*******************************
“Duran, what do you have for me?”
“Interesting news, master!”
“Would you like to share willingly or would you like me to have you divulge your ‘interesting news’ through my own means? I promise you, I don’t mind either choice.”
********** Author’s Note: *Looks warily at the ready spears* I’m really really sorry about the incredibly long wait. I just haven’t had time! But I’ll update soon this time because vacation time is almost here! A lot of people have been wondering when they'd find out who the tall man in the black cloak from chapter 2 was. I promise you'll find out soon. Okay, I think you’ve waited long enough. Here is CHAPTER FOUR of Wandering the Castle.
***
A dark, rectangular room spun into focus. The only light came from the dying embers in the stone fireplace. Suddenly, a jet of blue shot out from a wand and restarted a healthy, crackling fire. This new glow illuminated a big mahogany desk with papers pushed to the sides and a huge map of Hogwarts in the center.
Bookshelf after bookshelf lined every wall, each filled to maximum capacity with books. Upon closer examination, one could see that they were all related to the Dark Arts, Dumbledore, Hogwarts, and the four founders of Hogwarts.
Across the room from the desk was an odd door; it was blue and shaped like a circle. Next to it was a more normal looking door, but this one too was strangely colored for a door: it was black with a green picture of a skull on it. Protruding from the skull was a slithering picture of a snake.
“Duran, what do you have for me?” a cold voice called authoritatively from a high backed chair behind the desk.
“Interesting news, master!” replied an excited voice from the black door. A tall man in a black cloak stepped out into the light from behind the door.
The person, if you could call it that, in the high backed chair swiveled around to face Duran. Two red snakelike eyes peered intensely at the now quivering man. “Would you like to share willingly or would you like me to have you divulge your ‘interesting news’ through my own means? I promise you, I don’t mind either choice.”
“N-n-no, master. I’ll tell you,” Duran answered hastily, his visage cleared of all happiness. “Well, I was observing the Weasley wedding, as you had ordered, when Potter and the young Weasley girl walked down the very path where I was hiding. I jumped behind a bush and listened to what they were saying. The Weasley girl was trying to convince Potter to let her be his girlfriend. It took a while, but she finally convinced him! Then, they got all quiet, so I edged closer to them. They must have heard my footsteps or something because they ran back to the party,” he concluded lamely.
“You fool!” the snakelike man spat. “You were so close to them, but you didn’t stun them both and bring them here?”
Duran looked up horrified from the Persian rug, which he had been staring at intensely so as not to meet his master’s intimidating eyes. He opened his mouth to blurt out the first excuse that came to his head, when—
“Save it, Duran. Although your idiocy might be of help,” the master said thoughtfully as he leaned back in his chair and pressed his long fingers together in contemplation. He closed his eyes, and muttered, “Yes, yes, that will do.” To the man who was watching him with confusion, he ordered, “Watch Ms. Ginevra Weasley closely. Follow her and find out when she is alone. Whenever you get a chance, capture her and bring her to me. Do it before she gets to Hogwarts, or else…” he let the thought linger in the taut air between them.
“Yes, master,” Duran answered promptly. He bowed to the chair, which was once again facing the bookshelves behind the desk, before turning to open the black door once again.
“Oh, and Duran,” the bloodcurdling voice called out once again.
“Yes, master?” came the frightened response.
“Get Lucius Malfoy to help you. He has more sense than to let the people he’s watching hear his footsteps,” the chilling voice commanded.
“Y-y-yes, m-master,” Duran said before quickly stepping out of the room and closing the dark mark-containing door behind him.
Harry opened his red eyes and laughed manically.
RED EYES AND HARRY POTTER?
***************
“Harry? HARRY!” a frightened voice called from somewhere far away.
“Harry, wake up! I’m right here!” A drop of salty water landed on his lips as he felt himself being shaken.
Harry gripped the bed tightly and fought to open his eyes. When he finally won the struggle, he looked around at the nine faces surrounding him. He had barely pulled himself up into a sitting position before someone with long fiery red hair flung herself at him. Two small hands wrapped around his neck and whispered, “Don’t EVER do that again!” Harry’s hands found their way to the young girl’s back.
“Ginny,” a stern, but concerned, voice called, “get off of the poor boy and let him breathe.” At these words, Ginny pulled herself off of Harry and sat beside him on the bed. “Now, dear,” the same voice started. Harry grabbed his glasses from the bedside table and put them on. Hermione was clutching Ron tightly and everyone had a look of fear on his or her face. “Are you all right?” Mrs. Weasley continued.
“Yes, but what happened?” Harry asked massaging his temples.
“You were screaming, mate. I tried to get you to wake up, but you didn't,” Ron replied with a shaken voice.
“He called us and we all came here. You scared us, Harry. We all tried waking you up, but you just lay there shaking and screaming,” Ginny added. Harry noticed that her face was tearstained.
“Was I saying anything?’ he questioned quietly.
No one said anything for a minute. Then Fred broke the silence. “You were saying, ‘Not Ginny! Take me, not her!’”
An uncomfortable silence followed his words. Flashes of a room and two men spang into Harry's mind. Suddenly, he gasped. “Ginny!”
“What, Harry?” Ginny asked grasping his hand tightly.
“I told you that this was going to be bad. The footsteps we heard, it was a man named Duran! He works for Voldemort. He told him that I had agreed to be your boyfriend again. Voldemort wants you Ginny! He’s sent Lucius Malfoy and Duran to watch you and get you when you are alone,” Harry explained, fear creeping into his voice as he stared into the wide eyes of his beautiful girlfriend.
A ripple of gasps went through all the people standing in Ron’s small bedroom. Hermione buried her head in Ron’s shoulder and he patted her back awkwardly.
“He can’t get to her, Harry. Don’t worry. We have loads of protection,” Charlie piped up unconvincingly.
“Yes, Harry. Now that we know about this Duran, we’ll alert the Order and catch him before he can get within a mile of Ginny,” Mr. Weasley consoled.
“All the same, Ginny, I want you to always be with someone. Don’t ever be alone!” Harry demanded.
“Harry James Potter!” Ginny exclaimed, kneeling on the bed with her hands on her hips and her fiery red hair billowing out behind her. “I can take care of myself!”
Nine pairs of eyes glared at her until she sat back down meekly. This didn’t stop her from fuming, though. She crossed her hands and glared at Harry.
“Duran,” Mrs. Weasley suddenly started. “I recognize that name.”
***
Author’s Note: Review please!!!
I know this chapter was really short but it was necessary...
Write a Review Wandering the Castle: Dark Arts, Abnormal Doors, and Duran
Printer Friendly Version
