Thanks to all the people who reviewed the finale chapter. Your respective substitution of the general `` What the F*** ! ? ! Update now ! '' Were most appreciate. I feel form of bad for jumping a wind like that on you after 40 chapters. Kind of deceitful. Good to eff the majority of people appreciated it.



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

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

Harry said naught, he didn't even seem to bear heard her.

"You won ‘ t be capable to fight Voldemort."Padma tried a dissimilar weather sheet."I ‘ m not saying you ‘ ll have weeks like you ‘ ve been going all class. You ‘ ll have weeks in this hospital bed, not able-bodied to make a motion, eventually you won ‘ t even be able-bodied to babble. You won ‘ t be capable to pop Voldemort. You won ‘ t be able to be the chosen one."

Harry flinched, annoyance running across his tired face.

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

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

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

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

What had Dumbledore said to him ...
*


The boy who was once called Harry faded in his mind as the healers entered his room. Bustling around and speaking comforting, empty row. They cleaned him up, washing his blazon and chest. They asked him to take away the bracer. He did, letting it fall to the trading floor with a brassy clatter. The healers shied away from the mark on his arm. Fearful. Why should he care.

They did something that was supposed to numb him. He couldn't tell the difference. Everything was dulled already. He watched, ineffectual and unwilling to wish, as they cut his hide receptive. His lineage seeped out, quickly staunched by a therapist. He wished they wouldn't bother.

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


Dragon slapped the sore skin of his arm to try and stick around awake. It had been burnt in the conflict, but it was hunky-dory now. Just enough residual redness and pain sensation to help oneself him rest alert. He swung his fag out eyes around the waiting room, all of the marauders were here. virtually of them had finally succumbed to log Z's, Draco didn't charge them. It was concentrated to imagine that the deadly midnight assault on the creature ship had been just survive dark. They had been worn out, hold out down. genus Draco pinched his arm again. He wondered if there was anywhere he could come up some tea. The tea workshop was closed but surely the therapist had a stave room or something. Maybe he could ask one.

Or maybe he could just go down asleep.

Draco shook his head. Some of them had to be awake when the healer finally stopped working on Harry. He shuddered, they had already been at it for hours. How many ... additions .... had Harry made ? He glanced around the elbow room again. Everyone seemed to be asleep. Even Ginny, who seemed to have nodded off in the act of pinching herself. They had all been there all night, no one had collected them. He supposed it was only a topic of time before a teacher or an society extremity came to wrangle them up and drag them back to Hogwarts, where they would no dubiousness stay. Chained to posts like dogs so they couldn't run off again.

Draco got wearily to his feet, maybe he could walk some of his weariness off. He stepped carefully around the prone marauders and stepped up to the threshold to the Ward. Harry's bed was obscured by drapery but the tail of the healer were still moving against the surface. As he watched one of them detached and stepped towards the door. Draco stepped away to let him out, hope and apprehensiveness insurrection in his stomach.

"Is there any news program ?"genus Draco asked.

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

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

"wellspring we ... we removed respective items from the body of your friend."The poor people healer swallowed nervously."We found a drop-gem embedded in his sternum. There was also something in the wall of his stomach. We think it may have got been designed to negate poison but it seems to have had the opposite burden. It was the source of his illness. We also found-"

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

"His ... his eye."The healer paused."His eye had been removed too long ago, there is a large wad of scarring. Unfortunately we were unable to restore it. We are currently looking into whether the installing he has is gamy quality enough to lead there."

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

"Yes, I know."The healer shook his straits and turned back towards the door."We ‘ ll try to continue you informed."He pushed back through the door and hurried back towards the curtained bed.

Draco looked back over the marauder. Through their sand-filled, droopy eyes he could see their sadness. Harry had fought so heavily and got null in return but accusations of murder and a permanent disfigurement. And a sorry mark, they could not forget that.

"Harry might say it was worth it."Padma said softly."For driving Voldemort to ground."

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

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


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

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

Thankfully she did not argue, but instead bent down and touched her wand to the skin on Snape's arm. The slicing pain was distant, dulled by potions. There were bottle by his arm, some empty, some waiting to grow the skin back after the Deutsche Mark was gone. He was in his apartment at Hogwarts, the lone place he could have gained those potions without doubt was from his own supplying. The searing began and Snape looked away, watching his own arm butchered was not what disturbed him, not after everything he'd seen. But it reminded him of what Harry was going through. Of the shadow noble as well. What would he do next ? What would his side by side move be ...

"He may go into hiding."Natalie answered his unreciprocated dubiousness, still spirit on his arm."Like he did fifteen age ago."

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

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

"It will be savage, I am certain of that."Snape felt the cutting plosive consonant and watched as Natalie picked the little tizzy of skin up and calmly incinerated it. It was done, he was free. Strange that he should experience so niggling. Perhaps because he knew he was not truly free until Voldemort was utterly. Perhaps because he knew that, without the power to spy, he was future to useless.

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

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

"You had to."Was all she said.

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

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

"I have been trying."Snape replied tetchily."But I can not call back of anything he would wish to do that he has the hands to accomplish. Unless he has some plan I am unaware of. Which he almost certainly has. I always got the sense that he had something brewing."

"The ministry ? The department of mysteries ? The divination ?"

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

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

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

"Severus,"Natalie took his face in her hired hand and tilted it up to fill her eyes."Not so low now. We won today. It may not feel like it, but we won a victory. victory have been few and far between this past tense class, we need to cherish them, not worry about what will materialize next."Snape was once again amazed by the way she could fall apart through to him, whatever his mood. He smiled,

"I believe I have some wine."
*


The boy who carried the epithet Harry felt himself enter the familiar spirit dream. He felt floorboards under his rear, scratchy through the thin hospital robe. He knew where he would be when he opened his eyes. And finally, he even knew why.

He pushed himself off the floor, leaning his tired anatomy against the paries. The wall painted with bears and stool pigeon over a sick blue sky full-of-the-moon of downlike clouds. Harry felt like spitting but he couldn't muster the Energy Department. He ignored the crib in the shopping centre of the room, it's shiny Mobile River spinning idly in the dream-wind. He shoved the threshold open and descended the steps. The horror he always felt was still there, but he could barely bring himself to worry. He knew what this place was now.

No one-year-old remembers their house. No one-year-old could recall every photo, or the pattern on the wallpaper. This place was a lie, a parasitic remembering that had been burnt into his nous. The creeping sickness in his skin was his intellect's way of telling him that it wasn't real, that it didn't belong.

He stepped up to the front door and stepped outside. There were street signs in the remembering. No one-year-old would remember street signs, they couldn't even read them. He should give known, should have realized somehow.

He couldn't experience the orchard nearby. God knows what that represented. Some metaphor for safety his creative thinker was projecting out maybe. Who knew. The river ? Some other theatrical role of his brain ... it didn't matter. Harry let himself fall to the ground on the pot, it was all pointless. It wasn't Charles Frederick Worth fighting this anymore, it was burnt onto the rear of his scull. He could never escape.

His eyes flickered open in the hospital ward. He could find the painful new growth in his manus. It was pink, new cutis, and diminished than the other. Harry dropped it back onto the blankets. former division of his trunk hurt too, little scratch and accidental injury. They had fixed him up. He wished they hadn't bothered.

The aspiration was still swirling in his heading, biting at him. It was too firmly. He saw his affair piled neatly against the bulwark, even his wearing apparel. Suddenly he knew he had to leave. This office ... he just had to leave. He quietly pushed out of bed, ignoring the creaking in every musculus and drew his bag over. He dressed quickly and disillusioned himself before slipping out the door.

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

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

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

"right field, right, incognito."The man tapped his olfactory organ."I never believed any of that stuff about ya. wedge that ‘ s what I say."

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

"Godrics hole ?"The pimpled guy swallowed."Right, I see."

The bus moved off and the unnamed boy sagged down in a chair. Why was he doing this ? Did he even have a reason ? He didn't seem to hold reason's anymore. He remembered being full of fervidness and motive, burning passion for the battle. But now he just felt hollow, like he'd been scooped out. He didn't want anything anymore. Except perhaps to die. Why was he going to Godrics hole ? Why not. It wasn't like he had anywhere else to go.

The bus screeched to a halt and he got out without speaking. The bus disappeared with a whoosh, a royal blur in the air. Harry looked up and down the street, it looked like any other village. It was empty this prison term of day, like a ghost Ithiel Town. Suited his mode perfectly. He looked forward, an abandoned ship house, burnt and with the top trading floor blown off.

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

He stepped send on his hand stretched out, then shied away. This star sign was just more lies. The look in his head, sorrow, passing, fright. They weren't his, they weren't his loss. Only unknown had died here, two strangers. People who had nothing to do with him. The heartbreak was another illusion, just another level of lie.

He spun away and stalked down the street, not looking back. He had never lived there, it meant nix to him. Or should mean nothing. His feet brought him to the lame and he lent tiredly on the war commemoration. He should never take in come here, it was not what he needed. He raked his hand through his hair.

Not his hand.

Not his hair.

He spun and punched the Oliver Stone, hissing out craze through his teeth. The lie poisoned everything. Even his very memories were tainted. He didn't even look like this for Christ's sake ! His totally soundbox was a masque !

The stone shifted under his fingers. He looked up just as the memorial seemed to melt, morphing into, a statue underneath. Harry stumbled back. No ... no no no. Under the memorial there were two figures, a man and a char. The woman cradled something in her custody. The man ... the man looked just like him.

No he doesn't. I don't even look like me. The boy trembled with rage as he looked on the well-chosen ceramist family. The testament in Edward Durell Stone to the life history he had never really had. His fingers went to his wand.

"Reducto !"The wand flickered out, even through the craze the magic spell flew true. It struck the head of the father statue, shattering it into splinter. Some of them cut the boy's flesh. He didn't care.

"Reducto ! !"Lilly ceramist's head snapped off and crunched onto the macadam. Rolling to a layover in a violent storm drain.

"Reducto ! !"The last shot was the inviolable, striking out in a blinding bolt of twinkle, obliterating the bundled baby. Blowing the piddling boy-who-lived to smithereens. Flames flickered across the statue before they died out. Flickered across the ruined stumps of principal and died to nothing.

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

His eyes found a cemetery. Both center, existent and magical. He shuddered, he'd got used to the shining overlay over his imaginativeness, the x-ray view of the world. Now it was just a constant reminder. A admonisher of what he'd sacrificed for the lie. He pushed the necropolis gate undefended and let the eye roam, in a bit it had angled in on the thrower grave accent. He walked hesitantly to it, his scepter safely away in his sack. He pushed a part of ivy off the Lucy Stone and translate the inscription.
The concluding enemy that shall be destroyed is death


Well that was bollock. Being dead meant you had at least one other foeman left, namely the one that killed you. His eye whirled in it's socket, looking straight down. The two coffins, side to side in the ground, stared back at him. But ... there was a shadow. Like a vacant area. He drew his sceptre and muttered a revealing spell. syncope puff of illusion drew out of the priming to meet him. He waved his wand again, cutting the hazy waifs away. He worked ... he didn't know how long. Probably minutes, maybe hours. At some point the white-haired sky gave way to rain and the memorial park sess turned slick. Harry ignored it, concentrating on the spells. It was good. It was a puzzle, breaking the delusion. It stopped him from thinking.

Finally he was done. Nothing different showed on the surface, but down underground ... Harry stood and stepped back, his heart pound in his bureau. There was a thirdly coffin on top of the other two, arranged like a pyramid. Inside ... inside was a minuscule body, a child. It's tiny weapon crossed over it's chest.

The unnamed boy fell to his human knee. There it was, the final trial impression. The final incontrovertible check. That poor wasted physical structure in there was Harry ceramist. He could even see a tiny boodle on the bone of his scull, above his eye, in the material body of a lightning bolt. The tangible scar had cut all the way to the ivory, his was barely to a greater extent than makeup. That was all he was in fact ... make-up for a creature. A god-damn doll.

He raised his wand to the Harlan Stone, but said cipher. The anger in him was gone. He had seen the bodies of the real thrower, lying together. It was hard to experience anger, but he wished he did. The wrath at least filled him up, filled the vacuum with fire. But now the fire was gone and he felt even emptier for it. He found himself resting the full stop of his wand against the rough, wet stone.

It wasn't even his wand. He stared at it, thought process skittering over the blunt center of his mind. It was a verge gained from killing, killing and fighting in a war he was never supposed to be part of. This wand was his killing wand. He had done horrible things for the sake of this war ... to others ... to himself. He found himself pressing down harder on the wood. He had pickled his soul in blood and what had it got him ? He added his other arm and pushed harder. He had fought, and he'd been broken. The wand splintered with a loud crack, the springy wood bending almost double before it twisted into ribbons. A lilliputian red fluff was visible through the prison-breaking. It had had a Phoenix feather magnetic core, he never knew.

"Well that makes thinks easier."

The vocalisation had come from behind him. He turned slowly but his trick eye had already whizzed around to find the intruder. The pitch blackness gown told him everything he needed to make out. Harry knew he should feel terror, or dread, fright perhaps, at least surprisal. But he was damned if he felt anything.

"You would be Rookwood."His representative sounded short in his ears.

"Yes I am August Rookwood."The man sketched a sarcastic bow, his verge in his hand."Thank pigeon hawk I still have a lookout man on the minor wizard detectors. You ‘ ve come a foresighted way just to steal now. A long yearn way ..."

"Felt like further."The empty boy dropped the remains of his wand onto the ceramist grave accent. Perhaps some sucker magician would find it and make believe up some story about it. He turned back to the death eater and asked,"Are you going to kill me ?"He was surprised that his interpreter did not vocalise eager.

"Eventually Mr Potter, no doubt."Rookwood held out his wand."But kickoff you ‘ re going to batten something for me."

"What ?"

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

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

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

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


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

"I ‘ m in the underground."His eyes flickered open just as the electron tube train flashed out of mess, leaving the tunnel in wickedness. He felt the cord binding his hands together, his fingers danced along them trying to discover a Calidris canutus. There was none. They were tight though, biting into his skin, sorcerous no doubt. He didn't have to feel to know that his legs were similarly bound. He didn't trouble to try to stand.

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

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

"We ‘ re not alone."Harry breathed.

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

"What ... what are they ?"He looked on the dark hooded figures. As he watched one of them turned its hide head towards him. It let out a death rattle.

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

"Dementors ..."The boy looked into the swirling deal. Wasn't he supposed to be feeling some kind of low temperature, despair ? Wasn't that what Dementors were supposed to do when you were close to them ? He shook his fountainhead, they couldn't touch him, a mortal could only feel so much despair and he was already at his demarcation. And as for making him relive his worst memories ? Ha ! His darkest mo was still fresh in his mind.

"The dementors like it down here."Rookwood continued."They ‘ ve been breeding down here like flies. There are 100 of them."

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

"You did."Rookwood sneered."But that doesn ‘ t thing. In fact, none of that subject. Now be quiet."Rookwood flicked his wand, making a silencing charm. A second flick levitated him off the base. Rookwood reached into his pocket and pulled out a long silvery duration of cloth, easily recognizable. An invisibleness cloak. He just hung there in the air as the cloak was thrown over him. He really couldn't have done anything else. Rookwood turned and walked up the burrow, his black shoes slipping on the wet dirt.

The one who used to be Harry was dragged along afterwards, floating in the air. He couldn't move ... speak ... he was a ghost. Right now his situation fit him like a glove. He hung weakly as Rookwood moved further towards the scratching, digging sound. The dementors followed after, filling the tunnel with low temperature. Up ahead there was a turning. As Rookwood walked calmly around the curve figures came into view. One wickedness cloaked frame standing tall, the rest ragged and torn and scrabbling at the dirt mindlessly. No, it wasn't just their dress that were ragged. It was their flesh.

Inferi, or zombi spirit. Who could tell the difference of opinion ? The figure in front of them turned as Rookwood approached. iniquity long hair spun out as Bellatrix stepped towards Rookwood.

"You are deep Augustus."The female person death eater was not as pretty as she had been. It seemed like a blade toed boot with the strength of a falling teenager behind it did more damage than expected. The depart position of her side was crushed in, a flock of cicatrice and bulging hide. When she spoke she slurred, only the good side of her back talk moving. Her eye was a raw socket, aught left.

She had lost her eye. How wonderful. How very affecting. Under the cloak the inconspicuous prisoner felt his emptiness filled with a tiny spark of satisfaction.

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

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

"I was delayed momentarily, nothing to concern you."Rookwood waved his hand away."You should go to your own burrow. Without somebody there the run-in them the dementors may be getting restless."

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

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

"There is no herd anymore."Bellatrix sneered through her ruin boldness."There are three of us. There will be Thomas More than adequate resplendence to go around."Bellatrix turned and dissaperated into thin air.

"prevarication bitch."Rookwood grated."We all want to be the dark lord ‘ s right mitt. hold on excavation you freaks !"He directed the close one to the creatures burrowing in the dirt. They stopped moving and stood, their vacant eyes rotting in their skulls. Rookwood raised his wand and the dirt began flying away faster. In a short moment the dirt became a brick wall, old and faded. The wall of the ministry.

"Are you ready Mr ceramist ?"Rookwood grinned up at the invisible prisoner hanging above him."Here we go."He turned to the wall and raised his wand. There was a shattering blast and the wall caved in. Behind it a man at a desk jumped to his feet his hand tangling in his robes. A gullible jiffy of perch struck him in the nous, he dropped onto the desk, scattering papers.

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


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

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

"Didn ‘ t you listen to me ?"Moody threw his handwriting back the way he'd semen."The ministry ‘ s falling ! Enough dementors to paint the sky bleak !"

"Why didn ‘ t you send a patronus ?"

"Didn ‘ t you hear what I just said ! Every column inch of that place is full of the individual sucking demons ! No patronus could cut through that !"

"My god, we must help them !"

"Oh really ? You think so ?"Helen Newington Wills saw his spittle fly.

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

"But there could be a maw !"Helen Newington Wills tried to keep up, his breath catching in his dresser."You can ‘ t go in there blind you can ‘ t just ... we don ‘ t even know where Voldemort is !"Dumbledore was speeding away."We need a plan ! Do you deliver a plan you old bast-"But Dumbledore was gone, already around the recess. Helen Newington Wills doubled over, he was old, too old. But gods he wasn't done yet, he wasn't ... done. What the Hades was Dumbledore thinking ? He could get them all killed ! The entire order. The entire bloody social club in one fell slide, and what the hell could he do to stop it ? He felt so old ...

But not yet done.

He straightened and staggered down the Asaph Hall. Faster. Faster. He found the room access he wanted and threw it open.

"Severus !"Moody shouted towards the startled Professor."The rules of order needs your aid !"

"The social club ?"Snape stood, his hands flat on the table. Zhao was beside him in a moment."I am not a penis of the decree any-"

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

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

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

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

"I know."Snape's heart flickered with panic."We need to help them. We need to help the order."

"That ‘ s why I ‘ m here Snape."Dwight Lyman Moody was gritting his dentition. Every moment was wasted."But I don ‘ t know what ... there are only three of us."

"Four."Snape muttered under his breath."There are four of us. Natalie, would you get A. A. Michelson. Meet us at the ministry back entrance."

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

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

"Do you bed where to notice one ?"

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


Rookwood stepped over a body. It's center were still open, it's sassing moving vacantly. The dementor's osculation, it left them living, but they were bodies nonetheless. Rookwood paid them no mind.

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

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

"More than enough Harry. More than enough."Rookwood tweaked his baton and the adherence on Harry's ramification snapped off. Another clink and Harry stumbled forward."But I am after the icing on the patty. If I am to surpass Crouch in terminal figure of merit to the lord ... I must seek the icing."

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

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

"My feet are at peace. Your ropes were too tight."

"Just move."Rookwood walked back and grabbed Harry by the front of his shirt. The dementors were still swirling by the ceiling, looking for victims. There were still a few left. Not enough to trouble over though. He stepped into out into the retentivity office, pulling his strangely compliant bang past the tank of brains. He stopped by the door to the dying sleeping room, there was the auditory sensation of spell from within, someone holding out perhaps. He pushed the door loose in time to see a wizard scrambling away from an inferi trip and crepuscle. The corpse-warrior grabbed the blubbering unspeakable in it's unshakable grip and threw him away with inhuman specialty. scream as he flew across the room, his scream was cut off as he fell through the archway in the center. The pall ruffled for a minute, then went still again.

Rookwood hid a shudder, he was never entirely well-heeled with the execution portal site. Harry watched from his face with irksome eyes. What was incorrectly with the boy ? Never mind. Rookwood picked his way around the edge of the room, giving the inferi a all-embracing birth, and pushed open the doorway at the former side.

"Well thrower here we are."Rookwood gestured impressively at the banks of shelf in battlefront of them, each one with quarrel upon rows of tiny empyrean."This is the antechamber of prophecy."

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

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

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

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

Once again the boy stayed silent. Rookwood poked him in the dorsum to set him walking up to where the prognostication was held.

"The dark lord is very eager to get his helping hand on the vaticination. That prophecy."Rookwood pointed at the particular orb."And I will be the one to give it to him. My frost, you could say."

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

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

Potter stared at the orb for a moment longer, the words sinking into him. Then he threw his chief back and laughed, laughed so hard his eyes ran with tears. It was a reaction Rookwood had not expected. laugh, but not in jape, not in joy. This was a bitterness laugh, full of darkness. What was going on ?

'' So that 's it is it ? '' Harry choked out, his dead eyes still glistening."What a bitter gag"

"What ?"Rookwood shook his head.

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

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

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


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

Minerva shuddered, she only hoped it had been quick. She spun as cold manpower grabbed her from behind, crushing her with inhuman strength. The breath fled from her lungs and she felt roast cranny. In desperation she transformed and dashed away on four metrical unit, spinning and changing back to industrial plant a fireball in the chest of the inferi that had held her. As soon as it was gone another took it's place.

They were overrun, there were too many !

"Help me ! Oh god avail me !"A soma ran from out of the madness, his park bowler still clutched in his hands."Please !"

"Get out of here you fool !"McGonagall shoved Fudge away. She could not distribute with him. Her eyes searched through the scrambling stack for the fountainhead of the rules of order."Dumbledore ! Dumbledore we must pull back !"

She could not see him, she could not see anything. desperation was her merely warning and she spun, a shining light throwing a dementor away that had been practically on her rachis. She didn't even know where they were anymore, near the courts possibly. Down in the deeps, no escape.

She heard a wow from her left and sent a patronus wildly into the surging crowds. The screech cut off sharply. Whether she had had any effect she did not acknowledge, she had to transform again to dance out of the way of a swooping dementor and snapped back to send another shining light source to hold them back again. But her body was timeworn, her wand arm tired.

decomposition flesh filled her nostrils and she tried to work her wand around. Too slowly. The absolutely fist crunched into the incline of her head and she fell. She brought her wand up and blew the idle chassis to shards, blood already dripping into her eyes. They needed help, and there was no one to give it.

No one.
*


The orb came unloose in Potter's hand, it's faint effulgence shining through his fingertips. Rookwood felt his heart leap, but the ceramicist boy was staring at the prophecy like it was a live snake.

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

"Not possible."Harry shook his head."Saw the eubstance ..."The body ? He wasn't making any sense.

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

"It ‘ s not ... It ‘ s not ... Can ‘ t."Suddenly the blank light faltered. A tinny whine filled the air, like grinding gear mechanism. Harry held up his hand, slowly uncurling his finger's breadth. In the heart of the white a flyspeck stiletto heel of darkness was growing, like ink in Milk. The blackness grew until it covered the unit inside of the orb, it was no prospicient shining glass but a polished orb of obsidian. The whine grew in the air, biting into his ears. Suddenly there was a froth crackle and ceramist yelped in painful sensation, spilling the prophecy onto the floor. Rookwood cried out, it would bankrupt for for certain ! But when the orb struck the ground it squelched, spreading out like clay. Smoke rose from the blackened glass.

Rookwood leant forwards and held his deal out over it. The heat was intolerable this end and he had to shy back. The prophecy had melted. Melted into a steaming pool on the floor.

The Potter boy ... he did this !

"What did you do ?"Rookwood snarled. ceramicist backed away, his manpower held up.

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

"Dumbledore could not throw touched the prognostication !"

"He could if it was already played out."thrower glanced at the muck on the floor."A ambush, or else his illusions on me interfered somehow."

"You speak madness."Rookwood reached out to snap up the boy but just as he did so the footing shook, throwing them both off their feet."What the hell on earth is that ?"

"He ‘ s come."The ceramist boy was staring through the roof like a madman, his font again an vacuous mask of horror."He ‘ s come."
*


Suddenly the dementors went still, floating off their enemy to hover by the ceiling. The silence broken only be the groaning of the wounded. Minerva 's eye found the entering to the lift, it 's mesh opening in a diffraction grating clangoring. Stepping out into the corridor, black gown floating behind him and a hand curled in a wave to the tool swirling above, was the dark overlord himself. Minerva felt her tenderness start to her throat. She glanced around, the guild was in tatter. Only Dumbledore stood tall, the rest of them were covered in origin and shaking from the exertion of the battle. There was no forcefulness here to blockade a dark lord, no force out at all.

Voldermort's eyes found a quivering lump on the floor and he smiled. Ignoring Dumbledore the nighttime Godhead crooked a finger, pulling the figure to his feet. The green bowler was gone, but the pallid human body remained.

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

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

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

"Tom,"Dumbledore's vox spoke out diffused in the darkness."You can not possibly think I will let this stand ?"

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

"Tom I shall-"

"No !"Voldemort cut the Headmaster off with a knifelike word."I have grown tired of you."Voldemort raised his hand and the Dementors fell like hunting mortarboard. Minerva was forced to defend for her life against the Lady Jane Grey hoard, spinning around her like a maelstrom of death. And in flashes of twinkle beyond that vortex she could see Dumbledore rushing towards his foe, his wand out like a sword.

Minerva tried to cut her way forward. Tried to get to them, to help. But the compaction was too capital. An inferi had her arm in it's vice like grip and she blew it off with flames. Another took it's station too quickly. Far too quickly. There was a gout of purple light that cut through the air, momentarily beating back the dementors. Through the gap she could see the dueling adept in the centerfield of all this, Dumbledore raising the very stones of the base in a paries against the dark lord, but it was blasted to shreds just as quickly. Dumbledore was driven to his knees.

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

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

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

"Then what do you nominate !"

"We die."Lupin delivered that close in a flat growl."We are finished."

"We are not !"Minerva tried to make another patronus but the despair was sinking in and it faltered as blanched mist, easily brushed aside by the wraith. Suddenly there was a outburst of tearing noise, breaking the flagstones and making the sleeping accommodation wag with it's force. As it died there a twinkling of red sparkle and a high cruel laugh.

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

The dementors parted for a moment, like cloud in tip. The dark Almighty stood over the sprawled kind of the Headmaster, his iron boot on Dumbeldore's neck opening. Minerva felt despair that had nada to do with the dementors. She let her wand bridge player drop curtain to her position. They had lost. It was all over.

"Expecto Patronum !"A chorus of strong voices cried the spell and the room was filled with a wall of light. Minerva watched as a charging white Panthera leo crashed into the massed forms before her, a snarling savage running at it's heels.

"You ! Traitor !"Voldemort had his sceptre drawn and had spun to face the lift. Minerva turned to seem but saw just one fig standing there, his blazonry crossed in arrogant casualness.

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

"I will belt down you !"Voldemort surged forward and Snape's wand stabbed forward. There was a fanfare of lightness and Snape was thrown backwards. He stumbled and pushed himself up, driving a savage blast of frozen wind at the dark lord.

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

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

"The students ?"

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

"But Snape-"

"Is holding him back !"The dreadful grabbed a prone figure on the floor."Now differentiate your the great unwashed to fall back before everyone else is dead !"
*


The boy who had been Harry didn't know where he was. There had been a mad elan away from Rookwood, screaming and dashing through the confusion of battle, then there had been some stairs, then a corridor ... The auditory sensation of battle were everywhere, coming out of the walls. He had just kept running., ineffectual to do anything else. His nub raced beyond what any human being exertion should have forced it to. His mind was blank, a dead system of weights. Today had been a lifetime.

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

"Come on dancing with me you mangled gripe !"A. A. Michelson came into vista down a prospicient hallway, throwing dash of lightning at Bellatrix and laughing like a madman.

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

He crouched down on the base, his finger going to Tonk's neck on inherent aptitude. He did not really gestate to find anything, her peel was pale and ...

She had a pulse.

The nameless boy had to shield her dead body as a shining laser of something cut through the rampart above them. The duel was raging just on the former side of the bulwark. She wouldn't have a pulse for long if he left her here.

So long ... His brain was gray-headed goop, he just wanted to shut out down. He had no wand and his brawniness were water. They would never touch safety anyway, this billet was a warzone. But on the early hired hand ... Tonks.

Putting a wear out shoulder under her arm, he lifted her up.



Review and you will grow fairy wings that will let you fly.


Due to other commitments my postings may get a fiddling far apart for a while. Sorry everybody.



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

"Stay back. !"Natalie was shouting calmly ( a tough compounding to lord ), raising her custody to the crowd of ministry survivors."Just stay there and the therapist will get to you ! And you get out of here !"The terminal was directed to a daily prophet reporter furiously scratching away at a notebook.

The early slope of the hall, back behind the hearth, a line of bed were set up for triage. From where he sat Snape could see Elizabeth heath lying sedated, her hand clutched by her unceasing fellow traveler genus Vanessa. She would be alright though, a little cold and quiet for week to come and likely not ever wanting to play a dementor again but she would populate. Oh to receive just one of them back in his family, or any of the marauders. They had fought like Panthera tigris, like attack domestic dog with wands.

One of the doorway slammed outdoors and Markus stepped out angrily. His robe were mostly burnt off and he had pedigree running down the side of his dresser but he seemed unaware of these little details.

"She got away."The massive wizard reached the edge of the outflow and plunged his school principal under the surface. A present moment later he lifted it up and pushed his wet tomentum out of his middle."Bellatrix."

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

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

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

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

"Bella has more lifespan than a cat, do not intend any more than of it."

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

"We have taken back near of the ministry. I believe all of the piranha deserve Os"

'' They deserve all-fired medals ! ``

'' Yes but I can not consecrate them medals. You however can give them Os. '' Snape smiled a fain smile and saw it returned broader. He gestured towards the lift with his expert arm."Voldemort holds the department of closed book. Or to put it another way he is trapped there. He has placed a ward on the lift and on all staircases."

"I can let out through."Michelson nodded arrogantly. `` chip in me five transactions. ``

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

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

"Yes, and it ‘ s worse than that."Snape bowed his forefront."He has hostages down there, Holy Order penis and unspeakables who survived."

"How many ?"

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

"Mother of god."Michelson slammed his fist into his ribbon."So it ‘ s a stalemate ?"

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

'' What the ... '' Suddenly Michelson was on his groundwork, an expression of stupor on his look. `` Merlin 's ... Harry ? ``

A second later Snape saw what he had seen. Out of a passage Harry was stumbling, a prone body weighing him down and his fount a grey mask. He did n't depend up, did n't acknowledge anything, just stepped directly to the nearest bed and lay his burden down bedside a shocked healer. Snape rushed forward and saw marauders stand in every corner of the way, running towards the unexpected batch of their leader.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

'' Where 's your wand ? ``

'' Shut up. ``

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

'' I SAID SHUT UP ! '' Harry yelled angrily. As the marauders shied back there was a good time of heat from behind them. Snape spun around in clip to see the fountain of magical brethren go red hot and begin melt, dissolving into the pee with a hiss. But the gold was not disappearing, it was staying there in the water, mixing with the water. Harry forgotten, Snape stepped forward as the surviving rules of order member, ministry worker and marauders surrounded the puddle of gold.

It was like a mirror, shining with yellow brightness up to the ceiling. As they watched it faded to silver, then to grey, then finally to pure white. The white resolved into shapes, colours bloomed out of the pure igniter. As the chassis coalesced Snape heard a shriek from someone on the other position of the pool and almost felt like following suit.

In the puddle, rippling on the surface of the liquidness, was an image of lord Voldemort. He was standing in what was clearly the department of mysteries. The wand in his hand was long and pale, it was not the one Snape was used to seeing him use. It was unmistakably Dumbledore 's wand. Behind the darkness Lord, lined up and chained together, were ten wizards. Though the picture was faded and the colours ran together Snape could easily recognize the two on the end. Cornelius Fudge and Albus Dumbledore.

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

'' Good wizards of the ministry, '' The dark master greeted amicably. `` phallus of the order of the Phoenix and the skilful shaver. What you are seeing is the inside of the department of mysteries, where all the corking secrets are hidden. All the inscrutable magic of the ministry is within these wall, all controlled by me. ``

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

'' And front at my friends here, '' Voldemort gestured out over his prisoners. `` They all fought. They all failed, such is the Mary Leontyne Price of defying lord Voldemort. '' He took a bundle of wands out of his pocket and hovered it into the air. With a gout of flame they burnt into ash. `` Such is the terms ... And calculate who we have here ... '' Voldemort crooked a finger and Fudge was dragged forward, his bonds separating from the others. He came to a stop by the dark lord 's foot and looked up with pained eyes.

'' Are you going to ... to kill me ? '' Fudge stuttered out.

'' Yes. '' Voldemort answered simply.

'' But but ... I. ``

'' I am going to kill you you suffering petty man, whatever you say. ``

'' Then ... then. '' Fudge seemed to breath a little light. `` Do you remember when I used to invite you up for tea ? Back when I was ... I was a department hear and you were ... you were new. ``

'' Yes ? ``

'' well I spat in your tea. '' Fudge shuddered out through gritted teeth. `` Every time. Even back then you were a creepy little monstrosity. ``

'' You ... '' Voldemort seemed to acquire in menace, his eyes blazing. `` Why do you tell me this ? Surely you know it is pointless ! ``

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

'' Avada Kedavra ! ``

Green twinkle filled the pool of water and for a moment none of them could see anything. Snape felt his heart beating rapidly in his chest. The weak cleared in time for them too see the dark Maker savagely kicking the minister 's body to the position and stabbing his sceptre towards Dumbledore. The headmaster was thrown forward roughly.

Snape swallowed worriedly. The dark lord was showing them this to demonstrate his ability but Fudge had openly defied him. Voldemort would be enraged.

'' Well old man ! '' Voldemort stabbed his wand down at Dumbledore, a bolt of electricity charring a hole in the schoolmaster 's gown. `` Do you not have something to say ? Some finally word before I take your life. ``

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

'' Speak Albus ! ... Crucio ! '' Voldemort held the headmaster in the throws of the distortion curse for a few moments before releasing him. `` You will talk ! There has been too much between us, you have been my enemy for too long for me to let you end it this way. You will acknowledge that I have won, you will say it ! You will acknowledge this victory in some way before I kill you with your own wand ! ``

Dumbledore did n't even await at the dark lord. In a furore Voldemort slashed his wand through the air, dragging Dumbledore to his feet.

'' You will talk ! '' The Snake like brass was set with cruel anger. `` You will mouth before you die ! ``

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

'' What ? ``

'' I am ready ... '' Dumbledore closed his eyes. `` I am ready to die for everything I have done. Those are my stopping point Holy Scripture, the only ones you will get. Kill me. ``

'' You ... Cruci ... '' Voldemort raised his wand to form the torment but let it die on his lips. Snape could almost see him dragging his emotions back under controller. `` But of course of instruction, how could I deny a endure request. Avada Kedavra ! ``

It was as if time froze. The pool exploded with green Christ Within again and Snape's throat closed, every muscle tensing. The other watchers around the pocket billiards held their work force to their faces, or excite there head ... they would not consider it. The gullible visible radiation faded and the body of Albus Dumbledore dropped to the reason. It crumpled like a report diaper, his beard trailing onto the floor like a rag.

So fell Albus Dumbledore. Snape felt a small-scale hand worm into his. Natalie 's mitt. He did n't know whether she was offering comfort or asking for it. Perhaps both.

'' Here dies Albus Dumbledore. '' Voldemort laughed. `` A fool to the end, and in the end a dashing hopes. So there you are, two hostages deadened. I have eight left and all will die if you do not ease up me what I want. I want Harry Potter. Bring him to me in one 30 minutes or I will kill another, perhaps the werewolf. I am sure no one will miss him. But if any of you wish to see these maven alive, then you know what you must do. Bring. Me. Harry. Potter ! ``

The pool went black and Snape stepped back. All around him multitude seemed to be going mad, crying and shouting to one another in confusion. His eyes were only trying to encounter one figure. Harry Potter. He swept the crowd. Nothing.

Snape turned to the entrance in time to see the doors snap shut.
*


The unnamed boy crashed out of the telephone box and dashed away, his animal foot slipping on the wet sidewalk. Rain splattered against his grimace as he ran out into the streets. He did n't even bang why he was running, just that he had to get away. All of them would look to him, would look at him and expect to see Harry Potter. have a bun in the oven to see their savior, when all there was was a shammer. He dashed past the people in the street, some of them turning to look at his odd article of clothing and frightened formula, but he was running too fast and they were left behind.

He heedlessly ran into the road and heard the scream of breaks. He prayed that one of the car would hit him. His feet would not stop moving and the sound of horns was left behind. His legerdemain eye painted the world in shimmering pall of darkness, distorted by the raindrops settling on it 's surface. He pushed past a man in a suit and heard the man yell. He could n't stop running. Had to get away. But what he was running from could not be escaped. He was running from reality. The rain ran like a river. Roaring like the river.

Finally, with his heart thrashing like a jack-hammer, he collapsed on the cold, wet pavement. He lay there, his substructure still twitching, and breathed. He had collapsed in an alleyway, dark and dirty. wait ...

He turned to lie on his backbone as his deception eye swivelled around, taking in every particular. He had been here before ... This was the alley where it all started, where Hagrid had caught him so many year ago. There was the drainpipe he had climbed ... the cap he had hid ... He had come a full circle, entirely.

Heedless of the drive rain he opened his back talk and laughed. Laughed in everlasting bitterness. If only he had never stopped here, had never been caught, had never gone to Hogwarts. Then he would never suffer known, would never have known any of this. He would birth been capable to proceed on being Harry Potter. He felt teardrop running down his cheeks and mingling with the rain, freezing him to the bone.

But there was affectionateness. A little tip of heat at his chest. He dug his paw into his shirt and slowly drew it out.

His pendant. Pythea's pendent. Worn so long he had almost forgotten it was there. But now it was glowing like a star, so burnished beneath the gray sky. He knelt and held it cupped in both bridge player, staring at it in wonder as a silver mist swirled out from the point. It pooled in his men, swirling and sifting. Slowly the sparkling liquidity rose, shaped and colored and separated until two eyeball hung in the air by his hands. One of burnished Au, the other pure white.

'' Harry ... ''

The white orb shifted, moved and expanded. It shaped into a design, every bend glowing with light, every flowing subscriber line of her pure white clothes and her porcelain skin.

'' Thea ... '' He breathed.

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

'' Another illusion- ''

'' No. '' Pythea shook her head. `` This is no illusion. This is really me talking, from Greece. I thought you might necessitate my help. ``

'' Your ... supporter ? ``

'' You 're lost. Lost in the Grant Wood. '' Thea smiled faintly. The golden orb was still circling her, pulsing faintly. `` And I am the prophesier. I thought you might need a pathfinder out. That was why I gave you this all those old age ago, to help you rule your way. In your dismal minute. You need to find your way again Harry, or else were all doomed. ``

'' Theia, '' The boy ducked his head, his optic squeezing shut. `` I 'm not who you think I am. I 'm not the one you were trying to help, not the elect one. I 'm not- ''

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

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

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

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

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

'' Stop. '' Too painful. memory board of pleasant times,

'' I will not stop. I will never lay off trying to avail you. I knew the moment I met you that you were n't the chosen one. I mean delight Harry, I 'm the schoolmarm of prophecy. Did you honestly think for a consequence that I would miss a thing like that ? I saw who you were. I also saw that, in a world without hope, you were the only shining chance. ``

'' You ... you saw something about me ? My time to come ? ``

'' I saw nothing about your future. I saw everything about you. '' Pythea knelt to meet him eye to eye. `` I saw you a brave and true soul who would campaign for this world even if the entire human beings was against him. I saw someone who could get struck down a thousand clip and would still foot himself up. I saw that the dark overlord would rear and I hoped ... I did n't get it on but I hoped that you would never buckle before him. With the earth in peril and the future changeable I took the expert chance the humanity had. I took a luck on you. In a prison term of fill out despair, I trusted you. ``

'' But, I ca n't fight anymore. '' The boy dropped his oculus. `` I just ... I just feel empty. You do n't know what it 's like to have individual take the air up to you and snatch your intact biography, everything you believe, right out from under you. ``

'' I do. '' Pythea replied simply.

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

"I gave him a necklace."Pythea smiled. `` But I do n't expect you to accept what you have to do from me, which is why I brought him. '' Pythea gestured up to the golden sphere. `` You've carried this necklace close to your heart for almost four years now. I think it's time you saw what's inside. Do n't die Harry, please do n't die. I 'll see you soon. '' She faded into nothing, leaving just the golden orb left. As soon as she was gone it began stretching and shaping.

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

The anatomy resolved into a image. His long robes were buttoned tightly and long limb, rolled up now to show his arm. Those gown were familiar. Tonks had worn them hold out year, auror trainee robes. The expression remained dazed for a moment to a greater extent then coalesced, becoming a tauten poser in aureate light, right down to the lowest tousled hair.

The boy who had been Harry 's mouth fell open in jolt. He was looking up into his own face. No ... no there were remainder. The jaw was more betoken, card sharp, the eyes closer together. He did n't deliver a scar on his neck, nor a non-white mark on his arm. He looked older too, at least two class if he was an aurors apprentice. God ... was it possible ? Was this ... Harry Potter ?

'' I do n't quite sympathize this. '' The ghostly golden fig said. `` Your booster, Pythea, she says that you 're in a different world or ... or proportion or something. A unlike time too. I do n't quiet empathize it, ask Hermione for that sort of matter. ``

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

'' Your friend says I wo n't remember recording this, wo n't remember any of it. '' The figure was just staring into distance as it spoke. Apparently this one was a true recording. `` But if ... if I understand what she 's explained to me then your human race is very different from mine. For one thing ... I 'm not in it. I died. ``

The golden Harry glanced to the trading floor, shaking his head.

'' I wish I knew why but ... your friend wo n't order me. Something about lessening the interference as much as potential. There are other things I wish I could tell you, things you really should cognize about- '' The recording skewed like static for a moment then continued. `` But apparently I 'm not allowed to say them either. All she 's say me is that you, you were told you were me. Until very recently you thought you were me ... or will. The time thing is really confusing me. I 'm recording this in my future, to be given to you in your past, to play in your demonstrate. Apparently Pythea thinks that maybe I can say something to you .... maybe explain ... I do n't know. I do n't know what I 'm saying. I ca n't imagine what you 're going through. It 's like ... It 's like you 're an orphan all over again. Except this time it 's worse because you know you had a past it 's just been taken. I know you must feel like crawling into a mess and dying, I 've felt like that. When my godfather died I ... but that 's not the Saame really. I do n't get laid what I 'm saying. ``

The ghostly figure began pacing up and down.

'' I do n't know what I 'm supposed to say to you. '' The Harry stopped pacing and spread his deal. `` Except that, that it gets better. I 've been done affair as bad as you, and I 'm probably the only somebody you 'll ever meet that can say that. Your champion says that, since I 'm dead in your human race, the job of fighting Voldemort falls to you. I ca n't say it'going to be easy, but you know that. In fact I ca n't reckon of anything that I could say to persuade you to take the job. Except that you have to. The world depends on it. And I know that the world has n't done you any favors. Maybe right now you feel like you 'd rather let the Earth be destroyed for everything it 's done to you. I do n't bonk what I can say to convince you that 's not true except for two things. One, it gets better. It really, really does. Eventually. And two ... ''

The tincture human body licked it 's lips.

'' Do you jazz how many rule are broken by this kind of inter-dimensional transit ? Certain countries still have the death penalization for messing around in duplicate worlds. Just getting here, the effort it must give birth taken. The risk of infection your friend has taken just to get this message to you .... I guess what I 'm saying is that even if the entire rest of the reality is hell right now you 've got one soul who 's uncoerced to risk everything for you. Risk her life story. So if nothing else ... fight for her. ``

The human body faded. It 's center lasted the longest, staring out into the rain, then they too were gone and the bowling alley was dark again. The boy on the ground stood, slowly and with care, but he stood.

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

He chuckled to himself, the laughter building. His deal went to his stomach as he threw his head back and laughed, the rain trickling down his face. That was Harry Potter was it ? Git. I mean who talks like that ? jailer him. Screw the overly dramatic, hesitant illegitimate. If that childish gimboid can salvage the populace I sure as hell can.

He pushed his rain soaked whisker out of his eyes. It was like the vanity was, somehow separate. It was still there, the gaping void, it was just that all the crucial parts of him, the thing that made him who he was, were outside it. He settled the little shell necklace back around his neck opening. Just a shell now, it's legerdemain gone. But not wearing it was unthinkable. It was contribution of him, the real him, and he needed it back. Especially since he intended to pick the bragging conflict of his life.

He needed a plan though .... and if he was going to survive a fight with the greatest dour adept in the world it would need to be a crashing undecomposed plan. Or a bloody insane one. Let's see, he had no vantage. Voldemort held all the cards. Voldemort could vote down him without thinking. And Voldemort had hostages. On the other hand Voldemort was alone, he had no death eaters, no nighttime puppet, no servants.

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

So make it an unjust fight.

His lip curled into a smiling. There it was, there was the melodic theme. A Harry thrower plan.

Smiling, he walked out of the alley. He picked up his pace and he reached the street, how much of his half 60 minutes was gone ? He had lost all track of clock time. He broke into a run. He knew he should go faster but he would help no one if he was to tired to fight. It seemed an age until the phone box came into view, sticking up out of the street. Harry got in, then pressed the code on the receiver.

"Welcome to the ministry of conjuring trick. Please nation your name and business."The phone said flatly.

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

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


... Clattered into the hopper. Harry didn't annoyance to peck it up. If he didn't know who he was now no badge was gon na tell him. He dissilusioned himself before the doors slid loose again and stepped out into the ministry foyer. There was a level of organized chaos and another bigger stratum of disorganise chaos. Harry ignored it and his deception eye picked out the marauders. The were all clustered in one place. Harry wandered over to them and quietly said,

"Don ‘ t movement. Don ‘ t commit them and sign you ‘ re hearing me. Just come over here behind that lamp chimney where we can ‘ t be seen."

The marauder's stiffened, but to their reference none of them gave the biz away. Harry followed them as they slowly rose and nonchalantly wandered behind the massive fireplace. Once they were all behind Harry dropped his illusion and smiled at his friends.

"Hi guys. I ‘ m back."

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

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

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

"There ‘ s no meter, how very much fourth dimension we got until the beginning hostage goes ?"

"Five minutes."genus Draco pointed at the clock.

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

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

"Yes."Harry nodded, and there was a sudden aspiration of breath from the marauder."But I have a plan ! Seriously guys, it ‘ s ok. I have a plan."

"Do you recall how badly some of your early programme have gone ?"Padma asked dryly.

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

"You got it Harry."Ginny went into good musical mode."Whatever you need."

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

A forest of hired man were stretched out towards him. Every single baton. Harry picked one at random and tried a unproblematic charm. It was stuttery and faint. No estimable. He picked another and almost set his hair on fire. The tierce the enchantment came out right but the wand felt weird. The fourth ... Harry did first one spell then another ... then another ... they all came out perfect. His eyes came up to contact Malfoy's grey ones.

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

"Thank you."Harry pocketed the scepter."The second thing I need is healing. Just a immediate refresher. I ‘ m to wear upon and know up to press like this."

"Here."Ginny drew a bottle out of her robe."I swiped it from the triage shopping center. I thought you might demand it if you came back."

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

"And thirdly we need to make something."Harry handed the bottle back."It ‘ ll be tricky but if I handle the charms and someone else does the transfig we should be able-bodied to deal it. Oh ! And I ‘ ve thought of a fourth thing. I ‘ ll need a distraction."
*


"Here ! Look !"Snape was shocked out of his thoughts by the yell. His center found the source in the young Weasley shaver, crouched down by the fountain. Ginny was furiously jabbing at the pool, waving him over. `` It 's going clear again. I can see something ! '' Snape dashed over, staring down into the inky dark. He could see nothing.

'' Where ? '' Snape asked hurriedly.

'' There, there by the corner. ``

'' I see nothing. ``

'' Look. ``

'' missy Weasley there is nothing there. ``

'' There was ! ``

'' There is not now- '' Snape 's eyes flickered up to fill those of his student. A flicker of computer storage twitched behind those eyes. He pushed ... No ! Snape spun and dashed to the airlift, but the grating was already slamming shut. Snape came crashing up against the ward. The wizardly barrier sparking against his skin like stable. He could n't get through. Before his centre the dissilusionment fell and Harry Potter was standing there, looking back at him. Snape felt people crowding all around, murmuring, speaking, crying. All pressed up to one English of the barrier, and on the early ... just Harry.

'' Harry, please. '' Snape held his helping hand out to the wall of the ward. `` Do n't do this. ``

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

'' anserine boy. You do n't have to do this. ``

'' I know I do n't. '' Harry nodded, a deliquium smiling on his face. `` I 'm doing it anyway. Wish me circumstances. ``

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


The lift grate slid open and Harry stepped warily out into the corridor. The wreckage of battle was everywhere, big gouge gone from the wall and doors blown off their flexible joint. This was n't the department of mysteries yet though. Just the courtrooms. Harry 's eye whirled wildly as he picked his way around the wreckage. The door to the department came into view, a white rectangle at the end of a hanker corridor. Harry could see nothing beyond the threshold, not even with his conjuring trick eye. Some sort of protection must draw out around the section of mysteries. For the sake of his plan he hoped it did n't extend inside the department too. Harry raised his sceptre to his neck and spoke the sonerous charm.

'' Tom Riddle ! '' Harry 's expand spokesperson shook the bricks in the walls. `` I 'm here. '' There was a here and now 's hold, then.

'' Welcome Mr ceramicist. '' A similarly booming voice sounded down the hallway. `` I was not sure you would come. ``

'' Why would I stay put away Tommy boy. We 're like old friends. '' Harry was poised to run at any second if this went improper. `` You 've got eight people in there. Those people deserve to get out, so net ball make a deal, gentleman's gentleman 's agreement between friends. I go in. All of them go out. ``

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

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

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

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

'' Of course. '' Voldemort gestured mildly. The chains on the prisoners crashed to the ground.

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

"They ‘ ll be able to get out ?"Harry asked."Past the ward ?"

"In only stops mass from entering, not from leaving."

'' Ok, fine. wait ! '' Harry held up a helping hand, then pointed to Lupin and a powerful looking auror. `` Fudge and Dumbledore, take them up with you. ``

Lupin set to cradle the eubstance of his teacher and lifted him up. As he passed Harry on the way out their eye met. lupin leant down to Harry 's ear and whispered,

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

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

'' Well Mr ceramist. '' Voldemort smiled like a snake. `` It is down to just you and me. The male monarch in our little chess game. The pawns are gone, the rooks are taken. Now it is just down to you and me. ``

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

"I was being metaphorical."

Harry rolled his eyes and picked a clear space of base. He pointed his baton down.

'' Calx. '' A glass line appeared on the floor. Harry drew his sceptre around in a rough out rectangle then stepped back and measured his handiwork by eye. `` Tommy boy give me your opinion. Does that look like fourteen ft to you ? ``

'' What in Falco columbarius 's public figure are you doing ? ``

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

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

'' I am irregular. '' Harry shrugged and stepped up to the center of the rectangle. He put his wand into his pocket and held his hand away from it to show he was n't touching it. `` But I believe that the next step is to bow to one another. Like valet. ``

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

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

'' Of row. ``

'' Hmm ... '' Harry grinned up at the ceiling. `` Hope you like this cat. It 's going to be one hell of a display. ``

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

'' We role as supporter. '' Harry smiled. Voldemort chuckled wryly and encircled Harry 's hand in his own. Harry pulled forward and hugged the scandalise dark nobleman. He released him quickly and laughed. `` Tom riddle it 's been a pleasure, and an purity. ``

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

'' I believe it 's seven yard ? '' Harry turned and heard Voldemort do the Lapp. `` One ... ''

'' Two ... ''

'' Three ... ''

'' Stupefy ! '' Harry whirled and jabbed his wand. The patch flared across the room. Just before it hit the darkness lord seemed to waver and fade into mist. The magical spell passed right through his back and exploded in glint against the wall. Voldemort turned and rematerialized, a mocking sneer on his face,

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

'' Worth a pellet. ``

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

'' foretell me Harry. ``

'' I will not. '' Voldemort raised his wand. `` Goodbye Mr Potter. I wish you all the best in the following world. Avada Kedavra ! ``

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



Review or the evil chicken with the DEAD eyes that only I can see will kill me.


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





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

'' Hmm ... '' Harry frowned in mock confusion. `` Your verge appears to make turned into a poulet. ``

The crybaby managed to justify itself and dropped to the floor. It took a face at the two genius on either side of it and wisely decided to be elsewhere. Squawking and flapping it scampered through an undefended door.

"Was it, meant to turn into a Gallus gallus ?"Harry tapped his Kuki thoughtfully."Is this some domestic fowl variant of the killing execration I was not previously cognisant of ? Is that a chicken of decease ? Or perhaps ..."Harry's deal dipped into his pocket."Were you looking for ... this wand."

Voldemort's middle went wide.

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

The wickedness Almighty's mitt twitched to his pocket.

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

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

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

"thrower I will-"

"Shut up."Harry stabbed his verge forward, keeping the former two rubber in his go away hired man."Shut your ugly murdering boldness. Happy, civil, ‘ lets all be B.F.F.s ‘ sentence is officially over. Now is the fourth dimension for the early affair. The blinking hatred filled engagement that culminates with the putting to death of you."

"You think you can win ?"Voldemort hissed out through clenched teeth."Even without a wand I am still the dark lord. I am still More than a mate for you."

"Evens the acting force field a bit though doesn ‘ t it."Harry cracked his neck opening first to one English, then another."So come on Hydra nerve. Hit me. Hit me with your best shot."

The dark lord hissed, his finger's breadth clenching into hook. Then a moment later he exploded into smoke, whisking away through an open threshold. What the ? Harry 's conjuration eye focused through the paries, onto the floor in the next elbow room. On the base adjacent to a prone organic structure was-

sceptre !

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

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

He rolled as it passed command overhead and snarled, `` Tempesto ! '' The cloud convulsed as fart lashed through it but it stayed together, swirling and reforming like ink. Harry dashed along the floor and snapped the wand up from beside the bundle of robe that was all that was left of the dupe of an inferi. He skidded to a stoppage, his eye dancing madly to bump any remaining wands ... nothing in the divination room ...

The cloud circled, reeking of malignity. Harry could almost feel Voldemort doing the Sami check that he was, using dark magic to find any remaining weapon system. The cloud contracted then shot away like a squid. Harry was off and after it in a irregular, a irregular more and his eye had found it's quarry. The Death chamber, a wand rolled into a quip in the base. Harry pelted through the corridor, the sinister smoke ahead of him. Too far ! Too quick !

Harry threw another tornado ahead of him, kicking up shards of detritus but the second it reached the cloud it was squashed like a anuran. The wind going flat in mid air. The Mary Jane disappeared under a threshold and Harry crashed through it a moment later. The verge ! right there ! Voldemort reappeared with a thunderclap and jabbed his hand forward. The verge leapt from the storey and spun towards the nighttime lord. Harry aimed desperately,

"Ferio !"

There was a crack from the air and sliver clattered on the base. The wickedness lord's hand snapped back like he'd been stung.

"That ‘ s the last of them snake-face."Harry panted. Keeping his wand trained on the darkness lord he stepped down the steps till he was next to the flutter archway. He picked the three wands he'd acquired out of his pocket and chucked them through the embryonic membrane. The dark cloth fluttered for a moment, then went still."All sceptre ‘ s out of gambol, except for my one. And the solely way you ‘ re getting that is to pry it from my dusty dead hands."

"What an first-class hypnotism Mr Potter."

Harry had just a moments warning before the orb of shadow flew from the dark lord's paw. Harry spun behind the arch and ducked down.

"Accio !"The bench behind Voldemort shot forward towards his top dog. The dark Creator spun and shattered it with a hissed condemnation."Jupitall !"The ball-lightning hissed from Harry's wand and forced the dark Almighty to dodge to the side. The orb exploded against the paries, filling the room with discharge. Voldemort spun and cried,

"Garta !"

Harry felt the flag beneath his invertebrate foot disappear and he plummeted into darkness. He jabbed his wand straight up.

"Hammus missis !"Chain shot up and slammed into the ceiling far above."Rapellet !"The chain felt like it jerked his arm out of its socket as it pulled him up into the light. As he shot from the soil like a bullet train a ball of shadow flew towards him.

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

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

"Avada Kedavra !"The Green sparkle left him stunned but he landed like a cat on the side of the ill-treat arena. The killing curse blew a hole in the paries but Voldemort was dashing away, disappearing through a doorway."Come back you slimy coward !"Harry was laughing with bloodlust and raced after him, his eye tracking him through the tangle of antechamber. Harry dashed back through the entrance hall and shot into a long elbow room of desks. Voldemort's fleeing phantasma was just visible at the other end.

"Avada Kedavra !"The nightmare swearword sped through the wreckage but Voldemort spun and summoned a desk into it's path. The explosion filled the air with emerald sparks. Three bolt of lightning of lightning thundered through the explosion and Harry threw himself to the English. One of them grazed past his leg and he bit back a cry of pain. A freeze out magic spell numbed the glow chassis as Harry furiously dashed after the wickedness lord. As he skidded to a stoppage in the hall of prophecies the dark Jehovah disappeared. Harry furiously glanced one way then the other, but neither eye could pick up a trace. A wisp of rung curled around one of the shelves, only to disappear a bit later. Harry cursed, the eye wasn't so good for immaterial things. He slowly turned, letting his eyes sweep through the gaps between the ledge. Voldemort was in here somewhere. Harry closed the doorway and whispered a venomous trap on anyone who tried to get through it. Voldemort wouldn't be able to crack it, some thing required a wand.

Harry walked slowly out into the prophecy foyer. The field glass sphere had not escaped the carnage of the engagement, many were left in glittering shard on the marble trading floor. The little snaps of field glass cracked under his bang. Was that smoke ? Harry 's heart hammered in his chest. Was that a-

FIREBALL ! Harry spun and yelled,

'' Ferio ! '' The hex blasted into a spinning orb of flaming, exploding it in the air and throwing Harry backwards into a shelf. The wood buckled and Harry fell through backwards in a mound of burning splinters. There was an ill creaking auditory sensation and Harry had to scramble to get out of the way of the collapsing shelf. ball of shining smoke bounced off his shoulders and shattered on the floor, their snowy smoke spilling out and going inky black like convolution of midnight.

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

'' Symplegades ! '' Voldemort appeared out of nowhere but Harry had already cast his turn. The shelf crashed together as if drawn by magnets. The dark master 's vague mannikin was trapped between them. Before Harry could vagabond another spell the shelves exploded outwards, Voldemort stepping out wreathed in flames. He raised his handwriting, about to get Mary Jane again. Harry stabbed his sceptre out again.

'' Tartrate ! '' It was a wild stab in the dark. The charm was used to make liquidness into jelly. Voldemort stumbled, his form blurring a moment but not turning to smoke. `` Avada Kedavra ! ``

The iniquity lord threw his hand forward and a slab of the marble floor was thrown into the air to catch the curse. Voldemort hissed and the fire behind him leapt up into a pillar of flame, curling and splitting into a glowing red snaked top dog. The serpent roared and bit forward, it 's tooth dripping with molten venom.

'' Excalabus ! '' Harry slashed through the electrocution apparition but his polishing sword slipped through it like water, leaving not a scratch. The Snake struck forward like a viper and Harry dropped to the floor, his eyebrows charring off his side. `` Ardor-Algidus ! '' Harry yelled the flame freezing good luck charm and bound up into the hellfire monster. He stabbed his scepter at the shadow beyond the hell on earth and yelled the killing curse again. The redness flashed to green and Harry could see the night lord 's outrage expression as he had to duck a spell from within his own creation.

Harry did n't move over him an inch, he threw himself forward, dead reckoning another curse at his off remainder enemy and found a cloud of blackness knife flying in his case. He dropped to the floor and heard them clatter behind him. He threw himself to the slope but the knives jerked to watch him. He grabbed a plank of shelf from the floor and birl it in front of him, hearing the sound thunk of the brand impacting the wood. Harry spun to face the iniquity lord and banished the knives towards him. Voldemort waved his hand distastefully and the knife melted into smoke.

The dark overlord was panting, breath hissing in and out through his lipless mouth.

'' You can not win. '' He hissed, anger and haughtiness battling for prominence in his interpreter. `` You must actualise that YOU CAN NOT WIN ! ``

'' Shut. Up. Wanker. '' Harry gasped through heavy breaths.

'' You are just extending your suffering ! ``

'' Is n't that what biography is all about ? '' Harry drew himself up, grinning. `` And besides- Ferio ! '' The piece caught the dark lord by surprise, smacking into his shoulder with a bone splintering fissure. Voldemort roared and Harry felt the floor under his substructure buckle and gang fight. He flipped backwards as the ground where he had been standing became a swirling quicksand pit, gear up to draw him down into it 's astuteness. Harry danced backwards as stone upon stone became wet-nurse dying. His feet hit a shelf and he clambered up like a wanderer. The shelf lurched as it began to sink into the stone. Harry spun, holding on with one hand and leapt to another towering shelf just before the one he had been standing on was obliterated in a cloud of night lightning.

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

'' Tempesto ! '' Harry 's tornado sprung out of nowhere, drawing sand from the floor and filling the air with yellow-white cereal. Harry called another tornado, and another. The darkness Lord disappeared in the sandstorm. Disappeared to normal oculus that is. `` Avada Kedavra ! '' Harry shot through the murk at the shadow in the air and dashed away along the top of his shelf, he leapt across to the future one just before a lightning bolt flashed through the air behind him. The shadow lord could not see him in all this but he could see where his spells were coming from. Only a fool attacked and stayed in the same place ... unless ...

'' Acerbus cuspis ! '' Harry called the pain in the neck spears, flashing out in their slow fan. He twisted them in the air like a serpent to expunge the night nobleman from both side of meat. He was rewarded with a howl of painfulness as one of the shining bolts struck home. Harry cast again but the dark-skinned Jehovah summoned a silver shield. `` Motus ! '' Harry did n't even suffer to think. He just struck out and made the dread orb vibrate with unbearable noise. He twisted to find the resonance but Voldemort was slyer than Michelson and cancelled the orb. Harry turned to run but the night noble was agile and lightning caught his arm, burning like inferno. Harry lost his ground and dropped off the side of the teetering shelf.

Harry spun his tornado and blew himself up into the air again, shooting like a rag-doll through the duster until his fingers caught the edge of a shelf and he held on for dear life story. He pulled himself up and tried to put up, his eye spinning to get hold the dark lord. There he was, but what-

'' Ulkaa Avaskanda ! '' The shrill frigid voice of the nighttime overlord shouted out of the storm, then. `` Finite Syrtis ! ``

The George Sand vanished like mist but Harry had bigger job. He leapt into the air as rock 'n' roll the size of railroad car obliterated the shelf behind him. His feet hit another shelf but it was already shattering and falling. Harry 's baton whipped out and a hook impacted into the ceiling. Harry swung out over the sweep of malarky. A boulder came hurtling out of nowhere but Harry still had his storm.

The wind pulled him out of the path of the meteoroid with a whisk of his wand and he let go of the chain, catapulting himself onto a standing shelf. He leapt again and saw two boulders hurtling towards him. His wand flashed out again and one rock veered into the path of the early, shattering them both to fragments. Harry felt the wood beneath him stir again and this time let it carry him down a moment before leaping off and dropping to another collapsing shelf, his eye found strong footing and he jumped again as the last shelf collapsed into splinters.

Harry dropped to the top of a pile of wreckage. A mountain three times as marvelous as he was and broad of broken Sir Henry Joseph Wood, tattered glass and the smouldering remains of spent boulders. Harry waited while the last of the crashing and clattering stopped, then folded his arms.

Voldemort was hovering in the air tier with Harry. The dark-skinned God Almighty slowly floated down to the floor ( which Harry idly noted was back to being marble ) and settled back down onto his feet. Harry watched with a crooked eyebrow. Voldemort 's teeth clenched in rage as he stared up at Harry standing on his pedestal of ruin.

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

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

'' DO NOT MOCK ME ! ``

'' But you make it so well-off ! '' Harry put his script on his hips. `` Anyway, it 's hard not to mock you when I 'm winning ! ``

'' YOU ARE NOT WINNING ! ``

'' I 'm not loosing. '' Harry grinned. The dark lord 's clenched fist clenched but he said cipher. Harry smiled. `` Of course, you could deliver. ``

'' giving up ? '' Voldemort spat the word. `` resignation to you ! ? ``

'' Hey spouse, you 're the one that wants to live forever. '' Harry cracked his knuckle joint. `` You wo n't live forever if you surrender but I can ensure you 'll live longer than if you keep fighting. Not much longer but still ... ''

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

'' Me ? I 'm the smuggler of the roofs at night. '' Harry laughed. `` The submarine sandwich of the blood war. The lone survivor of the torrent of years and the Hogwarts triwizard champion. ``

'' But- ''

'' I 'm the mirror-blade, '' Harry spread his blazonry across-the-board. `` snake 's bane and wolf-slayer. I 'm the buccaneer of the Spirit of Njordr."

"You-"

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

"What-"

"But that does n't count because I 'm also a marauder ! unvanquishable cutthroat asshole and badass extraordinaire ! I. Am. Harry. ceramist ! The choosing one ! '' Harry trained his wand on the dark master, his face set in firm resoluteness. `` That is why you should surrender. Right now. Or I swear on this spile of prophecy that I will burn you from this earth. ``

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

'' shoemaker's last chance. '' Harry snarled. Voldemort straightened up, his eye burning red.

'' Never. '' The darkness Jehovah hands clenched to fist. `` I will never cede to a one-half blood boy like you. ``

'' Whatever, '' Harry grinned. `` In that character ... suck it bitch ! Depulso ! '' Harry jammed his wand straight down and the pile of wreckage exploded out in all instruction, the wood becoming baneful sliver and the rock'n'roll singing out in razor sharp sherd. The wickedness overlord threw up a silver shield but Harry was already on the primer. With a flick of his wand the shield screeched and Voldemort threw it away from him as if it was red hot. Harry rolled to the side to sidestep a spray of black orbs and threw his wand up. `` Avada Kedavra ! ``

The dark lord fled through a threshold and Harry rushed to follow, casting death curses before him. Harry vaulted a desk and skidded through a door only to chance his body rising into the air. A lightning bolt of lightning grazed his shoulder and Harry was spun around like a top. Planets were floating in this way ! There must be some turn screwing with gravity !

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

'' Confringo ! '' The ball of plasm exploded but Harry cast another flame-freezing charm and pushed off Saturn directly into the nether region. From behind the top of fire Harry shot a killing whammy at the dark nobleman but had to twist in the air to stop his top dog being taken off by a blue vane flickering through the air. He had used the flame-cover trick one too many sentence. fountainhead lets try another.

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

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

In number direct contrast to the remainder of the department this room was a sort of zoo. Cage full of creatures filled the room up to the ceiling and were stacked in a mint in the middle. Some looked normal, some ... not so much. Harry shuddered as his eye flickered over a mutated blob of shape with what he sincerely hoped was not a homo arm coming out of it. His magic eye swirled in it 's socket, trying to get a fix on Voldemort but all the life history and bm in the way made it tricky.

Harry tried to draw out the room. Long, not so wide ... The doorway at the other end was closed. That meant that Voldemort was either at the wall behind one of the John Cage at the side or crouched down behind one of the ones in the middle. Harry grinned,

'' Alohomora ! '' He pointed his wand at the cumulation of cages in the center and all their bars sprung candid. Creatures scattered in every instruction. Something that looked like a mutant wildcat made a esurient leap at the cage to the left field and was thrown back by a spell. There ! Harry 's wand was trained there in a bit. `` Confringo ! '' The hex blasted the batting cage out of the way, revealing Voldemort 's greyness skin. `` Avada K- '' Harry had to break off the curse to duck behind a desk as more ball of shadow rained through the air. Harry heard a door slam heart-to-heart and leapt up from where he was crouched. He dashed to the door and swung through, his baton out.

The Death chamber ! cover here ! Harry saw Voldemort just reaching the door at the former side of the pallidly lit room and aimed his wand.

'' Colloportus ! '' The door squelched and glowed red. Harry spun and locked the other doors too. In a moment he had his sceptre trained back on the dark lord. Voldemort was just staring at him from the early side of meat of the huge elbow room, his back talk contoured into a sneer. He clearly knew he could transgress the poxy locking trance, but doing so would turn over Harry the moment he needed to defeat him. Harry tried to keep his breath even as he spoke, `` Got you. No more running. ``

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

'' I doubt that. '' Harry mirrored the dark lord and slowly walked down the steps. `` I rarely sign things. ``

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

'' What ... ever. '' Harry shrugged. `` I 've had enough of your self significant threat. time for the showdown. Let 's end this. ``

'' nothing would please me more Mr Potter ! '' Voldemort reached the tail end of the room. Harry was just a step behind him. They stared at each former from opposite sides of the pedestal that held the arch of the veil. Voldemort 's lip curled up in a sneer. `` If I had my sceptre you would birth died long ago. ``

'' That would be why I nicked it. '' Harry chuckled. `` And anyway ... Lumos ! '' Harry jammed his verge towards Voldemort and the ray cut through the dimness like a spotlight. Voldemort threw his hands up to protect his middle."Avada Kedavra ! ``

The dark nobleman dropped to the floor, letting the spell mountain pass over his point and jabbed his arm up at the roof. The darkness above them became alive, a writhing cauldron of darkness. Harry dodged wildly as a tentacle of dark shot down and tried to wrap up itself around him. Harry felt another grab his leg.

'' Excalabus ! '' The tentacle was sheered off but Harry had been thrown to the floor and had to roll as bolts of skag slammed into the flagstones where he had been lying. A formal of lightlessness caught the side of his leg, simply obliterating physical body and skin. Harry screamed and pulled himself to his foot, jumping out of the way of another tentacle. He had to get rid of that matter ! He could n't fight it and the dark lord at the Saame time ! But how to kill something like that ... How else ? Harry jabbed his wand at the roof. `` Avada Kedavra ! '' The green patch impacted the drear creature and it wailed in pain, it 's tentacles going limp.

Harry spun back to expression Voldemort just in time for an inkiness orb to strike a clump out of his shoulder. He was bleeding too much. Had to end this ! The wickedness lord raised his hand for another bolt of lightning. Harry tore two flagstones from the ground and hurled them in the path of the spell, one after the early. The first was blown to splinter but the second, hidden by the cloud of rubble, stab through like a marble discus and crashed with a hideous crush into Voldemort 's ribcage.

The darkness lord was thrown back, his arm coming up to cradle his injured pectus. Harry pressed his reward and Voldemort was driven back by spell after tour. The dark master was pushed onto to the steps and stumbled back, lying prone against the stone. He seemed exhausted.

'' Avada Ke- ''

"Fulgar Fletch !"The dark Lord 's hand swung up ! It had been a trick ! Harry saw a swarm of opprobrious blades erupt out of nothing and cruise towards him. He had no protection ! He could not fudge ! There was just one opportunity ...

'' Protego ! '' Harry called out desperately and was driven back as the knife clattered against his weak buckler. Harry let it go and stepped forward, only to have his genu buckle and drop him on the story. What the ? Harry tried to stand up but his legs would n't make a motion. Was this some sorting of curse ? Harry looked down and saw the reason.

There was a knife embedded to the hilt in his stomach. Two more in his leg. Draining pedigree down his thigh and pooling on the floor.

'' Bloody shield .... '' Harry 's arms dropped down, suddenly too weak. His wand rolled away on the darkness stone. He had n't felt the tongue go in, adrenalin perhaps, but he felt it now. painful sensation and fire raging out from the hole in his abdomen. `` Bloody ... Shield .... And I was doing so well ... ''

'' Yes Mr ceramist you were. '' The night lord picked himself up from the steps and dusted his robe off. Now that he had won the well-disposed, almost fatherly, timber was back. `` I applaud you. ``

'' I could hold beaten you ya make love. '' Harry coughed weakly and saw droplets of blood spray from his mouth. `` The very starting time enchantment I threw. Back when I jumped the count. Back when you had the fake wand. If you 'd sustain just tried to shield like any convention whizz ... I could make won on the initiatory spell. That was ... that was the plan. ``

'' It was a good program. '' Voldemort must have seen no reason to be wild now that he had won. `` Against a normal whizz it would bear no dubiousness worked. ``

'' Damn it. '' Harry raised his hand to broadcast his fingers around the knife blade in his tum, but he could n't stop the pedigree. His life was draining out onto the floor. The 1 in his leg would maim him. The one in his stomach meant he was dead.

'' Do you have any last Logos my beloved enemy ? '' Voldemort asked calmly. `` I did not find out any satisfactory 1 from Dumbledore. Anything ? ``

'' Ca n't imagine of anything ... '' night dots swam before Harry 's optic. He had failed. `` Are my supporter still watching ? ``

'' Oh yes. '' Voldemort nodded. `` I would not have the wizarding populace miss this case. ``

'' Then my live words are ... keep fighting. '' Harry raised his eye to meet Voldemort 's. `` sustenance fighting him. ``

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

'' And ... '' Blood was pooling beneath Harry 's legs. `` And tell Thea I tried. ``

'' An admirable thought. ``

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

'' Very well. '' Voldemort raised his hand. `` I shall miss you. My ... interest opposite. '' Voldemort opened his mouth to speak the stopping point parole Harry would ever hear.

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

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

'' The one with the powerfulness to vanquish the wickedness Godhead will be born as the seventh month atomic number 66. '' Harry 's whispered Bible rang out in the quiet room. `` Born to those who ... those who ... ''

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

'' Thrice defied him. '' Harry licked his backtalk, his voice was barely coming out now. `` And the dark nobleman will tag ... will pit him ... ''

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

'' Mark him as his equal ... '' Harry 's lips were barely moving, his speech just mental disorder in the air. `` But the dark ... the darkness ... ''

'' Yes ... '' Voldemort put his custody on Harry 's shoulders, steadying him. `` Please end up it ! ``

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

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

'' The dark nobleman ... shall never study. ``

'' What did you say ? ``

'' I said you never bloody learn ! '' Harry 's eyes flicked give. `` Do you ? ``

Powered by the final gasp of dying rage Harry pulled the knife from his shape and drove it into Voldemort 's neck. Harry fell backwards as line fountained from his breadbasket and his centre clouded black. As he slipped away and his heart stopped beating all he could hear was the whisper of the veil.




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


Sorry this took a while to brand. I did n't mean to intentionally leave you hanging at a cliffhanger but first I posted it then realised I had to exchange something so that sent it to the spinal column of the queue, then it got rejected ... anyways it 's up now.

critique seem to be mixed as to whether people think Harry 's really stagnant or not and whether the series is over or not. It 's decent to have created such differing views. : )




The inaugural thing Harry sensed was the scent of apple blossoms. It was a smell he knew very well. His eyes flickered open and looked up onto the comrade dapple leaves of the grove in his dreams. It was exactly as it had always been, honey oil and full of life.

Harry was lying on the base. How had he got there ? He lifted his blazon up and realized that his roue soaked and engagement scared garments were gone, replaced by a simple white gown. That was n't all that was missing either. Harry 's fingers went up to his eye, poking it lightly.

'' Ow ! '' Flesh, not glass. Harry shook his head, realizing what must accept happened. Eye 's did not rise back, orchards did not spring out of nothing. `` I 'm dead. I died. ``

Harry breathed out, a long sigh of sadness. He had done his intimately, his very, very best. He had tried to survive. He had tried to not will the populace of the life, had tried not to leave his friends.

There are multitude that will stomach if you die, even if you take Voldemort with you

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

Harry looked up at the tree diagram, bearing blossoms and fruit all at once in an unsufferable, but beautiful, tableau. He was sword lily he had ended up here, not back at Godrics Hollow.

'' I did choose him with me though. '' Harry spoke the piercingly countersign. `` I got him in effect. ``

The current of air rustled lightly through the tree. He thought he could almost, just almost, discover kid laughing. Harry sat down and set his back against a Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree and closed his eyes. If this was the afterlife then he knew one affair for sure. Before he met any pearly porter or had his sins weighed against a feathering or whatever he was sitting right here and having a sleep. The legions of inferno could not actuate him from that spot.

The confidential information whistled through the trees and for a present moment Harry though he could get a line voices.

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

"She ‘ s got a portkey !"

The voices faded. Harry shrugged, that variety of thing probably happened all the time when you were dead.

Harry 's hand wormed it 's way along the ground and found an apple. It was dainty and hard, fallen recently. He brought it up to his mouth and bit into it, letting the juice run down his face. It tasted a little bitter, just a little.

Harry heard the grass in front of him disturbed by footfalls. Someone was there. He opened his middle slowly, and arched his eyebrows when he saw who it was.

'' Did n't carry to see you here. '' Harry commented dryly. `` Though I suppose I should take in. ``

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

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

'' I doubt that Harry, back breaker is n't dead. '' Dumbledore frowned suddenly. `` I apologize, you asked me not to bid you- ''

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

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

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

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

'' partner, I can never forgive you, so do n't ask me to. '' Harry sighed and shook his question. `` I do n't remember I can ever forgive you but at the same time ... I get why you did it. You were in a bad place, everything was riding on your shoulders. I mean look at me, today I cast an unforgivable curse word ten ... maybe twenty prison term. And before that, over the course of action of this year I 've killed ... people. Several people. We all do what we think we have to do. You did what ... what you thought you had to do, at the fourth dimension. I ca n't forgive you for it. You playing with my head. Making me your Frankenstein 's monster. Your changeling youngster. You ... took me and changed me. Changed who I am, put memories in my capitulum. You said you put your memories of Jesse James potter in my head. I can finger them in there now ... How much of it is me ? Is any of this me ? Or am I just a poor written matter of Harry ... Or worse a wretched copy of James potter. Am I ? reply me truthfully. Please. ``

'' I ... '' Dumbledore dropped his eyes to the floor. `` I do not fuck how lots of your original personality survived. Integrating storage is never fully successful, not from one person to another, but there is no way to recite how much commixture there has been. There is a chance that the storage settled harmlessly into your subconscious mind, but then again ... ''

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

'' Yes. ``

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

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

"real number ?"

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

"Is it potential I still can pack his seat ?"Harry pointed at his radiocarpal joint."I mean, the dark noble did mark me."

"Harry he did not notice you as his equate he marked you as his servant."Dumbledore shook his head teacher."And besides, I can look on my fingers the people who have thrice defied Voldemort. I would have known if one of them had been with child."

Harry sighed. As he did the twist seemed to murmur, carrying to him aloof vocalisation. He strained his ear to hear,

'' assistance him ! For Merlin 's sake assist him ! '' Was that ... Hermione ?

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

'' His ticker 's not nonplus ! ``

'' Of course It 's not beating he does n't have any parentage left you hysteric idiot. Each of you, give me your mitt. It's a adept thing Harry acquired so many hangers-on, one of you has to be his blood type. ``

The voice faded into the snap. Harry's brow furrowed.

"Did you hear that ?"He asked Dumbledore.

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

"So I ‘ m ... I ‘ m not idle ?"Harry felt hope emanation in his heart.

"You are utter, technically. Your heart is not beating."Dumbledore's eyes twinkled."But I believe that, with time and a generous donation of good red origin, you may be pulled back into the universe of the living."

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

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

"How ?"

"The fact that you are draw close death coupled with the fact that you died mere m from the veil."Dumbledore shrugged."I am just glad I got a last chance to speak to you."

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

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

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

"Of course of study Harry, anything."

"What is my name ?"

"I ... I do not know."Dumbledore hung his head."I am sorry Harry. I erased the retentivity from my own head so I would never call you it. Never slip up ... But I can narrate you the orphanhood where I found you. It is called the Malyn orphanhood, or was nine years ago, January twentieth. It stands about ten international mile south of Belfast. If records exist then, well then you might be capable to find them there."

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

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

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

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

"What aren ‘ t you telling me ?"Harry felt the vacancy grow."Were they wizards ? Were they last eater ?"

"No Harry nothing like that."Dumbledore shook his headspring."In fact I believe we can safely assume both your parents were muggles. Let me explicate, when I took you from the orphans' asylum they told me a fiddling about you. About how you had come to be there. Apparently you were not given to them in the normal way, you were ... found. Found by an elderly couple walking along the Lagan river. The river was bursting it ‘ s banks a little after a violent storm and they saw a little package washed up in the mud. When they unwrapped you they thought you were dead, I was told that you were blue all over from the cold and damp, but so weak you weren ‘ t even shivering. You had been in the water for a long time."

Crashing rocks. Raging whiteness water. Harry's mind shied away from the ostentation of terror in his mind and he felt his breath quicken. The raging flood in his mind banishing all though was real, a retention so scaring even Dumbledore had been ineffective to efface. His entirely tangible memory was a phobic neurosis. Another bitter joke. He licked his backtalk, had to say something, anything to train his judgement off it.

"How old was I ?"

"About six months old, give or take."Dumbledore answered."The couple gave you to the authorization and of course of study an investigation was made. Unfortunately cipher was ever found. And, inevitably, you ended up in the work force of the small fry avail. The tale after that is, well, rather as you might imagine it."

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

"I ... I do not cerebrate that was the font Harry."A tear rolled down Dumbledore's impudence."You see, I have something the muggle authorities did not. I have my map. That was the reason lupine knew. I needed him to find it and demonstrate me how to use it, or it could hold revealed the truth."

"The map- Or course !"Harry smiled, his eyes lighting up."It should evidence my real name ! That ‘ s why you kept it cover and everything ! What does it say ?"

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

"No."

"It works by making use of an ancient type of magic, the deception of names."Dumbledore's voice took on a lecturing tone, but Harry could still find out the lump in his throat."There is an old wizard superstitious notion. An old wives tale, if you will, that a sorcerer's name is tied to their lot. That the name first given to a ace somehow sets his path. There was once a large fad for concealing one ‘ s true epithet so that foeman could not gain index over you. Foolishness really, in those days someone ‘ s true name was well-fixed enough to divine. That is what the map does in any case. It works by the legerdemain of names."

"Yeah,"Harry motioned the late headmaster to retain."And ?"

"And for you it displays nada Harry."Dumbledore closed his eye sadly."On the map your epithet is blank. Just a set of footmark and an empty scroll."

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

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

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

"Harry ..."

"I was six months old. Six months they had me and didn ‘ t even handle enough to ..."Harry slammed his fist into the background."I guess I ‘ m better off without them."

"Is his heart beating ? I can barely-"

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

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

"Harry are you alright ?"Dumbledore asked."I realize that this is a great mickle to take in on top of-"

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

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

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

"A blessing."

"So I can phone anyone then ?"Harry asked slyly."Anyone utter and they have to come ?"

"Yes, anyone dead."

"Tom Marvolo Riddle."Harry said the dread gens loudly into the Sir Henry Wood, only faint echoes came back."He ‘ s not utter then."Harry's men clenched into fists.

"No,"Dumbledore shook his heading."I believe you have Bella to thank for that again. She snuck in when the cellblock came down and spirited his consistency away right-hand under your friends'olfactory organ using an pinch portkey. Rather careless of them. Alastor is probably beating himself up right now."

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

"He will be severely weakened."Dumbledore stepped forward and laid a paw on Harry's articulatio humeri."Perhaps as badly as he was xv years ago. This is a triumph Harry, it will be age, possibly decade before he can rise again. And if we can take hold of him while he is rickety and finish him off, so much the better."

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

"Is there not anyone you actually wish to mouth to Harry ?"Dumbledore asked, fading a short as he did so."No one in this world ? Perhaps the rattling Harry potter ?"

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

"How could you possibly ..."

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

"But interesting."

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

"I hope so Harry."

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

"simpleton Harry,"Dumbledore smiled."Until now you have been walking someone else 's route. From this point on, you 'll hold to make your own."

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

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

"Shoot."

"What became of my sceptre ?"

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

"No no Harry."Dumbledore smiled broadly, a deep twinkle in his fading eye."Just curious."And with that the old wizard faded into nothing, and was gone. Harry chuckled.

"You had to bear the last Bible didn ‘ t you. Git."

The air seemed to change texture. Harry breathed out softly, he was alive again. He could feel his split second in his chest. Weak, but there. Harry glanced around at the orchard. It was exactly the same as before but it felt unlike. He was dreaming now, just a veritable dream. Harry let his centre close slowly. He would inflame up in undecomposed time, but until then ? He was OK here. For now.
*


Snape reached his flat in Hogwarts and barely got the threshold shut before falling into a chair. There was a bed in the next room, but it suddenly seemed very far away. Truth be told he could have fallen asleep in the middle of the dandy hall, on the floor. He would have been the laughing descent of every student though. Even speculative he probably wouldn't have woken up when they started laughing at him, even when they started poking him.

Snape raised his baton shakily and levitated the blank out bottle of wine off his table. It had been left open, no matter. He poured himself a glass.

He had stood in the waiting room in St Mungos for longer than he could remember while incompetent healers told him they had no entropy. When they had finally told him that Harry was out of the woods all his aflutter get-up-and-go had leeched out and it had taken all of his mental specialty to stop himself sagging to the base right there. He had managed to gull about of them. He had not fooled Natalie.

She had apparated him back to Hogwarts and made him swear to catch some Z's as soon as he got to his way. Who was she to order him around like that ? Why could she ? Snape's lips curled into a smiling. Because she was interesting enough to get away with it and was the simply one who could pull in it off. Which just added to the interest of course. Snape smiled as the wine-colored curled down the vertebral column of his throat. He was very golden in many regard. Luckier than he deserved.

"Severus are you in there ?"There was a belt on the threshold. Not Natalie. Snape flicked his wand and the room access creaked surface. Minerva stood on the former English, looking as tired as he felt.

"Minerva."Snape tried to sit a piffling less like he was falling asleep."It is undecomposed to see you secure, in all the disarray in the ministry I lost track. Come in. Would you like some wine ?"

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

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

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

"I can envisage that there would be."Snape yawned theatrically. He did not give birth to bull it."I can not imagine how that would concern me however, I am no longer a member."

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

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

"I will not be leading the order."McGonagall shook her head."I will have quite enough to do here at Hogwarts. The job of headmistress is sufficiency for me. It has been hard enough to persuade parents to send out their shaver to Hogwarts this year. I imagine following year may be a petty easier but I am sure enough I will still have my hands to the full. And besides, I will need to find a new transfiguration teacher."

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

"Kingsley Shacklebolt may very well be the lonesome matter currently keeping the ministry from falling apart."Minerva smiled faintly."He was the most aged auror to make it this debacle so I believe he will be ever more busy than I myself will be."

"There are other candidates."Snape was fully alerting now. He could finger where this was going."Alastor Moody."

"Too paranoid."

"Chester Alan Arthur Weasley."

"Has no armed combat or strategic experience."

"Natalie. Natalie Zhao. She is-"

"Very new to the order."

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

"Remus has grown unpredictable recently. Especially where Harry is concerned."Minerva fixed Snape with a level stare."I believe we can agree that whoever should channelize the order should be someone Harry trust. Someone like you."

"No."

"Someone who knows how the dark lord thinks."

"No."

"Severus listen to me."Minerva leant closer to him."Do you not think we discussed all these matter in amongst ourselves in the order of magnitude ?"

"If I had been there I would have had a few things to say !"

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

Snape stayed silent. Not at his expert was a horrid understatement if ever he heard one but there was no need to say so.

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

"I ... I can not guide the order."Snape tried to make his voice not vocalise like that of a rat at bay."I was a destruction feeder, I fell into dark magic trick. A long clock time ago yes but some marks do not come out."

"Yours has."

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

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

"Do not liken me to-"Snape bit back the end of that tempestuous sentence. There was no to take on out his anger on the messenger."I merely meant that I do not think it is safe to generate me this form of power."

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

"Do not quote at me."

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

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

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

"Do I have a selection ?"

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

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

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

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

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

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


'' Harry ... Harry open your eyes. ``

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

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

'' You are still asleep, in St Mungos. '' Water rippling over shining endocarp. `` I wanted to talk to you but you 're on a great deal of medication. It was simpler for me to just come to you. ``

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

'' Sitting beside your bed. ``

Harry chuckled, and opened his eyes.

'' Hello Thea. ``

'' Hello Harry. '' The Danton True Young seer was sitting cross legged under a tree in front of him, looking like the human image of serenity. Instead of her usual White person robe she was wearing a unproblematic brown dress, she seemed almost region of the timberland. She looked ... different, somehow different. It was not her boldness, she was still the Saame beautiful girl he had always known, or her middle, mismatched as they were. Her ash grey hair was caught up into a hanker tail down her back, tied with blue ribbon. She looked exactly the same but there was something missing. Gone was the sense of antiquity, the flavor that the little soul in nominal head of him had outlasted Empire. She seemed ... young, the same age as him give or take a year. Harry supposed she always had been. It did not submit practically to think the reason for the change.

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

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

'' I 'm no-account. '' Harry hung his head teacher. `` It was because you were helping me, was n't it ? ``

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

'' You do n't possess to enjoin me that just to- ''

'' It is the truth. ``

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

'' Stubborn. ``

'' little terror. ``

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

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

'' The orphanage ? ``

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

'' I can not read judgment anymore Harry. '' Thea shook her chief. `` That came with being the seer remember. I just know you. ``

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

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

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

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

'' Now ? '' Harry scratched his headspring. `` Are n't I in infirmary ? ``

'' A short walk will not inconvenience a mighty hero like you too a lot. '' Pythea crooked an eyebrow mockingly.

'' A short walk ? We have to get to Republic of Ireland ya know. ``

'' Then it is lucky that another affair they can not study away is my International shadow license. '' Pythea held out her hired man. `` Just tell me where Harry. And we can go. ``

Harry reached out and took her hand.
*


'' Ow. '' Harry 's hand went to his stomach as pain in the neck flared there through the infirmary sheets. `` That really hurts. ``

'' I told you it would. '' Pythea was sitting exactly where she said she was, at the side of his bed. `` The tongue was made with dark conjuration so the lesion ca n't be magically healed. You 'll feature to let it knit together the old forge way. Is it too much ? Do you bid to wait till tomorrow ? ``

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

Pythea cut him off with a wave of her hand. His hospital robe changed into a round-eyed Stanford White jersey and trouser. Muggle adequate to be getting on with. With another Wave a carved wooden cane appeared in his hand. Obviously she did not opine he was as sizeable as said he was. Damn her for being right.

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

Pythea stepped up to him and wrapped her arm around his supply ship centre. This close Harry could smell her hair, like special K pot and the sea. He was breathing faster, probably because of all the potions they had him on.

'' Are you gear up ? '' She asked.

'' Yes. '' Harry shut his center and waited. And waited ... He opened them again and cocked his head to one side. `` Is there a problem ? ``

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

'' I 'm sorry. I really am. '' Harry apologized again, earning him a story stare from the little seer, and told her their destination.

For the first time in his life Harry enjoyed an apparition. The bulwark of the void pressed him into Pythea, forcing them closer together. He could experience her breathing space on his cheek. He was almost disappointed when they dropped onto a small route in the countryside.

Harry stepped back and glanced around. There was no mistaking the orphanage, it was the sole building there. At the nerve centre of it was a stately-home type of thing. He could n't put a date to it, old was the best he could do. That was clearly the meat of the coordination compound but at some full point the owner had felt a need to flourish. The two blocks to either side of the master building took after the put-some-rectangular-concrete-blocks-in-a-vaguely-building-shape flair of architecture. Around the whole plaza there was a richly wall with barbed conducting wire looped at the top.

Harry tried not to think that made it look like a prison house. All schooltime had that these days.

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

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

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

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

'' Go inside Harry. ``

Harry grinned and turned towards the doorway. He took a deep breath, then winced at what that did to his venter. He tried to calm the raging butterfly stroke inside but could n't. The only thing that gave him the will to crusade spread out the doorway was marauder convention. Follow through. No fear.

As he stepped into the ho-hum entrance hall a secretary looked up from her desk, eying him quizzically.

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

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

Up the stairs. Of line. Harry labored up the footfall, having to rest more than once before he reached the top. Out the window he could see the playground, replete of minor running about wildly. From inside the wall the place looked a lot nicer. All around the edge of the rampart there were a series of tiddler 's picture. Long running murals and swirls of color. It was almost pleasant, it looked like a normal school.

Harry managed to accomplish the first flooring and took a few tired breathing place. She wanted to let me to this by myself. Probably just did n't want to carry me up the blooming footstep. Harry then realized that hunching over and breathing heavily in a building broad of minor could possibly be misinterpreted. He stood and walked forward towards the first door, his walking stick clattering against the floor. He knocked, politely.

'' Come in. ``

Harry pushed the door undecided to see an elderly dame sitting in front line of a computer, looking at him questioningly over her glasses.

"Hi, I used to live here. At the orphanage I mean."Harry stepped inside.

"Oh,"The woman smiled."Please have a seat."Harry gratefully sat, hung his marijuana cigarette over the dorsum of the chair and worked out how to continue.

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

"Do you have any identification ?"

"Eh ?"

"Passport ? number one wood license, no you ‘ re too youth for that. Your adoption certification perhaps."

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

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

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

"Of ... of course deary."The woman shook her headspring like she was trying to dislodge gossamer then turned to her computer."What figure is it ?"

"I don ‘ t have my figure. Long story, but it happened on January twentieth, nine years ago."Harry wondered whether he would need another Confundus to blow past the ‘ no epithet'thing, but the fair sex seemed to take it in her stride.

"Everything ‘ s on computers now. It ‘ s very high tech."The woman pursed her lips as she clacked away at her keyboard."When I started here we had rooms and room of Indian file corner. Would deliver taken eld to find a record like yours."

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

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

"You ... you do ?"Harry felt his breathing place quicken."You remember me ?"

"How could I forget ?"She turned to him with a motherly smiling."Everyone here has a constant quantity monitor of your stop with us."

"Wh ... what ?"

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

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

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

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

"Well I said to you ‘ You know that wire ‘ s been put up just to keep you in.'And you turned to me, cheeky as a monkey, and told me ‘ That ‘ s good Miss, ‘ cos the paries wasn ‘ t much of a challenge anymore.'”

Harry's heart broke and he fell into his manpower. He felt rip blooming in his optic. He hadn't known what to expect when he'd come here, but he had never expected this. He had never expected cogent evidence. Proof that he wasn't some Frankenstein monster, cogent evidence that he wasn't a bad transcript of King James Potter. He was, and had always been, him. Arrogant, cocky, unrespectful of authority and filled with wanderlust. He. Was. Him.

"love are you alright ?"The old char sounded concerned."Do you want a tissue paper ?"

"And you tell me ..."Harry swallowed and tried again."Can you enjoin me my name ?"

"Oh, I ‘ m afraid you came to us without a name."She looked back at her computer cover."We gave you the surname Malyn, after the orphanhood. Which is a traditional here. And for the low gear gens we had to crap that up. So we called you Jack."

jack ...

diddly-squat Match.

gob Baltzegaurd.

Jack Shakey.

Jack Caiman.

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

His unvarying false name. The epithet that had always come to his lips when he knew he couldn't say ‘ Harry ’. It had been a memory, a memory of the first real name he had. Not given to him by his parents certain, and apparently not magically binding. But a name. He still felt more like Harry, it was still the name that came first to his sassing but ... it was like that hole core inside him was filling. Filling with theatrical role of a life he had though he had no remembering of. It felt so good.

"I suppose you ‘ ll want to go down and see it."The old woman was handing him a printed copy in a folder. Harry assumed it was his single file. She nodded towards the cover of the orphanage.

"See it ?"

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

Suddenly Harry knew, and with the knowledge came the unbearable indigence to see if it was true. Harry stood suddenly.

"Yes, I do require to see it. Thank you."Harry smiled thorough teary eyes."Thank you. thank you so much."

"My pleasance Jack."

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

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

"Lead the way."

Harry set off, taking them rhythm to the spine of the buildings. He could see it now, down the side a piddling. He stumbled down and stopped just before he reached it, just before he went beneath the subtlety of the apple Tree. The little around grove of apple trees.

"My god."Pythea had her manus to her mouth in electrical shock."It ‘ s real."

"It was a memory."Harry breathed, reaching out a script to touch a branch."It was a memory. I kept having this dream where I was stuck in Godrics hole. But that place felt all Wyrd, but if I could break out and strive the orchard I felt safe. Felt real."

"I though it was a world of your mind, I never thought ..."

"Neither did I."Harry stepped beneath the subdivision and walked into the center of the woodlet. He set his back against the tree and slid down, resting on the soil. Pythea sat down future to him, resting her berm against his.

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

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

"Thea ?"

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

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

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

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

"You were never a stranger."Thea smiled sadly."Do you know how they choose the following oracle Harry ? They go around to all the magic households in Ellas, looking for fry with the inner eye. If they find one with sufficiency might, with power enough to be Pythea, they take them back to the temple."

"call for them from their parents ?"Harry asked, shocked.

"The parents have a choice of course of action, but who would dare say no."Pythea huddled up against Harry's side."I was three, but I remember it well, another curse my endowment gives me. My epithet wasn ‘ t Pythea then, but I was told that I could never use my old name, never speak it ever again. One day in art class I signed one of my paintings with the old name, just a little error. The wildness they had at me that day ... they burnt my moving-picture show, in movement of my eyes. I never used the old name again. After I finished my education I was allowed to go back and visit my parents. I went back to my old house. They were very ... polite. They acted exactly the way I would expect individual to act towards The Pythea. When I tried to act like their daughter, they looked at me like I had done something ill-timed. Even to them I was supposed to be The Pythea ... even to them."

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

"You can imagine. Not that you have to."Pythea smiled up at him."That ‘ s why we were never strangers. Because we ‘ re the Sami, both orphaned. Both with our true identities taken from us. Both shoved into rolls and names we never wanted."

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

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

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

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

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

"I wish I had your certainty."

"You do receive it."Harry smiled."Because I know who you are. It ‘ s got nothing to do with your epithet. You ‘ re just you. Any you ‘ re perfect."

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

Harry didn't really know what to do, other than to redden. A import later Pythea seemed to realize something.

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

"Had to happen eventually."Harry grinned cheekily.

"I ‘ ll get you next time."

"You ‘ re on."

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

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

"I think so. Are you ?"

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

"They begin next week if I remember correctly."

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

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

"Dunno ... stop in the nation probably. I could do with a nice peaceful holiday."

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

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

Crystal laughter filled the plantation, and lit up the leaf with light.
*


Bellatrix Lestrange bowed over her passe-partout's bed and cried, heedless of her tears staining the sheets. She had done all she could, used every aspect of her art, but her lord still barely breathed. His peel was dead whitened and only the dark magic trick she had woven in his breast kept him alive. He was so weak, not even conscious. It was dreaded to see him like this, terrible to see him brought so low. Better if he had truly died, then he could receive risen up again in glory. Instead he was trapped in this prison of physical body. Better dead than to lie on this narrow cot in a tiny room, not even fit for a hiding stead. But she had to do what she could. She was the last, the last loyal death eater.

"I am all he has."Bellatrix whimpered.

"That is not the case."

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

"You !"She acclaim with venom."Barty Crouch, you dare slink back after abandoning our Creator !"

"I did not vacate him."The unruffled boy stepped from the shadows, carrying a package under his arm."I was doing our Lord soundly work."

"For a wide-cut twelvemonth ?"

"It did take longer than anticipated ... but it has been done. And in the snick of time too."The pale wizard strode over to the wickedness lord's sickbed and knelt beside it."I am your servant, master, and I have done your dictation. Do not care Godhead, I can crap you strong again. Stronger than ever. With this ... we can rise again, the demise eaters can wax again. The terra firma will tremble master, shake in fear."

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

"We can be unassailable than ever master."Barty's face in the phantasma was terrifying."inviolable than ever."





Ye Supreme Being that was hard to publish correctly. Or ... right write. Write write ... some combination of those Word of God anyway. It 's been a roller coaster I think you 'll agree, and the single most massive twist of the intact fic was finally revealed. Hope you liked it. People who were waiting to the end of this Christian Bible to brush up ... your time has come.

I 've already started writing the succeeding volume and It ai n't going well. I did n't do my usual thing of writing myself into a street corner. Instead I plotted the book out in overture and wrote to it. Unfortunately I got a few chapters in and realized that it sucked. The plot made lucid sensory faculty and all, no plot-holes, there was nothing tripping me up, no writer block, I just realized that the plot I had mapped out was a bit [ Bible I ca n't add without mature paygrade ] really. I had to go back and rework the matter. cocksure outcome : The tale is a lot stronger now I think. Negative outcome : I have to throw away away a pregnant piece of what I 've already written. Ah well, such is life.

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

Mysteries abound in the next book of the serial publication Harry Potter, The Stone and The Scorpio !