Avada Kedavra's True Meaning Keeperoliver Chapter 12
The summer went by fast for the group, and nothing was heard from the death eaters. Quirrell had not been heard from since his disappearance, but no one seemed too concerned.
This was probably the wrong attitude to take. He found a way to return to Hogwarts in the next school year. In a ritual performed during the Blue Moon, Tom left the body of Quirrell, and took over the body of Gregory Goyle. Once Tom left Quirrell's body, it turned to dust, thus Albus was correct when he said that Quirrell was dead, just a bit later than expected.
Tom felt that in Goyles body, he could re-enter the Chamber of Secrets, and control the Basilisk like he did fifty years ago. This time he would not let Dumbledore interfere with his plans. As Quirrell he knew that the chamber had never been found, and that what ever it contained remained unknown. It had to be this way since that idiot Malfoy never told anyone where the Diary was that would take control of one of the stupid students. For reasons known only to him, he hated children.
By doing this, he would not only rid himself of some of the half bloods and mudbloods in the school, but he would also ruin the reputation of Dumbledore.
AKTM-}
Hagrid had asked Professor Dumbledore if he could get Dudley to help him during the summer, to which he agreed. Dudley was able to continue his training and help Hagrid with handling the creatures that Professor Grumbly Planks would need for the next year. The toughest would be the Hippogryff he was able to catch in the mountains of Africa. He was so wild, that he may not be ready to use for class.
During the summer, Dudley was presented a particularly nasty challenge. Bane, one of the leaders of the Centaurs wanted to face Dudley one on one. No rules were set, and Dudley was allowed to wear any outfit he liked to hide from the leader. It was then that Bane knew that he would not be facing Dudley, but El Gato. When Bane saw Dudley walk into the clearing in the woods, he was impressed with what he saw. He became even more impressed when as soon as the signal was given, El Gato was no where to be found. Bane tried every trick he knew to flush his opponent, but they all failed.
El Gato had done nothing to this point. He remained hidden from the Centaur. Bane was becoming angry that he could not find him. With this anger, he began to make foolish mistakes, which is when the cat struck. The first thing to happen was Bane lost his bow and quiver. This caused Bane to make his second mistake which lost him the tip of his ear.
Bane saw what he was doing was causing him to look foolish in front of his opponent, and tried to calm down. The loss of his bow took away his long distance fighting. He now had to rely on his sword fighting skills. Bane was the best fighter among the Centaurs in the use of the blade. But, he never faced Dudley, and that was another mistake when he called for Dudley to face him.
He never felt the attack coming, and before he knew it, Dudley had a lock of Banes Tail Hair in his hand. To a centaur, this was an insult that needed to be returned. He needed to get a lock of Dudley's hair.
He was never able to accomplish this as Dudley attacked once again while Bane was looking back at his tail. The cat was on Banes back and had his sword at the centaurs neck.
"Do you accept defeat noble Bane?"
Bane dropped his sword to the ground and raised his head offering his neck to the victor. It was the sign of surrender. Dudley lowered his sword and got off Banes back. He knew that even more than the loss of his tail hair, a Human on a centaur's back was the worst insult you could give. Dudley walked to the front of Bane. He picked up Bane's sword and handed it to him. He then pulled his hair out to the side and waited for Bane to respond.
Bane was confused at first, but then figured out what Dudley was offering. Bane took his sword and cut a lock of Dudley's hair from him. Dudley handed him the lock of hair and then offered his hand in friendship. Bane gripped Dudley's forearm, and Dudley returned the gesture.
"It would seem that you have deserved the title given to you El Gato. As a matter of fact I have hunted cats that are not as fast as you. And I do not mean those puny house cats. I mean cats worthy of the hunt. You do well my friend. I do not believe there is any more the Centaurs can teach you. This does not mean we want nothing more to do with you though. If you should call on us for anything, we will answer to the call as if you were a member of our family. Magoram and Firenze will share the tales of El Gato for generations to come."
"It was an honor to learn from the great Bane. It is more of an honor to be called family among the Centaurs. Please pass this on to your fellow mates, that if you should ever need me, El Gato will be there as well." and the two parted to go their own way.
Hagrid had watched the entire fight and fought very hard to remain quiet. He had never been so proud of anyone in his life. He also was never so surprised when Dudley was tapping him on his shoulder. He never saw him approach, or heard his footsteps. "Blimey Dudley, couldn't you warn me before sneaking up on me like that? A person could get hurt."
Dudley snickered, "I wouldn't hurt you Hagrid, I promise."
Hagrid laughed as well. "I was talking about you, you sot."
"Well come on then, let's see what you got to offer?" and Dudley kicked Hagrid's feet out from under him.
"Not fair. You caught me unaware." Hagrid growled.
"Well then, that was twice in five minutes. Care to try for three times my friend?" Dudley challenged.
From the edge of the woods they both heard, "Hagrid, if you were smart, you would stop now before you get hurt."
"Aw go eat a bad mushroom Bane, you pony boy." He heard a loud laugh as it was leaving the clearing.
AKTM-}
Harry and his mom and dad had reached a point where there was no more they could teach him. Still there had been no sign as to who created the curse that took Harry from the living. According to his mom no one on the other side saw anything that did not pertain to family. They had seen glimpses into Harry's life so far, but it did not tell them much. They didn't know of any of the stories of their friends and how they were doing.
With so much time to spend with each other, and the planning completed as to what Harry needed to do to survive, all they could do was to wait.
It was several more weeks before Harry was touched in his mind by someone unfamiliar to him. A voice he never heard before. "Harry Potter, it is almost time for you to return to the living. When you do, it is imperative that you seek out that which will help you to accomplish what you have to do."
"Who is this that is communicating with me? How do you know me?"
"Family will always be able to talk with each other when on this side of life. All of magic had one beginning which makes all magic folk related. However, blood ties are strongest when a direct line can be drawn between families. Godric Gryffindor was my great grand son many times over. In my time, it was told that a king would arise to take the rightful place as the holder of Excalibur. You, Harry Potter are that person. Arthur had the sword hidden for his replacement to find. When you return, you must go to Silver Lake and call for the Lady Elspith. She is the Lady of the lake. If she finds you worthy, she will release to you the sword Excalibur. Tell her you have been sent by Merlin. Yes Harry, I am Merlin."
"If you are Merlin, and we are related, then why wasn't my father given this right? Or any of my past relatives?"
"For the single reason that you were selected to be the wielder by your opponent. When the Prophecy was made that set the tables for this Lord Voldemort, it was up to him to chose who he would be facing. When he chose you, and with you being an heir to Merlin, he set the standards to which he must face his greatest challenge. There was one other that he could have chosen, but he set himself as as the standard to which he must face. The other one was a pure blood and thought to be more apt to be successful in defeating evil. He is like you, a half blood. But he never thought that being a half blood you would be blood heir to the birth of magic. Where you have garnered your strength by normal means, he has used dark magic to strengthen his. Dark magic takes its toll on any who use it. It makes one less human, and much easier to lose any sense of remorse. With out remorse, there is also no love. With no love, all your feelings are negative feelings. If there is no balance for love and hate, then there is no hope for any one who falls under this state. Whether it be Hate or Love, if one were to be a follower of one but not the other, then that person is lost."
"I know of Lord Voldemort's lack of caring, but is there such a person that loves so much, that he or she is also lost?"
"Yes Harry, there is. This person is also lost to those who care. It is too late to try and convert this person. You must return and take control of the situation by acquiring Excalibur. Once you have, you will then be given the power it holds. Arthur was never able to obtain this power, as he was not of my blood line. He was able to gain his power by having strong allies, but lost it when he turned his back on his most faithful follower. Lancelot made the mistake of falling in love with the kings wife, Guinevere. He was not forgiven until it was too late. Both he and Arthur fell in the final battle, but Arthur was able to hide the sword and keep it safe until the heir was found. It is now time for you to take your place as the true heir and stop the evil your world now faces. I have to leave you now, but know this, you will face difficult challenges ahead, but always remain true to your heart. Not all will be as it seems. You will be tested, and if you remain strong, you will conquer the evil. If you fall to your feelings, then all will be lost, and evil will reign over your world. Good bye Harry Potter." and with that, Harry was once again alone in his thoughts.
Harry had been given quite a bit to think about over in the little time he had remaining in the after life. He told his parents of what he was told, and they both felt that it was going to be a test that would try their son to the limits of his sanity.
AKTM-}
In the school year that followed their first year, Ginny made friends with a first year by the name of Colin Creevy. He was a energetic boy that had a hobby of taking pictures of all those he met. His enthusiastic nature made many people upset with him, but Ginny always remained close to him to protect him from his tormentors. She wasn't developing any feelings for him other than that of a friend, but Colin had a different state of opinion. He was falling for his protector.
Luna saw what was happening, and tried talking to Ginny, but Ginny just pushed it off as a crush that she could handle.
On October 31, something happened that was so sinister that the Headmaster began thinking of closing down the school. Draco and Ron had found Filch's cat hanging from a spike in the wall, and a message written in blood that said, "Enemies of the heir beware! The Chamber of Secrets has been opened."
Albus remembered the last time this happened, and the consequences of the act. A child had died, and no one knew the cause of death. There were no marks on the body, and fear was etched across the girls face.
He could not let this happen again. Although Filch's cat was not dead, who could say the next victim wouldn't be. Albus felt the tension that surrounded the students gathered here in the hallway. He could not let what happened fifty years ago, happen again.
The next day, Dudley heard about what transpired and asked Hagrid if he knew anything about it. Hagrid was hesitant at first, but Dudley got him to talking. He told Dudley about what happened fifty years ago, and how the entry to the Chamber had never been found. He told him of the girl that died, and how he had been turned in by Tom Riddle as the heir. Nothing was ever proved, but it still got Hagrid removed from Hogwarts as a student. Dumbledore was able to keep him on as the grounds keeper, but he had to break Hagrids wand. Hagrid was not allowed to do magic anymore. Dudley got the name of the girl that died. He knew it was the ghost of the girls lav by the Potions classroom in the dungeon area. Moaning Myrtle was Dudleys next visit. However, he was not alone in this meeting. Ginny, Hermione, Luna and Susan had to escort him into the Lav. From Myrtle, he learned that whatever it was that killed her came from the area of the sink. She also told him that after 25 visits to the sink, Professor Dumbledore gave up on the idea of it hiding a monster. Dudley and the girls gave it a check as well. Dudley found the snake on one of the faucets and tried showing it to the girls. They could not see what Dudley was talking about. Dudley tried testing a theory and asked Susan to find Mr. Filch and to bring him to the Lav.
Argus Filch was ordinarily a crusty, hard to get along with old man. Since he lost his cat, he became worse. when he found Dudley in the girls Lav, he was ready to suspend him on the spot. However, when Dudley asked him to look at something, he held off for a minute and inspected the faucet Dudley asked him to look at. To him, it was an ordinary faucet that had a fancy snake design on it. He was surprised when thew girls said they didn't see what he was talking about. "What do you mean what am I talking about? It's as plain as the nose on your face. It's right here." Argus was pointing to the engraved snake on the faucet.
Dudley then got Professor Dumbledore and McGonagall to inspect it. As the girls, they saw nothing, which got Albus suspicious and tested it for a charm. He found a slight glamor charm on the faucet, and removed it. Then everyone saw what Dudley and Argus saw. It didn't change the fact that even though they found the entry, they had no way to get it to open. No spell they tried worked on the faucet or the sink. Then Luna got the idea to ask Myrtle a question. "Myrtle, has anyone been in here recently that you saw talking to the sink?"
"Not recently. No one since that boy was in here all those years ago."
"Did you hear the boy talk to the sink?"
"He didn't talk to it. He just made funny noises. Then he saw me and chased me away. He wasn't rude about it, he just said that I should leave so that I wouldn't get in trouble. I would have you know, since it was past curfew."
Albus asked what kind of funny noises he was making and Myrtle answered like he was hissing at it.
Albus now knew how to get in, but still wasn't able to gain access as it took a Parsel Mouth to gain entry. The only parsel mouth he knew was the one he was trying to stop. He knew that he wasn't around the school or he would know it. That left one of the students. But, which one?
In the weeks that followed, students began to found in the hallways petrified. Colin Creevy, Justin Finch Fletchly and Sir Nickolas were the first ones. Dudley had all the Menagerie members to carry around pocket mirrors just in case. Ginny was upset about Colin being petrified. Two boys she liked and now they were both gone. However, when the next victims were found, she nearly lost her mind. A fifth year prefect named Penelope Clearwater, and Hermione were found just outside the Library petrified. Hermione had her mirror frozen in her grasp.
Dudley decided to take it upon himself to end this now. He donned his El Gato outfit, and hid in the Lav to find out who it was that was releasing this terror upon the students. He saw what Hermione's condition did to Ginny, but it was worse on Ron. He refused to leave her side the entire time she spent in the Hospital Wing. Fred spent as much time as he could also. This time it was to comfort Ron. He accepted the fact that he lost Hermione to his brother.
For five straight nights Dudley hid in the shadows, until it finally paid off. A student he didn't know came into the Lav and went to the sink. He heard the hissing noise that Myrtle talked about and watched as the sink began to lower into the floor, opening up as it did so. When it was done, a stairway was present for a person to enter the area below. However, once the student had finished the descent, the stairs disappeared, and the sink began to close up. Dudley took a chance, and dived into the area that used to be the stairs, which was now a chute for which he could slide down to the bottom.
Once he was down in the tunnels that the chute led to, he followed the path that had recently been disturbed by someone walking on the bones of dead animals. Along the way he saw the dead skin of a huge snake. It must have shed this while growing. If that were the case, then what he was looking for had to be about fifty feet long. An Anaconda had been found that was thirty five feet long, and that was the largest snake he ever heard of. Nothing that was fifty feet long. His walk led him to a door that was opened to show the hidden chamber. He saw the student walking toward the giant face of a bearded man.
Dudley watched as the man used the hissing again, and the mouth of the bust opened up. What emerged from the mouth was a basilisk. His fifty foot long snake. Dudley knew of the Basilisk because of his working with Hagrid. He never saw one, but they talked about them, and what they were capable of doing. Dudley decided to not take any chances, and placed a blindfold over his eyes. His training in night fighting he hoped would pay off. He silently entered the chamber and stayed to the right of the long walkway where he saw it had the most cover before he donned the blindfold. Now he was using his other senses to find his way around. Hearing being the key sense, he listened to what was going on with the heir and the Basilisk.
Whoever it was, he was planning on killing students, but so far, everyone of the students had seen the reflection of the Basilisk, rather than seeing it head on. It was only a matter of time before he would have his first kill. Dumbledore would then be forced to close the school, and it would be his for the taking. He had plans to make it his stronghold for his death eaters.
When Dudley heard this, he knew who it was he was facing. Lord Voldemort was the heir to the Chamber of Secrets. Dudley had to find a way to spoil his plans. In order to do this, he had to put the Basilisk in the same situation as he was in. He had to take away its eyesight. Dudsley took a chance, and removed hid blindfold. He was lucky that the snake was paying attention to Voldemort and it gave Dudley the chance he needed. He began his task by throwing a pair of his fighting stars. They hit it's target, and the blinding began. While the snake was thrashing about on the floor, and Voldemort was doing the best he could to avoid the thrashing, Dudley rushed forward and using his cats claws, he pulled himself up to the head of the basilisk. From there, he pulled the claws free, and used them to slash the eyes of the snake, blinding it. When the thrashing became more violent, Dudley was thrown from his perch.
Voldemort had made his way to the side of the chamber to escape the injured snake's throes. He saw who it was that was fighting his snake, but did not recognize him. Who ever it was, he had hurt his snake to the point of crippling it. He called for the snake to use it's sense of hearing, but Dudley had done something to it as well. Without sight and hearing, it became a one tool weapon. His fangs were his last tool.
But Dudley didn't stand still long enough to let this be much of a weapon. All the while, he was opening wounds all along its body. His claws flashed at blinding speed taking its toll on the snake. It's thrashing continued to wreak havoc on the chamber, and stones were falling from the ceiling big enough to crush a man. One of these did this to Gregory Goyle. He died, while Voldemort escaped from the chamber.
Dudley's fight with the basilisk lasted forty five minutes, and the basilisk laid about twenty feet from the body of Goyle. It was dead also. Dudley had managed to split it's side open. Magic did little to affect the basilisk but muggle weapons sure the hell did. Surgical steel stood its ground to the might of one of the deadliest creatures known to the magical world. Before he left, Dudley collected the fangs from the basilisk as he knew what to do with them when the time came. He peeled the hide from the basilisk and made a carrying case for the fangs to keep them from scratching an innocent person.
When Dudley got back to the entry he saw it was not a way out anymore. He had to find another exit. How could he do that, when it was so hard to find the main one. He then saw the pipes that led up to the castle, and used these to find a way out. It took another hour, but he found himself exiting near the Ravenclaw Dorm. He then made his way to the Headmasters office.
He was allowed to pass the gargoyle and went up the steps to the door of the office. It opened before he got to knock, and was surprised to see the whole family waiting there. Petunia ran to him and gathered him up in a hug, and was soon joined by Marge. However the hug he got from Susan was the one he enjoyed the most. The added kiss on the cheek didn't hurt either. Then he had to sit and tell everyone what happened. The shocked look on all the faces told him how well the story went over.
Menagerie knew for a fact that their choice as leader was well placed. Harry himself could not have done better job. Well, maybe, but it would have been close.
Ginny and Ron were the only members not present at the meeting. They were still at beside for Hermione and Colin. Ron was holding Hermione's hand against his forehead and praying she was alright. Ginny just sat at Colin's side feeling the pains of losing another person she cared for. Colin to her was like a younger brother that needed looking after.
It was another month before Neville came running into the wing with the brew for Pomphrey to heal the petrified patients. An hour later the wing was full of well wishers welcoming back their friends. Ginny was taken back when Colin leaned forward and kissed her cheek, thanking her for staying with him while he was out of the picture. The kiss meant more to Colin than it it did for Ginny, as he was beginning to feel something for her. It was the start of the test that Harry would have to face when he returned.
AKTM-}
His spirit drifted for a couple of weeks, searching for a person to control. His anger was beyond any he ever felt. What bothered him the most was that he could do nothing about it in his current condition. Once he found a body, he would then exact his punishment on the one he promised would pay for his transaction.
Tom finally found the one he was looking for. He had taken up drinking since his dismissal and was in a miserable state. It made it easy for Tom to take control. Cornelius Fudge was no more. He was now Lord Voldemort.
Tom decided to test his strength in this new body, and found a wizard who used his powers to bully muggles. When faced with another wizard this bully was a different person. He was cowardly and meek. Tom challenged him and forced him into a duel. The wizard did not know who he faced, but it didn't matter. He knew he was not a strong wizard, and did not stand much of a chance against this new threat. The duel was over before it began. The bully was defeated with the first spell and laid dead at Tom's feet. Tom then used a spell to wipe clean the memory of the fight from all the muggles present. It was not his wish to bring notice to himself for his plan for retribution would be ruined if he was announced to the magical world too soon.
