The Crow: Phoenix Rising
By: Belcris
Summary: What if "the power the Dark Lord knows not" had nothing to do with love? What if it had everything to do with justice? Crossover of Harry Potter and the Crow.
Harry Potter created by: JK Rowling
The Crow created by: James O'Barr
I do not own these characters and I do not seek to profit from this story. I only wish to pay tribute to two great authors.
WARNING: This story contains scenes of graphic violence, foul language, and death. Rape is implied. You have been warned.
Category: AU. Dark Fiction.
Chapter 6: Like Father, Like Son
Another borrowed sunrise. Sitting on the roof of Grimmauld Place, I watched as the sun rose over the skyline of London. After dealing with Bellatrix, I had found it impossible to sleep. Thankfully, I don't really need to sleep, but it does make for a good way to relax after a day of dealing out justice.
"God, I think I'm going insane," I muttered to myself.
Could be, but then I'm thinking your mind wasn't that stable to begin with.
"Thanks," was my dry reply, looking over at the Crow as she sat next to me on the ledge of the roof. "I really appreciate the moral support."
No problem, Harry. It's what I do best.
I couldn't help but laugh. I mean really, I'm dead, she's a bird and some type of mythical goddess, and we're both running around killing bad guys. How sane is that? Honestly, it sounded more like something out of a comic book than someone's actual life. No, it sounded more like a children's book written by a single mother to entertain her kids while she looked for a decent job. Or, maybe it was a cross between the two. I just hoped they got someone good-looking to play me when they made the movie.
Either way, it was my life and right now it was almost done. All that was left to deal with was Lucius Malfoy and his master. Oh, and let's not forget the last of Voldemort's Horcruxes, Nagini. Then it was over and I could return to Ginny in the afterlife. I just hoped there really was an afterlife and this wasn't all some messed up dream. Given the fact that the Crow had brought me back from somewhere, I was fairly convinced this wasn't a dream, but who could say for sure. Things always did have a way of turning out strangely in my life.
Take yesterday afternoon for example. After returning from my little errand, Hermione had been almost impossible to deal with. It had taken me almost an hour to get her to calm down enough to talk to her. Then I had to explain to her, again, that I wasn't back for good. After who knows how many attempts, she just could not seem to accept that there was not a solution to the situation that would allow me to stay after my job was done. Hermione was convinced, in typical fashion for her, that somewhere there was a book that held an answer she could accept. Not even the Crow telling her that I was living on borrowed time would convince her.
"Listen, Hermione," I had finally said. "I'm dead. Ginny's dead. After I kill two more people, I'm gone. Forever! There is no changing that! I wouldn't even if I could. I'm not supposed to be here anymore, Hermione. I'm supposed to be with Ginny, taking part in whatever the next great adventure might be."
"B-but…" she stammered before taking a deep breath and launching into one of her famous lectures. "There are so many people here that you could help and who miss you so much. Just look at Mrs. Weasley. She has been so upset since the night you and Ginny left."
"We didn't leave," I interrupted. "We were brutally murdered after Ginny was repeatedly raped by Death Eaters."
"That's what I said," continued Hermione. "Since that night, so many people have needed your help."
"I'm not a savior, Hermione," I interrupted again. "There are other people out there capable of fighting. I do my job, kill Voldemort, and they can take care of the rest."
Hermione looked like she was trying to figure out an argument against what I had just said, but wasn't going to let her. "You have to understand something, Hermione. I don't want to be here anymore. I mean, I love you and all, not to mention the Weasleys, but that's not enough to keep me here any longer than I have to be. I'm dead and the dead aren't supposed to come back once we're gone. This world, this life, is nothing but pain for me now. Hermione, I want to rest and I want to see Ginny again. Why can't you understand that?"
With those words, Hermione collapsed to the floor and started crying again. "I-it's n-not fair, H-harry."
"Life never is," was all I could say to that. "And death is even less so."
After getting her cleaned up a bit, I transported us both to the property line of the Weasleys. It was another of those bittersweet moments. I could see several of the Weasleys out behind the house, along with my new adopted sisters, having tea. I wanted to join them, but I knew it wouldn't work out. My time with them was done, and nothing was going to change that. No, I was just there to say goodbye to Hermione, probably for the very last time.
"Please," she begged when she saw where we were. "Don't leave again, Harry!"
Of course, just my luck, Mrs. Weasley had heard Hermione's yell. You want to know what fast is? Fast is Mrs. Weasley when she's running towards you to give you a hug. I swear, if I didn't know better, I would have thought she had Apparated from where she was to standing right in front of me in the blink of an eye. One moment I was turning around to run, and the next she had me in a hug that would have snapped my spine if I was still alive.
"H-harry!" she shrieked in my ear, crushing me in her arms the whole time.
Then I had another two sets of arms around my legs as Megan and Virginia, the girls I had saved from MacNair and adopted, joined in on the fun. I could see Mr. Weasley standing behind them with a pitying smile on his face. All I could do was motion to the two small girls and then the house to get him to take the girls with him. I didn't think they needed to hear what I was going to have to say to Mrs. Weasley. He seemed to understand and after pulling the girls aside and whispering to them, they walked back to the house leaving Hermione, Mrs. Weasley, and me by ourselves to talk.
"Oh Harry, dear," she finally said. "I'm so glad you're alive!"
That wasn't a good thing to hear and I knew I had to stop it immediately. Pulling away from the woman who had been the closest thing to a mother I ever knew, I stepped away from her so she could get a good look at me. There are some conversations you just know are not going to be easy and this was one of them. Part of me really didn't want to do it, but just like with Hermione, it needed to be done. With that thought firmly in mind, I knew there was only one way to make them both understand.
"I'm not alive, Molly," I said softly, pulling my wand and transfiguring a twig into a knife.
Before either of them could so much as twitch, I snatched up the blade and plunged it into my chest. Instantly they were shrieking, but I didn't stop. Instead, I pulled the knife out and let them watch as the wound slowly sealed. A quick cleaning spell and the blood was gone, except for what was left on the blade of the knife in my hand.
"I'm dead," I continued as they both fell to the ground. "My heart no longer beats and the blood in my veins is cold. I came back to deal out the justice that was denied when Ginny and I died, and then I'm returning to my grave."
Hermione and Mrs. Weasley were really sobbing now, but I couldn't back down. "I love you both so much. Hermione, you are my sister in all but blood. Mrs. Weasley, you are the mother I always wanted. Even with all that, it's just not enough to keep me here, even if that were possible, which it isn't. Every breath here hurts and I have so much blood on my hands. I just want to sleep, to go to my next great adventure knowing that Ginny is waiting for me. Can't you understand that?"
Turning my back to them, I started to walk away, but there was one last thing I needed to say to them both. "Live your lives, for me and Ginny. Raise those girls right, Molly. I'll make sure they have a better world to live in. And Hermione, go find Ron. I think you two need each other, now more than ever."
And that was it. The Crow transported me back to Grimmauld Place before they could say anything. It was better that way. A sudden break rather than some long and drawn out thing that would leave more wounds than it would heal. It was what I needed in order to understand that today was going to be the last day for me. I couldn't do this anymore, not to me or to the people I loved. This sunrise would be my last if I had anything to say about it.
"Let's get this over with," I said to the Crow as I stood up. "It's time for me to pay a visit to Lucius and his Master."
Alright, Harry. We'll do it your way now.
"Thanks," I whispered as the Crow transported us to Malfoy Manor.
Having never seen the place before I could honestly say I was somewhat surprised by it. I had always heard Draco talking about his home as if it was bigger than Buckingham Palace, but in reality it wasn't much bigger than Grimmauld Place. Well, maybe a bit bigger, but not by much. Still, it was bigger than the Burrow and #4 Privet Drive, so I guess he had a bit of bragging room there. Not that I cared. I wasn't there to write an article for the local shopper about how well off the Malfoys were.
"Can you tell me who's inside?" I asked, looking up at the Crow.
Yeah, give me a moment.
With that, the Crow took to the air and flew off towards one of the upstairs windows. I stepped into the shadows of a large tree and waited for her return. After what seemed like an eternity, I saw her flying back out of an open window on the lower floor. She was really making haste towards me and it looked like she had been attacked. There was blood dripping from one of her wings, droplets of it flying off the wingtip as she flew towards me.
Watch out, Harry! she cried as she approached. They're ready for you!
"Are you alright?" I asked, letting her land on my outstretched arm.
I'll be fine in a little bit, but until I am, you are going to be vulnerable.
"That doesn't sound good," was my reply as transfigured some tree bark into a bandage for her wing. "What do you mean by vulnerable?"
Until I heal, maybe thirty minutes or so, you won't heal like you normally do. They won't be able to kill you, but it's going to hurt and it's going to make you weak.
"Then we wait until you're healed," I grunted as I tied of the bandage.
You can't, Harry. It's just Lucius and his son in there, but they've got Luna Lovegood tied up in the front parlor. She looks pretty beat up. If you wait too long, we might not be able to help her.
"Bloody hell!" I swore under my breath before sitting her on a low branch and turning towards the house. "Then I guess this is going to hurt, but I'm not going to let those bastards take any more innocent lives. Go back to either the Burrow or Grimmauld Place until I'm done. I don't need someone catching you while you're hurt."
Alright. I'll know when you need me, so don't worry about me, Harry.
With that, she was gone. Good thing, too, since a sickly green spell suddenly passed right through where she had been a moment before. I turned and saw two figures rushing towards me. Both were wearing Death Eater robes, their faces covered by the bone white masks they always wore. It didn't really matter to me though who they were. What concerned me were the spells they were casting.
"DRACO!" shouted the one on the left. "Don't let him get away! The Dark Lord will reward us handsomely for his death."
"Yeah, right!" I spat, beginning to cast my own spells right back at them. "You actually think you're getting out of this one alive?"
What followed has to have been the longest, most annoying duel of my life. Obviously, Draco hadn't kept up his studies because he just kept casting the same three spells at me over and over again. He would cast a stunner followed by Sectumsempra, and rounded off with Avada Kedavra, over and over again. Lucky for me I only had to dodge the first two since the third one was useless. That's not to say I didn't get hit with the cutting curse a few times. Thankfully, as much as it hurt, it still couldn't kill me.
"I don't know how you faked your death, Potter," screamed Draco as one of my spells sliced though his robes. "It doesn't really matter though, because I'm going to kill you, finally!"
I snorted with laughter as I dodged yet another killing curse cast by the little blonde ponce. "First of all, I didn't fake my death, not that it really matters. As for you killing me? You couldn't kill a fly if your daddy was there to hold your wand for you while you did it."
While Draco I as having my little conversation with Draco, Lucius was busy proving that unlike his son, he really was a threat. While Draco tried to distract me with his juvenile taunts and pathetic dueling skills, his father circled around us like a jungle cat on the hunt. Every time I lost sight of the elder Malfoy for even an instant, the bastard would throw some nasty dark spell at me. Luckily, being dead tends to protect you from some of the nastier dark curses. Suffocation doesn't work on someone that doesn't need to breathe. A heart attack inducing curse also doesn't work when your heart doesn't beat. However, an entrail expelling spell will still cause your guts to try evacuating your body through whatever opening is currently available. After literally fighting to keep my stomach from flying out my mouth, I had finally had enough. I waited until Lucius and Draco were standing next to each other before pumping everything I had into one major spell aimed at their feet.
"Confringo!"
The explosion caused by the spell was enough to knock both men off their feet. Not wasting any time, I ran over to the unconscious Malfoys and stunned them just to be sure they weren't faking it. Then, just for good measure, I stunned them both about five more times each. I know, it was childish, but it sure made me feel better. Well, it would have if my colon hadn't currently been sliding down my leg. So, doing the most logical thing I could think of, I passed out.
"Wake up, Harry," said a soft voice.
"Don't want to," I whined, keeping my eyes tightly closed. "Just fought the Malfoys and my guts are trying to run away."
I heard someone laugh, a young woman. "I fixed that little problem, Harry. Now you need to wake up and deal with them so you can return to where you came from. You wouldn't want to leave Ginny alone with the Crumple-Horned Snorkacks. They can travel to the other side and back, didn't you know that?"
"Luna?" I asked, opening my eyes and sitting up.
Sure enough, sitting next to me and looking more than a little worse for wear was Luna Lovegood. Her hair was matted with blood from a scabbed over cut on her forehead, but her eyes still sparkled with that odd light they always had. How she had gotten free was beyond me, but at least she was safe. Standing up I reached down to help her to her feet, seeing for the first time the bruises on her arms and legs, revealed by the tattered state of her robes. It looked like the Malfoys had been beating her, or maybe worse, for some time.
"Are you okay, Luna?" I asked, not really wanting to hear one of her uniquely blunt answers.
"Oh, I've been better, Harry," she answered, looking up at me as she stood on slightly wobbly legs. "Draco tried to rape me several times, but his little thing didn't seem to want to cooperate. He and his father would just beat me, or use the Cruciatus on me when that happened."
And for the first time since I had met Luna on the Hogwarts Express all those years ago, I watched as her silver eyes filled with tears. Doing the only thing I could, I hugged her as tightly as I could. I held her until the tears stopped and then I held her until she stopped shaking. Time had little meaning as I held her in my arms. All that mattered was that one of my few friends needed me and I was going to be there for her for as long as I could. Luna finally reached up and pulled my head down. Much to my surprise she stood up on her tiptoes and kissed me on the lips.
"You know, Harry," she said dreamily after pulling away, "I always thought you and Ginny made the perfect couple, but if she had ever let you go, I would have scooped you up in a heartbeat."
"Thanks, Luna," I said with a blush. "I would have been a lucky man."
"Not that Ginny was ever going to let you go, Harry," continued Luna, stepping back and turning to hide her own blush. "Even with her being dead, she's still holding on tightly to you. Lucky girl."
We both laughed at that. Sure, it wasn't exactly the time for laughter, but then again maybe it was. When faced with a situation like we found ourselves in, maybe it was the perfect time to laugh. Whatever the case, I knew Luna was going to be okay. That was the important part.
"Well, Harry," she said softly as she looked over her shoulder at me. "I'm going to walk over there a ways while you deal with these two. If it wouldn't be a bother, could you take me home when you are done?"
"Sure, Luna. Just give me a bit of time," I answered, looking down at the still unconscious Malfoys. Taking off my leather robe, I handed it to her. "Here, wear this. Your robe seems a bit torn up at the moment."
"Why thank you, Harry," she replied taking it and removing her torn robe, revealing exactly what she wasn't wearing under it.
"Umm… Luna…you're naked," I managed to get out as she turned and walked off, bare as the day she was born.
"Is that a problem, Harry?" she asked as she continued to walk away.
Thinking about it for a moment, all I could say was, "I guess not. See you in a bit, Luna."
"I'll be waiting," she called back as she reached the trees just at the property line.
As soon as Luna was out of sight, I set to work. Dragging the two Malfoys into their much beloved manor, I went searching for the front parlor. I figured it was fitting that they spend their last moments in the home that they loved. So, with them soon secured tightly to two large arm chairs, I set about preparing the room. It took me nearly twenty minutes to prepare the room for what I had in mind for them. I had left their wand arms free when fastening them to the chairs so that they could still use their wands. Now that my trap was set, I laid their wands on their laps, ready for my master plan. Finally, when I was all done, I woke them both up.
"Potter!" they both screamed at once.
"When I get loose I'm going to kill you!" shrieked Draco.
"The Dark Lord will kill you for this!" bellowed Lucius.
"Yes, I'm sure he'll try, but we have other things to talk about before that happens," I drawled, turning away from them and walking towards the door. "I've charmed the room so that the only way out is if one of you kills the other, the remaining one goes free…"
"AVADA KEDAVRA!" both men screamed at once.
I spun around when neither spell hit me, and saw both father and son dead as doornails. "What the fuck! I spent all that time setting this up and you two just up and kill each other before I can even explain my master plan to you? I spent all that time rigging your mansion to explode and turned your chairs into portkeys so the survivor would be transported far enough away to watch the manor destroyed. Then, after you had watched your house go up in flames, the chair was going to transform into a dragon and fly you to the middle of the ocean where it was going to explode and leave your burnt and mangled body for the sharks to eat. But NO, you two have to be complete wankers and off yourselves! Talk about anticlimactic!"
"It figures," I thought to myself as I looked at the two dead men. "Draco and his father always claimed to be more dangerous than they really were. Not even the love of a father for his son, or vice versa, was enough to make them bat an eye at killing one another. How utterly pathetic."
Storming out of the house, I cast one more spell to trigger the traps I had set. The two Malfoy morons might have ruined my well set plans, but I was still blowing up them and their manor. Burning the image of the Crow into the stone path leading to the manor, I walked away still grumbling about how inconsiderate some people could be. Several pops, an explosion, and a raging fire later I made my way over to where I had seen Luna enter the trees. I soon found her sitting on my robe, still naked, only now she looked to have cleaned up a bit.
"Umm… Luna…you were meant to wear my robe, not sit on it," I pointed out as I walked over to her.
Standing up and stretching, Luna just smiled at me before bending over at the waist to pick up the robe and hand it back to me. "Oh, that's alright, Harry. It's a nice day out so I didn't really need it."
"B-but Luna, you're naked," I stammered, stating the obvious, "and evidently a bit chilly."
"I still don't see a problem, Harry," replied Luna, walking over to hand me my robe before she wrapped an arm around one of mine.
"What can I say to that one?" I thought to myself, trying not to look down at where my arm was currently located. "No problem at all, Luna. Let's get you home, shall we?"
A few minutes later, and several blushes on my part, Luna was home safe and sound. Her father was evidently off taking care of something for his newspaper, so Luna invited me in for a spot of tea. I'm not sure which was more shocking, the fact she not only accepted that I was dead or the fact that she never once made a move to get dressed. Do you have any idea how hard it is for a man, dead or alive, to not look at an attractive woman's body? I mean seriously, I was starting to get neck cramps from fighting the urge to someplace other than her eyes. Finally, when I could take no more of her stretches and random displays of how limber she is, I had to say my final farewell.
As I walked towards the door, I smiled over my shoulder at her saying, "I'm sure we'll see each other again someday, Luna, but don't hurry on my account."
"Yes," she agreed with a very serious look on her face, the first I had ever seen. "I think that after everything I've put you through this afternoon, we will see each other again someday, Harry. Many years from now, but we will see each other again."
With a final smile, I stepped out the door and just before it closed I heard her whisper, "I wonder if Ginny would mind sharing?"