Nicole Stevens: Blood and Daggers

Chapter Twenty-Three: Polyjuice Potion

Harry returned, some time later, looking like he had been sick. He greeted me wearily, and we sat by the fire, which he stoked from his chair. The pallor of his skin was worrying me, so I had to ask, "Are you okay, Harry? You don't look well."

"I am perfectly fine," he assured me, before abruptly changing the subject. "Earlier, you suggested that we might escape from here, did you not?"

"Yes, I did," I answered. "I think that escaping is better than staying here any day."

"Well, I would like to know how exactly you plan to go about getting out of here."

"I thought maybe Draco could help us again, like he did last year. I'm certain he wouldn't mind getting us out of the house, but once outside the walls, I don't know. He mentioned mazes and traps, which I'm not good at getting out of. I can hardly get through the greenhouses without ending up completely backwards."

"Draco? Draco would help you? Why?"

I nodded, "He didn't like me being brought here in the first place. And, Draco...well, you know. He loves me. "

"Does he?"

"It would certainly seem so, from the way he's been acting. After betraying me, of course. That pissed me off, but he's acting more like himself now. But he really didn't like betraying me to Voldemort."

"Did he not?" Harry wondered vaguely. "I wonder why. I mean, after all, he is the one who sold you to Lord Voldemort two times; he is the one who told his father where to find you; and yet, you think he would help you escape? That sounds improbable."

"Well, I'm not mad at him about that anymore. I was, but I figure that at least now I know more about the Dark Lord's past. Odd, though. I think Tom Riddle looks like you, Harry."

"Excuse me?" he asked. "I do not look like him."

"I was just saying what I had noticed," I apologised. "It's just, you have the same hair, almost the same colour eyes, and the same build, but I didn't mean to offend you, or anything. But, back to escaping; how do you propose we escape?"

"I think we should wait," he said. "After all, we hardly know where the front door is, much less how to get out of it once we find it. If we find it."

I shrugged. "It's really up to you. I can stay here, I think. Draco'll look out for me as long as I'm here, but whether or not we leave soon depends on what you choose."

"All right, then--" he stopped speaking as the door opened and Lord Voldemort stepped in.

"Up," Voldemort commanded Harry, who stood and let Voldemort have his chair. I frowned, thinking about the curiousness of the situation. "So what did you learn from her?"

"Apparently, Malfoy has been helping her," Harry said, playing with the silver bracelet at his wrist. My eyes fixed on the bracelet, and I knew that I had missed something important.

"Which Malfoy?"

"The youngest one," Harry answered, shooting a sideways glance at me and smirking.

"Well, I shall speak to his father about it. And, Miss Stevens, what did you learn?"

I shook my head, completely mute. Had I missed a memo?

"What's going on? I don't understand. Harry, why're you telling him all that? I thought you were--helping me. What did I miss?"

I looked to Harry, who smiled at me, his hair neat, and his scar gone.

"Harry, you--" but then I realised it. Harry, Tom, the bracelet. Tom was Harry. Harry was Tom. Harry hadn't ever been here. It had been Tom. He had used a potion, surely. "Riddle," I hissed. "You lied to me! I thought you were Harry! I told you all of that only because I thought..."

"Which was intended," Tom replied. Because now, it was Tom standing behind the Dark Lord's chair. "In fact, I even kept my wristband on, just so you might figure it out. But apparently I was mistaken about your cleverness. What a pity. It might have occurred to you if you had paid attention in Potions class, where you might have learned about the Polyjuice Potion. But, such is life."

"I remember now," I murmured. "When you grabbed my wrists, your bracelet was digging into my skin. I didn't recognise it until now." I hit my forehead with the heel of my hand and muttered, "Stupid, stupid, stupid! And I won the award for being observant in my first year...what a load of crap."

"So, now that her self-chastising is finished," Tom said, smirking, "I suggest we take all that we have learned, and torture the Malfoy boy until he pleads for death."

Voldemort rested his elbow on the arm of the chair and rested his chin on his palm, observing my reaction to Tom's threat. I kept my face impassive; I refused to show them how much it would pain me if they hurt Draco. Tom came to stand behind me, twirling a few strands of my hair between his fingers.

"You know, I think torturing you would be just as enjoyable," Tom hissed in my ear.

"Shut up, you foul-mouthed, serpentine sorry excuse for a human being," I snapped back. "Or I'll cut out your tongue and serve it to Voldemort on a silver platter."

Tom chuckled quietly, his laugh low and menacing. "I am absolutely dying to see you try it."

"If you gave me a knife, then you would be dying...of pain. And blood loss. Oh, and your heart stopping might be an itsy bit of a problem too." He laughed again, pulling hard on my hair. I slapped his hand and looked back to Voldemort. "So, Voldie, if you intend to harm any of the Malfoys, I suggest that you go for the four sensitive areas of the body. You know, hit them where it hurts most."

"I shall keep that in mind," the Dark Lord commented lazily. He twirled his gnarled wand in his fingers, and was absentmindedly tapping his foot. "So where is Harry Potter, really?" he asked. There was silence as I waited for Tom to answer him.

"Miss Stevens, Lord Voldemort asked you a question," Tom snarled, showing his teeth in a wolf-like manner.

"What, me? Oh, I thought you were talking to him. What do you mean 'where is he'? I have no idea. I thought he was at Hogwarts. He should be at Hogwarts. Did you check?"

"Of course we checked," Voldemort snapped irritably. "He was gone. The only thing we found was a charm bracelet with a few charms on it. It was as if he knew..."

"Charm bracelet..." I murmured. Harry had given me a charm bracelet or my fifteenth birthday. I gave it back to him once we broke up, but it had been of very little importance when I gave it back. Harry had expected it, so there was nothing odd about returning it to him. "What did it look like?" I questioned suddenly.

"Silver, a heart, a book, a wand, an owl, and a broomstick," Tom answered.

Yes, it was most definitely the same bracelet.

"What did you do with it? With the bracelet."

Tom held out his arm, and I saw the little charms dangling from the band at his wrist. The bracelet was effeminate, but I was almost certain Tom knew it belonged to someone close to Harry, thus his desire to keep it close to him. I was surprised Tom hadn't handcuffed me to his wrist yet; with the way he close-guarded everything concerning Harry.

"Miss Stevens, do you know where Mister Potter might have gone?"

I shrugged, keeping my face placid while my brain was whirring a hundred miles a minute. "He could be anywhere. I mean, he's probably in Europe somewhere. Can't you track...him?" I suddenly thought of the perfect thing to do.

Voldemort's voice sounded as if I was hearing it through water as I concentrated on stretching a tendril of power out to the Wood. I was Keeper of the Wood. I had Power with a capitol P.

Melagh, it is the Keeper. Find Harry Potter for me, if you will. It is most important.

Keeper, we were beginning to think we had lost you. I will track him, but my power is weak. We are dying here.

Dying? Why?

The Coming. Her voice faded, and it was a moment before her comforting presence re-entered my mind. He is--he is searching. He is being led. To where he is being led and by whom I do not know. His aura is bloody. Beware.

Bloody aura?

Yes.

What does that mean?

He has blood on his hands. There has been a killing.

Thank you, Melagh. Take care of yourself. Tell the others to have strength, and faith.

Yes, Keeper.

I opened my eyes to find myself staring up into a pair of red eyes. Voldemort's face hovered above mine, and I struck out, hitting him squarely in the jaw. The Dark Lord cursed and stood up.

"Well, she is alive. What an extreme pity," Tom's voice said. I scowled and pulled myself up onto the chair, which I seemed to have fallen out of. Had it all been a dream? No, it had not, and I knew it.

"Go fetch Drema," Voldemort commanded Tom. "Tell Drema to take our guest to the bedroom of Draco Malfoy. She should be quiet a surprise for him." Tom nodded and left the room, chuckling quietly. "Now, Miss Stevens, I think it is time for a nap." He pointed his wand at me and whispered, "Stupefy."

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

"Harry!" I called frantically. I was running, running through an endless mist, and I could not find Harry and oh, God, I was dead. Where was Harry? Harry had to be here. He was here. I knew he was here. I had seen him. I knew I had seen him.

"Nicole!" Harry's voice rang through the fog, slicing the clouds and revealing a large chasm. "Nicole come here. Come to me. I want you. I need you. Please come."

"Harry, I can't! There is not a bridge! Oh, God, there has to be a bridge somewhere. Harry, where is the bridge? How did you get across?!"

"I have always been on this side of the bridge. Come across. You can come." "But there is no way I can!"

"Of course there is a way," Draco's voice said from beside Harry. He appeared by Harry's side from out of the mist. "There are many ways. You just have to think! Nicole, think. Think hard. There is a way. Why won't you think?"

"I am thinking and I can't see how to get across! Help me! Tell me how!"

"Imagine!" they both shouted from across the gorge.

A single tear fell from my eye, but I wiped it away and stepped to the cliff's edge. I looked down and saw an endless pit. I closed my eyes and put one foot into the air over the edge. The air...it was solid. I took one step, then another. A voice hissed in my ears, "You won't make it. This is stupid. You can't win. You will fall. You are going to fall into that endless abyss."

"Liar," I replied vehemently, keeping my eyes closed and imagining a solid paved road beneath my feet. The road was hot, the sun was beating down on the tar, and on my head.

"You are dead. You are dying. You are falling. Come on, believe it, you are falling into that void. And death, what a lovely experience that will be; falling into a bottomless pit, never to hit the ground, only falling, falling down and down, until you die of starvation and dehydration. I cannot wait for the grand finale! What an experience dying must be... "

"Shut up." I continued walking on. "I am nearly there," I comforted myself. "I am nearly there. One step more. Just one more. And one more. Look how easy this is! I can do this. This is no problem. I can make it. I can. I can. I can make it, and I will."

A loud crash woke me from my dream. I sat bolt upright in bed, and looked at the bright light flooding from the open door into the room. Silhouetted in the doorway was the missing hero. Harry Potter had arrived at last.

"Harry!" I exclaimed, hopping from the bed. He saw me and came forward, wiping his hands on the khakis he was wearing. "Harry? Harry, is it really you?"

"Yes, Nicole. It's me," he breathed softly. A soft cry escaped me, and I ran to him and threw my arms around his neck. Harry wrapped his arms around my waist in a tight embrace, and kissed my cheek. I leant my head on his shoulder and waited for Harry to say something.

"Have you gotten shorter, or am I getting taller?" he joked in a whisper.

"I'm pretty sure I'm my normal height...Harry where've you been? I've been waiting--I have so much to tell you."

"I know...Believe me, I was trying to find you. I have things to tell you too."

"Come, Harry. Sit." I took his hand and pulled him over to the bed. He sat wearily, as I found a match to light the lamp on the nightstand. As my hand swept blindly over the table's surface, my fingers contacted something long and cold, with a sharp edge. I lit the lamp and saw that it was the sword. The Sword of Light. And, beside it, were two things. A scrap of parchment, and a wand. I picked up the paper and read:

Dear Nicole,

I thought that these might come in useful when you try to escape. Go out through the front door, because no one is guarding it. When you get outside, go straight on the path and don't turn aside. There is a maze, which you will have to get through, but if you keep turning left, you will find the way out. After the maze, there is a courtyard. It is full of flowers, but do not pick any of them, and do not stop to smell them. They'd make you pass out for a day or more. There are also creatures in the courtyard. They will probably look like bunny rabbits, but, believe me, they are not cute. Do not pet them. Ignore them entirely.

Be very careful when you go through the courtyard and maze. Stay on the path and be sure to remember disarming spells. Don't play with any of the cute bunny rabbits. They are not as cute when you see their true form.

All my love,

Draco

P.S. Somnus may be realising that his wand's gone any moment now. Hide it if you see him.

I laughed. It would figure that Draco would steal Somnus's wand.

"What's so funny?" Harry asked, smiling.

I handed him the paper; "Read it." His lips formed the words on the page, and once he had finished reading, he chuckled.

"Sounds like something he'd do, doesn't it? Stealing just to help you. Maybe he's not as cold-blooded as I thought. Then again, maybe he is," Harry said. I shrugged and sat beside Harry. The pieces of glass in the frames of his glasses were fractured, and I wondered how difficult it was to see out of them.

"Your glasses, Harry...they're broken."

"I noticed." He removed them, and pointed his wand at them. "Occulus reparo." The glass became whole, and he put them on again.

"So, I wanted to tell you that I spoke with Voldemort, and he told me about his past. No wonder he's so screwed up. But, besides that, I learnt about Tom Riddle, and all of those things. Tom has the charm bracelet you gave me for my birthday last year. He's wearing it. And--"

"I know. Nicole, look, I put a tracking charm on that bracelet. Lucius and Draco visited me on the night you were taken, and they told me what was happening. I came here to get you. Lucius gave me a map of Malfoy Manor, and I know how to get out. It's going to be tricky, but I can manage it, I think. The key thing to remember is that we only have a few hours to get out of here, before they notice we've gone. Lucius knows I'm here, and he'll try to keep it secret that you've gotten out. We'll have to go to a Muggle town, or something, to get a car. I'm sixteen, but I can probably pass for a seventeen year old. I hope."

"But you don't know how to drive," I said.

"I've driven--okay, I'm lying. I don't know how to drive, but I can wing it. How difficult can it be?"

"You'd be really surprised. I can drive, sort of, and I think I'd better drive. But, you can tell me how to get back to Hogwarts. So, should we go now?"

"Yeah, I think so. Is there anything you need?"

"Some clothes. I think I'm going to steal some of Draco's clothes. Just wait here."

"Well where would I go?"

"Shut up." I walked over to the large wardrobe and opened the doors. There were lots of clothes, but nothing that looked as if it might fit me. However, I grabbed a white shirt that look to be part of the school uniform, and a pair of baggy, black slacks.

"Turn around, Harry."

"Oh, you don't mind me watching, then?"

"No, I mean turn around so that you're not facing me."

"All right, but there's a full-length mirror here, and I'd still be able to see you."

"Then cover your eyes." I changed as quickly as I could, before tossing the dress onto Draco's bed and getting a jacket from the wardrobe.

I retrieved Somnus's wand and the sword from the bedside table, and pulled Harry's hand from his eyes. "Come on," I said.

"Right."