Suspending Consciousness - 8

Disclaimer: I don't own Alesana

After the cannon went off and Harry disappeared into the maze along with all the other Champions there was a lot of waiting. Distant shouts of spells could be heard but Ron couldn't see what was happening, just like everyone else he was blind as to what went on inside the maze.

The first task had been more exciting in that way, actually being able to see them fight with the dragons. Mostly anyways, Harry had flown out of the arena during the task and when he came back the dragon was no longer behind him. Apparently it had fallen into the gorge next to the castle after running into the bridge. Though he had only heard about that half an hour after it had happened.

Ron hadn't seen much during the second task either, being the person Harry was to recover hadn't allowed for it. Not that he cared then, or now for that matter. Fleur's brief kiss was seared into his mind, even if he had still been trying to make some sense of what was happening at the time.

He sighed, it already felt like he had been sitting down for hours.

"What do you think Ron?" he glanced over his shoulder where Fred was sitting behind him, "Cedric, Harry, or Krum? Fleur isn't much of a Champion."

"Yes, and make a bet to." George added.

"No," Ron said, frowning at his brothers and their betting scheme to get money for a joke shop. Honestly, weren't there better ways to go about getting the money? "You're not taking my money."

"We only take your money if you lose the bet Ronnie." he narrowed his eyes at their use of his mother's nickname for him. "Come on, my money is on Harry."

"Well so is mine, so there's no bet happening."

"Hermione-"

"No." her reply was instant and Ron grinned as she turned to glare at the two, "You're both being ridiculous. They could get seriously injured in there and your making bets?"

"Worried for your sweet Krum?" Fred piped up, "Rita Skeeter-"

"Has mastered the art of being annoying. Do you wish to be apprenticed to her to learn her secrets?"

Ron laughed as Fred had shut up, staring at Hermione. "Nice one."

"No, no. That wasn't very nice at all." Fred said while faking a look of hurt, "That was terribly mean of you."

"Go choke back on your tears then." Ron sniggered at her reply, not missing on the fact that Hermione had taken those words from Rita Skeeter herself.

"I'm drowning in them!" Fred wailed, flailing his hands about and making the students around them burst into giggling fits. There was a speck of red that reflected in his eyes in the next second and Ron turned to see red sparks had gone up into the air. One of the champions was in danger. "I bet a sickle that it's Fleur." Fred said, having forgotten he was suppose to be drowning in his own tears now that something had visibly happened in the maze.

Ron just shrugged. He couldn't really deny that his brother was probably right. Harry had done well in the other tasks, and he believed his friend could finish the tournament. Cedric was skilled and had tied first with his friend. Krum just didn't strike him as the sort to give up. Fleur was the first that came to mind after what had happened during the second task. She was just the obvious choice.

It only took a few minutes for their suspicions to be confirmed. Fleur has been retrieved from the maze by her Headmistress and told to sit down. Her school mates were surrounding her now, whispering consoling words to their Champion.

"Sickle?"

"I didn't bet." Ron looked back to the maze with that excitement over. The wind seemed to be blowing feircly inside, from where he sat he could see the maze shift. It was no wonder Harry hadn't come back yet. An ordinary maze was bad enough. A moving maze? That was a nightmare. The wind had calmed again and he glanced over the maze, seeing nothing significant he turned away.

His gaze fell on Hermione and his brow crinkled from the way her lips were moving as if speaking, but he couldn't hear a word. "Shut up." he hissed at his brothers so he could hear what she was saying rather than their pointless chatter about bets, curious if she was praying for Harry - or Krum's - safe return. Though he didn't care for the latter's safety.

"-atia pana la moarte atunci cand vanturile canta," he frowned, that didn't sound like a prayer, and he couldn't figure out what the language was. The words sent a shiver down his spine, and not a good one. "Padurea plange,"

He reached out to touch her shoulder, "Hermione? You okay?"

"Si strica de sange pe pamant." he practically jumped from his seat when her shoulder suddenly dipped down and away from his hand. It wasn't like she had just breathed and lowered her shoulders without thinking. It was more like... like she was crumbling.

"Hermione?" he repeated her name louder this time, trying to get her attention. Her lips had stopped moving but she simply looked ahead as if she couldn't hear him. "Hermione," Ron grabbed for her arm to gasp and withdraw his hand a moment later.

Her whole arm had disintegrated at his touch and he just stared, aghast. Raising his eyes just slightly they met hers, now red as blood... no. It was blood. It was leaking from her eyes to run down her cheeks, hitting her clothes after sliding from her skin. With each drop a hole was burned through the clothes and began to spread, by the time they were gone there wasn't a centimeter of skin anywhere beneath, or muscle for that matter. It was bone, dark and bruised instead of white. Then that was gone as well, crumbling into pieces no bigger than dust and Hermione no longer sat on the bench. A pile of what looked to be ash lay in her place, specks of blood mixed in.

A blood curling scream came from below and Ron was finally able to turn his shocked gaze down and towards Fleur who had made the sound. His gaze halted on Harry though who was... leaning over Cedric. The other boy wasn't moving.

Dumbledore was suddenly at his side... Dumbledore... Ron opened his mouth, trying to force words out but Harry's cries were louder than his soft whispers for help. "No! No!"

"For God's sake, Dumbledore, what's happened?" The ministry official, Fudge was now there as well.

"He's back. He's back. Voldemort's back." Ron could practically feel his blood turn cold. "Cedric, he asked me to bring his body back. I couldn't leave him, not there."

"It's all right, Harry. It's all right." Dumbledore was speaking and Ron urged his words to go up a notch, to be heard. "He's home. You both are."

"Keep everybody in their seats!" Fudge called to the staff before going back to the body, whispering, but the place was almost silent not making it hard to hear what he did say, "The body must be moved, Dumbledore. There are too many people."

"Let me through!" Mr. Diggory came into his field of vision now, "That's my son!" shouting over the corpse of Cedric, "That's my boy! It's my boy!" he dissolved into cries.

It was silent for a bit and Ron shouted, "Dumbledore!" desperation was laced through the name, probably why the Headmaster turned so quickly from the scene of death. "It's Hermione... she... she just..."

The ashes floated up Dumbledore stepping forward after flicking his wand, as if studying it, "Golem." he whispered softly, then turned quickly to his own staff. "Minerva, Severus," The Professors were following the Headmaster, soon gone from the stadium.

It left him to look at Harry, no words needed to be said, he was going to follow them. Ron shoved his way down to meet him, dodging the outstretched arms of Professors and Ministry officials.

The two were soon running back to the castle, through the hallways, following the hurried steps ahead of them. They only scurried to a stop when a door was blasted from it's hinges. "Alastor!" Dumbledore called into the office and Ron peered around the corner to see an eye spinning madly ontop of a desk, to see Dumbledore look at that same eye. The eye stopped, looking at something he couldn't see from his angle. Severus suddenly had his wand out and all that could be heard for the next few seconds was the clink of metal wheels turning, of an object opening repeatedly, the sound of metal on stone echoing through the air. "You all right, Alastor?"

"I'm sorry, Albus."

Sorry? Why was he sorry? Why had Dumbledore gone straight here to find Alastor? He had been their Professor all semester. What could he possibly know about Hermione? The golem that Dumbledore had whispered of?

"We'll get you up in a moment." Some words were said, a spell Ron didn't know then there was a thump as if a body was slouching in a chair. "What happened? Who did this?"

Who... there was someone else? "Is Harry okay?"

"He's fine, mostly." Ron glanced to his friend Harry, he didn't look fine. He looked tired, angry, and sad all at once. His friend looked torn between a billion different emotions.

"Voldemort is back then?"

"Yes."

A sigh came from Alastor. "I failed."

"That's not your fault."

"No, he said it was yours... Bartemius Crouch Junior was using polyjuice potion this whole time to look like me. He... who's out there?"

Dumbledore turned so quickly that Ron let out a yelp when he caught his gaze. Harry was quick to step from around the corner. "What about Hermione? She had detention with you, but it was really the imposter wasn't it? Where is she?"

"Harry-" Minerva hissed.

"It's fine." Ron stepped out from the corner now as well so he could see the four people in the room, his eyes landing on Moody who looked to be wearing his pajamas. "I don't know where she is."

Those words finally pushed Ron's own questions from his throat, "How can you say it's fine when you don't know where she is? Why was there a golem at the tournament instead of Hermione? How long was that thing in her place? Where could she be if she's not here? Where is the imposte-" A hand clapped on his shoulder and he fell silent, ignoring the stares of the Professors at the two of them. His own gaze was locked on Alastor.

"Hermione... Albus, he kept her in the closet of his room. She may still be there but... I doubt it." The flare of hope that started in his chest died out quickly.

"Severus, go check." Ron didn't even glance at the Potions Professor as he stepped from the office and into the classroom.

"He was here to deliver me to Voldemort, wasn't he? Why would he have any interest in Hermione?" From the sound of it Harry was sick to his stomach, blaming himself once again. Ron reached out to steady his friend, just like Harry had done for him not too long ago. "Did she him in his true form?"

"No. She would have just been obliviated if that had happened..." Alastor's face twisted into one of anger before he turned to the Headmaster, "I can tell you what you need to know later, but not in front of them, he wants that."

"She's my friend, I need to know as well." Harry snapped and Ron was inclined to agree.

Professor McGonagall looked sharply at the two of them, "That is enough. I'm taking the both of you back to the commons. Alastor needs to rest, not be bombarded with questions by the two of you." Minerva strode forward, grabbing an arm from the both of them and began pulling them down the hall.

Before they rounded the corner Ron saw Severus back at the office door, a piece of fabric lay in his hands, bloodied. "She wasn't there Albus, but Barty had been keeping her there, torturing her." An enraged scream came from Ron and then he couldn't see or hear anything coming from the room. He was just aware of Harry shaking in anger beside him. If he found this man first, he would strangle him.

The conclusion to Suspending Consciousness. What a dark little journey it was... And thank you for reading it, as twisted as it was a times.

I'm thinking of doing a a sequel to this. Yay or Nay? Tell me below.

It's happening again, it's happening again.

I can see it's not the first time you have come and taken her from me.

Rest assured it's not the last time, I'm going to set you free.

You took her once, shame on you.

You took her twice, shame on me.

- In Her Tomb By The Sounding Sea by Alesana

The sequel, Frail Wings, is up.