the chosen one, harry potter

five, the lady in her dream

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AS RORY AND Harry walked out of their first detention the following Monday, their robes were wound tightly around their non-dominate hands. When Professor Umbridge had asked them to do lines, the pair thought nothing of it. However, as Rory watched the line be engraved into her skin, she had to stop herself from doing something stupid again. As soon as they left her office Rory grimaced in pain, "Ouch."

Harry glanced over at her worriedly, "Are you okay? Umbridge had you write more than me."

"I'm fine," Rory responded shortly, and Harry raised an eyebrow, "Are you sure? It looks like something's bothering you."

"I'm sure," she nodded, wincing as she peeled her robe to see sticky, crimson blood still seeping out of the cut. "I don't — I guess I don't understand what the writing means." The words be a follower, not a leader carved into her hand.

"Don't let it get to you," Harry shrugged as they stopped in front of the Fat Lady's portrait. "Don't let her get the satisfaction that it's bothering you. It's part of her game."

Rory sighed as she spoke the password to the Fat Lady, walking into the red and gold common room. She sat down on one of the sofas and conjured a small basin. Harry sat down beside her and watched as she used her wand to fill the basin with water. Rory gestured towards his hand, "Put your hand in the water."

Harry washed off all the dried blood and shook his hand dry. Rory pointed her wand at his hand and simply said, "Episky." The mark on his hand fading ever so slightly.

"It's the best I can do for now, Harry," Rory said as she began the same process on her hand. "The mark is a bit more faded, so it'll be harder for people to see what it says. Just be careful though."

"I'll try," Harry promised, and noticed the blonde stand up from the sofa, "Where are you going?"

Rory offered him a small, tired smile, "To sleep. I'm exhausted and I didn't sleep at all last night. I got all my work done too, so I don't have to worry about it. Goodnight, Harry."

He watched as she descended up the stairs, disappearing into the darkness. Harry let a sigh escape past his lips as he took out his Charms homework, wishing he had told her to stay with him.

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"Where's your daughter, Iris?" A man's voice was the first thing that could be heard as the image was still coming in. Next, it was a woman who spoke, "I won't let you take my baby, Lucius. I'd rather die than let you take her. She wasn't born for you, she's my baby!"

The color finally came in, and the scene showed a man with long, platinum blond hair towering over a beautiful woman with tan skin and dark hair. Another woman with mangled salt and pepper hair pointed her wand at Iris, "I think I could arrange the dying part."

"Lower your wand, Bella," Lucius's voice was smooth, yet demanding. "It seems you don't know Iris the way I do. You see, she seems strong now, but just wait. You need to break down her walls in order to get inside her head."

He raised his own wand this time and pointed it at Iris's chest, "Crucio."

Lucius and Bella both laughed as they watched Iris writhe in pain on the ground. Screams of pain emitted from her chest and came out of her throat in gurgled noises.

Back in the dormitories at Hogwarts, Rory could feel the same pain and it wouldn't stop. It felt as though someone was slicing through her insides with hot knives, twisting each blade around her intestines then up to her chest. The pain was unbearable, but she couldn't wake up from the dream.

She was trapped.

It wasn't until a slam came from the front door that Lucius and Bella quickly disapparated from the room, Iris in tow. A man with shoulder length, black hair came into frame and searched frantically around the room, "Iris? Iris, where are you? It's okay, it's just —!" The name of the man was intentionally muffled, but nothing else was. "Please, it's okay!"

A little girl, probably no more than a year old, opened the door of a nearby wardrobe and wobbled out. She glanced up at the man with teary eyes, "Dada? Mama?"

"Elara!" The man picked up the girl and cradled her close to his chest. "Oh Merlin, I don't know what I would've done if they took you."

"Dada?" More tears started to well in the child's hazel eyes. "Mama?" But the man kept silent as he rocked her in his arms, ignoring her constant cries for her mother. He had just lost the love of his life and mother of his child, but this wasn't the only loss he'd have that week alone. . . .

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"Aurora!"

Someone was yelling and shaking the girl, but Rory wouldn't wake up. She was screaming in pain at the top of her lungs and had probably woken up the whole Gryffindor tower.

"Aurora, please!" The person's voice was frantically pleading, reminding her so much of Iris' pleads from the dream. Rory was still trapped in her thoughts as she cried, "Don't hurt her! Please, don't hurt Iris!"

A slap was landed on the thrashing girl's face, waking her up immediately. As Rory opened her eyes, the lingering of pain still succumbed her body and was pulsing. She hugged her arms around her body, "Make it stop! Please, just make it go away!"

"What is it, Aurora?" Hermione asked her. "Make what go away?"

"Miss Granger, what's going on?" The authoritative voice of Professor McGonagall filled their dormitory. She looked down at the shaking girl, who stared at the empty wall behind the professor. Professor McGonagall walked over to her, "Miss Kennedy?"

"S-She used the Cruciatus Curse o-on me," Rory stumbled over her words, arms still wrapped tightly around her body. "I-It hurt so bad. It wouldn't s-stop."

Hermione glanced over at Professor McGonagall, "She wouldn't stop screaming about someone named Iris." And Rory brought her focus to the professor as Hermione mentioned the name, "T-They took her. They used the c-curse on her."

"Who?"

"L-Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix L-Lestrange."

As Professor McGonagall made the realization, she helped the girl off her bed, "Come, Kennedy. Let's go see Professor Dumbledore, alright? Miss Granger, your help please?"

"Of course, Professor," Hermione nodded as she supported Rory's shaky movements. Professor McGonagall made her way out of the dormitory, "Follow me."

Harry watched the event from the hallway, walking over towards Hermione to help her support Rory. The blonde looked up at him, green eyes meeting hazel, "H-Harry?"

"Yeah?"

"I t-think someone is lying to me."