Alice's POV
I fought as hard as I could, but falling unconscious was inevitable. Julia and I hadn't said a word to each other all day. I felt guilty for flinching every single time she even moved a muscle, but I can't stop picturing her turning on me, helping Voldemort out.
My eyelids grow heavy from a long, silent day of waiting around - a past-time I've yet to get used to, despite it occupying my time the past six months. I try to pinch myself to refrain from falling asleep, but it's no use. Slowly and surely, my eyes roll back in my head and I'm drifting off, far away from Azkaban.
The constant sound of water hitting the cave floor fades away and the chilly, damp air heats up progressively.
I open my eyes, slightly disoriented. But it doesn't take long for me to recognize my surroundings. A pang of sadness takes over my insides as I stare around at the place I used to call home.
Hogwarts.
The Dining Hall is completely deserted, which is incredibly rare. I'm used to seeing the large room full of bustle. Banners representing the several different houses stare at me, it's as if they're welcoming me back.
I take a step, waiting for this all to vanish at any moment. Confused, I glance around the room. Am I dreaming? This is the first time I've had my own thoughts and actions in a dream. I'm fully aware of myself, which isn't the case in most of my dreams/hallucinations.
My vision returns to Dining Hall's ceiling, which is displaying the night's sky. It makes the room appear as if it didn't end. I have the strong urge to summon my broom and fly away, as if that would allow me to escape my troubles.
A soft 'snap' sound echoes throughout the quiet Dining Hall, grasping my attention immediately.
My eyes land on an unfortunately familiar figure. His back is to me as he obviously adjusts to the scenery of which he'll continue to torture me.
"LEAVE ME ALONE!" I let out a scream, gripping on to the end of Slytherin's table for support. I can feel the physical toll that my body has taken. I'm not sure how much longer I can take of these hallucinations.
My fate will be exactly the same as the people Julia were telling me of.
The figure snaps around greeting me with his serpent-like features. A disturbing smile takes place on his face, spreading fear to tremor through my body like a virus.
"Hello Alice," He sneers, causing me to suppress a shiver.
It's as if the iciness from his insides has spread like wildfire throughout the room. The warm, welcoming air of Hogwarts has left and it starts to feel more and more like Azkaban.
Voldemort takes a step forward - odd for him to do, he usually waits for his opponent to make the first move - and on instinct, I do the same. His smile starts to slowly fade, in a terrifying manner. I do my best to hide my fear and block my mind.
Snape would be proud.
"So have you learned your lesson yet, young, foolish Alice?" Voldemort speaks to me as if I were a child; one of my biggest pet peeves. I ball up my fist, clenching my jaw tightly.
"I learned my lesson a long time ago when I realize what a mistake I was making joining you," I snap at him, unable to hold my tongue. I pull back the sleeve of my old student robe, revealing the dark tattoo that has been haunting me the past several months.
It's been so long since I've seen this side of me; the fighter. I thought Azkaban had sucked the life from me as it had with the hundreds of prisoners before me. Apparently the Alice I used to know is still here.
And I couldn't be more relieved.
"Tisk, tisk, tisk," He shakes his head, "Is death going to be what it really takes to show you what's right?" He asks, highly amused by my resistance.
Death. I cannot count how many times that word has danced around my brain, or how many times I slipped my tongue around it. It's become an inevitable part of my life. Even from birth I had this terrible omen above my head.
I don't even bat an eyelash at the word 'death'. It alone means nothing.
"And what will you get out of killing me?" I ask, honestly curious as to what good I'll do him once I'm six feet under.
He shakes his head once more, wheezes of laughter escaping his throat, sounding like what I imagine a black cloud would sound like. Goosebumps form on the surface of my flesh.
"More than you can ever imagine," He grins, baring those disgusting teeth for me to see.
The disturbing image of Voldemort grinning like that over my cold corpse bursts in my mind without invitation. I'm not entirely sure if it's my own imagination messing with me, or if he's planting images in my head once again.
I just can't trust anyone; not even myself.
"Then what's taking you so long? I imagine a man of your power could have a weak, teenage girl like myself dead in an instant if you really wanted me gone that badly." I taunt him, hitting him right in the weak spot.
He's been unable to kill Harry Potter for years and it's killing him. I probably shouldn't continue to egg him on, but I can't help myself.
If I'm going to die, I've got to put up a fight first.
As the anger flashes through his eyes, fear jump-starts in my chest. Instinctively, I reach for my wand in my robe pocket, where it should be. My heart continues to race and a cold sweat forms on my skin as I realize my wand is missing.
I rack my brain with possibilities of where it could be. They took my wand away from me in Azkaban, so it's no surprise that it's not on me now. But, my wand has to be in the school somewhere.
"Do you have a death wish, Alice Petrowski?" Voldemort asks, flames igniting beneath each of his words. I flinch as he uses my real last name, binding me with the Death Eaters that were my parents - his loyal followers.
Knowing I'll be dead in an instant if I don't have my wand, I do the first thing my gut tells me to do.
Apparate.
Within milliseconds, I'm transported to the only other place that my wand could be. My old dormitory. The moment my feet hit the ground, I take off running up the stairs placed in the Slytherin common room. I've never witnessed this place so bare before.
I burst through the doors of my dormitory, my pulse beating at a dangerously high pace. I can hear my heart beat echoing through my skull.
Bum-bum.
Bum-bum.
Bum-bum.
My fingers tremble as I tear through my wooden chest at the foot of my bed - still full of my belongings - making it nearly difficult to sort through my things. Giving up on searching, I begin tearing through things. I check every pocket in all my robes or clothes, ripping several of them in the process.
My wand is nowhere to be found.
Frantically, I dig through my sheets, checking under my bed and any place I can think of. As I reach beneath my bed, my fingers land on a small box, the size of a shoebox. Quickly, I pull it from under my bed.
The lid on the box is on very tightly, so I struggle to open it. I can't help but to let out a fearful groan as my hands continue to shake. I keep glancing at the door, waiting for Voldemort to break through at any moment, killing me on the spot.
The lid breaks off, clattering to the ground loudly. In the box, I gasp as I find my trustworthy wand. It's been months since I've seen it. It's almost like looking upon a dear friend after losing them for a long period of time.
But the wand isn't alone in the box. After removing the wand and putting it safe on the ground beside me, I pull out the other contents of the box. My fingers still trembling in the slightest I see a worn-down letter that I could recite without even looking at it. Snape's perfect calligraphy fills the paged, looking slightly rushed, but perfect, nonetheless.
After folding that piece of paper and placing it safely in my robe pocket, I pull out an envelope; the last of the items in the box.
Dipping my fingers in the envelope, I pull out several photographs. I shift so the moonlight shines in through the window, just hitting the photo in the correct way.
If I thought my heart was pounding quickly before, now it's doubled that speed. A small gasp leaves my lips and my hands shake, making it almost impossible to gaze upon the photo in front of me.
My eyes land on a photo of Ron and I. It's as if someone had taken this without either of our knowledge. It's from New Year's Eve. The night we shared our first kiss on the balcony. I can see the tension in both of our bodies. We definitely weren't expecting that. I distinctively remember fleeing from him, absolutely terrified of the way he made me felt.
Sadness crashing over me like a tidal wave, I flip to the next picture. It was a photo of Draco and I. We're deep in the forest and he's bent over me. I instantly place the memory on the last day I saw him. That fateful day in the forest, months ago. This was just right after Bellatrix had flown me against a tree.
Despite Draco's unbreakable bond with the Death Eaters, I can't help but to miss him. I grip the picture tightly, seeing the concern in his eyes. And this was after he found out about Ron and I.
A loud explosion sounds just outside my dormitory. I shove the photos in my robe pocket and pick up my wand, ready for Voldemort to burst through those doors. As I my fingers wrap around the familiar ivy-wood, it feels as if my arm is complete again. I feel slightly more comfortable to be able to depend upon my trustworthy weapon.
The dormitory door bursts open and I don't even flinch, waiting to stare into Voldemort's lifeless eyes. But a gasp leaves my lips as I stare into a different pair of eyes - these ones full of much life.
"A-Aaron?" I choke out, not seeing my brother until I was arrested.
His eyes scan the room, but land on me eventually. Tears are falling down his face as he bounds across the room, eliminating the distance between us. He throws his arms around me, holding me close to him in an embrace. A gesture I can't remember the last time we shared. I haven't hugged my brother since... before I started Hogwarts.
I can feel him shaking as I wrap my arms around him, holding him just as tightly. He breathes in short shallow breaths, obviously full of fear.
"Alice," He says to me quietly, pulling me away so that he can look me in the eyes. The tears continue to stain his face, although he tries to hold them back, "I tried to help you, I tried so hard... But you have to do this on your own." He whispers in a hushed voice.
I don't even have to ask what he means.
Killing Voldemort.
"Do it for the both of us," He continues, "Do it for the way he tore us apart, Alice. Do it for our fallen parents. Do what they were too cowardly to do." He closes his eyes and speaks, making it very evident that these words are difficult.
The weight on my shoulders makes me hunch over, as if he had added an extra load. Of perhaps he had been helping me all this time and now I'm here to carry it all on my own.
Aaron's head whips around, staring at the doorway as if he heard something, his hands shaking even more as they grip my arms tightly. I don't hear anything except for our heavy breathing. He looks back at me, shooting my a look full of sorrow. He embraces me in another tight hug, squeezing me as if he were never going to see me again.
Could that be true? Could I die? Could I end up like one of those people Julia told me about? Killed by my own unconsciousness.
"Go," He hisses, pushing me towards the door. I stumble over my own feet slightly.
I turn around to ask him what I'm supposed to do, and to tell him I love him - another thing I can't remember the last time I ever did - but he's gone. It's as if he evaporated into thin air. I hesitate ever-so-slightly, wishing I could give him one last goodbye, just in case.
I bound down through the empty Slytherin common room with purpose in my step. I'm no longer fleeing the wrath of Voldemort, I'm welcoming it. A new confidence keeps my held high, as I used to carry it long before.
I catch my reflection in one of the trophy cases in the hallway. I no longer see the destroyed woman I've become in that Azkaban cell. I see the Alice I knew before. The one that would stop at nothing to achieve what she wants. The Alice that Voldemort saw so much promise in.
How right he was.
As I march through hallways, I flick my wand, slamming each and every door in sight open. As I walk past, I cast a quick glance in the rooms, just to be sure Voldemort isn't hiding anywhere. Also to be sure my mind doesn't cast any more hallucinations with important messages.
Suddenly as i almost reach the Dining Hall, every single light that illuminated the halls diminishes, leaving me in darkness. I freeze instantly. An icy cold breeze runs up my spine as if the draft was happening inside my body. I clench my jaw tightly shut to refrain from chattering.
'Lumos maximus' I think in my head, not wanting Voldemort to know what I'll do next. I think that Snape would be proud.
As the tip of my wand lights up the black hallway, a scream leaves my lips as I fall backwards in terror. A Dementor stares directly at me, or directly into me. I'm unable as it reaches forward and grips my chin, tipping it up towards his face.
Slowly, I feel the happiness - or what's left of it - seeping out of my body. I try to rack my brain with the best possible solution in this situation, but the iciness makes it hard for my brain to function. My eyes start roll back into my head, losing my fight, when I hear a familiar voice.
'Think of the happiness moment. Use your patronus.'
Snape's deep velvety voice echoes in the back of my head, as if he were right behind me. Although I can feel the life being drained from my now-limp body, I do as I'm told, trusting Snape entirely.
I close my eyes tightly and think of my first hallucination I ever had. Waking up in Ron's arms back in his house and being so utterly happy. It never happened, but even the thought brought complete bliss into my veins.
"Expecto Patronus!" I do my best to shout it, but it comes out as a faint whisper as I point my wand in the Dementor's direction.
Out of the tip of my wand protrudes a light blue light. I watch as it takes the figure of a sleek panther. By the dark tint to it, I can tell it's a black panther. I've never witnessed my own patronus before. My eyes are glued to it as it pounces on the Dementor, sending it flying in the other direction. The majestic animal fades into the darkness as it chases the Dementor away from me.
I lay on the ground, fighting to regain my breathing and normal heart-beat. An icy chill still races through my insides, not warming up fast enough. I watch the light coming from my wand trembling against the hallways caused by my unsteady hand.
"You've learned well, Alice," Voldemort's voice echoes in the darkness, sounding much closer than I'm comfortable with. "You have so much potential. I've always had an eye for talent. You'd be shaming the wizarding world if you throw it all away." He continues to try and convince me to join his side, using the same argument he always uses.
Shame. Waste. Potential.
They mean nothing to me. I used to think power and glory was all that mattered, but I've grown up. It's odd to think a man that has been feared for years as immature, but that's all I hear when he refuses to realize that I'll never join him.
"I'd rather die than join you," I spit out into the nothingness, my head darting to every small little sound, still unable to see Voldemort.
I wait for Voldemort to lash out with a bitter response since I show him no respect whatsoever, but much to my surprise my comment is followed by silence.
The silence is almost worse. There isn't a single sound through the dark hallway except for the large thumping echoing off of my heart. It keeps a constant drumming sound in my ears. I hold my breath, hoping Voldemort will make a sound, giving me a hint to where he is.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, Voldemort swoops down above me. His terrifying face comes within inches of my own, his cold breath blows in my face. I don't allow myself to flinch or scream. I hold my breath and grip my wand tightly.
"Looks like you'll get your wish, then," He snarls, spit actually flying out of his mouth and hitting me in the face.
Seeing the absolute hate in his eyes, I act in survival mode. I whip my wand up, shouting the first thing that comes to mind,
"AVADA KEDAVRA!"
But at the same exact moment, Voldemort hisses the same exact thing. Green sparks fly from each of our wands, meeting in the middle. I close my eyes and keep my grip firm, not allowing Voldemort to get the best of me this time.
I can feel his anger increasing as my wand gets harder and harder to hold onto. I open my eyes and stare deep into his. I grip my wand tighter as I get to my feet, planting myself firmly on the ground.
We both grit our teeth as we put up an even fight. Perspiration coats my forehead as I concentrate on this curse more than I have ever concentrated on anything. I can feel my muscles growing weak, but I don't dare let up.
Voldemort takes a step towards me, making the space between us shrink. I do the same, showing him that I'm ready to take him down for once and for all. I'm not going to let him destroy all I love, including myself. He's already destroyed so much of me, but I won't let him do it anymore. He's done enough damage.
Then, out of nowhere, I see Voldemort's expression let up. It's as if he's made some discovery that I'm unaware of. A smile replaces his strained grimace he wore before. I don't let that distract me, I keep up my side of the battle.
"ALICE!" A pained voice screams out, sounding like it's right by my feet. I recognize the owner of the tortured voice.
Ron.
My heart beat doubles in time. Voldemort grins at me, showing me his rotted teeth. I try my best to shake the voice away. He's not actually there. Voldemort knows my weakness and is trying to distract me.
"ALICE, PLEASE!" Ron screams into the cold air, sounding as if he were having the life ripped from him. I can hear his sobs accompanying his pleads.
Stop Alice. He's not actually there. I try to assure myself. You can't let Voldemort corner you. He knows that you would sacrifice yourself to save Ron. That's why he's standing there grinning. You can't let him be right.
I wish I could zone his cries out, but I can't close off my mind from it. As hard as I try, his screams sound as if they were real. I have never heard him so in pain before.
Perhaps...
No! Don't take your eyes off of Voldemort. He'll take less than a second to kill you. Don't fall for it, whatever you do, don't fall for it.
"ALICE!" Ron screams, sounding on the verge of death.
Unable to hear it any longer, I drop to the ground where Ron's voice is coming from, taking my wand off of Voldemort.
I was right.
It took him less than a second - less than a millisecond - to kill me.
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AN: HEYA! Yes, I know, I'm the queen of the cliffhangers, it'll always be that way, sorry ;) hahaha
But, I just wanted to say that I've extended the banner contest because I didn't have very many entries! So, PLEASE enter! Even if you don't think you're any good, it doesn't hurt to try! I swear! <3
So, like always, if you're enjoying this story, please leave a comment! :) I appreciate them so much! :)
PS. The song on the side is 'This Is War' by 30 Seconds to Mars! <3 this song and thought it fit this chapter. What are your thoughts?