Have n't said this in a while so I should probably cite. I do n't own Harry thrower. I 'm not sure of the particular legal branch of a reference called Harry ceramicist but not actually the same guy. But anyway, I do n't own any of the stuff I 'm not supposed to own. I may own the clobber I 'm supposed to own but since I 'm unlikely to publish it probably does n't matter.



It was a dainty garden, the garden at Malfoy Manor. At one prison term the scrub were elegantly crafted topiary, a zoo of fantastic beast in fanciful mannerism, but they had been untended for a year and now they looked just similar bushes. Just here or there you could see a vestige of a Dragon, the wing of a swan. It was like looking at clouds. The Gunter Wilhelm Grass had grown up too, long blade that got between your toes. It was half groundless but then that was good. It was a wonderfully passive place.

So why oh why had they nailed two bloody corking quidditch finish into it. Harry snorted, they were ruining the view with their unintelligent game.

'' Come on Harry ! '' Ginny swooped down laughing. `` There 's a free broom ! ``

'' right hand, the Scots heather 's the trouble. '' Harry laughed back, waving his cane. `` Not the fact that I 'm disastrous in the air at the best of times and am currently down a tree branch. ``

'' So you 're just gon na stay down there on the forage like an old man ? ``

'' Just keep it quietly you hooligans. '' Harry laughed as Ginny rose into the sky again. It would let been fun to go up and throw a muggins of himself, piss them express joy when he fell off. But if he ever wanted to get rid of the walking stick he would ingest to let himself actually bring around. If he burst his guts open nonentity would laugh. wellspring ... maybe the twins would.

Harry turned and stomped off across the grass, back towards the house. The sun was beating down like a mallet and Harry was sweating by the time he reached the wide verandah. He took a import before climbing the stairs. Everybody knew he was recovering from his hurt but he did n't wish to let them lie with how operose some thing were for him. punter to just take up a minute.

Harry stomped up the wooden stairs and dropped into a folding deckchair. The whole veranda was new woods, tacked onto the back of the ancient hall. The marauders had conjured and constructed the thing the first day they got there, at genus Draco 's urgency. The Danton True Young Slytherin took an almost pathological pleasure in slamming electron beam into the antediluvian Malfoy hall. It was all they could do to stop him using 15th century daggers as nails.

The all place had been transformed into a form of marauder summer camp. All of them were there, at for the first time they had just come during the day to hang out, then in drop and drabs they had attached themselves to rooms and began staying overnight. Harry was loving it, he had a imprisoned audience. And now that the marauders numbered twenty they were a good audience. Except when they did wasted thing like turn quidditch or do homework. But at former times they were brilliant.

'' So, '' Harry turned to the deck electric chair beside him, containing his raw initiate. `` Who 's winning ? ``

'' I ca n't tell. '' Pythea took a kickshaw sip from a ice of lemonade. `` They seem to stimulate released four different snitches so I do n't get it on how to score. ``

'' Four canary ? '' Harry 's eyebrows arched.

'' Ginerva and Dragon were left in charge of setting up. ``

'' Probably just trying to outflank the twins. '' Harry shrugged. `` How many bludgers were there ? ``

'' Twelve I believe. ``

'' Seemed like more. '' Harry glanced up at the biz flowing above the vast grounds. 16 marauders were swooping and diving in the hot, dead, air. Like deglutition. Harry envied them, not for the ability to fly, but for the relief from the warmth that flying would bring. Harry brushed his sweat filled tomentum out of his typeface and fanned himself with his hand. He turned to the girl future to him. `` How are you not sweating ? It 's like a strong day in Scheol. ``

'' I 'm used to Greece Harry. ``

'' You 're used to a floaty castle in the sky. '' Harry leant back to soak in the rays. `` I however need some shade. '' Harry drew his scepter and floated a standing umbrella over. It shook a little as it settled into plaza. Harry frowned, his new wand was n't his favourite. For one thing it was n't an Ollivander wand.

His first baton had been taken from him by Voldemort at the end of his one-fourth year, it had never been recovered. His second lay broken in Godrics Hollow. Both had worked for him wonderfully and he had wanted something as good. The first day he had got out of hospital he had stomped down to the old wand-makers shop class to buy a new wand. Unfortunately the old man had had other ideas.

'' Out ! Out ! Wand-killer ! Get out of my shop ! ``

'' But I just want- ''

'' I heard what you did to Dumbledore 's wand ! pasquinade to ruin such ... such ... Get out ! get out ! get out ! ``

Harry had been bundled from the shop by the scrawny old son of a bitch. As he fell backwards out the door, his cane clattering on the cobble, he had yelled.

'' I did also defeat Voldemort you know ! '' But the threshold had been slammed shut in his cheek and he had gone back to the sign empty handed. Given that he did n't require to go to long without a wand he had scrounged through the affair taken from the captured death eater. Eventually he had found one that worked. He never found out who it belonged to, did n't really weigh to him. It was made of reassuringly hoodlum oak and had a nice round handle. It was just sometimes a footling ... finicky. Finicky was the right Holy Scripture. He just had to get used to it.

'' You could try another wand-maker. ``

'' Are you sure you ca n't read creative thinker anymore ? '' Harry smiled over at Pythea.

'' You were staring at it. ``

'' I was not. '' Harry holstered his verge again in his pocket. Out over the garden a cheer went up as one team or another scored-slash-fouled in a way that was apparently impressive. Harry chuckled, the children were playing. `` Are you planning to get a sceptre ever ? ``

'' I do n't use one. '' Thea hovered her lemonade up above her helping hand by way or proof. `` I had a different kind of pedagogy. ``

'' Could you teach me ? ``

'' Do you have a few spare years ? ``

'' Ouch. '' Harry threw his hand to his chest in mock wounding. `` I 'm not that dumb. ``

'' We 'll see when the O.W.L. event come. '' Pythea glanced at the sky. `` When do you think they will get here ? ``

'' Oh eventually. '' Harry put his arms behind his head word. `` I 'm in no hurry. No time lag, excoriation that. Once they come we do n't induce to listen to Hermione worrying anymore. They need to follow now. Right now. ``

'' They 'll be here in about half an hour. '' Pythea said confidently. Harry did n't annoy asking her how she knew, this was a prophet he was talking to.

Harry stretched out in his president and yawned. It was overnice to let an actual holiday again, no trouble about Voldemort, no quest to attempt. It was relaxing. Harry eased his injured leg into a more comfortable position. He needed relaxing. His leg and his tum needed relaxing. His brain needed it too. Harry closed his eyes and sighed happily. Through his magic visual sensation he could see Theia look over and grin fondly.

'' Have you decided whether you 'll go to Hogwarts yet ? '' Harry asked her.

'' I do n't know what I 'd do there. '' Pythea tapped her finger against her glass. `` I would n't be a student and I could n't be a teacher. ``

'' You could be a commandment helper. '' Harry grinned. `` supporter Trewalny- ''

'' Do n't even complete that sentence. '' Pythea shuddered. `` That persuasion is too horrifying to contemplate. ``

'' But most of all you can be close to the order in cause they need your arcane endowment. '' Harry wheedled. `` Your impressive arcane talents. Your amazing and unparalleled arcane talents. ``

'' Would n't I be closer here ? '' Pythea raised an supercilium quizzically. `` Here in the rescript headquarters ? ``

'' But what if the marauders needed your talents. '' Harry pleaded. `` Your impressive, divine talents. ``

'' Harry ... ''

'' And besides. '' Harry smiled warmly. `` You never got a chance to be a kid. study this chance, come to Hogwarts. Let the marauders show you how to have fun. ``

Pythea did n't say anything, but she smiled.

'' That 's a yes. You smiled so that 's a yes. ``

'' Harry ... ''

'' It counts as a yes. You 're stuck with it now. ``

'' You ... ''

'' Me. ``

'' Stop it. ``

'' Ca n't. ``

'' And you call me a brat. ``

Harry chuckled and laid back in his seat. He must have fallen asleep because the side by side thing he knew was a owl was pecking at his face.

'' Get. The. inferno. Off. Me. '' Harry groaned.

Peck, peck, peck.

'' Oh fine. '' Harry woke and cracked his neck. The owl was n't holding a letter of the alphabet. `` Where are my bleedin resultant you stupid bird ? ``

'' Here Harry. '' Thea was sitting comfortably, holding a folded scrap of newspaper publisher in her hands.

'' The owl gave it to you ? ``

'' I 'm good with brute. '' Thea glanced down at the piece of paper. `` Do n't you want to have sex your results ? ``

'' Not particularly. ``

'' No ? We could actually have a situation where I go to Hogwarts and you do n't. ``

'' Has ... has that happened ? '' Harry felt his heart drop.

'' Ah so you actually do upkeep. '' Pythea glanced at him slyly.

'' Brat. ``

'' You have n't failed. '' Pythea smiled. `` You got four. Four O.W.Ls. ``

'' wellspring that ... '' Harry nodded faintly. `` That 's not bad. That 's not too bad. Considering. '' He reached over and picked the results out of her hand. `` Charms O. Ok that works for me. defensive measure ... E. ''

'' How could you get an E in defense. '' Pythea shook her point at him. `` You defeated Voldemort. ``

'' Defeating drear lords does n't suffer a written portion. '' Harry said indignantly.

'' Did you see the former results ? ``

'' Managed A 's in astronomy and fauna. '' Harry shrugged. `` Good enough to go back to Hogwarts. ``

Pythea opened her backtalk to say something but did n't get the chance.

'' The solution ! The results are here ! ``

Harry 's ears were assaulted by Hermione 's screams. Thea raised her hand to her ears and winced.

'' Welcome to the vulture. '' Harry said, over the ringing in his ears.
*


The next day they did the only thing traditional after receiving Hogwarts letters. The customary, almost pilgramigical, tripper to Diagon Alley.

'' Wait why are you going ? '' Harry had asked Fred and George. `` You 've had your finale year. ``

'' We 're going to go look at something. '' Fred had replied evasively.

'' What ? ``

'' Just ... just something. '' Fred shrugged.

'' This is about your put-on shop class is n't it. '' Harry guessed shrewdly.

'' Maybe. ``

'' What about you ? '' Harry turned to Joshua tear. `` Why are you coming ? ``

'' I 'm bored. '' Was his succinct reply.

Harry shrugged. Fair enough. The Weasley parents were there as well of course. Harry knew that on some level they disapproved of their nipper being soldiers in a war on aeonian wickedness. Harry knew this, and could barely land himself to care. The war was effectively over for now, they were n't soldiers for now. Not for a few years at least. Harry shrugged, he would have preferred if the marauder could go alone. being parented after so long taking care of himself was galling. Ah well, with so many vulture they could n't possibly observe tabs on all of them.

Harry shrugged and hoisted his cane. Ah well, time to do the back to school shop class. How very normal.
*


Harry dropped into a seat in an ice-cream parlor. His left leg, and left arm were both killing him. He had never been more thankful that his bottomless bag absorbed the weight of the books he 'd bought. If he 'd had to carry them the traditional way he might well be dead. It was n't even just the weight or the accidental injury, it was the hoi polloi. What had happened in the department of mysteries was known to every wizard in Great Britain and probably a good telephone number outside as well. Harry did n't know which ones were sorry, the ones that demanded an autograph like he was he was a fucking celebrity or the one that shied away from him like he was a god. It was draining, physically and mentally. He needed a break.

'' Are you alright Harry ? '' Ron asked.

'' Everyone wants to discontinue for ice pick right ? '' Harry panted. `` We 're all stopping for ice cream. Not because I 'm almost dead. Stopping for ice cream because we want to, not because I 'm a bloody disable. ``

'' Um ... yeah Harry. '' Padma nodded faintly. `` Because we want to. ``

'' Great ! '' Harry sat back. `` two-fold max, deep brown and chocolate please. ``

'' Why do I have to get it ? ``

'' I 'm bruise. '' Harry held up his cane and put on a hangdog locution. `` War wounds. ``

'' make up your creative thinker. '' Dragon muttered and shook his forefront wryly as the predator pushed table together around the one Harry had claimed. Harry just sat back and grinned. The heat had beat down harshly all day but now it was evening and the air was pleasantly aplomb. Very peaceful. Harry wondered idly what he would do with a year of peace. Probably go mental. Possibly get arrested. Without his lofty end to absolve his lawlessness he was liable to end up expelled. He might get to harness himself in a bit. Just a bit. It was inauspicious that he had no idea how to do that.

'' coffee bean and chocolate. '' A cone was shoved into his hand by Padma.

'' What ? No waffle cone ? ``

'' Do n't labor it limpy. ``

'' Ouch. '' Harry chuckled as the predator pulled up chairs around the table. Despite her caustic remark Padma pulled up the chair next to Harry. Theia sat down quietly on the former side. She was tranquil with everyone but Harry still. For someone who had been one of the most right women in the world she was remarkably shy. Harry opened his back talk to ask her something when he felt a tug at his sleeve.

'' Watch. '' Padma hissed quietly and cheekily. Harry 's eyes followed her undercover gaze to the other incline of the tabular array. Ginny and Draco were sitting at the far other incline. As he watched Ginny held her ice cream out to Dragon, who bent to lick it and ended up with a spot on his nozzle. Ginny laughed louder than it was natural to express mirth at something so cliché and wiped the dapple off with a napkin. The napkin brushed down genus Draco 's cheek just a minute longsighted than was essential. With his magic eye Harry could even see Ginny 's heartbeat quicken. Harry turned to Padma.

'' And he still remains totally oblivious. '' Harry shook his head in disbelief. `` Does he have some sort of empathic blind-spot ? ``

'' Apparently. '' Padma snorted cynically. `` I think Ginny 's getting desperate. It 's almost embarrassing. My darling babe has been lending her mascara. And cream. ``

'' Interesting that you say creams in the same fashion that others would say ... oh I do n't know. dope bile. ``

'' If he 's that oblivious he 's not worth it. By the way, if you want to swop some of the ointment for scum bag bile I 'm game. '' Padma grinned slyly.

'' That would be really mean. ``

'' She would draw in attention though. ``

'' We do n't prank blighter marauders. '' Harry turned to the young lady on his early face. `` Maybe you can secernate us. See anything in their hereafter ? Something small and squalling perhaps ? ``

'' I 'm not a fortune teller Harry. '' Pythea said coldly. It was only the light sparkling in her eye that told him she was kidding.

'' Not even a picayune fortune ? '' Harry arched an eyebrow.

'' What do you have a bun in the oven me to do Harry ? '' The little prophet smiled. `` Read tea leaves ? ``

'' Would that forge ? ``

'' Of course of action not. ``

'' Wait a minute ! '' Ron spun round from Pythea 's other side. Harry saw the seer jumping in surprisal but cover up it a present moment later. Ron had n't noticed. `` Tea leaves do n't promise the future tense ? ``

'' No. However could they ? ``

'' What about clouds ? tarot posting ? Casting bones ? ``

'' I 'm sorry Ronald none of those will give you any brainwave into the future. '' Pythea answered calmly.

'' Then what have I been doing for the past times three age ? ``

'' Making stuff up ? '' Harry suggested.

'' fountainhead yeah I knew that but ... what did I get an O.W.L for ? ``

'' You got an O.W.L for putting up with Trewalny for three years. '' Harry reached over and clapped Ron on the shoulder joint. `` It 's well deserved. ``

Pythea laughed lightly into her hand causing Harry to notice something.

'' Hey, you have n't got any ice cream. '' Harry cocked his head. `` Did you want something else ? I think they 've got coffee and tea and stuff. ``

'' Harry it 's alright. '' Pythea seemed to stir faithful to him. `` I just do n't have any money that 's all. I left Greece with nothing and I 've been staying at the manor ever since you know ... ''

'' You should cause said something. '' Harry held out his conoid. `` Here. You 'll care it, chocolate is one of the three rubber U.K. flavors, coffee tree ice cream however is dangerously experimental. ``

Pythea chuckled as she daintily licked a drop off the side of his ice ointment retinal cone. Harry turned it to let her get at all of it. He heard a snigger behind him and looked over his shoulder joint to see Padma covering her mouth with her hand.

'' What ? '' The sniggering continued. `` What ? ``

'' Nothing. '' Padma 's middle flickered to Draco and Ginny on the former slope of the table then back to him.

'' Wha ... what are you suggesting that ... no no that 's ... that 's totally different. '' Harry protested, which only prompted a gale of laughter. `` It 's not the same thing ... I mean she did n't .... whereas they ... Shut up. '' Harry turned away from the sniggering vulture and tried to push aside her. He and Pythea finished off the retinal cone by routine, and by the time they finished Harry was pleasantly cool.

It was a totally fun and peaceful scenery. Harry should give birth known it would n't last.

'' Having a pleasant day out Mr ceramist ? '' A shadow fell across the table. `` It was a beautiful day I felt. ``

'' Hello St. James. '' Harry 's center fixed on the old gentleman. Maybe it was his step of part but the predator went still in a bit. They went from laughing happily to learn as a drawn bowstring in an New York minute. manus hovered near wands. Harry waved to them. `` Do n't worry guys, he 's not dangerous. He 's not even really here. Again. ``

'' A pity really. '' James turned his pale, lined side to the sky. `` It looks like such a nice eventide. ``

'' Is it cold where you are ? ``

'' I am not telling you where I am. '' James smiled. `` But I do not blame you for fishing. ``

'' I 'm certainly peculiar as to who you are. '' Harry leant forwards. `` last-place time I followed your advice I was framed for murdering some decease eaters. ``

'' A regrettable issue Mr Potter, but not my fault. '' James spoke dryly and precisely. `` The information I gave you was entirely correct. ``

'' Yes. '' Harry nodded towards the bread maker Gemini, both ( despite his watchword ) looking cook to spring. `` You told me that their father was targeted to be attacked so I do n't guess you work for Voldemort. But that does n't signify you 're on the side of good. ``

'' good is meaningless. '' James River said definitely. His potato chip oxford diction making the password seem even colder.

'' Now I know you 're on the awry side. ``

'' Think whatever you wish Mr Potter, it does n't particularly matter if you like me. Although obviously I would prefer if we were on amicable terms. Nevertheless you will listen to what I have to say. '' James waved a gloved hand at the bustling street. `` You will hear or in just about ten minutes these hoi polloi will all be perfectly. ``

'' You 'd better talking fast then. '' Harry 's digit were gripping the side of meat of his chair.

'' Voldemort will snipe here. '' Was the dewy-eyed answer from the elderly physiognomy in figurehead of him.

'' Voldemort has just two death feeder and is supposed to be almost dead. '' Harry grated angrily. `` How could he possibly mount an approach. ``

'' dearest boy do you carry me to tell you everything ? '' James smiled faintly. `` You would think that this would be enough. Just know that as soon as the moon rises about XX wolfman and at least as many wizards will be attacking here. Whether you chose to trust me ... is up to you. '' James disappeared where he stood, startling a passing family.

'' Harry ? '' Ginny was speaking worriedly from across the mesa. `` Do you believe him ? ``

'' Yes. '' Harry 's dentition grated together. `` Sod the prick but yes. '' Harry grabbed his cane and pushed himself to his wobbling feet. `` Neville, get inside the workshop and flue the aurors, and the order. Everybody else beginning spreading out and getting people into the hearth. Do not panic them. GO ! ``

'' Right. '' Harry turned to the worried looking Pythea. `` Can you fight if it comes to it ? ``

'' I was never trained. '' Her voice sounded very small.

'' Ok, do n't learn this the damage way but if something happens you need to stay out of the way. '' Harry raised his hand to her shoulder joint. `` Stay condom. '' Harry stepped back and waved the marauders to the left hand and decently down the street. He himself painfully stepped onto the tabular array and amplified his voice.

'' Listen ... ag ... This is Harry ceramicist. '' A cheer went up from the crowd, some masses began to scrabble for things for him to sign. `` No no, Listen. We 've received a tip that there might be something bad happening here soon. It 's probably a false alarm, just some imbecile who thinks he 's funny, but I 've talked to the aurors and they think we should evacuate anyway. Just go along calmly into the nearest shop and flue back to your plate. No pushing, just delight go nursing home. Do n't care about your friends up and down the street, we have multitude warning them too. ``

Harry tried to keep a calm smiling face as he waved people into away, nodding with an almost banal N. He heard clattering footfall behind him.

'' Harry ! '' Neville dashed up behind him.

'' What did the aurors say ? ``

'' I could n't hit them, the flue 's blocked. '' Neville panted. `` I went through the back and tried the side by side workshop. It 's down too. I think they all are. ``

'' What ? '' Harry spun to count at the shop he had been waving people into. As he turned a cry went up and seemed to ripple along the crew. Harry could here the call of 'it 's not working, why is n't it working ?'. He felt is heart drib. He spun and grabbed a man out of the crowd. The man looked down at him in shock absorber but Harry spoke right over him. `` Can you apparate ? ``

'' Wha ... what 's that ? ``

'' Try to apparate. ``

'' Is there a problem ? ``

'' Just try to bloody apparate ! ``

'' I ... '' The man paused. `` I ca n't. It 's blocked or ... or something. ``

Harry spun back to face Neville. The flighty vulture was gripping his verge hard. Harry amplified his part harshly, twisting his scepter until he could finger his vocal cords twanging.

'' MARAUDERS ! THIS IS really ! GET EVERYBODY OUT INTO John Griffith Chaney ! ``

Harry left Neville in bursting charge and clattered back towards the leaky cauldron, his leg felt like it was on fervour. The entry wall came into mickle, closed. the great unwashed were crowded up against it, clawing at the bricks like rats. Harry stopped, shocked.

'' Harry ! '' Lucy Kingston ran up to him, the bread maker twins trailing behind her. `` We tried to get them out but the labial pipe are down. When they found out the panicked. I 'm ... I 'm pitiful. ``

'' Get out of the way. '' Harry ordered them, raising his wand towards the bunch. `` EVERYBODY motion ! ``

The crowd turned towards his yelling voice, saw the raised wand and the feel in his heart, and parted like the red sea.

"Confringo ! '' Harry aimed the curse at the center of the wall and blasted a hole in the masonry. He shot again and the wall fell in, crumbling into rubble. Behind the wall a fig stepped forward, his face veiled by a rasping fabric and the rest of him covered in bass putting green. That was what everybody saw. deception eye saw more.

'' Get away from him ! '' Harry yelled, but he was too slow. The figure shot forward like a snake, his hired man jerking into his wear and coming out with a thick bladed sticker. In one smooth motility the man was amongst the bunch. The knife came forward and Harry saw a spray of profligate. The knifeman spun and plunged the blade into the back of a woman who had turned to run then Harry was knocked to the side by pressing bodies as the crew stampeded away.

'' Let me through ! '' Harry yelled as he was buffeted madly. He could still see the knifeman in the cold amobarbital sodium of his magic sight. The man was spinning randomly through the bunch, opening veins and cutting throats like the flutter picture of liquid death. Harry tried to drive his way towards him but he was thrown back. `` Screw this ! Galbinus digitus ! Hammus Missus ! ``

The vines on the paries to his incline expanded like a mad devilfish, arching across the street. Harry had already cast a Sir Ernst Boris Chain up to the greenish arch and jerked himself up over the bunch. Swinging madly, barely in control, Harry was drawn through the air above the capitulum of the writhing crowd. Harry 's eye caught the knifeman and he let go, swinging his ramification out, steel-toed bang coming up.

The man dodged like a savage and Harry twisted in the air to avoid getting a knife in his neck. He landed painfully, his leg bending under him, unwilling to support his weighting, and he stumbled. The tongue flashed towards him.

'' Stalagmite ! '' Harry jabbed his verge down and the cobbles exploded upwards in a jutting spike heel, knocking the knife away. But the man was too degenerate his allow for hand dipped into his wearing apparel and came back with a melt off wand before Harry could even stand. Harry had to seethe away as a lacrimation net of razor duds came shooting towards him. He tried to stand but his leg buckled and he saw the scud tongue again, too close this time.

'' Stubefy ! '' The red Light smashed the knifeman from behind and threw him to the floor. Harry struggled to rebel as Lucy and the two Bakers pushed through the go of the crowd to get to him. Lucy grabbed his arm and he gratefully pulled himself upright. `` Are you alright ? ``

'' No ! '' Harry summoned his cane and glanced around. There were bodies everywhere. He had n't been fast enough.

'' We tried to- '' Terry Baker began to speak but a tongue bloomed from his berm and he was thrown back into his baby arms. `` Aaaah ! ``

Harry spun with his wand out. Out of the hole in the wall were climbing three more green shrouded name. Harry 's eye buzzed through them and was more behind them. destiny more.

'' Get him out of here ! Fall back ! '' Harry yelled. He twitched his scepter at the floor and swung it like a sword, growing a wall of stone out of the rough sett. Harry saw Anna Baker crying as she dashed away with her bleeding brother at the like prison term as Lucy ran to digest next to him. `` I meant you too ! ``

'' I 'm not leaving you. ``

'' That 's OK, I 'm retreating too ! '' Harry hobbled backwards, his wand trained on the bulwark. A fuzzy shape catapulted over the wall, spinning in the air. Harry 's sceptre flicked out. `` Ferio ! '' The hex struck the man in the air and he crashed to the floor question first with a sickening compaction. Two to a greater extent followed him and Harry threw more spells, beside him Lucy was madly contrive expletive. Harry could see the street behind the wall filling up with enemies. There were far Sir Thomas More than the twenty James I had warned about.

'' Difindo ! '' Harry raked his baton along the hindquarters of the wall, forcing himself to ignore the three more warriors that had leapt over the top of it. `` Depulso ! '' His wall flew backwards along the street like a wrecking ball, sweeping the aggressor back. Harry did n't get time to gloat as a Lion made of fervidness leapt out of thin air and raked his arm with burning claws. He did n't irritate to flame-freeze it, just blasted it out of the air and sent the flames back at the nighttime figures advancing up the street towards them.

'' Harry, did n't that man say something about werewolves ? '' Lucy was panting beside him.

'' listen if you see a flaming werewolf severalize me ! '' Harry yelled through gritted teeth as he smashed a pillar of ice out of the air. `` Until then I think I 'll distribute with the trouble in forepart of me ! ``

Harry blocked another curse word but even as he did so two more than whizzed past him and hit the gang. He heard cries of pain and torture. He could n't stop all of them. He could n't even stop most of them. This was going to be a bloodbath unless he could stop it.

'' They 're on the roofs ! '' individual in the bunch yelled.

Harry 's eye swiveled up and he cursed. There were at least five shadowy figures dashing along the rooftops towards them, the sheer slope not even giving them pause.

'' Bloody snake pit who are these guy ? plow me ! '' Harry ducked behind Lucy as he jabbed his verge up at the shingles. `` Pinguis ! '' The tile suddenly gleamed like an oil slick and the running build tumbled like skittles, skidding and scrabbling to come up purchase before falling to the cobble with a crunch.

Harry saw more spells coming from behind him and felt the likes of shouting as he saw five more vulture dashing to help out of the pressing crowd. Draco skidded to a layover next to him and instantly had to raise a buckler to break a spinning blade.

'' They 're attacking on the other side too ! '' Draco yelled, his face covered with a sheen of elbow grease. `` Ginny 's keeping them back but there 's nowhere for the crowd to go. We 're between a cock and an incus ! ``

Harry cursed even as his eye swirled in it 's socket and tried to concentre to the other incline of the crowd. No good, too many people. But he could see spells flaring up from the street beyond. Harry swore again and had to can off a despairing counter to a royal curse hat hissed through the air like a snake. Harry swung his wand at the shops on either side of meat of the street and yelled a good luck charm. The shabu in the Windows shattered into knife-edge sherd and swept across the street like a scythe. Harry could hear the thud as it bit flesh. It only gained them moments, new figures appeared almost instantly, crouching behind their perfectly Comrade for cover. Harry used the fourth dimension to raise the sett in another paries but almost instantly it was struck with hex. Blasting away the Stone and leaving holes for their enemy to displace through.

'' When are the aurors getting here ? '' Ron asked desperately.

'' How the Hades should I know ! '' Harry yelled back angrily. `` They may no even be able to get in ! ``

'' What about knockturn skittle alley ! '' Neville called out suddenly, pointing back into the bunch. `` Could we get people out that way ? ``

'' This many people ? Crammed in there ? '' Draco ducked behind a conjured shield. `` It would be a meatgrinder !. ``

'' It may be the only if chance ! '' Harry 's eye swivelled to bump the dark face street. Some people were trying to escape down it but most were shying away. Harry 's eye focused further, further down the street ... `` Oh for the ... ! Werewolves ! Werewolves in knockturn ! ``

But the cry came too late. They burst out of the darkness like a wave of sweating tomentum, cutting into the crowd like butter. Whether there were 20 or fifty or more was impossible to tell, they just seemed like one giant raging brute. The screaming came louder and louder, as did the howls.

'' No ! Draco, Ron ! Stop them now ! '' Harry jabbed his arm back towards the alley.

'' Can you manage here without us ? '' genus Draco said as he began to move.

'' Gon na have to ! '' Harry glanced back at the street, filling again with enemies. `` I ca n't actuate fast enough to fight loup-garou. '' Harry summoned a wrecked table, ducked behind his stopgap shelter and jammed his sceptre to the neck. `` GINNY SEND TWO OF YOUR PEOPLE TO KNOCKTURN alley. WEREWOLVES ! ``

Harry had no way to experience if she had heard. He just had to go for. Ron and Draco could n't do it on their own. Harry 's eye whirled like a marble, trying to find some former way out. There was nowhere to hide and every bit they waited people were dying. His centre found gleaming pillar of snowy marble. A monolithic construction, defensible.

'' INTO GRINGOTS ! '' Harry bellowed out across the crowd. `` EVERYBODY INTO- ''

Harry was thrown to the storey as his tabular array exploded, showering him with knife knifelike splinters. He felt one bounce of his legerdemain eye and shuddered to call back of what it would experience done to his genuine one. A knife spun out of the blueness and cut a slice out of his arm.

Harry stumbled backwards and almost fell, catching himself on his cane. He aimed a stunner a moving shape but it went broad. He cursed, there were too many of them. Gringots had better be defendable, or they were all truly screwed.
*


Ginny abandoned the failing shelter of a doorway and dashed for a pile of rubble. Spells zinged above her head, too many to count. She dove to the storey and felt her hide tear as she slid behind her the bricks. The street was full of madness. Whoever the hell these guys were they were just. well than death eaters.

heating plant. Lots of heat.

'' Ginny get out of there ! ``

Ginny threw herself forward before the great deal she was hiding behind exploded into blue devil flame. She dashed back to the former piranha, spinning and casting spells at the shadows flitting towards them. Too many to count. Every doorway was a potential assailant. Ginny reached the vulture and gyrate in metre to shield and brave a clap of frozen blades. She heard the crowd behind her cry in pain. Whatever the vulture did it was n't enough. The the great unwashed were getting into Gringots but not fast enough, the bunch was too huge and the threshold to the bank too small. Too many dying. Ginny steeled herself against the blood. It smelled like a slaughterhouse. She wanted to vomit.

'' There 's no more cover. '' Hermione 's spokesperson was shaking. `` There 's no More natural covering. ``

'' We are the back. '' Ginny yelled, trying to sound like Harry. `` Line up in figurehead of the crowd ! ``

'' There are n't enough of us. ``

'' Then origin up in front of most of the crew ! '' Ginny yelled archly. `` You chose who you want to let die ! ``

Ginny ducked to the story and shielded as strongly as she could as a barrage of spells knocked her back. She did n't try to displace back. She had to use everything she had to keep the carapace up. On either side it butted up against Hermione 's and Cho 's, right now it seemed like a paper rampart. Ginny gritted her teeth they had to obtain. Just a short longer.

The crowd was surging backwards, slowly seeping away. The marauder backed their paries to stick with them. Ginny tried to ignore the fact that every cadence the crowd pulled back revealed more trunk from under their feet.

'' Ah ! ! '' Ginny 's head whipped around at the familiar scream in time to see Cho fall, her clothes burning with purplish flame.

'' Hold the occupation ! '' Was the first thing that came to Ginny 's lip as she dropped her shield and blasted water supply onto the fallen predator. She dashed to Cho 's slope and grabbed her arm, hoisting the older lady friend onto her shoulder. She threw up a hasty shield that shattered instantly under the onslaught and was driven to her genu. Ginny summoned another carapace and dragged her gist back, trying to discount the fact that the arm draping over her berm was black with George Burns. Ginny 's brain seethed with rage and she itched to leave out her buckler and attack wickedness whammy at the enemy before her. But she could n't. Wand shaking in her script she kept her deadening retreat, her mind recoiling at every charm that slipped through.
*


The black bulwark of rage just kept coming. The werewolves were mad with moonlight, they did n't even care when they were burnt or bled. You had to cut them down. The cobble were slippery with bloodline and viscera.

'' Difindo ! '' Draco flicked open a spurting gash in the neck opening of a snarling skirt chaser, screeching ululation of pain went up. He blocked them out. He glanced behind him, the crowd was squeezing back into the bank like a living thing, they were almost all inside. The marauder were almost back to the entree now, one wall of justificative shields, one wall of aggressive firing decease. He could see Harry breaking colossus clod of road to fling like wrecking balls.

'' genus Draco duck ! ``

Draco did n't even think, he just slammed himself to the trading floor. Green twinkle blasted above his head. That was not a werewolf ! Draco rolled to his feet, wand out. In amongst the lycanthrope were loping figures, wands out and firing. Black sheet of shattered robes around them. Killing condemnation one after another and another blasting out. They did n't even look to manage if they hit the marauders, the werewolf or one of their own.

'' These are n't the like as the ninja guys ! '' Anapurna screamed, ducking into a doorway to annul the storm of swearing. Draco stabbed his scepter forward.

'' Incendio ! '' A cloaked figure fusillade into flaming but kept coming. genus Draco cursed and took aim at a cloaked fountainhead. `` Reducto ! '' The head exploded but the body kept lurching forwards.

'' What the hellhole are they ! '' Ron 's quivering voice yelled out from behind. `` They do n't die ! ``

'' vertebral column up ! '' Draco desperately waved the marauders back. He stumbled backwards, nothing could give people this power, this was insanity. A hallucination or else a febrility dream. Draco dashed across the square away, there was no holding back these creatures. There were still people in the street ! Draco ducked behind a blooming werewolf carcass but there was little point, there were enemy all around now. The marauder were being pushed back, the green-clad assassins coming from left and redress and the werewolf and impossible warriors crashing in from the front.

Draco screamed as his arm was engulfed in flame and extinguished it with his arm. He shot a curse down the street at a shadow but missed. They were losing. A dark material body loomed over him and he spun, too slow. The surcharge figure fell on him and he felt steely-cold bridge player grab both his arms. With an cold-blooded force he was held to the flooring. The hood came up and genus Draco felt his eye go wide with fear.

The face had rotted away.

"Fulgar Fletch !"The corpse above him was thrown backwards as a cloud of knives sliced it to ribbons. A secondment cloud reduced it to flayed inwardness and the rotting stalk fell to the earth in patch. `` Get up Draco ! ``

genus Draco scrambled to his feet and spun to see Harry standing like a bloodstained god of war. He swung his wand in a tight arc and the knives leapt into the air again, each growing a set of mosquito hawk wings and darting forward to slice another shamble conformation to ribbons.

'' We ca n't kill than but we can shred them ! '' Harry yelled, standing in bare mass like he was daring the things to try to pop them. `` We just need to entertain for a few more damn seconds ! ``

Dragon dashed back to the marauder line, spinning and sending flaying scourge behind him at the pursuing creatures. In front man of him he saw Ron struck in the English, with what he could not tell. genus Draco dashed to help him but the cobbles between them exploded into razor sharp shrapnel and he was driven back.

'' Just a few more than seconds ! '' Harry appeared out of nowhere, one arm gripping his cane like a frailty, the other moving in a blur of spell molding. Ron was lifted from the floor and flew towards Gringots, Harry had n't even been looking at him. `` A few to a greater extent ! '' His arm was caught with the edge of a scourge and he was spun off his foundation, pitching him onto the floor.

Draco spun, found the door the go had fired from and sent a swarm of hornets. They were burnt up in mid air before they got halfway.

'' Now ! '' Ginny 's vocalization shouted out. `` Everyone inside ! ``

Draco 's foundation skidded on the cobbles as he dashed for the steps of Gringots. He shielded as a swearword winged towards him and had to pluck out of the way of a killing curse word. Ginny 's marauders were holding the line for just a moment longer, giving the rest of them a chance to get in. Draco powered up the footprint and spun when he reached the door, firing curses as fast as he could. Harry was the only one left out there, slowly backing up the footmark with his verge out.

He ca n't rise stairs ! Dragon realized with horror. But just as the thought hit him Harry spun and fired a chain up past the assembly line of fighter. Harry flew like a firework into Gringots, falling to the marble floor.

'' That 's it. Everyone in ! ``

Draco did n't need Ginny 's shouted command, his metrical foot were already skidding him backwards. The heavy room access were slammed shut on his heels. He could learn curses sparking against the wood and cracking stone.

'' Colloportus ! '' Harry was back on his feet and pointing his baton at the door.

'' Will that hold ? '' Draco asked, his breath coming operose in his ears.

'' No. ``
*


'' I want those mesa stuck across the Windows ! '' Harry gestured with his cane. His eye was flickering around desperately trying to spot any former way their aggressor could transgress the building. `` Raise walls across the floor to burgeon forth out of. And get all these citizenry down into the tunnels ! ``

'' Mr thrower you can not give decree here ! '' A goblin appeared from nowhere, his eyes flinty. `` You had no rightfield to involve Gringots in wizard job ! ``

'' It was the only was to salve these people. ``

'' That is not my job. '' The goblin snarled. `` farewell now or we will spread out the door and let those masses in. ``

'' Listen shorty. '' Harry grabbed the goblin by the cervix and lifted him off the level. He was instantly surrounded by a radical of armed goblin. Each of them was pointing what looked like a crossbow at him. They did n't look glad however as they were quickly surrounded by a great group of build up wizards. Harry turned back to the hobgoblin in his fist and hissed, `` There are More of us than you. ``

'' And if we open the door there will be a lot LE. '' The goblin twisted out of his grip and dropped to the floor.

'' hold ! '' The bunch was pushed aside and Pythea, her grimace streaked with dirt, stepped between Harry and the goblin. She turned on the hobgoblin with her hands spread out. `` You have to let them in. ``

'' I do not suffer to listen to the fema- ''

'' These people have accounts. They have bank vault. '' Pythea spoke quickly. `` By law if they request to admittance their vaults you must let them. ``

'' You- '' The hobgoblin spluttered but the crowd had already surged towards the tunnel. `` No, no waiting ! ``

'' I do n't remember they 're listening to you. '' Harry said to the goblin, over the roar. `` And besides, if they get in here do you think they 'll stop at killing the humans ? ``

'' You ... man. '' The goblin spat the last Scripture before disappearing into the press of people. A moment later the building shook like a doorbell. Harry spun and looked towards the door, he groaned.

'' They 're trying to break the door down. '' Pythea breathed, her vocalism regular than Harry thought he could stimulate managed.

'' They 're using one of the pillars for a battering ram. '' Harry tried desperately to intend of something to bolster the room access. `` Mythril ! Dia-obsero ! Portapavo ! '' The door went silver and crusted over with crystals.

'' Do you imagine that will keep them out ? '' Pythea asked doubtfully.

'' No. '' Harry glanced around at the piranha desperately boarding up windows with anything they could bump. He shook his head, the aurors had better come soon. `` Is Ron alright ? I saw him get hit. ``

'' For now he 's alive. '' Pythea shuddered. `` If the ministry do n't get here he will not final stage. ``

'' If the ministry do n't get here we 're all royally screwed. '' Harry was looking around madly, trying to call back of some other way plan. `` How about the rest of us ? ``

'' Terry Baker has a knife in him, I believe it may be poisoned but I can not distinguish. '' Pythea shook her head. `` Miss Chang Jiang has been burnt, I have done what I can for her. George Weasley was exsanguinated, I have spliced his circulatory scheme to his counterpart and they should pull through for a while. Joshua stock split can not walk and I have no idea what is wrongfulness with him. He can speak but he does n't seem to be aware of what is going on. Oh, and I can not wake Padma Patil. She seems comatose. ``

'' Is anyone not maimed ? '' Harry growled, anger mixing with fear mixing with grief.

'' Harry ... ''

'' We 're not gon na last. '' The building rumbled again. `` We 're just not. ``

'' Harry ! '' The cry went up from the other position of the bank building. Harry spun and dashed over to where Hermione was peering out a small gap left in the bottom of a window.

'' What ? '' Harry skidded over. `` Are they coming in ? ``

'' I thought I saw soul in that house. '' Hermione pointed down the street. `` Can you see ? ``

'' Hold on ... '' Harry let his eye focusing out through brick and plaster, then cursed. `` There are three people in there. child. They 're trying to veil in the basement. They 're failing. ``

'' What ? ``

'' Six ... no seven. Three lycanthrope and four of the unkillable lusus naturae are in there with them. I think they can smell them. The minor wo n't stay hidden for long. ``

'' What do we do ? ``

'' We ca n't do anything ! '' Harry punched his aching clenched fist into the bulwark. `` We ca n't get to them ! ``

'' Maybe ... maybe we can sneak out ! '' Neville glanced at the shaking doorway. `` The ninja men are pretty focused on breaking in, maybe they wo n't bother with one or two people trying to get out. ``

'' The werewolves will, '' Draco said dully. `` They 'll dog anything that moves. ``

'' Yes, they will ... '' Harry put his hand up to his font. `` And the short men seemed to act the Same. Maybe I can draw them off. ``

'' You ca n't. '' Ginny snapped at him. `` You ca n't run ! ``

'' You ... you 're correct. '' Harry felt like punching the wall again. `` You 'll need to do it. contract ... '' Harry cast around for someone else who could run fast. `` consider Vanessa. '' He pointed at genus Vanessa Gibbons.

'' Me ? ``

'' You. '' Harry turned back to Ginny. `` Draw them back towards the Leaky Cauldron. If you meet the aurors coming the former way tell them to hurry the hell up ! ``

'' What about those three children. '' Hermione pointed out the windowpane again.

'' If mortal gets up to the ceiling through ... through that window they can get over there without drawing attention. '' Harry gripped his cane angrily. Something else he could n't do. `` Draco I need you to go alone. We ca n't spare more citizenry. ``

'' They 're children ! '' Hermione protested.

'' So are we ! '' Harry shouted back. `` And so are half the people huddling in the burrow right now ! Why do you think they picked the day after the Hogwarts letters to attack ! We need to save as many people as we can. '' He stumbled as the building was rocked with another blast. The Stone around the doorway was beginning to warp. Harry swiped his sceptre along the floor to crystalise a space. He pointed down at the marble.

'' Koupa ! '' The I. F. Stone knack into a heavy bowl. `` Ginny, genus Vanessa. Get in. ``

He waited while the two girls huddled into the makeshift protection then hovered it off the floor.

'' You ready ? ``

'' Yes. '' Ginny said confidently. Vanessa just stared out fearfully.

Harry raised them to the level of the window, then drew them back. With a flick of his wand the two predator were thrown out into the street in their stone cradle. Spells chipped and blazed against the marble but Harry held it as a shield for the two girls, anchoring it to the flat coat. The remainder was up to them.

'' Get that window boarded up again ! '' Harry turned back to genus Draco. `` Go now. You need a lift ? ``

'' No, I got it. '' Draco turned, cradling his arm. Harry had n't noticed it was injured. zilch to be done though, they were all injured. Harry watched as genus Draco climbed up to the window and broke the boarding just enough to crawl out. Harry turned back to the marauders.

'' What are you looking at ? We still need to protect this station ! '' They scattered and Harry began raising line after telephone circuit of bulwark as refutation. He drew lines of spiked wire in movement of the door and disillusioned it. Hopefully they would n't notice it.

'' Harry maybe you should go into the tunnels. '' Pythea said quietly behind him. `` You 're injured too. ``

'' Thea I just sent some of my unspoilt friends out to die because I ca n't do it. '' Harry 's own voice sounded bitter in his ears. `` But I 'm sure as hellhole staying here to stop them getting through. That 's all I can do, but I 'll do it if it kills me. ``
*


'' They 're not following us ! '' genus Vanessa was peeking out from behind their Harlan F. Stone tax shelter, jerking her nous back as a exhibitioner of spells bit ball out of the floor.

'' Damnit. '' Ginny 's line was pumping heavily in her capitulum. Nothing they did could make the lycanthrope chase them. Nothing. They were just milling around in straw man of the bank and howling while the ninja men tried to get out in.

'' Maybe this will go. '' Ginny raised her wand up to her arm, where she was covered in blood and soaked the tip of her wand in the seepage liquid. `` Oderifer. '' Red mist floated out from her sceptre, pooling about them. `` Tempesto ! '' The rake mist drifted out towards the werewolves. There was a foresightful import when the wining and barking stopped ... then a bone-chilling howl.

'' Go ! Go ! Go ! '' Ginny dashed out from behind the stone and almost tripped as she saw the werewolves bearing down on her. Her feet scrabbled on the cobbles but was moving, blitzing it down diagon alley.

'' The absolutely one are coming too ! '' genus Vanessa screamed as she darted ahead. Ginny threw a look over her shoulder and saw the truth of it. The dead men were sprinting madly in amongst the wolf, their hooded faces up and sniffing the air. Drinking it in like it was dearest. Ginny thought she could see glowing red eyes beneath the black hoods. For a mercy the ninja-men seemed to have more self control. They were not following, but instead pounding again on the door of the goblin 's bank.

Ginny put all the muscle she could into her aching leg and pounded away from the wildcat, barely keeping up with the lilliputian sylph of a girl disappearing ahead of her. Vanessa looked over her shoulder,

'' Ginny duck ! ``

Ginny did n't even intend, she just let her legs fold under her, falling like a Harlan Fiske Stone. The a wolf flashed over her prone body and crashed to the flooring. Vanessa stunned it before it had a chance to originate. Ginny scrambled to her animal foot but she could n't move fast enough. An arm closed around her leg. She kicked madly but the arm had the strength of the dead.

'' Summon me ! '' Ginny screamed.

'' Accio Ginny ! ``

Ginny was pulled across the painful sett but the pressure on her leg was still there. She looked down and started in horror as she saw a bloody and rotting arm dangling from her ankle. She kicked it off and jumped to her base, ignoring her injuries.

Well they had wanted the lusus naturae to follow them. At least it had worked. Even if they did n't make it.
*


Draco slid out of the window and pulled himself over the peak of the cap to hide on the other slope. He tried to pick dear footing as he hurried along the tiles. One lamp chimney ... two chimneys ... he was looking for the seventh house. For a moment Draco wished he had Harry 's eye but pushed the thought away. That way of thinking leading to inauspicious paths.

Seven chimneys. Draco put his ear to the tiles and heard nothing. Damnit.

Back in front of the bank he heard a horrific howling go up. Ginny must sustain got the wolves attention. Good, at least one of them was doing their job right.

Draco tried to reckon of a way to break through the tile without causing too much noise. Silencing charm. genus Draco cast it and blasted the silent tile away with a reducto. The space below was black. He leant down, lighting his wand. The brightness level seemed swallowed by the inky darkness.

Suddenly the roofing tile by his legs erupted and he felt his legs dragged back. He fell like a stone through the tiles and landed on his back with a lightning knife thrust of annoyance. He kicked as hard as he could and dig his baton at the dark Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe clutching his leg.

'' Confringo ! '' The physical body 's pectus exploded, raining genus Draco with gaunt shrapnel. He felt a stabbing pain in his dresser. Through the pain in the neck his eye caught movement by the stairs. He rolled just before K light obliterated the floor where he had fallen.

'' Confringo ! '' The explosive curse seemed the good weapon against these dead things. Dragon pulled himself to his feet and stumbled to the stairwell. He heard a scrabbling and stunned a werewolf as it put it 's matted drumhead around the bend.

Draco was breathing hard. He put his script to his chest and felt a long shaving of bone stabbed into him. perfective tense. With his wand held out shakily, Draco slowly made his way down the stairs.
*


They were almost to the Cauldron, Ginny could see it come out around the bend. Vanessa was dashing beside her, her eyes widely with veneration. Ginny vaulted over the pile of rubble from the wall and spun with her wand out. They were so ending !

'' Reparo ! '' The bricks flew together madly, Ginny willed them to come together faster than the beasts were moving. genus Vanessa spun beside her and began firing through the rapidly closing gap. Two werewolves leapt through and were sliced to the position. Ginny held her baton tight and tried to force the spell to work on faster. A clothe trope slammed through the bricks and pounced on Vanessa, throwing her to the floor. Vanessa screamed with horror.

The paries was n't fixed yet !

holding her verge trained on the bricks Ginny darted over and slammed her foot into the back of the robed shape head. It did n't even appear to palpate it. She kicked again, crashing her foot into the beast 's shroud face. There was a hideous crunch and the head snapped back, hanging by strips of cutis. The last brick slammed into place and Ginny whirled.

'' Depulso ! '' The thing was thrown off Vanessa. `` Difindo ! '' She slashed her wand like a blade and fetted blood spurted out, filling the air with a rotten smell. She slashed again, taking off first one arm then the early, then finally the stage, collapsing the stagnant thing into a twitching sight on the floor. Ginny stumbled to the gutter and vomited.

'' Vanessa ... '' Ginny spoke between noisome gulps. `` Are you alright ? ``

Vanessa did n't speak, she was staring at the pile of blood-soaked robe and body parts, her dark centre wide.

'' Why did n't you fight down him ? '' Ginny straightened up. `` Did you forget everything I taught you ? ``

'' It ... '' Vanessa sounded like she was speaking from deep in her own grave. `` It was my father. ``

Ginny felt her rip freezing. She walked over to the torso and gingerly lifted the hood off with her wand. She stumbled back and was almost sick again. There was nothing there but a quite a little of blood and broken osseous tissue. Her kick had stove in the rotted off-white and left the aspect looking like rancid mince.

'' It ... '' Ginny wet her lips. `` It might bear been your father once, but it was just ... undead. He was n't alive anymore. ``

'' He knew who I was. '' Vanessa was hugging her sleeve to her chest. `` He looked at me and he was smiling. He said my public figure. ``

Ginny reached out a helping hand to comfort her classmate but realized she had nothing to say. She turned to the wall and pointed her scepter at the belittled tobacco pipe at the base.

'' Oderifer. '' There was plenty of blood already on her wand and the red mist floated out and down the pipe. There was an moment set of muffled howl from the other face. That should stay fresh the lycanthrope and deadened men off Harry 's back for a while.

And give Draco a chance to live. Maybe.

What was that ! Ginny whirled, wand out, towards the Leaky Cauldron. She was sure she heard something from inside. Aurors ? Not even the most optimistic of wishful thinking could persuade her of that.

'' Vanessa, arrest here. hold open the spell going. '' Ginny motioned to the other marauder without looking and slowly stepped towards the doorway. The doorway was off it 's flexible joint but she could see goose egg from inside, just broken tabletops and a bar full-of-the-moon of pie-eyed glass. She stepped to the edge of the room access and peered around tentatively. There were soundbox. But she had seen too many of them today to be horrified. Wait ... two of the bodies were William Green robed like the attacker, slumped over a board. Ginny slowly stepped into the darken pub and checked around. There did n't seem to be anyone left wing alert. She stepped up to the two corpses and slowly drew their hoodlum back. Dull glassy heart stared back at her out of faces twisted in pain. They had both been stabbed brutally and repeatedly, the second still had the knife embedded mystifying in his neck.

These two had probably been left as a guard, but who had killed them ? Did the killer just result ?

Ginny 's blood froze as she remembered why she had come in here originally. She had heard a noise. mentation back, it could deliver been someone dissapperating. But that meant that this stead was outside the Mary Augusta Arnold Ward ! Ginny dashed towards the fireplace and grabbed a generous handful of powder. The green fire that sprung up were the most glorious matter she had ever seen.

'' Ministry of Magic ! Auror 's post ! ``
*


'' Confringo ! '' Draco did n't even see if it hit before he whirled and shielded desperately as a wolfman pounced on him. It 's cursed claws skittered across the airfoil of the shell and it was thrown backwards. Draco dropped it and stunned the beast.

Where were the eternal rest ? Where were the children ? These thoughts came to Draco through a daze of pain. The tike were in the basement ... he needed to go down. genus Draco staggered to a set of spiraling endocarp stride and started down them, leaning his blooded consistency against the wall.

As he neared the bottom a door came into view. Before the door were two of the utterly things, slamming their rotting bodies against the woodwind instrument. As Draco approached they turned to face him. One set of glowing red eyes and one of empty rotted sockets.

'' Confringo ! '' Draco ducked back into the stairwell as the beginning brute exploded and retreated further as a barrage of killing curses came flying down the Edward Durell Stone hallway. Dragon waited for a gap to spin out from around the corner. `` Confringo ! '' The secondly beast disintegrated into shrapnel. Draco felt his bad arm explode with pain but did n't front down. He stumbled to the wooden door and slammed his fist against it.

'' I 'm human. '' His voice sounded midst and painful. `` Let me through. ``

The lock chamber clicked and the door swung in. Dragon 's legs gave out and he fell in. He kicked the door closed and glanced into the dark basement. Three shining sets of heart looked back at him from diminutive underframe. None of them could have got been older than four. They were in pajama, already ready to be tucked in when all hell broke loose.

"Are you here to rescue us ?"One of them whispered.

"Just delay quiet."genus Draco dragged himself to his base and trained his wand on the door."Stay very quiet."

Above him there was the sound of a softened explosion. The doors of Gringots had finally fallen.
*


Harry was thrown backwards and rolled to his metrical foot. A total darkness anatomy landed in front man of him, long knife raised. Harry slammed his cane straight up into his aggressor's crotch and kicked the man's legs out from under him. Harry raised his wand to finish up the job but another figure darted at him, scepter out, out of the dust. Too promptly ! Harry stumbled backwards as he fenced with flashing lights against his assaulter. The man was too bally speedy ! The love child jabbed in with his left hand and Harry felt a gash subject along his ribs. Do not let them get close !

"Excalabus !"Harry slashed out and saw jar in his attackers eyes as the shining sword clove him in two. But his first aggressor was back up and raging for blood.

Harry didn't look for supporter. There was no help. The ninja screeched something and Harry couldn't stratagem in clip. Writhing botheration in his chest of drawers drove him to his human knee. Harry turned the twilight into a drum roll and came up with his wand out.

"Ferio !"The enchantment was blocked but it had given Harry time to careen backwards. They were coming faster now. Spilling through the go doorway too fast to count. Harry was driven back by a barrage of spells and ducked behind a barricade, only to have it irrupt in a stack of marble gravel.

"Atrax !"Harry swept his wand across the dust, every shard grew spindly legs and fangs and darted towards the enemies. Harry had never used the good luck charm before and hoped to god the spider-rocks were venomous. He leapt behind a pillar before spinning and jabbing his wand back at the entranceway. He fired off a tour and thirty came flying back. The nuisance in his bureau was back. Harry looked down to see his shirt drenched in blood. His or other peoples ? Both. Harry could see through the cloth to where his cutis had been flayed off in huge chunks by his attacker's whammy. Nothing he'd seen before. Who the hell were these guy cable ?

The strait of former vulture desperately fighting raged in his ears. They couldn't do much, there was too a good deal dust, to much chaos, for them to see who they were firing at.

Wait ...

"Tempesto !"Harry slammed his favorite charm to life and whipped a gale to life, the dust and debris was thrown away and the crawling bastards were shown to the world.

"Stubefy !"

"Confringo !"

Spells sparked out from the still standing marauders like a wall off spears. Harry's eye darted madly around the Granville Stanley Hall, trying to keep up. No, who was that on the floor ? Neville ... not dead. Harry could see his heart beating.

"Stubefy !"Harry stunned a charging ninja and levitated him up pulley. Harry darted out from behind his mainstay. Three obelisk instantly slammed into his man carapace. Bugger. Harry dropped the dead weight and dropped to the floor, skidding across the wet marble. He grabbed Neville's leg and yanked him out of the firing railway line, throwing a mountain range to drag them both back to the barricade. Harry dropped him there and darted back to his stead by the pillar.

Harry heard a screeching and saw a gush of stemma. Who was it ? No time ! Harry swung out from his hiding place and sent a tempest of lighting into the mass of assaulter. His pillar was struck with a torment. There was a rushing sound and it began to radiate from rapidly spreading tornado ...

Harry shielded in panic but it barely dulled the personnel when the pillar exploded from within, throwing him across the room and slamming him into the wall. His arm shattered and hurting sweep over him.

Occlumency ! Come on !

Harry blanked his thoughts for all he was worth and, with agonizing clumsiness, gained mastery of his head again. His arm was broken, shattered like a rod of shabu, and hung limply at his slope. The wound in his stomach had broken assailable and was gushing descent. Could he raise his wand ? Could he even parent his wand ?

"Harry !"Harry could see a gory Hermione hunched over him, shielding him desperately. She grabbed his arm and dragged him back behind the last standing barricade."Can you stand ?"

Have to. Harry tried to ascend but fell back. There were only two vulture left fighting and Harry wasn't arrogant enough to count himself in that number.

Not enough. Not enough left.

They were finished.

Harry grimly gripped the top of the barricade and raised his baton. There were only three pillars left standing. If they went ... It he destroyed them ... They could at least hold open the people below. And maybe someone would dig their cadaver out of the rubble.

"Reducto !"Harry saw a foresighted crack opened through the marble."Reducto !"The cranny widened."Redu-"

"wait !"Hermione grabbed his wand."They ‘ re ... they ‘ re gone ..."

"Wh ..."Harry's eye flickered around, nothing was moving. Nothing but the vulture and the groaning wounded."Wh ... where did they go ?"Harry's idea tried madly to action that. It seemed like they had been fighting for his entire animation. His eye cycled out. Out beyond the wall. Black robes. But the good kind. He could pick out Ginny and Vanessa's small frames out in the middle.

"The aurors are here."Harry struggled to his groundwork. Leaning against the wall he could almost do it."They came. About blooming time ..."

Blackness drained back into his brain and he fell back into associate unconsciousness.
*


Draco pushed the cellar threshold open gingerly.

"Is it safety ?"One of the youngster whispered.

"Shut up."Draco muttered.

"Are they gone ?"

"Shut up."Draco slowly made his way forward, wand out in one bridge player, the other pressed against the wall for support. The bodies were gone. Was that good or bad ? Everything was bad.

"Is it safe ?"

"I told you to shut-"Dragon bit off his angry admonition. They were too Loretta Young and their parents were probably short. Give them something."I think it ‘ s condom. Let ‘ s go. Stay behind me. And stay quiet."genus Draco dragged his invertebrate foot up the spiral stairs and stopped at the top. He could listen voices from outside. Someone was yelling orders. Aurors. Finally the bloody ministry.

"The ministry ‘ s here. No stop BEHIND ME !"Draco added sharply, grabbing the minor back. He stepped forward, carefully looking in every niche. There could still be mortal there. No ... it was empty. Satisfied he waved the fry forward and followed their eager feet to the door.

The stale moonlight hitting his fount felt heavenly after the stifling fear of the cellar.

"Here !"He waved to the aurors."Survivors ! What ‘ s the situa-"

"feel out !"

Draco spun, too slowly ! The window above him exploded outwards and all he saw was a flash of fur and teeth before he was driven backwards. On top of him the mountain of snarling death roared, pressing down on his breast. He writhed to try to get out but it pressed down on his soma, sending every old injury raging into new inferno.

"Get off ! Depulso !"genus Draco cried desperately. The fauna was catapulted into the air, shadowed against the wiz. Draco rolled out desperately and the werewolf crashed back down, it's bones splintering with the impact. Draco stunned it to be sure and got slowly to his feet.

"You could sustain helped."Draco grated at the aurors approaching."Useless."

The dark robed champion stopped a few metre away, their mitt on their wands.

"Do you have it away who ‘ s these children belong to ?"genus Draco waved at the three huddling three."Do you know ..."

The children took a stuttering step away from him. The honest-to-goodness spread his arms as if to protect the other two.

"What ?"

The aurors surrounded him, their sceptre shaking.

"Do you know ... who their parents ... or ..."Why did his head feel like this ?

The children were dragged away from him.

"Why are you doing this ..."

Ginny was in the gang, her paw to her mouth, her eyes wide with horror.

"What ‘ s going ... on ... why are you ... scared."His mind burned with crimson fog."I saved them, they ‘ re fine ... They ‘ re ... fine ... no ..."

Draco's centre dropped to his arm, to the hemorrhage combat injury. The bite mark. Red and blazing like writhing cursed blast. A lycanthrope bite. The annoyance of all the other wound faded away, everything else was gone.

"Damnit."Dragon whispered falling to his knees."Damnit."



That was a hugely foresighted chapter was n't it ?


I do n't own Harry thrower. I own ... this while of chicken. So ha !



Harry came to on a stretcher. How foresighted had he been out ? The sky above was pitch black. They had n't even moved him from Diagon back street, Instead he was lying in a line of the bloody and mauled, a line of white-sheeted and red-stained victims in a triage collapsible shelter. His eye told him it had been set up barely a Lucy Stone throw from the decrepit bank. All around him healer bustled between screaming patients, their wands flickering a desperate dancing to keep hearts beating.

Harry looked down at his own trunk. He hadn't been properly healed, more like ... stabilized. Obviously some therapist had had sentence to stop him imminently dying before moving on to more sober cases. Harry looked around for his cane but didn't see it, ah well, least he still had his wand. Harry picked a foresighted splinter off the level and enlarged it into a staff. Levering himself up on that he got to his feet.

"Lie back down."A nurse bustled over to him."You could still feature national bleeding."

"I don ‘ t."Harry's eye rolled back in his head."Trust me."Harry limped out of the collapsible shelter into the open air. Aurors were hurrying around purposely and Harry thought he saw extremity of the order as well. There were consistence laid in rows with plane pulled over them, a lot of bodies.

Harry cursed, he needed to find someone he recognised, someone who could differentiate him what was going on. A well-disposed order extremity, a familiar auror. A Marauder ? Harry tried to find one ... no good. Hopefully that meant they were safe. He couldn't see any of them among the dead. Unless they were one of the single too incinerate to recognize. Harry felt a lump rise in his throat and squashed it down.

"Mr Potter. Good to see you ‘ ve recovered."Harry turned slowly, and looked up into the harried fount of Kingsley Shacklebolt.

"Why are you here ?"Harry asked bluntly."Aren ‘ t you acting, temporary, meantime minister of religion for magic ?"

"If I wasn ‘ t here I would be back at the ministry giving orders to abandon chairs."Shacklebolt looked tired. Harry had never seen the man tired."Everyone is out here, doing what they can."

"Because you told them to."

"Well yes."

"And what can they do ?"

"Not much."Shacklebolt had to digest aside as a consistence was levitated out of the tent. The healer carrying it laid it carefully at the end of the row of dead and conjured a sheet before hurrying back into the triage marrow. Shacklebolt shook his head."So many dead. More than we lost in any one attack in this war or the live on. And I can not even imagine of what the losses would sustain been if you and your ally had not been here."

"Yeah, about those friends."Harry glanced worriedly at the line of dead.

"You 're admirer are alive Harry. Every one of them."Shacklebolts rumbling voice dropped a pitch to a sympathetic muttering."But every one was injured. Some quite badly. I can not say how deeply in debt the wizarding populace is to you and your circle of friends."

"We ‘ re called the marauders."Harry corrected absent-mindedly."Where are they ?"

"They are all in St Mungos, except for young Draco who is back at his home."

"Why isn ‘ t he at St Mungos ?"

"There was nothing more they could do for him."Harry noted the baleful note in Shacklebolts interpreter. Unfortunate possibilities.

'' Tell me everything. ``
*


Harry pushed open the wide front line door of Malfoy mansion and stepped into the marble foyer. It was totally silent inside these walls but Harry 's eye found social movement. He made for it, his makeshift stave tapping on the Edward Durell Stone floor. The halls and elbow room that had held ally all summertime now felt cold and desolate.

Under a distant room access Harry saw light and made for it, though his eye was already telling him it was n't who he was looking for. Harry pushed the door spread carefully and slipped inside. Snape was stood before an array of cauldrons and beakers, all bubbling away and leaking fumes. Natalie Zhao was there also, leafing swiftly through a compact volume.

'' I 'm surprised. '' Harry addressed Snape. `` Shacklebolt told you were trying to get a header around all this. ``

'' I think best when I am brewing. '' Snape did n't seem up from his workplace but Harry could see the fragile lines of tension around his eye. If Snape was giving away how stressed he was then ... Harry stepped up to the table and glanced over the ingredients. They told him zero, but he could guess the potion anyway.

'' Wolfsbane ? ``

'' Yes. '' The pedigree grew a micron sharper.

'' So you 've heard. ``

'' Yes. ``

'' I was trying to observe him. ``

'' He is asleep. You should allow him to remain so as he will likely get lilliputian rest tomorrow night. There is no time to give him a full coarse of Wolfsbane potion. What I am brewing now will merely tone down the jagged edge of his inevitable insanity. ``

'' How could this encounter ? '' Harry hung his head. `` Should n't suffer let them do it. ``

'' It is my understanding that they formed this army in your absence. '' Snape glanced up at him before dropping his gaze back down to his work. `` I believe every member knew the risks they were taking. ``

'' They did n't know the risks. '' Harry almost bicker. `` decease 's just a Word of God till you 've been there. ``

'' Then the majority of this planet is similarly ignorant. ``

'' How could this encounter ? '' Harry repeated. `` Voldemort should be as weak as a new-sprung kitten, you told me that. ``

'' Clearly I was mistaken. '' A ginger snap of dose entered the professor 's voice. `` The shadow lord seems to have potentiality none of us sleep with. ``

'' Werewolves I get. I mean I do n't, they all left him when I killed Greyback. But ... well maybe they have a new leader, or something. The zombies too, I at least understand what they are. But those early guy '' Harry shook his head. `` They were never death eaters. The trance they used, their whole style of fighting. I 've never seen it before. Do we know who the hell they were ? ``

'' Lei Gou. '' Those were the first actor's line Natalie Zhao had spoken since Harry had entered the way, but she filled them with menace.

'' Lie Gou. '' Harry 's brow furrowed. `` That 's Chinese is n't it ? ``

'' It is. '' Zhao nodded.

'' fountainhead who the hell are they ? ``

'' soldier of fortune. '' Snape hissed the tidings, like it was a curse.

'' More than mercenaries. '' Natalie corrected. `` The Lie Gou are one C old, they take enlightened from all over eastern Asia. They are incredibly skilled. They are also feared, and rightly so. The hiring a company of them has been the tipping point in more than one war. They are ruthless, entirely so. ``

'' How would Voldemort contact Chinese mercenaries ? '' Harry scratched his head.

'' They have broker houses in many cities. '' Zhao said with bother calm. `` That is not the most apt question. ``

'' So what is ? '' Harry asked irritably.

'' How did he pay for it ? ``

'' The Lie Gou are expensive. '' Snape explained, his heart peering down into a pool of simmering liquid state. `` There is a famous fib about two similitude brothers, the successor to a immense the three estates in Russia, centuries ago. When their beginner died they both took half the wealth and tried to claim the former half also. There was a private war between their armsmen until one brother hired the Lie Gou, wasting a large part of his inheritance. That side had almost won when his Brother offered the Lie Gou more than money to swap sides and the battle raged the other way. This went on until both Brother were penniless, the estate reduced to a waste, and the Lie Gou growing fat on the suffering. ``

'' That is just a caption. '' Zhao rolled her eye. `` But it does demonstrates both the vast funds needed to hire the Lie Gou and their falseness with compliments to who 's incline they fight on. They will also only bear real riches, nothing conjured or created by magic trick. gold or jewels, and many of them. Only a rich idiot would employ them. ``

'' Unless they had the fund to assure that they could tally any offer their enemy made. '' Snape said irritably.

'' Which we know the dark nobleman can not feature access to. '' Zhao snapped her book closed angrily.

'' You have no idea what the dark lord has memory access to- ''

'' And you do because- ''

'' Hey ! '' Harry slammed his staff against the story. Two sets of center flashed to him. `` Have a lovers spat on your own sentence. Clearly Voldemort does give birth the resources or I would n't have spent this pleasant summer evening being shot at, my gut would n't experience like it had a gig driven through it and a lot of sinless people would n't be stagnant ! Now I have the Potter category gold and we can probably enumerate on the Malfoy rich people as well. Is it possible we can just buy these people off ? ``

'' You want to reach them money ? '' Zhao looked aghast.

'' If it 'll stop them working for Voldemort. Um ... Yes. '' Harry stuck his hand on his hip. `` Would that work ? ``

'' It is potential. '' Snape responded guardedly. `` I am not entirely certainly it is knowing. ``

'' Yes, I got the point of your instructional fabrication. '' Harry snorted. `` How can we get through the Lei Gou ? ``

'' I assume through their factor theatre. '' Snape added a emergency of red pulverisation to a cauldron without looking. `` Though how we find that is another topic. ``

'' I may be able to obtain it ... '' Harry bit his lip. It was a prospicient jibe but he knew where he could find information."in conclusion class I had some link with .... disreputable type. Maybe one of them ‘ ll know where we can get in tangency with the Lie Gou."

'' Harry, '' Snape had rounded the tabular array and was standing in nominal head of him. `` You must swear to me that you will not go to deal with the Lie Gou alone. ``

'' I wo n't. I 'll institute backup. ``

'' I meant without me. '' Snape added harshly. `` You must narrate me if you find their factor planetary house. ``

'' William Tell me again how you 're better than Dumbledore ? '' Harry stepped back from the potions master.

'' Do not say things you do not think. '' Snape said coldly. `` We both well know the difference between myself and Albus Dumbledore. ``

There was a moment of silence. Inside his own head, Harry gulped. Since he had found out the true statement and come to peace with it he had n't though about his true origins much. It was very easy to just think of himself as Harry Potter. Very easy to slip back into that boxing glove. beingness reminded of it was jarring, like being hit with the Truth all over again. Harry shook it off. It was better to think back, not that he would ever really forget.

'' I know. '' Harry tried to throw his representative calmness. `` This has been a very trying day. ``

'' For everyone. ``

'' Your potion 's boiling over. ``

'' It 's supposed to. '' Snape turned and stepped back behind the table. Harry took a deep breathing space and tried to suppose of anything else to add, but his wear creative thinker kept coming up blank shell. Thankfully Snape had something else to ask,

'' Other witnesses said they saw the absolutely men fire spells ? '' Snape asked. His voice said the interrogation was almost trivial, but Harry saw Zhao perk up at the words.

'' They were n't stagnant. '' Harry 's oral cavity was dry with the memory.

'' Explain. ``

'' Their hearts were beating and they were breathing air. They may possess been rotten but they were at least partially alive. And yes, they were casting spells. ``

'' You 're sure Harry. '' Natalie leant forward. `` You 're sure it was n't the Lie Gou. Maybe in amongst the dead men ? ``

'' In amongst mean value zero to me. '' Harry tapped his eye. `` The dead men cast spells. Well ... one while really. The killing torment over and over, but I saw one levitate a chair out of his way so they are capable of casting other enchantment. ``

'' That is not potential. '' Zhao shook her chief. `` Neither zombies nor inferi can perform thaumaturgy. And neither have twinkling. It 's ... unimaginable. deception can only be performed by living creatures, that has been proven over and over again, you must possess liveliness. What you describe is impossible. ``

'' Clearly it is n't. '' The edge of irritability was back in Snape 's phonation. `` Clearly the shadow lord has many capabilities we know not of. The motion is why have we not seen them before ? ``

'' The interrogative is how do we stop them ? '' Harry broke in.

'' I have already sent gild members to arrest the Steffi Graf of known expiry feeder. They have lodge to exhume and burn any consistency they find still house physician. '' Harry nodded, he had been about to advise that. Snape continued, `` early than that ... we must find the dark Creator. ``

'' claim him Voldemort. ``

'' No. '' Snape snapped.

'' You 're still scared of him. ``

'' Some fear is healthy. '' Snape tapped a prospicient silver spoon with his wand and set it to circle slowly in his bubbling pot. `` Especially now that we know he has capability far swell than we ever imagined. What I can not realize is how he has recovered so swiftly from his harm. ``

'' Maybe he has n't. '' Harry shrugged. `` He can direct troop and buy mercenaries even if he 's just a buoyant head, or a disembodied part. ``

'' He would n't negotiate with the Lie Gou from a post of weakness. '' Snape shook his head. `` And whatever he has done to those walking corpses it is clearly brawny legerdemain. No ... I fear we must assume he has his old strength back. The parallels between the living corpses reanimated and the night Godhead 's noteworthy recovery are to obvious to ignore. ``

'' You think it 's the Lapp affair ? ``

'' I think we can safely put on the two are linked. ``

'' Brilliant. '' Harry threw his helping hand up in the air. `` So we have three mystery story. How did Voldemort parent himself and his army from death ? How did he get the gold to rent the Lie Gou ? And why did the wolfman pop back up after deserting him over a yr ago ? ``

'' trio enigma. '' Natalie Zhao murmured quietly. `` Or maybe they 're the Lapp mystery. We do n't know. ``

'' We don't know anything."Harry grimaced."We don ‘ t have a bare shred of information and we could be attacked again at any turn."

"Then perhaps you should go talk to your contacts."Snape whispered a Christian Bible and the fire beneath his cauldron snapped out."But think of what you promised."

"I will."Harry pointed at the bubbling potion."Is that finished ?"

"It is, but-"

"I ‘ ll withdraw it down to him."Harry grabbed a goblet and dipped it into the broth.

"Should you not let him sleep ?"

"He ‘ s awake."Harry tapped his eye and turned to leave.

'' Harry, '' Snape 's vox stopped him before he could leave. `` You know that there may be a very in force reason why the night lord has returned. ``

'' Is there ? '' Harry looked back over his shoulder.

'' You know the prophecy. There is only supposed to be one person subject of killing him. It is possible that, now that mortal is absolutely, the night lord can not die. '' Snape was eyeing Harry levelly. His face gave away nothing.

'' I am well cognizant of that. '' Harry replied dryly. `` I 'll settle for dismemberment. I 'm not giving up. ``

'' good. '' Snape nodded faintly. `` Neither will I. ``

Harry turned around and carefully carried the steaming potion from the room. He padded down the corridor, the exhaust twisting into whorl in the air. It was arduous to keep the goblet stiff while hobbling along with his staff. tinker's damn stupid trauma. Broken invalid that he was he was he was following to useless. Couldn't even carry a crashing cup. Harry gritted his teeth and tried to push those cerebration away from him. They resisted, hovering in his hindbrain, mercilessly haunting him. Harry reached genus Draco's room and pushed the door candid. He didn't bother to knock, Draco almost certainly wouldn't have answered and he could already see what Draco was doing within.

As Harry stepped in genus Draco didn't look up from what he was doing. Harry placed the goblet lightly on a table and stood, unspeaking. Draco still said nothing, but simply kept running his verge along long metal poles. Welding them together and conjuring more.

Building a cage.

Harry still said nothing, but instead sat on the edge of a dresser of drawers and crossed his arms. Draco would speak eventually, he had to, it wasn't in him to not give his persuasion voice.

"Don ‘ t try to stop me."Draco said over his shoulder."I need a cage."

"I know that."Harry nodded, speaking quietly."But we could build it in another room, no call to ruin the room you ‘ ll have to sleep in the other twenty-seven sidereal day of the month."

"I ‘ m construction it here."genus Draco didn't give intellect. Harry supposed he didn't need to."I need you to take a crap it unbreakable, can you do that ?"

"I can. If you want."Harry waited until his friend nodded, before stepping forward and raising his wand."This won ‘ t claim long. You want to drink the wolfsbane potion ?"

Draco didn't response, he just stepped over the goblet and drained it. A flicker twisted his feature for a moment before they settled back into a blank, stolid province. Harry flickered some charms over the branding iron bars of the coop. It wasn't very large, not considering that a loup-garou would be in there. Draco would be fairly cramped. Harry added some padding appealingness to the loggerheaded bars.

"genus Draco, this isn ‘ t the end."Harry felt like he needed to say something.

"Isn ‘ t it ?"Draco said bitterly."Harry I ‘ m cursed. Permanently damned to be a teras. I ‘ ll lose my mind each full Moon, I ‘ ll be a benighted tool. I ‘ ll have become the things we kill."

"The wolfsbane can help you."

"prevaricator !"Draco hissed."There ‘ s nothing that can serve me. There ‘ s no cure. There ‘ s no hope. Just go Harry. Just allow me. There is zilch you can do for me ... unless ... unless you were prepared to-"

"Stop. Talking."Harry bit the words out.

"I tried to do it myself."

"Stop."

"The killing curse doesn ‘ t work if you cast it on yourself."

"Stop talking now."

"Please ..."Draco's eyes were broad and his voice shook."Please do it or leave alone me to."

"Don ‘ t say this. Don ‘ t do this."Harry felt his grip on his tall stave tighten."Just close the blaze up."

"Fine."Draco drew his wand."Just bequeath then Harry. I ‘ ll do it myself."He raised his wand but Harry was faster, slamming his staff up into Draco's hand and sending the wand spinning away. Harry darted forward and grabbed Draco by the battlefront of his robes.

"I have had enough of that from you."Harry hissed, his rose up close to the pallid facial expression of his friend."I will take your sceptre away if I hear you talk such undisguised cowardice as that again. You. Can. Still. Live."

"As a monster. As something I despise."

"If there is one affair I ‘ ve learned from all this crap I ‘ ve been through is that life is precious and Death is pointless."Harry released Draco from his grip.

"You ‘ ve said zip that changes anything."Draco turned away from him, bowing his foreland."My lifetime is pointless now. Entirely so. I would rather be all in, and unless you intend to quell with me every day you can not block up me."

"I would stay with you every day, I really would. But I ‘ ve got things to do so ..."Harry moved like a snake, whipping Draco's pegleg out from under him and sliding him across the floor. He flicked the heavy door of the cage open then slammed it closed again as genus Draco tumbled through. With a second picture Harry summoned Draco's wand into his hand, then the knife that was in a Dragon's pocket and a alphabetic character opener from a drawer. His eye tried to attempt out anything else that could be used to cut or down. After a moment's thought he summoned Draco's potions kit out of his school body, who knew what poisons there were in there. Draco had lifted himself up to his articulatio genus and was staring at him, centre full-of-the-moon of hatred. Harry stepped right up to the cage.

"You are not dying today. You will not bolt down yourself. I will not let you."Harry locked the cage doorway with several charms he knew no wandless wizard could ruin through."Your sprightliness is not over. Maybe nothing I can say can make you realize that right now, but you ‘ re still going to survive. Whether you like it or not."

"But ..."

"I have to go. multitude to see."Harry turned towards the doorway, on the way he grabbed a Book and tossed it to Dragon."Here, something to read. You ‘ ll need to learn for the yr at Hogwarts that you will be attending."

Harry stepped out the room access and pressed it shut, leaning back against the wood. Everything was going to hell, and he had no musical theme how to fix any of it. Not the slightest idea. Where was he even going ? He had a few idea but ... nothing concrete.

He could go to St Mungos perhaps ... curb on the early marauders. But he wasn't sure if he could claim any more misery. There was nix he could do for them anyway. But then there was nothing he could do out here either.

"I ‘ m beginning to think stabbing that son of a bitch in the cervix was a grand waste of time."Harry muttered into the void air.

The job isn't done yet.

Harry shuddered at the dread certainly in his mind.

More body of work to do.

Harry pushed himself forwards, leaning like an old man on his splinter-staff. Still more body of work to do. There was just one place he could find the entropy he needed.

He needed to visit The Tarot.

But there was somewhere else he had to go first ...
*


Ginny curled her legs up under her. The president in the St Mungo's way were familiar now, but it was still impossible to get comfortable in them. They even seemed ... empty. Only four electric chair occupied, herself, Hermione, Lucy and Vanessa. The only four still on their feet at the end of the battle. Everyone else was in a bed, most still unconscious mind. Things seemed grim

Ginny had tried to stay fresh their disembodied spirit up, pointed out that the four subsister were all girls and how they were never going to let the male child live it down. But there was no laughter here and Ginny had given up. She looked across the layer. Cho with her George Burns, rip paralyzed, Anna slammed against a wall like a doll by one of the dead men. They were golden to be alive, Ginny told herself, lucky to be alive.

Ginny shook her head. It was hard to think of this as any sort of luck.

She turned towards the other set of beds, stepping up to support next to them. No ... hard to see it as any sort of luck. She looked down at her parents. Hard to see it as any sort of luck. She put her hand carefully on her mother 's bandaged arm. The healers said it would be hebdomad before they were even awaken. Not luck at all.

Ginny shuddered and turned back towards the vulture layer. Vanessa was awake again and clinging to the side of Elizabeth II 's bed like it was a life-line. The little miss was badly shaken, not surprising really. Ginny thought of her as a little girl despite the fact that they were in the same year. Poor young lady had seen her evil father chopped up in straw man of her. At least the low time he had died she hadn't been there to watch.

Ginny shook herself. Draco's father had died in figurehead of him and he had recovered alright, but maybe that was because it was Draco that had killed him.

Draco ...

Ginny glanced towards the door. She wanted to go to him, comfort him. But her parents were here, they needed her. The marauder were here and they needed her too.

Except that there was cipher she could do here.

There was aught she could do there either.

Ginny gritted her teeth and tried to stop herself from screaming. The one thing she hated was to find useless.
*


Harry was getting odd looks from passers by. He ignored them. Not just because that was his way but because Harlesden wasn't a spot you stared at people in. It wasn't a terrible position, Harry knew far worsened parts of capital of the United Kingdom for a clearly injured man to take the air through. But it was bad enough to make him check alleys with his eye before walking past them, and enough for him to keep his wand tucked in his sleeve in leisurely reach.

He checked the flake of paper in his hand and headed quickly towards a tall, brown, concrete block of flatbed. Harry checked the paper again and reflected on the splendour of the invention of the elevator. A group of Kid in hooded jumpers stared at him as he stomped past, trying to look threatening. Harry sniffed, barely stopping himself from laughing. Thought they were tough did they ?

Harry stepped into the cold ingress manse and pressed the call button for the elevator. As it slowly descended towards Harry he spent a quiet instant reading the graffito. It reminded him of when he was young.

Harry rode the elevator up, his nose wrinkling up at the very detectable urine odour and stepped out on the top flooring. It wasn ‘ t even a corridor, just a long concrete balcony. In winter it must give been freezing. He did n't need to watch the paper again, he had it down by now. Apartment 12. Harry knocked loudly and waited. He heard footsteps on the former face and focused his eye through the wood. He was gasping in surprise long before the threshold opened.

'' Tonks ? '' Harry 's brow raised. `` Did n't expect to see you here ? ``

'' Harry ? Wh ... What are you doing here ? ``

'' What are you doing here ? '' Harry cocked his foreland to one side. `` Should n't you be cleaning up diagon bowling alley ? ``

'' I was injured. Kingsley sent me home. ``

'' But you did n't go home. '' Harry said pointedly. `` You went here. ``

'' How do you even be intimate where here is ? ``

'' wolfman registration act. '' Harry held out the piece of theme for her to see. `` Any concerned citizen can find out where the colossus live. '' Draco hovered into Harry 's mind and his tummy lurched a little. Not monsters then ... not all of them. about of them though.

'' You came to see Lupin. '' Tonks put her hand to her back talk in shock.

"Yes. Can you get him ? Please."

"I ... I don ‘ t know. He ‘ s only transformed back an hr ago. I came to work him some breakfast and help him recoup. He still hasn ‘ t got out of bed though."

Which means you had a key. Harry didn't say it. Instead he harshly said,

"Draco was bitten. Didn ‘ t you know ?"

"Draco. Oh god no ..."

"Yes. He was bitten."Harry stepped forwards angrily, forcing Tonks back into the apartment. He ‘ ll own to go on a all-fired list and take that putrid poisonous substance they call a potion and he ‘ s in his elbow room at the manor house right now in a freekin cage he built himself !"Harry bit his watchword off before he told her what Draco had wanted him to do. Later, when he was better, Dragon wouldn't want the great unwashed to know.

"And you want Remus to ... what ? Talk to him ?"

"Just get the flaming lycanthrope Tonks. Get him now. Oh waiting ..."Harry glanced over towards the bleached sleeping room door. `` Never mind. ``

"It ‘ s alright Tonks."A grating moan sounded and the door was pushed heart-to-heart slowly. `` I 'm awake. ``

'' Are you sure he was a wolf ? '' Harry stepped out from behind the pink haired girlfriend. `` He looks like he 's hung-over. ``

'' Harry, '' Tonks held her mitt, her centre narrowing angrily. Harry was forced to remind himself that the girl with the middle shaped human face was an auror of the Moody school.

'' Professor lupin ... '' Harry addressed the grey-faced man. `` Draco was- ''

'' I heard. '' lupine said flatly. `` There is cipher you can do. There is nothing I can do. ``

'' I 'm not after a cure, I 'm not that pudden-head. '' Harry growled back. `` I need you to talk to him. You need to designate him he still has something to live for. ``

'' flavour at me ceramicist. '' lupin glanced down at his chill, robed organic structure. Harry, for the first time, noticed multiple old fault in his bones. Almost every bone in him bore some crisscross of his womb-to-tomb execration. Harry gritted his teeth. Maybe he should sustain just done what Dragon asked ... No ! Those kind of morose idea led to things like gouged-out eyes.

'' Look just talk to him. '' Harry pleaded. `` I have workplace to do, I need to go to some darkness plaza today and come across strange citizenry with piddling sentience of humour and less personal hygienics. I know you hate me. I even know why ... a small. I do n't understand but ... whatever. Long taradiddle short you despise me. But whatever you think about me do n't involve it out on my admirer. issue forth on ... help him. ``

'' There is nix I can do. ``

'' Tell him it is n't as bad as it seems. ``

'' It is as bad as it seems. ``

'' Then lie to him. '' Harry snarled. His digit gripped his staff so hard the wood splintered. lupin stepped back, his eyes wide with shock. `` Lie to him if you have to. enjoin him turning into a woman chaser is n't so bad. Tell him it 's a drum of laughter. Tell him it 's like a sneezing only better. Tell him anything ! '' Harry stepped forward, pointing his staff like a weapon system. `` Tell him whatever the inferno you would have wanted to take heed. I do n't care ! All I know is that while you lie here with a booty call young enough to be your daughter my friend, my champion who has saved my life on numerous occasions, is thinking his animation is over and I DO N'T roll in the hay WHAT TO SAY TO HIM ! I do n't know ! I ca n't suppose ... I ca n't help him ! He 's saved my life and I do n't make out how to help him ! '' Harry turned his side to Lupin so he could only see his bastard eye. Could n't see that he was crying.

'' I do not cognise how to serve him either. '' Lupin one-half turned back towards his bedroom. `` He will have to get through this himself. ``

'' You 're a coward. You always did like to conceal. '' Harry let the words flow rate from his sass like silk over ice. The effect on Lupin was electric. The lycanthrope spun back to face Harry, his heart panoptic with shock.

'' How ... how ... ''

'' Just something I remembered. '' Harry let the Book sink in. He did n't really retrieve much. Dumbledore had taken his own retentivity of James thrower and thrown them into Harry 's creative thinker. Now that he knew that he could almost state where they were. It was like there was a giant pitch blackness tar pit over one part of his nous. Occasionally things would bubble to the aerofoil but it was impossible to go swimming. Lupin swallowed harshly before opening his back talk and levelly saying,

'' Get out of my home Potter. Get out. ``

'' You going to talk to Draco ? '' Harry did n't actuate. `` Or are you going to hide out in your hutch ? ``

'' I will utter to the boy. '' lupine gritted his tooth. `` Because he is Tonks'cousin. Not because of you. I will- ''

'' So not concern in your cause. '' Harry snorted and turned back towards the door. Harry pulled the door shut on two angered faces and dropped backwards off the balcony. He was halfway down before he remembered he no longer had a drop-gem embedded in his chest.

"Bardus accido !"Harry had barely whipped his wand out in time and the patch didn't have meter to catch properly. Harry crumpled and rolled as he his the floor. His leg screamed with pain in the ass. Harry grabbed his staff and pushed himself to his fee-

CRACK !

Harry was thrown back to the floor as his makeshift staff finally gave out and splintered into giant shards.

"Bugger."Harry grimaced and looked around. There were no commodious composition of woods he could solve with. No sprig or sliver. Wait ... there was a tree over there by the road. Harry hopped to his feet and limped painfully in that direction. He made it to the tree and picked a knobbly twig off the floor. Another engorgement spell gave him a rude walking stick. Harry leant on it gratefully and breathed heavily. It just made everything more hard. Harry shook his head, where he was going next he couldn't afford to show too very much weakness. Harry brushed his effort filled hairsbreadth out of his eyes. It had been a long day. The parts that hadn ‘ t been excruciatingly irritating had been broad of aggravation .... the next person who pissed him off would-

"Give me your notecase !"

Harry didn't even think. His stave flashed up and slammed the mugger in the chin. Harry could take in sworn he saw teeth shatter and fly away. The moaning would-be thief crumpled to the story before scrambling up and fleeing, white trainer flashing and scraping on the pavement.

"I don ‘ t carry a wallet."Harry turned and limped off down the street.
*


Ginny slowly pushed the threshold open. In the middle of the way was a cage of sear metal. The lights were dimmed to the level of total darkness but Ginny could still see the pale ticker in the middle of the batting cage, a pot of pallid hair barely fitting in between the barroom. It rose and fell slowly with the sound of breathing.

The floorboards under the cage were torn and splintered, and covered in blood. The woman chaser must get known it could n't get out between the ginmill, but it had tried anyway. Hair and slobber stained the floor with a pale carpet. The all room smelt like the den of an animal. How could so much hold happened ? How could this have got happened ?

Ginny shivered. No one was watching now, she could dampen down. Everyone was hurt, diagon alley was ruined. Was it her fault ? She could make trained them harder. Should sustain pushed them to celebrate training even after Voldemort 's apparent death ... nothing should receive stopped them keeping in practice. the great unwashed were suddenly because of that. People were dead because of her. And that made her insides knot up like Mexican valium. Was it bothering Harry ? Probably not ... he was probably out beating someone up for information or fighting a dragon or something. Nothing rattled him.

Ginny sat down in a enceinte armchair and pulled a cam stroke over herself. It smelled like wet dog. The whole room did. Ginny pulled the heavy fabric up and bunched it in strawman of her. For a moment she wondered where her childhood shift bear was. Probably in a cupboard somewhere.

Ginny pulled her branch up onto the hot seat and hugged them to her chest. Fevered sleep eventually came.
*


Harry flicked his hood up as he turned into a disused alleyway. He slowed and bowed his head a trivial. Better to seem old and infirm than young and crippled. He tried to fade into the setting, not that it would really count. After the chaos in diagon alley most wizards were staying at home. This wasn't really a wizard street. There was a starbucks on it. But apart from that the shops were mostly witching, and not the nice kind of magic.

Harry reached his destination and looked up. A dirt encrusted signal read Fortunes told Fortunes found. Harry pushed the door open and was assailed by incense and smoke.

"Welcome my child."A heavy breathy voice sounded out of the gloom. Harry could see her of row, but acted like he couldn't."Have you come for guidance from the smell ?"

"I need to visit the Tarot."Harry said the make words he needed to say."Is this the place I can get hold it ?"

"Who can say ? Perhaps I can show you the way."

Harry stepped forward and a hot seat faded out of the smoke air. Harry sat down and waited while the smoky figure on the former side of the table slowly shuffled a deck of drag cards. Harry watched the fingers carefully, if you paid really close up attending you could see her pile the pack of cards. Harry tried not to shout out for her to hurry up. They didn't need to go through the lampoon, they both knew why he was here. Except that if he demanded she go faster he would get naught. He had to play their game.

"What is your nascence month child ?"

"July."Harry said without thought process. It didn't matter anyway. It was a fake month given for a juke tarot reading that wouldn't have predicted anything even if it was real. Harry watched as the ‘ visionary'flicked carte du jour down one after another.

"This is for the past tense, this is for the future."Harry tried not to cast his middle."This is the resultant of the viewing."The woman laid down the tugboat card."substance catastrophe."

"Obviously."Harry stood and clicked a coin down on the table."Thank you."Harry turned and stalked out of the shop class. A set of smoke-shrouded eyes watched him go. Harry hurried to the nighest flue pipe node and tried to retrieve where he was going. The tower was one he'd seen before ... where was it ... Oh yeah, Glasgow.

Harry picked a pinch of powder and stepped into the flame. The spinning flame whisked him away and he gritted his teeth, flueing with a gamey leg was always abominable. Harry fell out onto a stone floor with a stabbing pain. But recovered fast and ambled out of the shop, waving pleasantly to the bemused hotshot shopkeeper.

He stepped out into the street and looked up into the sky. It was sunny now, he wondered what sentence it had gotten to be. Breakfast had never happened. Lunch would probably never materialize. Harry reached into his bag and drew out something that felt like food. An apple. Good enough. Harry clicked down the muggle streets, wondering if he was throwing himself in over his head. People were looking at him funny and he realized he was wearing thaumaturgist gown. Sod it, who cared.

Harry looked up and saw the swinging sign he was looking for. A washy pub sign of a Harlan Stone tug. The same one that had been on the card. This was what he was looking for.

This was the tarot card. The den of thief, a come on legendary pit of iniquity. Every auror in the area would have given their veracious arm to witness this home. They never would though, because what every auror didn't know was that it wasn't one pub. It was twenty-two.

Every day the position changed, you only found out where from the tarot reader. The wife of the proprietor. On any other day the other twenty-one, the gull, the end, the DoJ and the rest, would just be muggle pub like any others. Harry didn't know where the muggles who usually went to the pubs went on the days when their local was designated the tarot. Probably drank at home.

Harry pulled his bonnet up, it didn't do to infix the tarot concealed, and stepped inside. Within it was quick and faint music played. Harry couldn't see where it was coming from, probably out of somebody's wand. The chairs around the old oak tables were high backed, leather and padded. The open fireplace was roaring cheerfully.

Harry liked the Tarot, it was homely. Contrary to what you might think there were no competitiveness in the tarot. People didn't come to the tarot to bar-room brawl, they came for business. Serious business. Of course if you pissed off the awry person you would be chopped up and fed into the mincing motorcar to be sold as hamburgers to the muggles over the next few days.

Such is life.

Harry clomped over to the bar and slipped onto a stool. There was no barkeep, Harry could see him behind the wall hulking around an empty drum. The pub was surprisingly full, every John Wilkes Booth was full of gnarl conversation and every table surrounded by serious looking men. Men who had former men sitting side by side to them who never spoke. Men in very in effect robe, or very good cause. Harry tried not to look to closely at them. It didn't do to pay too much attention to people in the Tarot.

Harry shook his head ruefully, of trend the shoes was to the full. Diagon alley had been crushed, shaken and blasted to the ground. These mass would be discussing how that effected their program ... their plots. Would they have clock time to talk to him about his own job ? What was he thinking ... of course they would. For enough gold. He just had to ask the right questions.

How would he do this ? Harry ordered red vino when the bartender came back. It was served to him without question, and without scuttlebutt. Harry stepped over to an empty board and rested a galleon against the derriere of his glass. The Tarot had sign, pernicious one. Harry didn't know more than the barest scraping of them. But he knew this one, gold against red wine meant you were interested in assassin. Actually it meant you wanted someone killed but it amounted to the same thing.

Harry leant his knobbled stave against his death chair. Whatever happened he was going to observe the blooming Lie Gou. It would drive as long as it took.
*


Draco woke into a horrid nuisance. It seemed like every osseous tissue in his body had been shattered and reformed, every brawniness was being turned to mush by some form rotting bacteria, and his pharynx felt like he had drunk crushed glass.

He opened his eyes and slowly tried to push himself to his knees. His hands were shaking. No ... his unharmed consistence was shaking. He could n't even focus his heart. Draco let himself fall back to the floor, the pitted and splintered Sir Henry Wood bit into his sensitive skin and he could n't aid but cry out. There was no stage in getting up, he could n't unlock the coop anyway. Was it even worth reaching between the bars to haul his wearing apparel back onto his aching consistency ? He did n't want to be naked when someone came to check on him but he did n't cerebrate he could physically put the dress on. Maybe if he gave himself a consequence to recover ... to heal. Then he could manage it. Maybe in a few minutes ... if he just concentrated on breathing.

'' Draco ? ``

The voice registered on the in high spirits reaches of his brainpower but did nothing to the miserable. He knew he should answer somehow but had no idea how to.

'' Are you awake ? '' A face came into view, framed by ginger hair. Dragon coughed roughly, shock making his throat close like a frailty. His branch came up, trying to hide himself from the girl in front of him. She disappeared like a wraith and Draco momentarily thought he had imagined her. But then a heavy fabric dropped on top of him from the top of the cage. He weakly pulled the woven cloth over him and tried to cover himself without scraping the fabric over his skin.

'' Draco ... are you alright ? ``

'' Do I look alright ? '' Draco whispered.

'' Do you want some water system ? ``

'' Why are you here ? '' Draco wrapped the fabric around himself and tried once again to push himself to his knees and shamble closer to the bars. `` What are you doing in my room ? ``

'' fountainhead sorry for caring if you were alright ! ``

'' I 'm a lycanthrope. I 'm not alright. I will never be alright. '' Draco 's heart flickered down to Ginny 's rumpled clothes. They were the same one she had been wearing yesterday. genus Draco realized he could even smell Ginny 's scent on the throw over him, and wafting over from his deep armchair. `` Did you sleep here ? ``

'' Yes. ``

'' You idiot ! You slept in a room with a lycanthrope ! What if I had broken free ! You could have been killed ! ``

'' You would n't have hurt me. ``

'' Do you experience what a lycanthrope is ? '' Draco shook his chief, all this cheering was making his already aching head split apart. `` Of course I would take hurt you ! ``

'' Alright fine. '' Ginny crossed her arms. `` But I could have stunned you or- ''

'' While you slept ? ``

'' I ... ''

'' Why were you here anyway ? '' Draco hugged his weapon system to him, trying not to throw up.

'' I just ... '' Ginny 's heart dipped. `` I came here to see if you were alright, but you were already transformed. I was so stock, I just went to sleep. ``

'' You just ... went to sleep ? '' Draco 's eyes widened, then closed again when the light anguish his encephalon. `` Why did n't you go to your own room ? ``

'' I just ... I just went to slumber. '' Ginny knelt down, she looked almost as tired as he felt. `` Seriously Draco are you alright ? ``

'' No. But it 's not any spoiled than I expected. '' Draco leant against the bars. Having someone there might
actually be a good thing, it forced him to get up and act with some semblance of N. If Ginny had n't been there he probably would have still been lying on the flooring. `` Lupin came and told me what to wait. He did n't allow anything out. At the time I hoped he might be exaggerating ... ''

'' Draco ... ''

'' I ca n't believe this batting cage is the rest of my liveliness ... '' Draco bowed his nous, resting his pass against the bar. He closed his eyes, letting himself slide down. It was n't just that he would have to go through this every 28 days. That he could almost have dealt with. But the fact that he was a ... a matter ... he could n't set aside himself to be a marauder now. There was no way he could put the others under that variety of peril, not with a monster inside him. He could n't go back to Hogwarts either, that was out of the question. All those child ... he would be putting them all in danger.

So what was his life now ? He might as well never leave this Cage ... he really should have slit his own throat. If only the brute had ripped its own core out during the night.

His aliveness was now deserving null. Why ...

'' Draco ... ''

Why the Scheol was she still here. Why would n't she go forth. Why was she- WHAT THE HELL !

Dragon 's oculus shot receptive as easygoing lips slammed roughly into his.
*


He was n't moving his lips against hers and his optic were wide with panic. Ginny drew back, her hands shaking a petty. That had been her first genuine kiss. On the unit it had n't been very good. She could taste blood on her lips.

'' Ginny ? '' Draco 's voice was dry and startled. `` Why .... why ? ``

'' To remind you you have something to to last for you prat. '' Ginny said angrily.

'' To live ... for ... '' Draco 's oculus widened in savvy. `` You mean you ... like ... Me ? ``

'' Yes ! Merlin 's beard you 're dense ! '' Ginny rocked back on her heels, hugging her arms to her chest. Draco was just sitting there, staring at her. It was like she 'd had broken his mentality. `` Well ? Are n't you going to say something ? ``

'' But ... you ca n't ... '' Draco 's eyes were flickering wildly. `` You ... but I 'm ... ''

'' What ? '' Ginny broke in. `` You think because you 're a werewolf I could never be with you ! ``

'' Yes ! '' genus Draco blurted.

'' You think I care ! ``

'' You ... you ... yes you should care. '' Dragon pulled his throw closer about him. `` You should worry. ``

'' well I do n't ! ``

'' Well I do. '' Draco shook his head frantically. `` I could n't do that to you. I mean ... associating you with a creature. Could n't do that. To you. You deserve better. I 'm ... I 'm sorry. ``

'' And what I want. '' Ginny gritted her teeth, Her tenderness was a roiling whirlpool, beating faster and faster. She didn ‘ t know if she wanted to burst into bust or punch the shaking boy in figurehead of her. `` That does n't matter to you ? ``

'' On rest. No. '' Dragon shrunk back to the other end of the cage."I ‘ m sorry Ginny ... you should depart. I ‘ m so no-count. I just ... I ‘ m sorry and you ..."

"Stop !"Ginny knew which one now. Her clenched fist were twitching."Just give up you ... you ... boy ! You think you can just apologize !"

"Well what else can I do ?"

"You can shut up !"Ginny stood and stomped towards the threshold."Get yourself out of the bloody cage !"

She slammed the door shut angrily.

Bloody prat.
*


Dragon slammed his os frontale against the measure. The ringing bill grated on his ears but the nuisance just melted into the torture already sinking through his skull.

What else could he cause done ? He was just ... broken.

"Well you bolloxed that up didn ‘ t you."

Dragon's school principal rose slowly and when he saw who had spoken he quickly pulled his cam stroke around to traverse himself better. Harry was leaning against the wall nonchalantly. He had massive melanize traveling bag under his middle and he smelled like stale drink and cigars. Draco realized he'd been smelling that for awhile.

"How much did you hear ?"

"Not all, but enough."Harry's eyebrows rose.

"I don ‘ t want to tattle about it. It ‘ s done."

"Wasn ‘ t gon na mention it."Harry folded his arms."Wasn ‘ t gon na mention how you basically emo-slapped a skinny booster. How you cut her fondness out with a great big knife made of misplaced pity. Was n't going to extend to on the fact that you 're a total cretin ! Not gon na -"

"Shut up Harry. You don ‘ t know what you ‘ re talking about."Dragon pulled his throw closer about him.

"Instead I was going to ask if you think you ‘ ll be alright by this evening."Harry smiled evilly."I found the base of the ninja guy, and I think we need to pay them a visit."

'' I do n't ... I do n't hump if I 'll be up to it. '' Draco shook his oral sex. It was n't self shame, just simple truth.

'' well I 'm going to be offering them large amounts of your money in addition to mine so you might want to be there. ``

'' present them whatever you want. '' Draco waved his hand vaguely. `` I do n't want any of it. I never did. Just result me adequate to dwell on. ``

'' So you 've decided to live ? '' Harry stepped forward, grinning cheekily. `` If I 'd known a kiss was all you needed I would have dragged Ginny here myself. Heck I would'a kissed you if got you to stop eyeing up the missive openers. '' Harry drew his wand and flicked it towards the cage door. Draco pushed it and it swung unfold slowly.

'' It was n't the candy kiss. '' Draco shakily crawled out of the cage and rose to his infantry, the movement making him nauseous. `` It was n't the kiss. ``

'' Do n't think you. '' Harry shrugged and turned towards the door. `` I think somebody 's making oatmeal in the kitchen. Not mollie Weasley but still ... '' With a terminal wave Harry clomped off down the corridor.

genus Draco leant back against the cage, too tired to try to dress. His life had, in a day, become much, much more elaborate. And the lycanthropy was simply part of it.
*


Harry stood outside the door to the Mary Augusta Arnold Ward at St Mungos and bit his lip. It had been over a day since the dread conflict. Over a day since they had seen him. What was he supposed to say ? Would they criminate him of not being there for them ? They would be flop to. But there had been too many things that he had to do, and not enough clock time to do them. His illusion eye flicked from bed to bed. How could he sing to them when every present moment he could see the equipment casualty that had been done to them. Damage that was his fault.

'' Why have n't you gone in ? ``

Harry spun at the sound of the new voice behind him, then relaxed. He let out a sigh of relief.

'' Thea, '' Harry stepped forward and hugged the little seer, pressing her into his dresser. `` You 're all right. ``

'' I did n't receive to do any of the fighting. '' Pythea murmured against him before pushing away and fixing him with an apprising stare. `` Where have you been ? ``

'' I was trying to receive out ... Trying ... I was working. '' Harry 's eyes flickered around to the ward. `` I should have come sooner. I 'm good-for-naught. ``

'' You do n't have to apologize to me. '' Pythea smiled. `` You always get the hard decisions Harry. ``

'' I should go in now. ``

'' No, do something for me first. '' Pythea put a hand on Harry 's shoulder.

'' What ? ``

'' Tell a joke. ``

'' What ? ``

'' I 'm serious Harry. ``

'' A ... a jape ? '' Harry did n't sleep together where this was coming from. `` This is n't exactly a joking time. ``

'' Harry at the end of final stage year you promised we had seen the stopping point of the wild, self-destructive, madly driven and vindictive man you had become. Do n't expose that hope. Do n't go through that doorway as that man, he ca n't facilitate them. Them, and me, we want the old Harry back. The one I 've seen this summer. Please. ``

'' I ... I ... '' Harry felt his mouthpiece dry. Was he going back to the benighted place ? Maybe. Getting weird wizard stuff stuffed into his bones did sound remarkably appealing. But he could still win without it. He was n't the hero of prophecy, he was doing things his way. Harry smiled wryly. `` I jumped off a edifice. ``

'' What ? ``

'' Twentieth trading floor. I forgot I do n't have a drop-gem any to a greater extent. ``

'' You jumped off a building ? '' Pythea incredulousness turned to giggles. `` Harry you are mad. ``

'' Broke my cane too. '' Harry smiled as the girl in front of him chuckled into her hand. `` Then I was mugged. ``

'' Mugged ? You ? Really ? ``

'' If you want a new necklace the guy 's teeth are probably still there. '' Harry grinned. `` That enough of a antic for you ? ``

'' That will do nicely Harry. '' Thea shook her promontory, still laughing quietly.

'' So I can go in now ? Or do I have to answer some riddle as well ? '' Harry asked, smiling. When Theia nodded he stepped towards the door. `` Thank you Theia. ``

'' You 're receive Harry. ``



Have n't actually written anything more. Not good. My buffer of pre-written chapters is running thin ...


Have managed to write a bit more now. Stupid thing like my degree and real life maintain getting in the way.





Harry could hold sworn his tendon were tensed like galosh bands. His eye was spinning rapidly, seeking every fantasm and his spirit was pumping with the light staccato hammering of suspense.

'' Well this is a wonderful lieu for an ambush. '' Harry tugged his coat in finisher to him and stared up at the scraggy cliffs to either side.

'' Do you see an ambush ? '' Snape asked calmly, striding next to him.

'' No, but I do n't trust them not to have got some deception up their sleeve. '' Harry sighed and trudged forward along the rough stone track. It was belated enough that the air was pleasantly cool, the sun still streaming brightly over the cliff to their left. They were far enough from the muggle route that the only sound in the air was the whistling of the wind and the buzzing of insects.

'' Are you sure they are here ? '' Snape asked, glancing up at the Welsh drop-off. `` It does not seem like the kind of place for the Lie Gou. ``

'' What were you expecting ? Chinatown ? '' Harry tweaked an eyebrow.

'' Perhaps. ``

'' Too predictable. '' Harry 's eye picked up their destination in the aloofness, shimmering glassily in the sun. It was a moment longer before it came into genuine panorama, a little lake in the kernel of the valley. The path meandered towards it, crossing a footling flow and cutting a route through the heather. As it drew close to the still vitreous H2O Harry drew to a stop and looked down. piffling round pebbles.

'' Is this it ? '' Snape stopped next to him.

'' This is where the guy said. '' Harry could n't see anything out of the ordinary even with his magic eye. It just looked like a normal lake.

'' There was a parole. '' Snape prompted.

'' Keep your incalculably oleaginous hair on. '' Harry knelt down and put his sass right up to the weewee. `` Agoredig Ffordd. '' The pressure of his words made rippling on the pee. He straightened up. Nothing had happened.

'' Are you sealed those were the words ? '' Snape sounded doubtful.

'' Relax Teach. '' Harry closed his heart. `` This is far big for me if I 'm haywire. '' He leant forward and allowed himself to accrue, forefront first, into the water.

The icy weewee felt like a curtain of silk. No wetness. No fear. No pebbles. Harry 's momentum spun him up on the other face and he had a minute of vertigo when his brain told him he was standing on a ceiling. He took a hint and steadied himself. Everything around him looked the Lapp, same Rock, same flatus. He could almost take in been fooled into thinking he had n't moved at all.

With a whispering stir Snape sprang out of the lake. Harry gave him a present moment to conciliate himself before asking,

'' Satisfied ? ``

'' That password was Cymric. '' Snape glanced back at the lake. `` Not Chinese. ``

'' I know, '' Harry shrugged. `` I figure this place is probably antediluvian, the Lie Gou just took it over. ``

'' Interesting, '' Harry could see the paraphernalia spinning in Snape 's head.

If you 're thinking there may be other ways in here. Harry fixed his oculus to Snape 's There probably are, but can we trust that the Lie Gou do n't know about them ?

Not with any sure thing. Snape shook his head teacher. And you are compensate. We should communicate this way while in there territory.

Interesting how you try to attain that auditory sensation like your theme. Harry rolled his eyes.

'' Did your source William Tell you where to go future ? '' Snape said out loud.

'' No, but I can opine. '' Harry smiled and pointed out behind Snape. The potions master turned.

'' Ah ... yes. '' The paries of the valley was carved out in massive stone editorial and a monumental stair had been hacked into the rock. At the top, framed against the setting sun, was a tiered temple in red Natalie Wood. Rising up to the sky like a Pyramids of Egypt of fire. `` I suppose this is the position. ``

'' They should be expecting us. '' Harry set off, his cane clicking on the stone. `` But I 'm not looking forward to all those stairs. ``

As they set off across the ling Harry let his eyes wander. This place looked entirely normal up close but the further away you looked the more the prospect seemed monotonic and unreal, like whoever had made this place hadn't extended it much beyond this vale. There were fauna though, insect and birds and hare in their jam underground. To what arcdegree was this place just a reflection ?

Harry shook his psyche. An academician or a historiographer might care. He didn't. They reached the foot of the gravelly hewn stair and Harry snorted and turned to Snape.

If I climb that I ‘ ll be useless once we ‘ re at the top.

It would be in force if we do not point signs of weakness. Snape agreed, glancing up at the far off temple.

Harry glanced around until his eye fell on a small bowlder, no larger than a pillow. He drew his scepter and crouched down beside it. One whispered patch made it pitch in it's bed of moss. A second made it ring like a bell and with the third it flashed gold.

Harry sat on the stone, crossed his pegleg and laid his staff across his knees. The Edward Durell Stone slowly rose into the air and hovered there, humming quietly. Snape almost looked impressed.

Would you be able to escape on that if effect do not twist out in our favor ?

Don't bet on it. Harry began floating up the stairs, maintaining eye contact with his instructor. The spells I used were a very canonical version of the single used to work broom handle. That should give you an approximate guide to how much restraint I have over this affair. obtuse hovering is the sound I can do.

They climbed the stairs in quiet for awhile, the assuredness wind whistling around the carve pillar. The land seemed desolate and deserted. Seemed.

We're being watched. Harry noted the following time he caught Snape's eye.

Of course we are.

Remind me what stops them from knifing us on the spot ?

The hypothesis that we can give them more atomic number 79 than they would realise by killing us.

And if it turns out we can ‘ t ?

Snape didn ‘ t reply. Harry eased his wand in the band of his rap. This would be interesting. The final steps brought the rest of the temple into view. It seemed smaller now than it had before, not much larger than a modest house. It was surrounded by a simple garden, just insipid green goddess and modest syndicate. There weren ‘ t even any koi in the pool, just a very British people batrachian. Harry didn't know what he had been expecting. cherry tree trees perhaps. But of course these men were assassin, they probably didn't have a great deal meter for gardening.

Speak of the monster ...

The painted door on the front of the temple opened and an older gentleman's gentleman in a wide-eyed blue robe stepped out.

"We have been expecting you."Was all he said."seed inside. You must leave behind your shoes here."

Harry lowered his rock to the floor with a thumping and raised himself to his feet. He unlaced his boots and left them there on the border of the drop-off before stepping towards the doorway. Snape put a restraining hand on his shoulder and Harry reluctantly let the older charming jumper lead. The door were swung open for them and the old man led them through a short circuit hallway.

The rampart looked like ... paries. They had warded them against magical method of surveillance and apparently that included his eye. Was that intentional ? Had his eye become coarse knowledge or had the warding always been there as a precaution. Harry tried not to chip in any sign that he was uncomfortable but for a man who had gotten used to xxiv seven X-ray photograph views the sudden lack was claustrophobic.

Get it together.

Harry followed Snape and their guide into a room at the side of meat of the building. The false ignitor of this mirror world streamed in through the large windows onto a table standing low on the flooring. There was already a pot of tea and three hollow loving cup waiting for them.

"If you would wait here."The old template said, indicating the table."I will see if master Sasori is set up to speak to you."He backed out of the room and closed the door behind him. Snape and Harry stepped towards the table and sat crossing legged beside it. Neither so a good deal as reached for the tea.

Sasori sounds Japanese. Harry noted. I thought the Lie Gou was based in China ?

They accept savant from many places. Snape's voice was calm in Harry's mind. And in any case it is almost certainly not his literal public figure. Think no more of it, concentrate on learning what we can.

I'm trying, but my eye's giving me nothing. Harry admitted to his companion. Have you learnt anything I should acknowledge about ?

I think we are dealing with very intelligent people.

Not that intelligent. Not if they think we're stupid enough to drink the tea.

I meant this construction. Snape glanced around at the bulwark. I believe it is turgid on the inside than on the outside in the manor of many wizards building. However a visitor who had only been shown these few rooms would leave thinking this temple no bigger than it appears.

When in realness totally armies could be housed here. Harry finished off the thought. How did you crop that out ?

There are sure signs. For someone familiar with this form of enchantment.

I didn't feel anything.

That is why you are still a educatee Harry. And why I am still your instructor. A faint grinning tugged at Snape's lips.

Well you're not directly my instructor. Harry chuckled. Not unless you've Menachem Begin accepting T grades into your triton class.

The door was opened quietly and both Harry and Snape's heart flashed no the new reaching. He was dressed in a courtship, nigrify and cleanse in every lineage, but Harry could see the knifes hidden in his sleeve. His grooming was every inch the businessman but he had broad tattoos on the backrest of his manus, one a steering wheel of flame, the other a fox's head. A portrait of incongruence. Nothing what it seemed. He was Japanese, Harry could see now, so at to the lowest degree the name wasn't a total fake.

"commodity evening."The man spoke quickly and with firm ego sureness."My name is Sasori, and I am the loss leader of the Lie Gou in this constituent of the world. You are Severus Snape and Harry Potter. Welcome. I believe you had something to discus with me."Sasori stepped up to the low board and sat quickly. Without waiting for them to verbalize he reached over and poured himself a small cup of putting green tea. Harry supposed that was supposed to put them at ease. Why the Scheol would it ?

"We are here to pay you to knock off one of your currently existing contracts."Nothing about Snape was moving but his mouth.

"Our arrangement with Tomas Riddle ?"Sasori spoke with his tea held up to his back talk."This is the contract you refer to ?"

"Yes. We will pay you whatever the dark Maker has offered and ten percentage more besides. It is a sober offer. You know the atomic number 79 we have available to us."Snape indicated Harry with his arm."In return you will not only cease your employment under Voldemort but you will also obliterate him and bring us both his foreland and that of his two remaining disciples."

"You offer us that without knowing how a good deal we are being offered already ?"The assassin smiled."You are so sure you can provide what you promise ?"

"We have the rich people of two ancient wizarding houses behind us. And more besides."

"Yes."Sasori tapped his finger against the edge of his lowly cup."But I do not conceive it will be enough."

"What has the dark lord offered you ?"Harry could sense Snape's tension rising.

"I can not severalize you that."

"Has he offered you something other than gold ?"

"No. The Lie Gou have only ever worked for gold. cherished treasure in particular luck. And once, just once, for the hand of a beautiful woman."Sasori smiled. Snape did not.

"Would you prefer if I set a number ?"Snape laid his hired hand on the tabular array."One million galleons."

"Not nearly enough."Sasori chuckled.

"Ten million."Snape fixed the man across the table with a glare."The flow successor to the thrower and Malfoy fortunes are surprisingly unworried about fiscal vexation. If ten million is unsatisfactory perhaps you should nominate your price."

"Perhaps you should realize the meaning of the password no."The man run forward."I am rejecting your fling Mr Snape. I do not intend to be harsh but, even if you could pay us more than him, we must respect our commitment to Mr riddle. It would shame me to do less."

Trygve Halvden Lie. Harry watched the assassinator eyes as he stood. You don't throw a rat's prat about honour. That'shame me'copper is just telling us what you think we expect to get a line. Why are you lying ? What else is going on here ?

"You should both allow for now."Sasori stepped away towards the doorway."No one will stop you on your way out."

No one did. Which was even weirder.
*


"That didn ‘ t make any sense."Harry commented once they were safely back to headquarters."It was like he didn ‘ t want to have up the contract but didn ‘ t want us to know why."

"I am more rum about why they simply let us leave."Snape shook his head."If the contract with the dark Divine means so much to them they should suffer killed us."

"Perhaps they weren ‘ t sure they could outsmart us ?"Harry suggested. At Snape's withering stare he shrugged."Ok, so that was a stupid idea."

"So we have another mystery."Snape grimaced."We have too many already."

"Perhaps he ‘ s blackmailing them."Harry said hopefully."Or holding Sasori ‘ s wife/daughter/pet hamster hostage. There ‘ s obviously some reasonableness why this job ‘ s so important to them."

"Perhaps."Snape nodded faintly."The idea is Worth investigating anyway, though he did not seem like a man with loved 1 in danger. He seemed too calm."

"He wasn ‘ t."Harry growled."His heart was running a footling fast. He was nervous from the moment he stepped into the room. Concealed it well though. Bastard."

"Could you tell if he was lying about anything ?"

"I don ‘ t think he was."Harry hazarded."Heart charge per unit isn ‘ t a hundred-percent judge of when someone ‘ s lying. It was weird, but it almost seemed like he was unagitated once you started offering money."

"Strange."

"Whatever."Harry rolled his eyes."I have n't slept in a surprisingly long fourth dimension. Unconsciousness does n't count. I 'm going to bed."

"hold one moment."Snape waved Harry towards the room where he had set up his lab."I need to tick off in on what has happened since we left and I believe you should get word it too."

"Do n't push yourself they says ..."Harry grumbled as he followed after his instructor."Do n't be like you were shoemaker's last twelvemonth they says. But when I want to sleep ? Oh no-"

"Be restrained Harry."Snape snapped as he pushed the room access subject. Natalies head rose from the mesa as they entered and she wordlessly pushed a booklet towards Snape.

"Has anything of note happened ?"Snape asked.

"You could translate the file."

"Your assessment will be more succinct."Snape rubbed his temple."The main points please."

"The autopsy upshot have come back on the beat battler. They were not zombie, or inferi. We do n't know what they are. Their frame is just rotting now, cypher life. We did find something unknown in their organization but we can not place it."

"And the dead Lie gou ? The ace Ginerva found in the leaky caldron ?"Snape indicated a gory knife with a tag tied around the handle.

"They were stabbed."

"I gathered that."

"They were poisoned first."Natalie shook her promontory."I believe the regime of potions they had been taken made them marginally resistant. The killer had to finish them off. Would you like to stake a guess as to the poison used ?"

"Everybody 's friendly locality vigilante again ?"Harry said from his position slouched on a chair. At Natalie 's nod he chuckled."Nice to recognise he 's still out there."

"It would be effective if we could bring him in."Snape fixed Harry with a stare.

"You want to arrest him ?"

"I want to have sex how he created his poison."Snape answered tonelessly."I am sure as shooting it could cause even more than scathe in able hands."

"You are so much cooler than Dumbledore."

"But there seems to be no way to trance him."Snape picked the tongue up carefully with the pourboire of his fingers."I assume there was zilch usable on this ?"

"There was mud, sweat and hair."Snape made no movement to drop the knife despite Natalie 's words. Harry 's ears pricked up.

"It was his knife ?"Harry asked quizzically."I mean not found at the scene or stolen off a clay ? He brought it with him ?"

"As far as we can tell yes."

Harry stood, carefully took the steel from Snape 's helping hand and folded it into a musical composition of parchment from the table.

"He has left grounds in his previous crimes."Snape pointed out."It has never amounted to anything before."

"Before now,"Harry smiled."You did n't have a seer."
*


"Harry ?"

"Yes Thea ?"

"You 're in my room."

"Yes, that 's true."

"In the middle of the night."

"This is also true."

"The door was locked."

"If you call that plaguey appealingness a lock."Harry grinned in the half-light. This was a plot. It was fun. In a lot of ways it was better than sleep."Do n't you want to know why I came ?"

"Can I guess ?"Pythea arched an eyebrow, but a faint smile played on her lips.

"You can guess."Harry shrugged."You 'll reckon wrong but you can guess."

"Really ?"Thea leant forward to calculate into Harry 's eyes. The faint light gave her a expression a ghostly aspect, full of shadows."You do n't think I 'll approximate ? What could you be here for ? ... In the middle of the dark ..."

Harry did n't say anything. He just chuckled.

"Why, why, why ..."Theia leant finisher, then smiled."You want my help with something. You want me to try and see something for you."

"Damnit."Harry shook his head wryly, the spell broken."You sure you ca n't read judgement any more than ?"

"I often do n't have to."Pythea held out her hand. Harry reached into hie pocket and drew out the knife."Interesting ..."Pythea took it and held it on her lap.

"It was used to pop two of the Lie Gou."Harry leant back on the armchair."I though ... I do n't fuck ... maybe you could find out who owned it or something. Skry for them or some occult thing like that."

"Harry go to sleep."Thea was speaking quietly, her eyes still dreamily focussed on the knife in her hands.

"eternal sleep ?"

"This will acquire awhile, and you 're tired."Theia stood up, her eye still fixed."Use the bed."

"I can just sleep on a chair-"

"I need the chair. You take the bed."

You do n't demand the chair. Harry rolled his eyes as he stood and moved over to the bed.

He fell asleep almost instantly, his mind trying to make up for the stress and exhaustion of the retiring few days. In his dreams he occasionally saw a egg white figure, chanting softly to something she was holding before her. Even in the dreams he knew what that was. Having an eye that could see through your own palpebra made for realistic dream. That was why he knew that she was done far before he eventually woke, the dawn unclouded streaming in through the curtains.

"You did n't wake up me."Harry said, his optic still closed.

"I thought you needed your sleep."

"Like you needed the chair ?"Harry opened his eyes and sat good. On the tabular array next to Pythea a rough map had been drawn on parchment. A small town, nestled in a vale. Further up the map was a delicate X."The murderer 's there ?"Harry pointed.

"I do not think so Harry, it was very faint."Pythea shook her top dog."The knife lay there a longsighted time before the murderer picked it up. The luck that he is still there are-"

"Low."Harry pulled the grating sketch over to him. The epithet of the town was written at the bottom in Pythea 's elegant hand."power as well check it out though, for lack of anything more constructive to do."

"Do you need me to go with you ?"

"It 's a long shot at best."Harry shrugged and pocketed the report."Besides, you were up all Night. You need the bed now."Harry stood and stepped towards the door."I 'll tell you if I find anything interesting."

"Do n't wake me."Pythea 's smiling waved him out the door.
*


Harry reached the sleepy small town and breathed refreshful air. No one much was out yet, the sun hanging was still hanging mistily over the hills.

The map said that the knife came from Frederick North of the town. Harry set off in that direction, gladiola to at to the lowest degree have something constructive to do after all the confusion and pandemonium. A shopkeeper waved to him while at the same clock time squinting like he was an intruder. Harry waved back and carried on. The houses thinned out and Harry found himself walking along a country road, theater on either slope. He checked his piffling study map again. It was somewhere east of the road.

Harry 's oculus scanned the field and the trees beyond it. There was no path to utter of, just a sort of track that looked like it was used by cony more often than man. Harry made for it warily and slowly climbed up through the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree, his walking stick digging into the mud. Harry 's eye kept getting flashing from up ahead, through all the tree and life.

As he got closer he slowed down, silencing his footfall. Between the trees were the laying waste of a house. Not even a firm, a hut. It was surrounded by bramble and almost consumed by the forest. Ivy covered every beam and wall. Without his eye Harry was n't sure he would have seen it as a house at all.

Without his eye he also would n't consume seen the man inside it.

Harry slid closer slowly. The man was crouched on the earth, shivering, his thinly limbs shaking. Now that Harry was closer he could see the man for what he was, a wretch, he could barely see a shred of figure on the man 's bones. The affair that made up near of his exercising weight was probably his hair and matted whiskers. It certainly was n't in the tattered robes he was wearing. Harry scratched his drumhead, wizards aged boring than muggles, so how old was this guy ? He looked like he was elderly than Dumbledore had been.

"Sashias !"The man 's top dog jerked up and he spun to look right at Harry through the wall of the building."Sashias !"

What the ? Harry jumped backwards and swiftly flung a disillusionment magical spell over himself. How had he known ?

The man scuttled out of the home like a spider and his eyes flashed from one point to another like an animal.

"Sassicz."

Harry tried to move away slowly, trying not to disturb any leaves.

"Saz !"The man leant down to the priming and held out his hand. Some ... affair slithered out of his sleeve.

It took Harry a mo to realize what he was seeing. It was a Hydra, pocket-sized and grey and not much foresightful than a ruler. But then, it was n't, it was nothing. Nothing was there but a wisp of curling grey Mary Jane. Harry realized what it was. Only one of his eyes was seeing the snake. To the other it would be just a fantasm. To any normally sighted mortal ... the serpent would be invisible.

Harry stepped to the face but the snake made for him, slowly undulating it 's way through the leaves. Harry stepped again, and the snake changed counselling. Making for him like a bloodhound. Harry '' s psyche threw up little storage of an undiscovered and deadly toxin and stepped away more quickly. The Snake River kept after him, implacable death. Harry took a mysterious breath, time to take control.

"Please call off your snake."Harry said, calmly and simply, trying to sound a little like Dumbledore."I am a friend."

The man 's heading shot up and the snake froze in the Mary Jane. Harry dropped his camouflage and addressed old man directly.

"I am a friend. We both fight Voldemort. Please call off the snake."

"Sissisi."The man 's eye widened."Saz, cizissi."

The snake did n't move, it seemed to be eyeing Harry as sharply as it 's master was.

"Zaccussazic !"

"I ca n't understand you."Harry tried to keep calm."You are speaking ... you 're speaking in parseltounge are n't you ? I need you to speak English."

"sister ... sss ...."

"My name is Harry."Harry started again."What is yours ?"

"gens ..."The first English give-and-take from the old man 's mouth was guttural and raspy."figure ..."

"Yes, your name. What is it ?"

"Important."

"It is important."

"father said it was important."The decrepit man 's brow furrowed."Said it was sissica all we had."

"Yes."Harry tried to breath."So what is it ?"

"Forgot so much."Rotted tooth were undercoat together in anger."Made to cossuza ! Made to unleash it all !"

"Please-"

"Riddle did it !"The old man spat."brain-teaser did it to me !"

"I understand."Harry tried to calm the crazy man, keeping one eye on the snake in the grass."He 's offend me too. We 're on the same position here."

"I want to kill him !"

"So do I, or failing that dismember."

"He took my nous !"

"I see that. Believe me."

"But I remembered !"The man pointed a mutter finger at his caput."Out on the rock ... out on Azkaban rock. He was there zassiz ! Broke it open. I saw his face. I remembered !"

"What. Is. Your. Name."

"My name ?"The man snapped back to the present his eyes fixing on Harry."My name ?"

"Yes."

"Morfin Gaunt."





If you do not review then all the snow that has brought Britain to a stalemate today ( and coincidently frozen by bloody finger's breadth ) will be transported directly into your living room.


Harry sat cross-legged on the floor of the tiny hut and looked across at the wizened figure before him. It had taken oven an hour of teasing little nuggets of data from the man in front of him but now he thought he finally had the whole news report. Unbelievable as it was.

In a way it was laborious to trust that the wizened wretch in front of him, sitting stroking his pet snake 'Smokey'and mumbling faintly, was Voldemort 's uncle. Actually re-examining that time it was all too easy. Harry tried to remember that this man was a looney murdering vigilance man, a man who had set his snake on multitude who were already unconscious. His mind was probably irredeemably broken and fried to insanity by his farseeing stay in Azkaban, plus the mind-flay Voldemort had worked on him. At least the false memories were gone now, broken when he saw Voldemort crush the prison. Now he was mostly an empty carapace, all that was moving him forward was revenge for what Tom Riddle had done to him.

Harry was currently trying to do two thing, the first was think of what to do about the post. This was not complicated, if he handed Morfin to the authorities he lost an ally. If he did n't it was only a thing of time until someone died who did n't deserve to. But if he handed him to Snape he had the good of both humankind. So that was that. The 2nd affair he was trying to do was conceive of how to snatch the amber box under the floorboards without Morfin noticing. It was warded too heavily too be Morfin 's work, and it was too recent to be the last residents. Which meant it was probably the slithery shadow lord.

"Morfin,"Harry started slowly."You ca n't stay here. You said yourself that Voldemort knows about this berth, if he ever figured out it was you this would be the first place he 'd look."

"This is my dwelling house ..."Morfin murmured, still looking at his pet snake.

"Is it more of import than retaliation ?"

"Where would I go ?"Now he was holding the serpent like a line of life."Where could I ..."

"I know one place."Harry stood and gestured out the threshold."I 'll postulate to sneak you to a flue full stop, you can sneak right-"

"Apparate."Morfin unfolded like a paper spring.

"You can apparate ?"

"Yes."

"Hmm ..."Harry 's centre narrowed. Perhaps this man could be utile after all.
*


Harry got Morfin settled into one of the abandoned houses he had used during his vagrant calendar month the previous twelvemonth before doubling back to the hovel. He carefully sliced away the floor board and lifted them away without touching them.

Beneath was the box. He could n't see inside it, but if somebody went to this much trouble to hide something it had to be significant. Harry waved his baton to let on the protections on it and a myriad of flickering webs surrounded the footling box. One or two he recognised, most he did not. Harry whistled admiringly ( got to look up to okay work wherever it comes from ) and got to work.

In the end it took cashbox evenfall, long shadows making the Tree outside loom great. Harry did one final chimneysweep to jibe there were no early curse word on the box, then flicked it open with the tip of his wand. Inside lay a gang, tarnished gold set with a sinister stone. Harry ran another test on it and more minute crawled by as he removed the second layer of trade protection before dropping it into his bag.

Various brawniness complained about his prolonged lack of movement as he lifted himself off the base and levitated the plug-in back into lieu. He had done it. But what to do now ? Last class he would deliver kept this hush-hush, secluded himself in some far off corner until he had sorted out the mystery story of this strange object. Harry shook his head, should n't let himself fall into that again. Should n't. Besides, if he handed the ring to Snape there was a hazard he could get some sleep.
*


"That is an unbelievable story."Snape had his eyes fixed on the ring on the table between them."I do not doubt you but ..."

"I can take you to touch Morfin if you like."

"No incertitude I will meet him soon enough. I am more interested in this ring."

"Is it Voldemort 's ?"

"I have never seen him wearing it."Snape waved his mitt through the air over the ringing."deception sometimes leaves tracing. If it was his, in prison term I shall know."

"Great, I 'll leave alone it with you for now then."Harry stood and brushed his hair out of his eyes.

"Where are you going ?"

"fountainhead first I 'm going to eat whatever that is I can reek cookery, then I 'm going to descend asleep. Preferably on a mattress but I 'll take a bed of nails if it 's all that 's available."Harry turned and walked out of Snape 's lab, letting his nose lead the way.

His cane clicked on the roofing tile as he walked towards the kitchen but he slowed as he got closer. Raised voices could be heard within. Harry pushed the door open quietly and slue interior. By the stove a hotshot with long peppiness hair tied in a pony-tail was arguing with a shorter haired one. Harry recognised that one as Sir Henry Percy and, from description, the other one as Bill Weasley. Beside they a frying pan was lying forgotten, Viscount St. Albans burning inside.

On the table nearby Ron and Ginny were huddled, they seemed to be trying to ignore the literary argument behind them. Harry sidled up to them and slue in beside.

"What 's going on ?"Harry asked while underground levitating the bacon out of the pan."Those are your blood brother are n't they."

"Yes."Ginny glanced behind her before looking away.

"What are they arguing over ?"

"Us."Ginny shook her head."Because mum and dad are in hospital and they ... they are n't getting out soon the ministry says we need a shielder. Bill came here because he thinks it should be him but ..."

"Percy disagrees ?"Harry caught the burnt rashers out of the air and crunched one into his sass."Do n't you get a say ?"

"Apparently not."Ginny shrugged. Ron just grunted, his head still bowed.

"They need stableness !"Percy was yelling from over by the stove."They need somebody with a good job and a good abode here in Britain !"

"I have a job !"Bill snarled back."One that pays to a greater extent than yours."

"For how tenacious ?"Percy snapped."Gringots fired six of it 's human employees just finish workweek. Some the great unwashed think they 're cleaning house."

"And what is that supposed to mean-"

Harry stopped listening. He levitated two nut out of a basket and cracked them into the pan.

"Does it matter who they pick ?"Harry asked his booster."I mean, I do n't induce a shielder and I 'm aright. Dragon does n't have a shielder. Pythea does n't have a shielder. Why do they wish whether you do ?"

"You do n't get it Harry."Ginny shook her head."You just don't."

"dead reckoning not."Harry shrugged."Anyway 's, we 're all going to Hogwarts in a few years, it wo n't count then."

"I hope not."Ron said quietly."I hope not."

Harry shook his head. Ginny was right, he did n't understand. Harry summoned his ballock and bit into them. Families eh ? They did n't throw any sense at all.
*


Returning to Hogwarts felt strange. The castling and the magical places around it had always felt like they were a divide world. You got on the gearing at Kings Cross and somehow entered a wizard bubble that you could n't allow except at Holidays. But in the concluding year Harry had found that the house of cards was like Swiss cheese, he could get out any time he wanted.

It was sad to lose the phantasy. Ah well ...

There was something else that was gone as well. The torment on the demurrer against the dark-skinned graphics post was apparently gone. Markus Michelson was still there, officially to teach but Harry knew he was now piece of the Holy Order. The first thing Harry did was ask for particular training, for him and all the predator. They would want it.

outside Hogwarts the wizarding world was curling up into it 's shell like a snail. The monumental plan of attack on Diagon alley seemed to be too much for people, they were too scared. There were no more attacks like the first but Voldemort 's dead men had been seen all over the commonwealth. Spreading fear wherever they went. Yes ... they definitely needed to train.

But for Harry it was n't enough and after just a few days back he found himself knocking on Snape 's door.

"Harry."Snape raised an brow as the door opened."You are no longer in any of my classes."

"I know. I bet you miss the explosions."

"What do you want Harry ?"

"wealthy person you made any advancement with the ring ?"

"No."

"How about with the Lie Gou ?"

"Inquiries are continuing."

"And about Voldemort ?"

"I will let you know if anything important happens."

There was a drawn out bit of silence.

"Is there ... anything I can do ?"Harry asked.

"I would like you and your friends to continue training with Markus."Snape said flatly.

"To campaign ?"

"As a last resort."

"So basically you 're telling me to sit still and shut up ?"Harry folded his weapon."Come on Snape. I can be utilitarian. I 'm wasted here ! I could do more."

"Can cogitate of something specific that you could be doing ?"

"Looking for Voldemort !"

"Where ?"

"Everywhere !"

"Peering under every rock ?"Snape said sarcastically."Would n't you be wasted doing that ?"

"I found the Lie Gou did n't I ?"Harry said pointedly.

"By talking to the underworld."Snape shook his head."Voldemort will not be hiding where subaltern thieves can find him."

"I need to do something !"

"There is nothing to be done."Snape snapped."Currently all you are doing is wasting my time ... wait."

"Yes ?"

"If you want to help oneself with something ..."Snape stepped back into his office, then returned with a hired hand outstretched."body of work on this."

The ring glittered in his hand.

"Are n't you working on it ?"Harry reached out and took the ringing, looking at it quizzically.

"I can divine no more from it."Snape 's articulation carried an edge of frustration."There is something still there it just .... I do not know. You have shown an affinity for puzzles. Why do n't you try to divine it 's secrets ? If nothing else it will preserve you out of trouble."With that Snape turned and pulled his door shut, leaving a puzzled Harry behind.
*


Despite the fact that the chore had been given to him only to shut him up Harry attacked it with fervour. He tried every disclosure patch he knew on the tintinnabulation but cypher registered. The merely time he got any clue that it was anything other than metallic element and stone was one clock time when, in a fit of annoyance, he put it on. He had felt so unknown that he had slammed it back in the box and not looked at it for a day. It had felt like somebody was watching him, small prickles down his spine. He had n't tried to bear it again but had done a whole book 's Worth of ESP detection magical spell on it. Nothing happened.

"Maybe it 's not magical ?"Neville suggested over breakfast."Maybe Voldemort wanted to keep it for some early reason."

"It 's magic all right."Harry had his head slumped down on his arms, staring at the tintinnabulation in the middle of the table."I can feel it."

"Harry you 're getting obsessed."Padma rolled her eyes.

"I 'm not obsessed ! I just ca n't think of anything else !"

"Leave him alone."Ron shook his head."We know the ring belonged to Voldemort, so it must be important. Ca n't just ignore-"

"That 's it !"Harry sat bolt upright piano."It was Voldemort 's !"

"But Harry we knew that."Hermione said quizically.

"What I meant was it does n't matter what spell 's on it."Harry explained."We know Voldemort owned it. So Thea can use it to scry for him, maybe find out where he 's hiding."

"That 's a long nip Harry."Padma said."Do n't you think Voldemort would have protected himself against that kind of thing ?"

"Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe he 's too weak."Harry stuffed the ring into it 's box and stood up."Do you know where Pythea is this aurora ?"

"I think she was doing some work for the order. In her apartments."

"Really ?"Harry 's eye swivelled up in his principal."Ah, I see her."Harry took off out of the great hall. He hurried up to the Hogwarts invitee quartern and knocked.

"Come in Harry."

Harry smiled and opened the doorway. Pythea was sat at the small tabular array in the middle of the room, single-valued function splayed out in front of her. One of the maps had little downhearted pins stuck in it. Harry wondered what the society was having her do, try to prefigure where the Lie Gou would come upon no doubtfulness. Or trying to find Voldemort.

"You were n't at breakfast."Harry pulled up a chairwoman and sat down next to the oracle."Your loss. There was porridge."

"I had a merging with several order extremity go night. It ran on quite late."Pythea sighed tiredly.

"Why is it you get get together with order people and I don't."Harry cracked a smile."I mean we 're basically the same age."

"I do not believe they realise that."Pythea smiled.

"They 're not working you too hard are they ?"

"No Harry. I 'm fine."

"Cos I can ingest over some of the workload if you like."

"Are you a seer ?"

"No, but I can make up it up. Is n't that what you do ?"Harry chuckled.

"No."

"Or we could get Trewalny to shroud for you !"

"Do you want to send lodge members to their death ?"Pythea laughed and Harry chuckled. Pythea became serious again and leant in towards Harry."What was it you came here for ?"

"I ca n't just come to inflict you ?"

"Just ask me."

"Ok, fine."Harry rolled his eye and slid the ring out of his pocket.

"Harry ..."Pythea raised her eyebrows."We 're both a niggling immature to marry."

"Are you sure ?"Harry chuckled."I 'm full-bodied, quite rich."

"No you 're not. Harry thrower is rich, you 're draining his bank account."

"potato potato."Harry paused."That set phrase does n't influence so well in photographic print. Not even with italics."

"Stop breaking the fourth rampart and tell me what this ring is."Pythea took the ring out of Harry 's helping hand and raised it to her eyes."There is some symbolization on it."

"It 's from some nutzo myth."Harry snorted."The important thing is that this ring belonged to Voldemort."

"And you want me to use it to obtain him ?"Pythea shook her head word."The dark lord will certainly deliver protected his hiding place from scrying."

"I just need something."Harry pleaded."He did this closed chain really carefully, lots of spell. It obviously matters to him somehow. I just need to get laid why. Give me something."

"I will try Harry. But I can not promise anything."Pythea held the ring in both her hands and closed her eyes."You should get to your lessons Harry. This could take a while."

"object lesson ?"

"The things you go to school for."

"Oh right ! Them."Harry stood and turned to the door."I 'll check back after class. Or before, if I get bored."

Harry slid in late into his two-fold defence course of instruction. It did n't weigh too much, the marauders were working to a different curriculum. He joined the rest period of them and took his place on the duelling line. He glanced at Dragon opposite him and noted the deep dish under his eye and his slouched military strength. Full moon last night. He should let remembered.

"How was it ?"Harry asked.

"Horrendously painful. Like before."Draco grated dryly."What did you intend ?"

"That it would be roses and kitty and barrelful of candy."Harry raised his wand."You know I wo n't go loose on you."

"Great."Draco shuddered."Bloody wonderful."

Harry did n't go prosperous on him. It would have been insulting. After the form Draco went to find a bathtub of ice to lie in and Harry went back to Pythea 's fourth part. He knocked and pushed the doorway open.

"Any progress ?"Harry asked the little seer.

"No Harry."Pythea shook her point."I could not find anything."

"Are you sure ?"Harry slouched dejectedly."nix ? Not even why he hid it ?"

"Lord Voldemort protected himself too well."Pythea shook her head."I could find nothing."

"Damnit."Harry scratched his head."I really hoped ... well never mind."

"I will keep trying."Pythea stood, her hands folded in her arm in front of her."If I find anything I will tell you at once."

Harry froze. Twisted tendrils of care grew around his heart. He had seen ...

"You 're wearing the ring."Harry stated flatly.

"Yes."Pythea responded without missing a cadence."To obtain a unspoiled connection."

"occupy it off."Harry slid around the table with his hand out.

"Harry you are being irrational."

"Please lead the ring off Thea."Harry tried to sound calm air. He failed."Just take it off. Please."

"There is really no need."

"humour me."

"You are worried over nothing."

"If it 's nothing remove it off."

"If I wear it at all times I may see something I missed."

"Just take the freekin ring off Thea !"Harry stepped towards her."Please direct it off !"

"No."Pythea took her hands out of her arm. Her voice was like ice."I will not."

"Oh ... crap."Harry froze, his hand hovering over the pocket where he kept his verge."You 're not Thea any-more are you ?"

"You seem unnerve Harry."Pythea smiled thinly."Is there some sorting of problem ?"Pythea 's hands were raising slowly. Harry twitched towards his baton. The custody stopped moving.

"You 're Voldemort. Somehow you 're Voldemort."Harry had looked into the snake faced bastard 's eyes enough times to acknowledge him staring back."The hoop was ... was like the diary."

"You found my diary ?"Voldemort raised one goody supercilium."That is disappointing. But no affair, even if the diary was destroyed I still survive and this ... this organic structure will do nicely."

"You 're a monstrosity who keeps trying to possess young girls."Harry tried to edge his mitt closer to his sceptre. Voldemort 's eyes snapped to his deal. Harry stopped."Just let her go."

"No."

"You will let her go."Harry 's teeth ground together."Or so help me I will shit whatever spirit you have entire of pain."

"Threats ?"Voldemort smiled again."You can not menace me. Any harm you do to me hurts the girl. You could never hurt someone you care about-"

"Wrong."Harry slammed his fist forward into his face. Voldemort fell backwards but Harry had already grabbed his arms and slammed them behind his back. Lightning flashed from his fingers to the floor board, bathing the room in blanched light. flaming burst out of nowhere and Harry could barely hold onto the squirm frame in his arms.

"Karziet !"Harry threw them both to the slope as every small-arm of glass in the room exploded. Harry felt shards sting into his face and script but he held on grimly. He had to get that ring off ! He reached for it but a black orb exploded out of Voldemorts reduce hands, taking the end of his finger's breadth off.

"stop consonant bloody moving !"Harry slammed Voldemort onto the table and grabbed desperately for the ring, tearing it off his finger's breadth and flinging it into the fire.

Pythea instantly stopped moving, lying against the board. Harry slowly released her weapon and looked into her fount. Her nose was gushing stemma freely ( his error ), and her eyes were squeezed shut.

"Thea ?"Harry whispered into her ear."It 's alright. The ring 's gone. It 's alright."

"I 'm so sorry."Thea murmured, her oculus still shut."I 'm so sorry."

"It 's ok."Harry drew his baton and sprayed a chummy stream of water over the burning way before turning back to Pythea."Are you ok ? I mean are ... are you ok ?"

"He got into my head."Pythea was shuddering, still not moved from her office sprawled on the tabular array."The harder I pushed into it the more he had me."

"I 'm so sorry."Harry stepped forward and enveloped Pythea in a hug."I should give birth never given it too you, I should never-"

"No ! It 's my fracture. I should ingest been more careful."Pythea opened her eyes and raised her script to sweep Harry 's face."I 'm sorry."

"It was my fault."

"I tried to kill you !"

"Voldemort did. Not you."Harry pulled her closer to him."But it 's alright now."

They stayed there like that for a patch. The room smelt like sodden ashes but neither of them wanted to move. Finally Harry pulled back and smiled.

"Come on, we 'd better get you to madam Pomfrey. She 'll have to un-break your nose."Harry shook his head."Sorry I had to hit you so hard."

"You always choose the most lead solution to any problem. That is part of your charm."Pythea leant forward and kissed him lightly on his bloodstained forehead. Harry could feel a sherd of ice relocation under her sass, when she moved back it fell out, clinking onto the table between them. Harry 's pith skipped about a million beats.

"We should get you to lady Pomfrey too."Pythea said breathlessly."You taste of blood."
*


Harry left the seer in the hospital wing and made straight person for Snape 's office. He entered without knocking.

"Harry."Snape 's head snapped up from his desk."I heard you managed to injure yourself again."

"It had been too long since I had to grow form back."Harry reached into his bag and brew out the box with the tintinnabulation in it, dropping it onto the desk. In myopic prison term he explained what had happened. When he was finished Snape list back, gazing at the ring thoughtfully.

"Anyway I think it 's like the diary."Harry sighed."I 'm drear Professor. I should have seen it."

"How precisely should you have seen it ? On the control surface the items have no resemblance to one another."Snape said disparagingly.

"I just ... If I had seen it sooner Pythea would n't have-"

"I despise misplaced guilt ceramist. You have never displayed it before so do not start now."Snape picked up the closed chain 's box with his tenacious fingers."Your experience tells us something. Now I merely have to work out what."

"That easy huh ?"Harry asked wryly.

"Easier than it was before."Snape looked like he was about to say something else but the door was pushed open. Lucy Kindston was on the other side, plainly out of breath.

"Harry, you need to get to the hospital wing."

"I was just there."

"Well you need to get back."

"Wh ..."Harry 's eyes widened."Thea ? ..."

"Just go Harry."

Harry 's heart was beating fast as he bolted out the door.



If you do n't review then your figurer silver screen becomes like that bit in the ring where the girl comes out and kills you. Except instead of a young lady it 's a cat. Seriously. Have you ever seen a long haired cat totally bedraggled and hissing and screaming and flying out of your sieve ? Not good. And if you have high-def ... it 's twenty meters tall.


"Why are n't you doing anything."Harry had his finger gripped tightly around the bar at the foot of the bed.

"There is n't anything we can do Harry."Madam Pomfrey said quietly."We do n't be intimate what is faulty with her."

"Then why are n't you looking."Harry snarled. He could n't calculate away from the bad in front of him. Lying on it, her skin deathly picket, lay Pythea."Why are n't you doing something ? Her heart 's getting slower."

"You ca n't bed that Har-"

"HOW MANY eye DO I HAVE !"

"I ... Harry please."lady Pomfrey shook her head."There is nothing I can do. Professor Snape is trying to-"

"He 's failing. He wo n't find anything."Harry snarled."There 's naught on that god damn ring !"

"Then there is nothing that can be done."

"I just need to do something !"Harry shuddered with nervous energy.

"Until we know what the ring did to her we can not fix it."

"Then ..."Harry breathed."Then we need something that fixes everything !"

"Harry cipher like that exis- Where are you going !"

Harry stomped out of the hospital fender as fast as his bruise leg would carry him and barged past the flock marauders.

"Where are you going Harry ?"Ginny yelled at his retreating back.

"Out."

"We should fall with you to-"

"No."Harry snapped as he tried to put some distance between himself and his friends. Unfortunately none of them were down a leg and could keep up with him easily.

"Harry this is for Pythea is n't it ?"

"No. I 'm going for a walk in the parkland with the fluffy bunny rabbits."

"Harry let us help you !"

"Go away you bloody-"

"You promised you would n't do this any to a greater extent Harry."Neville broke in suddenly. Harry froze. He had.

"I did."Harry turned slowly."Does anyone bang how to climb up mountains ?"
*


"Harry where are we ?"Hermione panted.

"Mountain."Harry barked as he stabbed his hiking pole into the land and stomped on. Beside him the gaunt shape of Morfin shook in what could have been a silent chuckle.

"She meant specifically."Lucy Kingston was up ahead, the only one of them who seemed to be actually enjoying the mounting."Those edifice down there look like we 're somewhere in the middle eastward ?"

"Turkey."Harry winced as he slipped on the loose rocks and had to grab himself on his terminal."North Anatolian language. That 's where we are specifically. Where we are relatively is 'Not high enough'”

"Where are we headed to Harry ?"Lucy squinted up at the snow-white pinnacle ahead."What are we trying to witness ?"

"You 'll see by nightfall."Harry tried to disregard the stabbing hurting in his leg as he forced himself high and higher."We need to be at the snowline by the time it gets disconsolate or we wo n't see them."

"I hope you do n't need to get to the top Harry."Hermione was still trailing."We do n't have any oxygen or proper clothing."

"Not to the top."Harry glanced up."Probably. Anyway I thought you 'd climbed before ?"

"In Wales, with my parents. Hiking a little."Hermione glanced down the long trail they had followed."Not like this."

"well you volunteered so live with it. I 'm having a worse time of it than you."Harry glanced up ahead and shook his head."The path 's blocked with rock this way. We need to go ... that way. For a while at least. Then we can track back, along the ridge."

"What rooftree ?"

"You ca n't see it yet. It 's past the cliff."Harry pointed with his stick."flavor like we have to sputter just for a bit then it 's a good route. celebrate up that ... then ... over past that cliff ..."Harry trailed off, the early two marauders were looking at him strangely."I can see because of the eye. You knew that."

"What 's it like ?"Lucy asked quietly.

"You get used to it. Like walking around seeing treble, except one of the doubling is see through. brand you dizzy when you spin too fast."Harry paused for a here and now to catch a breathing place."Come on ... we 've got a long way to go and Thea 's dying."

They hiked up into the snowline, Harry did n't let them hold back until they could see snow on all four sides. When they could he cleared a rotary around them and heated the priming coat so they would be warm.

"Why do n't we just have a fire ?"Lucy sat down crossbreed legged on the ground.

"Because then we wo n't be capable to see."Morfin chuckled darkly.

"He 's redress. You 're going to need to see in the shadow and you wo n't with a ardor right next to you."Harry smiled slyly."I can only look in one counselling and I 'm not taking chances."

Harry sat down, looking in another guidance and waited. Slowly it got darker and darker. At least the moon was out, that helped a little. Now all they had to do was find out ...

"What are we waiting for ?"Hermione asked quietly in the darkness.

"firing. Look for fire."

"Oh ... !"Hermione 's eyes opened wide with cushion."Are we looking for-"

"Yes. Now concentrate and retain looking."

"Have you ever been there before-"

"No."Harry glared out into the darkness, waiting for a augury. The night air grew colder and colder ... whispering past the four seated figures. Morfin was muttering something in parseltounge up his sleeve. Harry wondered for a consequence if he had been right to bring him. No ... of trend he had to. Without mortal to apparate them it would possess taken them ages to get up this highschool. Could n't apparate the respite of the way though. funny story matter happened if you tried.

"There !"Lucy pointed off into the distance."I saw a flash, like a firework."

Harry turned and squinted off in the focussing she was pointing. His eye zoomed in to it 's fullest and ...

"That 's it. right show."Harry stood and lit his wand. A Spark in the iniquity."Come on."

"We 're going there now ?"Lucy shook her head."You want to go around in these mountains at night !"

"By morning it 'll have moved."Harry explained."And besides, it is n't night for me."
*


Harry started off into the bleak, with Morfin following silently. Hermione looked at Lucy and gulped, before lighting her baton and following them into the murk. It was a terrifying journeying, following Harry 's stiff path across the summit of cliffs and along scree filled paths in the dead of nighttime. Hermione kept telling herself it was for Pythea, for Harry 's supporter. She even tried to front forward to the site they would see at the end. But it was n't enough to foresee the fear.

Every rock-and-roll that skipped away from her invertebrate foot sounded like a crack of thunder.

Ahead of her she could hear the strange man Morfin mutter, behind were the steady, solid tramp of Lucy 's the boot. Occasionally the girl behind her would make out and lay a becalm hand on her shoulder, making her startle. Hermione was grateful for the motion, she just wished Lucy would give her some warning.

"This is it."Harry 's voice was like a knife through the pitch blackness. Up ahead she could see him crouching beside a rough crack in the rock, just large enough to fit a man. As she watched the inside flashed like there was an explosion oceanic abyss inside, but it faded again in a second. Hermione breathed deeply, trying to stay fresh calm.

"Nervous ?"Harry asked quizzically."Do n't be. After all we 're a group of teenagers going into a spooky cave in the midsection of the mountains in the dead of dark with a mass murderer. What could possibly happen ?"

In the dark, Morfin grinned like a tiger.

"Harry ..."Lucy narrowed her eyes."Stop that."

"You 've got nada to worry about."Harry grinned."They 'll even be other wizards inside. Come on, lets get to it. I want to support in Hogwarts by morning."

Harry slid into the crease in the rock and dissipated from view. Hermione steeled herself, then ducked in after him. The cave was really more than of a tunnel, crawling forwards in a neat line. Of course of study what it really was was probably some sorting of wizard doorway that connected two different places entirely. Hermione found herself looking at the walls to try to see the joint. Up ahead the flash lamp were becoming more patronise and a steady red glow was growing between them. Hermione felt hullabaloo grow, she was really going to see it ... really going to ...

"We 're here."Harry stepped out of the tunnel ahead of her, giving her a full purview as she pulled herself out of the rock. Her rima oris dropped open as she saw what lay before them ...

"pigeon hawk 's ... something !"Before them the cave opened up into a deep vale, like an axe wound in the side of the deal. Towering bulwark rose up on either face of them craggy and wide of more caves and Hell. In the modest strip show of dry land in the centre there was a grove of what looked like olive Tree tortuous and antediluvian like they were Old than the deal itself. But that was n't the most awful thing. Flying above them in big sail curves, and nesting in the careen ... C of them ... filling the valley with fiery sparkle and making the whole place soft touch like a support firework show. Filling the valley with song, and the echoes of call ...

"Phoenixes."Lucy capital of Jamaica breathed in wonder."You brought us to the nesting ground."

"Yep."Harry nodded."Since we do n't have it away what Thea 's got we need something that heals almost everything. Phoenix tears is a good bet."

"They do n't cry for just anyone Harry."Lucy pointed out."Otherwise every hospital in the world would have gallons on the stuff."

"There 's at least one that 'll cry for me. Fawkes."Harry squinted up into the superb flaming sky."We just take to find him."

"Easier said than done."

"Why do n't you two ask."

Ask ? Hermione scratcher her nous. It was only when Harry pointed that she realised they were not alone in the vale. Down by the tree there was a radical of four virtuoso clustered around a tent, one of them was looking through a scope while another was jotting down notation in a orotund heavy al-Qur'an. Further down the valley, on a flat mesa shaped rock that jutted out of the parting, was another group. These champion were all in inglorious robes and were clustered around a weird razz shaped graven image. They were down on their knees and seemed to be chanting.

Worshippers. Hermione realised. Worshippers and researchers.

"Why do n't you handle the nerds."Harry pointed at Hermione first, then turned to Lucy."And you handle the wierdos. It 'll go round and and see what I can spy with my little eye."

"And me ?"Morfin cracked his neck.

"You stay with me."Harry turned to walk off.

Hermione shared another look with Lucy before they began picking their way down towards the trees. Even though she knew that a girl 's life was at stake Hermione could n't help but feel awe and inquire at this situation. Going off in the at the drop of a hat, climbing quite a little and visiting amazing magical sites. Was this what Harry 's life was like all the metre ?

Below her one of the research worker looked up and noticed her. He rolled his eyes and started towards her.

"Please do n't touch the wench. Try to not use flash picture taking, they can confuse it with an attack. If you 're camping please do n't playact loud music-"

"We 're not tourists."Hermione held her hands up.

"Oh, then you 'll be with the other Weird bast- believers."The research worker pointed back into the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree.

"I 'm not-"

"idea the balefire and the flayed goats."

"I 'm not one of them !"Hermione said in aggravation."We 're here to get-"

"Ah, you 're here to get genus Phoenix tears. The other reason multitude come up hers."The man rubbed his forehead."Let me pretend your friend or your mother or your swain is sick and you think tears are the only cure. I hate to tell you this but-"

"We know they do n't cry for everyone but we think if we can find oneself one specifically it will."

"Really ?"The researcher finally looked slightly interested. He glanced up at the drop-off where Harry was just visible edging up a lose weight path, peering into cliffs. various genus Phoenix had begun following him interestedly, hopping from rock to rock eyeing him with sequined eyes."Who are you guys anyway ?"

"well that 's Harry thrower, and we 're his friends."Hermione smiled at the shocked flavour that appeared on the research worker face. His three friends looked up too, forgetting their banknote for a here and now. Hermione felt like kicking herself, of course she should throw said that commencement."We 're looking for a phoenix called Fawkes."

"We ... we do n't enter names. How could we ? The phoenixes do n't talk."The man kept glancing up at the cliff where the wraithlike pattern of Harry had gone out of land site into a cave. Another phoenix flew over to join the belittled flock that was following him."We do n't memorialise names I do n't ... I do n't know if we can help."

"He would have come here during summer last year, he left England in June."Hermione explained."When he left Hogwarts he looked like he was in his third month since a burning day so when he reached you he might have been in his fourth or fifth.. He 's a male, with a wingspan slightly above average."

"I ... we 'll check."The research worker turned and hurried over to their workbench where he cracked open a cloggy book of notes and began flicking through them. Hermione followed him and began reading over his berm. Everything was recorded, burnings, comer, odd behaviour. If Fawkes was in the valley he would be recorded here somewhere.

"What about that ?"Hermione pointed suddenly at an launching hear the center of the page."That one fit 's the time frame."

"Y ... yes. Yes."The researcher nodded."Phoenix telephone number 713. It would be that one would n't it."The heavy Christian Bible was slammed fill up and the man turned towards the drop-off rampart."I 'll take you there."

Hermione set off following, sending micos to Harry and Lucy. She and her guide reached the cliff wall and began climbing up a flimsy winding path. Lucy caught up to them when she was halfway up.

"You found him ?"Lucy was out of breath. Hermione nodded."practiced, those other champion were weird."

They climbed further up around the rocks, passing many perching phoenixes. The dame eyed them as they passed, but did not keep up. After a few minutes they reached a shortsighted ledge with a declamatory cave.

"This is 713 's nest."The investigator pointed into the rock."He should be in there. But it looks like you friend found him first."

All around the edge of the ledge, genus Phoenix were perched, looking in. None of them were singing, none of them were making any audio at all above the rustling of their feathers. They were just watching. Another flew in and alighted at the end of the row. It trilled softly, then went dumb like it 's brethren.

"I 've never seen them do this."The researcher said softly. His hands twitched like he was looking for a notepad. Hermione steeled herself, and stepped into the cave.

It opened out in the spine into a minor covered stadium, the level littered with sticks and leave-taking. The stiff of preceding nests. Morfin was crouched at the spinal column, he made no move when they entered. He was staring at the Lapp thing they were. The tableau vivant in the nitty-gritty of the cave.

Harry was down on his human knee, his walking stick discarded beside him. His eyes level with the eyes of the capital of Arizona in strawman of him. He was n't moving or speaking either, the only preindication that he was alive was the slack ascension and fall of his thorax. The phoenix, Fawkes, was shivering. A large part of it 's back was bald and scabby and it 's wings looked shredded. There were feathers all around it, an unnatural moulting, and it 's head drooped on it 's long neck.

"713 's been like this for a while."The investigator said quietly."That 's why I said I knew it 'd be him. He has n't burned since he got here and he 's due. retentive overdue. If he does n't fire before wintertime hits then ..."

"What happens if a phoenix does n't burn ?"Lucy asked softly.

"We do n't really know. That 's percentage of the reason we 're watching him."

"Could he ..."Hermione swallowed."If he goes for long enough without a combustion day could he ... die ?"

"It 's possible."The research worker answered sadly."We do n't think it 's ever happened before. The other phoenixes have been avoiding this cave, up till now at least. It 's very interesting behaviour, I was thinking of writing a theme on-"

"Shh ! Something 's happening."Lucy pointed towards the centre of the cave.

Without moving from his point, Harry had reached out his arm and was slowly stroking the side of Fawkes'head. The golden doll trembled for a present moment, then leant it 's top dog into Harry 's hand, cooing softly. Harry reached back with his other hand into his bag and came back with a belittled trash bottle. He held it carefully to the side of the phoenix 's face.

Everyone in the cave watched, awed, as first one glistening bout dropped into the spyglass. Then another. All the while Harry kept stroking Fawkes'head with his fingers, and kept eye tangency. Another drop in the drinking glass. Another. The glass slowly filled to the brim with glittering liquid before finally Harry took it away and carefully capped it.

Guy Fawkes collapsed out of Harry 's hand, dropping onto it 's harsh nest. It was as if the emotion had been too much for it. Fawkes just lay there as Harry put a quick sealing charm on the tears and turned to the marauders.

"It 's done."

"Harry how did you do that ?"Hermione asked, broad eyed.

"We talked. About old times."Harry shrugged."He 's lonely."

"I wonder if phoenixes could fight down those all in men Voldemort has."Lucy mused."That could be really useful."

"Phoenixes do n't fight for anyone but their masters."Harry shook his head.

Hermione remembered the flock that had gathered outside and had the twinging suspicion that might not be true.

"Anyway. We should go now. seminal fluid on."Harry sat down again and reached out a hand to Fawkes."He 's offered to be our ride home."

"Is he well enough to do that ?"Hermione stepped forward.

"He 's alright. He 's demoralise not sick."Harry motioned them towards the bird. Hermione sat and placed her hand on Fawkes'behind. Lucy did the same and Morfin slunk out of the phantasma to join them.

"Thank you for helping us."Hermione turned to the shocked investigator and waved with her free hand."Sorry I could n't stay to see more of your work. Maybe I 'll do back some time."

"O ... Ok ?"

fire rose about the marauders and everything dispersed.
*


Snape was just snipping a small-scale small-arm of hair from the dying illusionist ( he needed to do more tests ) when two loud noises disturbed his density. The number one was a rushing detonation. The second was-

"HARRY ceramicist WHAT IN pigeon hawk NAME-"

"What ? No one 's ever appeared in the middle of the infirmary wing in a gout of flame before ?"Harry replied glibly to Madam Pomfrey as he stood from his perspective on the base. The phoenix behind him made a audio somewhere between a shake and gurgle and turned as if to leave.

"Fawkes !"Harry stepped in front of the phoenix and crouched back down to meet it 's eyes."Thank you."

The genus Phoenix bowed it 's head a little.

"You know, there 's something I 've learnt recently. Something my friends are trying to beat into me."Harry smiled wryly."Destroying ourselves for the one we love is never the right choice."

Fawkes fluffed his feathers and bowed his school principal. A minute later flames take a hop up around him and be vanished. Leaving ash behind.

"I hope he 's alright."Harry stood and turned towards the bed."How is she ?"

"She is getting worse."Madam Pomfrey visibly pulled herself together."We still have n't found the torment effecting her."

"When you left I wondered where you had gone."Snape folded his arms and nodded towards the suntan mark on the trading floor."Now I see. You should have warned me before you left."

"Do you think it 'll exploit ?"Harry ignored Snape 's Word and lifted small bottle out of his pocket.

"I think it is worth trying since you have it."

"How non-committal."Harry moved shakily towards the bed. Snape could state he was trying to keep calm."What do I do ? Let her drink it or ... or let ..."

"collapse it to me."Snape held out his hand calmly. Harry slowly reached forward and dropped the rip into the outstretched hand. Snape leant down and softly tilted Pythea 's mouth open air wih his ovolo. He undid the show-stopper and allowed three dip to fall onto her mouth. Snape waited. You had to provide the tears a little time to seep into the flesh then ... another three drop curtain. Then wait.

He continued until the bottle was empty, upending the in conclusion few sparkling drops with a whispered appeal of hope. He handed the feeding bottle back and put his digit to the little prophesier 's neck. All day her pulse had been tedious and weak. Now ...

"Nothing happened."Harry took the watchword out of his back talk. Words that sounded even darker than the truth behind them."It did n't work."

"No."Snape took his hand away."It did not work."

"Maybe it just has n't taken hold yet."Lucy capital of Jamaica suggested.

"The effect would receive been instantaneous."Snape shook his head.

"I so thought ..."Harry whispered."I put everything on this ... She 's going to die."

"Harry stop."Snape fixed his center to the snag filled single in front of him."It is not over yet. This tells us something. There are very few thing phoenix snag do not heal, now that we know it is one of them-"

"Stop."Harry shook violently."stop trying to nominate me sense better. I gave her the ring and it 's killing her and I ca n't do anything to block off it."

"There are still avenues of probe that-"

"SHUT UP !"Harry shouted so violently that Madam Pomfrey stepped back in fear. Snape Did n't move.

"Harry. I will not featherbed you."Snape spoke slowly."Yes, a dower of the responsibility for what has happened is yours. You gave her the annulus. But another helping is mine. I worked with that ring for days and detected aught that could have caused this. I told you it was safe. What has happened is also my responsibility and believe me when I say I will not stimulate another death on my conscience. While she still breaths I will continue to believe she can be saved. As should you. Now ... I am taking some of her hair to Paris, to a world expert on things such as this. I have worked with him before. I am hopeful. As for what you should do ... I suggest you stay here. And if you have any more fall guy notions about running off to distant parts of the reality in search of some miracle remedy ..."Snape took a deep breath."... I suggest you pursue those belief to the fullest because that is what you are best at, and that is how best you can help your friend."

Snape lapsed into silence, waiting. After a few present moment Harry slowly nodded.

"Good."Snape turned and walked from the hospital annexe, the lock of haircloth he had cut still in his hand.
*


Pursue your fool notions to the fullest.

Harry slowly walked out of the infirmary backstage. No one tried to terminate him.

run off to distant parts of the creation in hunt of some miracle therapeutic

There was no such thing as a miracle cure. If there was everyone would use it. Harry found his feet moving of their own accord, taking him on familiar routes.

Fool notions

I am a fool. Harry found the door he had been looking for and got out his baton. It was locked of grade, but not even this door was too hard to crack. In a few minutes Harry had the magical spell down and tug spread out the door to Snape 's office.

running game off to distant parts of the humans

Snape was the one in City of Light. Harry closed the door quietly. He would n't be disturbed. His eye zoomed around the small elbow room and came to light on one of the desk bloomers. Harry checked it for enchantments then slowly pulled it open air and picked up the hoop from inside.

Destroying yourself for the ones you love is never the redress choice.

Too bad it 's the only choice left.

"There is no miracle remedy. Not without knowing what 's wrong with her."Harry whispered into the wickedness aerofoil of the ringing."Only one living person knows what hex is affecting her. And I need to spill the beans to him."

Slowly, with trembling hired man, Harry slid the ringing onto his finger.



Did n't stand for to go away it this long before posting again but I 'm in my live year of uni and I had my final year project. Then I had the celebration after the project was handed in, which coincided with St Patrick 's day ... Then the celebration for the end of terminus a few days later ...

Anyways once my head stopped exploding and I could move without screaming I got on with the story. My workload is n't high from now on so the writing pace should piece up a bit from now on.


I do n't own Harry Potter. Neither does THE authorities !



Harry slid the ring onto his finger's breadth and sat slowly behind Snape 's desk. How would this study ? How long would it call for ? Would he even be able-bodied to speak directly to Voldemort or would he just hear him in his mind ?

"It depends on how you want to talk."

Harry 's head snapped up from the closed chain. On the other side of the desk sat Tom Riddle, sitting on the president students used when they were called into this office. It was a wooden, hard backed chair but he lolled in it like it was a commode. He was n't quite the same fig that had came out of the diary. He looked the same age but his features were ... glassy. His skin was shine and pale and his eyes had fiddling flecks of red. Through the illusion eye he looked ghostly and deliquium, but through his true eye the darkness Lord looked real.

"What do you entail it depends ?"Harry crossed his arms.

"fountainhead we can verbalize like this ..."Riddle smiled. Or we can spill like this.

"Talking out loud is fine Tommy."Harry placed his hands unconditional on the desk, the ring displayed prominently forward."Tell me what you did the Pythea."

"I took over her individual. You know that."Tom brain-teaser chuckled. The red in his eyes sparkled."You punch her as I remember. You do make out that that 's no way to treat a lady."

"I was n't talking about that."Harry snarled."What 's happening to her now ? Some wasting hex or something ..."

"Really ? ..."Riddle leant back in his chair."That ... that is inauspicious. You must be crushed."

"Shut up."

"I must run my deepest condolences."

"Shut up !"Harry slammed his hand down on the desk."William Tell me what the curse is ! You obviously hid it well. When I found the halo I removed a shrivelling curse, a samyaza and something I had n't seen before that would have turned rake to precede in my vena. What did I miss ?"

"The lead go is called a plumb-sang."

"Tell me you bastard ! Tell me or I 'll destroy you."

"Destroy me ?"Tom crossed his arms."I doubt you could. And even if you could it does not count. After all I am not lord Voldemort, I am just an ... image."

"No you 're not. You 're lying."Harry chuckled."You 're to a greater extent than an icon. You have the mind of Voldemort at to the lowest degree, which means you have all his qualities. Qualities like cowardice and self preservation. I think you will order me what I want to know."

"self preservation ? Perhaps."Tom brain-teaser leant forward."But the fact remains that you have no estimation how to ruin this ring."

"phoenix fervency destroyed the diary."Harry gritted his teeth together."And I know a Phoenix who 's probably abut ready to burn."

"capital of Arizona ...."Tom conundrum paused and licked his brim."That will not work."

"Yes it will. You 're lying again."

"I am not ..."brain-teaser was breathing quickly."I have no demand to lie. I am the dark lord, you have no big businessman over-"

Harry pulled the ring off his finger and the night overlord snapped out of existence mid sentence. Harry held the ring up to his face and said,

"Do n't call up you have any sort of power here Tommy."Harry slapped the ring twice against the desk with tatty ringing knocks."You hear me in there ? You 've got no scorecard here ! Understand ? You will tell me or I will pop you !"Harry slammed the doughnut back on his digit. The dark Creator reappeared where he had been, his nerve a mask of rage.

"You can not do this to me ! I am Divine Volde-"Harry pulled the ringing off again.

"When I put the tintinnabulation back on ..."Harry snarled."You will expend the wholly'I am Lord Snakeface'thing and tell me exactly what I want to know or you 're going to the fire."Once again the wickedness lord reappeared, center flaring almost to the full red. But he said nothing.

"Ready to talk yet ?"Harry rubbed the dance band of the annulus on his finger."Just say one Good Book. The gens of the scourge, that 's all you have to say and I put the ring back in the drawer and we never have to verbalize again."

"I ... You ca n't do this to me."The nighttime Divine 's optic flickered back and forth."You ... you can not ..."

"Just recount me the gens of the nemesis. That 's all you have to do to avoid being burnanated. Just tell me."

"I ... I am Lord Voldemort."Tom conundrum 's teeth were gritted closed and his manpower were gripped to the sides of his chair.

"No you 're not. You 're a prisoner. A prisoner who 's not even alive so there 's no necessary for me to not kill you. Tell me what the curse is."

brain-teaser 's breathing spell was coming Jonathan Swift and shallow.

"Tell me !"Harry yelled."Tell me !"

Riddle snarled like a dog.

"Tell me !"Riddle was shaking. Not in anger Harry realized ... He was shaking in fright. Riddle was terrified. Harry 's forehead furrowed ... Why would he be that scared ..."You have no idea what happened to Theia ... Whatever happened to her ... it was n't your curse ... it was n't your ring ..."

Voldemort had stopped suddenly, frozen in berth, his eyes burning like coals.

"well ..."Harry shook his head."That 's something at least."Harry reached for the tintinnabulation and jerked it forward. It would not incite. Harry 's heart jerked up. Tom Riddle was smiling like a cat.

"Well well well Potter."Riddle smirked."It seems I do have some power after all."

Harry tried desperately to drag the doughnut off his finger, it would not act an inch. Harry grabbed for his wand to slice the finger off but he could n't realize his mouth speak the words.

A great mint of power.

Voldemort 's was in his head now, the figure gone from the other side of the desk. Harry stumbled and fell against the rough stone wall. Wait ... rampart ? Harry flicked his optic up. He was in the corridor ! He had n't moved of his own accord ... His invertebrate foot were moving again ! Harry clamped his feet down on the floor and slammed his arm against the paries. His verge dropped from his numb fingers.

Feeling a little less in control Mr Potter ?

"myrtle !"Harry screamed into the space air."myrtle get here or get avail !"

Calling aid from one of my old victims ?

"Someone !"Harry yelled. His wand was back in his hired hand ... NO ! Harry forced his finger to open again and the sceptre clattered down. Harry slammed his foot down and snapped the little sliver of forest like a branchlet. He could n't let Voldemort loose in his body in the middle of Hogwarts. Could not ...

You think you have a choice ?

"Vinca minor !"Harry fell to the storey. His muscles were twitching, every flickering percentage of him was trying to move."Help me !"

Ha ha ha ha !

"mortal !"Harry was on his fundament again. Not by choice. He was staggering forward, trying to barricade himself ... but."Mico predator ! Mico anyone !"Would n't form without a wand.

There is no avail for you Mr Potter.

Harry frantically tried to scrape the annulus off his finger. It was n't moving. Not an in. Black person spot were flying before his eyes.

You are mine now.

"Harry what in the blaze ?"The vocalisation sparked out of the air above him. Harry 's capitulum flickered up, at the top of the stares was the wear upon and moon-sick figure of Draco Malfoy.

"genus Draco ... It 's not the ring !"Harry croaked out. He had to tell somebody what he 'd found."Pythea ! It 's not the ring that made her sick ! It 's ... It 's ... It 's something else !"

"Harry what 's untimely with you ?"

Nothing.

"Nothing."Harry clenched his teeth closed."No ! William Tell ma'am Pomfrey ! ... And get this bloody ri- zippo is wrong Malfoy."

Go away you little traitor.

"Harry your ... your eyes."Draco 's mitt flickered to his wand."They 're red."

I 'm just tired. They are bloodshot.

"I 'm just tired."Harry 's neck opening muscular tissue twisted his headland in a shake up motion."They are bloodshot."

"Harry maybe we should go to the infirmary wing together."Draco 's heart had gone hard and he had drawn his wand."I think you may be unwell."

"Unwell Malfoy ?"Harry hissed."Do n't make bold to-"

"Stop."Draco pointed his wand straight between Harry 's eyes."haulage your wand slowly and neglect it to the floor."

"Please ... friend-"

"Do it."

"Hmm ..."Voldemort twitched Harry 's lips into a grin."I see there 's no gunpoint pretending anymore. What was it that gave me away ?"

"Harry does n't call me by my last name."Draco 's centre narrowed above deep pitch-black bags."You 're ... something else."

"I am to a greater extent than something else."Voldemort thrust Harry 's mitt forward, displaying the ring."I am your rightful sea captain little dog. Heel."

"Oh wonderful."genus Draco muttered.

"Die !"Harry 's script was flung forward and a sparkling bolt of lightning of lightning flared out. Draco dodged and flung himself to the floor. Voldemort spun Harry 's body for a second hit but Harry flung the live on vestiges of his strength onto his punic muscles. His arm stopped moving for a fraction of a second.

"Stubefy !"The red spell flashed out of Draco 's wand and everything went black.
*


Harry was used to brainsick dreams so when he found himself in a dark situation fully of screaming and hissing he just sat on the trading floor and view of orchard apple tree. After a little while the darkness faded and Harry heard the whispering of trees.

In the night all around him there were Snake. Snakes in his orchard ! Harry shuddered, he was in his little aspiration but he felt drunk. Shaking and unsettled, he looked around. The iniquity was seeping in through the Tree ... invading his orchard. The snake in the grass did n't seem to see him, just keep winding their way through the trees. Four of them whispered their way through the leave. One wrapped it 's way around the roots of the expectant tree, biting it 's own keister. It 's lidless eyes flashed red.

Harry glanced rich into the woods. One Sir Thomas More snake, lying still on the ground. Nailed in lieu by a wooden stake. Harry looked down at his hand. Another snake was wrapped around his finger. A tiny slight Hydra with bleak bands.

Wyrd. Profetic. Harry shook his header. Not again-
*


"Harry."

Hm ... Harry slowly woke.

"Harry wake up so I can tell you how unspeakably foolish you have been."

"Professor Snape ..."Harry shook the cobwebs out of his headway and opened his center. The hospital wing was dingy and empty. Snape was standing at the foot of Harry 's hospital bed. Wait ... Snape had to know !"The pack ! I found something out about-"

"I got the message Harry."Snape 's case was a lacuna and angry ticket."genus Draco understood the meaning of your message."

"You need to help Thea then."Harry struggled to resurrect out of the hospital bed."You need to help-"

"I already did."

Harry 's eye flashed to the bed future to him. Pytea was still lying there but ... her heartbeat ... it was stronger. It was almost as strong as ever.

"You ... you did it ?"Harry fell back onto his bed."You saved her."

"It was a toxin."Snape gestured towards the seer."Once you made me aware that the ring was not the source of her affliction I began to await further afield. I found a terrible poison. It acted more like a disease than a poison. As virulent as I have ever seen."

"Someone tried to kill her ?"Harry found himself staring into phantasm to try to see enemies.

"No Harry. I do not believe so."Snape tapped a small bottleful he was holding in his hand."Last yr you were in a virtually invariant res publica of mild toxicity. You have built up ... resistances."

"hold ... Are you saying I 've been poisoned too ?"

"Not any more. I cured you when I cured the Pythea."Snape 's eyebrow twitched up."You were poisoned originally. The poison must possess passed to her by some ... exchange of fluid."

"When I was bleeding ..."Harry cast his mid back."She kissed my forehead. She was bleeding too."

"Is that the history you 're sticking to ?"

"So someone tried to kill me."Harry ignored Snape 's insinuation and scratched his head."I 'm thinking maybe a grouping of assassin-mercenaries hired by my archway nemesis ?"

"The Lie Gou are the obvious choice."

"Sounds like you have your doubts."

"I do."Snape shook his head."The poison was not an eastern one, far from it. It was invented in Florence. That does not mean the Lie Gou could not induce acquired it but it seems ... odd."

"Odd ... marvellous. As if we have n't had decent odd these past few weeks."Harry rolled his eyes."And what you 're saying is it 's possible there are some other hoi polloi trying to kill me. Wonderful. Just my bloody luck."

"Oh barricade complaining Harry."A weak voice spoke from the other bed."You would n't fuck what to do with a boring life."

"Theia !"Harry slid out of his sheets and stepped over to the little prophesier 's bed."Are you alright ?"

"I feel terrible Harry."Pythea raised her mitt shakily up to his face."I tried to kill you."

"I poisoned you."Harry shrugged."Besides, after all the meter you 've saved my animation you can probably try to kill me like five or six Sir Thomas More times before I get angry."

"I never saved your sprightliness Harry."Pythea smiled weakly."I just gave you the impetus to help yourself."

"You 're being all seerey again. diaphragm it."Harry chuckled.

"I 'm just trying to get you in a near mood."Pythea looked away."You are n't going to like what I want to do now."

"Try me."Harry tensed.

"I want try again to skry with the ring."

"No."

"Harry we know now it was n't what made me sick."Pythea protested. Snape moved behind Harry 's shoulder, silently backing him up."We also know that the ring is important to Voldemort. There must be something to find-"

"No !"Harry cut her off."The affair does zilch but lie and command, just like Voldemort. I 'm going to demolish it as soon as possible."

"I agree."Snape nodded."We can safely bear that it was like the diary. A yap for anyone who tried to follow the dark lord 's early the likes of. A hinderance to any peculiar investigation."

"It does n't matter what it is."Harry shook his head."It 's a cancer on the globe. Whether by Fawkes, some former phoenix or by some other method entirely that affair is toast."

Harry spoke definitely, but he could n't help but finger a squabble incertitude. Like a snake curled around his heart.

"We have to destroy it."Harry repeated, half to himself."We have to."
*


"What do you signify they 're not flaming ?"Harry asked pointedly over the breakfast table.

"I mean they 're not."Hermione held out the letter of the alphabet for him to learn."I wrote to the researcher as soon as you told me to but it 's too late. The phoenixes have stopped flaming for winter."

"For winter ?"Harry rolled his eyes."What do they care about winter ? They 're on fire !"

"They 're birds as well as magical creatures Harry."

"Wonderful."Harry shuddered."When do they stop hibernating ?"

"Not till spring."

"Great. I have to contain this deadly piece of land around for months."Harry hefted his bag on his shoulder. Since the incident the halo had always been with him. In a lead box. He was n't taking hazard."And until then I 've got nothing I can do."

"You could study."

"nothing useful."

"Well you could ask Professor Snape for something else to do."Hermione glanced up at the eminent board where the potions victor was missing. Not strange these days.

"I know, but I do n't know If there 's anything to be done."Harry shook his head and gestured to the paper lying discarded on the table between them."Voldemort seems to be content with random human activity of random small fry unpleasantness rightfulness now. I ca n't facilitate thinking he 's working up to something horrendous."

"Like diagon alley ?"

"Or worse."Harry shrugged."No way to tell."

"Do you recollect the decree has any trail ?"

"I think they 'd probably tell me."Harry replied honestly."Snape 's been pretty adept about keeping me in the loop so far."

"Do you know where he 's going now ?"

"No."Harry smiled."Hopefully working."

"fountainhead, until you find something to do,"Ginny broke in, walking past them."You can start turning up to marauder training seance. You 've been missing them since the whole ring thing."

"Pythea was dying."Harry replied exasperated.

"So are a lot of people."Ginny replied flatly before moving off. Harry watched her go before turning back to Hermione.

"Her parent 's still have n't woken up have they ?"

"No."The bushy haired girl shook her oral sex."They visit them at weekends."

"I should go with them some time."

"well you 've been busy."Hermione said, in a way that indicated that was no excuse.

"Or I could just tie Dragon up and leave him in Ginny 's bed."Harry continued."That 'd probably cheer her up more."

"Harry-"

"Especially if he was naked."

"Harry !"

"Oh relax."Harry chuckled,"come on, we really should get to the marauder session. Maybe beating the lot of you around the attic will pee me palpate better."
*


Snape slowed as he approached the darkness stairwell and began walking down carefully. Some of the footstep were almost as politic as glass. The stair twisted down and down into the rock beneath Malfoy Manor. Much further than any of the cellar. Snape placed a spark hand on the wall as he proceeded down, his wand the only author of light, his footsteps the but sound.

He rounded the final corner and had to harbour his eyes as guttering woolly mullein came into survey. Stretching out before him was a long corridor of lacuna atomic number 26 doorway, stained disastrous from rust and recollective disintegration. The radioactive decay was of no upshot, it was n't the character of the construction that kept the prisoners in this situation. Snape nodded to the two jailers, extremity of the order, before turning to the third physique standing before him.

"You 're late."Moody growled.

"Yes, I am. I was busy."Snape replied."Your degree ?"

"I 've had to wait down in the pit for half an minute !"

"Then you arrived fifteen minutes early and can not fault me for that."Snape strode forward past the old auror."Let us not delay this any further."

"Right."Moody stomped after him, holding his wand high as the brightness of the Aaron's rod faded into the darkness behind them. Once again Snape was enveloped in silence, the cells themselves were soundproof. Moody finally broke the muted."You know why I called you out here."

"Another of the prisoners seems ready to break."Snape repeated what he had read in Moody 's legal brief missive that had arrived on his desk before breakfast."Which one ?"

"Do n't think it 's right."Dwight Lyman Moody ignored the question, shaking his head roughly."It 's not ripe. You 've got us pussyfooting around these SOB. Offering them Scripture and curt time and even freedom if they help us."

"And you think it is ineffective ?"

"I think it 's damn wrongfulness is what it is !"Moody snarled."These men should all be behind bars for spirit not waited on hand and foot."

"We need information."

"Then we should be getting out the thumbscrews !"Moody thrust out a mitt to stop Snape moving."You seriously do n't have a problem with offering them all this poppycock ?"

"Offering ? No. We can offer them whatever we want. It does n't mean we will ever present it to them. And so long as they are never given an opportunity to compare notes ? I have no problem."Snape reached out and pushed Moody 's manus out of his way."trustingness that if I deem it necessary I will give birth no hesitation in deploying the thumbscrews."

"Oh of that I 've got no doubt."Moody 's eye looked Snape up and down in a split second before he stomped off down the corridor again. Snape followed him.

"You never told me who it is I am here to see."

"Not one of the proper dying eaters."Helen Wills gaiter. Snape fought the urge to turn up his nozzle."One of the stinking outlaw you-know-who dragged to his cause."

"That does not think of he is useless to us."

"Captured by Harry."Dwight Lyman Moody fixed Snape with a stare while still walking."At Miss Zhao 's residence. Last yr, you remember."

Snape stiffened. So the man he was about to let the cat out of the bag to had been involved in the flak on Natalie 's biography. There had been a enceinte deal of unpleasantness that night. Natalie had been loth to blab about it at distance but-

"Does that change things ?"Moody broke Snape 's thoughts, his vox full of dour insinuation.

"Why would it ?"Snape forced himself to reply.

"I can still get the thumbscrews."

"Perhaps later."

Moody came to a stop before a door indistinguishable from the century of early doors.

"His name 's sheepherder Kilkenny."Moody put his script on the door."Used to be a cursebreaker for Gringots."Moody tapped his wand on the doorway and Snape heard a bolt barb back. The old auror pushed the doorway out-of-doors and allowed Snape inside. The cell within was bare. Bed. hot seat. Sanitary facilities. Snape had made sure the cellular phone were as complete as possible to further the prisoner to break. Sometimes they would sing just out of ennui. As Snape entered the round-backed name sitting at the foot of the bed straightened.

"hullo Mr Kilkenny."Snape sat down on the hard-backed chair."I have been informed that you have something to tell me."

"Yeah,"The man reached up and scratched behind his ear."But I got some demands."

"Do you intend you are in a spatial relation to require ?"Snape was shocked to find his voice was still steady.

"I 've got information. Stuff you need to know. But I 've heard a lot of 'might'and 'maybe'and 'If your entropy pans out'."The captive hunched."I want some guarantees."

Snape met Shepherds eyes and gently pushed. A roadblock of Occlumency met him. Of row it would be there. There would have been no point in this unanimous exercise if it had n't. Snape took a moment to consider his response. He could offer whatever he wanted, but it would not do to look to extend too a lot. There was a marginal chance that this man was not a fool.

"So long as your information is dead on target you may suffer some concessions."Snape replied steadily."A better quality of sustenance. record book. Perhaps a windowpane. Everything after that is depended on how utilitarian I consider the selective information you give me is. So I suggest you begin taking stone's throw to win over me."

"I want to get out of here."The man sneered."I want years off."

"As the Wizengamot no doubt informed you at your trial you have been sentenced to forty years here. I understand the charges were various. Using the dark graphics, breaking and entering, attempted murder-"Snape found his throat going hard at the last word and slammed his emotions down behind a wall of emptiness."And that is in addition to your pilot sentence for fraud that you never completed."

"spring me something !"

"springiness me a reason to give you something."

"I ..."Kilkenny opened his mouth to yell something but snapped it shut, bringing himself into balk."I 'm not offspring. I may not live forty years."

"Then it is in your C. H. Best interest to talk, and talk soon."Snape tend forward."I am loosing patience."

"I ... I 'll talk."The prisoner hung his headspring."I do n't really have got a option do I ?"

"No."

"Well ..."The man rubbed his arm."You know I worked for Gringots ?"

"I was aware."

"You know that I never really worked above the board. Not just skimming off the top, selling secrets too. People 'll pay a lot of money to fuck that Mr rat has almost emptied his history or that some former guy makes habitue payments to someone. Businessmen and the the like you know ? Checking up on their contender. Investors ..."

"I can see how that info could be utilitarian to some."Snape indicated very clearly with his inflection that he was not one of those some.

"rightfulness, right."Kilkenny nodded."But see when the dark noble found out what I did he got all excited. Well ... not excited exactly. He does n't really get shake up but he does this thing where his eyes flashbulb and he hisses a bit. Sometimes his nostrils flair-"

"Mr Kilkenny-"

"Right, right ... anyway. He told me to get in touching with some of the citizenry who still worked at Gringots. the great unwashed in the Lapp line of work as me."

"Go on."Snape was very careful not to let his pursuit show.

"He got me to check on some things."

"Specifically."

"The activeness on sealed vaults."

"Specifically."

"Well first he wanted to condition up on a vault. Get the criminal record of who had accessed it and when."

"What burial vault ?"

"Sixty three. bass one."

"Who owns it ?"

"Do n't know."

"What did the disk say ?"

"Do n't know. Did n't read em."

"You did n't register them ?"Snape raised his eyebrows."An enterprising man like yourself ? Always looking for an vantage ? Are you trying to enjoin me you did not even coup d'oeil at the records before you handed them over ?"

"flavour I had the dark bloody lord watching my every relocation !"Kilkenny shuddered."There 's enterprising and then there 's just stupid !"

Snape watched the prisoners eyes as he spoke. He could not read his mind but still ... Snape had not survived everything he had gone through by being dependant on any one acquisition. Even without legillimancy he could be reasonably confident as to whether a man was telling the verity. On the former hand, this man had deceived the hob for years. He would never have survived if he was a bad lier.

"You said you contacted people still at Gringots. What were their name ?"

"well there was only one really ..."Kilkenny scratched his head."Blake Bees, he 's in the investment funds department."

"And he will affirm your narration ?"

"Yeah ..."Kilkenny twitched.

"What are you not telling me ?"Snape asked sharply.

"hobgoblin found out he lifted the files."Kilkenny slumped."He 's in hiding somewhere. Do n't know where."

"Would he know who owned vault sixty three ?"

"Well ... yeah. He 'd give to to get the files."

"Very well."Snape stood."I will consider this."He turned towards the door.

"Wait !"Kilkenny called out after him."Do n't you want to know about the former thing he asked."

"Other thing ?"Snape asked over his shoulder.

"Yeah, he asked me to check up on another vault."Kilkenny said desperately, trying to hard currency in on every fight of knowledge."I know who owned this one. Blake told me because he thought it was weird."

"How so ?"

"It was the Lestrange vault."Kilkenny spread his hands."The Lestranges worked for him. If he 'd wanted something out of it he could take in just got them to go in and get it."

"What did he bid to know ?"

"Just who had accessed it. When I told him that no-one, not even a hob, had been in it since the Lestranges went to prison years ago he seemed ... relieved. well not relieved exactly. He does this thing with his neck-"

"Mr Kilkenny."Snape cut him off."Was there anything else ?"

"Well ... no. I just-"

Snape turned silently and rapped twice on the door. Moody opened it and Snape stepped through. As Snape put his helping hand on the door to swing it closed the prisoner called out shrilly.

"Please help me out of here !"He wrung his hands."I 've done bad matter but I 'm not a bad person ! He looks at you and you have to do what he says or he 'll kill you. I had to ! Please. He was too much, I was scared ! I was-"

Snape swung the iron slab shut and Kilkenny pathetic vociferation were shut off suddenly. Snape and Helen Newington Wills were left alone in the darkness. It was a long metre before Snape spoke.

"Get him some books."Snape fought bile rising in his gut."And undecomposed food."

"But you said-"

"I know what I said."Snape spun and swept off down the corridor towards the stairs. He had a great raft to consider about. With his mind occupied his fingers twitched towards the squarely patch of scar on his arm.



As I promised, more frequent updates. Although at the metre of writing this I am still reeling from the end of Battlestar Galactica. After watching it I was kind of in a daze for a few day, just wandering around muttering 'so say we all'and humming all along the watchtower. Should be OK by posting time though.

Update : Posting time. Yep ! Fine.


I do n't own Harry Potter. On a totally dissimilar note I have some books about counter Hotter ...



Snape tapped his fingers on the hard oak surface of his desk. There was something in what Kilkenny had told him, something important. But his nous could not get a grip on it. He could see that there was something there, he could see the shape of it in the duskiness but it was like he was missing something.

Should he have given the prisoner what he wanted ?

It did not matter now. Snape shook his header. What he needed to mean about now was how to act on the information he had been given. He needed to sort through the darkness and find the truth. Snape 's eyes flickered to a locked chest in the corner of his berth. Within was locked Dumbledore 's pensive, the old man 's gift to him. Snape did n't know why, it had been empty when he received it, and the two of them had not been on the outflank of footing when the old wizard died.

Perhaps he had simply written him into his will long time ago and never changed it. Snape walked slowly over to the chest and clicked the latches open. He levitated the heavy bowl over to stand on his desk and stepped back. He was about to lift his scepter to his temple when a thinking faded into his mind like a ghost.

It was an image, some imagined matter. Dumbledore sitting in his office in the dark, the only if light the faint silver gray freshness of memories. Alone.

Snape lowered his wand.

"Was this region of the reason ?"Snape murmured."You took no council but your own. Your own computer storage to guide you. Living in the past."

Another picture faded into his mind. Dumbledore proclivity over the silver surface gazing into a typeface in the mirror open. A girls face, with the same deep oculus as the old man's.

"I suppose it would be more hard to let go of guilt feelings ..."Snape conceded."When the memory is so close. He could walk with his baby every day. He should not have ... but he could have."

But even as he said it Snape realized that that would not be the computer storage Dumbledore would live over. It would be the present moment of her demise. Not knowing who had really fired the while that killed her ... He would have relived it again and again, trying to find out. Living in guilty conscience. Or wallowing in it.

Pathetic.

Snape could n't stop himself from thinking it. Even now he could find only nominal sympathy for the old soft touch. But the one thing he knew with an Fe sure thing was that he could never let himself become like him. He had to take council other than his own. Reliving the brush would state him nothing he did not already know, allowing someone else to see it might.

His thoughts instantly turned to Natalie, but he had already sent her on assignment. Analysing a Recent attack site. He could call her cover but ... Who else ? Minerva was an obvious option, but her creative thinker worked too similarly to his own. She would own no sixth sense he himself had not already had. Michelson ? No. As much as Snape had come to intrust the man for his fighting talent subtlety was not his stiff suit. So perhaps ... well he had promised to keep him updated.

Snape summoned his patronus and whispered a message too it before allowing it to float off through a wall. He did not have to wait long, after just a mo or so there was a knock on the door.

"Come in Harry."The doorway swung spread and the student stepped inside. He appeared to feature just run a battle of Marathon."You have been training ?"

"How did you guess ?"Harry walked over to the desk. Snape deliberately did not mention how much the boy was limping."What did you call me for ? The substance was kind of cryptic."

"Here."Snape drew his scepter to his synagogue."It will be simpler if you see for yourself."He drew the retentiveness out of his promontory and let it fall softly into the pensive."Do you sleep with what this is ?"

"A memory."Harry shifted around so that he could see down into it. He leant forward, then hesitated."Do you want to go first ?"

"I will not be coming. I do not wish well to predetermine your interpretation."Snape motioned Harry to proceed. The boy nodded and dipped his head into the arena. His body went drop-off and Snape knew that at that moment Harry was seeing dark stairs.

He waited several minutes, tapping his desk in impatience before Harry lifted his human face from the silver liquid.

"When did this happen ?"Was the first thing the boy said.

"Just now."Snape scooped up the computer memory and fed it back into his mind. He wanted the knowledge refreshed."I would care to try your interpretation."

"Why ?"Harry crooked an eyebrow.

"Because it may be different from mine."

"But why me ?"

"Just tell me what you saw Pott-"Snape bit off the end of that sentence and licked his lips. He tried again."I have been thinking concentrated on these events, very grueling, and I have ... met, shall we say ... cognitive blocks. I need fresh optic. Yours have usually been good."

"The magic eye did n't exploit in the memory."

"That is not what I meant."Snape heard iritation re-enter his voice.

"right field, right ..."Harry carefully dropped back into a death chair, once again sparing his injured leg."fountainhead ... clearly Voldemort was after two separate matter ... It sounded like the kickoff affair was ... was something he wanted to get. The thing in vault sixty-three. It belonged to person else and he was looking for it, or wanted to see, or something."

Snape was about to nod, but thought amend of it. Better to get an unbiassed sight even though Harry 's thoughts mirrored his own.

"So that was something he wanted to get. The early thing ..."Harry scratched his head."If he had wanted something out of the vault he would sustain just sent a Lestrange down to get it. It sounds like he was just checking no-one had been in while he was away. Like he was checking up on it. Which means that there 's something in there he wants kept safe."

Snape knew he had called the right hand person.

"I remember ..."Harry 's hilltop creased."I remember finish yr ... right at the start. The order meeting I listened in on. Did n't you say the night Lord had you experimenting with polyjuice potion so it would forge with non-humans ? Could the hob have been the target ?"

Snape schooled his face with an attempt of will. He had not made that connection.

"And that was about the fourth dimension Barty Crouch vanished into thin air."Harry put forward."And his speciality is sneaking, disguises ... Am I making any sense ?"

"So what you are saying."Snape said slowly."Is that the dark lord guessed, or have sex, the location of an item, questioned a onetime cursebreaker to be sure and sent his best spy in to take on it. Is that what you are saying ?"

"Yes ?"Harry said hesitantly."But wait ... that does n't make any common sense. Barty Crouch was missing for about a yr. If he tried to break in would n't he either manage it quickly or fail quickly ? Not cling around for months."

"It would depend."Snape said thoughtfully."If he wished to slip the item without anyone realising it was gone. Then that would call for preparation ... research ... It might well carry time."

"He would have to get close."Harry nodded."Probably get himself hired on to the Gringots faculty. He certainly has the acquirement to be a cursebreaker."

"The goblins crack their employees for disguises."

"They check for magical disguises."Harry smiled."What are the two well-nigh salient features of Crouch ? That everyone remembers ? His blond hair and the fact that he looks very young for his age. If he dyed his hair and grew a beard he could probably go unnoticed without any magical assistant whatsoever."

"Such a person would be memorable."Snape could sense the pieces clicking into seat in his mind."I wonder if William Weasley recollection such an individual."

"Who ?"

"Bill Weasley."

"Ah !"

"If we could find what Crouch took we might be able-bodied to guess the shadow lords plans."Snape stood."Thank you Harry. Your insights were most helpful. I will inform you if Weasley recalls anything."

"Right, you do that."Harry grinned evilly."I 'll appear for a rat in his bolthole."

"A ... rat ?"

"Mr William Blake Bees, the witness in Gringots. The one in hiding."Harry tapped his temple knowingly."If he was in the byplay mortal at the Tarot may recognise how to get in middleman with him. He can order us who 's vault it was, and maybe more."

"return backup."The words dropped from Snape 's mouth before his mind had even formulated them."Do not go to that billet alone."

"For god 's sake !"Harry threw his hands up."I keep telling people this, the Tarot is n't severe. The people there might coldly purchase order a hit on you but they 're not going to smash a nursing bottle against the table and do the job themselves."

"eventide so."Snape raised a hand to stop Harry from commenting further."As we have seen today, four eyes see Sir Thomas More than two."

"Not more than my eyes-"

"issue someone Harry."Snape allowed the tonus of program line to enter his voice."A marauder or an rescript member, I do not care. But you will take someone."

Harry 's eye twitched and he opened his mouth as if to comment again, then shut it suddenly. He nodded.

"Fine. Understood."Harry made a mocking bow."I hear and obey oh splendiferous leader."

"One other belittled matter."Snape drew his wand."If something goes haywire you will take a way out."

"I keep telling you-"

"Not just now Harry, in other situations as well."Snape raised his sceptre to Harry 's nerve."Hold quite still."

"Is this going to bruise ?"Harry asked quickly.

"I have no idea."Snape smiled, and cast the spell.
*


"Harry you are well cognizant that this is not what Snape meant."Pythea raised an eyebrow as Harry pointed to a large pub with a genius on it 's sign."He told you to contribute backup."

"He told me he did n't care who."Harry pointed out.

"Harry I ca n't fight."

"I do n't need you to."Harry led the seer towards the doorway."This place is as good as Hogwarts. Safer probably. The hoi polloi who drink here are sticklers for propriety though. I needed someone who would n't make a scene, someone who could do shade. Do any of the marauder fit that visor as well as you ? Dragon maybe, but it was full phase of the moon moon finis night."

"Padma, Hermione, Ginerva ..."

"Ginny 's grown less predictable."Harry shook his head."Padma 's an international possible but really it had to be you. This whole matter is about gathering selective information and who better to avail than a prophet. I need you to watch people 's eyes."

"I ca n't scan head any more Harry."

"And yet you still love what the great unwashed are thinking half the time."Harry reached the door and stopped, his hand raised."Please Thea, fare in with me."

"Harry ..."Pythea took a deep breathing place."Fine."

Harry smiled and pushed the doorway open. Within the situation looked like any early pub in a coastal town. There was a bellowing fire in the grate and scenes on the rampart of fish and Pisces the Fishes link up activities. The low murmur vowel of conversation filled the air but no-one looked up as he entered. They had their own cares mainly. Harry led the was confidently to the bar.

Order whatever you want.

Harry flashed into Pythea 's mind before turning to the mixologist and ordering his own crapulence. After Harry had handed over his money he led them to a mesa near the fire and slid a coaster under the seer 's wine.

"drinking are messages here."Harry explained."If it 's on a coaster, that means the only substance is that you were thirsty."

"I see."Pythea replied, taking a sip of swallow and carefully placing the glass back on the mat."And what does yours mean ?"

"wellspring, it 's golden and expensive ..."Harry pored the whiskey into his course of instruction."What do you consider ?"

"Was it essential to buy such an expensive bottle ?"

"It never hurts here to show you have money."

"And why Irish ?"

"fountainhead,"Harry grinned."Got to underpin my mother country do n't I ?"

"So what do we do now ?"Pythea glanced around, still speaking quietly."Simply wait for somebody to notice ?"

"That 's now it works."Harry shrugged. He raised his glass to his lips but did not drink any. It would definitely not do to lose focussing here. He tried not to even breath in any of the fumes."Besides, it 's a dainty topographic point to spend the afternoon."Harry gestured out the window at the coast below. The winter air current were whipping the moving ridge to peaks before crashing them against the beach. Out further a few sauceboat were still visible, bobbing up and down.

"I suppose it is not so bad."Pythea smiled."This place is quite pleasant. I did not expect it to be so ..."

"Homely ?"

"Peaceful."Pythea glanced around."That man has absinthe. What does that mean ?"

"Ca n't remember ..."Harry scratched his head."It either means he 's selling diacetylmorphine or buying human organs. Ca n't remember which."

"And you say this blank space is safe ?"Pythea quirked an eyebrow.

"I said rubber. I did n't say nice."

Pythea shook her head and chuckled, then grew quiet as a man approached their table.

fourth dimension to go to work.

Harry smiled.
*


"This is the man we are looking for."Snape slid a exposure of Crouch over the table towards the ginger haired Young man at the other end.

"He does n't seem like anyone I know."Bill Weasley shook his caput tiredly."aspect I know what Barty crouch flavour like, all the order do. If I had seen him I would have-"

"He would give concealed his identity."Snape waved his hand over the photo and the face grew a inadequate beard."Or this ?"The photo 's hair went pitch blackness."spirit at the center. They will not receive changed."

"spirit if I had seen him I would kn-"Bill froze suddenly."Can you make him bald ? hold back the beard."

Snape made the changes.

"And chocolate-brown beard. realize it bushier."Bill leant over the photo."I ... I do remember him."

"Do you."Snape kept his voice calm as the pieces fell together."When ?"

"Only a few multiplication ... He was working in a different department."

"Working on what ?"

"I do n't know."peak rubbed his frontal bone."They do n't enjoin us what other people are working on."

"How long was he there ?"

"I do n't know. I have n't seen him recently."

"Who worked with him ?"

"I do n't know."

"breakthrough out."Snape ordered flatly.

"I can't."Bill shook his chief."The goblins are getting rid of humans left, right and centre. They 're looking for an excuse. And with mum and dad still in infirmary I can't-"

"This could be very important."Snape snapped."Are you a extremity of the purchase order or not ?"

"Yes but-"

"Then find out where he worked, what he worked on and who he worked with."Snape leant forward."And find out who owned bank vault sixty three."

"I could get fired !"

"You could be killed."Snape replied coldly."The goblins tend to be very direct about threat to their gold. So I suggest you find out carefully."
*


"Is this the place ?"Harry looked up at the dingy and broken flat building.

"This is the address the man mentioned."Pythea glanced down at the litter strew street. Her aspect was ... not impressed.

"Certainly something going on up there."Harry squinted up."The top story 's all fuzzy."Harry blinked a couple of multiplication and rubbed his orb on his arm before peering up again."Nope, ca n't see anything. You see anything ?"

"I 'll try ..."Pythea closed her eyes."Could you step away please ?"

"What ?"

"Just have a few pace away please Harry."Pythea was staring, close eyed, at the sky."Just reliance me."

Harry stepped back, frowning. For a few bit the prophesier stood there, staring up at the sky. Then she nodded.

"There is someone up there."

"wellspring that 's promising."Harry drew his verge."You apparate back to Hogwarts I 'll check it out."

"No."

"Damn."

"You must have known I was going to say that."

"I thought you were going to be a bit more than abstract. Like'I 'll never abandon you .'or 'Damn you Harry you do n't stimulate to go it alone !'”

"I 'm thought the upshot would be keen if I was less profound."

"Well, we should get on with it then."Harry stepped off the sidewalk towards the building."stay behind me and warn me if your looney sixth sense picks up anything. If the first five do as well. And if he attacks or something just shield and run."

"No."

"Damn."

Harry pushed the battlefront door open. It creaked a little. The inside was even more decrepit and covered in graffiti. Harry 's eye flickered up the building. It was n't totally void, one man sleeping on the second floor, two youngster apparently home alone on the adjacent flooring up, a cat ... Then the blankness of the top storey. Harry kept his eye trained on the top floor as the two of them climbed up and up. As they reached the top storey Harry slowed to a crawl.

The door was already open.

"illusionist senses seeing anything ?"

"No."Pythea was hanging back a few steps."Are yours ?"

"No ..."Harry paused and turned, smiling."This is a fun low date is n't it ?"

"Harry this is hardly the time !"

"Fine."Harry shrugged and turned back."Back to seriousness."Harry silenced the doorway and disillusioned both himself and Pythea. In the low light of his eye he saw the piffling oracle flick out the predator glasses. He pushed the door spread out and edged into the dismal little flat. The jiffy he got through the door his eye shut down, plunging him into uncomfortable darkness. After over a year of super powered sight having it ripped away felt horrifically claustrophobic.

"Pythea stay close I ca n't see you any more."Harry whispered. A hired hand brushed lightly against the back of his neck."God I hope it 's you doing that."

Harry glanced into a night and hollow W.C. before sliding forward. roue. Harry sniffed again, definitely blood. Harry put his hand against the door to the bedroom and pushed it assailable slowly. A body lay sprawled on the story, stemma seeping into the carpet, neck opening slashed ear to ear. William Blake Bees, the Gringots informant. They were too late. Harry aimed his wand and whispered a good luck charm. A bantam red glow was visible for a moment above the beat man. Still warm.

A tiny tap came on the backrest of Harry 's neck opening and a barely get a line vocalism said ...

"Remember, I saw living up here."

Harry gritted his dentition. He had remembered. Harry felt blind without his eye. Lacking in depth perception certainly. Life up here did n't necessarily entail the manslayer was still here. It could have just been the victim slowly and excruciatingly bleeding out.

"Thea leave now."

"Harry-"

"This sentence I 'm se-"A ripple of air was the only warning Harry got. He dropped to the flooring as the knife flashed over his headway. In a splinter of a sec he spun."Depulso !"Harry aimed the turn behind him, a incisive sidesplitter sounded and Pythea was thrown back through the exposed door. A second spell slammed the door shut but Harry was already rolling to his invertebrate foot with his wand outstretched.

"Augmenta."The stream of water splashed against the unseeable assassin, outlining him in droplets."Ferio !"The Lie Gou ducked and launched forward, blade flashing for Harry 's neck.

Harry knocked it aside desperately but the silent killer whale was on him, forcing him to the base with insensate speciality. Harry was using all his strength to keep the blade from his throat, his other arm pinned, fingerbreadth curling around his wrist joint. He could n't hold on, the urine made it too slippery. Closer and closer.

Harry let his legs fold and find out his opponent grunt as the free weight hit his weapons system. Harry jabbed his school principal forward and hit something, he kicked out and snapped the wooden leg out from under the dumb killer. A twanging thunk sounded right on adjacent to his forefront and Harry saw a knife appear from nowhere, dropped from numb fingers. Harry was on it like a flash bulb and stabbed forward. Red rakehell fountained from invisible anatomy. The fingers around his arm tightened like a vice ... then finally released.

Before Harry 's eyes the Lie Gou assassin flashed into view, falling to the base. The spell attenuation as the life ebbed out of it 's castor. The door burst open.

"Harry how dare y-"Pythea 's eyes flashed to Harry, on the floor and covered in parentage. Her centre went wide.

"I 'm fine. It 's his."Harry said breathlessly.

"Harry is he ... is he dead."Pythea still had n't moved from the doorway.

"Yeah."The tongue fell slowly from Harry 's fingers."He is."

"He was trying to shoot down you."

"They always are."Harry slowly pushed himself to his ft and took a breath. Blood filled his nose."We need the order here. They should go over the place ... maybe find something."Harry 's leg was buckling under him and his eye roll around for him walking stick. It was lying right in the middle of the consortium of blood. He let it be.

"Harry ... you 're not aright."A normal person would have said 'are you aright', but they would give been foolish to do it.

"I 'll be amercement, later. It 's just ... this is one of those clip I 'd rather be Jack."Harry laughed humourlessly and limped over to the door.
*


An hour later and Harry was sitting on the cold steps in a court at Hogwarts. book binding at the flat a police force barrier had been set up and aurors dressed as pig were trying to keep the great unwashed out. Inside more aurors would be peering around and poking thing. Harry had left, he had wanted to stay on so he knew what was happening, but Shacklebolt had turned up and Harry had n't felt like explaining everything again. He had slipped off into the dark.

"You should not feature brought the seer."Snape 's vocalization did not catch Harry by surprise. Neither did his Scripture or the stern tone.

"I know. It was a mistake."Harry nodded, not looking as the prof approached."I could have got her killed."

"I told you to bring competent backup."

"And you were right."Harry 's representative was deadened."Can we please move on."

"As you wish."Snape conjured a chair and sat down face-to-face Harry. He looked tired. Harry was certain he himself looked worse.

"They find anything up there ?"

"No, and at this point I do not gestate they will."Only someone who knew Snape would have detected the frustration in his voice."There were polarity that certain text file had been burnt just before you arrived here, whether by the victim or his slayer it matters small. There is nothing here."

"William Tell me your probe turned up something."Harry glanced up at Snape, not daring to hope. Snape shook his head.

"Damnit ...."Harry dropped his forefront to his hands."Dead end then. Unless we ask the goblins directly. Or we could get Kingsley to ask them-"

"No."Snape shook his drumhead."I believe our best hope is to tolerate William Weasley to adopt the documents we need. If we petition the hob directly at the same time they will certainly become suspicious."

"So we do what ? Wait and hope that Bill succeeds ?"Harry snorted."What do we do in the mean time ? Just sit on our hands ?"

"I have many things to do."Snape said dryly."As for you ... I suggest you try to have a Merry Christmas."

"Ha !"Harry laughed mirthlessly."That 's not going to happen-"Harry 's row were cut off as a crossbow bolt of lightning thudded into his back.
*


For some rationality the previous chapter got chopped off weirdly. There was meant to be a whole nother scene but somehow it just dropped off the face of the earth. I did n't notice until it was validated and put up. Wierd ... Serves me right for not checking my chapters properly before I post them I guess.

Anyways that panorama can go at the get-go of this chapter just as easily. Just letting you know I did n't intend to give you another cliffhanger.



Harry spun like a top and fired madly at the white figure on the roof. It ducked like a ghost but Harry could still see him dashing away. Ignoring Snape 's cries Harry shot a sweetener at the tile and was jerked off his feet, clattering onto the tile. His leg screamed in pain as Harry scrambled to the vizor of the ceiling. The White River trope was far away, Harry knew he would n't be able to catch him. Harry stabbed his wand forward and fired a scourge. The form shielded easily without even stopping. Harry spun his wand like and felt the tiles beneath his startle. He tried to stay on top of them as they hovered and spin forwards. He shut his eyes and used only the wizard one, his real eye could n't stick with fast enough. The form was already too far away, too fast. Harry yelled,

"Tempesto !"The confidential information smashed into his side and threw him through the air, barely in ascendance, before thudding to the grass and rolling. Everything hurt. Harry rolled to his foot and stumbled towards the woods. He could see the figure belting through the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree. Harry dashed towards the saturnine fo-

DANGER !

Harry 's eye caught a glimpse too late. Harry skidded on the leave of absence as four arrow flashed above his head. He scrambled backwards back onto the green goddess and stopped, wand outstretched and breathing heavily.

Through the dark trees, in the cold light of his eye, Harry could see his assassin standing out of survey. Dotted all around were centaurs, each one with a arrow notched to his bow. They were just waiting for him to scotch the line back into the wood. Harry glanced at one of the arrows embedded in the ground, they wanted to shoot down him. The centaur would n't pass the parentage, apparently the strange, white clad assassin had no such compunction.

Harry stood up and watched as the centaurs and their unusual friend turned and slowly retreat into the wood.

"Harry !"

Harry turned and saw Snape hurrying toward him.

"He got away."Harry staggered forward, limping."It was n't one of the Lie Gou. I could see his boldness he was European ... had a scar-"

"Harry you have an arrow in you."Snape said, surprisingly calmly.

"What ? Oh ..."Harry looked over his articulatio humeri"That 's not an arrow, it 's a crossbow bolt. park mistake."

"Harry do not expect me to be surprised by the fact that you 're alive."Snape crossed his arms.

"Spoilsport."Harry tugged the bolt out. It 's spot was crushed and blunted."It 's the coat. It 's got enough charms to halt a tank."

"Give me the arrow."

"Bolt."

"Cease this Harry."

"Fine."Harry rolled his eyes and tossed the arrow to his teacher."Who do you think it was ?"

"How could I possibly know that Harry."Snape said sharply."In a usual situation I am sure the aurors would ask if you had any foe however-"

"Futile."

"Correct."

"You think it was the Centaur ?"Harry glanced back into the woods. There was zippo to be seen now, not a matter was moving."Do you think they hired someone to kill me ?"

"Why would they care to do that ?"Snape 's eyes narrowed.

"I ... Last time I met centaurs they said I was an abomination."Harry said hesitantly."They said they 'd kill me if I ever went into the forest again."

"And you ..."

"Went into the forest again."

"I am not remotely surprised."

"But why would they hold back this retentive to try something ?"Harry scratched his heading."Does n't add up."

"The ministry has means of contacting the centaur elders."Snape said quietly, staring into the dark woodland."I will try to make contact."

"Carefully."

"Yes, carefully."

"Definitely."
*


"Have a good christmas Harry. livelihood training."Ginny half smiled, faintly at Harry before turning and trudging away from the Hogwarts gates through the nose candy. Hunched over with her hands in her sac, the smiling would n't have fooled most people so it certainly did n't fool away Harry.. He thought about calling after her but instead shook his forefront and turned to Ron and the Gemini the Twins, who had come to pick the schoolhouse age Weasleys up.

"Try to take in sure she smiles at to the lowest degree once a day."

"We 'll try Harry."Fred sighed."No promises."

"And if I signal, come running."Harry held up an 'M'badge. The twins knew what he meant, they had created the charm. It was like the dark marks just a little less ... perminant. Every marauder had one and they could bring them directly to Harry wherever he was."We 'll ... not running ... Teleporting. But you get the idea."

"Aye aye, sir."Fred saluted comedically.

They turned to leave and Harry trudged back towards the palace. Draco was standing in the doorway, leaning against a pillar. His face was grey and lined, obviously survive night 's moon had n't been kind to him. Harry was n't in a modality to be sympathetic.

"You could at least show here some man sympathy."Harry said flatly.

"And what would that do ?"Dragon growled."It would just give her Hope for something that ca n't ever happen."

"Why the hell not ?"

"Shut up Potter. You do n't understand."

"Oh god that again."

"You ca n't ever understand !"Draco shoved Harry away roughly.

"I understand that you 're giving the cold shoulder to a girl who 's parents are still being fed on drips."Harry said harshly. He 'd tried everything else, maybe dullness would get through Draco 's thick skull.

"I do n't require to hurt her."

"You are hurting her !"Harry pointed away at the distant figure, trudging through the coke a distance away from her brothers.

"I 'm a werewolf."genus Draco muttered."I ca n't do ... I ca n't give a girlfriend."

"Lupin apparently thinks differently."

"Well that 's bloody lupine 's choice is n't it !"genus Draco spun and fixed Harry with an angry brilliance."Just exclude up about thing you do n't understand Potter."

"I understand enough to know that the werewolf matter is just an excuse."Harry spat back. Draco 's eyes flashed extensive, the words biting mystifying. Harry pressed on."So what you 're effectively doing Draco, making Ginny miserable for no serious cause and then claiming it 's because you 're being stately. Like you 're taking the high soil when really all you 're doing is-"

"Shut up."Draco 's wand was in his paw somehow."Just shut up Harry. Shut up."

"Fine."Harry held his manus up."Whatever. I can see I 'm not going to get a straight answer out of the twisted ball of conflicting logical thinking, self hatred and false forfeit shaped by the twin forces of teenage arrogance and lustfulness you call your brain. ejaculate on, we 've got a fiddling project for this holiday time of year. It 'll be fun."

"Oh really ? And what is this task ?"Dragon asked sharply.

"Simple, the ring."Harry patted his bag."I do n't buy that phoenix flame is the only way to demolish the matter. Got to be something else that can do the job, we 're going to find it."

"So essentially ..."Draco narrowed his center."You want to enquiry the most in-sainly destructive while known to wizard-kind."

"Yes."Harry smiled."Told you it 'd be fun."
*


In the end they only found two affair that could match the power of phoenix fire, and neither of them were pleasant. One of them at least appear prosperous to aquire, at least at first ...

"What do you mean 'You burnt it'?"Harry asked shrilly.

"Burnt it years ago."Markus Michelson shrugged."The day after you killed it. Went back down into the chamber of enigma and torched the thing. naught left but ash and I scattered them pretty widely."

"You ... you torched the bassilisk ..."Harry sighed."You did n't find to stay fresh a tooth as ... as like a keepsake or something ?"

"The teeth and the venom are the most unsafe part, wholly rationality I got rid of the thing."Michelson 's supercilium furrowed."Why ?"

Harry told him. Albert Michelson cursed and punched the wall.

"So ..."Harry said, after leaving the defence professor 's office."That leaves the other option."

"I do not need to use the early option."Draco remarked darkly.

"You know the incantation."

"It 's not a matter of knowing."Draco shook his head."This is fiendfyre we 're talking about. It grows out of restraint, it can waste it 's caster and everything around him."

"Hence why we need to go somewhere we 're there 's nothing to consume."Harry said simply."I know fiendfyre 's grave but if we go somewhere deserted we ca n't hurt anyone."

"Except ourselves."

"True, but you 're suicidal on account of being a werewolf and I 'm half-baked enough not to care. What have we got to lose ?"

"goodness point."Draco cracked a wry smile."Do you have a place that will be deserted enough ?"

"I have just the place in mind."Harry nodded."We 'll get Morfin to read us there. Do n't need to put Pythea in danger again."

"Does Morfin know the blank space well enough to apparate to it ?"

"Oh yes ..."Harry grinned again, this time less pleasantly."He lived there most of his life."
*


The wave crashed harshly against the cliffs of Azkaban island, sending up weather sheet of nebulizer. The wind was bitingly cold, whistling through the ruins of the prison with terrifying speed. Harry stood with his font into the wind and breathed in the majesty of it, better able to appreciate the might of nature when the charms worked into his pelage kept him pleasantly warm.

"Where shall we do this ?"Draco had to raise his voice against the wind. Harry had cast warming good luck charm on both him and Morfin but they still had to vie with the sheer forcefulness of the gale.

"Suppose it does n't really matter."Harry shrugged and pointed to what looked like the remains of a court."Over there I guess."Harry turned to Morfin."Oh, and ca-ca sure none of Smokey 's supporter come near here OK ? Would n't need them getting hurt."

"Smokey 's friends ?"genus Draco asked.

"Invisible, charming, toxicant snakes."Harry smiled."They live on this island. Morfin told me."

"The ministry does n't make love about them."

"That would be because they 're A : Invisible. B : Solely autochthonal to an island at the rear end end of nowhere and C : Fed mostly on prisoners the dementors had already killed. Though I suppose they probably eat seagulls now."Harry came to a blockage in the midriff of the courtyard and reached back into his bag. He took out the software the ring was in and put it on the priming without bothering to unwrap it. No call touching it more than was necessary.

"Do you have the backup program ?"A intimation of nervousness had entered Dragon 's articulation. Harry did n't answer but instead drew two broom handle out of his bag. He handed one to Morfin and the got on the other himself. Each of them grabbed one of Dragon 's shoulder's.

"Why am I trusting my safety to your flying ability."genus Draco shuddered.

"I may not be a bully handbill Draco but I can go straight up."Harry rolled his eyes."Quit stall and torch the thing already. If this does n't play we 'll try dropping it in a volcano."

"Do n't rush me Harry."Dragon grated."You 're not the one channelling hellish flame through your fingernails."

"I did offer up to-"

"Do n't even say it."Draco broke in."You 're not ... focussed enough to preserve this great power in check."

"I do lie with Legilimancy."Harry said indignantly."And occlumency. And I can hoodwink tongue, do n't tell me that does n't need focus."

"Get on with it ..."Morfin hissed darkly, his eyes flickering back and forth. organism back on the island was perhaps effecting him a bit more than than he was letting on.

"Aright ..."Dragon gritted his dentition and raised his weapon. He closed his eyes and began to intone, a red glow rising from his hands. The air was growing warmer, sparking with energy. Harry gripped his friend 's arm harder. His eye was picking up unknown shadows out of the air, things with unusual, sharp-worded, silhouettes. Spinning like a a whirlpool, settling into genus Draco 's hands, draining in. Each clip one of them touched the shaking Slytherin 's hands the heat grew and the air sparked.

"Dragon ..."Harry started."Maybe we shouldn't-"

"Now !"Dragon 's eyes flashed open and the court filled with blood red flame. Both of Harry 's oculus were blinded by the sudden explosion of light and magic, he tried to shield his eyes but it was n't any good.

"Dragon ! You 'll give to tell me if it goes out of control I ca n't see !"Harry could see the outline of the flow of energy flowing out of his friend 's work force. It shifted and moved and seemed to be trying to break free. For a moment the extension of an bird of Jove formed out of the fire, Dragon seemed to strain and the wing vanished. A knight capitulum exploded out a moment later and genus Draco again squashed it down.

"Draco ..."

"I 've got it."The sawbuck head reared up again, it 's middle all-inclusive, and tried to leap at the three wizards. Draco yelled in pain and it was subsumed again into the flow of flame.

"Draco-"

"I 've GOT IT !"

"You do n't !"

"I 've got it !"

An elephant breached out of the nowhere and charged towards them. Harry whipped his scepter out and blew the flaming founding into nothing. more tool began flashing out of the flame, Sir Thomas More and more. Harry swore and yelled,

"UP ! We 're leaving !"

Harry jerked the broom under him up, it rose jerkily. Harry kicked it and it flew a little faster. Something with chela jumped at him and Harry flashed a flame-freezing charm at it before remembering it did n't work of fiendfyre and having to blow it up. Fragments of the beast peppered him with Nathan Birnbaum and he yelled in nuisance. The Scots heather shot up and the air slowly grew colder. Harry 's arm ached and he looked over to see Draco hanging between him and Morfin.

"You aright copulate ?"Harry tried to yell but his actor's line were carried away by the roaring fire. Red droplets of fiendfyre were still dripping from the werewolves digit, but they were petering out. Slowly. Harry heaved upwards and ( minus a hideous wobble when the broom tried to go it 's own way ) dragged Malfoy up onto his ling. Harry waved Morfin back and hovered away himself, keeping a dying grip on the handle of the broomstick.

As they got further away Harry could truly see the devastation the fire was reaping. Black rock was giving way to flare out from the courtyard. The roaring vortex of wight was pooling out like some variety of flaming mould.

Harry cursed, it would be easily seeable from the mainland. That could cause unhelpful interrogation. Harry drew his verge and view for a second ... there was no way he could vanish the island, or make believe an illusion to cover up it, which meant going for something More basic.

"Nebulosus."Harry dipped his wand down and allowed a thick mist to drain out. He felt the broom move underneath him and panicked for a moment before realising that Draco was doing it, moving him into a better position.

Harry slowly built up a rampart of mist between the island and the mainland. When he was finished the fervor was still burning strong and stretching out to cover a dependable quarter of the prison isle. They had to wait over an hour, hovering in the Atlantic winds before the last of it died out. Harry let Draco film the broom down slowly and slipped off.

"Ow ! Ow ! Argh !"Harry shaft back into the air and grabbed back onto the broom. Wincing as his fundament slowly cooled from burning to blistering.

"Harry you 're an idiot."

"Shut up."Harry muttered a cooling charm at the floor and stepped back down. The warmth had been rendered bearable. But only just. With patronise charms to cool off his path Harry made his way to the charred ruins of the court and peered at the level. His scepter made rustling of wind to sweep away the radiance ember and Harry saw a trivial glint of visible light. The stone of the ring had been burnt away but the gold had simply melted, covering the stone with a prosperous sheen. Harry bent down and hesitantly laid his hand on the shining metal.

"Anybody in there ?"

Harry projected the thought down. He waited a few moments but nothing came back. Harry shrugged and pointed his wand at the pavement. With a diffraction grating moan the pit came gratis. Harry levitated it into his bag.

"You 're taking it with us ?"genus Draco called out incredulously from his perch in high spirits above.

"I want to form sure."Harry shrugged."Snape can-"But he was cut off as a flash of luminosity lit up the night sky and a body fell from the air with a thud. Morfin sprawled on the ground, unmoving. Harry rushed over to him but even before he did there was another flash and Draco tumbled out of the sky like a dead bird.

Harry 's wand was already in his hand, his eye scanning helplessly for an foe, a clue, ANYTHING ! But there was nothing, for all he could see they were alone. The only sound was the slow cooling of the rock.

"Who are you ?"Harry called out."Voldemort ?"

"No."

Harry spun but he was too irksome, the ravisher caught him in the breast. He just had time to see Sasori 's mocking oculus before the iniquity closed in.
*


"You brought him in alive ?"

Harry was familiar enough with unconsciousness to fuck how it usually went.

"I thought it was prudent. They were doing something rather strange."

First you could only get a line the voices.

"And what was that pray ?"

It was secure to stretch this voice out as long as possible. You were still mostly knocked out so citizenry generally did n't notice you were listening.

"They went there to destroy something. The Malfoy boy called fiendfyre but was ineffective to assure it."

"Foolish youngster. Playing with dangerous toys."

Ah. Now that voice Harry recognised. They took me to Voldemort. Harry 's gut clenched and he slipped into fully consciousness. He was lying on a cold stone floor, but smooth. Maybe marble ? No, not that smooth. Harry realized that with his eyes shut he was completely blind. There was also a nauseating empty feeling in his eye socket. Harry cursed silently. His magic eye was gone. Harry could feel some form of alliance around his carpus. He could n't sense a mi, or a whorl. Maybe if he-

"Mr Potter I know you are awake."The voice of Voldemort cut through the dark."We 've been through this many fourth dimension before do not suppose you can deceive me."Harry snorted and flicked his eyelid open.

"Just like old times eh Tommy ?"Harry levered himself up onto his knees. Voldemort was standing just a few whole tone away, looking faintly amused. His skin was perhaps a cutaneous senses lighter than before, even a slight pinker. He even almost had a nose. He looked ... humaner. He also had a glaring scar across his pharynx, red and raw and jagged. Harry allowed himself a smile. At to the lowest degree he had left an impression.

Harry glanced around, they were is a ... a laboratory ? That was what it looked like. Some kind of mad scientist 's den. All around were tables of bottle and arcane, Weird detail. The table behind Voldemort looked like it had been cleared in a hurry and in the evacuate blank space ... Harry 's own eye stared back at him, rocking listlessly. The golden flagstone was there too, and a few early interesting ( illegal ) point. Harry hissed as he breathed in. His bag was supposed to only release those point to him. Clearly that barrier had not been a barrier to Voldemort. Or perhaps it had been Sasori, standing quietly near the far wall.

"Seen everything you need Harry ?"

"One more minute."Harry squinted behind the tables and almost gasped. Back near the wall there was an arch of black metal, thick around as a person and pulling the tail in towards it. Hanging from the dark gateway ... a flutter curtain. Harry found himself breathing heavily. That was the veil ... Or a veil. Not the same as the one in the section of mystery, that one was made of stone. So what the hell was-

"Your minute is up Harry."

"Just make me a little more metre. Need to set the scene."Harry glanced behind him. genus Draco and Morfin were sprawled on the floor behind him. Harry could see their chests going up and down so he assumed they were still awake. Behind them three Lie Gou were guarding the room access. In a huddled mass a group of dead men stood, mum beside them. Their rotting flesh reaching Harry 's nostrils and making him gag. In the front of the group was a face Harry recognised. It was not a happy grimace, or a felicitous memory.

"Greyback."Harry turned back to Voldemort."I guess that explains why the werewolves are following you again. Did you have to run up his drumhead back on ?"

"cipher so oil. But in head teacher ... yes."

Harry tried desperately to think of some way out of this room. He had zip. Why the Scheol was there a velum here ? He needed to get out. Harry could hear Draco stirring behind him. Or was it Morfin ? shit it he wanted his eye back ! How did the great unwashed cope to only see in one focussing ?

"So ..."Harry looked Voldemort in the eye."Do we do our regular dance ? You torture me for fun, I insult you, you get angry, I escape-"

"Sadly not."Voldemort stepped forward."I really should thank you Harry. Battling with you across these days, and especially last year, has taught me something I never wished to memorise. That I am shockingly vulnerable. Oh yes ... yes. It is true. Thanks to you I know that, however powerful I am, whatever knowledge I gain ... all it takes is a boy with a tongue and a golden strike ... and I am as sapless as a newborn baby baby again. It is so very unfair."

"Life 's not fair."Harry growled."demise even less so."

"Oh I know that now."Voldemort nodded."I know that I an not invulnerable. I look back on my animation and realise a great many of my decisions were goosy. I have learnt. And for that I thank you. I am not foolish any more."

Yeah right field. Harry tried not to swan his eye. If you 're not foolish anymore why are n't I dead ? Harry chuckled to himself then froze. Wait, Voldemort did n't fathom wrong. He sounded almost sincere. What if he had got smarter ? Harry licked his lip. Why was he alive then ? Harry heard stirring behind him. Of course, Morfin. Voldemort had recognised his long lose uncle and was ... what ? Confused ? Or maybe ... Harry tried not to glance at the table with the aureate flagstone on it. There was no way that Voldemort could know the ring from a load of gold. Could he ? And anyway the ring was just a yap ? Was n't it ?

Harry began getting very very nervous.

"So ..."Harry glanced at Sasori, trying to buy time."farsighted meter no see. How have you been ?"

"Richer."Sasori 's eyebrow twitched up.

"You and your people have been keeping quiet."Harry tried to squirm his deal out of his bonds.

"We do what our client asks of us."Sasori 's accented voice had vestige of misanthropic humour.

"I bet."Harry smiled."And where is ... Barty ... Crouch ..."Harry trailed off as his eye fell on a box under one of the lab tabular array. It was open and the depicted object plainly visible. Dull grayness magnetic disk, spark advance. Hundreds of them. Why the underworld would anyone need coins made of lea-

Oh the pits no ! Harry took an involuntary deep hint, then ...

"That BASTARD !"Harry spat. ira filling his veins.

Voldemort followed his gaze but Harry was n't finished.

"SOB, idiot, fool, everything he did was worthless !"

"And by 'he'you of course of instruction refer to ..."

"Dumbledore !"Harry screamed, at that moment not caring that the person he was venting to was the dark master."That cretin told me he destroyed it ! Told me five years ago ! But he never did did he ? He put it right back where it was before ! Probably too cowardly to actually go through with it ! Or maybe he wanted it for himself. That was what scrunch stole from Gringots ! That 's what brought you back from the brink of destruction ! That 's how you 've suddenly got all this gold ! After five years you finally got it ! The bloody PHYLOSOPHER 'S Isidor Feinstein Stone !"



If you do n't go over tinkerbell will die.

Just kidding. She wo n't die. But I was thinking though that that will import the moment the world becomes truly un-savable.

Tinkerbell drinks the poison, starts to fade, the actor playing St. Peter Pan turns to the audience and tells them to clap if the believe in fairies and their is numb silence.

Or maybe just one clap petering out quickly as the clapper gets embarrassed. That will be the day humanity dies.

Also ... on that day, the player playing Peter Pan had better be bally near at improvising. : )


Well, as you can see I 've bumped the story up to a mature. I 've tried to keep on it 15+ for as long as potential but I guess I ca n't avoid it any more. Ah well, at l my lineament can swear properly now.

I do n't own Harry potter. I will if I can convince JK Rowling to give him to me though. I 've been working on this Hypnosis thing ...






The trivial lab was filled with deathlike secretiveness for a moment, then Voldemort uncurled his farsighted fingerbreadth and clapped. Once. Twice. Three times.

"Very well done Mr Potter."Voldemort cocked his nous to one side."There really were quite a few cue but well done nonetheless. But I believe your outburst had more than one purpose did it not ? You wished to divide and inhibit ? As you know the Lie Gou will not take over magical amber you hoped to barrack our mutual supporter Sasori,"Voldemort flicked a long finger at the materialistic, who still had not moved."To aggress me as you reveal that my source of means to pay him has not been entirely workaday ? Am I right ?"

"Something like that."Harry said, who had been thinking nix of the sort. It was a full plan though, especially since at the second Harry could n't think of a better one.

"And a year ago it would no doubt sustain worked."Voldemort smiled."But I have been more careful since you killed me. I was entirely honest with Mr Sasori about my root of income, no legerdemain whatsoever. They were more than happy to accept gold created with the phylosopher 's endocarp, were n't you my Scorpion ?"

"more than than happy."Nothing about Sasori moved except his lips. Harry almost frowned. Why had the Lie Gou reversed what was basically their merely arduous and fast rule ?

"So you see Harry."Voldemort turned back to his prisoner."You can not break my new servant from me. It is ineffectual to try. Now ... on to the important matters."Voldemort leant down close to Harry 's face, then hesitated and straightened again and stepped a pace away before continuing."I would care to ask you a question."

"Yes ?"Harry cold feel just the bare order of payment on his hands. The door behind him must lead somewhere, but there was no way he could reach it. Harry found himself wishing he had his god-hand back, damn the consequences.

"I would care to know why you felt in requisite to destroy my ring."

Dammit.

"What ? So it was n't the reference of all your mightiness ?"Harry quipped desperately.

"It was not, no."Voldemort replied almost amicably."I assume you or one of your niggling friends tried to outwear it ?"

"I wore it."Harry tried desperately to judge where the conversation was going."Saw a familiar brass. You 've changed since your disco years. And now changed back a piffling ? ... looking a fiddling pink around the lamella Tom. What 's with that ?"

"One of the wonderful effects of the philosopher's stone of life."Voldemort held out a deal and examined it smiling."A much more pleasant means of extending one 's like than dark magic or unicorn blood. It tastes like mercury you know ..."

"Not like chicken ?"Harry 's eye noted a sullen caliper on the lab table next to him. Heavy enough to use as a club. That was if he could get his helping hand free. And if a club was even the slightest use against a dark wizard. Beside the calliper was a black bladed scalpel. Too small to use as a weapon but it looked magical. Would it cut magical bonds ?

From under the table there came a deep hushing. A sec later the thick physique of Voldemort 's pet snake uncurl. Winding like a sinuous ribbon between Harry and Voldemort.

"Ignore Nagini."Voldemort said without thought."Tell me about my ring."

"What about it ?"Harry said desperately. He could probably reach the scalpel with a distraction."We found it 's secret. We burnt it. End of story."

"You found it 's secret ?"Voldemort seemed to steady himself."It ... it had a undercover ?"

"Course,"Harry bluffed."It was the Lapplander as the diary."William Tell me what the bloody mystic is.

"Ah ...."Voldemort clicked his dentition."Well I must applaud you for working it out. Does Severus know ?"

"Oh yes."Harry nodded happily."I 'm not keeping affair secret from the orderliness any-more. guess we 've both learnt."

"I suppose we have."Voldemort seemed to be working hard to keep himself in check.

"Knows about the early thing too."Harry decided to take a idle gamble."The one in the Lestrange vault."

"He ! ..."Voldemort 's eye 's flashed red and his hired hand bunched into clenched fist. The iniquity lord hissed from between clenched dentition."I suppose I have devout old Slughorn to give thanks for all this."

Slughorn. Harry burnt the name into his brain, then tried to decide what answer would elicit more information.

"No actually."And would also keep whoever Slughorn was alive until he could be questioned.

"So you know about the diary ..."Voldemort fixed Harry in the eye."And the ring, and the cup. I suppose you know about the music-box as well ?"

"I- ..."Harry paused, he knew this thaumaturgy."No actually, did we miss that one ?"

"Yes, you did."Voldemort smiled. Harry tried to stop himself smiling."But no thing. I have a better means of living forever now."

Living forever. The ring and journal and ... what had it been ? The cup. They let him live forever ? Harry 's forehead furrowed. Then it him like a shock ... he knew what they were.

It had been when he was on his mad spree of self improvement. After he had got his eye. After he got his god-hand. He had been face to front with the humbled most curse-riddled and pockmarked flesh-monger in Delhi. He had come for a spike in his affectionateness that would let him go without sleep and nutrient for weeks at a time and the witch had looked him in the eye and offered him something ... better. She had described it to him like a artist talking about her most prised work. She had even offered to secure a ... a sacrifice. Harry had waited until her backbone was turned, bludgeoned her over the head with a statue and left her in a sack on the doorstep of the Indian auror headquarters. He had n't even bothered to check out whether she was still breathing. He had n't wanted to be glad if she wasn't.

Hmm ... Come to think of it clubs do sometimes go on dark wizards.

"I 'm surprised you made so many."Harry flicked his eyes up too assemble the dark Jehovah 's."Horcruxes are n't children 's toys."

Sasori shifted.

"I do not venerate them."Voldemort did n't seem to stimulate noticed."I am the master copy of my own beingness now. And soon a master of all life."

"Oh really ? How 's that ?"

"All it takes to be a master of life,"Voldemort spread his work force."Is to be a master of death."

"organism able to end life does n't make you the master of it."Harry 's eye flicked nervously to the caul in the corner of the room. Beside it there was a crude painting. In the painting a sky full of unfamiliar whiz stretched out over a vast desert of grey sand, stretching away to distant tidy sum. hundred of sets of footmark headed out and away towards the skyline. None came back. This was very, very unnerving."I assume this is the part where you tell me your vicious plan ?"

"No Mr Potter."Voldemort chuckled."This is the distributor point where you, and each of your little protagonist make a choice."

"I 'll receive the fish."

"You can opt,"Voldemort continued."To die at the tooth of Nagini,"The Snake River hissed and arched."Or get the power of dying first hand."Voldemort waved his manus towards the fluttering veil."Choose."

"What 's beyond the veil ?"Harry asked to act as for time.

"That is part of what I am trying to happen out Potter."Voldemort shrugged."The inaugural step to control is knowledge."

"We 've both been perfectly Tom."Harry clicked his neck. He had a look he would birth to run soon."We know what it 's like."

"Paddling in the shallows tells you petty about the ocean."

"Poetic."A beguilement .... please ...

"Thank you. deliver you made a selection ?"

"I think-"

"SASHISA !"The inhuman cry sounded from behind Harry. Morfin 's eyes had flickered undefended, and he was scrabbling like a mad thing against his bonds."ZASHIKA SOB SAHI !"

"Morfin ..."Harry muttered but it fell on deaf ears.

"SACISCA !"Morfin spat towards Nagini. The Snake River raised itself up and hissed back.

"Shsassi !"Voldemort barked a command.

"It 's not nice to talk in a lyric not everyone can understand-"

"SISSIA !"

"Cazis."

Nagini shook like a rattlesnake.

"-or even hear."

"SACISCA !"

"It pains me that you are of my blood."Voldemort spat.

"SACISCA ZER !"Morfin was straining against his alliance so hard his veins were like hosepipes. Harry tried to edge towards the lab tabular array. Sasori had n't moved.

"SACISCA !"

Harry edged. Nagini showed her fangs.

"SACISCA BITCH-SNAKE SACISCA !"

"Harry ..."Draco was just coming awake, his voice wide of confusion.

"Pathetic."Voldemort raised his wand.

"SACISCA !"

"You can die like the wretch you are."Voldemort hissed."Avada-"

"You know why the Lie Gou are helping you !"Harry yelled desperately, flinging his first thought into the air."They do n't assume imitation atomic number 79 but they do grass their clients ! They want the stone for themselves !"

Voldemort 's eyes widened.

"NOW !"Sasori moved like a cat, his wand appearing in his hand and flash to the dark lord. A blinding ark of light flashed into the dark lord 's hastily raised shell, catapulting him back into the wall.

"What do you bed ?"Harry thought as he threw himself at the lab table."I was right."He rolled, his digit touching the knife and he dropped down the other incline like a stone.

Nagini turned and lunged at Harry but Morfin leapt on top of her. The giant serpent spun and bit down hard. blood fountained like a geyser.

Harry worked the knife against his bonds. It was working ! Faster !

The Lie Gou at the door drew their wands but the dead men were all around them. Harry saw the remains of knot grab an arm and tear it from it 's socket.

Faster ! One of the rophy was loose.

Morfin toppled to the base but even as he did a whiff of darkness flew from his sleeve and struck Nagini in the eye. Smokey ! Biting again and again like a piston into the bigger snake. Nagini tried to twist to wreak her teeth to acquit but the small snake was too quick, biting again and again !

One of the roach was cut through ! One more ! Harry could see Draco grabbing a knife from a fallen Lie Gou.

"TRAITORS !"Voldemort rose in a flick glory of flame and rage. Flickering shadows of darkness filled the way and the veil blew like it was caught in a gale."I will destroy all of you !"

Sasori did n't answer, merely threw a brute lightning bolt that drove Voldemort back. The dark lord hissed and flung a paw forward. The ignominious Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe in the air flew together around Sasori, swallowing him up in darkness for a mo before an explosion of flame. Harry was thrown to the floor in the mass of burning mana, his weakened bonds snapping under the form. Harry tried to stagger to his feet but dropped a moment later as a flash of commons shot over his head. With a screeching yell the door was shove open. Bellatrix staggered back into the way, ten more Lie Gou following her. The screaching crone turned and her eyes widened as she saw Harry free.

"You ! You li-"

She got no further as Harry flashed his hand forward. The saturnine scalpel spun from his deal and stabbed through the bitch 's eye.

Harry ducked behind the lab desk again. He could n't see Dragon anymore, Harry hoped to god he was hiding somewhere too. He needed his bloody eye ! Harry crawled forwards, ducking as a whirling pinwheel wind collector of flame came flashing smash. A eubstance came flight afterwards. Harry darted over and grabbed the man 's wand.

"Accio eye !"Harry held out his hand and felt his familiar orb fly into it. He shoved it eagerly back into his socket and saw the world come back."Oh my god !"The drear configuration in the air were everywhere, streaming through the walls !

Harry had to dodge desperately as a ball of darkness shattered the rampart behind him. The air screamed with some sort of banshie howl. The velum was streaming like a sword lily in a hurricane. Harry 's eye whirled. Draco ! He was ... smart. Lying down beside a pile of bodies with a cloak over him. Lying low.

Voldemort was being driven back, there were too many Lie Gou for him. Sasori was out in movement, still silent. The screaming in the air got louder, the drab shapes filling the air were screaming. All of them had abandon eyes. Harry screamed as one passed through his chest. If felt like ice.

"You 've lost Tom Riddle !"Sasori broke his secrecy."You 're outnumbered !"

Voldemort threw a killing execration at the assassin, who dodge effortlessly. The nighttime overlord held out a bridge player and Harry saw a shining pinch of gold fly from one of the mesa. His eye picked it out, a gold medallion carved with a grinning daimon. Voldemort flicked it around his neck opening and turned, leaping backwards. He threw a wall of wickedness behind him and, without hesitation, darted directly through the veil.

There was a moment of silence, the spirits on the air went still. Harry did n't impress, the Lie Gou would obliterate him as quick as Voldemort would.

"Well ..."Sasori lowered his wand."That went well-"

The veil exploded outwards like a dark wall of hell on earth. The air current screamed so hard Harry had to clamp his hired hand over his ears. The shadows swallowed one of the Lie Gou, stripping him down to bones in moments.

Harry scrambled under the table and dashed across the story. A screaming flesh slashed at his face, tearing off lines in blood. Harry slashed out with his verge, summoning ardour to blast the thing away. It barely phased it.

"genus Draco !"Harry stumbled to the floor, grabbing Morfin 's leg. Draco leapt up from his place on the floor, and skidded towards him. The darkness flesh surrounded him as soon as he moved.

"Eiectio !"Harry yelled desperately and the ghost were thrown away. Draco fell forward and Harry grabbed his outstretched hand. Harry squeezed his eyes shut and yelled,"Spinners end !"

His eye whirled in it 's socket and Harry felt a jerk at his omphalos. The moody howler cut out as the exponent of the portkey whirled them away from the earthly face of nether region. Harry felt the ground hit him like a wall and lay there for a minute, catching his breath.

"Your eye ..."Draco was gasping on the solid ground."Your eye was a portkey."

"Snape did it."Harry shuddered, his brawn shaking."Emergency backup."

"You had that all along ?"

"Yep."Harry looked around weakly. Morfin ... Harry staggered over to the wilted shape on the flat coat. He knew it was no good to try to find a heartbeat. His eye told him everything he needed to know.

"Is he idle ?"Draco asked. Harry did n't do, it was n't necessary.

A faint hissing sounded from the body and Harry saw Smokey rising slowly from the body of his sea captain, his little headway darting this way and that. Harry met the short Snake 's center and pushed just a little. The animal mind was surprisingly cogent. It knew what had happened, it knew why it had happened. It was n't furious, it was just ... sad.

Harry held out his hand gingerly. The snake hesitated. Harry pushed into it 's eyes again and it slithered slowly onto his hired man and up his arm. Harry tried not to grimace as it curled around his arm near the elbow.

"Where are we ?"genus Draco was standing, looking around nervously.

"Field north of Hogwarts."Harry waved his wand over Morfin 's trunk, cleaning the lineage. Another wave and the air around the physical structure coalesced, freezing into a casket.

"What are you doing ?"genus Draco stepped over, limping a little."Should n't we just take him back to Hogwarts ?"

"We 're not going back to Hogwarts. Snape 's on a missionary post somewhere and we do n't have time to find him. Got to fall back into the old use for a while."Harry took the marauder 's badge out of his air pocket and quickly sent a substance before jabbing his wand forward. God he hoped this worked ..."Expecto Patronum."

Patrick White mist flashed to solid form and whispered away on tenacious thin wings. It spun in the air and floated off towards Hogwarts.

"That 'll find McGonagall. Tell her to find this Slughorn and looking at after him."Harry turned back towards the grave and stopped for a moment.

"Harry say me what the hell is going on."Dragon growled.

"I 'll tell you when we meet the others."Harry reached out and grabbed Draco 's arm."We 've got to go."

"No."genus Draco knocked the arm away angrily."Where do you want to go ?"

"Erg ! expression ...."Harry held his head in his bridge player."Did n't you hear what I said ? Voldemort has Hocruxes ! Do you know what they are ?"

"No, I don't."

"They ... I do n't have time to explain it !"Harry yelled."They 're VERY BAD THINGS. That he has ! And there is at least one Thomas More that we have n't burnt yet. There may be others, do n't bang where they are, but I know where one of them is. That 's the proficient bit. Bad bit is that Voldemort knows too. And I 'm not letting that Hydra faced bastard get there first ! I know he 's on his way there now. I just ... I just know."

"The vault ..."Draco whispered."You want to discover into Gringots. You want to break out into Gringots now."

"I want to give into Gringots now."
*


Black robed figure of speech spilled out of Knockturn back street. The illuminate flashed off the skull masque as the shrieking began. The public figure made straight for the doors of the bank. Goblins slammed the doors shut with a crack. Every windowpane filled with gringos goblins, each one holding something sharp and crackling with electricity. One of them fired down at the robed figures, a lightning bolt of shining silver medal Christ Within. A hasty cuticle reflected it into the sky.

Thomas More bolts rained down, coming thick and fast. The goblins had prepared, they were n't going to be caught out again.

Shields flashed and the dying eaters were driven back. One or two of them tried to respond but the spells went wide as the goblin blitzkrieg intensified. Then, suddenly, the death eaters broke, spun, and ran away in disarray. The goblin sending jeers to follow them.

They dashed back into the alley and crashed into a shop. Pushing the stunned shopkeeper out of the way they threw themselves into the flue one after another.
*


After the last chassis had emerged from the chimney Ginny pulled her hood back and took off her mask.

"That went well."Split said dryly as he too pulled off his disguise.

"I wonder if Harry and the others got in ?"Neville was biting his lip.

"We did our percentage right."Ginny nodded."So they should have too."
*


Harry, Draco, Padma and the Weasley twins had already been in the ring when the 'Attack'started. Harry had picked a Gringots goblin running for safety device and surreptitiously aimed his sceptre ...

"Imperio."The goblin slowed to a crawl, it 's expression going glassy. Harry turned back to the other marauders."It worked, come on."

The mesmerize hob walked down a side corridor, followed by the inconspicuous vulture. Harry flicked his verge and mentally ordered the hobgoblin to look at them to the Lestrange vault. After a moment where it 's fleeceable feature article twisted like it was resisting it turned and got into one of the waiting mine carts. Harry and the others followed.

Harry shuddered as the mine cart started off. He did n't like doing this. The goblins were n't evil, they just had a dissimilar definition of good to human race 's. But Harry had n't been able-bodied to conceive up of anything approaching another plan. Well there was nothing to be done now ...

"Is this going to work Harry ?"genus Draco asked quietly.

"We 'll get to the vault."Harry shrugged."Getting back will be more tricky. Which is why we have masque ... and vest ... and I have grenades."

"And do you think they 'll believe we 're death eaters ? Despite the fact there are only supposed to be two left."

"Look Draco I had exactly twelve seconds to think up this plan. Did n't see you coming up with anything better."

"You 're the plan person."Fred chimed in.

Why am I the freeking architectural plan person. Harry thought, but with the vague knowledge that this would not be the most calming thing to say he replaced it with,"Shut up and observe the hypno-goblin."

Harry watched the wall fly past for a few more minute of arc. By now the approach on the bowling alley would be breaking up. The hobgoblin guards would be going back to their posts. The pushcart rumbled loudly along the rails. Harry hoped to hell they did n't track the carts somehow.

"Do you think he experience ?"Draco muttered quietly.

"Who ?"even Harry 's twisty brainiac could n't work that one out.

"Morfin."

"Knew what ?"Harry hesitated, Draco was speaking so the other 's would n't be able to hear.

"The ophidian. He was pulling the snake towards him."Draco was staring out into the dark."Do you think he knew what he was doing ... drawing it away from us or was he just being ... crazy."

"Why are you asking me this ?"Harry shrugged.

"I want to know ..."Draco closed his eye."Just need to know."

"You just want to eff ?"Harry sighed, he had no musical theme why he was being asked this interrogative sentence. Which made choosing the lie difficult."Then yes. I think he knew what he was doing."

"You do ? Why ?"

"Because that 's what people like him do."

"What do you think masses like him ?"

"Heroes."Harry shrugged.

"You think he was a hero ? He was insane. And a vigilante."

"Well you know me ..."Harry chuckled."I prefer flawed heroes."

"Hm ..."Dragon fell silent for a moment. Then he laughed flatly."Are we flawed heroes ?"

"Do n't know."Harry glanced towards the hob sitting blankly in the social movement of the cart."We 're certainly flawed."

They fell back into silence as the cart trundled on.

"Are we nearly the-"George started before the cart screeched to a halt.

Harry glanced around. lacuna tunnel. No room access. Harry was about to open his mouth when a screech alarm came out of nowhere.

"Masks !"Harry slammed his back on and jump off out of the cart. He cursed, the wheels had welded to the track. He flicked his wand at the goblin.

payoff US TO THE burial vault

I ca n't. Against the normal ...

TAKE US TO THE LESTRANGE VAULT

The hobgoblin shuddered and trotted off down the corridor.

"Follow him !"Harry yelled over the shriek alarm. The vulture were already masked, wands out. Harry led them after the staggering goblin. It hesitated in the heart of the tunnel.

TAKE US TO THE VAULT

pudden-head voice.

Damnit ! Harry spun the hobgoblin around to face up him and pushed into his brain. trice of hurdle, tunnels ...

LET ME IN

A route, a turning, a dragon. A dragon ! ? A door.

HOW DO I OPEN THE DOOR

Only a Gringots hobgoblin ...

WHY ? WHAT ARE THE CHARMS ?

Do n't know. Only a Gringots goblin.

Damnit. Harry gritted his teeth. That meant they still needed the goblin. Harry pushed into his mind as hard as he could.

TAKE US TO THE bank vault

Wo n't work. door wo n't give if the goblin is enchanted.

Harry 's eyes flashed wide open. No ...

Suddenly a bolt of electricity crackled through the darkness above Harry 's head. His eye gave his maybe a split seconds warning. His legs buckled without thought process and he rolled, stabbing his wand out and firing at the undefined shape in the distance. Another bolt flew from behind and Harry leapt to the wall. The air sparkled with bolts as the piranha ducked for covering. The goblin stood there stupidly.

HIDE !

The hobgoblin fell forward with a smile on his face. Harry aimed his wand at the shapes ahead and bourgeon a smasher. Behind him he could hear the predator fighting on the other side. Harry felt the rock explode over his head and leapt out of the way of the cave-in.

God this was messy. Harry was the merely one who could see anything with the shadow and the newsbreak and the goblin in amongst the homo and the falling John Rock. Harry screamed as a bolt cut into his leg. It had n't even been aimed at him.

"Incendio !"Harry stabbed his sceptre at the minecart, which exploded with flame. Harry spun and slammed his fist into the goblin behind him. The gross out affair were everywhere ! Fingers closed around Harry 's neck and he was jerked backwards. He tried to fire over his shoulder joint but his wand was jerked out of his handwriting. There were two of them ! Fingers gripped round and slammed into his eyesocket. If it had been the real one it would have been squashed like a grape. Harry forced himself to his understructure and slammed backwards into the wall. The hands loosened for a minute but then came on harder. His eye swivelled in it 's socket and he could see the screaming goblins clawing at his neck. He slammed back again but this time it did n't even phase them.

Ca n't breath.

Of row you ca n't breath !

Harry dropped to his knees, desperately trying to pull up the handwriting off his cervix. He could n't even get them to budge. Black Lucy in the sky with diamonds floated in forepart of his eye. He was fading ...

"Selective Service System !"

Smokey leapt out of Harry 's sleeve and the fingers disappeared like mist. Harry spun and punched the fearful goblin behind him. His fingers darted to the base and grabbed the goblin 's shock-stick, with a flick he shot the affair at the early goblins chest. The grey creature was thrown back against the wall and fell, stunned.

Harry 's eye found Smokey on the floor, rising to seize with teeth. Harry grabbed him by the chief. If the little Hydra bit a hob that goblin would be very dead. Harry met the snake 's eye but saw only rage and creature hatred. Harry quietly stunned him and dropped him in his pocket.

He turned and saw the other marauders picking themselves up out of the rubble.

"Everyone alive ?"Harry coughed roughly.

"We 're aright."Fred was pulling his brother up off the floor."George V got hit but I think he 's aright."

"How about the hobgoblin ?"

"We used stunners."Dragon said as Harry scooped his wand back up."They-"Draco paused."Do you hear that ?"

"Hear what ?"Harry 's eye spun it 's socket."No."

"rush sound."Draco cocked his oral sex like a dog.

"Not all of us have wolf senses."Harry growled."Where is it coming from ?"

"backside us.."

Harry focussed his eye, cutting through stone ....

"RUN !"Harry spun, grabbed their goblin template and belted down the corridor."RUN !"

"What is it ! ?"

"Tidal wave !"

"What do you entail 'Tidal wave'” Padma yelled.

"Stop asking questions and RUN !"

Harry reached a ramification and chose based of faint flashes from the goblin retention. He risked a glance behind him and saw water bearing down.

"We 're not going to make it ! Hit the floor !"Harry threw himself to the soil and shielded the hobgoblin underneath him. The roaring water caught up with him and Harry felt it crash over them like a wall.

WHAT IS THIS ?

Thief 's ruination. lavation away enchantments.

Harry gripped his baton but the water was gone almost as soon as it had come. The goblin under him began to wrestle and Harry realized that the imperio must suffer been whipped clean.

"Imperio !"That had sounded wrong ! The spell fizzled and the goblin 's eyes narrowed. Harry was pushed off and the gray-headed wight dissipated into the duskiness. Harry staggered to his metrical foot and tried to yell.

PAIN.

Harry put a hand to his throat. It did n't finger right at all. Somewhere in his leg something snapped and Harry howled in pain. He stumbled forward but one of his wooden leg seemed longer than the other. With another knife thrust of pain the other leg slammed down and Harry was thrown to the ground. Everywhere on his skin was crawling like worm. Harry shuddered and tried to crawl forward.

What the hell was happening.

Harry crawled towards one of the puddles, left over by the water and stared down into it. He pulled his masque off and a face that was n't his own looked back. His fake eye was the Same but the other had changed from emerald commons to blench hazel. His tomentum had faded from pitch-dark to brown and was hanging in spindly lock, soaked like a dead rat. With a nauseating cinch his human face changed too, getting blanket and flatter. Harry 's shaking fingers came up, exploring the new characteristic ... what the underworld ...

Then suddenly he realized what had happened.

The thief 's downfall washed away enchantment. All enchantment, even Dumbledore 's. The spells that had been on Harry for almost his entire life were being stripped away. It was n't that he was looking at a face that was n't his. It was that he was finally was.

He finally looked like himself.

"Drop the wand."Harry felt the decimal point of a wand pushed against the spinal column of his neck. His eye swivelled and he saw Draco standing over him with murder in his eyes."fall the baton you bastard. And assure me what the hell you 've done with Harry !"





If you do n't survey then your grueling drive will turn into cheese. To be precise, edam. It will be tasty, but it will no longer procedure as a laborious drive.


I do not own Harry Potter. I do however claim him as a dependent on disbursal. This is fully within the rule and I do not consider I have done anything legal injury however I can see that the British public do not agree. As such have resigned from console and will pay the money back. I regret the trouble I have caused to our useless prime minister.



I just can not catch a freaking break.

"genus Draco ..."

"Drop the wand !"

"Ok ... Ok ..."Harry carefully placed his wand on the basis next to him."But I am Harry. I ca n't excuse, not right now but ... I am."

"Do you think we 're moron ?"genus Draco flicked the wand off the ground. The other vulture were crowded around him, their scepter out as well. Harry slowly turned around, keeping his hands up.

"It 's ... It 's complicated."Harry was breathing hard."I know it 's laborious to ... but I am the Lapp individual I always was."

"You do n't even sound the same."Padma pointed out.

"I just ... Please for the love of god you just have to believe me !"Harry glanced into the darkness."The goblins are n't done you know, they 'll be coming back ! You think you can go in, get the cup and get out, with a prisoner ?"

"I was n't intending to take a prisoner."Draco growled.

"Really ? Do you jazz where the vault is ?"Harry 's optic narrowed."I do. Do n't believe me. amercement. But you need me ! Believe me if you want even the slightest chance of getting the bloody Horcrux you need me. I will excuse everything. believe me. But we need to go. Now."

Draco hesitated ...

"Please genus Draco ..."Harry pleaded."For the dearest of god please ..."

"Fine."Draco stepped back."First ingest off your coat. And your bag. All your weapons."

"Got a few 60 minutes ?"

"Now !"

"Fine."Harry shucked his coat off and threw it to his friend then stood."Can we go now ?"

Harry turned and walked off down the corridor. No one tried to stop him. No one tried to follow him either.

"expression at it this way."Harry turned."Is turning into person else half way through the stickup really the strangest affair I 've ever done ?"

The marauders began to hesitantly move.

"Thank you."Harry threw his hands up and hurried off down the corridor.

"Hey !"A stunner exploded over his head. Harry turned to see genus Draco pointing his wand at him."Do n't try to get away."

"Yes, I 'm trying to escape down a tunnel underground."Harry growled back at the marauder."Where the nether region would I go ?"

"Just stay on where I can see you."Draco 's baton had n't dipped an inch.

Harry glared flatly at him before starting back down the tinker's dam cave. They kept going in secrecy, Harry choosing turning based on faint guesswork and flashes of memory.

"How far is it ?"Padma asked suddenly.

"Two more turn ... I think."

"You think ?"Draco asked sharply.

"Yeah, I think."Harry ignored the sceptre at his back ( moments from blasting him to oblivion ) and carried on. As they got closer Harry 's eye began to picture him a cavern stretching out before them, far larger than the caves. And in the middle."Damnit, I thought that was what the goblin said ..."

"What ?"

"Dragon."Harry turned the net corner and crouched down behind a bolder."looking for yourselves."The marauder peeked out to see the vast wyrm, chained in front of the massive room access. It 's eye were milky and whiten, it 's skin too.

"It does n't front too healthy."Padma said thoughtfully."And there are five of us."

"Four."Draco broke in. Harry rolled his eyes but Padma nodded.

"quaternary of us. If we all stun it at the same time it might go down. That 's what they did in the triwizard tournament."

"What about the door ?"Fred scratched his head."I do n't affair we 'll be capable to soften the locking spells."

"We do n't need to."Draco moved to stand."We just call for to discover another goblin."

"That wo n't work."Harry hissed."The former goblin told me before we were attacked. The doors can differentiate if the goblins are moving of their own free will."

"And you only mention this now ?"Draco narrowed his eyes.

"wellspring between the engagement and the last menace I did n't really get a chance."Harry paused, that time even he heard the alteration in his voice. He had an Irish accent. Dumbledore had even changed that !. He glanced back at the vault."I think I see a way to get through ..."

"Tell me the spell then."Draco said sharply.

"It 's not so much a piece, and I do n't think you 'd be able to do it anyway."

"Do n't even think you 're getting your wand back."genus Draco laughed bitterly.

"You know I 'm getting real number tired of this-"

"Then severalize me who you are !"

"I do n't have time and you wo n't believe me."

"Then how can I believe anything you say ?"

"You- ... Fine."Harry stood, registering the shock in his booster 's heart."I do n't need a wand."With that he vaulted over the careen and began walking down the slope towards the dragon.

"HEY !"The great beast raised it 's head."Over here !"

Harry had to hedge a gout of flame. The lizard was old but it was fast. Dashed to the left hand and the fauna lumbered to follow him. He crossed in front of it, rolling out of the way of a fireball, and kept moving.

The chains around it 's arms twisted into one another, kinking.

Harry ran back the other way. The animal leapt forward, raking it 's chela through the air. Harry 's deal twitched to a wand that was no recollective there and ducked at the last minute. He threw himself forward, leaping under the out-flung arm. His boots bit stone and he leapt over the whipping tail that threatened to cut his legs out from under him and dashed back out of the dragon 's range.

The chain twisted around a stalactite.

Harry ran for the entry to the vault, rolling under an orb of flaming that left a scorch mark on the bulwark and made the cave shake. He skidded to a stop before the iron doorway and the wyrm turned to face him. It tried to step forward but it 's twisted chain would n't let it reach out the any more. Instead it breathed recondite and belched out a fireball. Harry twisted to the side and felt his eyebrows burn off as the dragon-flame passed right in strawman of him. The ball of fire exploded against the bank vault door, turning it crimson red.

"Yeah ! more !"Harry yelled at the dragon."Come on !"A lance like a flamethrower forced him to the floor and made him cry out in pain as it struck his shoulder a glancing blow. His shirt was on fire. So was his peel. Harry rolled to put out the fire and tore off the parched fabric. Another powerhouse pin-wheeled over his head and struck the hinge of the door. Parts of it were almost incandescent white.

Harry dashed the way he 'd come, waiting for the flying dragon to wrick and stick to. The mountain range clicked off the stalactite, springing like a sportfishing line. Harry reversed direction and ran back in front of the door.

"Over here !"Harry yelled at the no-longer-constrained flying dragon."seminal fluid and get me !"

The flying dragon roared and lunged, shoving one car-sized claw at the boy. He leapt to the side as the nipper crashed through the weakened metal with a horrific shrieking. The tartar reared up on it 's hinder legs, it 's claw a red mess of unthaw metal and blood. Suddenly four peach slammed into it 's unprotected underside. The expectant beast teetered for a instant, then another four struck it in the head and it fell like a Tree. Crashing down onto the rock.

Harry turned to see the marauders rushing to join him.

"He must be Harry."Fred was smiling broadly."No one but Harry could make pulled that off."

"He 's proved he 's crazy he has n't proved he 's Harry."genus Draco brushed past Harry and continued towards the vault.

"You 're welcome !"Harry called after him before following him into the hurdle. The marauders stopped as they moved into the eye of the way. Golden things glittered from every direction.

"Wow ..."George 's middle glittered.

"mite nothing."Harry 's eye spun in his socket."It was supposed to be a cup ... there !"Harry stepped forward and felt his feet weld to the floor.

"Where ?"Draco moved into view.

"Did you do this to my invertebrate foot ?"

"Where ?"

"Cos if you did do this to my feet I will break your neck. Do n't think that wand will stop me !"

Dragon raised one supercilium slowly then punched Harry in the brass. Harry tried to stay erect but his pes would n't move and he fell backwards, landing on his elbows and slamming onto the story. Draco 's typeface came into view above him.

"Where ?"

"Over by the corner."Harry pointed. Draco 's looked over. Harry resisted the urge to grab his wooden leg, hitch them out from under the blond by-blow, throw him to the floor then punch him in the venter and break his arm before taking back his wand and breaking his neck opening. Resisted. Barely."By the vases."

Draco moved off as Harry levered himself to his feet.

"Thanks for helping."Harry glared at the residual of the marauders.

"Are you really Harry ?"Padma narrowed her eyes.

"I 'm who I always was."Harry shrugged.

"That was evasive."

"Do n't sustain time to explain."Harry looked over at where Draco was reaching for the cup. He momentarily considered not telling him about the curses on the cup. Momentarily considered it, and decided it was a great idea.

"OW !"

"Look out for the flagrante curse !"Harry called out cheerfully.

"DAMNIT !"

"And the gemino !"Harry laughed as he saw Draco drop the cup on the floor, wads of other cupful appearing out of the air.

"The counter for the gemino is unicus unicus unicus ?"Harry called out again."I 'll tell you the flagrante return if you give me back my shit wand !"

Dragon came back into view without looking at Harry, stalking past him and out of the vault.

"Hey ! Are you gon na just impart me here ?"Harry tried to move his feet."Come on !"

Padma stepped hesitantly up to him and aimed her wand at his feet.

"There had better be a account for all of this."She said, before murmuring the finite.

Harry felt his fundament come free and hurriedly dashed out of the burial vault after Draco. The slytherin was almost to the Dragon when Harry 's eye caught a flashbulb from a side tunnel.

"Back in the vault !"Harry yelled. But he was n't quick enough. Before Dragon had time to even turn a bolt hit him full in the chest, throwing him to the floor. The cup clattered out of his hands. Goblins funnelled out of tunnels and Harry was forced back into the vault."Summon Draco !"Harry yelled to the other marauders as he dived through the ruined bank vault door. A moment later the cup and it 's stunned carrier flew after him.

Bolts flew through the spread door like horizontal rainfall. Harry dashed towards a weird atomic number 79 hot seat and kicked it in front line of the threshold, he ducked behind it and grabbed the arm, ignoring the burning hurting in his own. copy of the hot seat fell out of nowhere, piling on top of one another in strawman of the door.

Harry dashed back and grabbed his wand off Draco 's prone body. He spun around to see three wands pointing straightaway at him.

"Oh COME ON !"Harry yelled."Either shoot me or shut up !"Harry pushed past them and aimed his verge over his barricade."Rennervate !"

There was a holloa as the Draco was rudely awakened. The bolts stopped for a moment as the goblins decided they had bigger things to worry about.

"Do you remember we can burst past them ?"Fred was gripping his wand fiercely.

"I doubt it."Harry stepped backwards. It was beginning to count like he had regained his true cheek only to die in it. He had n't planned this enough. Had n't had a plan, but what else could he have done ?

"Harry ..."

"I do n't know."Harry glanced back at the barricade. The roars had stopped. The bolts had begun again."I do n't know."Harry held his wand grimly. Really should accept planned this unspoiled ... And there was no help ...

A flash of flame burst from behind the marauders. Harry spun with his wand out but it dipped a moment afterwards. Harry 's mouth fell open in shock.

"That 's ..."Padma pointed."That 's a ..."

"Phoenix."Harry stepped forward. The bird looked at him, apparently un-phased by the deadbolt hitting the cap. Harry had no idea why it was there, but he was n't about to kick a talent horse cavalry in the back talk."Grab a feather !"Harry ordered the other marauders, grabbing Draco and pulling him towards the bird. It hopped forward and onto his outstretched arm. The phoenix 's beady eye 's met Harry 's. flame curled around them just as the roadblock broke down.
*


Harry fell onto sess and felt pincer allow his arm. He opened his eyes and saw the phoenix flapping away calmly, giving no sign of why it had come.

"Where are we ?"Harry glanced around and saw more predator than he was expecting. Ginny and the others were staring at him in jolt. The phoenix had brought them to the tryst point. Harry stood and dusted himself off."Well that went well."Harry smiled."Someone want to wake Draco ?"

"Who the hell are you ?"Ginny 's hand was hovering near her wand.

"Oh yeah ..."Harry remembered that he looked or sounded zilch like they remembered."I guess this is kind of confusing ..."

"Yes Harry."Padma said to superior general seismic disturbance."I believe you have an explanation to give."

"Oh yeah. I guess I have."Harry took a abstruse breath."We should go back to Hogwarts though, they 'll be worried and this 'll take awhile."

"No."Padma crossed her arms."properly now."

"Ah ... ok."Harry reached into his bag and pulled his tent out, tapping it once to enlarge it to full size."You 'd amend go inside, this is going to be a long report ..."

In the end he told them the same way Dumbledore had told him. Flatly, with no seismic disturbance. It was really the just way, the only way to tell someone that the intact world was unlike to the way they thought it was. Like telling soul that, contrary to everything they knew, the sky was really orange. He tried not to look at their faces as he spoke. It was like he was stripping raw, bearing everything to them. All the marauders were there, and in a way that was defective. The original marauders, the core, he knew like sept. But the others, the ones that had joined when he was away in conclusion yr, not so a great deal. Some of them had probably joined because he was Harry ceramicist. Because they trusted the prophecy, because they trusted that he could ruin Voldemort. And now ... he was just some guy. Just some kid who had been pushed in over his principal and forced to exist. Constantly on the sharpness of drowning and having to claw for every fall of air. Getting his real face back should get made him feel happy. Telling his friends should have made him feel glad. Instead he felt ... tired.

"... And in the end I decided to hold open being Harry Potter."Harry fished lamely."Because, much as I hate what Dumbledore did, he was rightfulness. multitude need to see the elect one out there fighting. It does n't count what I want."

There was a long, gloomy silence. Harry could see shock and horror painted on every face.

"It ... it makes sense."Hermione was the first gear to talk."It 's horrible but ... it makes sentiency. Even the bit about you not having a gens. That would explain why you, the real you, never received a Hogwarts invite, why your name was never written in the Hogwarts books. That was probably component part of the intellect Dumbledore chose you. There would be no book for anyone to find."

"I do n't know. Possibly."Harry shrugged."He did n't secernate me why he chose me. There ca n't have been that many orphaned magic children of the properly age to choose from. I always thought I just got the forgetful straw."

"So you do n't even have a real public figure ?"Neville asked quietly.

"The orphanage called me Jack."It hurt to say that public figure. More and more Harry thought of Jack as what he would get when all this was finally over. When the world did n't necessitate Harry Potter anymore. When he could finally rest. He did n't severalize them that though,"But I 'm not well-fixed with that public figure yet. If you could just keep calling me Harry that would be good."

"Look at me."Draco said suddenly, still sounding angry."tone into my eyes."

"You do n't believe me ?"Harry complied, meeting genus Draco 's gaze."It 's would be kind of an elaborate lie to think up."

"Shut up."Dragon commanded and Harry felt a stabbing pain sensation behind his eyes. Draco was n't bothering to be gentle with his probing. Harry supposed he could n't charge him. Harry saw himself in the hospital room for a moment, Dumbledore standing at the end of the bed. Harry turned his mental gaze away, letting Draco view the mental image alone. Harry had no need to relive that day. Eventually the mental probe subsided and Draco leant back, his typeface dropping from angriness to appall."It 's true. It 's all dependable ..."

"You did n't want to believe it."Harry nodded."Neither did I."

"So delay, I 'm confused."Ron scratched his caput."What does this mean value for the prophecy ? I thought Harry Potter, um ... the other Harry Potter, was the alone one who could kill you-know-who. So if he 's dead does that mean that ..."

"It means nothing."Harry cut in. He had to head off this line of conversation quickly."It 's cop. You trying to distinguish me that if soul walked up to Voldemort and chopped his head off with a machete that somehow he would n't die."

"well no, he wouldn't."Padma pointed out."Because of the Hocruxs."

"Which we can destroy."Harry said quickly."Which anyone can put down. Anyone with reserve tools. Do n't need cannon Harry for that. And besides ; Pythea thinks I can shoot down Voldemort and no-one knows more about prognostication works than her."

There was a murmuring of idiom from around the tent. Harry breathed an internal sigh of succor, at least he had headed off that disaster.

"So what do we do now ?"Split raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean what do we do now ?"Harry shrugged."We head back to Hogwarts, probably in the morning, it 's too late now. And then we keep assisting the ordination and Snape to take down Voldemort."

"You mean we just act like northing 's changed ?"Hermione asked, aghast.

"Nothing has changed."Harry pointed out."I 'm still the Same soul I was yesterday. Voldemort 's still out there. The Lie Gou are still a threat. zippo 's changed."Nothing ever changes. Except when it gets worse."And when we go back to Hogwart 's I 'll receive someone who can put my face back on and no one will get it on any different."

"And you 're aright with that ?"

"Yes."No."World needs heroes. Harry thrower is ... like my secret identity. Like spiderman."

"Who ?"Ron 's brow furrowed.

"Never mind."Harry hung his head tiredly."We should all probably take a little time to rest. It 's been a long day."

And when we go back to Hogwarts it all begins again.
*


It was time of day later and Harry was sitting outside the tent looking up at the stars when he heard step approaching behind him.

"Harry ? ... Jack ? .... Person ?"

"My epithet has n't changed."Harry chuckled into the night air."I thought everybody was asleep ?"

"I couldn't."Padma stepped up beside Harry and sat down."It 's just too much to take in at once."

"Imagine how I felt."

"I do n't have to imagine. I remember."Padma shrugged."You went crazy for a piece, then Pythea made you better."

"Yep."

"She does that a lot does n't she."Padma raised an eyebrow.

"Do you have any specific compass point ?"Harry rolled his eye.

"I think you know."Padma smiled then looked away as Harry laughed."You even laugh differently. It sounds higher."

"Irisher probably."Harry tried to hear his own voice but it sounded even foreign to him, it was probably some sort of psychosomatic matter."I have n't really got used to it yet."

"What are you going to do when we go back to Hogwarts ? Are you really going to ask someone to put you back the way you were ?"

"I guess I 'll sustain to ..."Harry bit his lip. The medical prognosis was surprisingly unpalatable."I do n't know if we 'll be able to get the totally parcel back but we should at least be able to get the face. I can counterfeit the voice if I have to, chip in me a little more prison term ... this just ?"

"Deeper."

"wagerer ?"

"Say something else."

"You do know that if someone asks you to say something you instantly forget every countersign you ever knew ?"

"That 's a little better."Padma nodded."We can sour on it. Try more emotion."

"Should I be angrier ?"

"More biting than angry."

"Oh great thanks."

"Perfect."

"Are you being sarcastic ?"

"Partially."

"Should I be more sarcastic ?"

"Definitely."

"Now you 're making fun of me."Harry chuckled."Hm, just proves I 'm back to normal."Harry leant back on the forage."I got my own face, we got out animated, got the cup, beat up a bunch of goblins and I danced with a dragon. I call that a win."

"I wonder how a great deal of that atomic number 79 got destroyed in the fervidness ?"

"Depends how much Fred and George IV stuffed in their pockets."

"They did n't ..."

Harry tapped his eye.

"They did. I 'm not surprised."Padma shook her forefront, chuckling."Speaking of treasure, have you worked out what you 're going to do with the cup."

"well ... I have one idea."Harry looked up into the sky."But I do n't know if it 'll work ..."

"Is it dangerous ?"

"wellspring, no not particularly."

"So why do n't you try it."

"trade good point."Harry stood up and closed his oculus. service me.

"Harry what are you-"Padma trailed off as a flash of fire lit up the nighttime. Harry opened his oculus to see two capital of Arizona looking at him quizzically. Harry stepped close to them and placed the cup on the basis next to the birds.

"Would you mind flaming this thing for me."The larger Phoenix hopped forward and looked up at Harry. Harry felt a little reckon push towards him, it seemed to be saying ... why."It belonged to Voldemort."pass cocked left."It helped him come back from the dead."Head cocked right. Bob. The larger hiss hopped next to the cup and spread it 's wing. Harry shielded his eyes as the birds feathers turned to crimson flame.

"You just spent an hour explaining to everyone how you 're not the Chosen one."Padma said quietly from behind him."So what exactly are you ?"

"I have no idea."Harry admitted, his center sparkling with ponder fire. After a few moments both the flames subsided and the boo was gone, flamed away back to where it came from. All that was left of the cup was a pitted scrap of metal.

"Do you think there are more of them ?"Padma asked as Harry picked it up off the floor.

"More Hocruxes ? No way to tell."Harry stood and looked back towards the tent."Should probably head back to Hogwarts. They 'll be worrying."
*


It was still dark as the predator alighted on the skunk outside the gates of Hogwarts. Harry took out his verge and aimed it at himself.

"Harry what are you doing ?"Draco asked.

"Dissilusioning."Harry said the charm and felt the cold-blooded finger of invisibility enclosing him."No one should see me like this."

"Oh, right."

"We need to get to Snape, he 'll be able to get me back looking like ... like Harry."Harry felt that foreign hesitancy again but squashed it down. It was requirement to stay under the mask. It was necessary."You guys question to the vernacular room, you all deserve some proper sleep."

Harry walked up to the silent castle and proceeded to the donjon. Harry stopped outside Snape 's threshold and took a deep breath before knocking.

"ejaculate in."Snape sounded like he was angry.

Harry pushed the door in and stepped into the dark office.

"Mr Potter."Snape had his backrest turned and was slowly measuring out a foul green liquidity into a beaker."Have you came to offer up an explanation as to why I have taken Horance Slughorn into protective custody ? Why a poor mission that should have taken a unforesightful enumeration of hours at most and only involved you and Mr Malfoy has taken half of Hogwarts and almost twenty four time of day ? Would you like to explain why Morfin Gaunt is dead ! Would you like to explain why death feeder attacked diagon skittle alley ? And do not TRY to pretend that you were not-"

"Snape turn around."Harry interrupted.

"ceramist do not try-"Snape 's headspring snapped around. His eyes widened."You ..."

"Me."Harry shrugged."I 'll explain everything, but I need you to do something about this face. Please."

"So this is what you looked like bef ..."Snape whispered quietly. Then more forcefully."expiration your mental blocks."

Harry sighed, but complied. A violence pushed it 's way into his mind. Flashes of the by day flickered past like minute of a past life. Harry just relaxed as every detail was wrung out like dirty laundry. apple tree ... relax.

The images stopped and Harry opened his centre. Snape pushed past him roughly.

"Hey ! Where are you going !"

"I know the place you were held, the office where the dark lord 's lab was."Snape pushed the door opened."It is an old adept domicile in London, the childhood menage of Bellatrix. Perhaps there is something still there."

"What about me !"Harry called after the potions master."I ca n't go forth your office looking like this !"But Snape was already gone."Wonderful."Harry pushed the door shut and collapsed on a chair."wonderful ..."

Harry spent a fruitless hour trying to bring transfiguration on himself, only succeeding in giving himself acne, when he noticed someone coming up the corridor outside. He froze momentarily before he saw who it was and relaxed.

"Hello Harry."Pythea said without pause as she pushed the room access open and turned to him.

"You could at least guess to be a little surprised."Harry pointed at his face.

"You look the Saami to me."Pythea closed the door.

"Well at least we match now."Harry smiled out of one brown eye and one park and into one green and one purple."How did you know I was down here anyway ?"

"Snape sent me. He told me to leave you back your old face."Pythea cocked her head."But I will only do it if you want me to."

"It 's ok."Harry sighed."I know I need to look like Harry again."

"You should n't feel forced, this is your choice."

"Would be variety of arduous to explain."

"Not with the truth."

"Which I already decided I ca n't say the world."Harry hung his question."Maybe when all this is over. But for now the human race still needs their hero. I need my secret identity back."

"You 're for certain ?"

"Yes."

Pythea moved closer and sat on the arm of his professorship. She raised her manus and lightly touched his impertinence. Harry shivered. Because of the magic. Just because of the trick. Theia leant in closer as her finger's breadth played over his skin. Harry could find her breathing spell on his neck.

"So ... how um ... How long will this subscribe ?"Harry said breathlessly ( the magic must experience been interfering with his lungs ).

"Quite a while. tenacious if you keep talking."Pythea placed her hand flat tire over Harry 's eyes and he felt a syncope shifting around his eyelid. He could reek the short prophesier skin. Ink. She had been writing, probably scrying over more maps for the order. The hand was lifted away and Harry 's face felt oddly warm.

"This really will take a while."Pythea said suddenly, jarring Harry back to reality."You could try to get some sleep."

"I have a secure idea."Harry opened his eyes and fixed them on Theia 's."Gaius emineo"The world swirled around them."There,"Harry leant back against a tree."That 's better."

"How did you learn to do this ?"Pythea asked curiously as she looked around at the illusionary orchard.

"I looked it up after you did it to me last year."Harry shrugged."It 's not that hard if you have the place you want held in your mind. And this place is engraved on every cell of my brain."Harry crossed his legs on the grass. He knew it was just the leather of the chair. But it felt like grass. Harry sighed contentedly as Pythea went back to bring on his features. The steer ruffled his hair as it slowly darkened again.

Can I ask you about something ? Harry asked wordlessly, not moving his mouth. Do you cognise anything about phoenixes ?

A piddling. Why ?

I do n't know, but they seem to bear some eldritch sake in me. One of them came when I called earlier. And before that one saved us in gringots.

A phoenix chose you as it 's married person ? Pythea sounded impressed. That 's a great laurels Harry.

That 's not what it is. Harry was about to shake up his school principal, then stopped. They were dissimilar phoenixs, I could tell. And before, when you were sick, the whole phoenix colony was acting Wyrd towards me. Have you heard of anything like that before ?

That is ... very strange.

Thea we 're talking mentally. Harry chided. You ca n't conceal things as easily. You 're really shocked by this.

I ... I do n't know Harry. I 'm not used to not knowing. It makes me nervous, especially where you are concerned.

I do n't mean it 's a risk. They saved my aliveness remember.

I know. Thea shifted her finger down to Harry 's script. He could experience his finger cymbals reshaping. But it still makes me nervous.

The Centaur want me absolutely, the Phoenix want me awake. Harry rolled his eyes. And that 's not even getting started on the humans who want a piece of me. See anything useful in seer-o-vision ?

No Harry. Theia smiled softly.

Harry sighed and closed his center again. He had imagined the woodlet in spring and there were apple prime floating on the air. Pythea lowered her hands, the shift was over. Harry did n't unfold his middle, punter to prevent the moment or a little longer. Beside him the vaticinator leant on his shoulder and closed her own eyes.

Harry did n't sleep with how farsighted they were sat there but eventually the conjuring trick was shattered by the threshold slamming open.

"Harry."Snape snapped as soon as he was through the door, holding it open just long enough for Natalie Zhao to abuse through before slamming it shut."Harry stand up."

"Stand…right."Harry shifted uncomfortably. He was acutely aware of Theia pressing against his side."Um… must I ? It's just that I'm… tired. Yes, tired. Legs… tired. And arms… cosmopolitan musculature…"

"Shut up."Snape knelt down and looked into Harry's oculus. This time he didn't have to say it, Harry obediently lowered his defences and felt the familiar pushing of Snape's mind. After a few moments Snape leant back.

"That is what I thought I saw. But I had to be sure."

"What did you see."

"The nighttime Creator stepping through the veil."Snape stood back up and stepped over to his desk. He poured a lowly methamphetamine hydrochloride of favourable liquidity and tope it in one gulp.

"So ?"Harry asked."So what does that mean ?"

Snape said nothing, just rubbed his forehead.

"We examined the veil we found at Grimauld Place. The planetary house you were held in."Natalie answered."It is functionally identical to the veil in the department of mysteries."

Pythea stiffened and Harry heard a sharp ingestion of breath.

"What does the veil do ?"Harry asked.

"It is a one way portal vein to death."Zhao answered simply."The department of mysteries was initially created to investigate the ‘ three groovy mysteries ’."

"meter, destiny and death."Pythea said softly, imbuing the words baleful strength.

"Yes that is right."Natalie nodded."Although some the great unwashed think they are essentially the Saami thing."

"They are wrong."Thea said leadenly.

"Get on with the explanation."Snape growled from his desk.

"The velum can be used to take a individual bodily into the next world."Natalie snapped irritably.

"So it was used to belt down masses ?"Harry raised an eyebrow.

"Actually it was originally an accolade to go through. antediluvian thaumaturge would go through late in their sprightliness with corner and carts full of their riches. Like an pyramid, except they were still alive. It has n't been done for centuries though. And you 're right, in medieval multiplication it was used to execute prisoner. It 's possible, with exceptional equipment, to see through the veil."Natalie shuddered."I 've seen recording. The prisoners tried to get back, they tries everything, but in the end they all walked away. Across the desert."

The elbow room went mute. Harry thought back to the painting that had been hanging in Voldemort 's laboratory. Hundreds of footprints leading away. None leading back.

"He knows how to see through."Harry thought back."He 's been investigating it. And he grabbed something before he stepped through, a Au amulet ... he must have worked out a way to go along through it safely and get back."

"That is impossible."Natalie stated flatly."The department has been investigating it for century. Maybe he thought he had a way-"

"The darkness lord is still alive."Snape slammed his ice down on the desk.

"How do you know that ?"Natalie asked pointedly.

"Because I know him."

"He 's right."Harry shook his read/write head."Old Snake face knows Thomas More about avoiding death than anyone else. Hey ! You should put-"

"home sentry duty on the veil in the department of mysteries ?"Snape interrupted him."They are there as we speak. And others watch the veil at Grimauld place. But I doubt he will go to either of those places."

"There are early veils ?"

"Probably, no one knows."Natalie answered."Relics of ancient civilisation. He might descend out of one of them. If he comes out at all."

Harry could see Snape opening his mouth to rumble a comeback so he quickly said,

"public speaking of avoiding last, did you see in my head-"

"The hocruxes."Snape interrupted him."Yes. In retrospect it was so obvious ..."

"In retrospect it always is."Harry said."At least now we know. Do you think there are others."

"There are two others."Snape said simply. When Harry 's jaw dropped open Snape simply said."Mr Slughorn was very talkative with a some opinion. He is not, in the end, an evil man. Or even a dopy one. He is simply wedded to him amenities. In any eccentric he was a teacher here at Hogwarts yr ago when a boy called Tom brain-teaser was a student here. He once spoke to the young dark lord about the possibility of a seven part soul. Counting the share that remains in the dark God Almighty body, the diary, the serpent, the ring and the cup."

"Two left ..."Harry felt dread rising in his core."And Voldemort knows where they are. And we don't."Harry bowed his head, another trouble. He was vomit up of this ... he was tired.

"Voldemort may be injured from his passage through the embryonic membrane. Injured or otherwise delayed."Snape said thoughtfully."presumption what I know of the dark lord perhaps I can discover them before he recovers."

"You said'I'not 'We'."Harry raised an eyebrow. A few months ago he would make been angered by the lack of inclusion. Now he was verging on grateful.

"No."Snape raised a hand to quiet ill that would not arrive."I am not sidelineing you Harry. I am better suited to this task. As you are better suited to take with our early problem."

"Other pro ... Sasori."Harry rubbed his forehead. Little stabs of pain were feathering his temples. He wanted desperately to log Z's."I 'd blank out about him."

"It is unsound than you think. He has the philosopher 's stone."

"Voldemort did n't stimulate in on him when he went through ?"

"No. We found the sealed dependable the dark lord was keeping the Lucy Stone in. It had been broken open."Snape shook his school principal."We have one dark lord to deal with. I would rather prevent the raise of another."

"Sasori 's ambitious."Harry nodded."We 've got to get hold of him down before he learns to use the stone."

"My sentiment exactly. But he will be well defended, and I can not use any monastic order members, all of them are needed in the search for the iniquity lord."

"So that leaves me."Harry bit his lip to barricade a saturnine sigh. Snape needed him. The globe needed their freakin hero ..."I 'll get the Lucy Stone back."

"Remember what we learnt at their temple."Snape held up a warning finger.

"There could be one C of them in there."Harry nodded."I 'll total up with something though ... you just worry about Voldemort. I 'll deal with the Lie Gou."

"Very well."Snape nodded, then seemed to notice the way Harry was sagging into his armchair."I am sure you need to reside. I know that I do."

"Goodnight professor."Harry nodded as he and Pythea left the benighted office. After a few meters of mum corridor Pythea asked quietly,

"Do you have a plan ?"

"Not yet. But I 'll think of a plan."Harry bit his lip. He had to invade a fort building fully of charming ninjas in a bubble universe and find a tiny stone. Like looking for a acerate leaf in a haystack while evading a overzealous wolverine."And it had better be a good one ..."



Hi all. I 've actually finished the writing on volume 6, started on book 7. As affair stand it looks like Koran 7 's going to be inadequate than 5 or 6 and I was thinking of posting it as just a few enceinte chapters rather than mess of trivial single. It gets tiring trying to encounter a lifelike tip to end a chapter every five-thousand Christian Bible or so as I have been doing. Massive chapters would let it flow a little better.

tercet fifteen-hundred word chapters would probably do it. Thoughts ?

Oh, and if you do n't review the Chupacabra will descend and eat all of your goats.


I do n't own Frodo Baggins. Not that he 's in this story, just thought it was worth mentioning.





Harry stepped out of the flue and turned up his collar against the pelting. He was headed for the tarot card, for his second sojourn in as many days. He had the beginnings of a program to attack Sasori, he just did n't know if it was too harebrained. His plan could get them into the place, it would n't aid them rule the pit though ... The pelting was driving vertically into Harry as he trudged down the gray street.

Was someone following him ?

Harry 's eye rolled back in it 's socket. There was somebody on the street behind him, could be a muggle, Harry could n't see well enough with all the distortion the rainfall brought. He changed direction and stepped onto a engaged muggle street, taking him away from the tarot card. The man followed him. Proved zip. Harry was very careful not to race up or slow down. He had a meeting scheduled in the Tarot but he had left himself plenty of sentence. And the patrons would not thank him for leading someone to their drinking hole. tarot pubs had been found before by the aurors of track and subsequently abandoned. The idea continued. Still, they would be ... displeased.

Harry stopped at a crossing suddenly and waited patiently for the lights to change. The man following him slowed to a creeping and stopped at a shop front man, pretending the protection under the awning. The lights changed. Harry stepped forwards and the man set off in pursuit.

Bugger.

Now that he was nearer Harry could zoom along in on the man 's face. An senior man, maybe forty. Black hair with a little grey. moustache, uncontaminating shaven otherwise. Wearing grey trench coat. Under that wearing unremarkable cords and shirt. So far so muggle. Under that the man had brawn. unusual total for a man his age. Harry slowed down a check more than to get a ripe vista. verge. In his pouch with his finger s wrapped around it.

tinker's damn it. So much for being muggle. Harry could see the man 's heartbeat, a perfectly calm and measured tempo. He was n't stressed whoever he was. From his cheek he was n't one of the Lie Gou either. Although it could be a camouflage. Or it could be the other people who wanted him dead.

Harry bit his lip, if he doubled back to the flue he was fairly sure as shooting he could get away from this guy. But then he would n't pee-pee his rendezvous. He could call backup, the marauders, but they could subscribe to ages. He could try to lose this guy ... that was the overbold thing to do. But then he would n't get any clue why these wierdos were after him. So he could push ... but not here. A car crack past Harry, throwing up pee out of a pool. Definitely not here, too many muggles.

Harry turned down an slope street between tall apartment buildings. His fundament was catching up. He must have realized he had been made. Harry ducked into an alleyway and ran to the end before sliding into hiding at the edge of a wall and drawing his wand.

The man stepped into the alleyway. Harry waited as his tracker strode along the dank gutter between the bulwark. The old man stopped suddenly and drew his scepter. What was he doing ? ... The man aimed.

Damnit !

Harry leapt out of the way as the man sent a red bolt of lightning straight through the brick where Harry had been. Harry came up with his baton out and fired a peach. The man shielded without a thought and blasted a another red bolt at Harry, all the while advancing quickly.

Harry flicked his scepter, dragging a dumpster into the man 's path and banishing it towards him. It was quickly transfigured into feather but Harry reversed the tour and the man was broadsided, driving him back. Harry banished again, driving his battering ram of alloy and trash into the man again. Suddenly a cutting white flash bulb filled the air and the dumpster was cut in half by a radiance blade.

Harry cursed, to much to hope other people would n't know his tricks.

The man dashed forward, the blade still sparkling in his manus. Harry sent a simple smasher that forced the man to shake off the steel to harbor and followed it up ...

"Atrax !"The chicken feed in the alleyway grew spider legs and threw itself at the old man who raised his hands and called up a shockwave that blew the spiders to pieces and made the buildings shake."Tempesto"Harry called nothingness to blow the chalk and debris back at his assaulter but the man ducked to the wall and jabbed his wish to the sky.

Harry dodged in time but was still blown to the base as a lightning bolt shot down from the already bulging sky and blew apart the flagstone under his feet. Harry rolled to his feet as another stabbed down where he had been lying.

Harry dashed towards the man and fired a fireball at his face, following it up with a blistering barrage of hexs and charms. The man had to stop his attack to shield but flicked his other mitt into his sack to attract out small capsule.

What the hell ?

With a flick of his wrist the man threw the thing at Harry.

"Depulso !"Harry yelled on reflex but it did zip to arrest the affair."Geyser"Harry flicked his baton down and a fountain of pee erupted from the dry land sending the piffling matter tumbling into the air.

The man dropped to the storey with his workforce over his ears. Harry was about to sack a enchantment at him when the fiddling ejector seat exploded with a thunder-clap and a blazing ostentation of visible light. Brick ships fountained down on Harry as he was thrown backwards. He looked up in horror as the whole slope of the building crumbled, bricks rending in immense cranny and sheeting falling away.

nestling !

Harry 's eye flickered to the biggest gap just in meter to see a bed fall through the crack and get stuck, dropping it 's screaming denizen from the twenty percent floor. Harry 's had scrabbled for his wand but he was too stun, too slow. Someone else was faster. The old man darted beneath the falling tiddler and caught him in both arms just as Harry 's fingers closed around his wand and swung around ...

Wand pointing ... Man defenceless ... fry screaming in his arms ...

They stayed stuck in that tableau for a long flash. Harry could feel his own ventilation. The early man could n't defend himself with his hands to the full ... but on the former hand he had a human cuticle. Harry could get a line panic-stricken cries from above. The muggles would be here soon. The other man just stood motionless. And then, to Harry 's amazement, the former man knelt down and laid the child on the concrete before slowly raising to his infantry with his hired man held out to either English of him.

He had given up his human being shield.

"Who the Hell are you ?"Harry yelled through the rain, keeping his wand trained on the man 's dresser."You want to obliterate me but you do a fireman save on mortal else ? Why the inferno just me ?"

The man was silent.

"You 'll pull through everyone but me is that it ?"

"I am saving everyone else."The man spoke for the initiative time, his voice low and oddly accented.

"What ?"

"I am saving everyone else."The man repeated."By killing you."

"What ?"

"You must die."The man said flatly."I take no pleasure in it, but if you do not die the moment will be terrible."

"How the pit does that bring ?"Harry yelled angrily."I 'm the bloody chosen one here !"

"No. You are not. You are not the elect one. This we know. But that is not the point."The man 's voice was hasty. They could both hear running feet approaching. Harry gritted his teeth. He wanted to sandbag this guy and take him in ... on the former hired hand, he had saved a kid. On the early hand ...

The man 's branch came down and the fling of dissapparation filled the alleyway. Harry recovered from his maddened jounce just long enough to disenchant himself just before the muggles stampeded into the alley. He hid at the side and squeezed out before dashing away along the street. In the pelting person would point out him if he stayed in one spot too long. Harry ducked into a doorway and cancelled the magical spell before sinking to his knees and pushing his head back against the paries, heedless of the rain running down his face.

I have to die ?

Harry knocked his straits against the stone.

I have to die ? Because I 'm an abomination.

That was the reason these wierdo 's had been after him ? They had n't told him any to a greater extent than the centaurs and yet ... they knew who he really was. They were n't killing him for being Harry Potter. They were trying to drink down labourer Malyn.

Why would anyone want to toss off an orphan with no computer memory ?

Harry smacked his head against the stone again. He had given five bloody and painful years to protecting people and fighting darkness, years he did n't have to give. A combat he had n't had to be a part of. And for what ? For hoi polloi who save children from sure decease to try to kill him.

crying might ingest been flowing from his middle, he could n't tell in the rain.

Harry pulled his knees up to his dresser and wrapped his arms around them. He had sat like this back before Hogwarts he could remember ... of course almost of the sentence he had been smart enough to find somewhere out of the rain. He could think of that time ... what sort of life story did he conduce now that he looked back fondly on being a street urchin ? That thought was too bitter to even throw him laugh.

Harry rolled his eye to look at the sentinel in his pocket. He still had ten min till his scheduled meeting and he was going to spend at least five of them here in the pelting, in the gutter, in a doorway with faded set posters nailed to the chipboard. He did n't care if it made him late, if this doorway was all the Earth was giving him then he would take it. He had to take something.

Harry curled up and knocked his had back into the niche where the rain was a little LE. He closed his eyes and felt the droplets slapping against his coat. He did n't care.
*


Harry pushed open the door of the tarot card, this time situating itself in a brightly decorated wine-coloured bar. He took a calming breath.

"Wet out there."Harry threw a drying magical spell over his clothes and hair and stepped over to the man he had come to meet. Harry bowed respectfully and forced a fake smile onto his font."estimable evening. Thank you for hearing what I have to say."

The man on the other side of the board nodded faintly to the chair opposite him. Harry sat.

"So ..."Harry took a shallow breath."Shall I tell you about Sasori ?"
*


Hours later Harry sat alone in a position stall of the Tarot. The man he had come to see was long gone. The get together had gone well, Harry had said what he needed to say and the man had believed it. He had also given Harry a great bag of gold, but that was n't of import. It had only been significant that the man thought Harry wanted money for the information, to hold in the tangible reason and ...

Oh what was the stage ?

Harry took a deep drapht of the crapulence in front of him. It was on a coaster, as were the two empty deoxyephedrine in front of him. If he went back to Hogwarts he would have to commence being himself again, having people demand things of him, and he was n't sure he could adopt that right now.

Just call for to pick out down Sasori ... get back the stone ...

Except after that Voldemort is still out there.

Snape 's dealing with it.

Snape is getting the Hocruxs. Even if we find them all Voldemort is still out there, and I do n't like his sudden compulsion with this gate-to-death. Let 's face it, we 're not even close to the end.

Harry finished the rest of his crapulence and dropped the abandon. He should n't have another. He was going to take in another. He just wanted to expend some meter where there was no one demanding anything of him, was that too much to ask ? Harry dropped his headspring to his manus. The alone place he could be calm was in a den of immorality, the hideout of criminals. What did that say ?

Harry breathed deeply and drew his orchard projection around him, but it wavered and section of the tarot showed through the edges. Harry realized he would n't be capable to hold it and allowed it to fade. It was n't really anyway.

Maybe when this is over I can go back there. The cerebration surfaced in Harry 's mind. Going back to the orphanage, living like a muggle. He had no skills or anything but surely they needed janitors ... or entertainers. Harry sighed or maybe he would just leave the country. He 'd lack his Quaker, the vulture, Thea .... but they 'd understand. Take another name ... or go back to Jack and just ... wander ...

Harry dropped his head to the table. jerky intellection, there was still book seven before he could think of thing like that.

The affair is ... I do n't sleep together if I can last that long.

Harry closed his eye and laid back in his booth. He 'd have got to hold out that long would n't he ? Because that was what he needed to do, what the cosmos asked of him. And he always did what was asked of him. Every crashing prison term, no matter what. Every bloody time.

"Mr thrower ! I did n't expect to see you here."

Harry 's eye 's shot open in an instance. He had n't been paying attention. His magic eye had just been rolling in it 's socket but now it snapped to aid. His hand jerked to his wand, but as he saw who was approaching him he relaxed. A little.

"Mr James."Harry looked up at the orphic old man."Another monition message for me ? What 's happened now ? Sky falling ? Hitler back from the dead ? New Dido single ?"

"Did I not just say I was surprised to see you here ?"James slid into the booth opposite Harry. He took a soft sip of his gin and pop then placed it on the table.

No coaster. Harry tried to call back what gin and refreshful meant in the tarot card code.

"Oh, my mistake."James slid a coaster under his drink.

Had that really been a misapprehension ? Was James II just having a drinking or was he sending a sign ? Or did he want Harry to conceive he was ... Oh who cares.

"Come here often ?"Harry asked the man contrary him.

"Occasionally, I mean you have to. To do business."James glanced around."I was not expecting to see you here though, being one of the virtuous ones."

"Not entirely virtu-"Harry broke off mid prison term as he realised something. He could see King James I. With both heart. The old man was actually there, not a projection like before. Harry was shocked for a consequence. He was even more shocked that he had n't noticed. The firelight glinted off the eyeglasses in front of him. Harry closed his eyes and surrounded himself with his plantation, just for a fraction of a arcsecond. He tried to pull his mind together before he opened his eyes."Not entirely virginal. Just more pure than my enemies."

"I 've heard you have more than one enemy these days."James said casually."Dear old Tom Riddle and now you have gone farther afield for foeman. I knew the wickedness lord was jerky for putting his trustingness in mercenaries."

Harry 's eye flickered down Saint James'physical structure, looking for anything resembling a clue to his identity. The upshot were disturbing, almost every bone in the old man 's body had been broken years ago, probably at the Lapp meter. Even the bones in his skull under his bald head showed augury of bring around shift. It was long ago, they had healed naturally first, then magically later ... Weird. The guy was stocked to the gill with magical artifact and talisman too, but that was graspable here. No wand however ... that was also odd.

"I do n't think he puts trust in anyone."Harry shrugged."How did you receive out they left him anyway ?"

"It 's more or less common knowledge in my circles."James waved to the bar."Can I get you another drink."

No."I 'll have what you 're having."Why did I say that ?

James motioned to the barkeeper and a moment later Harry was holding a gin and tonic.

"You can relax Mr Potter."James took another sip from his glass."This is the Tarot commend ? No one can bear upon you here. Not even me."

"Screw it."Harry took a deep swallow of his crapulence. He paused."This tasting terrible."

"My apologies. Shall I fiat you something el-"

"Yes."Harry drained the rest of the glass."Please."

A glass of Patrick Victor Martindale White wine appeared in Harry 's hand. He sipped it this time.

"centime for your thoughts Mr potter ?"James asked.

"Why did you come here this night if you did n't sleep with I was here ?"

"You are not the nitty-gritty of the universe Mr thrower. Despite what many think."Saint James the Apostle smiled."I have many other things to deal former than yourself. As to what business I had here ? That is none of yours."

"Fair enough."Harry shrugged. William James did n't possess a notecase in his pocket, not any money either. He had n't paid the barkeeper for any of his deglutition, he must have a tab. No one had a tab at the Tarot. Not unless to not give them a tab would have been dangerous to the owner. Who the hell was William James ? Harry considered for a import, then abandoned the train of thought. Tonight he was n't going to try to work any mysteries, he was just going to relax, drink, and blab out to a mysterious stranger who was probably the nous of some sort of clandestine crime consortium. waiting ..."So it would n't have got anything to do with the man who tried to attack me on the way here ?"

"Attack you ?"James II looked aghast."On the way to the tarot ? That would be terribly bad etiquette. I ca n't ideate that even the Lie Gou would do that, they would be barred from the establishment, they would loose business."

Harry said zippo. If Sasori had already worked out how to use the Harlan Stone to turn lead into gold that might not matter.

"Did it front like one of the Lie Gou ?"

"No, but they could easily disguise themselves."Harry took a sip of wine."Did n't fight like one of the Lie Gou."

"Perhaps I can help ? What did he look like ?"James actually seemed interested.

"Perhaps,"Harry hesitated, should he tell James anything else ? His break mentality threw up a red flag, but on the other paw he currently knew sod all about the people trying to belt down him. Anything he found out would be helpful."Oldish, moustache, sounded foreign. Italian maybe ..."

"The same person who attacked you with a crossbow earlier this twelvemonth ?"

"No."Harry did n't ask how James knew."Not the same person, but probably from the same source. The crossbow guy was friends with the centaurs."

"The Centaurus would never lease assassins."James waved the scuttlebutt away."Not only is it against their laws, they also have too lilliputian money. You ca n't hire cause of death with acorns and mysticism."

"They were n't assassinator, at least not paid ones."Harry thought back to the deep input his attacker had made."They did n't seem like assassin ..."

"fountainhead I ca n't think who they would be."James shrugged apologetically, but not unhappily."It would appear you have stumped me. I mean of course there are Italian law-breaking organisation but none of them have any interest in you."

"You know that for certain ?"

"Of course."James actually seemed to be relaxing, his elderly frame leant against the board."Most malefactor are looking forward to the remotion of Voldemorrt, he is an irritation to so many things."

"Like living."

"Quite."

"There was one other affair ..."Harry bit his lip."In the engagement the man went out of his way to save a muggle who got caught in the crossfire. Almost lost the combat because of-"

"No ..."James'eyes went wide."Are you certain ?"

"Positive."

"But they ... why would they sustain any reason to attack you ?"

"You know who they are ?"Harry perked up and tried to sit up straight. His human elbow slipped off the mesa but be righted himself and asked again."You know who they are ?"

"I believe I do ..."James River regarded Harry quizzically over his chalk."Why would they ... but it ca n't be them. I would almost ask them to be on your side."

Harry said nothing. The men probably would be on the side of Harry Potter. At least James did n't know who he really was. Probably.

"Just say me who they are."Harry said irritably.

"Oh some motley fool who think they can economize the world."James chuckled under his breath."Even more lead on than Dumbledore was in many path. Couching their idiocy in some ridiculous opinion of order and Chaos and god and ... they are farcical. Think no more of them. I seriously doubt that they could follow where Voldemort failed."

"That 's comforting. You know what would be more comforting ? If you would break me a freekin name."

"But the real motion is why you ?"James tapped his glass thoughtfully."Yes ... yes that is very interesting."

"You ca n't not tell me."Harry 's articulatio cubiti slipped again, this clock time knocking over one of his old drinking glass."You have to tell me who they are."

"Actually I do n't think I will Mr Potter."James chuckled under his breathing space."When you get as old as I am, and I am very old, it is very infrequently that you encounter something interesting. That is partially why I involved myself in your life, unpredictable as you are. This head however is even more of a conundrum. No, I believe I will not state you. Not until I have considered more this intriguing problem. Good evening Mr Potter, it was a pleasure to match you again."James stood and turned away.

"Hey !"Harry tried to stand but his arm got caught on the table and he fell back into his arse. He tried to ride again and stepped quickly towards the door.

"You 're not thinking of following him are you ?"A bass growling came from the barkeep. Following person leaving the Tarot was as bad as attacking them at it.

"No, just leaving myself."Harry shook his head. He turned back to the tabular array and, a thought process springing to beware, leant over and sniffed at James'glass. Still half total. Smelled of tonic. No gin, just tonic.

Damnit

Harry turned to allow for. At least he was protected by tarot rule as well. No one would attack him on his way back. The ruler stopped him from getting killed, did n't stop him from being played for a sucker. Harry stepped out into the rainfall, letting it run down his face soothingly. He had screwed up badly tonight. He had made mistakes ... no. No he had n't made mistakes. A mistake was when you did n't roll in the hay that what you were doing was stupid. He had known, and he had done it anyway.

Why

Because the world owes me some freakin screw ups. Harry pulled his pelage around him and stalked off into the rain. The rules were supposed to protect him, but that did n't imply he did n't check the fantasm all the way home.
*


"Why do you recall Harry brought us all here ?"Hermione asked quietly as the residuum of the piranha waited in the predator 's attic.

"I do n't recognize. No one knows obviously."Ron said from beside her."He was n't in his bed go Night, I know that."

"It must be something important to tuck us all here like this."Hermione bit one of her fingernails."Maybe he 's found where Voldemort is ? Or something about the Lie Gou ? I wish he 'd tell us what was going on."

"I guess it 's harder now."Ron shrugged."Half the school 's marauder. He ca n't hold us all in the loop. commend when it was just the six of us ? Right in the outset ?"

"Seems like a lifespan ago."

"sort of does I-"Ron broke off."Hey, look there ..."He pointed.

"Is it Harry ? Oh,"Hermione shook her head as Draco stepped into the elbow room. He looked as tired as he always did, but it was still a week to full synodic month. As he entered Hermione saw Ginny nearby stiffen, but totally ignore the Slytherin 's entrance.

"Why does n't she just give up on him ?"Ron said angrily."It 's stupid person that she 's so torn up about it."

Hermione did n't say what she wanted to.

"Anyway Draco 's a hindquarters for doing this."

Again, Hermione kept silent. Given that Harry had been gone a lot lately and Ginny had n't been speaking lots Hermione had been spending quite a lot of clock time with Draco. She had a hunch that he had his reasons for rejecting Ginny. Or, well the fact that he was a lycanthrope and ...

"HEY imbecile !"The marauders fell understood, turning to see that Harry had materialized."Sorry, I meant to say 'Can I have your attending ?'but somehow it just ... well you know how it is. In any vitrine, grab your appurtenance. We 're leaving in five to save the world."
*


"Harry where are we going ?"Ginny demanded as the marauder slung their invisibility cloaks on.

"wellspring first we 're going to weal, to the lake that forms the entry to the Lie Gou gene house."Harry was strapping a spear-like thing to his hip."Where we float far above the pee like pretty butterfly. Then, at the opportune moment, we fly down through the portal, fly up to the theatre, go in, find oneself the stone, get the stone. Simple."

"That 's your plan ?"

"fountainhead they will be a footling distracted by that stop ..."
*


Harry zoomed his eye down through the iniquity. A skirmish of figure were approaching the water, flitting from screening to get across like phantasm. They were grouping near the lake, slipping in one by one. Harry 's helping hand tightened on his scepter, so it had worked, he had n't been indisputable it would.

Usually at this peak he would be feeling the flush of epinephrine before a big fight, this time he just felt scared. There were a lot of people behind him who would become very all in if this went amiss. He did n't sense energized, he felt ... deadened ...

The endure of the dark slunk into the lake. Harry took a deep breath. He flicked his watch out. About two minutes would probably do it.

Harry closed his optic. The plantation was still there, but the leave of absence were gone, turned into impetus and mulch on the priming coat. Harry could n't tell if the wind blowing through his pilus was in the illusion or in realism. It did n't matter. Two minutes were up.

"Down."Harry aimed his broom down and carefully guided it down, with one deal the staff in front of him to aim. The rest of the marauders followed him.

'' Agoredig Ffordd. '' Harry whispered to the water 's surface. He took a trench breath ..."NOW !"

Harry dove his heather forward through the water and straight out the other side. His intimate ear flipped out as gravity reversed itself and he spun in the air involuntarily before righting himself. early vulture shot past him, taking the lead, just like they planned. After all, he was n't the one you wanted leading an aerial attack.

Harry followed the others, shooting across the still air. Up ahead he could see the temple, it 's Windows glowing in the Nox air. Spells and gouts of flak shaft into the air all around them. They were n't aimed at them though, they were aimed at the other figures on the ground.

"body of work like a charm."Harry muttered through gritted tooth as they shot over the warzone.
*


"So you started a war between ninjas and Thomas More ninjas !"

"Look,"Harry attend a calming breathing space."I met the drawing card of the Lie Gou at the Tarot."Harry flicked two guns into his inwardly pockets.

"I thought that was who we were going to attack ?"

"Sasori 's just their European factor."Two ampul of potion and a grenade went into another pocket."And a very naughty boy for working the Voldemort/philosophers stone angle without cutting his chief in for a share. They 're not felicitous. They 'll be moving tonight to explicate their displeasure to him at length."

"So we attack while there 's already a war between criminal mercenary ninjas."

"Course."Harry tried to sound more sure of himself than he felt."So long as there are n't any complications it should go fine."
*


"Yes !."Her hand curled around the discarded verge."Allohamora."The cell threshold sprang open, pushing the corpse away. Bellatrix stepped out of her cell and kicked the body before spitting on it as a terminal affront and moving off, crouched against the wall. These godless mercenaries had kept her confined for Clarence Day, but it was zilch, she was used to worse prisons. And now they fought among themselves. Useless fools. And now that she was free there would be hell to pay.
*


Harry crashed through the window and rolled to his feet, wand out. The others had already secured the way but he wanted to be sure.

"Ok, you know your teams."Ginny barked."squad four, Hold here ! Everyone else, GO !"She did n't even wait before dashing off.

"Wait you suicidal-"Harry darted after her, cursing. To be fair this had been the program, in a general sense. Secure a few rooms from the insaneness and sting a path to Sasori, where they hoped to find the Oliver Stone, leaving squad along the way to procure a way out. The plan had not been for Ginny to go all death-seeker."Ginny duck !"Harry reached the girl just in sentence to tackle her to the level. A bolt of lightning smashed through the paries, above them. Harry fired back through the hole with one hand, dragging Ginny to her animal foot with the other.

"What- ?"

"I go first !"Harry barked into her expression."I 'm the one with the eye ! Remember ?"

"I-"For a import it seemed like Ginny was going to agitate him."Fine. Get moving then."The go sentence was said through gritted teeth.

Harry pushed away and surged forward. Draco stepped up next to him and for a moment caught his eye.

Harry send her spinal column. She should n't be here. She 's not mean straight.

She would n't listen. Harry sent back quickly. At least here we can keep an eye-"shield !"Harry himself jumped close to Draco, trusting the werewolf 's shield far more than his own.

An ark of knives tore through the wall like machine gun flack and a bit later the wall crashed in, filling the corridor with fighting black figures.

"Harry which ones are on our side !"Neville yelled.

"None of them !"Harry stunned a Lie Gou who got too close as the warring junto ripped each other apart before the marauder 's optic."Just stick around back and hit any that card you or outlive !"

And maybe do n't talk ?

Harry was thrown backwards as one of the hero fired a spell at the sound of his voice. Harry hit the wall and felt his verge jarred out of his digit. His other hand gripped the spear in his sleeve and had torn it out before he hit the flooring. He sent lighting from the tip at his attacker before sweeping it over the other belligerent. They fell to the floor like ragdolls and the marauders sent stunning spells to truly send out them to la-la-land.

"team three hold this spot !"Ginny yelled. She darted forward but stopped short at a dead glare from Harry.

Harry turned and grabbed his wand before continuing on, threading his way through soundbox. He felt overjealous of the others, they could only pick up the battles going on all around them, just rooms away. He could see it.

Oh god so much origin ...

He had done this. Harry gritted his teeth as he silently led the piranha through passageways away from the principal battles. He had done this. He had caused this massacre.

"Two in the succeeding room."Harry did n't even hesitate as he threw the door overt and stabbed the kindling spear at one. Draco dropped the former one and Harry just kept walking. There were tables in this room, the cadaver of a meal. They had just been eating. There were already three torso in the adjacent elbow room. Well, two and a half.

I caused this.

"Harry focus !"genus Draco 's representative shocked Harry out of his fugue.

"It 's ok. I 'm ok."Harry gritted his tooth. Draco narrowed his bloodshot eyes.

Do n't say me you 're going mad too-

I 'm mulct. Harry continued quietly."It looks like Sasori 's office and poppycock is through here. Its at the top of ... of like an indoor tower thingy in the middle of a garden. There 's a stair around the outside of it. And lots of guards, twenty on the ground, 15 on the stairway. That I can see anyway. No early way through though."

"Is Sasori there ?"Ginny said flatly.

"Ca n't secern. There 's a ward around the top of the tower."Harry looked back over his troop. There were n't many left. They had left a breadcrumb trail of safe zone across the temple, it left them stretched but it was the only when way.

"Alright."Ginny said definitely."Hermione, you keep the rest of them with you and take out everyone on the floor, hold the region. Harry, Draco and me ... we go up the tower."

"Ginny-"

"You know that 's the substantially way."Ginny growled."You have a better programme ?"

"That 's it."Harry narrowed his middle."You 're going back. Help hold the last room."

"To hell with you !"Harry 's paw snapped forward but Ginny had already slammed the door open.

"Damnit !"Harry 's bridge player flicked into his pocket as xxxv sceptre whirl towards him. Harry 's hand flicked out of his pocket."Disperseas !"Ten grenades fanned out across the room like a spray of Death."buckler !"

Dragon 's shield flashed around him as Harry 's thought process were filled with hatred of everything red-headed and female. The flames consumed the garden but the spells were already hammering down. Harry 's eye caught something that made him scream like a banshee.

"NO !"Ginny was shooting into the air, zooming towards the top of the tower !"Who knew she still had her broom !"

"She had it in her bag !"Dragon yelled through gritted teeth."Shield down in three ... two ... one ..."

"Stupefy !"Harry had his scepter in one hand and the spear in the other. Two shapes rose from the hummer. Two shapes were thrown back in. Harry dashed to the stairs and cursed as he aimed a stunner at a contour leaping out of the shadow. The staircase did n't even have a banister, no security from the firing below.

"We should get out the ones down here first !"Draco slammed into the bulwark side by side to Harry.

"Ca n't ! Stupid Bloody evil your freekin wannabe GIRLFREIND stupe KILL HER !"A soma dropped down in social movement of Harry and he took the opportunity to take out his rage. The figure fell back bloody."We need to get up there in case she does some -DIE pudden-head EVIL- she 's screwed everything up ! Here you shield I 'll vote down. I feel like killing."

Harry edged forward as fast as he was able, cowering under Draco 's shield as they advanced up the tower.
*


Ginny dropped off her ling at the top of the tower and ducked behind a slope wall.

She could do this. She could do this alone. She did n't need ... Ginny took a deep breath, her ticker was racing. Suddenly she was thrown to the floor as the wall exploded outwards above her. Ginny rolled and aimed her baton at the opening, but a moment later another hole appeared right on the other position of the tower. Flashing lights broke from inside the tower and Ginny gingerly snuck up the the pickle in the wall. down below Ginny could listen burst, the others were fighting. But she did n't demand them ...

Ginny raised her question a little over the wall and looked over. Inside there was a extensive power, desk shattered against the shelves, ledge thrown across the floor, trading floor on fire. In the heart of the room, circling one another wish dogs, a man and a woman, baton poised to fire.

Bellatrix. Bellatrix and Sasori.

"give me the Harlan Fisk Stone !"The scar destruction feeder looked rabid, foaming at the sass and twitching."throw me the Harlan Stone or I 'll charge you limb from limb !"

Sasori said nothing, but sent a tour bouncing off the paries to catch Bella in the side, throwing up a gout of stemma. She was covered in rakehell but did n't seem to understand it. Sasori was clean and almost smile. He was winning and he knew it.

Ginny shifted around the exterior of the tower. She could end up off Bellatrix ( of course she could ... ) but the Lie Gou ... If she could take him out first, from hiding, she could claim Bella. Then she 'd ingest the I. F. Stone. She could get it herself.

Ginny tried to work out where the combatant were from the screeches and explosions from inside the function. Why had n't she got herself an eye like Harry 's ? She 's considered it, why had n't she done it ? Ginny found another break in the wall and raised herself up.
*


"stupid bloody- !"Harry barged into the Lie Gou in front of him and chucked him off the side of the tower. By now it was a long way down. Harry tried to aim through a haze of pain and forced his pes to climb higher up the pillar."genus Draco move !"Harry yelled back at the man behind him.

"You go ahead, I 'll make them !"Draco was raining down fire on the fighters below."You help her !"

"You sure ? I 'm planning on killing her afterwards."

"Just GO !"
*


"Stubefy !"Ginny felt a cry of victory as the spell smashed into the Lie Gou 's rachis, sending him careening to the floor."Avada Kedavra !"Ginny aimed the curse at the shocked demise eater at the other side of the way. Bellatrix threw herself to the side, giving Ginny sentence to vault the rampart and dart forward into the war-torn ruin.

"You ?"Bellatrix spat as she pushed herself up from the floor."Why are you here you muggle loving bitch ?"

"Shut up ! Jupitall !"Ginny sent lightning flying at the demise feeder and dodged to the body of the Lie Gou on the floor. Pocket. other air pocket. Inside Pocket- THERE ! Ginny 's digit closed around a bantam Isidor Feinstein Stone. The philosophers stone, she had it. Ginny rolled behind the corpse of the desk to forefend a nauseate sinister curse and jumped to her substructure."semen on ! cum on squawk scrap ! Show me wha-"

The curse hit her in the chest.
*


Harry 's eye saw through rock and flesh to give every horrid detail. His feet faltered on the stairs and he fell to his genu as he saw the spell hit home. The polishing red light of the cuss radiated out in Wave from her chest, meeting her ribs and staving them in, raking through her lungs and slamming into her spine. Breaking it like a twig. Ginny was lifted off the priming and thrown onto the wall behind her. When she hit she did n't hit like a person. She hit like a sack of meat, leaking blood and sliding down the wall before collapsing on the floor.

Harry could hear nil. The war all around him might as well have been mist. Harry did n't see the last few steps he dashed up like lightning. He did n't see the wall between him and Bellatrix, it broke like glass, sending shards ripping through Harry 's skin. It did n't hurt.

Bellatrix. In his eyes she was lit up like a Yuletide tree, the only thing that mattered in the world.

"Avada Kedavra !"hate, passion and darkness flowed out of Harry like a river. The air before him flashed green like lightning. The corpse of the wall were stove in and the shattered through the other side, it crushed past the cowering expiry eater like a shipment caravan. Then, slowly ... it disappeared.

"fountainhead well well ..."Bellatrix chuckled."I must say I 'm impressed-"

"Acerbus cuspis !"Harry charged more hatred and rage into another dreary curse, fanning out the spears so the murderer could n't dodge. Harry 's feet bit dirt and he charged towards the bitch. She had n't even stopped screaming by the time he reached her, slamming his kick into her expression. Her scarred headland snapped back and Harry dove down, grasping his hands around her neck as hard as he could. He could palpate her windpipe crushing under his fingers.

"Ach ... a ..."guttural nothing tried to get away from the witches lips."Ach ... a ... a."Harry knew he should just use his wand, make it straightaway, but red dots were spiralling before his middle and even if he 'd wanted to he could n't have made his fingerbreadth move. Bellatrix 's eyes rolled back in her skull. The bitch was-

"Aaa !"Harry was thrown backwards as lightning arced from the witches fingers into his chest. Harry could feel his build burning, skin searing off. He could feel all sorting of irrelevant things.

"Crucio !"Bellatrix croaked. Harry did n't devil to dodge.

"Excalabus !"Harry whipped his verge sideways, ignoring the blinding pain. The brand flickered out, burnt forward, flicked back behind Bellatrix 's wand. Right through her articulatio radiocarpea. One discerp hand bounced off Harry 's berm as he jumped forward, punching the crone to the ground.

"Accio wand."Bella 's fallen wand flew into Harry 's deal. Her bridge player came with it, but that was a fry detail. Bellatrix sprawled on the level, screaming, clutching the bloody rostrum of her arms to her thorax. Harry could hear the screaming but they had no effect on him, his mind was drifting ...

For a fraction of a second he drew his plantation around him. So quieten, nice and tranquil ... Harry opened his eyes again. He was cold now, the anger was burnt out of him, gone with the darkness. Harry stepped forward, his verge trained on the woman in battlefront of him. He was n't raging any-more, he did n't really feel anything.

His optic flickered to movement on the floor. It was Sasori, just recovering from the stunner. The Lie Gou 'd eyeball flicked up to Harry and his hand flickered into his robe. Before Harry could even opine of casting a spell there was a rushing sound and Sasori was gone, portkeyed away.

Harry knew he should manage. But he really, really did n't. Harry 's eyes flickered back to the screaming fair sex on the ground in figurehead of him. One of the two last death eater, the homicidal ditch that killed Ginny and so many others. Lying helpless in front of him, ready to drag to Justice. He could take up her to azkaban and throw her away for good.

screech, so much screaming. Orchard flowed around him. She would be locked away. orchard apple tree blossoms ... Far far away ... She had been locked up before. It did n't last.

"Avada Kedavra !"Harry closed his heart as he spoke the spell, but he saw anyway. Not much to see really. The turn hit plate, the force of it pushing her dead body a few understructure across the storey, and her warmheartedness stopped beating. That was it. Nothing more. Harry opened his eyes.

The fighting far below was meaningless here ... quiet ... apple prime in the air.
*


Dragon staggered to the top of the pillar, retching as he dragged his bore bones forward. The fighting below was almost over, just the marauders mopping up the stragglers and holding the way undecided for them to get back. He walked carefully over to the office and spun in, wand raised. He saw Bellatrix, stagnant on the floor, with Harry standing over her. Harry 's wand had fallen from his script and he was just staring at the bulwark. Draco was about to step over to him when he saw ...

"Ginny ?"Draco 's eyes flashed astray and he dashed to the crumpled form by the bulwark."Ginny ? ... can you hear me ?"She was dead, anyone could see-

"Draco ..."

"Gin-"Draco crouched down, his face next the barely moving lips. There was nothing he could do, he knew that. Even if the whole stave of St Mungo 's was here there would be nothing they could do. Only one matter ..."Ginny are you in pain ?"

"No ..."Just a whisper."Dragon ?"

"Yes ?"

"I love ..."

genus Draco gritted his dentition. He could n't cry, not now. He could n't, he just couldn't.

"I ..."Ginny was faltering, drifting away."I ... know y-"

"I know."Draco could sense tears on his boldness. Damnit."I ..."He paused ... too long."I love you too. I always did."Draco hoped she was too far gone to see that he was lying.

Ginny 's lips twitched, he could tell she was trying to lecture, but she just did n't bear the strength any-more. He was n't indisputable he did either. Instead he be given forward and kissed her softly. She tasted like sour blood, she felt cold. He closed his eyes and felt the tear flowing, dropping off his cheeks and running streamlet down Ginny 's face. Little free fall cleaning lines in the muck and blood. The sassing twitched once more beneath his, then went still. Very ... still.

Dragon leant back, reached his blazonry under Ginny and lifted her up. A piddling red Harlan Fisk Stone dropped from her hired man to the flooring. Draco hesitated, the temptation to just lead the cursed thing there was almost too much to gestate. But then all this was worth nothing. Draco grabbed the matter and stuffed it in his pocket.

"Come on Harry."He found words somewhere in his throat."Come with me."

Harry 's dead eyes came up to see his and the boy took a stuttering whole tone forward.

"That 's right wing ... follow me."genus Draco walked slowly out of the position towards the long stairway. He looked back and saw Harry following him, still staring deadly ahead."soundly, just keep following me. We have a yearn walkway home."

And I 'm carrying her every tone of the way.

Even if it breaks my dorsum I 'm carrying her.
*


"All considered,"Sasori did not respond to the phonation addressing him."A entire failure."

Sasori 's only response was to grimace.

"You have lost the philosopher 's stone."The old man stated calmly."And your own utility has been severely curtailed. You no longer hold in the Lie Gou in Europe, indeed the whole organization will be out to kill you."

"You do n't seem too upset about all this."Sasori could still sample defeat in his mouth, but he was not about to indorse down to the man before him.

"Upset ? Why would I be upset ? I never had any bid for the stone."

"You are an old man."Sasori narrowed his centre."Especially old for one of your type."

"Only fools want to live forever, and I am already far past my time."That infuriating chuckle."On that distinction have you given any thought to what you will say to the others of our piddling circle ? There might be some head of whether you have anything to offer us any-more."

"Are you threatening me ? I could obliterate you before you blinked an eye."

"Oh come now, there is no penury to be unpleasant."The old man spread his hands and smiled."And you would never obscure me. You need my protection if you even care to survive the next 24 hours."Sasori 's gut twisted. As a good deal as he hated it the man was right. He needed allies, he needed this man or the others would move around on him like Hugo Wolf. Ha ... ironic ...

"You are right James."Sasori bowed his school principal."I need your help. Tell me what you want me to do, and what you want in return."
*


"How could you let this happen ? How could you transport them out there !"

genus Draco closed his eyes and tried to barricade out the phone of Kingsley Shacklebolt 's voice. He knew he should be saying something, but he did n't own the push. Besides, the minister 's wrath was not directed at him.

"You knew this was possible. The destruction of any one of us is always possible."Snape said harshly.

"She was not one of us !"

Draco shuddered, the vulture return to Hogwarts had been fearful. The club had been meeting and he had been able to stockpile Ginny 's body directly into her pal 's blazonry. He had barely even been able to say'I 'm sorry'before the biff had flown into his chin. He had n't tried to fight back. The second puncher had broken his olfactory organ, the marauders pulled the crying Weasley off him after that but after that the fiat had exploded, turning on each early, and the marauders, like Canis aureus. They were splintered now, the arguments spilling into dissimilar suite but Dragon did n't know if it was any better.

"You knew I was keeping the vulture ready."Snape continued.

"As a endure resort ! For typeface like the ministry last-place year when all former Hope is lost."Shacklebolt 's fist were clenching."Not active, not invading a fortified-"

"It was my decision as leader of the order."Snape interrupted angrily.

"wellspring I think we can safely say that that is over."

"That is not your decision-"

"If I put it to the vote what do you believe the result will be."Shacklebolt jerked his headland and two aurors appeared at his berm."Mr Snape-"

"prof Snape."Snape hissed the word like a curse.

"I assume your professorship will also soon end. Since you will not be able to teach from Azcaban."

genus Draco started to his feet but a inexorable glimpse from Snape sent him back to his seat.

"Am I to be told what I am being arrested for ?"

"Endangering a kid. neglectfulness leading to death and so many other things."Snacklebolt 's vocalism was low and dark."Dumbledore was incorrect ever to trust you. We all were."

"If I had not acted the moment would birth been far far worse."

"Perhaps the Wizengamot will see it the like way."Shacklebolt gestured to his aurors."Although I sincerely hope not. I assume you are going to do quietly."

"Running would indicate I had something to be guilty about."Snape thrust his hands out sharply."I assume you want my wand."

Draco shook his nous, he had to do something. But Snape must let seen the spirit on his grimace because he calmly turned to him and said, as the aurors shackled him,

"Perhaps you should check on your Friend Mr Malfoy."

"But-"

"Go Draco."Snape allowed himself to be lead away by the aurors. He looked back over his shoulder."And if you would take care of Harry I would apprise it."

The room access slammed close and Dragon felt his bosom drop. It was like the hale world was falling apart.

Harry.

Yes, Harry. He needed to find Harry. Since they had got back Harry had n't said anything, just kept staring straight ahead. Draco would take tried legilimency but everything had happened so fast. Harry was light, vulnerable, clearly going through something terrible. He had to take care of him. Draco grasped that ribbon like a lifeline and walked out of the room. Anything to not think of everything else-

"How could you let this chance !"Draco did n't look across from the door to where the Weasley kin group was clustered. The twins were just sitting, almost as lacuna as Harry, Ron was crying into his hands. William Weasley was yelling."When mum and dad wake up what am I going to tell them ? It was my job to keep you prophylactic !"The older boy was tearing up."I was supposed to retain you condom ..."

genus Draco tore his gaze away from the catastrophe and kept walking. Harry had been in the Hospital wing. genus Draco could still hear the shouting from behind him. Block it out. Up stair. go left.

genus Draco was at the door to the hospital wing when-

"genus Draco !"genus Draco whirled and tensed when he saw Hermione running towards him."Do you be intimate where McGonagall is ?"

"I ... No. Why ?"

"They ... they called my parent. They called all our parents."Hermione kept pulling on a long lock of her hair's-breadth in panic."They 're taking me away, they 're taking me out of Hogwarts. They ca n't do it ! I do n't want to but ... McGonagall must be able-bodied to stop them, she can stop them all-"

"All ? What do you mean all ?"

"All the parents are here, are n't you listening !"Hermione was breathing hard, on the bound of tears."All the vulture. Our parents are all here, they 're taking us out. All of us ! There must be something we can do-"

"Draco."genus Draco spun again as the door to the infirmary wing was pushed capable and Draco saw Pythea stepping out. She did n't front as frantic as Hermione but on the prophet 's, usually unflappable, countenance it looked even worse."Do you know where Harry is ?"

"Pythea !"Hermione spoke before Dragon could even open his mouth."Do you get it on where McGonagall is ?"

"Try the great Hall."Pythea said distractedly."Have you seen Harry."

"I thought he was in there- Hey wait !"Dragon called after Hermione as she tore off down the corridor."Damnit, He is n't in there ?"

"No,"Pythea looked scared, her odd eyes were all-embracing."somebody thought they saw him walk out but no one tried to stop him."

"I ... damn."Draco put his finger's breadth to his tabernacle. The human race was ending. Everything was falling apart. Find Harry."Alright, just give me a second ..."Draco got down on his workforce and knee joint and sniffed deeply.

century of metrical unit travelled these halls but genus Draco knew Harry 's scent. The few welfare of being a werewolf.

"He went this way."Draco led the way slowly along the passageway.

"Can you not go quicker ?"Pythea asked angrily.

"Ca n't you just scry him out ?"Dragon scene back.

"No I ca n't !"Pythea almost shouted."I ca n't see him, I never could, that 's the point. Please haste !"

Draco reached a staircase and hurried down. Another stair, Draco sniffed ... yes. Down those too. Corridor ... dammit. Draco followed the trail all the way to the great door of Hogwarts. The track went right out the door, straight outside.

"But gran !"Draco 's head came up as he heard Neville 's vocalisation."I need to abide here, these are my ally !"The predator was being hurried along by an older lady, his grandmother.

"Your friends ? booster do n't get Friend killed !"

Draco doubled over. That had felt like an literal gust. He should consume been faster climbing the tower. He should own brought his own broom so he could postdate her. All his fault.

He should n't consume let her come in the first of all place. They all knew she was depressed. That was his error too, if he was n't so wrong she would still be alive. If he was n't twisted, disgusting. His sire had been right, he was useless ... it was-

"The lead genus Draco !"Pythea 's voice seemed to hit his legs before it reached his mental capacity and he was already moving before it even registered. The trail was clearer out here on the grass, it was n't wandering, straight like an arrow. Straight to the edge of the prohibited forest. genus Draco straightened up, his side ashen."He went inside."

"But he knows the centaur will shoot down him if they find him in there."Pythea was shaking her straits in horrified disbelief.

"I do n't think he even knows his figure right now."Draco sniffed again and hurried forward at a snip run. Behind him he could hear the seer following him. Harry was n't making any attempt to enshroud his way, it was plain as day. But that meant it was plain as day for the Centaurus as well. Draco tried to tell himself that the bigger trail meant they were closing in on him. Tried ...

"Is ... is he close ?"Pythea panted from behind him.

"Yes."genus Draco lied. All he could hear was his own breath in his pinna and his beating heart. snuff. Trail. Run.

"Stop !"

Draco skidded to a halt.

"What ?"

"This is it. He 's here."Theia began looking around, glancing behind tree diagram."Spread out he 's somewhere here."

"How do you know ?"

"All of these are apple trees."

"Ah, right."Draco took a deep breath in. Yes, Harry 's scent was cryptic here. The seer was mightily. And the smell was mystifying coming from ..."Harry ! Theia I 've got him."Draco dashed over to where Harry was propped against the trunk of a tree. His eyes still had that glassy, far away, looking at. But at to the lowest degree he turned to face them as they walked up to him.

"Harry ?"Pythea crouched down next to Harry."Are you here ?"

"Yeah,"Harry nodded slowly."I think so ... it 's hard to tell."

"Why did you run into the forest ?"Draco asked.

"I ... I do n't recollect doing that."Harry shook his head."I just ... I was thinking about trees ..."

"wellspring, we found you."Draco put his deal on Harry 's shoulder."net ball get back."

"vertebral column ?"Harry tensed, a fraction of his usual hardness returned to his eyes."Back to Hogwarts."

"Yes."

"Ginny 's dead."

"Y ... yes."

"Voldemort 's alive."

"Why are you asking me that ?"Draco judder his promontory, trying to pretend sensation of Harry 's questions.

"I killed Bellatrix. Just killed her."

"It was self defence."Pythea said soothingly.

"No it wasn't."Harry was breathing harder."I cut off her hands then I killed her. She was screaming before, she was n't screaming after."

genus Draco swallowed roughly. He did n't live what to say to that.

"I saw her heart plosive. Not Ginny 's, Bellatrix 's. Saw her hit the wall, except that it was her not ... Her sum just stopped."Harry seemed to be drifting from thought to thought."Saw her rachis snap."

"Let 's go back to the castle."Pythea said desperately."seed on Harry-"

"Harry ?"Harry spat the name out."Harry ? That 's not me. Harry 's dead. I wish he was alive, compliments it were him here instead of me. The chosen one, must be strong or have some crazy power. I do n't, I 've got nothing ... Maybe he would be inviolable enough. But I 'm not, I 'm just not."

"Ha- Jack ?"Pythea tip forward."We can get through this, together."

"No Thea."A tear ran from Harry 's eye."I 'm dark. I 'm so so sorry. But I ca n't do this any-more. I 'm no-count but ... It 's too practically. I 'm broken. Something in me 's broken."

"Harry ?"

"I ca n't. I 'm good-for-naught. I 'm so sorry."Harry 's tearful eyes met the seers."Goodbye Thea."

"NO !"Pythea thrust forward but she was too decelerate, the forest rang with the crack of a approximative apparition. A flock of skirt took flying from the trees around, dappling them in phantasma for a here and now, then they were gone. And so was Harry.

The populace was broken. Everything had fallen apart.

Draco kept expecting him to reappear, with a joke perhaps, or for it all to be a caper. But it was n't, and he was n't. Beside him Pythea was just staring at the space Harry had been. The silence drew on, Dragon did n't need to be the outset one to address, that would make it real.

"I ..."Draco licked his lips."I did n't live he could apparate."

"He was having lessons."Pythea sounded little. Small and broken.

The silence returned, dragging on forever. Draco broke it again, the Good Book feeling like lead.

"So what ... what do we do now ?"

"I do n't know."Pythea was shaking."I just do n't cognize ..."





Whew ... That 's the end of book 6. Hope you enjoyed it. I 'm 2/3 of the way through ledger 7 so it should n't be too foresightful before it 's finished. It 's been a long haulage but we 're in to the final straight now. So get ready for ...

Harry thrower and the trey Mysteries !