The Riddle Twins

Through the Trapdoor, Part 1

Dedicated to kodykatt, I'm sorry for robbing your house, Deena. Blame it on Ron.

 Rhya’s POV

Thoughts and memories flashed before my eyes, not all of them mine. Whispers brushed against my ears, flitting through so quickly that it came out as gibberish. It was like following the road from a speeding car, if I kept my eyes in the same position everything blurred, but follow a patch of road –or in this case thought- from a distance and you could see it clearly for the briefest of moments.

Feeling the tendrils of memories and sounds I caught snatches of voices, “There’s no such thing as magic! - Don’t ask questions- give it to me Potter! - Potter, Harry- I knew it was Snape! - Wingardium Leviosa-“.

Then suddenly it hit me, a solid wall of darkness smashing into me. I was huddled, a figure stretched out protectively shielding me, a flash of green light. A scream.

Then I was back, caught up to date, eleven years of memories in half a minute. Not my memories, I inwardly corrected myself, Harry’s memories. What had happened? If I concentrated, I could find a small window in the back of my mind, and looking through it, I saw myself, through Harry’s eyes. I was propped up on the carpeted floor, a massive diagonal gash leading from my lower right jaw to my left temple. Blood gushed down my face, obscuring the vision in one eye.

I had always prided myself in the fact that I had never cried nor screamed since I was born. I’d had no reason to after all. But now, with my face mutilated, a jagged line of pain burning my nerves, nothing looked better than hysteria. I paused in mid thought, how does one become hysteric? I had no idea; I’d seen Draco go into it when he’d broken a leg, so I suppose it must be instinct. Ah well…

“Ahhhhhhhh!!! It hu-urts so much! Ah-ha-ah-ha, I-I’m go-oing to b-be ug-gly an-d it h-HURTS!!!” I burst into shuddering sobs, curling into the fetal position. I felt truly, well, normal. Like someone who has the life of an average person, the life I had never experienced.

Harry hugged me patting me on the shoulder. “It’s okay, Rhya. Madam Pomfrey can heal that. That’s nothing, you’ll be fine! Trust me, just calm down; I’ll take you up to the Hospital Wing. It’s okay.”

I sobered up as quickly as I had broken down. “So, what's next? The thief is already down there; do you want to head them off? I need to vent, it’ll be perfect!”

He seemed stunned by my instant recovery so simply nodded. I smiled, getting to my feet then held out a hand. Grabbing it, he hauled himself to his feet. Harry brushed himself off a frown on his face.

"We'll need music. It's the only thing the dog will fall asleep to."

"Well you were doing a good enough job singing earlier," I sniggered, smiling at the -his-  memory.

Harry frowned at me. "I thought you were asleep!" He said petulantly.

Oh crap, I forgotten about that, it was confusing having over twenty years of memories, not all of them mine. "Yes," I ingeniously came up with, "Very asleep."

In the end, Harry agreed to sing, though he cut it at Hey, Diddle Diddle. It was quite amusing actually, seeing him creeping nervously up to Fluffy, singing nursery rhymes. Every time I sniggered, he would shoot a glare at me, unable to halt in his singing.

Remembering that I should probably be doing something, I shoved my shoulder into "Fluffy's" giant paw, trying to shift it off the trapdoor. To no effect. Oh lord, am I becoming a frickin' muggle? I inwardly asked myself, is it all the time I've been spending with Harry, Ron and Hermione, no, Potter, Weasley and the Mudblood? And then I remembered the freakish bond I had formered with Harry -Potter-.

I tucked those thoughts away for a less stressful time, muttering,"Wingardium Leviosa."

Fluffy's paw hovered a few inches from the ground, then slid a foot over, unblocking the door.

Harry tapped me on the shoulder, pointed from himself to the door, then held up one finger, telling me that he should go first. I rolled my eyes at him. "Who can fly here, Potter?"

We both flinched at how mean I sounded, and Harry's memory came up of me on the train, sounding eqaully as bitchy. Wow, I though, I used to be like that, hell, I am like that. I jumped down the opening before I could apologise, feeling the lower part of my body dissipate into smoke. Ah, the joys of flying.

I instictively felt the floor approaching, so I landed, the smoke that was my legs, refomed into my robes and I felt soft mushy vines piling up the floor. Without paying a thought to them, I called up to Harry, "You can jump! It's a soft landing!"

I moved over as Harry landed, a large twump, as he hit the vines. "What are these?"

"Dunno, some kind of harmless planty thing," ironically, the only thought that came to mind was; at least Professor Sprouts not here to hear me say that. Just then one of the plant's tendrils wrapped around my knees, pulling me into their midst.

"Rhya! Help!" Harry yelled, struggling to breath as a vine constricted his chest.

"I'm- a- bit- busy- now!" I panted, struggling against the tendril trying to strangle me.

Oh, crap. I was gonna be killed. By a plant. And, ironically again, all I thought of this time was, well, here's Professor Sprout's revenge.

Wait! Herbology! I summoned up Harry's memories again, flicking through them like pages of a book. Finally I came upon one of us in Greenhouse 1.

"Ah, Devil's Snare, a very dangerous plant indeed, it hates the sunlight, being, of course, a plant that grows only in the dark and damp."

"Fire!" I yelled, the Devil's Snare had taken my wand, "Harry! Conjure up fire!"

"Incendio Maxima!" Harry roared, and the plant retreated as flames swirled along it. Coughing and spluttering against the smoke that smelled suspiciously like burning meat, I grabbed my wand as it clattered to the stone floor, it's kidnapping vine writhing away.

I looked at the glowing mess of destruction we had left behind. "Well, thanks, Harry."

He smiled back at me. I grabbed his arm and strode, albeit nervously, to the door that lead to our next challenge.

Sucky ending, I know. But at least it's up there! Thank you to Deena, and all those other people who read, comment, vote and fan.