Voldemort

Chapter 7

7 "I don't think I've ever been more terrorfied," Draco said, recounting the story of their adventure in the Forbidden Forest for the third time that week. Zanna brushed passed the group on her way out of the common room. Hoping to get to breakfast before it disappeared. "Zanna!" Draco called as she pulled the common room door open. "You feeling okay?" She nodded, smiling. She had mentioned once the day before that she still wasn't feeling completely perfect after their encounter with the cloaked figure. "Yeah, I'm just heading to breakfast," "Alright, see you later," He said, turning back to the group that stood around him. "Sure," She said and left, walking briskly down the hall and up the stairs. Zanna woke up in a cold sweat that night, visions of Fluffy and the Philosopher's Stone running rampant in her head. She got up quickly, waving a hand at her closet and a t-shirt flew into it. She pulled the shirt on, shifting her pajama shorts as they had ridden up during the night. She ran down the halls, her feet slapping the stone floors, she tore down the stairs apparating most of the way to the door on the third floor. She opened the door slowly, finding Fluffy awake but tired. She stepped into the room, "Hello Fluffy," The three headed god turned and growled before sniffing her and moving back from the trap door in the floor. She walked over, pulling it up and jumping into the hole. She hit the ground hard and looked up, illuminating her hand in a ball of light. The Devil's Snare had been burned and was now in tatters on the floor. She turned and moved forward, walking through the room of keys which fluttered irritably near her head. She waved them away and walked through the next door and into the large chess room, Hermione sat next to Ron and was trying to get him up from his place on the floor. Zanna stepped back and transformed into her childs form before brushing into the room and crossing it, aiming her sights on the door of purple fire. "Zanna?" Hermione said, "What are you- don't!" Zanna brushed through the door of purple fire and through the potions room. "Zanna!" Hermione called, running up to the door of fire and watching the other girl walk through the door covered by black fire. Zanna appeared in the last chamber, facing Harry and Quirrell and Voldemort. Her scars tingled across her body again as she looked upon the three. Harry was looking into the Mirror of Erised, Quirrell, or Voldemort was standing next to him. "Give it here boy," Spat the face on the back of Quirrell's head. "Or meet the same fate as your parents!" "NO!" Harry shouted, stumbling back. "Seize him! SEIZE HIM!" Voldemort shouted and Quirrell reached out and grabbed Harry's wrists. Zanna leaped forward, waving a hand at Quirrell as he let go of Harry, hands burned and blistered. "GRAB HIM FOOL!" Voldemort shrieked. "Master, I can't-" "Zanna?" Harry said, slightly disoriented. "Come on," She said, pulling him back and behind her and Quirrell righted himself. He waved his wand at her and she flew back, slamming into the wall behind her and Harry. Quirrell leaped at Harry, pushing him down and kneeling on him. "Tom!" Zanna croaked, trying to catch her breath as she stood. "Kill them both and be done with it!" Voldemort shrieked. Quirrell raised his wand and Harry reached up and grabbed him by the face. Quirrell shrieked, falling back but Harry jumped up to follow him, grabbing the two headed man and pressing his hands to the man's face and neck again. Zanna finally caught her breath and ran forward as Harry began to weaken and fell to the ground. "Get out of my castle!" Zanna screamed, waving her hand at the burning man before her. He flew back against the wall and she knelt down next to Harry, checking his pockets for the stone before turning back to Quirrell who was running towards the door of fire. "Voldemort!" She yelled, but he had run through the fire and was gone. Sitting back on her knees she let out a shaky breath. She grabbed Harry by one arm and pulled him up and over her shoulders, carrying him on her back. Starting forward the door of fire fizzled out and she looked around the potions room for the charred remains of what used to be the professor, but there were none. Same with the chess room, but Ron and Hermione weren't there either. With finally resolve Zanna apparated out of the chamber and into the infirmary with the unconscious Harry on her back. That evening Harry, Ron, and Hermione each sat side by side at the Gryffindor table. She looked back and Harry caught her eye, nodding to her in acknowledgment of her efforts that morning before. She nodded back before turning to face her table. The Great Hall had been decorated in green and silver decor and Slytherin banners, for they had won the House Cup. The table was happy and the Great Hall was loud until Dumbledore stepped up to his podium and the room fell silent. "Congratulations to the house of Slytherin, but I have some more points to give," The room fell into quiet chatter. "First of all, Mr. Ronald Weasley, for the best game of chess ever played in many years. Fifty points," Cheers from Gryffindor. "Miss Hermione Granger, for the use of logic in the face of fire, fifty points!" More cheering. "Mr. Harry Potter," The room grew silent. "For nerve and outstanding courage, sixty points!" The din was deafening. "There are all types of courage," Dumbledore continued and the room grew quiet. "For the courage to stand up to friends, I award ten points to, Mr. Neville Longbottom," The room exploded and the green Slytherin banners turned into red and gold Gryffindor ones. Zanna waited for her father to award her points too, but it never came. It might not have bothered her as much if she went down to save the trio at her own will, but her father had given her the task of protecting the three which made the idea of getting points seem like a good trade off. My dear reader please do not think my darling Zanna is spoiled or selfish for wanting points for her house, for when a prize is given to you then right after taken away with no remorse, it tends to hurt one's feelings. Zanna felt anger towards her father now, for by awarding Slytherin the House Cup, then giving it to Gryffindor right after was creating a bigger rift between the two houses and not helping any problems. Zanna stood up from her seat then, facing her father on the raise platform. "What about me?" Her voice bounced around the room and everything went quiet. "I was down there too, what about my points?" "What would you like points for?" Dumbledore asked, looking down his long nose at his daughter. "Oh I don't know," She scoffed. "Maybe because I had to face down with The Dark Lord, then carry Harry up six flights of changing stairs to Madam Pomfrey's," "Oh don't kid yourself," Ron spat at her. "No Ron," Harry said quietly. "She's right," "I've continued to live by your rules, staying away from danger, not leaving the castle, all because you're afraid of me getting hurt by him," She said, her voice growing angrier with every word. "When I want to go out, see my friends I'm not allowed to because you think I'm putting my life in danger. But when my life is in danger because of you it's alright?" She snapped. "We finished him, he's gone, isn't he?" Dumbledore didn't answer. "He's not gone," Zanna muttered as the realisation settled into her gut. "You brought Voldemort here, willing, because why? Why do I have to keep hiding? I DON'T WANT TO BE AFRAID OF HIM ANYMORE!" She screamed. "You have no right to keep me here father, I have earned to be let go of. I'm more than old enough to take care of myself, you have to let me go!" There were gasps around the room as her words sank in. "Father?" "Zanna Dumbledore?" Albus' face grew hard and cold. "Get out of my castle, get out of my school," He said turley and his voice echoed around the room. "You want your freedom, have it. GET OUT!" She took a sharp inhale and half a step back, her hands dropping to her sides as she looked at the man before her. Her face grew stoney, "Fine," She turned on her heels walking down the row of seats and towards the main door. Pushing her hands apart before her the doors swung open. She turned back to look her father down before saying, "Don't say I never did anything to help you," She turned and started down the steps but a voice stopped her. Severus was standing, looking at Dumbledore. "If she must go, I must go," The Slytherin house exploded into ruckus, students calling him to stay, others complaining about how terrible their new Head of House might be, still others were making noise to just make noise. Zanna stood in the doorway, eyeing the platform at the front of the room. "Fine," Said Dumbledore. "You too," "And I," Minerva said, standing. "I go with them," This time the Gryffindor table broke into chaos. "If Zanna has to go," Said a student from the Ravenclaw house, "I won't be coming back to school," The girl paused, composing herself. "The amount of joy Zanna brought whenever we were together was something I haven't ever felt before," The girl paused again to let out a small sob and Zanna walked back into the room. The girl continued on. "The game nights we had in the Slytherin common room and the movie nights. The Quidditch games when she would dress in Ravenclaw robes to cheer on our house," The girl let out another sob and Zanna finally made it over to the girls seat. "She was the thing that brought me joy this year, for the first time I was happy again," The girl broke down completely and Zanna caught her in a hug as she cried. "If Zanna goes I won't be back either," Cedric said, standing from his seat at the Hufflepuff table. "I met Zanna when I was a first year, I saw her around the castle and at meals but last year was the first time I actually talked to her. She was the person I would go to if I was having a bad day, she helped so many of us with homework, she's smarter and braver and kinder than any of us can imagine," "Yeah," Said a girl from Gryffindor. Zanna had let go of the Ravenclaw girl and had walked back to her position at the door, ready to close them when she had to finally make her grand exit. "She shouldn't have to go," Called another Gryffindor student. "Just because she's your daughter doesn't mean you get to treat her with any less respect than you would treat a student that isn't" Said a Slytherin student named Craig, he stood. "I stand with Zanna," Cedric had stayed standing but also said, "I stand with Zanna," Now reader you may be thinking to yourself, this is overkill, why do they feel like being so patriotic? Well this is the first time in Hogwarts history where there hasn't been a disagreement, for the most part every student at Hogwarts got along that night. Albus swallowed and Zanna could see that her school mates were breaking down his resolve. As more and more students stood, the professors also stood, standing against the unjust 'almost' expulsion of Zanna Dumbledore. "Fine! FINE!" Albus called, waving a hand. "Zanna sit down," She walked back into the room, the doors closing swiftly behind her making the floating candles flicker. The students cheered and many of them jumped up from their seats to crush her in a large group hug. "I'm glad he let you stay," Said a student she hadn't had the privilege of meeting that year and they hugged. "Me too," She said.