Harry Potter and the Order Of the Phoenix [148]
“The Advanced O.W.L. will test your ability to do one of the most important skills we have learned all this year,” said Mrs. Figg. “It will tests your ability to resist pain. Those of you who wish to participate will come up before me. Every second, the pain will increase. When you are unable to take anymore, or if I see that it is unsafe that you continue, you sit down. The last three standing will get the Advanced O.W.L. Understand everyone?”
Everyone nodded, and got up before her. This was the first time everyone participated in the Advanced O.W.L., and Harry was glad to see that Neville was trying his hardest and doing well. Maybe he’d get a few O.W.L.s.
Once everyone was lined up in front of her, Mrs. Figg took out her wand and pointed it at them.
“Minnaga itaidesu!” she yelled. A green cloud popped out of her wand, and spread to everyone. It engulfed Harry and he could feel it taking control of his body, telling him what to think, what to do… and what to feel.
At first, it wasn’t bad at all. Harry felt a tickling sensation mostly, all over his body. Then, around ten seconds later, it started to hurt. It felt as though someone with sharp nails was tickling him. The nails felt as though they were getting longer and sharper by the second. Then the tickling went away all together. It felt like the nails were being dug into his skin, only they weren’t fingernails, they were old, rusty, metallic, Muggle nails.
“Yeeowch!” yelled Seamus throwing his hands into the air. The green cloud around him disappeared. Harry looked over, with clenched teeth, and saw that Seamus was walking back to his seat. His try at the O.W.L. was over.
The pain was getting even worse. What had felt like nails now gave the sensation of knives, slowing moving their way into Harry’s flesh, piercing the skin, and wiggling around, excruciatingly slow. However, the pain wasn’t getting to Harry yet. He concentrated on every happy memory that he had ever had: his date with Cho, Parvati and Lavender petting him, and the thought that he would be reunited with his mom soon. All the pain seemed to flow right out of him.
Harry vaguely heard Parvati and Lavender scream from the pain, but it was a far away sound, like they were a mile away, and between them there was a lot of other static. Harry heard them walk back to their desks as he continued to smile and feel perfectly okay, even though everyone else was feeling flaming knives cutting their way into their skin.
The world around Harry was fading away. It was as if someone was making the entire world around him lighter, more gray, and he was staying the same. In fact, a distinct aura started to develop around Harry. He was glowing like a multicolored light, in a black and white world. All discomfort was gone, and Harry couldn’t even remember what pain felt like.
Ass Harry became enveloped in the heavenly bliss, he vaguely heard Seamus… then Dean… then Neville… then Ron fall to the floor. Harry turned his head, as if in slow motion, over to him. He saw Ron wriggling on the floor, looking like Cho had when Malfoy had used the Unblockable Spasm curse on her. Mrs. Figg ran over to him, and tapped him with her wand several times. He went back to normal, but none of that seemed to matter to Harry anymore.
He saw Hermione finally give into the pain spell, and she collapsed to the ground as everyone else had. Harry started wondering what kind of pain he was supposed to be feeling. As he was thinking, Harry felt the sensation of walking backwards, even though he was standing still. The room seemed to be getting smaller, and Harry appeared to be getting farther away from it.
The room shrunk and sped away faster and faster, until it was the size of a marble, and looked like it was a mile away. Then, it just disappeared. Harry looked around, and saw, all around him, nothing but a white oblivion. There was no sign of the classroom, of Hogwarts anywhere. He felt as