The Dream Trilogy Book One: To Dwell On Dreams (A Harry Potter FanFiction)

Chapter Twenty Eight

Chapter Twenty Eight

They were already moving, trying to pack their belongings back together as they rushed through the foliage, heads snapping back and forth, peering frantically through the snow as they attempted to locate the approaching threat. 

"What's coming?" Harry asked Malfoy who was rummaging through his satchel as they ran. 

"Don't know," said Malfoy. "We heard a bang, surprised it didn't wake you." 

"And there's a funny smell," added Parvati. Harry realised she was right as he naturally breathed in heavily after the sudden bust of exercise. He tasted something faint on the snow that made him think of a closed rubbish bin with something unpleasant lurking inside.  

"Vampires?" he suggested, making Seamus' eyes pop all the way open. He knew from his Defence Against the Dark Arts lessons that vampires often lived in the wild and that, as well as their diet of blood, gave them a rather pungent aura.  

Malfoy was still rummaging, and Harry wasn't sure how he wasn't tripping over. The sunshine was still speeding loyally over his head, but there were plenty of roots and ruts that were challenging their footing even with the help of the ball of light. "Possibly," said Malfoy, finally pulling out a dark waxy drawstring bag that he hastily yanked open. "You might want some of these." 

He slowed and plunged his arm into the bag, all the way up to his shoulder even though the bag was only a foot or so deep. Hermione gasped. 

Malfoy seemed to feel about for a bit, then retracted his hand that was wrapped around as many things as his long fingers could cling on to; a wooden stake and slender silver spike, a couple of crucifix necklaces, a string of garlic bulbs and a bottle of holy water gripped precariously between his fingertips. 

Harry rescued the bottle first then took the other items as Malfoy delved back in to fetch pouches labelled 'salt', more stakes and silver weapons, as well as a wicked looking knife, bushels of herbs and a string of marbled stones. It reminded Harry of Professor Lupin's stock cupboard. 

"Everyone take something," said Malfoy, as he and Harry distributed the lot indiscriminately. "Stakes, crosses and holy water are for vampires, silver for werewolves, salt for spirits and this," he held up the sheathed knife before sliding it through his belt loop. "Is for anything else." 

"Werewolves are still people," protested Harry, thinking of Lupin. 

"Not these ones," said Malfoy darkly.  

Parvati held up the string of stones. "What are these for?" she asked as they hastily got moving again. 

Malfoy glanced over at them. "Let's hope you don't have to find out," was all he said.  

The path was winding upwards and becoming more narrow. They had been climbing the mountain steadily since the village and the temperature was dropping noticeably. "Shouldn't we stand and fight?" said Harry, looking up at the rocky surface rising to their left. "We could take higher ground, get an advantage." 

"No telling if they're on the ground of not," said Malfoy as they pounded on. "We're not too far from the entrance I think, we might just make it, we just need to-" 

He was blasted of his feet by the ground erupting in an explosion. The rest of them shouted and screamed as they jumped aside, flailing arms to keep themselves upright. Malfoy dropped and rolled, scrambling back upright as he jerked back and forth, looking for the source of the attack. 

"Er," said Seamus, staring in front of his nose. "I don't think it's vampires somehow." 

The snow had frozen to a halt, suspended in front of them like a photograph with what had to be magic. "What could do that?" cried Harry, but Malfoy's face had already shifted into panic.