Disclaimer : I don't own any of the JK Rowling characters or settings but
everything else in mine.
A/N: this is set around Harrys last year at Hogwarts and assumes everyone is around 18. This is so that any romance that crops up isn't too icky!
Prologue
The circle paused chanting when the newcomer approached – the long velvet cloak trailing in the bloodied sand around the pit where the bodies lay, battering and bleeding and all unmoving. "It is time". Black eyes glistened evilly beneath the black hood as the circle began to chant again. Swirls of smoke filled the cavern, snakes of colour fighting and joining together until the world blackened and the smell of burning flesh filled the air. Several of the circle fell to their knees, eyes smarting and bile rising as their retching joined the chorus of voices. "Weaklings" a voice screamed at them, "Fools." The newcomer stepped into the centre of the circle, into the fire and raised their arms in prayer to the dark vortex which had formed above the heads of the ressurectors. "Come forth master and show yourself" the voice screamed again, head tilted up to welcome forth the answer to the circles calling. The room began to spin as a storm raged from within the vortex. The circle members one by one stopped their chanting and clung together, shaking and moaning in fear and recognition of the events they had brought forth. The dark vortex widened and the winds harsh music reached its crescendo as a single pillar of smoke descended into the fire, instantly taking primitive human form.
There was a flash of lighting and a loud thunderclap – then the cavern was plunged into silent darkness. Straining to hear something, the circle members stumbled to their feet and moved like zombies to the edge of the cavern, thankfully grabbing at the rough walls. One found a torch and within seconds a small ball of light filled the dark space. Blinking, the shivering members stared at the now empty space where the fire had raged only moments before. "Did it work?" someone whispered. Mumbling and shrugging the members moved closer to the burnt patch on the floor and scuffed it with their feet, searching for any clue that the past year of their lives had not been spent working in vain. "It worked." The voice from balcony was clear and rained down on the members like splintered glass. They turned and stared up into the shadows as the figure stepped into the pale light and pushed down their hood, shaking forth a tousled mass of hair. "The lord has returned and shall regain supreme."
Part One – Lost Prophets
Hermione leaned over Rons dozing form and flung open the tower bedroom window. Ron stirred as freezing rain bounced from the sill and onto his bare neck. "It stinks in here." She scolded, waving her hand in front of her nose and wrinkling her face to enforce the point. Harry glanced up from the book he was reading and grinned across at her. "Its Nevilles newest experiment. He's trying to brew a potion to get rid of the smell of his trainers." Hermione sighed, "That boy cannot do anything right – the damn thing smells worse than his shoes ever could." She scanned the room and, upon finding the offending cauldron bubbling gently by the boys sink, waved her wand over it and muttered an incantation Harry hadn't heard before. Suddenly the small cauldron levitated, spun around three times and replaced itself on the shelf. Instantly the smell dissipated and Hermiones face returned to its normal look of superiority. "Nicely done" Harry commended, "Can you stop Ron snoring?" he teased as his friend awoke, shivering under the weight of the water now covering his neck. Cursing, he closed the window and scowled at his fellow wizards. "Ok, who's trying to give me pneumonia?" he demanded. Hermione sighed and shook her head. "Ron you can't get pneumonia remember? We all took the new prevention medicine and are immune to all cold related infections" she reminded loudly. Ron rolled his eyes and flopped, face down onto the new springy mattress that came with their newly assigned bedrooms. "I have to say Harry, this room rocks" Blowing a stray stand of hair out of his eyes, the young wizard pushed himself into a kneeling position and proceeded to bounce wildly, sending his neatly arranged clothes flying from the foot of the bed onto the floor. Hermione clucked disapprovingly. "God Ron you're 18 now, stop acting like a child." "Oh this coming from the girl who screamed so loudly when she met Jolie Phillips that she got us all thrown out of Wizarellas?" Harry teased, watching with amusement as his friends cheeks reddened and she looked away, embarrassed. Privately Harry reflected that he had been pretty excited himself to bump into the most famous wizard rock star of their generation – but would never admit it to Hermione who's face now resembled the dark crimson of their house coloured bedding. Changing the subject, she commented on the rain, which was getting heavier by the second. "Typical Hogwarts weather for you." Ron muttered absentmindedly, as he attempted to levitate his clothes into the wardrobe. Harry winced as the doors slammed shut and the furniture wavered precariously. "I know what you mean Hermione. The weathers been balmy the last few weeks – boiling sunshine one moment and snowing the next. You think something is wrong?" he quizzed. Hermione shrugged, "Probably just global warming." She assured him, steadying the wardrobe with one hand and retrieving her bag and cloak with the other. "Well I'm bushed. I'm going to head back to my room and meet my new room- mate." She said, slipping into her cloak and moving towards the door. Harry looked up with interest. "That's right the new student. I'd have thought that final year is a bit late to come to Hogwarts but I'll reserve judgement until you met, assess and automatically detest her." He joked, flashing Hermione a wide grin guaranteed to diminish her wrath. Ron laughed, "Yeah and I'll reserve judgment until I see if she's hot or not." He added. Hermione clucked angrily at him and huffed her way out of the room. Ron turned to Harry and grinned, "She's so easy it's almost not fun anymore." He paused reflectively, "Almost".
He looks exhausted, Minerva Mc. Gonnagal mused as she watched the headmaster twisting his thinning beard around his hand thoughtfully, his brow creased and eyes shut as he digested the new information. "Are you sure?" he asked finally. The messenger lingering at the door bounced on their heels and nodded twice nervously. "Yes sir. The ministry intelligence came back and they are positive that three weeks ago the resurrection ritual was performed in Willows cavern in Cornwall. All evidence points to a circle made up of the remaining death eaters and some other bad eggs they've recruited." "Eggs?" Dumbledores brow furrowed deeper for a moment then cleared with realisation, "Oh yes...of course...bad eggs." He muttered. From his position by the fire, Professor Severus Snape stirred and stood. "How was this allowed to happen?" he snapped at the messenger, who wilted considerably and began to sweat. Mc Gonnagal tutted, "This could not have been predicted Severus. Ever since your cover was blown the order no longer has anyone to deliver us up to date information." "That was not my fault," Snape said through gritted teeth, "If that Potter boy had not interfered..." "You were about to petrify his best friend Severus" the professor retorted angrily. "Enough" Dumbledore bellowed, causing them all to jump and fall into silence. His eyes fluttered open and he dismissed the messenger with a wave of his hand, and then turned his wary eyes onto his staff. "I believe we have enough to concern ourselves with at this moment without dissention in the ranks". He warned in icy tones. Both Hogwarts professors swallowed hard and nodded ashamedly. Silence fell, until Minerva's tiny voice spoke softly. "Should be close the school headmaster?" she asked, feeling Snape bristle beside her. Dumbledore thought for a moment then shook his head. "I do not believe that would be the best course of action at this time. But if Voldemort has indeed risen we must assume that he will attempt to harm Harry again. I am bringing in some protection for him and his friends." Snapes head snapped up and he stared dumbstruck at the headmaster. "You don't mean – "he stumbled on the name and fell into shocked silence. Minerva glanced from him to Dumbledore and back again. "Who?" she asked finally. Dumbledore rose and slowly crossed the large room until he could stare out of the far window onto the water clogged playing field below. Falks, his pet phoenix stirred on his perch and lazily stretched his neck to nip the hair closest to him. "It is true Severus." Dumbledore answered finally, his tone betraying the inner emotion, "I have called in a member of the spirit guardian circle. She will be arriving shortly." Snape shook his head and looked towards the floor. Minerva, in a confused state, asked what the spirit guardian circle was. Sensing that the headmaster would not reply, Snape raised his head and interjected. "The guardian circle is made up of the most powerful wizards in the netherworlds. They assume the form of the wizard they are brought in to protect but they are never truly human. Immortal, incredibly powerful and lacking in humanity they are trained to destroy anything which hurts their charge. For some reason when they assume human form everything gets a little worse, they find it difficult to distinguish between their emotions and those enforced by the persona they adopt. This makes them unstable and unreliable. They have been known to turn on those around them and with the amount of magic they possess – one could take out the entire school with a single blink of an eye." He shook his head. Minerva looked towards Dumbledore, who remained prone by the window, with obvious confusion and worry. "Good lord headmaster – it could kill us all." She exclaimed.
"Only if you misbehave." The voice came from within the room, but could not be seen; only a dancing ball of light reflected against the large windows showed the spirits presence. Dumbledore turned and motioned for the spirit to come to him. Carefully, he dropped the ball of swirling light into the centre of the carpet and stood back. The wizards felt the heat as it radiated forth and shut their eyes against the blinding white light which exploded from the floor, swirling and dancing until a human form appeared before them. Before the light faded, Dumbledore stepped forward and draped a cloak around the slim shoulders of the guardian, whose beauty radiated with as much heat as her consuming light. "Welcome, Ophelia." Dumbledore bowed his head and smiled at the pale figure before him, shivering slightly as the first strains of the human world entered her consciousness. Minerva's brows creased as she caught Snapes foreboding tone and the whispered sentiment, "God save us all."
A/N: this is set around Harrys last year at Hogwarts and assumes everyone is around 18. This is so that any romance that crops up isn't too icky!
Prologue
The circle paused chanting when the newcomer approached – the long velvet cloak trailing in the bloodied sand around the pit where the bodies lay, battering and bleeding and all unmoving. "It is time". Black eyes glistened evilly beneath the black hood as the circle began to chant again. Swirls of smoke filled the cavern, snakes of colour fighting and joining together until the world blackened and the smell of burning flesh filled the air. Several of the circle fell to their knees, eyes smarting and bile rising as their retching joined the chorus of voices. "Weaklings" a voice screamed at them, "Fools." The newcomer stepped into the centre of the circle, into the fire and raised their arms in prayer to the dark vortex which had formed above the heads of the ressurectors. "Come forth master and show yourself" the voice screamed again, head tilted up to welcome forth the answer to the circles calling. The room began to spin as a storm raged from within the vortex. The circle members one by one stopped their chanting and clung together, shaking and moaning in fear and recognition of the events they had brought forth. The dark vortex widened and the winds harsh music reached its crescendo as a single pillar of smoke descended into the fire, instantly taking primitive human form.
There was a flash of lighting and a loud thunderclap – then the cavern was plunged into silent darkness. Straining to hear something, the circle members stumbled to their feet and moved like zombies to the edge of the cavern, thankfully grabbing at the rough walls. One found a torch and within seconds a small ball of light filled the dark space. Blinking, the shivering members stared at the now empty space where the fire had raged only moments before. "Did it work?" someone whispered. Mumbling and shrugging the members moved closer to the burnt patch on the floor and scuffed it with their feet, searching for any clue that the past year of their lives had not been spent working in vain. "It worked." The voice from balcony was clear and rained down on the members like splintered glass. They turned and stared up into the shadows as the figure stepped into the pale light and pushed down their hood, shaking forth a tousled mass of hair. "The lord has returned and shall regain supreme."
Part One – Lost Prophets
Hermione leaned over Rons dozing form and flung open the tower bedroom window. Ron stirred as freezing rain bounced from the sill and onto his bare neck. "It stinks in here." She scolded, waving her hand in front of her nose and wrinkling her face to enforce the point. Harry glanced up from the book he was reading and grinned across at her. "Its Nevilles newest experiment. He's trying to brew a potion to get rid of the smell of his trainers." Hermione sighed, "That boy cannot do anything right – the damn thing smells worse than his shoes ever could." She scanned the room and, upon finding the offending cauldron bubbling gently by the boys sink, waved her wand over it and muttered an incantation Harry hadn't heard before. Suddenly the small cauldron levitated, spun around three times and replaced itself on the shelf. Instantly the smell dissipated and Hermiones face returned to its normal look of superiority. "Nicely done" Harry commended, "Can you stop Ron snoring?" he teased as his friend awoke, shivering under the weight of the water now covering his neck. Cursing, he closed the window and scowled at his fellow wizards. "Ok, who's trying to give me pneumonia?" he demanded. Hermione sighed and shook her head. "Ron you can't get pneumonia remember? We all took the new prevention medicine and are immune to all cold related infections" she reminded loudly. Ron rolled his eyes and flopped, face down onto the new springy mattress that came with their newly assigned bedrooms. "I have to say Harry, this room rocks" Blowing a stray stand of hair out of his eyes, the young wizard pushed himself into a kneeling position and proceeded to bounce wildly, sending his neatly arranged clothes flying from the foot of the bed onto the floor. Hermione clucked disapprovingly. "God Ron you're 18 now, stop acting like a child." "Oh this coming from the girl who screamed so loudly when she met Jolie Phillips that she got us all thrown out of Wizarellas?" Harry teased, watching with amusement as his friends cheeks reddened and she looked away, embarrassed. Privately Harry reflected that he had been pretty excited himself to bump into the most famous wizard rock star of their generation – but would never admit it to Hermione who's face now resembled the dark crimson of their house coloured bedding. Changing the subject, she commented on the rain, which was getting heavier by the second. "Typical Hogwarts weather for you." Ron muttered absentmindedly, as he attempted to levitate his clothes into the wardrobe. Harry winced as the doors slammed shut and the furniture wavered precariously. "I know what you mean Hermione. The weathers been balmy the last few weeks – boiling sunshine one moment and snowing the next. You think something is wrong?" he quizzed. Hermione shrugged, "Probably just global warming." She assured him, steadying the wardrobe with one hand and retrieving her bag and cloak with the other. "Well I'm bushed. I'm going to head back to my room and meet my new room- mate." She said, slipping into her cloak and moving towards the door. Harry looked up with interest. "That's right the new student. I'd have thought that final year is a bit late to come to Hogwarts but I'll reserve judgement until you met, assess and automatically detest her." He joked, flashing Hermione a wide grin guaranteed to diminish her wrath. Ron laughed, "Yeah and I'll reserve judgment until I see if she's hot or not." He added. Hermione clucked angrily at him and huffed her way out of the room. Ron turned to Harry and grinned, "She's so easy it's almost not fun anymore." He paused reflectively, "Almost".
He looks exhausted, Minerva Mc. Gonnagal mused as she watched the headmaster twisting his thinning beard around his hand thoughtfully, his brow creased and eyes shut as he digested the new information. "Are you sure?" he asked finally. The messenger lingering at the door bounced on their heels and nodded twice nervously. "Yes sir. The ministry intelligence came back and they are positive that three weeks ago the resurrection ritual was performed in Willows cavern in Cornwall. All evidence points to a circle made up of the remaining death eaters and some other bad eggs they've recruited." "Eggs?" Dumbledores brow furrowed deeper for a moment then cleared with realisation, "Oh yes...of course...bad eggs." He muttered. From his position by the fire, Professor Severus Snape stirred and stood. "How was this allowed to happen?" he snapped at the messenger, who wilted considerably and began to sweat. Mc Gonnagal tutted, "This could not have been predicted Severus. Ever since your cover was blown the order no longer has anyone to deliver us up to date information." "That was not my fault," Snape said through gritted teeth, "If that Potter boy had not interfered..." "You were about to petrify his best friend Severus" the professor retorted angrily. "Enough" Dumbledore bellowed, causing them all to jump and fall into silence. His eyes fluttered open and he dismissed the messenger with a wave of his hand, and then turned his wary eyes onto his staff. "I believe we have enough to concern ourselves with at this moment without dissention in the ranks". He warned in icy tones. Both Hogwarts professors swallowed hard and nodded ashamedly. Silence fell, until Minerva's tiny voice spoke softly. "Should be close the school headmaster?" she asked, feeling Snape bristle beside her. Dumbledore thought for a moment then shook his head. "I do not believe that would be the best course of action at this time. But if Voldemort has indeed risen we must assume that he will attempt to harm Harry again. I am bringing in some protection for him and his friends." Snapes head snapped up and he stared dumbstruck at the headmaster. "You don't mean – "he stumbled on the name and fell into shocked silence. Minerva glanced from him to Dumbledore and back again. "Who?" she asked finally. Dumbledore rose and slowly crossed the large room until he could stare out of the far window onto the water clogged playing field below. Falks, his pet phoenix stirred on his perch and lazily stretched his neck to nip the hair closest to him. "It is true Severus." Dumbledore answered finally, his tone betraying the inner emotion, "I have called in a member of the spirit guardian circle. She will be arriving shortly." Snape shook his head and looked towards the floor. Minerva, in a confused state, asked what the spirit guardian circle was. Sensing that the headmaster would not reply, Snape raised his head and interjected. "The guardian circle is made up of the most powerful wizards in the netherworlds. They assume the form of the wizard they are brought in to protect but they are never truly human. Immortal, incredibly powerful and lacking in humanity they are trained to destroy anything which hurts their charge. For some reason when they assume human form everything gets a little worse, they find it difficult to distinguish between their emotions and those enforced by the persona they adopt. This makes them unstable and unreliable. They have been known to turn on those around them and with the amount of magic they possess – one could take out the entire school with a single blink of an eye." He shook his head. Minerva looked towards Dumbledore, who remained prone by the window, with obvious confusion and worry. "Good lord headmaster – it could kill us all." She exclaimed.
"Only if you misbehave." The voice came from within the room, but could not be seen; only a dancing ball of light reflected against the large windows showed the spirits presence. Dumbledore turned and motioned for the spirit to come to him. Carefully, he dropped the ball of swirling light into the centre of the carpet and stood back. The wizards felt the heat as it radiated forth and shut their eyes against the blinding white light which exploded from the floor, swirling and dancing until a human form appeared before them. Before the light faded, Dumbledore stepped forward and draped a cloak around the slim shoulders of the guardian, whose beauty radiated with as much heat as her consuming light. "Welcome, Ophelia." Dumbledore bowed his head and smiled at the pale figure before him, shivering slightly as the first strains of the human world entered her consciousness. Minerva's brows creased as she caught Snapes foreboding tone and the whispered sentiment, "God save us all."