Harry Potter and the Keeper of Friendship
Voyage of Discovery
By Starrysapphire
Disclaimer - Oh, they aren't mine. Trust me. Only the plot is mine.
Warnings - Yeah, yeah, hints of Taito, hints of Drarry (Draco/Harry). Don't worry you Draco/Harry fans, there will be some soon, just hang in there! MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (yeah, okay, there was a character death in the last part too but that was an original character so people probably care less. Should I up the rating?)
The were all sitting in Dumbledore's office, waiting for him to come up and speak to them.
"Will he be really angry?" TK asked "He won't turn us into frogs will he?"
"Don't be silly," Sora said "Of course he won't."
Matt said nothing. He was still trembling slightly. Beside him, Hermione was busy wiping her eyes. Talitha wasn't there. She was in the Hospital Wing, sleeping off her hysterics.
When Professor Dumbledore walked in, they all stared at him anxiously.
"Is Talitha okay?" Matt asked instantly.
"She'll be fine," Dumbledore said gravely "She needs rest."
He looked round at them all.
"Now," he said "Who are you all?"
The Digidestined quietly introduced themselves. Dumbledore nodded and sat down.
"I would like an explanation," he said to Matt "You may start Yamato, as these are all your friends."
Matt looked at Tai uncertainly. Tai shrugged. He didn't know whether they should tell Dumbledore or not.
"The truth please," Dumbledore said, as if guessing their thoughts "This is a very serious matter and if I even suspect that you aren't telling me the whole truth, we shall be forced to use truth serum on you."
Matt sighed.
"You won't believe it," he stated.
"Try me," Dumbledore said.
Matt began the story, right from the summer camp that had started all his problems. He told Dumbledore everything, with the others adding bits that he left out. Dumbledore listened silently until Matt had finally finished. Then he looked around.
"Why didn't you inform me immediately?" he asked quietly. Harry winced. He'd only heard Dumbledore sound this serious a few times before and none of those times had been particularly pleasant for him.
"I didn't think you'd believe me," Matt said, feeling wretched "Abby and Talitha said that Snape hadn't believed them about seeing Myotismon leave the smoke. Why should you believe that we'd been to another world and fought monsters from it?"
Dumbledore sighed, looking sad.
"If you knew that Myotismon could kill anyone, you should have informed me," he said "You could possibly be forgiven for this Yamato, given your circumstances, but Harry, Ron, Hermione and Draco certainly should have known better."
Harry stared at his lap. Beside him, Hermione gave another sob.
"Please Professor," Tai said, trying to sound brave "I know we've done wrong but we don't have time. We have to sort Myotismon out now."
Dumbledore turned his bright blue eyes to Tai and Tai flushed and shrank backwards slightly.
"You may be right Taichi," Dumbledore said quietly "Do you know what you are going to do?"
Tai shook his head.
"We've been trying to think but so far...." he said.
Dumbledore nodded.
"We can do nothing more until Talitha Lions is awake," he said "She will want to be involved or at least know what is happening. In the meantime, I would advise you all going and having some extra rest. Go to the Hospital Wing, there will be less questions asked."
The group stood up and left the office. Dumbledore looked after them sadly then went over and opened a drawer in his desk. Inside it, were five crests and a digivice. Dumbledore looked at them silently for a moment, then closed the drawer, locked it and went downstairs.
* * * *
Matt tossed restlessly in the bed. He couldn't sleep, kept seeing Abby's lifeless body, feeling her cold flesh in his arms.
Sitting up, he put his head in his arms and rested them on his knees. Why had he stormed off like that? Why? If he'd only stayed, maybe he and Abby would have gone to see the others together, and maybe Abby would still be with them. It was all his fault.
"Matt?"
Sitting up, he saw Talitha looking at him.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you," Matt muttered.
"You didn't," Talitha said "I wasn't asleep. I spat out the Sleeping stuff Madame Pomfrey gave me. I hate those things."
Matt stared at her. Her face was pale, her cheeks sunken, but she was looking determined.
"We have to nuke that bastard," she said.
Matt blinked. It was the first time he ever heard Talitha swear.
"I know," he said "Tally, I'm sorry."
"Sorry?" To Matt's surprise, Talitha sounded angry "Why are you sorry?"
"Well, this is all my fault," Matt said "If I hadn't come.....hadn't made friends with you.....hadn't done whatever I did with that Potion....hadn't stormed out yesterday...."
He was interrupted by a sharp slap. Talitha was glaring at him.
"Stop talking rubbish!" she shouted "It wasn't your fault! We choose to make friends with you, it could have been something we did with the Potion, and so you've got a hot temper! Abby shouldn't have gone off alone but that's not your fault! Stop blaming yourself!"
Matt stared at her. The others were beginning to sit up and watch to. Talitha sighed.
"Oh Matt, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hit you. It's just....it's hard. Abby was my first ever best friend. What am I going to do now?"
Matt shook his head.
"That seems a fairly good point," Draco said softly "What are we going to do now?"
"That's not very sympathetic Draco," Izzy said but Talitha nodded.
"We have an emergency," she said firmly "We should try to work out what to do next."
"Hermione, did you find a spell anywhere?" Matt asked.
Hermione shook her head.
"Nothing," she said "Nothing we can use anyway. There were a couple of spells that involved entering and creating portholes but none of them made any sense and I doubt they'd get us to the Digital World anyway."
There was a gloomy pause.
"Maybe Dumbledore will think of something," Ron said hopefully.
"He doesn't know Myotismon," Kari said softly.
* * * *
Dumbledore was back in his office, holding one of the crests when Myotismon came in.
"How did you get in here?" Dumbledore asked, with no real surprise.
"No magic can keep me out of anywhere," Myotismon said "Sorry I didn't knock but I thought I'd surprise you."
"Thank you," Dumbledore said.
Myotismon looked at Fawkes who was hopping on his perch, obviously infuriated.
"Is that your Digimon substitute?" he asked "It's a poor one."
Dumbledore frowned.
"Why are you here Myotismon?" he asked.
"I don't know," Myotismon replied "The Keeper of Friendship must have done something but I don't know what. He must be very powerful though if he could bring me back from wherever I went to. He's a better Keeper than you, Keeper of Peace."
Dumbledore looked down at his crest and then sighed.
"I imagine you are going to kill me," he said.
"How else can I return to the Digital World?" Myotismon countered "I need your energy and your Digivice to travel home. There, I can perform my plans in safety. Contact my one relative. And stop you telling those annoying Digidestined anything."
Dumbledore stared at Myotismon, who smiled back.
"You really are similar to him," he said "You don't care for anyone."
"Well, he is my blood relative," Myotismon said "After Salazarmon came here to start a new life, we kept in touch. His blood line may be depleted but..."
"He won't work with you," Dumbledore warned.
"Oh, I think he will when he hears my offer," Myotismon said "But enough of this, Keeper of Peace." He raised his hand "Crimson Lightning!"
Dumbledore brought his wand up and shouted "Bokadas!", throwing the lightning back at Myotismon. The two enemies prepared for the battle of their lives.
* * * *
Harry stood, staring out of the window. Behind him, everyone was asleep again. They'd talked round and round in circles, not getting anywhere, until eventually, Mimi had given up and gone to sleep, reminding everyone of how tired they felt. He heard Matt whimper, as though he was caught in a nightmare then settle down again, as someone murmured something soothing. Whoever it was then walked over to Harry.
"What are you doing up?"
It was Draco. Harry turned to face him.
"I can't sleep," he said "I can't stop thinking about Abby."
"She looked horrible didn't she?" Draco said softly.
Harry nodded.
"It was worse than with Cedric," he whispered "Cedric looked surprised but Abby..."
"Looked scared out of her wits," Draco said "I know."
Harry rested his head on the window pane.
"I can't help feeling sorry for her family and her friends," he said "Especially Matt. He blames himself terribly."
"With possible good reason," Draco said.
Harry turned to him. Draco was looking disturbed about something.
"What do you mean?" Harry asked.
"Promise you tell anyone?" Draco said "I'll say something eventually but now really isn't the time for them all to know."
Harry nodded.
Draco sighed.
"I got a letter from Father today," he said "He said that while my mother was watching the stars, she had a premonition."
Catching sight of Harry's face, he grinned slightly "My mother's a proper seer, Potter. Not like Trelawney." Then his smile faded "Well, she's almost a proper seer. Everything she gets is so cryptic, it's almost impossible to work out. But anyway. Father told me exactly what she said to see if I had any ideas. This is what she said."
Draco produced the letter and read it quietly out loud.
"Darkness calls darkness,
When friends are hard to come by,
Danger threatens all,
If Friendship fails,
Mending is hard,
Venom-Black calls,
Darkness returns,
Dear ones lost."
Harry stared at Draco who continued.
"Father also told me one last thing," he said quietly "I sent him the recipe for the Potion that Ishida, Littlewood and Lions accidentally concocted. It's powerful dark magic Potter. That's why Granger couldn't find it. It's called a Venom-Black Potion. If you look in it, with darkness in your heart, you can summon up terrible things from your past. It varies on what type of darkness you are thinking of but..."
Harry kept staring at him. Draco swallowed, and carried on.
"Ishida was having problems settling in here Potter," he said "In case you hadn't noticed. He rejected everybody around him. I think something happened that he didn't tell us about. Anyway, his crest is the Crest of Friendship. I think that's why it broke, because he wasn't feeling any friendship at the time. And although when they made the Potion, Ishida was friends with Littlewood and Lions, there was still anger in his heart. Obviously, it brought Myotismon up. The only thing is, Myotismon isn't like most memories. He's Digital and very powerful. My guess is, somehow he managed to lock himself into this reality. In a way, he was simply a memory then. But now he's killed Littlewood and that centaur and God-knows what else in the forest...." Draco's voice trailed off.
"He's real now?" Harry said.
Draco nodded.
"I expect so," he said "So you see, in a way, it was Ishida's mistake, although he didn't mean it."
Harry sighed.
"That's what Trelawney said," he said "Many will suffer for the Keeper's mistake."
"Well, she's got that right," Draco said.
The two boys stood, staring out of the window. They could see Hagrid teaching a class about Nifflers.
Neither of them saw Matt slip out of his bed and leave the Hospital Wing.
* * * *
Matt was lucky no one saw him as he wandered blindly out of the school. They'd have sent him back to the Hospital Wing in a heartbeat. He looked pale and his normally perfect hair was sticking up all over the place. Slowly, he walked into the forest, his mind in turmoil.
'It wasn't my fault' he told himself 'I didn't know what would happen...'
Draco's words came back to him.
'I think something happened he didn't tell us about...'
His father's voice 'I know you're uneasy about going Matt but your mother and I think it's the best decision.'
His own 'But I don't want to leave! It's not fair! Why didn't you ask me first?'
'We didn't think you could look at it objectively enough. Naturally you don't want to leave your friends but....'
'That's not the point! You should have asked! Now I've got no choice have I because you and Mother had made your minds up! Now I've got to leave TK and Tai and all the others! I've already lost one close friend this summer and now you're taking me away from the others!'
'Matt, you're overreacting...'
'I'm not overreacting! You always do this, everytime! Everytime I get close to something, it gets snatched away! Well fine, I've learned my lesson, I won't get close to anything again! Now I'll go start packing!'
'Yamato....'
'See you later Dad!'
With a sigh, Matt slumped down on the forest floor and began to play his harmonica.
* * * *
Madame Pomfrey began to wake the group up when it got to dinner time, insisting that they ate. She paused beside Matt's empty bed.
"Where's Mr. Ishida?" she asked.
There was a pause.
"We don't know," Harry said "I didn't hear him go anywhere and I've been awake for ages."
"He had a nightmare some time back," Draco said "But he seemed okay. He didn't wake up."
"Has something happened?" TK asked looking worried.
"Surely he knows better than to wander off," Talitha said, looking concerned.
"Do we even know the same person?" Ron asked.
"Maybe he's gone to the toilet or something," Joe suggested.
"Maybe," Madame Pomfrey said.
But her face mirrored everyone's looks of concern.
* * * *
Matt wasn't sure how long he sat there playing his harmonica. He just suddenly stopped when something pecked his leg. Hard.
"OW!" Matt yelled, jerking away. He looked at the bright red-and-gold bird sitting on the floor beside him. As soon as he started looking at it, it fluttered into the air and began flying round him agitatedly.
"Aren't you Dumbledore's bird?" Matt asked it.
The bird fluttered even more agitatedly.
"Okay, okay, I'm coming," Matt said. Shoving the harmonica in his pocket, he followed the bird. It led him into the school and fluttered round the statue. Matt frowned, trying to remember the password.
"Coconut Cauldron Cakes," he said eventually.
The statue sprang aside and Matt went up the stairs. To his surprise, the door was already open. As he stepped inside, a gasp escaped him.
The room was a shambles. Everything had been thrown around or burned or seriously damaged. Professor Dumbledore lay beside his desk.
"Professor!" Matt shouted, running over "Professor!"
Dumbledore opened his eyes and smiled slightly. The bird flew down beside him and he stroked it's chest gently.
"Good old Fawkes," he said "I knew he'd find somebody....before the end..."
"The end?" Matt said "No! I'll go and get help or something! But you can't die!"
Dumbledore shook his head.
"Too late now," he said "Matt, I need you to hear this now before I go. Sit still and listen."
Matt obeyed and listened as Dumbledore spoke.
"When I was young, I went to Hogwarts," he said "I loved it there. I even had my own gang of sorts; Maranella Figbee, Frazer Forest, Cuthbert Bones and Daphne Jakes. We were almost inseparable, even though Daphne was a year younger than us. Then one day, we found five strange devices on the ground. Digivices."
"Digivices!" Matt gasped.
"Yes," Dumbledore agreed "Like you and your friends, we were sucked into the Digital World to defeat the evils there. We were given our crests. Mine was the Crest of Peace. Maranella had the Crest of Trust, Frazer had the Crest of Compassion, Cuthbert had the Crest of Renewal and Daphne had the Crest of Life."
He shuddered violently and Matt stared at him, not knowing what to do. Dumbledore's shudders stopped but when he continued, his voice was weaker.
"We were fighting Sophusmon, a deadly Digimon who attacked the mind. However, we had nearly defeated her when she showed us what she thought could destroy us. The truth about the founders of Hogwarts."
"What was it?" Matt asked.
Dumbledore sighed.
"The founders of Hogwarts," he said "Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw and Salazar Slytherin were Digimon. They somehow broke though the barrier a long time ago. They were all relatively human shaped and no one ever realised. Their true names were Gryffinmon, Helgarmon, Ravenmon and Salazarmon. They changed their names to fit Earth and founded Hogwarts, using their attacks to make magic. I don't know how they did it, even now. But they did. Sophusmon thought that would destroy us. But it didn't. It united us more, determined not to let them down. We won eventually and were sent back to our own world. But before we did, we met the Entity."
"We've met her too," Matt said.
Dumbledore sighed.
"She used Daphne's body to talk to us," he said "She told us that we would not return to the Digital World. She said that I was the guard the crests until it was time to deliver them to the next ones. So I have. All this time, I guarded the crests. And now it's time...."
He reached into his pocket and removed the five crests."
"Harry's is the Crest of Peace," he said "Ron's is the Crest of Trust. Hermione has the Crest of Compassion. Draco gets the Crest of Renewal. Talitha gets the Crest of Life."
Matt took the crests slowly.
"Are they...." he said slowly "Are they Digidestined?"
"No," Dumbledore said "They are not Digidestined. However, the only way they can protect themselves from evil Digimon is by using their magic through the crests. Make sure they understand...." his voice broke off again.
"Professor!" Matt said "Professor, what happened here?"
"Myotismon," Dumbledore said, his voice barely above a whisper now "He needed my Digivice to return to the Digital World. He is going to contact his relative."
"What relative?" Matt asked.
"Salazarmon and Myotismon were brothers," Dumbledore said "Salazar Slytherin's blood line has survived to this day in the form of Lord Voldemort."
Matt stiffened, thinking of the stories he'd been told. He hadn't been afraid before but someone related to Myotismon, no matter how faintly....
"If Myotismon and Voldemort make contact," Dumbledore said "The results will be catastrophic. You must not allow it to happen!"
Matt nodded. Dumbledore closed his eyes for a moment.
"Matt," he said "Matt, listen to me. You must use your own Digivices to return to the Digital World. There, you must trace your Digimon and defeat Myotismon again....."
"Professor?" Matt gasped as Dumbledore shut his eyes again "Professor!"
Dumbledore's eyes opened a crack.
"Matt," he said "Myotismon will use.....all of your strength.....if he can.... don't...let....him....use......you....."
His voice trailed away and his head feel limply on one side.
Matt sat there, his hands curled tightly round the crests, his brain whirling. Eventually, he went downstairs and told Professor McGonagall (who was nearest) that Professor Dumbledore was dead. He was taken back to the Hospital Wing where he told the other's the same thing. There was instant uproar and hysterics on all sides but Matt ignored it all. He simply felt numb.
* * * *
Harry sat on his bed, his legs curled up underneath him. The room was silent now but no one was sleeping. Hermione was under her blankets, her face completely hidden. Ron had gone out to look after Ginny. No one else was speaking. The other Digidestined weren't really sure what to do. They hadn't known Dumbledore much but they knew that the others had and didn't want to cause offence. Matt was staring at the ceiling, his eyes blank. Harry knew that Matt had found Dumbledore and didn't want to know how Matt must be feeling right now.
"Are you all right Harry?"
It was Draco, staring down at him anxiously. Harry shook his head. To his amazement, Draco timidly sat next to him and put an arm around him. Harry considered shrugging him off but instead he leant against him. Draco rubbed his arms and shoulders sympathetically.
"I can't believe he's dead," Harry said softly "Who's going to protect the school from Voldemort now?"
Before Draco could answer, Matt spoke.
"Voldemort," he said "Dumbledore told me to tell you this. We need to find Ron."
"He's looking after Ginny," Harry said "Is it very important?"
Matt nodded. He sat up and removed the crests from his pocket. Tai's eyes widened.
"More crests! Where did you get those?"
"Dumbledore," Matt said.
Harry pulled away from Draco and walked over to Matt's bed. The others followed except Hermione who remained under her covers. Harry had a feeling she was asleep and didn't want to wake her.
"They're for you lot," Matt explained "This one's yours Harry - the Crest of Peace. This one belongs to Draco - the Crest of Renewal. Hermione gets the Crest of Compassion and Ron gets the Crest of Trust. Talitha's is the Crest of Life."
Harry took his crest and looked at it. It was three wavy lines, like waves. Talitha's crest was what looked like a twisting spiral that tapered down to a point. Draco's crest had what looked like a egg with a crack down it.
"Where did they come from?" Talitha asked.
Matt took a deep breath and told them what Dumbledore had told him, trying not to miss anything out. When he told them that the founders of Hogwarts had been Digimon, Hermione sat up from her bed where she'd been listening and came over.
"It makes sense," she said, absently picking up her crest (a diamond shape surrounded by tiny circles) "It says in all the books that there was something strange about them. Like Salazar Slytherin being able to talk to snakes. And everyone says that Godric Gryffindor had a head of hair like a lions mane."
Matt continued with the story. When he explained about Voldemort and Myotismon, Harry swore so loudly that Madame Pomfrey came in from the side room to tell him off. Matt waited until she'd gone away again before finishing the story.
"So our Digivices can get us back to the Digiworld," Tai said, looking at his thoughtfully.
"That's what Dumbledore said," Matt said, looking at his own.
"So that interfering fool did manage to tell you," a voice said from the doorway "I obviously didn't kill him enough."
Harry didn't even need TK's exclamation to know that the blonde man in the doorway was Myotismon.
"You!" Tai said angrily "You shouldn't be in here!"
"I go where I please, Digidestined brat," Myotismon replied, walking more into the room. Hermione backed away slightly, followed by Mimi. Matt got off his bed and stood glaring at Myotismon.
"You killed Abby!" he said.
"The girl?" Myotismon said "Yes. Poor little thing, she was an idiot. She warned me that the other Digidestined were here."
"You creep!" Talitha shouted "I bet you tricked her!"
Madame Pomfrey marched out of her room.
"What is going on?" she demanded angrily, then stopped when she saw Myotismon. Everyone ignored her.
"She was very useful though," Myotismon said "Without her, I wouldn't have know Albus Dumbledore was here and I wouldn't know how to get back to my own world, or how to trace my relative."
"Your relative!" Harry said "I hope he kills you!"
Myotismon gave him a scornful look at then turned to Matt.
"And you, Keeper of Friendship," he said "I believe it is you I must thank for returning me to my body."
Matt turned red and glared at him. Myotismon smiled.
"Yes," he said "I do appreciate the favour. Let me thank you by not killing you instantly!"
"Uh oh," Sora gasped.
"Crimson Lightning!" Myotismon shouted and flung his hand at them. Everyone scattered and the Crimson Lightning made short work of the bed.
"Run!" Tai yelled "Get out everyone, quickly!"
Talitha hurled a jug of water over Myotismon, a fairly pitiful gesture but it distracted him long enough for Kari, TK, Hermione and Mimi to dash out of the door. Talitha zigzagged around the beds and followed them hastily, dragging Izzy with her. Joe wasn't far behind them, pulling Madame Pomfrey with him. This only left Harry, Draco, Tai, Matt and Sora who were too far away from door to make a quick escape. Myotismon glared at them.
"So, your friends have run away, leaving you to suffer my wrath," he said.
Tai clenched his fists and stared at Myotismon bravely, or as bravely as he could.
"We're not afraid of you!" he said.
Myotismon laughed scornfully.
"No?" he said "What a pity. Grizzly Wing!"
The group scattered again to avoid the bats. Sora fell over and got tangled in some fallen bedsheets. Desperately, she began to struggle with them, watching the others helplessly. As Matt dodged away from the bats, Myotismon seized his wrist, gripping it tightly. Matt yelled in pain and then began yelling things in Japanese at Myotismon that Harry didn't understand, or particularly want to, given the fact that though her fear, an expression of slight shock had appeared on Sora's face.
Tai, being Tai, threw himself at Myotismon as soon as he saw that the Digimon had Matt in a firm grip which Matt couldn't free himself from. He began battering at Myotismon with his fists, his own yells of anger mingling with Matt's yells of pain.
"Night Rope!" Myotismon shouted. The black rope whipped out, snapping round the two furious boys.
"Tai, no!" Sora cried, ripping at the sheets tangled round her legs "Harry, Draco, do something!"
Harry swallowed, trying to think of a spell that he could use. As he paused, Myotismon pointed at him and shouted Night Rope again. This time it snapped round Harry. Myotismon moved forward. Seizing hold of Harry, he tucked both him and Matt and Tai under his arms and then flew out of the window.
"NO!" Sora yelled. She rushed to the window, Draco behind her.
Myotismon was hovering in the air, Matt, Tai and Harry still under his arms.
"I'll see you soon Digidoomed!" he shouted triumphantly.
Sora and Draco could only watch helplessly as Myotismon produced the digivice from his pocket. It began to glow, shinning brightly. As they watched, it turned into a strange sort of hole, though which they could see the Digiworld. Laughing, Myotismon flew though the hole, taking Matt, Tai and Harry with him.
"Taiiiiiii!" Sora cried from Draco's side.
But there was nothing either of them could do, except watch Myotismon disappear and the hole close up behind him.
Part 4 completed, Part 5 on the way!
Voyage of Discovery
By Starrysapphire
Disclaimer - Oh, they aren't mine. Trust me. Only the plot is mine.
Warnings - Yeah, yeah, hints of Taito, hints of Drarry (Draco/Harry). Don't worry you Draco/Harry fans, there will be some soon, just hang in there! MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (yeah, okay, there was a character death in the last part too but that was an original character so people probably care less. Should I up the rating?)
The were all sitting in Dumbledore's office, waiting for him to come up and speak to them.
"Will he be really angry?" TK asked "He won't turn us into frogs will he?"
"Don't be silly," Sora said "Of course he won't."
Matt said nothing. He was still trembling slightly. Beside him, Hermione was busy wiping her eyes. Talitha wasn't there. She was in the Hospital Wing, sleeping off her hysterics.
When Professor Dumbledore walked in, they all stared at him anxiously.
"Is Talitha okay?" Matt asked instantly.
"She'll be fine," Dumbledore said gravely "She needs rest."
He looked round at them all.
"Now," he said "Who are you all?"
The Digidestined quietly introduced themselves. Dumbledore nodded and sat down.
"I would like an explanation," he said to Matt "You may start Yamato, as these are all your friends."
Matt looked at Tai uncertainly. Tai shrugged. He didn't know whether they should tell Dumbledore or not.
"The truth please," Dumbledore said, as if guessing their thoughts "This is a very serious matter and if I even suspect that you aren't telling me the whole truth, we shall be forced to use truth serum on you."
Matt sighed.
"You won't believe it," he stated.
"Try me," Dumbledore said.
Matt began the story, right from the summer camp that had started all his problems. He told Dumbledore everything, with the others adding bits that he left out. Dumbledore listened silently until Matt had finally finished. Then he looked around.
"Why didn't you inform me immediately?" he asked quietly. Harry winced. He'd only heard Dumbledore sound this serious a few times before and none of those times had been particularly pleasant for him.
"I didn't think you'd believe me," Matt said, feeling wretched "Abby and Talitha said that Snape hadn't believed them about seeing Myotismon leave the smoke. Why should you believe that we'd been to another world and fought monsters from it?"
Dumbledore sighed, looking sad.
"If you knew that Myotismon could kill anyone, you should have informed me," he said "You could possibly be forgiven for this Yamato, given your circumstances, but Harry, Ron, Hermione and Draco certainly should have known better."
Harry stared at his lap. Beside him, Hermione gave another sob.
"Please Professor," Tai said, trying to sound brave "I know we've done wrong but we don't have time. We have to sort Myotismon out now."
Dumbledore turned his bright blue eyes to Tai and Tai flushed and shrank backwards slightly.
"You may be right Taichi," Dumbledore said quietly "Do you know what you are going to do?"
Tai shook his head.
"We've been trying to think but so far...." he said.
Dumbledore nodded.
"We can do nothing more until Talitha Lions is awake," he said "She will want to be involved or at least know what is happening. In the meantime, I would advise you all going and having some extra rest. Go to the Hospital Wing, there will be less questions asked."
The group stood up and left the office. Dumbledore looked after them sadly then went over and opened a drawer in his desk. Inside it, were five crests and a digivice. Dumbledore looked at them silently for a moment, then closed the drawer, locked it and went downstairs.
* * * *
Matt tossed restlessly in the bed. He couldn't sleep, kept seeing Abby's lifeless body, feeling her cold flesh in his arms.
Sitting up, he put his head in his arms and rested them on his knees. Why had he stormed off like that? Why? If he'd only stayed, maybe he and Abby would have gone to see the others together, and maybe Abby would still be with them. It was all his fault.
"Matt?"
Sitting up, he saw Talitha looking at him.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you," Matt muttered.
"You didn't," Talitha said "I wasn't asleep. I spat out the Sleeping stuff Madame Pomfrey gave me. I hate those things."
Matt stared at her. Her face was pale, her cheeks sunken, but she was looking determined.
"We have to nuke that bastard," she said.
Matt blinked. It was the first time he ever heard Talitha swear.
"I know," he said "Tally, I'm sorry."
"Sorry?" To Matt's surprise, Talitha sounded angry "Why are you sorry?"
"Well, this is all my fault," Matt said "If I hadn't come.....hadn't made friends with you.....hadn't done whatever I did with that Potion....hadn't stormed out yesterday...."
He was interrupted by a sharp slap. Talitha was glaring at him.
"Stop talking rubbish!" she shouted "It wasn't your fault! We choose to make friends with you, it could have been something we did with the Potion, and so you've got a hot temper! Abby shouldn't have gone off alone but that's not your fault! Stop blaming yourself!"
Matt stared at her. The others were beginning to sit up and watch to. Talitha sighed.
"Oh Matt, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hit you. It's just....it's hard. Abby was my first ever best friend. What am I going to do now?"
Matt shook his head.
"That seems a fairly good point," Draco said softly "What are we going to do now?"
"That's not very sympathetic Draco," Izzy said but Talitha nodded.
"We have an emergency," she said firmly "We should try to work out what to do next."
"Hermione, did you find a spell anywhere?" Matt asked.
Hermione shook her head.
"Nothing," she said "Nothing we can use anyway. There were a couple of spells that involved entering and creating portholes but none of them made any sense and I doubt they'd get us to the Digital World anyway."
There was a gloomy pause.
"Maybe Dumbledore will think of something," Ron said hopefully.
"He doesn't know Myotismon," Kari said softly.
* * * *
Dumbledore was back in his office, holding one of the crests when Myotismon came in.
"How did you get in here?" Dumbledore asked, with no real surprise.
"No magic can keep me out of anywhere," Myotismon said "Sorry I didn't knock but I thought I'd surprise you."
"Thank you," Dumbledore said.
Myotismon looked at Fawkes who was hopping on his perch, obviously infuriated.
"Is that your Digimon substitute?" he asked "It's a poor one."
Dumbledore frowned.
"Why are you here Myotismon?" he asked.
"I don't know," Myotismon replied "The Keeper of Friendship must have done something but I don't know what. He must be very powerful though if he could bring me back from wherever I went to. He's a better Keeper than you, Keeper of Peace."
Dumbledore looked down at his crest and then sighed.
"I imagine you are going to kill me," he said.
"How else can I return to the Digital World?" Myotismon countered "I need your energy and your Digivice to travel home. There, I can perform my plans in safety. Contact my one relative. And stop you telling those annoying Digidestined anything."
Dumbledore stared at Myotismon, who smiled back.
"You really are similar to him," he said "You don't care for anyone."
"Well, he is my blood relative," Myotismon said "After Salazarmon came here to start a new life, we kept in touch. His blood line may be depleted but..."
"He won't work with you," Dumbledore warned.
"Oh, I think he will when he hears my offer," Myotismon said "But enough of this, Keeper of Peace." He raised his hand "Crimson Lightning!"
Dumbledore brought his wand up and shouted "Bokadas!", throwing the lightning back at Myotismon. The two enemies prepared for the battle of their lives.
* * * *
Harry stood, staring out of the window. Behind him, everyone was asleep again. They'd talked round and round in circles, not getting anywhere, until eventually, Mimi had given up and gone to sleep, reminding everyone of how tired they felt. He heard Matt whimper, as though he was caught in a nightmare then settle down again, as someone murmured something soothing. Whoever it was then walked over to Harry.
"What are you doing up?"
It was Draco. Harry turned to face him.
"I can't sleep," he said "I can't stop thinking about Abby."
"She looked horrible didn't she?" Draco said softly.
Harry nodded.
"It was worse than with Cedric," he whispered "Cedric looked surprised but Abby..."
"Looked scared out of her wits," Draco said "I know."
Harry rested his head on the window pane.
"I can't help feeling sorry for her family and her friends," he said "Especially Matt. He blames himself terribly."
"With possible good reason," Draco said.
Harry turned to him. Draco was looking disturbed about something.
"What do you mean?" Harry asked.
"Promise you tell anyone?" Draco said "I'll say something eventually but now really isn't the time for them all to know."
Harry nodded.
Draco sighed.
"I got a letter from Father today," he said "He said that while my mother was watching the stars, she had a premonition."
Catching sight of Harry's face, he grinned slightly "My mother's a proper seer, Potter. Not like Trelawney." Then his smile faded "Well, she's almost a proper seer. Everything she gets is so cryptic, it's almost impossible to work out. But anyway. Father told me exactly what she said to see if I had any ideas. This is what she said."
Draco produced the letter and read it quietly out loud.
"Darkness calls darkness,
When friends are hard to come by,
Danger threatens all,
If Friendship fails,
Mending is hard,
Venom-Black calls,
Darkness returns,
Dear ones lost."
Harry stared at Draco who continued.
"Father also told me one last thing," he said quietly "I sent him the recipe for the Potion that Ishida, Littlewood and Lions accidentally concocted. It's powerful dark magic Potter. That's why Granger couldn't find it. It's called a Venom-Black Potion. If you look in it, with darkness in your heart, you can summon up terrible things from your past. It varies on what type of darkness you are thinking of but..."
Harry kept staring at him. Draco swallowed, and carried on.
"Ishida was having problems settling in here Potter," he said "In case you hadn't noticed. He rejected everybody around him. I think something happened that he didn't tell us about. Anyway, his crest is the Crest of Friendship. I think that's why it broke, because he wasn't feeling any friendship at the time. And although when they made the Potion, Ishida was friends with Littlewood and Lions, there was still anger in his heart. Obviously, it brought Myotismon up. The only thing is, Myotismon isn't like most memories. He's Digital and very powerful. My guess is, somehow he managed to lock himself into this reality. In a way, he was simply a memory then. But now he's killed Littlewood and that centaur and God-knows what else in the forest...." Draco's voice trailed off.
"He's real now?" Harry said.
Draco nodded.
"I expect so," he said "So you see, in a way, it was Ishida's mistake, although he didn't mean it."
Harry sighed.
"That's what Trelawney said," he said "Many will suffer for the Keeper's mistake."
"Well, she's got that right," Draco said.
The two boys stood, staring out of the window. They could see Hagrid teaching a class about Nifflers.
Neither of them saw Matt slip out of his bed and leave the Hospital Wing.
* * * *
Matt was lucky no one saw him as he wandered blindly out of the school. They'd have sent him back to the Hospital Wing in a heartbeat. He looked pale and his normally perfect hair was sticking up all over the place. Slowly, he walked into the forest, his mind in turmoil.
'It wasn't my fault' he told himself 'I didn't know what would happen...'
Draco's words came back to him.
'I think something happened he didn't tell us about...'
His father's voice 'I know you're uneasy about going Matt but your mother and I think it's the best decision.'
His own 'But I don't want to leave! It's not fair! Why didn't you ask me first?'
'We didn't think you could look at it objectively enough. Naturally you don't want to leave your friends but....'
'That's not the point! You should have asked! Now I've got no choice have I because you and Mother had made your minds up! Now I've got to leave TK and Tai and all the others! I've already lost one close friend this summer and now you're taking me away from the others!'
'Matt, you're overreacting...'
'I'm not overreacting! You always do this, everytime! Everytime I get close to something, it gets snatched away! Well fine, I've learned my lesson, I won't get close to anything again! Now I'll go start packing!'
'Yamato....'
'See you later Dad!'
With a sigh, Matt slumped down on the forest floor and began to play his harmonica.
* * * *
Madame Pomfrey began to wake the group up when it got to dinner time, insisting that they ate. She paused beside Matt's empty bed.
"Where's Mr. Ishida?" she asked.
There was a pause.
"We don't know," Harry said "I didn't hear him go anywhere and I've been awake for ages."
"He had a nightmare some time back," Draco said "But he seemed okay. He didn't wake up."
"Has something happened?" TK asked looking worried.
"Surely he knows better than to wander off," Talitha said, looking concerned.
"Do we even know the same person?" Ron asked.
"Maybe he's gone to the toilet or something," Joe suggested.
"Maybe," Madame Pomfrey said.
But her face mirrored everyone's looks of concern.
* * * *
Matt wasn't sure how long he sat there playing his harmonica. He just suddenly stopped when something pecked his leg. Hard.
"OW!" Matt yelled, jerking away. He looked at the bright red-and-gold bird sitting on the floor beside him. As soon as he started looking at it, it fluttered into the air and began flying round him agitatedly.
"Aren't you Dumbledore's bird?" Matt asked it.
The bird fluttered even more agitatedly.
"Okay, okay, I'm coming," Matt said. Shoving the harmonica in his pocket, he followed the bird. It led him into the school and fluttered round the statue. Matt frowned, trying to remember the password.
"Coconut Cauldron Cakes," he said eventually.
The statue sprang aside and Matt went up the stairs. To his surprise, the door was already open. As he stepped inside, a gasp escaped him.
The room was a shambles. Everything had been thrown around or burned or seriously damaged. Professor Dumbledore lay beside his desk.
"Professor!" Matt shouted, running over "Professor!"
Dumbledore opened his eyes and smiled slightly. The bird flew down beside him and he stroked it's chest gently.
"Good old Fawkes," he said "I knew he'd find somebody....before the end..."
"The end?" Matt said "No! I'll go and get help or something! But you can't die!"
Dumbledore shook his head.
"Too late now," he said "Matt, I need you to hear this now before I go. Sit still and listen."
Matt obeyed and listened as Dumbledore spoke.
"When I was young, I went to Hogwarts," he said "I loved it there. I even had my own gang of sorts; Maranella Figbee, Frazer Forest, Cuthbert Bones and Daphne Jakes. We were almost inseparable, even though Daphne was a year younger than us. Then one day, we found five strange devices on the ground. Digivices."
"Digivices!" Matt gasped.
"Yes," Dumbledore agreed "Like you and your friends, we were sucked into the Digital World to defeat the evils there. We were given our crests. Mine was the Crest of Peace. Maranella had the Crest of Trust, Frazer had the Crest of Compassion, Cuthbert had the Crest of Renewal and Daphne had the Crest of Life."
He shuddered violently and Matt stared at him, not knowing what to do. Dumbledore's shudders stopped but when he continued, his voice was weaker.
"We were fighting Sophusmon, a deadly Digimon who attacked the mind. However, we had nearly defeated her when she showed us what she thought could destroy us. The truth about the founders of Hogwarts."
"What was it?" Matt asked.
Dumbledore sighed.
"The founders of Hogwarts," he said "Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw and Salazar Slytherin were Digimon. They somehow broke though the barrier a long time ago. They were all relatively human shaped and no one ever realised. Their true names were Gryffinmon, Helgarmon, Ravenmon and Salazarmon. They changed their names to fit Earth and founded Hogwarts, using their attacks to make magic. I don't know how they did it, even now. But they did. Sophusmon thought that would destroy us. But it didn't. It united us more, determined not to let them down. We won eventually and were sent back to our own world. But before we did, we met the Entity."
"We've met her too," Matt said.
Dumbledore sighed.
"She used Daphne's body to talk to us," he said "She told us that we would not return to the Digital World. She said that I was the guard the crests until it was time to deliver them to the next ones. So I have. All this time, I guarded the crests. And now it's time...."
He reached into his pocket and removed the five crests."
"Harry's is the Crest of Peace," he said "Ron's is the Crest of Trust. Hermione has the Crest of Compassion. Draco gets the Crest of Renewal. Talitha gets the Crest of Life."
Matt took the crests slowly.
"Are they...." he said slowly "Are they Digidestined?"
"No," Dumbledore said "They are not Digidestined. However, the only way they can protect themselves from evil Digimon is by using their magic through the crests. Make sure they understand...." his voice broke off again.
"Professor!" Matt said "Professor, what happened here?"
"Myotismon," Dumbledore said, his voice barely above a whisper now "He needed my Digivice to return to the Digital World. He is going to contact his relative."
"What relative?" Matt asked.
"Salazarmon and Myotismon were brothers," Dumbledore said "Salazar Slytherin's blood line has survived to this day in the form of Lord Voldemort."
Matt stiffened, thinking of the stories he'd been told. He hadn't been afraid before but someone related to Myotismon, no matter how faintly....
"If Myotismon and Voldemort make contact," Dumbledore said "The results will be catastrophic. You must not allow it to happen!"
Matt nodded. Dumbledore closed his eyes for a moment.
"Matt," he said "Matt, listen to me. You must use your own Digivices to return to the Digital World. There, you must trace your Digimon and defeat Myotismon again....."
"Professor?" Matt gasped as Dumbledore shut his eyes again "Professor!"
Dumbledore's eyes opened a crack.
"Matt," he said "Myotismon will use.....all of your strength.....if he can.... don't...let....him....use......you....."
His voice trailed away and his head feel limply on one side.
Matt sat there, his hands curled tightly round the crests, his brain whirling. Eventually, he went downstairs and told Professor McGonagall (who was nearest) that Professor Dumbledore was dead. He was taken back to the Hospital Wing where he told the other's the same thing. There was instant uproar and hysterics on all sides but Matt ignored it all. He simply felt numb.
* * * *
Harry sat on his bed, his legs curled up underneath him. The room was silent now but no one was sleeping. Hermione was under her blankets, her face completely hidden. Ron had gone out to look after Ginny. No one else was speaking. The other Digidestined weren't really sure what to do. They hadn't known Dumbledore much but they knew that the others had and didn't want to cause offence. Matt was staring at the ceiling, his eyes blank. Harry knew that Matt had found Dumbledore and didn't want to know how Matt must be feeling right now.
"Are you all right Harry?"
It was Draco, staring down at him anxiously. Harry shook his head. To his amazement, Draco timidly sat next to him and put an arm around him. Harry considered shrugging him off but instead he leant against him. Draco rubbed his arms and shoulders sympathetically.
"I can't believe he's dead," Harry said softly "Who's going to protect the school from Voldemort now?"
Before Draco could answer, Matt spoke.
"Voldemort," he said "Dumbledore told me to tell you this. We need to find Ron."
"He's looking after Ginny," Harry said "Is it very important?"
Matt nodded. He sat up and removed the crests from his pocket. Tai's eyes widened.
"More crests! Where did you get those?"
"Dumbledore," Matt said.
Harry pulled away from Draco and walked over to Matt's bed. The others followed except Hermione who remained under her covers. Harry had a feeling she was asleep and didn't want to wake her.
"They're for you lot," Matt explained "This one's yours Harry - the Crest of Peace. This one belongs to Draco - the Crest of Renewal. Hermione gets the Crest of Compassion and Ron gets the Crest of Trust. Talitha's is the Crest of Life."
Harry took his crest and looked at it. It was three wavy lines, like waves. Talitha's crest was what looked like a twisting spiral that tapered down to a point. Draco's crest had what looked like a egg with a crack down it.
"Where did they come from?" Talitha asked.
Matt took a deep breath and told them what Dumbledore had told him, trying not to miss anything out. When he told them that the founders of Hogwarts had been Digimon, Hermione sat up from her bed where she'd been listening and came over.
"It makes sense," she said, absently picking up her crest (a diamond shape surrounded by tiny circles) "It says in all the books that there was something strange about them. Like Salazar Slytherin being able to talk to snakes. And everyone says that Godric Gryffindor had a head of hair like a lions mane."
Matt continued with the story. When he explained about Voldemort and Myotismon, Harry swore so loudly that Madame Pomfrey came in from the side room to tell him off. Matt waited until she'd gone away again before finishing the story.
"So our Digivices can get us back to the Digiworld," Tai said, looking at his thoughtfully.
"That's what Dumbledore said," Matt said, looking at his own.
"So that interfering fool did manage to tell you," a voice said from the doorway "I obviously didn't kill him enough."
Harry didn't even need TK's exclamation to know that the blonde man in the doorway was Myotismon.
"You!" Tai said angrily "You shouldn't be in here!"
"I go where I please, Digidestined brat," Myotismon replied, walking more into the room. Hermione backed away slightly, followed by Mimi. Matt got off his bed and stood glaring at Myotismon.
"You killed Abby!" he said.
"The girl?" Myotismon said "Yes. Poor little thing, she was an idiot. She warned me that the other Digidestined were here."
"You creep!" Talitha shouted "I bet you tricked her!"
Madame Pomfrey marched out of her room.
"What is going on?" she demanded angrily, then stopped when she saw Myotismon. Everyone ignored her.
"She was very useful though," Myotismon said "Without her, I wouldn't have know Albus Dumbledore was here and I wouldn't know how to get back to my own world, or how to trace my relative."
"Your relative!" Harry said "I hope he kills you!"
Myotismon gave him a scornful look at then turned to Matt.
"And you, Keeper of Friendship," he said "I believe it is you I must thank for returning me to my body."
Matt turned red and glared at him. Myotismon smiled.
"Yes," he said "I do appreciate the favour. Let me thank you by not killing you instantly!"
"Uh oh," Sora gasped.
"Crimson Lightning!" Myotismon shouted and flung his hand at them. Everyone scattered and the Crimson Lightning made short work of the bed.
"Run!" Tai yelled "Get out everyone, quickly!"
Talitha hurled a jug of water over Myotismon, a fairly pitiful gesture but it distracted him long enough for Kari, TK, Hermione and Mimi to dash out of the door. Talitha zigzagged around the beds and followed them hastily, dragging Izzy with her. Joe wasn't far behind them, pulling Madame Pomfrey with him. This only left Harry, Draco, Tai, Matt and Sora who were too far away from door to make a quick escape. Myotismon glared at them.
"So, your friends have run away, leaving you to suffer my wrath," he said.
Tai clenched his fists and stared at Myotismon bravely, or as bravely as he could.
"We're not afraid of you!" he said.
Myotismon laughed scornfully.
"No?" he said "What a pity. Grizzly Wing!"
The group scattered again to avoid the bats. Sora fell over and got tangled in some fallen bedsheets. Desperately, she began to struggle with them, watching the others helplessly. As Matt dodged away from the bats, Myotismon seized his wrist, gripping it tightly. Matt yelled in pain and then began yelling things in Japanese at Myotismon that Harry didn't understand, or particularly want to, given the fact that though her fear, an expression of slight shock had appeared on Sora's face.
Tai, being Tai, threw himself at Myotismon as soon as he saw that the Digimon had Matt in a firm grip which Matt couldn't free himself from. He began battering at Myotismon with his fists, his own yells of anger mingling with Matt's yells of pain.
"Night Rope!" Myotismon shouted. The black rope whipped out, snapping round the two furious boys.
"Tai, no!" Sora cried, ripping at the sheets tangled round her legs "Harry, Draco, do something!"
Harry swallowed, trying to think of a spell that he could use. As he paused, Myotismon pointed at him and shouted Night Rope again. This time it snapped round Harry. Myotismon moved forward. Seizing hold of Harry, he tucked both him and Matt and Tai under his arms and then flew out of the window.
"NO!" Sora yelled. She rushed to the window, Draco behind her.
Myotismon was hovering in the air, Matt, Tai and Harry still under his arms.
"I'll see you soon Digidoomed!" he shouted triumphantly.
Sora and Draco could only watch helplessly as Myotismon produced the digivice from his pocket. It began to glow, shinning brightly. As they watched, it turned into a strange sort of hole, though which they could see the Digiworld. Laughing, Myotismon flew though the hole, taking Matt, Tai and Harry with him.
"Taiiiiiii!" Sora cried from Draco's side.
But there was nothing either of them could do, except watch Myotismon disappear and the hole close up behind him.
Part 4 completed, Part 5 on the way!