HP-Hogwarts
Story So Far
Transcript
Seven
The
Rescue
The hooded Man entered the shack where Kat sits
motionless on a wooden chair.
'Well my pretty' he hiss's 'The Master will be
please I have you here. And more fool those who think to come
for you. Even now your mentors seek to find you' he laughs a
hideous cackle. 'And little do they know that is JUST what we
want'
He looks out of the window
'Even now my followers prepare the potion. Tomorrow,
all of Hogwarts will be mine, and nothing you 'friends' can
do can stop me... not event that Marvo! Ha! Sending a child
to try and stop me! The Fools!'
He turned back to Kat
'Now. Tell me what you know of the Book? And it's
companions? Do they have all four? do they know what they are
for? Tell me!'
'Now. Tell me what you know of the Book? And it's
companions? Do they have all four? do they know what they are
for? Tell me!'
When Kat did not answer he roughly slaps her across
the face. 'TELL ME!'
When again she dose not answer he growls 'Well,
your will must be stronger than I suspected. No matter. Soon
the potion will be ready then one of my 'friends' will come,
and perhaps after he has fed you will be more willing to answer'
With that he laughed again and left the shack.
Scully got back to the hall in good time. Mulder
was waiting for her. They rubbed noses, and then Dumbledore
came in with Professor McGonagall and Snape.
Scully sat quietly as Dumbledore explained to
the gathered group what was going to happen. The cats, Prof.
McGonagall and Prof. Snape were to go together to find Kat.
Everyone else would create a diversion. When they had Kat a
purple flair would be sent up and everyone had to get back to
the hall. No-one was to be alone at anytime. They had stay in
2 groups at all times. Dumbledore would lead one group and Hagrid
the other.
Scully Mulder and the 2 teachers set off first.
Prof. McGonagall assumed her cat form. A quicker way to travel
she said. They would leave Snape a little way from the hut,
but until then he would have to keep up...
They moved through the forest with Scully leading
the way, deeper and deeper....
After Scully had left, Nimue went back to Gryffindor
Tower to think what to do next.
As she entered she saw that all of the students
had left except one Sixth Year, Jennifer Robertson. Jennifer's
outdoor cloak was slung over her arm and she seemed ready to
leave though her face was an alarming colour.
"Oh Nimue. Could you just pop down and tell the
others I won't be able to come after all? My stomach is doing
awful things and my head has started pounding."
'Thank you' Nimue said inwardly to whatever 'powers-that-be'
had given her this opportunity. "Sure Jennifer, you go upstairs.
Shall I hang that up for you?" The cloak was handed to her and
Jennifer made a hurried exit in the direction of the girl's
toilet.
Nimue slipped on the cloak, Jennifer was not a
tall girl and her colouring was similar to Nimue's. Nimue quickly
tied up her hair in the braids that Jennifer favoured and did
a quick spell on a pair of glasses someone had left on the table,
rendering them into the distinctive shape of Jennifer's. She
might just 'pass'. Especially out of doors at night.
Everything seemed to go fine. She got outside
and joined those students waiting for instructions. Everyone
assumed she was Jennifer. As the girl was known to be unwell
no one expected her be chatty.
She saw Scully, Mulder set off with Snape and
McGonagall. She reached out with her mind and could feel a hint
of Scully's cat consciousness. It seemed some of Kat's instructions
about linking had stuck and therefore she could follow.
She made to move off into the forest with her
assigned group when the familiar voice of the Headmaster caught
her off guard: "Miss Hawkwood, good try but you'll have to do
better than that to hoodwink me." She took of the glasses and
pushed back the hood of the cloak to face the Headmaster.
"But Professor I must go. Kat is my friend and
she wouldn't be in this situation if I had been honest with
her. She ran away because of me. Sir, it's a matter of honour,
I can't just stay behind."
"And I expect if I do send you back you'll only
look for another way into the forest?" - "Yes, sir I will."
"Then you may come but stay close to me. I have
no desire to explain to your Father why I allowed his only child
to be placed in harm's way. Bedivere will be scouting ahead
for us and I expect he will respond better to his mistress'
commands than to mine."
Thus Nimue had her wish. Providing a diversion
wasn't what she had in mind though. As Bedivere flew high above
them, she reached out again for Scully's mind.
Scully was running through the wood. She stumbled
a little. What was Nimue doing? She thought she had felt the
mind contact from her. She obviously remembered the spell Kat
had tried on her.
In Scully's mind Kat was wondering whether Nimue
would find out that she was there. She sort of hoped not, otherwise
Nimue might feel deceived. Anyway she continued back to the
hut in the forest. She thought Nimue was following them, but
that was not a problem.
In the woods Nimue didn't find it that difficult
to slip away from the main party without attracting attention.
Yes, she was going against Dumbledore's instructions which she
didn't like doing at all. She hoped he would understand the
reason why she had.
As Achel knew Nimue had a close affinity with
the dryads (tree spirits) so she wasn't likely to lose her bearings
in the forest. Indeed, once she had located the unique consciousness
of Scully, she was able to pick up their trail very quickly
and follow at a discreet distance.
She fancied that Scully knew she was nearby. Why
she didn't realise that the reason the link was so strong with
the cat was due to Kat's presence was one of those little 'blind
spots' we sometimes get. Probably as she was thinking so much
about Kat - remembering little scraps of conversation and going
over things in her mind that she simply failed to notice.
Suddenly the forest exploded around Scully. She
dashed for some undergrowth and saw 2 Dementors attacking Prof.
Snape. He was fighting them off and trying to look around to
see where the others were. As they were in cat form they had
not been spotted. Prof. McGonagall found Scully and Mulder and
told them both to run.
They dashed off towards the hut again. There was
more urgency now as they had obviously been expected. Scully
could still feel Nimue probing her mind as she ran, and she
was surprise to feel her following! At least she though that
she was...
Nimue was close enough to see Professor Snape
attacked by the Dementors and flurry of activity that followed.
She lost sight of where Professor McGonagall had gone but could
still sense the direction in which Scully had run.
There was nothing she could do for Professor Snape.
Even at this distance she could feel the aura the creatures
gave off and how easy it would be to be dragged into despair.
Instead, she sped past the fight keeping close to the trees.
She was aware that Snape had spotted her and that he held the
attention of the Dementors so they did not note her presence.
She ran as fast as she could after Scully.
Prof. McGonagall stopped for a minute. She told
the cats to stay for a minute and went back to try and help
Snape.
He was still struggling with the Dementors, as
she approached she could see a the red marble sized sphere that
Kat had seen earlier. It was whizzing around the heads of the
Dementors trying to distract them. They turned their attention
on the glowing red globe and were distracted for long enough
for Snape to get away.
Prof. McGonagall didn't have time to stop him,
but he was running straight for Dumbledore, she went back to
find Mulder and Scully crouching under a bush.
Nimue was watching from nearby, but somehow the
professor had missed her.
They continued to towards the hut an looked out
into the clearing. Two gigantic spiders were in the clearing
staggering around as if drunk and the cloaked figure that Kat
had seen earlier was peering into the cauldron...
As soon as Snape is away the red globe span off
into the darkness.
The Dementors stood still and looked about them
(in the menacing way Dementors do) and then slowly moved back
into the deeper woods.
Meanwhile back near the hut the hooded man looked
deep into the cauldron.
'Yes.. Yessss... It is ready. now nothing can
stop me completing the Master's Task..'
Just then the two Dementors appeared from the
wood and moved to either side of him.
'Well? What have you to report?' He said, not
seeming to be effected by their proximity
One of the Dementors hissed. It could have been
words, but no human throat could make sounds like that.
'WHAT! Only one! You fools! And you let him escape!'
He knocked one Dementor aside and moved swiftly
into the woods.
'Never send a Dementor to do a dark wizard's job'
He muttered to himself 'Come. Show me' he shouts to the Dementors.
They follow. For the moment he appeared to have forgotten the
motionless Kat still within the hut.
Scully seized the opportunity and ran straight
to the hut. Inside she went and jumped on Kat's lap. Prof. McGonagall
was on her heals.
"Ok, show me as you go back into your own body,
Kat, where the hole in the spell is. Quickly."
There is a brief green glow around Kat's immobile
body, with a tiny hole in it. Kat blinks her eyes and stares
at the tabby cat as it changes to Prof. McGonagall. A wand appears
in her hands and a quick blue flash causes the spell to drop.
"Don't stop to talk now," said the Professor as
Kat opened her mouth. "Run for it girl. Back the way we came
with Scully." She changed back to the cat and led the way.
Scully ran back to the cover of the bush to find
Nimue stroking Mulder's head.
Nimue leapt to her feet with the sight of the
cats and Kat emerging from the hut.
"Kat!" she called loud enough for the girl and
transformed Professor to hear.
Kat looked cautiously out of the hut and then
ran for the hedge. She almost fell over it trying to use 4 legs
instead of 2! She bumbled into Nimue.
"Nimue, what are you doing here? Ops, no time
to talk, come on!" She grabbed Nimue's hand and pulled her in
the direction that the tabby cat had gone. Mulder and Scully
were running at her side as they stumbled through the forest.
Kat had never run like this. She ran as fast
as she could. She had to admit though it really was a shock
after having been a cat for a while.
They reached the edge of the forest, and the tabby
cat turned back into McGonagall. She sent a large purple arc
into the air to signal their return.
They waited, Dumbledore would surely be here soon.
Nimue was so glad to see Kat though she mumbled
"trying to rescue you" as she was dragged through the forest
feeling vaguely foolish now that the Professor and the cats
had rescued Kat without any need of her.
'MISS BLACK!'
Dumbledore is obviously both pleased and surprised
to see Kat as she stumbles into the clearing just as he fires
off a massive ball of fire singling a spider with runs off into
the deeper forest.
He rushes over to Kat.
'I am so please to see you are well'
Professor McGonagall moves over to Dumbledore
and, slightly out of breath speaks, 'I... I think someone is
following us. I.. I think I sensed a Dementor! Professor...
A DEMENTOR!'
Dumbledore looks extremely unhappy about this.
He takes Kat in his arms. 'Come on my girl. We must leave here.
This is far more serious than even I surmised'
His eyes turn to Nimue. 'And you Miss Hawkwood...
Well, perhaps later we shall talk. For now we must get Miss
Black to the infirmary and I must make arrangements to contact
the Ministry first thing in the morning. I believe they could
get a team of Aurors here very quickly'