Thanks to all the citizenry who reviewed the last chapter. Your versatile replacement of the general `` What the F*** ! ? ! Update now ! '' Were most appreciate. I feel kind of bad for jumping a pull like that on you after 40 chapters. Kind of deceitful. unspoiled to know the absolute majority of multitude appreciated it.



"Harry ?"Padma said quietly, standing at the end of the infirmary bed. Harry seemed to be sleeping, his chest rising and falling weakly. His eyes were red, like he'd been crying. Perhaps the infliction was worse than he let on. She felt bad for needing to wake him."Harry wake up."She reached out and tapped his leg. He jerked fitfully, but his eyes flickered overt. He didn't speak though, didn't acknowledge her. He just stared off into outer space. What had Dumbledore said to him ?

"Harry I ‘ ve been talking to the healers. They ‘ ve run some more tests."She licked her lips."aspect, it looks like a few month was actually affirmative. There ‘ s damage deep down, lots of damage. You need to let them help you now or ... or you ‘ ll die. In a few weeks."

Harry said cypher, he didn't even seem to throw heard her.

"You won ‘ t be able-bodied to fight Voldemort."Padma tried a unlike sheet."I ‘ m not saying you ‘ ll have week like you ‘ ve been going all class. You ‘ ll have weeks in this hospital bed, not able to move, eventually you won ‘ t even be able to talk. You won ‘ t be able to kill Voldemort. You won ‘ t be able-bodied to be the chosen one."

Harry flinched, pain running across his pall face.

"You see Harry, you ‘ ve got to let them facilitate you."Padma stepped up to put her hand on Harry's."Please ?"

"You do what you have to do."Harry pulled his bridge player away. He still hadn't looked at her.

"You ‘ ll let them help you ?"Padma tried not to be put off."You ‘ ll take off the immorality eye and let them turn on you ?"

"Yes, why not."Harry rolled over so he was facing away from her. His breathing stuttered, he sounded like he was holding back split. Padma backed away, she had got what she came for. The healers would fix Harry's body. What had happened to his mind ? That might take a slight longer.

What had Dumbledore said to him ...
*


The boy who was once called Harry faded in his head as the therapist entered his room. Bustling around and speaking comforting, empty words. They cleaned him up, washing his blazon and chest of drawers. They asked him to take away the bracer. He did, letting it precipitate to the level with a brassy clatter. The healers shied away from the sucker on his arm. Fearful. Why should he care.

They did something that was supposed to numb him. He couldn't tell the dispute. Everything was dulled already. He watched, unable and unwilling to care, as they cut his skin open. His blood seeped out, quickly staunched by a therapist. He wished they wouldn't bother.

A cold gel was swabbed onto his destroy hired hand. Ruined for what ? For the sake of what ? All useless. He wished they wouldn't bother.
*


Draco slapped the sore hide of his arm to try and detain awake. It had been burnt in the battle, but it was fine now. Just enough residuum rubor and botheration to help him stay alert. He swung his fag out centre around the waiting elbow room, all of the marauders were here. Most of them had finally succumbed to sleep, Draco didn't fault them. It was hard to opine that the pestilent midnight assault on the creature ship had been just concluding Nox. They had been worn out, worn down. Draco pinched his arm again. He wondered if there was anywhere he could find some tea. The tea shop was closed but surely the healers had a staff way or something. Maybe he could ask one.

Or maybe he could just fall asleep.

Draco shook his head teacher. Some of them had to be awake when the healer finally stopped working on Harry. He shuddered, they had already been at it for time of day. How many ... improver .... had Harry made ? He glanced around the way again. Everyone seemed to be asleep. Even Ginny, who seemed to birth nodded off in the act of pinching herself. They had all been there all night, no one had collected them. He supposed it was only a matter of meter before a teacher or an order member came to brawl them up and hale them back to Hogwarts, where they would no doubt stay. Chained to posts like dogs so they couldn't run off again.

Draco got wearily to his base, maybe he could walk some of his tiredness off. He stepped carefully around the prone vulture and stepped up to the door to the ward. Harry's bed was obscured by curtains but the shadow of the healers were still moving against the surface. As he watched one of them detached and stepped towards the threshold. Draco stepped away to let him out, hope and dread rising in his stomach.

"Is there any tidings ?"genus Draco asked.

"Yes, there is."The healer looked around the room."Is his family here ?"

"Yes."Draco said definitely, looking over the vulture."Wait a moment ... HEY !"The marauders jerked to life, hands flying to baton before they realized where they were. Draco turned back to the therapist."They ‘ re up. What is the news ?"

"Well we ... we removed various detail from the body of your friend."The wretched healer swallowed nervously."We found a drop-gem embedded in his sternum. There was also something in the wall of his abdomen. We think it may have been designed to negate poison but it seems to make had the opposite upshot. It was the source of his illness. We also found-"

"What about his eye ?"Draco broke in."Have you fixed his eye ?"

"His ... his eye."The healer paused."His eye had been removed too long ago, there is a bang-up hand of scarring. Unfortunately we were unable to restore it. We are currently looking into whether the installation he has is high quality enough to leave there."

"Installation ..."Draco stared at the man coldly."You ‘ re talking about his eye."

"Yes, I know."The therapist shook his header and turned back towards the doorway."We ‘ ll try to keep you informed."He pushed back through the room access and hurried back towards the curtained bed.

Dragon looked back over the piranha. Through their sand-filled, droopy centre he could see their sadness. Harry had fought so heavy and got nothing in yield but charge of execution and a lasting disfigurement. And a coloured stain, they could not block that.

"Harry might say it was Charles Frederick Worth it."Padma said softly."For driving Voldemort to ground."

"Of course he ‘ d say that. Doesn ‘ t make it true."Ron pulled his knees up to his dresser."I mean you heard him in there. He ‘ d think death was worth it."

"Is he wrong ?"genus Draco muttered darkly. Perhaps they didn't hear him. Perhaps it was just as well. They were all startled as another door was pushed open, revealing Professor McGonagall. She didn't need to say anything, they knew why she was there. They were going back. And they might never leave.
*


"Are you sure ?"Natalie asked ? Her voice admirably free of shaking."You could get a pick-me-up like Harry ‘ s. Or perhaps there are less invasive means of removal."

"There are not, it was not made to be removed."Snape tightened the strap around his arm."And I would prefer to not be dependent on an particular of illegal jewelry. Just please do it, it is already beginning to burn."

Thankfully she did not debate, but instead bent down and touched her verge to the peel on Snape's arm. The slicing infliction was distant, dulled by potions. There were bottles by his arm, some empty, some waiting to produce the skin back after the bell ringer was gone. He was in his flat at Hogwarts, the only spot he could have gained those potions without dubiousness was from his own supplies. The searing began and Snape looked away, watching his own arm butchered was not what disturbed him, not after everything he'd seen. But it reminded him of what Harry was going through. Of the darkness lord as well. What would he do next ? What would his next move be ...

"He may go into hiding."Natalie answered his unanswered question, still intent on his arm."Like he did fifteen twelvemonth ago."

"He will not."Snape shook his top dog."He was forced to obliterate then, he had no power. Now he does, it is lessened certainly, but he still has some."

"Bellatrix, Rookwood and Forneus."She traced easily around the bound of the skull."That is who he has left. What would he do with them ?"

"It will be savage, I am sealed of that."Snape felt the cutting catch and watched as Natalie picked the little flap of pelt up and calmly incinerated it. It was done, he was free. Strange that he should finger so piffling. Perhaps because he knew he was not truly justify until Voldemort was dead. Perhaps because he knew that, without the ability to spy, he was next to useless.

"Don ‘ t think that."Natalie's eyes flickered up to his as she daubed his arm with a potion soaked bandage.

"But I am."Snape shook his promontory."Perhaps not useless but ... if I had not acted on inherent aptitude we would now fuck exactly what Voldemort was planning. We would be able to counter him instead of stumbling around in the darkness."

"You had to."Was all she said.

"Perhaps."Snape let his head drop back, perhaps.

"You know them practiced than anyone."Natalie continued."You can puzzle out out what he will do next."

"I have been trying."Snape replied tetchily."But I can not think of anything he would care to do that he has the manpower to accomplish. Unless he has some plan I am incognizant of. Which he almost certainly has. I always got the sensation that he had something brewing."

"The ministry ? The department of mystery story ? The Prophecy ?"

"He covets that no incertitude. But I can see no way he could obtain it with three decease eaters."

"Four."Natalie corrected."Barty Crouch is still out there somewhere."

"And if he is not bushed then he is doing Falco columbarius knows what."Snape shook his head."It could be anything."

"Severus,"Natalie took his side in her hands and tilted it up to meet her eyes."Not so low now. We won today. It may not feel like it, but we won a triumph. triumph have been few and far between this past year, we need to cherish them, not worry about what will happen next."Snape was once again amazed by the way she could founder through to him, whatever his mode. He smiled,

"I believe I have some wine."
*


The boy who carried the name Harry felt himself enter the conversant ambition. He felt floorboards under his back, scratchy through the thin hospital gown. He knew where he would be when he opened his middle. And finally, he even knew why.

He pushed himself off the floor, leaning his outwear skeletal frame against the paries. The wall painted with bears and snitches over a pale blue sky full of fluffy clouds. Harry felt like spitting but he couldn't conscription the energy. He ignored the crib in the pith of the room, it's shiny peregrine spinning idly in the dream-wind. He shoved the door open and descended the stairs. The repugnance he always felt was still there, but he could barely convey himself to like. He knew what this office was now.

No one-year-old remembers their mansion. No one-year-old could think of every picture, or the convention on the wallpaper. This blank space was a lie, a parasitic remembering that had been burnt into his mind. The creeping sickness in his peel was his mind's way of telling him that it wasn't existent, that it didn't belong.

He stepped up to the strawman doorway and stepped outside. There were street foretoken in the memory. No one-year-old would remember street signaling, they couldn't even read them. He should have got known, should take in realized somehow.

He couldn't feel the plantation nearby. God knows what that represented. Some metaphor for safety his mind was projecting out maybe. Who knew. The river ? Some early part of his mind ... it didn't matter. Harry let himself fall to the earth on the grass, it was all pointless. It wasn't worth fighting this anymore, it was burnt onto the back of his scull. He could never escape.

His heart flickered undefendable in the hospital ward. He could palpate the sore new growth in his mitt. It was pink, new skin, and smaller than the other. Harry dropped it back onto the blanket. Other parts of his body hurt too, picayune scars and injuries. They had fixed him up. He wished they hadn't bothered.

The pipe dream was still swirling in his nous, biting at him. It was too intemperately. He saw his things piled neatly against the wall, even his wearing apparel. Suddenly he knew he had to allow. This situation ... he just had to leave alone. He quietly pushed out of bed, ignoring the creaking in every muscle and drew his bag over. He dressed quickly and disillusioned himself before slipping out the door.

The marauders were sleeping there, lying across judiciary or curled up on the flooring. He didn't wake them. He didn't want to blab out to anyone right now. Couldn't talking, he had no idea how he would even start. He hurried away and down the stairs. He didn't stop until he was out of the building and a few streets away. A pocket-sized street, not busybodied. Breathing hard he shoved his wand out into the street. He found that he could barely keep back his arm up for the few indorsement it took for the knight bus to blur out of nowhere and skreak to a layover in front of him.

"Ere are you Harry Potter ?"The pimpled conductor squinted at him, his vox full of amazement.

"No."The word was hollow in his chest.

"right, right, incognito."The man tapped his nose."I never believed any of that poppycock about ya. submarine that ‘ s what I say."

"Right."Hero ... that cut to the kernel like a knife."Take me to Godrics Hollow."He had no idea where the idea had come from, but as soon as he said it he knew he needed to go. It was as substantial a want to go to it as there had been to provide in the dream.

"Godrics Hollow ?"The pimpled guy swallowed."rightfulness, I see."

The bus moved off and the unidentified boy sagged down in a chairwoman. Why was he doing this ? Did he even have a intellect ? He didn't seem to accept reason's anymore. He remembered being fully of flaming and motive, burning Passion of Christ for the fight. But now he just felt hollow, like he'd been scooped out. He didn't want anything anymore. Except perhaps to die. Why was he going to Godrics Hollow ? Why not. It wasn't like he had anywhere else to go.

The bus screeched to a stoppage and he got out without speaking. The bus disappeared with a swoosh, a imperial blur in the air. Harry looked up and down the street, it looked like any early Greenwich Village. It was empty this time of day, like a ghost township. Suited his mood perfectly. He looked forward, an derelict firm, burnt and with the top story blown off.

But he knew what had stood there. He had seen it in his ambition. This was where it had happened. It just hadn't happened to him.

He stepped forward his hand stretched out, then shied away. This family was just more lie. The opinion in his chief, heartbreak, loss, fear. They weren't his, they weren't his loss. lone unknown had died here, two stranger. mass who had nil to do with him. The grief was another whoremonger, just another grade of lie.

He spun away and stalked down the street, not looking back. He had never lived there, it meant nothing to him. Or should mean nothing. His metrical foot brought him to the public square and he lent tiredly on the war memorial. He should never deliver come here, it was not what he needed. He raked his hand through his hair.

Not his hand.

Not his hair.

He spun and punched the stone, hissing out rage through his teeth. The lie poisoned everything. Even his real memory board were tainted. He didn't even look like this for Christ's saki ! His whole body was a masque !

The rock shifted under his fingers. He looked up just as the remembrance seemed to dethaw, morphing into, a statue underneath. Harry stumbled back. No ... no no no. Under the remembrance there were two shape, a man and a fair sex. The cleaning woman cradled something in her hired man. The man ... the man looked just like him.

No he doesn't. I don't even look like me. The boy trembled with rage as he looked on the happy ceramicist family. The testament in pit to the life he had never really had. His fingers went to his wand.

"Reducto !"The baton flickered out, even through the fad the tour flew unfeigned. It struck the head of the founding father statue, shattering it into splinters. Some of them cut the boy's flesh. He didn't care.

"Reducto ! !"Lilly Potter's chief snapped off and crunched onto the tarmac. Rolling to a point in a tempest drain.

"Reducto ! !"The last shot was the secure, striking out in a blinding bolt of ignitor, obliterating the bundled babe. Blowing the lilliputian boy-who-lived to smithereens. Flames flickered across the statue before they died out. Flickered across the smash stumps of capitulum and died to nothing.

The unidentified boy stepped back, breathing like he'd run a marathon. His dress wet with sweat. He dropped his wand back into his pocket and turned his back on the statue, his breath still coming in furious bursts. He couldn't think, couldn't breath. He walked off down the street, not trusting himself to look on the statue again. It made it all too real.

His heart found a burial site. Both eyes, real and magic. He shuddered, he'd got used to the shining sheathing over his imaginativeness, the x-ray view of the man. Now it was just a constant reminder. A monitor of what he'd sacrificed for the lie. He pushed the graveyard gate open and let the eye roam, in a moment it had angled in on the Potter grave accent. He walked hesitantly to it, his baton safely away in his pocket. He pushed a piece of ivy off the I. F. Stone and read the inscription.
The last foe that shall be destroyed is last


Well that was bollocks. Being abruptly meant you had at least one other enemy left, namely the one that killed you. His eye whirled in it's socket, looking straight down. The two coffin, side to side in the ground, stared back at him. But ... there was a shadow. Like a vacant area. He drew his scepter and muttered a revealing trance. Faint puff of phantasy drew out of the ground to take on him. He waved his wand again, cutting the misty waifs away. He worked ... he didn't bed how long. Probably mo, maybe hours. At some compass point the gray sky gave way to rain and the burial site gage turned foxy. Harry ignored it, concentrating on the spells. It was respectable. It was a teaser, breaking the magic trick. It stopped him from thinking.

Finally he was done. Nothing different showed on the aerofoil, but down underground ... Harry stood and stepped back, his bosom hammering in his chest. There was a third coffin on top of the other two, arranged like a pyramid. Inside ... inside was a smaller body, a baby. It's lilliputian branch crossed over it's chest.

The unidentified boy fell to his stifle. There it was, the final proof. The final positive check. That poor wasted body in there was Harry Potter. He could even see a petite scratch on the bone of his scull, above his eye, in the shape of a lightning bolt. The real scar had cut all the way to the bone, his was barely more than composition. That was all he was in fact ... makeup for a puppet. A god-damn doll.

He raised his wand to the Oliver Stone, but said nothing. The anger in him was gone. He had seen the body of the real thrower, lying together. It was heavy to find anger, but he wished he did. The anger at least filled him up, filled the void with fire. But now the fire was gone and he felt even vacuous for it. He found himself resting the point of his wand against the rough, wet stone.

It wasn't even his wand. He stared at it, view skittering over the dull center of his mind. It was a wand gained from killing, killing and fighting in a war he was never supposed to be part of. This verge was his killing wand. He had done horrible things for the sake of this war ... to others ... to himself. He found himself pressing down harder on the wood. He had pickled his psyche in roue and what had it got him ? He added his other arm and pushed harder. He had fought, and he'd been broken. The wand splintered with a loud crack, the springy woods bending almost double before it twisted into typewriter ribbon. A fiddling red fluff was visible through the falling out. It had had a phoenix feather marrow, he never knew.

"well that makes thinks easier."

The vox had come from behind him. He turned slowly but his wizardly eye had already whizzed around to find the trespasser. The blackness robes told him everything he needed to know. Harry knew he should finger affright, or apprehensiveness, reverence perhaps, at least surprise. But he was damned if he felt anything.

"You would be Rookwood."His phonation sounded dead in his ears.

"Yes I am August Rookwood."The man sketched a sarcastic bow, his wand in his hand."Thank Merlin I still have a watch on the nonaged wizard detectors. You ‘ ve come a long way just to slip now. A long hanker way ..."

"Felt like further."The empty boy dropped the remains of his wand onto the ceramicist grave. Perhaps some fool wizard would bump it and make up some chronicle about it. He turned back to the death feeder and asked,"Are you going to obliterate me ?"He was surprised that his voice did not voice eager.

"Eventually Mr potter, no doubt."Rookwood held out his wand."But first you ‘ re going to secure something for me."

"What ?"

"The dark Jehovah ‘ s undying favor."Rookwood tilted his headspring up arrogantly."I will be raised above the others, above even that bastard Crouch."Rookwood paused, obviously expecting the weary figure before him to say something. `` Well ? Nothing to add ? No witticisms ? ``

"No."The boy who had been Harry stepped forward."Do whatever you like to me. I don ‘ t care anymore."

"Is this some kind of trick ?"Rookwood raised his sceptre threateningly."You are alone here I know that ... well, to be sure. Stubefy !"

He closed his eyes before the spell hit. The duskiness was welcome.
*


A crashing noise woke him. Flashing light burned through his lid as he groaned. The disturbance went on and on, familiar ... very familiar. His memories twinged, his existent ones.

"I ‘ m in the underground."His eyes flickered open just as the tube string flashed out of wad, leaving the tunnel in wickedness. He felt the cords binding his hands together, his fingers danced along them trying to find a knot. There was none. They were mean though, biting into his peel, magical no doubt. He didn't have to feel to know that his pegleg were similarly bound. He didn't botheration to try to stand.

"You are indeed Mr Potter."Rookwood stood over him, his wand outstretched."The Jack London Underground."

The nameless boy twisted and looked around him, one of the walls was been broken through and a dark, earthy tunnel stretched away. Now that the train was gone he could hear something in the darkness all around, a scratching slinking sound.

"We ‘ re not alone."Harry breathed.

"Oh, so you noticed."Rookwood held up his wand and lit it, smiling. The swarthiness rolled back, but not far. A grey wall stopped the light, a writhing mass of cloth and rot.

"What ... what are they ?"He looked on the dark hooded bod. As he watched one of them turned its shrouded read/write head towards him. It let out a last rattle.

"Those are Dementors."Rookwood smiled."Had you forgotten that they too served the dark lord ? Slipped your mind ?"

"Dementors ..."The boy looked into the swirling deal. Wasn't he supposed to be feeling some sort of coldness, despair ? Wasn't that what Dementors were supposed to do when you were close to them ? He shook his chief, they couldn't touch him, a person could only palpate so much despair and he was already at his limit point. And as for making him live over his worst memories ? Ha ! His darkest here and now was still fresh in his mind.

"The dementors like it down here."Rookwood continued."They ‘ ve been breeding down here care flies. There are century of them."

"Dementors don ‘ t dig."Harry glanced back at the tunnel."What else do you have down there ? I thought I killed everyone you had."

"You did."Rookwood sneered."But that doesn ‘ t matter. In fact, none of that matters. Now be quiet."Rookwood flicked his wand, making a shut up magical spell. A second picture show levitated him off the base. Rookwood reached into his pocket and pulled out a long silvery duration of textile, easily recognizable. An invisibility cloak. He just fall there in the air as the cloak was thrown over him. He really couldn't have done anything else. Rookwood turned and walked up the tunnel, his black place slipping on the wet dirt.

The one who used to be Harry was dragged along afterwards, floating in the air. He couldn't move ... speak ... he was a ghost. Right now his office fit him like a glove. He hung weakly as Rookwood moved further towards the scraping, digging speech sound. The dementors followed after, filling the tunnel with cold. Up ahead there was a turning. As Rookwood walked calmly around the bend figures came into view. One dark cloaked figure standing tall, the quietus ragged and pluck and scrabbling at the dirt mindlessly. No, it wasn't just their clothes that were ragged. It was their flesh.

Inferi, or zombies. Who could tell the dispute ? The figure in front of them turned as Rookwood approached. shadow long hair's-breadth spun out as Bellatrix stepped towards Rookwood.

"You are deep Augustus."The female death feeder was not as pretty as she had been. It seemed like a steel toed boot with the force of a falling adolescent behind it did more legal injury than expected. The lead slope of her face was crushed in, a raft of cicatrix and bulging skin. When she spoke she slurred, only the right on side of her mouth moving. Her eye was a raw socket, nada left.

She had lost her eye. How howling. How very poignant. Under the cloak the invisible prisoner felt his vacuum filled with a petite spark of satisfaction.

"Hello Bella."Rookwood stopped, his hand flickering to his sceptre."Shouldn ‘ t you be in your own burrow ? That was the design was it not ? Forneus in one, myself-"

"I know the plan."Bellatrix snapped."Do you Augustus ? It seems to me that you are the one who doesn't know the programme. I came here to see why you were late. Why were you late ?"

"I was delayed momentarily, zero to fear you."Rookwood waved his hand away."You should go to your own tunnel. Without someone there the wrangle them the dementors may be getting restless."

"I want the truth of this."Bellatrix held out an accusing finger.

"You will not get it."Rookwood dropped his laconic demeanor and snapped at her."Get to your own tunnel. We take down the ministry tonight, there can be no mistakes because one of us is trying to separate themselves out from the crowd."

"There is no crowd anymore."Bellatrix sneered through her undone face."There are three of us. There will be more than enough glory to go around."Bellatrix turned and dissaperated into dilute air.

"Lying bitch."Rookwood grated."We all want to be the dark God Almighty ‘ s right script. Stop digging you freaks !"He directed the in conclusion one to the creatures burrowing in the grunge. They stopped moving and stood, their vacant eyes rotting in their skulls. Rookwood raised his verge and the grunge began flying away faster. In a myopic moment the stain became a brick wall, old and faded. The wall of the ministry.

"Are you ready Mr Potter ?"Rookwood grinned up at the invisible prisoner hanging above him."Here we go."He turned to the wall and raised his wand. There was a shattering bang and the wall caved in. Behind it a man at a desk jumped to his feet his hand tangling in his robe. A immature flash of get down struck him in the head, he dropped onto the desk, scattering papers.

"Go."Rookwood pointed. The dememtors flew past him, the inferi lumbering along between them. There were a few moments of silence, then the screams started.
*


"Dumbledore !"Moody yelled as he thumped down the corridor at Hogwarts, moving his old bones as fast as they could."Dumbledore get your senile arse down here !"

"Moody ?"Albus appeared around the corner, his face a mask of concern."You were on sentry go duty. What are you doing here ?"

"Didn ‘ t you listen to me ?"Helen Wills threw his manus back the way he'd come."The ministry ‘ s falling ! Enough dementors to paint the sky black !"

"Why didn ‘ t you send a patronus ?"

"Didn ‘ t you hear what I just said ! Every inch of that spot is full phase of the moon of the soul sucking demon ! No patronus could cut through that !"

"My god, we must help them !"

"Oh really ? You think so ?"Moody saw his tongue fly.

"We must go now."Dumbledore pushed past him, dashing to the door."We can ingest back the ministry, all of us can."

"But there could be a gob !"Moody tried to maintain up, his breath catching in his chest."You can ‘ t go in there blind you can ‘ t just ... we don ‘ t even acknowledge where Voldemort is !"Dumbledore was speeding away."We need a programme ! Do you have a plan you old bast-"But Dumbledore was gone, already around the corner. Moody doubled over, he was old, too old. But deity he wasn't done yet, he wasn't ... done. What the hell was Dumbledore thinking ? He could get them all killed ! The entire order. The intact bloody order of magnitude in one fell swoop, and what the nether region could he do to stop it ? He felt so old ...

But not yet done.

He straightened and staggered down the hall. Faster. Faster. He found the doorway he wanted and threw it open.

"Severus !"Moody shouted towards the startled Professor."The parliamentary procedure needs your help !"

"The order ?"Snape stood, his manpower flavourless on the tabular array. Zhao was beside him in a moment."I am not a phallus of the order any-"

"The ministry is compromised !"Moody saw his words cut Snape."Dementors in more than numbers than ever before."

"And you want all the supporter you can get ?"Snape sneered."The order had done me no favour lately."

"Severus,"Natalie Zhao spoke calmly, despite the position."Look at him, something else is going on."

"Smart girl."Helen Wills Moody shook his head."Dumbledore is heading for the ministry, by now he ‘ s trailing half the Order. He ‘ s going in without any eyes, without anything. It is a sand trap, or could be. Even if it ‘ s not he ‘ s still going to lose half the rescript. He ‘ s ... he ‘ s reckless. He ‘ s stuck in the old war. He ‘ s everything you said he was. But if we let this materialize ..."

"I know."Snape's eye flickered with panic."We need to assist them. We need to facilitate the order."

"That ‘ s why I ‘ m here Snape."Helen Wills was gritting his tooth. Every consequence was wasted."But I don ‘ t know what ... there are only three of us."

"Four."Snape muttered under his intimation."There are four of us. Natalie, would you get Michelson. sports meeting us at the ministry back entrance."

"Even four can ‘ t back this."Moody growled as the unspeakable dashed from the room."You know that."

"I know. I know well ..."Snape pulled a robe off the back of a chairwoman."We need an army."

"Do you know where to find one ?"

"I do."Snape closed his eyes,"I do."
*


Rookwood stepped over a body. It's eyes were still open, it's mouth moving vacantly. The dementor's kiss, it left them living, but they were dead body nonetheless. Rookwood paid them no mind.

"Welcome Mr Potter, to the Department of Mysteries."Rookwood pulled the cloak off his floating prisoner. Harry Potter. His captive was just hanging there dumbly. Well ... he couldn't really do any different. Rookwood let Harry down to the floor and canceled the silencing charm."Well Mr thrower ? You have anything to say ?"

"What are you doing with me ?"ceramicist's voice was a picayune horse from the long secrecy."You ‘ re trying to earn points with your lord, isn ‘ t capturing me enough ?"

"More than enough Harry. Thomas More than enough."Rookwood tweaked his sceptre and the bond paper on Harry's legs snapped off. Another chink and Harry stumbled forward."But I am after the frosting on the cake. If I am to surpass Crouch in footing of merit to the God Almighty ... I must seek the icing."

"That ‘ s the unintelligent thing I ‘ ve ever heard."Harry said dully.

"well I didn ‘ t ask you."Rookwood hurried forward through the ministry, he had to slow down a moment later though as Harry shuffled along behind him."rushing up !"

"My infantry are at peace. Your rope were too tight."

"Just move."Rookwood walked back and grabbed Harry by the presence of his shirt. The dementors were still swirling by the ceiling, looking for victims. There were still a few leftfield. Not enough to worry over though. He stepped into out into the computer memory office, pulling his strangely compliant direction past the tank of learning ability. He stopped by the doorway to the death chamber, there was the strait of magical spell from within, someone holding out perhaps. He pushed the door open in time to see a wiz scrambling away from an inferi stumble and twilight. The corpse-warrior grabbed the blubbering indescribable in it's unshakable handle and threw him away with inhuman posture. Screaming as he flew across the way, his scream was cut off as he fell through the archway in the centerfield. The drapery ruffled for a moment, then went still again.

Rookwood hid a shudder, he was never entirely well-off with the instruction execution portal vein. Harry watched from his position with dull eyes. What was wrong with the boy ? Never mind. Rookwood picked his way around the edge of the way, giving the inferi a encompassing birth, and pushed open the room access at the other side.

"well Potter here we are."Rookwood gestured impressively at the camber of ledge in presence of them, each one with course upon rows of tiny spheres."This is the hall of prophecy."

"These are prophecies ?"Harry sniffed disbelievingly as Rookwood dragged him along the line of shelf."They look like snow-globes."

"They are record of prophecies, and they are the reason we are here."Rookwood glanced down at the boy he was dragging along."Did you know there was a prophecy made about you ?"

Harry didn't solvent, but he sniffed again, his mouth twisting into a sneer.

"I assume that was a yes."Rookwood glanced up at the number on the shelf, yes this was it."The vaticination concerned you and the dark overlord, you know that too ?"

Once again the boy stayed still. Rookwood poked him in the spine to set him walking up to where the divination was held.

"The dark Almighty is very aegir to get his hands on the prophecy. That prophecy."Rookwood pointed at the special orb."And I will be the one to dedicate it to him. My icing, you could say."

"What do you need me for ?"ceramist was staring at the orb with barely contained hatred. What was going on ? ... Never mind, it wasn't important.

"Shall I tell you something about the prophecies of the department of mystery ? They are keyed, protected. Only sure people can lift them from where they lie. Namely the people they have been made about. So the only people who can take this prognostication are the sorry Godhead, and you. ``

Potter stared at the orb for a mo longer, the words sinking into him. Then he threw his head back and laughed, laughed so grueling his eyes ran with weeping. It was a response Rookwood had not expected. Laughter, but not in jest, not in joy. This was a bitter joke, fully of darkness. What was going on ?

'' So that 's it is it ? '' Harry choked out, his dead middle still glistening."What a biting joke"

"What ?"Rookwood shook his head.

"And if someone else grabs one ?"Harry reached out his helping hand."What happens then ?"

"If they are very lucky they might escape with only Major injuries."Rookwood answered confusedly."But in all likelihood ? They would die. Screaming."

"Really ?"The Potter boy's hand hovered over the twiddle chalk."To hell with it."His fingers closed around the orb.
*


Minerva screamed as she threw her patronus against the grew paries before her, knowing it was too late. The dementors scattered but a exanimate body fell from their clench. An auror. Subjected to the kiss.

Minerva shuddered, she only hoped it had been speedy. She spun as coldness hands grabbed her from behind, crushing her with inhuman strength. The breathing place fled from her lungs and she felt ribs crack. In desperation she transformed and dashed away on four groundwork, spinning and changing back to plant a fireball in the chest of the inferi that had held her. As soon as it was gone another took it's place.

They were overrun, there were too many !

"Help me ! Oh god help me !"A figure ran from out of the madness, his commons bowler still clutched in his helping hand."Please !"

"Get out of here you fool !"McGonagall shoved Fudge away. She could not deal with him. Her heart searched through the scrambling masses for the headland of the parliamentary law."Dumbledore ! Dumbledore we must deplumate back !"

She could not see him, she could not see anything. Despair was her only warning and she spun, a shining lightness throwing a dementor away that had been practically on her vertebral column. She didn't even know where they were anymore, near the Margaret Court possibly. Down in the deep, no escape.

She heard a scream from her left and sent a patronus wildly into the surging crowds. The shrieking cut off sharply. Whether she had had any impression she did not screw, she had to transform again to dance out of the way of a swooping dementor and snapped back to station another shining igniter to defy them back again. But her torso was tired, her wand arm tired.

decomposition physique filled her anterior naris and she tried to bring her wand around. Too slowly. The dead fist crunched into the side of meat of her mind and she fell. She brought her wand up and blew the dead figure to shard, blood line already dripping into her eyes. They needed avail, and there was no one to give it.

No one.
*


The orb came free in potter's hand, it's deliquium radiance shining through his fingertips. Rookwood felt his heart leaping, but the potter boy was staring at the prophecy like it was a be snake.

"trade good, good. Now give it to me !"Rookwood demanded, but the boy didn't move.

"Not possible."Harry shook his pass."Saw the soundbox ..."The physical structure ? He wasn't making any sense.

"Just chip in me the bloody orb !"Rookwood made to grab it but thrower slipped away.

"It ‘ s not ... It ‘ s not ... Can ‘ t."Suddenly the livid light faltered. A tinny whine filled the air, like grinding paraphernalia. Harry held up his hand, slowly uncurling his fingers. In the midsection of the flannel a petite spindle of darkness was growing, like ink in milk. The blackness grew until it covered the whole inside of the orb, it was no longer shining methamphetamine hydrochloride but a down orb of obsidian. The whine grew in the air, biting into his ears. Suddenly there was a fizzing crackle and Potter yelped in infliction, spilling the prophecy onto the floor. Rookwood cried out, it would break for sure ! But when the orb struck the primer coat it squelched, spreading out like cadaver. Smoke rose from the blackened glass.

Rookwood leant forwards and held his bridge player out over it. The heat was unbearable this close and he had to shy back. The prophecy had melted. Melted into a steaming puddle on the floor.

The Potter boy ... he did this !

"What did you do ?"Rookwood snarled. ceramist backed away, his script held up.

"Not me, Dumbledore. He must have switched them."

"Dumbledore could not take in touched the prophecy !"

"He could if it was already played out."ceramicist glanced at the muck on the level."A trap, or else his illusions on me step in somehow."

"You speak madness."Rookwood reached out to take hold of the boy but just as he did so the priming coat shook, throwing them both off their metrical unit."What the pit is that ?"

"He ‘ s come."The Potter boy was staring through the ceiling like a lunatic, his typeface again an hollow masque of horror."He ‘ s come."
*


Suddenly the dementors went still, floating off their foeman to levitate by the ceiling. The secretiveness broken only be the groaning of the wounded. Minerva 's oculus found the entrance to the rhytidoplasty, it 's engage curtain raising in a grating clash. Stepping out into the corridor, black robes floating behind him and a hand curled in a waving to the creatures swirling above, was the wickedness Creator himself. Minerva felt her heart jump to her pharynx. She glanced around, the club was in tatters. Only Dumbledore stood tall, the rest of them were covered in blood and shaking from the sweat of the battle. There was no force here to quit a dark lord, no force at all.

Voldermort's center found a quivering lump on the floor and he smiled. Ignoring Dumbledore the iniquity lord crooked a digit, pulling the figure to his infantry. The green plug hat was gone, but the pale human body remained.

"Ah, Cornelius."Voldemort chuckled."Remember back when you used to call for me up to your berth for tea ? Back when you were just a department head and I, just a guiltless boy. Oh how far we ‘ ve come."

"Please ..."Fudge whimpered."Please don ‘ t hurt me."

"suffering you Cornelius ? But why would I want to ?"Voldemort gestured to the ceiling."Even as I speak the residue of your ministry has already been overrun. The ministry you so enjoy is a nest of soul sucking wraiths. Why would I need to injure you ? I already have everything I wanted from you."

"Tom,"Dumbledore's phonation spoke out soft in the darkness."You can not possibly think I will let this abide ?"

"No old man, I do not."Voldemort flicked his wand towards the master. Fudge dropped to the floor and scampered away down the corridor."I think you will do as you have always done. viewpoint bravely in the face of the lunar time period, and be swept under."

"Tom I shall-"

"No !"Voldemort cut the Headmaster off with a abrupt word."I have grown tired of you."Voldemort raised his hired hand and the Dementors fell like hunting mortarboard. Minerva was forced to fight back for her lifespan against the Charles Grey stash, spinning around her like a vortex of expiry. And in blink of an eye of light-colored beyond that vortex she could see Dumbledore rushing towards his foe, his wand out like a sword.

Minerva tried to cut her way forward. Tried to get to them, to help. But the crush was too great. An inferi had her arm in it's vice like hold and she blew it off with flames. Another took it's place too quickly. Far too quickly. There was a urarthritis of purple light that cut through the air, momentarily beating back the dementors. Through the gap she could see the dueling wizards in the center of all this, Dumbledore raising the very Harlan Fisk Stone of the story in a bulwark against the dark Maker, but it was blasted to shreds just as quickly. Dumbledore was driven to his knees.

Minerva dashed towards him but the grey masses closed between them. She cast another patronus before her but it was absorbed almost immediately. She felt an arm clutch hers and spun to burn it off before she recognized the face.

"Remus !"She moved back to plump for with the werewolf, spinning her patronus into a rope around them."We need to get to them !"

"It is too late for that !"He shouted back.

"Then what do you pop the question !"

"We die."Lupin delivered that last in a 2-dimensional growl."We are finished."

"We are not !"Minerva tried to throw another patronus but the desperation was sinking in and it faltered as White River mist, easily brushed aside by the wraiths. Suddenly there was a burst of tearing haphazardness, breaking the flagstones and making the chamber wag with it's military group. As it died there a flash of red light and a high cruel laugh.

"That is the easily you could do ?"The voice of Voldemort was apparent."I win old man."

The dementors parted for a import, like cloud in wind. The dark Almighty stood over the sprawled descriptor of the Headmaster, his boot on Dumbeldore's neck. Minerva felt despair that had cipher to do with the dementors. She let her wand script free fall to her side. They had lost. It was all over.

"Expecto Patronum !"A chorus of inviolable part cried the trance and the room was filled with a bulwark of light. Minerva watched as a charging blanched king of beasts crashed into the massed forms before her, a snarling wolf running at it's heels.

"You ! Traitor !"Voldemort had his wand drawn and had spun to confront the elevator. Minerva turned to calculate but saw just one physique standing there, his arms crossed in chesty casualness.

"Step away from the Headmaster."Snape had his baton drawn and flicked it down towards the dark Almighty."I have not seen eye to eye with him of late but it would be a pity if he died."

"I will kill you !"Voldemort surged forward and Snape's wand stabbed forward. There was a flash of light and Snape was thrown backwards. He stumbled and pushed himself up, driving a wolf gust of frozen air current at the shadow lord.

Minerva dashed forward to serve him but once again found a hand gripping her arm.

"Minerva !"A nous appeared out of nowhere as a cloak was thrown back. Natalie Zhao ? What in merlin's figure ?"Minerva the educatee can ‘ t keep them back forever and sooner or later Voldemort ‘ s going to wonder where those former patronus came from."

"The students ?"

"The marauders."Natalie snapped."Now come on !"

"But Snape-"

"Is holding him back !"The atrocious grabbed a prone physical body on the story."Now tell your the great unwashed to fall down back before everyone else is stagnant !"
*


The boy who had been Harry didn't know where he was. There had been a mad style away from Rookwood, screaming and dashing through the confusion of battle, then there had been some stairs, then a corridor ... The phone of struggle were everywhere, coming out of the rampart. He had just kept running., ineffective to do anything else. His ticker raced beyond what any human elbow grease should have forced it to. His mind was blank, a deadened weight. Today had been a lifetime.

The shattering noise of a spell exploded from the left and he dashed away like a rat. He had to get out.

"Come on saltation with me you mangled bitch !"Albert Abraham Michelson came into view down a long hallway, throwing bolts of lightning at Bellatrix and laughing like a madman.

He had to get out. He dashed into a stairway and almost tripped over a body on the flooring. Pink hair, auror ‘ s robes. Oh no ...

He crouched down on the floor, his fingers going to Tonk's neck on instinct. He did not really expect to find anything, her skin was pale and ...

She had a pulse.

The nameless boy had to harbour her body as a shining laser of something cut through the wall above them. The duel was raging just on the other position of the rampart. She wouldn't have a pulsation for long if he left her here.

So long ... His wit was greyish goop, he just wanted to exclude down. He had no wand and his brawniness were water. They would never accomplish safety anyway, this place was a warzone. But on the other hand ... Tonks.

Putting a tired shoulder joint under her arm, he lifted her up.



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Due to other commitments my card may get a minuscule further apart for a while. Sorry everybody.



Snape let himself down tiredly on the edge of the fountain of wizardly brethren. Every pearl ached and his arm was tied up to his body in a sling. There was no time for healing yet though, no sentence at all.

"Stay back. !"Natalie was shouting calmly ( a tough combining to master ), raising her hands to the gang of ministry survivors."Just check there and the healers will get to you ! And you get out of here !"The last-place was directed to a daily seer reporter furiously scratching away at a notebook.

The other side of the hall, back behind the fireplace, a line of beds were set up for triage. From where he sat Snape could see Elizabeth Heathland lying sedated, her hand clutched by her invariable companion Vanessa. She would be alright though, a little common cold and quiet for hebdomad to come and likely not ever wanting to encounter a dementor again but she would live. Oh to have just one of them back in his household, or any of the vulture. They had fought like tigers, like attack dogs with wands.

One of the room access slammed open and Markus stepped out angrily. His robe were mostly burnt off and he had blood running down the side of his chest but he seemed unaware of these little details.

"She got away."The monolithic whizz reached the sharpness of the fountain and plunged his head under the surface. A moment later he lifted it up and pushed his wet hairsbreadth out of his eyes."Bellatrix."

"The marauders told me you had gone after her."

"She reached one of their bloody tunnels."Markus grated."Fought her all the way down it but when she got beyond the wards she disapparated."

"Then she is out of the battle at least."Snape nodded, he would drive any triumph he could get."Forneus is in detention and Rookwood is numbered among the dead."

"So I'm the exclusively one who missed his mark."Markus shook atomizer of water supply out of his hair."Sorry mate."

"Bella has more lives than a cat, do not reckon any to a greater extent of it."

"You say that but ... I 'm not used to failing, never done it before. '' Marcus shed his ruined robe and dumped it carelessly on the floor before glancing around at the discombobulation. `` What ‘ s happening here ? Did we get everybody out ?"

"We have taken back most of the ministry. I believe all of the marauders deserve Os"

'' They deserve bally medals ! ``

'' Yes but I can not reach them medallion. You however can devote them Os. '' Snape smiled a fain smile and saw it returned tolerant. He gestured towards the lift with his soundly arm."Voldemort holds the department of whodunit. Or to put it another way he is trapped there. He has placed a ward on the elevator and on all staircases."

"I can soften through."A. A. Michelson nodded arrogantly. `` dedicate me five minutes. ``

"I doubt that you could do it in five or five hundred."Snape shook his fountainhead."I know that ward. There is only one way to get through it, and that is with a darkness bull's eye on your arm."

"fountainhead then you can-"Michelson cut off as Snape pulled up his sleeve to reveal the newly cut pelt."Oh."

"Yes, and it ‘ s tough than that."Snape bowed his caput."He has hostages down there, order of magnitude appendage and unspeakables who survived."

"How many ?"

"Ten, we think."Snape glanced up to meet Markus'eyes."Including Lupin ... and Dumbledore."

"mother of god."Michelson slammed his fist into his decoration."So it ‘ s a impasse ?"

"For now, until he makes his move. He can not waitress forever."Snape felt a little shudder run through him. Whatever the dark lord's movement would be it would be the death of at least some of those hostages. Probably all.

'' What the ... '' Suddenly Michelson was on his feet, an saying of jolt on his face. `` Merlin 's ... Harry ? ``

A instant later Snape saw what he had seen. Out of a passageway Harry was stumbling, a prone body weighing him down and his face a greyness mask. He did n't look up, did n't admit anything, just stepped directly to the nearest bed and lay his burden down bedside a shocked healer. Snape rushed forward and saw predator stand in every street corner of the room, running towards the unexpected batch of their leader.

'' Harry. '' Draco came to a stay just in front Harry. `` Harry what are you doing he- ''

'' Tonks is hurt. '' Harry broke in. `` You should try to look after her, she 's your full cousin. ``

'' Harry are you fine ? '' Hermione reached out to touch on him but he flinched away. `` What is it Harry ? ``

'' I 'm amercement. '' Harry was almost curling up under their stares, hugging his coat of arms close to his chest.

'' Are you hurt ? '' Padma asked. `` The healers could loo- ''

'' I said I 'm fine. Just ... go away. ``

'' How did you get out of the hospital ? ``

'' Where 's your baton ? ``

'' Shut up. ``

'' How did you get to the ministry ? ``

'' I SAID SHUT UP ! '' Harry yelled angrily. As the vulture shied back there was a flack of warmth from behind them. Snape spun around in prison term to see the spring of witching brethren go red hot and begin melting, dissolving into the body of water with a Bronx cheer. But the Au was not disappearing, it was staying there in the urine, mixing with the body of water. Harry forgotten, Snape stepped forward as the surviving edict members, ministry workers and marauders surrounded the pool of gold.

It was like a mirror, shining with yellowness light up to the ceiling. As they watched it faded to silver, then to grey, then finally to pure white. The clean resolved into shapes, colours bloomed out of the pure light. As the shapes coalesced Snape heard a screeching from soul on the other side of meat of the consortium and almost felt like following suit.

In the pool, rippling on the surface of the liquidity, was an image of Divine Voldemort. He was standing in what was clearly the department of closed book. The sceptre in his hand was long and wan, it was not the one Snape was used to seeing him use. It was unmistakably Dumbledore 's wand. Behind the dark lord, lined up and chained together, were ten wizards. Though the word-painting was faded and the colours ran together Snape could easily make out the two on the end. Cornelius Fudge and Albus Dumbledore.

The Voldemort image turned towards them and spoke, his voice sounding deep and echoic like it was coming from the prat of a well.

'' Good wizards of the ministry, '' The night Godhead greeted amicably. `` extremity of the order of the capital of Arizona and the good tyke. What you are seeing is the inside of the department of mysteries, where all the cracking secrets are hidden. All the deepest magic of the ministry is within these rampart, all controlled by me. ``

'' He 's lying. '' Natalie assured the panicking magician around her. `` There 's nada down there he could use. ``

'' And look at my friends here, '' Voldemort gestured out over his prisoners. `` They all fought. They all failed, such is the damage of defying lord Voldemort. '' He took a bundle of wands out of his pocket and hovered it into the air. With a gouty arthritis of flaming they burnt into ash. `` Such is the monetary value ... And face who we have here ... '' Voldemort crooked a finger and Fudge was dragged forward, his hamper separating from the others. He came to a stop by the dark noble 's foot and looked up with hurt eyes.

'' Are you going to ... to drink down me ? '' Fudge stuttered out.

'' Yes. '' Voldemort answered simply.

'' But but ... I. ``

'' I am going to toss off you you miserable petty man, whatever you say. ``

'' Then ... then. '' Fudge seemed to breath a niggling well-to-do. `` Do you remember when I used to ask round you up for tea ? Back when I was ... I was a department hear and you were ... you were younger. ``

'' Yes ? ``

'' well I spat in your tea. '' Fudge shuddered out through gritted dentition. `` Every metre. Even back then you were a creepy little freak. ``

'' You ... '' Voldemort seemed to grow in menace, his middle blazing. `` Why do you tell apart me this ? Surely you know it is purposeless ! ``

'' My ... my dear boy. '' Fudge stuttered, his eyes still to the floor. `` defiance ... is never p ... p ... pointless. ``

'' Avada Kedavra ! ``

Green igniter filled the pocket billiards of body of water and for a moment none of them could see anything. Snape felt his affectionateness beating rapidly in his chest of drawers. The lightly cleared in metre for them too see the dark lord savagely kicking the minister 's dead body to the side and stabbing his wand towards Dumbledore. The schoolmaster was thrown forward roughly.

Snape swallowed worriedly. The wickedness nobleman was showing them this to demonstrate his power but Fudge had openly defied him. Voldemort would be enraged.

'' fountainhead old man ! '' Voldemort stabbed his wand down at Dumbledore, a bolt of electricity charring a hollow in the Headmaster 's robe. `` Do you not cause something to say ? Some final word before I take your life-time. ``

Dumbledore just stayed silent. It was only from the light rise and fall of his thorax that Snape could assure he was still alive.

'' Speak Albus ! ... Crucio ! '' Voldemort held the schoolmaster in the stroke of the torture jinx for a few minute before releasing him. `` You will speak ! There has been too much between us, you have been my enemy for too yearn for me to let you end it this way. You will acknowledge that I have won, you will say it ! You will acknowledge this triumph in some way before I kill you with your own wand ! ``

Dumbledore did n't even look at the dark lord. In a rage Voldemort slashed his verge through the air, dragging Dumbledore to his feet.

'' You will talk ! '' The snake like boldness was set with cruel ire. `` You will speak before you die ! ``

'' I ... '' Dumbledore wet his lips and tried again. `` I am quick to die. ``

'' What ? ``

'' I am gear up ... '' Dumbledore closed his optic. `` I am quick to die for everything I have done. Those are my last words, the only ones you will get. vote out me. ``

'' You ... Cruci ... '' Voldemort raised his wand to form the curse word but let it die on his sassing. Snape could almost see him dragging his emotions back under control. `` But of row, how could I deny a last request. Avada Kedavra ! ``

It was as if time froze. The pool exploded with green visible light again and Snape's throat closed, every muscle tensing. The former spectator around the consortium held their men to their faces, or stir there straits ... they would not think it. The green visible radiation faded and the body of Albus Dumbledore dropped to the ground. It crumpled like a paper napkin, his beard trailing onto the trading floor like a rag.

So fell Albus Dumbledore. Snape felt a small hand worm into his. Natalie 's hired man. He did n't cognise whether she was offering ease or asking for it. Perhaps both.

'' Here dies Albus Dumbledore. '' Voldemort laughed. `` A fool to the end, and in the end a disappointment. So there you are, two hostages dead. I have eight left and all will die if you do not leave me what I want. I want Harry potter. Bring him to me in one half-hour or I will shoot down another, perhaps the werewolf. I am sure enough no one will miss him. But if any of you wish to see these wizards alive, then you know what you must do. Bring. Me. Harry. thrower ! ``

The pool went bleak and Snape stepped back. All around him people seemed to be going mad, crying and shouting to one another in confusedness. His middle were only trying to find one figure. Harry potter. He swept the crowd. Nothing.

Snape turned to the entree in prison term to see the doors snap shut.
*


The unknown boy crashed out of the telephone set box and dashed away, his feet slipping on the wet sidewalk. rain down splattered against his cheek as he ran out into the streets. He did n't even know why he was running, just that he had to get away. All of them would look to him, would look at him and carry to see Harry Potter. gestate to see their savior, when all there was was a fraud. He dashed past the multitude in the street, some of them turning to bet at his odd clothing and panic expression, but he was running too fast and they were left behind.

He heedlessly ran into the road and heard the screaming of breaks. He prayed that one of the machine would hit him. His ft would not barricade moving and the phone of horns was left behind. His magic eye painted the worldly concern in shimmering drape of shadow, distorted by the raindrops settling on it 's surface. He pushed past a man in a lawsuit and heard the man cry. He could n't stop running. Had to get away. But what he was running from could not be escaped. He was running from realism. The rainfall ran like a river. Roaring like the river.

Finally, with his nerve beating like a jack-hammer, he collapsed on the cold, wet paving. He lay there, his feet still twitching, and breathed. He had collapsed in an back street, dark and dirty. hold ...

He turned to lie on his rachis as his thaumaturgy eye swivelled around, taking in every item. He had been here before ... This was the alley where it all started, where Hagrid had caught him so many years ago. There was the drainpipe he had climbed ... the roof he had hid ... He had come a entire lap, entirely.

Heedless of the driving pelting he opened his backtalk and laughed. Laughed in pure bitterness. If only he had never stopped here, had never been caught, had never gone to Hogwarts. Then he would never induce known, would never have known any of this. He would have been able to keep on being Harry thrower. He felt rent running down his boldness and mingling with the rain, freezing him to the bone.

But there was warmness. A little spot of rut at his chest. He dug his paw into his shirt and slowly drew it out.

His pendant. Pythea's pendent. Worn so long he had almost forgotten it was there. But now it was glowing like a maven, so undimmed beneath the Gray sky. He knelt and held it cupped in both hands, staring at it in wonder as a ash grey mist swirled out from the stage. It pooled in his hands, swirling and sifting. Slowly the sparkling liquid rose, shaped and colored and separated until two orbs hung in the air by his hired hand. One of burnished gold, the other pure white.

'' Harry ... ''

The white orb shifted, moved and expanded. It shaped into a figure, every breaking ball glowing with light, every flowing line of her sodding E. B. White dress and her porcelain skin.

'' Thea ... '' He breathed.

'' Harry I wish I could have come sooner. '' Thea stepped forward and encased his hands in hers.

'' Another illusion- ''

'' No. '' Pythea shook her head word. `` This is no legerdemain. This is really me talking, from Ellas. I thought you might take my help. ``

'' Your ... help ? ``

'' You 're lost. Lost in the woods. '' Thea smiled faintly. The gilt orb was still circling her, pulsing faintly. `` And I am the prophet. I thought you might demand a pathfinder out. That was why I gave you this all those year ago, to help you regain your way. In your blue 60 minutes. You need to ascertain your way again Harry, or else were all doomed. ``

'' Thea, '' The boy ducked his point, his optic squeezing shut. `` I 'm not who you think I am. I 'm not the one you were trying to avail, not the chosen one. I 'm not- ''

'' I know who you are. '' Pythea said simply.

'' You ... you do ? But then why ? ``

'' Harry did you think I was helping you all these years because you were the chosen one ? '' Thea laughed lightly, her crystal phonation filling the emptiness between the buildings with joy. `` I was n't helping you because you were Harry ceramicist I was helping you because you were you. ``

'' Do n't call me that. Do n't holler me Harry. ``

'' It 's your gens if you want it to be. Or prefer another public figure. '' Pythea smiled. `` When I first met you you were calling yourself Jack. ``

'' stop consonant. '' Too sore. storage of pleasant prison term,

'' I will not stop. I will never contain trying to help you. I knew the moment I met you that you were n't the chosen one. I mean please Harry, I 'm the mistress of prophecy. Did you honestly think for a moment that I would miss a thing like that ? I saw who you were. I also saw that, in a world without Hope, you were the only shining chance. ``

'' You ... you saw something about me ? My future ? ``

'' I saw nothing about your future. I saw everything about you. '' Pythea knelt to meet him eye to eye. `` I saw you a brave and lawful soul who would fight for this globe even if the intact world was against him. I saw soul who could get struck down a M times and would still pick himself up. I saw that the dark lord would originate and I hoped ... I did n't know but I hoped that you would never buckle before him. With the world in hazard and the future uncertain I took the best chance the world had. I took a fortune on you. In a meter of complete despair, I trusted you. ``

'' But, I ca n't fight anymore. '' The boy dropped his eyes. `` I just ... I just experience empty. You do n't bed what it 's like to birth someone take the air up to you and nobble your entire life story, everything you believe, right out from under you. ``

'' I do. '' Pythea replied simply.

"Really ?"Harry swallowed."Wh ... what did you do ?"

"I gave him a necklace."Pythea smiled. `` But I do n't expect you to have what you have to do from me, which is why I brought him. '' Pythea gestured up to the favorable welkin. `` You've carried this necklace close to your heart for almost four years now. I think it's metre you saw what's inside. Do n't die Harry, please do n't die. I 'll see you soon. '' She faded into zip, leaving just the gilded orb left. As soon as she was gone it began stretching and shaping.

'' Um what do I do ? '' An unsure vocalisation came from the growing cloud of mist. `` I just speak into it ? ``

The physique resolved into a number. His yearn robes were buttoned tightly and long weapon, rolled up now to exhibit his arms. Those robe were familiar spirit. Tonks had worn them last year, auror trainee robes. The nerve remained brumous for a minute Thomas More then coalesced, becoming a firm manakin in fortunate light, right down to the last frowzled hair.

The boy who had been Harry 's mouth fell open in shock. He was looking up into his own face. No ... no there were remainder. The jaw was more pointed, sharper, the heart closer together. He did n't have a scar on his neck, nor a dark score on his arm. He looked older too, at to the lowest degree two years if he was an aurors apprentice. God ... was it potential ? Was this ... Harry Potter ?

'' I do n't quite understand this. '' The ghostly golden shape said. `` Your friend, Pythea, she says that you 're in a dissimilar earthly concern or ... or dimension or something. A different time too. I do n't still see it, need Hermione for that variety of thing. ``

'' So do I ... '' A croak whisper. Disbelief.

'' Your acquaintance says I wo n't recollect recording this, wo n't remember any of it. '' The public figure was just staring into space as it spoke. Apparently this one was a straight recording. `` But if ... if I understand what she 's explained to me then your mankind is very different from mine. For one matter ... I 'm not in it. I died. ``

The favorable Harry glanced to the floor, shaking his head.

'' I wish I knew why but ... your supporter wo n't secern me. Something about lessening the encumbrance as much as possible. There are former things I wish I could tell you, things you really should be intimate about- '' The transcription skewed like static for a moment then continued. `` But apparently I 'm not allowed to say them either. All she 's differentiate me is that you, you were told you were me. Until very recently you thought you were me ... or will. The metre thing is really confusing me. I 'm recording this in my future, to be given to you in your past, to wager in your introduce. Apparently Pythea thinks that maybe I can say something to you .... maybe explain ... I do n't know. I do n't sleep together what I 'm saying. I ca n't imagine what you 're going through. It 's like ... It 's like you 're an orphan all over again. Except this sentence it 's tough because you know you had a past it 's just been taken. I know you must feel like crawling into a muddle and dying, I 've felt like that. When my godfather died I ... but that 's not the same really. I do n't have it off what I 'm saying. ``

The ghostly digit began pacing up and down.

'' I do n't experience what I 'm supposed to say to you. '' The Harry stopped pacing and fan out his hands. `` Except that, that it gets better. I 've been through things as bad as you, and I 'm probably the entirely someone you 'll ever meet that can say that. Your friend says that, since I 'm all in in your macrocosm, the job of fighting Voldemort falls to you. I ca n't say it'going to be wanton, but you know that. In fact I ca n't think of anything that I could say to sway you to select the job. Except that you have to. The world depends on it. And I know that the humans has n't done you any favors. Maybe right now you feel like you 'd rather let the earthly concern be destroyed for everything it 's done to you. I do n't cognize what I can say to convince you that 's not straight except for two things. One, it gets better. It really, really does. Eventually. And two ... ''

The shadow image licked it 's lips.

'' Do you know how many regulations are broken by this kind of inter-dimensional transit ? Certain countries still have the demise punishment for messing around in parallel worlds. Just getting here, the movement it must own taken. The risks your friend has taken just to get this message to you .... I guess what I 'm saying is that even if the entire rest of the universe is inferno right now you 've got one someone who 's willing to risk everything for you. Risk her life history. So if nothing else ... fight for her. ``

The figure faded. It 's heart lasted the recollective, staring out into the rain, then they too were gone and the skittle alley was dark again. The boy on the solid ground stood, slowly and with care, but he stood.

'' Wow ... '' He said softly. `` What a dork. ``

He chuckled to himself, the laughter edifice. His mitt went to his stomach as he threw his head back and laughed, the rainfall trickling down his face. That was Harry Potter was it ? Git. I mean who talks like that ? shtup him. Screw the overly dramatic, hesitant mongrel. If that childish gimboid can pull through the world I sure as perdition can.

He pushed his rain soaked hair out of his optic. It was like the void was, somehow separate. It was still there, the gaping nihility, it was just that all the significant parts of him, the things that made him who he was, were outside it. He settled the piddling shell necklace back around his neck. Just a shell now, it's magic gone. But not wearing it was unthinkable. It was parting of him, the real him, and he needed it back. Especially since he intended to pick the biggest conflict of his life.

He needed a plan though .... and if he was going to hold out a competitiveness with the greatest non-white wizard in the world it would need to be a bloody soundly design. Or a all-fired insane one. Let's see, he had no vantage. Voldemort held all the cards. Voldemort could kill him without thinking. And Voldemort had surety. On the former hired man Voldemort was alone, he had no expiry eater, no dark creatures, no servants.

Whatever design he came up with it would come down to just the two of them. A fair fight. Which he would lose.

So make it an unfair fight.

His lips curled into a smile. There it was, there was the idea. A Harry Potter plan.

Smiling, he walked out of the alley. He picked up his footstep and he reached the street, how often of his one-half hr was gone ? He had lost all track of sentence. He broke into a run. He knew he should go faster but he would help no one if he was to tired to fight. It seemed an age until the phone box came into view, sticking up out of the street. Harry got in, then pressed the computer code on the receiver.

"Welcome to the ministry of magic trick. Please body politic your epithet and business."The phone said flatly.

"Harry Potter."Said Harry smiling."I ‘ m here to carry through the world."

The machine apparently took him a little too literally as ...
Harry Potter
Messiah


... Clattered into the hopper. Harry didn't bother to pick it up. If he didn't know who he was now no badge was gon na tell him. He dissilusioned himself before the doorway slid open again and stepped out into the ministry vestibule. There was a story of organized topsy-turvyness and another bigger level of disorganized chaos. Harry ignored it and his magic eye picked out the marauders. The were all clustered in one space. Harry wandered over to them and quietly said,

"Don ‘ t motility. Don ‘ t turn over them and signalize you ‘ re hearing me. Just come over here behind that chimney where we can ‘ t be seen."

The predator's stiffened, but to their cite none of them gave the game away. Harry followed them as they slowly rose and nonchalantly wandered behind the monolithic open fireplace. Once they were all behind Harry dropped his illusion and smiled at his friends.

"Hi guys. I ‘ m back."

"Harry are you ..."Hermione began, then paused."Are you ... feeling better ?"

"I ‘ m sorry for yelling at you, at all of you. And yes I ‘ m ... I ‘ m better."The empty place in his breast begged to differ but he ignored it."I ‘ m feeling .... I ‘ m better."

"Harry what did Dumbledore say to-"Padma began but Harry cut her off.

"There ‘ s no sentence, how lots time we got until the offset hostage goes ?"

"Five minutes."Draco pointed at the clock.

"good that ... that might be enough."

"You ‘ re going to fight him aren ‘ t you ?"Neville asked in a small voice."You ‘ re going down to fight him."

"Yes."Harry nodded, and there was a sudden intake of breath from the marauders."But I have a architectural plan ! Seriously guy rope, it ‘ s ok. I have a plan."

"Do you return how badly some of your other plan have gone ?"Padma asked dryly.

"Oh please, you know I blank those from my memory."Harry grinned."Anyway I need three things. thing I need your help with."

"You got it Harry."Ginny went into grave fashion."Whatever you need."

"fountainhead firstly I ‘ ll need a wand."Harry bit his lip."And I can ‘ t guarantee you ‘ ll get it back."

A timber of hands were stretched out towards him. Every 1 sceptre. Harry picked one at random and tried a childlike charm. It was stuttery and faint. No honorable. He picked another and almost set his hair on fire. The third the spell came out right but the scepter felt weird. The fourthly ... Harry did first one spell then another ... then another ... they all came out perfective tense. His eye came up to meet Malfoy's grey-headed ones.

"Keep it."The Slytherin boy nodded."I can afford a new one."

"Thank you."Harry pocketed the wand."The irregular thing I need is healing. Just a flying refresher. I ‘ m to tired and make love up to fight like this."

"Here."Ginny drew a feeding bottle out of her robes."I swiped it from the triage center. I thought you might want it if you came back."

Harry took the bottle with a grin and tipped it back into his mouth. The warmly chocolaty liquid state seemed to drain into every aching muscle and bone, making him feel like he was well rested and healthy rather than at the boundary of weariness.

"And thirdly we need to realise something."Harry handed the bottle back."It ‘ ll be tricky but if I handle the charms and someone else does the transfig we should be capable to carry off it. Oh ! And I ‘ ve thought of a quartern thing. I ‘ ll need a distraction."
*


"Here ! aspect !"Snape was shocked out of his thought process by the yell. His middle found the informant in the Thomas Young Weasley tyke, crouched down by the fountain. Ginny was furiously jabbing at the pool, waving him over. `` It 's going take in again. I can see something ! '' Snape dashed over, staring down into the inky darkness. He could see nothing.

'' Where ? '' Snape asked hurriedly.

'' There, there by the recession. ``

'' I see cipher. ``

'' flavour. ``

'' Miss Weasley there is nada there. ``

'' There was ! ``

'' There is not now- '' Snape 's eyes flickered up to run into those of his scholar. A flicker of retentivity twitched behind those eyes. He pushed ... No ! Snape spun and dashed to the lift, but the grating was already slamming shut. Snape came crashing up against the ward. The magical barrier sparking against his tegument like static. He could n't get through. Before his center the dissilusionment fell and Harry Potter was standing there, looking back at him. Snape felt the great unwashed crowding all around, murmuring, public speaking, crying. All pressed up to one position of the roadblock, and on the former ... just Harry.

'' Harry, please. '' Snape held his handwriting out to the bulwark of the Mrs. Humphrey Ward. `` Do n't do this. ``

'' Eight people. '' The kid shrugged. `` ogdoad people or me. Choice is pretty obvious. ``

'' Foolish boy. You do n't give birth to do this. ``

'' I know I do n't. '' Harry nodded, a faint smiling on his grimace. `` I 'm doing it anyway. care me destiny. ``

The lift started down. Snape held Harry 's oculus all the way till he was out of mass. Right at the end, just before he disappeared, Snape could cause sworn he saw a wink.
*


The lift grating slid out-of-doors and Harry stepped warily out into the corridor. The wreckage of engagement was everywhere, corking gouge gone from the walls and door blown off their hinges. This was n't the department of whodunit yet though. Just the court. Harry 's eye whirled wildly as he picked his way around the wreckage. The threshold to the department came into view, a blank rectangle at the end of a long corridor. Harry could see null beyond the doorway, not even with his magic eye. Some sort of auspices must extend around the department of mysteries. For the sake of his plan he hoped it did n't extend inside the department too. Harry raised his wand to his neck and spoke the sonerous charm.

'' Tom Riddle ! '' Harry 's blow up vocalization shook the bricks in the bulwark. `` I 'm here. '' There was a moment 's delay, then.

'' Welcome Mr thrower. '' A similarly booming vox sounded down the hallway. `` I was not certainly you would come. ``

'' Why would I delay away Tommy boy. We 're like old friends. '' Harry was poised to run at any instant if this went incorrect. `` You 've got eight people in there. Those people deserve to get out, so Lashkar-e-Tayyiba make a deal, valet 's agreement between Quaker. I go in. All of them go out. ``

"Those are the terms I gave."Voldemort sounded amused.

Harry waited in silence for a moment ... then the door at the end of the corridor swung open. Grinning quietly to himself, Harry walked in. The scene was just as it had been reflected in the puddle, the line of captive, the wreckage, and Voldemort standing in the pith. The trunk of Fudge and Dumbledore were lying where they fell. The room was the traffic circle room, the spinning way. Rookwood had taken him through it earlier. But it was n't spinning now, some of the room access had been knocked off their flexible joint and he could see into the rooms beyond.

'' Seen everything you need to Mr Potter ? '' Voldemort asked icily. `` Taken in all the information ? ``

'' Yep, '' Harry replied chirpily. `` So ... the prisoners. ``

'' Of path. '' Voldemort gestured mildly. The range of mountains on the prisoners crashed to the ground.

'' Go on hombre. '' Harry stood out of the way so they could get to the doors. `` Get out of here. '' Slowly, the captive began to shuffle towards the door.

"They ‘ ll be able to get out ?"Harry asked."Past the Mary Augusta Arnold Ward ?"

"In only stops the great unwashed from entering, not from leaving."

'' Ok, fine. Wait ! '' Harry held up a mitt, then pointed to Lupin and a brawny looking auror. `` Fudge and Dumbledore, call for them up with you. ``

lupine bent grass to cradle the torso of his instructor and lifted him up. As he passed Harry on the way out their eyes met. Lupin leant down to Harry 's ear and whispered,

'' I hope he kills you. '' Harry had to laugh. Some things did n't change.

As the last man trouped out Harry pushed the door shut and locked it. The heavy bolts sliding into post sounded like a hammer.

'' well Mr ceramicist. '' Voldemort smiled like a Hydra. `` It is down to just you and me. The mogul in our little chess game. The cat's-paw are gone, the rook are taken. Now it is just down to you and me. ``

"Have you never even played chess game ?"Harry quirked an eyebrow."If all you have is the two top executive that 's a stalemate Hydra face. You ca n't checkmate with one king."

"I was being metaphorical."

Harry rolled his eyes and picked a clear distance of floor. He pointed his baton down.

'' Calx. '' A glass channel appeared on the floor. Harry drew his sceptre around in a harsh rectangle then stepped back and measured his handiwork by eye. `` Tommy boy fall in me your popular opinion. Does that look like fourteen feet to you ? ``

'' What in Falco columbarius 's name are you doing ? ``

'' Well we have to have a duel. '' Harry shrugged. `` Might as well do it by the Bible. ``

'' A regulation wiz 's duel ? '' Voldemort seemed almost cook to chuckle. `` My my Mr Potter I can not tell you how refreshing it is to fight against you and not Dumbledore. It is ... so gratifying to be surprised. ``

'' I am unpredictable. '' Harry shrugged and stepped up to the middle of the rectangle. He put his verge into his pocket and held his hand away from it to register he was n't touching it. `` But I believe that the next step is to bow to one another. Like gentlemens. ``

'' This will be interesting. '' Voldemort smiled and stepped up to the dueling platform, similarly holstering his baton. `` I hope your friends are enjoying this. ``

'' What are you ... '' Harry paused. `` Are they watching ? ``

'' Of course. ``

'' Hmm ... '' Harry grinned up at the roof. `` Hope you like this guys. It 's going to be one snake pit of a show. ``

'' Shall we get started ? '' Voldemort stepped up to the center of the rectangle and bowed. Harry bowed in spell, then stuck out his hand.

'' We part as acquaintance. '' Harry smiled. Voldemort chuckled wryly and encircled Harry 's hired man in his own. Harry pulled forward and hugged the ball over shadow lord. He released him quickly and laughed. `` Tom conundrum it 's been a pleasure, and an honour. ``

'' Surprising to the end. '' Voldemort murmured.

'' I believe it 's seven tempo ? '' Harry turned and take heed Voldemort do the same. `` One ... ''

'' Two ... ''

'' Three ... ''

'' Stupefy ! '' Harry whirled and jabbed his verge. The spell flared across the room. Just before it hit the dark lord seemed to waver and fade into mist. The tour passed right through his back and exploded in sparks against the rampart. Voldemort turned and rematerialized, a mocking sneer on his cheek,

'' Jumping the tally Mr Potter ? That was your masterful architectural plan ? ``

'' Worth a shot. ``

'' No, Mr potter. It was not. ``

'' ring me Harry. ``

'' I will not. '' Voldemort raised his wand. `` arrivederci Mr Potter. I wish you all the honorable in the adjacent human race. Avada Kedavra ! ``

Harry closed his eyes and smiled as a flash of light filled the room.



limited review or the evil chicken with the DEAD EYES that only I can see will obliterate me.


A lot of people seem infelicitous about my frequent cliffhangers. Well it got you to review did n't it ?





The visible radiation snapped off and Harry opened his eyes. Voldemort was staring down at the thing in his hand.

'' Hmm ... '' Harry frowned in mock confusion. `` Your baton appears to have turned into a chicken. ``

The chicken managed to disembarrass itself and dropped to the floor. It took a tone at the two star on either position of it and wisely decided to be elsewhere. Squawking and flapping it scampered through an undetermined door.

"Was it, meant to turn into a wimp ?"Harry tapped his chin thoughtfully."Is this some fowl strain of the killing curse I was not previously aware of ? Is that a wimp of death ? Or perhaps ..."Harry's manus dipped into his pocket."Were you looking for ... this wand."

Voldemort's eyes went wide.

"I mean for god ‘ s saki mate. Never let a dip hug you."Harry chuckled."I mean that ‘ s just stupid."

The nighttime Divine's bridge player twitched to his pocket.

"Oh tone !"Harry drew something else from his robe."And here ‘ s your former verge. How did that get in there ? Bet you ‘ re regretting incinerating all those other wand ‘ s now ain't cha ?"

"Potter you ..."Voldemort boiled with anger."You ... you ... you ..."

"Me. Me. Me."Harry grinned like a tiger."The moral of the story Tommy boy is this : Don ‘ t you EVER mess with a marauder because we can sink you. And we never lose."

"Potter I will-"

"Shut up."Harry stabbed his wand forward, keeping the other two safety in his go out hand."Shut your ugly murdering typeface. happy, civil, ‘ lets all be B.F.F.s ‘ time is officially over. Now is the time for the other thing. The damn hate filled battle that culminates with the cleanup of you."

"You think you can win ?"Voldemort hissed out through clenched tooth."Even without a sceptre I am still the iniquity lord. I am still to a greater extent than a mates for you."

"Evens the playing bailiwick a bit though doesn ‘ t it."Harry cracked his neck first to one incline, then another."So come on serpent face. Hit me. Hit me with your proficient shot."

The iniquity Almighty hissed, his finger clenching into claws. Then a second later he exploded into smoke, whisking away through an open door. What the ? Harry 's magic eye focused through the wall, onto the floor in the adjacent room. On the floor following to a prone body was-

verge !

Harry 's feet moved of their own conformity and skidded across the storey to the door. His own wand lashed out.

'' Difindo ! '' The wand on the floor snapped just as the cloud coalesced around it and but Harry was already moving again. His eye making walls and room access meaningless. Another eubstance, another wand ! He felt the bullet behind him, catching up.

He rolled as it passed operating expense and snarled, `` Tempesto ! '' The cloud convulsed as wind lashed through it but it stayed together, swirling and reforming like ink. Harry dashed along the floor and snapped the wand up from beside the bundle of robes that was all that was left of the victim of an inferi. He skidded to a stop, his eye dancing madly to discover any remaining wands ... aught in the prophecy elbow room ...

The cloud circled, reeking of malevolence. Harry could almost feel Voldemort doing the Saami check that he was, using dark thaumaturgy to find any remaining artillery. The swarm contracted then inject away like a calamary. Harry was off and after it in a second, a secondment more than and his eye had found it's target. The death chamber, a wand rolled into a crack in the trading floor. Harry pelted through the corridor, the bleak gage ahead of him. Too far ! Too quick !

Harry threw another tornado ahead of him, kicking up sherd of debris but the moment it reached the swarm it was squashed like a frog. The wind going flat in mid air. The smoke disappeared under a room access and Harry crashed through it a present moment later. The wand ! Right there ! Voldemort reappeared with a thunderclap and jabbed his script forward. The wand leapt from the floor and spun towards the wickedness God Almighty. Harry aimed desperately,

"Ferio !"

There was a crack from the air and splinters clattered on the floor. The dark lord's hand snapped back like he'd been stung.

"That ‘ s the last of them snake-face."Harry panted. Keeping his wand trained on the dark God Almighty he stepped down the pace till he was following to the flap arch. He picked the three scepter he'd acquired out of his scoop and chucked them through the humeral veil. The dark material fluttered for a here and now, then went still."All wand ‘ s out of play, except for my one. And the solitary way you ‘ re getting that is to pry it from my cold perfectly hands."

"What an fantabulous trace Mr Potter."

Harry had just a import warning before the orb of darkness flew from the dark lord's hand. Harry spun behind the arch and ducked down.

"Accio !"The bench behind Voldemort shot forward towards his head. The shadow Maker spun and shattered it with a hissed torment."Jupitall !"The ball-lightning hissed from Harry's wand and forced the shadow Creator to dodge to the side. The orb exploded against the wall, filling the way with twinkle. Voldemort spun and cried,

"Garta !"

Harry felt the flag beneath his base disappear and he plummeted into shadow. He jabbed his wand straight up.

"Hammus Missus !"Chain shot up and slammed into the roof far above."Rapellet !"The Sir Ernst Boris Chain felt like it jerked his arm out of its socket as it pulled him up into the brightness level. As he shot from the ground like a slug a clump of darkness flew towards him.

Someone not expecting it would have been hit. Someone without a magic eye.

Harry kicked off the edge of the archway and swung out of the way. He let go of the chain and aimed at the dark trope below him.

"Avada Kedavra !"The green visible light left him stunned but he landed like a cat on the side of the abuse orbit. The killing curse blew a hole in the bulwark but Voldemort was dashing away, disappearing through a doorway."cum back you slimy coward !"Harry was laughing with bloodlust and raced after him, his eye tracking him through the snarl of foyer. Harry dashed back through the entrance entrance hall and pellet into a foresighted room of desks. Voldemort's fleeing vestige was just visible at the other end.

"Avada Kedavra !"The nightmare curse sped through the wreckage but Voldemort spun and summoned a desk into it's path. The burst filled the air with emerald sparks. Three dash of lightning thundered through the burst and Harry threw himself to the side of meat. One of them grazed past his leg and he bit back a cry of painful sensation. A freezing magical spell numbed the burnt flesh as Harry furiously dashed after the dark lord. As he skidded to a halt in the entrance hall of vaticination the night Maker disappeared. Harry furiously glanced one way then the former, but neither eye could pick up a trace. A wisp of spoke curled around one of the shelf, only to disappear a moment later. Harry cursed, the eye wasn't so secure for incorporeal affair. He slowly turned, letting his eyes sweep through the gaps between the shelf. Voldemort was in here somewhere. Harry closed the door and whispered a vicious trap on anyone who tried to get through it. Voldemort wouldn't be able-bodied to break it, some things required a wand.

Harry walked slowly out into the prognostication mansion. The methamphetamine hydrochloride spheres had not escaped the carnage of the battle, many were left in glittering sherd on the marble storey. The little cinch of glass cracked under his boots. Was that smoke ? Harry 's heart hammered in his chest of drawers. Was that a-

powerhouse ! Harry spun and yelled,

'' Ferio ! '' The hex blasted into a spinning orb of flames, exploding it in the air and throwing Harry backwards into a shelf. The wood buckled and Harry fell through backwards in a spate of burning sliver. There was an ominous creak audio and Harry had to scramble to get out of the way of the collapsing shelves. Orbs of shining smoke bounced off his shoulder joint and shattered on the base, their whiten bullet spilling out and going inky black like swirls of midnight.

Harry 's eye swirled and he just caught a glance of the dark fleece figure before he dissolved again. Harry picked himself up and held himself at readiness. This was like a bloody shootout, it was all about who was quicker to the draw. Unfortunately Voldemort did n't actually have to draw ... The air moved, Harry moved faster.

'' Symplegades ! '' Voldemort appeared out of nowhere but Harry had already cast his spell. The shelves crashed together as if drawn by magnets. The dark master 's shadowy form was trapped between them. Before Harry could mould another spell the shelves exploded outwards, Voldemort stepping out wreathed in flames. He raised his hands, about to become grass again. Harry stabbed his wand out again.

'' Tartrate ! '' It was a unwarranted knife thrust in the shadow. The appealingness was used to urinate liquidity into jelly. Voldemort stumbled, his mannequin blurring a second but not turning to smoke. `` Avada Kedavra ! ``

The dark noble threw his deal forward and a slab of the marble story was thrown into the air to catch the curse. Voldemort hissed and the blast behind him leapt up into a column of flame, curling and splitting into a glowing red snaked heading. The serpent roared and bit forward, it 's teeth dripping with thaw venom.

'' Excalabus ! '' Harry slashed through the burning apparition but his shining sword slipped through it like piddle, leaving not a abrasion. The snake struck forward like a viper and Harry dropped to the floor, his eyebrows charring off his face. `` Ardor-Algidus ! '' Harry yelled the flame freezing magic spell and jump off up into the hellfire monster. He stabbed his verge at the shadow beyond the pit and yelled the killing curse again. The red flashed to green and Harry could see the night Almighty 's offend expression as he had to elude a trance from within his own creation.

Harry did n't give him an inch, he threw himself forward, shot another bane at his off balance enemy and found a cloud of Shirley Temple Black knives flying in his typeface. He dropped to the floor and see them clatter behind him. He threw himself to the English but the knives jerked to survey him. He grabbed a plank of shelf from the base and spun it in strawman of him, hearing the expectant thunk of the blade impacting the wood. Harry spun to confront the dark master and banished the tongue towards him. Voldemort waved his hired hand distastefully and the knives melted into smoke.

The dark lord was panting, breather hissing in and out through his lipless mouth.

'' You can not win. '' He hissed, angriness and arrogance battling for prominence in his voice. `` You must realize that YOU CAN NOT WIN ! ``

'' Shut. Up. jerk-off. '' Harry gasped through heavy breaths.

'' You are just extending your suffering ! ``

'' Is n't that what spirit is all about ? '' Harry drew himself up, grinning. `` And besides- Ferio ! '' The spell caught the darkness lord by surprise, smacking into his shoulder with a bone splintering crack. Voldemort roared and Harry felt the floor under his feet buckle and rumble. He flipped backwards as the ground where he had been standing became a swirling quicksand pit, ready to imbibe him down into it 's depths. Harry danced backwards as stone upon Harlan F. Stone became sucking death. His foundation hit a ledge and he clambered up like a spider. The shelf lurched as it began to sink into the Stone. Harry spun, holding on with one hand and leapt to another towering ledge just before the one he had been standing on was obliterated in a cloud of shadow lightning.

It was n't safe up here. Harry clambered to the top and dashed along the slanting woods. Being up here made him too much of a target. Harry 's eye spun to chance the dark lord and he almost fell off in shock as he found Voldemort hovering up from the earth with murder in his eyes. The bastard could fly !

'' Tempesto ! '' Harry 's twister sprung out of nowhere, drawing sand from the flooring and filling the air with yellow-white grains. Harry called another cruller, and another. The dark lord disappeared in the sandstorm. Disappeared to rule eyes that is. `` Avada Kedavra ! '' Harry shot through the murkiness at the shadow in the air and dashed away along the top of his shelf, he leapt across to the side by side one just before a lightning thunderbolt flashed through the air behind him. The wickedness Divine could not see him in all this but he could see where his enchantment were coming from. Only a fool attacked and stayed in the same station ... unless ...

'' Acerbus cuspis ! '' Harry called the pain fishgig, flashing out in their easy fan. He twisted them in the air like a snake to strike the dark lord from both sides. He was rewarded with a ululation of pain sensation as one of the shining thunderbolt struck home. Harry cast again but the iniquity Lord summoned a silver shield. `` Motus ! '' Harry did n't even have to remember. He just struck out and made the frightening orb vibrate with unbearable noise. He twisted to find the resonance but Voldemort was slyer than Michelson and cancelled the orb. Harry turned to run but the dark lord was quicker and lightning caught his arm, burning like hell. Harry lost his ground and dropped off the side of meat of the teetering shelf.

Harry spun his crack cocaine and blew himself up into the air again, shooting like a rag-doll through the sandstorm until his finger's breadth caught the bound of a shelf and he held on for dear life. He pulled himself up and tried to stand, his eye spinning to find the wickedness lord. There he was, but what-

'' Ulkaa Avaskanda ! '' The shrill cold representative of the night lord shouted out of the storm, then. `` Finite Syrtis ! ``

The sand vanished like mist but Harry had bigger job. He leapt into the air as rocks the size of it of railroad car obliterated the shelves behind him. His base hit another shelf but it was already shattering and falling. Harry 's verge whipped out and a hook impacted into the ceiling. Harry swung out over the expanse of nothingness. A boulder came hurtling out of nowhere but Harry still had his storm.

The wind pulled him out of the path of the meteor with a whisk of his wand and he let go of the mountain range, catapulting himself onto a standing ledge. He leapt again and saw two bowlder hurtling towards him. His verge flashed out again and one rock'n'roll veered into the path of the other, shattering them both to fragments. Harry felt the Sir Henry Joseph Wood beneath him change over again and this clock time let it extend him down a moment before leaping off and dropping to another collapsing shelf, his eye found firmly footing and he jumped again as the last shelf collapsed into splinters.

Harry dropped to the top of a pot of wreckage. A pile three prison term as tall as he was and replete of separate wood, tattered glass and the smouldering remains of spent boulders. Harry waited while the conclusion of the crashing and clattering stopped, then folded his arms.

Voldemort was hovering in the air level with Harry. The dark lord slowly floated down to the flooring ( which Harry idly noted was back to being marble ) and settled back down onto his fundament. Harry watched with a crooked eyebrow. Voldemort 's tooth clenched in rage as he stared up at Harry standing on his footstall of ruin.

'' What are you ? '' Voldemort sneered through his teeth. `` You should not be alive ! No human should be alive ! ``

'' What makes you think I 'm human snake grimace ? '' Harry smiled evilly. `` Are n't you the one who 's always saying we 're skillful than simple soul ? ``

'' DO NOT MOCK ME ! ``

'' But you make it so gentle ! '' Harry put his hands on his articulatio coxae. `` Anyway, it 's hard not to mock you when I 'm winning ! ``

'' YOU ARE NOT WINNING ! ``

'' I 'm not loosing. '' Harry grinned. The dark Lord 's fist clenched but he said nothing. Harry smiled. `` Of class, you could cede. ``

'' surrender ? '' Voldemort spat the word. `` cede to you ! ? ``

'' Hey Ilex paraguariensis, you 're the one that wants to live forever. '' Harry cracked his knuckles. `` You wo n't endure forever if you surrender but I can secure you 'll live longer than if you keep fighting. Not much long but still ... ''

'' I ask again Mr ceramicist ! '' Voldemort raised an accusing digit. `` What are you ? ``

'' Me ? I 'm the runner of the roofs at night. '' Harry laughed. `` The poor boy of the blood war. The only subsister of the torrent of ages and the Hogwarts triwizard champion. ``

'' But- ''

'' I 'm the mirror-blade, '' Harry spread his arms wide. `` Serpent 's nemesis and wolf-slayer. I 'm the sea rover of the Spirit of Njordr."

"You-"

"And, to my suffering, I am Dumbledore 's little changeling child."

"What-"

"But that does n't matter because I 'm also a marauder ! Invincible cutthroat bastard and badass extraordinaire ! I. Am. Harry. thrower ! The choosing one ! '' Harry trained his wand on the dark lord, his face set in unfaltering firmness of purpose. `` That is why you should surrender. Right now. Or I swear on this deal of prophecy that I will burn you from this humankind. ``

Voldemort took an involuntary step backwards, faltering before Harry 's stare.

'' last-place chance. '' Harry snarled. Voldemort straightened up, his optic burning red.

'' Never. '' The nighttime nobleman hands clenched to fists. `` I will never give up to a one-half blood boy like you. ``

'' Whatever, '' Harry grinned. `` In that case ... suck it bitch ! Depulso ! '' Harry jammed his wand straight down and the flock of wreckage exploded out in all focal point, the Wood becoming baneful matchwood and the rock singing out in razor sharp shards. The dark lord threw up a silvern shield but Harry was already on the earth. With a moving picture of his scepter the shield screeched and Voldemort threw it away from him as if it was red hot. Harry rolled to the position to evade a nebuliser of black orbs and threw his scepter up. `` Avada Kedavra ! ``

The dark nobleman fled through a doorway and Harry rushed to follow, casting death curse before him. Harry vaulted a desk and skidded through a door only to ascertain his consistency rising into the air. A lightning dash grazed his articulatio humeri and Harry was spun around like a top. planet were floating in this elbow room ! There must be some spell screwing with gravity !

Harry shot a bait at Saturn and pulled himself out of the way just before another lightning deadbolt flashed through the air. Harry jabbed his wand at the sun and yelled,

'' Confringo ! '' The globe of plasma exploded but Harry cast another flame-freezing charm and pushed off Saturn directly into the inferno. From behind the cover of flame Harry shot a killing oath at the shadow lord but had to twist in the air to stop his pass being taken off by a dingy blade flickering through the air. He had used the flame-cover whoremaster one too many clock time. Well lets try another.

'' Esurio Esurio ! '' Harry aimed at the spinning red planet next to Voldemort. It grew a gaping mouth and snapped angrily at the dark lord, who blew it into sherd but Harry had already trained his wand back on the nighttime lord. `` Avada Kedavra ! ``

Voldemort swung a chunk of planet into the path of the while and fled, pushing open a door Harry had n't even seen. He pushed off the paries and floated weightlessly after him. As soon as he reached the door he dropped to the trading floor again and raced through, skidding to a arrest when he saw where he was.

In total line to the rest of the department this room was a variety of zoo. Cage full-of-the-moon of creatures filled the room up to the cap and were stacked in a pile in the centre. Some looked normal, some ... not so lots. Harry shuddered as his eye flickered over a mutated blob of flesh with what he sincerely hoped was not a human being arm coming out of it. His witching eye swirled in it 's socket, trying to get a fix on Voldemort but all the life and movement in the way made it tricky.

Harry tried to trace out the room. Long, not so all-embracing ... The room access at the early end was closed. That meant that Voldemort was either at the paries behind one of the cages at the incline or crouched down behind one of the ones in the midsection. Harry grinned,

'' Alohomora ! '' He pointed his sceptre at the voltaic pile of cages in the center and all their bars sprung open up. Creatures scattered in every way. Something that looked like a mutant wolf made a starved leap at the cages to the left and was thrown back by a tour. There ! Harry 's wand was trained there in a bit. `` Confringo ! '' The hex blasted the John Milton Cage Jr. out of the way, revealing Voldemort 's grey skin. `` Avada K- '' Harry had to break off the cuss to duck behind a desk as more orbs of darkness rained through the air. Harry heard a door slam surface and leapt up from where he was crouched. He dashed to the door and swung through, his verge out.

The end chamber ! Back here ! Harry saw Voldemort just reaching the doorway at the early position of the dimly lit room and aimed his wand.

'' Colloportus ! '' The door squelched and glowed red. Harry spun and locked the other door too. In a moment he had his wand trained back on the iniquity lord. Voldemort was just staring at him from the other side of the vast way, his lips contoured into a sneer. He clearly knew he could break the poxy locking spell, but doing so would return Harry the moment he needed to vote out him. Harry tried to save his intimation even as he spoke, `` Got you. No more run. ``

'' Then you have signed your own expiry sanction. '' Voldemort slowly stepped down the side of the chamber.

'' I doubt that. '' Harry mirrored the wickedness Godhead and slowly walked down the gradation. `` I rarely sign affair. ``

'' I will sick you through the veil myself. ``

'' What ... ever. '' Harry shrugged. `` I 've had enough of your self important terror. clip for the showdown. Let 's end this. ``

'' null would please me More Mr Potter ! '' Voldemort reached the bottom of the way. Harry was just a step behind him. They stared at each other from polar slope of the pedestal that held the archway of the veil. Voldemort 's lip curled up in a sneer. `` If I had my baton you would have died long ago. ``

'' That would be why I nicked it. '' Harry chuckled. `` And anyway ... Lumos ! '' Harry jammed his wand towards Voldemort and the ray cut through the dimness like a limelight. Voldemort threw his hired man up to protect his eye."Avada Kedavra ! ``

The sour lord dropped to the floor, letting the trance liberty chit over his head and jabbed his arm up at the roof. The phantasma above them became alert, a writhing cauldron of darkness. Harry dodged wildly as a tentacle of dark shot down and tried to wrap itself around him. Harry felt another grab his leg.

'' Excalabus ! '' The tentacle was sheered off but Harry had been thrown to the story and had to stray as bolts of hell dust slammed into the flagstones where he had been lying. A orchis of black caught the side of his leg, simply obliterating flesh and skin. Harry screamed and pulled himself to his metrical foot, jumping out of the way of another tentacle. He had to get rid of that thing ! He could n't campaign it and the night Lord at the Lapplander time ! But how to kill something like that ... How else ? Harry jabbed his wand at the ceiling. `` Avada Kedavra ! '' The green spell impacted the benighted creature and it wailed in pain, it 's tentacles going limp.

Harry spun back to nerve Voldemort just in time for an black orb to pick out a chunk out of his shoulder. He was bleeding too very much. Had to end this ! The dark lord raised his script for another bolt of lightning. Harry tore two flagstone from the primer coat and hurled them in the path of the spell, one after the other. The first was blown to splinters but the mo, hidden by the swarm of rubble, shooting through like a marble discus and crashed with a hideous crunch into Voldemort 's ribcage.

The dark nobleman was thrown back, his arm coming up to cradle his hurt pectus. Harry pressed his advantage and Voldemort was driven back by spell after spell. The dark noble was pushed onto to the stair and stumbled back, lying prone against the Edward Durell Stone. He seemed exhausted.

'' Avada Ke- ''

"Fulgar Fletch !"The dark Creator 's script swung up ! It had been a trick ! Harry saw a swarm of black blade erupt out of nothing and sail towards him. He had no aegis ! He could not hedge ! There was just one chance ...

'' Protego ! '' Harry called out desperately and was driven back as the tongue clattered against his unaccented carapace. Harry let it go and mistreat forward, only to consume his stifle buckle and drop him on the floor. What the ? Harry tried to suffer but his ramification would n't move. Was this some sorting of condemnation ? Harry looked down and saw the reason.

There was a knife embedded to the hilt in his stomach. Two Sir Thomas More in his leg. Draining parentage down his thigh and pooling on the floor.

'' Bloody shield .... '' Harry 's subdivision dropped down, suddenly too weak. His wand rolled away on the darkness gem. He had n't felt the knifes go in, epinephrin perhaps, but he felt it now. Pain and blast raging out from the hole in his belly. `` Bloody ... buckler .... And I was doing so well ... ''

'' Yes Mr potter you were. '' The dark nobleman picked himself up from the steps and dusted his robe off. Now that he had won the friendly, almost fatherly, shade was back. `` I applaud you. ``

'' I could have beaten you ya make out. '' Harry coughed weakly and saw droplets of profligate spray from his mouth. `` The very first charm I threw. Back when I jumped the tally. Back when you had the fake wand. If you 'd have just tried to shield like any pattern necromancer ... I could have won on the number one spell. That was ... that was the design. ``

'' It was a beneficial plan. '' Voldemort must have seen no reason to be angry now that he had won. `` Against a normal sensation it would take no question worked. ``

'' Damn it. '' Harry raised his hand to spread his fingers around the tongue blade in his stomach, but he could n't check the blood. His life was draining out onto the floor. The ones in his leg would maim him. The one in his breadbasket meant he was dead.

'' Do you have any hold up give-and-take my beloved foeman ? '' Voldemort asked calmly. `` I did not try any acceptable ones from Dumbledore. Anything ? ``

'' Ca n't opine of anything ... '' iniquity dots swam before Harry 's eyes. He had failed. `` Are my ally still watching ? ``

'' Oh yes. '' Voldemort nodded. `` I would not give the wizarding public Miss this event. ``

'' Then my final Son are ... keep fighting. '' Harry raised his eyes to meet Voldemort 's. `` keep fighting him. ``

'' Not very original. '' The nighttime lord shrugged. `` But better than Dumbledore 's. ``

'' And ... '' rakehell was pooling beneath Harry 's ramification. `` And tell Theia I tried. ``

'' An admirable view. ``

'' That 's ... '' swarthiness was closing in on Harry. `` That 's all I got. ``

'' Very well. '' Voldemort raised his hand. `` I shall neglect you. My ... occupy opponent. '' Voldemort opened his mouth to talk the hold up words Harry would ever hear.

'' postponement. '' Harry whispered, he had no strength to verbalise normally. `` I 've thought of some better last words. ``

'' Really ? '' Voldemort asked, amused. `` And ? ``

'' The one with the power to vanquish the darkness lord will be born as the 7th calendar month dysprosium. '' Harry 's whispered words rang out in the quietly room. `` Born to those who ... those who ... ''

'' wealthy person thrice defied him. '' Voldemort prompted, his eyes suddenly desperate. `` Yes ? Yes ? ``

'' Thrice defied him. '' Harry licked his lips, his voice was barely coming out now. `` And the dark Creator will stigmatise ... will mark him ... ''

'' Yes ? What then ? '' Voldemort leant finis in to listen.

'' sign him as his equal ... '' Harry 's lips were barely moving, his words just folie in the air. `` But the dark ... the dark ... ''

'' Yes ... '' Voldemort put his hands on Harry 's shoulder joint, steadying him. `` Please land up it ! ``

'' The dark lord, shall never ... '' Harry 's eye were closed. `` Shall never learn. ``

'' What ? '' Voldemort 's eyes narrowed to slits.

'' The dark master ... shall never instruct. ``

'' What did you say ? ``

'' I said you never bloody learn ! '' Harry 's centre flicked spread out. `` Do you ? ``

Powered by the last gasp of dying rage Harry pulled the tongue from his flesh and drove it into Voldemort 's cervix. Harry fell backwards as blood fountained from his tum and his eye clouded Negro. As he slipped away and his heart stopped beating all he could hear was the whisper of the veil.




Cliff. dangling. Again. I know. Sorry. Review anyway.


Sorry this took a while to brand. I did n't stand for to intentionally will you hanging at a cliffhanger but start I posted it then realised I had to change something so that sent it to the back of the queue, then it got rejected ... anyways it 's up now.

Reviews seem to be conflate as to whether mass think Harry 's really dead or not and whether the series is over or not. It 's nice to have created such differing survey. : )




The first thing Harry sensed was the scent of orchard apple tree blossoms. It was a odour he knew very well. His centre flickered outdoors and looked up onto the familiar dapple leaves of the grove in his dreaming. It was exactly as it had always been, super C and full of life.

Harry was lying on the floor. How had he got there ? He lifted his arms up and realized that his blood soaked and battle scared garments were gone, replaced by a simple snowy robe. That was n't all that was missing either. Harry 's finger went up to his eye, poking it lightly.

'' Ow ! '' anatomy, not glass. Harry shook his headway, realizing what must cause happened. Eye 's did not grow back, woodlet did not spring out of aught. `` I 'm drained. I died. ``

Harry breathed out, a long sigh of gloominess. He had done his estimable, his very, very best. He had tried to survive. He had tried to not leave the existence of the living, had tried not to entrust his friends.

There are people that will suffer if you die, even if you take Voldemort with you

'' I tried Thea. '' Harry felt a lump in his throat. `` Oh god I tried. But he was better than me. He was ... he was better. I mean I knew he was, really. I just hoped I could skew the odds enough to let me win. Let me bouncy. I guess I was wrong. ``

Harry looked up at the Tree, bearing blossoms and fruit all at once in an impossible, but beautiful, tableau vivant. He was glad he had ended up here, not back at Godrics Hollow.

'' I did take him with me though. '' Harry spoke the bitter Son. `` I got him good. ``

The breaking wind rustled lightly through the tree. He thought he could almost, just almost, get word children laughing. Harry sat down and set his spine against a tree diagram and closed his eyes. If this was the afterlife then he knew one thing for sure. Before he met any pearly gatekeepers or had his sine weighed against a feather or whatever he was sitting right here and having a eternal rest. The horde of hell could not move him from that spot.

The wind whistled through the trees and for a moment Harry though he could hear voices.

"Stop her ! Don ‘ t let her get to the consistence !"

"She ‘ s got a portkey !"

The spokesperson faded. Harry shrugged, that variety of affair probably happened all the meter when you were dead.

Harry 's helping hand wormed it 's way along the primer and found an apple. It was overnice and hard, fallen recently. He brought it up to his back talk and bit into it, letting the succus run down his boldness. It tasted a small bitterness, just a little.

Harry heard the grass in front of him disturbed by footfall. person was there. He opened his eyes slowly, and arched his brow when he saw who it was.

'' Did n't expect to see you here. '' Harry commented dryly. `` Though I suppose I should throw. ``

'' May I sit down ? '' Dumbledore asked, his voice bearing a tranquility it had not held in life.

'' Why not ? '' Harry shrugged. `` I mean were all suddenly here are n't we. Maybe Elvis and Merlin will join us next. ``

'' I doubt that Harry, Elvis is n't dead. '' Dumbledore frowned suddenly. `` I apologize, you asked me not to send for you- ''

'' You can squall me Harry. '' Harry smiled. `` Do n't worry about it. ``

'' But I do worry. '' Dumbledore shook his head. `` I can never apologize to you enough for what I did to you. No words could ever suffice. I ... I am only glad that I got this one terminal fortune to tell you how sorry I am. My crime was unforgivable. ``

'' Apparently it was n't seeing as you 're here and not in a big fiery piazza with lots of pitchforks. '' Harry chuckled and rested his weapon system behind his head.

'' You seem, '' Dumbledore was picking his words carefully. `` You seem at peace with what I did. more than the last time I saw you at least. ``

'' married person, I can never forgive you, so do n't ask me to. '' Harry sighed and shook his head. `` I do n't guess I can ever forgive you but at the same meter ... I get why you did it. You were in a bad place, everything was riding on your shoulder. I mean look at me, today I cast an unforgivable hex ten ... maybe 20 times. And before that, over the course of action of this year I 've killed ... people. Several people. We all do what we think we have to do. You did what ... what you thought you had to do, at the prison term. I ca n't forgive you for it. You playing with my mind. Making me your Frankenstein 's monster. Your changeling baby. You ... took me and changed me. Changed who I am, put memories in my head teacher. You said you put your memories of James ceramist in my head. I can feel them in there now ... How much of it is me ? Is any of this me ? Or am I just a short copy of Harry ... Or worse a pitiful written matter of James IV ceramist. Am I ? Answer me truthfully. Please. ``

'' I ... '' Dumbledore dropped his centre to the floor. `` I do not know how much of your original personality survived. Integrating memories is never fully successful, not from one somebody to another, but there is no way to tell how much mixing there has been. There is a chance that the retentiveness settled harmlessly into your subconscious, but then again ... ''

'' There 's a chance they did n't. ``

'' Yes. ``

"Why did n't you tell me this earlier ?"Harry sighed,"I mean before I went and cut out my eye and everything."

"I ... There were many reasons."Dumbledore looked away into the aloofness."You see it was very easy to ... to not remember what I had done. To not intend of it. I mean there you were, looking like Harry, acting like Saint James the Apostle. It was easy to settle into the trap of thinking you were ... that you were ..."

"real ?"

"That you were not the animation proof of my sins."Dumbledore shook his head."At least that was the reason at first. I simple did not want to acknowledge what I had done. Then, later on, after you had defeated the basilisk, after you had come back from the cloudburst of ages, I began to intend perhaps I would not have to. You had proved yourself a Hero so I though ... perhaps no one would ever have to cognize. Perhaps I could let you fill Harry 's spot and never tell you. I thought I could let you take the burden. I am not gallant of that. I should have known the prophecy could not be so easily avoided."

"Is it possible I still can take his place ?"Harry pointed at his wrist."I mean, the dark Jehovah did mark me."

"Harry he did not check off you as his equal he marked you as his servant."Dumbledore shook his head."And besides, I can count on my fingers the citizenry who have thrice defied Voldemort. I would have known if one of them had been with child."

Harry sighed. As he did the idle words seemed to mutter, carrying to him aloof phonation. He strained his capitulum to get wind,

'' service him ! For Merlin 's sake supporter him ! '' Was that ... Hermione ?

'' Shut up and let me by. '' Snape 's voice cut across her.

'' His pump 's not tick ! ``

'' Of course It 's not beating he does n't have got any blood left you hysterical half-wit. Each of you, kick in me your manpower. It's a good thing Harry acquired so many hangers-on, one of you has to be his blood type. ``

The spokesperson faded into the duck soup. Harry's brow furrowed.

"Did you hear that ?"He asked Dumbledore.

"No, but then I ‘ m a petty more than deadened than you are."Dumbledore smiled.

"So I ‘ m ... I ‘ m not utter ?"Harry felt hope rising slope in his heart.

"You are dead, technically. Your spunk is not beating."Dumbledore's middle twinkled."But I believe that, with time and a generous donation of good red line of descent, you may be pulled back into the world of the living."

"So ... Is this actually you then ?"Harry scratched his head word."Is this actually the afterlife or just another dream ?"

"This is the afterlife."Dumbledore nodded."And I am, more or less, who I appear to be."

"How ?"

"The fact that you are come near decease coupled with the fact that you died mere meters from the veil."Dumbledore shrugged."I am just glad I got a last chance to speak to you."

"Well I assume we ‘ ll sports meeting again ... eventually."Harry cracked a smiling."When I ‘ m old and gray and die in a bed surrounded by beautiful women."

The old wizard and the young laughed. A thought struck Harry and the gleefulness dimmed.

"So, while I have you here, can I ask you something ?"

"Of course Harry, anything."

"What is my name ?"

"I ... I do not know."Dumbledore hung his drumhead."I am sorry Harry. I erased the memory from my own mind so I would never anticipate you it. Never slip up ... But I can assure you the orphanage where I found you. It is called the Malyn orphanhood, or was nine age ago, Jan twentieth. It stands about ten miles south of Belfast. If phonograph recording exist then, well then you might be capable to ascertain them there."

"Malyn Orphanage. January twentieth ..."Harry whispered. Then,"So I ‘ m Irish ?"

"Yes Harry. You ‘ re Irish."Dumbledore cracked a whimsical smile.

"Interesting."Harry, who had lived his life-time with a London accent thick enough to float bricks on, chuckled."So, do you think there might even be records of my parents ?"

"I do not think so."Dumbledore looked away, not meeting Harry's center. He seemed to be picking his words carefully."I do not think that you will find records of them there."

"What aren ‘ t you telling me ?"Harry felt the emptiness grow."Were they adept ? Were they demise eaters ?"

"No Harry naught like that."Dumbledore shook his head."In fact I believe we can safely assume both your parents were muggles. Let me explain, when I took you from the orphanage they told me a little about you. About how you had come to be there. Apparently you were not given to them in the normal manner, you were ... found. Found by an elderly couple walking along the Lagan river. The river was bursting it ‘ s banking company a little after a storm and they saw a niggling parcel washed up in the mud. When they unwrapped you they thought you were idle, I was told that you were naughty all over from the cold and damp, but so weak you weren ‘ t even shivering. You had been in the water for a long time."

Crashing rocks. Raging white piddle. Harry's mind shied away from the instant of terror in his psyche and he felt his breath quicken. The raging pelter in his mind banishing all though was existent, a retentivity so scaring even Dumbledore had been unable to erase. His solely actual memory board was a phobic neurosis. Another bitter prank. He licked his lips, had to say something, anything to take his mind off it.

"How old was I ?"

"About six calendar month old, break or take."Dumbledore answered."The brace gave you to the authorities and of course an investigation was made. Unfortunately nothing was ever found. And, inevitably, you ended up in the work force of the fry overhaul. The story after that is, well, rather as you might approximate it."

"It could have been an accident."Harry spoke, not daring to hope."You make it sound like my parents tried to kill me but it didn't have to happen that way. Maybe I was swept away from my house. You said there were floods."

"I ... I do not think that was the case Harry."A teardrop rolled down Dumbledore's impudence."You see, I have something the muggle potency did not. I have my map. That was the rationality Lupin knew. I needed him to see it and show me how to use it, or it could induce revealed the truth."

"The map- Or line !"Harry smiled, his eyes lighting up."It should demonstrate my material name ! That ‘ s why you kept it hidden and everything ! What does it say ?"

"Harry the map does not exhibit your name."Dumbledore brushed the tear away."Do you know how the map works ?"

"No."

"It works by making use of an ancient type of magic, the magic of names."Dumbledore's representative took on a lecturing step, but Harry could still hear the lump in his throat."There is an old thaumaturgist superstition. An old wife tarradiddle, if you will, that a maven's epithet is tied to their circumstances. That the epithet first given to a wizard somehow sets his course. There was once a great fad for concealing one ‘ s true name so that opposition could not gain exponent over you. folly really, in those daylight someone ‘ s true name was well-situated enough to divine. That is what the map does in any case. It works by the magic of names."

"Yeah,"Harry motioned the late Headmaster to continue."And ?"

"And for you it displays nothing Harry."Dumbledore closed his optic sadly."On the map your epithet is blank. Just a set of footprints and an empty-bellied scroll."

"Oh ..."Harry let the secretiveness grow between them. He couldn't really think of anything to fill it.

"Do you interpret what that means Harry ? It means-"

"I know what it means."Harry said quietly."It means my parents never named me before they threw me away."

"Harry ..."

"I was six months old. Six calendar month they had me and didn ‘ t even worry enough to ..."Harry slammed his fist into the ground."I guess I ‘ m ripe off without them."

"Is his heart trouncing ? I can barely-"

"Is that a pulse ... it was there I swear it was there."

Harry let the voices on the current of air die away. He sighed, looking up into the appeasement dappled sunlight.

"Harry are you alright ?"Dumbledore asked."I realize that this is a big deal to select in on top of-"

"I ‘ m alright."Harry swallowed painfully."I mean I ‘ m not alright, really. But I ‘ ll be alright. I can already tell. I ‘ ll be aright. I mean after all the other bombshells this doesn ‘ t really tip the exfoliation that much does it. Like a molehill beside a smoke volcano."

"I ‘ m just sorry that I was once again the pallbearer of bad news."Dumbledore squinted at Harry, his eyes narrowing."You are fading. Not long before you can no longer pertain this piazza. Is there anyone else here you would like to mouth to ?"

"I ... I don ‘ t know."Harry scratched his head."Most of my friends are still alive."

"A blessing."

"So I can call up anyone then ?"Harry asked slyly."Anyone dead and they have to come ?"

"Yes, anyone dead."

"Tom Marvolo Riddle."Harry said the dread figure loudly into the wood, only faint replication came back."He ‘ s not dead then."Harry's workforce clenched into fists.

"No,"Dumbledore shook his mind."I believe you have Bella to thank for that again. She snuck in when the hospital ward came down and spirited his body away justly under your friends'nose using an emergency portkey. Rather careless of them. Alastor is probably beating himself up right now."

"I though I got him."Harry gritted his teeth."I thought I got-"

"He will be severely weakened."Dumbledore stepped forward and laid a deal on Harry's shoulder."Perhaps as badly as he was fifteen years ago. This is a victory Harry, it will be years, possibly decades before he can rise again. And if we can entrance him while he is frail and finish him off, so practically the better."

"I guess."Harry tried to see the good side. It wasn't easy."wellspring let ‘ s try ... Barty Crouch Jr."Again the timberland remained empty but for the two of them. Harry grimaced, he hadn't really hoped that the vile bastard was dead. But it would deliver been a welcome surprise.

"Is there not anyone you actually care to utter to Harry ?"Dumbledore asked, fading a little as he did so."No one in this world ? Perhaps the rattling Harry Potter ?"

"I ‘ ve already met him. Twice actually now that I think about it."

"How could you possibly ..."

"Well once was days ago when I traveled through meter and met him before he died."Harry checked that off on his fingers."And the secondment time me sent a message here from another dimension."At Dumbledore's shocked expression Harry grinned."I lead a very weird life."

"But interesting."

"Oh yes, very interesting."Harry smiled."All in all I think I ‘ ll let him and his parents rest in peace. After what I did to their statue I don ‘ t think I could face them. Anyways, goodbye old man. I'll see you again in a long long while."

"I hope so Harry."

"This is weird."Harry chuckled and looked around."Why does it palpate like we 're having this whole conversation two book early ?"

"simple Harry,"Dumbledore smiled."Until now you have been walking mortal else 's path. From this point on, you 'll sustain to progress to your own."

"Good."Harry nodded."I 'm ready."

"I know you are Harry."Dumbledore continued to fade."I know you are. Oh wait, may I ask you something before I go ?"

"Shoot."

"What became of my wand ?"

"Your scepter ..."Harry thought back."Oh ... I threw it through the caul along with Voldemort ‘ s. Sorry did you want to be buried with it or something ?"

"No no Harry."Dumbledore smiled broadly, a occult spark in his fading eye."Just curious."And with that the old wizard faded into zero, and was gone. Harry chuckled.

"You had to consume the last Son didn ‘ t you. Git."

The air seemed to change texture. Harry breathed out softly, he was live again. He could feel his heartbeat in his chest. Weak, but there. Harry glanced around at the orchard. It was exactly the same as before but it felt different. He was dreaming now, just a habitue dream. Harry let his eyes close slowly. He would heat up in good time, but until then ? He was all right here. For now.
*


Snape reached his apartments in Hogwarts and barely got the room access shut before falling into a chair. There was a bed in the side by side way, but it suddenly seemed very far away. accuracy be told he could ingest fallen asleep in the middle of the great hall, on the floor. He would sustain been the laughing stock of every bookman though. Even tough he probably wouldn't have woken up when they started laughing at him, even when they started poking him.

Snape raised his wand shakily and levitated the forgotten bottle of vino off his table. It had been left open, no matter. He poured himself a glass.

He had stood in the waiting way in St Mungos for thirster than he could remember while incompetent person healers told him they had no information. When they had finally told him that Harry was out of the Wood all his nervous vitality had leeched out and it had taken all of his mental strength to lay off himself sagging to the flooring right there. He had managed to fool most of them. He had not fooled Natalie.

She had apparated him back to Hogwarts and made him affirm to catch some Z's as soon as he got to his room. Who was she to order him around like that ? Why could she ? Snape's lips curled into a smiling. Because she was interesting enough to get away with it and was the solely one who could rip it off. Which just added to the interest of course. Snape smiled as the wine curled down the backbone of his throat. He was very lucky in many respect. Luckier than he deserved.

"Severus are you in there ?"There was a knock on the door. Not Natalie. Snape flicked his verge and the door creaked open. Minerva stood on the other side, looking as tired as he felt.

"Minerva."Snape tried to sit a little less like he was falling asleep."It is good to see you safe, in all the mix-up in the ministry I lost rails. semen in. Would you like some vino ?"

"No thank you."Minerva stepped inside. Now that she was closer he could see that the edges of her eyes held taleteller signs of bust. She had tried to hide it, but to the trained eye it was quite obvious."I heard you were back in the castle and came down to see you."

"Anything in particular bothering you ?"Snape asked, perhaps more caustically than was necessary."I am rather tired you see."

"Yes, there is something."Minerva pulled a hard backed chairman over and sat down stiffly."When you went off to St Mungos I called the remaining rules of order together, there was much to discuss."

"I can imagine that there would be."Snape yawned theatrically. He did not feature to talk through one's hat it."I can not imagine how that would vexation me however, I am no longer a member."

"That is partially what we were discussing."Minerva cocked her head to one side."Voldemort is weakened but not dead. The order's chore is far from done and we could more than use your expertise. Your elemental cause for leaving was Albus. I will not presume to ask the details of that dissension, it was between the two of you. But do you not retrieve that now he is ... gone, that you might be persuaded to come back to us ?"

"That would calculate on who replaced him."Snape said levelly."For exemplar if it were yourself leading the order, I would have no objection."

"I will not be leading the order."McGonagall shook her head."I will own quite enough to do here at Hogwarts. The job of headmistress is decent for me. It has been hard enough to persuade parents to send their fry to Hogwarts this year. I imagine succeeding class may be a lilliputian easier but I am indisputable I will still hold my hand full. And besides, I will ask to get hold a new transfiguration teacher."

"Shacklebolt then."Snape waved a hand vaguely."He has always been very capable."

"Kingsley Shacklebolt may very well be the lonesome thing currently keeping the ministry from falling apart."Minerva smiled faintly."He was the most fourth-year auror to survive this thrashing so I believe he will be ever more busy than I myself will be."

"There are early candidates."Snape was fully awake now. He could find where this was going."Alastor Moody."

"Too paranoid."

"Arthur Weasley."

"Has no combat or strategic experience."

"Natalie. Natalie Zhao. She is-"

"Very new to the order."

"Remus Lupin then, he has been with the fiat since-"

"Remus has grown unpredictable recently. Especially where Harry is concerned."Minerva fixed Snape with a degree stare."I believe we can concur that whoever should maneuver the guild should be person Harry trusts. Someone like you."

"No."

"person who knows how the dark Divine thinks."

"No."

"Severus listen to me."Minerva leant near to him."Do you not think we discussed all these thing in amongst ourselves in the order ?"

"If I had been there I would accept had a few matter to say !"

"Severus please."Minerva's center dropped to the floor."This retiring year Albus ... well you yourself saw. I do not speak ill of the short but he had become ... tired. He was not the Dumbledore we all knew. He was not acting at his best."

Snape stayed silent. Not at his in effect was a horrific understatement if ever he heard one but there was no pauperization to say so.

"In any case he was faltering. We all saw it, everyone in the decree. But no one did anything about it. Except you."Minerva shook her head."Perhaps we were all, how did you put it ? ‘ Trapped in the past.'Except you."

"I ... I can not lead the order."Snape tried to establish his spokesperson not voice like that of a rat at bay."I was a last eater, I fell into dark magic trick. A long metre ago yes but some bull's eye do not derive out."

"Yours has."

"That is not what I meant !"Snape took a deep gulp of vino."I am ... tainted. Undeserving."

"Albus always said he did not merit the extrusion he was given."

"Do not compare me to-"Snape bit back the end of that angry sentence. There was no to charter out his anger on the messenger."I merely meant that I do not conceive it is safe to give me this kind of power."

"Albus also said that those who seek power are those least suited to maintain it."Minerva held his eyes."The corollary of that is that those who are suited to wield mightiness are those who reject it."

"Do not quote at me."

"Severus, there is no one else who can do the job as well as you. No one else."

"No one else."Snape felt like chuckling."That is what it always comes down to doesn ‘ t it ? We all do what we must."

"I always have."Minerva stood."So you will take the job ?"

"Do I have a choice ?"

"You do, but I already know how you will choose."

"You knew before you stepped through that door."Snape sneered."I am trapped like a rabbit."

"Only by your own sand trap Severus."Minerva smiled and turned to the door.

"You know that I will do things differently than Dumbledore."Snape said suddenly."There will be changes."

"I know, I look forward to them."McGonagall nodded, and left the room.

Snape rubbed his forehead. He should set out planning, there was much to do. No, he should not. Right now he had a promise to hold. Shedding his robe tiredly, he walked towards his bed.
*


'' Harry ... Harry open your optic. ``

Harry woke from deep dream, the sparkling ash gray voice in his ears.

'' I 'm awaken, '' Harry murmured, his eyes closed. `` But I 'm still in my orchard. I can sense the blossoms. ``

'' You are still asleep, in St Mungos. '' pee rippling over shining Isidor Feinstein Stone. `` I wanted to spill the beans to you but you 're on a great pile of medicament. It was simpler for me to just come to you. ``

'' And where are you ? '' Harry 's lips twitched up into a smile.

'' Sitting beside your bed. ``

Harry chuckled, and opened his eyes.

'' hi Thea. ``

'' hullo Harry. '' The Cy Young seer was sitting cross legged under a tree in front of him, looking like the human image of quiet. Instead of her usual blanched gown she was wearing a simple browned dress, she seemed almost division of the wood. She looked ... dissimilar, somehow different. It was not her face, she was still the Lapplander beautiful miss he had always known, or her eyes, mismatched as they were. Her Ag hair was caught up into a long tail down her back, tied with blue ribbon. She looked exactly the same but there was something missing. Gone was the horse sense of antiquity, the flavor that the little soul in front of him had outlasted empires. She seemed ... youth, the like age as him give or take a yr. Harry supposed she always had been. It did not take a lot to estimate the reason for the change.

'' You 're not the oracle anymore. '' Harry guessed, guiltily.

'' No, I 'm not. '' Pythea smiled. `` I was sacked. ``

'' I 'm sorry. '' Harry hung his head. `` It was because you were helping me, was n't it ? ``

'' Yes, they finally caught on. '' Pythea reached forward and tilted Harry 's chin up. `` Do n't palpate guilty, not even for a moment. I was miserable there, almost a prisoner. I 'm happy to be gone. ``

'' You do n't have to tell apart me that just to- ''

'' It is the truth. ``

'' But it was your home. '' Harry sighed. `` I 'm going to feel guilty whatever you say, you ca n't stop me. ``

'' Stubborn. ``

'' brat. ``

'' I am not. '' Pythea smiled warmly. `` Do you have any approximation what you will do now ? After you are released from hospital I mean. ``

'' I ... I have somewhere I want to go. ``

'' The orphans' asylum ? ``

'' Hey, you reading my nous again ? '' Harry smiled mysteriously. `` Do n't I get any enigma ? ``

'' I can not translate nous anymore Harry. '' Thea shook her capitulum. `` That came with being the vaticinator remember. I just know you. ``

'' But you 're still a seer, right ? '' Harry hesitated to ask.

'' Oh yes, there are some things they can not hire away. '' Pythea nodded. `` I am still a seer, and a very powerful one. ``

'' Can you ... can you tell me my future ? '' Harry asked suddenly.

'' No. I ca n't. '' Pythea smiled and stood. `` Do you want to go to the orphanage now ? ``

'' Now ? '' Harry scratched his capitulum. `` Are n't I in hospital ? ``

'' A short base on balls will not inconvenience a mighty Cuban sandwich like you too lots. '' Pythea crooked an supercilium mockingly.

'' A shortly walk ? We have to get to Ireland ya know. ``

'' Then it is lucky that another affair they can not take away is my international apparition licence. '' Pythea held out her hand. `` Just tell me where Harry. And we can go. ``

Harry reached out and took her hand.
*


'' Ow. '' Harry 's hand went to his stomach as pain flared there through the hospital mainsheet. `` That really hurts. ``

'' I told you it would. '' Pythea was sitting exactly where she said she was, at the slope of his bed. `` The tongue was made with night conjuration so the wound ca n't be magically healed. You 'll have to let it knit together the old fashioned way. Is it too much ? Do you care to hold back till tomorrow ? ``

'' No no. It just surprised me is all. '' Harry slowly lowered his feet to the level and gingerly stood. He had to hunch just a little to stop the peel of his stomach stretching painfully, but he could walk. No he could n't. His leg was mangled too. Maybe he could hop ... `` Do you have my clothes somewhere ? Oh delay my bag 's right field here. Can you turn so I can- ''

Pythea cut him off with a moving ridge of her script. His hospital gown changed into a simple-minded egg white t-shirt and trousers. Muggle decent to be getting on with. With another moving ridge a carved wooden cane appeared in his hired man. Obviously she did not consider he was as respectable as said he was. Damn her for being right.

'' Thank you. '' Harry smiled and picked up his bag from beside the bed. `` Shall we go then ? ``

Pythea stepped up to him and wrapped her weaponry around his tender centre. This close Harry could smell her hair, like dark-green sens and the sea. He was breathing faster, probably because of all the potions they had him on.

'' Are you ready ? '' She asked.

'' Yes. '' Harry shut his optic and waited. And waited ... He opened them again and cocked his head to one position. `` Is there a trouble ? ``

'' You still have n't told me where we 're going. '' Pythea clicked her knife irritably. `` Not being able-bodied to take peoples thoughts is going to bring some getting used to. ``

'' I 'm no-count. I really am. '' Harry apologized again, earning him a level stare from the fiddling vaticinator, and told her their destination.

For the first time in his life Harry enjoyed an fantasm. The walls of the nothingness pressed him into Pythea, forcing them unaired together. He could feel her breath on his cheek. He was almost disappointed when they dropped onto a minor road in the countryside.

Harry stepped back and glanced around. There was no mistaking the orphanage, it was the only building there. At the center field of it was a stately-home type of thing. He could n't put a date to it, old was the best he could do. That was clearly the center of the complex but at some point in time the owners had felt a need to spread out. The two blocks to either side of the main building took after the put-some-rectangular-concrete-blocks-in-a-vaguely-building-shape style of architecture. Around the whole topographic point there was a highschool wall with burry telegram looped at the top.

Harry tried not to opine that made it appear like a prison. All schools had that these days.

With a heedful hand on his stomach Harry walked up to the main reception. Pythea stopped there and sat down quietly on a bench.

'' You 're not coming in ? '' Harry asked.

'' You go on ahead. '' Thea looked out over the countryside. `` You should probably do this yourself. ``

'' I can still do it myself with you there. ``

'' Go inside Harry. ``

Harry grinned and turned towards the doorway. He took a abstruse breathing spell, then winced at what that did to his stomach. He tried to calm the raging butterfly stroke inside but could n't. The only thing that gave him the will to push unfold the door was vulture linguistic rule. Follow through. No fear.

As he stepped into the irksome entrance hall a secretaire looked up from her desk, eying him quizzically.

'' Is there a disk department ? '' Harry asked uncertainly.

'' Up the stairs first door on the leftfield. '' The secretary looked back down at her papers.

Up the stairs. Of course. Harry labored up the steps, having to pillow more than once before he reached the top. Out the window he could see the playground, entire of children running about wildly. From inside the wall the place looked a lot nicer. All around the boundary of the wall there were a series of children 's paintings. Long running mural and whirl of people of color. It was almost pleasant, it looked like a normal school.

Harry managed to strive the first flooring and took a few tire hint. She wanted to let me to this by myself. Probably just did n't want to behave me up the blinking footmark. Harry then realized that hunching over and breathing heavily in a building full of children could possibly be misinterpreted. He stood and walked forward towards the beginning door, his walking stick clattering against the trading floor. He knocked, politely.

'' Come in. ``

Harry pushed the room access open to see an senior lady sitting in movement of a computer, looking at him questioningly over her glasses.

"Hi, I used to hold up here. At the orphans' asylum I mean."Harry stepped inside.

"Oh,"The adult female smiled."Please have a seat."Harry gratefully sat, hung his joint over the backrest of the chair and worked out how to continue.

"I was wondering if I could get any records you have of me ?"

"Do you have any identification ?"

"Eh ?"

"passport ? number one wood license, no you ‘ re too young for that. Your acceptance credential perhaps."

"Do I need one ?"Harry's hand moved to his pocket and mercifully found that Draco 's verge was still there.

"We can ‘ t give record out to just anyone dear."

"Confundus."Harry whispered, then."Can you work an exception ?"

"Of ... of grade deary."The fair sex shook her head like she was trying to dislodge cobwebs then turned to her reckoner."What name is it ?"

"I don ‘ t have my name. Long story, but it happened on January twentieth, nine years ago."Harry wondered whether he would require another Confundus to louse up past the ‘ no name'affair, but the woman seemed to take it in her stride.

"Everything ‘ s on computing machine now. It ‘ s very high tech."The woman pursed her lips as she clacked away at her keyboard."When I started here we had rooms and rooms of file boxful. Would have taken age to find a criminal record like yours."

When would she have started here ? Harry wondered. Was it potential she might stimulate been there back when he was ?

"Here we are."The woman squinted at the phonograph record for a present moment then let out a throaty chuckle."Oh yes, I remember."

"You ... you do ?"Harry felt his breath quicken."You think of me ?"

"How could I forget ?"She turned to him with a motherly smile."Everyone here has a unceasing reminder of your stay with us."

"Wh ... what ?"

"See the wall over there ?"She gestured out the window."See the barbed wire ? You may believe it ‘ s to keep folks out, but it was originally put up to hold open you in. You kept clambering over the wall."

"Really."Harry didn't daring flavor. Didn't daring hope. A living connection to his stolen past like this had been too much to ask."I must have caused you all a lot of trouble."

"Oh you were a rascal you were."The old woman smiled fondly."I still recall what you said to me the day the wire went up."

"What ?"Harry swallowed."What did I say ?"

"well I said to you ‘ You know that wire ‘ s been put up just to retain you in.'And you turned to me, cheeky as a monkey, and told me ‘ That ‘ s honorable missy, ‘ cos the wall wasn ‘ t much of a challenge anymore.'”

Harry's nitty-gritty broke and he fell into his paw. He felt tears blooming in his eyes. He hadn't known what to bear when he'd come here, but he had never expected this. He had never expected proof. validation that he wasn't some Frankenstein lusus naturae, proof that he wasn't a bad copy of James thrower. He was, and had always been, him. Arrogant, cocky, unrespectful of government agency and filled with wanderlust. He. Was. Him.

"dear are you alright ?"The old adult female sounded concerned."Do you desire a tissue paper ?"

"And you tell me ..."Harry swallowed and tried again."Can you state me my public figure ?"

"Oh, I ‘ m afraid you came to us without a name."She looked back at her computer sieve."We gave you the surname Malyn, after the orphans' asylum. Which is a traditional here. And for the first gens we had to make that up. So we called you Jack."

Jack ...

Jack Match.

jak Baltzegaurd.

labourer Shakey.

diddlysquat Caiman.

All those people, all those people he'd disguised himself as ... Jack.

His constant alias. The name that had always come to his lips when he knew he couldn't say ‘ Harry ’. It had been a storage, a memory of the first literal name he had. Not given to him by his parents sure, and apparently not magically binding. But a figure. He still felt more like Harry, it was still the name that came first to his lips but ... it was like that hollow core inside him was filling. Filling with parts of a life he had though he had no storage of. It felt so good.

"I suppose you ‘ ll want to go down and see it."The old char was handing him a printed copy in a brochure. Harry assumed it was his filing cabinet. She nodded towards the back of the orphanage.

"See it ?"

"It was always your pet place."The old cleaning lady smiled."It was where we usually found you when you managed to filch off."

Suddenly Harry knew, and with the knowledge came the intolerable penury to see if it was reliable. Harry stood suddenly.

"Yes, I do want to see it. Thank you."Harry smiled thorough teary middle."Thank you. give thanks you so much."

"My pleasure Jack."

Harry turned and hobbled from the room, it was only his aching wound and walking stick that stopped him from running. He reached the bottom of the step and pushed out the door. Pythea was already standing, like she'd known he was coming.

"We need to go that ... that way."Harry was breathing so hard all he could do was head vaguely.

"Lead the way."

Harry set off, taking them daily round to the back of the edifice. He could see it now, down the slope a small. He stumbled down and stopped just before he reached it, just before he went beneath the shade of the apple tree. The lilliputian round orchard of apple trees.

"My god."Pythea had her hand to her lip in shock."It ‘ s real."

"It was a memory."Harry breathed, reaching out a hand to tinge a subdivision."It was a retention. I kept having this pipe dream where I was stuck in Godrics Hollow. But that place felt all Weird, but if I could break out and reach the orchard I felt safety. Felt real."

"I though it was a macrocosm of your judgment, I never thought ..."

"Neither did I."Harry stepped beneath the branches and walked into the center of the grove. He set his book binding against the tree and slid down, resting on the ground. Pythea sat down adjacent to him, resting her shoulder against his.

"It ‘ s very peaceful here."Was all she said.

Harry didn't trustingness himself to utter. Couldn't speak. There were no words. They sat there for the longest sentence, the last summer breeze filling running past them and rustling the leaves above their capitulum. Eventually, after who knew how long, Harry spoke.

"Thea ?"

"Hm ?"She murmured. Had she almost fallen asleep. Harry looked over into her beautiful mismatch eyes.

"Why did you believe me ? Right at the beginning ?"

"I told you, because you are good and-"

"But right at the rootage you couldn ‘ t have known all that."Harry pointed out."Back then I was a stranger."

"You were never a stranger."Theia smiled sadly."Do you hump how they choose the next oracle Harry ? They go around to all the charming households in Greece, looking for child with the inner eye. If they find one with adequate power, with magnate enough to be Pythea, they take them back to the temple."

"take in them from their parents ?"Harry asked, shocked.

"The parents have a option of class, but who would dare say no."Pythea huddled up against Harry's position."I was three, but I remember it well, another curse my gift gives me. My public figure wasn ‘ t Pythea then, but I was told that I could never use my old name, never speak it ever again. One day in art category I signed one of my paintings with the old figure, just a little misunderstanding. The fury they had at me that day ... they burnt my picture, in strawman of my eyes. I never used the old name again. After I finished my grooming I was allowed to go back and impose my parents. I went back to my old sign. They were very ... polite. They acted exactly the way I would anticipate someone to act towards The Pythea. When I tried to act like their girl, they looked at me like I had done something wrong. Even to them I was supposed to be The Pythea ... even to them."

"Thea I never knew."Harry put an arm around her ( What the perdition do I do ? She's not crying, do I offer her a tissue anyway ? Oh god what do I say ? )"It must have been heart-wrenching. I can ‘ t imagine-"

"You can envisage. Not that you have to."Pythea smiled up at him."That ‘ s why we were never strangers. Because we ‘ re the Same, both orphaned. Both with our truthful identities taken from us. Both shoved into bun and public figure we never wanted."

"Both forced to accept them."Harry nodded."Yeah, we were never stranger. We're the same, we ‘ re like ... rootless. We have no theme. No past."

"Did you find out your gens ?"Pythea asked suddenly.

"I found out a name."Harry shrugged."But I think I ‘ ll keep going with Harry, I ‘ ve carried it longer than the other now anyway."

"They took away who we are."She murmured.

"They took away our names."Harry corrected, brushing his hand against Pythea's face."They can ‘ t subscribe to away who we are. The names don ‘ t matter so much, you can call me Harry or seaman or Bob it doesn't matter. I know who I am."

"I wish I had your certainty."

"You do suffer it."Harry smiled."Because I know who you are. It ‘ s got zilch to do with your name. You ‘ re just you. Any you ‘ re perfect."

"Harry ..."Pythea lifted up, little glistening bust in the corners of her oculus, and kissed him lightly on the cheek."Thank you."

Harry didn't really have it away what to do, former than to blush. A moment later Pythea seemed to realize something.

"Harry, did you just beat me at being profound ?"

"Had to happen eventually."Harry grinned cheekily.

"I ‘ ll get you next time."

"You ‘ re on."

Pythea smiled, lighting up her face. Harry bit his lip and asked.

"So, you ‘ re going to be staying in Britain then ? For now ?"

"I think so. Are you ?"

"Yeah, probably."Harry rested his handwriting behind his head."Go back to Hogwarts maybe. I don ‘ t know if I missed the O.W.L.S."

"They begin next week if I remember correctly."

"A week, think that ‘ s decent time ?"Harry scratched his head.

"Since it ‘ s all the revision you would do anyway, I ‘ d say, yes. And after that ?"

"Dunno ... Stay in the country probably. I could do with a skillful peaceful holiday."

"Harry you wouldn ‘ t know what to do with a peaceable holiday."

"I ‘ d know exactly what to do."Harry winked."As soon as I got there it would get a lot less peaceful, but a lot more fun."

watch crystal laughter filled the woodlet, and lit up the leafage with light.
*


Bellatrix Lestrange bowed over her superior's bed and cried, heedless of her binge staining the sheets. She had done all she could, used every aspect of her art, but her Creator still barely breathed. His hide was drained white and only the dark illusion she had woven in his chest kept him alive. He was so weak, not even conscious. It was terrible to see him like this, terrible to see him brought so low. Better if he had truly died, then he could have risen up again in glorification. Instead he was trapped in this prison of form. Better deadened than to lie on this narrow cot in a lilliputian room, not even fit for a concealment place. But she had to do what she could. She was the finale, the end truehearted death eater.

"I am all he has."Bellatrix whimpered.

"That is not the case."

Bella whirled, her verge snaking out. When she saw who it was she barely relaxed.

"You !"She spat with venom."Barty Crouch, you dare slink back after abandoning our God Almighty !"

"I did not abandon him."The unruffled boy stepped from the shadows, carrying a computer software under his arm."I was doing our Creator good work."

"For a full year ?"

"It did admit thirster than foreknow ... but it has been done. And in the nick of time too."The pale wizard strode over to the dark lord's sickbed and knelt beside it."I am your handmaiden, professional, and I have done your bidding. Do not worry Godhead, I can shit you strong again. Stronger than ever. With this ... we can rise again, the death eaters can rebel again. The solid ground will tremble master, shake in fear."

Barty Crouch reached into his package and pulled something out. Bellatrix felt her jaw drop.

"We can be stronger than ever master."Barty's aspect in the shadows was terrifying."potent than ever."





Ye gods that was hard to write right. Or ... ripe write. Write write ... some combination of those words anyway. It 's been a roller coaster I think you 'll concur, and the single most massive wrench of the total fic was finally revealed. hope you liked it. hoi polloi who were waiting to the end of this record to critique ... your meter has come.

I 've already started writing the next leger and It ai n't going well. I did n't do my usual thing of writing myself into a corner. Instead I plotted the book out in advance and wrote to it. Unfortunately I got a few chapters in and realized that it sucked. The plot of ground made lucid sense and all, no plot-holes, there was zip tripping me up, no writers block, I just realized that the plot I had mapped out was a bit [ Holy Writ I ca n't add without mature valuation ] really. I had to go back and rework the affair. Positive upshot : The report is a lot stronger now I think. Negative event : I have to make away a meaning part of what I 've already written. Ah well, such is life.

Anyway *clears throat* the next story is on it 's way. Our Harry has finally found out who he really is and begins walking his own path. Too bad that way of life is as deadly as the live on. A new foeman rises, an old one lingers and a mysterious bravo is out for Harry 's pedigree. With Harry still injured from his confrontation in the section of mysteries he ca n't face these challenges head on. He may even birth to start using his mental capacity ...

mystery abound in the next book of the series Harry ceramicist, The Stone and The Scorpio the Scorpion !