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Category: Alternate Universe, Asylum Challenge (2013-3), Asylum Challenge (2013-3) Characters:Albus Dumbledore, All, Draco Malfoy, Harry/Ginny, Hermione Granger, Lily Potter, Luna Lovegood, Minerva McGonagall, Other, Ron Weasley Genres: Action/Adventure, Angst, Drama, Romance Warnings: Dark Fiction, Death, Disturbing Imagery, Violence Story is Complete Rating: PG-13 Reviews: 105 Summary: *** Winner of Best Overall, Best Drama and the People’s Choice Award in the Asylum Challenge *** *Nominated for 2014 April/May and November/December DSTA for Best Romance and Best Drama* *Nominated for 2016 January/February DSTA for Best Drama and Best Completed* Ginny's plans for the weekend were just perfect: a day out in Hogsmeade with her girlfriends. Spend the morning window shopping and wishing, then lunch at the Three Broomsticks, and then to the local theater for a production of the Scottish Play (Macbeth). Unfortunately, the bad luck of the Scottish Play strikes before it even starts. The village is invaded by Death Eaters, Dementors, and a man she had hoped to never see again in her life. And in the middle of the battle, Ginny sees something she'd never thought she'd see. Voldemort and one of her greatest friends dueling; Harry Potter and Voldemort fighting so fiercely, she lost focus on her own battle. Harry Potter, crying out, falling, and hitting the ground. Dead. And then, someone she never expected to help her saves her from Voldemort’s wrath. Hitcount: Story Total: 169217; Chapter Total: 5020 |
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Superhuman Whispers roused me from my sleep. I lay alone in a bed that was not mine, feeble sunlight streaming across the floor. I sat up slowly, looking around. Harry stood on the other side of the room, having a heated but quiet argument with Bill. Bill looked livid. A blush crept up my face when I remembered that I had slept with Harry last night. I slipped out of the bed and approached them. They broke off their argument, and Harry slipped his arm around me. “You all right?” he asked. I shrugged. “What are you talking about?” I asked. Bill fixed his eyes on me. “You.” “I couldn't sleep alone, Bill.” “But with Harry?” he said. “Do you know how worried we were when you weren't in your room? Why didn't you come to Mum, or Dad, or me?” Harry's arm tightened around me. “She was scared,” he said. “I was closest.” “Scared? Of what?” I clenched my jaw. “Nightmares,” I said. “Nothing happened, Bill,” Harry said. “All we did was sleep.” Bill crossed his arms over his chest. “I realize that there's some special bond between the two of you, but that doesn't mean you get to sleep together. It isn't appropriate.” “Bill,” I snapped, “I stayed with Harry because I needed him. It-it's complicated; I don't understand it fully, but- but something... happened to me, and I can't- I can't say-” “Ginny,” he said, grasping my hands, “you can trust me. What is it? What's scaring you?” I dropped my gaze. I had to tell him, but what good would it do? It wasn't like they could help me. “Ginny,” Harry said, like he could sense my thoughts, “you can tell him. They CAN help.” I drew in a shaky breath. “I- it's- I'm scared of- of nothing.” “What do you mean? Something is scaring you.” “No, nothing is scaring me. It's all in my head.” Bill frowned. “What does that mean?” “I see things that aren't there,” I said, not looking at him. “I hear things, feel things, that aren't real.” “You- you're hallucinating?” “I'm being driven insane.” Bill sucked in his breath. “Why?” “There's a demon imprisoned beneath the school,” Harry said. “He threatened her that if she didn't leave me dead, he would drive her insane.” “He's doing a fairly good job,” I said bitterly. Bill looked between me and Harry, eyes wide. “Maybe- maybe we should take her somewhere else. Away from it.” I shook my head. “It doesn't matter where I am. The only way to stop it is to defeat him. But he's this ancient all powerful thing, not even Godric Gryffindor could beat him.” “Ginny, remember what you said to me last year when I wanted to talk to Sirius but thought it was impossible? Remember? Anything is possible if you've got enough nerve.” Harry's eyes were insistent. “We WILL win.” I had no words for him. I couldn't say he was right when I thought it wouldn't happen. Harry and I stood in Dumbledore's office, after I had explained everything that had happened and everything I knew to Dumbledore. He was pacing up and down the office. I held Harry's hand in mine as though for dear life. “This is difficult,” Dumbledore muttered. “A bigger problem than I thought.” “What do we do, sir?” Harry asked. Dumbledore sighed. “We will have to battle this demon. And Voldemort. Hopefully, once we defeat one, the other should go down more easily, if they are indeed in league with one another. And this- this Echidna, you say?” “Yes,” I said. “She's Slytherin's real monster. The basilisk was only there because Godric knew that it had a portal-dampening aura or something.” “Yes, well, this just makes the pickle we are in worse. There is no way we could find another basilisk, let alone control it. Yes, Harry, I know that you could have control over it,” Dumbledore added when Harry opened his mouth, “but if you were injured or incapacitated at all, the snake would be left without someone to control it.” “So no basilisk,” I said, and I wasn't exactly upset about that fact, “what do we have?” Dumbledore sank into the chair behind his desk with a sigh. He pushed his half-moon glasses up his face and rubbed wearily at his eyes. It was strange to see a figure I had always seen as unbreakable weak. “I don't know,” he said softly. “We are outnumbered, three to one.” My spirits sank. I had thought that Dumbledore, surely, would have had an answer. “What we need is something who is as powerful as the demons,” Dumbledore said. “Something that is stronger than Echidna, at least.” “Godric said that he only caught a glimpse of Echidna,” I said, “and even though she didn't notice him, he was positive that if she had, he would not have a chance against her.” “So we need something superhuman,” Harry said. “Great,” he added sarcastically. “Wait a second,” I said, “you have a point.” “I do?” “Superhuman,” I said. “We could ask the Tamed or the Unknowns for help.” Dumbledore frowned. “I have never heard of these Tamed, or Unknowns. From what you told me, the Unknowns you met were not very impressive.” “The Punisher was,” I said. “And when I first met Storyteller, he was definitely impressive. And the Lord of Death is impressive.” “But would they help us?” Dumbledore asked. “Only one way to find out,” I said. “And how's that?” Harry asked, frowning. “We have to find a portal.” Harry followed behind me as I strode down the corridors to the Great Hall. I found who I was looking for instantly. Malfoy and his family were sitting at the Slytherin table, heads bent together and talking in low tones. I dropped onto the bench beside Narcissa, startling the threesome into looking up. “I need a portal,” I said, my eyes locked on Lucius's. Lucius gulped, glancing at his wife. “A portal? What for?” “I need to contact the Dreamkeeper,” I said. “And you're the only one who has knowledge of how to find portals.” “Why?” “I need her help,” I said. “And to get her help, I need yours.” Lucius and Narcissa exchanged looks. Draco was looking between them, confusion plain on his face. “Very well,” Lucius said. “I will help.” “Father,” Draco said, “you've already done a lot for them. Shouldn't you-” “I should do what is best for my family,” Lucius snapped at Draco, “and what is best for my family is ending this war.” Draco's face tinged pink, but he scowled at his father. He stood up abruptly, and stormed off like a sulky child. Narcissa glanced at her husband, before standing as well and hurrying off after her son. Lucius sighed heavily, and turned his attention back to me. “Where do you need a portal to?” “The Realm of Dreams,” I said. “Come with me,” Lucius said, rising to his feet. Harry and I followed him out of the Great Hall. Lucius climbed the stairs, with Harry and I on his heels. He led us up to the Astronomy Tower, where the setting sun stained the sky red above our heads. The blood red sun did not bode well. I remembered an old tale my mum had told me when I was little, red sunsets meant that blood had been or would be spilled. Muggles had a tale about red sunsets, but it was some nonsense about the weather. I had always liked watching the sunset, but after Mum told me what red sunsets meant, it had taken a darker tone. Lucius conjured three chairs with a wave of his wand, and sat in one. He pulled the Book from his robes, and opened it. Harry sat in one of the chairs, and, before I could sit in the other, pulled me into his lap. He locked his arms around my waist, and I settled into his embrace. Lucius did not seem to notice our position. “The book mainly covers which portals to use for the tests,” Lucius said, “but there are notes, I think by Salazar Slytherin, on the Realms and how to get into them. He wrote everything he found out down, and since there were no documents on the Realms before that, it is really the only information we have on them.” “But where do we go to get into the Realm of Dreams?” I asked. Lucius flicked through the pages, a frown growing on his face. After a minute, he sighed and closed the book. “The only mention of a portal that leads directly to the Realm of Dreams is the one we used for the first test, but it is only open on Halloween.” “So we can't get in?” I asked, crestfallen. “Not necessarily.” “What do you mean?” Harry asked, frowning. “As I said, there is no portal that I know of that leads directly to the Realm of Dreams. However, there is a portal that leads to it indirectly.” “Indirectly?” I asked, one eyebrow raised. “The portal leads to a Realm that Slytherin identified as Amor's Realm, but neither he nor the other founders ever traveled to that particular realm, as a being from one of the Tamed Realms told them that it was considered an Untamed Realm.” “Untamed?” I questioned. “Wild,” Lucius said. “The being, who identified itself as a wind demon, explained to them that some Realms are dangerous and uncontrollable, and are therefore most beings avoid them.” “But we could get to the Realm of Dreams from there?” I said. Lucius nodded. “I will guide you to the portal and through the steps to get through it, but I will not go through the portal.” “Why not?” “It is wild for a reason. I will help you, but I will not risk my soul to go through the portal.” “There's a chance we won't come back?” “There was a chance you would not come back from the Tamed Realms,” Lucius said. “The risks that come with traveling to an Untamed Realm are even greater.” I glanced back at Harry, my eyebrows knit together and my lip between my teeth. “Don't do that,” Harry said softly, touching my lips. “That's my lip to bite.” The small attempt to lighten my mood worked. I smiled at him. I suddenly realized that the demon had not given me any horrors to see since the night before. “You're sure this is the only way we can get into the Realm of Dreams?” Harry asked. Lucius nodded. Harry's eyes moved back to mine; dark with emotion. “We need their help,” I said. He nodded. “I'll go with you,” he said. “I'd rather you not go at all, but I'm not stupid enough to try and stop you.” I smiled at him. Harry pressed a gentle kiss to my temple. “Come on,” he said, “we should go talk to Dumbledore.” We left the tower, and walked in silence back to Dumbledore's office. Dumbledore looked up as we entered the office. “We have a way into the Realm of Dreams,” I told him. “How?” “We'll go through a portal to a realm called Amor's Realm, and go from there to the Realm of Dreams.” “What is Amor's Realm?” I shrugged. “All we know is that it's supposed to be Untamed.” “Untamed?” “The rules that applied to the Realms I have already visited don't apply to an Untamed Realm.” Dumbledore frowned at me. “This realm, it will be dangerous?” I nodded. “What are the risks?” “Any entrance to an Untamed Realm has risks,” Lucius said. “As it is, we have very little information on the Untamed Realms, because the Founders did not find a need to visit them.” “Do we have any other option?” Dumbledore asked, his voice grave. “It's either that or what until next Halloween,” Harry answered, “and if we wait until then, it will be too late.” Dumbledore sighed. “Very well. How do we enter this realm?” “There is a portal in Romania, specifically in the center of the Hoia-Baciu Forest. It is constantly open, which lead to the many superstitions surrounding the forest, but it is a one-way portal. You can get in, but not out.” “Charlie visited that forest,” I said. “He said it was too creepy to believe. How can it be a one-way portal and things still feel creepy?” Lucius turned to me. “It is a one-way portal in the way that solid objects can only pass through one side of the portal. Magic, however, leaks through in spite of that. That is what causes both Muggles and wizards to see or hear things in the forest.” See things? I thought. Great. More fuel for the demon. Harry's hand squeezed mine. My eyes found his, and my sarcastic attitude softened. I squeezed his hand back. “The sooner we get to the Realm of Dreams, the better,” Dumbledore was saying. “We will leave tomorrow morning. Miss Weasley, I assume you wish your brother Bill to accompany you to Romania? Or Charlie?” I thought a moment. Charlie had been there before. “Charlie,” I said. “I shall attend as well,” Dumbledore said, though more to himself than us. “That would make a party of five. But with three going into the portal, that would leave only two to keep watch. Hmm, perhaps we should bring another-” “Headmaster,” Lucius interrupted, “I shall not be going through the portal, so-” “Yes, I am aware of this,” Dumbledore said. “But I will be. We will want as many as possible remaining behind to guard Hogwarts, so just one more will do I think. Remus would enjoy the opportunity, I'm sure. Yes, I will ask Remus to come with us. What do you think, Harry?” Harry was startled at Dumbledore asking his opinion. I nudged him gently, reminding him he had to answer. “Er, that's fine,” he said. “Good,” Dumbledore murmured. “Go and get some rest. We will leave before dawn, so as to not attract attention.” I groaned. Dumbledore's eyes twinkled at me a moment, before becoming dull and tired again. Harry tugged on my hand, pulling me out of the office. Lucius was already leaving, rifling through the Book, no doubt looking for anymore information on Amor's Realm. Dumbledore waved a hand at us, a gentle gesture of letting us know it was time to leave. The light outside the windows was fading. Harry led me to up to Gryffindor tower. At the door to the dormitories, he hesitated. My hand was still in his. Harry glanced at the door leading to the boys' dorms, then to the door leading to the girls' dorms. “Do you, er, are you going to- do you want to sleep in your dorm tonight?” Harry asked, his face pink. I gave him a wide-eyed look, and shook my head. Harry smiled briefly and turned towards the door. He let go of my hand, reaching out to open the door. The instant his fingers slipped from mine, my chest tightened. I felt like something was squeezing the life out of me. I looked down, and saw a scaly body wrapped around mine. I would have screamed, but all the breath was being forced out of my lungs. A reptilian head slid over my shoulders, a long forked tongue flicking out and touching my ear. I couldn't breath, I couldn't move, my eyes were wide with horror. Harry turned back to me, he must have seen the terror on my face because a second later his hand landed on my cheek. And I could breath again. The snake vanished the second his skin made contact with mine again. I drew in a long, ragged breath, and threw my arms around his neck. “What? What was it?” Harry said. “Snake,” was all I said. Harry's arms held me against him. I knew I was trembling, my legs were jelly beneath me. His hand stroked my hair, and I slowly calmed. “Come on,” Harry whispered. “Let's go to bed.” Somewhere in me I realized what that phrase could also mean, but I chose to ignore it. My cheeks warmer than they had been a second before, I let Harry pull me up the stairs. In his dorm room, Harry's arm slipped around my waist. He brushed a strand of hair out of my face, and kissed my lips gently. His mouth moved to a spot just beneath my ear, leaving my skin hot. “I love you,” he whispered, sliding his lips from my ear down my neck. I shivered, my hands holding fist-fulls of his shirt to stay on my feet. The room felt warmer than it had a minute ago. Harry's mouth found its way back to mine, leaving a hot trail of kisses up my neck. I kissed him back, desperate and needy. I pressed against him, both for support and a desire for more. Then, I pulled back blushing a bright red. I had not quite expected his reaction. Harry's face matched mine, his eyes wide behind his glasses, which had somehow gotten knocked askew. “I- I'm sorry,” he stammered. I put a finger over his lips, silencing him. “Don't be,” I said, smiling. “It makes me feel special.” “You are special,” Harry said. I blushed brighter, and slipped my arms around his waist, but this time I was careful not to press too close to him. “I'm not ready for more,” I said quietly. “Me neither,” Harry said. I tried to smile up at him, but a yawn cracked my jaw. Harry chuckled. “Sleep,” he said. And, before I could do anything, Harry had bent and lifted me into his arms. I let out a little gasp, but grinned back at him. He kissed me, but slowly and softly, and gently laid me on his bed. I slipped beneath the blankets, and Harry lay down beside me. I lay my head on his shoulder, while he wrapped an arm around me. I inhaled his scent- broom polish and pine- and let my eyes flutter shut. I was quickly asleep. And awake after what seemed to be just a minute. “YOU BLOODY GIT!” someone yelled, and I felt someone grab my arm and pull me forcefully out of Harry's embrace. Half-asleep, I looked around, and screamed. A headless corpse was gripping my forearm, rotting flesh peeling away from its body and blood spurting from its stumped neck. Someone grabbed my other arm, and the headless corpse vanished. Instead, Ron stood there, looking murderous as he looked at whoever was holding my other arm. I turned, and saw Harry. “Leave her alone, Ron!” Harry snapped. I wrenched my arm out of Ron's grasp, and stood. Harry wrapped his arm around my waist. I leaned on him for support. “What the hell do you think you're doing?!” Ron roared. “We were sleeping,” I snapped. “Shut up.” “In the same bed?” Ron was red in the face. I sighed and pressed a hand to my temple, rubbing at a headache that had sprung up because of Ron's yelling. “Ron, you don't understand-” “Oh, don't I?” Ron growled. “She has nightmares-” “So you lure her into your bed?” Ron said. “I trusted you, Harry!” “He didn't lure me anywhere!” “Stay out of this, Ginny-” Ron started. I drew my wand, and nearly shoved it up his nose. He backed up quickly. Harry's arm slipped from my shoulders, but his hand found mine. “You stay out of it!” I shouted. “This is none of your business!” “It IS my business!” Ron snapped. “You're my little sister!” “I'm not little!” I growled. “And if you bothered to listen for a second, I'd explain. So shut up before I hex you!” Ron opened his mouth, but seemed to think better of it. I set my wand on Harry's night table and sank onto his bed. Harry sat beside me, and wrapped his arm around me. Ron crossed his arms, waiting for my explanation. I sighed heavily, and started at the beginning. I explained about Fidelis Animas and the tests and the demon's threat and everything I had been seeing. When I was done, Ron had seated himself on his bed and was staring at me in mixed horror and pity. I clenched my jaw. I may have been going insane, but I hated being pitied. “Sleeping with Harry means I don't see things,” I finished. “I feel safe with him, Ron.” Ron glanced at Harry, who was looking at his feet. “But- you haven't had- haven't done- it- have you?” My cheeks warmed, and Harry's whole face turned red as he jerked his head no. Ron had the grace to blush, and his gaze fell to the ground. “Fine,” Ron muttered. “I understand. I don't have to like it, but I understand.” I slipped out of Harry's arms and hugged Ron. “Thank you,” I whispered. Ron gave me a little squeeze, and I backed away before the demon could turn him into some new terror. I dropped back onto Harry's bed, and Harry kissed my temple. Ron averted his eyes. “We're going back to sleep, now,” Harry said. Ron grunted. Harry lay down, and I followed him. Even though it felt awkward with Ron there, I still lay my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes. This time, I hoped I would get to sleep without unpleasant interruptions. |
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