Wishmaster

Chapter Five - Through The Castle Part Two


Harry gasped and tried to keep the cloak over himself as he plummeted to lawn below. The wind buffeted his face and whipped through his hair as windows flashed past him. The brooms handle vibrated with energy as he pulled up out of the dive and swerved violently to his left. His stomach gave a tight shiver as the joy of flying replaced his fear. Despite the danger, his fatigue and the imminent threat of capture, he was back in his element. He slowed the broom for a moment in order to adjust the invisibility cloak then began to fly around the edge of the building towards the whomping willow.

The sky was bright and cloudless and Harry could hear a low hum of voices from the windows he flew past. He rounded the edge of a tower and flew out into the grounds, looking behind him as he went.

High above, a curiously bat-like shape hovered over the school. Looking down Harry saw another one round the corner of the building after him. White skin shone in the sun and Harry felt a surge of furious frustration. Was the man some kind of bloodhound?

Flattening himself to the handle Harry urged the broom into full speed, reaching the tree, Harry paused. The tree did not have any eyes, would it sense him if he flew towards it? Looking behind him Harry saw that Voldemort was steadily gliding towards him, as if sniffing him out. With another surge of frustration, he realised that whatever weird sense Voldemort had for detecting Harry would lead him right into the secret tunnel.

And in the confined space of the tunnel there would be no room to dodge.

If only he could aparate...

Swerving the broom around, Harry proceeded to glide in a wide arc around Voldemort. He watched as Voldemort changed direction with him. Could the wizard be sensing his emotions? In the same way as a dementor did? Harry shuddered at the thought. If this was true then he needed a crowd to hide in, he concluded.

Harry’s eyes widened suddenly as it came to him where he needed to be. Crowd and aparation. Dobby had aparated in and out of Malfoy Manor when no wizard could, was there another elf who would take him back to Shell Cottage?

Perhaps...

Once again flattening himself to his broom handle, Harry sped towards the school and drifted along a wall until he saw a classroom that was empty. Pointing the Elder Wand from under his cloak, Harry muttered the alohamora spell and quicky guided the broom through the window. Shutting it, he dismounted and hurried into the hallway as a loud whooshing proceeded the soft click of the window reopening.

He could no longer feel what Voldemort was feeling, and Harry concluded that the wizard must be using Oclumecy as he hurried as quietly as he could through the school. Taking some secret passages, Harry began to feel a creeping sense of nostalgia as the familiar ( But somehow suppressed, he noted ) sounds of school life drifted through the corridors. The students talking, the portraits edging through the various frames, the Death Eaters hurrying along the passages...

Crap..

Harry flattened himself as a group of black robed men hurried past him, their eyes alert and their wands at the ready.

He waited until they rounded a corner before moving on more quickly to find that Death Eaters were now crawling all over the school. Harry ducked and dodged and flattened himself againsed walls. He darted into side passages and even, once or twice, into a classroom in which lessons where being taught. Finally, after avoiding the grand staircase altogether, he came out from behind a tapestry into the main entrance.

The sun must have gotten higher now as rays of techni-colored light came flooding in through the stained glass windows and onto the marble floor. As Harry silently began to cross the hall towards the dungeons a sudden surge of anger in his forehead caused him to fall to his knees with a grunt of pain. Harry felt the cloak slide off him.

From nearby, there was a sharp intake of breath and a Death Eater emerged from the entrance of the dungeons. The man’s eyes gleamed triumphantly.

" Got you!" He said, already pulling up his sleeve.

Breathing hard, Harry aimed the Elder Wand at the man and fired a stunning spell at him. The man dodged and, a look of triumph on his face, pressed the dark mark on his arm. Harry took aim again as he felt the anger turn to an almost lightheaded feeling of elation.

" Spinero Netala!" He gasped, and a web of magic flew from the wand, encasing the man and sending him crashing to the floor.

Swearing profusely Harry forced himself to his feet and staggered to the mans prone figure. He pulled the struggling form into an alcove just inside the dungeon entrance before pulling the cloak back over himself. Without a second glance, Harry fled down the stairs and into the dark passageways benife.

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Severus Snape walked nervously beside the Dark Lord as they made their way purposefully to some unknown destination in Hogwarts that Voldemort was heading for. To Snapes relief, no-one appeared to have found the boy yet. Perhaps, he thought hopefully, the boy had slipped back out into the grounds...

Oh yes, Snape had a dam good idea of where Potter had gotten in. Well, he dam well hoped the boy would get out again that way. How was the little idiot supposed to achieve Dumbledores plan if he kept putting himself in plain view like this?

Suddenly, Voldemort stiffened and his eyes grew bright.

" Severus, why would Potter be in the dungeons?"

Snapes heart filled with joy. YES!

" I have no memory of any secret passage leading from that part of the school M'Lord" He replied smoothly.

Voldemort's eyes bored into him.

" Then we shall have to go see, shall we not?"

And with that the Dark Lord doubled his pace.

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The fruit laughed as Harry tickled it and the painting swung forward.

Immediately Harry was assaulted a plethora of smells, most of them delicious. Sausage rolls and croissants baked in one oven while fresh bread rose gently in the next. On large counters, countless sandwiches were being cut and filled with different combinations of cheese and meats and tomatoes and onions and coleslaw. Soup and stew simmered in their respective pots and at it all, there worked the largest group of house elves in wizarding Briton.

Harry made his way carefully across the room, still wearing the cloak. He didn’t know how the elves would react to his presence and he didn’t want to put them in such a situation in the first place. Harry had not forgotten the proficiency with which Kreature, old as he was, had hunted down Mundungus Fletcher. He peered ahead of him and sure enough, near to the great fire at the back of the room, a small figure swayed upon a little stool.

Harry quickly sidled over Winky, noticing as he did another, obviously very aged elf standing next to her.

" Speak of the devil..." He murmured.

Kreature turned and the elf's baleful eyes locked onto Harry.

" Master" Kreature croaked.

" Kreature" Harry acknowledged, feeling relief wash over him. " Kreature. We have to leave here. There’s trouble coming. Can you aparate us out of here?"

Behind him Harry could hear raised voices in the corridor outside. Dammit! how did they keep doing that?!

" Kreature has promised to look after Winky while Dobby is gone, master." Said Kreature, looking at Harry with what Harry realised was a plea.

" She comes with us then." Harry allowed but the elf shook his head.

" She will not move, Kreature has tried. She waits for Dobby to return..."

Harrys heart constricted, quickly he circled the stool until he was in front of Winky. Carefully he put a hand on one of the tiny elf’s wasted shoulders, then he slowly pulled the cloak off of himself, so that he was fully visible.

" Winky..."

The voices were getting louder.

Winky stirred.

" Harry...Potter?"

" Yes, I’m here to come get you Winky, so you can go see Dobby."

" Dobby? Winky will be able to see him?"

A little more life came into Winky’s eyes.

" Yes" Said Harry, grief welling up fresh and hot in his chest. " But Winky, I-I don’t think your-"

With a thunderous crash, the painting was blasted inwards. The room went still. Voldemort stepped through the rubble, red eyes locked with green.

" Insendreani!" Screamed Voldemort

" Protego!" Roared Harry moving in front of the two elves.

The hex hit Harrys shield with stunning force and Harry was knocked back. He stopped suddenly in mid flight and realised that Kreature must have caught him. Harry gasped. Winded.

" Where is Dobby? Master?" Kreature croaked softly in his ear.

" Dead" Harry breathed.

Behind him the elf nodded.

" FFFFRRRRRRREEEEEEEAAAAAAAAKKKKKKKKK!!!!!"

Harry jumped and looked round wildly to see Winky, standing, her eyes glazed and her tiny finger pointing directly at Voldemort.

" FOUL FILTH OF THE EARTH!! FREAK!! DIEASED!! BASTARD WHO HAD WINKY'S DOBBY K-KILLED!!!..."

For a moment, Voldemort seemed too shocked too move as the elf continued to hurl insults at him. Then, as if in slow motion, Harry heard the fatal words :

" AVADA KADAVRA!"

Before he knew what he was doing, Harry was on his feet. He saw the green ball of light streaking towards Winky and for a moment, like an old nightmare replaying, he was back in Malfoy manor with Belatrix's knife hurtling towards determined, courageous Dobby.

Harry threw himself in its path. He would catch the knife. It would not hurt him as it would hurt...Dobby?...Winky?

...No... Harry thought as death rushed towards him.

...not again...not this time round...

There was pain as the green light filled up the whole world.

Then darkness.

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Authors Note - Phew! Like I said, a little longer than its fellow but I wanted to get to the next part of the storey. The chase has officialy ended.

Danni and Kurai - Ta for extra comments, got me to finish this chapter they did. :)

( And if anyone else has something to say, I wanna hear it, you hear! :D )