Kitai Shinsei: Actually, this was my plan already (seriously, I'm not kidding), but so that the sequel (yes, I intend to write a sequel) ties in with the book better, I'm just going to make a few minor adjustments. And I'm glad you like Yrael so much, 'cause I do too.

pinkfreak411: NOOOOOOOO! Don't stop reading! Give it a chance! Pleeeeeeeeaaaaaaaase? (Insert puppy-dog eyes here)

Chapter 11: Harry's Choice

Kira was lying on the cold, stone floor of the room in the Ministry of Magic, as was Harry. Both were bound and gagged, completely helpless. Voldemort was gloating, as villains always seem to do, but Kira's mind was on what he'd told her prior to Harry's entering the room…

"You see, Abhorsen, if Harry kills me, I will possess his body."

"And if he doesn't? I could kill you easily."

A cold, cruel laugh. "I'm afraid, Abhorsen, that you yourself have proven that Harry is the only one with the power to destroy my physical form. 'The power within shall reign supreme, and Slytherin's heir shall be victorious.' It will be him or me."

"How did you…"

"I have my ways. You see, Abhorsen, Salazar Slytherin was not the only Slytherin of his generation. In my studies of my genealogy, I discovered that he had a twin brother, Antony Slytherin. Now, my many-times-great-uncle did not share his brother's feelings towards Muggles. In fact, he fell in love with a Muggle woman, leaving his own family for her.

"As generations passed, the children of Antony Slytherin married Muggle and magical alike, finally resulting in one Lily Evans."

"You mean…Harry is the Heir of Slytherin as well?"

"Yes, of course. Why else do you think I chose the Potters instead of the Longbottoms? Joining one of my own bloodline would be far easier than some stranger.

"The true beauty of my plan, Abhorsen, lies in the fact that should Harry learn that he is the final Horcrux, the piece of my soul attached to his will immediately summon the others and begin the attack! There's no way he can win."

Forcing herself back into the present, Kira watched in horror as Voldemort released Harry, giving him his wand. "Let's see if you have what it takes," the Dark Lord sneered. He stood with his arms outstretched, showing no obvious defense. "I'll give you one chance to avenge your parents."

Harry looked at the Dark Lord suspiciously, but he couldn't see any form of a trap. Doubt whispered in the back of his mind, saying that it was what Voldemort wanted for some reason, but Harry pushed it aside. He was being given a chance, and he wasn't going to waste it.

Tightening his grip on his wand, Harry aimed directly at Lord Voldemort's heart.

Kira spoke a Charter mark that burned away the gag. It singed her lips as well, making them blister, but there was no time for a healing spell. "No, Harry!"

Her friend paused, and the confident smile on Voldemort's face flickered.

Her mind racing, Kira knew she had to convince Harry not to avenge his parents. But how? Unless…

"Harry, listen to me," she begged. "You don't want to do this!"

"What?" Harry was confused. "Kira, this is what we've worked for! He has to be stopped!"

"Not like this, though. He can go to Azkaban, he should be given a trial-"

Harry gave a short, harsh laugh. "Very funny, Kira. He controls the dementors, Azkaban would mean nothing to him."

"Ignore her, Harry," said Voldemort. "This opportunity won't last forever. I'd highly recommend you-"

"Damn it, Harry!" Kira shouted, her frustration increasing by the second. "Don't make the same mistake I did!"

She had his attention now. "What are you talking about?"

Closing her eyes, Kira swallowed hard. "What I've told you about my bloodline has only been the half-truth. I wasn't raised by my grandmother because my mother left. I…I killed her." Harry gaped at her. "Let me explain," Kira begged.

"My mother was a Daughter of the Clayr, a Seer. She was the daughter of the Abhorsen and another of the Clayr, that's how I am in the bloodline. When my mother was sixteen, she was kidnapped by a necromancer.

"He raped her as part of a ceremony to gain unlimited power, but my mother's half-brother and their father stopped him before he could kill her to finish it. He got away, and my mother was pregnant with me. Everyone told her to get rid of me, that I was a child of evil, but she wouldn't listen. She thought it was wrong to make an innocent baby suffer because of its father's sins. She died in childbirth, just after naming me. My grandmother gave me the name "Adder," she said I was like a poisonous snake, that I was evil.

"When I was thirteen, my uncle took me from the Clayr and trained me to be his successor as Abhorsen. When he died, I was fifteen. That's when I found the man who sired me."

Kira bowed her head, tears of shame falling from her eyes. "I hunted him down and captured him. I did things…terrible things." She looked at Voldemort. "Even you would be sickened by them. I kept him alive for a year, but just barely. I used every form of torture there is, I even invented some of my own. And then, I killed him."

She gazed beseechingly at Harry. "The damage it did to my soul can't be repaired. That's why the Free Magic takes control of me, I weakened myself with torture and murder. Please, Harry. You're soul is still whole. Let it stay that way. Please!"

Harry stared at his friend, then at the monster who'd destroyed his life. He pointed his wand at Voldemort again, then shouted, "Expelliarmus!"

The Dark Lord, caught off guard, lost his wand. He snarled in fury. "Fool!"

Harry smiled sadly. "Dumbledore always told me that the real difference between you and me were the choices we made. I refuse to be like you, Voldemort. You'll stand trial, and the Ministry will decide your fate."

At that moment, though, the door burst open. Ron, Hermione, Snape, and Draco spilled into the room. "Harry, don't kill him!" yelled Ron.

"Ron, I'm not-"

"You just can't," Hermione cried.

"Hermione, I'm not going to-"

"It'll doom us all," continued Ron, "You're the last Horcrux!"

"NO!" screamed Kira, as Voldemort laughed.

Suddenly, everything went dark for Harry, then he could see again. Everything was strange, though, like he wasn't seeing through his own eyes. "What…what's happening?"

Something close to his heart burned. Voldemort was laughing, but it was so far away…