The Dream Trilogy Book Two: Tread On My Dreams (A Harry Potter FanFiction)

Chapter Thirty Nine

Chapter Thirty Nine

Harry's whole body screamed. His face was mashed into the soothing marble flooring of the platform, and it was with every ounce of strength he had he was still breathing in and out. 

His arms and legs were splayed out like a star fish, and occasionally one or other limb would spasm and twitch as it worked out how to function again. Getting himself back across the sea of rings had seemed to take forever, and his nerves had shredded to the point where he believed succeeding without falling would be impossible. It was only the thought of his friends and sister, stranded somewhere in the building, that kept his shaking arms reaching out over and over again. 

He thought of Bellatrix again. He hadn't meant for her to fall, heinous as she was, but it was the sort of death he wouldn't wish on anyone. It was the raw fear he'd seen in her eyes that was plaguing his thoughts.  

He sighed, causing the marble pressed up near his mouth to fog up. He had to get a grip. There were plenty of other extremely worthwhile human beings who could still die tonight, who had already died for all he knew, and if he dawdled here any longer he wasn't going to be of much use to them. 

With a groan he bent his arms and legs until they were reasonably balanced enough to cope with him standing. He fetched his wand from where it had clattered across the floor, and began to wind his way around the walls and pillars.  

He figured the easiest way to get out of the training facility was to go back the route he'd come, and thankfully he had rather a large trail of water to follow that lead him all the way back to the doors and once more into the shin deep currents. 

He was only on Level Two, and he had to get to Level Nine if Bellatrix was to be believed. He rubbed his head and looked up and down the deserted corridor. She had been frantic to save her skin, so he really hoped she'd been telling the truth, but really, he had no way to know. He had to at least try and find Courtroom Seven though, he reasoned, so set off away from the direction he'd originally run away from Bellatrix. He'd seen no sign of stairs when he'd run through there, so he figured trying a new route would be most sensible. 

He allowed himself a smile as he turned into another hallway and spied a sign for the stairwell. A bit of luck was just what he needed right about now.  

He splashed his way through the currents, hoping there weren't any other Death Eaters lurking round the corner to drag him off to Voldemort. But all he saw were frozen Ministry employees, the chilly water lapping around their robes. 

The stairs were practically rapids with the amount of water that was pouring down them. How long could that fountain chug it out for like this? Harry had to cling onto the railing with his right hand and hold his wand clumsily in his left in case he were to meet anyone unwelcome. He figured he could probably still cast spells with his wrong hand; he certainly couldn't let go of the banister with the other. 

But wherever the Death Eaters all were, they were not hanging around in the stairwell. He didn't see a single soul until he reached Level Nine, or rather, the lake that greeted him just before he arrived at the level. The water was strangely warm, and it wasn't so dreadful to sink into its depths and swim into the corridor.  

Harry looked worryingly at the frozen people who's heads were only just sticking out above the water's surface. Would they drown, or was their immobility protecting them for now? 

"You!" 

Harry jerked his head around so fast his glasses almost went sailing off his head. But he couldn't see anyone in the water with him. His raised his wand out of the water and span around, searching for the source of the voice.