Harry Potter and the Seven Split Soul
By: Krystal Lily Potter
Chapter Twenty Eight: The Sacrifice
Rating: T
Summary: Now that Dumbledore is gone, the wizarding world has fallen into a place of fear with only one beacon of hope left: Harry Potter. Facing evils that he'd never thought he'd have to endure; Harry sets out with Hermione and Ron to find the four remaining horcruxes. But the demons that Voldemort forces upon Harry are the least of his problems that he must face. Can he bring back light to the wizarding world or will the darkness be too great for even the Boy-Who-Lived to escape? My continuation to the canon Half-Blood Prince.
Warning: There will be physical violence, this does include gory images. There might be some cursing and will be more mature themes like death, angst, and many…depressing inner thoughts and disturbing images later on.
Harry stared at the floor in front of him and sighed before looking up at the people in front of him. All the members of the DA stared at him curiously and with interest. Hermione sat by his right leg, and gave the back of it a small squeeze.
"We," he started. "Are running out of time. Voldemort is coming, and we cannot stop him from reaching here. So, we have two options left, we run and let him win, or we fight back, and even if we lose then at least we can say we didn't run." He chuckled to himself lightly and said, "Yeah, I know, that's a Gryffindor's outlook on it."
"Do you think we can win?" Lavender asked him from where she sat. "Do you think we're ready?" She had her knees hugged close to her chest, and there was an uncomfortable look on the carefree face that Harry was used to seeing her with.
"We have to be," Harry said honestly. "We have to be ready for this." He looked around the room at each person, and for the first time Harry realized that he wasn't the only one that had to grow up early. Everyone else in that room had been pushed past their final years of being teenagers into the unprotected adult world much earlier then they would have been.
"We will be Harry," Dean said confidently. "And even if we're not…we'll still fight our hardest."
Several people around the room muttered in agreement. A small smile appeared on Harry's face as he looked from the confident Gryffindors he had grown up with, to the HUfflepuffs he had come to befriend, to the Ravenclaws who had helped him in class, to the Slytherins that he had misunderstood and overlooked. For the first time in a millennium all four houses in Hogwarts were united together.
"That's all we can ask for," Hermione said to them, breaking Harry away from his thoughts. "That's all we needed to hear."
Harry reached down and gave her shoulder and encouraging squeeze, no matter what would happen, they would face it together, and no matter what the outcome would be, they'd still go down in history as the ones who refused to stand by and allow Voldemort to take over.
Ron blinked for a moment, groaning as the bright sunlight penetrated his eyes. He tried to rub away the blurriness, and after a moment he was able to see clearly. He was in the hospital wing, and he was in pain.
While pushing himself into a sitting position he winced from pain, and for the first time noticed the scars on his body. Ron tried to remember why he had so many scars, but he couldn't. The last thing he remembered was going down into the Chamber of Secrets, finding the Flute, going to the Shrieking Shack and…
"I destroyed it," Ron said with a grin as he remembered what had happened. "I killed the horcrux. How do you like that, Moldy-Shorts?"
The grin stayed on his face until he remembered the pain he had felt, and crashing through the window as shrapnel hit him. He remembered hearing Harry yell his name and bending over him, looking positively terrified, and he knew that Hermione would have been there moments later. They were probably worried sick, and Hermione was probably furious with him for doing the one thing she told him not to.
He smiled again when he remembered feeling, in his state of unconsciousness, the darkness fading a little. Ron wasn't sure how he had felt it, but he had. The flute and the locket were gone, that only left the snake before Voldemort would be completely mortal!
As Ron thought about everything that happened, he didn't notice Fleur Weasley walking into the room, followed only a few steps by Bill, who wasn't paying attention to his surroundings. What he did hear was his name exclaimed loudly with a French accent, and a moment later Madam Pomfrey seemed to appear at his side, a surprised look on her face.
"Those are only mobile manikins, Terry," Harry said as he walked past Terry Boot. "You shouldn't feel bad about breaking its legs, because you just might have to do that to a real person. You're doing good Susan, but put a little bit more force behind the incantation. I know this seems brutal, but sometimes to survive you have to fight to hurt. Remember though, if you can, avoid trying to kill anyone. There are worse punishments than death, punishments the Death Eaters deserve to go through."
Ernie Macmillan's face was red as he shot hex after hex at his moving manikin. The DA members had asked for a crash course on dueling, and Harry had certainly given them one. All of them were panting, and many look exhausted, but they continued on. Harry had explained that if they got tired, there wasn't a Death Eater in the world that would allow them to have a break to recuperate. He showed them how to go so long without becoming exhausted, but after a while even fighting large animated dolls was tiring. Ernie stopped fighting and said, "I can't do it anymore." He stumbled backwards and sat on the ground, sweat trickling down his face.
Harry glanced at his watch before saying, "You did good Ernie. In the time you kept fighting someone would have been sure to help you. Remember though, these things are not shooting spells at you. Tomorrow you'll work on fighting a human, without using those advanced curses I taught you today like the cutting curse and the leg-breaking curse. We don't want out allies to be crippled before Voldemort gets here."
A few people winced, and Hermione clicked her tongue with annoyance as she stepped up beside Harry. She too, having known and mastered all of the spells that Harry had been teaching, had been doing rounds around the other students, helping them perfect the spells. Everyone was paying attention to Harry and most were sitting on the ground, looking ready to fall asleep at any moment.
"That's another thing we'll be doing," she said. "You're all going to learn to say Voldemort's name without fear. It a name, nothing more."
There was a silence in the room before Harry's face softened and he said, "You all look dead tired. Go and take a break, get showers, something to eat and just have some free time."
Everyone appeared revealed and all left the room, worried that they might be set back to work if they stayed. Harry and Hermione stood alone for a moment, neither one of them saying anything. The door flew open again and Luna Lovegood floated in.
"Sorry, but Professor McGonagall said that she wished to see you," Luna said and then glided out of the room so quickly they wondered if she had actually been there at all, or if the constant training and work was finally getting to them.
"We best go see her," Hermione said as she tugged gently at Harry's arm. He yawned but nodded his head and followed her, trying not to think about how he'd simply love to fall onto a comfy couch in the Gryffindor Common room and drift to asleep.
The first thing Harry noticed when he entered the Headmistress's office was that Dumbledore's portrait was sitting with a grim look on his face. There was a sad look in his eyes, one that made Harry inwardly shiver and stare at the portrait with slight fear. He had seen that face before, only moments before Dumbledore had revealed the prophecy to Harry when the old man was still alive.
McGonagall sat behind her desk with her straight posture and the stern face that Harry had come accustom to over the years. She looked from Harry to Hermione and back again before saying, "I had originally called you about good news, and to compliment you for pulling the students together so quickly to prepare for the fight. It appears, however, that Albus has something important to tell you Mr. Potter. He's been quite excited and edgy all day."
Harry's eyes turned to the portrait hanging on the wall. All the other portraits of former Headmaster and Headmistresses looked in the same direction with equal interest, and Fawkes appeared on his stand inside the golden frames of the picture.
"What I am about to tell you Harry, you have to understand, I had thought of telling you a million times before, but this, this I was sure you weren't ready for," the portrait said, it's permanently twinkling blue eyes not meeting Harry's green ones. Harry felt anger flare in him; he knew he had seen that look on Dumbledore's face before.
"What have you been hiding from me now?" he hissed angrily. "Is there a second prophecy that corrects the first? Saying that I'm actually going to lose, no matter what I do. Or is it something else like my parents are still alive and you kept them hidden from me? Well?"
"It's nothing like that Harry, but your accusations are quite understandable after keeping you in the darkness about the prophecy for so long. This, what I discovered, was an accident. Before my physical being last put memories into my portrait I had accidentally created a potion. I was attempting to simply make one for the growing pains in my head that simple potions could not heal, when I accidentally dropped phoenix tears into it. As you know from experience phoenix tears are very powerful, and they completely changed the composition of the potion. Yet before I could rid myself of it, it kept drawing me to it, and I thought, perhaps, there was a use for phoenix tears that we knew not. I was correct. Phoenix tears would make the potion so it wasn't lethal, so I decided to test it out. Imagine my surprise when nothing happened."
Hermione shifted beside Harry, and he shot her a confused look, only to see one mirrored back at him. She bit her lip before asking, "You wanted to tell Harry that there was nothing wrong with a potion you were making?"
The image of Dumbledore chucked at her and said, "Oh no, Miss. Granger, not at all. The effects came later. When I was putting a few memories into my pensive, a bright blue one, brighter than most, went into it. It confused me because I had not intended on putting more then three memories into my pensive that night, yet not only was the color of that one odd, but so was the fact that it was a fourth memory. So I decided to see what it was, and you can imagine my shock when I realized it was simply a memory from years ago, when I was a first year. I had forgotten about the time my friend had locked himself in one of the drawers, which I had found very amusing at the time."
Hermione let out a gasp, causing everyone to turn and look at her. There was an excited look on her face, and her cheeks were flustered slightly as she said, "You made a potion that allowed you to see a suppressed memory! There have been talks about one being made, yet, supposedly no one has done it yet."
"Quite right, as always Miss. Granger," Dumbledore agreed. "And, although the process to making it is long and difficult, I had foreseen the use of it, and make one more batch of it. Of course I tested some of it to make sure that it was the same potion, not just a fluke, and it turned out the same. That potion, I stored behind the bookshelf that I insisted Minerva leave over there, in a scarlet bag. It is for you Harry. It is beyond time, I believe, that you finally found out what happened that night so many years ago."
Harry stared at the bookshelf, and slowly stood up. He made his way over to it, and after feeling out for the potion, he detected a crystal vile behind a rather large encyclopedia. The magic radiating from it was almost illuminated to those who could sense magic.
He walked back over to the desk, and sat in one of the chairs that had been set out for he and Hermione. He sat down and stared at the pale blue potion with hesitant eyes.
McGonagall looked at the potion as well before saying, "You can't ask me to go back and watch his parents die! What next Albus? Force him to go back and see Karmen, Sarah and Vera as well?"
"I've already seen what happened to them," Harry said dully. "We used a powerful spell, one that can only be used once in a lifetime, to view the past. It didn't show me how my parents died though."
"Fate has an odd way of letting these things happen Harry," Dumbledore said lightly. "It allows us to see the future when necessary, to change the past when called for, and to view what we need to at certain times. Harry, you know why you must look at this, not to see how they died…no not at all. You have permission to use my pensive, which I also convinced Minerva to keep."
"I don't want to see that," he said firmly. "I want to see how I survived. That's it. I know that will most likely mean seeing my mum dead, but that's all I want to see."
Hermione gripped his hand tightly and she said, "I'll go with you, into the pensive. No one should have to do this alone."
Harry squeezed her hand back and said, 'You're a good friend Hermione. Let's do this." Before McGonagall or Hermione could protest he uncorked the crystal vile and gulped down the potion in one quick motion. He felt as if his stomach had frozen, and then his mind followed. He shivered, but nodded, saying that he was alright.
With McGoangall's instructions Harry concentrated on the memory he wanted, and put the tip of his wand to his head. As he moved it away a thick, bright blue string appeared. It glowed brightly as Harry placed it into the swirling pensive.
"Ready?" he asked Hermione, who nodded. The two spared a last look at McGonagall before vanishing into the memory.
Harry opened his eyes as the door flew open and a young woman with dark red hair ran into the room. He knew his mother on sight, and felt his heart constrict. He didn't want to see her die! He didn't want this.
With a flick of her wand the door slammed shut and Lily rushed over to the crib in the corner. Hermione and Harry watched as she tugged a baby Harry out of it, cradling him against her chest. With a desperate look around the room, and a light scream at the bright green light that illuminated the hallway outside the door Lily Potter seemed to come to one conclusion, that there was nowhere to run this time.
She sobbed lightly and said, "I'm sorry baby, I tried to stop him, I tried." She whispered this to the infant Harry, and the older Harry shook at her words. Low, menacing footsteps were heard approaching the door, and it was obvious who was on the other side of the closed door.
Hermione went to say something to Harry when the door to the nursery exploded. She let out a scream and backed up. Her brown eyes widened in horror as, for the first time, Hermione Granger laid eyes on Lord Voldemort.
Voldemort's cold red eyes turned to Lily, and a sadistic smile appeared on his face as he stepped towards her.
"Lily Potter, you certainly have been a thorn in my side. You knew, I assume, when you heard the prophecy, that I had to be coming about your son, and not the Longbottom boy."
Lily didn't say anything to him, but her eyes narrowed slightly.
"Leave my son alone. He didn't do anything wrong."
"Mentioned in a prophecy to defeat me and his mother is a meddling fool who is already challenging the greatest wizard in the wizarding world," Voldemort hissed.
"You are a powerful monster Tom," she growled back finally. "But you're not a great wizard, and you never will be. My son will though, he will defeat you."
Voldemort actually let out a manical laugh that made the hair on Harry's neck stick up. He stared at Lily Potter as if she was a new, deadly bread of snake as he said, "You are muggleborn, but I think that I can spare you. You know much Lily Potter, and you are powerful. Step aside, and allow me to destroy the boy, and you will live without worry of being hunted by my followers."
"No," she said, a panicked look suddenly appearing on her face.
"Crucio."
Lily let out a scream as the curse slashed through her. Baby Harry let out a loud wail, and Hermione soon screamed after. "He's torturing you!" Hermione screamed. "He's torturing your mother and you!"
Harry looked from Hermione, back to the scene, his eyes wide with shock.
"Not Harry, not Harry, please not Harry!" Lily screamed as she managed to stand up, shaking from the curse that was still befalling her.
"Stand aside, you silly girl…stand aside, now…" Voldemort said angrily as he tried to pry Lily from her son with magic. It was no use though, she wouldn't let go of her baby.
Lily was thrown to the floor, still holding the screaming baby. She stared down at her son, and knew, at that moment, that she would not be able to overpower Voldemort, that she could not escape, so that left one option for her. Turning her head to face he she pleaded, "Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead—"
"Why would I do that?"
"Because I'm the one who knows how to kill you! He doesn't! He's only a baby!"
Voldemort seemed almost amused by her pleading as he held out his wand, tired of the woman in front of him. If she wouldn't take his offer and move, then he would do what he had to in order to destroy the child before it could destroy him.
"Not Harry! Please…have mercy…have mercy…" Lily pleaded, her voice growing softer, she seemed to realize that begging the Dark Lord for mercy was getting her no where.
"Avada Kedavra."
Lily let out a scream and turned quickly. The bright green curse collided with her back, causing the older Harry to yell out, and Hermione to let out a loud sob. Lily Potter's body crumpled to the ground, her son still held in her arm.
"Foolish girl," Voldemort hissed as he approached Harry. "She had so much potential…for a mudblood. Avada Kedavra."
They watched as, as if in slow motion, the curse moved towards baby Harry. The baby had stopped crying nad was now staring at Voldemort. Without even realizing what he was doing the younger Harry reached his hand towards the approaching green light.
And, for a moment, a brilliant white shield appeared around him. The curse slammed into the shield, and rebounded to Voldemort. Unfortunately, as it collided with Voldemort's unprotected body, the shield shattered as well, and a bit of the curse hit Harry's forehead, causing him to let out a loud wail.
Voldemort yelled in pain as his soul was torn away from his physical body, which rotted away right in front of them.
Harry and Hermione gasped as they stumbled out of the pensive. Harry's eyes were wide, and Hermione was shaking badly.
"Are you alright?" McGonagall asked, as she rushed over to them, placing a hand on their shoulders.
It was Hermione who spoke up first. Her voice was shaky as she said, "You shielded it Harry. You made a shield that blocked the killing curse. The little bit that hit you wasn't enough to harm you, but enough to leave a mark…something to show that you were the one the prophecy spoke of."
"So you shielded the curse?" Dumbledore said curiously. "Yes, yes I suppose that would make sense."
"You told me that the power I had, that Voldemort didn't, was love," Harry said, his eyes snapping around to the portrait.
"It is. I had my suspicions, but not confirmation of what happened that night to provide enough proof. The power was locked inside of you all along Harry, but having your mother die for her, the love that was passed from her to you at that moment, unlocked it."
McGonagall say down on her chair with an exhausted appearance as she said, "There are many parents who die for their children every day. Yet those children that are hit with the killing curse, even after their parents died protecting them, still die. Simply saying that you're mother's love was the reason you lived is not good enough. I agree with Albus, you're mother's love didn't protect you directly, but it did unleash the power that allowed you to live."
"I have the ability to block the killing curse in me," Harry whispered while staring at his hands. "I have the solution on how to save so many lives locked within me."
Hermione took his hand and said, "You're powerful Harry, everyone knew it from the beginning. I wish…I wish we could tell Ron what we found out, he was just as curious as we were."
McGoangall perked up slightly and said, "But you can."
"What?" they both asked together.
"That was the original news I asked you to come here for," McGoangall said with a small smile. "Mr. Weasley is awake, and he was asking to see you."
The two stared at McGonagall for only a split second before both of them rushed out her door and down the steps towards the gargoyle.
They sprinted through the halls, heading to the hospital wing.
"Are you alright Harry?" Hermione asked after a moment of quiet.
"I'll live Hermione," he muttered to him. "I always do…"
They got to the hospital wing in record timing, and, ignoring Madam Pomfrey's scandalized glare, threw the doors open with a loud bang.
"It's about time," Ron said from his place on the bed. "I was wondering when you two would come to see me!"
Hermione let out a light scream and tackled Ron into a hug. She squeezed him tightly around the neck as Harry squeezed Ron's shoulder tightly.
At the door of the hospital wing, Sirius Black smiled at them and backed up, allowing the reunited trio to have their reunion.
Author's Note
I didn't kill Ron yet, and before anyone freaks at me saying 'so there's a spell and a potion that can be used to see the past?' I do have an answer for that.
The spell, I think I mentioned, can only be used by a group of people once, and the book it's in is one of a kind (if you don't count the translations), so pretty much no one can use that spell…and no one would really want to because there is a possibility that it could backfire and the person could drown (I didn't mention that but yeah…that's what happens!). As for the potion, that wasn't just seeing in the past, that was simply digging a suppressed memory out of the back of the mind, like from when Harry was a baby, or Dumbledore's long past youth years.
Now you all understand where I'm going with the how Harry lived thing, or at least most of you will be beginning to understand. Dumbledore said that the power Harry has that Voldemort doesn't, is his ability to love, and stories say that, with love involved, anything can be accomplished. There we have it, Harry had strong power inside of him, born with it, and it was unleashed when his mother died, so technically someone could say her love for him was the reason Harry lived. I know, it's confusing, but bear with me. As for where the power came from? Well I made Lily powerful, and James powerful, but any parents could be like that, so let's just say it was destiny that he be born with the power.
ALSO, had such a VERY bad case of writer's block on this chapter. I stared at the blank pages just thinking, "Alright, I've got the outline in front of me, but I don't know what to write. Eff I'm pathetic!" There has been a lot of stress on my part right now, with money and all…applying for scholarships and colleges…paying for driver's training…grad pictures…grad ring…prom dress…damn grade twelve is expensive! For all the younger years who may be reading this, have fun with that.
I'm writing the final chapters now and I was so happy with them, but then I got a second idea…one COMPLETELY opposite from what I have written now…so what do you guys think? Should I write the alternet ending as well and post it too? This is completely up to the reviewers!
So thank you to: Harry Potter Girll, thunder, hash-hash, ollllly, JDZ, The Mysterious Traveller, Demonically Angelic Neko88, FreedomStar and holimontski for reviewing!
I don't have much to point out, the only subject that really caught my attention was the point of Draco. I don't believe that any person is black or white in cases, the Draco I have will prove to be an arrogant self-centered brat, but still on the light side. He and Harry will never actually be friends…as for being forgiven so fast…with the final battle so close Harry can't really be picky with the people who want to help him, can he?
Oh and hash-hash, one part of your review is right on track…but that doesn't tell much, does it?
Krystal Lily Potter
