~Chapter Eleven~

Chris could hardly believe what was happening. He'd travelled all of this way and yet there was nothing. There wasn't anything here that was leading him towards his mother's direction. Ariel had guided him within his dreams but here in the real world he was without a guide. He was without the one person that knew the way.

The group that had willingly come with him were silent as they walked through doors that never seemed to have a purpose. Hermione and Ron were huddled together, taking comfort in each other's presence. Neville just hunched in on himself. Yet that was to be expected. They boy was absolutely hopeless and should have been a Hufflepuff. Luna danced around them all without a care seeming to know something that no one else could tell. Ginny… well Ginny hadn't really spoken nor done anything since they'd arrived. It was rather frustrating.

Together, they walked through rooms that had little meaning to them. Rooms were piled with items that held little use to them. Hermione didn't even know how they would work or what they would ever be used for. Only Unspeakables would be able to see through any of this to make sense in the Department of Mysteries. As students at Hogwarts, they stood no chance against these machines. They could only move forward in their search and pray it was the right way.

Walking for what felt like hours, Chris began to lose hope of locating this place. His mother's life hung in the balance and he was rather powerless to stop it currently. All he could do was more through this twisted maze of doors and pathways and hope they led him in the direction he wanted to travel. Glancing up at the door to his right, Chris could have collapsed in relief. The Prophecy Room, it read. Chris sighed. From here at least he knew where to go.

The hallways within the Prophecy Room were filled with glass spheres. Rows and rows made up the entire room each having labels and probably quite a few well aged. Chris ignored all of them. There was only one particular row that held his interest, the row where his mother was fighting for her life. Labels flashed past him in his rush to get to his mother. Eventually the row he was searching for came into sight and he sped down it. The centre however, he realized as they approached, was silent.

No one moved as silence descended upon them. All that was heard was the sound of their nervous breathing. Nothing else in the area moved and by the dust at their feet no one had been to this section of the room in quite some time.

"Chris I don't think your mother's here." Hermione whispered.

Chris was frantic. But that couldn't be right! Ariel had promised that his mother would be here after all Ariel would never lie to him! Yet everything was silent. Everything was still. Was it possible that Ariel had simply spoken of the location at an incorrect moment?

"Maybe they just moved to another room. There are plenty of other rooms to duel in." Chris suggested.

The others didn't appear to be as satisfied with this answer but they nodded and turned to leave.

"Hey, mate, check this out!"

Chris turned sharply and stepped towards Ron. He was pointing onto a shelf just within reach. There was an orb but that wasn't what had caught Ron's attention. It was the label below it that made him focus. The only distinct marking she could see where the initials of Professor Trelawney, Headmaster Dumbledore and the Dark Lord. There were three other labels but all three were scratched out. It had to mean something but he didn't know what it signified.

Lifting it was rather easy. The thing just fell off the shelf into his hands like a dead weight. It looked worn and cracked as if the orb had been through a lot of turmoil or that of the prophecy it held did and was no longer relevant. Chris wasn't an expert so he couldn't tell for certain.

"Well what is it?"

"I think it's a prophecy about You-Know-Who." Chris whispered.

The other shifted uncomfortably before Hermione spoke up.

"Do you think we should take it?"

"I don't see why not." Chris said pocketing the orb.

However as they turned they came to the sudden realization that they weren't quite as alone as they had first assumed. It was difficult to tell but the outlines of Death Eaters were rather specific. Their small group huddled together in an attempt to get as far from them as possible. The Death Eaters simply moved closer.

Lucius and Bellatrix were the most prominent members of the group. While Lucius strode forward with confidence, Bellatrix gave a crazy little shuffle that startled the teens.

"I believe you should hand that prophecy over to me." Lucius said.

All Death Eaters had their wands drawn, every single one pointing at them in malevolence. Chris glanced around the frightened faces behind him. They only had one chance to escape this. He kept them all distracted while the others prepared what they needed to do. Whispered instructions passed between them, whilst attention remained focus on him. Just as he was preparing to give the order he noticed something strange. Luna was nowhere to be seen.

Glancing around, he realized she wasn't even with their group. At some stage she had wandered off and hadn't bothered to return as if knowing this would be what awaited them. Cursing silently, he decided if they made this out alive they would pay closer attention to her. Luna always appeared to know things before they happened. Choosing, to dwell on it later, he gave the signal.

There was no time to think. Spells shot out and shelves began to fall. Another distraction made their escape route possible and they ran. Unfortunately Ron fell behind and was lost amongst the falling spheres and shelves. They didn't stop though Hermione was sobbing. There would be a chance that he was alright but currently they didn't have the time to go back and make sure their friend was alright.

Without knowing where they were going, they all ran through the first door they could locate. No one knew where it had led them only that they were in a long hallway with many possible situations that would get them caught. They needed another door and fast.

Running up the corridor the next door was within several paces as the Death Eaters entered the passageway and spotted them. Everything seemed to slow as they sent curses towards them. Neville reached the door first and was inside before any of them hit. Hermione followed with Ginny not that far behind her. The curses flashed overhead as Chris tumbled into the room to avoid them. The ignored closing the door knowing it would only slow them down.

"What do we do now?" Ginny asked panting.

"We continue running until we reach an exit or someone to help us."

That was as simple as he could put it. Anything to drastic and they wouldn't stand a chance against a group of Death Eaters. As it was they'd already lost Ron and Luna though the latter was likely unharmed. Motioning towards the other door that was there only escape route option otherwise they would need to return to face Death Eaters.

Just as they reached the other side of the room a Death Eater lunged for them with a heavy metal object. Ginny was struck. It was a direct head wound but Chris didn't look back. He couldn't afford to lose more friends during this idiotic chase. He didn't even hear her body fall to the ground.

They leapt into another passageway and quickly found another door. Neville located the door again and they moved inside, this time closing the door behind them. They didn't have a lot of time however as they'd barely moved away when the Death Eaters came barrelling inside. Curses reigned supreme.

Flashes were thrown back and forth as Chris and Hermione attempted to cover Neville as he found the next door. Neville shouted in triumph and began opening it just as one of the Death Eaters threw a purple curse over their heads. Or at least that was what Chris had thought. Hermione crumpled beside him.

Chris couldn't help the sob that escaped him as he stared down at the gash on Hermione's chest. It was bleeding sluggishly and she was unconscious. He had no idea how to help her or even if she could be saved. Death Eaters were around so even if he was able to fix the gash, he would run out of time and then there wouldn't be anything to stop the Death Eaters from attacking. They would be weak. Like the others, he left and eventually found Neville, Death Eaters still on their tail.

The next room they stumbled through wasn't something anyone expected. It looked like something from a muggle science fair. Jars of preserved things floated around, some appearing decades old. Neither Neville nor Chris really knew what to do here. The room screamed horror story. The room screamed death.

"Avada Kedavra!"

Chris screamed as the green light left Bellatrix Lestrange's wand. It wasn't headed towards him however. No it was headed directly for Neville. It enveloped him and everyone stared, startled that Bellatrix had actually not bothered with maiming the kid instead going for instant death.

As soon as Neville hit the floor, he ran. He didn't know where he was running to only that there were Death Eaters behind him and they didn't care if the group consisted of students just that they grabbed what he was holding.

What was it about this particular orb that fascinated them so? Why was it so detrimental that they have this in their possession? Sure it mentioned the Dark Lord and something about Dumbledore and Trelawney but that was it! There was nothing else on it leading to anything! If this stupid orb was so important why hadn't they just gone for it themselves? Chris didn't know but somehow he knew that he was going to find out when the Death Eaters eventually caught him.

The room Chris eventually entered was rather dark. Only one item was within this room, a dark arch with a curtain. It certainly didn't leave any places for him to hide. Regardless, this was where the Death Eaters cornered him. How was he meant to defeat a group of ten Death Eaters by himself?

"Now you have nowhere to go. Your friends have all been defeated by Death Eaters. Boy, give me the prophecy." Lucius snarled.

Chris could only hold onto the orb and hope for a saviour.

x-x-x-x-x

What the Dark Lord saw before him rocked him to his very core. No flowers. Nothing was red or green or even remotely hilly. The entire area was stagnant. Grey stone walls surrounded the enclosed space. The word forever didn't belong here. Ariel didn't belong in this room at all. Pandora's Box was nothing more than a magical name attached to an unremarkable location. The only remarkable thing in the room was Ariel and even that was sullied in his mind.

Voldemort stepped into the room cautious of what may occur should he move too close. After only a few steps, he came to rest by Ariel. He nearly forgot to breathe at the sight before him.

In the centre, in the centre was Ariel but not as he had ever imagined. His hair was the same and he was betting if Ariel were to open his eyes they would be the same vibrant shade of green. However he was dressed in a plain white robe looking more like a hospital patient than the true beauty he was known as. He was motionless to the point of appearing on death's door. Ariel by the colouring of his skin had never seen sunlight. He was pale and fair as snow, sleeping in a glass coffin for all to see.

It was rather horrifying to come this far and to be faced with this. Voldemort hadn't felt like this in a long time. His last memory of this feeling was attached to returning to the orphanage every summer not knowing what the bullies would think of that year. It wasn't pleasant and he wanted it to be over as swiftly as possible yet he couldn't help but stare at the beauty before him.

"He looks like Snow White." Severus commented in the silence.

The Dark Lord said not a word however he agreed with Severus' assumption. For all intents purpose, Ariel did indeed look like Snow White. It was rather disturbing since Snow White had been fed poison as had Ariel just in different forms. He had also been found by those that truly cared for him. Hopefully the ending of their stories would also remain the same.

Just beneath the surface of the glass he could feel Ariel's magic stirring. It was unfathomable to feel. His magic was almost endless and sang with the same tune that the wind had within Ariel's mind. It was light yet had an undercurrent that spoke of deadly force. Reaching forward he touched the glass and watched as it dissolved before their very eyes. Ariel's magic exploded quite suddenly causing the room to shake. Voldemort could only hope that no one else was aware of what they were going. His Death Eaters should keep everyone busy for a time.

"Severus." The Dark Lord finally spoke.

"Yes my Lord?"

"Hurry."

Severus didn't grant him a reply, he simply moved as swiftly as he knew. The Dark Lord wasn't known for his patience so he moved as swiftly as he was able while following Ariel's instructions to the letter.

The first potion was meant to stimulate his inner organs. They were the most important. Ariel had informed him that everything had been stopped to keep his body in perfect condition. They couldn't have him sullying his body whilst he slept away. So everything was shut down except some of his brain function that permitted him to communicate with people. The main idea had been to keep the line of communication open for any questions to be asked. Ariel had killed his handlers before they could test it.

Severus leant down to make sure the potion was working accurately. He checked Ariel's pulse to ascertain it was normal followed by his lung and other body parts. They wouldn't be able to do complete tests until he started to eat again but that would have to wait until they were in a better environment. This one didn't allow them time to do so unfortunately.

The second potion was to stimulate his muscles. Ariel hadn't used them in quite some time so they wouldn't be able to work properly. He would be very awkward at first whilst moving. Help would be needed during the first hour so he could get used to the sensation he hadn't felt for years. However after the potion was ingested Severus made sure to stretch all of his limbs. It wasn't the best but it would help for a while.

The Dark Lord was staring at his servant intently. Everything he did had a purpose so far. There were a few times that he had come close to cursing Severus because of the motions he went through with Ariel's body. Yet once he recognized what they were his magic recoiled and waited. He didn't want to kill the man that Ariel had trained to wake him. Everything Ariel was hoping for was now in Severus' hands and it didn't sit well with him.

Lastly, the third potion was meant to drive the Dreamless Sleep from his system. Severus sighed. This was the final step. After this the teen should be able to move his body and wake. It wouldn't be a pleasant first week of recovery but he would recover in time. They both would need more patience however, he thought casting a look at his Lord.

"He should wake momentarily." He informed him before stepping back. Severus wasn't about to come between this reunion.

The minutes dragged on into hours or so it seemed. Voldemort knew by his internal clock that barely a minute had passed since Ariel had swallowed the last of the potion. If it kept going like this he would never be able to see his beautiful Ariel. Never would he witness the sparkling eyes filled with power or the smile that could turn married men. Ariel would never look into his face and whisper those words…

So deep in thought, it took him a moment to realize that he was no longer staring into closed eyes. Vibrant green eyes were fixed on him, blinking up at him. The porcelain face was turned upward in a small smile that held gratitude as well. He was staring into the very alive, very awake face of Ariel Ashling.

"I knew you would be the one to wake me."

His voice is soft and unused but the Dark Lord didn't care. He was hearing Ariel speak for the first time in his life. This wasn't a memory. This wasn't his mind creating this image. This was Ariel before him. The Dark Lord could barely believe it.

Without much thought he helped Ariel to sit up, watching as his black hair fell around him without a hair tie. He was still short and incredibly feminine. That hadn't changed at all. The only difference Voldemort could tell apart from the clothes was this Ariel was real. Ariel was before him, moving, breathing, living and he had him all to himself. No one would ever take Ariel from him now that he was finally within his grasp.

Severus had moved forward now that Ariel was awake. He needed to check that all of his potions were working accurately. If not they would need to move him from the Ministry swiftly without interfering with the duelling that was occurring at this very moment.

"Severus, stop doubting yourself." Ariel scolded as he stepped forward to check his status.

"I must do my job accurately Ariel otherwise if something goes wrong I will be to blame."

Ariel laughed and chiming bells filled the room causing the Dark Lord to snap back to reality. That laugh was only meant for him. He growled and Ariel turned his focus towards him as Severus continued with his work.

"Do not feel threatened now, Tom. You are all I need for the remainder of our lives."

He would have berated Ariel for speaking his true name allowed however he recognized the parseltogue just in time.

"You speak my language."

"We speak our own language."

The Dark Lord smirked. That could definitely come in handy.

The process of Severus checking his health didn't take too long. Now that Ariel was awake it was highly doubtful that he would simply allow others to touch him as casually as Severus was currently doing. The only reason Severus was permitted any of this was because he would be kept as their main Healer. He didn't have a Healing degree but he knew much more than any Healer out there. A Healer's touch would always be permitted to make sure Ariel was alright.

Eventually, Severus cleared Ariel to stand. Once standing, Voldemort realized that Ariel's height definitely hadn't changed. He was still very short compared to his towering form. He stood at least a head taller than Ariel. However he found he quite preferred it that way. He was after all going to dominate Ariel nothing would change that.

"Am I worth the trouble dear Dark Lord?"

Red eyes roamed down his form and returned to his face. The look was of a lover's appraisal. With a flick of his wand, Ariel was dressed in his usual robes. They accentuated his form even further and matched his appearance perfectly. Once again he was a very stunning and alluring. No one would be able to resist his charms though they would need to if they wanted to survive.

"That and so much more…" he commented.

Ariel smirked as he tied the conjured hair tie at the nape of his neck.

Severus turned away as they stared into each other. The looks were intense and he really didn't want to be caught between that. He'd had his chance and it had passed him by. Ariel was definitely off the markets so that wasn't a choice either. No he would keep his calm as usual.

The room shook with a tremendous force. Voldemort growled as they were interrupted however Ariel merely released another laugh. This one sounded slightly more sinister in its tone. Severus shivered. That definitely wasn't going to be good for the remainder of the Order or the kids that had travelled here. They were in serious trouble but he could care less. This was his calling. He Dark was all that mattered now. However he had a role to play in all of this and he couldn't yet abandon it.

"I do believe it is time we joined the fun, wouldn't you agree?" Ariel commented as Severus struggled with himself.

Voldemort smirked viciously. He turned towards Severus and seemed to notice his discomfort on the topic. Ariel sent him a look knowing what he had planned but was obviously against it. The Dark Lord caved.

"Severus you are dismissed."

Casting a glance at Ariel, he needed to make sure that this wasn't some sort of trick.

"You aren't ready to cement yourself with a side yet Severus. Eventually you will make a decision but here and now is not the correct time." Ariel said.

Severus nodded before fleeing the room. Voldemort chuckled. His spy still hadn't chosen a definite side. What was it that held him back even after what he had been placed through? Why did he continue to bounce back and forth when just recently his desire was for the Dark? If Ariel knew, he wasn't speaking on the topic.

"Where are we headed now?" The Dark Lord enquired.

"The Death Room is where everyone of importance is soon to be located." Ariel said with certainty.

With a smirk, the Dark Lord took hold of Ariel and apparrated away.


Ahahaha and now everyone shall see the awesome power of Ariel! Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Thank you for the reviews.

~MidnightEmber