Living Death

- chapter forty one

"I hope you can find it" Luna smiled hopefully as you descended the stairs of Ravenclaw Tower after examining the statue, "I'll keep an eye out too"

There was a distant shouting as you got to the bottom and you could see Neville approaching, out of breath and eager to relay a message.

"The Order.. They're here" Neville finally revealed as he got to you both and Luna's eyes widened in surprise, "They came through the passageway after you left"

Part of you longed to join them but as a Deatheater, you would be risking your safety as well as there's if you stormed in to greet them all of a sudden. You assured Luna and Neville you'd find wherever Ron and Hermione were now you knew what the diadem looked like and that you were entirely capable on your own, but they still seemed doubtful as they left your side to join The Order.

You began to walk down the corridor in the opposite direction but before you had time to even consider where Ron and Hermione might have gotten to, a loud crash, the sound of shattering glass, echoed across the otherwise silent grounds, causing you to instinctively cower.

Your heart began to pound and you started running in the general direction of the commotion as panic overcame you, watching as a familiar flurry of black smoke disapparated into the evening sky from The Great Hall, seemingly crashing through the stained glass window as you rushed into the adjacent courtyard.

Snape.

You debated following him but knew your apparition powers were incomparable, even the most established Deatheaters would struggle to perform such an advanced disapparation as the one you'd just witnessed. You kept running forwards, trusting your instincts to find out more.

A piercing scream no more than a few moments later made you stagger forward desperately. It sounded like a young girl, a student, it was soon followed by another similar harrowing scream and you felt your heart pound harder, breathing heavier. You were powerless.

A shooting pain shot up your arm and you let out a sharp hiss, the mark burning intensely, even worse than the initial pain you'd experienced after your initiation. You slowly peeled back your sleeve, teeth clenched as it felt like you were peeling the fabric off of an open wound.

It was incredibly dark, so much so you could scarcely see how red raw your mark was. The night sky had grown even darker in the last few seconds and thick, menacing clouds seemed to loom threateningly over the grounds.

Your heart stopped racing suddenly as you heard that familiar and always ominous snake-like voice echo through your skull, seizing up as your knees weakened beneath you and you crashed to the grass below, your hands desperately covering your ears to try and dull the numbing sound.

"I know that many of you will want to fight... Some of you may even think that to fight is wise... But this is folly... Give me Harry Potter.. Do this and none shall be harmed.."

You silently gasped for breath, staring ahead into the night, your brows furrowed as you listened further to his awful message, paralysed with fear.

"Give me Harry Potter and I shall leave Hogwarts untouched... Give me Harry Potter and you will be rewarded.. You have one hour."

Then it stopped. You clutched your heart suddenly, the shock slowly setting in as you dropped back on your heels. Had you heard it alone? Was the message meant for you? Or did it pulse through the skulls of those in The Great Hall too?

You scrambled to your feet after a few moments, clutching your forearm as the intensity of the pain still lingered around the raised mark, his voice still ringing through your head, pounding, like he was coursing through your veins.