The Serpent's Thirst

Ron sat down next to Parvati after speaking to Professor McGonagall, who left minutes before after apprising her house of the situation which was getting better. He sighed, his mind quickly wandering back to what was happening in Hogsmeade. Terrible images began to plague him, but he willed himself to stop it.

He closed his eyes and began stroking Parvati's thick black hair, her weight soothing and her warmth a needed touch to drown the despair around him. He just hoped that if his parents and older siblings were fighting as well that they were safe, as was everyone else on their side. He wondered for a moment if he should go upstairs and check on Harry, but Hermione had other plans. And when she threw a heavy book in his direction, Ron had to wait longer before he could see what Harry was up to.

"You carried all these around?' he asked Hermione.

"I went to the library at lunch. I think I sprained a muscle carrying all these."

"I'm surprised you haven't until now!" Ron retorted. "You know we could just wait till Sirius says something. I mean this thing in Hogsmeade has nothing to do with it ..."

"I need to do something," she spat.

With a surge of energy, Hermione started opening a book on ancient History, and slamming it closed when there was nothing she needed. Ginny stared, with a raised eyebrow, thinking Hermione was losing it when she heard her muttering Tobar le Fios continually without taking a breath. She could see her brother and his girlfriend more relaxed while they flicked through the pages of the books.

"Need any help?" Ginny offered to Hermione when Dean walked past carrying a load of food which the elves had made and sent up. He down next to Ginny, giving her a warm hug.

But then Seamus walked over to them with urge to speak to Ron and the others, sitting himself down.

"Tobar Le fios, Tobar Le Fios." Hermione whispered to herself with her eyes shut. Her fingers were so firmly pressed upon her temples that it was beginning to hurt, but she refused to remove the pressure on the offhand chance that it may force her brain to work faster.

It sounded familiar ... not in what the words meant -- but its language -- even though she couldn't quite put her finger on it. After all, the only language Hermione used to really know was French -- which had gotten very rusty and she would never dream of saying something in French to Harry and Ron.

Seamus sighed. "Um, I past Neville on the way from the bathroom and--"

"Yeah?" Ron uttered.

Seamus was about to say something when he heard Hermione whispering the words a little more louder and turned to her. "What are you saying Hermione?"

Hermione looked up, "An Tobar Le Fios," she whispered to him and the language suddenly clicked. "OH!" She raised her eyebrows in a flood of realisation. "What does it mean Seamus?" Hermione smiled ruefully. "It's Gaelic isn't it?"

Seamus nodded and scratched his head lightly while he thought more clearly what the words meant. "Ahh ... The Well -- The Well Of ..."

"Of what?" Hermione pressed, sitting on the edge of her seat.

"--Knowledge ... The Well Of Knowledge."

Hermione relaxed, turning her head a little with a curious expression on her face. "Is that all?" Seamus nodded, and she looked up towards the boy's dorm where Harry was resting.

"There was a legend about it, but I never had time to know what it was," Seamus replied.

Ron turned to Hermione with questions forming. She could see it in his eyes... "Hermione, what does The Well Of Knowledge have to do with Harry?" he whispered into her ear.

"I think I know ... but I'm not sure." Hermione frowned.

Ron rolled his eyes. "Let me guess, you need more research?"

Hermione shook her head, all the while staring up the dark stairs towards the boys dorm. "No ... but an answer from Dumbledore would be fine."

***

Harry paced up and down the dark dorm. The candle flames were not even enough to brighten the room, they were just dim and weak. Maybe like him and the rest of the school, they had a sense of foreboding and uneasiness. But it was making Harry even more miserable.

Neville walked in again, his face wet but refreshed, and he walked over to Harry's bed, pulling something out of his pocket.

A tiny golden ball fell onto Harry's bed, its wings tucked tightly at its side. Harry blinked at it ... even the snitch looked sad.

"I caught it," Neville said a little cheerfully, yet with a veiled melancholy marring his find as Harry smiled, placing the snitch in his Quidditch robe pocket for safekeeping.

"Where was it?"

"In the bathroom, spinning around. I didn't think I-I could catch it and--"

"Well, thanks Neville," Harry grinned faintly, before walking past the window making sure he couldn't see the view. Harry needed some air ... some friendly caring light which the gloomy dorm was not giving, rather it was acting as if a Dementor was in the room.

"And ... um Harry ..."

"What's wrong?" he said before he could open his dorm door wider, wanting to be with Hermione and Ron.

"This might sound funny, but you know that long mirror at the back of the bathroom? Well it's acting strangely," he shrugged, a little nervous at his own words.

"What do you mean by acting strangely?" Harry dropped his hand to his side, just peering through the door to see his cat sitting down with purple eyes piercing his own.

Neville breathed ... "You should see it."

He walked out and Harry followed further up the spiral stairs to the boys bathroom. Lilac hissed in their wake, but softer so she wouldn't offend her master, before scooting off again.

Neville slowly strode across the white tiled room, taking his wand out just in case the mirror was going to attack. "Th- there!" he pointed.

Harry winced at the large rectangular mirror which hung on the wall, near a couple of ancient pewter baths and the modern installed showers. "Well," he gulped, retrieving his wand as well. "That is acting very strangely!"

Neville whimpered and nodded, yet his hand moved forward in order to touch it.

"No, don't touch anything!"

The mirror was heavily frosted in a shimmery black, as if minute black crystals seemed to be forming on it rapidly. And Harry realised that he could only barely make out a blurred white reflection of himself and Neville. He stood back, Neville shook his head, looking a little scared and puzzled.

"Is it some sort of Dark Magic?" Neville asked in a trembling voice.

"I ... I don't know. It could be a prank gone wrong or something," Harry answered, but even he failed to believe his own words. His eyes travelled over every inch of the strange mirror.

"It was like this when I came in, before," Neville said, his eyes wide and glassy with awe and fear.

He then took out a small red towel which sat in the cabinet and threw it at the mirror. Nothing happened -- it just simply slid onto the floor.

"Hmm ... nothing." Harry spoke, checking behind the mirror in case there was something unusual on the back of it.

***

Seamus was bewildered at the strangeness of the conversation and the expressions on their faces, when another worry echoed through his mind: The original reason why he wanted to speak to Ron and Hermione.

"So guys ... do you think Neville has been acting really weird the last couple of days? It started after the Hogsmeade trip and today, he's just worse then ever," Seamus stated, gaining even more alarming looks.

"It's just that, he seems to be more withdrawn and quiet and he keeps shaking his head; sometimes changing directions, which seems odd! We hang around him more, so I doubt you would've noticed. I was going to say something to Professor McGonagall, but with all this about --"

Hermione shook her head until it dawned heavily on her and she felt a sickening wave ripple in her stomach. "Is -- is Neville upstairs with Harry?"

Seamus nodded. "I think so."

"Oh no!" she said, terror ripping through her. Ron narrowed his eyes slightly, because he still didn't know what she was concerned about. Suddenly she stood up knocking the chair over and she ran upstairs, Ron following in her wake. "Hermione - what-?!"

"HARRY!" She shouted as she ran up the stairs to the sixth year dorm, students behind her turning to witness the bizarre display.

***

"HARRY!" she stopped by the door, her robes flaying by the stirred air, but no one was there. Ron and Ginny knocked into her.

"Check the bathroom," Ron said quickly, still clueless, but by the way Hermione sounded, Harry was in trouble.

***

Alarmed, Harry turned away from the mirror, hearing his name and starting to head out the bathroom to Hermione's aid --

But Harry suddenly felt someone push him with great force into the mirror. It was strength he never knew Neville to have. And something then told him that Neville was not himself. But it was too late to do anything about it!

"NEVILLE WHAT--?" Harry began, crossing his arms in front of him to get ready for the impact. He thought he was going to crash into the mirror -- but there was nothing to break. Harry only felt a rush of air and the next thing he felt was the hard cold ground, knocking him unconscious.

***

The door flung open and Hermione bolted through the bathroom, spotting Neville who was leering silently by the Mirror. But he then shook his head, grinding his teeth, in an attempt to say something.

Hermione turned to the mirror, seeing the black frost disappearing and the normal shiny mirror replacing it. "NO!" Hermione screamed.

Ron ran in after her but she was to quick for him to stop her. Hermione threw herself through the still blackened mirror before it fully changed. She knew it was a porthole ... and judging from its colour, it was used for dark purposes.

What awaited on the other side she didn't know. She just hoped Harry was fine. Hermione was not going to let him go through whatever he was going to face alone, even though it was something he would rather face alone.

***

Ron panted at the scene, stopping by the now reflective mirror, just like it had been always. He touched it, finger marks remained on it's surface for a few moments, unable to think straight. He cringed, anger and fear pulsing through him. Ginny slid down by the doorway in shock and Seamus entered and stared, breathing heavily. He was dumbstruck.

And Neville yelled, falling to his knees, trying to rip out a clump of hair. "Stop ... stop!" he muttered. Ron flicked his eyes on him, and with raging hands pulled at his robes, lifting Neville up forcibly.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?!" Ron bellowed, wide-eyed.

"Ron ..." Ginny screamed as Dean, Parvati and other Gryffindors entered the scene wondering what had happened.

Neville, flopped his head back, to stare at Ron, his glassed eyes, making him look mad ... he began to laugh. "Gone ... gone ... to where I don't know," he chortled insanely.

Ron was disgusted and let go of him, whipping out his own wand and yelling: "Finite Incantatem!"

***

In Hogsmeade, curses whizzed past like a dazzling Muggle Laser show, although the worst was over. Sirius ducked, missing a killing curse which had bounced off a window, and he hid in an alley which was occupied by his best friend Remus.

Remus shoved a hand in front of Sirius chest with force, making him back against the wall.

"What is it?" Sirius whispered, noticing that Remus was strategically pointing his wand towards something. Sirius trailed his eyes in the direction of the wand and found Lucius Malfoy, casting spells from a store window, before dodging down in safety.

Screams, yells and noise from the destruction of buildings echoed around them. They tried the best they could to keep civilians out of the battle between The Order of the Phoenix and Aurors and the Dark side.

A duel between a Death Eater and Auror bloomed across the street, and they heard the Auror yell and hit the wall, making the bricks shatter like it was glass by the impact.

"Sirius," Remus nudged his head a little across the street, seeing the Auror trying to get away before he could be killed. "Handle the Auror who's been captured ... and I'll try and hit Malfoy."

"Righto ..." he said and with a light swish of his cloak, he Apparated behind a Death Eater who had now gotten hold of a young Auror in a headlock. With the Auror's trying to breathe and struggle to free himself, the Death Eater pulled his wand from his grasp and attempted to strangle him one-handed, while he attempted to kill him with the unforgivable curse.

"Stupefy," Sirius yelled behind the man. The Death Eater loosened his grip and he crumbled to the ground in a messy heap. The Auror panted, hands soothing his neck, trying to say thank you, but the strangulation made him lose his voice. However, Sirius got the message and gave the man a lopsided grin as he tied the minion up and giving him a swift kick in his legs for the trouble.

"Go ... I'll stay with him ... If he ... comes to, I'll stun him ... again." The Auror eventually croaked, colour coming back to his face.

Sirius shook his head, holding his wand towards the store Lucius was in. Oh how dearly he would love to hit the man! "Malfoy is being Snipered."

He waited, and waited, until the moment Lucius rose from his hiding place and his vile blonde hair could be seen from the shattered window. "Go, Remus," Sirius breathed, and just as his words ended, Remus cast a nice impaling spell.

"Argh ..." they heard Lucius scream.

"YES!" Sirius yelled, running towards the store, as Remus bolted into it.

"DAMMIT ... HE DISAPPARATED!" Remus spat loudly. Sirius entered it to find that Lucius was nowhere to be seen.

"Lumos! Well, you did hit him, Moony ... see the blood." Sirius halted pointing to the ground, in the light of the wand. A pool of dark red smudged the floor, and bloodied shoe prints told them that he stood up on the blood and vanished.

But just in case Remus observed every inch of the store in case Malfoy was still lurking waiting to pounce out.

Sirius had a jolt of joy. "Where did you hit him?"

"Somewhere around his shoulder."

"That should hinder him for awhile," Sirius said poking his head out of the door and looking at the suddenly peaceful, yet still-dangerous street of Hogsmeade, now turned into a battlefield with broken windows and splintered woodworks everywhere. Stone walls had been brought down, rubble was everywhere, becoming the trenches of both sides. He saw Tonks running towards them.

"Why is it so ... quiet ... now ... they've ... got to be ... planning ... some sort of ... tactical ... attack?" Tonks said setting foot in the store, panting for breath and looking around at the alert faces.

"Are you alright?" Remus asked, wiping his brow from the concentrated sweat which had formed while he had Snipered.

Tonks nodded, wiping away blood from a cut on her cheek. "Fine. Kingsley and Moody and the others have just immobilised some Death Eaters in Hufflepuff Crescent, the rest have gone. I had to get a report from you, and hopefully avoid getting killed at the same time. What a few hours this has been!"

Sirius squinted his eyes, trying to listen attentively to the street outside. He heard someone yelling. "What the--"

Dumbledore abruptly Apparated in front of them. Remus, Tonks and Sirius threw a couple of curses at the old Headmaster thinking he was a Death Eater.

"Protego!" Dumbledore shouted, making the curses bounce off. "It's me."

And the Auror who had waited calmly in the street with his prisoner walked in, dragging his catch along with him.

"Sorry, Albus... the news?" Remus breathed in rapidly.

"They've all Disapparated," he said slowly, yet a glint in his eye told Sirius that he might know why. "I think it might have been a diversion to get most of the order out of the castle... which means that we should return to Hogwarts as soon as possible."

Moody, Kingsley and the Weasleys appeared behind the Headmaster in a swirl of cloaks, all looking around in case there were still in danger.

And right on cue, an owl, the size of a cricket ball zoomed in, unfazed by the chaos outside. Sirius recognised it as Pig and snatched the owl gently, removing a note held in its claws. Sirius scanned the letter quickly and looked up into Dumbledore's eyes.

"Harry and Hermione ... they've got them!" Sirius heart fell into his stomach and he felt a wave of true terror flood in him. Remus mouthed something which suspiciously sounded like an obscene word and sighed as a silvery bird charmed from McGonagall's wand glided into the store, giving the darkness around them an eerie glow.

It was a sign that they were desperately needed.

***

Harry coughed, accidentally inhaling dust, gasping as he came to. He adjusted his cracked glasses and looked up lazily, the silence around him made him weary and he tried to stand up when he noticed a great weight pinning him down.

"Harry?"

"What - the - hell," Harry said, gaping with wide eyes at Hermione, who trembled in fear.

"Harry ... Oh my--" she said, her breath quickening while he looked around, turning back to see the mirror behind them.

"What happened?" Harry said as Hermione shoved off. "Neville!" He remembered

"Neville," she sobbed, still staring at the mirror like it would suddenly turn into a porthole again and take them back. "He - he was under Imperius, and he made the - the mirror into a porthole."

Harry suddenly heaved, startling Hermione when his fingers seized her upper arms tightly.

"Get up Hermione, get up and run!" Harry hissed, gazing around where they were as fear danced within him. They were in a room, a dirty decrepit room. The walls were stained, and a musty horrid smell lingered around them by the moss and fungi that grew on the ceiling and floor. There was also a broken window by their right. The ripped and soggy curtains gently stirring in the breeze. Harry and Hermione could hear water, a strong rush of water somewhere outside the window.

Hermione stood up, retrieving her wand and crouching low, pulling Harry up with her. Memories of the graveyard back in fourth year flooded through his mind, and Harry had the instinct to grab hold of Hermione to protect her no matter what.

"Where are we?"

"I don't care where we are just ... go ... run!" Harry whispered, thrashing his wand in the air.

Hermione stepped back, trying to find the door all the while keeping alert and Harry followed her, his eyes scanning the dark surroundings carefully. They're hiding, he thought to himself. Death Eaters were going to pop in any minute now. They were about to reach what they thought was presumably the front door to the house when Harry's fears came true.

A loud crack filled the air and a Death Eater Apparated in front of them about to curse them. Hermione screamed and Harry swished his wand reflexively, "Protego," he yelled, and a yellow light sprang off the shield hurtling past the Death Eater who then attempted to launch another curse at them.

Harry dragged Hermione down right before the masked man was able to stun them, the curse racing over their heads.

"Expelliarmus!" Harry shouted. But the Death Eater whirled out of the way hidden in shadows, but giving Hermione a chance as she stuck her wand out, sensing where he was.

"IMPEDIMENTA!" she cried and the Death Eater was hit, falling to the ground with soft moans. But their troubles were only beginning as more Death Eaters appeared, bearing their Dark Magic.

Harry made to get up, but this was a mistake. "Ossis Abrumpo," he heard behind him and Harry fell to his knees, screaming as he felt a couple of ribs snap in half.

"HARRY!" Hermione shouted by his side, as the servants of the Dark Lord closed in on them. Hermione stuck her wand out risking her life while she pointed it, outnumbered.

"So nice to meet you again wee Potter and Mudblood," Bellatrix sneered. "It's almost like deja vu."

She laughed! Her voice chilling to the bone.