Chapter 27:  Werewolf

            When Harry awoke the next morning, Voldemort was already gone.  He could have kicked himself for sleeping so heavily.  Mumbling, he sorely jumped out of the tree.  He had a crick in his neck and his arm had gone dead, now tingling back into reality.  Looking around a moment, he was about to set off, but stopped.  There, at the base of a tree, sat a girl of about eighteen.  She was looking forlornly at the grass and was so still that Harry was surprised he'd even noticed her.  Her face contained a hollowness that Harry knew he had seen before, and she seemed to be resting after some great strain.  Even her long, light-brown hair looked limp from weakness.  Slowly, he walked up to her.

            "You okay?" he asked quietly.

            She jumped slightly, taking in a quick breath.  Then feebly, she smiled up at him.

            "Yeah," she said, her voice as quiet as a passing breeze, "The transformations just make me tired."

            "So you were the werewolf last night?"

            "Oh my gosh, did I hurt you?" she asked worriedly, "I never know what I'm doing.  Oh, I'm so sorry!"

            "No, no, it's okay.  You scared me a bit, but nothing beyond that."

            "I must look a mess," she laughed slightly.

            "No, you look fine," he smiled, realizing the Veritaserum must have worn off, for he was able to lie again.

            "I'm Katina," she said, holding out her hand.

            "I'm Harry," he smiled, helping her up.

            "Are you at War with that pale man?" she asked, her hazel eyes widening.

            "Yes.  Did you see which way he went?"

            "That way," she said, pointing slightly to the left, "Towards the Hills of Tears.  But you don't want to go there."

            "Why not?" he asked.

            "It's the wrong way.  If you want to go the quickest way to Victory Circle, you head for Lake Flyaway."

            "Victory Circle, Lake Flyaway?  Who made those names?" he laughed.

            "I did," she said, pouting slightly.

            "Oh…um, well…"

            "I'm just kidding," she smiled, "Well, about the sulking at least.  But you've no time to just stand around talking.  If you're going to win, that is."

            "Oh yeah…uh, which way again?"

            "That way.  Just keep going until you reach the lake."

            Harry hesitated a moment.  "I wish there was something I could do for you…  I don't know the wolfsbane potion or anything like that."

            "No, I'll be all right."

            Still he wavered.  "Why don't you come with me?  Maybe we could get you out of here."

            She gave him a knowing smile, but nodded.  "Human company might be nice for a while."

            So they started walking, the birds the only sound in the woods.  "How come you're here, Katina?" Harry asked to start a conversation.

            She smiled weakly.  "I'll skip the formalities and give it to you straight.  I got sick of life.  Being a werewolf in that world…it was unbearable.  I was in Slytherin house at Hogwarts, but not even my peers supported me.  So one day…I decided to end it all, right then and there."

            Harry's eyes went wide and he looked at her, almost gaping.  "You…you're dead?"

            "No…  My Head of House saved me.  He'd always seemed able to read minds, and when I was alone in that empty classroom, Professor Slytherin appeared from one of the dark corners."

            Now Harry was really staring, and absolutely speechless.

            "He was able to stop me," she continued, still quietly, "but only after promising to help me make my life worthwhile, and free of pain.  And here I am."

            "Professor…Slytherin?  But that was a thousand years ago.  You'd be…well, dead by now."

            "That's one of the beauties of this place.  Time is only a word.  There is no pain or death or suffering, only…life.  And, of course, the occasional War competitor," she smiled warmly, "Though I've never met one as young as you.  Or one with such a vile-looking opponent.  How did you get entangled with him?"

            "I had no choice in the matter.  He killed my parents when I was one, and would have killed me if it weren't for my mum.  My whole life has revolved around him."

            So Harry plunged into his life story, omitting almost no detail.  He told her even more than he had told Azar, yet somehow, it didn't matter.  It was a new experience for him to speak with someone who didn't already know about his life, to whom the name "Harry Potter" was just another name.  He talked for at least an hour, coming right up to the point where he had met her.  There was silence a moment, broken only by the singing of birds, then Katina burst out laughing.  Harry was slightly shocked at first, but her laughter was catching and he soon joined her.

            "Oh my gosh, I'm sorry," she said, no longer laughing but merriment still dancing in her eyes, "That was of bad taste.  It's just the birds.  They're so funny."

            "What'd they do?" he asked, looking up.

            "Oh, it's not what they did, but what they said."

            "You can talk to birds?" he asked, slightly amazed.

            "Well, no, not in their language.  I understand them, and they me.  Of course, it's not like I know that that tweet means, "Hi, how are you?" and that one means "Shut your trap!"  I just…understand them.  Is that confusing?"

            "No, I think I know what your saying.  Do you understand other animals?"

            "Oh yes.  When you have a thousand years of free time, you can do almost anything.  Every living thing has a language, and the ability to understand other life forms.  Even the trees have so much to say."

            "Trees?  Um…okay."

            "Hey, don't look at me like I'm mad!  Here, sit down, and listen," she said, pulling him down to sit on the grass, "Now close your eyes, and let your heart listen to them."

            Harry tried this for a second, then burst out laughing at the thought of what he must look like.

            "Hey, at least try," she scolded, "Close your eyes again.  Now empty your mind of thought.  Completely.  There is no one, nothing here but you and the trees.  All that exists is this moment.  Feel them, Harry.  Listen to what they have to say."

            Harry took a deep breath, and listened, trying not to think of the absurdity of the task.  A feeling of calm swept over him, and he actually felt as though it was only him and the trees.  He heard the leaves gently brushing against one another, sounding like a sprinkle of rain, and the gently creak of the branches that swayed way up high, and…he heard them.  It wasn't like someone whispering in his ear, but whispering to his heart.

            "They're sad," he said quietly, opening his eyes, "I'm not quite sure why, but they're sad…  Sad for me."

            "Yes," Katina answered, standing up and helping him do the same, "You understood."

            She started walking again, Harry following.

            "But why are they sad for me?"

            "They sense a great evil in the forest, Harry, and they know it is an evil that wishes to destroy you.  When you told me of your life, they heard too, and they wish that you hadn't needed to go through such hardships.  You are a good person, Harry."

            "Well, I'm no Voldemort," he smiled wanly.

            "You're more than that, Harry.  Good isn't the absence of evil, and evil isn't the absence of good.  You aren't just one or the other.  There are plenty of people somewhere in the middle.  It takes a great deal of courage and strength of heart to be a good person."

            They walked in silence for a while, Harry trying to pick out what the birds were saying.

            "I'm worried for your friend Ron," Katina said suddenly.

            "Really?  Why?"

            "He feels things so strongly.  That can be a wonderful thing, but it can also be dangerous.  When his brother and sister were killed, a seed of hate was planted in him.  He's tried to ignore it, yet it has grown on its own.  He takes his hate out on Draco, trying to blame him for the feeling."

            "How did you know about Ron's brother and sister?" Harry asked quietly.

            "I've found substitutes for a crystal ball.  I confess, Harry, that I knew you were coming here.  I looked at your life, and the lives of your friends, carefully.  I fear for Ron.  He's going to have to stop the hate soon, Harry, or its roots will take hold of his heart, as it has taken the heart of Tom Riddle."

            Harry was nothing short of horrified.  Here was someone comparing his best friend to the man who had made his life miserable.

            "What can I do to help him?" he asked urgently.

            "Almost nothing, I'm afraid.  You can try to gently guide him in the right direction, but the finally decision is Ron's."  She stopped suddenly, looking up.  "We're here."

            Harry looked up, too, and spotted an old, moss-covered wooden sign.  It read ".5 kilometers".  Behind it was a vast lake, with paths heading on either side.  The sign, however, pointed to the left.

            "This is only the sign saying there're .5 kilometers left, Katina.  We have a bit more to go."

            "No, you have a bit more to go.  This is where I leave you, Harry."

            "You're coming with me, remember?" he asked earnestly, "I'm going to take you back to the real world."

            "No, Harry," she said quietly, shaking her head, "My place is here."

            "But…why?  You could be free again, and the wolfsbane will-"

            "No.  No, I can't," her voice quavered slightly, "The world is full of evil.  But here…all is right.  Here, all is peaceful, quiet, and good.  Stay with me, Harry.  You're life has been filled with woe, but you can end that suffering.  You'll never know pain again."

            "Or freedom.  This is a prison, Katina.  A beautiful prison, but a prison nonetheless."

            "I chose my cage, Harry," she whispered, eyes shining with tears, "Imprisonment is better than pain."

            He was silent a moment, unable to believe that someone could actually believe such a thing.

            "Not for me," he finally said with a firm quietude, "Freedom is priceless.  It is something that you must hold onto, no matter how Fear tries to pull it from your grasp.  If you let go of Freedom, Fear has won.  We can't let Fear win, Katina.  I won't let it win."

            She nodded sadly, then suddenly looked up, cocking her ear to the wind.

            "He's coming," she whispered.

            "Who?"

            "I'm sorry, Harry," she apologized, "I didn't want to, but I had no choice.  I had to give him a chance, and he took it.  Please forgive me."

            Harry was completely lost.

            "Remember," she said with a stern command, "Right at the rock that looks like an eagle, past the weeping willow, and behind Little Brother Falls.  I pray that you win, for you have a good soul.  Good bye, Harry."

            With a flight-like swiftness, she disappeared into the woods, leaving Harry alone.  But not for long.  He heard footsteps approaching and turned to face the last person he wanted to see.  Lord Voldemort had arrived.

            "How did you get here?" they both gasped.

            "A girl showed me the way," they answered simultaneously.

            "No she didn't, she showed me!" each argued.

            They were silent a moment, trying to sort out what exactly had been said.

            "But…how?  She can't have been with you and me," Harry asked, perplexed.

            Voldemort scowled.  "I should have known that girl would help you, too.  She seemed the type.  A double-image spell, no doubt."

            A feeling of numbness crept through Harry.  Katina had sympathized with his suffering, and yet fed the person who had caused him the most pain.  He couldn't help thinking it was like Cho all over again.

            Without another word, Voldemort headed swiftly down the path.  Harry was about to rush off ahead of him, but stopped.  If he went ahead of him, then Voldemort could simply follow him to the end.  So Harry hurried after him, but kept out of sight.  It wasn't long before there came a fork in the road, a stone shaped like an eagle spreading its wings for flight between the paths.  Voldemort stopped, but only for a moment before heading down the right path.

            It felt as though a pot were boiling over inside of him, and Harry gritted his teeth, though not hard enough to stop tears from coming to his eyes.  He wanted to sit down right there, and never get up again.  She had betrayed him.  He knew it shouldn't bother him like this, but it seemed to unearth wounds from last year, hurt that had not yet healed.  Blinking furiously, he took a deep breath and tried to loosen the tightness in his throat.  He had to go on.

            Running as quietly as he could, Harry stayed beyond the forest's edge, trying to catch up to Voldemort without the man knowing it.  Then the forest faded away as he came to a river, the only tree near it a weeping willow.  He looked around, spotting a large waterfall a while upstream.  Voldemort was nowhere in sight, and for the shortest of moments, Harry hoped that the man had gotten lost.

            Suddenly, ropes seemed to spring from the forest, wrapping tightly around Harry's arms and legs and causing him to fall.  With a triumphant sneer, Voldemort stepped from the forest.

            "So close, and yet so far away, eh, Potter?"

            "You can't do this, Voldemort!" Harry yelled angrily.

            "No one's stopping me."

            "But…  You can't!  The rules!  We're connected!  It…it…it's not fair!"

            With a casual wave of his wand, Voldemort made a strip of duck tape slap over Harry's mouth.  "Well, when life is fair, let me know, 'cause I'll watch for flying pigs.  Of course, without a soul, you won't have much time to tell me."

            Giving Harry one last laugh, Voldemort headed off toward the waterfall.  Harry tried to sit up, but only managed in rolling onto his stomach and inching his way a little closer to the willow.  He felt panic flowing through him, but tried to stop it, knowing it wouldn't do any good.  Taking a deep breath, he cleared his mind, trying to figure a way out of this.  He looked up, seeing Voldemort disappear behind the waterfall.  No matter how he tried to stop them, tears slowly started coursing down his cheeks.  He buried his face in the grass, sobbing silently.

            'I'm powerless, and Voldemort is walking unchallenged into victory,' he thought bitterly.

            'No he's not.'

            Harry looked up.  Had he just heard that?  No…he didn't hear it, not even in his head.  But he knew it was true.  The wrong way…  Voldemort had gone the wrong way.  Somehow, Harry knew it.  But…then where was Little Brother Falls?

            Suddenly, though not a breath of wind stirred the air, the hanging branches of the willow started swaying, all in the same way.  Harry looked toward where they pointed, and saw, a number of meters downstream, a small waterfall.  It could barely be called a waterfall, but was there nonetheless.  So he had time.  But what good was time when you were bound hand and foot?

            As if to answer him, the ropes fell to his sides.  He looked at them, cut hastily by a knife, with nothing short of astonishment.  Glancing up quickly, he only managed to glimpse a figure rushing off into the woods.  Katina.  Harry smiled slightly.  She hadn't betrayed him after all.  Quickly tearing away the tape, Harry ran downstream to the waterfall.  Wading across the river, he quickly found that the rock behind the falls fell away into a cavern.  Giving a final glance at the falls Voldemort had gone behind, he entered the dark depths.

            Beyond the dull roar of the falling water was shear darkness, damp and slimy.  Harry quickly lit his wand, walking along the beaten path.  He hadn't gone far when the slope steepened, and then turned into stone steps.  Making his way cautiously along the slippery surface, Harry felt his heart pound against his chest.  He watched each step he took, calming his haywire nerves.  When his foot finally entered into a beam of light, Harry looked up in surprise.  The stairs ended, going onto a vast expanse of field.  And there, quite a while away but close enough to spell victory, was a small uplift of ground, flattened into a circle.  Two specters stood in the middle of the circle and with a jolt, Harry recognized them as himself and Draco.  Taking a cautious look around, Harry stepped into the field…and sunk right into it.

            He came up spluttering and coughing.  Water.  The circle was surrounded by water.  Harry wondered a moment why an illusion spell had been placed on it, but quickly started swimming for the center.  He kept his eyes on his target.  Suddenly, the water in front of the island broke, a red hump coming above the surface.  Harry froze, watching it apprehensively.  Then it sunk back into the water.  Waiting a moment before starting to swim again, Harry was surprised his heart hadn't pounded its way out of his chest.  Only ten meters to go…  Harry felt something bump his leg.  He jumped, spinning around in the water, but seeing nothing.  With all the strength he could muster, Harry swam as fast as he could for the island.

            Suddenly, something clutched onto his leg, and Harry was pulled underwater.  Thinking quickly, he kicked out of the creature's grasp and came coughing to the surface.  Looking around wildly, he saw the beast's back surface again.  It looked like a…giant lobster?  A kraken!  Connerly had taught him about these sea-faring beasts that could grow to the size of a small island.  Her stories of their attacks had made half the class sick, and now Harry was facing a real one.

            Pulling out his wand, Harry started kicking furiously for the island.  In his panic, he managed to hear the water sucking as the kraken went underwater once more.  Gasping in surprise, Harry felt himself pulled underwater again.  The kraken's grip was stronger now, and the curse Harry screamed at it simply bounced off its hard shell.  Harry hit and kicked against the beast, but it did no good; the shell was too hard.  He felt it chewing on his shoe, and panicked, planting his free foot into the soft flesh of its face.  Flying up to the surface again, Harry struggled to swim to the island.  The kraken came up, too.  Not waiting for the creature to act, Harry yelled a stunning curse.  With a gurgled cry, the creature slipped under.

            Breathing hard, Harry turned back to the island.  He was right at its edge, and his own "ghost" self smiled down at him, reaching out a hand to help him up.

            "No!"

            Harry spun around, seeing Voldemort rushing to the top of the stone stairs.

            "Yes," Harry said back, "The war's over."

            And Harry reached up, grabbing the spirit's hand.  A bright white light enveloped them, and Harry felt himself soaring through the air, back to the Hall of Adversity.

~*~*~

A/N: I just wanted to comment on the bizarreness of thought. I added that werewolf attack scene just for lack of anything to put, and look where it's taken me? Ain't life odd?

Before you ask, yes, Harry's thoughts on freedom are exactly what I feel. That scene came to me after we said the Pledge of Allegiance last Friday. I hope all of America feels the same way.

Wow…bad chapter. Esspecially that ending. Can anyone say "cop-out"? Gad, my laziness sickens me. Oh well.

As always, thank you my wonderful reviewers!

Roselyn riddle: Thanks!

vmr: Thanks!

jona: No need for jealously, Jo. Not with the wonderful stuff you write. "Afy", eh? lol ^-^ Thank you!

Lady Grizabella: "Oh my what a lovely surprise, [chapters] popping up before my eyes!" lol, a kiddle song. ^_^ Thank you!

princess of mordor: My brain went on a fritz, and I couldn't think of any way to make Harry and moldy Voldy talk again, so…eh. Well, thanks!

Swim Angel: Hehehe… We'll see. Thanks!

The Jolly Dollar: Down with homework!!!! ^_^ Hee, thanks!

Dilandra: Thanks!

Scarlet Phoenix: Actually, no real time is passing right now. The point we left Hogwarts at is actually quite a ways away in Harry's time. Er…yes, a little confusing, but it'll all come together in the end. Thanks for reviewing!

Julia: ^_^ Thanks!

swardlaw: Thanks! Er, uh…very good question… I'll ask Harry about that. ^_^

sweets: I dunno. I just copped out. (*gr* I hate it when I do that!) Thanks!

Katrina Skyfrost: Thanks!

Super saya-Jin Gotan: I'm a poet and I know it. I can rhyme anytime. ^_^ Thanks!

Thankyou,thankyou,thankyou,thankyou!!!!

One more thing to add. Due to the fact that AuthorAlert is uh… not available to everyone, I'm doing my own. If you want to be "alerted" each time I put up a new story, chapter, etc., send an email (gad, I feel so big-headed saying this, but oh well) to ady@teen.com Of course, my fellow Riddles can ignore that 'cause it'll be a cold day in Hades before I forget to remind them to come and give me more reviews. ^_^

Well, stayed tuned for the next installment, same bat time, same bat channel. (*sigh* I loved that show)

Be excellent to each other!

-Ady