Harry Potter

and the

Daughter of Darkness

Chapter 14

Raynefall

by Ri-kun

He didn't expect any sort of establishment with a name like The Splintered Broomstick to be in a respectable neighborhood. Nor did Dead End Drive seem like the sort of area he would have visited before. Therefore, Harry forewent asking for directions or looking in any phone directories. The back of the letter he'd received had a rudimentary map drawn out on it, pinpointing where he would find The Splintered Broomstick. And while Harry's road knowledge of London was sketchy at best, he was still able to navigate his way there after a fashion.

This was all, of course, after he finally regained control of the bike and kept it from plummeting to the ground far below.

His mouth felt dry as he gazed up at the building surely no Muggles had laid eyes on in years. It looked as if it'd been abandoned, which wasn't entirely out of the question. Part of the roof looked like it was caved in, as well. This seemed terribly out of place, since a wizard would have seen it for what it truly was. From the way scragglers were hurrying past, Harry thought he must have the wrong place. This did indeed appear to be a derelict building.

Still, he had come this far. Harry was determined to see it through to the end, even if it meant going in there. His chest constricted slightly as he took the first step forward, however. The Order was probably fast on his heels by now. He would have to make this quick if he wanted to find Rayne and get back to the Burrow.

As he drew in close, something strange happened. In the beginning, it almost looked like a trick of the light, and nothing more. The closer Harry got, though, it became clear that he wasn't seeing things. Even still, he took a few steps backwards just to make sure. Over in the shadows, where no one would've normally looked, a door had magically formed. It were as though the stretching panels of darkness had formed it out of themselves. He couldn't see it until he got close enough, which suddenly explained a great deal. Grinning, he strode over to it more purposefully now, and watched as it became clearer.

The door opened at his touch, revealing a set of stairs leading downward. Harry squinted in the dim light; there wasn't much to see past the first ten steps or so, but a dim noise could be heard from somewhere lower now. Taking a chance, he stepped inside and tried not to worry when the door slammed shut on it's own behind him.

It felt like he climbed down those stairs forever, but it was actually only a couple of minutes. When he reached the landing finally, Harry found himself at the threshold of a very noisey and crowded club. A glowing sign overhead showed that this was indeed The Splintered Broomstick. Upon closer glance, he realized that it was made completely out of just that: broomsticks that'd been smashed or broken.

The entire room was filled with young witches and wizards, as well as several unsavory-looking creatures of dubious origins. Harry was suddenly reminded of the Underground where Rayne had taken him dancing. This place had a similar feel to it; in fact, it looked almost like the whole place was full of nothing but Quidditch fans. Most of the people were dressed the same as he was, with variations here and there. You could still see different Quidditch badges and support banners here and there, on both the patrons and covering the walls. Music blared out from somewhere high overhead. It sounded almost like a Hobgoblins song he'd heard Dean Thomas mention once...

All at once, Harry had the sudden idea that this might be some sort of elaborate joke. This was exactly the kind of place, after all, that Rayne might hang out in. And though she didn't follow Quidditch, it wasn't impossible for her to have lead him here. Perhaps she thought it would make for an interesting date?

Harry wasn't sure, but didn't have time to deliberate the theory any further. A much taller and skinnier wizard suddenly jumped out in front of him, holding a Puddlemere United banner in his hands. He was glaring as though Harry had said something utterly disgusting to him.

"No Freers in here!" he proclaimed in what Harry thought must've sounded like a booming voice to him.

"What?" he asked, not sure he'd heard right over the noise.

"Freers!" the pale wizard said again. "You either support somebody, or you're out of here!"

"Sorry," Harry replied. "I don't have anything with me. I was just here to meet somebody..."

"Somebody get this runt outta here!" he shouted, much louder this time. "And what's with that stupid scar on your forehead, huh? You some kind of Light supporter? We don't like Light supporters in here! I've got the mind to..."

Harry drew his wand as the wizard reached for him with his grubby hands. He didn't have time to think of a spell; it was almost as if the wand reacted on its own, casting without a second's hesitation. A bright red light struck the wizard in the chest, and sent him flying. Harry watched as the body caved into the side of the bar and slumped a litte sideways. His eyes fluttered for a moment, and then he was gone.

All eyes turned to look at Harry, but none of them could have felt more shock than he did. Harry drew his wand back into the folds of his robe, and strode over to the bar silently. He could feel every pair of eyes on him, and struggled to remain calm. It wasn't easy, but when the barkeep walked over to him, he spoke in a clear voice.

"Butterbeer," he said, laying a Galleon down. "Make it two, actually."

It was a good thing he'd remembered to bring some of his wizard gold with him. Harry sipped his Butterbeer quietly and scanned the room, looking for a sign that Rayne was close by. He didn't see her anywhere, nor did anyone here look like they knew her. Apparently, if this was some kind of prank on her part, she wasn't ready to end it yet. Much to his own confusion, Harry was finding himself hoping it was a prank. The last few hours had seen him worry himself sick nearly. A prank was much preferable than the idea of something horrible happening to him. If the Death Eaters had gotten her, then he was severely outmatched. Harry only had his wand and his wits about him against what might be an army of some of the worst Dark wizards in history ready to storm the place any moment from now.

Harry waited, and drank his other Butterbeer. The music kept right on playing, but no one approached him. He could tell he was being watched, and by more than one group of people. He supposed this wasn't too strange, however, considering the grand entrance he'd made. People were drawing out of the shadows to the dance floor now. Throwing caution to the wind, he set his Butterbeer on the counter and stood up. As he did, the unconscious wizard at his feet stirred slightly.

"Don't get up," Harry said calmly, pushing him over onto his side. "I can handle this myself."

"For the record," he added, after a couple of steps. "I'm a Victor Krum fan myself."

Harry didn't really feel like dancing much; the idea was based solely on his suspicion that he could take cover if anyone burst into the place and get lost in the crowd. That, and the fact that Rayne might join him if she were anywhere nearby. There were several good-looking witches who eyed him as he strode up. Harry smiled slightly, and began swaying to the music all by himself. Before long, three of them came up and gestured silently in a questioning manner. Harry moved back a little to let them by, but they quickly surrounded him instead.

He wondered for a second if this weren't some kind of attack, but all they did was sway to the music and dance around him. Relaxing a little, Harry let himself get lost in the moment for little while. One or two songs went by, and the witches were steadily dancing closer to him. By the time the last song stopped, each one had pressed up against a different part of his body. Harry realized then that he might be in a different kind of trouble altogether.

"Going somewhere?" one asked, sticking out a pouty lip.

"I..." Harry stammered a little. "I was just... I came here to meet someone, and..."

"Oh, you're the one she told us about!"

"Huh?" Harry wondered.

"She told us you were coming," the other witch said. "But she didn't say you were so cute! I'm kind of disappointed you're taken, now."

"Tell me about it. What's your name?"

"Harry," he said, then thinking better of it, addd, "Just Harry."

"Well, 'Just Harry', Rayne's been looking everywhere for you. She said you left her alone in Diagon Alley."

"What? No, I just..."

"Don't listen to her," the second witch assured him. "She's just playing games, as usual. Rayne did ask us to keep an eye out for you, though. She told us you would be here at some point tonight. We were supposed to take you to her."

"Right. Well, can you? I mean, take me to her, that is..."

"What do you think we've been trying to do?" the third witch giggled, leading him by the arm. "She's back this way."

"Way back in the storage area."

"She wanted to talk with you in private," the first added, hurrying along ahead of them. "It was something important, she said."

"Very important."

Something occured to him. "This is all a trap, isn't it?"

Harry stopped walking, but the other three witches didn't. "Maybe," the second admitted. "But you'll never really know unless you come with us."

"Rayne really is back there," said the third, twirling her hair. "Witch's oath on that. But, you might find something else you weren't expecting."

"You're kidding? All three of you expect me to just walk back there like this conversation never happened."

"How did you guess it was all a trap?" the first asked, instead. "I thought we were doing pretty good."

"You were," he nodded. "At least, in the beginning, anyway. But I've had this sort of thing happen once or twice."

The three witches turned around as they reached the storage door and cocked their heads sideways at him. "You really are him, then?" the middle asked. "You are Harry Potter, aren't you? I thought maybe the little girl was just making it up!"

That got his attention. "Little girl?!" he exclaimed. "One bouncing a red ball?!"

"I didn't see a red ball," the first said, cautiously. "But yeah, maybe."

Harry stood there for maybe half a second. "Let me through!" he demanded, finally. "Let me in there, now!"

All three stood out of the way, as if they'd timed it perfectly. "Good luck, Harry Potter!" one called out as the door slammed shut behind him. "Good luck from all three of us."

The moment the latch clicked, Harry felt the floor give way beneath him. At first, he thought he had fallen down some kind of trap door, but the hard landing that came immediately after told him he'd simply had his legs kicked out from underneath him. Raising up with his wand at the ready, he found himself quickly surrounded. There were hooded figures standing as though they'd Apparated without making a sound. Harry tried to get to his feet, but one of them kicked his wand away. His hand stung from the strength behind the blow as his only means of protection clattered away.

One of the Death Eaters reached for him, but Harry quickly scrambled away. Two of them off to the side weren't as close together, so he tucked in low and tried to escape through their legs. It almost worked, but one was far too quick. Even for all his finely-tuned Quidditch reflexes, Harry was no match for him. As he was flipped over onto his back, Harry did manage to get a closer look in the face of his assailant. He'd been expecting a mask underneath the hood. He thought perhaps he would find himself staring into the face of Bellatrix Lestrange or Draco Malfoy's father, but it was none of them. The vampire that snarled when Harry kicked his foot out did appear familiar to him, but the realization that these weren't Death Eaters had filled his mind for the moment, leaving him little space to dwell on anything else.

They were all vampires, it seemed. Each one pulled it's hood back as he was raised up off his feet. One of them came in close and took a whiff near the pulse of his neck, making his skin crawl. Harry spat directly between the slimey bloodsucker's eyes in retaliation, but all that served was to make him angrier.

Before the vampire could return the favor, however, a bolt of red light sailed through the air, missing Harry's ear by a hair's breath. The light struck him directly over it's still heart, sending him flying backwards into the wall. Harry turned to where the Stunning spell had come from, but only saw a flicker of something move behind the curtain of shadows. His heart leaped in hope anyway as another spell struck the other vampire closest to him. Harry seized this opportunity to leap out of the way. Two more blasts took out more vampires, allowing him enough time to take cover.

Harry scanned the ground in search of his wand as cries swelled up from all around him. Something was apparently diving down upon the vampires from high up in the rafters, taking them on one at a time. They were moving far too fast for his human eyes to see, but Harry still had a vague idea as to whom it might be. Just as he located his wand, the room fell silent. Harry raised up, and spotted Rayne standing in the center of a pile of bodies laying around her in a circle. Both of her wands were drawn out and smoking.

Forgoing his own wand, he leaped up and raced towards her. She did not move as he approached, but Harry didn't care. Throwing his arms around her, Harry breathed in her scent as he fell into a desperate embrace.

"Rayne, where have you been?" he moaned into her. "I've been looking for you... There were these weird letters saying all kinds of crazy things, and then I got one from Hedwig that said you would be here. But these are the same vampires that attacked us in Surrey, and I think there's somebody else..."

Harry paused. "Rayne?" he questioned, raising back. "Is something... wrong?"

There was a flicker of movement just off to the side. Harry didn't have time to react, and suddenly he was flying through the air. When he finally did land, it was many feet away, and his entire body was sore all over from the blow. Rayne was stalking towards him slowly, as though she had singled him out to be her prey.

"Rayne..." he breathed, getting up. "What's wrong with you? What have they..."

The spell hit him somewhere in his gut. Harry doubled over in agony as something foul and unpleasant spread through him in the space of an instant. His eyes clouded over with unshead tears as his body began to sweat profusely. Something hot boiled in his blood. There was a terrible taste in his mouth that somehow managed to carry over everything else, but only a little.

Then, everything was gone.

"Now! Now!" a young voice carried over through the darkness. "Remember to play nice with our new friend, little Rayne."

Something hit the ground, and Harry turned automatically to find the little girl smiling sweetly his way. In her hands was a red ball, and with every step she took, it struck the ground and bounced back up to her hands.

"My name is Yuzuho," she said in an innocent voice. "We've met before, Harry."

"Who are you?" he demanded, getting up again. "What have you done with Rayne? Why is she acting like this? Tell me!"

"Boys are so noisy," she said, as if he'd just sworn in front of her. "Rayne, teach this mean boy a lesson right now."

Rayne was in front of him; Harry didn't have time to contemplate why. She had doubled a fist up and rammed it right into his stomach, sending shockwaves of pain through him. Harry bent over again, and was thrown back as she sent an uppercut that raised him up off his feet. Landing, Harry looked up at her, dazed.

"Rayne!" he begged. "Please, it's me! Harry!"

"She can't hear you," the girl called Yuzuho said, calmly. "I've made sure of that."

"Why are you doing this?" he demanded once again, this time staying down. "You've been following me since the day she and I met. Why?!"

Yuzuho giggled. "Silly Harry! I've been following you for much longer than that. Since the day Rayne laid eyes on you a year ago, I have been there with her, watching you and waiting for the right moment."

"You... you're controling her. But how?"

"Rayne is a part of me. I've always been able to control her, even when she was a little tiny baby. Everything she did back then was because of me telling her. No matter how bad it was, Rayne always listened."

Yuzuho paused, then, and Harry had the sudden feeling that her silence wasn't a good thing. "Then, one day, she stopped listening to me. She didn't want to play with me anymore. She said that I was a bad girl, and had to be punished. It was very dark in that cave, you know. That was where she put me; in a cave down by the sea where no one would ever find me, or play with me again. I hated it there!"

Yuzuho touched her chest. "She missed it. Almost got me, but I was able to stop her at the very last second. Only damaged my heart, instead of going through, so my body didn't completely die. My spirit was still there, but I couldn't move. No one could hear me, so they assumed I was dead. It really did feel like I was dead lying in there for so long. I really didn't like it! Rayne didn't realize she'd missed, or she'd have made sure."

"They found me after a very long time. Two little boys lost and waiting for the sun to go down. They could hear me, at last, and did what I told them to do. The only thing I'd thought about for the longest time was finding Rayne, and making her feel bad for what she'd done. It wasn't easy, since Rayne had run away from me by that point. She didn't stay at home like a good little girl. No, she had to go home to where her father was, even if she didn't realize it."

A cruel grin covered her face then, contrasting harshly with the young face. It made Harry's skin crawl.

"Tom-Tom won't have anything to do with her, though. He never wanted her; nobody wants her except for me."

Harry watched Yuzuho's face carefully, hoping against hope that he'd heard her wrong. "What did you say? Rayne's father is..."

"Tom-Tom was such a naughty boy," she giggled again, holding her red ball tightly. "He came to me years and years ago, looking for a secret. He thought I might know how to give it to him, and him not lose his precious magic! Wizards love their magic; it's why they don't become like me. But I wouldn't give it to him, at least not for free. He had to give something over to me in exchange, so we played a different kind of game. And in the end, he got to play with some of my friends, and I got to keep Rayne all to myself."

Harry couldn't believe what he was hearing. It had to be a mistake! Rayne couldn't possibly be the daughter of...

"It's all true!" she snapped, as if he'd spoken aloud. "You can't hide things from me. I've been watching you for many months, Harry Potter, and I know all of your dirty little secrets. Boys always think they can hide things from girls, but they're wrong!"

"You did all of this," he whispered weakly. "The dreams... the letters... all of it?"

"The dreams were just to get your attention," she shrugged. "The letters were to get you to trust me."

She was sounding much older now, somehow. "What do you want?"

Yuzuho walked up to stand next to Rayne in front of him. "To be where you both are. I cannot touch the world; only you see and hear me as if I were whole and real. My body is just a memory left behind. Others watch over me while I sleep."

"You're like a ghost? But, I remember touching you before. How can that be?"

"Who knows?" she said, smiling in a coy way that reminded him of Rayne way too much. "Maybe you're not as much of a good boy as you think!"

Harry fought for control of himself; he fought with everything he had. Finally, he could feel his body enough to stand. Rayne was looking straight ahead the whole time, as though Harry weren't there. Her eyes, her whole face and body, gave off the impression that she was somewhere else.

"Rayne," he pleaded. "Come back to me."

"Only if you do something for me," Yuzuho spoke again. Harry glared at her, but listened.

"There is something that you have which I want. If you give it to me, I'll allow you and Rayne to play together. You can even finish playing your game, the one you never got to finish before. I'll leave you both alone in exchange for it."

"What?" Harry demanded. "Gold? Money?"

"No, silly! The Heart of Grindelwald."

That made him hesitate. "I don't know what that is."

"No," she admitted, nodding. "I suppose you don't. But you really don't need to, not for what I have in mind. Just go back to the place where the two of you stayed after I let you escape. I can see it, but no one can go there but you two. If you get it for me, Rayne can play with you again."

"The Heart of Grindelwald," he repeated, as if memorizing the name.

"Yes," Yuzuho said, skipping. "But it's also called the Heart of Darkness."