Chasing Voldemort

Chasing Voldemort

"Harry! Harry, wake up!" Hermione shook Harry senseless, her eyes wide with panic. He finally opened his eyes groggily, annoyed with Hermione for waking him at such an early hour of the morning. He'd only just fallen asleep.

"What is it, 'Mione?" he croaked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Do you hear that?" she asked uneasily. Harry frowned at her look of worry and sat up in bed. They sat in silence for a few seconds as Harry listened. Now that she mentioned it, the crickets were irritatingly loud.

"No," he responded, sighing as she climbed out of bed and walked over to the window. She inserted a finger into the blinds and pulled it down enough to peek through. Harry's head jerked up.

"Wait," he muttered as Hermione squeaked and jumped back into bed, burying herself beneath the covers. "I think I heard something." They remained silent for a minute as Harry strained to hear something besides the crickets. Finally, he heard a faint scratching sound.

"I'll go see what it is." He stood up, trying to act brave before Hermione. She gave him a look and shook her head skeptically.

"I'm coming with you." She slipped from the sheets and followed Harry to the door.

The pajama clad couple walked slowly down the staircase, careful to avoid the squeaky steps.

The sound got louder the nearer they came to the kitchen. Hermione squeezed Harry's upper arm as they neared the kitchen door. With one hand on the door, Harry quickly pulled his wand from his pajama pocket. Taking a deep breath, he shoved the door open.

He gasped and eyed the dark form on the ground. It was over in the corner, whimpering. With some courage, Hermione too entered the kitchen, also gasping when she saw the sight.

"Voldemort!" they shouted the name together. Hermione and Harry released relieved sighs. They were an adult witch and wizard and Voldemort was as harmless as a fly. He could even be affectionate sometimes.

Harry walked over to the door and opened it, peeking into the front yard and searching for people lurking in the bushes. They did do that sometimes.

"Harry! No! Shut the door! Voldemort will get out. You know how creepy the neighbors find him!" Hermione tried to warn him, but it was too late. Voldemort had somehow crawled beneath Harry's legs and pushed himself through the opening of the door. He ran past the yard and into the street.

"Go after him!" Hermione said angrily, motioning outside. Harry shoved his wand into his pocket and bolted through the door, sprinting as fast as he could with bare feet, desperately trying to catch up to Voldemort. Voldemort was an excellent runner, though. Hermione shook her head as she watched Harry weaving in and out of their neighbors' yards, chasing Voldemort.

Harry was running as fast as he could, but the pain in his chest was increasing and he didn't think he could hold out any longer. He wasn't fit like he was as a boy. With a loud grunt, he lunged forward into a yard, his hand closing around one of Voldemort's legs.

"Gotcha!" he breathed heavily through his teeth. Voldemort struggled against him, growling and biting at him. It was all to no avail, though. He knew how to handle Voldemort. It hadn't been the first time he had tried to escape. Harry limped back to his muggle home, Voldemort wiggling in his arms. Harry had a good hold on him, though.

Hermione stood in the doorway and sighed, glad to know that Voldemort wasn't on the loose again. Harry stepped into the kitchen doorway, allowing Voldemort to jump from his arms. He bolted the door and glared down at the dark figure on the ground.

"You!" He pointed an accusing finger at Voldemort, the sweat framing his face a testament to his struggle. Hermione motioned for Harry to quiet down a little, but he ignored her

"You little--" Harry's hand shook with anger.

"Harry, don't..." Hermione said timidly, feeling sorry for Voldemort.

"'Mione! I'm trying to talk here!" His voice cracked. She frowned and stepped back, holding her hands up in defeat. "You--You--Argh!" He took a deep breath.

"BAD DOG!" He glared down at the small fur ball before him. The dog cowered at his feet.

Harry stomped off to bed. Hermione bent down and enveloped Voldemort in her arms, following Harry.