A Letter To Live By

Chapter Four

Take Everything Away

Harry was in a garden, the mist of early morning circling around him. The light had a very gray quality to it, giving the impression that it was near dawn. Harry couldn't remember how he got to this garden, but he knew that there was something wrong with his surroundings.

He heard a soft whimper a little ways ahead of him and followed the sound into a clearing. He saw a small child in the center of the clearing, crying over the prone form of a woman, presumably the child's mother.

"Please wake up, Mummy!" the child begged the woman on the ground. Harry could see that it was a little girl no more than five years old. The girl shook her mother roughly. "Mummy, please!"

Hoping not to scare the child, Harry approached cautiously. "Hey," he said softly, "it's all right. Come here." \ That woman is dead! Oh God, what happened here? //

"Please, Mummy! Wake up!" the little girl cried, shaking her mother again.

"Can you hear me?" Harry asked.

" Mummy! Please wake up Mummy!" The little girl was starting to get panicky now. "Mummy, please!" The little girl lifted her head and took in her surroundings. She laid panic stricken eyes on Harry and looked as though she would faint from fear.

"No," Harry said. "I won't hurt you." He heard a high-pitched, very cold chuckle behind him and he thought his heart would stop.

"Mummy!" the girl screamed. "Mummy, wake up! We have to go!"

The voice chuckled again and Harry turned to see who it was, although he thought he already knew.

Voldemort was standing on the other side of the clearing, holding his snake- like eyes on the child, not even seeming to see Harry.

"Silly little girl," Voldemort said, a great amount of amusement apparent in his voice. "She won't wake. She is dead."

"No!" the little girl screamed. "You're a bad man! Stay away from my mummy!"

Voldemort laughed again and slowly began to approach the child. "Or what?" he asked, still sounding highly amused. "You'll curse me? I highly doubt that, little Muggle."

"Stay away!" The little girl rose to her feet and moved around to the other side of her mother's body, blocking her from Voldemort's view. "I won't let you hurt my mummy!" she shouted at him.

Harry felt a great respect for the little girl. She had so much courage in the face of this snake-like creature in front of her.

Voldemort raised his wand.

"No!" Harry shouted. "Don't hurt her!" He ran and stood in front of the child.

"Crucio!" Voldemort said. The spell passed straight through Harry and hit the girl full force. She collapsed on the ground and began screaming and writhing in pain.

"Stop, stop!" Harry shouted, knowing full well that he wasn't really here. It was just another dream. He couldn't help the child at all. \ How could he!? // He thought frantically. \ How could he do that to a child!? //

Voldemort laughed and released the spell. "Did that hurt, little one?" he asked.

Harry heard laughing from the trees around him.

The little girl whimpered, then stood up. "You're a demon," she said hoarsely. "Stay away from my mummy!"

"You're very brave, little Muggle," Voldemort said. "Do you really think that you can stop a demon?"

"God will protect us!" the child shouted.

Voldemort laughed. "And what if there is no God?"

"There is! There is!" the girl shouted. "Mummy said so!"

"Well, far be it for me to doubt the word of the mother," Voldemort said. "Say 'hello' for me when you see Him." He raised his wand again. "Avada Kedavra!"

"NO!" Harry shouted, but the spell passed through him and hit the child. She crumpled to the ground with a look of pure terror on her face. She was dead. Harry fell to his knees and began sobbing harshly. "No." he whispered. \ Not again. Not again. Not another person dead because of me. I'll kill him! I'll bloody KILL him for this! //

Laughing sounded around him and Death Eaters emerged from the trees, forming a circle around their master.

"SILENCE!" Voldemort commanded.

The Death Eaters stopped laughing immediately.

"Now," Voldemort said, "I want Harry Potter." He walked up to one of the robed figures. "Tell me, Lucius, how are things going with the spells?"

\ Big surprise. // Harry thought bitterly. \ No, really. I didn't see that one coming. //

"The spells are very strong, Master," Lucius Malfoy responded. "We are having trouble breaking them."

"Is that so?" Voldemort asked sounding slightly annoyed. "Crucio!"

Lucius fell to the ground screaming in pain.

Serves him right. // Harry thought. \ Bloody Death Eater scum. //

Voldemort released him from the spell. "Then I suggest that you try harder."

"Yes, my master," Lucius whispered. He rose from the ground and rejoined the circle.

"Perhaps your son could be of some use to us." Voldemort said. He walked right up to Lucius and pushed down his hood, revealing his blond hair and his pain contorted face.

"Draco?" Lucius asked uncertainly.

\ Oh God. What does he want with Draco? // Harry could feel the slight trace of panic starting to settle in.

"He goes to school with our dear Mr. Potter, does he not?"

"Yes, my Lord."

"Perhaps he could invite Harry over for me."

\ Well. *Definitely* didn't see that one coming. // Harry's eyebrows shot up in bemusement.

"Draco and Harry Potter are not friends, my Lord. He would be suspicious."

"Then I suggest that they become friends, or you will have to answer to me." Voldemort replied. "Make sure they are friends by Christmas. Harry can come to the Manor for the holidays. I have a gift I would like to give him."

"Yes, my Lord." Lucius replied.

Voldemort ran a long white finger down Lucius' cheek. "Make sure that he's there, or you will pay for your son's mistake."

"Yes, my Lord."

The scene began to go dark. "No!" Harry screamed. "I want to see more!" \ Stupid bloody nightmares! Never show me anything completely! // He could now hear echoing voices around him.

"Oh, my goodness!" a woman exclaimed. She sounded very familiar. "What happened to him, Albus?"

"Professor Dumbledore!" Harry shouted. \ Oh, thank you to every deity in the universe! //

"He's been starved and beaten," Dumbledore's voice replied.

"By whom?" the woman asked.

"I am seldom wrong, but I think that I may have made a terrible mistake." Dumbledore said.

"Professor Dumbledore!" Harry shouted again. \ Why doesn't he hear me? What are they talking about? //

"Was it the Muggles?" the woman asked, sounding disbelieving.

"Yes, Poppy." Dumbledore replied. "Please do what you can. If he dies-- it will be my fault."

"I won't let that happen." Madame Pomfrey replied.

"Madame Pomfrey!" Harry yelled.

"Where are you going, Albus?" Madame Pomfrey asked.

"I have to go and collect Draco," Dumbledore said.

"Malfoy?" Madame Pomfrey asked.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"He may very well have saved Harry's life tonight."

There was silence all around him now. "Professor Dumbledore!" he shouted, knowing that they couldn't hear him. \ I'm dreaming. They're talking about me and I can hear it, but I can't wake up. This sucks. //

"Just hang on, Harry," Madame Pomfrey said. "I won't let you die."

Complete darkness consumed him, and he no longer heard her voice.