Harry Potter and the Winter Queen.
I
It was the number thirty-five on the Ashford Street, while the winter wind began to blow, that muggles living nearby this property could see a little white flicker shining through the curtains of the Lennox manor. Within those walls a blonde woman dressed with a black garter and corset was pointing a crystal wand against the scared face of Mr. Lennox.
"I'm not gonna ask you again, where is it?!" she screamed as she waved her wand towards the pointy nose of the old man.
"I've told you! I don't know... you can wave your wand all you want, you can even curse me, or whatever your kind does with that, I don't know! I don't know! I don't know!" screamed the old man as a response to the beautiful young woman attacking him.
"Well, you ought to know something! Since you had it among your possessions for twenty years" she answered pushing the man against the wooden wall.
"But I don't know! I used to own it but it was stolen from my vault in your magic bank, I told nobody... I knew that it was an important item, and being freed from it was a relief. That's why I don't know where it is or who has it, all I know is that it's a horrible thing and should be destroyed!"
She was about to use one unforgivable curse over her victim when a black shadow bit her hand, the woman kicked the shadow and screamed "Glaciem!" and a white bolt emerged from the point of her wand hitting the shadow and transforming it into an ice sculpture of a big dark dog.
"Enough of this games, I've frozen your dog and now you will tell me everything about this item right now, even if I have to torture you all night long!" said the woman while rising from the floor and fiercely approaching her victim, who screamed and yelled filled with a fear that we the modern men have long forgotten.
II
Harry walked through the office corridor into his boss chamber when he appeared from nowhere reaching to him, as always, slapping him on the back. "Harry ma 'boy, how it's been? I heard it was a nice ordeal that Demian wizard, eh? Anyway, I've got you a new case, this one seems to be a little more peaceful than the last one. I'm sure... please, follow me to my office so we can talk" And Harry did what he was told.
They turned on the west corner into the office of Charles Marlow, chief of the special forces in the auror office, and when they were just about to enter the office, Chief Charles started to talk again "Please, Harry, I'll introduce you to Anton Vurdalak, your new partner" saying this while showing him the path into his office. Harry entered the room and found a white man with long black hair and black beard, dressed with military outfit.
"Pleased to meet you" He said with a strange accent while swiftly raising his hand.
"Well, you two can chat later, now we have to resume the case since it's an urgent task trusted upon my office and as Harry knows by now, I want this matter solved yesterday" said Chief Charles while Harry and Anton shook hands. "No more than a half an hour ago, Sir Isaac Lennox was found death on his manor by his nephew, the case would have been delivered to the common police of the muggles as usual. But our contacts found traces of dark magic on the atmosphere of the room where he was found, and also there was the corpse of one member of this force, an animagus who was posted there to protect one of the few muggles that know about our existence. Why he was allowed such knowledge must remain a secret for both of you until this case is closed. You must find out who and why this was done, and also bring the one responsible for this mess to my office, understood?" asked the Chief.
"Yes, sir". Both, Harry and Anton, answered immediately and then left the room.
III
Harry and Anton arrived to the manor fifteen minutes later using the chimney in the room which turned to be the office of the victim. There they found the corpse of a tall man and other of an old man. Harry took a look on the corpse of the one supposed to be a wizard.
"Why it is wet? Has it been raining or what?" asked Harry.
"I don't know, you should ask it as soon as we can. We were told that he was able to transform into some kind of dog, I just hope the man recovered his true shape while no one was looking. Ain't it weird that only two people were present on the place? I mean, shouldn't a rich man like Mr. Lennox had more personnel or something" said Anton with a sort of sarcasm.
Harry looked up to him
"I was told by the chief that he asked them to leave early but I don't know why" Anton just sighed.
"Well partner, we are blind, so if you allow me, I need a bottle or something to store the memory of this man".
"What? What are you talking about?" Harry didn't understood the request.
"Man, I just asked if you happen to have a bottle among you belongings, like right now."
"No, I'm sorry"
"Meh, anyway seems we must use what we have, hope whisky doesn't damage memories, JA" and Anton took a whisky flask out of his coat and drank until it was empty. "Man, that's good bourbon! Anyway Harry, I need you to close the curtains, I will perform some magic and we don't want anyone gossiping around, do we?" Harry did what was asked for and Anton approached the dead wizard's body and with his weird wand touched the head of the corpse and started to mumble something, not much time later a silver string flew from the dead head into the bottle.
"Ready pal, now we shall leave this place, c'mon boy, let's find somewhere we can watch this memory ASAP!"
"What? No! We must search the place for clues, hair, blood and that stuff I mean, we haven't started just yet!"
"No need for that, but if you want to... be my guest. See you later then." Anton waved good bye and then stepped into the chimney.
"No, Anton, wait!" Harry ran into the chimney and managed to grab the tail of Anton's black coat.
Harry felt how he was transported to another place. He arrived to a dark gloomy and wet room filled with old books and skeletons.
"Where are we?" asked, Anton turned.
"Oh! Potter, you just could ask me to wait. Anyway, we are on my personal lab, here I own a pensieve, so now we can watch this last memory withdrawn from the dead."
"Is that allowed? Ain't that dark magic?" asked Harry.
"Well, I know it's not forbidden" answered Anton who just slipped the memory from the bottle into the pensieve.
They fell into shades and then appeared on the office where they acquired the memory, there was a big black dog hidden under the desk, suddenly the door opened and Mr. Lennox with a beautiful blonde woman dressed in black came in.
"Come on darling, feel at home" said Mr. Lennox
"I will Isaac, where I can change my clothes? I want to use something more... adequate for our dinner" said the woman with a seductive intonation. Anton just laughed
"Sasha, she always like to play with her victims." Harry was surprised
"What? Do you know her?" asked expecting an answer right away but the memory changed, they were again in the same office but this time the old man was sitting on a couch in the middle of the room when a blast of light opened the door, behind it was the blonde woman pointing her crystal wand to the old man's face.
"Where is the key Mr. Lennox!?" asked the woman. Lennox was surprised, she advanced so she could touch the nose of her victim with her wand and the interrogatory started.
"So that's what happened?" asked Harry
"Yes tovarich, yes... I took the last memory of the only trustful witness and now we know who did it and why" Harry was confused.
"Do we know her?" He asked but the memory reached the ending and both returned to their present day. Again on the floor of Anton's lab, the weird mage spoke
"Yes, Harry, we know her... she is Voyevoda, a dark witch who like to use spells of ice and snow. She's looking for something, I don't know what, but I'm sure our beloved chief knows it. Come Harry, we must return to the office."
IV
Harry and Anton arrived to the palace of justice twenty minutes later and reached the chief's office in five minutes, there they gave their report and Charles Marlow was forced to reveal the truth.
"I hoped you wouldn't need this intel, but seems I was wrong... well guys; Isaac Lennox was named knight by the queen and allowed to know about our existence because he found one important relic twenty years ago, this relic is known as the Higher Key of Salomon, which according to what is written, allows it's bearer to open the gates of hell itself and control the army of demons that live within the abyss. We don't know if it's true but well... we are wizards, really not the ones to be sceptic about it." said the chief. Anton was surprised
"So the key is real?" asked very excited and the chief moved the head
"Yes Anton. The key seems to be real, and now is also lost, stolen from us God knows how long ago. You guys need to find that item before Voyevoda and keep it safe until we catch her or know what to do with it, understood?"
"Yes sir" answered both and Anton leaved the office. Harry stayed behind
"Chief, it is allowed to withdraw the memory from a corpse?" Charles looked at him with surprise.
"No, it is not. It's a forbidden magic that not even I know how to perform, why do you ask that?" Harry looked down to the shiny shoes of Charles Marlow.
"My partner... he used that magic to discover who did this, it means Anton is a dark wizard and we as aurors should catch him." Anton appeared on the door.
"Harry, let's go!" he said.
"One moment please" asked chief Charles "Wait for him on the stairs, we must discuss an important matter of his vacations, you see, this boy likes so much to work that it's been five years since his last recess, can you believe it?" Anton laughed and left. Alone again, the chief took a seat and look directly into Harry's eyes.
"Listen Harry, Anton wasn't always an auror, he is a dark wizard, the first to ever been accepted as an auror because of his ability to do stuff no other wizard can for he wasn't educated like us, he never attended Hogwarts nor any other magic school. He learned spells and curses from old books no one have seen since the medieval days, so be careful. We don't know what are his motives or what he can do, but one thing is sure, he has enough power on his hands to make Voldemort look like a little puppy."
Harry reached Anton on the stairs, he looked worried and just by staring at Harry he smiled.
"Hey partner, I've found out who might know more about the location of the key, let's go!" Harry wasn't as trustful as before, but what could he do? The only option was to follow Anton wherever the guy wanted to go and try to stop him from using any more dark spells.
V
They arrived to the twenty four of the Huxley Street in the northern area of the wizard suburbs, a man with smoking opened the door and asked them to follow him to the office of his lord. It was a white room ornated with golden cherubs on the corners. Harry was looking the books on the wall when a dwarf crossed the door, he was dressed with a red satin coat and slippers.
"I hope it's really important, tomorrow I have a crucial meeting and I need to sleep. So tell me, what it is that can't wait until tomorrow's mid-day?" Asked the dwarf.
"I'm sorry Mr. Herbert, but since you are the director of Gringotts you may know about the robbery of the Key of Salomon" Said Harry.
"And why should I know about it?" Asked angrily.
"Because you were the only one who knew about the account and the vault where it was stored." said Anton.
The dwarf looked towards Anton with a fierce spark of hate in his eyes.
"I know nothing of any account, so you may leave and allow me to sleep rather than wasting my time." Harry was about to apologize but Anton spoke first.
"Mr. Herbert, does the name Sir Isaac Lennox means something to you?" The reaction of the dwarf to the question was shock. He spoke nothing and his anger was chilled, then Anton continued with the interrogation.
"Twenty years ago a muggle found a relic so important that was named knight by the queen and was allowed to know of our existence, not being enough, that muggle was allowed to open an account on your bank and store that very same relic known as the Higher Key of Salomon, which was stolen from your bank. No one knows when, why or who, and that rises a lot of questions since you were the only member of the bank, your bank, which knew about the account and the content of that vault, am I correct?" The dwarf fell on his seat, pale as death and shocked by surprise
"Yes, you are correct" Answered.
Harry found quite suspicious the reaction of the dwarf, why he would be so nervous, he remembered that long time ago, there was a kind of wizards able to manipulate the moods of the people only with the sound of their voice. Harry realized that maybe Anton was using that power to get a confession and aimed the point of his wand towards Anton.
"Enough, he's innocent... leave him" Said Harry and Anton was surprised
"What? Harry we are in the middle of a confession, can't you wait until the end of it?" But Harry had made his decision
"Wait? For what? For you to torture him until he confesses the truth?!" Harry screamed.
"The truth!" Screamed the dwarf starting to sob.
"Chill-out partner!" Said Anton and put away Harry's wand with his bare hand. Harry felt insulted and raised his wand again pointing towards Anton's back while the dark wizard walked into the dwarf's direction.
"Stop Anton! Or I'll shoot!" Said Harry
"With one of your cheap tricks? Go ahead, the worst thing that can happen is that maybe you cause me some tickles" Said Anton and continued advancing.
Harry was scared, what if Anton killed the dwarf? So he screamed "Expecto patronum!" and a white light came out from his wand and crashed in Anton's back but the wizard showed no damage nor trouble, he just reached the desk where the dwarf was crying.
"Mr. Herbert, you are being arrested by the robbery of the Key of Salomon, I would tell you all that crap about your rights but first, you can't listen to me 'cause you are crying like a little girl and second, because this is a special case involving a very rare and dangerous artifact, so you'll remain indoors until this is solved. Meanwhile, would you be so kind to show us where you hid the relic?"
The dwarf stood up and started to walk.
"Follow me, please" Said the dwarf leaving the room.
Anton looked at Harry and smiled
"Did you really killed Voldemort, rookie? By the way partner, my wand is made with the horn of a dead unicorn, so none of your pitiful spells can touch me, just an advice for you so you can save some stamina, if you are up to catch Sasha you will need it. Next time you want to kill me, act like a man and use your hands, or a sword if you can't reach that high, Stronzo!" And he left through the same door the dwarf used.
Harry took away his wand and stood there, thinking about how does Anton knew that Mr. Herbert stole the key. Would he be able to read the mind? And if he was a dark lord, what was his evil plan? Why was he helping to catch someone he clearly knew? What did this Sasha meant for him and who was she? Then a scream reached Harry and he left the room, he ran along the corridor until he found the body of the dwarf lying on the floor over a puddle of blood. His reaction was to try helping him, but a hand grabbed him. Harry turned to see who it was. Anton put a finger in front his lips and asked for silence, Harry hid behind an armor next to him.
"What happened? Did you…?" asked Harry.
"No, fool... I found him like this, Sasha is here... let's see what happens and then we think of a plan". The dwarf remained on the floor, a bolt came flying from the darkness and hit him.
"I'm sorry!" he screamed "I'm sorry, I've told you I'm sorry... I didn't want to steal it but it was a magical item and never liked that man, he always came to my bank to filth it with his muggle shoes... we are wizards, we could easily take that relic from him and hide, why we left that item on his hands? Why?" Another bolt and the dwarf became an ice sculpture.
"Is he dead?" asked Harry
"No man, he's just chilling... Stronzo!"
"What does Stronzo mean?" asked Harry
"Ah... dear friend in Italian" answered Anton.
"Doesn't sound like that"
"It doesn't matter, look, we need to reach Sasha, take one of these shields and use them as defense" Said Anton and then he started to run to the end of the corridor and soon he banished in the darkness. Harry took one shield and started to walk, suddenly a rain of ice came from the front and Harry had to hide behind the shield.
"Why do dark wizards always have this cool spells and all I have is a deer?" Harry asked himself and then continued to walk. When he reached the end the corridor it was empty, he looked to the sides but there was nothing to see and when he turned to see the moon there was a white wolf climbing the roof of the mansion. Anton appeared out of nowhere and found Harry looking to the moon, he looked on the same direction and spotted the white wolf.
"Well done Potter, you are not as useless as I thought. You go after her and I'll try to stop her dragon" Harry didn't understand a thing.
"After her? Where is she?" Anton just nodded.
"She is a she-wolf, that wolf on the roof is not a pet... Go after her!" Said Anton and disappeared.
Harry ran all the way up there and reached the highest peak of the mansion but she was gone. Anton reached him riding a white dragon.
"Did you caught her?" asked Anton and Harry shook his head.
"Well, at least I recovered my dragon... come on, jump in, we must go to the office and talk with the chief."
Harry was afraid. He never trusted a dark wizard and never found secure the back of a dragon, being short of options was the worst, he had no other choice but to jump to the dragon and leave with Anton.
VI
On the room three-o-three in a mid-class building in Vorkuta, Harry lied on the bed waiting the fall of the sun to ride a dragon and fly to the coldest part of Siberia. He remembered over and over again the speech Anton gave to the chief in the office.
They reached the office and found a furious chief asking about the death of the director of Gringotts, and threatened Anton to put him under arrest if they found he was guilty, but then he started to talk, he spoke about the location of the gates of hell and that the suspect was to be known as Alexandra Ivonokof, a runaway witch that sought the destruction of the muggle society just to rise an empire where wizards ruled and muggles served as slaves. The chief was happy to know that but was thrilled by the way Anton knew all that, the discussion ended when Anton revealed that Alexandra was his ex-wife.
After that the chief calmed down and changed his focus, he proposed a plan based on the knowledge held by Anton, who turned out to be the cornerstone for the operation. The plan consisted on travelling to Siberia, the place Voyevoda might chose to open the gates of hell, and retrieve the relic by any means necessary. No mercy was to be shown and all restrictions of magic would be forgotten, Sasha had to be stopped once and forever.
And so they were now, awaiting for the winter to come and the sun to hide behind the horizon just to travel to Siberia and fight against a witch who was crazy enough to summon devils into this world. Harry was lying on a cheap bed, far away from his friends and family, and Anton was nowhere to be found. Suddenly the door of the apartment closed and Harry stood up swiftly to meet Anton, he was only wearing a pair of black jeans and combat boots, all covered in snow.
"Where have you been? It's almost winter, we should get ready!" Anton, who was dusting off the snow, just looked to Harry's face with some annoyance.
"Sorry mom, I was on the roof" Harry felt disturbed.
"On the roof? Man, I just walked the town twice, why the heck you'd be on the roof half naked?" Anton just passed him and sat on the table while opening a whisky bottle
"I was meditating, just that"
"On a snow day? Are you kidding me?"
Harry walked away, he needed to be alone and calm down, he was used to deal with dark wizards, but never like this. He stayed alone five minutes, watching the snow fall from the window like he used to do on the school days until a glass with a golden liquid appeared in front of him.
"Chill out and drink partner" said Anton.
Harry took the glass and Anton took a seat on the bed.
"You know Harry, I don't blame you for your lack of trust. I'm a dark wizard and will always be. But you shouldn't judge someone just by the things they are. I'm just a dark wizard because the spells I use are so old that no one on the magic world understand them, but I'm not evil". Harry said nothing, what was this?
"But you married a dark witch" said Harry. Anton just laughed out his guts
"Harry, one day you'll understand there's no sane woman, and even if Sasha is crazy, she's just like me, a good witch that no one understands, and I'm not saying you should... just try reflexing a little bit more while you chase dark lords, I mean, why you do it?"
"I lost my parents and a lot of people dear to me on the hands of a dark lord. I don't want this to happen to anyone else. I do it for my sons and wife, and for my friends to never experience that kind of fear again, but it seems that darkness lurks on every corner, no matter how many of them I throw into Azkaban, there's always another looney awaiting me... I hate them, I hate them so much!"
"Be careful Harry Potter, those who kill monsters usually become monsters themselves" said Anton, Harry smiled.
"So tell me Anton, why you do this?" Anton sipped a drink
"Well partner, I'm not like you or any other wizard you may find. Actually I never attended wizarding schools. My mother was an Italian witch who married a Russian captain, so we were always on sea travelling from here to there, those schools never reached me. They never knew I existed until they found out my spells were so rare and antique. In my travels, my mother always had a sense to acquire weird books, and later we would sat all day long reading those books, who would say those were grimoires and there was written old magic long forgotten.
So you see, no one knows my spells but me and Sasha, we both know to do stuff you can't imagine. I was young when my parents died in the cold winter of Siberia, and she was alone on a cave in the middle of the forest, I taught her some magic to gain her trust, we didn't wanted to be alone anymore. We grew powerful surrounded by the winter night, and on a blue moon she tested a curse on herself, that's how she became a she-wolf. She can turn into a beast whenever she pleases, and I, well I used my magic to tame a snow dragon. We could do everything, so we married and decided to rule over the world. Then we found you and your civilization, a society of wizards living among the shadows of the human world. I was marveled, but she was upset, she used to get into trouble from which I had to get her out. I grew tired and she did the same, we grew apart and I left." Harry just smiled
"Man, you've told everything but the thing I asked" Anton snored
"Yes, you are right, but I was just getting into it..." Harry sipped a drink
"Please, by all means, continue".
"Well" added Anton "I was alone again in the middle of a new world, between two species, with all of this dark lord propaganda and that stuff, the idea of muggles being apart from wizards just shocked me... I was a wizard, my mother was a witch and my father was a muggle, we lived together with no problem, for the worst, I was a wizard who taught a muggle to use magic. So that thing meant bullshit to me. Anyway, I had one big question by those days, what is magic and what is the use of it? Unlike you, I had no Dumbledore or friends to ask, my only option was to seek Intel on the source I better knew, grimoires. All those ancient scripts were there, lost in ruins, hidden from the world on tombs or castles, and I explored all the places I could, and found all kind of magic on them. And all the books always talked about the same thing... harmony.
You see, in ancient times, when man wandered across the land in small groups, witch doctors, sages and shamans lived among muggles and practiced THE ART. They used music and poetry as well as painting and other means to promote harmony within the human heart. They kept the human heart awake, conscious of its surroundings. They taught men to take benefit from nature living in balance with it, and taught them the secrets of the soul so human beings could be happy. They lived day bay day performing THE ART and guarding the balance of the world. But now, wizards and witches hide. We fight against us, we kill each other just because one wants to rule over the others, and the balance? And the harmony? Those things are forsaken with all this marvelous spells your society calls dark magic. That's what I want, I fight these dark lords just to buy some time for me, so I can be able to revive this lost ART that the world has forgotten, we need it desperately and I'm the only one who knows it".
Anton drank until the bottle was empty, then stood up and moved, just when he was giving the back to Harry stopped.
"You should get some sleep partner, winter will fall this midnight and we shall part first time tomorrow, rest well and get your energies back, Sasha is not an easy enemy, you'll need all the strength you can get" and left.
VII
They were flying on the back of a white dragon, a snow dragon to be specific; it was summoned by Anton with the tune of a flute that sounded like the whisper of the wind and a few minutes later the majestic dragon appeared, with its white skin and crystal-like horns shining under the moonlight.
Now the wind blew through their hair and smashed against their faces so Harry could feel once again that frozen sense of winter blizzard. It was a mystic night, you could feel it on the atmosphere, like all the magic in the world was called from the four corners of the Earth and joined in a point nearby. It was until this sensation was on its peak that Anton turned and said
"Man, I fear we may be a little too late, have you ever fought with demons?"
One thing was dark wizards, witches crazy enough to eat babies, and vampires, but demons? Harry shook his head nervously.
"Well, there's a first time for everything, whatever you do... don't panic, if you do, they'll possess your soul and it will be the end of the way for you".
"How you know that much about demons?" asked Harry after realizing that Anton sounded like a pro.
"Well, many of the ancient spells speak about summoning demons or slaving them, so I kinda have some experience". Harry was afraid, Chief Charles was right, Voldemort never talked about demons or devils, it was a distant topic in the wizard world, and to think that some guy was out there with the knowledge to control one of those spirits, was something not commonly seen.
"So, have you ever seen the key of Salomon?" asked Harry, wanting to know how deep was the knowledge of his partner about this topics
"Just on drawings and paintings, why?" Harry confirmed that Anton was unique and his knowledge was very deep indeed
"Well, I was wondering, who'd be wacko enough to create something this dangerous?" Anton just laughed
"Naive eh? Well Harry Potter, it doesn't surprise me, most of the wizards in this world live unaware of this relics, maybe because they don't need them or maybe because are forgotten by our kind, most of the people who looks down for this kind of magic are insane muggles or curious ones. Anyway if you want I can tell you more about it".
Harry was excited. He never heard of this relic before, not even from Dumbledore in his youth, so he just accepted.
"Well, pal, pay attention for this lecture doesn't come in any of your wizarding book nor is taught on your magic schools. It was long ago on a summer night when King Salomon was sleeping that God appeared in his dreams and thanked him for protecting and nurturing his people, as his gratitude was big, God offered a wish to Salomon who humbly asked only for the knowledge to guide the people of God to a time of abundance and peace. God, proud of his son, revealed to him the way to control sixty demons and use them to obtain whatever he wanted in exchange of his soul and the way to cheat those demons so he would never pay the cost.
It is said that this knowledge among other was written by Salomon himself in three different books, the one containing the ways to control and cheat demons is called The Lesser Key of Salomon or Ars Goetia. But the story doesn't ends there.
Some time later, a great Wiseman known as Abremelin appeared. He mastered the Cabbala and gave up this knowledge to his first son, later as he was dying, gave to his second son another kind of magic spells since it is forbidden to pass down Cabbala to any other than the first son. Lastly, he had a hidden daughter and since he was out of presents, he decided to simplify the way to control and cheat over demons. I've read a little of that Ars Goetia stuff and believe me, none other than Salomon could ever summon a demon. So Abremelin forged this key with the blood of angels in the shape of a crimson sword and passed it down to his daughter, but it's unknown if that woman ever used that relic, the only thing known is that the key of Salomon only works if it's used by a female". Harry was surprised
"How do you know that? Why that rule?" Anton just glanced at Harry with an incredulous stare. "Abremelin wanted to be sure that none other than her daughter was able to use that relic, and by those days wizards were a very strange happening, also women were forbidden to learn that's why. And well, that relic only glowed with that reddish flare when Sasha touched it, when the dwarf took it was just another carbuncle stuff hanging on the wall, but then, when she touched that item, it started to glow like a sunset. A pretty obscure feeling came out from that stuff if you ask me..."
VIII
After crossing the white forest they arrived to a sea of crystals with peaks so abundant that seemed almost like a sea of ice. They landed over the snowy land with a rush and as soon as they touched the ground Anton left his dragon to check some stuff under the dragon's neck. When Harry set foot on ground Anton came and offered him a weapon
"What is this?" Asked Harry while Anton fixed the belt of a sword around his waist.
"It's a revolver charged with silver ammo, it will not kill her but she won't be able to transform as long as she has silver within her flesh" Harry examined the weapon, it was a marvelous magnum engraved with swirls and flowers that proved, it was no common pistol and was wise to be sure, it was enchanted with more than of what Anton revealed.
Harry took it away and save it on his coat, Anton undressed his sword revealing a beautiful golden blade decorated with a black orchid on its handle and creeper across the edge.
"Hey! I also want a sword!" Complained Harry and received a gentle chuckle as response
"Sorry partner, but there's only one of this. You may not recognize it, this is Durandal. The sword of a mythic hero that walked among my beloved Italy long ago... it is said that was forged with the fang of a saint and the tears of Virgin Mary, so I think there's no better weapon than this to slay some demons." Harry just took out his wand.
They walked over the snowed crystal ground hiding behind those enormous peaks until they reached a white tower. Anton stopped Harry while observed the situation, it was then that Harry looked close enough to recognize the horn of a unicorn engraved into a special handle, it was true, Anton's magic wand was the horn of a unicorn and as weird it seemed, it would prove to be very powerful on the future.
"Ok Harry, she has already summoned some demons, two are posted on the entrance and who knows how more inside, but we need to get inside and stop Sasha before this world is doomed... more than it is" said Anton. Harry was scared, he felt a fear long forgotten with the death of Voldemort, a fear he wished never to feel again and yet, there it was as clear and intense as he remembered or even more. "And since you don't look like the proactive kind, we will do this: I'll go and distract those two, you'll enter to look for her. She can be only in two places, on the top of the tower or on the bottom... I'll go check the bottom you take the top... and be careful, don't hesitate on shooting" said this, Anton slapped Harry's back and turned away.
There he was, Anton was running and in no time shot a lightning bolt to one of the demons in front the door of that tower, and the demon became ashes immediately, then, while the other demon reacted, Anton sliced him by his thorax and the corpse became ashes too. Done this, Anton just stepped his way into the tower leaving Harry behind. Twenty minutes later, Harry was walking up a spiral staircase made of ice, he had to use a trick to avoid sliding into the ground so he was floating over a dish of air. He walked for too much time and when he was hoping that nothing was about to happen, he reached the top. In there was a wonderful chamber as big as a cathedral, all tall with pillars of ice reaching to vaults that seemed as far as heaven. The only light was that of the moonlight but one ray was enough to see clearly since all those crystal reflected the light everywhere. On the center was the silhouette of Sasha, only her blonde long hair could be distinguished and the eco of the room allowed Harry to understand that she was performing an incantation by the way she was murmuring.
"Stop!" screamed Harry and the whispering came to a halt "Now, rise slowly with hands up so I can see what you are doing" Sasha obeyed and when she stood, she turned so Harry could see her face.
Sasha was a beautiful blonde with the body that any woman would envy, Harry could notice that under her coat she was naked for her little navel was visible and a part of her breast too... Harry felt a rush of blood through his body but fought to focus.
"I was expecting you" said Sasha with a seductive voice that seemed like a chorus of angels thanks to the chamber echoes.
"It may be possible that Harry Potter, the boy who lived, is giving up to his desires? Does Harry Potter, vanquisher of the one who must not be named, wishes the heat of my flesh?" And as she said this, she discovered her legs, showing a pair of beautiful marble towers that seemed sculpted by the hands of an artist.
Harry was so nervous, he felt fear but also some weird excitement that he couldn't control, he was willing to give up, but something inside stopped him from doing it. He wanted to run while screaming but couldn't move. He was frozen from fear, luckily too frozen to pee on his pants. What was that woman? She was gorgeous, beautiful as a jewel with a skin so soft that looked like a cloud, and those flourishing lips that begged to be kissed. But that beauty was evil, that beauty was too much to be real in any world. He couldn't help it, that wild vision of femininity was too much for him, he lost the track of time and was giving up into some kind of confusion when the chamber echoes resounded with a powerful bang.
His fingers were so rigid that without wanting it he had shot, as soon as he realized it, he moved his eyes to check if Sasha was injured, almost worried for ruining such beauty. She was all right, Sasha was looking towards a hole in the wall where the bullet just crashed.
"So... Anton lent you some of his toys, which means that you are willing to play rough little boy, I hope you like wild girls like me. I really hope so!" suddenly Sasha took off her coat revealing her naked body. Harry was shocked, she was an angel but also that beautiful face was turning into the face of a beast, her breast filled with fur and her hands turned into wolf claws in a blink of an eye. Harry was facing a feral beast, a silver wolf, armed only with a silver revolver.
The wolf jumped with its claws ready to shred Harry's face but a flash smashed against the beast and it flew across the room until it crashed against a pillar. From the mist and dust raised the blonde hair of Sasha along with her naked body; both Harry and the woman looked towards the place from where the flare was shot, there was Anton with his wand on air pointing directly to Sasha's heart.
"My love!" screamed Sasha with joy "Have you come to help me?" Anton chuckled again
"No baby, I came to stop you... I won't allow you to use that relic!" said Anton. Sasha looked sad, her face was bathed with delusion
"I see, well... if you wanna play too, let's play" and Sasha raised her crystal wand
"So be it!" said Anton.
Even if Harry witnessed the duel between Voldemort and Dumbledore, he could say that this was way more shocking, with Sasha launching frosty arrows against Anton, who was fast enough to defend with his sword or with Anton shooting lightning from his wand and Sasha running and jumping across the chamber like a naked goddess. Sasha threw a big sickle that hit Anton near the face, she used that pause to whisper some words and from the thin air appeared a beautiful armor like dress around her body.
Anton recovered from the attack and started to throw a rain of bolts at her. She just ran and jumped and it came to some point when Harry saw a choreography inside her jumps and his attacks, like a pair of lovers dancing to the melody of the thunder. But then, without notice, a bolt came through the roof, Sasha was quick to avoid it but Anton gave no rest shooting another from his wand, Sasha then created a wall of ice and used all her strength to keep it.
"Harry! Shot her now! Use some magic you useless piece of shit!"
Harry woke up from his dream, he raised his wand and said "Petrificus totalus!" and Sasha fell to the ground like a stone.
IX
At last it was all over, Harry bent over Sasha to look close at her but Anton stopped him
"Be careful partner, she's cursed" Harry then stepped back.
"What?! What do you mean?" Anton crouched and closed her eyes so she could at least have some sleeping
"I cursed her, you see... she wants to control all men to change the world, she believes that humanity must be re-educated so we can learn how to live with nature, and for that her original plan was to control all rich men with her beauty. I could not allow it, so I cursed her, her beauty is so much that no man alive can stand it and goes insane... that's why you froze just by looking at her". Harry felt somewhat relieved
"But then" he said "Why you are not affected?" Anton laughed big time
"True beauty come from cultural perception, I'm a man raised on the sea, freedom is my true love so there's no woman, no matter how pretty or seductive, that can tame my senses and bend my heart".
Anton raised and went looking for the relic while Harry watched over Sasha. He was looking at her face while she slept, so innocent almost divine, when he felt some heat rushing through his veins and heard a buzz surrounding him.
He fainted and when reached enough strength to open his eyes there was Anton, with his wand pointing at him, then a bolt flashed on Harry's face and again felt that shock, he understood it now, it was electricity running all across his flesh and bones, this time he managed to keep awake, but he felt his insides burning so the only thing he could do was scream.
"That's it Harry! Scream your lungs out like the useless baby you are!" screamed Anton and then kicked Harry's wand out of his reach. Harry had a blurry sight but it was clear enough to distinguish a reddish cloud on Anton's hand.
"Why?" said Harry using all his force to don't faint with all the pain he felt when his stomach pushed air to talk.
"Well, firstly I'm Lord Gevurot for you and lastly, because I wanted someone to have fun, you see, I needed to show some things to my archenemy, it would be too easy for me to take over the world just like that, so I educated you on my ways and powers, that's all."
Harry crouched trying to get is wand back but Anton electrocuted him again and that burning sensation was intensified in his insides.
"Don't bother Harry, tonight you won't leave victorious, you'll never win again, this is not a competition by the way" said Anton who seemed to enjoy the situation
"Why?" Harry asked again.
"You know it Potter, I trust you'll remember with time... meanwhile, sleep boy, soon you'll see what's all about". Anton kicked Harry on the stomach and he started to cough, Harry would like to grab his wand but it was too far away, then he returned to see Anton, he was lifting Sasha with his arms.
When Anton was ready he turned back to see Harry at his face "Good night Potter, next time we see you'll be between the edge of my sword and the point of my wand" and after taking the key of Salomon, Anton disappeared from Harry's sight while he gave up to his pain and fainted.
