In His Memory

by WeasleyTwin2

This is a story set one year after Final Confrontation ends. Draco Malfoy discovers things he never knew about himself and a new and powerful enemy arises. An After Hogwarts Tale. ~Final two chapters uploaded~.

4. Default Chapter Title

In His Memory

Part Three: Memoria and Warnings

By: WeasleyTwin2

Now we are not afraid

Although we know there's much to fear

We were moving mountains

Long before we knew we could.

When You Believe

From: Prince of Egypt

Lovers of life, whose life could give

Sleep softly where ye lie!

Ours be the vigil! Help us to live,

Who teach us how to die.

A Requiem

Harriet Monroe

He soars with falcons on the wing

He is the song that night birds sing

Death never dared him captive keep

He lies not there, he does not sleep

Herald's Lament

Mercedes Lackey

The day of the memorial service dawned bright and clear. Birds were singing outside my window as if to deny the solemnest of the day and of the ceremony that would be starting in a few hours time. I sat bolt upright, sweat pouring down my face and my heart thudding loudly in my chest. For a brief moment I looked around wildly, forgetting where I was. Then, after a moment's confusion, I remembered and my heartbeats slowed somewhat but the fear that had awakened me refused to subside. It was that dream again, the dream I'd had every night since my return to Hogwarts. It was a very vivid nightmare that was more on the order of a vision. I was standing on the burning sands of an Egyptian dessert. The sun beat down on me, making sweat run down my back to soak my robes. Before me was a silver and ruby encrusted door covered in Egyptian hieroglyphics of magical warding. I picked out three names written inside cartouches that normally denoted royalty, yet these seemed to be denoting powerful gods instead. The first name was Osirius, the second Horus and the third Seth Beloved of Ra. This last made me shiver but I spoke the words that opened the door to the tomb and saw a towering dark figure with glowing eyes reaching out toward me with a withered hand. I shouted and began to back away but the figure continued to move toward me. I tried to run but the creature's eyes held me in its spell. Then there was terrible, burning pain then nothing and I woke. I had no idea what the dream meant but I knew it must be important because it had repeated itself three times already. I had never been one to have visions before, at least not true ones, and I wondered whether this new power of mine had anything to do with my having turned my back on the Dark Arts. I decided to ask Professor Trelawny after the ceremony. I ran my hand over my face, wiping away the sweat. The scar over my right eye seemed to burn as I did so. I rubbed it, irritated by it's sudden sharp, stabbing pain. Finally the pain subsided again. I lay back down and tried to sleep but sleep wouldn't come. Memories of the past several days kept flooding back to me.

The night of our arrival there was a feast at which those who had fallen were honored and those of us left behind received our diplomas. Then several students received awards for services to the school rendered during the "Battle of Hogwarts". Harry received a special commendation and Ron, Hermione and I took the award as his representatives. It was one of the most difficult things I had ever done because the grief in the room tripled whenever Harry's name was mentioned and my own grief was still so raw. There was not a dry eye in the entire Great Hall as we carried Harry's award to the table. The entire class sat at one table, members of each house mingling freely with each other. What might have, at first, seemed strange had become natural to us. There were so few of us left and I was surprised to see, at last, how many had fallen. Adding the figure in my head, I discovered that about half of our class had perished in last year's battle. Ron, Hermione and I caused quite a stir because we were the only surviving seventh years of our respective houses: Gryffindor and Slytherin. It was distinctly odd for me to have all this genuine attention paid to me for I didn't believe it was due me. I had done nothing that anyone else could have done better.

"Someone else might have been able to protect Harry better," I thought bitterly, bowing my head as tears fell from my eyes.

"Don't berate yourself. You can't know whether he would have been saved or not, " said the voice in my head.

After the feast was over and we began to wander the school's halls remember out last year here, everyone had gathered around me wherever I went trying to comfort my obvious sorrow or to give me advice. It was funny really. Several of them didn't know that I no longer had the heart of a Slytherin and as for the rest… they were still grieving for lost classmates and friends even as I was. Everyone was looking at the three of us as if we were some kind of heroes, as people that would be the ones to lay all their fears to rest and who would be there to defend them in time of gravest need. What they didn't know was that we couldn't even ease our own fear and sorrow. I often wondered that night just what everyone expected of us and why. I suppose it was because we were still connected to Harry, tied to his memory anyway. Somehow our classmates had begun to equate us with him. It felt strange that they would equate me with Harry; after all we had spent almost our entire school life loathing one another. Yet, for some reason they did and everywhere I went for the next two days they followed me, asking my opinion on several matters that I'd been totally unaware of until my return to the wizarding world. I must have been an oddity to them: a member of Slytherin's House that had left the Dark Arts behind. It still felt very strange to me too but I had come to realize that I belonged to the Light in a way I had never belonged to the Dark. On some deep level I felt I had more in common with Harry and the others then I had ever had with my own parents or those who had been of my school house.

What was worse then the hoards of people that constantly followed me though were the memories that constantly assailed me at odd times and the nightmares I kept having which were full of pain and fire. For example, I would see something like a flower or I would hear a phrase or piece of music and suddenly I was no longer in the present. I was transported backward or forward in time to another place. During these times I was unable to communicate or to even move for several minuets. These visions-for that's what I began to call them-were so real. I became an observer to many events that had happened in the past or might happen in the yet unknown future. It was a strange feeling, being there and yet not there at all. I had no idea what even half of the "memories" meant. I also had no idea who was sending them or even how to stop them. This was another thing I planned to ask Professor Trelawny about after the ceremony.

My nightmares were another matter all together. Because of them I was unable to get a full nights sleep, which was something I so desperately needed. In their instance though, at least I knew the source. They were sendings from the spirit of Harry Potter. He was sending them as a warning of the coming tide of darkness that would soon spread across the land, casting everything in shadow. This was what he had told me in a dream. The Greatest Evil was now loosed on the world and it would come seeking the heir. He will come cloaked in the aspect of a friend. I wondered who this "friend" might be? Which of those who had returned to Hogwarts for the ceremony would it turn out to be? The feeling of fear was growing within me and the evil was still growing in power and drawing ever nearer with each day that passed. I could feel him, this unknown yet much feared assailant. That foreign Dark Magic was still present and it called to me for the same darkness had once ruled my soul. I began to wonder if I would be able to remain true to my vow to renounce all things of the Dark. I was still to new in the Light and my powers were not what they had been because of that.

"No! I must have no doubt in my heart. Doubt is a weakness we can ill afford. I shall remain true to the Light and to my vow. The power I have will…no must be enough."

Finally, I got up, abandoning sleep altogether, and got dressed. I made my way to the Great Hall slowly and quietly not wanting to disturb the others who might still be sleeping. My unanswered questions occupied all of my thoughts as I made my way down to the front doors. Unlocking them and opening the doors I stood on the cracked steps beyond them, watching the sunrise. A shaft of pale, newborn sunlight hit the stone that marked Harry's grave. It shone a faint red for a moment and the silver letters on it glittered. Following some inner prompting, I walked across the grounds toward it as if by some unheard command. Soon I had reached the rise next to the lake were Harry lay buried. I hadn't yet visited the grave. The last time I had been here it was nothing but a raised mound of earth covered with flowers. We three (Ron, Hermione and I) had spoken the spell required to seal the grave and to protect the body within it for all time.

The stone marker was rose colored and all the engraving upon it was inlaid with silver, which shimmered in the early morning light. It was a beautiful thing to behold but it was also touched with sorrow because it marked the spot where lay one who had given all for the cause. As I looked at it I wondered whether I would have been able to do the same. I also wondered if I would be able to do so if the time ever came in my life that I was asked to give it so that others would survive.

The marker stood before me and I read these words:

In Memory of a Hero

Harry Potter

Born: July 31 1980 Died June 15 1997

Battle of Hogwarts Hero

The Boy Who Lives on in memory

He who gave all he had to give

So we in peace could live

Remember him for who he was

Not for the deeds that he has done

Erected in his memory by:

The students and teachers of

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardary

These words were surmounted by the lion of Gryffindor and the Heraldic arms of the Potters: A rampant lion surmounted by a falcon. I stared at this symbol remembering the letter written in scarlet ink that I had been sent. It had carried a mysterious symbol that exactly matched the arms of the Potters. Harry, it now appeared to me, had sent me the letter but I still wasn't sure why.

I placed my hand on the stone and closed my eyes, as two tears trickled down my face. Then I quietly renewed the vow I had once made over this very grave.

"I promise to fight the rising tide of darkness and to guard the weapons of Gryffindor until my dying day. I will surrender them to know one but my chosen heir."

The feeling of overwhelming grief lessened and for a moment I thought I felt Harry standing next to me. It was the oddest sensation, a presence filled with the light of good magic so much stronger than my own and yet a part of my own weak power. When I opened my eyes there was no one there and shaking my head, I returned to the school and the breakfast that awaited me there

I watched everyone around me with a critical eye at breakfast, trying to determine if anyone was acting out of character. I felt guilty doing it but I couldn't help myself. I needed to find this friend who would betray us all. I saw nothing unusual and, in fact, the only person in the entire room that seemed out of character was me. I knew that when things began to go wrong, everyone would point at me first of all because of my former association with the Dark Arts. Perhaps they were even now watching me for signs that I was merely faking my allegiance to the Light. Everyone here knew of Harry's deathbed vision and the message he had imparted to the three of us moments before his death. I wondered whether my newfound friends would remain true to me once this new dark wizard made his move against us. We needed to stand together in this coming battle for if we stood separately we would surly fall and the world would be plunged into eternal darkness.

At midday, we gathered at a point midway between the Wall of Honor and Harry's grave for the Ceremony of Remembrance. Professor McGonagall spoke about those who had been lost in the battle, said a prayer for their spirits and then recited the long list of the fallen as a wizard's salute (a jet of silver and gold sparks) was given for each name. A classmate sang a song she had composed in memory of all who had given their lives that peace could be restored. Harry's name was mentioned within the list of the fallen because he had not wished to be singled out. "I am not a hero" was a phrase he often said and yet he was a one to so many. My thoughts were with him wherever he was now and I truly believe that everyone's thoughts were bent toward his memory at that moment. The air around me began to shimmer and for a moment I thought I saw Harry standing in front of me. He looked much the same as he had when he was alive. He beckoned to me and pointed at the stone that marked his grave. I nodded once but didn't move form my place in line. He nodded as well and slowly faded from my sight.

We were all bowing our heads in a moment of silence when the feeling of evil within my heart became overwhelming. My head whipped around to face the school just as a terrified and piercing scream rent the air. As one Ron, Hermione and I ran back toward the school, everyone else following in our wake. Somehow I knew where to go and soon we found ourselves at the foot of the tallest astronomy tower. Looking up, we could see somebody engaged in some kind of struggle atop the tower. Suddenly, sunlight glinted off the bangle-covered arms of the defender and I realized it was Professor Trelawny.

"What's she doing?" Ron said.

Professor McGonagall called up to her, "Sybil, stop this nonsense at once!"

But Professor Trelawny continued to struggle with some invisible assailant; at least they were not visible to those of us standing on the ground. Professor McGonagall sent someone inside with instructions to find out what was going on. Professor Trelawny screamed again, the scream echoing in the still air.

"No! I… will… tell… them… Warn them...!" she shouted then as she was almost pushed from the top of the tower.

All we could do was watch, helpless to do anything. Something had us all under its spell, preventing us from making a sound or moving.

"The Evil Serpent comes. Seth-Ra…rises…" she called out as her left foot hit the nothingness of space. She struggled for a moment to maintain balance, her arms wind milling in the air.

"Beware… the Greatest… Evil… Beware… the red-haired… man… Beware… the one who…says… he is… Ahhhhhh!"

A strangled scream rent the air as Professor Trelawny lost her balance completely. She hung, suspended in midair for a moment, silently screaming then she plummeted to the ground before anyone could set a spell to stop her decent. A cry of shocked dismay went up from the crowd and Professor McGonagall went to the base of the tower to examine the body. Her tearstained face turned toward us after a few moments and she motioned for the three of us to join her. We, too, looked at the body, fear growing in our hearts. Professor Trelawny had died with a look of abject terror on her face. Her body was surrounded with a glowing green light and there was a glyph on her body: a coiled serpent with a raised head surmounted by an unfamiliar bird crowned by the sun.

As we stood trying to puzzle out it's meaning, a wave of darkness, despair and utter evil washed over the assembled crowd and a deep resounding laughter filled the air around us. Someone screamed a horrible soul-wrenching cry and I rushed forward so that I could see what everyone else saw. I looked up at the tower and saw a huge, poisonous green snake, larger than anything I had ever seen before atop the tower Professor Trelawny had been pushed from. It was towering above us with its glowing eyes glaring malevolently down at us all, then it's eyes narrowed. It's eyes looked right into my own with a stare that held me transfixed. It was as if the serpent was staring right though me, into my very soul and it didn't like what it saw there either. I shivered as a burning pain hit me, knocking me to my knees.

"Traitor!" a silky, hissing voice sounded in my mind. "You would join with these weaklings and fools against me? They cannot stand against me! I have more power at half strength than they will ever have. Join me and all your powers will be restored to you. You were once great in the Art. Come with me now or learn what will befall all who oppose the will of a god!"

I trembled before him, his voice holding my soul bound. My spirit began to falter and my memory to dim. Then I heard Harry's voice resounding in my mind. "Promise me that you will fight this new evil in my place. Promise…" and suddenly my spirit became stronger and the world around me came back into focus. I looked up at Seth-Ra, for that was who it was, and I called out one word defiantly with both mind and voice.

"NEVER!"

"Torments unending await you then, traitor! This shall be the fate of all who oppose me!"

Another wave of pain, worse then anything I had ever felt before, hit me and the bright day darkened to night around me for a moment. I tried to rise but found that I was rooted to the spot with the serpent that was Seth-Ra glaring at me, his eyes glowing brighter with each wave of pain that hit me. I saw movement out of the corner of my eyes. Ron and Hermione had stepped in front of me, blocking the image of Seth-Ra from my sight if not from my mind. He still held me pinned in place and at his mercy. My soul felt as if it was on fire and I began to feel extremely lightheaded. I heard the terrified screams of my classmates and thought I heard a challenge given. The present and the past seemed to merge in my mind. Was this the battle of a year ago or was it the present. My thoughts strayed and the action before me began to weave in and out. I saw people before me that I knew were dead and yet they were standing before me in a ring of bright light as if I called up a Patronus spell. In the glow of this light I thought I saw Harry once more. He was standing with his wand upraised and the sword of Gryffindor in his other hand both of them pointed at Seth-Ra's heart. I knew this couldn't be right though, Harry was dead and the wand and sword were still inside the school.

"You cannot have him! You have no power here! Go! Now! I, Harry Potter, the Heir of Osirius called Gryffindor command it! Leave!"

I felt myself slump back, heard the awful scream of a soul in agony and then darkness rose to claim me.

A/N: I only own Seth-Ra. All the other characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Part Four will be entitled "Searching for Answers". I'm not sure when I'll have it up so be patient. Please take the time to review. Thanks.

WeasleyTwin2