Just a little programming note, we will be taking a bit of a break from this story after this chapter. This is a big chapter, about two chapters in one length wise, and quite the nasty little cliffhanger to leave you hanging for the next several weeks. Should resume for the second half of year one, which admittedly is taking longer than I thought, sometime in March. Got a couple of other things I want to work on in the meantime.
Enjoy. Or don't. I'm not your mother.
The One with Supergirl.
The minute Astra and I slipped through the portal, our bodies changed to our adult forms. Just one very early sign of the temptation which this realm could offer us.
"We have to move quickly," I told her.
"Right," Astra agreed. "The sooner we find Kara the better. Although she could be anywhere."
"We're close," I told them.
"Keep your eyes opened," Elle warned us. "Things might not be what they seem in here. There's something off. Something unwell about the magic here."
"What do you mean?" I asked her.
A woman like Perenelle Flamel being unsettled told me everything. She had seen more magic and done more magic than pretty much anyone in living memory. And she had seen some dark things. And done a few. Astra shivered. A woman who spent over half of her life in Hell also was unsettled. Not good.
As for me, I have seen some shit. And even I was a bit anxious. We had to find Kara. And soon.
"She better be okay," I said.
"If she isn't, I pity the person and thing that harmed her," Astra murmured. "I remember what you did to…"
Screams came from the distance and likely stopped Astra from making a reference to something that I would have to explain later. I froze up. It was not Kara. So I really should stick to the path, and go until I find Kara.
A figure shot through the skies bright as light. Dressed in slightly damaged robes, the figure moved around. Dark hair, violet eyes, and I guess if she was a human, she could pass off as Latina. Nice athletic body as well, although the ears were pointed and told me what she was.
"Harry," Astra said. "Now's not the time."
"You won't harm them!" she yelled. "I refuse to let you."
I heard laughter, dark laughter echo through the area around us. Whoever had ten minutes in the pool for something diverting us from the mission, congratulations. Then dark tendrils shot out. They were spiked and looked ready to maim our mysterious lady elf on the path.
Instincts, I jumped in and deflected the attack of the dark creature. The shadows seeped down the pathway.
Rocks manifested into a large hideous looking creature ready to squash her flat. Only, I pulled our friend out of the way. The creature smashed into my shield.
"It's come from over there!" Elle yelled.
"Astra, Sierra Hotel India Echo Lima Delta, now!" I told her.
Astra and I circled the shadow demon. It sucked all of the magic from the air to sustain itself. And also left itself open for me to plunge a magically created dagger deep into it's heart. Astra came up and opened a portal beneath its feet before I forced it's rocky exterior to crack.
The portal sealed shut and the dark crack in the ground shut along with it.
I walked over. Elle tugged on my sleeve to impede my movement.
"Be careful," she told me.
"Always am," I said. "Are you alright?"
"Fine," our mysterious lady said. "You shouldn't be here."
"Why?" I asked.
"You're…well….the others won't like it that someone like you is here," she gasped.
"Someone like who?" Astra asked.
Our mysterious lady turned from one side to the other. She had been rather anxious, even more anxious than the rock creature.
"You saved my life," she told us. "I won't tell them you're here, but you must leave now."
"I'm not leaving without my wife," I said.
"Well, I'm sorry, but it's dangerous for a wizard to be down here," the mysterious lady said.
Huh, that's something.
"The Sirens, they want to feast," she said.
"Oh, I thought that song sounded familiar," Astra said. "We really have to stay on the path."
I took a couple of steps forward. I sensed something. Something really strange.
"Who are you?" I asked the mysterious woman.
"I'm…Princess Isabella, although my friends call me Izzy," she told me. "I'm the heiress to the throne of the Shadow Elf coven."
"A pleasure to meet you, Princess," I told her.
I took her hand and planted a kiss on it. Izzy recoiled, almost more terrified of the shadows.
"Really?" Astra asked. "You do realize that Shadow Elves are some of the most misandric creatures in all of the realm?"
Yes, I thought I heard something about how they hated me.
"Not all of us, but the elders will not be happy and neither will they," Izzy told us. "It's, well you seem noble. You must have come here through a portal. Find it, leave now. I won't tell them you're here, but you must go now."
"Sorry, Princess, but I'm not leaving without my wife," I repeated to her.
Are we really going to go around in circles? I had forgotten how stubborn some magical creatures can be. I know, those who live in glass houses, and all that rubbish.
"Harry!" Astra called suddenly. "You have to see this!"
I turned around and came face to face with a large marble statue which was the likeness of Kara. This raised a lot of questions as well.
"Oh, that's a statue paying tribute to one of our most noble protectors, our personal paragon of hope, Kara Zor-El," Izzy told me. "I hope to someday be as noble and heroic as she is. In fact, she's…"
"My wife," I told her. "That's my wife."
"Kara is…YOU'RE HARRY POTTER!"
Astra cringed at Izzy yelling that last statement at the top of her lungs. Elle frowned.
"Yes, tell everyone that I'm down here," I hissed.
Izzy found my shoes very interesting.
"Sorry," she murmured to herself. "It's just, Kara's told us all about you. Her beloved. The stories she's told us about you, it's made us see that maybe men do have some value other than breeding stock. She hoped to find a way to reach out to you. The Elders indulged her, but they tried to convince her to forget you and move on."
"I bet that went over well," I told her.
"She told them off, I fell in love with her on that day," Izzy said while blushing "I mean, it's not like I'm trying to steal your wife, because I respect the relationship you and her have, but she is quite amazing. I mean, she's super. Really super."
Izzy started to gush right there and I figured I had to calm her down before she lost it completely. We had to stay focused.
"You need to take me to her now."
"She's at the palace," Izzy told me. "Um, I think there's going to be a problem."
"Kara wants to see me," I told her.
"There's something you should know. Something…"
A hideous roar echoed throughout the realm which cut Izzy off from giving me that vital information. Elle took a step back and moved in front of the three of us. A large hideous creature rose up from the ground.
"Oooh, the song of the siren brought such a tasty snack here," the creature hissed. "Maybe I'll be kind and leave them a few scraps."
Multiple heads, even more fangs, it's a hydra. And Elle went in and sliced the creature to ribbons with a well-placed spell.
And now it's two hydra. It is supposed to grow another head, not another bloody snake.
"Something's not right!"
The mouths snapped at myself, Izzy, and Astra. The three of us evaded the creature. The creatures prepared to snack, if we let them.
"You shouldn't go near the shadows!" Izzy warned.
"Astra, I've got an idea."
"Harry, no!" Astra yelled. "You might have an adult body in here, but your magic is still…"
Thankfully, Astra had been cut off by a blast of magic energy shooting through the realm. The magic incinerated the second Hydra although the original still rose up.
"Let's dance," I hissed.
"A speaker?" it said. "It will not save you."
I dodged the hideous hydra's many heads. The jaws snapped at each other. Only to notice another high intense blast of magic lifting the creature off of the ground. The Hydra exploded into dust particles.
A hooded figure appeared at the edge of the pathway. Whoever it was, they wielded a snake shaped staff. I recognized the staff. It was once used by the notorious dark sorcerer, Herpo the Foul. Astra's eyes widened.
"Come with me if you want to live!" a hooded figure yelled at us. "Down the path. That creature only has minutes before it reconstructs and it will be angrier than ever."
"That's taking us away from the castle, isn't it?" I asked.
Did we have any choice? We followed this hooded stranger down the path.
"Are we sure she's not leading us into an even worse situation?" Astra asked.
"She's not," I told her.
"You're Harry Potter," she whispered in Parseltongue.
"I am," I told her. "And you are."
"An abomination," she said. "I hope this clears the debt I owe to the Paragon."
"Kara, you know her," I said. "And you know I have to find you."
"One track mind," she responded. "The shadows will not stop now they have been stirred up. We must enter a safe place until they lose interest"
"I'll take my chances out there," I said to her. "Considering, you won't even lower your hood and face me."
"He's got a point," Elle said. "Just who are you?"
The woman sighed. She cut her hand and caused blood to drip on the wall in the cave. She hissed "open" and it allowed her inside of the cave.
"I am trying to keep you alive long enough for you to be reunited with your beloved," she responded.
"Thanks for the rescue," Astra said. "But how do you know you're not just luring us into a false sense of security for later."
"You don't," she replied. "But, you've seen what's out there."
"The hood comes off," I told her. "You said you have a debt to Kara. If you owe her, you owe me, the truth."
"Saving your life wasn't enough?" she asked.
"The hood, now!" Astra snapped.
"Fine."
She lowered the hood to reveal a beautiful, albeit scarred face, dark hair with silver streaks in it, and violet eyes. Something about her slightly artistical features looked familiar.
"You look like…"
"Bellatrix Lestrange," she said. "I know."
"Who gave you those scars?" Elle asked.
"The Cloaks when they created me," she told us.
Now I wanted answers. She sensed that I did and she held up one single hand.
"There's a limited time for you to get safely back through the portal and not nearly enough time to do so. It closes in seven hours or you will be trapped down here until the realms align again. And the three of you are not among the most possible. You're Harry Potter, and anyone wants to make a name for themselves by taking down the beloved of the Paragon. Astra Logue, you reek of dark archaic energy, which will fuel their appetites well. And you…well, you know your checkered past, Perenelle Flamel."
Izzy almost screamed when she realized who she had been standing near.
"You're with the unspeakable one," Izzy gasped. "Don't trust her, Harry!"
"I don't know what the Elders have been saying about me, but I've changed," Elle said.
"You enslaved our brothers and sisters to the humans," Izzy whimpered.
She took as much distance as she could away from Elle.
"Only because they tried to enslave humanity," Elle said. "I made mistakes. Done things I wish I could take back. Made choices I will live to regret. I wish I could free you and return you all to you belong. Because, this is not your home."
"It is to me," Izzy said. "Until those creatures came here."
Izzy slumped against the wall. Our mysterious staff wielding sorceresss stepped into the shadows.
"Elle's on my side, she's pledged to help me bring Kara home safely," I said. "Because, I can't stay down here."
"I know," Izzy said. "I'm not sure they'll let Kara leave with you. And she might be in no condition to leave."
I jumped with a sudden start.
"What?" I asked her.
"She took a hit, a bad one," Izzy said quietly. "She's alive, but she's in suspended animation."
"I've got to get her out of here," I said.
"Yes, you love her, she loves you, but I don't think you realize how treacherous the path to the palace is," our mysterious sorceress said.
"I realize it perfectly," I told her. "I don't think you realize what she means to me. If it wasn't for Kara, I wouldn't be here right now talking to you!"
"He's right," Astra somberly said. "And I'll never repay her for that."
"That staff," I told her. "It's powerful enough to take down anything that can threaten us. We can make it, if we all work together. The five of us."
"There are six of us actually."
Instantly, Astra, Elle, Izzy, our mysterious sorceress, and I all went on the defensive. A figure approached us from the shadows.
"Come out," I told the person.
"Harry. Astra. You made it!"
The figure approached us closer. I saw it, but I did not believe it. Stunning, gorgeous auburn hair, a beautiful face, a shapely body, with assets to die for, simply stunning. And green-eyes, just like mine.
I had no idea. Words failed me. This better not be a trick because I will rip the person apart responsible for it.
"This…no," I said.
"Aunt Lily?" Astra asked. "It's…this can't be!"
"This better not be a trick," I said.
Yet, I saw it with my own two eyes, Lily Evans, standing before me, with a charming smile on her face. I had questions, so many questions.
"It's me," Lily said. "It's really me."
She reached over and hugged myself and Astra. Something about her magic felt familiar and reassuring. And we did not pull away.
"I know it's you, but how?" I asked her. "You're dead."
"I am," Lily said. "As much as Voldemort was after that Halloween night. To make a long-story short, while you have a piece of him inside of you, you also have a piece of me."
"A Horcrux?" I asked her.
"No, it's not, although there are similar properties," Lily remarked. "The Horcrux combined with my sacrifice caused a fragment of me to enter you. And my spirit to be ripped from my body. I drifted for a long time. And I ended up here. Although, I was unable to become corporeal until you severed the protection spell Dumbledore used on Petunia's home."
"You knew I was there?"
"Knew it, I was forced to witness every single moment you suffered with Petunia and her husband," Lily spat. "Then I saw the hope in your eyes, when Astra and Natalie found you. I was hoping, hoping, that you would escape, and you nearly did. But, then Natalie gets killed by a drunk-driver and Astra gets condemned to Hell. And I screamed, louder than I ever screamed when I saw Dumbledore wipe your memories, and return you to the home which you nearly escaped. Year after year, frustration after frustration, I saw you, saw it all. And when you earned your happy ending, you were sent back."
"It's a lot," I told her. "You being here, is a lot."
I can tell it, feel it, feel the spirit within Lily. It's her. It's most certainly her. I thought for a minute it could be a trick and it would be a particularly insidious one.
"You're coming home with us, right, Mum?" I asked her.
"Yes, Aunt Lily, you have to come home," Astra said.
Lily turned away from us and I could see she did not quite meet our eyes.
"You're here for Kara," Lily said. "She told me a lot about you, things that I missed. She kept going because she knew there would be someday where the two of you would find each other again."
"And it's time to find her," I said. "We're going."
Izzy nodded, as did Astra, Elle, and Lily. And the staff-wielding sorceress just threw her hands up.
"Still think you should find that portal and leave, it's closer there than the palace," she said. "But, I owe Kara. And Lily, as well."
"Yes…do you have a name?" I asked her.
"No," she told me. "The Cloaks called me Delphini, but I'll be perfectly honest, I was never really fond of that name."
Me either, mysterious staff-wielding sorceress without a name, me either.
"We'll find you one," I told her. "But, first we have to find Kara."
"Yes, I've gathered as much," the staff-wielding sorceress said.
"Now or never," Astra said. Her eyes locked onto Izzy. "You will lead us there?"
"Yes," she agreed.
"She will," Lily firmly replied.
Izzy stood up, although she was avoiding eye contact with Elle and keeping as much distance as possible. I supposed given all of the stories that were told, it was just as well.
It took us a fair bit of time to get from the cave towards the palace. I had a feeling that it would take us some time to retrieve Kara, and the time it would take to make it back to the portal, safely, was kind of pushing our limit. And that is without running into any trouble.
We had little time to spare. And I really hoped that Murphy would leave us alone on this night. And I hoped the shadow elves did not give us any trouble.
Astra's plan of dropping them all, taking Kara, and running sounded very appealing. Our time shrunk greatly already.
"No tricks," Izzy said. "I owe you a debt and I intend to repay it. But, I'm not sure if the Elders will agree."
"I'll deal with them," I said. "Just let us inside."
Izzy pressed her hand to the edge of the gate and opened it up. I stepped inside, with Astra following me and my mother not too far behind. Lily had an anxious look on her face, and given Elle's presence and her history with the elves, this could go south. Our mysterious staff-wielding sorceress walked the other way.
"You better be prepared to fight for your life, if they decide to attack, "she told me in Parseltongue.
"Trust me, it's not my life that will be on the line if they try anything," I darkly hissed, also in Parseltongue.
"IZZY!"
A trio of young shadow elves, around Izzy's age rushed the princess and greeted her. All beautiful, although Izzy had the way of standing out in the crowd. A gorgeous brunette elf threw her arms around Izzy. I could tell there was some amount of closeness between them. Perhaps closer than friends.
"Your mother was scared to death you would never return," she said.
"It's fine, Hailee," she told the elf. "I was saved by Harry Potter."
The trio of Izzy's friends gasped when they saw me.
"It's really him," a blonde elf murmured as she locked her eyes onto me.
"Yes, Chloe, it is," Izzy said. "These are my friends, Hailee, Chloe, and Sophie."
I would make a comment about them all having very human names for elves, but the seriousness of the situation was there.
"We're her handmaidens," the redhead, Sophie explained. "Wow, you are him?"
"It's the Dragon!" Chloe shouted out in a bubbly tone.
Oh, great, now I had to explain that one to people. Actually, I can't really remember how that got started. People were calling me the Dragon for so long, it's just something I accepted over time. Not quite sure how it started.
Sometimes, it's just best to not ask questions. As much as I hate to agree with the Dursleys on anything.
"Yes, thank you for announcing the fact that Harry Fucking Potter is here to the entire realm," Astra hissed.
"You shouldn't be here," Hailee said.
"I've been told that."
"Isabella"
A tall and willowy woman appeared next to us. She looked rather regal. I figure she would be more attractive, if she did not have the worst case of resting bitch face I had seen in a long time. Another group of robed and hooded figures appeared.
"That's a man, a wizard, here in our sacred castle!" one of the hooded figures stated.
"Did he enchant you, Isabella?" the tall woman asked.
"No, Mother, that's Harry Potter," Izzy said. "He saved my life."
The tall woman's expression softened a slight amount. She turned from myself to Izzy and then back to me.
"You have my thanks," she said. "My name is Queen Estella. And these are the members of my ruling council. We are a proud, but rather endangered species. And we do not like having debts to a human, especially a man. My daughter should not have been reckless."
"Someone had to protect us!" Izzy protested. "After all Kara did for us, someone has to stand up. She can't be here forever."
"She has to be," one of the council members said. "Once she heals, she must return to her duty."
"Duty?" I asked. "You do realize that's my wife."
"Yes, she has the misfortune of being with a man," one of the council members snidely replied. "And you best watch your tongue, especially when bringing her within our walls."
Estella noticed Perenelle for the first time. Time stood still. I curled my fingers together, bracing for a fight.
"Perenelle Flamel," she said. "You are quite bold stepping into this realm. After all you've done against our kind."
"Not many of them left," Elle said. "I know there were a lot more of you down here before, Estella."
Everyone screamed in horror.
"Yes, Cringle took some of my people, and then you turned them into house elves," Estella said. "I was but a child. I watched as my mother died of the injuries she sustained from you. I had to take up the role and pull what remained of my people back together. Do you understand how hard it was? You just had to use us."
"Your mother betrayed me!" Elle yelled.
"Lies, you used us and then betrayed us to our sworn enemy, Morgan le Fay," Estella said. "And we never could make it home. We are forced to relocate this realm."
"Yes, you two have issues you obviously need to work out," I said tensely. "However, I'm here for one reason and one reason early. Kara. You will take me to her. Or else."
"You presume too much, boy," one of the council members hissed.
The entire room grew chilly suddenly. And it was not from me, or at least not entirely from me.
"You shouldn't have done that," Astra murmured in a low voice.
"You better watch your tongue, Enid," Lily said. "That's my son you're talking to."
"The Paragon is much too valuable to let go," Estella said to me. "We can't let her leave."
"She's your prisoner, then?" I asked her.
"Stop," the sorceress said. "I can feel strong energy coming from him. Do not try him. Do not test him, Estella."
"Ooh, the abomination is going to…"
"Please," Izzy said. "Mother, listen to me…Kara's helped protect us for so long. And she was hurt, trying to save us. Remember, she was hurt saving your life?"
"I…I'm aware," Estella said.
"But, that just shows the danger. If we let her leave, we'll be in danger."
"So, she's just a weapon, you can point at your enemies, then," Astra said. "You're taking advantage of her good nature and using her for your own gains."
"Mother, Astra is right," Izzy said. "And it's because of that Kara's hurt. She could have died."
That statement brought a chill to my spine. I will kill them all on the spot if they caused any lasting damage to my wife.
"Give me the staff," I told the sorceress.
The sorceress's eyes widened. She wordlessly passed me Herpo's old staff.
"I'm leaving with my wife," I told them. "I prefer to do so without bloodshed."
"But, we're not opposed if necessary," Astra said. "So, this is your only warning."
"The boy bluffs," one of the elders said.
"He's not bluffing, he will kill all of you where you stand to get her back," the sorceress warned them. "I know. I can feel his emotions. He's desperate and he will do anything to save her. And if you continue to hold her, you are an enemy that he will have to save you from."
"So, the abomination has an insight into the boy's mind," Enid snidely replied.
"The soul fragment is linked to me, because I'm created from his genetic material," she said. "I'm Lord Voldemort's daughter."
Well, I figured that out a while ago, but thanks for making that clear. And you really need a name.
"We should have killed it a long time ago," one of the elders said. "My Queen, they are trying to take away our best protection. They are trespassing. I would advise you to execute them all."
Estella turned from the council, to Izzy who was silently begging her not to do it. I waited to do the one thing I hoped I would not have to do.
"Sorry doesn't bring your mother back, Estella, and it doesn't fix what went wrong," Elle said. "But, you've lost so much. Don't lose anymore. If you kill us, you will lose your daughter."
"It's true, mother," Izzy said. "I will never forgive you if you kill them. Harry did not have to save us. Kara did not have to protect us. If you do this, if you keep on this path, I will have no mother."
"Princess, you can't mean that," one of the robed figures stated.
"Disrespectful, not even in this realm a few hours, and she's already corrupted by his influence," Enid said.
"Enid, be silent!" Estella snapped. "Isabella, you must understand, if Kara is allowed to leave, we will be unprotected."
"She's not waking up though, and the shadows are getting closer," Izzy said. "I tried to find a way to stop them. Please, don't do this to them. I know deep down in your heart, hardened by all of what you've lost, you believe in love. I don't want a queen to do her duty."
She went completely silent.
"I want my mother to do the right thing," Izzy said.
Estella paused and looked me dead in the eye.
"Kara should be at very least allowed to make the choice," Estella said.
"That, we agree on," I said.
"They'll betray you, your highness,' Enid said. "Their type can't be trusted."
"And neither can we, if we keep someone here against their will, without giving them the option to choose their path," Estella said. "To rule means setting an example. It's something my daughter reminded me of."
For a long second, all of us held her breath.
"You told me to give my order?" Estella asked. "Take the Dragon and his companions down to see Kara Zor-El."
The guard could not do anything but agree with Estella. She was their queen. Although I sensed great discord amongst the group. There was most certainly a bit of a an uneasy medium with the Queen between Izzy's passionate optimism and the stone-cold hatred that the rest of the Elders had for humans, men especially.
Which is why she ruled. She had to have a balanced perspective, although some scars did not heal.
Arguing with some old crones burned up a lot of valuable time we had. Thankfully, Izzy made her mother see reason at the very least. They all lead our group down.
"I don't trust them," Astra said.
"I know," I said.
I noticed many thing about this dimension. One of them was a lack of yellow sun. Kara, being a Kryptonian, got her amazing super powers by exposure to a yellow sun. Therefore she was defending these, in many cases extremely ungrateful and entitled, elves, without any super powers at all.
"If it were up to me, you would be rotting with the worms," Enid said.
"Well, if anything was up to you, there would not be that much of a future for your people," I said.
"Arrogant boy."
"Entitled bigot," I fired back.
Izzy abruptly stepped between us. Likely saving me from blowing Enid's head off with Herpo's staff and thus causing an incident.
"Sorry about her," Izzy said. "Enid's mother's oldest advisor and my grandmother's best friend. She took the betrayal the hardest."
"I'm done apologizing," Elle said. "They refuse to accept they were not without guilt."
"There she is," one of the elders said.
For the first time since going back in time, I laid eyes on my beloved Lady Potter, Kara Zor-El, and just soaked in her radiant beauty. Bright blue eyes, stunning blonde hair, golden skin, a fit and athletic figure, with a nice chest, and an ample backside. Simply stunning and an angel on the inside and the outside. One of the smartest, if not the smartest, women I ever knew in my life.
"She's in suspended animation," I said.
"Her body is almost healed," Astra said. "There are a few spells we can try…"
I lowered the shield and lightly kissed Kara on the lips. Energy flowed between our bodies, as I transmuted my magic into yellow solar energy. Her eyes slowly opened as the remaining injuries keeping her under had been healed.
"Or there's that," Astra said with a half-disgusted, and half amused expression.
Kara wrapped her arms around me and deepened the kiss. The two of us lingered before we pulled away.
"Welcome back," I told her.
"I knew you would come," Kara said. "Ready?"
"Yeah, if you are."
"I…I promised them that I would help them, until you found me," Kara said. "I think they'll be fine without me. Izzy and her friends are resourceful. If they stick together, they'll be great at protecting what's left."
"You really think so?" Izzy asked.
"Sweetie, I know so," Kara said. "Just remember what I taught you. Just be a little bit less impulsive, stick together with Hailee, Chloe, and Sophie, and you four will do great things."
Izzy flashed a rather shifty little smirk towards Kara. However, I had a question.
"So, they agreed to let you leave once I came for you?" I calmly asked Kara.
"Yes," Kara said. "Why?"
"Because the Elders made it difficult for us to get you out of here," Astra said.
"Oh, hi, Astra," Kara said. "They…we had a deal!"
Oh, she's pissed. And I gave Kara her powers back thanks to that solar powered kiss. Therefore she was doing the thing where her eyes glowed.
"You're better off without him."
"I told you if he came, I was gone," Kara said. "I did everything I could to protect you, at great risk. I nearly died because you…"
She almost pushed her finger into the chest of three of the elders.
"Were stupid and were playing with magic beyond your comprehension," Kara said. "All because you wanted revenge over Perenelle Flamel because of something that happened centuries ago. You're going to destroy what you have left, if you can't let this go."
Elle's eyes flashed. I looked at her and mouthed "not now."
"We won't let it go," Enid said. "And we can't let you go."
My death totem lit up, which was fortunate timing. Zari tried to contact me, being able to do so because we are totem buddies. Her with the air totem and me with the death totem.
"Harry," Zari said. "We have a slight problem."
"Really, just the one?" I asked.
"The portal is beginning to close early," Zari said. "You have to leave soon."
Well, time to leave. I liked Izzy and her friends, but I cannot help and want to leave this place behind now.
"I'm done with you," I said. "Estella gave Kara the choice. She chose. She comes with me."
"I…"
Izzy swiped the staff and blasted all of the Elders with a direct hit, dropping them to the ground.
"I'm so done with their shit," Izzy murmured.
Astra and Kara both grinned, highly amused, and my mother beamed with pride. Even a small smile popped over the face of our mysterious sorceress.
"I taught you well, honey," Kara said. "You and your friends stay safe, okay?"
"Will I see you and Harry again?" Izzy asked.
"Someday," Kara said.
"I'll smooth things over with my mother," Izzy told her while handing me the staff. "Good luck."
Kara, Astra, Lily, Elle, our unnamed sorceress, and I bolted, not looking back. We were out of the palace before the Elders still above ground could react.
I felt like my saving people thing works out wonderfully well sometimes. If I had not saved Izzy, we would not have gotten out of there so smoothly.
"Portal!" Astra yelled. "We're almost clear."
"Don't jinx it!" I hissed at her.
"So, what have I missed?" Kara asked.
"Oh, loads," I said. "But, I'll tell you everything when we're back home."
"Fair enough."
The portal flashed from blue to light purple which meant it was mere moments away from closing.
"Everyone through the portal and out," I said.
"Well, this is it," our staff-wielding sorceress told me.
"You should come too," Kara said.
"I…I don't belong out there," the sorceress said. "You know who my father is."
"Yes," I agreed. "And why should that matter?"
My name is not Severus Snape. Therefore I do not hold people's fathers against them.
"Come with us," Astra said.
"The Cloaks will…"
"Let them come after me," I said.
"You're crazy," she muttered. "You have no idea what they're capable of."
"Well, not yet, but I'll learn," I firmly replied.
If they messed with people like Ariana and Luna in the past, I wanted to bring them out in the open and eliminate them, so no witch or wizard had to suffer again. I had a few pieces to the puzzle, but there were many questions.
I would take them down like the rest of the problems afflicting the Wizarding WOrld.
"Now or never," Astra said. "Are you coming?"
"I guess," she said.
"Kara, take her to Number Twelve Grimmauld, the instant you leave the portal, and come back," I told her.
"Right," Kara said. "I hope to see you on the other side."
"Me too."
Kara lifted our still unnamed sorceress out. Elle followed out next, which left myself, Astra, and Lily alone with each other.
"Finally, you're coming home," Astra said to Lily.
"No."
"You can't stay down here, this is an awful place," Astra said. "And they'll come after you."
"I can handle myself," Lily said. "And it's not a matter of wanting to stay down here. I have to. Until Harry removes the Horcrux."
"But…" Astra said.
"She has to," I told her. "I don't like it."
I reached over and hugged her. Lily wrapped her arms around me.
"Plus, I can train those four, until I find a way home," Lily said. "After the Horcux is gone. The Fountain is the right path, I'm sure of it. You just need to be lucky enough to find when it shows up."
"What were you and Natalie researching about it?" I asked her.
"A way to build a better world for our children," Lily said. "You and Astra should go. You have less than a minute."
"You'll be in danger every second you're down here," I told her.
"It's a sacrifice I'm willing to make. Over and over again. And we will meet again."
Astra and I gathered the strength we needed to depart and leave Lily alone to fend for herself in this realm. I handed her Herpo's staff and she nodded.
"Stay safe," I told her. "I love you Mum."
"Yeah, I love you, Aunt Lily," a teary Astra said.
"I love both of you," Lily said. "And you will do great things."
"We already have," Astra said.
We went through the portal at the last possible second. We popped out on the other side of the garden, just seconds before the portal shut. We were back in our younger bodies after escaping. I could still feel Mum's presence for another minute before any traces of the magical portal disappeared.
"You okay?" Zari asked. "Astra, are you crying?"
Astra could not say anything. It was really unsettling to see her this broken.
"We'll be fine," I assured Zari.
I wrapped my arm around Astra. I never saw her break down like this, well since her mother died in the car accident. I tightened my grip around her.
"I saw Kara," Zari said. "You did it, you found her. I thought…"
"Mum's alive," I told her. "She's trapped down there."
Zari's mouth hung open.
"I…that's…why?"
"As long as I have the Horcrux," I told her.
"She doesn't deserve to be trapped in that awful place," Astra said quietly. "Those savages, they tried to keep Kara to use as their own personal weapon! And I swear,if they harm Aunt Lily, I make them regret it, slowly, painfully. They won't like it when I practice some of the things I learned down in Hell. They'll wish they were dead, if they hurt her!"
I hugged Astra into my body tightly. She half growled and half cried when burying her face into my chest. Zari wrapped her arms around us both and hugged us tightly.
"Harry? Astra?"
Kara dropped down next to me, now dressed in a jacket, a sweater, and a pair of jeans.
"She's safely at Grimmauld place," Kara said. "How's Lily?"
"She's still down there," I bitterly spat. "As long as I have the Horcrux."
Kara lightly kissed me on the forehead and ruffled my hair.
"The others are gone, right?" Kara asked.
"I'm the only one that's left," I said.
The problem is, I had no idea when another portal opened up. Kara looked a bit younger, about thirteen or so years ago, after leaving the portal.
"Welcome back, Kara," Zari said, with a hug. "And you look amazing as always.s"
"Nice to see you too, Zari," Kara said. "Shall we head inside?"
Kara, Astra, Zari, and I walked up to the door where Elle waited for us in the doorway. She looked a bit distracted.
"Lily?" Elle asked.
"Trapped, because of the Horcrux," I said.
"I'm sorry," Elle said. "And I'm really sorry they gave you trouble on my account."
"They broke their deal with me," Kara said, practically fuming.
"I know," Elle said. "Never trust them."
I did the long walk inside, to come across Nicolas sitting at the Kitchen table, along with Luna, Daphne, and Ginny. I wondered when Ginny arrived. They were in the process of playing Monopoly.
"You made it back," Nicolas said. "I knew you would."
"Hello, Ginny," I said.
"Hey, Harry," she told me.
"What are you doing here?"
"I found Miss Weasley upstairs in Luna's closet, she has been there all day," Nicolas said. "She had an unfortunate squabble with her mother and ran away."
"Her mother must be worried," Elle said.
Ginny responded with a snort.
"I should take her home, yes," Nicolas said. "But, I think you might be a bit more diplomatic in dealing with her."
"With Muriel Prewett's niece?"Elle asked. "Doubtful."
"Oh, yes, you two had that duel back in 1935," Nicolas said. "And Molly does take after her aunt, doesn't she?"
"Mmm hmm," Elle darkly replied.
"So, you found her?" Luna asked.
"I found more than what I thought I would down there," I told Luna.
"Don't say anything, right now," Luna remarked. "It will be alright….oh darn, I don't have nearly enough money to pay. Guess, I'm bankrupt. Daddy was right. Never trust a chance card."
"Which leaves myself and Greengrass," Ginny said. "You're going down, Ice Cream Queen."
"Dream on, Weaselette," Daphne said. "You can't beat me."
"It's such a fun game," Nicolas said.
"He was the first one out," Ginny said.
"But, I won second prize in the beauty contest," Nicolas said. "Let the girls finish their game and we can have pudding, and then Elle, you can take Ginerva home."
"But, if I win, can't I stay the night?" Ginny asked.
"We'll see," Elle said.
I smiled, not blaming her for wanting to keep her distance from Molly as much as possible. I watched Ginny and Daphne round the board, and the competition was fierce. It came down to the luck of the dice rolls.
"Oh, bugger me!" Ginny yelled. "Why did you build a hotel there?"
"Well, I hoped you would land on it," Daphne said. "You have enough, if you mortgage everything."
"Yeah, I guess," Ginny said. "But, I'm dead if I land on one more property."
"All you have to do is pass go," Daphne said. "It's right around the corner."
You can cut the tension with the knife. Ginny did pass go and landed straight on the Income Tax and promptly lost her money. And then she hit another one of Daphne's properties.
"I hate this game," Ginny grumbled.
"That's some awful luck," I told her.
Ginny slumped her shoulders and sighed.
"Guess, I'm going to have to head back home," Ginny said. "Mum's not going to be happy with me."
"Well, is she ever?" I asked.
Ginny just shook her head. We both knew the answer to that question. She took her time, eating her pudding, and looking like the most miserable person in the world when doing so. I wondered what was going on between her and Molly. Since their fight at the Ministry, their very public fight.
"Oh, we haven't met, have we?" Ginny asked.
"Hey," Kara said.
"Nice to meet you," Luna said. "This is Kara. She's an alien."
Kara did a double-take at Luna's nonchalant outing of her secret. Astra just rolled her eyes, and I grabbed Kara's hand, to tell her to relax.
"Right, of course she is," Ginny said.
Ginny winked at me, and obviously thought that Luna was just being Luna. But sometimes, Luna took advantage of being Luna and told the truth so nonchalantly, that people believed she was bullshitting them. Honestly, you could never tell.
Elle decided to bite the bullet and be the responsible adult and take Ginny home. I decided to tag along as did Kara. We were both going to fly over to Number Twelve and visit our unnamed hybrid daughter clone of Bellatrix and Voldemort who really needed a name.
"Why did you run away?" I asked her
Ginny gave me a look as if she knew that I already knew the answer.
"Mum's just unbearable, I have to get away," Ginny said. "I wrote to Bill, begging him to let him come and live with him in Egypt, but Mum found out what I was doing and yelled at me for pestering my brother. I just got to get far away from her."
"Legally, you do have to go home," I said. "Unless, you can prove that Molly is an unfit parent. And unfortunately, she's just a controlling one."
"You have to understand what I'm going through," Ginny said.
"We understand," Kara said.
"It's gotten worse since I started fighting back," Ginny said. "Mum hates not having her way."
Yes, that's a problem for sure. Elle knocked on the door. Better her than me.
The door opened and Molly opened the door, looking rather irritated.
"Perenelle Flamel?" Molly asked.
"I came across your daughter, hiding at my granddaughter's house," Elle said. "I figured I would bring her home."
"Oh, thank you," Molly said. "Ginny, inside, now!"
"Hello, Mrs. Weasley," I said. "You remember me, don't you?"
Molly remained calm. I can tell she is trying not to lose her cool. Perhaps she was a bit intimidated by Elle.
"Yes, and I'm glad you brought Ginny home," Molly said. "I told her not to run off like that, it's too dangerous. Thank you, Mrs. Flamel!"
Another figure showed up in the doorway.
"Ginny, you're back?" Ron asked. "Thought you were going to try to hide at…"
"Yes, Ron, I am," Ginny said. "I was just up the road to Luna's. No biggie."
The narrowing of Molly's eyes showed she thought it was a big, well biggie.
"Right, Mum was going spare," Ron said. "Tried to stop her for as much as I could, but you know how she is."
"You knew about this?" Molly asked.
"Well, yeah, Ginny was a bit upset after your last row," Ron said. "I figured she just needed time to cool down."
"YOU LET HER RUN AWAY AND KNEW WHERE SHE WAS THE WHOLE TIME AND DIDN'T EVEN TELL ME!"
Ron looked his mother dead in the eye.
"Well, you've been treating her coldly since she told you she would never marry Harry Potter," Ron said. "Oh, hey, Harry."
"Ron," I said. "How's your holiday?"
"Could be better," Ron said. "Could be worse. Um…sorry about Scabbers? I had no idea. Mum really should have,and I'm surprised Percy didn't know, but…you know."
"It's fine," I said. "It got my godfather out of prison, didn't it?"
"Well, yeah, but blimey, he could have killed any of us in our sleep, at any time," Ron said. "To think I let him sleep in my bed."
I shuddered at the thought. Molly's eyes flashed dangerously.
"Don't ignore me, Ronald Weasley!" Molly snapped. "You let your sister leave the house. And didn't bother to tell me!'
"I figured you knew she was safe, because of the clock," Ron said. "If she was in any danger, it would have told you, right?"
"YOU DON'T KEEP THINGS LIKE THAT FROM ME, RONALD WEASLEY!"
"Well, you've been treating both me and Ginny like dirt, because we don't conform to your standards," Ron fired back. "You were upset that I got sorted into Slytherin. Do you think I brought shame to this family?"
Ooh, this is a spicy meatball. I handed Kara a pair of earmuffs for the sake of her poor super-hearing. Elle decided not to get involved. Well you did not live as long as she did without having some survival instincts.
"Those people in that house are dangerous!" Molly snapped. "I don't trust that Zabini! If he's anything like his mother, you could be in danger. And Dumbledore wouldn't allow you to be resorted despite me sending him three howlers on the subject! There must have been something wrong with the hat. You couldn't be a Slytherin!"
Kara, Elle, and I remained rooted on the doorstep. I wondered if Molly had forgotten we were still out there.
"Oh, you think I can't be cunning or ambitious," Ron said. "Let's face it, Mum, you didn't want me to begin with. I'm just a spare child to you, when you tried to have a daughter!"
Ginny shifted, a bit uncomfortable. Ron wrapped his arm around his little sister, but remained with a steadfast glare at his mother. Fred and George, having recently come down the steps, looked awestruck.
"That's not true!" Molly yelled. "More lies Zabini and those other Slytherins are feeding you."
"Why did you give Charlie's old wand, that was damaged?" Ron asked. "And instead you gave Percy an owl he did not really need, all because he got an arse-kissing badge. But, that's just fine, for Mummy's little arse-kisser!"
Fred and George exchanged awestruck looks with each and then they noticed me. I just waved at them and they waved back.
"Don't you dare talk about your brother like that," Molly said.
"You could have hurt me and others by giving me a bad wand," Ron said. "You know what, I can't handle this anymore. I'm gone. You never wanted me anyway, so you won't miss me when I'm gone. I'm going to Blaise's for Christmas."
Arthur Weasley appeared inside of the Burrow at this time. Oh, Arthur, my boy, you really walked into something that made you wish you took some overtime at the Ministry tonight.
"No, I forbid you," Molly said. "You don't know how dangerous those people are!"
"Can't be any more dangerous than the mother who gives her son a second hand wand and handicaps his magical education out the gate!" Ron yelled back. "Ginny ran away because of you. Bill and Charlie could have gotten jobs closer to home, but they decided to leave the country to get away from you! And what's going to happen when we're all grown up? If you keep this up, none of us are going to visit you. You're going to die alone and you have no one to blame but yourself."
Fred and George clapped and started doing mocking bows towards their youngest brother. A shell-shocked Arthur watched the situation unfold.
"What happened?"
Well, I could not resist.
"Oh, your wife doesn't appreciate Ron's house sorting," I said. "And she's not happy that Ginny isn't going to follow her sick wedding fantasy."
"Molly, I really told you not to push either of those things," Arthur said.
"You don't tell me what to do, Arthur Weasley!"
"Well, there's the man of the house," Ron said. "Nice one, Dad. Really nice. I'm going to Blaise's. See you in the summer, maybe. I'm sure Mrs. Zabini can help me get out of this place, and Ginny too if she wants it. Fred and George too. I'll let you keep Percy."
Well, I have to shed a tear. I never knew Ron would have it in him. What did I do putting Ron in Slytherin? Something wonderful I think. Ron took a handful of Floo Powder and threw it into the fire.
"The Widow's den."
Oh, that's really subtle, Kat. It's almost like you're rubbing people's faces into it now. Ron disappeared into the flames and Molly howled in rage.
"Ginny, Fred, and George, leave!" Molly yelled. "Arthur, Arthur, you need to call the Ministry. Ron is in terrible danger!"
"Ron will be fine," Arthur said. "He's much too young for Katerina Zabini anyway."
Damn, Arthur, did you just find your balls? And what a time to find them.
"Don't make light of this, Arthur!" Molly howled.
"Mr. Weasley," I said. "I would like to invite Ginny, Fred, and George to the Tonks residence. Andromeda would not mind and neither would Ted."
Arthur considered and Molly shot me the nastiest look possible. Perhaps she heard the story about Elle's duel with her aunt and did not want to try anything beyond an angry glare with me with Elle out there.
"Does Ted still have that outlandish Christmas light display?" Arthur asked.
"The most outlandish," I said.
"Well, Ginny can't come, because she's grounded!" Molly yelled.
"Can I come too? "Arthur asked.
Arthur looked like a kid at Christmas time.
"Arthur, I told you, she's not going and neither are you!" Molly yelled. "We have to do something about Ron. DON'T YOU IGNORE ME ARTHUR WEASLEY. I SWEAR IF YOU DON'T…"
Molly had been struck in silence. Arthur lowered his wand and also disarmed Molly of hers. Molly was not so formidable without her screeching voice to browbeat people into verbal submission.
Sometimes a man hits his limit. And I just watched Arthur Weasley finally reclaim his spine.
"Molly, you've done enough,' Arthur coolly said. "If you're going to act like a spoiled brat, maybe I should treat you like one. Therefore, you'll get both your wand and your voice back, after the holidays. I want you to spend the next few days thinking about what you've done."
Molly silently raged. She sat down at the table and hatefully glared at Arthur who turned his back on his wife to face me.
"Are you sure this is okay with Ted and Andromeda?" Arthur asked.
"They'll be fine with it," I told him.
"Ginny, Fred, and George, pack, and we'll leave soon," Arthur said. "Molly, don't make this any worse for yourself."
Fred, George, and Ginny scrambled to pack their things so fast they left friction marks on the floor. Molly stomped around the kitchen. Elle leaned over to Arthur.
"She's going to try to make you sleep out in the toolshed for this one," Elle said.
"I know," Arthur said, resigned. "Last few months, things haven't been good. She's out of control, ever since Ron was put in Slytherin, worse since Scabbers was exposed as Pettigrew and the fallout from the Sirius Black trial. I'm going to have to think about what's best for the children."
Molly gave Arthur a look as if to tell him she did not think he had the guts to file for a divorce. Only time will tell.
"Don't make yourself miserable on their account, Mr. Weasley," Kara said. "They'll understand."
"Yeah, you're right Ms…I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name."
"Danvers," Kara said. "Kara Danvers. Muggleborn."
Cover story we are going with if anyone asks.
"Oh, well I have a few questions, I want to ask you, if you don't mind" Arthur said. "About the Muggle world."
"Sure, I guess," Kara said.
Oh, Kara, darling, you really have no idea what you signed yourself up for. Ginny, Fred, and George made their way down with their trunks. I had not expected to invite them over, but with the mood Molly was in, I could not very well leave them with her.
"We'll discuss what happens later, after you've had some time to think about it," Arthur said. "I will check up on Ron once this lot is settled in."
I may have been responsible for the current schism in the Weasley family. How was I supposed to know that switching Ron's house would have lasting ramifications like this?
It the immortal words of the ancient philosopher, Steven Q. Urkel, "did I do that"?
Kara and I returned to Number Twelve Grimmauld Place. We took a bit of a flight on our way there, so I can fill Kara in on some of the finer details regarding the five months that I had been back. Hard to believe it had been only five months.
"That's basically the cliff-notes," I said.
"And you didn't waste any time," Kara said. "Well, given you don't have your normal outlet, you had to screw with people in a different way."
"Just wish I knew why I had been sent back," I said.
"Me too," Kara said. "But, we're here now."
"We always find each other," I told her.
"Yes," Kara agreed.
Kara and I arrived, where Astra had been standing outside of the door.
"MUD…"
The Whomping Willow walloped Walburga Black's potrait and silenced her
"She still hasn't learned?" I asked Astra.
"No," Astra said with a small smile. "Our new friend is sitting in the dining room. Eating. She's been doing that since we've come back."
The door opened up. Kara looked from me to Astra.
"She'll be back soon," Kara said.
"Those monsters tried to keep you a prisoner," Astra said. "And you protected them. I don't want anyone I care about down there."
Kara nodded, she understood. I think she appreciated what Astra and I were willing to do to get her out of it. Regardless, our mysterious unnamed sorceress, currently put away a heaping plate of pancakes.
"We should really name you," I said.
"Syrup."
"That's really not a conventional name."
"No, I want more syrup," she impatiently said. "And as for a name..don't know. Do things like me even deserve to get named? I was created through rituals and runes and potions, using Voldemort's genetic material along with Bellatrix's."
"Still not seeing how they got ahold of anything from him," I said.
"Didn't bother to ask them, when they were conditioning me to be the perfect weapon," she replied. "Or when they disposed of me when I couldn't get any control. I can't believe I let you talk me into coming here. It was much safer down here."
"Forget it," I told her. "What do you know about the Cloaks?"
The mysterious woman opened her mouth, but found her tongue unable to move.
"Well, that's a spell we're going to have to reverse without harming her," Astra said. "You can't say much about them?"
"Only they created me," she said. "I can't name names. I can't give locations. I'm pretty much useless for information. Trying to read my mind is not going to work, that's not going to work."
"Rosemary," Kara said.
"What?"
"I always liked the name Rosemary," Kara said.
"Mmm ,if you have to call me something, I would prefer that," the newly dubbed Rosemary said.
Rosemary Riddle, so very alliterative. Although, I did not want to bring up her father. The newly dubbed Rosemary suddenly put a hand to her forehead.
"They couldn't control me, when I got these strong emotions from either of them or you," Rosemary said. "I almost set their entire base on fire after you burned his vessel to a cinder. It's..that's when they dumped me. They tried to get rid of me, but I escaped them!"
"Did you kill any of them?" Astra asked.
"Hopefully," Rosemary said. "I can't tell you anything. Well, I can tell you something! Bellatrix is pissed. I think she found out something, about…about my father."
Astra, Kara, and I all came to the same conclusion.
"Well, she put it together," Astra said.
Rosemary started to blow up windows because of her magic going out of control due to Bellatrix's strong emotions. Well, this was an unfortunate consequence.
"Take a deep breath, relax."
"I can't relax!" she shrieked. "Everything I know is a lie! HE IS A LIE! EVERYTHING I BELIEVE IN! HE IS NOTHING BUT A LOVE POTION BASTARD. A PRODUCT OF USELESS MUGGLE AND A FILTHY-BOTTOM FEEDING SQUIB!"
Astra and I did our best to ease Rosemary's rather unstable nervous was caused by Bellatrix having a nervous breakdown at Hogwarts after learning the truth about Voldemort. However, more glassware started to break. Kreacher popped into the room.
"Kreacher never did like that vase."
Astra and I grabbed Rosemary, but the magic burned our hands. Kara flicked Rosemary against the back of her head with a single pinky and caused her to slump against the chair.
"I had to knock her out," Kara said.
"Bellatrix is really pissed," Astra said. "She's unconscious, but I can still feel discharges of magic coming from her."
"Right," I said. "Kreacher?"
"Yes, Master?" Kreacher asked.
"We better go see Mistress Bella," I said.
Kreacher responded with a pleading gaze. I stoically nodded. Kreacher turned his gaze towards Kara and Astra.
"Please remember to have Kreacher's head put on the wall next to his ancestors."
To Be Continued.