Harry Potter and the Dreamer of Fears

Chapter 11 – Fiere

Ginny Weasley had never been so scared in her life.  Only once had she been this scared…and that was when facing Tom Riddle and the Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets.  Now, however, this was a completely new fear that she was experiencing.  Oh sure she encountered Dementors before, but that was only a Dementor and it was dispelled by Professor Lupin.  But now…surrounded by what looked to be ten Dementors…the cold feeling of despair was washing over her like a tsunami wave.  She felt as if all the joy in her was broken down, like glass shattering all over the place.  It was as if she had no self-worth, she was just a puny worthless little girl who had a crush on Harry Potter.

Harry.  The name rang in her head like an empty toll bell.  She didn’t know if Harry had noticed that she was missing, but she fervently hoped that someone did.  Cho and some of her friends were already falling under the effects of the Dementors, their silvery spells, which she had just learned were Patronus spells, fading rapidly.  Already, most of had fainted from the demeanor's presence, and the upperclassmen that were supposed to be watching them seemed to have a stronger resilience to what the Dementors were capable of doing, but even they too, looked about to waver and collapse.

"We’re not going to make it out of this one, are we Ginny?" Morgan whispered fearfully next to her as she felt her legs buckle and she slide to the ground.

She kept hearing Tom Riddle’s voice in her head, taunting her, commanding her…commanding her to open the Chamber of Secrets. 

You will open the door…it is nothing to worry about. 

I can see that you’re having some problems.  Let me help you. 

Oh, so you know Harry Potter…tell me, who is he? 

I know he’s someone very special to you…  Riddle’s voice continued in a rasping voice, his taunting getting worse and worse.

"Ginny…" Morgan’s voice seemed so distant to her that she just wanted it to go away.  She wanted everything to go away, just to go away so she didn’t have to hear Tom Riddle’s mocking voice.

"Go…away," she whispered as she clutched her hair, shaking her head a few times.  "P-Please…leave me alone."

"Ginny," Morgan’s hand touched her shoulder and she flinched at the contact.

Chickens are a rude creature, aren’t they Ginny…I think you should go kill one.

Remember when they pecked at you when your brother brought one home… Riddle’s voice was now a hiss. 

"Ginny…listen to my voice."

"Noooo…"

"Ginny…do not fear the fear.  Fear isn’t an ally…dispel it," Morgan’s voice seemed like a chant and she tried to clear her mind of Riddle’s voice as she focused on hers.

Fear isn’t an ally…she thought silently to herself, combating the voice of Tom Riddle in her head.  Fear isn’t an ally…fear isn’t-

"Expecto Patronum!"

Her concentration was momentarily distracted as she glanced up and saw the bright silvery shape of a stag galloping towards them, the form of Harry Potter behind its shadowy spectrum.  Then she collapsed and saw darkness as she felt the clammy coldness of the Dementors sweep over her once again, this time in a bigger wave.  Harry…you found…us…

* * * * *

Stopping cold in the spacious corridor Harry froze and felt both Hermione and Ron bump into him.  But he didn’t look back at them as the sight of at least ten Dementors filled the hallway, all converging on something, or somethings.  Students…that was what they were converging on, and he had a feeling that they were the missing students.  "Expecto Patronum!" he shouted as his Patronus burst forth once again, the silvery form of a stag charging ahead of them, antlers lowered and ready to ram into the Dementors.

Harry followed his stag at a quick jog as the creature slammed into the Dementors, making them scatter and turn around.  He skidded to a halt as he noticed that the missing students were not only Ginny, Jacob, or Morgan, but also a mix of different years of Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and some sixth and seventh year Ravenclaws, Cho among them.  She looked haggard, and about to collapse, while next to her, Ginny had fallen to the ground and Morgan was desperately clutching her head, as was Lina.  Both new students looked pale and flushed.

A sudden movement to his left brought Harry around to see a Dementor coming up towards them, its rattling, hissing breath angry-sounding, but something silvery blocked its path and he could see that his stag had an angry look to its face, its antlers lowered in a challenge.  Both Dementor and stag halted and sized each other up then sprang simultaneously at each other.  In a flash, Harry watched as his Patronus was batted away, and realized that this was one of the Dementors Professor Sadow had been talking about in the beginning of the year, in one of his classes.  This was a Dementor that had been modified to resist the Patronus spell.

"Fiere!"

Harry found that he wasn’t the only one to cry out the spell that they had learned at the Dementors.  Ron and Hermione each had their wands out and were casting them at the Dementors that his stag did not take out.  The spells had some effect, as a bright fiery spell had launched from their wands, each taking different forms of animals or creatures and had created whirlwinds of fire around some of the Dementors.  But the Dementors that Harry’s stag had knocked down or had made fled were slowly coming back, and Harry realized that his Patronus and his Fiere Spell weren’t enough to combat the Dementors, even with his friends’ help.

"This isn’t working," Ron commented as the Dementors regrouped and began to advance upon them.

But Harry wasn’t listening as he could now hear the screams of his mother pleading with Voldemort to spare his life, his father trying to buy his mother and him some time as he valiantly sacrificed his life for them.

"Lily, take Harry and go!  It’s him!  Go!  Run!  I’ll hold him off---"

The sounds of someone stumbling from a room-a door bursting open-a cackle of high-pitched laughter-

"Not Harry!  Not Harry!  Please-I’ll do anything-"

"Stand aside.  Stand aside, girl!"

The sounds of a struggle-a baby crying-

"Please!  I beg of you!  I’ll do anything!  Spare the child, please spare Harry!"

"I told you, you had a chance…you-"

Footsteps with each word-

"-had-"

Tap.

"-a-"

Tap.

"-chance-"

Silence is in the room as only the sounds of a baby crying and someone weeping.

"This is the end…Lily Eva-"

"Expecto Patronum!"

A silvery whoosh of a creature leapt above their heads and charged towards the Dementors, glowing a bright fiery red-orange.  The silvery form seemed like an aura surrounding the flaming color of the centaur as it stopped in front of Harry, Hermione, and Ron, staring down at them.

The centaur offered them a hand and a tendril of orange flowed from his hand, and towards them.  The tendril touched Harry’s face and he felt as if the clammy darkness that had been assaulting him with the voices of his parents seemed to wash away, replaced with a renewed strength.  He slowly got up, as did Ron and Hermione behind him, feeling as if the darkness of the Dementors could not reach him.  "Expecto Patronum!" his stag leapt out once more, but this time tinted even more silvery and looked more life like than before.

"Fiere!" both Ron and Hermione summoned the alternate spell for dispelling Dementors and Harry blinked as from Ron’s wand, a very large dragon burst out, its body crimson red with flames dancing around it.  Hermione’s wand produced a Griffin, who took up into the air and began circling the now trapped Dementors.

"You were missing from the Gryffindor Common Room," Professor Marion suddenly appeared at their side, her voice icy cold then pointed her wand at the centaur, which was her Patronus still glowing fiery colors, and tilted her head slightly.  There seemed to be a telepathic connection as the centaur, nodded and grinned, to Harry’s surprise, and then formed something in his hands and launched it at the Dementors.

There was a piercing shriek from the Dementors and then silence reigned.  The Dementors that were once trapped within the circle formed by a circling Griffin, large dragon that was still breathing wisps of fire, and a stag was now gone.  Only ashes remained of those Dementors.  Just as quickly as they had appeared, the dragon and Griffin faded away and Harry watched as his stag approached him and lower its head.  He reached out and touched his Patronus, letting his feelings of gratefulness wash over onto his Patronus.  As his Patronus faded, he saw beyond the fading form that Professor Marion’s Patronus was walking towards the students, some who were regaining their footing, some staring at the Patronus in awe.  The centaur flared for a moment then faded away and the students who had collapsed onto the ground were now blinking their eyes open.

Harry turned to see Professor Marion stalk past them, her black cloak billowing behind her as she walked over to the students and began handing out pieces of chocolate.  He approached her carefully as he suspected that she wasn’t in a good mood at the moment.

"Explain yourselves," Marion’s voice was cold and angry.

"We were following Professor Flitwick, with a few of the other students since they were separated from their group, when suddenly something cold bounded us and swept us here.  Then we were attacked by Dementors," Cho sounded a bit scared as she answered Professor Marion and Harry edged a bit to see that Cho’s reason for being scared was very valid.  Professor Marion looked very angry, disappointed and her stare was one that no one wanted to face.  "We tried to use the Patronus Spell that you taught us-"

Marion held up a hand to forestall whatever Cho was about to say and scanned the group that was looking pale, but alert.  "I find the story highly laughable, but it will be considered.  Now, to your common rooms, all of you.  Do not tell anyone of what happened.  You may find yourselves punished severely if you do."  "Potter, Granger, Weasley, in my office, right now," she turned towards them, then glanced up as numerous footsteps echoed and Professor McGonagall, Flitwick and some of the Aurors came running towards them.  The Aurors stopped by the still smoldering ashes of what were once Dementors, while the two Professors rushed towards the students.

"They will have to be lead to their Common Rooms Minerva, Filius.  Madame Pomfrey might want to check them over, but I suspect that they are in good health.  All they need is some rest," Marion spoke to them in the still-cold voice of hers.  "But before you go, Minerva, I’d like you to be present when I talk to these three here.  You are their House Head after all and punishment is in due accord." She indicated them and Harry flinched slightly at the pinched, angry face of Professor McGonagall.

"Fletcher!  What’s the status of Moody and Group Three?" Marion turned from them and called out to the five Aurors who were examining the ashes of Dementors.

"He’s scouring the area with Figg and Group Three.  Anrion and the rest are covering the outers of the school with Filch showing them the passages.  We’re clear of Dementors for now, Sadow.  Is Marius with you?" a slight youthful voice spoke from the group.

"No," Harry saw a frown appear on the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher’s face as she replied, "I thought he was with you."

"Eh, doesn’t matter, Sadow.  You did well here.  Your centaur’s work?  I mean, Thatcher’s work…eh…"

"My centaur’s work.  Yes.  Contact Fudge and have him collect his Dementors’ remains," Marion strolled away and Harry reluctantly followed, until Professor McGonagall ushered them into the classroom hastily.

As the door closed behind them, McGonagall stood by it, and Harry felt trapped and a sense of dread began to well up in him.  He sat down onto one of the desks as Marion gestured and she began pacing the room.

"You know you disobeyed Headmaster Dumbledore’s orders, didn’t you?  You left your group, your protective circle and deliberately went to find the other students," Marion’s voice was not as cold as before, but it was still angry.

"My sister was missing," Ron replied defensively, but shut up as Marion pierced him with a fierce gaze.

"I understand your concern for your sister, Ronald Weasley, but you must also consider your own safety.  What if Spawns of the Dark Lord instead of Dementors caught all of you?  The spawns are not easy to defeat, and you were lucky that they were just only Dementors.  If you were caught before you could reach any of the students then those students would be just as doomed as if you had never left the group."

"At least we tried to make a difference," Hermione muttered underneath her breath and Harry glancing quickly at her.  Only once had he known her to talk back to a teacher, and now…was it wise for her to be talking back to someone who was able to kill Dementors without hesitation?

"Try you did, but…you also left your protective group at a disadvantage.  What if Dementors attacked the group while you were gone?  Your group would not have been able to fend off as much Dementors as if you were there.  Consider these factors, before you act," Marion glanced at McGonagall who stepped away from her position at the door.  "Punishment?"

"Ten points from each of them.  Detention for a month after classes end with Filch," McGonagall hesitated then huffed a soft sigh, "but, forty points in total awarded to them for saving the students."

"Fitting punishment," Marion agreed then gestured for them to stand up and opened the door to the hall, "but in the future.  Mind what I said."

"Yes ma’am," the three of them replied then followed McGonagall out.  As they passed by the ash pile that was once Dementors, Harry shuddered slightly as he realized that he had heard his mother’s final pleas before Voldemort killed her and it made his mouth feel dry and like cotton.

* * * * *

Marion closed the door behind her and rested against it.  She glanced beyond the classroom to another door that lead to her quarters and her brother’s quarters.  "And where were you?" she spoke to the shadows.

"Scouting the area alone.  You know me, sister.  I’m a freelancer, not a trained Auror like you.  I like the lone wolf position," Marius spoke up from the shadows and stepped out, his face a wide grin.

"You should have mentioned it to Moody or Figg," she replied as she stepped away from the door and walked towards him, intent on going to her quarters.

"Well, I’m sorry," Marius replied airily, "you want me to make it on my book next time?"

"Shut up," she growled at him as she brushed past him, but froze as he put a hand on her shoulder.

"Listen, Marion.  I’m sorry, I really am," he spoke with a soft sincere voice, but she shrugged his hand off.

"Goodnight, dear brother," she replied with a hint of sarcasm, then changed into a falcon and flew off out of the open window of the classroom.  She had to do some heavy thinking as she flapped her wings and perched on the top spire of a tower.  Things were getting hairy and she didn’t like it.