Chapter 8: The Relic of Power
Harry and his friends quickly
found the name on the map. The spot labeled "McCourt" was in a large, oval
shaped room located down in the depths. Accessing this room required traveling
through several narrow passageways.
"How are you so sure?" Hermione
asked Draco along the way.
"It's geneaology, really," Draco
replied. "The name McCourt rang a bell when I first heard it. I saw the
facial features and it became quite obvious. You see, every member of the
Hogwarts Four had a special, enchanted object. The heirs can all use the
object which is specifically related to their line."
"Blood lines are your specialty,"
said Ron. "You are who your parents are, right?"
"Ron, not the time. And yes, blood
means something. Maybe not everything, but we're digressing. Right. Harry,
according to your stories, weilded the Sword of Gryffindor, Cho there might
be the heir of Ravenclaw; I'm not sure. Riddle, the other heir, has some
enchanted item in his possession probably, though no one knows what it
is. Anyway, the main thing right now is Hufflepuff. Helga was rumored to
have the most powerful object of all. It was called the Relic of Power.
No one really saw it, except for the Hogwarts Four. But according to legend,
she could do almost anything she wanted with its power."
"Let's go," said Harry. He was holding
the map, and he began to lead the way.
"Where did you get all this information?"
Cho asked along the way.
"It's engraved in our memories at
a young age," Draco said. "The memories of Death Eater children, that is."
"The luckiest children of all,"
Ron said sarcastically.
"I'll temporarily ignore that. To
make a long story short. I think that Lindsay McCourt, the new 6th year
transfer from Beauxbatons, is the heir of Hufflepuff, and I think she has
the relic of power. And I think she aims to use it for dark purposes."
"We're here," said Harry simply.
They had been crawling through a dusty vent and the opening ahead in the
vent appeared to lead into a large room. "Okay, McCourt's standing in the
middle of the room. Maybe she expects us. Is it possible, Draco?"
"I don't know," said Draco. "Maybe
she can see right through the wall. Maybe she can hear us, too. Who knows?"
"Okay," Ron began. "We can either
charge out of there like idiots, or one of us, Harry, can lean out there
and get a glimpse of what we're up against first."
Harry groaned. "Fine," he said.
He looked out, then his head retreated quickly. "It's her," he said simply.
"Wearing a red robe. Got some pendant attached to a thin necklace around
her neck. She's looking right at the opening. Who's feeling heroic today?"
"Let me through," Draco said. He
crawled to a spot just short of the opening. He started shouting out of
the opening, "Lindsay!"
"Draco!" Lindsay shouted casually.
Ron grabbed Draco's arm. "This is
a trap, isn't it? She knows you."
"No it isn't!" Draco insisted. "She
just senses things. I need to shout again, so let go." Ron obliged. Draco
cleared his throat and then began shouting, "Lindsay! We were just adventuring
around the castle and we ended up here. We're going to enter the room now,
okay? We're just trying to see where we ended up, that's all!"
"Of course," said Lindsay calmly.
"Go, Malfoy," said Ron.
Draco groaned and crawled out slowly.
He stood up in the middle of the room and stared at Lindsay. The relic,
if that's what it was, was glowing brilliantly. "Coast is clear," he said
to the others. One by one, they emerged.
They stood at the back of the large
room and tried to smile at Lindsay.
Suddenly, she laughed. "Horrible
liars, you are." She lifted up the pendant off her chest.
Harry looked at her and tried to
remember the paintings he had seen of the founders. She did look
just like Helga!
"This is the relic of power," she
continued. "It gives me near-limitless power. I found it here, in this
room, early in the morning the day after I arrived. Of course, I had already
determined the location from various scrolls during the last two years.
It happened to be exactly where I expected it. It was in this sand floor
you see here, but it was buried in a specific spot. I summoned Harry's
invisibility cloak from his room--not like any one could see it anyway.
Then I crept out of the castle, still under the cloak, used the power of
the relic to find Cho's parents, and I blasted them with a spell that made
them unconscious and would eventually kill them.."
"Why, Lindsay?" Cho managed in her
state of shock.
"I met someone on the train on the
way to school at the beginning of the year. Oh I had read about him very
much. I fell in love with the concept of Harry Potter, but I thought that
the real person could never live up to that concept. I met him on the train,
and he was so down-to-earth. Then I learned about his thing for you, Cho.
I could sense the way he felt about you even then. It was a feeling I had
never experienced with my workaholic father and constantly absent mother.
I tried to get you to notice me, Harry, but to no avail. You were in love.
I then knew what I was going to use the relic for once I got it. I would
use it to make you love me. I thought that I could hurt your relationship
by killing Cho's parents."
Harry saw Cho's fingers curl up
into fists. He desperately hoped that she wouldn't try anything irrational.
Lindsay continued. "I thought that
you two would grow apart because of her misery, but the reverse effect
occurred: You grew closer together! I didn't even know--until I learned
from the relic later--that you, Harry, had convinced her parents to pick
your friend--who failed as a secret-keeper, I might add--as their secret-keeper.
The effect should have been magnified by that fact, but you two remained
together. I still don't understand. Then I tried to kill you, Cho, at the
Quidditch match, but I didn't count on Harry's magnificent dive."
"You are heartless," said Harry
angrily.
Lindsay didn't bother to respond.
"How did you know the Death Eaters
would distract us?" Hermione asked bravely.
"That was easy," Lindsay said. "Now,
I was no Death Eater, but it didn't matter; I had the relic. I was invisible;
it's not like anyone would see me if I cast the spell from the grounds.
Of course, the attack was badly organized attack, but it didn't matter--it
was a distraction. It gave me enough time to attack the poor couple and
return in time for the Death Eater embarrassment at the front doors."
"But your Dark Mark was different,"
said Hermione tentatively. "I just realized it."
"A spell cast through the power
of the relic has an extra gold lining around it," Lindsay said. "There
was one such lining around my Dark Mark. Do you think I fear the Death
Eaters, if they figured it out? Ha!" She paused. "Enough explanation."
She waved her hand, and a ring of fire formed in the middle of the room.
In the circle were Lindsay and Harry, and the others were separated. Harry's
companions could barely see over the top of the fire wall. "Circle of fiery
hate," she said simply. "One can only go through it if one is full of love.
I knew you'd eventually separate yourself from them, Harry, front and center.
That eliminates your friend factor."
She continued. "Where were we? Ah
yes, the choice. Think about it, Harry, if I snap my fingers, large hail
could fall from the ceiling. Without any effort," she said as she levitated
into the air, still standing upright, "I can fly. The power, Harry! I could
infuse you with it if I so desired. It's infinite; I lose nothing. All
you have to do is love me, and you will be able to do everything. Create
at a whim! Control the weather. All at your fingertips."
"But I don't love you," said Harry
defiantly. "I love Cho, and you tried to kill her! "
"Ah yes, the heir of Ravenclaw.
Just like Rowena, this girl is apparently perfect in every way. Do you
know the story? I know, because you see the relic has some of Helga's essence
in it. So I know that Rowena married the man that Helga loved, the legendary
Chinese warrior Li Chan. But Helga had the relic! She could have made Chan
love her instead, but she did not act. She let love take its course. That
was her mistake. You're not sorted based on virtue, but by your fatal flaw
at Hogwarts. Don't you see? Helga's inaction--due to loyalty to her friend--led
to her unhappiness. The relic tells me.
Yes, Chan protected Rowena with
that sword Cho has, and when he died from a mortal wound he received while
saving her, the sword became hers--the Sword of Ravenclaw.
The moral of the story. Power is
meant to be used. Don't use it, and you will regret it. I have more power
than wizards can ever dream of. Except you, Harry, the one I choose. The
one I love. Join me, and we could rule the world! We could do anything!
Pass it on to our children, and our children's children. Live the life
of our dreams. Forever. Without pain or suffering. If you accept, then
I can bring Cho's parents back to life as a trade."
Harry looked at Cho, but she shook
her head and mouthed no.
"You're bluffing!" Ron said defiantly.
"I'm not sure," said Draco in a
quieter tone. "No one knows what she can do now."
"All you have to do is accept my
offer," Lindsay said.
"I said no," said Harry. "I don't
love you. And you can't make somebody love you. It's not real."
"Real love? It's the same thing.
There's no difference; love is love. You can get what you want, and then
use the magic from the relic to forget how you got it. No guilt at all!"
"There is a difference. You could
never be my true love!"
This enraged Lindsay. She pointed
her finger at him and shouted, "Imperio!"
Harry felt a sudden euphoria.
"This Imperio is exponentially more
powerful than what you're used to," he heard her say. "You will kneel now,
as a sign that you accept my offer. Then you will love me, and we will
take what we want and do whatever we please forever."
Harry's mind struggled against the
other mind inside him. He kept his legs straight.
"Crucio!" she yelled.
Harry felt the worst pain he had
ever felt all over his entire body. He gritted his teeth as hard as he
could and fell to the floor. He heard what sounded like girls' voices calling
his name in fear.
After a few agonizing minutes of
pain, he heard Lindsay again. "Imperio!"
Harry was weakened by resisting
the Cruciatus curse. He found that he suddenly could not fight it very
well. He was getting closer to kneeling. He looked over at his friends
and hoped, desperately, that he would not give in.
Then he saw her. Cho came running
through the fire. Everyone gasped as she appeared on the other side of
the wall, in the middle of the circle, unharmed. Harry could hear and see
more clearly now. And the knowledge that he had support from Cho helped
him somehow find the strength to resist the curse and stand fully up. The
energy around him from the curse lingered, but Harry was now standing easily.
Lindsay shrieked. "How could it
be?" She paused. "Ah yes, so Cho has enough love to overcome the hate.
Beautiful, really. No matter. Harry, I won't use curses. I offer you power."
Cho stood next to Harry and she
held his arm tightly. He squeezed back. They faced Lindsay together.
Lindsay's face grew redder. "I will
give you one last chance. Limitless power with me, or death in the arms
of your 'true love.'"
"I would foresake all the power
in the world out of love for her," Harry said confidently. "You don't
love anyone, because you can never give up that power. Love requires sacrifice."
"Fine!" bellowed Lindsay. "Then
you will be the first sacrifice. Incidentally, I will kill you with a type
of energy that resembles your trademark." A huge ball of yellow and blue
energy formed around Lindsay's right hand. "You will die, Harry, by a ball
of lightning. You all will die!"
"Don't let go," Harry said to Cho.
"You trust me, right?"
"Yes, I do," she said gently to
him.
They held each other tight.
Suddenly, they heard a thunderous
boom and the humming of immeasurably high electricity. The room was lit
brightly, and they could just see the horrified expressions on the faces
of their friends. They continued to hold on tightly to each other, and
then they saw the huge ball of energy careen at the speed of sound into
them. Just before it hit, they hugged each other tightly and closed their
eyes from the blinding light. Harry's companions, who were somewhat shielded
from the light by the wall of fire, watched, horror-stricken, as the huge
blue and yellow ball enveloped Harry and Cho, and they lost all hope.
The envelope did not last long however.
Harry and Cho, eyes closed, hugged each other so tight that they must have
found it hard to breathe. And then, it happened. The envelope gradually
peeled itself away from Harry and Cho, and it suddenly flew back at Lindsay.
Lindsay was mortified. "No! It cannot
be!" She tried to flee it by flying away, but it pursued her closely.
Harry and Cho, having felt the ball
of energy leave them, had opened their eyes and were now watching Lindsay.
"It's tracking the relic!" Cho shouted.
"Lindsay, take off the relic!" She appeared to surprise herself with her
words.
"Never!" shouted Lindsay. But those
were her last words. In an instant, the ball of lightning hit her and she
was killed.
The ring of fire and other traces
of magic disappeared. The relic fell thirty feet onto the sandy floor.
Harry's mind raced. Cho had tried
to save the person who had killed her parents. Was Cho thinking rationally
or was she panicking? He knew that now was a bad time to ask.
"No one touch it," came a familiar
voice.
They all turned around and saw Sirius
Black and a stranger standing behind them. "We figured you out. Or should
I say, Mr. McCourt figured it out. Lindsay left some clues around her room."
"Mr. McCourt, we didn't mean to--"
Cho began.
"Of course not," said McCourt grimly.
"My daughter brought it on herself. You were defending yourselves, not
trying to kill anybody. I don't know whether it's my fault, or my wife's,
or both of us, or neither of us. She was our only daughter. The last heir
of Hufflepuff, as well. I'm somewhat relieved though. Now no one will be
able to use that relic."
The face of Dumbledore emerged awkwardly
out of the vent. "I am here to destroy it to make sure that it is never
used."
"Dumbledore, no," Frank said desperately
and his face showed an expression of panic.
"You have Hufflepuff blood, as well,"
Dumbledore said. "You may have the power, if you pick up the relic, to
try to restore your daughter back to life. However, if I were you, I would
not do it."
"It is a curse," added Harry. "Only
Helga could use it responsibly."
McCourt hesitated. "Destroy it,
Dumbledore, before anyone uses it again."
"As you wish," said Dumbledore.
He pointed his wand at the relic from across the room and muttered, "Vaporizo."
The relic disappeared in a puff of smoke.
Dumbledore looked at Harry and the
others. "Once again, Harry, you have broken a slew of rules and yet saved
the magical community. You don't need me to tell you how powerful she could
have become. Perhaps the only thing that could beat her was herself. Unlike
previous years, I don't think this calls for an explanation from me. As
far as I know, she was never an aid to Voldemort."
"I doubt it," said Draco. "I'm sure
she told the truth."
"Draco," Dumbledore began. "I did
not expect to see you here, though I suspect that the others wouldn't be
here without you."
Draco paused. "You're right," he
finally said.
"Sirius, McCourt, our work is done
here. Let us leave the children and have some tea in my office. McCourt,
do you need help with Lindsay?"
"I can handle her myself," he said.
He stared at the spot where her charred body lay, and then he picked up
the body by himself and left. Harry thought about helping McCourt, but
decided to leave the man to his own thoughts.
Sirius patted Harry on the back
before the men left wordlessly.
A/N: You just read the climatic
confrontation. Harry and company won without casting a single spell, ironically.
Five heros appeared in the end instead of just Harry. I couldn't put a
scary creature in the chamber, either--maybe in the sequel. The whole "love
reflecting dark magic attack" thing is based on how Lily saved Harry when
he was one year old. Anyway, I'd like to quote Shakespeare: "Hell hath
no fury like a woman's scorn." You have one more chapter to read.
