The halls were empty as Harry ascended the moving staircase. He was thankful for the peace and quiet, it gave him time to think. Given the seriousness of the situation, Dumbledore had excused him from classes for as long as it took for Harry to get the information he needed from the Gray lady. Harry was grateful for the distraction, he didn't want to think too hard about what Percy and Dumbledore had revealed to him.
He thought that he'd been over it, thought that he'd come to terms with the reality of the situation. But he realized now that all he'd really done is manage to push those thoughts to the back of his mind. He hadn't dealt with it, he'd only delayed the inevitable. And now, now that he knew the truth, knew what the Prophecy was really about, the truth was hitting him harder than any bludger.
For as long as he could remember, he'd been curious about his scar. Curious as to its strange shape. How a simple curse could something such as that; ever since he'd entered the wizarding world, he'd wondered. Perhaps just as important, was the strange connection to a man he'd never met. A man who had spent Harry's entire life trying to kill him. How Harry could seemingly gaze into his mind, feel his emotions, see what he saw and feel what he felt. For him to know the truth now, was equal parts a relief, and a curse. It was good knowing, good having answers. Answers to questions he'd had his entire life. But that did nothing to ease his mind. Worse still, was the knowledge that the people he had trusted, had lied to him yet again. While he could understand why Percy did as he had, it did nothing to ease the sting of betrayal.
He should have seen it coming, he knew who and what Percy was, knew what he was there to do. But still, Harry had thought he could trust him, he had been the only adult Harry had ever met who genuinely seemed to have Harry's interests at heart. Who spoke honestly to him. But had all of that been a façade? No. There had been something on his face when Percy had spoken to him. An earnestness and an honesty that Harry was sure couldn't be faked. Not on a man like Percy, who wore his emotions on his sleeve. While Harry didn't know everything there was to know about the man, it was clear to Harry that there was truth to the words he'd spoken. And even if Harry could not feel as though he could trust the man, that did not mean that bus mission was any less real. It did not mean that Voldemort was not still out there. Plotting, planning, and after him. After Harry. He knew that the self-proclaimed dark lord would stop at nothing to kill him.
So Harry climbed the stairs, intent on finishing the mission he'd been given. Turning the corner at the top of the staircase of the West Wing, he approached Ravenclaw Tower. He knew that somewhere in the desolate tower, was the ghost of the Grey lady. He searched for nearly an hour, looking in every corridor, every passage, and every abandoned classroom. But he didn't find anything besides a few sleeping portraits who flashed Harry rude hand gestures when he interrupted their nap. The bell signaling the end of the next period would be ringing soon, and Harry knew that people would be asking questions if they saw him wandering the halls between lessons. Deciding that he would find an abandoned classroom and hide out until the next lessons started, he made his way back down the hallway, before stopping abruptly. Coming out of the wall by the nearest classroom, was the Grey Lady. It was the first time Harry had ever laid eyes on her. She was beautiful, in a Victorian sort of way, with pale skin, aristocratic features, and dark raven hair that cascaded down her back in a tight braid.
"Excuse me!" Harry said earnestly, running after the spirit. The Grey Lady started, and turned to look at him, "You're the Grey Lady right? The ghost of Ravenclaw Tower?"
"I do not answer to that name," She said spitefully, and turned to float away,
"No!" Harry said quickly, running around to try and block her path. "I'm sorry, it's Helena, right? Helena Ravenclaw?"
Helena gazed down on him, appraising him for a moment,
"Dumbledore sent you, didn't he?" She asked, and Harry nodded, "You seek my mother's diadem." She said
"Yes, he thought that you might be able to help me." He said
"Dumbledore is shrewd, but he is wrong. I cannot help you." She said, and she floated through Harry, who shivered as his body chilled from the strange sensation.
"Wait!" He called out, "Please, I don't want to keep it, I want to destroy it!" Helena stopped, and turned. She cocked her head to the side and gazed curiously at him,
"Many have searched for my mother's diadem. Some seeking fame, more seeking riches, and others simply to claim that they were the ones to solve the mystery. But you are only the second to claim that you wish to destroy it."
Harry's heart thundered in his chest, and his mouth went dry.
"He was a student here, the other one to say he wanted to destroy. It was years ago, wasn't it?" He asked, and she nodded,
"He was a strange boy, with a strange name." She confirmed,
"Tom Riddle," Harry confirmed, and she nodded,
"He lied,"
"He's lied to a lot of people," Harry nodded. In an instant, her demeanor changed. She whirled on him, advancing on Harry like a predator, her face contorted in grim facade of rage.
"I know what he's done!" She thundered, "I know who he is! He defiled it! With dark magic!" Her chest was rising and falling, as though she were breathing excessively in her anger.
"I know," Harry said softly, "I know what he's done to it…I know, because what he did to your mother's diadem…he did to me."
Helena just stared at him, her face frozen. "You lie," She said simply,
"No, I don't." Harry shook his head, and raised his bangs over his forehead and pointed at his scar. Helena peered curiously at it for a moment, and carefully approach. She outstretched a hand and reached out towards the scar, her cold finger pressed up against the scar, and she let out a hiss of fury, and whipped away from Harry. She clutched at her hand as though it had been burned, and she stared in muted horror at Harry.
"What has he done…" She asked softly,
"He didn't mean to do it," Harry said back, "He tried to kill me, but my mother…she did something and when the curse hit me, it rebounded and hit him instead. Part of his soul was trapped in here as a result," He tapped at the scar with his finger.
Helena just continued to stare at him, still clutching her hand close to her breast.
"You mean it, don't you?" She asked, her voice little more than a whisper. "You want to destroy it."
Harry nodded, "I do," He said resolutely.
"It's strange," Helena said, as she floated back towards him. She circled around him, looking Harry up and down. "You remind me of him," She paused in front of him, "It's here, in the castle. It is in the place where everything is hidden. If you have to ask, you will never know. If you know, you need only ask." With her piece said, she floated away, sinking into the floor and disappearing from sight.
Harry just stood there for a moment, staring at where Helena had disappeared. His mind was racing with thoughts, and even more questions. "If you have to ask you, will never know, if you know, you need only ask?" What on earth was that supposed to mean? And where was the place where everything is hidden? It was a castle, that could be anywhere. The bell signaling the end of the lessons rang, and the halls were soon flooded with students leaving their classrooms.
Allowing himself to be swept up in the throngs of students, Harry followed the gathering hoard as they descended down the staircases. He needed to find Ron and Hermione, needed to get back to Gryffindor tower and get his hands on the Marauders map. He could spend the rest of the day, looking for any potential secret hiding places where the diadem could be hidden. But even as the thought occurred to him, he stopped. Backing up against the wall to get out of the way of the marching students, he thought about it. Would the map even really know? It had belonged to his father and his father's friends, and it would only know what they knew. Surely, if they had found where the diadem was hidden, they would've taken it. Harry knew enough about his father, to know that he would never step away from a chance at making a name for himself. James Potter had loved the spotlight, had thrived in it, so if he had truly found a diadem, Harry was sure that people would know.
But where did that leave him? Who could he turn to to try and find the diagram? He supposed that he could go back to Dumbledore. But even then, Dumbledore himself had once admitted that not even he knew of all the secrets Hogwarts had to offer. His stomach rumbled, he was starved, having not had the chance to eat a proper breakfast. He supposed that he could kip on down to the kitchens and have an early lunch. And then, a thought occurred to him. A ludicrous, yet brilliant thought. Dobby. The old house-elf that had once belonged to the Malfoy family. Harry knew that he was working in the castle, it was possible that he or another house-elf was aware of secrets in the castle that not even the headmaster knew. Deciding he didn't have any other options, Harry made his way down the staircase towards the kitchens. Luckily, nobody bothered him as he made his way down the steps. And before too long, he found himself standing in front of a portrait of a misshapen pair. Tickling the painting right on the skin of the fruit, the portrait door swung open and Harry climbed on in.
The kitchens were buzzing with activity, and house-elves were bustling in every direction, their arms burdened with pots and pans, enormous stews, and a host of other necessities for preparing a magnificent lunch. Harry had barely taken three steps into the kitchens when a loud, shrill voice rang out from the middle of the room.
"Harry Potter sir!"
Harry stumbled backwards as a small creature collided into his mid-section, knocking the wind from him. Doing his best not to fall down, he gently pat the diminutive elf on the head,
"Hey Dobby," Harry said, "Good to see you too,"
"Harry Potter sir!" Dobby just said again, "The great Harry Potter sir be visiting Dobby!"
"Yeah Dobby," Harry said uncomfortably, prying himself free from the elf's grip. The house-elf had had a bit of an unhealthy attachment to Harry ever since he'd helped free Dobby from Lucius Malfoy.
"Listen, Dobby, I need some help." He said quickly, before Dobby could interject again.
"Harry Potter sir be needing Dobby's help?" Dobby said, tears dancing at the corner's of his eyes.
Wanting to cut that off before the elf broke down into hysterics, Harry nodded his head, "I'm looking for something Dobby, a room, here in the castle. Do you know what I mean if I say that I'm looking for the place where everything is hidden?"
Dobby's wide eyes managed to grow even wider, as he nodded his head.
"Sir is talking of the Come and Go Room." Dobby said with reverence, "Dobby heard tell of it from the other house-elves when he be coming to Hogwarts sir. It is a room that a person can only enter when they have real need of it. Sometimes it is there, and sometimes it is not, but when it appears, it is always equipped for the seeker's needs."
"Brilliant Dobby," Harry breathed, hope and relief flooding through him, "Do you know where it is?"
"The seventh floor, sir," Dobby said excitedly, "By the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy and the trolls sir. Sir must focus on what he be needing most, sir must be as specific as possible."
"Dobby, you are incredible." Harry said genuinely, and immediately regretted it. Dobby's eyes filled with tears, and let loose the most pitiable wail Harry had ever heard. Charging into Harry's middle again, the house-elf sobbed into Harry's clothes,
"Great Harry Potter Sir. Kind Harry Potter. Harry Potter be too kind to Dobby sir. Saying such things to a house-elf." His blubbering only increased in severity, and soon lost any sense of coherence. Unable to pry the elf loose, and growing increasingly uncomfortable with every passing moment, Harry eventually managed to pry himself free of the sobbing elf. Thanking Dobby one last time, Harry fled the room before he could be subjected to another breakdown.
Following Dobby's advice, Harry made his way up to the seventh floor corridor. When he came within sight of the old tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy attempting to teach trolls ballet, he spotted the blank wall at the end of the corridor. Trying to remember what Dobby had told him, Harry focused and tried to be as specific with his command as possible.
I need a place where everything is hidden. Harry thought as he walked past the blank wall
I need A place where everything is hidden.
I need a place where everything is hidden.
On his third time past the blank wall there was an odd creaking sound. Turning towards the wall, Harry watched in astonishment as a small door materialized out of thin air. Approaching cautiously, Harry tested the handle, and found that it was real. Harry opened the door, and stepped inside. The door closed behind him with a dull thud, and Harry found himself, in what could only be described as a warehouse. Tables, cabinets, and shelves upon shelves lined with items and knickknacks and other assorted oddities stretched as far as the eye could see.
Not knowing where to begin, Harry took a cautious step forward. Gazing around the room, he felt a strange sensation emanating from his scar. It was a small prickle, similar to the uncomfortable sensations that he felt whenever he was seeing into Voldemort's mind. He scratched absently at the scar as he meandered forward into the room of hidden things. For ten minutes he walked, aimlessly wandering among the dusty and decrepit shelves. For some strange reason though, his scar wouldn't stop prickling. And the further into the room that Harry got, the more uncomfortable the sensation grew. Stopping in his tracks, Harry frowned. What was going on? Why was his scar acting so strangely? It was a different sensation to the ones he normally felt when he was looking into Voldemort's mind. Normally, his scar burned and prickled, and while the scar was definitely prickling, there was something more to it. It was as though it was trying to tell him something, as though a hand were reaching out from the scar and trying to see something that Harry could not see.
Curious, Harry decided to follow the strange sensation. Taking a left at the next corridor between the shelves, Harry squeezed past a pair of old and dusty bookshelves. Before following the sensation into a larger atrium. The sensation grew in its strength and ferocity, but it wasn't painful, it felt as though he were yearning for something that he could not yet see. As he followed the strange sensation, the feeling only grew in intensity. Coming around another turn, Harry nearly doubled over as a sudden wash of pain threatened to overwhelm him. His scar burned, far worse than he had ever felt it burn before. It was as though some thing we were trying to escape from his very being, trying to claw its way out straight from the scar on his forehead.
His eyes blurred, and his vision began to swim from the pain. But he fought through the uncomfortable sensation, and he pushed onward. He lost track of all sense of time, he could have been wandering for an hour, he could have been wandering for a day, and he wouldn't have been able to notice the difference. All he knew was that the further into the room he walked, the more the burning in his scar grew. The discomfort intensified, and on more than one occasion, Harry had been forced to stop in his tracks and catch his breath, but still, he continued trudge forward, deeper and deeper into the bowels of the room. Just when he thought that he couldn't continue on, he spotted something out of the corner of his eye. Sitting upon a dusty shelf was a beautiful, silver tiara, with blue sapphires, far shinier than any he had seen before. Approaching slowly, Harry reached into his pocket and withdrew a small bag that Percy had given him earlier that morning. It was enchanted, according to Percy, and could hold a great number of items and wouldn't disturb the contents inside. And if the Horcrux were cursed, the bag would keep the curse from affecting the holder of the bag. Fearing that touching the diadem wouldn't end well for him, Harry whipped out his wand and pointed it at the object,
"Accio diadem" Harry intoned, and the diadem whipped forward. lifting off of the bookshelf at a tremendous speed. Opening the bags mouth wide, Harry caught the diadem inside just as his scars burning grew to a level of torture the likes of which Harry had never felt before. Quickly tying the mouth of the bag shot Harry's scar suddenly ceased to burn, and for the first time in minutes, Harry could see clearly. Panting heavily, his hands on his knees, Harry glanced at the small satchel clutched in his grip. After all this time, they were going to be so close. This silly little bag held the last Horcrux, aside from Harry himself. Harry could only hope, that Percy had been right when he had told Harry that his friend could help him.
Harry just wished that he could believe that.
BREAK
Percy was warm, warm and comfortable. Far more comfortable than he'd been in months. Shifting in the warm furs of the bed, he rolled onto his side, and his arm against the warmth of flesh. Instinctively, he wrapped his arm around the warm body beside him, pulling them closer to his side. The owner hummed and sighed in delighted, and snuggled deeper into the embrace. Inhaling deeply, Percy took a moment to revel in the softness of his bedmates warmth, and the comfort she provided. While his eyes were closed, he could tell that the room had fallen into darkness, and that night had descended upon the castle. He knew that he ought to get up, to get back to work, but this was the first time in far too long that he felt genuinely relaxed.
Of course, like all good things, his peace was destined to end. A bright and shining light burst into existence, and Percy's eyes snapped open, unconsciously putting himself between Lou and whatever strange disturbance had appeared. The light was so bright, in contrast to the darkness of the chamber, that Percy had to shield his eyes, and allow himself to momentarily become accustomed to the new light source. As his vision began to clear, he realized that they were in no immediate danger. The light was coming from a brilliant patronus which was flying gently in the center of the room. The patronus, a phoenix, turned its large head towards Percy, and he felt Lou stir sleepily beside him.
"Percy?" She said, blearily, "What's going on?"
"I don't know," Percy said quietly, "But-" He was cut off as the beak of the phoenix opened wide, and Dumbledore's voice sprang forth,
"Percy, Harry has the diadem. Please return to the castle immediately."
There was a flash of light, and the patronus disappeared, cloaking the room once more in inky darkness. Percy just stared at where the patronus had been for a moment, before his mind caught up to what his ears had heard and he from the bed. The braziers in the room sprang to life as Lou sat, waving her hand around at the many fixtures.
"Does this mean?" Lou started to ask,
"Could we do the ritual tonight?" Percy asked excitedly as he pulled on his underwear, which had been thrown halfway across the room. Lou nodded, as she pulled herself from the bed. Percy was momentarily distracted, as she stretched languidly before striding over to the dresser and pulling on a silk neglige. Shaking it off, Percy busied himself with pulling his pants on.
"Yes," Lou said, as she set about getting herself cleaned up, "Give me an hour, and I can have all of the preparations in place…if you're still sure about going through with this."
"I am," Percy said resolutely, pulling his shirt over his head, "I'll go and grab some materials and head to the castle and pick up Harry. Can you put together a portkey for me?" Lou nodded, and picked up a used tube of lipstick. Waving her hand over the lipstick, it glowed a faint blue for a moment.
"This is a two way, just twist the bottom and it'll take you back here." She said before turning back to Percy. She was frowning, clearly still displeased that Percy was going through with the plan, but knowing Percy well enough to not try and talk him out of it.
"Everything will be ready by the time you get back," She said, and tossed the tube at him. Unconsciously grabbing it out of midair, Percy didn't get a chance to say anything more, as he feels a tug behind his naval, and he was pulled halfway across the world. Landing back in his room at the safe-house, Percy set about gathering some of the supplies he thought he might need. Uncertain if he would even be able to take anything with him inside of Harry's mind, he decided that it was still better to be over prepared than not being prepared at all.
Grabbing his watch-shield, he slid it onto his wrist, before checking to make sure he had Anaklusmos, which was safely secured in his pocket. He then filled his pockets with shrunken vials of potion and nectar, and other useful tools and supplies he thought he might need. Finally, he attached his pistol and holster to his belt. With he had everything that he thought he might need, he alerted Freeman that he was heading out, and to be prepared to send out the signal to their comrades that the plan was entering the final phase, before traveling to Hogwarts.
For the third time in less than a day, Percy found himself in Dumbledore's office. The man in question was pacing behind his desk, his hands folded behind his back and his head bowed deep in thought. Harry was sitting patiently in the chair across from the table. On the table, was the small sack that Percy had given Harry when he'd left the castle that morning.
"Harry," Percy called out, and young man started, jumping slightly in his chair as he whirled around to look at him. Dumbledore stopped his pacing and looked up.
"You have it?" Percy asked, his heart pounding in his chest.
"Yeah," Harry said, pointing at the sack, "It's in there,"
Striding over towards the desk, Percy picked up the sack and stuck his hand inside. Instantly, he felt the cool silver frame of a tiara. Pulling it out, he only got a brief chance to take a look at it before Harry gasped out in pain. Turning sharply to Harry, Percy watched as Harry collapsed in his chair, grasping desperately at his scar. Percy dropped the diadem back into the sack, and Harry let out another gasp, and took in a deep breath. His shoulders heaved with each shuddering gasp, and glanced up at Percy,
"Please don't do that again," He said, "It's not exactly pleasant."
"Right…" Percy said slowly,
"Did she find a way?" Dumbledore asked, and Percy nodded,
"She's setting it up now." He checked his watch, "She should be just about ready for us."
"Do things like this always happen so quickly?" Harry asked as he stood from the chair.
"When things start popping off, it all tends to start going off at once," Percy replied with a shrug, "The universe has a way of making sure everything happens at the same time. You coming with?" He asked Dumbledore, who shook his head.
"I am needed here, I have no doubt that Tom will make his move on the Department of Mysteries soon."
"Let him take it," Percy said sternly, "Don't interrupt, don't try and stop him."
"I won't." Dumbledore said, having been clued in by Percy about his plan some time ago, "I will convene the Order for an emergency meeting. How soon can your people be mobilized if he moves tonight?"
"We can have boots on the ground in under an hour. We've had three rotations of agents on standby for the last few days in preparation for this." Percy explained. "I've instructed my person inside Riddle's camp to inform you if he decides to make his move tonight. The second you hear anything about anything going down, you make the call to Bones, who calls in the cavalry. Let them take it from there."
"I understand." Dumbledore said, and Percy nodded his head. Looking back at Harry, Percy pulled the tube of lipstick out of his pocket and twisted the bottom. There was a twisting sensation behind his naval, and Percy was tugged off into the ether, with Harry clutching tight to his arm.
After a moment of disorientation, Percy's feet landed on the floor of the bedchamber of Lou. He reached out a hand and steadied Harry, who threatened to fall to the floor.
"I hate portkeys." Harry grumbled as he gathered his bearings.
"I feel ya," Percy laughed, "I've only just gotten the hang of 'em, and that's just because I've been forced to use them so much. Give me a boat and a sail over a portkey any day."
The door to the chamber opened and Lou poked her head inside, "Percy?" She asked hesitantly. Seeing the pair of them in the room, she fully opened the door and stepped inside,
"Lou," Percy said, "Meet Harry Potter, Harry, meet my friend Lou Ellen. Resident witch, professor of ancient runes at Ilvermorny, and magical expert extraordinaire."
Lou flushed slightly at the praise, but ignored Percy and stepped forward to shake Harry's hand,
"Good to finally meet you Harry, Percy's told me a lot about you." She said kindly, and Harry blushed as he shook her hand,
"Nice to meet you too," He said uncomfortably.
"How are you feeling?" Lou asked,
"Nervous," Harry said uncomfortably, "Percy hasn't exactly told me anything,"
"Of course he hasn't," Lou sighed, leveling a glare at Percy, who just shrugged,
"I barely understand how this works, I figured I'd leave the explanations to the expert." He said with a cheeky wink. Lou rolled her eyes but smiled all the same.
"Follow me, Harry. I'll explain everything." She said as she exited the room. Harry hesitated for a second, but after a gentle prod by Percy, he followed the witch out of the bed-chamber and Percy followed right behind. The classroom had been transformed, all of the desks and chairs had been removed, leaving only two beds in the center of the room. Under each bed, etched into the marble floor, were several very intricate-looking runes. Several candles were lit at integral points along the edges of the markings. Beside each bed was a small table where a cup of liquid sat bubbling and frothing.
"What we're going to be doing, Harry, is a form of dream walking. The potion on the tables beside the beds is a variation on Calea Zacatechichi, a Mexican enchantment that allows the drinker the ability to walk through their own mind-scape. I've altered the potion so that Percy will be the one who's able to walk through your mind-scape. You'll be asleep for the entirety of the operation, and Percy will take care of everything, there's nothing for you to worry about, okay hon?"
Harry nodded his head shakily, "And this will let Percy be able to destroy the-the Horcrux?"
"Yup," Lou said cheerfully, "Don't worry too much about the details. Just trust me, or rather Percy,"
Probably the wrong choice of words given the way that morning had gone, but Harry just nodded.
"Why don't you go have a seat on the bed on the right, I need to speak to Percy for a little bit, Perce?" She gestured to her room and Percy nodded. Giving Harry a reassuring smile, Percy followed Lou back into her bed-chamber. She closed the door behind Percy, and pressed her back against it.
"I don't suppose I can get one more shot of talking you out of this, can I?" She asked.
"Probably not." Percy said, "But go ahead and try anyways."
"Percy…" Lou groaned, but shook her head, "No, it doesn't matter, you're too damn stubborn." She sighed and wrapped her arms around her middle, "Fine, just remember, when you're inside you no longer have the protections and strengths of your body. You're just a regular mortal. Theoretically, anything you have on you should be brought in with you, but I can't give you any guarantees that they'll retain their magical properties, magic is weird that way."
Percy nodded, "Anything else? This one of those ' you die in the game, you die for real' situations?"
Lou snorted, "Not exactly. If you get hurt or 'die' inside, you won't die, but you'll probably be a vegetable for the rest of your life."
"Comforting," Percy laughed,
"It's not a joke Percy!" Lou snapped, and Percy jumped. He had known that Lou was uncomfortable with the situation, but he hadn't realized just how concerned she was.
"I'm sorry Lou," He said, approaching slowly, "I'm taking this seriously, I promise." He wrapped his arms around her and she leaned into the embrace.
"You're stubborn Percy, but one of these days you're going to find something as stubborn as you are and I won't be there to bail you out."
"I know," Percy said, tightening his embrace, "And I get it. But this is what I do, this is what I'm good at, I need you to trust me."
She nodded against his chest, and they held the embrace for a long moment. After a while, Percy sighed, "That being said, I need you to promise me something."
"Anything," Lou mumbled into his chest,
"If anything happens to me, you call Nico or Hazel, and you see what he can do for Harry,"
"Percy!" Lou said, jerking her head up to look up at him, her eyes wide,
"I don't think it'll come to that," Percy said confidently, "But we need to be prepared for anything. There's more at stake here than me. Promise me Lou,"
Lou just continued staring at him for a long minute, before finally nodding.
"Ok, Percy. I promise."
"Thank you," Percy said genuinely. He squeezed her one last time, and released his hold on her. He allowed her a moment to compose herself, before she opened the door and walked back out into the classroom.
"All set, Harry?" She asked.
"As I'll ever be, I guess." Harry said uncertainly.
"Don't worry," Lou said gently as she approached his bed. "It's simple, unfortunately to make this work, I'll need something from you. Which one of your teeth is your least favorite?"
"What!?" Harry asked in alarm, and Percy just laughed,
"She's kidding, Harry." He chuckled,
"I'm teasing," Lou confirmed, and Harry relaxed, but still looked at her somewhat warily, "I just need a few locks of your hair."
"O-okay," Harry said, and Lou waved her hand over Harry's head and a couple locks of Harry's hair jumped from his temple and floated above Lou's palm. Reaching across Harry, Lou picked up the bubbling cup of liquid and dropped two of the locks into the mixture. There was a small puff of black smoke and the potion stopped frothing. Lou then repeated the process with the cup beside Percy.
"Now, both of you, drink, and lie down. After one hour, I'll pull you out of the mind-scape " Lou ordered. Percy nodded, and took the cup from Lou's grip. It wasn't as foul-smelling as Percy had been expecting, it smelled a lot like freshly cut grass.
"Bottoms up," He muttered, before throwing the cup back, and draining the potion in one go. It didn't exactly have a taste, but it had the texture of an extremely thick smoothie. The chunks of liquid slid down his throat, and immediately, Percy's eyes felt extremely heavy. He collapsed down onto the bed, as the room began to spin and his vision swam. He felt a strange tugging sensation behind his temples and his eyes shut of their own volition. He had the strangest sensation, it was as though he was falling through something extremely thick. Like molasses. He felt sluggish and slow, and try as he might, he couldn't open his eyes or move his body. Then, suddenly, his momentum picked up, and he was falling. He couldn't see, couldn't move, and was forced to simply ride out the sensation of being in free fall. He was weightless, and though he couldn't hear wind whistling by his ears, it was though he'd been thrown directly out the open door of an airplane. Then his feet slammed onto something firm, and his eyes shot open.
It took him a second to clear the stars from his vision, but he was quick to recognize his surroundings. He was standing in the entrance hall of Hogwarts, but at the same time it wasn't. It was as though his vision was covered with a strange sepia filter, all of the color in the room was diluted. The braziers on the walls were lit, and casting strange shadows down onto the floor of the entrance hall.
"Figures your mind-scape would be here kid," Percy mused quietly to himself, "But where do I even start?"
He scanned the hall for a moment, before his eyes landed on the doors to the Great Hall. "Worth a shot," Percy mused, and he strode forward. He'd never actually been inside the Great Hall, but he figured that if Riddle's soul had the same flair for the dramatic as its original host, then it would find something poetic about taking purchase in the Great Hall of the one place he'd called home.
Pushing open the door to the Hall, Percy got his first look at the legendary room. The ceiling was as he'd always heard, enchanted to reflect the night sky. Stars twinkled high above, as dozens of enchanted candles floated high above the four elongated tables that spanned the room. Percy's eyes were drawn to the far side of the room. There was another long table, where Percy supposed the teachers usually ate. Like the rest of the room, the table at the end of the room was empty, save for the large, throne-like chair at the center of the head-table.
There was a figure in the chair, Percy decided that he was perhaps in his early twenties. He had jet-black hair, much like Percy's own, and deep brown eyes. He had pale skin and traditionally handsome features. Percy recognized him from the files he'd been shown on his way to Britain.
Tom Riddle rose from the throne with an elegant sweep of his flowing robes.
"Percy Jackson," He said smoothly, a cold smile spreading across his lips.
"I've been waiting for you."
Percy licked his lips, and had to force himself from reaching into his pocket to grip onto Anaklusmos.
"Waiting for me?" Percy asked, as he strode into the room. "Didn't realize you were a fan."
Riddle chuckled darkly, "A fan? Far from it agent. I have been watching you for some time, watching as you defy me. As you plot against me. You are arrogant Percy Jackson, arrogant to believe that you could stand between Lord Voldemort and his purpose."
"Far as I can tell, the only arrogant one here, is you pal." Percy commented, doing his best to appear nonchalant. He tried experimentally to reach out and feel for his element, but nothing heeded his call. It appeared as though Lou had been correct, and Percy didn't have his natural born abilities to rely on. So he continued to posture as he tried to come up with a different strategy.
"You split your soul apart, ripped it into pieces. That doesn't make you stronger, doesn't make you immortal. It makes you weaker. You're so confident in your own power that you've blinded yourself to anyone trying to outsmart you. Well sucks to be you pal, because you've been outsmarted. You think you're the first one we've found?" Percy let out a deep laugh, "Try again, you're the seventh. The final Horcrux. The last shred, and once I've killed you? It's only a matter of time pal."
"Impudent mortal!" Riddle roared, his wand suddenly appearing in his hand. Percy barely managed to dodge out of the way, scrambling over top of one of the table as he avoided a jet of green light from the man's wand.
Percy didn't get a chance to formulate a counter attack however, as suddenly the chairs from behind the head-table rose into the sky, and shot through the air towards Percy. He vaulted over the table again, and took off at a run, towards the exit of the room.
"I will see you burn!" Riddle roared, and suddenly the room became awash in an orange glow. Glancing over his shoulder, Percy swore. From the tip of Riddle's wand erupted an enormous jet of flames. The flames contorted and shaped itself, until it formed into an enormous snake. The fire-serpent bared its fangs and charged at Percy. The heat from the flames was so intense that Percy immediately began feeling himself sweat as heat burned at the back of his jacket.
Percy just managed to scramble through the doorway and dive to side, as the fire-serpent raced by him. The snake slammed into the doors at the end of the entrance hall and dissipated in a cloud of smoke. Percy tried to scramble to his feet, just as Riddle came striding out of the Great Hall. Reacting on instinct, Percy brought his hand up, pressing the button on the side of his watch, just as a purple light shot at him. A bronze shield materialized in front of him, and the spell slammed into the shield, and was deflected back at Riddle. Riddle was forced to summon a wall of earth around himself, and the spell impacted against it. The wall shattered into smithereens, and Riddle stumbled from the impact of his own deflected attack.
So apparently his weapons still held onto their divine properties, so that was something at least. Reaching into his pocket as he held the shield high, Percy withdrew Anaklusmos and positioned himself in a defensive posture.
With a wave of his wand, Riddle dispelled the rock-wall.
"I don't know where you got that kind of magic from," He snarled, "But it hardly matters." He held his hands out to the side, and swirled his wand in a strange pattern. There was a strange shifting sensation under his feet, and two enormous mounds of earth suddenly sprang into existence. The mounds of earth contorted and shifted as they morphed into something large. Two enormous earthen golems came to life, their large feet shaking the very earth under their feet with every step they took towards Percy.
"Why not," Percy muttered, and then dived out of the way as one of the enormous golems swung a mighty fist down at him. The fist impacted into the marble floor of the hall, but it didn't shatter. Percy supposed that the construct of the mind-scape couldn't be hurt by magical constructs or something. Coming up in a crouch, Percy ducked as the second golem swung another large fist in his direction. The momentum of the swing was so immense, that Percy was nearly toppled from that alone, but he held his feet and dashed under the swinging arm.
With a thrust, Percy jammed his sword into the side of the golem, which roared in fury and pain. Yanking the sword out, Percy saw out of the corner of his eye as the second golem charged at him, and the first golem tried to swivel and get at him as well. Falling backwards into a roll, Percy dodged out of the way, and the charging golem ran straight into the golem Percy had stabbed. There was a colossal crash as the pair of golems fell to the ground in a heap. One of the large hands of the golems swiped out as it fell and smacked against Percy's side, and he was thrown across the corridor, Anaklusmos falling from his grip as he fell and clattering across the hall.
"No!" Riddle roared in fury, and brought up his wand to curse Percy in the back, but Percy dropped to a crouch and turned, bringing the shield up to cover as much of his body as possible as his other hand dropped to his waist and pulled his side-arm free from the holster at his waist. Taking careful aim, he depressed the trigger twice and the pistol cracked. Riddle only just managed to summon a pair of suits of armor in front of him to block the incoming shots. With another wave of his wand, the suits of armor shot forward at Percy. Without time to dodge out of the way, one of the suits of armor slammed into hi, and the wind was completely knocked out of him, as he was thrown to ground in a heap. In a desperate attempt to get some leverage, Percy pushed off the armor and rolled to the side. Throwing himself from the floor, he only just managed to dive out of the way, as the earth near where he had been standing initially exploded violently. The shockwave caught Percy, and threw him into the far wall. His head bounced painfully off the castle wall, and his vision went dark for a second and his ears rang. Getting unsteadily to his feet, his tried to run further down the hall, but he was so disoriented that he stumbled to the ground.
In utter desperation, he brought his shield up in a bleary and frantic attempt to protect himself from whatever attack was thrown his way next. He flinched as something slammed into the shield, and reflected off into a far wall. His vision still blurry, his ears ringing, and his world spinning, Percy kept a scrambling retreat, kicking his feet out and pushing along the floor while still holding his shield high into the air. With his free hand, he tried to raise his pistol to fire blindly in the direction of Riddle, but Riddle waved his wand once more, and Percy felt the weapon ripped from his grip and thrown across the hall.
"You arrogant!" Another spell slammed into Percy's shield, "Filthy!" Percy was lifted into the air and tossed into another wall, "Muggle!" He was slammed into the floor, and his shield fell from his grasp. "You thought you could stand against me? Against Lord Voldemort?" Percy tried to think of something, anything, to get him out of this situation, but he had nothing. He reached out to Anaklusmos, in a desperate attempt to draw it towards him, but the magical weapon wasn't listening to him. He could only watch, through his darkening vision, as Riddle advanced on him, his wand raised high,
"You thought you could defy me? The true heir of Salazar himself? You muggle filth! It ends today! Avada Ke-gah!" Percy watched in utter confusion as Riddle stumbled, his wand falling from his hand, as the point of Anaklusmos jutted from his chest, straight through his heart. Black smoke burbled forth from the wound. A glowing fissure had opened in Riddle's chest, right at the point the sword had cut through him, and he was clutching at it desperately, as though he were trying to close it. He screamed in pain, as more fissures opened. Cracks of light springing up along his body, as though he were made of glass, and was steadily breaking apart. Riddle stumbled back, his body hunched over as the fissures widened. Then, in an explosion of light and dust, he vanished from the world.
Panting, and in more than a little pain, Percy let his head fall back, and rest against the cool marble of the floor.
"Are you all right?" A familiar voice asked, and blearily, Percy opened his eyes, and found himself looking into the concerned, bespectacled face of Harry. He was gazing down at Percy with worry written on his features, still gripped tightly in his hand was Anaklusmos. That sort of explained why Percy hadn't been able to recall the weapon, though not really if Percy were completely honest, but he wasn't about to pretend to understand the nature of magical weapons.
"M-kay," Percy mumbled, as he slowly sat up with the help of Harry, it took a few seconds, but his senses eventually came back to him. "Harry…" Percy said slowly, "What are you doing here?"
"No idea," Harry said, looking around him. "I just woke up in my bed in Gryffindor Tower. I was wandering around when I heard your fight, so I came running. I saw him coming after you and I just-I don't know…I just kind of panicked. I grabbed the sword and stabbed him." He finished kind of lamely.
"Well I'm certainly happy that you did," Percy mumbled as he got carefully to his feet, "Wasn't really looking forward to spending the rest of my life as a vegetable."
"Can't imagine why." Harry muttered as he stared around the corridor, "So what now?"
"Don't know," Percy shrugged, holding his hand out to Harry for his sword, which he returned to Percy. "I suppose we just wait until our hour's up. Lou said she'd pull us out of here when times up." Harry just nodded and sat down against the far wall, still feeling a little discombobulated, Percy sat down against the wall across from Harry. They sat in uncomfortable silence for a few minutes, until Percy couldn't bear it any more.
"Harry." He began, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, I just-"
"I get it," Harry said, and Percy just stared at him. "I understand why you didn't tell me. You didn't know how I'd react, and you didn't want to risk alerting Voldemort that we were onto him. I get it, I'm still mad that you lied to me, but I understand. There was just too much we didn't know, hell, there's too much that we still don't know about these things, or about this connection with him."
Percy just nodded and they fell into silence again,
"It's over though? Like it's really over now? The Horcrux is gone?" Harry asked,
"I have no idea," Percy said, "I think so though."
"He exploded in the same way the soul fragment did when I stabbed the diary my second year," Harry shrugged, "So there's that I guess. What happens now?"
"Now, we destroy the rest of the Horcrux's, and after that?" Percy met Harry's gaze fiercely.
"We finish this."
BREAK
Percy's eyes slowly blinked open, and he let out a soft groan. He was thankful that the room was dark, because he had a splitting headache, as though he'd been bashing his temples in with a mallet. A soft, well-manicured hand gently pushed him back onto the pillows, and raised a goblet to his mouth. Instinctually, he opened his mouth, and a warm liquid trickled down his throat, it tasted like his mother's chocolate chip cookies, and Percy let out a soft moan of delight.
He allowed himself a few moments more of rest, as the pounding in his head slowly began to recede. Opening his eyes, he saw Lou staring worriedly down at him,
"Hey," He said, his voice coming out rough and hoarse,
"Hey," Lou said, just as softly, "How're you feeling?"
"Been worse," Percy shrugged, as he slowly hauled himself up. The room was spinning slightly, and he felt unsteady. Lou placed a steadying hand on his shoulder and kept him from falling over.
"Did it work?" Percy asked, and Lou nodded,
"I think so. about twenty minutes ago, Harry started screaming, and a wraith exploded from his scar. It exploded into dust though, and he fell back asleep. I ran some diagnostic charms and it looks like there aren't any more traces of dark magic hidden behind the scar. You sure you're feeling okay? You were thrashing around and sweating for a while."
"Got my ass handed to me." Percy said, "Harry bailed my ass out of the fire, he up yet?"
"Yes." Harry groaned, and Percy craned his neck to look over. Harry was blearily rising to his feet,
"Doing all right?" Percy asked,
"Feels like I smashed in the head by a bludger six or seven times, but apart from that, I'm peachy."
Percy chuckled, and got to his feet, "Well, only one way to know for sure if this worked," He said, as he reached into his pocket and withdrew the sack holding the diadem. Pulling it out, Percy walked slowly over to Harry and held the diadem out to him,
"Anything?" He asked,
Harry looked at the diadem intently for a second, before a wide grin spread across his face.
"Nothing!" He said excitedly, "Nothing's there! I think it's really gone!"
"Excellent!" Percy grinned, feeling lighter than he had in weeks. "Then let's finish this. Lou?"
"Room's secure," She said, "And I've already set up all of the Horcrux's on the table." She pointed over to her desk at the back of the room. As they came into possession of the Horcrux's, Percy had been sending them to Lou for safe-keeping. Nodding to himself, Percy reached into his pocket and withdrew Anaklusmos once more, before striding over to the desk.
"Worked in the scar, so I don't see why or how it won't work here." He mused to himself, as he set the diadem down on the table. Placing the sword next to it, Percy reached back into the pouch and withdrew the cup, and placed that on the table as well. Grabbing the sword again, he felt as Lou and Harry approached cautiously, watching with great interest as Percy prepared to deal the final blow. Hefting the sword high above his head, Percy was about to bring the sword down when he paused. Lowering the sword back to his side, he held it out to Harry to take. Harry just stared at the sword in confusion, before looking back up at Percy.
"Take it," Percy said, "This was your fight far more than it was mine. It's only fitting, after everything, that you're the one to bring down the bastard once and for all."
Harry's eyes went wide, before a wide grin spread across his face and reached out and grabbed the sword. Taking a step back, Percy allowed Harry to take his place. Lou reached out and grabbed Percy's hand, and gave it a squeeze. Percy squeezed it back, and allowed a content smile to spread across his lips.
Harry squared his shoulders, and raised the sword high above his head.
It was time for him to fulfill his destiny.
BREAK
He ran into no resistance as he made his way deeper into the bowels of the Ministry. It was exactly as he'd believed it to be, he had been informed that Potter had disappeared from the castle, and the Order had been assembled to investigate. He had tried to reach out and sense the Potter boys presence through their connection, but for some reason he'd been unable to find anything. He still didn't truly understand the nature of their connection, but perhaps there was a limit to how far their connection extended. He supposed it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility that he could only connect with the boy only so far. And given the boy's relationship with the American, it made sense that Potter would likely be taken out of the country for protection. Not that it would do him any good, once he'd taken control of Britain, it was only a matter of time before the rest of the wizarding world began to fall at his feet.
Exiting the elevator at the Department of Mysteries, he turned down the familiar hallway, the one that had been haunting him for months. He could barely keep the manic grin of victory from his lips. It was a quick trip from the entrance to the Department to the Hall of Prophecies. Again, he ran into no resistance, exactly as predicted. He prowled along the shelves for some time, roaming from one row of prophecies to another, before he finally laid his eyes upon his prize. There, sitting on an unassuming shelve, was the fruits of so many months of work, so many months of labor.
His servants had not understood his need for the small object, his need to know the truth. But such knowledge was above their station, they need not understand his motivations or his desires. They did not need to know that it was possible that Potter was prophesied to defeat him, they did not need to know that there was a way in which he might lose. He knew some of the contents of the small orb, he knew some of the knowledge contained inside, but he did not know all. It had haunted him, not knowing, not knowing what was held inside, what his fate was meant to be.
Wrapping his fingers around the small orb, he allowed himself a moment to revel in the victory of the moment. Then, he disapparated from the ministry, reappearing inside Malfoy's manor, the headquarter's he'd been using since his return.
"Leave," He ordered his servants as he approached his quarters, he wished to be alone to hear the contents of the prophecy. Should it spell his end, it would not do for his supporters to believe that he was mortal. His servants hastily fled from the vicinity, and he closed the door behind him. Locking it with a swift flick of his wand. He paced a slow circle around the room. Taking the time appreciate all he'd managed to accomplish, and just how close he was about to be towards meeting his final goal. All he needed, was to destroy the orb, and the contents inside would be his, the knowledge his alone. As it should have been. As all knowledge, as all greatness belonged to him, as it was right to be.
With a cruel smile, he allowed the orb to fall from his finger tips, and fall to the floor with a mighty crash.
BREAK
They had been waiting for some time. They had gotten the orders to mobilize some time ago, apparently the lead agent in charge of the operation had a man inside, someone expendable, and he had told the lead agent that it would be going down tonight. Her team had been one of three strike teams that had been mobilized, and part of an ongoing rotation for nearly two weeks.
After so many rotations, after so many hours getting keyed up only to be called down from rotation and brought down from the duty roster, Camilla and her entire team were itching for something. She checked her watch, it was nearly midnight, and her heart began to beat a little faster in her chest, and she did her best to steady it. She didn't want to be so pumped up on adrenaline that she wasn't thinking clearly, not before the spells actually started to fly.
They were sitting at the edge of a wood, hiding amongst the tress just outside of the ward-line surrounding the manor-house. They were layered under a complex mixture of silencing and cloaking charms, and that was on top of all of the silencing and invisibility charms that had been enchanted into their clothing and equipment.
She adjusted the rifle strung across her chest, and spent a few moments going through a well-practiced ritual of checking her munitions, wand, and backup wands. Taking their cues from the Chinese and American magical military units, the ICW had reworked itself into a contemporary fighting force. For almost all combat situations, non-magical weaponry was far more effective, and less taxing on the individual than throwing hexes and curses. Mixing magical with non-magical, the ICW Special Operations Wizards were among the best that their respective country's had to offer. They were hyper-lethal, and extraordinarily well-equipped to handle missions of the most sensitive nature, such as killing wannabe dark lords and ending bloody revolutions before they could even begin.
She was about to re-do her ritual for a second time, when the west-wing of the manor house in front of her suddenly, and violently exploded. The westward wall collapsed outward, and a figure in fine robes was thrown through the rubble and debris, landing in a heap underneath the collapsing manor.
Camila was on her feet in an instant, "Go!" She commanded, but she hardly needed to say anything, with how well-trained the group of commandos was. The moment the house had erupted, the two enchanters on the squad were already at work, layering down thick enchantments that would prevent portkeys, or apparition. They had also been given word that the British department in charge of floo-related travel had taken the liberty to quietly sever the manor house from the network, meaning that the occupants inside had no way out of the building, except the hard way.
Camilla took off at a galloping sprint, racing over vines, logs, and rocks, and sprinting into the clearing just outside of the large, ornate fence, that blocked the house off from intruders. One of the men to her left whipped out his wand, and in a quick but intricate movement, had melted the steel beams of the fence into nothing. Crossing over the newly made threshold, Camilla and three of the team splintered off, they would be flaming the building on either side, pincering the occupants of the house and cutting off all avenues of escape.
She barely had time to register that the owner of the manor house apparently had live peacocks as pets, before two people came bursting out of the front of the building. Their robes were singed, and the traveling cloak of the second woman was still burning somewhat as she screamed in a panic. Camilla and her comrades didn't waste a moment. Not breaking stride, she raised her rifle to her shoulder and depressed the trigger three times, four bullets, two from her weapon and two from someone else, slammed into the screaming woman. She jerked at the sudden impact, before falling lifeless to the ground before. The second person, a man, didn't even have a chance to register what had happened, when he was cut down just as violently. Jumping over the bodies,
Camilla was first through the doorway into the building. The damage to western side hadn't much touched this side of the building in terms of actual structural damage, but there was plenty of smoke that was filling the corridors, and Camilla could hear the distant sounds of screaming. Feeling a gentle tap on her shoulder, Camilla began a steady, yet methodical pace through the main foyer of the building. Their target was on the third floor, in a personal lounge and study that had been turned over directly to his personal use. Her teams specific mission, while the second team pacified the remaining hostiles, was to work their way through the building, and confirm that the target was indeed dead.
In front of her were a pair of staircases, each flanking one side of the room, and ascending along the north and south sides of the building up to the second and third floors. Gesturing to her team, Camilla and another SOW took one flight of stairs, while the other two SOW's took the other. While they were invisible to all other persons in the building, thanks to the enchantments in their clothing, the special eye-glasses each member of the team was outfitted for were specially designed to help them see through illusions and enchantments, giving them a means of being able to communicate with one another effectively, while maintaining their stealth capabilities.
On the landing to the second floor, a man came charging through, he took a quick look around him and called out behind him, "Dolohov! It's all clear, I don't think it's an attack! I jus-gah!" He stumbled to the ground as Camilla let loose three shots into his chest, the man that had been running down the corridor to catch up to him was taken down by the SOW behind Camilla, falling over top of the suddenly downed wizard.
Gesturing to continue the advance, Camilla glanced across the foyer just in time to watch her compatriots dispatch a pair of Death Eaters that begun running down the stairs. One of them, a man with greasy, unkempt black hair, toppled over the side of the bannister, three holes in his chest. One of the SOW's was forced to climb up onto the railing in order to avoid being tripped up as the other body tumbled down the staircase.
The building suddenly shook, and Camilla was forced to reach out and grab onto the bannister to stop herself from falling over. There were reports that there was likely a potions lab somewhere in the building, it was possible that the destabilization of the western wall had caused something to ignite, either that or the fighting had broken out and was getting more intense than they realized, but Camilla doubted that it was the latter. There was little chatter of the communications devices they were using, and there was certainly nothing to suggest that the other team had run into serious trouble.
Camilla and her team continued up the flight of stairs, before finally arriving on the landing of the third floor. The landing only had a single doorway leading into the western half of the building. After reconvening with the other half of her team, Camila and her comrades stacked up against the door. At Camilla's signal, the point man kicked the door in, and immediately was blasted in the face as soot, smoke, and dust spewed out into the foyer. Camilla hadn't been briefed on what the explosive device was, or the makeup of the device itself, only that it would lead to a fairly large kaboom. Camilla had, perhaps, underestimated what that meant. As they beat a steady path down the corridor, it was clear that the explosion had not been contained to just the lounge are at the rear of the building. The entire corridor was charred, and semi collapsed in on itself. One territory hallway was completed blockaded with debris, and through the smoke, Camilla could make out the charred and unmoving legs of some unfortunate soul, who hadn't been able to get out of the way in time, and had been crushed under the rubble.
More bodies were strewn across the corridor. Some, so badly burnt that they were nearly unrecognizable, others, likely killed when the shockwave of the explosion liquified their insides. There was still a minor fire burning along the corners of the corridor, and Camilla and her team were forced to cover themselves in bubble-head charms in order to breathe cleanly through the smoke and flames. As they approached the personal quarters of their target at the end of the building, they were forced to make a drop. As Camilla had seen outside, the entirety of the western wall had collapsed, and had taken most of the study and personal quarters with it. There were no signs in the charred and destroyed room of the target of their mission.
Looking down over the edge of the collapsed building, Camilla remembered seeing someone in fine robes, get thrown out of the building. She tried to remember the exact direction that the person had fallen, and scanned the ruins of the building below accordingly. A few yards away, she caught sight of black fabric, illuminated by the flaming hunk of a support beam above it, she could just make out what appeared to be a charred hand, attached to the robe.
Pointing at the figure, Camilla hopped down from the edge of the building. Whipping her wand out, she hefted the hunk of debris off the body, and threw it casually off to one side where it fell with a roaring thud. She could faintly hear from the distance, the cracking of rifles and semi popping of spell-fire, but she paid it no mind. There wasn't much left of the body that she approached, there was mostly just a charred husk that had been smashed into oblivion.
Kneeling down, Camilla scanned her wand over the scorched and smashed body, there were spells to compare the remains of a person to fragments of their DNA that they had left behind, and luckily someone had managed to pull a print off an old cup and send it into headquarters some time ago. Intoning the spell inside her head, Camilla waited for a moment, before she felt the warmth of the spell wash back over her, telling her that the body was a match to the person she was looking for.
Pressing the radio on her neck, "Watchdog-One to Trident."
there was a brief discharge of static, before a male voice answered,
"This is Trident, go ahead Watchdog-One."
"Watchdog-One to Trident, confirm visual on Target. Target is neutralized. Say again, hostile has been confirmed and is confirmed KIA."
"Copy that Watchdog-One. Clean up and Clear out of there. Good work."
Well guys…this is it. It's over. I have one final chapter, a brief epilogue that will be uploaded in the next couple of days. It's really surreal, this was one of my first stories I ever wrote for the site, and it's over. I hope you guys enjoyed the ride, I hope you guys enjoyed what was a very different kind of HPxPJO crossover, because I had a lot of fun working on this. Thank you all so much for all of the love and support you've given me and this story over the years.
OH! And before I forget, I have a schedule posted in my channel in the discord, so if you want to know the release schedule for the next month or so, check it out, it'll be under my pinned messages.
Shoutout to Double0Sxvxn for being an awesome Beta and dealing with my bullshit and as always if you enjoyed this but haven't checked out my other work, give them a try you never know you might find something else you like. I'm also on discord now, where I and a bunch of other writers hang out, chat and brainstorm ideas, you just have to copy the link that's in my profile bio if you want to come and hang out with us. Stay safe, stay healthy and have an awesome week
All My Love,
LilDB