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Darkness Within | ||||||
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Category: Pre-OotP, Alternate Universe Characters:Albus Dumbledore, Draco Malfoy, Dumbledore, Harry/Ginny, Hermione Granger, Minerva McGonagall, Neville Longbottom, Other, Remus Lupin, Ron Weasley, Severus Snape, Sirius Black Genres: Action/Adventure, Angst, Drama, General Warnings: Dark Fiction, Death, Disturbing Imagery, Intimate Sexual Situations, Mild Language, Mild Sexual Situations, Negative Alcohol Use, Rape, Sexual Situations, Violence Story is Complete Rating: R Reviews: 144 Summary: Tom Riddle opened the Chamber of Secrets while he was a student at Hogwarts. He committed another horrific act that same year. Now decades later, the students of Hogwarts continue to be impacted by his crimes. How will Ginny and her friends handle the darkness within? Hitcount: Story Total: 148987; Chapter Total: 7137 Author's Notes: Thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing and to my husband for encouraging me to write. |
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Chapter 7 Holidays Neville grinned when he saw the notice posted in the Gryffindor common room. “Anna, the first Hogsmeade weekend is on Halloween! What a great way to celebrate your birthday!” She smiled broadly as they walked over to sit on one of the sofas. “It’ll be wonderful to leave the castle for a while.” For a moment, she furrowed her brow in uncertainty. “What is Hogsmeade like? Does it have lots of shops like Diagon Alley?" Neville leaned back on the soft cushion and scratched his head. “Well, the whole village is magical, so yeah, I think it’ll be a lot like Diagon Alley. I’ve never actually been, of course, but I know there’s a large sweets shop called Honeydukes, and Zonko’s is a joke shop. We can have lunch in the Three Broomsticks if you want to,” he explained. “I don’t really know about the other shops, but we’ll have hours to explore, so I’m sure we’ll have a good time!” “Of course we’ll have a good time! It sounds perfect,” Anna sighed. All around them, students were chatting excitedly about the trip, and what they hoped to see and purchase. Some of the older boys were approaching girls and asking them out on dates. The whole common room buzzed with energy and anticipation. Ginny came over and sat beside them. She spent as much time with Anna and Neville as she did with the second years of Gryffindor tower. Unfortunately, since only third years and up could get permission to go, Ginny would not be able to visit the village this year. “Looking forward to seeing Hogsmeade?” she asked them. “Definitely!” exclaimed Neville. “Would you like us to bring something back for you from the village?” Anna asked. “Well, if it’s no bother, I’d love some chocolate,” Ginny replied. “Some dark chocolate.” Anna laughed. “No problem. If there is one thing I will definitely buy, it’s a large quantity of dark chocolate.” The girls smiled at each other, while Neville raised an eyebrow. He started to say something, and then changed his mind. He decided it would be a good idea if he bought a variety of chocolate as well. ******************************** **************************************** ************* October passed quickly and soon the majority of the students from third year and above were leaving the castle to walk to Hogsmeade. It was a cool, windy day, but the sun was shining and everyone was in high spirits as they walked in pairs and small groups towards the village. They met up with Ron and Hermione, as they were walking, and the four of them went into the sweets shop first. Anna picked up several bars of Honeydukes Dark Chocolate, a few Chocoballs, Chocolate Cauldrons, and Toothflossing Stringmints. Neville followed behind her and picked up a couple of each of the things she was purchasing, as well as Pepper Imps, Chocolate Frogs, and Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans. As they approached the register to purchase their sweets, Neville noticed that Ron and Hermione seemed to be buying a little of everything. “Are you getting a few extra things for Harry?” he asked. “Yeah,” Ron said. “Hopefully, he’ll be able to come himself soon.” Neville nodded. “Do you want to meet at the Three Broomsticks later?” They agreed to meet up at the pub at about one o’clock and headed out to explore more shops. Anna lost interest in Zonko’s Joke Shop fairly quickly, and since Neville had no intention of buying anything, they left the crowded store. Dogweed and Deathcap, a shop devoted to Herbology, was far more fascinating, and they browsed for a while. The owner of the store was friendly and knowledgeable. Neville was soon talking with him in earnest. They both also enjoyed walking around Tomes and Scrolls, the bookshop, and Anna purchased a few new books. By the time they arrived at the Three Broomsticks, Neville was definitely hungry, and they were both thirsty. They found a table with Ron and Hermione and ordered four hot butterbeers. Anna wrapped her cold hands around the mug and sighed, enjoying the warmth and the smell of the beverage. Neville sipped his butterbeer quietly as he looked around the crowded pub. A few couples were sitting in corners snogging, but most of the students were in larger groups like them. Ron took a long drink before setting his glass down. “Aren’t you going to try it?” he asked the girls. “Of course,” Hermione replied, as she and Anna both took small sips. It was delicious and definitely warming on such a cool day. “Did you make it to the Shrieking Shack?” Ron asked Neville. “No,” he said. “We spent most of the morning in the Herbology shop and the book store.” “We went to the post office,” Hermione was telling Anna. “It was amazing to see so many different owls waiting to deliver letters! Some of them were really small and others were huge, and apparently very fast at delivering post according to the signs. It was all color coded and looked very well organized.” “Oh, I would like to see the post office on our next visit, Neville,” Anna said. He grinned and nodded amiably before turning back to Ron. “We should all go to the Shrieking Shack together as well,” Ron enthused. “It’s supposed to be one of the most haunted houses in Britain.” Anna nodded uncertainly, but Hermione agreed that it would be wonderful to see a place of such historical importance. “I’m going to order something to eat,” Neville decided. “Are you hungry, Anna?” “Well, the fish and chips smell good,” Anna said, as she glanced at a large plate of it at a neighboring table. “But I’m not hungry enough to eat much right now.” “We could share it, if you like,” Hermione suggested practically. “With the huge feast this evening, having a small lunch would be a good idea.” Anna agreed, and Neville turned to Ron. “What do you think? Want to split an order of Cornish pasties?” “Yeah, sounds good.” Neville placed the order of Cornish pasties and fish and chips for the group. He handed Anna a bottle of malt vinegar as the two plates were set in the middle of the table. “Thanks, Neville,” she said as she poured some vinegar over a piece of fish, and passed the bottle to Hermione. They slowly ate the hot, delicious food and finished their butterbeers. The pub was full of loud, excited students enjoying their day out, and Neville was happy to sit and talk until they were ready to walk back up to the castle. That evening the Great Hall was decorated with orange and black for the Halloween feast. Pumpkins, large and small, carved and untouched, surrounded them as they watched the Hogwarts ghosts glide around the room. Nearly Headless Nick, the ghost of Gryffindor House, seemed to be having a particularly good time and was happily talking to as many students as possible about his near beheading centuries earlier. Anna, who had not heard the story before, was torn between amusement and disgust. She glanced at the staff table and was pleased to see Professor Lupin chuckling as he spoke with Professor Flitwick. All around the room everyone was loud and cheerful, clearly enjoying themselves. The meal had been extraordinary, but the decadent chocolate gateau had Ginny sighing contentedly. “Oh Anna, you really should try this!” “It looks very rich,” Anna murmured. “Come on! It’s your birthday. You should indulge completely!” Ginny insisted. Anna laughed and pulled a plate of the rich chocolate cake in front of her. She closed her eyes as she took a bite, and then moaned softly. Both girls were soon giggling as they enjoyed every morsel. Neville watched them with slightly puzzled amusement. The hall was slowly emptying as students made their way to their dorms, but he wasn’t about to rush them. So, they were among the last Gryffindors to leave the hall and slowly make their way up the many staircases to their tower. As they turned the corner, the silent, still crowd in front of them made it obvious that something was going on. “Why is everyone waiting here?” Ginny asked. “Is something wrong?” “I don’t know,” Anna said, as she stretched up on her toes trying to see over the students in front of them. Neville looked around to see what the problem might be. Everyone seemed to be surrounding the entrance to the tower, but no one had entered the common room. Just then, Professor Dumbledore swept past them towards the portrait of the Fat Lady. As the crowd parted, Neville caught a glimpse of the torn painting that guarded the entrance to the Gryffindor dormitory. He put his arm protectively around Anna, wondering what had happened. Other professors were rushing towards them, and he was relieved to see Lupin among them. Peeves the Poltergeist delighted in telling the Headmaster what had happened to the Fat Lady and her portrait. “It was that escaped criminal, Sirius Black,” cackled Peeves as he floated above them. “The Fat Lady wouldn’t let him into the common room, and he attacked the portrait. She ran for it! That way!” He ended dramatically, pointing in the direction she had fled. “Prefects, please escort your house back to the Great Hall,” Professor Dumbledore ordered before turning to the other professors. He continued more quietly. “All of the houses must be sent to the Hall so we may conduct a thorough search of the castle.” The professors conferred quickly and began moving away to notify everyone of the Headmaster’s instructions. As he passed them, Remus caught Neville’s arm. “Stay with Anna. Don’t get separated.” Neville nodded, tightening his grip on Anna, and followed the crowd quietly back to the Great Hall. Soon confused students from every house were joining them and asking what was going on. Word quickly spread through the mass of students that Sirius Black had been seen in the castle near the Gryffindor common room. The Headmaster conjured hundreds of purple sleeping bags before leaving the Head Boy and Girl in charge for the night. The members of each house seemed to automatically cluster together as they grabbed sleeping bags, so it was not surprising that most of the Gryffindors were in the same area. “Hey, Neville. Did you see the portrait?” Dean asked as he climbed into a sleeping bag. “Yeah, I did.” He spread two sleeping bags on the floor near the wall. “It looked pretty bad.” Neville glanced up to see that Anna was standing very still with her back against the wall. She was clutching her wand firmly in her right hand as her eyes carefully swept the room. Ginny placed her sleeping bag beside the others just as Percy walked over and told everyone to lay down and be quiet. Neville waited for him to walk away before softly saying, “Anna, please get in the sleeping bag. We’re all safe here. There are hundreds of wands in this room right now.” Anna nodded her head hesitantly and got into the sleeping bag between Neville and Ginny, her wand still visible in her tightly fisted hand. “I don’t want to sleep here either,” whispered Ginny reaching out for Anna’s left hand to clasp it firmly. Neville lay awake for hours listening to the girls’ quiet murmuring. ******************************** **************************************** ************* The weeks between Halloween and Christmas passed with only a few unusual incidents. The most frightening event was when Harry fell off his broom during the Quidditch match against Hufflepuff. Miraculously, the Headmaster managed to slow his descent as he tumbled towards the ground. Harry still spent days in the hospital wing recovering from the fall. Dumbledore was enraged that the Dementors had come onto the grounds during the game and drove them off with a powerful silvery spell from his wand. Professor Lupin was ill and missed a couple of days of classes. Unfortunately, Professor Snape took over some of the Defense Against the Dark Arts lessons and assigned a lengthy essay on werewolves for homework. Hermione, who had already completed the essay by the next lesson, was the only student disappointed when the assignment was canceled upon Lupin’s return. Anna was simply relieved. Overall as the days past, Anna was feeling better about Hogwarts. She enjoyed most of her lessons and was confident she could keep up. Having Neville and Remus at school helped her feel safe and connected to family. She had become friendly with all of the Gryffindor third years as well as a few students from other years. Among the girls, she was closest to Ginny, though she also spent quite a bit of time with Hermione. Ginny was the friend she could be a bit silly with, but also the friend who seemed most sensitive to some of her darker moods. Anna and Ginny often sat on one of their beds in the evening. They would eat chocolate, play games, fix each others hair and nails, or flip through books. Ginny occasionally asked for help with her lessons, and Anna was always willing to study with her, proofread her papers, or help her practice spells. Hermione was the friend Anna could sit with in the classes they did not share with Neville, Harry, and Ron. They often worked together on their Ancient Runes and Arithmancy homework. Hermione was extremely intelligent and very organized. Anna appreciated her as a study partner. She was also far less intrusive than their roommates could occasionally be. Lavender and Parvati seemed to want to talk about boys a great deal more than Anna thought was necessary. They were also constantly wondering and asking about who fancied who, and whether Anna was interested in anyone. ********************* **************************************** ************************ As the Christmas holidays approached, Neville and Anna became increasingly excited about going home to Longbottom Manor. Remus was to accompany them, and Anna’s father was scheduled to visit for a few days. They took the Floo Network home, and Neville was the first to go through. “Gran!” Neville called as he walked into his grandmother’s open arms to hug her. As he stepped out of her embrace, she assessed him carefully. “You’ve grown taller. You look quite well, Neville.” He grinned at the praise as Augusta went over to hug Anna. “I’m very glad to have you both home for the holidays. How are you, my dear?” “I’m fine, Aunt Augusta. Thank you!” Anna smiled. “I have always loved Christmas. Can we start decorating soon?” Remus chuckled as Augusta sighed indulgently. “The tree is up in the garden room and a box of decorations is on the floor ready for you,” she replied. “I will ask Bitty to bring in biscuits and cider.” Neville and Anna raced to the garden room as Remus greeted Augusta. “I’ve appreciated your letters about the children’s progress,” Augusta said. “They both really do look well. Andrew sent a note that he will come on Christmas morning and stay through Boxing Day.” “That will be good for Anna,” Remus remarked. “May I remind you I will be away for a few days just after Christmas?” He paused for a moment before meeting her eyes. Augusta patted his arm. “You’ll be visiting friends and taking care of some personal business no doubt. By the way, there is a Christmas Eve party that I really should attend. I’m afraid it will be a rather formal event and is likely to last for hours. I thought about taking the children, but…” her voice trailed off. “Augusta, I would be very happy to stay here with the children. Please stay out as late as you like and have a good time,” Remus reassured her. They spent the next few days decorating two Christmas trees, the one in the garden room as well as another in the lounge. Once the trees were complete, they busied themselves making wreathes for the doors, hanging garland, and wrapping presents. Bitty and Litty even welcomed the children into the kitchen to help bake biscuits, scones, and pies. Anna particularly enjoyed decorating and spent hours patiently piping icing, making intricate designs and faces, on the gingerbread men. Christmas Eve morning welcomed them with a gentle snow which continued until early afternoon. The fat white flakes left several inches of snow for them to enjoy. By evening, Remus, Anna, and Neville had already made a large snowman and enjoyed a snowball fight. They soon realized that Neville was very good at quickly making snowballs, Remus had an excellent aim, and Anna was adept at dodging. When they finally returned to the house, they were all laughing good naturedly, and were extremely cold and wet. As they entered the hall, Anna squealed, “Daddy!” She ran into her father’s arms. He lifted her off the ground and twirled her around before setting her down and remarking, “Well, you have certainly been enjoying the snow!” Anna blushed as she saw the wet, soiled condition of her father’s suit. “Oh, I’m sorry. I can fix that.” She pulled out her wand and quickly cast drying and warming charms on her father’s clothes, as well as a mild cleaning charm. Andrew smiled wistfully as he watched her. “I remember my mother doing that when I was a child, and then your lovely mother cleaning my clothes in the same way when you were a baby.” A tear ran down Anna’s cheek at his words, and he used his thumb to gently brush it away. “Honey, it’s important to remember those we loved and lost, but it’s Christmas, and we shouldn’t be sad. I’m very glad that you’ve become such a talented little witch.” “Thank you, Daddy,” Anna murmured, taking a steadying breath. “Aunt Augusta said you would not be here until tomorrow morning.” “Well, that was the plan, but when I had the opportunity to catch an earlier flight from Munich, I took it!” Andrew grinned and looked up to see Remus and Neville. “Good to see you, Remus,” Andrew said as they shook hands. “How are you, Neville? You look taller.” Neville was pleased by the attention. The rest of the evening passed in friendly conversation and a few spirited games of charades. |
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