A/N: none of the characters are mine except for the ones I made up and all the other
bull****.
They Aren't What They Seem Part 4
Harry rushed down to the Great Hall. Hermione and Ron had evidently already left. He
walked down to see Ron and Hermione pleasently chatting until Melantha strutted over and
whispered something into Ron's ear. As Ron paled, Harry frowned. Hermione was scowling.
He walked over and slid in next to Ron.
"Morning Ron." Harry said.
"Hey." Ron mummbled back.
"Ron? Are you o.k.?" Harry asked.
"N---"
"Ronnie, can I talk to you?" Melantha asked sweetly her blonde curls bouncing into her
face.
"Sure."
Hermione's frown deepened as Ron stood and followed Melantha. "That's weird, she always
wants to talk to him privatly.'
Harry shrugged and grabbed his goblet, he took a sip noticeing that it was a bit thicker than
usual. He set it down and reached for a piece of toast. It was all he managed to choke
down because he was preoccupied with the Quidditch match.
"Harry , you'd better go up and get your broom." Ron said as he returned from talking with
Melantha.
"Yeah." Hermione said, "We'll meet you at the field."
"Ok, I'll see you in a little bit." Harry said nervously as he walked out the Great Hall and up
the staircase. A Ravenclaw 4th year girl in front of Harry stopped suddenly. Harry didn't
notice until he actually bumped into her. Her friends had kept going not noticeing either
that she had stopped.
"Oh, sorry." Harry said. She didn't answer but her hands flew to her throat. By this time
her friends had noticed she wasn't with them. Suddenly, the girl swiveled and grabbed
Harry's shoulders. Her mouth hung open and he heard her try to suck air. Desperatley,
she mouthed 'Help me'. Harry stood dumbstrick. He was frozen. It was as if somebody
shot down his ability to move. The girl had let go of him and was now clawing at her throat.
Tears streamed down her face and her mouth hung open in a desperate attempt to breathe
and scream. One of her friends screamed and that was when Harry realized the girl was
dying. A few Ravenclaw girls ran for a teacher while Harrry stood there. He briefly
remembered thinking and wondering if he was getting used to death. Once again, the girl's
eyes locked on his. Her face was streaked with tears, her eyes rolled widly. She sank to
her knees and looked once more at Harrry before her eys stopped their circular travel and
she crumples forward. And Harry just stood there.
~~
Harry blinked. He was in Dumbledore's office. The Snoring people were up and whispering
to each other. His eyes traveled around the room. Dumbledore sat at his desk, he was
deep in thought before the pensieve. Several teachers were lined against the walls all
watching Dumbledore closely. An Auror stood in a corner, a hooded figure beside him and
on the other side stood Sirius Black. Dumbledore finally looked up.
"Ahh, Harry feeling a bit better?" All the twinkle in his eyes were gone.
"Wait, the Quidditch match…and the girl." Harry said.
"The Quidditch match has been canceled and will be held tomarrow." Dumbledore sighed,
"The girl is with us no longer." Harry sat listeneing to the words but not really believeing it.
"Could you tell us what happened?" Dumbledore asked leaning forward.
Harry told them, net even having his voice catch. As he told the story the hooded figure
sank lower before Sirius and the Auror caught it and led it over to sit. The hood fell back to
reveal Professor Casar: but only a wraith of her former being. Black-purple hair was
knotted and pale skin was stretched across prominent features. Harry recoiled in horror
before Sirius could pull the hood forward. Harry groaned and rested his head against the
back of the chair.
"Pomfrey?" Dumbledore called, "Bring a sleeping draft."
~~
When Harry awoke Ron and Hermione were sitting by his bed staring anxiously at him.
Hermione grinned in relief and Ron sighed.
"Hey, Harry we didn't think you'd wake up in time." Ron said.
"For what?" Harry asked.
"The Quidditch match against Slytherin." Hermione answered. "Dumbledore wanted you to
sleep to the last possible minute so you wouldn't have to think about…ahem.." Hemione
trailed off. Harry nodded and looked over at Ron. He was staring at his hands and being
awfully quiet. They went down to the field after Harry had changed and gotten his broom.
Then they parted: Hermione and Ron to the oddly quiet crowd and himself to the line of
teammates. The whistle sounded and he pushed off hard. The usually thrilling beginning
made Harry nauseus. Harry gritted his teeth and fixed on thought in this head: Get the
Snitch, Get the Snitch.
"SPINNET ROCKETS DOWN THE FIELD…SHE—OHH, INTERCEPTED BY THE SLYTHERIN
BEATER."
Lee Jordan's magnified voice cut through Harry's thoughts and made his head pound and
whirl. His stomach lurched. More urgently he flew around the field trying to find the Snitch
and end this stupid game. The sneering face of Draco Malfoy didn't help much either.
"Hey Potter, what's the matter? Scared of heights?" Harry contented himself with a glare
directed at Malfoy. If you're going to throw up make sure it's all over him, Harry thought.
"Slytherin scores." Lee annouced degectidily. Black spots danced before Harry's eyes, now
he really had to end this game. Then Harry saw it. The Snitch glimmering between the
branches on the end of the Gryffindor Keeper's broom. Harry tore after him. It wasn't long
before Harry felt the beating of the Snitch's wings on his hand. He stopped dead. Big
mistake. Hurtling toward the ground, Harry landed on his hands and knees. He knew he
was going to pass out but not before he retched all over the Quidditch field.
~~
Days and even weeks passed before Harry ever woke up. And when he did the sad face of
Dumbledore was focused before him.
"What happened?" Harry groaned.
"Seems you were selected to be that certain 5th year Gryffindor boy." Dumbledore
answered.
"Oh, Hermione told you."
Dumbledore nodded," Yes, it seems they used a potion that could bring a vile disease to one
person. It's a good thing that we caught it before it could become permanent."
"Permanent?"
"It needs a span of two days to attch itself. We caught it at the last possible moment."
Harry leaned his head back against his pillow. THe killer had done it. They had struck 4
time one attempt at the famous Harry Potter. So now what were they planning? "OH, and
you have a note from someone." Dumbledore smiled and left so Harry could read it in
private. Harry's heart lept, Cho? He unfolded the note.
Harry,
Hope your feeling better, but there is one thing both me and Dumbledore agree
that you should know. Meet me in my office right after Pomfrey dismisses you.
Bring no friends.
Professor Casar
Harry lept out of bed and rushed over to knock on Madam Pomfrey's office door.
~~
It took Harry literally an hour before he convinced Madam Pomfry to let him go but when he
did he ran all the way to Casar's room. He knocked but heard no one inside. Carefully, he
opened the door and entered. The room was in chaos. All her Seeing things were shattered
on the floor, the fire roared as it consumed papers and all the things on the desk had been
shoved off except for Casar's crystal ball. As Harry leaned over it the smoke parted and
words formed:
All I ask,
Is that you pass,
This way.
Because who knows when,
Time will end,
And evil shall reign.
It didn't stpe there, a ghostly arrow pointed out toward the window. Harry followed it to the
window where it then pointed toward the grounds. He was about to tell Dumbledore when a
girl's voice sang:
Fear and pain,
Fear and pain,
Soon only evil shall reign.
Harry frowned and then dashed up the Gryffindor Common Room to grab his Invisibility
Cloak. Before he could get out of the portrait hole, Hermione blocked his way.
"Where are you going?' She glared at him.
"To talk to Professor Casar." Harry lied.
Hermione brightened, "Can I go with you? Ron's off with his girlfriend."
"No." Harry said flatly, "She only wants to talk to me."
"Well, if you're going to be that way about it." Hermione sniffed, "I don't want to."
"Fine." Harry said, he didn't want to be mean to Hermione but he had to get this lead while
he had it. Quickly, Harry dodged Hermione and ran to the grounds throwing on the
Invisibility Cloak. The arrow sat waiting. Harry followed into the Forbidden Forest.
Everytime he would almost loose sight of it the song would start up and the arrow would
grow more opaque. Suddenly the song grew louder and the arrow stopped before some
bushes. Harry stepped through and couldn't move anymore.
~~
Hermione wandered the halls quite degectidly. Boys, she thought bitterly. Ron gone, and
Harry and only Lavendar and Parvati left. They were nice but it would be her very last
resort. Until then either walking the halls until a teacher warned her with a detention or the
library seemed good. Just then Ron stumbled around the corner, robes askew and eyes
wide and terrified.
"Hermione!!." He exclaimed.
"Yeah?" She asked.
"Harry. Where has he gone?"
"Nice to see you too. How would I know he just left." Hermione hissed getting angry that
no one was telling her anything.
"OH, great. It's alll my fault. I have to talk to Dumbledore." Ron moaned.
Hermione grabbed his wrist, "Uh uh, nto until you tell me what's happening."
"The killer, Hermione, he's gone after the killer."
~~
Harry parted the bushes and stepped through. The clearing was lighted by purple flameds
and at the center, Professor Casar. She wasn't tied but her hood had fallen back, gray eyes
staring around angerly. The song floated closer still before stopping directly behind Harry.
"Well, hello Harry." Harry swiveled and amber eyes looked hungerly into his. "Fancy
meeting you here." Melantha turned away from him and walked to the fiery cage. "Look
what I caught!" She called gleefully to him. Casar's eyes changed to the slitted green and
she spat at Melantha. It hissed as it fit the flames.
"So it was you." Harry gaped in astonishment.
Melantha turned away to look at Harry, "Oh, I wouldn't say me entirely, I'm just a decoy for
the actual thing." She grinnned. "Yet another way Voldemort has infiltrated Hogwarts."
Harry slowly back up. Melantha had grinned at him before starting to change before Harry's
eyes. Dark brown hair replaced blonde and gray flesh replaced healthy pink skin. The
same amber eyes stayed on Harry.
"Do you like me better now Potter?" Her voice was rasping.
"What do you want?" Harry asked quite shakily.
"Oh, definatly not you, Potter!" she laughed, "Oh, no. Elké of the Animals wants revenge.
You are only a special extra that my Lord will repay me greatly for." Elké ran her tounge
over sharp fangs, "Or you might end up a tasty appitizer for me."
"Don't scare him, Elké, you know your master would never reward you." Professor Casar
said from where she was tied.
Elké spun, "I would, he promised me Harry Potter before!"
Casar snorted, "False promises, that's what the Lord of Darkness likes. He lives upon them,
feeds upon them."
Harry liked being temporarly forgotten. He looked around him, cluching his wand. There
didn't look like there was anything keeping him from leaving. Carefully, Harry approached
the bushes and reached his hand out. Next thing Harry knew was the cold grass and him
sucking desperate lungfuls of air. Opening his eyes, a yell of surprise escaped him, a tiger
was sitting directly on top of him.
"Very stupid Potter, 5 years in the magical world and you still are totally clueless. Be
careful or you will try my patience too much." With that the tiger changed to Elké who tied
him to a magically conjured post.
"You're…" Harry managed.
"Elké of the Animals." She hissed rubbing her eyes, "Get the name now?" Harry nodded.
Muffled laughter cam from the ring of flames. Elké spun to face Casar.
"He told you everyone would know your name, right?" She asked, smirking weakly.
"And my Lord has." Elké returned stiffly.
"Then how come even the famous Harry Potter hasn't heard of you?" Elké didn't answer.
"So he hasn't been good to you either." Harry noticed that Professor Casar's eyes were the
slit-eyed green.
"He has too!!" Elké cried furiously.
"You doubt him though." Casar continued calmly.
"Do you dare defy me?" Elké asked pulling out her wand and circling the outside of the
magical flames. Harry tuned out of the conversation and tried the ties behind him. They
were loose enough if only… Then he remembered the wand in his pocket. Harry twisted and
almost had it when Elké turned to him. Happiness burned brightly in her amber eyes.
"So you don't know about your precious teacher." Harry stared at her in blank confusion.
"Can you tell me what those papers were that someone would deliver everyday?" Elké was
inches from his face.
"No." He stuttered. Harry looked at Casar. She was squeezing her eyes shut and muttering
something under her breath.
"You never knew that your teacher was the most celebrated killer among the Death Eaters?"
Elké pried. Harry gulped, Her? A Death Eater?
"And of all the things she's done? You've never heard of her?" Elké said with false sadness
in her voice.
"Harry deserves to hear it from me." Professor Casar had gotten to her feet.
"Does he?" Elké hissed, "When were you going to tell him? When he was 20?"
"I was going to tell him today but I ran out of time." Casar hissed back.
"And you're running out of still more time before I lose my patience, story or no, and make
you my dinner." Elké said.
Quickly, Casar turned to Harry, her yellow-green eyes filled with sadness, " Harry, I was a
hunter of men. Lord Voldemort directed me to anyone he wanted dead. I was no more
human than he was, seeing because I was made by the Death Eaters." She smiled wryly,"
Ever wonder why Severus was scared of me? It was because he made me. He was chief in
my design, my use. I was made to be emotionless, heartless, ruthless. I killed without
caring and without hearing their pleas. It was dark day when I got bored of using Avada
Kedava and started thinking up more unpleasent ways to kill." Casar took a deep breath, all
the while Elké was grinning,
"Then, the bloodiest day of all wizard history. Lord Voldemort clashed with hundreds of
wizard folk: Aurors, Ministry people, common wizards…" She drew another deep breath, a
tear making a salty track down her face, "children. Voldemort's main insturment: me. I
killed for him, did whatever he damn well pleased and at the end of the battle I had been
hurt and he left me for the Ministry." Sadness changed to bitterness, "They sent me to
Azkaban but I was immune to the Dementors and so I was sent to a special holding place
at the Ministry building. One day, while plotting to break out of my cell, a young man of
about 20 stopped by and stared in at me and as tears coursed down his face I decided to
listen to what he had to say. 'I just wanted to see you,' he told me, 'because you killed my
brother, but I forgive you.' I had been protected from anything that would affect my steel
heart, but Voldemort didn't think about forgivness and since then I have been unceesingly
searching for Death Eaters."
"What a quaint little story." Elké said before turning into a tiger and circling the outside of
the flames., "Now I am terrible hungry. You have ten seconds to think upa plan before
you're my dinner."
"May I have my wand?" Casar asked.
"No, that would be too sportsmanlike."
"Aww, just like your boyfriend, Voldie." Casar said sarcastically.
"10…"
Harry worked at his loose bonds, mind racing from Casar's storry and desperation.
"9…"
Almost done.
"8,7,6,5…"
Harry's arms dropped free and he grabbed his wand and aimed it at his feet. He hissed the
Severing Charm.
"4…"
Unfortuently, his hands were shaking and he missed, instead severing the bottom of his
robes. Harry tried again.
"3…"
Harry dropped from the pole and stayed crouched, hoping Elké didn't notice him. Harry
noticed Professor Casar glancing around too before her eyes locked on his.
"2…"
She smiled sadly before blowing him a kiss and mouthing, 'Goodbye'.
"1"
~~
As Elké jumped, Casar dropped and rolled. She hoisted a heavy stick and the two faced off.
Casar would make a jab but Elké would sidestep with all the agility of the cat she was. As
they backed toward Harry, he pulled his wand out and aimed carefully. AT the last instant
Harry went a stream of sparks at Elké's flank. The large cat jumped and twisted around but
not before Casar could land a few good blows. One struck the tiger on the side of the head.
Quickly, Elké changed to a bird and circled the clearing.
Suddenly, Casar dropped the stick. Harry's eyes widened, Was she crazy? Then he noticed
that Casar's right hand glowed with a black light that swirled around her hip. She placed
her hand asif to pull a sword from its scabbard. Drawing back her hand, a sword came with
it. THe ring of steel resounded in the clearing.
"Come and play, Elké. I didn't totally give up some of the things of the Dark. Even though
now they serve a better cause: slewing you."
The bird dropped, changing into a mouse.
"Shit." She swore.
Elké reappered as herself right behind Casar. Elké clubbed Casar at the side of the
head,barely missing her temple. It took Harry an instant to realize that Elké had her own
sword. Casar swiveled and swung, blade met blade in a flash of sparks. They parried
before drawing apart, circling and studiying their rival. Casar stepped forward first feinting
with the dark colored blade but swung her foot in a roundhouse kick. The kick landed
squarely but when Elké lost her balance her blade ripped Casar's robe and skin along her
left side. Panting and holding her hand to her wound, which bled a weird lubricant blue
color blood, Casar leveled her sword's point at Elké's throat.
"Now we finally see who lives and…Damn!" Elké had shrunk to the size of an insect. Casar
plunged her sword into the soil and began chanting. Another gray mist gathered in her
hands, instead it solidified into a roiling sphere.
"The cowardly is the one who runs, now we know who is the more cowardly." Professor
Casar's green slit-eyes glittered maliciously, "Come and get me."
As if excepting the invitation a sphere came flying toward the Professor even before Harry
saw Elké. Casar threw up a magical shield and launched her own. Elké split the sphere
inhalf and blocked the blows Casar delivered. Quite suddenly Elké's sword flew straight and
true gouging deep into her rival's sword arm. As soon as Casar bgan to fall, Elké shape
shifted to the tiger once more. Pouncing and pinning Casar to the ground the tiger took one
of her claws and placed it over Casar's heart.
"I'm sorry. You were so much fun." Raking a claw diagonally and againg diagonally from
the other side making an 'x', "X marks the spot." She hissed, usinga newly transfigured
human hand to draw her sword.
Harry sat in the bushes near them, racking his brain for a good spell, but dammit if his mind
hadn't gone blank.
Professor Casar's hadn't. Reaching for her own sword, sneakily she whispered, "I had fun
too, but goodbye." Quick as lightening Casar's sword flashed up and into the tiger's heart.
THe animal screamed as Casar twisted the sword. Unfortuently, Elké intent on killing the
woman below her also somewhat hit her mark in a final burst of energy. Casar found her
own scream mingled with the tiger's. However, Elké of the Animals dropped first and only
when she had given her last death throw did Harry emerge from his hiding to see his
Professor.
She was grinning when Harry knelt over her. Her eyes locked on his, the green eyes no
longer frightening but friendly.
"Harry," She whispered, "Look." She brushed her hand past her breast where the sword
had hit(she had pulled it out). Holding up her hand next to Harry's face, he saw dark red
,wet blood.
"Look, I bleed red. Like the rest of you. I taste the coppery taste the rest of you taste. I am
finally human." She was right, instead of blue she bled a dark red.
"Get me my sword please." Casar whispered. Harry's stomach roiled as he wrenched it
froom the tiger. He tried to hand it to her but she wrapped his fingers around it until Harry
felt it bite into his hands. "It's yours. My gift…to you. May it always be faithful to you."
Casar coughed, a thing trickle of blood trickled from the corner of her mouth. "Here take the
scabbard." She unbukled a scabbard that had been hidden before. After handing it to
himshe smiled at him and brushed his cheek, where a tear had escaped from Harry's eye;
accidently smearing her own blood on his cheek. Professor Casar's eyes rolled to the back
of her head and she sucked her final breath…smiling.
~~
It took Harry til mid-morning to struggle onto the grounds of Hogwarts at last. He
staggered past Hagrids empty hut. However he barely remembered that someone lived
there. Harry ignored the stares he got from fellow students he knew he looked terrible.
Robes torn and bloody, carrying a sword. He finally reached Dumbledore's office.
"Hello Harry." Dumbledore voiced. Only Snape and McGonagall were there, except for
Hermione and Ron against the wall. Harry told his story quietly and monotone until the
end.
"She didn't get to finish did she?" Dumbledore prodded the misty contents of the pensieve,
"This is how I remember Tierney Casar. She wasn't' the most powerful dark wizard but she
was close 1st. She was quite correct in saying she got bored with Avada Kedava. The
Ministry was in an uproar."
Harry watched as the dark witch revolved, her feet in the mist. She had a sword strapped
to her hip, a throwing knife in her boot,a dagger on the other side of her hip, and a wand
she carried in her hand. Then the misty figure pulled aside the front of her robes to reveal
a Muggle pistol in a shoulder holster.
"She was proud of her pistol because no wizard was suspecting it. Tierney also had a spell
on it so the bullet would travel deep and couldn't be extracted." Dumbledore pulled another
memory fron his mind and placed it in the pensieve. Another Tierney appered beside the
other.
"After she was captured by the Ministry, she wanted to become more human, see when she
was taken and converted to the Dark side, the Death Eaters sucked out her old soul with a
Dementor and was given a new soul and an artifical heart with artifical blood. It made her
seemingly unbeatable. The papers the Sirius would bring in a folder was information on
becoming more human. The magical tranformations exhausted her toward the end of the
year and she was overwhelmed by all that she could feel. Lord Voldemort knew exactly
when to send another servant to strike."
"Wait," Harry managed," Why was she so overwhelmed?"
"Oh, sorry I thought maybe she had told you." Dumbledore apologized, "Also Voldemort
wanted someone who could fight perfectly in all conditions. The solution? He made her
immune to feeling cold, rain and other things. He didn't forget to give her a function that
whenever there was a problem she thought and stayed awake utnil it was solved. Since
Tierney was more human it wore her down when her rival began the killings. Anymore
questions Harry?"
"Yeah, the sword. What should I do with it?"
"Keep it. I'm assuming that Tierney sealed it with your blood?" Dumbledore asked.
"I guess, I'm not to sure." Harry said.
"Did it have your blood and her's on it?"
"Yeah."
"Then yes, it will serve only you."
~~
Harry, Hermione and Ron were walking down to the medical ward.
"Hey Harry I'm really sorry." Ron started miserably, "I was under the Imperius Curse."
"It doesn't matter." Harry said shrugging.
"But I should have fought it!" Ron exclaimed, "This is the second time a Weasley had been
controlled!"
Harry really didn't know what to say. Instead Harry put his hand on Ron's shoulder. "It's
okay, your still my friend, you always will be."
~~
Harry was sitting up in his bed in the hospital, clutching Tierney Casar's sword. He had
been up for the longest time just thinking. Suddenly, a warm breeze swirled past his ear.
Harry looked up and saw the window open. Harry sat up to go close it when a figure
solidified in front of him. It was Tierney Casar. She waved and smiled.
"Thank you Harry. Use my sword only toward evil." She grinned and ruffled his hair with a
translucent hand. Turning, she flew out the window and swung it shut. Harry smiled and
set the sword down beside his bed.
"Don't worry. I will"
A/N: REVIEW!!!!! It really pisses me off that I spend soooo much time typing and writing
this that no one comments. Except for the last four that did THANK YOU SOOO MUCH!!!
bull****.
They Aren't What They Seem Part 4
Harry rushed down to the Great Hall. Hermione and Ron had evidently already left. He
walked down to see Ron and Hermione pleasently chatting until Melantha strutted over and
whispered something into Ron's ear. As Ron paled, Harry frowned. Hermione was scowling.
He walked over and slid in next to Ron.
"Morning Ron." Harry said.
"Hey." Ron mummbled back.
"Ron? Are you o.k.?" Harry asked.
"N---"
"Ronnie, can I talk to you?" Melantha asked sweetly her blonde curls bouncing into her
face.
"Sure."
Hermione's frown deepened as Ron stood and followed Melantha. "That's weird, she always
wants to talk to him privatly.'
Harry shrugged and grabbed his goblet, he took a sip noticeing that it was a bit thicker than
usual. He set it down and reached for a piece of toast. It was all he managed to choke
down because he was preoccupied with the Quidditch match.
"Harry , you'd better go up and get your broom." Ron said as he returned from talking with
Melantha.
"Yeah." Hermione said, "We'll meet you at the field."
"Ok, I'll see you in a little bit." Harry said nervously as he walked out the Great Hall and up
the staircase. A Ravenclaw 4th year girl in front of Harry stopped suddenly. Harry didn't
notice until he actually bumped into her. Her friends had kept going not noticeing either
that she had stopped.
"Oh, sorry." Harry said. She didn't answer but her hands flew to her throat. By this time
her friends had noticed she wasn't with them. Suddenly, the girl swiveled and grabbed
Harry's shoulders. Her mouth hung open and he heard her try to suck air. Desperatley,
she mouthed 'Help me'. Harry stood dumbstrick. He was frozen. It was as if somebody
shot down his ability to move. The girl had let go of him and was now clawing at her throat.
Tears streamed down her face and her mouth hung open in a desperate attempt to breathe
and scream. One of her friends screamed and that was when Harry realized the girl was
dying. A few Ravenclaw girls ran for a teacher while Harrry stood there. He briefly
remembered thinking and wondering if he was getting used to death. Once again, the girl's
eyes locked on his. Her face was streaked with tears, her eyes rolled widly. She sank to
her knees and looked once more at Harrry before her eys stopped their circular travel and
she crumples forward. And Harry just stood there.
~~
Harry blinked. He was in Dumbledore's office. The Snoring people were up and whispering
to each other. His eyes traveled around the room. Dumbledore sat at his desk, he was
deep in thought before the pensieve. Several teachers were lined against the walls all
watching Dumbledore closely. An Auror stood in a corner, a hooded figure beside him and
on the other side stood Sirius Black. Dumbledore finally looked up.
"Ahh, Harry feeling a bit better?" All the twinkle in his eyes were gone.
"Wait, the Quidditch match…and the girl." Harry said.
"The Quidditch match has been canceled and will be held tomarrow." Dumbledore sighed,
"The girl is with us no longer." Harry sat listeneing to the words but not really believeing it.
"Could you tell us what happened?" Dumbledore asked leaning forward.
Harry told them, net even having his voice catch. As he told the story the hooded figure
sank lower before Sirius and the Auror caught it and led it over to sit. The hood fell back to
reveal Professor Casar: but only a wraith of her former being. Black-purple hair was
knotted and pale skin was stretched across prominent features. Harry recoiled in horror
before Sirius could pull the hood forward. Harry groaned and rested his head against the
back of the chair.
"Pomfrey?" Dumbledore called, "Bring a sleeping draft."
~~
When Harry awoke Ron and Hermione were sitting by his bed staring anxiously at him.
Hermione grinned in relief and Ron sighed.
"Hey, Harry we didn't think you'd wake up in time." Ron said.
"For what?" Harry asked.
"The Quidditch match against Slytherin." Hermione answered. "Dumbledore wanted you to
sleep to the last possible minute so you wouldn't have to think about…ahem.." Hemione
trailed off. Harry nodded and looked over at Ron. He was staring at his hands and being
awfully quiet. They went down to the field after Harry had changed and gotten his broom.
Then they parted: Hermione and Ron to the oddly quiet crowd and himself to the line of
teammates. The whistle sounded and he pushed off hard. The usually thrilling beginning
made Harry nauseus. Harry gritted his teeth and fixed on thought in this head: Get the
Snitch, Get the Snitch.
"SPINNET ROCKETS DOWN THE FIELD…SHE—OHH, INTERCEPTED BY THE SLYTHERIN
BEATER."
Lee Jordan's magnified voice cut through Harry's thoughts and made his head pound and
whirl. His stomach lurched. More urgently he flew around the field trying to find the Snitch
and end this stupid game. The sneering face of Draco Malfoy didn't help much either.
"Hey Potter, what's the matter? Scared of heights?" Harry contented himself with a glare
directed at Malfoy. If you're going to throw up make sure it's all over him, Harry thought.
"Slytherin scores." Lee annouced degectidily. Black spots danced before Harry's eyes, now
he really had to end this game. Then Harry saw it. The Snitch glimmering between the
branches on the end of the Gryffindor Keeper's broom. Harry tore after him. It wasn't long
before Harry felt the beating of the Snitch's wings on his hand. He stopped dead. Big
mistake. Hurtling toward the ground, Harry landed on his hands and knees. He knew he
was going to pass out but not before he retched all over the Quidditch field.
~~
Days and even weeks passed before Harry ever woke up. And when he did the sad face of
Dumbledore was focused before him.
"What happened?" Harry groaned.
"Seems you were selected to be that certain 5th year Gryffindor boy." Dumbledore
answered.
"Oh, Hermione told you."
Dumbledore nodded," Yes, it seems they used a potion that could bring a vile disease to one
person. It's a good thing that we caught it before it could become permanent."
"Permanent?"
"It needs a span of two days to attch itself. We caught it at the last possible moment."
Harry leaned his head back against his pillow. THe killer had done it. They had struck 4
time one attempt at the famous Harry Potter. So now what were they planning? "OH, and
you have a note from someone." Dumbledore smiled and left so Harry could read it in
private. Harry's heart lept, Cho? He unfolded the note.
Harry,
Hope your feeling better, but there is one thing both me and Dumbledore agree
that you should know. Meet me in my office right after Pomfrey dismisses you.
Bring no friends.
Professor Casar
Harry lept out of bed and rushed over to knock on Madam Pomfrey's office door.
~~
It took Harry literally an hour before he convinced Madam Pomfry to let him go but when he
did he ran all the way to Casar's room. He knocked but heard no one inside. Carefully, he
opened the door and entered. The room was in chaos. All her Seeing things were shattered
on the floor, the fire roared as it consumed papers and all the things on the desk had been
shoved off except for Casar's crystal ball. As Harry leaned over it the smoke parted and
words formed:
All I ask,
Is that you pass,
This way.
Because who knows when,
Time will end,
And evil shall reign.
It didn't stpe there, a ghostly arrow pointed out toward the window. Harry followed it to the
window where it then pointed toward the grounds. He was about to tell Dumbledore when a
girl's voice sang:
Fear and pain,
Fear and pain,
Soon only evil shall reign.
Harry frowned and then dashed up the Gryffindor Common Room to grab his Invisibility
Cloak. Before he could get out of the portrait hole, Hermione blocked his way.
"Where are you going?' She glared at him.
"To talk to Professor Casar." Harry lied.
Hermione brightened, "Can I go with you? Ron's off with his girlfriend."
"No." Harry said flatly, "She only wants to talk to me."
"Well, if you're going to be that way about it." Hermione sniffed, "I don't want to."
"Fine." Harry said, he didn't want to be mean to Hermione but he had to get this lead while
he had it. Quickly, Harry dodged Hermione and ran to the grounds throwing on the
Invisibility Cloak. The arrow sat waiting. Harry followed into the Forbidden Forest.
Everytime he would almost loose sight of it the song would start up and the arrow would
grow more opaque. Suddenly the song grew louder and the arrow stopped before some
bushes. Harry stepped through and couldn't move anymore.
~~
Hermione wandered the halls quite degectidly. Boys, she thought bitterly. Ron gone, and
Harry and only Lavendar and Parvati left. They were nice but it would be her very last
resort. Until then either walking the halls until a teacher warned her with a detention or the
library seemed good. Just then Ron stumbled around the corner, robes askew and eyes
wide and terrified.
"Hermione!!." He exclaimed.
"Yeah?" She asked.
"Harry. Where has he gone?"
"Nice to see you too. How would I know he just left." Hermione hissed getting angry that
no one was telling her anything.
"OH, great. It's alll my fault. I have to talk to Dumbledore." Ron moaned.
Hermione grabbed his wrist, "Uh uh, nto until you tell me what's happening."
"The killer, Hermione, he's gone after the killer."
~~
Harry parted the bushes and stepped through. The clearing was lighted by purple flameds
and at the center, Professor Casar. She wasn't tied but her hood had fallen back, gray eyes
staring around angerly. The song floated closer still before stopping directly behind Harry.
"Well, hello Harry." Harry swiveled and amber eyes looked hungerly into his. "Fancy
meeting you here." Melantha turned away from him and walked to the fiery cage. "Look
what I caught!" She called gleefully to him. Casar's eyes changed to the slitted green and
she spat at Melantha. It hissed as it fit the flames.
"So it was you." Harry gaped in astonishment.
Melantha turned away to look at Harry, "Oh, I wouldn't say me entirely, I'm just a decoy for
the actual thing." She grinnned. "Yet another way Voldemort has infiltrated Hogwarts."
Harry slowly back up. Melantha had grinned at him before starting to change before Harry's
eyes. Dark brown hair replaced blonde and gray flesh replaced healthy pink skin. The
same amber eyes stayed on Harry.
"Do you like me better now Potter?" Her voice was rasping.
"What do you want?" Harry asked quite shakily.
"Oh, definatly not you, Potter!" she laughed, "Oh, no. Elké of the Animals wants revenge.
You are only a special extra that my Lord will repay me greatly for." Elké ran her tounge
over sharp fangs, "Or you might end up a tasty appitizer for me."
"Don't scare him, Elké, you know your master would never reward you." Professor Casar
said from where she was tied.
Elké spun, "I would, he promised me Harry Potter before!"
Casar snorted, "False promises, that's what the Lord of Darkness likes. He lives upon them,
feeds upon them."
Harry liked being temporarly forgotten. He looked around him, cluching his wand. There
didn't look like there was anything keeping him from leaving. Carefully, Harry approached
the bushes and reached his hand out. Next thing Harry knew was the cold grass and him
sucking desperate lungfuls of air. Opening his eyes, a yell of surprise escaped him, a tiger
was sitting directly on top of him.
"Very stupid Potter, 5 years in the magical world and you still are totally clueless. Be
careful or you will try my patience too much." With that the tiger changed to Elké who tied
him to a magically conjured post.
"You're…" Harry managed.
"Elké of the Animals." She hissed rubbing her eyes, "Get the name now?" Harry nodded.
Muffled laughter cam from the ring of flames. Elké spun to face Casar.
"He told you everyone would know your name, right?" She asked, smirking weakly.
"And my Lord has." Elké returned stiffly.
"Then how come even the famous Harry Potter hasn't heard of you?" Elké didn't answer.
"So he hasn't been good to you either." Harry noticed that Professor Casar's eyes were the
slit-eyed green.
"He has too!!" Elké cried furiously.
"You doubt him though." Casar continued calmly.
"Do you dare defy me?" Elké asked pulling out her wand and circling the outside of the
magical flames. Harry tuned out of the conversation and tried the ties behind him. They
were loose enough if only… Then he remembered the wand in his pocket. Harry twisted and
almost had it when Elké turned to him. Happiness burned brightly in her amber eyes.
"So you don't know about your precious teacher." Harry stared at her in blank confusion.
"Can you tell me what those papers were that someone would deliver everyday?" Elké was
inches from his face.
"No." He stuttered. Harry looked at Casar. She was squeezing her eyes shut and muttering
something under her breath.
"You never knew that your teacher was the most celebrated killer among the Death Eaters?"
Elké pried. Harry gulped, Her? A Death Eater?
"And of all the things she's done? You've never heard of her?" Elké said with false sadness
in her voice.
"Harry deserves to hear it from me." Professor Casar had gotten to her feet.
"Does he?" Elké hissed, "When were you going to tell him? When he was 20?"
"I was going to tell him today but I ran out of time." Casar hissed back.
"And you're running out of still more time before I lose my patience, story or no, and make
you my dinner." Elké said.
Quickly, Casar turned to Harry, her yellow-green eyes filled with sadness, " Harry, I was a
hunter of men. Lord Voldemort directed me to anyone he wanted dead. I was no more
human than he was, seeing because I was made by the Death Eaters." She smiled wryly,"
Ever wonder why Severus was scared of me? It was because he made me. He was chief in
my design, my use. I was made to be emotionless, heartless, ruthless. I killed without
caring and without hearing their pleas. It was dark day when I got bored of using Avada
Kedava and started thinking up more unpleasent ways to kill." Casar took a deep breath, all
the while Elké was grinning,
"Then, the bloodiest day of all wizard history. Lord Voldemort clashed with hundreds of
wizard folk: Aurors, Ministry people, common wizards…" She drew another deep breath, a
tear making a salty track down her face, "children. Voldemort's main insturment: me. I
killed for him, did whatever he damn well pleased and at the end of the battle I had been
hurt and he left me for the Ministry." Sadness changed to bitterness, "They sent me to
Azkaban but I was immune to the Dementors and so I was sent to a special holding place
at the Ministry building. One day, while plotting to break out of my cell, a young man of
about 20 stopped by and stared in at me and as tears coursed down his face I decided to
listen to what he had to say. 'I just wanted to see you,' he told me, 'because you killed my
brother, but I forgive you.' I had been protected from anything that would affect my steel
heart, but Voldemort didn't think about forgivness and since then I have been unceesingly
searching for Death Eaters."
"What a quaint little story." Elké said before turning into a tiger and circling the outside of
the flames., "Now I am terrible hungry. You have ten seconds to think upa plan before
you're my dinner."
"May I have my wand?" Casar asked.
"No, that would be too sportsmanlike."
"Aww, just like your boyfriend, Voldie." Casar said sarcastically.
"10…"
Harry worked at his loose bonds, mind racing from Casar's storry and desperation.
"9…"
Almost done.
"8,7,6,5…"
Harry's arms dropped free and he grabbed his wand and aimed it at his feet. He hissed the
Severing Charm.
"4…"
Unfortuently, his hands were shaking and he missed, instead severing the bottom of his
robes. Harry tried again.
"3…"
Harry dropped from the pole and stayed crouched, hoping Elké didn't notice him. Harry
noticed Professor Casar glancing around too before her eyes locked on his.
"2…"
She smiled sadly before blowing him a kiss and mouthing, 'Goodbye'.
"1"
~~
As Elké jumped, Casar dropped and rolled. She hoisted a heavy stick and the two faced off.
Casar would make a jab but Elké would sidestep with all the agility of the cat she was. As
they backed toward Harry, he pulled his wand out and aimed carefully. AT the last instant
Harry went a stream of sparks at Elké's flank. The large cat jumped and twisted around but
not before Casar could land a few good blows. One struck the tiger on the side of the head.
Quickly, Elké changed to a bird and circled the clearing.
Suddenly, Casar dropped the stick. Harry's eyes widened, Was she crazy? Then he noticed
that Casar's right hand glowed with a black light that swirled around her hip. She placed
her hand asif to pull a sword from its scabbard. Drawing back her hand, a sword came with
it. THe ring of steel resounded in the clearing.
"Come and play, Elké. I didn't totally give up some of the things of the Dark. Even though
now they serve a better cause: slewing you."
The bird dropped, changing into a mouse.
"Shit." She swore.
Elké reappered as herself right behind Casar. Elké clubbed Casar at the side of the
head,barely missing her temple. It took Harry an instant to realize that Elké had her own
sword. Casar swiveled and swung, blade met blade in a flash of sparks. They parried
before drawing apart, circling and studiying their rival. Casar stepped forward first feinting
with the dark colored blade but swung her foot in a roundhouse kick. The kick landed
squarely but when Elké lost her balance her blade ripped Casar's robe and skin along her
left side. Panting and holding her hand to her wound, which bled a weird lubricant blue
color blood, Casar leveled her sword's point at Elké's throat.
"Now we finally see who lives and…Damn!" Elké had shrunk to the size of an insect. Casar
plunged her sword into the soil and began chanting. Another gray mist gathered in her
hands, instead it solidified into a roiling sphere.
"The cowardly is the one who runs, now we know who is the more cowardly." Professor
Casar's green slit-eyes glittered maliciously, "Come and get me."
As if excepting the invitation a sphere came flying toward the Professor even before Harry
saw Elké. Casar threw up a magical shield and launched her own. Elké split the sphere
inhalf and blocked the blows Casar delivered. Quite suddenly Elké's sword flew straight and
true gouging deep into her rival's sword arm. As soon as Casar bgan to fall, Elké shape
shifted to the tiger once more. Pouncing and pinning Casar to the ground the tiger took one
of her claws and placed it over Casar's heart.
"I'm sorry. You were so much fun." Raking a claw diagonally and againg diagonally from
the other side making an 'x', "X marks the spot." She hissed, usinga newly transfigured
human hand to draw her sword.
Harry sat in the bushes near them, racking his brain for a good spell, but dammit if his mind
hadn't gone blank.
Professor Casar's hadn't. Reaching for her own sword, sneakily she whispered, "I had fun
too, but goodbye." Quick as lightening Casar's sword flashed up and into the tiger's heart.
THe animal screamed as Casar twisted the sword. Unfortuently, Elké intent on killing the
woman below her also somewhat hit her mark in a final burst of energy. Casar found her
own scream mingled with the tiger's. However, Elké of the Animals dropped first and only
when she had given her last death throw did Harry emerge from his hiding to see his
Professor.
She was grinning when Harry knelt over her. Her eyes locked on his, the green eyes no
longer frightening but friendly.
"Harry," She whispered, "Look." She brushed her hand past her breast where the sword
had hit(she had pulled it out). Holding up her hand next to Harry's face, he saw dark red
,wet blood.
"Look, I bleed red. Like the rest of you. I taste the coppery taste the rest of you taste. I am
finally human." She was right, instead of blue she bled a dark red.
"Get me my sword please." Casar whispered. Harry's stomach roiled as he wrenched it
froom the tiger. He tried to hand it to her but she wrapped his fingers around it until Harry
felt it bite into his hands. "It's yours. My gift…to you. May it always be faithful to you."
Casar coughed, a thing trickle of blood trickled from the corner of her mouth. "Here take the
scabbard." She unbukled a scabbard that had been hidden before. After handing it to
himshe smiled at him and brushed his cheek, where a tear had escaped from Harry's eye;
accidently smearing her own blood on his cheek. Professor Casar's eyes rolled to the back
of her head and she sucked her final breath…smiling.
~~
It took Harry til mid-morning to struggle onto the grounds of Hogwarts at last. He
staggered past Hagrids empty hut. However he barely remembered that someone lived
there. Harry ignored the stares he got from fellow students he knew he looked terrible.
Robes torn and bloody, carrying a sword. He finally reached Dumbledore's office.
"Hello Harry." Dumbledore voiced. Only Snape and McGonagall were there, except for
Hermione and Ron against the wall. Harry told his story quietly and monotone until the
end.
"She didn't get to finish did she?" Dumbledore prodded the misty contents of the pensieve,
"This is how I remember Tierney Casar. She wasn't' the most powerful dark wizard but she
was close 1st. She was quite correct in saying she got bored with Avada Kedava. The
Ministry was in an uproar."
Harry watched as the dark witch revolved, her feet in the mist. She had a sword strapped
to her hip, a throwing knife in her boot,a dagger on the other side of her hip, and a wand
she carried in her hand. Then the misty figure pulled aside the front of her robes to reveal
a Muggle pistol in a shoulder holster.
"She was proud of her pistol because no wizard was suspecting it. Tierney also had a spell
on it so the bullet would travel deep and couldn't be extracted." Dumbledore pulled another
memory fron his mind and placed it in the pensieve. Another Tierney appered beside the
other.
"After she was captured by the Ministry, she wanted to become more human, see when she
was taken and converted to the Dark side, the Death Eaters sucked out her old soul with a
Dementor and was given a new soul and an artifical heart with artifical blood. It made her
seemingly unbeatable. The papers the Sirius would bring in a folder was information on
becoming more human. The magical tranformations exhausted her toward the end of the
year and she was overwhelmed by all that she could feel. Lord Voldemort knew exactly
when to send another servant to strike."
"Wait," Harry managed," Why was she so overwhelmed?"
"Oh, sorry I thought maybe she had told you." Dumbledore apologized, "Also Voldemort
wanted someone who could fight perfectly in all conditions. The solution? He made her
immune to feeling cold, rain and other things. He didn't forget to give her a function that
whenever there was a problem she thought and stayed awake utnil it was solved. Since
Tierney was more human it wore her down when her rival began the killings. Anymore
questions Harry?"
"Yeah, the sword. What should I do with it?"
"Keep it. I'm assuming that Tierney sealed it with your blood?" Dumbledore asked.
"I guess, I'm not to sure." Harry said.
"Did it have your blood and her's on it?"
"Yeah."
"Then yes, it will serve only you."
~~
Harry, Hermione and Ron were walking down to the medical ward.
"Hey Harry I'm really sorry." Ron started miserably, "I was under the Imperius Curse."
"It doesn't matter." Harry said shrugging.
"But I should have fought it!" Ron exclaimed, "This is the second time a Weasley had been
controlled!"
Harry really didn't know what to say. Instead Harry put his hand on Ron's shoulder. "It's
okay, your still my friend, you always will be."
~~
Harry was sitting up in his bed in the hospital, clutching Tierney Casar's sword. He had
been up for the longest time just thinking. Suddenly, a warm breeze swirled past his ear.
Harry looked up and saw the window open. Harry sat up to go close it when a figure
solidified in front of him. It was Tierney Casar. She waved and smiled.
"Thank you Harry. Use my sword only toward evil." She grinned and ruffled his hair with a
translucent hand. Turning, she flew out the window and swung it shut. Harry smiled and
set the sword down beside his bed.
"Don't worry. I will"
A/N: REVIEW!!!!! It really pisses me off that I spend soooo much time typing and writing
this that no one comments. Except for the last four that did THANK YOU SOOO MUCH!!!