Harry Potter and the Soul Shifter
By: Alex Lyons3
Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter and everything in the wonderful world of Hogwarts. Disney owns Brooklyn, the gargoyle. I own Jessica "Jess" Cotten.
Author's Note: Originally, I started on a story about Harry's sixth year before J.K.R. released OotP. Sadly, when Sirius died, so to did my ability to write that fan fiction. So, I've salvaged some characters and added some cross over points and re did the whole thing. I really didn't expect Sirius to die. Truthfully, I should have. Just for the record, the time line is going to be a bit iffy since most people put it up as Sirius died in 1996. I'm going to say that Harry didn't even start Hogwarts until 1997, so Sirius didn't die until 2002. Did I lose anyone? *A few hands are raised* Okay! Simply, first book published in 1997. So, that's when Harry starts as far as I'm concerned. Harry's fifth year would be 2001-2002, so Sirius (at least in my mind) does not die until 2002. Okay? Anyway, on with the story.
Chapter 26: The Battle
The school rocked again and a bit of mortar fell from the ceiling. Brooks rushed to Lupin's and Harry's side.
"Come on!" He shouted as another loud bang echoed of the walls of The Great Hall. "Dumbledore wants Harry somewhere safe!"
Lupin nodded and ran towards the doors as the walls shook and groaned under the immense strain they were under from the power behind the attacks. Mc Gonagall reached their side before they went out the door.
"Dumbledore wants Harry in the dungeons." She told them, looking a bit pensive. "Don't know why, but take him to Severus' office."
Brooks and Lupin nodded and took off towards the dungeons. Harry looked at each of the men as they wound their way to the dungeons wondering what could cause Hogwarts to be under such distress. Brooks stopped abruptly and both Lupin and Harry slammed into him, but Brooks kept his footing.
"Voldemort." Brooks whispered, almost inaudible due to the loud booming coming from upstairs. Lupin looked at Brooks and sniffed the air. Being a werewolf his sense of smell was more acute than normal humans'. He growled low in his throat.
"You're right." He snarled quietly. "Where is he?"
"He hasn't made it inside yet, but he will." Brooks looked about him as though expecting Voldemort to materialize from the shadows. "Take Harry. Go to the office and bar yourselves in there. Don't come out until everything's quiet again or until Dumbledore comes to get you. Don't come out for anyone else. Change the locks and the passwords to the door." He turned and faced Lupin, "Don't come out. Not for anything! Don't come out!" He had grabbed Lupin and snarled at him the last bit. Lupin stared at Brooks and nodded. Harry could have sworn he saw Brooks eyes glow faintly, but it was gone before Harry had a chance to confirm it. Brooks released Lupin from his harsh grip and turned to Harry. "No heroics." He said sternly and dashed past them going back to the Great Hall.
Lupin rubbed his arms where Brooks had gripped him and sighed, "Come on Harry." He trudged down the stairs with Harry following closely. They came to the door of Snape's office. "Verserium." Lupin said and the door made a clicking noise. Lupin pulled out his wand, "Alohomora." The door made another set of clicking noises. As Lupin went through every locking charm and password Snape had on his door, Harry kept watch. Soon, the door was open and Lupin pushed Harry inside and walked in after him. He shut the door and a series of clicking noises were soon heard making it known that the door had resealed itself. Lupin worked for a few moments changing the passwords to the door and then sat down in one of the chairs in the office.
Harry stood there looking at Lupin expecting him to say something.
"Sir?"
"Yes Harry?" Lupin said looking up from his hands which were shaking.
"What's going on?"
"Voldemort has come." Lupin said simply.
Harry looked at Lupin and then asked, "So, I'm not allowed to fight? I'm going to stay down here and hide?"
Lupin sighed, "Yes, you do realize that if Voldemort kills you then all will be lost to both the wizarding world and the muggle world?"
Harry nodded, "But he hasn't killed me yet!"
"And how long do you think your luck will hold out Harry?" Lupin said sternly. Looking at Harry seriously.
"I don't know!" Harry said angrily, "But, you all seem to think that because of that prophecy that I'm the only one capable of stopping Voldemort! Maybe that's true, but you lot seem to insist that I'm not to fight! Even Professor Dumbledore seems to think that it is best for poor little Harry Potter to sit it out while others die in his place just because the whole WORLD happens to be depending on him!" Harry snarled. Lupin watched him coldly, but did not say anything. "DO YOU THINK I ASKED FOR ANY OF THIS? DO YOU THINK THAT I WANTED TO BE THE SAVIOR OF THE WORLD? DO YOU, PROFESSOR LUPIN, THINK THAT IT IS FAIR TO SEND OTHERS TO FIGHT AND DIE IN MY PLACE JUST BECAUSE SOME PROPHECY SAYS THAT I'M THE ONLY ONE THAT CAN DEFEAT VOLDEMORT?!!" Harry had worked himself into a full blown rage now, "DO YOU BELIEVE THAT IT IS FAIR TO ASK OF OTHERS WHAT YOU DARE NOT ASK OF ME? I'M SUPPOSED TO BE THE SAVIOR OF THE WORLD! DON'T YOU THINK IT'D BE BETTER TO ASK ME TO GO AND FIGHT AND DIE INSTEAD? DO YOU THINK THAT THE OTHERS AREN'T AS DESERVING TO LIVE MORE THAN I? I do believe, sir, they are more deserving than I to live. Just because I'm 'The-Savior-of-The-World' doesn't mean that others should have to die to protect me. Especially if they aren't full grown witches and wizards." Harry finished wearily.
Lupin kept staring at Harry, an uncaring expression on his face. He then spoke so quietly Harry almost didn't hear him at all, "Do you believe that we wish to see you die? Do you believe that the only reason we keep you alive is because we think that as soon as you die Voldemort will have free reign again? Harry, there are people here that care about you and love you and do not wish to see you die! They'd rather give their own lives to save you than bear a world without you in it!" Harry opened his mouth to speak, "However, you are right. It is wrong to ask others to fight and die just so others, like myself, can be selfish. It is wrong to ask others to fight and die for you when you are capable of handling most situations. Yet, Harry, you have not learned enough. You aren't completely ready to take on Voldemort. Not yet. Not now. Later, sooner than you think, but still later."
Harry stared at his former Professor. The candle light around them making Lupin's eyes seem overly bright. Harry thought about what he had just heard and what Professor Dumbledore had said last year. He, Harry, had known that there were people who did care for him. He'd known it for quite awhile, however, they needed to stop treating him like he was an infant with no capability of taking care of himself. He was capable of taking care of himself. Yeah, Lupin was right, it had been dumb luck most of the time that had saved him, but still...they didn't know what it was like to have Voldemort after you and people dying to keep him from getting you. First his mother and father, then Cedric, and most recently Sirius. Who would be next to die trying to keep The-Boy-Who-Lived alive? Who would die an untimely death just because Harry was the only one who could kill Voldemort? It just wasn't fair!
Harry sat dully in the chair across from Lupin and put his head in his hands. Rubbing furiously he looked back up after a few moments. Neither Lupin or Harry said anything to each other for a whole hour while the battle raged above. The loud blasts, booms and bangs of power being released through the wands sounded distant down in the dungeons. Beneath the dirt and several hundreds of silencing charms and spells Snape had put on the walls about his office the "war" sounded very far away from them. Removed, but it might come their way. Lupin clenched his wand harshly in his long fingered hand staring up at the ceiling of the office, which was the floor to the Entrance Hall, listening for silence instead of the moaning of the mortar. The groaning of the stones. The crying of the injured and the electric buzz like sound that magic made when it was whizzing through the air.
An hour passed, then two and three and finally after five hours of sitting there they heard some one running down the flight of stairs towards Snape's office. Lupin stood and put himself between the door and Harry, his wand held ready and his muscles tense waiting to find out if the someone out there was friend or foe.
"Harry? Remus?" Professor Dumbledore calls loudly. Lupin let out a sigh and nimbly unlocked the door. Professor Dumbledore stood there in the door way looking most frightened. "Remus, how are you and Harry?"
"Fine, I suppose. Is...is everyone else...?" Lupin could not finish, he was afraid that there might be some students dead.
"Everyone is fine, Remus. If you can call a raging Professor Brooks and an infuriated Professor Snape fine." Dumbledore said quite seriously.
"What happened, Headmaster?" Lupin asked.
Dumbledore sighed, "The battle shifted when some one fired the spell, Revelare, at Professor Cotten thus revealing her to be a banshee. Mister Finnigan nearly went into cardiac arrest, as did Voldemort. He knew when he saw her that there was no chance for him to beat us. He turned tail and ran."
Harry's jaw hung open his eyes slightly glazing as he retreated deep into his mind, remembering what Professor Brooks had told them about banshees. He had said that they used their siren like voices mostly to cause pain beyond anything a human could live through. However, they were also known to use them to mesmerize a human if it so pleased them to do so. Hadn't Professor Cotten grabbed their attention in class with but a whispered word? The signs were there and Harry hadn't followed them. He wondered if Hermione had figured out Professor Cotten's secret before it was revealed.
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To dreamer43: Well, I hope this is up to par. Thanks for enjoying all the other chapters.
To tetris: LOL! Thanks! Yeah, I always wanted to see her do that too, that's why I wrote it in there.
To crystalheart81: No worries there. I'm hoping I can finish this fic before I start school. I'm glad you like it. Thanks!