Love Lasts

Chapter 26

That evening, Harry gave away the puppy. Kayla had no problem with naming him James and he barked happily at it in response.

When she was gone, Harry walked in the opposite direction of the Great Hall and went up the stairs to Griffindor Tower.

It was empty upon arrival, go figure, but instead of staying in the Common Room he walked up to the dormitory and collapsed on his bed.

Just as he kicked off his shoes, sleep washed over him and blocked out any thought of undressing.

Harry woke up to whispers and daylight pouring through his curtains. How long have I been asleep?

Harry strained his ears to hear the conversation that seemed to be coming from the doorway.

"I dunno Ron. I'm not a healer. He may just be tired. Being cursed takes a lot out of someone I reckon. Just let him be for a while." Harry recognized Hermione's voice.

"I know. I was just curious when he didn't show up to dinner. Then he was still wearing his robes in bed, I dunno. I thought something was wrong." Ron.

"I get that. But-" Harry shifted on the bed and heard the mattress creak. "Let's go. We don't want to wake him up."

Harry heard the shuffle of feet then the sound of a door closing. Before he could think about what was going on or even what time it was, he had fallen back to sleep.

When he next woke, Harry noticed the sounds of breathing and the darkness all around him. Did I sleep all day? What's wrong with me?

The bad news was that Harry felt wide awake now. With not even a fragment of sleep to hold onto, he slipped out of bed and grabbed the invisibility cloak.

He saw Night curled up at the foot of his bed and clicked his tongue. One eye opened and surveyed him suspiciously.

"Only me. Want to go outside for a bit?" That perked him up and he stood and stretched.

Harry chuckled and grabbed a jacket, slipped on some boots, gloves, his scarf, and invisibility cloak.

He slipped out of the dormitory, hurried through the Common Room, and sped down the stairs.

He opened the Entrance Hall doors silently and slipped outside. The moon shown bright and full and stars twinkled all around it, dazzling Harry's eyes.

After a minute of looking around, he cast a spell on his boots so they wouldn't get soaked in the snow. The snowfall from earlier had cleared the sky and he could now see every single star and constellation.

Harry walked down to the frozen lake and leaned against the beech tree, crossing his arms in front of his chest to keep warm.

Harry saw movement under the ice and figured the giant squid was having a hard time sleeping too.

Night climbed up Harry's leg and chest until he curled up on his shoulder. He was very cold and wet, so Harry wrapped his scarf around him to keep him warm. He gave a small purr of thanks then fell asleep. Harry chuckled as he watched the small creature breathe in and out.

With his face now exposed, Harry could feel the icy wind blowing on it but was having a hard time caring. He was having a hard time caring about anything at the moment.

What's wrong with me? I was fine today. I was fine, but now I feel strange. Like there's something missing. Harry was jerked out of his thoughts by the world shifting around him and a blinding pain in his scar.

Two men in Death Eater masks were sitting on a large leather couch with a fire burning green beside them. Harry couldn't make out the room, but figured they were in a house.

"My Lord, when should he arrive? He is already quite late." Harry couldn't recognize the voice. It sounded hoarse and timid.

"Silence! You have been late to several meetings, Rookwood, and I haven't given up on you yet. I just gave you a little reminder to do better next time." Harry's voice sounded high, cold, and cruel.

"Yes My Lord." Rookwood said.

Suddenly a man appeared in the fireplace and stepped out gracefully. He sat down on the couch and faced Harry, but his gaze trailed down to the floor.

"And why are you so late Yaxley? I gave you sufficient time to get our information, did I not?" Harry asked, his voice menacing.

"Yes My Lord." "I gave you proper notice of our meeting time and place, did I not?" Yaxley nodded. "Yes My Lord."

"Then why were you so late? We were getting worried." Yaxley glanced up then looked down at the ground.

"I had to convince some Aurors to get out of my way. They were rather insistent but I had to do it without arousing suspicion." Harry nodded, but his anger didn't go away.

"What information do you bring me Yaxley?" He let out a relieved sigh. Foolish man. Does he know me not? He should know better.

"I learned that the Aurors are planning to all go out for missions tomorrow, My Lord. Their offices will be open to any and every Death Eater." Harry nodded.

"That is good information Yaxley. I thank you for your service." Yaxley gave a small smile. Foolish man.

"However, you were quite late to our meeting. I believe you should be taught to arrive at the given time."

"B-But M-My Lord, I told you, t-the Aurors-" "The Aurors don't matter. You matter. I said what time to be here and you should have arrived. Rookwood and Nott did. They gave me their reports and are patiently waiting to be dismissed." Rookwood and Nott nodded from the sofa.

"But you give me an excuse for being late instead of apologizing."

"I-I'm sorry My Lord. I beg you, don't-" "It is not in your position to make requests of me. Especially right now."

Harry wrapped his long pale fingers around his wand and pointed it at Yaxley. "Crucio!"

Yaxley slid off the couch and started screaming at twitching on the ground. Rookwood and Nott didn't say anything. They didn't even move. They knew it meant more trouble for them if they did.

Harry woke up, sweaty and shaking, on the ground. Snow covered his legs and Night was hissing beside his neck. He felt something sliding across his stomach and heard a strange voice.

"He's okay. Don't worry. Take him to the Headmaster. Quickly!" Harry recognized the sound as hissing and looked up to see a large snake slithering across his stomach.

However much he tried, he couldn't speak. He couldn't make any noise. Sweat was still pouring down his face and his hands felt shaky. Going to see Dumbledore sounds like a good plan.

Harry stood up on shaky legs and saw the snake clearly for the first time. It was very, very long. Several feet. It was bright silver with some dark swirls on it. Defiantly no snake Harry had seen before.

Harry shook his head then looked up to the castle. Before he was aware of telling his legs to move, he found that they were taking him quickly up to the castle. Soon, he was running.

Harry sped up the stairs and climbed through shortcuts, desperate to reach Dumbledore. He soon reached the stone gargoyle and was irritated to find that he didn't know the password.

"Licorice Wands? Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Bean?" The statue remained still.

"I dunno! Cockroach Clusters! Fizzing Whizzbes! Chocolate Frogs!" At that one the statue jumped to the side.

Harry raced up the stairs and hammered quickly on the door. As soon as he heard the "Come in!", he raced inside, closing the door with a snap behind him.