[dw]

[Duddahs]

DARKNESS WITHIN

CHAPTER 1

Part 1

All for one.

By Madame Snape and Duddahs the Great Barn Owl


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


*Slam* The noise that all could hear as the Fat Lady's door hits the wall, announcing Harry and Ron's arrival inside the common room, searching for Hermione.

"Where's Hermione?"

Harry asked Seamus Finnegan and Dean Thomas as they sat playing a game of Exploding Snap near the fire grate. Seamus looked up to Harry's worried face.

"Don't know mate, probably at the library." he said as he shrugged his shoulders, "What's up? You two look as if you've seen a ghost." Seamus snickered as he lay down his next card.

Ron was worried and they had to tell Hermione what they had overheard near the Dungeons. Seamus' noises only infuriated him more.

"You wouldn't be laughing if you had heard Malfoy spouting off to Crabbe and Goyle about some Death Eaters trying to enter the school using Polyjuice Potion. "

Seamus sat there ready to play his next card when he broke out laughing, causing a stitch in his side to develop.

“You guys have always had some bizarre issue with Draco. I am beginning to think that one or both of you have some sort of bizarre stalker infatuation with him.. Wooooo, move on over there Goyle Harry Potter just can not stay away from the Dark Side any longer... Wooo...” Seamus rolled over on the floor pleased with his antagonistic antics.

Ron on the other hand had one thing to say to his Limy friend.

"OY! Why don't you sod off Seamus!!"

Ron was now quite red-faced and ready to attack. But Harry didn't need the extra struggle of getting these two away from each other if they ever got in a fight.

"Come on Ron, don't pay him any attention. Let's go find Hermione at the Library instead."

He pulled on Ron's sleeve as he spoke as Dean stood up in case it didn't work.

"Ruddy prat he is..."

Ron mumbled as they left the common room again. Through the portrait of the Fat Lady the two stormed out into the halls leading down from Gryffindor Tower..

Ron was still fuming as he blurted, "do you believe that bloody prat?"

While Harry tried to stay focused on getting themselves to the Library in the least amount of time.. Harry led Ron behind one of the hanging tapestries to a hidden passage that would keep them from having to deal with Peeves the Poltergeist who happened to be swinging a Blivet at any of the students that happened to cross his path on the 5th floor landing.

"Ron, don't let him put your nickers in a twist... " Harry mentioned as they arrived near the Library, "It won't help you to stay focused on what we have to say to Hermione. You know she'll drill us to the ground before she accepts anything we say about Malfoy."

He eyed the redhead before pulling the door open and letting Ron pass through. Upon entering the Library, Ron and Harry both received the once over disapproving eye of Madame Irma Pince the Librarian and sometimes suspected mother of Severus Snape possibly being kept in hiding at Hogwarts from an abusive husband.

There a few long tables back from the entrance and directly in front of the restricted section sat Hermione Granger. Her hair frazzled to a crisp and whipping in all directions all but the correct direction. Books piled 3 feet high almost obscuring her from site all together.

Harry and Ron silently went around Pince's desk and went to Hermione's table. "'Mione" Harry started to say before the girl gave him an irritated look.

"Harry, I'm overloaded with homework. Whatever you have to say, make it snappy.... and it better be good."

Ron's cheeks grew pink as he stifled the random remark about it being unhealthy to be dedicated to homework like this. He knew he'd get his head chewed off the minute it left his lips; specially when she was in this mood.

"'Mione, its really important. I swear! You have to listen, Draco Malfoy has been up to something in the Room of Requirements and those dungbomb headed twosome Crabbe and Goyle have something to do with helping him.”

Hermione gave Harry the Roll of her eyes and a “harumph” that was a little bit too loud because it clearly had brought the attention of Madame Pince and her ire upon them. Ron, who still was a bit pink around the tips of his ears just stood there as if he'd been caught red-handed with his hand in his mother's cookie jar.

Madame Pince shushed them them furiously, her eagle eyes trained on the Trio. Harry didn't wait for another hiss from the librarian and placed a Muffliato charm around themselves.

"Hermione, we overheard the three of them talking about a Death Eater trying to infiltrate Hogwarts using some Polyjuice Potion."

Hermione gave both Ron and Harry a very skeptical look and then opened her mouth as if to say something and then just as quickly, paused and decided to rescind that decision. Without saying another word Hermione's gaze moved from her fellow Gryffindors to something or someone that was apparently right behind Harry. Harry stood there and felt the small hairs on the back of his neck begin to stand on end.. A sudden icy cold chill ran from the base of his head right down his back ending somewhere in his stomach... Who or what was it? It could not be a Dementor because Professor Dumbledore would never, ever allow Dementors to enter the Castle let alone sneak up on unsuspecting students. Harry's worst fear was about to be realized.

Professor Severus Snape was standing behind Harry, an evil sneer on his face, his wand held lightly in his hand. Whenever the Trio met and used a Muffliato charm to disguise their activities, Professor Snape KNEW something was afoot. He neutralized the charm easily with a flick of his wand and a wordless spell.

"Well, well, well.... isn't this a cozy reunion for Gryffindor wannabes." Severus Snape said in a light but ominous voice.

Harry snapped himself around and faced his most despised professor.

"Yes Potter, do you have something to add? Anything? I thought NOT!"

Ron took a few steps back towards the library table that Hermione was attempting to hide at behind her stack of books.

"I don't think so, Mr. Weasley. Just because you and your little "FRIENDS" have gotten away from punishment and have somehow worked your way out of one crime after another you will not get off with a simple tap of the wand upon your record this time. I will see to that."

Hermione grabbed Harry by the back of his robes, pulling him away from Snape, and hopefully getting him to keep his gob shut for once. But Harry's ebullient side came out anyway.

"Crime? What crime have we committed now?" he whipped out before adding, "SIR!"

Ron and Hermione cringed in unison at the tone that Harry was using, yet again.

"Potter" snarled Professor Snape, "must I remind you of your little adventures into criminal life? Your attack upon Me in the shrieking shack has never been forgotten. That in itself was criminal enough not to mention the fact that you and your little friends chose to help a convicted felon escape the Ministry of Magic. And even though I can not prove it, I know you three were behind the release and escape of the convicted Hippogriff".

Hermione jumped to her feet and raised her hand as high as it could be thrust into the air.

"Sit down you silly girl!" growled Professor Snape through his pursed lips.

Ron took a few steps backwards, sitting on the first available seat, his ears red with indignation.

Harry wasn't fazed by the older wizard's comments. The thunderous gaze he laid on Snape was the only sign of his inner rage at being spoken to in such a manner, as if they had committed horrendous acts.

"Seems to me, " he stated between thinned lips, "that using the Killing curse would beat anything we could cook up, right?" He let that one sink in before adding, "so watch who you call a criminal since your past isn't exactly pristine or pure..... SIR!"

With a look that could truly have killed, Snape stared at each of the three students one at a time. Allowing his anger and rage to into their memories.. With a sudden turn towards the door, a muffled swishing of his long black cape, Professor Severus Snape turned on the spot and marched deliberately out of the library without so much as another grunt or growl.

The relief that crossed the faces of Hermione, Ron and Harry alike was suddenly matched by the large grin before them.. The loud "POP" had almost gone unheard but there was no mistaking the presence of Dobby the Free Elf before them.

"Master Harry....I've found you this."

Dobby gave Harry a piece of parchment that had a hand drawn map of Hogwarts upon it. Crosses were marked at different entry points and initials next to each.

"I found this while cleaning the dungeon corridors, sir, in a little known place where others hide things" the elf said enigmatically. But Dobby, being the house-elf that he is, promptly started to bang his head loudly with a table lamp.

There on the roughly created map, Harry could make out the locations of several of the Hidden passages in and out of Hogwarts. Now Harry, Ron and Hermione knew that many of these passages have either been closed up by Filch over the years or in the case of yet another ,a cave in rent it useless. But what was this large Green and Silver X inside of a circle near the hanging tapestry on the 7th Floor?

Harry was now convinced that the rumors that he had overheard on the train coming into Hogwarts at the start of term were no mere rumors. They were FACT.. Draco Malfoy had actually been recruited by the Voldemort to attempt a mass break in of the Castle by supporters of the Dark Lord.

Harry gave Hermione a long stare.

"Told you so... I knew something was up with Malfoy. This map, " he said, tapping the map with his index finger, "is what I meant. You can't deny it, there is something sinister going on." He concluded and took a seat next to her.

“All right, I have to admit that you might have something there,” Hermione stated with her normal dry delivery.

"Something there?" yelled Harry. "What do you think we should do, wait until the entire grounds and castle are over run with Deatheaters? Can't you just see it, Death Eaters beating down each and every common room passage and rounding up all of the students that are either Muggle Born or Blood Traitors? Well? that would make things nice and cozy during the Christmas break now wouldn't it Hermione?"

Harry looked down at the map in utter disgust at the lack of enthusiasm that she was exhibiting. Even Ron who really did not jump at the chance to risk his neck was biting at the bit to find out what was really going on with Malfoy.

Hermione turned a cool eye to the map and studied it for a moment. True, it did look mightily suspicious...

"Harry, assuming this map is the real thing, why did Malfoy leave it in the open where any House-elf or student could see it? If he is acting on Vol....errr...Vol..." she couldn't get herself to say the name, "if he is being used by You-know-who, wouldn't this map be considered top secret? Malfoy wouldn't be that foolish enough as to leave the thing where anyone that had a half-wit could find it... something is off here."

Ron gave Harry a good hard nudge in his ribs and a toss to the side of his head.

Harry continued to stair intently at the map allowing what Hermione had just stated to sink in very slowly.

“What if Hermione was right? “Harry thought to himself.. “What if Malfoy had actually planted this map to throw us off the trail from what he was really up too?”

Harry reached inside his own robe and from his inside pocket pulled out the Marauders Map. There upon the map Harry, could see two small dots moving very slowly along the Seventh Floor corridor. One marked Crabbe and one marked Goyle.

“But if these two lunkheads were walking in vicinity of the Room of Requirements, where was Malfoy? These two are never found not in tow of Draco Malfoy. It was as if the two shared one brain and that Draco held the tie between them.” Harry considered.

"Look, Hermione" Harry said as he pointed to the Marauders map, "why are Goyle and Crabbe sneaking around the seventh floor corridor?" he asked as he pushed his glasses further up his nose. "They are never without Malfoy... never! And why the seventh floor near the Room of Requirements?"

Ron harrumphed noisily , nodding his head like a muggle bobbing head doll.

"How do you explain that one, Missy!" he added with a smug look on his face.

Hermione rolled her eyes at him. "Well, for all you two know, they may just be looking for something" Hermione stated with impudence. "How do you know that Draco has anything to do with them being there or that he is planning on doing something dangerous to the school? You two just seem to have one track mind”

"Oh come off it Hermione, we have been through this already. Why are you so darned stubborn and refuse to believe anything might not be perfect or how it is when it is written in a book?"

The look of disgust that Harry showed on his face was enough to cause Hermione to stutter just for a moment. Slightly out of her controlling element.

"Well.... if that's how you see it, you won't be needing my help, since whatever it is hasn't been written in a book." Hermione said in a chilled voice, lifting her chin in defiance. "I'm going to the common room. I've had more than enough of your silly, paranoid, doomsday scenarios... "

She left in a veritable huff of flashing eyes and fluffy hair. Ron could only look on between her departing figure and Harry's angered stance.

Shaking his head, "I know what you wanted her to understand, mate. But I think you pushed it a bit too far this time. She won't have anything to do with us after this bit." Ron said.

Wondering what they would do now without Hermione's formidable brain power.

"Now you've done it Harry" exclaimed Ron. "We need Hermione to help us figure out what to do. I know you and I am, well, you know, brave and all but Hermione actually knows stuff! Stuff that we can't do. If it were not for Hermione allowing me to cheat off her all the time I would have been sent to work on the Dung Heaps loads of years ago. I suggest that you swallow your pride mate and head on up to the Common Room and apologize.. I will wait here for you and Hermione to return when your finished"

Harry just gave Ron the most foul look but turned on his heals and headed out of the Library, with a “SSSSHHHHH” following him from the pursed lips of Madame Pince.

[Duddahs]

DARKNESS WITHIN

CHAPTER 1

Part 2

All for one.

By Madame Snape and Duddahs the Great Barn Owl

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Harry could literally growl by now. First, Hermione has a hissy fit and now, Ron chicken's out on him. How was he supposed to figure out what Draco Malfoy was doing if his friends kept pulling out on him.

With rage, he pulled his wand out and let a suit of armor have it in an empty corridor. *CLANG, BANG, CLINK* That was a most satisfying sound to Harry as he rounded up the stairs, until he saw Mrs Norris blinking evilly up at him.

"Ah... &%^@!!!" he hissed with ire. “That darn cat would go report him to Filch ASAP. He high-tailed it up the stairs to avoid the mean spirited Squib” Harry thought to himself.

As he turned the corner just before the entrance to the Gryffindor Common Room it happened. Peeves the Poltergeist had just thrown an entire bottle full of ink onto Harry. With a resounding crash it exploded as it impacted his head.

As he fell to the hard stone floor below him he felt a sudden searing pain in his scar.. His consciousness seemed to slip away from him and he found himself falling into a large tunnel. Cold, wet, damp and covered in dirt Harry could not believe that he now felt almost giddy.

The noise from the exploding ink bottle got everyone's attention inside the common room. The Fat Ladies door opened and students were trying to rush out to see what was happening.

Peeves cackled gleefully as he gambled down the corridor, sure that wee-Potter was faking it. A girl screamed when she saw Harry on the floor, his head blackened with ink and a slow trickle of blood mixed in.

"Get the Headmaster!" someone shouted.

Argus Filch rounded the corner and spotted the large group of students that had amassed in the corridor. Then he noticed that Black Ink all over the place. On the walls, on the floor, and even splattered on the dress of the Fat Lady who is actively mopping at the stains in a wild attempt to remove them from her personage.

"I'll get you for this Peeves" shouted Filch, "This time I am going to have the Bloody Baron throw you and your nastiness out of here once and for all".

Filch actually stepped over the body of Harry Potter in his anger against Peeves.

Headmaster Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape moved quickly up the stone stairs leading to the entrance of the Gryffindor Common Room.

Fred and George were looking on, wondering why Filch had all but ignored the injured student.

"The ruddy git!" Fred said with a mean look in his eyes. Thinking about what they should do to him, to teach him a lesson in civility.

"Seems he crossed over the line this time, wouldn't you say, Fred?" George quipped beside his twin, before lowering his voice so the professors wouldn't overhear, "Filch is really asking for it."

Fred looked back at George and with duplicate nods and in unison the twins turned to Lee Jordan and took him by each arm and guided him back to the Gryffindor Common Room once they knew that the Professors had the situation in hand.

Harry awoke with a splitting headache and bright white light piercing his head as he barely opened his eyes.

"Mate, you gave us a scare there. Are you feeling O.K?"

Then the unmistakable sound of Hermione's voice, filled with horror and anxiety exclaimed "Oh Harry, I was so worried about you. I'm really sorry that I stormed off like that. I know you were just trying to get me to listen to what you had come across."

With that Hermione threw herself onto Harry's shoulder and began to cry..

Ron looked on with a mixed expression on his face. On one hand he knew that Harry and Hermione were the absolute best of friends but why did Hermione not throw herself upon his shoulder? After all he was the one left waiting in the Library without any kind of notice or idea that Harry had been injured. And he missed dinner on top of it all and his stomach was beginning to grow very angry.

Professor McGonagall was dispersing the students that were still hanging around, sending them back to the common room. Headmaster Dumbledore, satisfied that nothing serious had happened, returned to his office. But Professor Snape, being the spy that he was, hid in a darkened corner as he hoped to overhear the Trio's conversation.

As Harry began to feel a little more stable, he attempted to sit up on his own.

Ron waived his hands and yelled loudly at a few first years that had stayed to see what was going to happen next.

Hermione reprimanded Ron for his callous behavior towards the younger students while Professor Snape looked on in anticipation of tales of broken rules from the Boy-Who-Lived. Harry began to tell Ron and Hermione in a very low voice what he had seen in his head while he was apparently unconscious.

Professor Snape listened carefully to the boy, estimating that Potter had once again tapped into the Dark Lord's thoughts, and this was a definitely negative trend. The Potter boy was oblivious to the dangers involved and was arrogant enough to believe he could handle it. Snape knew better but was loath to do anything for the brat..

“Like father, like son”, he thought bitterly.

So difficult was it for Severus Snape to see through the years of anger and resentment that he momentarily lost himself in his own self pity and loathing. The words barely tumbled into his psyche when he found himself many many years ago in his own memories.

"And then I was there in this darkened tunnel and the sounds of tramping foot fall became louder and louder. I pulled out my invisibility cloak but found that I was already Disillusioned! Then I saw him. Draco Malfoy, scum that he is, hunched over and making his way directly towards me with a shovel in one hand and his wand held before him in the other. I am sure that he has by now figured out the Lumos command because his wand gave him light from its very tip" Harry whispered.

Hermione and Ron were listening intently to Harry, but then, Hermione lifted her hand and motioned toward an empty classroom nearby.

Helping Harry to his feet, Ron nodded and followed her to the room. Snape waited one tic before leaving his hiding spot, Disillusioning himself as he went on to follow. As he was about to put his hand on the doorknob, Peeves decided to make another pass by the Gryffindor entrance and slammed into the Professor.

"Oomph!" came the almost silent reply, as Snape fell on his behind in a flutter of Disillusioned robe.

Peeves cackled madly, "Oooo! we have an Disillusioned something here."

He rattled, corking his head to one side, a devilish smile upon his face. "Peeves-y loves a good challenge!"

Snape was in no mood to be mocked by the Poltergeist. With a Non-Verbal spell cast, orange light shot out of the tip of Snape's wand and which hit Peeves the Poltergeist square in the nose.. His nose began to become larger and larger and the effect was the appearance of a large watermelon having been placed on Peeves shoulders.

Peeves began to scream with all of the force that he could muster and once again, the entire of the Gryffindor Common Room emptied out into the hallway.

Snape who was still disillusioned and blended into the walls and floor upon which he sat was suddenly trampled upon and tripped over by dozens of students. Professor McGonagall came running up the stairs in her Tartan day coat and her hair pulled up in a net.

Minerva brought her wand out, pointing it toward the ceiling, creating a great big boom!

“Student's of Gryffindor!" she screeched above the din of voices. "This is quickly becoming annoying. What has happened now?"

She asked as her eyes traveled across the sea of heads to find her Prefects. But as she stepped closer to the mass of children, she walked into Professor Snape, who still lay sprawled on the ground.

Professor McGonagall wielded her wand and in the wink of an eye, letting a barrage of spells spill from her lips.

"Petrificus Totalus... Impedimenta.... Funis... Aperio!!!"

Poor Snape ended up hog-tied with strong ropes, unable to move and slowly coming back into focus, for all to see.

"Severus!" McGonagall hissed in disbelief.

With an almost synchronized roar of laughter the students of Gryffindor House erupted with such force that Ron, Hermione and Harry were drawn out into the Hallway to see what had occurred.

"Sonorus, SILENCE" Echoed throughout the hallway in the most amplified voice of Professor McGonagall. "Back to your Common Room and if I hear one more peep out of any of you, a MONTHS worth of detention will be given to each of you. Even if you were not the one to make a sound! Now go, this is none of your business".

With that Professor McGonagall turned to Professor Snape who was struggling with the ties that bound him..

"Severus, I think I am going to keep you like this for a moment as I believe that Headmaster Dumbledore will like to hear your explanation as well".

What none of the onlookers noticed with all the ruckus was that Draco Malfoy had appeared upon the scene. Hidden well behind a suit of armor. Harry, Ron and Hermione ducked back into the empty classroom, keeping the door slightly open to hear what was happening.

"Minerva!" Snape snapped, "Untie me this instant, you confounded Witch! I will not allow you to manhandle me in this fashion!"

Professor McGonagall, rolled her eyes at him, mouthed pinched.

"You should have thought about that before Disillusioning yourself near my students. I did exactly what you would have done to any interloper that might threaten your little den of snakes." she added with a nod of her head. With a tiny swish of her wand, he was handily floated upright.

As they went along the corridors to where the Eagle Gargoyle stood guard to the entrance of the headmaster's office, Professor Snape glared evilly ahead of them. Awkwardly aware of his helpless condition, and the delight of any student who may happen upon them.

He could only hope that none of the ghosts would spot them, especially Peeves or the Bloody Baron, as this would be most inexcusable for the Head of Slytherin House to be paraded around in such an undignified manner.

[Duddahs]

DARKNESS WITHIN

CHAPTER 1

Part 3

All for one.

By Madame Snape and Duddahs the Great Barn Owl.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Back at the hallway leading to the Gryffindor Common Room, which appeared now to be deserted, a slight scuffing sound was made as Draco Malfoy edged out ever so quietly and cautiously from behind the Suit of Armor. Malfoy began to walk with his back along the stone wall leading away from the Common Room and towards the staircase that led down and away from this place and the people he so despised.

Harry, still hidden behind the large wooden and hand hammered wrought Iron door of the empty classroom, tugged forcefully on Hermione's sleeve..

"See? I told you he was sneaking around and up to no good". Harry whispered

"All right, I see him, what is he actually doing do you think"? Came Hermiones response.

With that Harry pulled out his dad's old Invisibility Cloak

"There is only one way to find out".

The Trio disappeared under the cloak and followed Draco Malfoy as he silently went to the Room of Requirement. The blond git walked three times to and fro before the door appeared. He opened the door slightly as he looked down the corridor, making sure nobody was around.

The window of opportunity had opened up for the Invisible Trio and they entered without Draco noticing them.

Once inside, Draco took a small bag out of his pocket and peered inside it. An evil smile spread across his face as he nodded to himself.

"Sweet!" he murmured as he placed the bag inside an abandoned school desk that was next to the wall.

Hermione let out a little “gasp”!

Draco turned suddenly in the general direction that the sound had just come from.

Hermione regretted the sound the second that it had left her lips. She recognized the unusual bag as being almost identical to the one that Hagrid had shown the trio their first year. One that can only be opened by its owner.

"How are we ever going to figure out what Draco is keeping in that bag" crossed Hermione's mind.

Then a massive clattering and crashing broke the silence of the Room of Requirements. Apparently Ron had just stepped onto something and tumbled head first into a large storage of empty bottles. As the bottles crashed down upon him, Draco Malfoy drew his wand.

Harry was ready for this next move and with a sudden burst of brilliant Jet Blue light Draco Malfoy hung upside down from the ceiling, screaming bloody murder.

"Potter! You are so going to get it! You..." was closely followed by a string of un-mentionable descriptions of what Harry represented to him.

Hermione blushed as she heard the vulgarities spewing out of the Slytherin's mouth.

"Oh, shut it Malfoy!" she said in exasperation.

Waving her wand toward him with a wordless silencing charm.

"Ron, are you OK?" she asked as she helped him out of the heap of discarded bottles.

"Yeah" Ron answered sheepishly, his face red with embarrassment. He looked up at Malfoy and grinned at Harry, "Nice one, Harry."

Harry grinned back at Ron but soon put back on his poker face as he saw that Hurricane Hermione was about ready to blow...

"Um, Hermione? I didn't use any Unforgivable Curse on him, I swear." He looked sincere but unapologetic for his act, twiddling his wand behind his back.

"You have been back reading that Half Blood Prince text book again haven't you?" demanded Hermione.

Harry just gave her that look of utter disgust he got when he was confronted with something that he knew Hermione would not approve of and that he really did not care if she did not..

"All right, so what if I did? Honestly Hermione you would think that you would be a bit more thankful that I have been staying in touch with some of of the Prince's spells. If it were not for his brilliance Malfoy might have just of turned you into a toad stool or something even more bizarre."

With that Harry swish and flicked his wand and Draco dropped to the floor with a sickening "THUD".

"OUCH!"

Malfoy screamed as he hit the floor, rolling on the floor and grabbing his head.

"Potter, my father is going to hear about this and you'll be expelled you will all be expelled." The boy threatened with absolute malice.

Hermione, Ron and Harry all threw Silencing Spells upon him without another thought. Effectively muting Malfoy for a while.

Ron looked at him and whispered, "He might have a point though, he could get his father to make trouble again."

Harry thought about it but dismissed the idea.

"If the Ferret opens his mouth, then he'll have to explain why he put the bag in here and what was in it. We followed him here because we knew he was up to something..."

Harry looked at Malfoy, "Isn't that right, Draco? And you wouldn't want to be expelled either I imagine. That would be a good one to explain to your Daddy." Harry said in a sickeningly sweet voice.

Draco took his chance. He quickly got up to his feet and ran towards the door of the Room of Requirement as fast as he could.

Harry and Hermione were both taken a bit by surprise as they had not even thought for a moment that they were no longer in charge of the situation. Just before Malfoy got to the door, he turned and yelled.

"Impedimento”

At almost the exact same time Hermione cast “Petrificus Totalus”, but it slammed into an impregnable force and actually bounced back hitting Ron square on in his chest.

Ron stood there for a moment with a simpering dazed gaze on his face, and then planted himself backward into the stack of empty Sherrie bottles with a “CRASH” and a furious cascade of shattered glass.

Hermione rushed back to Ron.

"Oh no, not again!" she sighed as she disengaged Ron from the bottles and shards of glass.

"Harry, get him back here... I don't know what spell Draco used when my spell rebounded and hit him with"

Harry didn't need any more instructions as he launched himself out into the hallway outside of the Room of Requirements.

Meanwhile, Ron started to come around and looked lazily at Hermione.

"You are Bea-U-ti-ful..." Ron broke out in song, lovingly gazing at Hermione like a love-sick puppy.

Hermione stared at Ron, in utter shock and disbelief.

"Ron?" she asked as she was trying to extricate her hands from his hold, "Are you feeling ok?"

The boy gave her back her hands to better get her in a bear-like hug.

"Her...MY... nEEEEEEEE" he sang with a lilt in voice, until he gave her the longest kiss, smothering any words that could eventually leak out.

While Hermione was tending to the apparently love struck Ron, Harry was running with all of his might.

Wishing that he had his Firebolt with him when Harry was suddenly engulfed by a large gathering of Ghost's upon Horse back. In the distance Harry could barely make out the outline of Draco Malfoy apparently melting into a solid stone wall.

Harry felt a sudden chill in the air. His breath began to rise ever so slowly in a frosted mist. His heart beat began to race and his mind started to wander and a woman's voice began to scream his name..

"Haaaarrrrryyyyyeeeeeeeeeeeeee"

He was slipping into that ice bath feeling of fainting while in the presence of a Dementor..

“A Dementor? How in Merlin's Grey Beard did a Dementor get into Hogwarts”.

“WHAM!”

Harry fell forward into a suit of armor sending severed parts scattering in all directions across the flag stoned flooring of the hallway.

[Duddahs]

DARKNESS WITHIN

CHAPTER 2

Part 1

A Light From Afar.


By Madame Snape and Duddahs the Great Barn Owl

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~




The sunshine poured through the large floor to ceiling palladium window's of the hospital wing, bathing the students that were lying on the hospital beds in its warmth and glow. Harry and Ron were still out cold after receiving Madame Pomfrey's medical attentions. Harry had a small bruise on his forehead from his fall, and Ron drooled calmly upon his own pillow.

Hermione was sitting on a chair between their beds, reading her notes from her Ancient Runes class, readying her homework for the next day. Giving the boys another look, she sighed as she returned to her notes.

“These two really have a knack of getting into trouble” she concluded to no one but herself.

Harry's first feeling of consciousness was the prickling and burning of the lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead. Then the brilliant light that was streaming into the infirmary through the palladium leaded windows forced itself into the tiny slit that was created between Harry's eye lids... He sat up bolt straight with a sudden gasp of medicine and disinfectant fluid tainted air.

Meanwhile Hermione quickly got to her feet crossing the short distance from Ron's bed to be now standing bedside Harry's hospital bed in but a fraction of a second..

"Harry, are you all right?" came Hermione's hoarse voice, clearly filled with fear and the sound of deep concern.

Harry gave her a squinted look as he pulled his glasses off the night table and gingerly put them on his face.

"Yeah, I guess... What happened? The last thing I can recall, I was chasing Draco Malfoy out of the Room of Requirement".

He rubbed his scar absently as he thought back to his last waking moments.

Hermione shrugged,

"We're not really sure, Harry. It seems you fainted in the middle of the corridor near the Dungeons. They tried to Renervate you, but it appears you weren't hit by any hexes that the Professors know of."

Hermione looked over her shoulder, giving Ron a cursory glance. He seemed to still be somewhere between waking and being asleep, so she turned her attentions back to Harry.

"Professor McGonagall and Madame Pomfrey were quite worried about it about both of you. But Professor Dumbledore didn't think it was anything as drastic as being hexed."

Harry grunted at her words. "Hermione, do you recall that earthen tunnel that I told you that I visited that time when Peeves had knocked me out?"

"Oh Harry, you dreamed of a tunnel you did not visit a tunnel" came Hermione's response.

"Hermione, I DID visit that tunnel. I was there, it is real, I know it is. You just have to listen to me believe me.. I was there again. This time I visited it because I know that I had run across a Dementor in that Hallway while I was chasing after Draco Malfoy."

"Harry, no way! A Dementor in Hogwarts? Are you absolutely sure?"

With this Harry gave Hermione a long stare of disbelief. How could she doubt him after everything they had been through since coming to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as 11 year old kids. Hermione also knew full well that Professor Dumbledore had been trying to get Harry to master Occlumency just for these very reasons.

Hermione sat there, thinking about Harry's story, pondering about its ramifications. Having Dementors inside the school without Dumbledore's knowledge was incredible and awfully improbable. But until proven otherwise, she'd have to take Harry's word for now. The earthen tunnel was another thing altogether....

"Harry, we'll go to the spot where Malfoy disappeared and see what we can find. There must be some traces of magic leftover from his disappearance." Hermione firmly stated..

Harry looked over to Ron, who was copiously drooling on his pillow. He grinned at Hermione.

"He seems to be doing fairly well. What hex hit him? Did Professor McGonagall say?" asked Harry with an obvious sound of amusement in his voice.

Hermione shook her head.

"Not sure about it, but it was an interesting spell to say the very least." she murmured, blushing brightly as she remembered the heated kiss Ron had given her.

Ron turned over onto his side and opened his eyes, first just tiny openings, then wider and wider until he resembled some sort of scared large Ginger Owl. He let out a cough and then a sneeze and then words finally came to his lips..

"Bloody Heck"!

Hermione turned towards Harry and just muttered, “I guess he is back to the same old Ron that we all know and love".

With this Ron cleared his throat and croaked, "I am famished, doesn't anyone think to feed us around this blasted hall of horrors?"

Harry looked at Ron as if something he had said were words of great wisdom.. Harry sat up straight in his hospital bed almost knocking Hermione off as she sat on the very edge of his bedding.

"Harry, watch it will you!"

Hermione huffed as she got up and returned to the chair that was placed between both beds. She picked up her school bag and started to shove back all the reading material she had brought with her.

"Since you two are back to normal, I'm going for lunch in the Great Hall. I'll see you later in the common room if Madame Pomfrey releases you two from the hospital wing that is."

As Hermione left the room, Harry and Ron wondered what had brought that on.

"Did I say something wrong?" Ron asked in a low voice.

Harry shook his head.

"Don't know, mate. But you know how Hermione gets sometimes. Its always better to keep out of her hair when she gets this way." He gave his friend a wry smile.

Ron sat up and let his legs fall over the side of the bed, stretching out, yawning ostensibly as he scratched the back of his neck.

"Well, I'm still hungry. Think we could ask Dobby for something good from the Kitchens?"

But as Harry was about to call for the elf, Madame Pomfrey came out of her office and went straight to their area of the Infirmary.

"So, you finally decided to wake up." she said as she un-sheaved her wand. "Always getting into trouble you two."

She mumbled as she ran a few diagnostic tests on Ron with a back and forth motion of her wand and a few muttered words that to Ron and Harry sounded all too much like Gibberish.

Harry looked at Ron, slowly moved his head to the right and made a very subtle motion with his hand under the sheets of his hospital bed..

Ron looked on with a blank stare upon his face as he barely made out the word that Harry was attempting to convey..

“Muffliato.”

Madame Pomfrey was oblivious to the fact that she could not tell that Ron and Harry who now were speaking to each other in full voice. Her back turned towards them both and to her and she began to walk back toward her office writing notes along the way. All she know was that not a peep came from the two patients.

"Ron listen" Harry started, "When you made that crack about the Hall of Horror's I was reminded of the figure that I thought was coming towards me in the earthen tunnel in my unconscious state. It was actually a Dementor being led toward a doorway by wand light and it was being held by Draco Malfoy!"

This was the tie that Harry had been searching for. Now convinced that Malfoy had in fact found a secret passage that not even the Weasley Twins, his father nor the other Marauders and not even Argus Filch had ever been able to locate.. Malfoy was actually smuggling Dementors into Hogwarts, DEMENTORS!

With that revelation revealed Ron stated, "Whoaaaaaaaaaa, Bloody Heck".

Harry eyed Madame Pomfrey before adding, "That's why I fainted down there and heard my mum's voice. The git is bringing those blasted things in here!"

Ron's eyes were round like saucers by now, just thinking that those creatures might be roaming around the school, gave him the creeps and a chill ran from his lower spine to the top of his head.

"How is he controlling them? He's no Dumbledore or You-know-who for that matter?" asked a stunned Ron.

Harry had to think about this for a bit. Dementors only obeyed their masters from what he knew about them. This was a sticking point to his theory if he ever had to talk to Hermione about something, it would have to be NOW.

"We'll go to the library and see what we can find out about them. There must be a way to control them without being an all-powerful wizard like Dumbledore."

[Duddahs]

DARKNESS WITHIN

Chapter 2

Part 2

A Light From Afar.


By Madame Snape and Duddahs the Great Barn Owl


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Harry just had to find Hermione, he just had to. So, he grabbed his clothing from the night stand that sat next to his hospital bed, quickly pulled on his robes and his trainers. He then turned to Ron and gave him a quick poke in his side at which Ron also jumped into action and was dressed in a flash..

Out of the Hospital Wing the two crept without a sound.. Even their footsteps were muffled as they walked as if on egg shells down the stone stairs leading away from Madame Pomfrey and her care.

As soon as they believed they were completely clear of being heard escaping, the two broke into full run. That is until the sudden appearance of one Severus Snape who stood tall and foreboding directly in their paths way.

The Blackened outline of the long greasy haired potions master, his billowing Black Cloak opened like the wings of a giant bat as he strode forcefully towards Ron an Harry.

With a sudden turn, both Ron and Harry rounded into each others paths, a collision that caused stars to appear before each of their eyes. As they both stumbled toward the stone wall and a large tapestry of a very ugly wizard holding the head of some bizarre creature in its right hand.

Harry suddenly felt himself falling, falling.

“How in Merlin's beard could he be falling again?”

Everything was dark and then he landed on what he presumed should have been the floor of the Hall with Professor Snape approaching in his menacing manner.

To Harry's surprise, his hand sunk slightly into the floor. This was no floor, this was soft, wet soil.. Harry could hear as if through a wall Ron's voice calling out for him... Then Snape's voice also muffled demanding.

"Where has Potter disappeared to?"

Ron was just as amazed by Harry's disappearance.

"I don't bloody well know, now do I?" His prim retort came out without any thought to whom it was destined.

Snape eyed him angrily.

"That will be 25 points from Gryffindor, MISTER Weasley! No more impertinence, where is Potter?" Snape demanded, spittle coming out of his mouth, like flame from a dragon.

Ron wasn't even listening as he ran his hand over the floor and walls, trying to find Harry.

"This is totally loony.... Harry? Where are you?"

Harry could hear Ron's impatient plea from the other side of whatever was distancing them.

"I'm here Ron.... here, behind this...." He didn't know what to call it. "Ron!!!" he screamed as loud as he could.

He took out his wand.

"Lumos!" he yelled, his wand lighting the tiny space he was in.

He looked around, trying to identify the place he was confined to. The ground was covered in dirt and the walls oozed with water and glistening mossy-looking stuff.

“Could I be inside the Dungeons?”

Then Harry noticed that what he had thought of as a wall, was in fact a disillusioned entrance into a tunnel. Harry put his hand out and touched the fabric that covered the entrance way.. He moved it to the side and a host of ancient torches burst into flame. The light danced upon the moist soil of the walls and floor.

Harry could see that this tunnel had been here for a very long time but that there were fresh foot print going in both direction from which he was located.

“This is it!” Harry thought to himself. “This is the place in my dream.”

Harry stood up as carefully as he could because the chamber that he had come into from the Hallway and the company of Ron and Snape was far shorter than he was.

Then a light breeze seemed to be coming in Harry's direction. He could smell the slightly sweet scent of fresh air now filling his lungs in this disgustingly dirty place.

Harry began to walk down the tunnel toward the wonderful fresh air.

“Maybe I could find his way out of here”, he thought to himself.

Meanwhile, Ron and Professor Snape were still looking for Harry in the Hallway. Snape had transfigured his handkerchief into a torch and lit it, giving them better visibility. But search as they might, they could not see any doors or openings.

"Weasley! Get the Headmaster down here, he should be in his office at this time." Snape said as his piercing eyes scoured the surfaces of the walls for any magical signatures or traces. There had to be something afoot.

"But Professor...." Ron stuttered, "Why don't you, you know... send him your Patronus or something."

Ron lowered his voice to a whisper, his eyes briefly meeting those of Professor Snape.

"Because Weasley, we are in session at present and a roaming Patronus would probably cause a panic in the student body. Now go! And do as you are told." Snape grated on, his hand gripping his wand, itching to shut the boy up once and for all.

"OK, OK, sir... I'll get a move on."

Ron backed away then ran up the nearby stairs. He slipped and slid all the way to the Library as he searched in his panicked state for Hermione.

There Hermione sat, with a face on longer than a Mountain Lion.. She refused to look up from the book that she was reading as Ron approached her, fully out of breath and grabbing at a stitch in his side..

"Hermione, you have to help, Harry puff, puff, puff, is GONE."

Still her interest in her book was not going to be disturbed.

"Listen, I have no idea why you get all angry at us all of the time but what ever it was, I am sorry. Here I am sorry twice, that should take care of what ever we do next time too."

Ron's breath finally began to calm down a bit but his actions were anything but relaxed.

Hermione closed her book with practiced ease, then looked up at Ron. Her features schooled to reflect her disapproval.

"Right." she eventually hissed.

"You come in here, throw a couple of 'I'm sorry's' and that's that? That should satisfy me... is that what you think?"

Her eyes were stormy as she gathered her things and shoved them in her school bag, ready to go back to the Common room in Gryffindor tower.

"But Hermione," Ron stuttered painfully, the stitch in his side still bothering him.

"Harry's disappeared in that corridor and we need to go back there before Snape..."

He was shushed by an annoyed Madam Pince as she gave them a very steely glare and a waggle of her wand.

"Ron," she whispered angrily, "you can't disappear from Hogwarts, as you well know if you had taken the time to read Hogwarts: A history . There may be a secret door or floor panel that Harry discovered by accident."

She swung her bag over her shoulder and added, "If Snape is there, why are you here nagging me?"

The boy blushed, "Snape told me to get the Headmaster, so I thought of getting you first..."

Hermione began to move toward Ron, and he turned ever so slightly and winced.

"Why did you do that?" asked Hermione as she reached out and just barely touched Ron's hand with her finger tip.

Ron stood there frozen on the spot, the blood rushing to his head while his ears turned the most brilliant shade of crimson. He looked so much like a human thermometer that Hermione's normal stern composure began to crumble..

"Let's say for humors sake that Harry did in fact disappear. What actually occurred just before the moment that you noticed he was gone?"

Ron still in a bit of shock from the touch thought to himself, "Humor? Hermione and Humor? What is this world coming to?"

Ron thought about what had happened when Harry and he had seen Snape coming toward them.

"Well, we were hurrying up to go to the library and we saw Snape in full swoop mode, coming at us. We kind of bumped into each other, Harry and me, trying to avoid Snape. Well we both fell down."

He thought some more, reliving the scene in his mind.

"I fell next to a wall and I think Harry fell on a tapestry that was on the wall. After that, Harry just disappeared from sight."

Hermione looked at him with a speculating glance.

"Come on, let's get the Headmaster and we'll go back to where Harry disappeared. There must be a concealed entrance near that tapestry."

Hermione grabbed Ron by the hand and dragged him out of the library.

While Ron and Hermione made their way to Headmaster Dumbledores Office, Harry was exploring the Dark and Damp surroundings that he found himself in. Torch after torch lit his way as he crept along the ancient carved out walls of the tunnel.

Harry came to an abrupt stop. A fork in the tunnel now lay in his path, both of which had lit at the very same moment. A decision had to be made so as he approached the tunnel leading away on the right he could barely make out the sound of what he could not believe but recognized as WATER!

"Water down here? Am I going to follow a path that might ultimately lead to my death by drowning?” he thought to himself.

[Duddahs]

DARKNESS WITHIN

CHAPTER 3

Part 1

Decisions, Decisions.

By Madame Snape and Duddahs the Great Barn Owl


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



“So here lay the proverbial fork in the road,” Harry thought with a laugh.

Water to the right, from what he could hear. The left fork was a complete mystery right now. But being a Gryffindor, his curiosity won out and he walk toward the left pathway. As before, the torches lit themselves as he proceeded slowly on.

A breeze suddenly flowed through the tunnel, making the torches flicker and waver in their stands. Harry sniffed, smelling the sweet mix of wet earth and vegetation. Maybe he'd end up somewhere in the Forbidden Forest? He continued on, wondering where he would end up.

“*Crack... Pop!*”

As suddenly as the noises erupted ahead, Harry stood lock still, his wand held in a death grip.

"NOX" whispered Harry as the tip of his wand went dark..

Only the light from the torches on the walls of the Tunnel cast dreadfully bizarre shadows all over the place. There in the distance Harry could make out the Platinum Blond hair of Draco Malfoy and someone that Harry could not completely make out..

"Here you go Draco" came a voice riddled with years of neglect and gravel. "Another batch of Boggarts for you, all I ask of you today is to call off that gruesome Fenrir Greyback from my premises. He is scaring off my customers and to be completely honest with you, he leaves a hideous smell of blood and sweat all over anything he comes in contact with".

Draco let out a boisterous and haughty laugh and made a waiving motion with his own wand.

"Do not tell me what I must do, you loathsome piece of filth. If it were not for my father continually supplying you with objects of Dark interest, you and your little junk shop would have fallen as low as those filthy Mudblood trash vendors on the streets of London."

With this another "POP" filled the tunnel and silence once again returned, causing a sort of deafening pressure upon Harry's ears.

Harry suddenly realized that Draco would be coming back toward the school and himself at any moment. With stealth, he retreated back to the fork in the tunnel and ran down the right hand tunnel this time.

The sound of water whooshing about became clearer as he went toward the end of the tunnel. When he thought he was clear from being seen by the Draco, he stopped and listened more closely to the sounds that now surrounded him. The whooshing wasn't constant, it came in bursts for some unknown reason.

He walked on until he reached a bend that sloped downward. The ground looked slippery in the ill lit tunnel.

"Lumos Maximus" he whispered as he lifted his wand above his head.

The ground was actually soaked with water, glistening wetly for some distance.

"Nox" he whispered and took a few tentative steps forward.

Wondering if he was going to finally get out of the meandering tunnel, he saw it growing larger until he found himself in a grotto of sorts. The air was humid and putrid, making Harry heave as he tried to cover his nose and mouth with the sleeve of his school robe.

Though it was an improvement to breath through the material of his robe, the stench was absolutely horrendous. He looked around and didn't see anything or anyone that could help him out of the predicament he was in.

He turned to go back to where he started from and was suddenly greeted by an ungodly snicker.

"HAAA-ARR-RRY!" Moaning Myrtle melodically moaned as she floated toward him with a sinister grin on her almost transparent face.

"Ooooh Harry" cooed Moaning Myrtle, "you have found one of my very special hiding places. I come down here when there is too much noise in the halls from all of those nasty students who do not even bother to come and visit poor moping Moaning Myrtle, and do not think that I know that you have been avoiding me too!"

" But Myrtle" Harry gagged, "Where in Merlin's Beard are we?"

Myrtle just giggled. "Oh, haven't you figured out that we are where the U-bends in the toilets let out?"

With that Harry turned as quickly as his legs would carry him and headed back to the Y in the Tunnel.

"Now this is the most disgusting thing I have ever gotten myself into thought Harry.“

He ran as fast as his legs would carry him and until he could just make out the Y in the pathway. Then he stopped and held his breath once more, this time for fear of being heard and not because of the retching stench that he had left behind in that grotto.

Harry listened very carefully for a few minutes, letting his senses reach out and feel the air around him. But nothing was there, not even a mouse or a rat.

Going now over to the other tunnel, where he had seen Draco and whom he presumed was Mr Borgin the Proprietor of Borgin and Burkes in Knockturn Alley.

Harry now walked briskly ahead, feeling the fresh air again upon his dampened skin his scar soothed by the fresh air. Compared to Myrtle's secret hidey-hole, this felt like heaven.

Harry came to a partially concealed opening in the passage that was mostly covered with vines, but he could see some daylight through the thicket of leaves and twisting vines.

Taking his wand, he aimed at the middle of the mass and cast a successive string of Reductor Curses until the coast was clear and the vine covered opening was now passable.

He poked his head outside but was a bit disconcerted by what he he saw. The opening from which he gazed was apparently high upon an outcropping of stone from what he thought might be the mountainous terrain near Hogsmead.

This was odd, to say the very least. He knew he hadn't walked that far out. He peered down the mountain's facade, and knew he couldn't safely climb down without breaking his neck. It was an absolute vertical downfall to a gravel grave if one misstep were taken.

Thinking very quickly, Harry did the one thing that might help him in such a pinch. It was a long shot, but he had to try. Raising his wand skyward, he bellowed.

"AccioFirebolt!"

[Duddahs]

DARKNESS WITHIN

Chapter 3

Part 2

Decisions, Decisions.

By Madame Snape and Duddahs the Great Barn Owl


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~




While Harry was literally creating his own Cliff Hanger, Ron and Hermione finally arrived back at the site of Harry's disappearance in the hallway with the Tapestry but now accompanied by Headmaster Albus Dumbledore.

"Headmaster, I have personally witnessed the disappearance of your favorite Gryffindor, Harry Potter while he and Mr. Weasley here were out of their dormitories long after curfew."

With a slight turn of Snape's head he faced Ron directly, causing Ron to once again turn very pink around the tips of his ears.

"Now Severus" began Dumbledore, "As I am sure you are aware, there is no way that anyone can apparate in or out of this castle. Having created many of the protections myself, I am confident that what you believe you may have seen was actually nothing more than your imagination. It may be possible that you are just so accustomed to the site of Mr. Weasley and Mr. Potter being together that I believe your mind may have played a cruel little trick upon you Severus. I would not have been surprised had you thought that Miss. Granger here suddenly turned into a puff of smoke and evaporated before your eyes as well."

Snape turned his ugly and blackened anger towards the Headmaster but caught himself somehow in full throttle of a curse that would have surely have become the last he would ever cast.

Professor Dumbledore eyed Snape severely before turning to the wall, placing his hand on the rough but cool stone surface. He carefully ran his hand over each stone until he whispered.

"Ah ha! There you are."

He pushed gently against a stone that was near the floor. A stone gateway opened partially before closing again.

"And here's the place that Mr Potter disappeared to." He said clearly as he gazed at a befuddled but still obviously angry Professor Snape.

"Please follow me, Miss Granger and now you Mr. Weasley. You might want to follow us too, Severus. One can never be too sure what one might find in these well hidden places."

The Headmaster pressed his hand on the stone again and entered the passageway, followed closely by Ron and Hermione.

Snape swore under his breath before entering himself with a swish of his jet black cloak.

Dumbledore, Ron, Hermione and Snape all found themselves cramped and stooping in a very tight earthen room. Each of them bumping into one another with pokes and prods of nameless wands hands and elbows. Then the torches began to light in the widening tunnel that lay before them.

Professor Dumbledore exclaimed, "Now you see, what we desire shall lay before us and what we no longer need will soon be left behind".

Professor Snape let out an audible groan and Hermione gave Ron a quick shot of her elbow to his ribs, just as his puzzled look was going to force him to make a statement.

Professor Dumbledore asked each of the members of this little expedition party if they could smell the fresh air that was coming down the tunnel and into the cramped earthen chamber.

"Yeah but I can smell something else mixed in too but I really don't want to try and guess what that could be." Ron stated

Hermione shuddered as she silenced a giggle that was trying to rise in her throat. Instead, she prodded Ron to walk ahead so they could get a little more room to navigate through. She felt the fresh air rushing around them, but there was the distinct smell of sewage within it.

“How gross, is that.” she thought silently.

Snape, on the other hand was gazing ahead to a point of light that could be barely seen at present. Walking around the children and the Headmaster, he pushed on quietly ahead, keeping his eyes focused on the light. As the torches became lit within the tunnel, he could see the shimmering of the wet ground. This was surely going under the lake near the school he concluded to himself.

Snape began to walk more and more briskly and the others had to almost run to try to keep up with him..

Then, they were out in the open. Standing upon a ledge and staring at Harry who looked as shocked to see all of these people as he was to just being there, standing on a ledge!

Harry felt a hand grip his wrist and the sudden feeling of himself being squeezed through a very thin rubber tube. The air was forced from his lungs and he felt as if he was just about to expire from lack of oxygen when he felt solid ground under his feet.

The sight of the two stone Boars that protected the entrance to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry faced him and the unknown hand that had gripped him so very tightly suddenly released.

Harry gazed up into the twinkling blue eyes of the Headmaster, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Professor Dumbledore, I..." Harry started to say, but was quickly ushered through the now open gates of the school. The long pathway up to Hogwarts lay before them.

"Harry, if you don't mind, we'll keep the questions and answers for later in my office. Please make your way back to the school entrance while I go retrieve your two friends from Professor Snape's ... um... care."

Dumbledore prodded the boy gently with the tip of his wand to his back and waited for him to clear the first bend in the road before disapparating with a “POP”.

So, Harry did as the Headmaster asked, wondering what had happened in the first place. He thought about Draco's conversation with the unknown wizard inside the tunnel and the exchange of Boggarts that had occurred. And the mystery lay somewhere in there.

“Why did Draco need Boggarts in the first place?”

Harry walked on as he pondered upon these matters. He only wished his Firebolt had come to him when he was on the ledge. Now he had to explain why he was in that corridor when Snape had cornered Ron and himself.

As Harry stood there in the Headmasters Office, he could not help but to notice that some of the portraits of the past Headmasters were making all too much noise to actually be asleep. He thought to himself of how Ron sounds when he attempts to make everyone believe he is asleep and snoring an all he does is a very bad imitation.

Harry sat down in the chair that was directly opposite that of Professor Dumbledore's desk. He fidgeted and adjusted his robes and tapped his toe on the floor to the utter disgust of Fawkes, who had always enjoyed Harry's company but found that his incessant movement and noise making was interrupting his rest.

The Silver smoking devices that sat upon the precarious spindly legged tables were all making soft sounds that amounted to what Harry knew as "white noise" He found himself beginning to doze off ever so slightly. His head starting to droop towards his shoulder and his chin closer to his chest.

Twenty minutes or so later, Headmaster Dumbledore came in with Professor Snape, Hermione and Ron in tow.

Harry woke with a start, jumping out of his seat, wand in hand and eyes wide open.

The Headmaster grinned and asked Harry to lower his wand.

"Everything is fine, Harry. It took a little longer to come back then I had anticipated."

The elder wizard took his seat behind the desk and invited the others to do the same.

"This has been a most interesting event. I didn't know that there existed a secret passage in that particular spot of the wing."

Professor Snape was not amused by Dumbledore's jovial tone, he turned to Harry Potter.

"Where were you two going when I intercepted you?"

"You make it sound as if we were up to no good... why bother answering, sir. You won't listen anyway."Ron mumbled next to Harry, keeping his eyes locked on the Headmaster.

Hermione gasped at Ron's cheek, but Harry merely grinned.

"We were taking a stroll around the school before bedtime. We hadn't broken curfew and were still allowed out of the dormitories."

"Well then POTTER, where exactly were you and Mr. Weasley headed, for you to be so far away from the Gryffindor Common Room?" spat Professor Snape.

"Now, now Severus, I am sure that an innocent stroll through the Castle during safe hours is not against any rules, or am I mistaken?" chortled Dumbledore.

"I do not remember seeing Potter, Weasley or Miss Granger during dinner in the Great Hall this evening Headmaster," Snape stated with a stare that could have frozen a roaring fire.

"Ah Yes Severus, well you might not have been aware that due to a small altercations with an exceptionally large stack of empty bottles, Both Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley were taken to the Hospital Wing and were accompanied by Miss Granger.. I suggest that if you need some sort of verification other than my own, which I can not think of WHY you should see fit, you are welcome to verify these facts with Madame Pomfrey. I would like to warn you that Poppy may be in a slightly foul mood having had a rash of students visiting her with symptoms of acute hysteria. It seems that for some reason many of our students believe they are witnessing their worst nightmares hiding around just about every corner of the castle." Professor Dumbledore stated in a very matter of a fact tone.

Snape sneered as he stood up, wanting nothing more that to return to his dungeons.

"That, my dear Headmaster is not relevant to this case. And furthermore, I have the good sense of leaving this room, since a proper interrogation isn't even remotely possible. Good evening.... sir."

Snape left in a huff, feeling thwarted once again by Dumbledores' innate predilection to protect the Gryffindors once again.

The Trio exchanged glances before watching the Potions Professor leave. Looking back to Dumbledore, Hermione cleared her throat and asked.

"I beg your pardon, sir, but why is Professor Snape so keen to catch Harry and Ron in trouble?"

"Ah, that is truly a good question Miss Granger, but one I cannot and should not answer. Professor Snape has his own reasons to watch and guard the students of this school. Let's keep it strictly to this reason for now." Dumbledore answered with a benign smile.

"Lemon drop?" he offered to the children.

"It is now long past your bed time, and there must be the need for sleep entering your souls at this time" Dumbledore stated.

"Off with you now, there is time enough to empty our heads of things that we are bothered with in the light of yet another day"

With a wave of his hand, the three were dismissed from the Headmasters office. Dumbledore turned and sat down in his throne like chair and looked just a bit older now than he had just a few days ago.

"Tired, that must be it", thought Harry to himself.

As the three Gryffindors headed up up the stone stairs that lead to the Gryffindor Tower, Hermione stopped dead in her tracks..

"Did you both hear what I heard?"

Ron and Harry both looked at each other with an expression of what now.

"Professor Dumbledore said that students from all over the Hogwarts have been turning up in the Hospital wing in fits of despair and anxiety from seeing their worst fears.. Harry, those worst fears, what could they be? Don't you think that Malfoy may have something to do with this?"


Ron looked at Hermione and said, "Mione, I love you some times, I just love you, you know"

Hermione turned to Harry and stated, "I don't think that Madame Pomfrey did not do as good a job at healing Ron as we had thought".

With this Harry turned and just snickered a little under his breath while Ron looked at them, one first then the other with an utter look of bewilderment.

[Duddahs]

DARKNESS WITHIN

Chapter 4

Part 1

The Shell Game.

By Madame Snape and Duddahs the Great Barn Owl

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



The Trio were still talking about what Harry had seen in the tunnel and the high occurrences of hysterical fits by the students of Hogwarts. The link was there of course, since Draco had 'imported' an unknown amount of Boggarts.

"Harry, you'll have to tell Professor Dumbledore about it, Madam Pomfrey is stuck administering potions to, Merlin knows, how many students up till now, when they only need Riddikulus to ease their anxiety. The younger students need to know that monsters don't inhabit the school, just Boggarts."

Hermione was sitting across from the boys, idly looking into the ember filled fireplace. She tipped her wand to add a log, making the fire roar back to life.

Harry shrugged, "Yea, I guess. I'll do it this morning before Charms."

He yawned, stretching his limbs all over the place. Ron snored on the other end of the sofa.

"Still doesn't answer our original question, why is Draco setting Boggarts out across the school? There must be a reason to want to spook the living daylights out of the students."

Hermione nodded, she was well aware of that fact.

"He either wants the students out of the way, possibly scaring them enough to warn their parents by crying to come back home. Or, it could be a distraction of some sort."

She looked to Harry for a moment, "If we knew where all the students had already seen the Boggarts, that might surely show us a pattern to Draco's activities."

Harry set off shortly after this discussion with Hermione to inform Professor Dumbledore what he had overheard Draco regarding the Boggarts.

As Harry approached the Gargoyle that stood guard to the Headmasters Office entrance, he was intercepted by Professor McGonnagall.

"Where are you heading to Potter" came her lyric tone.

"I need to speak with Professor Dumbledore. It is urgent that I give him some information" came his response.

"I am sorry Potter, but the Headmaster is away on a very important mission in London at the moment. I am sure that if there is anything that important that I am capable of helping you".

Flustered at the news that Dumbledore was not at Hogwarts, Harry proceeded to explain to the Transfiguration Master what he had overheard.

"I do not know what you are imagining Mr. Malfoy to be doing but I can assure you that there is no way that he can be bringing Boggarts into this School".

With this statement Harry forced himself to resign to the fact that though he had always admired Professor McGonagall, he just did not have the same trust in her that he felt that he had in Professor Dumbledore.

"Then I'll wait till the Headmaster comes back to explain it all again, Professor."

He turned on his heel, feeling quite frustrated with the old witch who could never accept anything he said anyways. Impossible, she had said... weren't they living in a magical world? Stuff like this, could and had happened in the past? He couldn't deny what he saw and heard.

Harry walked back to the Gryffindor common room, passing the Fat Lady's door with more things on his mind then when he had left. Hermione was still there and Ron had finally awakened.

"Hey!" Harry said before plopping down on the sofa.

Hermione saw the look in his eyes.

"So? Did Professor Dumbledore say anything about it? Are they going to look into it?"

Harry shook his head. "He wasn't there, or at least that is what McGonagall told me when I got there."

He closed his eyes, feeling quite tired by the whole ordeal.

"And you know her, she doesn't believe anything unless its wedged firmly under her nose and even then she is not sure to accept it."

Ron started to laugh as he tried to imagine the different items that could be stuck under McGonagall's nose.

Hermione gave him an annoyed look.

"Oh really, Ron! You're so infantile at times"

"But Hermione, try to imagine her with ..." Ron started, but got cut off short by Harry.

"Anyway, we're back to square one. What do we do now?" Harry asked.

Meanwhile, Draco Malfoy had rounded up Crabbe and Goyle and they were on their way to the Seventh Floor where the Room of Requirements was located. With a quick duck behind a tapestry by the two thug-like students and the guttural slurping and gagging sounds of Polyjuice Potion being consumed out walked a pair of identical twin 1st year girls dressed in Hufflepuff colors.

"Good one Goyle," guffawed Draco. "Now you look almost as pretty as that do nothing Potter and Weasley. The only thing is that your skirts are just a little too well made to be an actual Weasley, Goyle"

Draco took such great pride in his observations and Crabbe and Goyle followed his laughter with grunts that sounded far too similar to those of a Mountain Troll for even Malfoy's comfort.

"All right you two, now if anyone comes that might even look like they are going to cause any trouble, I want you to start to argue with each other at the top of your lungs. That way I can secure the doorway right away."

"Malfoy, what is in there anyway?" asked Gregory Goyle.

"None of your business is it Goyle? If I thought you were above a need to know basis, I would have confided in you both but since I think that you are both sharing one damaged brain, I know that things are safer being handled by someone with a superior mind and an understanding of these matters."

The two goons looked at each other, figuring they had just been insulted again by Malfoy but clearly not smart enough to be sure of it. They just hadn't figured how until they had been unceremoniously shoved out of the Room of Requirements, and the door slammed shut.

Crabbe said in his unmistakable goonish tone, "I swear... one day, we'll get him back for that. You mark my words Greg. The prat will get it good too!"

Goyle smirked girlishly, under his Polyjuiced-guise and a flounce of his new blond hair.

"Just because his dad is tops with You-know-who, he thinks he's soooo superior to everyone."

Crabbe shushed him as he heard noises from the nearby stairs.

He whispered, "Don't talk about HIM. You know we have to keep quiet about it."

"Yea, yea..." Goyle whispered back, listening to the receding noises.

[Duddahs]

DARKNESS WITHIN

Chapter 4

Part 2

The Shell Game.


By Madame Snape and Duddahs the Great Barn Owl

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~




Draco placed his personal booty bag on a low table that had only three legs but a pile of cover less books piled high under it to keep it level, and then he took his wand out. He grinned as he pondered about how easily he had brought in the Boggarts, right under that Mudblood-lover Dumbledore's nose. It was as easy as taking candy from a baby.

Draco turned toward the vast Room of Requirements. Rows upon rows of no longer wanted or remembered items that had been stashed in there for safe keeping. Centuries of secrets hidden and forgotten. Filled the expanse almost to the ceiling which must have been as high as any he had ever seen before.

There stood upon the piles of broken desks, bookcases, rugs, four poster beds with only 3 post surviving, was a portrait of Salazar Slytherin standing in front of a large cavernous tunnel.

As Draco approached the painting, the figure began to take a defensive stance and then obviously recognized one of his own snakes approaching.

The figure of Salazar Slytherin moved a few steps to the right and hung very close to where the damaged Gold Gilt frame began. The tunnel in the painting suddenly showed a tiny pin point of light and then another and then yet another until the interior of the tunnel itself in the painting became ablaze with light cast from ancient torches upon its damp earthen walls.

Draco snickered, nodding his head, pleased as can be with himself,

"Thank Merlin you showed me the way, sir. That's the best place to meet people, away from those curious Mudblood Loving idiots."

He bowed at the painting of the Ancient Wizard, who then bowed back to him, a curious grin on his painted lips.

"I'm pleased to have served a rightful student of my own House. And if you say that your purposes are to bring down and eradicate the Mudbloods scurrying around these hallowed halls, then my pleasure is doubled, young Slytherin." the painting echoed.

The Ancient Wizard came back to the center of the painting and stared out, remembering his time in the great establishment, his hands upon his hips and then a loud laughter came bellowing out of his lungs.

Back in the Gryffindor Common Room, Hermione was readying herself for her first class of the day. Charms was one of the most unusual classes of late because tiny Professor Flitwick had chosen to allow the students to actually perform charms upon each other.

Unfortunately for Ron, he had been partnered with Seamus Finnegan for the past week. There were moments when all would seem to be running smoothly and then the next moment a brilliant flash of light and all heck would break loose.

Ron had to have a hair restorative potion administered very quickly during one of the lesson when Seamus was attempting to charm Ron into acting like a Rabbit. Low and behold he somehow messed up the types of Hairs and Hares that the charm was meant for and when he attempted to vanish the Rabbit characteristics, all of Ron's Hair had dispersed as well.

Hermione chuckled a little bit when she'd seen Ron's cue-ball head. It reminded her of a certain actor she'd seen in a movie on the television a kind of Muggle Crystal Ball of sorts.

Hefting her bag over her shoulder, she gave the common room a glance, checking if Ron was about. She shrugged as she left the room, concluding that she'd see him in class anyway.

When Hermione finally arrived at Charms Class, she noticed that both Ron and Harry were missing.

"Now where did those two get up to?" she thought to herself.

After about 3 minutes Professor Flitwick entered the Class Room from a very small door that was concealed within the woodwork of a very tall built in bookcase.

"Oh No, Harry and Ron are both going to be spending time in detention."

Hermione's imagination began to run wild and she did not even notice yet another absence until the Charms Professor pronounced.

"Well, it appears that Mr's Malfoy, Potter and Weasley are far too proficient at Charms to attend their lessons."

With that said, Professor Flitwick produced a small parchment airplane from thin air, he tapped it lightly with his wand and off the plane flew towards the classroom doorway and then out into the hall.

"We shall see what the headmaster has to say about the apparent absence of our young charges."

Hermione groaned quietly, knowing that this would once more lead her two friends into trouble. She prayed that they would come through the door at any moment. She pulled her Charms book out of her bag and placed it slowly on the table, as she watched the door from the corner of her eye trying desperately not to draw attention to herself.

Ten very nervous minutes had passed and another paper airplane came soaring into the room, landing on the professor's desk. Professor Flitwick paused his discussion on Color Changing Charms to read it.

"Well, it seems we have located Messieurs Potter and Weasley. They will be gracing us with their presence quite soon."

The airplane vanished with a puff of smoke, and Flitwick continued on with his course plan.

Hermione's brow was knitted together as she wondered what they had done again. She sighed as she listened to Professor Flitwick.

Shortly after Professor Flitwick had made the fact that Harry and Ron were returning, the duo came sauntering into the Charms Classroom somewhat disheveled and clearly out of breath.

"Sorry Professor Flitwick, we were held up in a hall on the 7th floor by Peeves. He had gotten the idea into his head that it would be fun to throw Crazy Glue all over the staircase leading down from the tower."

Professor Flitwick turned his head toward Harry and stated as clear as he could manage.

"In the future Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley, I will not excuse you for even one minute late even if Peeves has somehow turned you both into statues of stone, do you understand me gentlemen?"

With this Harry and Ron began to nod their heads not unlike the little dogs we have all seen in the back of those automobiles that Muggles seem to be so fond of.

The boys took their seats, not bothering to look at Hermione, knowing she was giving them an evil-eye or something. They still had flecks of glues on their robes and hair, which they were still trying to remove with their fingernails. Harry was silently cursing Peeves and his bloody bad timing. They were just about to corner Draco Malfoy when Peeves showed up.

Professor Dumbledore had found them glued to the floor and wall, Peeves cackling like the madman that he was. Merlin knows what charms he used to unglue them, but it had worked in the end.

When the Charms class had finished, Harry, Ron and Hermione all gathered up their books and stowing their wands into their pockets as quickly as possible and headed out into the hallway. Harry found a niche that looked like a good place to talk and he quickly ducked into it and was followed by the others.

"Hermione, I finally was able to tell Professor Dumbledore what I had seen while I was unconscious! And would you believe it, Draco Malfoy was heading right back to the Room of Requirements again. Those two goons in tow disguised as a pair of Sri Lanka twins this time. Does Draco think that at some point the teachers are not going to get wise to the fact that he is doffing classes on a regular basis?"

"Yeah" said Ron with a sound of exasperation in his voice. "Have you noticed that Malfoy looks really tired too? He has dark bags under his eyes that you could wear as a leather belt".

Hermione just gave Ron a look of disdain as she gazed up toward the ceiling and pursed her lips.

"Well, he's up to something, that's for sure." Hermione replied, "He's never skipped classes before, never tried to get into direct trouble... "

Harry nodded, "that's right! OK, he's done some pretty stupid stunts before. But he's never done it in front of teachers; he's always avoided getting into trouble."

Ron scratched his chin, "And what is keeping him so busy that he seems to be lacking sleep? It must be something big to take him away from classes and sleep, no?"

Hermione sighed, "And those blasted Boggarts being let loose on the students for no apparent reason. Did the Headmaster say anything about it Harry?"

"Yes, Professor Dumbledore said that he does not believe that there was anything to worry about. Do you believe that?"

Harry looked first at Ron who was not paying much mind to what was being said and then to Hermione who had a very puzzled look on her face.

"Well, I am sure that if Professor Dumbledore had told you that he had any concerns that he would have expected you to run out and get us all into some sort of mess again."

"Mess AGAIN? What are you talking about Hermione? It's Malfoy who is doing something to get in trouble for not me! If you can't see that, there really has to be something wrong with you!"

"Calm down Harry, I was just stating facts. You do get into a bit of trouble now and again you know."

With this Harry turned a shade of purple that Ron and Hermione had never see before.. The rage that had built up inside Harry for weeks now had finally come to the surface.

Hermione stayed quiet and nudged Ron, prompting him to say something to Harry.

"Come on, mate. We need to think this one through. For one thing, we agree that Malfoy is up to something. Right?"

Ron gave Hermione a pointed look.

Hermione stared at the floor and nodded. Harry grunted with irritation.

"Two: He's using Boggarts to distract people. Possibly to keep people away from something. Right?" Ron added as he looked at both friends.

Hermione nodded again and Harry sighed still apparently not ready to give in to his friends, to let them off the hook for blaming him for the trouble that seems to come his way.

"Fine then, let's see if we can pinpoint where that area is. Whatever it is, it has to be somewhere inside the school if the Boggarts are being used inside rather than out." Ron mentioned as he paced the floor, trying to remember where he had heard the Boggart attacks had happened.

"Didn't that Hufflepuff second year girl see that mummy on the seventh floor?" he asked of no one in particular.

The three Gryffindors set off for the Hospital Wing. They had already discussed the potential problems with attempting to interrogate other students who had already been through a major shock. So they climbed the flagged stone steps leading to the office of Madam Pomfrey with great enthusiasm.

Upon entering the Hospital Wing, Harry came to a abrupt halt. Ron running into him from behind and Hermione barely avoiding a collision with Ron. What they all saw before them was of dire concern to them.

There huddled over an obviously Hysterical 1st year Ravenclaw screaming at the top of her lungs were Madam Pomfrey, Professor Snape, Professor Sprout and hopping up and down like a lap dog, tiny Professor Flitwick.

Hermione grabbed the back of Ron's robe and pulled him behind one of the White Linen hospital screens by the bed nearest the entrance doorway. Harry too was quick on the need to not be seen side stepped his way behind the screen as well. There the trio poked their heads out, one atop the other looking like a bizarre human totem pole.

[Duddahs]

DARKNESS WITHIN

Chapter 5

Part 1

Another Attack

By Madame Snape and Duddahs the Great Barn Owl

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


As the Trio stood behind the screen, the young Ravenclaw was screaming hysterically about seeing a horrendous beast. Sounded like Fenrir Greyback from the description she gave.

Madam Pomfrey tried to calm the girl with a Calming Draught, its bright blue hue inside the vial was quite distinctive. But the girl was thrashing to and fro on the bed, vowing to leave the school permanently.

Professor Flitwick finally pushed his way through and solidly took the girl by both shoulders and pushed her down on the edge of the bed by standing firmly above her and pressing down upon her with his tiny hands.

"That is quite enough Miss Renfrew!" Professor Flitwick huffed and puffed after so much physical exertion.

"Do you really believe that Fenrir Greyback would be inside of Hogwarts? And that none of the Teachers or Staff would have not intervened if that had been the case? Use your head, young lady. The whole scenario is preposterous to no end!" came his squeaking voice.

The girl calmed down a few notches as she listened to her Head of House.

Professor Snape smirked behind their back's, shaking his head in disbelief. Professor Sprout, seeing this from the other side of the bed, calmly went around and gave Snape a good shot in the ribs.

“Don't you start after her, or I swear my Venomous Tentacula will be giving you a hug tonight that you will not soon forget."

Snape turned his head towards Professor Sprout and just glared at her with the utter most contempt. To him, the Herbology Professor was somewhat of a disheveled disgrace to the good name of Hogwarts Professors.

Little did many know that deep down Severus Snape himself had come from such humble beginnings that he would have traded the patched and dirty clothing that Professor Sprout wore, to those that his own Mother had forced him to wear while he was living on Spinners End as a child.

Ron, Hermione and Harry all huddled behind the stretched out linen curtain and looked at each other with great urgency. Harry reached into the inner pocket of his robes and pulled out his dad's Invisibility Cloak. With an unspoken acknowledgment, all three huddled under the cloak as well as they could. They had all grown so much over the years and the cloak no longer was large enough to cover them all the way to the ground without some adjustments being made.

As Harry led his friends towards the door to exit the Hospital Wing, Professor Snape's head snapped toward their direction and he began to move toward the three hidden students with such determination that they all began to move out into the hallway leading down from the tower with the eagerness of a very hungry Mountain Troll running towards fresh meat.

Ducking inside a corridor behind a tapestry, the Trio stayed silent, waiting to see if Professor Snape had indeed followed them. Harry was sure that the Potions Master had seen or heard something to give them away and he was surely investigating.

"Hey, Harry..." Ron started to say before Hermione covered his mouth with her hand, hissing quietly at him to shut up.

Moments of tense waiting followed as they listened for the telltale sounds of Professor Snape passing by. The Invisibility cloak was still upon them, and with the darkness inside the passageway, they were nearly undetectable. Nearly...

After twenty minutes or so, since Snape had not appeared to discover them, Harry slowly removed the cloak and stowed it back inside his robe.

"I think its OK to go. Let's go back to the common room, and we'll talk there."

"MEOOOOWWWW"

The sound of Mrs Norris resonated inside the darkened passageway, its eeriness giving everyone the creeps causing them all to be physically startled and the tiniest hairs upon their arms and back of their necks to stand on end.

"Bloody Heck! That flea bitten cat is on to us..." Ron shot out. "Run!"

The trio took off as fast as their feet could carry them. The sound of their trainers screeching and echoing throughout the stone covered halls that they passed through..

They found themselves running down a hallway that Harry knew had a secret passage hidden behind a statue of a very ugly creature that he was always reminded of as being a very furry looking young Dudley Dursley.

"Quick behind this statue, it will get us out of this mess." came Harry's exhausted voice.

With that said, he led Ron and Hermione through the passage only to find themselves on the Seventh Floor and smack dab in front of a Dementor!

The air turned brilliantly cold, their hearts began to pump as fast as the Hogwarts Express engines and then Harry was all consumed with the sound of a voice.

"HHHHHHAAAAAAARRRRRrrrrrryyyyyyyyyyyy"

He could feel himself starting to fall but then he heard another voice yelling from somewhere in the depth of his mind,.

"Your Wand Harry, Your Wand, Think of Something Happy".

It sounded like Hermione, but where was she? Where was HE?

With the sudden realization that something else was occurring, out shot the his own words.

"EXPECTO PATRONUM"

A magnificent flash of brilliant light shot out of the tip of Harry's wand. A full Corporeal Patronus was facing them in the form of a massive stag. But the Dementor did not retreat..

“What is happening” Harry thought to himself. Then he heard Hermione scream again.

Ron was shaking in his boots as he looked up at an extremely large and hairy spider.

"Ruddy heck..."

Ron squeaked as if he were being strangled and as he held his wand weakly before himself. Unable to remember that this was one of Malfoy's Boggarts.

"Harry.... Hermione...." he choked out again.

Hermione was herself besieged with a moment of extreme terror as she faced her own demon. The Boggart had gone from a Dementor to Spider, and finally a demonic-looking marshmallow man. Something that had clearly been a horrific incident somewhere in the recesses of her youth.

As Harry stood looking at the marshmallow man, he suddenly remembered that this was a Boggart.

"Riddikulus!!"

He shouted, his wand firmly leveled at the creature.

"Hermione... Ron, this is one of Malfoy's Boggarts. Use Riddikulus to force it to change into something else."

Ron, had sufficiently recovered from his spider scare to imagine the marshmallow boy melting in a puddle of white goo.

"Riddikulus!" he shouted, "come on, Hermione, you can do this."

"Riddleklaus...Riddelplass...Blast it,,, Riddikulus" yelled Hermione. Breathing extremely fast and grabbing Harry's arm for support, Hermione let out a cry of utter terror.

Ron took Hermione's free hand and tried to persuade her to put her wand back into her robe while Harry came out of his stupor and materialized a large Glass Jar.

With another Riddikulus and a wave of his wand the Boggart was transformed into a cloudy memory as Harry's Patronus rounded on the Boggart and herded it into the glass jar. The lid was quickly placed upon it with a snap.

[Duddahs]

DARKNESS WITHIN

Chapter 5

Part 2

Another Attack

By Madame Snape and Duddahs the Great Barn Owl

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



"What the Bloody Heck was that all about?"

Ron said but then suddenly realizing that he was making Hermione extremely agitated once again.

Hermione looked at Ron one second, and fainted the next. Both boys dropped to their knees and tried to revive her, tapping on her hands and speaking to her softly encouraging her to open her eyes.

"What the heck happened to her? She's never fainted before?" Harry asked with a worried voice, starring at Ron's anxious face.

Ron was feeling desperate by now, and tried to remember what his mum had done when his great Aunt had once fainted back home at the Burrow. He finally remembered the trick she used but could not for his life remember exactly HOW. Sitting at her feet, he propped up Hermione's feet onto his bent knees and looked on with utter despair.

"Harry, we'll have to bring her to Madame Pomfrey. I'm not a Mediwitch you know..."

Harry realized that Ron was absolutely correct. He pulled himself together and told Ron that he agreed with him and that he, Harry would stay behind and follow up with this Boggart business while Ron took Hermione to Madame Pomfrey.

With the most gentle and caring lift possible, Ron placed Hermiones arm over his shoulder and put his hand around her waist. With a mighty effort he lifted her manually and began to walk as quickly as his legs would take him until he and Hermione were no longer in Harry's line of sight.

Harry turned his attentions to that Boggart. He continued down the hallway of the seventh floor and came to the familiar tapestry which told Harry that he was along side the Room of Requirements. He began to pace back and forth in front of the barren section of stone wall, once, twice, three times all the while thinking to himself.

"I need to know what Draco is up to in there.. I need to know what Draco was up to in there.."

Then a very loud *POP* and Dobby the House Elf was standing directly in Harry's Path.

Harry jumped back, his heart hammering inside his ribcage.

"Dobby! What the heck!!!" He stammered as the elf bowed to him, the very tip of his long and pointed nose practically touching the floor.

"Master Harry Potter, sir. Please do not enter the Come and Go Room... there is great danger that lurks beyond its doors, sir"

Dobby chattered nervously, his eyes going from the spot where the door should be, right back to Harry's face.

"Danger? What danger, Dobby?" Harry asked as he lowered himself on one knee. "What's inside that could be that dangerous?"

Harry just looked at Dobby and said, "Dobby, I know that you have my best welfare at heart but you just don't understand. If I don't find out what is going on in that room something terrible is going to happen here in Hogwarts and I just could not live with the thought of it closing down. I just can't go back to the Dursley's and that life now that I know who and what I really am."

Dobby bowed his head very low and backed away a bit and with another *POP* was gone..

Harry returned to his pacing of the barren wall when suddenly a doorway began to appear before his eyes.. It was Dobby pushing open a very heavy wooden and wrought iron door.. Dobby just shaking his head and wringing his hands while Harry took a step up a small way and up into the Room of Requirements.

There Harry stood frozen on the spot. Terror crossing his mind and the feeling of being thrown into the Great Lake mid winter.. Ice water ran through his veins. Harry could not believe what he was seeing. At least 50 Dementors. All encased in massive glass jars and struggling to get out..

“What the.....?” Harry thought to himself.

The door to the Room of Requirement slammed shut and the chilled air caused his breath to freeze upon contact. It hung directly in front of his face and actually blocked his vision..

"Dobby?" He called out, "Dobby?!" he called again, feeling a swell of panic rising in his chest.

This was just so unreal, there had to be an explanation for it all.

"DOBBY!!!!" he screamed, hoping the elf would come to his aid.

A sinister and sickening laugh rang out within the mist, making Harry's skin crawl.

"Potter! We meet again...."

Harry 's wand sprang out of his grasp as fast as it had gotten there in the first place. He heard it clatter to the floor somewhere to his right. This situation was quickly getting out of hand.

Harry backed up a few paces, trying to get to the door without being hit by a spell. His throat was dry and parched, strained by the stress he felt. He had to get out, and fast!

"Leaving so soon, lad?" the voice mocked from somewhere above. "Where are your manners, boy? Didn't that Mudblood mother of yours teach you any?"

An eerie cackle rang out, chilling Harry to the core even as his pride was wanting to save his mother's reputation and anger bubbling up within him his body began to become frozen in its place.

Those Blood Red Snake slits for eyes stared at Harry from a way atop a pile of discarded desks.

Out from behind another stack of empty Sherrie bottles walked Draco Malfoy with a swagger that only a jumped up pure blood could exude.

Harry felt the sudden searing pain in his scar as he buckled to his knees. There he could see the shoes of Draco Malfoy approaching him and stopping right in front of him..

A quick movement and the thud of a shoe planted into Harry's side and the wind was forcefully knocked out of him. He found himself laying on the floor looking up into the broad smile and smirk of his most despised fellow student..

"Now, now Draco, that was not a nice thing to do to our little guest now was it" came that sickening highly pitched voice of Voldemort.

"What we need to do now is to make our visitor just as comfortable as our allies here."

With a wave of Voldemorts wand, Harry could feel the air being forced into his ears as he saw a glass wall quickly growing around himself and with a burp of air escaping, Harry found himself sealed in a 10 foot tall glass jar. Just as the Boggart/Dementors were sealed in their own jars coffins...

A high pitched laugh pierced the air and caused such pressure on Harry's ear drum that he had to cover the sides of his head for fear of his head splitting wide open The pain in his scar was searing right into his brain. Every nerve ending in his body was on end, being split in two. His head felt is if it were about to explode.

[Duddahs]

DARKNESS WITHIN

Chapter 6

Part 1

Glass Jars & Other Assorted Tortures.

By Madame Snape and Duddahs the Great Barn Owl

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Ron had gotten Hermione safely to the hospital wing and had to leave her in Madam Pomfrey's care. Pacing nervously outside the door, he thought about the Boggarts and how they were very likely posted to keep people away. But from what? The question churned inside his head for a little while until a foreboding feeling fell over him. Something was definitely off, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

"Oh... Harry.... I forgot about him!" he suddenly blurted, slapping the side of his head with his hand.

He broke into a full run, passing a number of students that were going to class. As he veered sharply around a corner, he almost slammed into Professor McGonagall.

"Mister Weasley!" she sharply yelled at him, "What is the meaning of this? You very well know it is both dangerous and against the rules to run wildly in the school corridors." she spat out the words at him, readjusting her glasses that had been knocked askew on her nose.

"Professor McGonagall... I have to go...." Ron huffed, red in the face, trying to catch his breath.

"I'm really sorry, but Harry is in danger or something. I have to get to the seventh floor..." He left before Professor McGonagall could ask any questions.

Ron took off as fast as his over sized feet would propel him. As he rounded a particular corner on the 6th floor stairway, Ron felt a pelting upon his head. It was Peeves, that obnoxious Poltergeist was throwing broken pieces of chalk that he had gathered up in all of the unoccupied classrooms. Ron promptly slipped on several pieces of chalk, skidding halfway down the hall and barely catching his balance...

"OOOHHH, Ickle Ginga Weasley is running in the halls, me thinks I should tell Filch what the sidekick is up to!"

Ron grabbed a handful of the broken chalk pieces and hurled them at Peeves. He missed his target miserably but did happen to clobber a suit of armor. The deafening clattering filled the air and Ron heard the familiar heavy footfall of Argus Filch approaching.

"Argh!", Ron half-screamed as he hightailed it up the next flight of stairs.

He didn't care for Filch's brand of wisdom at all, Harry was his aim. He ran up, taking two stairs at a time, until he reached the next floor and veered toward the corridor where the Room of Requirement was. He skidded to a stop near the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy.

Breathing loudly, clutching stitches which were aching throughout his ribs, he tried to clear his head and formulate a proper thought about what he needed from the room. After finding it, he started to walk slowly, to and fro, saying,

"I need to help Harry, I need to help Harry..."

Finally finishing his third pass of the wide expanse of wall that was there, the door did not materialize.

"Ruddy Heck..." he groaned at the wall, this was not working. “If only Hermione was here... she'd know what to do.”

He thought some more, and decided on another phrase. "

I need to see Harry, I need to see Harry..." He walked a bit faster, keeping his eyes concentrated on the wall, willing it to make the door appear. But nothing happened, once again.

Frustration mounted inside him, his fists curling with rage, ready to hurl hexes at the wall.

"For the love of Merlin, open up, will you?"

Unfortunately the door just would not appear until Ron then heard a loud "POP"!

Ron took a few steps back from the sound having just been in an altercation with Peeves and it being so fresh in his mind.


"What the? Who,, er WHAT are you?" Ron spat out with a mix of fear and determination..

"Hello Master Weasley, I am Dobby, Dobby the Free House Elf and loyal friend to Harry Potter"

"All right now I get it, I have always heard of House Elves but we never had enough money to own one and the only one that my rich aunt has is kept out of site at all times".

"Master Ron, I can assist you in your search for Harry Potter. He is in grave danger inside the come and go room. Dobby will go inside and open the door for Master Ron to help Dobby save his Harry Potter Sir''.

Ron stood stock still, somewhat stunned by what was occurring. If Harry was in mortal danger, how was he supposed to help? He needed some help, but from whom? He stuck his hand in his robe pocket, reaching for his wand.

His fingers slipped over a large coin as he took his wand, suddenly remembering the DA. Taking the coin out, he fidgeted with it for a moment, doing what Hermione had told him to do in case of an emergency. Making the message clear and to the point, the coin shone brightly as the message went out;

“SOS...ROR NOW!”

He pocketed the coin again and decided to wait for his reinforcements to come. If the door were to open now, he'd have to go in. He was left with little doubt about what to do. He listened quietly for any noises he might hear: Either the door would open or a member of the DA would arrive in time. The wait was nerve racking. .

Ron stood nervously fidgeting with the large Silver Coin in his pocket when he heard multiple foot falls approaching him. He did not know whether he should run and hide because it might be Filch and Snape waiting to catch him doing something or should he stay and bravely wait for the other DA members.

Ron chose to stay were he was and his patience paid off as first Fred and George and then Neville, Colin and Cho Chang rounded the corner of the Seventh Floor hallway.

"Bloody Heck, it took you lot long enough" Ron spat out with the obvious sound of frustration and relief.

"All right there little bro, don't get your boxers in a bunch" chuckled Fred, or was that actually George.. Can never tell the difference which is which.

Neville asked urgently, "What's the problem, Ron? Where are Harry and Hermione?"

Colin looked eagerly on being very fidgety and hoping up and down on the spot which he stood, just happy to be in on the caper...finally!

Cho looked around her and asked, "Why are we here?" She looked to the other side of the corridor, then the wall where the door of the Room of Requirement would be. "Is something happening in the there?"

Ron went to wall, his fingertips feeling for a door. "Harry's in there and I can't get the door to open." He spoke to the wall before turning to the others. "Hermione's still in the hospital"

"WHAT?"

The DA members cried aloud in unison. They rushed up to Ron, asking multiple questions, all at the same time their voices blurring into a loud garbled mess.

"Harry's in Grave Danger" Ron sputtered.

"But how do you know,? Where is Harry and what exactly has happened to him?" Cho asked with such obvious concern.

While all eyes were on Ron and he having nothing but the blank wall in front of him in his sight, another loud "POP" and the appearance once again of Dobby the House Elf startled everyone...

"EEEEKKKKK! What is that?" screamed Cho Chang.

Colin ran behind Fred and George as having grown up in the Muggle world he had never ever heard of anything like a House Elf...

"Now boys n girls that is a House Elf.. Mum has always wished that she had one just to help around the kitchen. Dad always said he would like one just to be able to keep the garden gnomes down to a minimum. He just has to stop feeding them and maybe they would stop coming back you know" Fred stated with a tone of superiority mixed with sarcasm.

"Sirs and Madame, Harry Potter Sir is in extreme danger. If Dobby were to show you into the Come and Go room, Dobby would be very happy to assist you in your fight against He Who Must Not Be Named and that nasty boy of my former Master."

"Get on with it Dobby, get us IN" screamed Ron. "Just get us in and we will take it from there".

Dobby nodded and snapped his fingers, making the door appear before Ron. Dobby disappeared with a loud “CRACK”.

Ron took hold of the doorknob and looked to the others,

"We go in but make sure the door isn't completely shut. We might need to leave in a hurry."

Fred smiled widely, tapping George on the shoulder.

"Look at that, little bro is growing up into a team leader now." He chuckled and winked at Ron “Just brings tears to your eyes thinking how it was just yesterday we were turning his Teddy Bear into a huggable spider!”.

"Stuff it, Fred." Ron threw back, giving him a hard look.

"Ooo, and he talks tough too!" George added, ready to laugh, but Ron had ignored the last jibe.

He gingerly opened the door, sneaking a glance through the opening. He saw very little since the lights inside the room were quite low. His pulse quickened as he opened the door wider.

As the massive door of the Room of Requirement opened wide now and the group of DA members all clambered inside. There was a brilliant flash of bright white light and an extremely loud high pitched laugh which faded away like an echo.

All of the DA members stood stock still with blinded by the flash of light when a familiar voice screamed.

"Incarcerous"

Out of no where golden ropes flew and began to tie all of them together.

One by one their vision returned only to be replaced by visions that before now would have been thought impossible. Absolutely impossible! Before each of them stood a 20 foot tall glass bell jar with what appeared to be their worst nightmare held within it.

Ron stood stock still while a jar filled with hundreds of hungry spiders crawled up and down the sides, upside down upon the lid and even a leg or two twitching out from a small gap near the seal where the lid and body of the jar met.

But where did You-know-who go? Fear began to fill each and every member as they struggled against their binds.

Neville, being the consummate botanist, always had a small penknife in his back pocket. Struggling slightly until he finally got the knife, he whispered quietly.

"Don't move, I'm cutting the ropes"

Fred and George were flanking him and tried their best to hide what Neville was doing, which was a good idea as Draco Malfoy came forward. Stepping out from between two of the great glass jars, he grinned evilly.

"Well, Isn't this nice... more Muggle lovers for us to play with." he drawled as he took his wand out. "We seem to be missing the Mudblood though. Pity."

Neville was only half-listening to Malfoy's drivel as he kept splitting the ropes apart, Fred and George holding the ends so the ropes didn't slip off and give away their plan to escape their bindings.

When none of the DA members spoke, Draco laughed aloud.

"I don't remember using a Silencing Charm on any of you. Why aren't you screaming for your Savior...Saint Scar-head?" He eyed the group,

" No matter, he can't help you any way. Nobody will help you ~"

Neville finally had cut all the ropes and looked at Fred, giving him a wink and a small nod. Fred relayed the silent message to the others, making sure that all had their wands at the ready. Ron was the closest to Draco and didn't even acknowledge the nudge he got. But he understood what he had to do.

Neville gripped his wand and yelled.

"NOW!" turning on the spot and aiming at Malfoy.

"PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!"

The force of the combined spells hit Draco Malfoy square in the chest. He stood stock still for a moment and then without making another movement, began to tip sideways. He fell to the floor with a mighty

"Thud".

His eyes still open and looking as angry as any mad animal in a cage would.

Fred and George began to give each other High Fives and Colin grabbed Neville's hand and began to shake it with such force that he did not even realize that it was Neville's wand hand. Red sparks flew out of the tip of Neville's wand and the ear splitting sound of glass exploding engulfed the Room of Requirements.

There was a sudden scream.. Like that of a frightened girl at a horror movie. It was Ron, spiders everywhere. crawling up the walls, running toward the DA members. Disgusting hairy, black spiders with legs moving every which way. Ron stood terrified on the spot. His mouth agape but not another sound came from it.

Fred looked at Ron's petrified face, noting that only spiders gave him that look. He turned his gaze toward what Ron was looking at and saw the spiders. But when the spiders came close enough, they changed into a Banshee. Collin screamed at that point.

Fred quickly placed himself in front of Colin, and the Banshee turned into an Inferi. Fred gulped as the thing walked toward the group. Shaking his head, he finally made sense of it all.

"Its a Boggart! A Boggart!" he yelled to the group.

"You know what to do."

Raising his wand, "RIDDIKULUS" he thundered, thinking of the funniest thing that had ever happened at the Burrow.

The rest of the DA raised their wands and took turns at pushing off the Boggart as it changed numerous times, until it was so confused by the number of people in attendance. It disappeared in a puff of grey smoke.

Ron was slack-jawed by then.

"Blimey" he whispered.

He shook his head from side to side as if to clear his mind of the images of the spiders that were advancing upon him.

"Not spiders he told himself, not spiders, just a Boggart.. I hate spiders, I really, really, really hate spiders"

"Ron, you know something? I am pretty sure that you are not too fond of Boggarts either" chuckled Fred.

With this bit of humor, Ron finally cracked a bit of a smile and began to get hold of himself..

"HARRY" Ron broke the murmurs of laughter that began with Fred's little joke...

"Look, it's HARRY!"

Harry was inside one of the glass jars, suspended and seemingly asleep. He looked peaceful in a way, but that's what gave the group the creeps. Harry would never sleep on the job.

Cho came closer and saw a light blue mist coming out of his mouth every time he expelled a breath.

"This is a magical sleep" she whispered as she approached a hand to touch the glass. It felt ice cold and vibrated slightly.

"We need to get him out..."

Ron came next to her and saw the very same thing. But it dawned on him that this discovery was a bit too easy. He pushed Cho back and stepped back himself. His eyes traveled the space that surrounded them, looking for a sign of other people watching them.

Cho looked annoyed at him.

"Why did you do that, Harry needs us."

Ron shook his head and lifted a finger to his lips, beckoning everyone to stay silent. He'd heard a light scrapping noise to his left and strained to try to hear it again.

Fred and George raised their wands and waited, Colin followed along as he felt something too.

Neville jogged his memory for a spell that Hermione had shown him. His lips moved silently as he tried to remember.

"Home...homi....homenium..." he mumbled on.

Cho listened and gave him a nudge, whispering the spell to Neville's ear.

A great smile came to his face as he nodded to her. Lifting his wand, he whispered.

"Homenum revelio".

He waited, as did the others, looking for the telltale signs the spell could reveal.

That's when a set of white lights twinkled to their right.... then another right ahead... and another slightly above and a bit weaker to the far left. Neville shuddered, as did Ron and Collin.

As Fred and George very slowly approached the twinkling lights, they became sets of Eyes reflecting magical light! The Whites of their Eyes had given away Crabbe, Goyle and Bulstrode.

All three still believing that they were still hidden from view by the use of the Peruvian Blackout. An extremely RARE dark magical dust that is found only in the highest mountains of Peruvian Villages.

Wands were quickly brought up once again and the word “STUPEFY” was heard to be cast from all of the DA members.

The hiding Slytherins were completely taken by surprise. Draco Malfoy had insured them that no one in Hogwarts was smart enough to figure out how to reveal their where about once the Peruvian Blackout was placed upon them.

Each of the Slytherins were thrown back against the piles of damaged and dilapidated desks, cabinets and no longer use able book shelves.

Then without warning a loud creaking sound came from behind Colin and Neville and the room was flooded with Hot White light.

It was Hermione being led inside not by Dobby, but by Kreacher, the Black Family House Elf.. He even had taken Hermione by the hand to insure that she came to the right place to assist the others in the rescue of his Master, Harry Potter.

Ron could have kissed her right there and then had the others not been present.

"Hermione!" he hailed as he ran to her side.

"How are you?"

He touched her elbow to make sure it was really her.

Hermione grinned gently to him.

"I'm OK, but Kreacher thought I was needed here."

She peered quietly behind Ron and saw the large glass bells, specially the one that held Harry. Her eyes grew wide, astonished by such a sight.

"Oh no! What happened to Harry?"

Ron turned to face the glass encased boy, his face falling as he remembered why they were here.

"We don't know, though Cho said it looked like magical sleep. But I don't know who did it and why... I don't think Malfoy is a powerful enough wizard for that."

He pointed to the Stupefied/hog-tied Malfoy on the ground.

Hermione hadn't noticed the Slytherin until then and felt horrified.

"Who else is here?"

Neville, Fred and George came around and dumped the equally hog-tied Crabbe, Goyle and Bulstrode, next to Malfoy. All three were screaming quietly, obviously they had been silenced by magical means.

Hermione quirked a smile at them.

"Nice job, who silenced them?"

"I did, I did!" Colin pipped up from the back of the group.

"Where's Cho then?" Hermione asked as she approached Harry's glass jar.

"She was right behind me a moment ago..." Neville started to say.

"HELLLLLLLLP!" came the scream somewhere behind a mountain of desks, wardrobe cabinets and other tangled bits.

"Cho!" the members of the DA called out loud.

Hermione quickly took her fake Galleon out to call the rest of the DA since she had no other means of calling anybody else.

As the DA members gathered round Hermione and Ron, the struggling and gagged Slytherins were putting up a mighty fight.

A “tap, tap, tap” came from the place where Hermione and Kreacher had just entered the Room of Requirements. It became louder and louder and louder until the deafening sound had all of the students covering their ears to protect themselves from the shear volume of well, volume!

The massive bell jar that Harry was suspended within began to shake and rock a bit from side to side. Obvious stress was taking its toll on the structure of the glass itself. Cracks began to appear and a leaking out of a gaseous substance.

[Duddahs]

DARKNESS WITHIN

CHAPTER 6

Part 2

Glass Jars & Other Assorted Tortures.

By Madame Snape and Duddahs the Great Barn Owl

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~




Then the Room of Requirements was once again awash in brilliant light and the foreboding form of Professor Severus Snape stood stock still with wand raised above his head and flanked by Argus Filch, Mrs. Norris and as very wobbly Winky.....

Kreacher uttered, "Brass Buttons the Stinky One Has she does. Soused in Butterbear and blubbering like a child she does."

Snape's gaze went from the DA to his group of tied Slytherins, then to the glass jars and the fumes that were rising in the air high above them.

"What is the meaning of this?" he uttered in hushed tones, his face not giving away what he thought and felt.

A cacophony of voices rose, all trying to explain what had happened.

Snape raised his hand, wand tightly clutched within, red sparks shooting from its tip.

"Silence!" he shouted above the din of voices.

All went silent, except for the rustling noises coming from the Slytherins as they fought against their restraints.

With a wave of his wand, the whole lot were disentangled from their bindings and they rushed to get back on their feet.

"Professor Snape, we can explain everything!" Draco tried to say, but Snape sneered at him.

"Silence Mr Malfoy." Snape said as he walked to the nearest jar and watched the Boggart floating inside.

"I assume these things didn't just apparate here on their own."

He whispered as his gaze went to the next jar where Harry still floated, unconscious and quite unaware of the present happenings.

Fred and George nudged each other, whispering something about bottling whatever substance was seeping from Harry's jar. The appreciative glance they gave the jar was hard not to notice.

Ron and Hermione went closer to Harry, looking at the sleeping boy and wondering why Professor Snape wasn't trying to get him out by now.

Ron tapped the jar with the tip of his wand, making a clicking noise that drew Snape closer.

Hermione looked pleadingly between the Potions Master and the jar.

"Well, well, well. I see that our local celebrity has gotten himself into a bit of a pickle. I believe that your Mr. Potter would cause far less trouble being kept as he is rather than to release him to continue flouting the school rules and disrupting the lives of everyone in this castle." stated a blank faced Snape.


While this little showdown between Ron, Hermione and Professor Snape continued, Fred and George had slunk off behind the Ball Jars. Fred had conjured a small hand held version of the Ball Jar.

"Wingardium Leviosa" with a wand pointed directly at the small version of the Ball Jar.

As the jar floated up towards the top of Harry's place of captivity, it opened its top and trapped some of the mysterious Blue Gas and then resealed itself with a burp.

"Accio"

George whispered and the small ball jar containing the Blue Gas came to him. He promptly tucked the jar in an inner pocket of his school robe.

Back on the other side of the glass enclosure with Harry inside, Professor Snape had finally relented and cast his spell.

"Verde Sylico"

The Ball Jar containing Harry was suddenly turned into fine powdered sand which fell to the floor in a large circular pattern.

Harry was still suspended in mid-air, sleeping merrily along.

Hermione looked on and thought for a moment. Taking her wand out, she uttered.

“Locomotor Harry" which made him float down and deposited him on the floor.

Turning toward Draco Malfoy.

"What spell did you use to make him sleep? And don't give me that "It's wasn't me bit."

"Miss Granger... as much as it pains me to have to revive your little bespectacled friend, I will do so. I have no need to ask about what spell was used, so do not assume to be in charge of these proceedings!" Snape snarled under his breath.

Hermione gave him a look of pure anger, "Then do so, sir!"

"Miss Granger, that will be..." Snape gritted between clenched teeth.

"Severus!" came another voice from the entryway.

"That will be more than enough, please escort your students to my office, I'll be along in a moment."

Professor Dumbledore stated firmly, but his eyes were glinting coldly at this point.

"But Headmaster, this student was seriously breaching the student's code of conduct. And I was about to..." Snape tried to say but was interrupted quickly by Headmaster Dumbledore.

"Yes, yes, I know Severus. We will be dealing with that in my office later on. But now, I have one unconscious student that I have to attend to. If you don't mind, of course."

Dumbledore placated Snape with a wave of his hand as if swatting at midges.

Snape huffed noisily as he made his Slytherins shuffle out of the Room of Requirements, giving the Headmaster another disgusted look before leaving.

And that was the signal for the DA to erupt in another cacophonous wail of indignation.

Professor Dumbledore "shushed" them down at once as he went to Harry's side. He knelled down besides him, his eyes analyzing what he saw. Taking his wand out, he made a series of passes above the boy, tiny Runes magically visibly twinkling behind each pass, informing him about the boy's condition.

"Right."

He pronounced a very complicated Latin spell as his wand tweaked and prodded Harry.

The almost lifeless body of the Boy who Lived stirred but only the most tiny bit and then with a gasp of fresh air being forced into his lungs, Harry turned over onto his side and began to cough and hack as if he had been pulled from beneath the watery surface of the cold lake.

Harry's sputters and coughs were met with great applause and whoops from all of the DA members who were present.

Even Professor Dumbledore gave a small sigh of relief.

Harry's eyes began to open slowly, first blinking and then staring up towards the face of the Headmaster. The first thing that Harry saw was the brilliant Golden light being reflected from the rims of Dumbledore's half moon spectacles.

"Ah, I see that you have decided to join in with our celebrations Harry" stated Professor Dumbledore with a slight curl up of his lips and a quick wink of his eye.

Harry felt like someone had struck him over the head with a Bludger Bat. He squinted as he looked around at the DA members.

"What happened?" he asked as he ran a trembling hand through his wayward hair.

Hermione got down on her haunches and beamed at him.

"Nothing much, apart from you being put under a magical spell.... under a glass dome as if you were a prized violet." She grinned at him.

"How are you feeling?"

"Like something the giant squid might have spit up," he sat up slowly.

"But really, what happened?" His eyes traveled between Hermione and the Headmaster.

"Ah!" Dumbledore answered first.

"That is a very good question, but one that we will be unraveling the answer in my office."

He stood up and gave the rest of the DA members a wink.

"Now, if you would follow me, I believe that Professor Snape and his students are awaiting our arrival. Please follow me."

With a wave of his hand, he took the students to the door.

"One more thing before I go; Miss Granger please bring Harry to see Madam Pomfrey for a brief check-up. I dare say that little else will be needed to be done for now, but we can't be too careful in the light of what has happened in this room. Make sure he gets there without any more entanglements."

With this, Professor Dumbledore bowed his head and left the room his colorful robes fluttering in his wake.

[Duddahs]

DARKNESS WITHIN

Chapter 7

Part 1

The Trust and Treason of Severus Snape

By Madame Snape and Duddahs the Great Barn Owl

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~




There were many magical devices that whirled, whistled and puffing clouds of smoke sat upon spindly legged tables and shelves.

A very silent Red and Gold Phoenix sits ever so watchful. He gazes upon the faces of the four Slytherin students, all of their faces flushed and body's fidgeting just a little too much for anyone's comfort.

The portraits that hang upon the walls of Professor Dumbledore's Office all attempting to feign sleep. Some with poorly faked snores others just blatantly squinting, thinking themselves so much more clever than anyone else in the room. A peak of an eye, or a sudden turn of a head betrayed their true intentions. To snoop and observe the goings on in the Headmasters Office.

There Professor Severus Snape walked very quickly back and forth in front of Headmaster Dumbledore's desk. His hands planted firmly upon his hips, his cloak opened from top to bottom in the front and his under cloak made also of the same black silken material. The outer cloak opening up as if Bat Wings behind his expedited gate. The sudden stop every once in a while with a quick nod of his head and a accusatory stare in the direction of not the Four students but that of the doorway to Professor Dumbledore's Room was very nerve wracking.

A click, and the movement of the wrought iron handle on the very same door stops everyone and everything in the office at once. All except those shiny devices which continue to whirl and whistle merrily as tiny puffs of smoke are expelled from them.

Professor Dumbledore strode in very quietly, heading directly for his desk. Opening a drawer to his right, he slid out a rather old and battered ledger book. Waving his hand over its fading cover, the pages opened on an one particular page. He finally raises his eyes from the page to looked deeply in each face that was before him, finishing off with his Potions Master.

Running his age worn fingers under his chin, he casually said with a slightly harder edged voice;

"We seem to have a small problem concerning our students from Slytherin House."

He started to speak,then raising a hand to silence Severus Snape before he could start condoning his Slytherin students behavior.

"And we will be getting to the bottom of this without outside interference as well. "

"But Headmaster Dumbledore..."

Draco Malfoy erupted with a squeaking voice, but he too was silenced before he could build up any steam. He glared at the old wizard.

"Mr Malfoy, I believe you will be getting your chance to explain how a half dozen Boggarts ended up inside this school... and how our Gryffindor Seeker just happened to be enclosed inside a glass jar." Albus said quietly, his index fingers reaching up to rest upon his lips.

Milicent Bulstrode's pug face defied Headmaster Dumbledore with bright eyes.

"We didn't do anything, to anyone!" she argued with the most belligerent tone.

"Silence, Miss Bulstrode!"

Professor Snape hissed from the corner of the room. Arms crossed over his chest, he gave the Slytherin child a steely glare.

"You might want to keep a civil tongue in that head of yours."

Snape added, knowing how the girl could become aggressive and pugnacious when she became unraveled. Seeing the rigid set of her jaw as she tried to reign in her fury, Snape knew she had understood his message.

It was with this final outburst by one of the Slytherin students that Professor Dumbledore made a direct request of the Slytherin Head of House.

"Professor Snape," Dumbledore started as firm and clear as a bright summers day, "I wish for you to bring us your stores of Veritaserum. It appears that we might be well served by it's use in this matter."

Snape stared at the Headmaster for a prolonged period. A look of disbelief crossed his face and his eyes began to narrow into slits.

"But Headmaster" drawled Snape, "as you may be aware, it is strictly forbidden. The use of Veritaserum must only be administered under the direct supervision of the Ministry of Magic and the Minister himself. Also the Witch or Wizard being administered the potion, must be of Legal age. Since none of these students are of Legal Age may I remind you that this would then be illegal that I must protest".

"Ah Professor Snape, you do seem to recall the law to which I myself was accredited to have forced through the Wizengamot many, many years ago. But what you may not realize, I had also built into that particular law a bit of a loop hole. They are sometimes very useful I find."

With a quick blink of Professor Dumbledores eye, and a nod towards the door Professor Snape was dismissed for the moment.

The Four Slytherin students remained sitting like scared rabbits. Each shaking and silent. Only the tiniest bit of a whimper escaped Draco Malfoy. While the curious devices on the spindly legged tables puffed their plumes of smoke and made little squeaks, whistling and whirling sounds.

Headmaster Dumbledore stood up and took one contraption from a low table, placing it atop his desk. It looked like a Muggle TV aerial, made of fine silver metal. It seemed to vibrate episodically, sounding like a bee in flight. The students stared at it, wondering what it did and why the Headmaster had taken it in the first place.

Draco Malfoy looked at it and had to ask,

"Sir, what is that... thing?"

Professor Dumbledore took out his wand and tapped the base of the device, making it buzz even more. He turned his head and looked at Draco with amusement, his eyes twinkling with mirth.

"Ah! Excellent question I must say, but one I can only answer when Professor Snape has returned I'm afraid."

The Headmaster tapped the metal device once again and the buzz turned into a melodic hum, as if he was tuning a radio with a dial. The students stayed silent, knowing that anything they said without their Head of House present could be used against them.

Professor Snape finally returned with his vials of Veritaserum. Frowning as he placed them on the desk. He looked at the metal thing on the table, lifting one eyebrow as a silent question to the Headmaster.

Professor Dumbledore said nothing as he waved for Snape to take a seat.

"Now my friends we shall be dwelling upon the events that have transpired in the Room of Requirement. We can do this the easy way, " Dumbledore pointed to the aerial, "or the hard way."

He then pointed to the Veritaserum. “It's your choice on how we go about this."

The students looked to their Head of House for counsel, not knowing what was worse in these circumstances. Snape glared at Dumbledore, his piercing dark eyes seemingly going through the Headmaster like daggers.

"This is highly inappropriate, Headmaster, and you know this to be true. I must protest that these proceedings are against all known laws of our world."

"Yes, Severus, under normal circumstances, this would truly be a travesty. But... at this very moment, Professors McGonagall and Flitwick are busily removing a number of Boggarts that were stored inside the this school. These Boggarts, had been brought inside our school by devious means, for even more devious deeds."

Headmaster Dumbledore lifted a hand to silence Snape just as it appeared that the Potions Master was about to speak.

"And we have one student that had be placed under magical sleep and restrained in confinement within a glass prison. Unable to fend for himself, I must add..."

Snape was chomping at the bit by this time, he had to find a way to extricate his students from this whole mess. He mentally swore vehemently, wondering who was the dunderhead behind this ill-devised and ill-advised plan. He looked at Draco Malfoy, since he seemed like the most likely candidate in this enterprise.

"This is still an arguably harsh way of dealing with this... event." Snape started,

"We should request that the parents of these students be brought o the school. This way they may attend these proceedings, since their charges are still minors."

"Yes Professor Snape, a very good thing that I had already Owled their parents to request their presence during these proceedings."

Dumbledore nodded as Snape turned an ill looking shade of Grey.

"But in the meantime, I would like to ask a few questions about their presence within the Room of Requirement during said events."

Professor Snape just bit down on his own tongue. He knew that if he attempted any further protests that this entire situation could well get out of control. He knew of the Headmasters superior abilities when it came to Occlumency. Severus Snape himself was considered by those who knew of his prowess to be one of the more adept minds at Occlumency as well.

Why then did the Headmaster NEED the Verataserum? He could so easily have come to the very same ends by different means.

[Duddahs]

DARKNESS WITHIN

Chapter 7

Part 2

The Trust and Treason of Severus Snape

By Madame Snape and Duddahs the Great Barn Owl

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~




At this point Headmaster Dumbledore stood up to his full height. A truly imposing figure he cut with the surroundings of his prestigious office as a backdrop.

The obvious mumblings from the Portraits of the Past Headmasters became more of an open conversation between themselves than murmurs.

“Clearly” came the comment, "In my day no student would have ever thought to dare bring foreign creatures into this school."

"Nor in my day. What are these brazen delinquents thinking, they are doing? Who do they believe they are dealing with a bunch of Still Life's?"

With this Headmaster Dumbledore raised his eyes to the portraits and demanded,

"SILENCE!"

A hush fell over the office as if a pair of earmuffs had been placed over everyone's ears.

Professor Dumbledore looked at the students, one at a time. Dropping his chin into his chest and gazing into each and every students eyes, one at a time.

The intense pressure that was building in these students could be felt as if unbridled electricity were allowed to travel willy nilly through the air in the Headmasters Office.

The Headmaster produced a straight backed chair out of thin air and placed it next to Fawkes' perch.

The bird emitted a trill of annoyance at being disturbed. Dumbledore walked forward and pet his companion, soothing his ruffled feathers.

"Fawkes, I am sorry to bother you my dear friend, but we need your assistance. "

The bird eyed the Headmaster for a moment, seemingly reading the Headmaster's thoughts. It fluffed its feathers and then stood still, nodding approvingly to the old wizard.

"Miss Bulstrode, may you take this seat please." Professor Dumbledore bowed his head as he indicated the chair.

Millicent was pale as a ghost as she stood up, her lower lip trembling as she stared at Snape and then Draco.

"Draco... help me!" she murmured pleadingly.

Draco hissed furiously at her.

"Shut up you silly cow, he can't make you say anything..."

Professor Dumbledore waved his wand at the boy, silencing him in mid-phrase.

"That will be more than enough, Mr Malfoy. You will not address insults to your fellow students during the questioning. "

The Headmaster was less than pleased by the boy's mutterings.

"Severus, please advise your students that this kind of behavior is not accepted within these walls and will not be tolerated."

Professor Snape took Draco by the scruff of the neck and dragged him to a corner of the room, giving him an earful about talking trash in front of the Headmaster.

"Are you trying to sink your boat before it even has a chance to sail? For Merlin's sake, keep a civil tongue in that head of yours... Your father will be here at any moment and you probably won't have to go through this at all."

Draco looked mutinous as he glared at the Bulstrode chit.

"She better not say anything," he said, not really paying attention to Snape.

"That cow owes me and she'd better shut up for once."

Snape was livid.

"Are not listening, boy? The Headmaster could easily expel you for this 'little' jaunt of yours. What were you thinking? Bringing Boggarts inside..."

"I didn't bring anything in here, " Draco hissed at Snape,

"SIR!" he added with a hint of disrespect, and a smirk on his face.

There was a loud knock on the door and all heads turned with a snap at the sudden sound.

"Enter" welcomed Professor Dumbledore.

The door opened and Argus Filch stood still in the doorway. With a burst of movement, Filch was suddenly pushed aside and Lucius Malfoy forced himself in front of the group of parents that had assembled outside the Headmasters Office.

Behind the group stood a relatively small man in a Lime Green Bowler Hat. Red faced and obviously keeping his lips as tightly held as possible. It looks as if he had opened his mouth Crows would fly out of it.

The group was then led into the Headmasters Office by Lucius Malfoy, then followed by Mssr's Crabbe, Goyle and Madame Bulstrode.

"What is the meaning of this Dumbledore" demanded the senior Malfoy as he approached his now grinning offspring.

“I demand that you release my son from this confinement at once.”

"Might I suggest that you hear the Headmaster out before any further action is taken against these students" drawled Severus Snape in his lowest and slowest tone.

"I believe that the Headmaster was just about to subject these students to a most painful and illegal interrogation of underage students."

Dumbledore chuckled as he listened, wondering how people could get facts so wrong about anything.

"Severus, you flatter me. I didn't realize that you thought me capable of such things." He wiped his eyes before putting his glasses again.

"Be that as it may, nothing will be remotely painful about these proceedings, ladies and gentleman."

"Dumbledore, I demand an explanation. Why is my son being detained in here? And why is Professor Snape under the impression that something painful will be administered to these youths?"

Lucius Malfoy roared, as the seniors Goyle, Bulstrode and Crabbe shrieked in protest.

"I believe that professor Snape is mildly irked that his students were caught inside a room, where a fellow student had been abducted and placed under magical sleep.... "

Dumbledore now smiling benignly to the group of adults assembled there.

Fudge spluttered, "Dumbledore, that is the most preposterous story you have ever offered in your life. How can you even think that any of these fine young boys and girls could possibly have done such a thing?"

Fudge looked to the parents, "Using any method of sleep inducement is highly advanced magic, which I'm sure is not offered in the regular curriculum of the school. Am I wrong?"

Headmaster Dumbledore came around his desk to face the Minister.

"Of course you are partially right, Cornelius. Hogwarts does not teach this type of magic to its students but then, many students get hints and extra tutoring outside of these school walls. So the probability that even one knows of such thing, is not all that remote."

The screams and screeches emitting from the room, were probably heard throughout the castle.

[Duddahs]

DARKNESS WITHIN

Chapter 7

Part 3

The Trust and Treason of Severus Snape

By Madame Snape and Duddahs the Great Barn Owl

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~




Meanwhile, back at the Infirmary, Harry was being poked and prodded by a harassed looking Madam Pomfrey, the school's Mediwitch.

"Hold still, Mr.Potter... I'm almost finished with these diagnostics." Madam Pomfrey groaned as Harry tried again to sit up.

"Mr. Potter, if you do not stay still I am going to have to cast Petrificus Totalus upon you! Now would you prefer to take your medicine like a Wizard or like a piece of wood? Either way, I am determined that you are going to get better. I am not about to have you ruin my Good Witch Housings Seal of Approval which I have received each and every year since I came here to Hogwarts".

Ron began to snicker and had to put an arm over his face to hide the fact that he could not control his emotions.

"Out, Out with you, this boy needs his rest and you lot are not helping him any" Madam Pomfrey spit out at Hermione, Ron, Fred and George.

"All right there, we meant no harm Madam Pomfrey, it is just we have tried so hard to teach our little brother here some manners and the correct decorum of being a Wizard but we seem to have failed miserably. It is a near impossible job. Our Mum is at whits end with his lack of obvious concern for proper breading and decorum" Fred said with an absolutely straight face.

"Sod off, Fred!" Ron groaned, slapping his older brother away, his mirth dying on the spot.

Madam Pomfrey was taking no guff and ushered them out of the room.

"Be quiet and leave Potter to me. Have a good evening!" as the door was shut behind the retreating students with just a flick of her wand.

Hermione's head snapped up, her brows drawn together. "Well, that was rude of her..."

George came next to her, his arm coming around her shoulders.

"Ah, well, that's how it is with Madam Pomfrey. I wouldn't read too much into it, 'Mione. "

Hermione looked wryly at George.

"Be that as it may, we never got to talk properly with Harry. We don't know what happened inside the Room of Requirement, do we?"

George frowned down at her, "I see your point. What do we do now?"

"Go to Professor Dumbledore's office?" Fred offered.

"Go to the common room?" Ron added his two cents.

Hermione crossed her arms and walked to a nearby window that overlooked the grounds.

"I'm not in favor of facing the Slytherins up in the Headmaster's office. Merlin knows what their saying about us." Her sight drifted toward the lake off in the distance.

Ron came closer to look outside, hands in his pocket, feeling at loose ends.

"I don't know much Hermione, but something tells me that they'll get away with it again. You know Malfoy's father will try to get him out of trouble."

He sighed, "I worry this is not going to go as we hoped."

Fred and George looked at each other, grinning evilly, nodding as a silent message passed between them.

"We'll see you later our little Prefects!" The twins said as they slunk away, the sound of their steps fading away as they climbed the stairs.

Hermione sighed, "What now?" as she turned towards Ron.

Ron pushed off the window sill, "let's go back to the common room. We can't do anything else right now anyway."

The Gryffindors headed back up to their Common Room in silence. Every now and then you would hear a snicker or giggle from Fred or George but with a firm and almost scary gaze from Hermione they would fall silent in a moment.

As Ron, Hermione, Fred and George approached the Portrait of the Fat Lady, Hermione cleared her throat and clearly proclaimed "Dragons Blood"

The Fat Lady looked down at the four and turned sideways. Giving her very formidable size its full viewing. No, No, No. The password changed hours ago. Come back when you are fully prepared to give the correct password. I am far too busy with my Vocal Studies to waist time with children who can not stay updated on their own house passwords.. All I can say is that my friend VI and I never once were at a loss for the correct password in our day. Now that I think of it, I can not remember one single sole who forgot the password during my entire term as a student here at Hogwarts. I was just saying to Vi the other day while we were partaking a particularly wonderful vintage and some mutton provided by Sir, oh what was his name? That funny little knight upon the pleasantly plump little pony? You could not forget his name if it were not for that sword that he keeps thrusting in every which direction as if he were here to defend us all from what? A loose nail from the hanging hook upon which his portrait hangs? I'll tell you......”

"All right all ready, give it a rest!" burst out a very disgruntled Seamus Finnegan.

He strode up to the others waiting outside their common room.

“Haberdashery” stated Seamus with a bit of a smirk on his face.

"Well, I never!" exclaimed the Fat Lady.

"In my day children did not interu......"

With this all of the Gryffindors yelled as if in one voice.

"Haberdashery !"

The portrait finally swung wide, a little too forcefully crashing into the stone wall along side of the opening to the Common Room. An obvious sound of “ooommphs and harrumphs” and moans now heard coming from the back side of the Fat Lady's Portrait...

"Her best side I always said, don't you agree George?"

"Butt of course Fred, Butt of course."

[Duddahs]

DARKNESS WITHIN

Chapter 8

Part 1

Minerva's Find

By Madame Snape and Duddahs the Great Barn Owl

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


The Room of Requirement's door was still open as Professor Minerva McGonagall and Professor Filius Flitwick removed all traces of the Boggarts and the glass jars that they were held captive within.

"Fifty of them, Filius... it seems such an obscene amount to me." Professor McGonagall mumbled as she vanished yet another one she had found under another glass bell jar.

Professor Flitwick was examining the jars themselves.

"These jars were magically produced of course." He answered back as he passed his wand over the glass surface, stopping here and there to mumble some exotic sounding spell.

"A bit of a stretch for these students to produce, if you ask me."

Professor McGonagall “harrumphed” under her breath.

"I do hope Albus gets to the bottom of this mystery. We can't have the students bringing in dangerous creatures inside these walls. And for what?" she asked as she went to the next jar.

The tiny Charms Professor went to another jar, this one still containing one of the Boggarts. He eyed it as it transformed into a Banshee. He gave a shiver before raising his wand to banish the ruddy beast. A tiny “pop” marked the end of that creature. He looked to McGonagall.

"What spell could they have used on Mr. Potter?" he asked.

"Didn't they mention something about a bluish fume coming out of his mouth?"

"Yes Filius, I do believe that you are correct. I had heard that Professor Snape had witnessed the Blue Breath of Nox escaping Harry's mouth."

Professor Flitwick began to shake a little and with a shutter turned his back to the now empty glass Ball Jar.

"This is far too involved a form of Dark Magic for an underage Wizard or Witch to have produced. There are Dark Forces or might I suggest,,, You Know Who himself is somehow responsible for this bit of hysteria making magic."

With this Minerva McGonagall turned on her heals and faced down the very last occupied Bell Jar. Its contents suddenly rearranged itself and what appeared was the Ghost of an empty Hogwarts Classroom with Professor McGonagall's figure at her desk, ALONE!

"Riddikulus"

Professor McGonagall shouted out and with a "POP" The site before her turned into thousands of test papers all with the GRADE "A" written atop them. They floated for a moment in the Glass Ball Jar and then faded out of site.

Professor Flitwick took a seat on an overturned bucket that was lying on the floor. His eyes looking up to the piles of discarded objects piled high against the walls.

"I don't understand what this all means, Minerva. Why would You-Know-Who come here, inside Hogwarts... if he had been here, why didn't he harm Harry? Something is off and I just can't quite put my finger on it." He twiddled his small index finger in the air.

Professor McGonagall took a seat for herself, using an old desk as her seat. Her keen eyes scanning over the piles, just as Filius had done.

"We must be missing something, " she said in her best brogue.

"Let me try to look at it another way."

With a “POP”, she transfigured into her cat form and began to investigate the room with much more alacrity.

Professor Flitwick applauded with a squeak, "Oh, splendid idea, Minerva! Just splendid!"

He got up and took his wand out again.

"Might as well check for any residue of Dark Magic around the room too!"

The teachers split up to cover more space, McGonagall was jumping on high perches to have a better look from that vantage point. That's when she saw the most curious thing....

There sitting way up upon a stack of broken book cases was a perfectly cleaned painting in a gold gilded frame.

"Odd, very odd” the now feline thought to herself.

“Why is this painting of such a obviously useless place doing here?"

What Professor McGonagal. was looking at was a painting of a dark tunnel with a very tiny flickering torch off in the distance. One corner of the frame was obviously broken but the painting itself was intact.

“Why would anyone wish to paint a darkened earthen tunnel that appears to lead to somewhere or no where?” Yes, why indeed she purred to herself.

Professor Flitwick was casting spells to reveal Dark Magic and it seems that every once in a while a spot would glow a fluorescent brilliant lime green. Remnants of Dark Magic seem to have floated down to the floor from somewhere above him. Then he heard the words shouted out from somewhere behind a row of bookcases.

"Wingardium Leviosa"

With this, tiny Professor Flitwick, giggled as his feet left the floor and he was being magically floated upward, upward toward the top of a stack of broken bookcases.

There Professor Flitwick stared into the unmistakable eyeglass marked feline eyes of his fellow Professor.. With another giggle, a chuckle and a quick sneeze from all of the dust surrounding him.

"Well done Minerva, well done indeed. I so love doing that. It never seems to get old you know".

Now transfigured back into her human form and giving Professor Flitwick a wry look.

"Be serious, Filius. Look over there... do you see that painting of a tunnel with a flickering light inside?" she said as she pointed at the painting.

Professor Flitwick adjusted his glasses as he peered beyond an old overturned desk. He finally saw it.

"That's an odd sight, isn't it?" he asked.

"Strange place for a painting of that nature."

"That's what i was thinking to myself. I wonder if its inspiration was factual or imagined?" Minerva added, looking over her eyeglass frame.

"Mind giving me a boost over there, M'dear?"

Flitwick nodded toward the frame as he pointed to Minerva's wand.

"I'd rather not move it until we ascertain that it's safe to view or even move."

"Oh... well, of course Filius!" she sputtered.

"Will you be alright doing that alone?"

"Its no use risking both our necks to inspect it. No, I'll go over to it and you can go back down to the floor. If its innocuous, I'll float it down to you. Agreed?" The Charms Master said with a cheeky smile on his face.

"If its fine with you, I won't disagree with that argument. Ready?" she pointed her wand at the diminutive wizard.

Wrapping his arms around his torso, he nodded enthusiastically.

"Off we go, my dear!” He turned around to face the object d'art.

"Wingardium Leviosa!"

Minerva said with a tiny grin, for she knew how he loved to float around in this manner. He had once mentioned it was something about feeling like a bird. The ability to fly without the use of magic.

[Duddahs]

DARKNESS WITHIN

Chapter 8

Part 2

Minerva's Find

By Madame Snape and Duddahs the Great Barn Owl

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



There Professor Flitwick floated, barely as tall as the frame itself on the bleak looking painting before him. He raised his right hand, wand held high above his head and he began to rotate the wand first to the left and then to the right.

A very focused appearance crept its way upon the tiny Professors face and then without warning, a brilliant flash of light from the once tiny spot of torchlight within the painting blasted him across the room. He landed in a large stack of two and three legged chairs and desks. The sound of breaking wood and crashing debris then with a "THUD" Professor Flitwick was sprawled upon the rubble.

He began to rub his back side with fervor as he attempted to get to his feet.

"Filius, what is it, what happened?" Questioned a very upset Professor McGonagall, as she ran to his side and aided him.

"Was that painting the source of the trouble that has been occurring?"

"Oh Minerva, you will not believe this, I found myself being dragged deep inside that earthen tunnel in the painting. I passed an identical tunnel somewhere that also smelled of fresh cut grass and water then suddenly I found myself surrounded by sewage. I let my mind run as fast and as far as it could away from that so foul a smell when I found myself being led into another identical tunnel but at the end of that tunnel I saw a room, a massive snake slithering around a wing chair and in that wing chair was......... Oh Minerva, in that wing chair I saw the most horrific sight.... And then there was this sudden blast of White Light and I found myself once again flying through the air!"

Professor McGonagall's face indicated the level of concern and worry that she was experiencing at the thought of what poor Professor Flitwick may have encountered.

"We have to get Albus down here right away. This can't wait a moment longer." She peered back at the painting, then swung back to Professor Flitwick.

"Do you think you could put some kind of Stasis Spell on the painting itself?" she murmured in his ear,

"Maybe stop anyone or anything from coming out of it?"

Professor Flitwick got up with a groan.

"I might be able to put something like that, but I'm not sure that it'll work. But I'll try."

Assuming the position again, he waited for Minerva to float him over again.

"Are you sure you want to get that close to it again?" she asked as reached into her robes and took out her wand.

"No choice, Minerva... but this time I won't look inside the painting itself. I'll just concentrate on the frame." Filius said with a determined look in his eyes.

"Come on, chin up; let's get this over with!"

"If you insist, Filius." she added and gently made him float toward the painting.

But just as he was about to touch the ground, a loud howl was heard throughout the room. And it seemed to come from the painting itself. McGonagall froze, keeping Flitwick away from the perch.

"Minerva! Don't keep me hanging here, let me go now in case it tries to cross to this side of the canvas." The Charms professor said as he twisted around to look at her.

Professor McGonagall obliged the tiny Professor Flitwick and floated him to the painting. The Tiny Charms Professor kept his eyes fixed upon the broken corner of the gold frame.

He forced himself not to look into the painting itself. Sweat began to bead upon his furrowed brow and then ran down his temples and pooled inside of his ears. The muddled sounds that came from the painting began to become more and more pronounced.

"Hurry Filius, Hurry" yelled the Transfiguration Mistress.

As the Charms professor once again raised his wand upon high and with his clearest voice proclaimed the most complicated “Stasis Spell” known to all Wizard Kind.

From the depths of the darkened tunnel painting came bursting forth a figure, it grew larger and larger and larger. The tiny Flitwick still waving his wand at the painting without knowledge of what was just inches from his chest...

"Filius" Screamed Minerva, "Watch Out! Fenrir Greyback is about to........"

With that a smashing sound echoed throughout the Room of Requirements. The form of Fenrir Greyback was obviously pressed against an Disillusioned Force Field. Holding back his massive struggles to attack the tiny Professor who floated but inches from his foul breath and hideously greenish/brown teeth.

His stare caught Professor Flitwick's attention and the Charms Master began to back peddle away from the painting. Still his wand held high over his head. His spell cast with perfection were holding.

[Duddahs]

DARKNESS WITHIN

Chapter 8

Part 3

Minerva's Find


A burst of light engulfed the Room of Requirement and the form of Headmaster Albus Dumbledore appeared at the entrance way.

"Minerva, Filius, I have received your Patronus'. I came as quickly as I my body would allow."

Professor McGonagall jumped as she heard the Headmaster's voice.

"Albus! Come see quickly, something needs to be done about this." the Transfiguration's Professor called out, waving about to get his attention.

Dumbledore walked rapidly to his her side and looked up. He paused a few seconds before opening his arms and silently floated up to where Professor Flitwick and the painting were situated.

"Filius," he said, grasping the small man's shoulder with his aged hand.

"Lower you wand, my friend. Your Charm has held up to this moment, it won't come down so easily."

Dumbledore chuckled, "not that I'm remotely surprised by your nifty wand work. "

"Oh, Albus!" the man squeaked, "good thing that you came. This is a bit of a pickle. Don't you agree?"

Professor Flitwick lowered his wand as he took a deep breath and relaxed momentarily.

"Found this portrait as we were snooping about. Ugly blighter, isn't he?" he murmured gently, wishing that the creature in painting wouldn't hear him.

"Yes, quite the find, I most agree." Dumbledore stated honestly.

"Not a standard issued portrait of this school... I would add."

"Albus!" Professor McGonagall said impatiently from below them.

"Can we please forget the chit chat and get rid of it? I don't want that beast to be let loose on the students."

"Patience, Minerva. That's what I'm thinking about."

Professor Dumbledore looked pensively at the image, silently agreeing with his Assistant Headmaster's observations.

Fenrir had pulled back as he had seen the old wizard, knowing that this was not the man to tangle with. The creature turned away and retreated from sight down into the darkened painted tunnel.

"Minerva, " Dumbledore said quietly, his eyes twinkling with mirth as he saw the beast leave his sight.

"Would you please Floo Remus and ask him to come over to the school. His insight might come in handy right now."

"Oh!" she blurted, raising a hand over her heart, "indeed. I'll go right away."

McGonagall trotted off to the exit in the blink of an eye. The flicking of the tail of her long cloak was the last thing that could be seen of her.

Professor Flitwick grinned, "I only wish I were as good at Transfiguration as Minerva is." he quipped. "Right: now what?"

Professor Dumbledore stroked his beard as he thought about the possible outcomes to this rather sticky situation.

"The Paintings Magic is temporarily out of service, thanks to your Charm's expertise... but it needs to be permanently thwarted."

Dumbledore walked closer to the canvas and felt the magical pull that had been placed upon it. He stepped back a few steps, mentally analyzing the situation. Raising his wand, he approached it again, poking the wooden frame. He whispered a series of spells, each giving off sparks of different color.

"Hmm..."

Flitwick watched carefully, waiting to see if he would need to intervene.

"And?" he asked the Headmaster, as Professor Dumbledore quietly floated both of them to the safety of the floor below.

Albus Dumbledore stepped out into the hallway of the Seventh Floor and was confronted by a mob of angry parents and students. Professor Flitwick followed very closely upon the heals of the imposing figure of the Headmaster.

"Dumbledore, what is the meaning of leaving what may be the last visitation by we, the members of the Board of Hogwarts while you are still the Headmaster of this school?" stated the threatening tone of Lucius Malfoy.

The over sized bodies of Mr. and Mrs. Crabbe, Goyle and Bulstrode almost obscured their offspring as well as the greasy form cast by the Potions Master, Severus Snape. A vicious snarl was not even attempted to be disguised upon Snapes face as he glared at the Headmaster.

"I do say, Lucius you do have a knack of turning up at exactly the right moment. It appears that a bit of Dark Magic has infested a horrendous painting that has been found in the Castle and I do believe that it was your SON who has correctly identified its principal properties" came Dumbledores response.

"HOW DARE YOU" spat the senior Malfoy.

"What PROOF do you have that Draco or any other student other than that Potter fool and his cohorts were involved with that piece of, what did you say it was? A work of Dark Magic?".

"Ah Lucius, alas the Dark Magic used had left imprints of it's touch upon those who had come in direct contact with it. It is obvious that neither Harry Potter nor his friends had been involved in the application of this objects Dark Magic. You see, not one of them showed any signs of the glowing remains of its Glowing Dark Magical castings."

"Unfortunately for our young Slytherin students, each and everyone of them have the signs of the Lime Green Glow of Dark Magic. This was shown to me when confronted by my Foul Fooling device. This is what was sitting on the table next to young Mr. Malfoy when you and your tribe here came to my office." Professor Dumbledore stated with the utmost calm.

"Yes, back to what was in that office, Dumbledore. Professor Snape here has informed us that you had ordered him to produce all of his stores of Veritiserum and that you were attempting to administer it to these underage students without cause or proper regulation from the Minister of Magic himself as deemed by law."

"Oh, you are so right Lucius, I did in fact instruct Professor Snape to retrieve his stores of Veritiserum but it was never intended to be used upon the students, I had planned on using it upon the parents of those students. Yes indeed, upon your arrival at my office. Now you know why I Owled for all of you to come here tonight.”

With this the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge jumped to the front of the pack.

"Albus Dumbledore, who exactly do you think you are? The Minister of Magic himself? I think NOT for I am the ONLY Minister of Magic and none thanks to you too!"

Fudge stood there bold as blazes his face flushed and his right hand clenched so tightly over his wand that he came very close to breaking it into pieces.

[Duddahs]

DARKNESS WITHIN


CHAPTER 9


And Those Too Weak To Seek It!

By Madame Snape and Duddahs the Great Barn Owl

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~




Headmaster Dumbledore stared coldly at Cornelius Fudge his facial features not giving away one ounce of what his thoughts were producing at that moment.

"Seems we've been over this fact on many occasions, Cornelius. And you still seem to harbor feelings of insecurity concerning your position within the Ministry of Magic and myself."

Dumbledore breathed in deeply, while a pin could be heard dropping around him.

"And I reiterate my stated position... I am not, nor have I ever been, interested in the esteemed position of Minister of Magic. You see, I feel that I find the need for my talents lie here in Hogwarts."

"Poppycock!"

Fudge puffed, his face reddened and blotchy.

"You are covertly trying to get to it, and don't you dare deny it!!!" Sticking his wand in Dumbledore's face.

His bowler hat fell back with the force of his screaming, making the Ladies in attendance frown as they clucked with indignation.

"Really! Minister Fudge, please control your outbursts." Madam Bulstrode hissed as she kept her hands over her daughter's ears. "The students need not hear this kind of conversation!"

Draco looked up to his father, a brow lifted in question. His father shook his head discretely, a tiny smirk pulling one side of his mouth.

"Later, Draco..." his whispered.

Fudge had the decency to bow his head in the Ladies' direction.

"Sorry for the outburst, miladies. I'm most chastened at present." he bowed to them again.

The Headmaster was enjoying this little get together, all too much. He whistled once to call Fawkes to his side. The bird came to him in a burst of flame and feather, a lilting song erupting from his throat. The sound quietened the ruffled 'feathers' of the humans present. Dumbledore merely whispered to its ear, hastening it to bring an object from his office.

Once the bird had disappeared again, Professor Dumbledore invited the small group inside the Room of Requirement.

"Ladies first..." as he bowed elegantly and stepped back from the entrance with a humble wave of his hand and a wink of his eye..

The Ladies strode quietly in, features haughtily cold, but each still gave the Headmaster a tiny nod of acknowledgment as Pureblood etiquette dictated. That's when Fudge reared up, ready to take another go at the older wizard.

"There is absolutely no way that I will give you permission to administer Veritiserum to these Pureblood Witches and Wizards, Dumbledore. I forbid you from taking one more step towards that vial."

In a blink of an eye Albus Dumbledore had his wand held aloft and the spell, Petrificus Totalus calmly was spoken. The effect was instant and it was not just one but all of the female Slytherin parents AND Cornelius Fudge to boot!

"Now Professor Snape, I would appreciate your assistance in administering the potion to each one of our guests. I am sure that we will need but a tiny drop as I will be asking one question each and one question alone. I do not wish to pry in the private lives of such upstanding (cough, snick) Pureblood members of Society."

"Headmaster, I refuse to be complicit to this most foul of deeds. To forcibly cause the parents of the students of this school to divulge their inner secrets. I would have never thought you so callous or unscrupulous..."

"Yes, I see Severus, it is just the student body of this school that you feel should be threatened to be administered the truth serum. Ah, yes, I am very much aware of the threats that you have directed at Harry Potter and his fellow Gryffindors. When you believed that they had stolen your stores of Lace Wing Flies and Boomslang Skin.. No Severus, you will not be allowed to deny my request as it is you who has brought this rabble into this mess by ignoring the actions of the students you have been charged to oversee. You Severus, you are the one that is wrong in this matter, not I."

Professor Snape gave the Headmaster the most vicious stare, he then turned to face the male parents only to find them no longer there! Where had they gotten off to? Why would they have abandoned their own wives and children not to mention the Minister of Magic?

Severus thought to himself, "WHY INDEED?"

Severus Snape jerked his head back towards Professor Dumbledore and spoke very slowly..

"What had you known, and when did you realize that the Dark Magic had been directly involved with the male adults Headmaster?"

A small curl to the corner of Dumbledore's mouth and a little twinkle in his eye, a tip of his head and then he spoke.

"But Severus, why is it that you had not known? When was it that you became so blinded by anger and guilt directed toward Harry Potter that your own senses have become clouded?"

"I will not dignify that comment with any of my own, Headmaster. How I feel about the Potter doesn't come into play in this matter."

Snape huffed as he stared at the immobilized women.

"Could you at least annul the effects of the spell? We now can safely assume that their husbands were somehow ... responsible for this." Severus said between tightened lips.

Professor Dumbledore shook his head, "Not so fast Severus, there are still some things which need to be done first."

The Headmaster made his statement as clear as possible, causing Cornelius Fudge and the Body Bound woman's eyes grown wide.

"Somnos!" he calmly said with a tiny flick of his wand.

Professor Snape cringed inwardly as the Headmaster put the attendance asleep artificially.

"And what, pray tell, will you do now? Crucio me?” came the snarl of Severus Snape.

Dumbledore just chuckled, "Oh no, nothing like that Severus... we still have the small matter of a Dark Magic Painting within these school walls. And we have yet discovered who it has brought it in, now have we?"

Snape concurred with a nod.

"Then let us bring it down here so the ladies and Minister Fudge can examine it close up. For themselves. But only after you've tried a few diagnostic scans to see who's spells where cast upon on it."

The Headmaster said quietly, giving his Potions Master a chance to agree before summoning the painting.

"And maybe we could pick up certain spell signatures on its surfaces. We probably could narrow down the list of probable culprits with an understanding of whom had enough power to exact such a plan. Agreed?"

"Very well, Headmaster. But these proceedings are highly irregular and are going to earn you a cauldron full of trouble I have no doubt." Snape said petulantly, though his reasoning was rather correct.