YOU WILL WANT TO READ THIS:
Alright, my theory on the whole absorbing the opponent and power thing:
To absorb another Spirits power, a number of things are needed. First off, they have to be in a plane or dimension where they are not physical, or at least not to other Spirits. This is possible if you have the means to, as Pitch and Sandy do, this is explained in the movie.
Second of all, once they are in the non-physical state, the essence of what make the Spirit once was must be absorbed. This is done by killing or tearing apart the Spirit's body, leaving the essence or soul of the Spirit in a limbo. It's then that you absorb it into you, capturing their consciousness and power.
Third, you have to reach them on a physiological state. This can be done with the Spirits consent or not. If they do not yield, you must get them to express a strong emotion. e.g. Fear. This will loosen their ties with their power, which allows you to grab it. This is supported by the fact that after Pitch has taken in Sandy, he gets substantially more powerful.
You can only draw a Spirit in, you can't take one out. They have to do that themselves, but can only be possible when the body is 'torn'. They need to take back control of their powers, this is the only way they can escape.
…
Hey guys, sorry about the lateness of this, but school decided to dump three HSC assignments on our year in the space of two weeks. *tears face off* First I had to a listening task about Macbeth and compare one scene with another and get quotes and techniques and blah blah blah, basically that essay was a pain in the arse. Then I had to get a load of info on Embryonic Stem Cells, with reliable sources from four or more different things (books, video etc.) and a stupid bibliography and I had to write an essay on top of that about the issues and moral standing of it that made me want to pull my hair out. I also have a Drama assignment where I have to memorise a ten minute monologue and have an effing costume for it with weird ass movement. On top of THAT I have a math assignment I have to hand in soon which I still haven't done (seriously, who the fuck gives out math assignments? I've forgotten what the fuck I was supposed to do anyway.) ALSO my careers teacher expects me to pick up a job soon and oh lord has it always been this hard to find a job?! *Collapses*
Sorry for the rant but this is literally the first time I've been able to get back to this story, so I wanted you all to understand that I wasn't abandoning the story and say sorry for taking so long. You guys have been amazingly patient with me, so I hope the size of this will give some comfort. I love every single one of you.
O.o
Harry unfroze, stumbling backwards as Sirius walked towards him, arm stretch out. It was a horrifying image. Sirius…he had…rotted. The stench wafted around Harry, making him gag. The flesh was an unnatural colour; an angry red. His eyes, Harry thought, was probably the most disturbing thing about the corpse; the bright silver eyes that Harry had fought hard to keep in his memory were gone, they were now dull, lifeless.
Harry frowned as he realised that something felt…off. This…whatever it was didn't feel like anything he had come into contact with. Harry, being the Spirit of Halloween had handled many a spirit, felt all different kinds of energy. He had to, if he was to seek out who managed to escape from the afterlife every year.
Ignoring the lump that formed in his throat at the sight of Sirius, he stepping forward hesitantly. At his movement, the thing leapt at him, sweeping its arm forward to slash him. Harry just managed to dodge the unexpected move, fingernails scraping against his cheek, stinging him slightly.
"You killed me." The gruff voice of Sirius came out of the corpse, cutting Harry deeper than any physical wound he had experienced.
"I'm sorry." He said, voice cracking slightly. "But you aren't Sirius. I didn't kill you."
Looking at the direction he thought was up, he yelled. "You're going to have to do better than that if you want to scare me Pitch!" Harry spat out the name, like a bad taste in his mouth.
Harry's eyes widened as he saw the next swipe from the corner of his eye, too late to dodge. The very solid hand connected with his shoulder. With an unnatural strength Harry was pushed off his feet, sent flying off whatever he was standing on. It was then that Harry started to panic. He couldn't fly.
Landing heavily, Harry rolled to lessen the impact. Sitting up at lightning speed, Harry desperately tried to summon a pumpkin. Nothing happened.
"Shit!" Harry swore. The corpse was coming closer for its next attack.
Come on, anything! He pleaded with himself as he tried to access his powers. He had done it only a moment ago, sensing the spirit, why couldn't he now?! Throwing a hand in the air, he tried to call one of his newly discovered abilities; his bats. But once again, he couldn't.
Scrambling up, he crouched into a defensive stance. Why didn't he ever think about learning hand to hand combat in the war?! He found himself wishing to have his phoenix wand, that it had not broken, that he found a way to fix it. But even if he had it, Harry knew it would be useless to him. He wasn't a wizard anymore.
The corpse lunged, but this time Harry was ready. Ungracefully, he ducked out of the way, pushing at the thing hard enough to make it stumble.
Harry backed off quickly, eager to put space between the corpse and him. His heart wretched at the thing spun around, glaring in hate with such familiar, but unrecognisable eyes.
This isn't Sirius. He told himself sternly. This isn't my godfather.
Backing off more, Harry frantically looked for the door. If he stayed in here, he wasn't sure what would happen if the corpse got to him. He couldn't see it, the fog was too thick, to make matters worse, the corpse was advancing fast.
Harry stepped out of the way of the punch, but wasn't expecting the corpse to throw itself forward. Catching Harry around the waste, it pulled Harry to the ground landing on top of him. Harry let out a rush of air as the thing fell onto his chest. Harry struggled underneath it, the terrible smell making his head spin.
"Oh merlin." Harry grunted as the corpse's hands wrapped around his throat, squeezing. Harry spluttered, fingers raking at the hands around his neck, tearing away rotted skin. The grip only got tighter the more Harry struggled, the more he tried to drag in oxygen into his lungs.
Harry's chest was stinging, vision blurring around the edges.
FUCK! Harry tried to shout. He was becoming desperate for oxygen, opening and closing his mouth. Saliva was gathering in his mouth, dripping down the side of his chin as he tried to buck the corpse off.
As a last ditch attempt, Harry spat on the corpse's face. It was enough to stun it, the grip on Harry's throat loosened giving him a chance. Harry violently bucked again, rolling over and away from the corpse. Harry didn't give himself the time to breathe; instead he stumbled into the fog. Using it as cover, Harry finally drew the much needed air into him. Coughing and wheezing, Harry hunched over, massaging his bruised throat. His eyes were watering, wiping the wetness away furiously, he tried to stand straight. He had to find the door, now.
Harry went to step forward, only to collapse on his knees.
Oh for Merlin's sake! Harry ranted, climbing back onto his unsteady feet. Harry was still panting heavily, which he would have to stop soon to have any semblance of stealth. Taking a tentative step, then another, Harry soon found himself at a steady pace. He could hear the frustrated cries of the thing behind him, urging him forward.
Come on, where is the bloody thing? By this point, Harry had his arms stretched out in front of him, looking blindly for the door he came through. The others footsteps were catching up to him, Harrys heart rate was rising with every second. Every sound made him jump in nervousness and trepidation. He sped up and stumbled over his feet, falling onto something solid. His heart soared as he felt what could only be a doorknob pressing into his ribs.
He grabbed onto it and twisted, but the knob didn't budge. Harry swore, jostling the knob with rising panic. The footsteps were getting closer now, speeding up.
"I'm coming to get my revenge, Potter." Sirius's voice drifted through the place, echoing around Harry. Giving up on the knob, Harry raised a foot and smashed it against the door. The door rattled dangerously, but didn't break. It sounded as if the corpse was running now. Harry slammed his shoulder against the door, ignoring the ache to repeat the action. Harry felt fingertips brush against his back just before he threw his whole weight into the door. The door burst open and Harry tumbled through. Landing in the hall way, he spun around, staring up at the open door, waiting for the corpse to jump out of the fog. Harry stayed frozen for a full five seconds, but the eerie fog just swirled, not crossing the threshold.
Harry stuck out a leg, and slammed it closed with him foot. He let his body go lax and slumped down. Closing his eyes, he tried to block out the image of the dead godfather, but with little success. The haunting image was burned into his mind's eye; he doubted he could ever just throw it out. Bringing a hand to his throat, he flinched as the tender muscle gave a twinge. That was definitely not a wondrous experience.
"That was entertaining." Pitch's amused voice echoed around the house. Harry's anger flared up again, giving him the strength to stand. The last thing Harry wanted was for Pitch to see him vulnerable.
"You're a dick." Harry rasped. His voice scratched all the way up his throat, making him wince.
Pitch's laughter only infuriated Harry more.
"Be that as it may, you still have quite a few doors to go through. Let's see; You're uncle's room, the guest room and the cupboard under the stairs."
"So going through them will get my out?" Harry asked, voice cracking.
"I may find it in my heart to let you out of the house."
"What heart?" Harry snapped.
Pitch left him with another chorus of laughter.
Harry leaned against the wall, closing his eyes and taking in deep, slow breaths. His lung were still burning from being starved from oxygen, he wanted to remedy that before venturing through the next door.
When he could breathe relatively normally, he opened his eyes. It was strange that he wasn't exhausted, but he would take anything that would help him through these….what were they exactly? Tests?
Pretty shit tests. He grumbled to himself. Glancing behind him, the guest room stood out at him.
"Yeah, hell no." Harry glared at the door. He slid down the wall, fingers pressing curiously into his tender neck. It should be healing by now, but then again his powers weren't working. With a groan, he slammed his head on the wall behind him. He should have asked Pitch about that.
Bringing his legs up to his chest, he rested his head on his knees. Now that the adrenaline was slowly removing itself from his system, a new feeling washed over him. Harry, for the first time in a while, was lonely. Truthfully, he missed Jack. The winter spirit made great company and Harry couldn't help but wish, no matter how much of a bad idea it sounded, that he was with him.
The empty feeling in his chest dug deeper at the thoughts of his friend. Ever since Jack and Harry had become good friends, Harry never really felt lonely anymore. Even when they weren't in close proximity to each other, Harry always knew that Jack was only a quick trip away. Even that was rare from them, they were often together. Maybe Jack needed him as much as he needed Jack?
But it wasn't that easy anymore, Harry couldn't fly out of where ever he was and surprise Jack with a pumpkin to his head. Would he ever be able to see Jack again? Harry let out of whine at the thought. He definitely didn't like that possibility. He felt like he was being suffocated all over again, but all he could do was sit there, wallowing in his misery.
He was there for what felt like hours, just sitting. He really couldn't be bothered to get up. But a voice he had been ignoring for the majority of his misery came back, it sounded strangely like Hermione.
You're not going to get anywhere just sitting there! Get up and face your fears. Unfortunately for him, the voice had a point. Getting up slowly, he wondered that he may have to start worrying for his mental health.
Walking towards the guest's room, he didn't hesitate on opening the door. He was absolutely sick of this; he wanted to get it over with. With little care for his health, still grumpy and upset, he strolled into the room with false bravo.
As it had previously, the door slammed shut. Harry squinted, trying to see through the dim lighting. Cautiously, he took hesitant steps, crouched low. If he was going to run into something like he had with Sirius, he had to be ready.
Harry froze as he heard a pained whimper coming from his left. He spun, hands in front of him. What he saw didn't just make his arms drop, but his heart too. Teddy was chained up to what resembled a wall, gashes littering his body, blood trickling down his arms and torso, staining his tattered clothes.
"Teddy…" Harry's voice cracked as he hurried to the boys side.
"Harry, please help me….help me." The boy said softly, as though it pained him to speak.
This isn't real this isn't real this isn't real.
"Harry…aren't you… going to help me?" He gasped, wrenching Harry's heart out of his chest. Fumbling desperately with the chains, Harry pulled on them, yanking them. They didn't budge.
"Why did you do this to me?" Teddy whimpered, opening a bloodshot eye.
This isn't real this isn't real this isn't real.
"I didn't…Ted." Harry said quickly, reaching out to Teddy, only for him to flinch away. He felt his heart snap as panic and grief flooded his mind.
~squiggly~
North, Sandy and Tooth were waiting for Pitch. It was Easter and they all knew that this was the perfect time for Pitch to make his next move. It would be stupid if he didn't, if Easter pulled through the battle would sway into their favour.
North glanced over to Sandy and nodded, tightening the grip on the hilt of its scabbard. When Pitch would attack, they would be ready. North was feeling quite confident thanks to Sandy; the spirit had come up with a plan to ensure Easter was going to continue.
Bunny was safe at the North Pole, with the majority of his eggs. A quick trip through Bunny's rabbit hole made an easy way to keep the eggs safe. Sandy was always the voice of reason, North knew if Harry had not taken that hit, they would be lost without Sandy's cunning. He dreaded to see the day when the 'mother' of the group was lost.
All of them suspected that Pitch wouldn't see the move coming and would attack the Warren directly. North shifted on his perch, eyes scanning the expanse of grass and flowers. Sandy would give them the signal when he could feel the Nightmares coming, that was the plan.
North just prayed it would work.
He doubted that they would come out of this fight the victors. As soon as Sandy handed Jack over, in his semi-conscious…uhh…well, North didn't really have much information where exactly Jack was. Was he solid? Or maybe his essence or something was floating around in Sandy's dream sand. Honestly, the whole idea of it made North's head hurt, and having Sandy try to explain it to him in pictures didn't help either.
Where was he? Right, handing Jack over. Well, when Sandy would hand Jack over in…whatever way he would do that, Pitch would get another boost of power. Pitch was already stronger by gaining Halloween's essence, what goes better together than Fear and Halloween? And now they were about to add Cold to the toxic mix.
Seeing as Sandy was weaker than Pitch, thanks to Halloweens power, the dream sand should put up little resistance to transferring into Nightmares. They weren't sure what would happen when Jack would be forced into the Nightmares. Again, North tried not to think too much on it, he didn't want to contract a headache right before the fight.
North hoped he was making the right decision. The anxiousness building up in him was overwhelming, what if it didn't work? Shaking himself, he berated on his negative thoughts.
Jack will find Harry; he is too determined to fail.
In the corner of his eye, he saw Sandy perk up. Tensing, he prepared to bring out his swords. A picture flashed over Sandy's head, a Nightmare.
Not two seconds later, black shadows burst forth from the tunnel before them. North's barely managed to pull out his heavy swords and cut through a Nightmare before it kicked him. He easily slipped into the fight, cutting down shadows left and right. It was up to Sandy now.
~squiggly~
Sandy shot above the other, viewing the fight from the sky. North and Tooth were putting up a valiant fight, but they couldn't hold up for long against wave after wave of Nightmares. For one that was cut down, three more would appear. It didn't help their situation that Pitch had sapped Harry of his powers, using them for his own gain. Bats sprang out of the tunnel, flying wildly towards the Guardians.
Sandy could feel Jack poking around curiously, it was quite a strange feeling to have someone else in your mind. He had one shot at this, he had to do it right. He flew down, dodging through the Nightmares and bat, determined to find Pitch. It did not take long, thankfully. Pitch stood on top of a grassy hill, above the chaos. He seemed perfectly content to watch as his Nightmares drove the Guardians back. A different Aurora seemed to radiate from him, Sandy supposed he was having a bit of fun with Harry's powers. Or perhaphs that was Harry himself, Sandy thought hopefully, that Harry was trying to find a way out.
Aided by his gift of silence, he swooped down, unknown to Pitch. Floating as to have them face to face, he tapped Pitch lightly on the shoulder. He spun around, only to meet with Sandy's fist. Stumbling back, he griped his nose.
"That was uncalled for!" His shout was muffled by his hands clutching his nose.
Sandy concentrated on the feel of Jacks essence. The essence of a Spirit is what made up their physical body, this could be warped into, for lack of a better term, a 'spirit'. Harry faced the same advantage. The only problem they faced now was escaping Pitch.
Sandy shot forward, slamming his palm onto Pitch's forehead, pouring Jack into a similar realm, though much, much darker.
O.o
Well, that's the longest chapter so far. Technically it was originally supposed to be longer but I felt like I was leaving you dry for too long. I hoped you liked it, please review, they make me smile. If you find anything wrong with this chapter, give me a heads up.
Oh, some of you might have noticed, but my other two stories are up for adoption. Please contact me if you would like to take the reins.