What the -," she said breathlessly.
She looked around, her hand still on her chest as it puffed in and out.
After a few moments of relieving herself, Heather felt a little weaker
as she tried to walk. Her knee's shook as she walked down the hall. She
stumbled sideways up against a suit of armour causing a loud crash to
echo. Everything went black for a moment, her vision focusing back to a
complete blur.
She was disorientated and confused, trying to stand again but the
stabbing pain returned to her chest. She moved up against the wall with
one hand supporting her. She groaned in pain as she backed up against
the wall, sliding down until her behind hit the ground.
"What is this Emerald," she said, gritting her teeth and spewing saliva
violently, "another part of the curse yeah?"
Emerald didn't reply. She was left there on her own to deal with the
sheer pain crashing down upon her. Yet, after a few moments the
stabbing sensations vanished. She sat on the ground, exhausted and
sweating. She looked down to see that something between her breasts was
glowing, the amulet. She reached in to pull it out but she couldn't. It
wouldn't budge as it bound itself to her skin.
"Come on Emerald, don't get all silent with me now!" she said.
Emerald didn't reply. Panic began to set in followed by frustration as
she picked herself up from the ground. It was a miracle that nobody had
found her. She looked around and continued to walk down the corridor.
She suddenly felt very weak, as if somebody had sucked all of the
energy from her body. She cursed Emerald for not replying to her when
she wanted to.
She needed to be alone to think. Her eyes darted from each end of the
corridor to the other as she walked in slow steady steps, feeling her
legs shaking under the strain of standing. What was happening to her?
Her knees nearly buckled beneath her several times as she kept her left
hand on the wall.
She felt really old.
She decided to open the next door on the corridor, hoping with all her
heart that it would be empty. She gained a little energy as she
approached the arched wooden door, lifted the latch and pushed it open.
The hinges creaked loudly across the empty classroom.
She entered and slammed the door behind her. Her breathing became more
repressed as she wobbled and stumbled up against the nearest desk. She
sat down on the wooded floor, coughing and spluttering violently as her
skin began to glimmer with sweat. She felt as if she was breaking out
in some sort of a violent fever. She sat on the ground for a few
minutes before taking off her school jumper. She tugged at the tie and
threw it aside, sending air in and around her chest. She quickly
unbuttoned the blouse and looked down at the amulet.
It was embedded into her chest, literally. Skin was beginning to grow
over the rims of the octagon shaped pendant as if it were sinking into
her flesh. She let out a strained yelp as she saw what was happening to
her. She looked around the room to check if anybody was there, just in
case. She touched the emerald diamond with her nail, doing so sent cold
shivers all over her body.
A shot of pain stung her chest once again. She let out a horrible
screeching roar of pain for the first time. She felt as if her heart
was on fire or her lungs were being stabbed repeatedly with deadly
knives. The pain died down within moments and cold sensation ran down
her spine. She buried her head over her crossed arms upon her knees,
panting heavily.
"You're dying," said a soft, hypnotic voice.
Heather quickly looked up. Emerald was sitting against one of the
school desks, looking more alive and healthier than ever. However she
wasn't smiling; rather she had a look of sorrow and pity on her cool
soft face. She was still only dressed in the plainest of robes but her
frightening beauty was more than visible to the eye. She sighed
mournfully as she stared at Heather's tragic state.
"I didn't wish for it to come to this Harry," she said coolly, "but
seeing as you refuse my help then I'm afraid there's nothing else I can
do for you."
Heather felt her heart pounding fiercely in her chest as the word
'dying' played over in her mind. She didn't know what to say back. How
does one address somebody who was slowly killing them inside? She felt
as if all sound was drained out of the room, all to be heard was her
heart and breathing. She felt she had known for some time that her
death was imminent. And now that she knew the truth.
"Dying," she repeated, whispering lowly.
Terror washed over her as she lay on the floor, with that funeral drum
pounding inside her. All those times she had thought that it was about
to happen and escaped, she had never really thought about the thing
itself: her will to live had always been so much stronger than her fear
of death. Yet it did not occur to her now to try to escape, to outrun
Emerald, but it was impossible. One cannot outrun something that lives
within.
"As the sun goes down tonight you will pass your body on to me and you
shall embrace death. You have been a good and faithful host for me
Harry Potter but as long as you are unwilling to combine your strengths
with mine then I'm afraid we cannot live within the same body anymore."
Heather felt her fingers trembling slightly but she made an effort to
control them. Her fear quickly changed, mixing with her strong emotions
of sadness and upset. She felt her blood beginning to boil over as her
green eyes glistened with forming tears.
"So that's it," she said shakily, feeling a lump forming in her throat.
"You're just going to push me out of my own body and take it as your
own."
Emerald stared blankly at Heather as if she were some incompetent
child.
"This is what I get, my reward; to die for something evil or to change
into another person," said Heather, her eyes arched, aflame and
tearfully angry. "Some choice," she added darkly. "Even if I chose to
become one with you it would feel like dying, everything I am and ever
was would die. Some new person goes sauntering away."
Emerald's expression reeked with empathy and discontent.
"...And I'm dead," added Heather shakily.
"You had your choice!" hissed Emerald, wrinkling her nose.
"It's not a choice!" bellowed Heather, trying to stand. "It is death
either way!"
She pulled herself up on her two feet, her hands shaking with terror
and asperity.
"Tell me, Emerald, why did you curse me? Why did you lure me out of my
bed that night? Why did you HAVE to put me through ALL of this?!" she
roared.
"It was a random choice, it could have been anybody that night,"
sneered Emerald, slipping off the table and walking close to Heather,
face to face.
"Lies!" bellowed Heather, her voice breaking under the heavy emotions
crashing over her. "That's all everyone has told me all my life, lies,
lies, lies -,"
"This is all irrelevant. You have no say in this anymore!" said
Emerald, cutting across Heather.
"I have spent time after time coping with things coming at me but oh
yes! You had to be one of them! You had to come to Hogwarts to curse me
and transform me into a - into a - a GIRL!" she shouted tearfully as
she paced about the room, "because that's all you've ever been Emerald,
just there, your existence, waiting for me to be born so this could
happen."
She walked around the side of a single desk, her anger building up to
dangerous limits.
"And what do I get? Dying. WELL IT'S NOT FAIR!" she screamed, flipping
a desk over, crashing loudly against the stone floor.
She felt months of locked up emotions escape from her mouth as she let
finally let herself free of the curses boundaries. Streams of
thunderous cries were begging to be unleashed but she repressed them,
held them back, afraid of what she could be capable of. Her hands were
held together behind her head as she bit her lower lip tearfully. As
she walked she began to feel more alive, and more aware of her own
living body than ever before. Her breath came slow and deep, and her
mouth and throat were completely dry. She blinked, the tear drops
squeezing out between her eyelids and dripping down her pale cheeks.
"This cannot be fate," she muttered under her breath. "It wasn't
supposed to be this way."
A wide heinous smile formed across Emerald's face as she watched
Heather stare down at her feet, obviously terrified and trapped in
complete despair.
"You have until sundown," said Emerald coldly.
She then vanished.
Heather was left alone in the classroom, teary and fatigued. She looked
around the cluttered room. Her heart was leaping against her ribs like
a frantic bird. Perhaps it knew it had little time left, perhaps it was
willing to fulfil a lifetimes beats before the end.
She left the empty classroom, frail and weak. She did not look back.
Like rain on a cold window, thoughts of fear and anger pattered against
the hard surface of the incontrovertible truth, which was that she must
die. I must die. It must end. But for nothing, in embracing death she
would be unleashing a dark force over the world. In staying alive and
bonding with Emerald she would also be casting something evil. It was
unfair. How was it that nobody could have foreseen this? How come
nobody had helped her? And why should she die for something evil.
The castle was empty. Everybody was either in class or in the Great
Hall feasting on dinner. She felt ghostly striding through it alone, as
if she had already died. The whole place suddenly seemed to be dead and
eerily still. She was thinking; thinking about Ron and Hermione. They
seemed a long way away, in a far off country; she felt as if she had
parted from them long ago. In some sense she had. There would be no
goodbyes and no explanations, she was determined of that. This was a
journey that they could not take together, and the attempts they would
make to stop death from coming would be too painful to watch. Nobody
could help her. There was no way.
She knew she had just one thing left to do. She had to approach
somebody and warn them that The Emerald Witch would return that night.
Her return would be a lethal surprise upon the school and there would
be most likely chaos, destruction and death. Perhaps this was her
destiny.
She descended through the castle floors, at last walking down the
marble staircase into the Entrance Hall. A tiny part of her wanted to
be stopped by someone, to be cared about.
As she walked around a corner, Neville bumped straight into her. He
looked down to see that it was Heather. His eyes widened with fear as
he took a few steps back like a frightened child.
"Neville, it's me," said Heather.
"I know it's you and - and I don't want any trouble Heather - p-
please," he gibbered.
She looked at Neville who was literally shaking. Realisation dawned
upon her. What have I become? She thought. Her friend, horrified to
even look at her.
"Neville," she said softly. "You have nothing to fear, It's me, Harry,"
she said honestly.
Neville's frightened expression softened as his crooked, frozen posture
loosened up. He tried to look at her but he couldn't, instead staring
at his shoes. Heather walked closer to him.
"Neville, I'm so, so sorry," she said, trying to get him to look at
her. "I - I've changed but you don't need to worry anymore because I'm
back."
Neville looked at her, suddenly knowing that it was Harry who was
speaking and not Emerald.
"Harry..." he said, a slight smile forming.
"Yes it's me," smiled Heather, feeling as if a warm blanket was
suddenly draped around her shoulders.
"What a-about the - the curse?" asked Neville confusedly.
Heather now knew who she would warn about the return of Emerald. She
knew who would be noble enough to carry the message to Dumbledore. It
had to be Neville.
"Look, that doesn't matter right now," stated Heather seriously. "I
have something to tell you. It's important."
Neville's smile vanished and his face changed to a serious, soldier
like expression ready for duty. Heather didn't quite know how to warn
him without mentioning her approaching death.
"Neville, this might sound incredibly strange but you have to trust me
on this, okay?" said Heather.
He nodded, listening to her every word.
"You are not to say this to anyone before night, understand?"
Neville nodded quickly, looking a little scared at the seriousness of
Heather's mission.
"Tonight, something big is going to happen, something very dangerous. I
need you to go to Dumbledore straight away and I want you to warn him.
Tell him to get everyone in the castle somewhere safe. Tell him that he
must hide."
Neville continued to listen, his face becoming stiffer by the second.
"Tell him that this comes from me," said Heather. "He will understand."
"W-What does all this mean?" asked Neville worriedly, his beady eyes
beginning to glisten.
"Don't ask questions Neville, you need to trust me on this one. Just go
to Dumbledore and tell him that I've told you."
"Why can't you do it?" asked Neville, beginning to feel untrusting of
Heather's simple yet possibly dangerous task.
"If you don't then Hogwarts is doomed," she said darkly.
Neville looked as if he was just blown away by a powerful gust of wind.
The heavy burden of responsibility fell upon his shoulders like a
terrifying yet wild conscience urging him to do the noble thing.
"It's vital that you go now," said Heather.
Neville stood rooted to the spot stiffer than a stone statue.
"GO!" bellowed Heather.
It was as if something electric jabbed him in the behind as he broke
into a run down the opposite corridor. He stopped and turned back to
Heather, smiling.
"It's good to have the proper you back, Harry," he said, beaming from
ear to ear.
Heather didn't smile back; rather she felt her heart ache with sadness.
She suddenly had an urge to go see all the ones she loved, Hermione,
Ron and Ginny. She felt that she would have given all the time
remaining to her for just one last look at them; but then, would she
ever have the strength to stop looking? It was better like this.
Then a shot a pain engulfed her chest. She grunted, gritting her teeth
and tried to oppress the pain. The amulet sunk further into her chest,
making Heather feel much weaker. She leant up against the wall with one
arm, breathing and choking back tears.
"You cannot warn them," whispered Emerald. "It is too late."
Heather closed her eyes, trying to not let Emerald in. She pushed her
into the back of her mind, repressing her dark thoughts. She wasn't
going to let Emerald tamper with her last hour in this world.
She regained her strength and limped back towards the Slytherin common
room. She met several students along the way. They were blissfully
unaware of the excruciating pain she was in. They had no idea what was
to come that night. It was strange, being the only one knowing the
future. When she reached the Slytherin dungeons she met Daphne and
Blaise.
"Where have you been all day?" asked Daphne suspiciously.
Heather just walked straight by her, ignoring her as if she wasn't
there. Remarkably Daphne didn't say a word. She descended down into the
dark dreary dungeons and looked around. It was so dark, depressing and
melancholic. She limped over to the girl's dormitory, her legs frail
and shaking. She fell to her knees at the foot of her four poster bed
in front of her trunk.
She was exhausted. Her eyes were closed shut as she breathed through
her nose, listening to her heartbeat. It suddenly seemed so beautiful,
life itself. She opened her eyes, feeling a little regenerated. She
opened the clasps on her trunk and looked into it. Her eye was caught
by a leather bound book. She picked it up and looked at the brown
cover.
A tear trickled down her cheek as she opened it to see a moving
photograph of her, as baby Harry smiling with her parents. She looked
into her parents eyes. They seemed more alive than ever before. They
seemed to feel closer to her. She turned the page to see herself, as
eleven year old Harry laughing with Ron and Hermione. Her heart ached
mournfully. She felt as if she never wanted to take her eyes off of the
picture. She couldn't bring herself to look through the rest of the
book so she gathered up all of her courage closed it.
She grabbed her invisibility cloak and ran her fingers through the soft
transparent fabric. She heard muffled footsteps so she threw it over
herself. Daphne entered the room with Millicent, cursing Heather for
being a "stuck up, snobby cow!".
"How dare she ignore me! How dare she!" she kept saying.
Heather moved around the dormitory under the cloak. She didn't feel in
the slightest but angry at Daphne's comments. She had more important
matters on her mind. The cloak was, as ever, impenetrable, perfect and
she reached the dungeon exit, leaving the Slytherin common room for the
very last time.
She moved through the corridors stealthily, moving in and around
students like a cat. It seemed the castle suddenly became more crowded,
carrying on with not a care in the world. Again, she felt ghostly as
she glided around the hallways. Perhaps some tiny part of her hoped to
be sensed, to be seen, to be stopped but she wouldn't allow herself.
She stepped outside into the cold evening. It was already beginning to
get dark and the sun was beginning to flare. Ripples of cold undulated
over Heather's skin. She wanted to shout out to the sun, she wanted
everyone to know that she was there; she wanted everyone to know what
was going to happen to her. She wanted to be stopped, to be dragged
back, and to be sent home...
But she was home. Hogwarts was the first and best home she had known.
Many wizards and witches had all found home here...
She moved around the silent castle grounds, her breathing making the
air condensate beneath the cloak. She saw Hagrid's hut in the distance
at the edge of the forest. The lights were on and there was smoke
rising from the chimney. All those visits to Hagrid, and the gleam of
the copper kettle on the fire, and rock cakes and giant grubs, and his
great bearded face, and Ron vomiting slugs and Hermione helping him
save Norbert...
She could have sworn she saw the young Ron, Hermione and Harry leaving
the hut, saying goodbye to Hagrid. They were memories long echoed from
the past. She shook the hallucination from her head and moved on.
She walked about the castle grounds, feeling the chill of death
breathing down her neck. She could no longer control her own trembling.
It was not, after all, so easy to prepare to die. Every second she
breathed, the smell of the grass, the cool air on her face, was so
precious: to think that people had years and years, time to waste, so
much time it dragged, and she was clinging to each second. At the same
time she thought that she would not be able to go on. Her anger towards
Emerald was the last thing on her mind. Some would say that she was
giving up but the mere fact that her killer lies within is impossible
to avoid. She had to face it head on.
She looked at the Quidditch pitch in the distance. The tall, towering
stands draped proudly with the house crests and colours. The sun was
sinking lower, lower, lower...
The sounds of thunderous applause, cheering and stomping echoed at the
back of Heather's mind.
"Harry Potter has caught the snitch! Gryffindor wins!" announced Lee
Jordon, the commentator.
Heather gave a bittersweet smile as she stared at the pitch, the
ghostly sounds of cheering echoing in her ears. If she was to die, she
would die a Gryffindor. She let the cloak slip off of her body. She
drew her wand and waved it over her Slytherin uniform. The green and
silver on her tie and jumper changed to scarlet and gold. The serpent
on the crest transformed into a courageous lion. The uniform tidied
itself and neatened along with her pleated skirt, socks and shoes.
The stabbing pain returned to her chest once again and she moaned in
pain. She nearly collapsed on the grass, bent double, she grunted as
the pain slowly died down again. Breathing fast and hard, she stared
down at her body. The amulet beneath her jumper and blouse had sunken
further into her skin.
She gathered all of her little strength and limped painfully back
towards the castle. She threw the cloak back over herself and noticed
how strained her breathing had become. It felt like the walk of death,
it seemed to go by so slowly yet so fast. The time was drawing closer.
She entered the castle by the west entrance hall, a part of the school
not usually filled with many students. She glided around the castle
corridors, taking in every precious second as if it were another year.
She looked at her watch. It was near.
Then, as she walked around a corner, she found Ron and Hermione sitting
down inside a window ledge with their arms around one another.
Heather's heart leapt and she stopped dead in her tracks. Hermione
looked at where she was standing.
"Is somebody there?" she asked the airspace.
Heather wanted to say "yes" so desperately but she couldn't. If she
said anything, she wouldn't be able to bring herself to leave.
"Could've sworn I heard footsteps myself?" said Ron confusedly.
The two brushed it off as nothing and returned to their silence. Arm in
arm, they comforted each other with warm forced smiles. It broke
Heather's heart to see that her two best friends were in so much pain,
because of her. She moved quietly by them and stood, watching them
both. She wanted to throw the cloak off and hug them both so badly that
she didn't care about the pain it would cause them. It was best this
way.
Suddenly, the loud booming voice of Albus Dumbledore echoed across the
castle, reaching every corner of the school. Every wizard, witch,
goblin and elf jumped, looking around and startled by the sudden
announcement.
"Hogwarts is threatened!" bellowed the thundering voice of Dumbledore.
"A dark force has penetrated the castle walls. Every student is to go
to their dormitories immediately and remain there until further
instruction!"
His voice then drained out and there was silence. The castle was still
and quite, everything suddenly changing from normal to unnatural. Not a
word was uttered by anybody as they received the shocking news.
Students gazed at each other, terrified. The announcement repeated once
again.
Heather stood, feeling herself becoming weaker. Ron and Hermione looked
at each other as the feeling of terror and shock dawned upon them.
"Heather," they said simultaneously.
They then slid out of the ledge and broke into a sprint down the
corridor leaving Heather standing alone and invisible. Her mind was
racing. For a quick second she felt like acting out against this "dark
force" but then she remembered it was her who was the threat. It was
all so surreal. For a moment she even forgot that she was dying.
She continued to move down the corridor, hunch backed and panting
heavily. She walked out onto a hall packed with hundreds of students
pushing and shoving their way to the dormitories. The loud shrieks of
panic sent shivers down her spine. The sound of a hundred voices
shouting and roaring caused chaos and pandemonium. The Professors,
head-boys and girls tried desperately to keep order but it was
impossible. It was a riot that nobody could control.
Heather turned and took a flight of stairs up onto the next floor. She
opened the wooden door and stepped onto an empty corridor. The loud
roars and screams of students drained out as the door slammed behind
her. She was left in silence; all to be heard was the distant wind
whistling. The long corridor joined onto the clock tower. She stared
down the hallway which seemed to stretch on forever. She felt that it
was the walk between life and death. She didn't want to move. She felt
like waiting there forever.
The amulet slipped further into her chest, causing her to wince. It
should have been painful but it was not. She looked down, her eyes
closed muttering to herself, "don't be afraid."
And she set off. She let the cloak slip off of her body as she marched
mournfully towards the end of her life. There was no sound, nothing but
deafening silence as she walked closer to the end of the hall. Her body
and mind felt oddly disconnected now, her limbs working without
conscious instruction, as if she were a passenger, not driver, in the
body she was about to leave.
Then, a cruel stinging sensation engulfed her entire body. This time
she fell flat on the floor, screaming and writhing, feeling as if her
insides were burning and melting. She thought it would never end as the
pain excelled to horrible heights. She wasn't going to go out like
this, not like a weakling. She gathered herself up and shakily stood on
her two feet, her arm wrapped around her aching sides. She stumbled and
slipped towards the door at the end of the hall, groaning tearfully.
The pain died down slightly as she opened the door and stepped inside
the cold breezy tower. She looked up, thankful she didn't have far to
climb. She turned to the stone steps and placed her foot on the first,
beginning the ascension to towards death. She walked up each step,
feeling her body becoming more disconnected until she reached the large
steel bell, hanging behind the cogs and gears of the gigantic clock
face.
She walked around it several times, tears streaming down her cold stiff
face. She placed her hand on her chest to feel the amulet. It was gone.
It had sunken into her body completely. She felt her heart pounding
harder than ever as if it were trying to make up for the rest of its
could-have-been life. She looked down to see that her hands were
emitting an emerald glow. She looked up again, trying to be brave. She
limped towards the clock, facing the half hidden view of the distant
mountains. Wind blew her hair back as it caressed her skin. She closed
her eyes tight, waiting for it to happen.
"I don't want to die," she said shakily.
Her face then lit up, emitting an emerald glow like her hands. It was
her choice when to die and it felt like she was on the edge of a cliff,
hesitating to do something she didn't want to die. She looked around at
her body one last time then looked up, water filling her eyelids as she
stared out at the sun, sinking down behind the tall green distant
mountains. This is it...
Heather's head flung back and her arms held upright like a star as
streams of bright green magic burst like a cannon violently out from
her hands and head. The clock tower shook, making debris and dust fall
from the ceiling, rocking the very structure to its foundations. The
entire castle heard as everybody's heads turned to the tower.
All Heather could see was warm green flowing energy as her chest
pounded in and out. She screamed loudly, as if she were in labour
sending pulses of energy throughout her entire body. Then, in her eyes
she saw memories flash before her eyes. Laughing with Ron and Hermione,
hugging Sirius, Dumbledore nodding warmly to him from across the great
hall, the picture of his mother and father waltzing and so suddenly,
very quickly, for Harry James Potter there was nothing ...
It was quicker and easier than falling asleep.
The body that used to belong to Harry was hidden behind a blinding
green glow. The tower continued to rattle and the noise of falling
debris was drained out by a loud horrid scream. Beams of energy flowing
from her arms and head vaporised large chunks off of the stonework. The
figure screamed as the light formed into mist. Emerald wailed as she
took control her new body at long last.
Then, emerging from the green mist, was an icy surge of terror, the
dark outline of a woman, tall and elegantly thin, rising out of a green
mist.
Alys, the Emerald Witch, examined her body. Her long, slender fingers
caressed her own chest, her arms, her face; the emerald green eyes,
whose pupils were slits, like a cats, gleamed still more brightly
through the darkness. She held up her hands and flexed the fingers, her
expression rapt and exultant. She looked nearly the same as before bar
the piercing eyes and the air of darkness that surrounded her cold
merciless expression.
Dark wisps of matter floated about the green mist like fabric
underwater. They were drawn to Alys' body. They attached to her
Gryffindor uniform, forming new robes and clothing around her thin
body. The uniform vanished, being replaced with an ankle length jet-
black dress, sleeveless and v-necked. High heeled boots, tight black
corset, elbow length sleeves and a long black hooded cloak.
The green mist swept away and Alys took her first step. A slight smile
formed across her face, a look of achievement, an expression of
fulfilment. She had returned. She chuckled to herself, delighted that
everything went to plan after so many centuries.
She walked around the steel bell, barely hanging from the hinges of the
greatly damaged tower. She felt alive and in control of her own body.
She no longer had to share with another, living off an engaged body
like some sort of wretched parasite. She truly had returned to life.
The wind whistled eerily through the large steel clock, a complete
contrast to the loud noise of destruction just moments ago. The sky was
nearly dark as dusk turned into night. The moon loomed out of the dark
sky as stars scattered across the deep navy sea. The entire castle was
still, everyone held their breaths, waiting for something else abnormal
to happen.
Alys continued to smile as her hand slipped inside her robes. She
slowly drew the wand that used to belong to Harry Potter and lifted it
up, admiring its simple, yet powerful capabilities. She bent it
slightly and raised it to her ear.
"Holly," she whispered. "Phoenix feather."
She gave a toothy smile as she turned for the balcony to her right, the
wind blowing against her long white hair, caressing her soft skin,
filling her with new life. She walked slowly to the balcony, gripping
her new wand firmly. She stepped outside, feeling a powerful gust of
cold wind blow against her robes. She looked over the castle, beaming
darkly from ear to ear. She raised her wand majestically and pointed it
straight up, cackling manically as green lightning ignited from the tip
of her wand, building up and firing up into the sky like a loud cannon
ball. Her green lightening flashed amongst the dark clouds, the faint
image of a face, flashing every nanosecond.
It was as if the castle had turned into an insane asylum. The
atmosphere was chaotic as every living soul in the castle felt a cold
stab of terror press unto them. Students became violent, punching and
hexing their way through the crowds in order to get to the common room.
People were wedged inside doorframes, struggling to get through as the
Professors tried desperately to keep order. Dumbledore's emergency
message kept repeating, as if it were recorded, echoing throughout the
corridors.
"Hogwarts is threatened! A dark force has penetrated the castle walls.
Every student is to go to their dormitories immediately and remain
there until further instruction!"
"Hufflepuffs! STOP PUSHING!" cried Professor Sprout, caught within the
mayhem.
The only house orderly enough to make it to the common room entrance
was Gryffindor. Hundreds of students filled the corridors, some
quivering with fear, others wanting to fight, and some simply wanting
to be safe. The head-boy stood beside The Fat Lady portrait, a quick
quotes quill ticking off each name of the student as they flooded into
the hole rapidly. Ron and Hermione were the only two absent.
They were running; running as fast as they could towards the clock
tower, skidding around corners at high speeds, panting and puffing as
they gasped for air. Hermione was much faster as she sprinted up the
staircase and pushed through wooden door, legging it as fast as she
could down the long corridor that connected to the tower. Ron followed,
exhausted and fatigued. He was carrying something in his hand.
"Hermione!" he gasped breathlessly. "Look!"
She turned to him to see that he had his hand out.
"What?" she said, raising her brow with confusion.
"It's Harry's cloak!" he said sacredly. "I nearly tripped over it on
the way here!"
Hermione looked into Ron's worried eyes as she prepared herself for the
worst. They both stepped inside the clock tower.
It was like a ghostly ruin. The roof had been half blown off, large
chunks of debris was scattered everywhere. Wind blew through the gaping
holes torn in the side of the tower and dust blanketed everything
solid. Hermione's heart pounded against her chest as she looked up at
the bell which was barely hanging from the latch. Ron stood by her
side, his eyes wide and emotive as he stared up. Then, their hands
touched. Hermione's head turned to Ron and he nodded gently to her.
They climbed the stone steps one by one, hand in hand, fearful of what
they might find at the top of the tower. Hermione's breathing became
shaky and tearful as they ascended further up the tower, coming closer
by the second. They reached the top to find nothing but debris and a
powerful gust of wind blowing in from the west. They walked around the
eerily silent place observing every detail. Ron was the first to speak.
"Where is she?" said Ron. "Where is Heather?"
Hermione already knew what happened and it crashed upon her like an
explosive wave of pain. Emerald had taken complete hold and her best
friend was dead.
"Do you think Heath - Harry has -,"
"Don't!" cried Hermione.
She then ran to him and cried into his shoulder as the revelation
dawned upon them both. Harry had died because of the curse. Ron wrapped
his arms around her, shaking his head as he shut his eyes tightly.
"No!" he kept repeating. "No, no, no! This isn't supposed to happen!"
Alys was elsewhere in the castle, walking down alongside the main
entrance corridor with her hood up and her wand drawn. She had a look
of determination on her face, a slight smile, an expression that said
kill. She swept around the front courtyard loving the screaming of
panicking students in the distance. Her boot heels clomped against the
stone cobbled ground as she walked down a long pathway leading to the
main entrance doors. She was breathing through her nose like a fiery
dragon about to consume its prey.
Then, in the distance somebody was running towards her. Draco Malfoy,
looking utterly petrified and panicked as he looked over his shoulder.
He noticed Alys and his face formed into a wide smile of relief.
Thinking she was Heather, Malfoy ran to Alys and gripped her in a tight
hug. He surely signed his own death warrant.
"Darling, I was looking for you everywhere! We have to get inside now,
the doors are closing and I don't want to die tonight. We have to get
out of here!" he said gasping, pulling down Alys' hood.
He stood back, looking at Alys from head to toe, noticing that his
'girlfriend' wasn't acting quite normal.
"W-Why are you dressed like that?" he stuttered as fear built up inside
him.
Alys didn't reply. She just stared at Malfoy straight in the eyes with
her piercing cat-like eyes. Terror fell upon Malfoy like a cold wave of
ice as he realised that the castles threat was standing in front of
him. She had trapped him in a seemingly never ending gaze. Her stare
horrified him but he couldn't turn away, he wish he could but he
couldn't. Alys broke the gaze by walking by him, leaving him frozen and
stiff.
When she disappeared around the corner, Malfoy gasped as he felt a
strange tingling sensation engulf his entire body. He looked down to
see the chest of his jumper tightening and the sides of his blonde hair
growing rapidly. He let out a petrified scream of terror, echoing
across the castle. His shoulders dropped in broadness and his stomach
pressed in causing him to gasp for air. His thighs widened, his behind
grew out and his legs grew long and slender. He raised his hands
shakily to his eyes to see his hands were smaller and his nails were
longer.
"Nooooooo!" he shrieked.
Meanwhile, Dumbledore was in his office, leaning up against the marble
pillar beside the Pensieve, his face looking older, paler and sunken.
His eyes glistened behind his half moon spectacles perched upon his
long crooked nose as he stared into the basin. The image of an eleven
year old Harry sitting on the stool with the sorting hat placed upon
his head swirled about like dark ink liquid. He hummed mournfully as he
clenched his chest, feeling that something special was lost.
The wooden door swung open, crashing against the wall as Professor
Snape loomed through, his jet-black robes flaring like the wings of a
bat. He was followed by Professor McGonagall who fixed herself upright
and fierce. Dumbledore turned away from the Pensieve and faced them
both.
"Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor and Slytherin students are being
checked into their common rooms as we speak," said Snape, dead and
unanimated.
Dumbledore nodded and simply said, "good"
"However," Snape added. "The probability that every single student will
comply by these obscure emergency procedures is and seems very
unlikely."
Dumbledore said nothing.
"To hide over a thousand students away within a matter of minutes is
near impossible!" said McGonagall, wide eyed and outraged.
McGonagall moved around the office, her eyes bulging and emotional. She
looked as if she was choking back the tears, attempting to retain her
tough demeanour. She faced Dumbledore in silence, Snape standing in the
background. The old Headmaster looked unusually calm about the entire
situation and as a result it made McGonagall feel enraged.
"Just look at what you have brought upon this school," she said in a
stiff cold tone. "Because of you refusing to take action against this
dark curse inflicted on the Potter boy you have sentenced Hogwarts and
its inhabitants to death."
"...Minerva," said Dumbledore, raising his hand slightly to speak.
"You were meant to protect the boy! After all he has been through you
sat by and watched him slowly die by hands of this dreaded curse!" said
McGonagall shakily.
Snape was silent, knowing that he was as much to blame as Dumbledore
seeing as he once agreed with his actions in the first place. He stared
into a trance, feeling alien emotions welling up inside him.
Harry Potter, dead?
"I trusted you. We all did because we foolishly believed in you once
again Albus," bellowed McGonagall. "Why is it that you have waited
until now, until we were barely hanging on a thread, to take action,
when it was too late?!"
She took a moment to stop and breathe as she waited for Dumbledore to
say something back. But he didn't. He stood rooted to the spot, his
eyes hidden behind the glare of his spectacles. If anybody could take a
guess his eyes would most certainly be watery.
"Harry is not dead," said Dumbledore softly. "He will come through, I
am certain of it and I stand by my actions as always, Minerva."
It was obvious that McGonagall couldn't believe what she was hearing as
her mouth hung open with shock. Yet she continued to listen.
"However," added Dumbledore. "I will take full responsibility if any
living soul within the castle harmed tonight. I will face The Emerald
Witch myself and I will redeem Harry to his former self."
"You assume too much Albus!" bellowed McGonagall. "If what I've heard
about this curse is true then I'm afraid Harry Potter has truly passed
on!"
"He is not DEAD!" bellowed Dumbledore.
He swept past Snape and McGonagall, carrying his long cloak with his
two hands with a mixture of remorse, denial and duty on his face. Snape
shook his head as his eyes followed Dumbledore across the room to the
door.
"No, you can't!" protested Snape.
Dumbledore turned his head before opening the door to listen to what
Snape had to say.
"Albus, I must employ you to reconsider your options. Do not
underestimate the power of Emerald. If the legend of her strength is
true then I'm afraid you won't stand much of a chance," said Snape.
"All along we have been given a choice Severus, only one, we have no
other."
He then left Snape and McGonagall alone in the office.
"I have no idea what has gotten into him recently," said McGonagall.
"Perhaps his brilliance has long passed with time."
Snape didn't say anything. He stared at the shut door Dumbledore had
just walked through as if he were looking down over a cliff ready to
jump but hesitant at the same time. The dust on in the air surrounding
the door frame has not yet settled. He took a step forward followed by
another.
"What are you doing Severus?" asked McGonagall worriedly.
"I'm going to help the Headmaster destroy The Emerald Witch once and
for all."
***
Emerald stood outside the large wooden doors, towering fifteen feet
above her. They were shut tight and protected by transparent magical
barriers. She stood darkly, her face hidden and her wand resting snugly
between her fingers. She drew her arm back as if it were an elastic
slingshot, building up power within her wand. Then, a loud crash shook
the very foundations of the castle as black streams of magic ignited
from the tip of her wand like a canon. The forceful impact threw the
huge doors off of their hinges with one swift crash, creating a large
cloud of dust within the entrance hall.
She stepped inside the castle. The clomping of her heels against the
stone floor bounced off of the walls creating a loud echo. The castle
was almost silent. The only sound to be heard was the distant rush of
students. She looked ahead through the dark musty dust. She brushed it
all aside with the flick of her wand.
It was as if no soul had stepped inside the castle for thousands of
years. The ghostly cries of students were eerie and a little disturbing
to listen to. Alys' eyes trailed around the castle walls, the suits the
armour, the empty canvass hanging on the wall, the coat or arms
engraved in stone above the Great Hall doors atop the stairs.
Alys growled under her breath as she walked up the stone steps. She
waved her wand at the Great Hall doors and they opened themselves. She
walked into the hall and stared straight ahead. The candles floated
beneath the night sky, flickering as if everything was warm and cosy.
But it most certainly was not.
She walked down the middle aisle, her heels clomping against the floor
like heavy threatening boots. She reached the large windows behind the
teachers table and looked up. She exhaled a massive breath of
fulfilment. She was still basking in the pleasures of returning to full
form. She was savouring the moment.
Then, she felt the presence of another, Albus Dumbledore. He stood at
the opposite end of the hall with his wand drawn, not a shred of fear
on his old worn face. Alys didn't look over her shoulder but she knew
well who was there.
"So you've come fight me?" said Alys coolly.
"If there were better circumstances then I would not battle you
Emerald," said Dumbledore calmly. "But unfortunately you have left me
with no other option."
Alys inhaled the presence of the old wizard as if she could feel his
power swelling inside him.
"How does it feel to have the world atop of your weak old shoulders,
Albus?" said Alys. "To have so many people put their trust in you, to
misuse your great power for the education of mudbloods and half breeds,
to rest in a cradle of peace while you watch the grandeur of magical
kind burn?"
"You are in a different age now, Emerald," said Dumbledore. "A time of
peace and harmony. I cannot let you tarnish that."
"Peace is a lie," said Alys. "You have accepted death Albus Dumbledore.
I will make sure that it is quick and painless."
"I have fought your kind before and I can do it once again," stated
Dumbledore.
"Don't be so certain!" snarled Alys finally turning to face him.
Something appeared from behind Dumbledore and caught him off guard. He
turned and received a crashing blow to the face. He grunted in pain as
he spun around. Another figure walloped him straight across the face,
making him fall hard against the ground.
He rolled off of his back and looked up to see two identical Alys
clones staring down upon him. They both moved close to one another and
morphed into one. She raised her wand and fired the killing curse but
Dumbledore vanished with a loud deafening crack.
"Avada Kedavra!" cried Alys.
She missed and the curse made a loud bang against the stone floor and
Dumbledore apparated twenty feet from behind Alys. He fired a spell
straight at her but she reacted and rebounded the curse right back at
him. He stopped the ball of dark energy in midair and transformed it
into a massive fiery phoenix with his hands. The phoenix shrieked
loudly, flapping its flaming wings as it sent massive gusts of hot wind
directly at Alys.
She was blown straight off of her feet and sent plummeting towards the
stone wall. She crashed against the wall which sucked the very breath
from her lungs. The phoenix darted directly towards her, screeching
loudly as it went straight for its prey. Alys roared as she split the
flaming bird in two and emerged from the flames enraged and infuriated.
Before Dumbledore could do anything else the tip of her wand ignited
emerald sparks and exploded a massive stream of magic directly at the
old Headmaster. He reacted by the nanosecond and fired his own
identical spell, rather it was red. The two spells collided and flashed
like lightening. The windows of the Great Hall shattered and imploded
as the spells collided. The noise was deafening and could be heard all
over the castle.
Alys' laughed manically as she watched her spell slowly burn out
Dumbledore's. He began to look and feel unbalanced under the enormous
pressure inflicted on his arm. Another wand slipped down Alys' sleeve
and into her left hand. Now with two wands, she fired her spare one up
into the enchanted ceiling of the Great Hall. The starry night sky
began to flash in green colour and spark bolts of violent thunder and
lightning. The bolts smashed the remaining glass windows of the hall
into tiny pieces and melted the wax candles floating in midair.
The loud brutal sounds of crashing and smashing echoed across the
castle. Some cowered in fear whilst others were prepared to stand up
and fight for their school. However, Ron and Hermione were not in the
Gryffindor common room. They were legging it through the corridors as
fast as they could.
"Hermione, slow down!" panted Ron.
The emerald bolts of lightning spread across the castle walls, creating
a heavy static that threatened to kill every living thing. Ron couldn't
take his eyes off of the walls as he ran.
"Hermione," whimpered Ron. "What's happening?"
"Emerald is creating a binding force between her and the castle!"
bellowed Hermione.
"Which means?"
"She's trying to turn the school on us by creating an army to oppose
Dumbledore!" she said breathlessly. "We've got to help!"
Suddenly, the suits of armour began to move. They pulled their feet out
of the stone floors, trailing copper wire behind as walked out onto the
corridor. They were held together by the emerald force that Alys
created with her second wand. Two suits of armour stepped out in front
of Ron and Hermione and drew their swords and shields. Hermione
screamed at first but she quickly acted by drawing her wand from her
skirt. Ron did the same.
Alys' spell was beating Dumbledore. The spell had weakened him so much
that he was nearly on his knees as he stumbled from side to side. He
cried in pain whilst Alys continued to cackled manically as the wizards
distress.
Then, out of nowhere a loud booming voice bellowed "EXPELLIARMUS!".
The wand pointed at Dumbledore flew out of Alys' hand and gushed over
her shoulder. She turned around to see Severus Snape standing at the
hall entrance holding her wand in his left hand and his own in his
right. Dumbledore gathered himself to his feet and rested his fingers
once again around his own. Alys was distracted by Snape's sudden
appearance so Dumbledore fired another explosive spell towards her.
For a moment, a look of panic flashed on Alys face but then she doubled
herself into two identical twins once again. Snape sent a fiery ball
towards one of them but she vanished and appeared behind him, punched
him across the face and retrieved her wand.
"Avada Kedavra!" cried Snape.
The lethal green spell shot over Alys' shoulder, missing her ear only
barely by a centimetre. She cackled in high pitched screech despite the
fact she was almost killed outright.
"Is that all you've got?" she laughed.
The two broke out in a violent duel across the Great Hall whilst
Dumbledore did the same.
Meanwhile, the castle was in chaos as students broke out of their
dormitories to fight in the battle against the suits of armour which
has turned on its own school under Alys' evil Emerald curse. Students
ran up and down the Grand Staircase, all with wands drawn, as did the
portraits. The teachers tried to keep control but they knew it was
useless. It was time to fight.
The suits swung swords, axes and maces at students as they fired
defensive spells at them. Some missed and crashed there weaponry
against the stone walls, sending massive chunks of debris across the
corridors. Professor Flitwick was in the courtyard taking on three at
once. To the surprise of some witnesses he raised them up in the air
and crumpled each one into scrap metal as if they were made of paper.
Hermione and Ron took on theirs with great difficulty as they spent
most of the time dodging the suits brutal attacks. Hermione rolled
forward as the suit smashed its axe into the ground. Stuck, the suit
pulled hard to wedge its weapon free from the stone ground. Hermione
took advantage of the situation and bellowed "BOMBARDA MAXIMA!" and the
suit exploded into chunks of metal.
She had no time to rest as Ron was having difficulty with his own suit
which was swinging its sword rapidly and swiftly like an out of control
toy. All the ducking and jumping took its toll on his body as he was
beginning to run short of breath. Hermione intervened.
"RON, DOWN!" she bellowed.
He turned around to see Hermione pointing her wand at where he was
standing.
"Hermione, no!" he screamed.
"REDUCTO!"
Ron immediately ducked down and the spell flew over his head, crashing
into the chest plate of the suit and exploding into hundreds of tiny
pieces. Then, there was silence. All to be heard was echoed sounds of
the distant battle taking place over the rest of the castle. Ron
gathered himself to his feet and looked at Hermione with his mouth
hanging with shock.
Before he could say another word, the scrap metal that used to be the
two suits of armour fused together by Alys' emerald curse. Ron ran to
Hermione's side and watched the pieces of metal slide across the floor,
attaching itself to the rapidly growing figure before them. Within
seconds a suit of armour twice the size of the other two stood towering
over them.
"Run?" suggested Ron, looking over at Hermione.
"Run," she repeated, nodding breathlessly.
The two turned and ran away from the massive suit down the corridor.
They legged it as fast as they could as the monstrous suit ran after
them, swinging its mace around its masked lifeless head. The mace
crashed into two large pillars which helped hold up the above floor.
The ceiling fell down on top of the suit, seemingly crushing it under
the enormous weight of the rock.
Ron and Hermione stopped running and turned around, panting with
exhaustion. They looked at the pile of rock and stone in front of them
glad that the monster was destroyed. Then, the pile moved and the suit
emerged once again from the dusty debris swinging its mace.
They both sighed and continued to run away.
On the other side of the castle students had a much harder time
battling the stone statues which were supposed to protect the school
but Emerald's spell had corrupted them to do her bidding. Professor
McGonagall blew one of the statues to dust whilst Professor Sprout had
difficulty with a suit and a stone statue at once. Hagrid wrestled a
suit to the ground and violently ripped its helmet off which supposedly
killed it.
A blonde haired girl in an oversized Slytherin uniform ran through the
chaos covering her chest and face as if she were some sort of freak.
But at that current moment nobody took notice of her. She ran into a
group of busy Slytherin girls watching the violence as if it were an
entertaining show put on for them. The blonde girl began shouting
random gibberish about being turned into a girl by Heather Potter and
how she was really Draco Malfoy.
"Yeah right crazy little cow!" said Daphne Greengrass. "Now get out of
our way, you're blocking all the fun!"
Suddenly, a suit of armour flew towards the group of girls. They all
just stood there screaming and running away like cowards.
In the Great Hall, Dumbledore and Snape were fighting valiantly against
the Alys clones. Alys and Snape stopped for a moment before lifting
their wands simultaneously and firing the killing curse at each other.
The loud crash of the spells colliding burst the ear drums of many
nearby students and caused a bright white flash. The force of Emerald's
power was clearly seen as Snape struggled to keep on his feet. Alys was
beaming widely from ear to ear, grinning psychotically as she felt the
full strength of her long lost power. Her cat-like eyes rolled back
into her head as she moved up the aisle, forcing her spell unto Snape.
The two clones morphed back into one and Alys was fighting two powerful
wizards at once. Her right hand wand was focused on Dumbledore whilst
the other was on Snape. Her killing curse was rapidly decreasing the
power of Snape's spell as the green streams of magic neared his wand.
His face turned paler than ever as he stared at certain death straight
in the face. Dumbledore broke Alys' killing curse and turned it back on
her. She dodged it with acrobatic ability as if she could see it coming
at her slowly. There was a flash of blinding green light and a rushing
sound, as though a vast, invisible something was soaring through the
air - instantaneously Snape fell to the ground, unmarked, but
unmistakably dead.
Suddenly, everything seemed to be suspended in slow motion. Dumbledore
watched in horror as his faithful friend fell to the ground like a
ragdoll. His eyes welled up passionately as his mouth remained tight-
lipped and shaken. He showed no sign of anger as he stared at Snape's
body in the distance. Alys cackled as she turned to look at the
Headmaster.
"Did I kill your friend Dumbledore?" she said as if she had just made
an innocent mistake. "Do you want to join him? Just give in! It is
useless to resist!"
Dumbledore simply stared at her and said, "Never."
Alys then broke into a sprint towards Dumbledore firing thundering
spells at him whilst he blocked and rebounded them straight back at her
but she only absorbed them. She leapt atop of the old wizard and
vanished into thin air, taking the old wizard along with her.
All space ripped open with a loud bang as Alys and Dumbledore popped
into existence atop the astronomy tower. She walloped him across the
face and he slammed against the metal grating of balcony. He grunted as
he picked himself up to his feet, the gushing wind from outside blowing
his long beard sideways. Alys watched as she allowed him to stand,
confident that she could knock him over again.
Meanwhile, as the battle raged on across the castle students put all
they could into destroying the suits and statues. Luckily there were
almost no deaths but many were seriously