Suffocating In Darkness

Chapter 2

I felt distinctly awkward as they set off down Privet Drive together. I had never had a proper conversation with the Headmaster outside of Hogwarts before; there was usually a desk between us all. The memory of our last face-to-face encounter kept intruding too, and it rather heightened my sense of embarrassment; I had shouted a lot on that occasion, not to mention done his best to smash several of Dumbledore's most prized possessions.

Dumbledore, however, seemed completely relaxed.

"Keep your wand at the ready, both of you," he said brightly.

"But I thought we're not allowed to use magic outside school, sir?"

"If there is an attack," said Dumbledore, "I give you permission to use any counter-jinx or curse that might occur to you. However, I do not think you need worry about being attacked tonight."

"Why not, sir?"

"You are with me," said Dumbledore simply. "This will do."

He came to an abrupt halt at the end of Privet Drive.

"You have not, of course, passed your Apparition Test," he said.

"No," said Harry. "I thought you had to be seventeen?"

"You do," said Dumbledore. "So you will need to hold on to my arm very tightly. My left, if you don't mind--as you have noticed, my wand arm is a little fragile at the moment. Melissa, you need to hold onto Harry's."

Harry gripped Dumbledore's proffered forearm and I grabbed Harry's.

"I hate Apparition." I muttered remembering the times I went with the Malfoy's.

"Very good," said Dumbledore. "Well, here we go."

I felt Harry's arm twist away from me and redoubled my grip; the next thing I knew, everything went black; I was being pressed very hard from all directions; I could not breathe, there were iron bands tightening around my chest; my eyeballs were being forced back into my head; my eardrums were being pushed deeper into my skull and then--

I gulped great lungfulls of cold night air and opened my streaming eyes. I felt as though I had just been forced through a very tight rubber tube. It was a few seconds before I realized that Privet Drive had vanished. We were now standing in what appeared to be a deserted village square, in the center of which stood an old war memorial and a few benches. I brushed off my jacket and re-fixed my hair feeling perfectly fine now.

"Are you all right?" asked Dumbledore, as we looked down at Harry solicitously. "The sensation does take some getting used to."

"I'm fine," said Harry, rubbing his ears. "But I think I might prefer brooms..."

Dumbledore smiled, drew his traveling cloak a little more lightly around his neck, and said, "This way."

We set off at a brisk pace, past an empty inn and a few houses. According to a clock on a nearby church, it was almost midnight.

"So tell me, Harry, Melissa," said Dumbledore. "Your scars... have they been hurting at all?"

Harry raised a hand unconsciously to his forehead and rubbed the lightning-shaped mark while I rubbed my heart scar.

"No," I said, "and I've been wondering about that. I thought it would be burning all the time now Voldemort's getting so powerful again."

I glanced up at Dumbledore and saw that he was wearing a satisfied expression.

"I, on the other hand, thought otherwise," said Dumbledore. "Lord Voldemort has finally realized the dangerous access to his thoughts and feelings you have been enjoying. It appears that he is now employing Occlumency against both. Not just you Harry.