Ye Old Disclaimer:Harry Potter and associated milieu, characters, and situations are owned by J.K. Rowling and her licensees. This is a work of fan fiction, produced solely for enjoyment. No infringement of rights is intended. J.K. Rowling owns it all, I am just playing with the Story. No money is being made by me in any way shape or form.
This story will contain a Dark but not evil Harry. Will Feature torture, blood, gore, and other nasty deeds. Like I said, Dark Harry but not evil. Definitely twisted though.
Chapter 12, The RitualThe warehouse was completely barren at the ground floor, except for the stuff Harry himself had placed about. The first thing he had done was to vanish the concrete flooring down to the soft dirt of the earth below it. In order for the Ritual to work, he needed contact with earth.
Harry was as prepared as he was going to get. He walked around the room with a huge book held open in his hands, checking the instructions again, making sure of the precise order of what was around him for the fourth time. Any mistake would fail the ritual, and failure would be worse than any but him could possibly know. Hundreds of candles floated about the area over certain points or stood in special stands. None of them were lit for now. It would come later.
Satisfied with the details, he walked back around, checking the runescapes, wards schemes, and other designs he had prepared along the soft floor and walls. He paid special attention to the candle stands at the hub of the markings. Again satisfied that all was finally ready, he carefully made his way over to the side and took off all of his clothes. They would hinder the ritual and insult the spirits he planed to invoke today. Once done, he took the ritual dagger and began making small cuts into parts of his body, which completed the remaining designs in the room as his body was the focal point of the entire ritual. Harry didn't so much as wince from the cuts.
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Pandemonium ruled over the Ministry of Magic as even the Minister rushed from his office toward the atrium. His assistant had burst into his office, moments ago, screaming in panic about a body that was just discovered.
When he finally arrived, he could not believe his eyes. The body floated above the fountain of Magical Brethren. Its arms wide, head tilted back with an unseeing eye looking above. Not a scrap of clothing on it, which clearly showed the manner of its death. And a pleasant death it was not.
Slashes, gouges and great rents crisscrossed every inches of its body. The bowels of the body hung loose down toward the blood red waters below, its throat ripped almost in half. Never in all his years had he seen a body so desecrated. Even wild animals didn't maul their victims in such a way. As the shock wore down, he noticed three things he didn't before.
The first was the writings that floated in burning letters over the corpse. It simply read, 'You were warned of the Cost of Betrayal.' The second was the trademark dagger of his Assassin sticking out of the victim's forehead. One of his employees managed to break the charm holding the body aloft which caused it to drop into the fountain below. Around him he heard whimpers, cries, tears and some being sick at the sight before them. As he approached the body, he was able to clearly see that something was stuffed into the corpse's mouth. Pushing down his revulsion, he gently pried the pouch loose and poured the contents into his hand.
Thirty sickles rushed forth when he tipped the pouch. Thirty piece of silver. Scrimgeour was reminded of an old proverb as he took in the scene before him. Beware of making a deal with the Devil. Because the Devil always collect his due. His eyes returned to the ruined figure before him while he dimly took in the sounds of retching around him.
What the hell did you do Moody? By Merlin, what have you done?
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It did not take him long as the ritual cuts on his body were nowhere near as complicated as the ones he had to lay down over the area. However, the most difficult part had yet to come. Harry walked over and carefully led the thirteen Inferis he had created some time ago from the bodies of his foes. Waste not, want not had been the idea at the time. He took their magic, bound their souls, and animated their bodies. Now, he was going to sacrifice them all over again. Harry was pretty sure that had they had a choice in the matter, they would have been upset. Not that he cared.
Bodies of Death Eaters were not something he had a hard time coming across, unlike the Golems or Magic Core Receptacles. He instructed them to lie down at different points around the diagram, which would encircle him. The few he had left over, he placed in the offerings section where they would still be used, but were not technically required for the Ritual.
Once that was done, he mentally commanded the golems to their positions. He had fewer of them than he did the Inferious but that was fine. He only required three, and had six of them at his disposal. According to the Book of Shadows, that was more than enough to be going on with. The extras would offset the demands that would be made on him. He needed that edge. He still was not sure he could pull this off.
Finally, he moved to the altar where he laid out all of the Magic Core Receptacles he had taken from the fallen Death Eaters. He would not be able to use them for this Ritual, nor would he be able to use them again, period. If it succeeded, it was but a small price to pay. For the results he sought from the Ritual, he would pay it gladly.
Now that everything was ready, he took his place in the center of it all, giving one last look to Hedwig. She had watched him for the last two days never saying anything, just watching. "Remember: under no circumstances can you interfere. Not even if it look like the magics are going to claim me. Once the process starts, I will be bound to this area and if you try to get in here, the spirits will claim you."
Harry watched as a single tear rolled from her eye. Her face was stoic but the lone tear told him all he needed to know about how how she felt. He had shut down their empathic link earlier; there was no need for her to feel what he was about to.
"Yes Master." Harry nodded before he raised his hands, keeping his eye on the book floating before him and began to read the ancient Gaelic incantation to bring the Rite to life.
"Hear me Donn, Guardian of the Dead, Hear me! Let my voice be heard throughout your Domain!" Several of the runes on the ground flared up with a green black fire.
"Hear me Taranis, Eye of the Sacrifice, Hear Me! Come bare witness and judge my offerings and tributes! Let the Lord of Lords see I come bearing gifts, as a supplicant should!" Harry moved from his place taking the torch that burned next to him. He placed a bowl at the feet of each body and golem, lighting the special incense and herbs. The smoke did not spiral up, but floated about, looking like ghostly hands of pale vapor as they caressed the various offerings Harry had laid about him. The last he lit was the bowl near the receptacles. He finally took his place again, re-securing the torch.
"Hear me Rhamnusia, Mistress of Retribution, Lady of Vengeance, Hear my cry! To you I call, not for myself, but as the voice of those who no longer have a voice! Hear me O' Great Mistress of Divine Justice! I call for LEGION!"
xxxxxx
A young woman stood in the confines of a small garden looking up into the blood red moon before it was lost to the haze of the great storm clouds. She bravely held herself in place and watched with her wide unblinking eyes. The clouds had appeared only moments ago, echoing great thunderous rolls, loud enough to be felt in her small bones. Several arcs of green lighting snapped across the sky. She could feel a righteous anger growing within the storm, growing with each spark of celestial fire.
Luna Lovegood stood still and watched as the sky tried to rip itself apart in its rage. "It's begun."
xxxxxx
Harry took from the table before him a small runic engraved bowl. In the bowl, a single coal burned merrily. He took the short rod of wood and its glowing ember and began the long process of lighting the hundreds of candles about the room, starting with those closets to him. With each candle, he recited the same incantation. Each flame burned in a black flame that emitted a green glow and the occasional blue spark.
"O Donn, Gatekeeper to the Lands beyond, allow my voice to be heard to those in your keeping. In the name of Rhamnusia I call to those who have been wronged on the mortal coil. I call to those who had fallen to ill winds. I beseech you; join me once more on this plane. Rise from your eternal sleep and let us wreak justice to those who know none. Come forth Legion! Vengeance calls! Retribution is demanded! Come Forth Legion!"
xxxxxx
Three ancient Centaurs stood in the sacred grove looking up into the stormy sky, watching the unnatural light blaze across the sky. Thunder echoes with such force the trees bowed before it, though no wind blows.
"All is lost. Mars walks within his bones, Nemesis guides his sight, and soon, he will be joined by the Fallen. He will sweep across the world like a great plague, and nothing but the fires of his anger will lay in his wake." Spoke one of the elders.
Another nodded. They all could feel the subtle rumbling that rolled through the ground beneath their hooves. "It was not unanticipated, it had been written within the stars for the last year since the Betrayal. Firenze headed council many times that if we did not intervene, such events would come to pass. Alas, we did not heed him. It is not surprising that with the loss of the Consort, he has lost his way. Only she could hold him to the path."
The last Elder spoke for the first time since they came to this holy place. "Peace. Though the moon bleeds tonight, she will bring him back to the path. Tonight, she bleeds in her soul for him. Soon, Darkness will meet Darkness and our world will be destroyed or all will be saved. Keep your faith within the moon, as she is our only hope. Only she, with her pure heart and soul, can show him the way now."
"Do you think she can succeed?" Spoke the first elder.
"She will succeed to do what is willed by the Ancient's of old, as it should be. The future is set, there are no longer any paths for us to walk. Only this place to stand, and wait. What will be, will be. Only the moon can choose how the tale shall end."
xxxxxx
Finished with all the candles, Harry returned the bowl to its place on the table before him, resuming his spot. He held out his arms and tilted his head back, speaking again the ancient words.
"Rhamnusia, I gift on to thee these mortal vessels! Once these vessels harmed innocents, I gift them to thee to show my commitment to thee! Grant me LEGION! Taranis, Judge my sacrifice to Rhamnusia and take them unto her as the first of the Burnt Offerings I offer!"
In front of Harry, the animated bodies of Death Eaters he had taken in the months prior seemed to float off the ground a few inches before they ignited in purple flames that almost reached the ceiling several floors above them. The Rune's all around began to gain power and glowed brighter.
xxxxxx
Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore sat in deep repose. His mind was wandering through the dozens of rituals that might possibly cause the sky to light up this particular shade of verbena. Combining the information with any possible ceremonies that might make the moon appear blood-red was another problem altogether. In fact, in all of his years in the magical world, Dumbledore had never heard of this combination. It struck a chord of fear deep within his breast. Whatever happened, Tom Marvolo Riddle would be meeting his maker for this transgression against nature. Dumbledore steeped his fingers in front of his brow, as it seemed that there would be nothing that he could do to temper this situation. It would just have to play out without his participation.
xxxxxx
Black dust rolled around the air of the glowing runes. Black dust was all that was left of the bodies he had offered. Harry took a deep breath. He could feel the magic of the ritual watching, judging, and waiting. He steeled himself for the next phase sending only a short prayer for understanding to…her.
"Rhamnusia, I gift on to thee the souls of mine Enemies! These bound souls who have caused harm unforgivably toward innocents. These souls who murdered, tortured, maimed and stole wrongfully in the name of sport and pleasure, of the lives of the innocent. O' Taranis, take these souls unto Rhamnusia so that she may see and judge the second of mine Burnt Offerings!
Suddenly a keen wail broke the silence that was greeted by his last words. The bound souls of the golems shrieked in agony as the purple flames once again erupted consuming the shells they had been bound in. Their agonizing cries rent the air seemingly to echo within his mind. Harry held himself still as he watched dispassionately.
xxxxxx
Hestia walked back into the common room of Tonk's flat after having made a pot of tea. They were supposed to have gone out this evening but when she arrived, she found her friend in a catatonic state over something. She placed a cup of tea into her mate's shaking hands and placed an arm about her hoping it would calm her down.
"Tell me what's going on? I've never seen you like this." Hestia's voice was as soft and full of understanding as she could muster.
After quite a while Tonks took a shuttering breath. When she finally started talking her voice was sounded hollow, broken. "Cloud…he was here when I got home. Something went wrong on his last assignment. Someone tipped off the Death Eaters. He'd come for me like he said he would."
Hestia's only reaction was a sharp intake of breath at the revelation. No wonder her friend was so distraught. "What happened?"
"He said we needed to talk. He told me…he told me he owed me that much. He asked me who betrayed him. He let me know that in order to get his answers he would not be using Veritaserum, but his own methods so if I knew anything it would be best to just tell him. I've never been so scared in my life. I…" Hestia watched as she took a shaky breath trying to calm herself down. "I told him about what Mad-Eye wanted me to do…
"He just stood there for a while, silently before he nodded. Cloud asked me if I had anything to do with what happened and I told him I didn't even know about his assignment. I've been searching for Death Eater safe houses for Kingsley and keeping an eye on the few we knew about. I am not sure but he seemed to take me at my word and then left. I think…I think I got Moody killed. If he was the leak Cloud was looking for, I know I did…"
Hestia felt her stomach clench at what was happening and almost jumped out of her skin when the flashes of lighting and booming thunder broke their awkward silence. Sighing she nodded her head. "If he was the leak, then Moody was endangering us all. I don't like this at all Tonks but there was nothing you could really do." She gave her friend a piercing look, "What's really got you bothered? I can understand snitching on Mad-Eye would upset you, but what really has you shook up? I can tell there is something."
Her voice was barely a whisper when she spoke after a few moments of dead silence. "I…I think…I think I know who Cloud is."
"I thought you might. Why does this upset you? Is it someone you know well? Who is he?"
A soft but dark chuckle rumbled from her. "You could say that. Trust me on this Tia', if I'm right, you don't want to know who Cloud is." More tears spilled down her face. "You really don't want to know…"
xxxxxx
Harry could smell the scent of burnt metal about the room. Small motes of steel dust floated about the glowing runes and lines of power. His prior sacrifices were not really sacrifices to him, but the magic cores were. Harry took one more breath before he began the second to last incantation to give the last of his offerings to the higher powers he was calling for aid from.
"Rhamnusia, Mine final offering to thee. The last of mine Burnt offerings, the arcane blessing gifted on to them by Tuscon himself! Taken forcibly by mine own will and hand! Great Donn, I beg of thee, hold your gates wide so that the innocent may rejoin the mortal world one last time! Let them rise under the banner of Legion to seek their vengeance against those who wronged them!
Come all disquieted souls back to this world and be remade! Let our enemies' arcane gifts guild you to me so that you may avenge yourselves and finally find the rest you deserve! Rhamnusia! Lend your might to our cause so we might bring peace to the fallen! I call to you, great Rhamnusia, Donn, Taranis, I beg of thee, grant me Legion!"
Thunder boomed so close the windows of the building shattered spraying glass all through it. Once again the purple flames burst forth and laid claim to Harry's offering consuming the magical receptacles he had made. The runes glowed brighter, the lines of power through the ritual grid burned in black and green flames through all the buildings walls, floor, and even those on his own body. He only had one more thing to do, the hardest of them all.
xxxxxx
Standing before a window watching the sky stood a young woman holding her emerald green dressing gown closed in front of her. Her other hand rested on a crystal ball covered in runes. Hair that once was called bushy laid in tangled lanks along the side of her head and back. She was still very weak from the last battle but her physical weakness did not reach her eyes. The young woman's eyes shone bright, shedding silent tears for a man she knew had fallen far in his pain and grief. A man she loved like no other.
Her soft voice broke the confines of the small dark bedroom she stood in. "Harry…"
xxxxxx
The few Shadow Mages who tried this before all failed. According to the book only one had ever succeeded, and he was the first. It was here that Harry's fate would be decided. He didn't care one way or the other, nothing mattered. Success or failure, fifty fifty as far as he was concerned, good enough odds for him. He had nothing left in this world anymore. All that was left was Vengeance.
Harry fell to his knees into the soft dirt below him while raising his arms and bowing his head in supplication.
"Rhamnusia, I am but your servant should you grant me Legion. Donn, Should you allow passage I shall bring your children to their assailants and let them take their revenge. I seek only to avenge the fallen, I seek no glory of my own. I only wish for vengeance on those who wronged the innocent. I await the judgment of my fate, I await the answers to my pleas. Taranis, I offer myself in subservience willingly, without guile, I offer myself to be the herald of vengeance. All that I am, all that I was, and all that I might have been I offer to your judgment and mercy."
Great blue chains burst from the ground about him rolling about his arms, legs and body, binding him to the ground before a great gout of purple flame burst from beneath him, blanking out his mind to all things as the pain roared through his being.
xxxxxx
This was the part of the magic's that she worried about the most. It was during this part her Master had told her it was possible for him to die. She watched as he was bound to the ground and the flames rose about him. She listened to his ear shattering screams of pain. She did as she was commanded until she felt the pull from his magic's through their bond. It was too strong, he was right; he was not strong enough without the power of his enemies. The old one made him too weak when he took her Master away to the hidden place and hurt him. As the pull became stronger she knew what she had to do to save him. She would have to break his command, something she had never done before.
Hedwig rushed foreword making sure her feet never touched any of the glowing lines or drawings her Master had spent so much time making. It only took her a few moments to navigate the gauntlet and reach him. Without thinking of the consequences she through her arms around him, already knowing what she was going to do.
When she grabbed him his eyes snapped open to look into her own. In a panicked voice laced in pain she heard him, "What are doing? I told you to stay out of the Ritual's influence!" he roared.
Her time was short now, she could feel it. "…I love you…Harry…" before she pressed her lips to his one last time. She only broke the kiss when she felt the strongest tug on her magic so far a moment later.
She only had a bit more and saw his eyes widen massively. His voice, still laced in pain, screamed out at her as he understood what she was going to do. "HEDWIG!"
She threw her head back and screeched toward the skies. She relinquished her grip on the magic he had gifted to her. The pull tore through her body ripping his power back to where it belonged. Before his eyes, she began to age dramatically until where once a young woman knelt, now a matron was. A second later her entire body seemed to glow a bright white before it exploded in a shower of golden sparks and pure white feathers which swirled around her master in a fierce vortex mixing with the purple flames that raged about him.
"HEDWIG!"
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All throughout the isles, the same scene was being played out. Black clouds rolled chaotically through the sky's above, green lances of fire stabbed the sky, lacing the night in their powerful brilliance. No trace of the blood red moon could be seen, but hints of red shown through the storm above. Below on earth, in both marked and unmarked graves, the ground began to stir.
The night still raged about in flashes of light, countered by the loud thunderous echo's from their passage. The ground shook and vibrated from the impacts of light and sound. Soundlessly, thousands of skeletal arms burst from the cold rain soaked soil of the earth. Some were bare; others still held bits of old flesh adhering to them. Though none witness these events, bits of dirt, stone, and vegetation began melting where the arms flailed about, seemingly to melt into a new kind of flesh on the animated arms.
Figures soon burst from their lonely confines, struggling to rise above their imprisonment. Bodies that were, until then, nothing more than bone and taters of what used to be living skin soon filled with this strange blending of the elements the bodies rose from. Some finished long before the last one rose fully from thier graves, yet all stood still until the last one was remade. As one, each and every one opened their eyes to show, shinning in their sockets; small balls of green flame resting where eyes should have. Above the scene, the storm seemed to reach a crescendo, almost constantly sounding or sending bolts of light across the sky. Thousands of voices began speaking as one, no living soul in the entirety of the isles failed to hear it with their ears or echoing within their minds.
"We are Legion… Fore we are… Many…"
Authors Note:
Here you go, This story is apart of the Eight Shades Universe and is considered to be the Fourth Shade. Please feel free to read and review as I enjoy the feedback. For those of you who have already reviewed, thank you all very much.
This story has been Beta'ed by my wife, me, and Tigerman. Updated: 8-3-10
Thank you all for reading.
