Whispers Of Truth

Chapter 12: Falling

When morning came, Harry was supposed to be gone.

He was at breakfast.

Peacefully eating his food, seated between Hermione, and one of the twins, Hedwig settled on top of his head, content.

It made Albus nervous.

It gave Severus a headache.

Harry yawned, and the Great Hall doors burst open. Heads swirled in it's direction, and everyone watched as the Minster of Magic, Kingsley, and two Aurors walked up to the teacher's table and to Dumbledore. The Headmaster had stood upon their arrival, and he was handed a parchment was held out to him by Fudge, he took it, looking grave, and a little nervous.

Everyone watched as he unrolled, and read it….well, everyone but Harry; who was eating another serving of pancakes.

"Harry Potter," Dumbledore finally said aloud, "please go with the Minster and his men."

Harry's fork paused mid-way to the boy's mouth, and the low whispers and murmurs that had started up with the announcement stopped, and all eyes turned to the savior.

Waiting.

"Harry." Dumbledore spoke softly, and was that a hint of fear in his voice?

Harry slowly put his fork down, and wiped his mouth, and when he looked at the adults, many of them became nervous though most of them didn't know why.

"Oh?" Harry finally said, not moving, and sounding loud enough for everyone to hear though he didn't raise his voice. "And why is that?"

Fudge went still, and Hermione shifted in her seat, eyes gleaming.

"We can discuss that in private," Kingsley's voice was nervous, something about the boy didn't sit right with him.

"There is no need for that," Harry hummed, "the Truth will come into the light one way, or another. Delaying it, will only make it that much harsher a reality."

Curious whispering started up, and apparently, that was enough for Fudge's nerves as he finally blurted out the reason for them being here, "Harry Potter you are under arrest for the practice of Dark Magic, attempting to overthrow the Ministry, and turning traitor!"

There is a hushed surprised silence, Minerva noticed that Albus shifted into a familiar stance, one he only did if he was preparing for an fight. All eyes glued to the events unfolding. The silence is broken by a deep chuckle, and head swirl in that direction. It was Severus Snape, one elbow on the table, cheek resting against open palm and looking as relaxed as anyone has ever seen.

"Really, that's what you're going with?" He snickered, "Dark Arts, and being a traitor, couldn't you come up with a more creative reasoning? Though, I suppose the overthrowing of the Ministry has some merit."

Albus's brow furrowed, before his eyes widen in horrible realization, "Severus." He said softly.

Severus just smirked, dark eyes twinkling.

"Do not tease Professor," Harry told him as he stood up from his seat, Hedwig took flight, circling the room lazily. Harry held out his hand to Hermione who took it, and was helped out of her own seat. Kingsley and the two Aurors readied themselves for whatever came, and hoped that it didn't.

They had feeling they would not win.

"It is time for us to go Hermione," Harry said to her, he then turned his attention to everyone else watching, "I'm afraid we will not be back for a long time. So, I leave this. Trust not, the other eye, for they can become blinded. Trust not, other ear, for they came become deaf. Trust not, the other mouth for they can become mute. Trust not, the other heart, for they can become clouded. Trust not, the path most taken, for it is not the only path."

"Basically, what he's trying to say is that the Wizarding World is broken, and it needs to be fixed, but those in charges aren't going to do it." Hermione then added bluntly.

Fred and George snickered.

Harry titled his head just so, "As she said. Now then, it's best if we were on our way, we have much to do."

And then, they were gone. Harry, Hermione, Severus, and various other students, even Hedwig was gone. One moment there, then just gone.

It isn't long before chaos erupted, amongst the chaos, Neville Longbottom, Spymaster to his King, watched Albus slide down into his chair, eyes locked onto the spot Harry once stood, face as pale as Fudge.

Deep beneath Hogwarts, the Four Founding Members, smiled.

~.~

"You have settled in well."

Draco looked up from the book Merlin had suggested to him, to his bedroom doorway, it was Harry, looking very comfortable in his fuzzy yellow and orange pajamas.

"I think Mum should take you shopping," was the first thing out of his mouth.

Harry looked down at his pajamas then back up at Draco with a curious look.

"Never mind," Draco sighed with amusment, "did you need me for anything?"

"Not in this moment."

Taking note of the paraphrasing, Draco wondered if he should go back to his book, however, curiosity won him over.

"You said I had settled in well, what did you mean by that?"

He doubt Harry meant the castle, and he was proven right by Harry's eyes going bright with knowing.

"Your Path, you have settled into it."

"I wasn't supposed to?"

"It was a possible Path." Came his answer.

"Ah."

Before permanently moving here, Draco had spent his time between Hogwarts and Avalon, learning everything he could from Merlin, just as he knew Ron had been doing with King Arthur. And after each lesson, they always ended up stumbling across one another, both knew it was purposeful. Ron had told him he figured it was Harry's way of them getting over any awkwardness, and issues between them.

It worked.

Harry's eyes glowed bright.

~.~

Nine days after Harry Potter's disappearance, and the Minster announcing that the child had turned traitor, Voldemort's meeting was interrupted by Severus, and Lucius coming through the door; between them was Harry Potter.

"Good evening," Harry greeted, eyes roaming the room, and apparently not caring for the wands pointed his way, "and everyone is here, fortunate."

Severus snorted, while Lucius's eyes twinkled with merriment.

"Potter." Voldemort sneered as he stood.

"Tom Riddle, Lost Child of Magic."

Lucius watched as Voldemort is visibly taken aback, either by Harry's title of him, or calm nature, he's not sure which. However, when Harry took a step forward, the Dark Lord's wand was out, aimed, and readied. Lucius's own wand slid in his hand, ready, out of the corner of his eyes he saw Severus raise his own wand.

In dark of the room, shadows shifted.

"I see you've managed to turn my most loyal of Followers against me," Voldemort's voice was calm, despite the….feelings he was experiencing the longer those green eyes stared at him.

"Loyalty born of fear is a thin leash at best."

"Well, that, and I think Severus has made it his personal mission to get Harry to wear shoes." Lucius quipped.

Against Voldemort and his follower's judgment, they all looked down, and indeed found Harry's feet bare. Harry too looked down, Severus, with a put-upon look, gently, but firmly, grabbed the boy's hair, and pulled his head up.

Lucius's expression turned gleeful at some of the bewildered looks, and if some of the DeathEater's didn't know better, they could have sworn they heard snickering coming from the shadows.

Harry's lips curled up.

"Tell me, Lost Child, do you wish to see Truth?"

Those blasted eyes stared patiently at him, waiting for his answer, not a bit unnerved by the tension that seem to fall over the room. And were the shadows….growing?

"No," Voldemort reasoned, glaring hard at Harry, "it's nothing but a scare tact."

Harry's eyes gleamed.

"No."

"A pity."

The shadows descended.

~.~

Though the chaos of screaming, swirling darkness, blood, and death. Harry stood there, watching Voldemort who had yet to move. A Deatheater fell at the boy's feet, unmoving. Harry looked down at him, tilted his head before stepping over them, and toward the Dark Lord.

And Voldemort….he felt something he hadn't felt in a long time.

Fear.

Harry stopped.

From behind, a DeathEater suddenly loomed over the child, wand ready. They don't get much further than that, because Severus is then there, knocking the other down with a dark blue spell. Harry doesn't even give them a glance, all his attention is on Voldemort.

The Dark Lord's voice trembled as he shouted out the Killing Curse, green flew toward Harry…. everything then stopped in that moment.

Web of green crackled like lightening as it circled the child, Harry watched them with a calm fascination, fingers caressing along. "A sad sound," Harry murmured.

Then he snapped his fingers, and the spell was gone.

"T-That's not possible," Voldemort stuttered.

"You're trembling." Harry stated.

Was he? No. He was not, Voldemort, Dark Lord of the Wizarding World did not trembling. He did not feel fear.

"Life without fear, is a short one."

The Wand dropped from his hand as he found himself suddenly stumbling back down onto his chair. Standing just inches away from him, Harry looked down at him with a curious expression. Red eyes darted around the room, looking for his Followers, all of them were either dead or unable to move by Severus, Lucius, and the Shadows.

Warm hands cupped his face, and he was looking into green eyes again. Swirling with power, knowledge, and magic, he was trembling. He was afraid.

"W-What are you?" Was that a whimper?

Harry's lips curled upward, and thumbs caressed skin, such a gentle almost loving motion.

He stopped trembling.

"Child, I have something to return to you."

A kiss to his forehead.

Everything went hot, and white.

~.~

The screaming doesn't last long, trickling down to soft whimpers as flesh and bones twisted, changed, took new shape.

Harry watched it all.

Left behind was a robe.

Harry watched.

The robe twitched.

Severus came up, he bent down, and parted the robe. He froze, then turned to Harry.

"How?"

Harry answered, "It is a spell I learned, after much searching."

"A fuckton of searching," one of the shadows huffed.

Lucius, who had a Deatheater pinned on the floor by a foot pressed against chest, and wand aimed at their face, laughed.

Harry hummed pleasantly, "It is still not yet complete, I have returned only one of seven. Until all have been put back together, he shall still slumber."

"And after?" Severus wasn't entirely sure if he understood what Harry had done or not, nor did he knew what Harry was planning by doing this. Honestly, no one knew what Harry had planned for Voldemort, not even Ambrogio had a full idea considering he was the one who found the spell. Their best guess was either the Dark Lord would know Truth and join them, or not.

"Then he shall start his journey to the crossroad."

Harry then bent down, wrapped the body properly around the small body, and cradled it in his arms. He turned, and with Severus a step behind, Harry left, a sleeping baby Tom Riddle with him.

~.~

Somehow, Fenrir found himself resting his head on Harry's lap, the child humming a little tune while he played with the Werewolf's hair. It was nice, and calming. A few feet away from them the Weasley boys, and Draco were playing with some of the Dragons that had come with them from the Sanctuary—Harry had looked very amused when he was informed of this by Hermione—, Hermione was with the nine sisters, Severus and Lucius had disappeared somewhere in the castle, and Ambrogio was sleeping.

Tom Riddle was still asleep, and secured.

He wasn't sure where most of his Pack was, but that was fine, no harm will come to them while in Avalon.

Harry told him so.

"You never took a mate."

Fenrir didn't even blink, he and the others use to Harry being…Harry by now.

"Never saw the need to." Fenrir grunted.

Harry hummed, fingers starting to plait grey hair, "No man is an island."

"Not a man."

"Even the most solitary of creature seeks companionship, if only briefly."

Fenrir huffed, "I have my Pack."

"That you do."

Harry, when he spoke, was always with this soft tone with just a hint of wonder and curiosity. Sometimes it changed to amusment, but that was usually it, right now, it sounded a little frustrated. Worried, and curious, Fenrir sat up and looked at the child, who did not seem to mind, already working on a new plait. Rolling his eyes, Fenrir grabbed his hands.

Harry went still, not in angry, but curious.

"What did you see?"

"I see many Paths."

"Yeah, I get that, we all do. What I want to know is what Path did you see that has you asking me about a mate, and why?"

"If you go down that Path, it will not lead to destruction."

It wasn't the answer he wanted, but it look like Harry wasn't going to give him a straight one….or at least something vaguely understanding. Grumbling, Fenrir let go and settled back down on the child's lap. The plaiting stated back up again.

"You know, if it bothers you so much, then I'll just mate with you, and be done with it."

"…..I do not think Severus and Hermione will approve."

~.~

The world is in an uproar.

Harry Potter had turned traitor, that's what the Ministry is saying, that's what Albus Dumbledore is confirming. Their savior turned to the Dark Arts, was going to join the Dark Lord, and take over the Wizarding World.

And yet, said the people, Harry Potter spoke of a World before, a World where magic was stronger because they use to call monsters teacher, friend, brother, sister, mother, father, family. It's true said one Wizarding family. It's really is true, said the next, and the next.

Magic is no longer strong.

It's dying say the people they use to laugh, and ignore, the magic, their world, they are dying.

Harry Potter, students of Hogwarts are saying, told them this: Trust not, the other eye, for they can become blinded. Trust not, the other ear, for they can become deaf. Trust not, the other mouth, for they can become mute. Trust not, the other heart, for they can become clouded. Trust not the path most taken, for it is not the only path.

That is what he told us, the children say.

Dumbledore and Fudge are building an army, they are preparing to fight, because there will be one. They said that Harry Potter will bring an army of his own, filled with Deatheaters, and other evil things. That's what the people are being told, and the people wonder only one thing.

Why?


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