Seeing Beyond

Chapter 2. Part B. There I am Kept.

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Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, also considered by many to be the greatest wizard of the modern age, closed wearied, sky-blue eyes as he sat behind his desk, waiting. They opened at the sudden sound of his office door creaking in outrage at the intrusion.


Severus Snape, resident Potion Master Extraordinaire, swept into Dumbledore\'s office, his glittering obsidian eyes filled with worry. \"Where is he?\" Dumbledore frowned slightly in confusion, to whom was Severus referring? Then it dawned on him, \"Mr. Potter is... where I believe he would feel most comfortable.\" Albus Dumbledore suspected that Severus Snape harboured at least some warm, fluffy, fatherly feelings of concern for the young Harry Potter, nevertheless it was shocking, in a good way he supposed, to see Severus so openly showing his apprehension.


One eyebrow raised in speculation, Severus\' silky voice drawled, \"And he is awake, I presume?\"


Dumbledore\'s eyes drifted shut for a moment, \"You presume incorrectly, Severus. Harry has not yet awoken. When he does so, then all shall be informed of the... circumstances.\"


The other eyebrow joined the first, somewhere in the vicinity of Severus\' forehead. Silence ensued. As Dumbledore said nothing more the look in Severus\' eyes hardened. The Headmaster, he noted, had said when he awakes and not if. But Severus knew, considering the... circumstances, that there was a distinct possibility that Harry would never awaken. That he would be trapped within his mind, hopefully remembering more pleasant times, until his body gave up and then, the Boy-Who-Lived would cease to do so.


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Draco, reaching his room just before curfew, sighed morosely. No one seemed to know anything about anything, well, at least in regards to the Harry Potter situation, as Draco had termed it. And that\'s exactly what it felt like, a definite situation. Feeling tired beyond his years Draco plodded across the cold stones of the dungeon floor to his king-sized bed. He supposed to himself that it was a very nice bed, decked out in Slytherin green and silver, almost as luxurious as his own bed in Malfoy Manor. It was the kind of bed most people dreamt of owning, big and soft and comfortable.


Draco sighed once more. Lifting the covers he squirmed underneath them, into the bed\'s comforting warmth. He had only bothered removing his school robes and shoes. Almost instantly his eye-lids began to droop in sleep.


With a whispered \'Sweet dreams, Harry\'. Draco Malfoy finally succumbed to sleep, entering the world of slumber where he knew all his dreams came true.


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Cold, dank, dark. A place where light seemed to have ceased existing. Only shadows belonged; melding and merging with the deeper darkness that lurked. I used to be afraid of the dark, scared of what was concealed within. Better the Devil you know, they say.


Walking purposefully down the empty corridor, I cautiously peruse my surrounds, ignoring the naggling fear that pervades my core. I shouldn\'t be afraid, I needn\'t be afraid. It becomes my litany. Even in the total darkness, somehow I do not trip or stagger or bump into anything. Strange, almost as if I know the way, and have always known the way. This place in all its bewildering familiarity.


I\'m going somewhere. There\'s something I need to find, and in this instance I know this isn\'t your typical, run of the mill \'the journey is just as, if not more, important\' type of situation. I know I\'m here for a purpose, I know I\'m here for a reason.


I stalk like a predator, growing accustomed to the total darkness, my senses heightened by it. Through the thick stone that surrounds me I can hear the gale wind\'s keening cries to the moonlit sky. The space about me... it now even appears lighter, my eyes focusing in the dark. I am aware of a lingering presence, a slight movement in the shadows ahead. I\'m drawn to it. It entices me, ensnares my mind. I am to follow. It leads me to...


A staircase... I mutter to myself, \"Stairway to Heaven?\" My mind tells me to not even joke about that kind of thing. I shake my head forcibly, returning my attention to the steps. They look stable, worn but safe nonetheless. What do you expect, they\'re made of solid rock. I begin my long trudge upwards, one step at a time. As I gradually move onwards, the sconces aligning the right wall light up, bathing me in a glowing light, casting ghastly shadows across my features. I blink, my eyes sensitized from the imposing darkness. I pause and wait for the burning feeling to pass for my eyes to become accustomed to the Light. They mist over, protecting themselves from the harshness.


Growing impatient at my own bodily responses I decide to keep moving, no point in wasting more of this eternity, an eternity in a moment, that is. A foreign feeling settles in my heart, it\'s pulling me slowly, while the shadowy movement I saw earlier beckons silently. My body quivers excitedly, trembling delightfully. I know my destination is almost within reach.


A huge painting looms before me. Two young lovers embracing, bodies entwined, as are their fingers. Laced together, their eyes filled with promises of love and devotion. Those feelings... I extend my hand. My fingertips brushing against the temple of the most beautiful young man I have ever seen. The image is burnt into my memory. How can I forget it, when it is everything my dreams have ever been made of? When without it, I would live nothing but nightmares?


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End Chapter 2.