Harry Potter and the Dark Sigil
Chapter Nine: In the Darkness Light
By: Harry's Mum Lily
Disclaimer: All usual disclaimers apply to this story. I'm not growing rich from it so don't sue me please. Thanks to all for the lovely reviews and sorry this part seemed to take forever but I had a problem with a part of it. All reviews welcome. Cheers.
We are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided...
Albus Dumbledore
Chapter 37
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
I think we must expect great things from you Mr Potter…
Mr Ollivander
Chapter 5
Harry Potter and the Philospher's Stone
"What do you mean the Gryffindor lamp has gone out? That hasn't happened since…" Dumbledore stared at McGonagall's shocked, pale face and sighed.
"Minerva, I'm well aware that the Lamp has not gone out since we almost lost Harry in…"
"Albus, the Lamp will only shine as long as a child of Gryffindor's line remains alive. Harry is…was the very last direct line descendant of Gryffindor. If the Lamp has gone out then…" her eyes began to fill with tears.
"There must be some explanation for it…a reason it's light has gone out…"
Dumbledore fixed his eyes on the room's other occupant. Severus Snape sat in a chair looking pale and shaken. He was staring at his hands as if they were the most important things in the world and his eyes were bright as though there were tears in them that wanted to be freed.
"Severus, can you tell us what happened?" Dumbledore asked quietly, his face calm and serene as ever but his eyes holding a thousand emotions.
Snape looked up from his clasped hands and saw two pairs of eyes staring desperately at into his own. They wanted to know what had happened at Azkaban but how could he begin to explain to them something that he, himself, could not even begin to understand. Something bigger then all of them was at work here, something that they no longer had any control over. He shivered and looked out one of the room's windows, trying to still his wildly fluttering heart, before telling them all he'd seen. He closed his eyes and saw Harry, beaten but not beat, staring defiantly at Voldemort from his position at the foot of the Dark Lord's throne. He saw again Harry's steadfast courage, which seemed to shine like a bright star in the dark and endless night that gathered around Voldemort and his throne. He would see the look those eyes had held for the rest of his life. He told them of the conversation between the Harry and Voldemort and how Harry had not given in, even though he had to know that Voldemort would kill him for his refusal. He opened his eyes again as he told them of the Dark Sigil that had disfigured Harry's arm and how Voldemort carried the same mark on his own. Finally, in a voice laced with emotion, he told them of Voldemort's casting of the killing curse and Harry's subsequent disappearance with one of Voldemort's higher-ranking Death Eaters just before the curse struck him.
"Where they went is anyone's guess. Voldemort was furious…" Snape's voice trailed off and he shivered, remembering the dark menace that smoldered in Voldemort's glowing red eyes.
"Your positive the Curse did not hit Harry?" Minerva's bright eyes pierced Snape's dark ones, seeking reassurance that only he could give in that moment.
"No, it was blocked somehow. I'm not sure how to explain it… he had no protections left and yet the curse seemed to bounce off something…"
"The Final Protections…the Last Defense…" Dumbledore muttered his eyes sparkling as if he knew something the other two didn't.
Snape gave McGonagall a puzzled look and she shrugged, looking at Dumbledore curiously. He appeared not to notice their exchange.
"The Death Eater…do you know which one he was?" Dumbledore's eyes held a strange gleam in them.
"No, I don't. I only know that he had watery-eyes and he was defiantly nervous about something. He looked like he'd just broken through the Imperius Curse Voldemort sometimes uses."
Dumbledore nodded distractedly, twirling a phoenix feather in his hand. The feather glowed with a strange golden light and Snape found himself looking at it, for it reminded him of something he'd failed to mention.
"I also heard from a reliable source that Voldemort snapped Harry's wand. Its power is lost forever."
Dumbledore was jerked out of his reverie by Snape's statement and McGonagall's eyes widened as they both understood the significance of this. Things were growing graver by the moment.
"That explains this," he said holding up the bright scarlet and golden feather he'd been twirling. "Fawkes dropped it this morning."
It shimmered with a bright golden radiance, almost as if it were on fire. Each quill of the feather seemed to be moving as if there was a strong breeze in the air, although there was none. It seemed to drive back all the shadows in the room and the darkness that had settled like a cloak around the three within the room. The glowing light of the feather intensified for the briefest of moments and they could feel warmth coming from it. Very softly, almost below the range of their hearing, they could hear a soft humming coming from it, almost like a song. It was an unearthly, haunting and beautiful melody, which seemed to surround them where they stood.
"Headmaster, what in the name of Hogwarts founders is going on here?" said Snape with a note of both joy and panic in his voice.
"I wish I knew, Severus. I must get this feather to Ollivander's at once. The light that was lost must be restored and this darkness must but driven back." Dumbledore apparated instantly, leaving Professors McGonagall and Snape staring at the place he'd just been, looks of confusion on their faces
~
Snape left Dumbledore's office in a state of confusion so profound that he hardly noticed the students giving him odd looks as he passed through them in the halls. He said nothing to a pair of students who were kissing in the hallway outside the Charms Classroom. He also ignored Peeves, who was singing rude songs from the inside of one of the suits of armour. The students stared after him as he made his silent way back to the dungeons. Snape passed through the crowded Entrance Hall without even a word to the large crowd of Gryffindors, who were milling about discussing the latest rumors and only paused in his headlong dash once to take 20 points from Slytherin because Malfoy was taunting the Gryffindors. Everyone in the Hall stared after him in silent surprise.
"Something's wrong…" said Ron as he watched Snape disappear down the stairs to the dungeons.
"Did you see the look on his face. Oh, Ron…you don't think that Harry…" Hermione's eyes grew wide with fear.
"He would never turn, Hermione. Harry would never willing join with Voldemort. I don't care what the Prophet says."
"Your right," Hermione said, but all through Transfiguration she couldn't help but wonder.
The day passed in a blur and neither Ron nor Hermione could get Snape's strange behavior and grief stricken look out of their minds. Later that night they sat in the Gryffindor Common Room staring into the fire, trying without success to finish their Defense Against the Dark Arts homework. Even Hermione, who was usually able to become lost in any assignment no matter what the situation, was unable to concentrate on it. She kept staring into the fire, watching its flickering flames dance in the grate. More than once Ron looked toward the window waiting for Hedwig, whom they had sent to Sirius, to return with a letter. The other Gryffindors left the pair alone, knowing they needed some time to sort things out.
The Gryffindors felt as if they were living inside a nightmare and most of them were having difficulty handling the situation. Not only was one of their own being held by Voldemort but also the Daily Prophet had reported several sighting of Harry in the company of other Death Eaters and the Dark Lord. The reporters were having a field day with this news. Even when there were no attacks to report, they still ran stories that were nothing better then the drabble of someone's overactive imagination. Harry Potter was being painted as "the gravest threat to the wizarding community to date" and what was perhaps even worse than this was the fact that some of the very people who had hailed Harry as a hero not long before were now being swayed by these stories. They were forgetting every good thing Harry had done in the past, claiming Harry had used these events to mask his more evil intents. There was nothing that any of them could do to stop these attacks on Harry's honour, nothing that is except to show their support of him even though he was not there to see it and to make it clear that they did not believe that he was capable of such deeds.
The Gryffindor Quidditch team sat nearby quietly discussion the coming match against Ravenclaw. The season had not been called off, as many feared it would be after Harry's disappearance from the pitch. George Weasley had insisted that the matches be allowed to continue because Harry would want them to. All the Gryffindors now trained harder then ever before for they meant to win the Quidditch Cup in Harry's name. Even without his physical presence on the team and even though the likelihood of him ever returning grew slimmer and slimmer as the months went by, they still felt he was with them in spirit and this made them play harder then they had before. Neville was doing his best and was not a bad Seeker, though he claimed that Harry could fly circles around him, which was in all likelihood true. They all felt more then ready play, for at least that would take their minds off of the situation that seemed to be growing darker by the moment if only for a little while.
Ron was still trying to write an essay on the ways a Shield Charm might be employed as a defense against powerful Dark Curses when a tapping at the window startled him. The room grew completely silent as Ron opened the window and Hedwig came inside, a roll of parchment tied to her leg. She landed on the table occupied by the team and Ron took the letter from her leg. She fluttered to rest on a perch nearby that the Gryffindors had made for her when she'd started spending most of her time in Gryffindor Tower rather than the Owlery. The rest of the students in the room looked at Ron expectantly. He and Hermione had told them of Sirius and his innocence a few months ago so that they would be able to talk freely in the Common Room about the situation without worrying about being overheard. Ron unrolled the letter and scanned it before reading it aloud.
Ron and Hermione,
We've had no news from any quarter in days. The rumor here is that Harry has turned Dark. I would never believe it of any son of James and Lily. There is nothing evil in Harry and I don't care what the paper says about him. It is impossible for him to be turned. I cannot explain it all to you in a letter but let's just say that it is part of reason he was able to throw off the Imperius Curse last term and leave it at that. As for rescue…there must be a way, though we are still unsure of where to find him at present. Rest assured we will do all in our power to find and rescue him. I will not rest until it this is done for it is my duty. Have no fear we will find a way to rescue him. Of this I am certain. The council of the Phoenix has been called and we will have Harry back with us soon. I must believe this. Harry will be freed from whatever prison Voldemort holds him in. Please don't give up on him, he needs you support now more then ever. I will be in contact again soon but I must keep on the move so that the Ministry doesn't catch me. Have faith in Harry, though it seems that many have lost their faith in him.
Sirius
"So Snuffles has learned nothing new then," said Fred quietly.
"It appears not." Ron looked across the room at Hermione who seemed unable to stop staring into the fire.
Suddenly, Professor MaGongall entered the Common Room and motioned for both Ron and Hermione to follow her.
"The Headmaster wishes to speak to you," she said, her eyes bright.
Ron felt his heart drop in his chest and Hermione paled slightly as they followed Professor McGonagall to Dumbledore's office. About halfway there McGonagall paused and turned to Hermione.
"Miss Granger, could I ask you to go and get Professor Snape for me. Dumbledore want to see him as well."
Hermione nodded but said nothing. She headed back the way they had come and took the first staircase she could find to Snape's office and wondering what the meeting was about and hoping, despite the sorrowful look everyone was wearing, that it was good news.
~
Snape's office was dark and cold but it was somewhere he could go to sort out the jumble of thoughts in his mind. Everything he'd seen, heard and done in the last several weeks was running around in no particular order through his mind. Every thought he'd had, every action he'd witnessed, every discussion he'd been a part of were all swirling around in his head and he could make no sense of any of it. Superimposed over all of this were Harry's green eyes glowing with defiance and some other emotion that Snape could put no name to. Those eyes would haunt him for the rest of his days. Snape had seen that look before but the eyes had belonged to another. Harry's mother, Lily, had worn the same look when he'd brought the news that Voldemort was after them and their son. James' golden eyes had flashed with fury as they had glared back into his sullen stare but it was the look Lily's held that had stopped the rest of the message he was going to pass. She'd looked up from Harry, startled for a moment like a doe that has heard a predator nearby, but her fear had quickly disappeared to be replaced with defiance and a look of calm resignation. She had looked back down at the child in her arms before looking back at him.
"So be it!" she said with a quiet fury. "He will not have Harry. He will be protected I swear it. If Voldemort dares to touch him he will meet his downfall."
Snape shook his head trying to clear it of past memories but the memory did not fade and it was as painful now as it had been then..
Did you know what would be required of you, Lily? Did you know that you and the one you loved would die defending Harry? Snape stared blankly at the dungeon's cold, dark wall, lost in memory. Lily never knew how many lives she'd touched in her brief life by just being kind-hearted and brave. She couldn't have known how much her death would affect those who'd known her or that more people then Harry would carry a deep sorrow within their hearts at her loss. She never knew that she'd even touched the cold heart of Severus Snape, giving him the strength to break away from Voldemort. Every action he'd taken against Voldemort, every piece of information he passed on to Dumbledore, every mission he'd undertaken in the name of the Light had been done for her, for she had given him something that no one else in his life had been able to; she'd brought love and kindness into his otherwise dark and cold world. He would do anything for her and her death had been like a physical blow to him. It was as if the sun had been extinguished, casting an impenetrable darkness over the world and over his life. Lily's death had nearly killed him and for months after the funeral he'd refused to leave his bed. Voldemort had killed the only good thing in his life. He's taken the only woman that Snape had ever loved and although she was not destined to be his, in his heart he'd still loved her. He still loved her years after her death.
So engrossed was he in his memories that he didn't notice the passage of time nor did he notice Hermione, who was standing still and silent in the doorway. Quietly as she could manage, Hermione left, not wanting to interrupt Snape's reverie, even though Dumbledore had sent for him. There were some things that were better left alone and by the look of grief on Snape's face, he was trying to work through something that she had no business interrupting.
"Don't blame yourself…none of this is you fault," she thought as she waited for several minutes before knocking on his half open door, trying to give him some time to settle before bothering him.
~
Nothing ever happens by chance. Everything happens for a reason. James had told him that once but Peter could make no sense of why this had happened or of even where they were. When consciousness had returned to him he'd found himself in a forest of tall and ancient trees set so close together that there was barely room to move between them. It was dark and a cold breeze was blowing, heralding an incoming storm. The air was heavy with rain; the sharp, wet scent of which carried to Peter's nose. Harry was laying a few paces from where he had landed. He was curled up in a fetal position, shivering in the cold wind that had begun to grow stronger and he appeared to be unconscious. Peter got carefully to his feet and lit his wand so that he could see more clearly. He walked slowly to the spot where Harry lay in a heap and looked down at him. Harry didn't move and it was only the rising and falling of his chest that allowed Peter to know that he was alive at all.
Peter looked around him and wondered briefly where they were. The forest seemed somehow familiar though it was more wild and untamed then any he'd been in of late. When he'd cast the Apparation Spell back in Azkaban he'd given it no specific location, hoping that by doing so he would prevent pursuit by Death Eaters. He'd simply asked it to send them as far from Voldemort as it could, praying that it would be far enough away for them to return to Hogwarts in safety. The forest was silent and they seemed to be the only two living things in it. Peter shivered and looked up at the patch of sky that he could see above the trees. It was dark gray with clouds and as he looked up he saw a flash of lightening.
"I need to find some shelter…"
Peter looked frantically around but found nothing. There were no lights nearby that might indicate dwellings and no sound reach his ears. He could have easily found shelter for himself by turning into a rat but that would have meant leaving Harry unprotected and undefended. Peter would not allow himself to do that now or ever again. Harry was too important, more important to the cause of the Light than any other single witch or wizard for he carried the one spell within his heart that could vanquish Voldemort forever. He was also very vulnerable to magical attack now with most of his protections shattered by the Dark Lord's last spell. Harry was in the gravest danger and Peter was his only protection. Peter knew there was nothing he could do to stop the Dark Lord from killing them both if he should find them yet, despite his fear, he remained standing there, his sharp features reflecting his indecision. Finally, in desperation, he managed to conjure a small tent and to get Harry's limp body into it just before the storm broke overhead.
Peter stared glumly at the storm breaking over them and at the rain that was coming down in sheets outside the tent flap. The thunder rumbled loudly overhead and he could see flashes of lightening through the canvas of the tent. He shivered in the chill air and conjured a small fire within the tent. Harry remained curled up with his back to Pettigrew. He was so still and silent that Peter thought for a moment that Harry had died but he was still breathing shallowly and raggedly. Pettigrew could see the dried blood that caked Harry's back and the dark bruises under the blood. His back was a mass of welts that were infected and seeping a clear liquid. Harry moaned in his sleep and rolled over, the Dark Sigil becoming visible under his tattered sleeve burning black. Peter shivered at the sight of it, knowing what it signified and feeling his own Dark Mark burn. Yet he did not for a moment believe that one whose spirit and heart were so pure could ever…
"It means nothing, Harry. You are not like my former master," he spit the last two words out with loathing. "There can't be any evil in your soul."
Harry began to shiver and Peter took off his cloak, covering him with the yards of warm wool. He looked into Harry's face, realizing how much Harry looked like James. Harry's face looked paler for the black cloak that was covering him and the scar that had marked him from childhood stood out darkly in his otherwise pale face. He was still shivering despite the warmth of both cloak and fire and yet his face, Peter noticed, was covered with sweat. Peter lay a hand on Harry's forehead and found that he was burning up with fever and that his scar was burned even hotter then his forehead. Quickly, Pettigrew flipped back the cloak to reveal Harry's neck and upper torso. Harry's body shook more violently in the cooler air. After a moment's examination, Peter found the cause of the fever. On Harry's right arm, right above the scar from the cut he'd received in Voldemort's rebirthing ceremony, were two puncture wounds that were an angry red color surrounded with purple bruises.
"Nagini," he thought as fear raced through him.
Her venom was one of the most poisonous on earth and only by mixing it with a small amount of unicorn or dragon's blood could it be stopped from killing a man. It might already be too late for Harry.
"If he was bitten more than once…" panic seized Peter as he tried to discern whether or not Harry had received more than one bite.
It was impossible to determine whether Nagini had used the original wounds to poison him farther. He was relieved, however, to find no more bites anywhere on Harry yet, even as he began to relax, he saw Harry begin to breath more shallowly and saw his face grew paler still.
"No…" he whispered.
The Boy Who Lived couldn't die. The storm outside was but a pale reflection of the one raging within Peter's own heart as he realized that the Dark Lord had tricked him once more. For, while he'd believed he was saving Harry's life, he was in fact condemning him to a painful death. The betrayer had engaged in his final act of betrayal. Peter hung his head and tears formed in his eyes as he realized that Voldemort had allowed them to escape to a place too far away for aid to come to save Harry's life. The decision he'd made but a short time before was now haunting him for it had gone horribly wrong.
"No…please no!" he whispered in a ragged voice, the tears in his eyes falling and blurring his vision so that he could no longer see Harry.
All Peter could hear was Harry's ragged breathing and the moans of pain that escaped from his ragged voice. He failed to notice the man who stood in the "doorway" of the tent watching the two of them with wide, staring eyes. He failed to see the scarlet robed wizard raise his long, slender wand and cast a spell of deepest sleep upon him. The wizard, who was also wearing a scarlet cloak, allowed a woman in blue to enter it before him. The pair looked down at Harry and Peter. Harry was tossing and turning in the throws of a fever dream and the woman knelt beside him, examining his many wounds with a sorrowful expression.
"He burns with fever and is very close to death, my Lord. We must get him…" The woman paused a moment, a stunned look on her face as she took in the lightening scar on his forehead and the Dark Sigil on his arm.
"What is it?" the man asked calmly.
"It's…the Chosen One…the last Heir to your Lordship," She looked up at the Wizard with confusion in her steel gray eyes. "How did the Final Heir end up here of all places?"
"I do not understand, he should not be here…" the dark haired wizard looked thoughtfully at the Dark Sigil and the lightening mark on Harry's forehead, confusion in his amber eyes.
"Something is very wrong…the balance has now shifted to the Dark," remarked the woman, her eyes full of fear.
"I know. That is why I felt compelled to come here and now I think I understand why. We must return to Hogwarts at once, my Lady Rowena. Maybe his companion can shed some light on the subject."
"Aye, my Lord," Lady Rowena of Ravenclaw rose and levitated Pettigrew in the air with a flick of her wand. She took his hand and apparated without a backward glance, leaving the scarlet clad wizard to take care of Harry himself.
Sir Godric of Gryffindor picked Harry up as if he weighed nothing at all. He looked down at the boy who was his future heir and wondered what enemy had the power to send a wizard so well protected outside of his own time.
" Well, young Harry Potter, Lady Rowena is right about one thing. Something has gone horribly amiss."
He looked down at Harry and the lightening scar again pondering the meaning of his appearance in a time far removed from his own.