A/N: I have no stake in the Harry Potter or Star Wars universes save those characters and ideas of my own invention and unique to either universe.

Special Note: For an explanation of how Harry's presence influences the timeline, please read my preface to chapter 1.

With ten chapters down, I want to thank all of you who have made this story one of their favorites and/or requested an alert. Please keep reading and reviewing and I hope you all like the story from here on out.

Chapter 11

A rare few in this history of humanity have possessed a natural affinity for the Dark Arts. They can delve into the deepest recesses of their magical core and summon arcane energies to twist and warp the world around them. They can invoke ancient rituals of the ancient dark lords of the past; they can invoke power and unleash terrible spells and dark magics. When one gives them fully to their passions, to the power of the Dark Arts, they will realize that the magic of the Dark Arts are more than mundane acts of killing or causing destruction. A true wielder of the Dark Arts can create illusions, weapons of the most powerful sort, and exercise control on a global scale.

—Preface to The Path to Power by Zhivka Bisera—

Harry was alone in the Room of Requirement. He was exhausted from flying with Bryn, practicing beater plays and strategies. His friend had said he was insane when Harry told him he was going to the library.

But Harry needed to do more work. He was determined to learn as much as he could. He also hoped to practice some, if that blasted boggart would ever come out.

The Path to Power was proving a good find for Harry. It read like a textbook, outlining different types of spells and magic. Like his mum said, the two spells Snape used were among the first discussed. They were grouped with other spells and charms meant to hurt the foe or else pervert their ability to fight.

As he read the theory behind the spells, he made notes about everything he could. If he had his choice he would never cast these spells. It was a forlorn hope he knew. But if he wanted to make good on that vow, he needed know everything he could so he could counter them.

A few particularly caught his eye:

Sollicitudo amiculum—a charm that created a ward around the caster that made anyone who approached them feel increasingly anxious. Only those with the strongest will could ignore the cloud of anxiety and disable the ward.

Vis contagio—another charm that corrupted the victim's magic, creating a viral infection that ravaged their system. If it was not countered, the virus grew more powerful over time, eventually infecting the victim's magical core.

Atrum textus redimio—the darkest spell he studied so far. With intense focus, this spell trapped a person in a net of pure dark energy, cutting off their connection with magic. If it were not disabled, the lattices of dark energy would eventually drain the life out of a person. In a duel with limited focus and intent, the spell would just—just!—cut off the victim's connection with magic.

Before Harry could keep reading, a loud incessant ringing assaulted his ears. He closed the book and, wand at the ready, walked through the room. After a couple minutes, he realized the sound was coming from behind that one door he noticed before.

A little apprehensively, he opened the door. Then he realized it was the same circular room with the portraits of his friends. All of them were still stationary, except for Neville's. Watching the portrait, Harry didn't even notice the ringing had stopped.

He first thought Neville's portrait was the Gryffindor common room, but then he noticed that as the portrait Neville walked around, different things just came into being. Neville was in the Room of Requirement.

He reached out and touched the portrait, part of him hoping to be pulled through.

But nothing happened. The portrait Neville just kept looking around the room silently, requesting things. Only when he stepped in front of the fire did Harry notice how horribly beat up he was. He was bleeding profusely from cuts on both arms and on his chest. His nose was obviously broken and he had a nasty shiner.

Rage bubbled up in Harry's gut. Who had done these things to his friend?

Harry was so engrossed in watching Neville he didn't hear someone firing a torturing curse at him. The curse whizzed by his ear and slammed into the stone wall.

Harry dropped to the floor, firing a stunner out the door and conjuring the purple shield Sindri had taught them before he knew what was happening or whom he was fighting.

"Get up Potter," called a familiar haughty, superior voice. Harry slowly walked out of the portrait chamber, his eyes searching for his foe. It didn't take long to spot Malfoy, leaning against one of the boulders in the chamber, wand twitching in anticipation.

How did Malfoy get here? But then he saw it, out of the corner of his eye. The wardrobe that held the boggart was finally open. But why was he fighting Malfoy?

His eyes darkened. It hardly mattered. He hated Malfoy, hated him for being weak and following his father into the Death Eaters. He hated him for letting the Death Eaters into the castle, for letting them almost kill his friends and disfigure Bill.

Malfoy seemed to know what he was thinking. He stood tall; he was a good four inches taller than Harry. "Enough stalling Potter. You think you know about pain. That you've got nothing to lose. You know nothing of pain, nothing of loss."

Malfoy jumped to the side, avoiding Harry's leg-locker curse. "Is that the best you can do Potter," he sneered. "You're pathetic. You sit and brood about how dreadfully unfair your life has been. You think you're a martyr. You know nothing about pain."

"And you do? You're a bloody pampered bastard! You made your choices Malfoy. You could've changed, could've been a better person. Sectumsempra!"

Malfoy conjured a purple shield like Harry's, deflecting the spell easily. "Is that what you think Potter? What would you have done if the roles were reversed? I made my choices, yes. But I have no regrets. I expect nothing for the world. The world is cruel, something that you haven't grasped."

The two teens just stared at one another, Harry hearing Malfoy's words but not registering them in any meaningful way. He had only hatred for Malfoy, heard only the rationalizations of a Death Eater.

Again, as if he understood Harry's thoughts, the boggart Malfoy scowled fearsomely. "You refuse to listen Potter. And that is why you will never defeat the Dark Lord. Longbottom understands. You just saw him beaten and bloodied. But he is not broken. His spirit is still strong. Despite the horrors the Carrows are visiting on the students, Longbottom expects nothing from the world, expects nothing from fate. He does not adapt to the world; he forces the world to adapt to him. Why the Dark Lord didn't try to kill him all those years ago I'll never understand. Longbottom is the real wizard, even if it took time for him to mature."

"But we can talk later Potter. The Room has decided you are ready for your first test. I disagree but it is not my decision to make. Now you and I will fight. If you can defeat me, you'll be better for it and I will answer all your questions, all those I can answer anyway. Do not hold back Potter. I will use all my knowledge to defeat you. This duel will continue unto one of us is disarmed."

Without waiting for a reply, Malfoy sent a confringo curse at Harry's feet, forcing the Boy-Who-Lived to dive out of the way. Not wanting to open himself up to attack, he dove backwards. When he looked up, Malfoy was gone.

Harry cast another purple shield and reinforced it with a protego. Then he tapped his head twice, muttering vis exaudio and veneficus os. His hearing and sight improved tenfold. The spells left him slightly drained, like his mum said, but not much. He was sure Malfoy had silenced himself but Harry could hear his steps loud and clear.

"Stupefy!" The red stunner missed Malfoy who jumped out of the way.

Malfoy silently fired three fireballs. Not expecting the barrage, Harry's shield only held back the first two. The third broke his purple dome but was too weak to breach the protego shield. Harry jumped behind a boulder just as Malfoy's crucio shattered the weaker shield.

Under protection, Harry cursed himself. He should've cast his curse silently. His mum had said as much. He could hear Malfoy poking his way around the boulders, still invisible. Mimicking Malfoy, Harry disillusioned and silenced himself. Than he remembered something from that muggle book he read The Art of War:

All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near. Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and crush him.

The best deception he could think of would be to transfigure another Harry and attack Malfoy when he attacked the fake. But he didn't know how to do that kind of transfiguration. Have to ask Lily. It'd be better if I could ask James or Professor McGonagall though.

Well, he'd worry about that later. Right now he had to finish Malfoy. Looking over a different boulder, he noticed Malfoy had gone the wrong way and was twenty yards away. He was searching around the boulders and looking in crevasses to spot Harry.

Noticing some medium size pebbles and rocks on the ground a few yards away from Malfoy, he figured out something he could do. He sent a powerful rush of wind at the pebbles, shaking them enough to make it sound like someone was stepping through them. Malfoy jerked his head towards the sound and fired three quick curses (stunner, blasting hex, and crucio).

The git smiled smugly, thinking he had Harry down. He only put up a small shield as he approached where he thought Harry lay.

The Boy-Who-Lived smiled, waving his wand over his chest. "Amplio propero." When Malfoy stepped out in the open, Harry silently cast veneficus conculco. Unsure how fast he could move Harry waited two seconds before running after the yellow curse.

He timed it brilliantly. The yellow arrow shattered Malfoy's shield and hit him in the chest a bare second before Harry ran past, throwing a haymaker that sent Malfoy to the ground hard.

Harry had to duck behind a boulder for a minute. That charm to increase his speed drained him worse than any of the others. He looked over at Malfoy smiling. He could afford a break because Malfoy couldn't do any magic. The git was trying to heal his broken nose and staunch the bleeding for the gash on his forehead but none of the spells worked.

When he was ready, Harry disillusioned and silenced himself again and approached Malfoy. But the snake had wised up. He was trying to look for Harry, even if he couldn't attack. But he was too slow. Harry's disarming spell hit him right in the chest, sending him flying back in a heap. Harry summoned the wand and pocketed it.

The boggart Malfoy started smoking. Harry had his wand at the ready, waiting for a new attack. But when the smoke settled, Malfoy was still there but his wounds were healed. He was scowling at Harry but didn't look ready to attack.

"Congratulations Potter. You've passed your first test. I hope you'll forgive me, but I didn't expect you to pull it off."

"Why did you fight as Malfoy? Why not Voldemort?"

"Don't be so quick to die Potter. You did well against me but you're nowhere near ready to fight Voldemort, even a boggart Voldemort. Based on your request, the Room has decided you will pass through a series of tests, gradually building up to Voldemort. Something must have triggered the Room to believe you were ready for the first test."

"What could've triggered that? And why is the Room acting independently?"

"I cannot answer the first question Potter. Suffice it to say the intentions of the creator are unknown even to me. Your second question is easily answered though. Tell me Potter, how do you think this room works?"

Harry was a little surprised by the question. "Well, as far as I can tell it creates things that helps the user. It provided me with the dueling chamber, the books, and the boggart—you."

"Close Potter but wrong. The room creates nothing. It uses its magic to recreate things that already exist. Moreover, it takes the users request and reasons what he or she wants. The more specific the request the less it reasons but this room is capable of independent thought."

"You asked for a room to help you prepare for the Dark Lord. That is very vague. But using your thoughts, memories, and magic it determined the best way to meet your request. The same applies to that room of portraits that I almost ambushed you in earlier."

"But why can't it create food or drink? Or why couldn't it recreate swimming pool when Fred and George requested one during one of our D.A. meetings?

Malfoy scowled. "The Room is not a toy Potter. If the user does not an urgent reason for requesting something, the creator will not waste her time or her magic on such frivolities. As for food or drink, the creator has immense respect for the laws of magic and is well versed in all of them. She is powerful but even she cannot break fundamental laws of magic, which includes the transfiguration of food from nothing."

"'She?' Who is the creator?"

"Think about it Potter? This room is capable of independent thought, its magic can recreate almost anything, so long as it knows what it is and the user truly needs it? To create this room, someone would not only have to magically powerful but incredibly knowledgeable of all things magic. Does that sound like anyone you've heard of Potter?"

Harry thought for a moment, earning an exasperated sigh from Malfoy. Then it hit him. "Ravenclaw. Rowena Ravenclaw created this room."

Malfoy clapped derisively. "Very good Potter. Rowena Ravenclaw created the Room of Requirement when she was Headmistress, after Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin were dead. I do not presume to know for sure, but if I had to wager, she created this room for people like you and your friends, people to practice magic and hone their abilities. Of course I'm sure she isn't opposed to your friend Neville using the Room as a safe haven."

"You mentioned Neville earlier, and the Carrows. What's happening at Hogwarts now?"

"Voldemort has appointed Snape Headmaster and the Carrows as professors of DADA and Muggle Studies. The Carrows are violent, authorizing the use of the cruciatus on students who too strongly oppose Voldemort. Your friend Neville, you'll be proud to know, is the new leader of Dumbledore's Army."

Really? Neville is the leader?" He couldn't see Neville taking such a stand.

"Yes Potter, Longbottom is the leader. He models himself after you in fact. Lord knows why, but he believes you are a hero. With you gone and your friends still too stunned to act, he has decided to lead the rebellion against the Carrows."

"How do you know all of this? It's in the future."

"Easy Potter. Neville is using the room in the future and you've requested a way to connect with your friends. That is a tricky piece of magic. Under normal circumstances it would be impossible. But as is your way, you have once again broken all magical precedent. Your presence in this universe essentially connects two separate universes. Because you are the link between the two, Ravenclaw can use her magic to let you see your friends in the future. She is essentially retransmitting your future back to you. Incredible feat as I'm sure you'll agree but doable. Your portraits will be stationary until those people enter the Room of Requirement. After that, you'll be able to watch them whenever you wish. That is the only way Ravenclaw can let you see your friends."

"Why do they have to enter the Room first?"

"She needs to identify their present magical signature. Otherwise all you'd see is the past, which is not what you requested. See how it works Potter?"

He didn't, not entirely but he understood enough. He was furious that Snape was Headmaster and was letting professors torture the students. He vowed to make the slimy git pay.

"Settle down Potter. Before you start plotting how best to kill Snape, I suggest you think long and hard about what the sorting hat told you a few weeks ago. There is more at work here than you know. You must learn to look at all the angles."

Harry snorted. "So what happens now," he asked, changing the subject.

"I'm going back into the wardrobe. Continue to practice with your mother and whomever else you can. Read the books and practice as many spells as you can, including the dark spells." He held up a hand to forestall the argument. "I'm serious Potter. I understand your desire to keep your hands clean but that won't work against Voldemort and some of his darker underlings. You may have to use some dark spells to get an edge. I don't know if Ravenclaw will let me out again until you learn some of those spells. She might not."

"Who're you going to come out as?"

Malfoy shrugged his shoulders. "No idea. If I had to wager, it won't be another student. There isn't another student at your level. That said it might not necessarily be a Death Eater either. We'll just have to wait and see."

"But like I said, you need to be ready. You can't die in this room; her wards won't allow it. But you can be hurt, maybe to the point you can't recover. And you won't know when the next fight is coming, just as you didn't know this fight was coming. That is part of your training."

The boggart Malfoy got to his feet with a grunt. "All right, it's getting late. I'd suggest you sleep here tonight. You need rest after our duel. Use the wand to lock me in the wardrobe before you do though."

After Malfoy stepped into the wardrobe, Harry closed the door and stuck the wand in the lock. He didn't go to bed right away though. He wanted to see how Neville was. His friend was sleeping on a couch. All of his injuries were healed, which made Harry feel better.

When he wasn't looking, the room had created a bed for him. Harry had trouble sleeping though. He hoped his friends were okay. Hearing that they were being tortured inside Hogwarts was like a knife to his soul. The last thing he saw before going to sleep was Snape's face, staring dispassionately at the students being tortured.

A/N: My rationale for the portraits is based off my interpretation of time presented in chapter 1. Because Harry is point where the two universes merge, Ravenclaw can send information from the present to the second universe through Harry. It is not a perfect system though and she can only send information through the portraits. As Malfoy says, this is an otherwise impossible feat but because Harry's presence has already connected the two universes, Ravenclaw can take advantage of the link and fulfill Harry's request.

The same principle applies to the boggart Malfoy, just in a different way. Instead of transmitting the magic through a portrait, it is manifested in a boggart. Once again, Harry is the link through which the information is being sent.

If any of you have any questions, please do not hesitate to leave your question in a review or send me a private message. As is always the case, I love to hear from each and everyone of you.