Cause and Effect, My Love

Chapter 7: The Dementors

Every so often the students of Hogwarts were allowed a daylong trip to the nearby village of Hogsmeade. Teachers used this time to catch up on grades; some even used the time to go to the village themselves. For the school's first trip of the year, Trinity chose to go to village as a way to relax from what was becoming a tumultuous year, and she insisted Neo come along.

With much reluctance from Morpheus, Neo was allowed to go that day. He was to use an entrance and exit point in the train station near the school, which had been intended strictly for "emergencies." Now it had become a social tool, as Neo had used it to visit Trinity at Hogwarts. This time, he was to walk to Hogsmeade and wait for her at the Three Broomsticks, one of the town's pubs. She forewarned that she would be late, having to settle some business with Severus Snape before going into town. What Neo did not know is that he would be ambushed, but not by Trinity.

Not knowing this, however, Neo went into town in a better mood than he had ever been in going inside the Matrix. Any other time would he have been tense, but now, knowing that Trinity was his mission, and knowing well how this area was immune to agents, he had no reason to worry, and entered the Three Broomsticks thinking of his love.

As was usual for him he had no reaction to the town or the bar. He saw them for what they were: code, code that he could manipulate and bend to his will. The thing that concerned him most at that moment was to find as private as possible a spot for himself and Trinity inside the Three Broomsticks. That seemed an impossible feat the moment he stepped inside. It was full of students, teachers, and others who took up all the tables. After much examination he finally found a table at the far right of the bar that was completely empty. Next to it was a table occupied by a single student.

That student, as it turned out, was Hermione Granger, who happened to be studying. Neo remembered her from the library, and said hello as he sat down to the table next to hers. Hermione looked surprised to see him, and told him as much. She wondered what he was doing there. "Waiting for Trinity," he said. "What else would I be doing?"

Hermione chuckled. She should have known. Jokingly she said she would relocate to another table the moment Trinity arrived so the both of them could be in private. As for now, she planned to stay exactly where she was and continue her studies. Curious, Neo asked, "What's that you're studying?"

Nothing in particular. She was studying for a major examination, the N.E.W.T.s, to be taken later in the year.

"Kind of like a standardized test, right?"

Precisely.

Neo remained silent for a few moments, thinking to himself about Hermione's present situation. He felt guilty that he, a free man, was having a friendly conversation with someone who was still enslaved. Acting on this feeling, he said, "Hermione, do you ever get the feeling that your studying is done in vain?"

Hermione found the question strange, but answered it nonetheless. Yes she did feel at times that her studying was done in vain; the payoff was receiving high grades for studying so hard.

"That's not exactly what I was talking about. What if...what if you found out that your time here at school was wasted on something that didn't exist?"

This question annoyed Hermione somewhat, and she asked what he was trying to achieve by asking such things.

Neo dropped the subject. "Nothing. There are some things about this world that you probably wouldn't understand."

Like wearing sunglasses indoors? That was her retort. She asked why he always wore them inside when there was no need for them.

"Afraid I can't reveal that reason to you, Hermione." He pulled his glasses down to the tip of his nose. "Top secret. If I tell you anything I'll have to kill you."

Hermione laughed as Neo returned his sunglasses to their proper position. They continued their chat for a while until Neo realized the time. Trinity had told him to arrive there at 3:15, with explanation that she would be there ten minutes later. It was now 3:33, and Trinity was nowhere in site. Neo stood up. "I don't mean to be rude, Hermione, but it's... Trinity's kind of late. I'm going to go outside and look for her. It was nice talking to you." Hermione expressed the same sentiments, and wished him a good day before he left the Three Broomsticks and entered the main street.

Neo didn't know where to begin his search. He presumed that if he searched the town thoroughly enough he would find her. So, the moment he stepped outside he turned to his left and walked down the busy street, peering into every shop and restaurant for Trinity. He went significant ways down the street without finding any sign of her. Frustrated, he turned and walked up a narrow alleyway next to another pub, stopped next to a wooden door and removed his cell phone from his inner coat pocket. He did not know if Trinity had her cell phone on her, but calling her was his only chance of finding her. He dialed his number and listened to the phone ring, just as an old woman tugging a very large and covered cart passed the alley.

Trinity did not answer. He hung up the phone and dialed again, with still no answer from Trinity. With every failed call he grew more and more aggravated, and felt at that moment the slightest tinge of jealousy, wondering what it was exactly that Trinity was doing with Snape. Neo was preparing to leave the alley just then when he felt something strange begin to occur. The air grew cold, colder than it had been on that October afternoon. Though he could not see the light, he could see its code, and perceived that it darkened all about him. Faintly in the street he could hear people screaming. He turned to exit the alley and stopped. Coming towards him were three wide, black and empty holes inside the Matrix code.

His immediate reaction was to fight them, but he could not take one step further, for at that moment it felt as if all the energy was being sucked right out of him. Instead of taking a step forward, he fell on his knees, apparently at the mercy of the three voids that now stood before him. Neo tried to fight against them with his mind, remembering where he was, and the reality of it, to no avail. He did not feel free, he did not feel resolve, he did not feel anything. He felt nothing, only numbness inside, numbness he was powerless to fight.

Around this time he began to think of Trinity: of how she was late, of how he had not found her, of how much time she spent with Snape, of his jealousy, of every unpleasant thing he could think of in relation to Trinity. He began to think that she did not love him, that she had forgotten him and left him at the Three Broomsticks alone while she was off with Snape. He tried again to remind himself that it wasn't real, to no avail.

Then he saw his mother. It was the strangest and most unpleasant vision he had ever had. He was no longer in the alley, indeed he felt as if he were no longer Neo, but little Thomas Anderson watching his mother die. They were huddled together in a room, hiding underneath a bed, while flames engulfed the room they were in. His mother was crying, holding him close to her chest, telling him that everything would be fine, that they would escape from the fire and be free from death. Neo tried to remind himself that it wasn't real, to no avail.

The fires grew more furious. It was closer to the bed now. Suddenly they heard a snap above them, and heard something fall. It hit the bed where they hid hard. It hit where his mother's head was. She went limp. He screamed, but the roaring fire concealed his screams. Everywhere about him was unbearable heat. He passed out and knew nothing more.