Chapter 10
Awakening
Awakening
Ashe was taken suddenly by sudden light that burst into the room. She took a gasp as Gale suddenly flung from her chair and hit the walls of the infirmary. The pink-haired girl let out a blood-curdling scream as soon as she saw the attacker. It was a man so badly deformed, he could be mistaken as an Inferi; however, he was breathing and alive. She quickly grabbed her bedcovers and covered herself from the man’s sight or at least, the man from her sight.
The man made a short disgusting giggle. “Well, well, well, what do we have hear?” the man blurted out. He was closing in to her.
She tried to grab her wand but it was out of her sight. After struggling from the side tables, she finally felt it and immediately pointed at the man. But he was too fast, “Expelliarmus!” he said in such a low tone it almost sounded as a whisper. Nonetheless, the spell was effective. Her wand flung from her hand and struck the nearby windows and cracked it.
“However, Madam Pomfrey is not here to take care of you.” He said and the laughed.
“Incendio!” a voice yelled out of nowhere and at that same moment, the strange man’s robes burst into flames. He began screaming and rolled on the floor, trying to extinguish the fire that caught his clothes.
And the boy whom Ashe was very familiar to came to her sight. After several moments of thinking very hard, she finally recalled him. He was Ian from Hufflepuff. He was the one who saved her and Gale from the Owlery or at least, tried to help.
“Ian! What?” she looked at him, perplexed.
“I was going to visit you when I heard you scream. Come on, we’ve got to move and find a teacher!” he said at her and quickly pulled her out of the bed albeit it hurt her body a lot. The moment she was at her feet, Ashe rushed towards Gale and checked her friend. She was relieved to discover that she was not hurt badly and was only unconscious. Picking up her wand and waving it, her friend’s body levitated and landed softly on one of the cots of the infirmary.
But when they turned to head for the exit, the anonymous man was already standing before them. He wore a furious and enraged expression on his face albeit he tried to conceal it.
“Where are you going boy?” he asked and glared at Ian.
Ian pulled his wand and pointed at him; Ashe did the same thing. However, the man gave a chuckle and looked at them as if they were giving him a joke. He slowly pulled his wand and said, “I do want to hurt more than that girl. My job is to secure the hospital wing. Nothing more…”
“Stupefy!”
And the hospital wing was filled with flashes of green and red lights. Ian and Ashe waved their wand here and there, sending bright sparks to the man. On the other hand, despite dueling two persons at a time, seem to find the battle fair and square. He was putting up a good fight. Jet of sparks flew all over the infirmary, hitting vases and cots, toppling them over.
Both Ian and Ashe are in their sixth year and seemed capable enough of dueling for their lives. But in one swift moment, a green flash filled her senses and saw Ian fly towards the walls. He fell unconscious at the floor; his face was splattered with blood. For a short moment, Ashe looked at him with shock but it hit her before she came back to her senses, a hex struck her back and sent her spinning several feet away from the man. She landed at a cot with a severely injured right shoulder.
She let out a cry of pain as she held her shoulder. The man gave off maniacal laugh as he observed the two. Ashe’s mind wandered off her head and began to think of the possible scenario awaiting her and Ian; she could not accept the fact that she was going to die. And then, questions erupted and came to her mind. What was the man doing here? Who was the man? Why was he attacking students of Hogwarts? What is happening?
“Let’s stop these foolish games.” The man said, pointing his wand at her.
She closed her eyes and then he felt a sharp swish of air around her face. Nothing happened. She opened her eyes and saw the man lying on his face in front of her; he was unconscious. Madame Pomfrey was standing at the entrance of the infirmary with shock all over her face; she was white and was slightly trembling, her wand pointed from where the man was standing several seconds ago. Ashe dashed towards Ian and checked him. The next moment she knew, Madame Pomfrey was hoisting his body in one of the cots beside Gale’s.
Then he turned to Ashe, who was also looking at the school nurse. She looked like thinking something very heavy but it was cut off when she held the young Gryffindor at her shoulder. She winced a little for it hurt but she paid little attention and said at her, “you must leave Hogwarts, young lady.”
Ashe was dumbstruck; she didn’t know what to think from what she heard. What was Madame Pomfrey saying? Was the school nurse kicking her out because of the man or was it because she caused havoc in the infirmary? She could not think on what she meant by her words.
“But, Madame Pomfrey, what are you talking about?” she asked.
She leaned closer to her and looked around, as if someone is eavesdropping on their conversation. “Hogwarts is not safe at the moment, Ashe. You are Ashe, right? Now… I want you to gather all your strength and courage and leave this school immediately. I want you to inform the Ministry of Magic about what is happening here!”
“What are you saying?”
She pointed at the other end of the infirmary and then the wall opened. It was the first time she had seen this entrance or exit, but it didn’t matter that time. By this time, she thought of something troubling the school nurse. She wanted Ashe to leave the school and inform the Ministry of Magic about what was happening here; something dangerous even to the students (She got the idea by looking at the unconscious madman in the cot). She wanted to ask Madame Pomfrey about what was happening but she found herself entering the secret passageway, being pushed by the nurse.
She looked at her, tears trickling in her cheeks. She didn’t want to leave Hogwarts; it was her home. “Madame, what is happening?”
Pomfrey shook her head, looking at Ashe with pity and concern. “Dark times, young Gryffindor, dark times… Please inform the Ministry of Magic as soon as you can before things get worse here.”
And then darkness filled her senses. Ashe was now going down in a spiral staircase which ended in a long corridor that had the similarities of the dungeons when she was going there to attend Potions class. She pulled her wand and raised it. “Lumos!” and light emanated from the tip of her wand.
The concrete corridor looked endless and not to mention, makes you feel claustrophobic. It was cold and struck her bones that made her shiver. And then, the corridor opened in a great room. It was a high-ceilinged room which is very similar to the Great Hall but in a circular form like the Owlery. It looked like a cathedral.
“Who goes there?” a voice called several yards in front of her, it was a girl’s voice.
Ashe could not make out what was in front of her for another wand was lit and blocked her from the seeing the owner of the voice. She thought it might be an enemy but the idea deteriorated when she thought that the enemy might have a hundred chances to kill her that moment. She strode forward, pointing her wand at the other person also.
“Who are you?” Ashe asked.
“Is that you, Ashe? Ashe from Gryffindor?” the voice asked in a very surprised tone.
The light from the other person’s wand disappeared. The person stood in front of her had a bun-tied hair and a long, pointed nose; she was also beautiful. A light blue scarf was wrapped in her neck and a short, wavy wand in her right hand. She looked like a person who left in a hurry.
“It’s me, Lighte! I’m from Ravenclaw! What are you doing here?” she asked her.
And Ashe stood there shocked, she ran out of words to say.
The man made a short disgusting giggle. “Well, well, well, what do we have hear?” the man blurted out. He was closing in to her.
She tried to grab her wand but it was out of her sight. After struggling from the side tables, she finally felt it and immediately pointed at the man. But he was too fast, “Expelliarmus!” he said in such a low tone it almost sounded as a whisper. Nonetheless, the spell was effective. Her wand flung from her hand and struck the nearby windows and cracked it.
“However, Madam Pomfrey is not here to take care of you.” He said and the laughed.
“Incendio!” a voice yelled out of nowhere and at that same moment, the strange man’s robes burst into flames. He began screaming and rolled on the floor, trying to extinguish the fire that caught his clothes.
And the boy whom Ashe was very familiar to came to her sight. After several moments of thinking very hard, she finally recalled him. He was Ian from Hufflepuff. He was the one who saved her and Gale from the Owlery or at least, tried to help.
“Ian! What?” she looked at him, perplexed.
“I was going to visit you when I heard you scream. Come on, we’ve got to move and find a teacher!” he said at her and quickly pulled her out of the bed albeit it hurt her body a lot. The moment she was at her feet, Ashe rushed towards Gale and checked her friend. She was relieved to discover that she was not hurt badly and was only unconscious. Picking up her wand and waving it, her friend’s body levitated and landed softly on one of the cots of the infirmary.
But when they turned to head for the exit, the anonymous man was already standing before them. He wore a furious and enraged expression on his face albeit he tried to conceal it.
“Where are you going boy?” he asked and glared at Ian.
Ian pulled his wand and pointed at him; Ashe did the same thing. However, the man gave a chuckle and looked at them as if they were giving him a joke. He slowly pulled his wand and said, “I do want to hurt more than that girl. My job is to secure the hospital wing. Nothing more…”
“Stupefy!”
And the hospital wing was filled with flashes of green and red lights. Ian and Ashe waved their wand here and there, sending bright sparks to the man. On the other hand, despite dueling two persons at a time, seem to find the battle fair and square. He was putting up a good fight. Jet of sparks flew all over the infirmary, hitting vases and cots, toppling them over.
Both Ian and Ashe are in their sixth year and seemed capable enough of dueling for their lives. But in one swift moment, a green flash filled her senses and saw Ian fly towards the walls. He fell unconscious at the floor; his face was splattered with blood. For a short moment, Ashe looked at him with shock but it hit her before she came back to her senses, a hex struck her back and sent her spinning several feet away from the man. She landed at a cot with a severely injured right shoulder.
She let out a cry of pain as she held her shoulder. The man gave off maniacal laugh as he observed the two. Ashe’s mind wandered off her head and began to think of the possible scenario awaiting her and Ian; she could not accept the fact that she was going to die. And then, questions erupted and came to her mind. What was the man doing here? Who was the man? Why was he attacking students of Hogwarts? What is happening?
“Let’s stop these foolish games.” The man said, pointing his wand at her.
She closed her eyes and then he felt a sharp swish of air around her face. Nothing happened. She opened her eyes and saw the man lying on his face in front of her; he was unconscious. Madame Pomfrey was standing at the entrance of the infirmary with shock all over her face; she was white and was slightly trembling, her wand pointed from where the man was standing several seconds ago. Ashe dashed towards Ian and checked him. The next moment she knew, Madame Pomfrey was hoisting his body in one of the cots beside Gale’s.
Then he turned to Ashe, who was also looking at the school nurse. She looked like thinking something very heavy but it was cut off when she held the young Gryffindor at her shoulder. She winced a little for it hurt but she paid little attention and said at her, “you must leave Hogwarts, young lady.”
Ashe was dumbstruck; she didn’t know what to think from what she heard. What was Madame Pomfrey saying? Was the school nurse kicking her out because of the man or was it because she caused havoc in the infirmary? She could not think on what she meant by her words.
“But, Madame Pomfrey, what are you talking about?” she asked.
She leaned closer to her and looked around, as if someone is eavesdropping on their conversation. “Hogwarts is not safe at the moment, Ashe. You are Ashe, right? Now… I want you to gather all your strength and courage and leave this school immediately. I want you to inform the Ministry of Magic about what is happening here!”
“What are you saying?”
She pointed at the other end of the infirmary and then the wall opened. It was the first time she had seen this entrance or exit, but it didn’t matter that time. By this time, she thought of something troubling the school nurse. She wanted Ashe to leave the school and inform the Ministry of Magic about what was happening here; something dangerous even to the students (She got the idea by looking at the unconscious madman in the cot). She wanted to ask Madame Pomfrey about what was happening but she found herself entering the secret passageway, being pushed by the nurse.
She looked at her, tears trickling in her cheeks. She didn’t want to leave Hogwarts; it was her home. “Madame, what is happening?”
Pomfrey shook her head, looking at Ashe with pity and concern. “Dark times, young Gryffindor, dark times… Please inform the Ministry of Magic as soon as you can before things get worse here.”
And then darkness filled her senses. Ashe was now going down in a spiral staircase which ended in a long corridor that had the similarities of the dungeons when she was going there to attend Potions class. She pulled her wand and raised it. “Lumos!” and light emanated from the tip of her wand.
The concrete corridor looked endless and not to mention, makes you feel claustrophobic. It was cold and struck her bones that made her shiver. And then, the corridor opened in a great room. It was a high-ceilinged room which is very similar to the Great Hall but in a circular form like the Owlery. It looked like a cathedral.
“Who goes there?” a voice called several yards in front of her, it was a girl’s voice.
Ashe could not make out what was in front of her for another wand was lit and blocked her from the seeing the owner of the voice. She thought it might be an enemy but the idea deteriorated when she thought that the enemy might have a hundred chances to kill her that moment. She strode forward, pointing her wand at the other person also.
“Who are you?” Ashe asked.
“Is that you, Ashe? Ashe from Gryffindor?” the voice asked in a very surprised tone.
The light from the other person’s wand disappeared. The person stood in front of her had a bun-tied hair and a long, pointed nose; she was also beautiful. A light blue scarf was wrapped in her neck and a short, wavy wand in her right hand. She looked like a person who left in a hurry.
“It’s me, Lighte! I’m from Ravenclaw! What are you doing here?” she asked her.
And Ashe stood there shocked, she ran out of words to say.
