Harry Potter and the Dark Lord of the Sith

Chapter 1.

"You want to do what?"

"Come on, Harry. I haven't been on a broomstick since that flying lesson we had in our first year. I want to see what's it's like. I'm not seeking to replace you two on the Quidditch team."

"That's not what I was thinking," said Harry. And it wasn't. Somehow, he felt this wasn't going to turn out well. He didn't know what that meant. Perhaps, he mused, I'm just afraid Hermione will break my Firebolt. That was unfair. He has put his broomstick through much greater scrapes than anything Hermione was likely to try. "Why not," he said. "We don't have much else to do." Ron and Harry got their broomsticks, and the three left for the Quidditch field.

On the way there, they were interrupted twice. On the second floor, they bumped into Professor Snape, who looked even more sour than usual. The bottom of his robes was wet and muddy. He was clearly in a bad mood, and was going to berate anyone he could.

"Mr. Potter. Mr. Weasley. Miss Granger. What could you be doing here on Christmas day?"

"We're just going to practice flying on the Quidditch field, Professor," said Ron, trying to put the anger out of his voice so Snape wouldn't notice and give him detention for being disrespectful.

"I see," quietly said Snape. "In the corridors, broomsticks are to be carried on the shoulder, not swing around like clubs, Mr. Weasley. Five points from Gryffindor." With that, Snape marched off. No one dared to look to see where he went.

In the courtyard, they were interrupted a second time. Neville Longbottom was walking back to the castle, but as soon as he saw them, he ran up to them.

"Hi, Neville," said Harry.

Neville opened his mouth, but no voice came out. He moved his hand as if he was swinging a wand, pointed to himself, shook his head in a negative gesture, and finally opened his mouth a few times. He had to do this several times until Ron exclaimed:

"I got it! Someone made Neville mute by magic!"

"Someone," Harry snorted. "Three guesses who."

"Oh, Neville," said Hermione. She got out her wand and said "Sonorus!" Neville breathed an enormous sigh of relief.

"Thanks," he said. "Malfoy said that he was doing me a favor, since I'd sound more intelligent this way. I tried to fight him, but his spell got there first. Can I come with you? I'm afraid to go in there alone. What if I run into Malfoy again?"

"Sure, no problem," said Ron. "Hermione was going to try flying."

"Hermione?" Neville was stunned.

"Yeah, I am," she said. "I just want to know how it feels. It could also be useful."

"Yeah," Neville muttered. "I was just...surprised." Like Hermione, Neville flew on a broomstick once in his life. He paid for that experience with a broken wrist.

"Well, come on," said Harry. The four arrived on the empty Quidditch field. Neville immediately sat down on the stands.

"I better try to fly alone at first," said Hermione. "That way, if I fall, you might try to do something about it. Levitate me, or something. Here goes!" With that, she got on the Firebolt and prepared to kick off.

"I have a bad feeling about this," whispered Ron, making sure Harry heard him, but Hermione didn't.

Harry said nothing.

XXXXXXXX

Hermione kicked, and the Firebolt launched into the air like a missile. She made a small circle around the boys, and then leaned forward and flew off towards the end of the field. Harry gasped. Is she in control? he thought. But she was. Making a tight turn around the goalposts, she leaned back and began flying up.

"Look at that," said Ron. "Is she not afraid at all? She must be four hundred feet in the air by now."

"I've rarely flown that high during Quidditch," said Harry, and looked behind him. Neville was white-faced.

"Hermione!" yelled Ron. "Come back!"

"She can't hear you from up there."

But she did. Hermione leaned forward on the Firebolt to go down.

And vanished.

"Hermione!" screamed Neville. "What happened?"

"I don't know," said Harry. "She is simply... gone."

"Could she have Ap..." Ron caught himself. "Right. You can't Apparate out of Hogwarts; she has been drilling that into us for six years. But then, where IS she?"

"I believe I'm the only student here who has an invisibility cloak," said Harry. "And mine is right here with me, so we know it's not that. Anyway, we would see her put it on. She wouldn't vanish completely at once."

"Could this be You-Know-Who trying something?" Neville said, trembling as he spoke.

"Voldemort? But if it is... Ron, give me your broomstick," said Harry.

"What?" Ron blinked. "Why?"

"I'm going after her."

"Where?"

"Where we last saw her." Harry pointed up. "Perhaps it was some sort of portal up there, and I can go through."

"Hey, I'm coming with you."

Harry looked at Ron's Cleansweep Seven. "Will your broom hold two people?"

"I think so. It's not as good as the Firebolt, but we're not going far...at least not by broomstick."

"I'm coming too!" Neville sounded desperate.

"Sorry, Neville," said Harry. "Three people are definitely too much for this broom to handle."

"But Malfoy..."

"Take away his wand. Expelliarmus, remember," advised Ron.

"Oh, and Neville," Harry concluded, "If we aren't back by morning, go straight to McGonagall and tell her what happened."

"Uh... I will. Good luck."

"Thanks, Neville." With that, Harry kicked and took off, with Ron sitting behind him. Harry headed for the spot where Hermione disappeared. Neville looked up. Just like Hermione, they were gone.

"Well, if isn't Mr. Brainless himself," said an all-too-familiar voice behind him.

"Malfoy!" Neville nearly collapsed. He saw everything, he thought.

"Oh, you got your voice back? Well, like I said last time, it's not an improvement. And that problem is fixable." With that, Malfoy reached for his wand.

"Expelliarmus!" yelled Neville, whipping out his own wand. Malfoy's wand flew right into Neville's hand. Neville looked at it, not believing what happened.

"Stupefy!" said a new voice, and Neville fell.

"Thanks, Crabbe," Malfoy smiled. "The idiot forgot there was more than one of us. Now," he said, taking his wand out of Neville's hand, "let's just leave him here in the snow for the night. That should teach him." The three Slytherins headed back to the castle.