Amidst The Enclosing Darkness

CHAPTER THREE

I still can't believe Professor Trelawney passed out in front of the class," said Neville. "And in the middle of discussing the Dark Omen." He looked down and twiddled his fingers nervously.

"Don't take it too seriously, Neville," said Dean, leaning back in his seat as he balanced a quill on his upper lip.

Seamus yawned loudly. "Let's just hope she won't faint again in the near future. Believe me, she's really heavy."

They were an hour early for their double Potions class with Slytherin. Earlier, Professor Trelawney had fainted in the middle of a lecture during their Divination class. She was explaining about the Dark Omen when she suddenly went rigid, then fell to the ground in one heap. The girls went into hysterics while Harry, Seamus, and Ron carried her to the infirmary. For such a thin person she was remarkably heavy, like a block of marble statue.

Madam Pomfrey instructed them to go to their next class since the Divination teacher was in no condition to teach class for the rest of the day.

"I wonder what's for lunch?" Ron rubbed his grumbling stomach. He took his bag and began rummaging inside in search of snacks.

Dean snickered loudly. "I think you better have your stomach checked, you're always hungry." He took out two large ChocoBalls and gave them to Ron. "Here, have some."

Ron nodded his thanks then quickly gobbled the first ChocoBall.

Harry remained silent. The look on Professor Trelawney's face kept haunting him and he wished Hermione were there, for he needed someone to confide with. Hermione was still in her Magical Cure class; she stopped taking Divinations in third year, after learning that Divination was an inaccurate branch of magic.

Harry feeling his eyelids droop tiredly, turned to Ron, "I'll just get some shut eye." Ron nodded. In a few minutes, Harry was fast asleep.

Along the corridors, Draco, who had just owled the note Dumbledore gave him, finally reached the Arithmancy classroom. He knocked softly. Professor Vector opened the door.

"Mister Malfoy, I thought you were still in the infirmary."

Draco immediately handed her the note.

Professor Vector read the note. "Very well, you may go." She went inside and Draco could hear her voice as she announced, "Classes are suspended for today. You must go straight to your common room and wait for further instructions."

As he slowly walked towards the Dungeon where Potions classroom was situated, Draco's mind wandered back to the scene in the Forbidden Forest.

'Goyle ...dead...turned into a horribly grotesque dead tree... his bloodless face ...with mouth open in a silent scream. The black tar-like liquid flowed unchecked from the roots of the dead tree ... Goyle's blood.'

He closed his eyes, trying to shut the images away from him. But he could clearly hear Goyle's hoarse voice crying for help. 'Draco, help me, help me please. I must hide from them. Don't let them find me.'

Draco heard footsteps. He opened his eyes and saw Professor Vector breathing down on him.

"Mister Malfoy what are you still doing outside? I've already instructed the Slytherins to go to your common room until further notice." The witch gave him an ominous stare.

"The headmaster instructed me to hand Mr. Potter a note," Draco replied shakily, the images of Goyle's bloodless face remained in his head.

"Fine, but be sure to go to your common room after this." The Arithmancy professor ran all the way to the Potions classroom. After she made the announcement, Professor Vector left in a hurry. Within a short while, the door swung open and all the Gryffindors noisily came out of the room.

"What's going on today?" Seamus exclaimed loudly. "Trelawney fainted this morning and now Potions class is suspended. How's that for coincidence?"

"I don't care," retorted Dean, grinning widely. He let out a loud whoop. "What's important is NO CLASSES TODAY. Yeah!"

The others clapped and cheered, echoing Dean's sentiments. The Gryffindors left the dungeon in high spirits, talking boisterously.

Ron and Harry opted to remain inside the Potions classroom, waiting for Hermione. Ron was seated on Snape's chair, with both feet raised on the table and whistling a tune. Harry stretched his hands upwards into the air and yawned loudly.

"Potter."

Both Harry and Ron turned their gaze towards the door. Harry didn't looked surprised to see Draco Malfoy leaning against the door. Aside from Snape, he was the only who called him Potter, the rest always called him Harry. Harry remain seated, and merely looked questioningly at him.

Ron on the other hand stared at the Slytherin with disgust.

In three long strides, Draco reached Harry's side, then he took a note from his robe. "Headmaster wants me to give this to you," he said flatly, his face expressionless, the note in his extended right hand.

Harry didn't reach out for the note, he did not trust Malfoy at all. He looked at the note like it was laced with Bubotuber Pus.

Draco had guessed what was going inside Potter's mind. He knew Harry didn't want to touch the note, thinking it might be some kind of a sick joke, and under normal circumstances, he would have smirked and made a sarcastic comment to goad Potter. He merely placed the note on Harry's table, then turned on his heels and headed towards the door.

"Hey, is this for real?" asked Ron.

Draco gritted his teeth and looked them straight in the eye. "Hell no, that's my birthday invitation. Of course, it's for real. Believe it or not, I don't care, I did what I was told." Without a backward glance, he walked out of the room and slammed the door shut, leaving the two staring at the door.

~*~*~*~*~

"Why do you think Professor Vector announced that all classes be cancelled?"

"I have no idea, Hannah." Hermione looked confused as well. She was walking along the sixth floor corridor with Hannah Abbott, a Hufflepuff, who was her classmate in Magical Cures.

"So, where you headed?" Hannah asked.

"I'll just drop by in the library to return some books."

Hannah smiled at her. "Well, I'm going to the Owlery. See you tomorrow then." The Hufflepuff girl bounded up the stairways with her pigtails bobbing up and down.

Hermione passed Filch's office, looking straight ahead. She had barely reached the wide stairways that would lead down to fifth floor when her bag split and the contents spilled onto the floor in disarray.

"Oh for Merlin's sake!" she said in exasperation.

Parchment, quills and books were scattered all over, and several bottles of ink rolled down the steps. Thankfully, none of the bottles were smashed.

"Good thing I've placed anti-break spells on the ink bottles or there would be ink all over the floor."

"Reparo!" Her bag became whole again. She dropped on her knees and frantically picked up the things. When she finished putting everything back in her bag, she went down the stairs to get the bottles of ink. "That's four...five...okay, all six complete."

Hermione straightened up and smoothed down her robes. Something wedged at the foot of the stairs caught her attention. She peered closely. "Ron's mini sneakoscope keychain!" she gasped. Ron lost it and had been whining about it for a week.

On bended knees, Hermione reached out her right arm to grab the sneakoscope. She barely closed her hand around the object when she heard a sound coming from the wall next to her. Standing up, she pressed her face close to the wall to listen.

"Now that that stupid boy been taken care of, we'll have to find a way to get to that Potter boy without raising Dumbledore's suspicion," a raspy voice hissed.

"The old fool will never know what hit him until it's too late."

Shocked, she clapped her hand to her mouth. 'I've heard that voice before.' Hermione stiffened when she heard the sound of approaching footsteps coming closer towards the wall. Thinking the wall might be some kind of secret entrance, she looked around for a place to hide and find none.

'I must not be seen!'

Hermione backed up a few steps and dashed down the stairs, and nearly stumbled in the process. The wall slid open and a dark-robed figure stepped out, looked down the stairway and saw the browned-haired girl's retreating form.

Meanwhile, a loud voice boomed across the whole school.

"ALL STUDENTS PLEASE GO TO THE GREAT HALL IMMEDIATELY!"

The students headed to the Great Hall, some looked confused.

"Hey, Sherylling, any idea what's this all about?" Ernie MacMillan shouted at the Gryffindor Head Girl, who was leading the first years toward the hall.

"You'll soon find out, and it's Townsend to you," Sheryll Townsend, the Head Girl replied evenly.

"I hope it won't take too long," Ron muttered under his breath. When they entered the hall, it was already filled with the other students.

Within a few minutes, Hermione entered the Great Hall, looking breathless. Upon seeing Ron and Harry already seated at the table, she took a seat between the two.

"Listen, you'll never believe-" Hermione started saying, but Ron's words cut through the rest of what she was about to say.

"Guess who Dumbledore sent to deliver Harry a message?" Ron asked smugly.

"What message?" She looked at the two questioningly.

Before Harry could say anything, Dumbledore, along with Snape, McGonagall, Flitwick, Sprout, Vector and Sinistra, entered the student-packed hall.

"We'll tell you later," Harry promised Hermione, who looked extremely anxious.

With Dumbledore looking extremely grave, the students began whispering to one another.

"In view of the seriousness of what has happened, we have decided that it would be best to cancel all classes." He looked at them through his spectacle, this time there was not a slightest twinkle in his eyes. And his weathered face seemed old and beaten.

"It is of great sadness to inform the school that Mr. Gregory Goyle, a sixth year Slytherin has been found dead this morning after the Apparation Training class in the Forbidden Forest."

Several girls gasped loudly, stunned silence followed.

"We do not know who is responsible but we will find out." Dumbledore's voice was firm and determined.

At the Gryffindor table, Seamus and Dean were too shocked to speak. They were filled with regret at the way they made fun of Goyle's appearance just a few hours ago.

Ron had turned deathly pale; Goyle had been his partner in Potions for weeks, he never liked Goyle but he never wished for him to die. His shocked gaze fell on Harry, a realization dawning on him.

Harry and Hermione were both thinking the same thing. They looked at each other with a horrified expression. 'Trelawney's prediction had indeed come true!'

"A month ago she made a prediction about someone dying horribly, and now Goyle is dead," Hermione whispered in a shaking voice.

She turned away and stared at the Slytherin table, observing the grief-stricken Slytherins. Malfoy had his head bowed, staring blankly at the floor while Vincent Crabbe was bawling his eyes out. Blaise Zabini looked teary eyed as she whispered something to Millicent Bulstrode, who kept on nodding. Hermione continued her scrutiny and noticed Pansy Parkinson seated at the farthest corner wearing a proud smirk on her face. She turned rigid in her seat. 'She looked awfully pleased with the announcement.'

Both Harry and Ron noticed Hermione's reaction and followed her gaze. To their surprise, the blond-haired girl looked perfectly amused. Pansy's expression was a startling contrast to the shattered look of the rest of the Slytherins.

Harry frowned. Pansy was his partner in Potions, and during those times together he had felt ill at ease.

"I'm sure that pug-face had everything to do with what happened to Goyle..." Ron had disliked the Slytherin girl since first year.

Hermione said nothing. She happened to glance on the High Table and was taken aback by what she saw, she blinked, then looked again.

"Harry..." Hermione started saying in a low voice. Her eyes never left the High table.

"What?" Harry answered but didn't look at her.

"Never mind." She returned her scrutiny back to the Slytherin table.

'Now that that stupid boy been taken care of, we'll have to find a way to get to that Potter boy without raising Dumbledore's suspicion...The old fool will never know what hit him before it's too late.'

Hermione remembered the voice and tried to remember where she had heard that voice before.

"Until this matter is resolved, Quidditch will be temporarily shelved and absolutely no one will be allowed to go to the Forbidden Forest alone. Apparition Training class will be resumed next week with strict supervision from Hagrid and one more instructor. Classes will be suspended tomorrow for Goyle's funeral." Dumbledore's voice jolted Hermione from her reverie.

"You may all return to your respective common rooms." After the announcement, the students dispersed from the Hall in silence and the Headmaster went to his office where a very distraught Mister and Mrs. Goyle were waiting.

"See you two later in the common room." Hermione called out before she left in a hurry.

"What's with her?" Ron grumbled, fumbling with his bag.

Harry shrugged. "She's probably going to library to borrow a book." When he stood up, something fell on the floor. It was the note Malfoy handed to him, he had almost forgotten about it. His brows furrowed into a frown, he bend to pick up the note. After scanning the content, he muttered, "Let's go."

~*~*~*~*~

Hermione hurried stealthily after the two figures in front of her. She maintained a respectable distance to avoid being caught following. They had just passed the Prefect's bathroom. 'Where are they going?' Her eyes darted around her, there were no other students passing by. 'Should I continue following them or should I tell Harry and Ron first?' She pressed her body near a dark corner to avoid being seen. The two stopped next to Boris the Bewildered statue, the wall slid open and they went inside.

She waited for a few minutes before going inside. It was quite dim, but she could make the outline of a long spiral winding staircase leading downstairs. She stood still and listened for any footsteps. Hearing nothing, she took a long deep breath then made her way down the stairs as quietly as she could. The hairs at the back of her neck stood up when she reached the end of the stairs. A chill ran over her spine and she couldn't help but shudder. Fear got the better of her. She decided to turn back and tell Harry and Ron about her discovery, when she was suddenly grabbed from behind. The last thing she heard was a cold mirthless laugh...