Beyond the Gathering Storm
by: AlbusSeverusGryffindor
Author's note: I don't own Harry Potter or any of Ms Rowling's wonderful characters. Hope you enjoy the chapter and please feel free to review.
Chapter One: Auror Test
Feel the touch
Of tears that fall
-they won't fall forever
In the way the day will flow
All things come
All things go.
It's in the Rain- Enya
The ride down to the Auror Office was normally a time of relaxation for Harry Potter but today he was unable to use that time to relax. Instead his thoughts turned to what would happen once he reached the place that had come to be a second home to him. Today was the day he would be taking his final practical exam that would end his Auror training. He wasn't worried about the exam itself per say but he was deeply concerned about what he might face during the final testing he was to undergo today. He had every right to be concerned as it was this exact test two years ago that had almost lead to him being expelled from the Auror program. He frowned as he remembered having gone completely mental in the testing room when images from his past appeared before him. When he came to several hours later he was in St. Mungo's recovering from the spells they had cast to restrain him. He shook his head and tried to find the calm place inside him as the mind healers had told him to do whenever memories of his past surfaced.
Two years of hard training had added muscle to the slight young man. His black hair was still messy but was now somewhat tamed into a long tail held at the nape of his neck by a silver clip. His bright green eyes shimmered with the magical power within him and were full of warmth and mischief. (His instructors had also noted that his eyes became icy green chips full of determination when he dueled.) The lightening shaped scar on his forehead, which had lain dormant since the Fall of Voldemort, was hidden under his long bangs. His outward appearance was one of calm assurance and quiet strength but this hid a fragile spirit that had almost been broken by all of suffering he'd endured earlier in life.
The woman's voice inside the elevator told him that he'd arrived at Level Two containing the Auror's Offices and he stepped out of it. Several young women in the hall eyed Harry appreciatively as he passed because he cut such a handsome figure. He nodded and gave them a generic though warm greeting. Most of them were aware that he was engaged to be married but that didn't stop them from looking. In their minds he was one good looking, well dressed wizard. The clothing he wore made the most of his pale skin and dark hair, favoring dark colors or else greens that brought out the vivid color of his eyes. It also didn't hurt that he'd been a hero in the last war at the tender age of seventeen, that he was the 'Chosen One' and that he had put an end to Voldemort's second rise almost entirely alone. Most of the women in the Ministry were entranced by the calm strength of the soon-to-be-Auror and were thereafter smitten.
There was a great deal of gossip and rumors concerning the young Auror-in-Training. Nearly everyone had heard that he was the most powerful Auror magically. They had also heard that he was the most skilled duelist of those that were about to be passed into full Auror status. Yet his warrior's heart was tempered by his friendly demeanor and his compassion for others, even those that were evil. Rumor even had it that Harry had asked Voldemort to try and show some remorse for all the evil he had done before infamous Dark Wizard had met his end at the hands of a backfired Killing Curse. There was even a whisper that Harry had sacrificed himself and had been brought back to life so that he could finish the job.It was rumored that he'd been hand picked by the Minister for Magic himself shorty after the war and that the Minister was going to allow him entrance into the Auror ranks without training. He had insisted that he be treated as every other new trainee was though and that he deserved no special treatment from anyone despite his hero status. This had endeared him to those that would become his squad mates during training and they had gravitated to him like the leader he was.
Harry continued down the long winding hallway, nodding to people as he passed and giving them a friendly smile though his mind was still occupied with thoughts of his upcoming test. What would he see in the dueling chamber this time? More dementors? Death Eaters? Would Voldemort appear again as he had last time to torment him? Would he feel what it was like to die again? He was so preoccupied that he jumped in surprise as a body hurtled around the corner and barreled into him. Looking down he saw a familiar mane of bushy brown hair and he smiled.
"Hermoine? Wha? "
"I'm glad I caught you in time. I just wanted to wish you good luck, Harry. " She smiled up at him and his own smile widened a fraction.
"Er...Thanks. "
She looked deeply into his eyes for a moment and then studied him closely. He noticed that she seemed to be worried about something and had a shrewd guess as to what. Apparently though she saw whatever it was she was looking in his eyes for because she nodded and some of the worry left her eyes. She grinned up at him and he couldn't help but grin back. He was glad that his two best friends in the world had followed him into the Ministry after it became clear that it was no longer the corrupt place it had been. Ron was also in the Auror Department having just recently passed his final tests along with his squad while Hermione had just transfered from the department she'd been working in to Magical Law Enforcement. He often met them for lunch and occasionally dinner when his training allowed.
"You'll do fine. I know you will. Just keep a cool head and everything will be fine." Hermione looked at him anxiously for a moment.
" I know. I've just got to put that all behind me now. I'll see you and Ron later and then you can both laugh at how I made a fool of myself during the test." His eyes snapped with merriment. Hermione huffed at him and muttered something about boys before she moved on passed him with a wave. He chuckled and continued toward the Auror Office while she made her way back the way she'd come.
He entered the office five minutes later, feeling strangely like he'd come home. For all intents and purposes this had been his home for the past two years and he found the room had a calming effect on him for some reason. He nodded at several people as he passed their desks and they all greeted him in a friendly way, one or two of them even slapped him on the back as he passed. The five members of his squad gave him thumbs up signs, which caused him to grin. He was headed for a plain wooden door at the end of the large room that lead to the Head of the Department's office. He gave the door a hearty knock and entered.
Gawain Robards, the Head of the Auror Department, was a greying man with deep hazel eyes that took in everything around him. Nothing escaped his noticed and he noticed that the young man before him seemed to be in really good spirits. He also noticed that Potter looked ready for anything they could throw at him. He hoped that would be the case. They needed him and his squad out in the field soon. There were distrubing rumors coming to the Ministry's attention and they needed the best Aurors to investigate if they were true. Potter was the best they had turned out in years and everyone knew it. His scores were through the roof and he was adept at adapting to new situations and in inventing new ways to use the arsenal of spells every Auror learned. He was also the best defensive wizard out there though his offense was just as impressive. He only had one problem and that was that he tended to go, for lack of a better word, trigger happy with his wand in situations where it was not called for. This was of course explainable since he had come into training straight from the battlefields of the Second War but it was something that Potter had worked hard to overcome.
"Ah, there you are Potter. I trust you have had a restful weekend." He eyed Harry closely, almost critically. Harry merely nodded, his nervousness having returned tenfold.
"Don't be so nervous Potter. I'm sure you'll be fine. " Robards smiled at him jovially and Harry tried to relax enough to grin back but it came out more like a grimace. "As you know you and your squad have done very well in your testing. I dare say you're the best squad we've ever turned out. You have passed both your written and the group practical with ease. You've always worked well as a team from the day you began training together and I fully intend to send you into the field as a team when you are through here. "
"Yes, sir." Harry felt his heart lift a bit at his mentor's words and he smiled at Robards who returned his smile though there was a bit of concern in his eyes.
"As you have been appointed the leader of the squad there is one more test I am required to give you: one the will test your physical, mental and magical well-being."
"The test that I failed two years ago."
This was a statement rather than a question and there was no indication of how Potter was feeling about this from the tone of his voice. Robards had, at that time, decided that Harry should be allowed to retake this test at the end of his training. Harry had been relieved at the time that he wasn't thrown out of training because of his poor performance but now he wondered if two years was enough time for the wounds of his grief to heal. Had the last two years helped him to heal at all he wondered? He hoped it had because now that he'd finished the training he knew this was what he wanted to do for the rest of his life.
" Whenever you feel ready, Potter, the test will be in Arena Eleven. "
Harry's face paled but he nodded sharply at his mentor and gave him a short bow before exiting the room in a swirl of dark grey robes. Robards watched Potter leave and prayed that this testing went better than the initial one two years previous had. That test had been an unmitigated disaster that had left several high level Aurors severely wounded and Potter in such a state that he'd been sent to St. Mungo's for three months off and on to talk to the Mind Healers there to help him deal with his grief and guilt. The only thing that had prevented him from being expelled from the program at the time was the fact that he'd just recently come from a battlefield far worse than anything the Auror Department had seen in recent years. Robards himself wasn't sure he would have been able to hold himself together at the time if even half of what was said about his young charge was true. Potter was lucky to be both alive and sane by all accounts. He shook his head and prayed to Merlin that this time things would turn out differently.
Harry stood for a moment outside the Head's door to try and calm his racing heart. He knew he would have to face this test again someday. He'd failed the original badly but they had waived the results and allowed him to enter training anyway. And now that failure seemed to echo down the years at him, taunting him with images of that test that he'd forgotten. He sighed and started across the room, heading for the elevator that would take him down to the training arena. His mind was clearly elsewhere and his body was on autopilot so he did not at first notice the group that had blocked his way to the elevator until he ran straight into Alan Somersby, who slapped him on the back with a grin.
" So today's the big day." Somersby's grey eyes bored into Harry's and he couldn't help but grin.
" Yeah. Today I get to make more of a fool of myself than usual. Care to join me? " He chuckled and looked around at the other members of his squad.
"I'm sure you'll be just fine. Your the one who defeated Voldemort after all." said a short, blonde witch who was standing next to Alan. Sarah Peterson had always been able to calm Harry's nerves and he looked at her in gratitude. She was the calming influence in the group and the group's peacemaker.
"Give 'em Hell, Harry." Daniel Mason's deep baritone echoed around the room and Harry gave the tall, dark American wizard a thumbs up sign which was returned with a flash of white teeth.
Dark-haired Valarian McDonigan gave him a smile of encouragement and quiet Ekaterina Ivanova gave him a flirtatious wink and grin.
"When you've finished rearranging the Dungeon we're all treating you for lunch. Just be sure to leave something for the rest of the trainees to fight will you. " Valarian grinned at him.
"And this time there'll be no way out of it, Potter. You seem to weasel your way out of every get-together we have." Ekaterina threw him a mock glare.
Harry waved his hands in mute surrender to his friends' combined attack and grinned. "Fine then. But don't say I didn't warn you. I'll likely be a right mess when I'm finished but if you maniacs can handle that then fine we'll have lunch. Just let me go now. No telling how long the test will be and we all know how hungry Mason gets."
"If your English types knew what 'real food' was then maybe I wouldn't be half starved all the time." Mason said with a grin and twinkle of his dark eyes. Harry grinned in return.
They parted and allowed him to move on, giving him encouraging words that he really didn't hear but leaving him with a heart a little lighter than it had been a moment before. His good mood lasted until he stood before the door that lead to Training Arena Eleven and then his steps faltered. He stood, staring blankly at the pale wooded door for what seemed to be an eternity before he steeled himself and entered.
The room was completely empty and dark but Harry knew from experience that it wouldn't remain so for long. His eye roamed around the room and he drew his wand as he mentally prepared himself for what the room was likely to pull from his memories. The last time he'd seen horrific images of the Battle of Hogwarts and he'd been flung back into the mindset of that time. He heard the door behind him close with a snap as if from a great distance and the room around him instantly changed as it did so.
He was standing in the Great Hall at Hogwarts again looking down at the bodies of those who had died. He felt his heart clench in his chest and his vision blurred for a moment.
" They died because of your weakness, Potter." A cold, high pitched voice hissed in his ear and he whipped around to find himself face to face with Voldemort. His wand was pointed directly at the spot were the Killing Curse had hit Harry.
"No, they died because of you. Your the one who took their lives, not me." He retorted calmly. "Their blood is on your hands not mine."
"Are you absolutely sure of that, Harry Potter? They were your friends, your family and yet you failed them when they needed you most. You failed to protect them and let them die for you." Voldemort sneered at him and he could hear the wailing voices of the dead again. All the guilt and shame Harry had thought buried deep in his heart resurfaced now with a vengeance.
To his horror the dead began to rise and soon had him surrounded. They moaned piteously at him, demanding to know why he was still alive and why he had done nothing to save them. They clawed at his robes, at his eyes, at his arms, trying to suffocate him with their numbers and to break him with their words. At first it was all he could do to fight them off without hurting them and to ignore their words that hit too close to the pain he still held deep in his heart. He tried desperately to clear his mind and to find his calm center. He had to fight the ghosts of his past if he had any hope of living in the peaceful future he'd created.
"You're so weak, Harry Potter. You feel too much. Love is only weakness and foolishness." Voldemort's voice cut through his concentration and he found himself staring into the red eyes of his enemy. They seemed to reflect the truth he knew in his heart. He was to blame for all the deaths around him. He was the cause of all of the pain in his life.
"Perhaps it would have been better if you had died that night. All the pain would have been avoided." Harry felt his heart plummet into the depths of despair at the words that echoed similar ones he'd thought in the past. Maybe the world would be better off without him. All he caused was misery and pain to others. His life was worthless next to theirs. He should just give up, let it all go. Let it go.
"Let go."
The words spoken by his father and mother echoed back to him and he knew what he had to do. He looked around at all the faces of the dead and closed his eyes, feeling their nails biting into his flesh but striving to ignore it as well as the words that they were saying. For someplace deep inside him he found the will to face these ghosts, to let go of the sorrow of his past at last. There was a small flare of power and the ghostly undead vanished leaving the Great Hall empty. When he opened his eyes only he and Voldemort remained and Voldemort seemed surprised by his victory.
Harry glared across the space between them and pointed his wand at Voldemort. With a wordless spell Voldemort exploded into green sparks and the room darkened once more. Harry found himself leaning against a wall and panting. His face was covered in sweat and his eyes darted around the dark room. He was just about to reach for the doorknob when a cold wind swept through him and a sinister laughter sounded within the darkness. Suddenly what felt like a huge snake wrapped itself around Harry's chest and began to squeeze the breath out of him. He struggled fruitlessly for several minutes only to have the snake squeeze harder. He tried to point his wand at it but then a spell was fired at his hand causing him to drop the wand, which clattered to the floor and was lost in the darkness.
He saw darker spots in front of his eyes and began to panic. He struggled within the coils again and felt the snake tighten it's grip on him. He tried to summon his wand but the spell was to feeble to do anything more then to cause his wand to make a clattering sound as it rolled on the floor. Finally, he did the only thing he could think of and transfigured the snake into a rope without wand or word. The tranfigured snake fell limply to the ground and he along with it. He lay on the cool, stone floor panting for several moments when he noticed that the cold wind and the sinister laughter had not stopped. He scrabbled to his feet and then a cold voice began to recite something as if from a book, while chanting voices surrounded him.
"The Nightwings have been reborn and Darkness shall once more reign. Only the Nine shall stand against them and have any hope of success. Trumpets of War shall call the 'Chosen One' to battle again for only he has the power that evil knows not. Five relics of old must be restored lest the Light shall die for all time. Thy battles are not yet done, One Chosen by Fate. Seek out the mentor and the scroll. They shall guide you on your quest"
All the voices vanished and Harry stood in the silent room staring into nothing, a shiver of fear running up his spine.
