Here is Chapter 17, FINALLY! I thought my muse had left for good this time. I wanted to be able to do this chapter and its characters justice and I hope I have. This chapter is a good bit longer than the others for two reasons. First as an apology to my faithful readers for leaving them with a cliffhanger for so long, and two because I didn't want to interrupt the flow of the story. Although the chapter is long, it takes place in a relatively short span of time, about thirty or forty minutes. Anyway, enough babble, on with the story....
Daydreaming: In response to your question, the Book of Carmen contains very powerful spells. Among them is the one that Voldemort is planning to use in order to steal Selene's magic. Dumbledore referred to it in chapter 9, although he didn't refer to it by name. Selene did in chapter 15, and spoke of its ability to call to magmani. Hope that answers your question and thanks for the review. -R
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Chapter 17: The Book of Carmen
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Harry felt his body go rigid. He still couldn't see Voldemort, so he stared instead at the direction of the voice. It seemed that Voldemort was waiting for a response, probably only so he could mock him, but it was Selene who spoke next.
"It wasn't fate that brought us together, it was your twisted mind."
A shrill laugh was heard and then suddenly a light appeared. Its source was Lord Voldemort's wand and it cast an eerie light throughout the room. He then used the wand to light a small fire in a corner of the room allowing all three occupants to see each other clearly for the first time. "At last I come face to face with the red witch!" he said as his eyes locked on Selene. She met his gaze, and in the dim light Harry could not mistake the look of pure hatred he saw on her face. "I have so wanted to met you." Voldemort said slyly. "And to think that I have both you and Harry Potter in the same room, and both at my disposal, it almost makes these past fourteen years bearable!"
As if she suddenly remembered that Harry was in the room, Selene stood up quickly and moved in front of Harry, "We are not at your disposal!" she spat at him, anger and hate clear in her voice. Harry sat still behind his aunt, his scar still burning and fear running through him. As selfish as it seemed, he wanted Selene to fight this fight. He was so tired of fighting battles where the odds were greatly against him.
"But you are, Selene." Voldemort said. He thrust the book he was carrying at Selene, "You know what this is, don't you?" he asked. Harry saw Selene stiffen in front of him. Harry also stiffened as he once again felt the whispers clawing at his mind.
When Selene didn't answer Voldemort put the book on the ground and opened it. As soon as he did the whispers of the Book flooded Harry's mind. He forced himself to look at it, but regretted it immediately. It seemed that Harry could now see the worms of thought as they reached out for him. He closed his eyes, but open or shut the images were clear in his mind.
Whatever Harry saw or heard, it was tenfold for Selene. It wasn't mere whispers that Selene heard; instead her entire head was full of voices, calling for her, pleading for her to set them free. Selene tried to resist, but when she did the voices turned to high pitch shrieks that threatened to drive her mad. She approached the book and Voldemort, the closer she came to the Book, the stronger its hold on her. Voldemort watched her approach, with what looked to be glee on his face as he watched Selene battle the Book's call. Harry grabbed his aunt trying to pull her back, but as soon as he touched her, he felt his scar explode with pain. He jerked back and felt his whole body spasm in response to his head, which he was sure was ripping at the site of his scar.
Harry watched helplessly as Selene approached the book. She stood there with her foot touching the binding and appeared as if she was contemplating what to do next. She knelt down next to the book and tried to shut it, but Voldemort grabbed her hand before she could do it. She recoiled at his touch, but he held her firmly. He brought her quickly to her feet and pulled her close to him and whispered into her ear.
"What does the book say to you? What secrets does it hold?" he rasped into Selene's ear.
She could feel Voldemort's breath against her skin and his body pressing against hers. Between the Book and his presence, Selene didn't know how long she was going to be able to withstand either. She hoped that Harry would be able to find a way to escape quickly, before it was too late.
Voldemort, aggravated by her lack of response threw her down. He went over to Selene and pulled her to her feet once more, "Tell me!" he yelled at Selene grabbing her shoulders and shaking them.
Selene stared into the soulless eyes of her adversary and within them she found something that she hadn't expected, desperation. Something suddenly occurred to her and she forced herself to look upon the Book of Carmen, which still lay open on the floor. Upon the cream colored pages were symbols and words etched in crimson ink. The words themselves made no sense to her, but when she looked at them, the voices that came from the Book seemed to be reading the words for her and to her. "He doesn't know how to read the Book. He can't hear the voices." She thought to herself. A smile crept over her face, which only infuriated the Dark Lord more.
"What is it witch?" he snarled. "Why are you smiling?"
"You need me more than you originally thought." She answered. "The Book of Carmen cannot be read by anyone besides a magmanos! You don't know which spell to use, do you?"
Voldemort released Selene and she sagged to the floor. The effort it was taking to hold off the voice of the Book was draining her, but her voice remained strong, "Did you honestly think you could trick me into giving you what you wanted? Is your ego so great that you think I would do your bidding simply if you asked me? You are a fool Voldemort."
"If nothing else, these past fourteen years have taught me to plan ahead. Yes, finding out I was unable to read the Book of Carmen was a stumbling block in my plans, but nothing that I hadn't planned for. I also knew that you would never willing give me the information that I desired." He stopped long enough to approach Selene with his wand raised to her, "At least not without an incentive."
"So you are going to kill me to get the spell you need to take my magic? A little counterproductive don't you think?" Selene said sarcastically.
"Kill you? Oh no my dear. The magic that lies within you is to be my most powerful weapon. I would not chance hurting that power. However..." Voldemort turned his wand on Harry, "he will do just nicely."
As soon as Voldemort finished he sent a reign of fire upon Harry in the form of the Cruciatus Curse. Harry felt every muscle in his body seize simultaneously as the curse burned his skin. His back spasmed so hard he was sure it was going to break, and soon pain was Harry's whole world. He was so consumed by it that he couldn't hear his aunt pleading with Voldemort.
"Voldemort stop! He's only a child!" Selene cried.
"His age does not matter to me."
Selene knew that if she denied Voldemort, he would kill Harry. However if she helped Voldemort, he would still kill Harry. Logic told her that if Voldemort managed to obtain her power the death count would be much greater that her and Harry, and she must not let him take her magic. But as she watched her nephew convulse on the floor, logic took no hold on her heart, she couldn't let him die, not this way.
"Stop it." She said softly, her energy spent. "I will do what you ask."
"Very well." Voldemort said and lifted the spell. Harry's body still shook, but the pain was gone. Exhausted, he made no effort to move from the floor. Voldemort walked over to where Selene was and knelt down in front of her long enough to ask, "You still think me a fool?"
Selene felt the last remaining bit of hope she had fade away.
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The two would be rescuers crouched within an alcove, waiting for the approaching Death Eaters to pass. Sirius clenched his fist in frustration. He hated waiting, and what he hated even more than waiting was hiding, which was exactly what they had been doing ever since they entered the building.
Sirius knew why there were so few Death Eaters outside; it was because they were all inside. He and Ron had not been able to move any further than a few feet from the door, because as soon as they took a step, another Death Eater would appear, forcing them back into their hiding place.
Sirius held his breath as the Death Eaters passed by he and Ron. Like all the others, they too passed by the alcove without seeing the two that crouched within it. Sirius found himself perplexed at their behavior. The alcove was shallow and although the room was dark, anyone with half of their senses intact would be able to spot he and Ron quite easily. He smiled thinking that crediting a Death Eater with any type of sense was quite a jump. However, his smile faded quickly when he realized what would make a Death Eater drop his guard. Invincibility. Sirius' blood ran cold as he thought that they might already be too late, that Voldemort had already killed...no...he wouldn't let himself finish that thought. But an overwhelming urgency to find his wife and his godson overtook him and he decided that he was going to make a run for it, and to hell with the Death Eaters. He was about to make a mad dash down the hall when he felt Ron grab his arm.
"What are you doing?" The boy whispered.
"I can't wait any longer, it is useless to hide. I have to find them."
"What about the Death Eaters?" Ron said nodding in the direction of where the last set had come from.
"I will kill them if needs be."
"With what? Harsh language?" Ron said. Sirius glared at him, but the boy didn't seem to notice. "Look, let's go over our situation. We are two wizards up against at least twenty Death Eaters, that we've seen. Those are normally poor odds, but once you add in the fact that you are not only hurt but are also wandless * and * weaponless, takes you out of the equation.
Sirius' glare deepened, but Ron didn't care.
"So that leaves me, an underage wizard who has problems turning beetles into butterflies. Do you still think that a head to head combat situation is still in our best interest?"
Sirius knew Ron was right, which only increased his already growing frustration at the whole situation. "We do them no good by hiding." he said flatly.
"We do them no good by dying either." This time Ron met Sirius' gaze and saw as if for the first time how desperate the older wizard was to retrieve the two he had lost. "Listen Sirius, I know Harry better than anyone, and I know that the death of his parents plagues him more than he lets on. I also know that there are times that he feels like giving up, but all that changed when you reappeared. Knowing that he had some sort of family, boosted Harry's spirit more than Hermione and I have ever done. So I'm not going to stand by and let you run off and get yourself killed."
Sirius looked at the boy with complete amazement. He had always seen Ron as the tall, lanky, happy-go-lucky counterpart to Harry. He had never realized how deep their friendship was.
"He's lucky to have you as a friend." Sirius said.
"Isn't everyone?" Ron said, the intense seriousness of his face replaced with his usual smile.
Sirius shifted in the alcove, "Still, time is slipping away from us. We need to get past these Death Eaters and find out where they are holding Selene and Harry. But you would have to be damn near invisible to get past them."
"Bloody hell!" Ron cried, "Invisible, of course! I completely forgot!" Ron started rummaging through his robes. Sirius thought the boy had gone completely out of his mind until Ron pulled out a small bundle of cloth, which he unfurled and Sirius recognized it to be James' invisibility cloak. "With all the excitement I forgot that I had it!"
"I'm certainly glad you remembered." Sirius said fingering the soft material, which brought back so many memories of his own adventures underneath it.
The two wrapped the cloak around their shoulders. When they were protectively encased under the transparent fabric they took a look down the two ends of the hallway when another problem arose.
"Okay, now which we do we go?" Ron asked.
Sirius shrugged before realizing how painful the action would be, his body aching from the curse. "I don't know." he said. The door that they had come through had opened into the center of a long hall. Each side looked identical to the other, giving no clues about the direction they should take. Instinct told him right, but if he was wrong there would be no time to retrace their steps. Sirius sighed heavily, his wounds once again making themselves apparent.
As if from nowhere the sounds of footsteps were heard, approaching from the left and the sound of voices followed. Sirius froze, momentarily forgetting that he was under the protection of the cloak. He and Ron moved to the side, so they wouldn't bump into the Death Eaters who were completely immersed in conversation, talking in low hushed voices, signaling that they were up to no good, even for Death Eaters. Sirius strained to hear what they were saying and managed to pick out a few words.
"He's there...her and the boy...it is beginning..."
The other Death Eater replied, "We shouldn't...strict orders...what if..."
The first Death Eater cut him off with a word that sounded to Sirius much like "coward." The Death Eaters walked by where Sirius and Ron were standing and when they did, their voices became clearer, "Once in a lifetime, to see such a thing would be great indeed. Stay if you choose, but I intend to see the transformation." The other Death Eater nodded reluctantly and they continued down the hallway.
Sirius looked at Ron and it was obvious by the look on his face that he had heard exactly what Sirius had. They silently agreed on what would be their next course of action and took off in the direction of the two Death Eaters.
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Voldemort plopped the heavy book down in front of Selene, the impact of it lifting a thin cloud of dust from the floor. Selene's attention, however, was on Harry who still lay unmoving on the floor. She hated herself for what she had brought upon him, and for what she was about to do, but she was all out of options. She would have sacrificed everything to save Lily, and it was no different with Harry.
"Read." Voldemort said. His voice not unlike the Book's as it weaved through her mind. To emphasize his point, Voldemort once again raised his wand to Harry, but stopped when Selene began to slowly turn the pages of the book.
Selene was not prepared for what came next. Once she touched the pages, the voices, which had been lying dormant, once again tore through her mind. This time, however, they were not merely screaming and pleading. Instead they were reading the content of the pages to her, hundreds of voices at once that read different parts of the book simultaneously...
"Fire and ash ...one is needed...ripping through ...two is preferred...skin and muscle...hate is given...green is the hue...love refused...sin of the guilty blood...the will perishes...of the unborn...two become one...the light is gone...putrid the smell...the power is transformed...the end...an innocence ends...becomes...the fire dies...becomes the beginning..."
On and on the voices spoke to Selene, but she centered on a particular voice, "Two become one...the power is transformed." As soon as she fixed her mind on that voice, the others died down. "The power flees the breast of one and rests in the other...two become one...the power is transformed...the fire bird flees...two become one." Selene's heart beat faster. This was the one spell that she needed.
Apparently her face revealed her discovery because Voldemort's voice filtered through the others, "You've found it. Now release it, send your power to me or the boy will suffer."
"You will kill him anyway."
"True. But if you don't do what I say I will arrange something much worse than death for him." He spat out the last word like a serpent.
Selene began to repeat the words that she heard the voice whisper to her. As soon as the first word left her lips, she felt her magic burn within her, pushing against her skin. Selene knew that the magic that the book contained was hideously evil, her own magic not being able to hear it spoken. Still she spoke the next word and the next until her insides felt like they were about to burst through her skin. She fell backwards, semi-conscious, unable to speak the last word of the spell.
Unknown to her or Voldemort, Harry had come to his senses and had watched the scene with horror. He knew what was happening to Selene, because unlike Voldemort he had understood every word that she had said.
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Hermione watched the night creep on. The rain had stopped and the wind had died down, but this had done nothing to alleviate her worries. It had been over twenty minutes since Ron and Sirius had disappeared into the strange building. She had promised Sirius to go for help if they were not back, but Hermione found herself unwilling to do so. She couldn't leave her friends, while she fled for help. Hermione knew that if she did, they would all be dead by the time she returned.
She felt completely useless sitting in the brush, waiting for them to return, or waiting to be caught by the Death Eaters. She had had to perform her confusion spell a few more times to keep the Death Eaters away from her, but she knew they would soon grow suspicious and find her eventually. She suddenly wished she had the invisibility cloak with her.
"Hermione calm down." She chided herself. This type of panic was not appropriate for the top student at Hogwarts. "If they figure out this spell you can simply come up with another one." she paused, listening as some animal moved through the surrounding trees. "After all, you're smart, everyone always tells you that." she said in quivering voice. Hermione didn't feel very smart now, instead she felt terrified. But then again put anyone else in this situation and they would be scared too, she thought. She smiled as she envisioned Malfoy out in the woods alone shaking and calling for his mum.
Her confidence had slowly returned, when she heard footsteps approaching. Her terror returning she scrambled behind a large tree and waited. The footsteps had surprised her because they were coming from behind her, rather than in front. The Death Eaters must have circled around, trying to pinpoint the noises her spell was making. She cursed herself for not realizing the risk. Hermione looked around realizing how desperate her situation had become. She couldn't move away from the footsteps, as that would lead her straight into the eyesight of the Death Eater guarding the door. Nor could she move to the right or left, which would also bring her into view of the Death Eater. So she waited, her heart beating louder as the footsteps grew nearer. She peered around the tree and saw the tall grass and low branches of other trees move as they were swept aside by the oncoming shoes and robes. Finally when they had almost reached her tree she jumped from her hiding place and pointed her wand at whoever had stumbled across her. What she saw made her drop her wand, "Pro..Professor?"
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"Get up witch!" Voldemort screamed, and reached down to grab Selene by the collar of her robes and lift her head to his. "I said get up and finish what you..." he was cut of by what he saw when he turned towards the Book of Carmen. Harry Potter was standing there with the Book tucked firmly under his arm. Having the Book shut again brought Selene back to her senses.
"PUT THAT DOWN BOY!" Voldemort shrieked with a voice that made every inch of Harry's skin crawl.
"Let her go!" Harry yelled.
Voldemort laughed mirthlessly, "Or what? You will fight me? Fine, I'll pry the book from your cold fingers then."
"It seems you forget what happened the last time we fought. It didn't go very well for you did it?" Harry said, not knowing where he had found the courage to say it.
Voldemort dropped Selene back to the floor, exactly what Harry had wanted. He then approached Harry, "I assure you the outcome will be different this time!"
"Oh like when I overcame Tom Riddle? Or when I defeated you as an infant?" The last comment struck a nerve with Voldemort who now was beside himself with fury. Selene forgotten, he lunged at Harry who dodged him. Voldemort quickly recovered and was about to strike at Harry again when Harry opened the Book of Carmen long enough to tear out the page that Selene had been reading. The Book screamed and Harry's mind was once again flooded with voices. This time they were screaming in pain. Harry glanced quickly at Selene, her face was tight showing that she heard exactly what he did. The noise grew so intense that Harry threw the book against the wall, trying to get it as far away from him as possible.
If it was possible, Voldemort's eyes narrowed even further, and Harry could feel his gaze burning through him. Whatever happened next, Harry knew things were not going to go well for him. Still his mind was made up on what he was going to do next. He turned to Selene, "I'm sorry, but I couldn't let you do it." And with all the courage he could muster he tore the page in small pieces. "Leave my family alone Voldemort!"
Voldemort exploded with rage, his speech becoming more serpent-like, and his movements less human. "Then join me in hell, Harry Potter." Harry then recognized an all too familiar green light coming towards him, and was vaguely aware that Selene was screaming his name.
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Ron and Sirius had been following the two Death Eaters for what seemed like hours. It had appeared that this old building had hundreds of doors and even more twists and turns. Sirius had tried to memorize the way back to the front door, but had soon given up. However, now they had abandoned the doors and corners for stairs, lots of stairs. At least it seemed to be a great number to Sirius, who was beginning to feel the impact of his wounds constantly. He stopped momentarily and leaned against the wall. Ron stopped with him and mouthed, "Are you okay?" Sirius nodded, and the two continued.
Sirius slipped his hand under his robes, and felt the makeshift bandages that Hermione had made. They were still wrapped tightly around him, but when he withdrew his hand, it was wet with blood. He wiped it of quickly, but finally had to admit to himself, that if he didn't get help soon, he was going to be of use to no one. Finally the stairs leveled off and the two followed the others down yet another long hallway. The hallway ended with a set of very large oak doors. The Death Eaters stopped and one of them put their ear to the door. He nodded and the other mumbled a few words, making a small section of the wood almost transparent.
Ron squinted and he could see three figures. He immediately recognized one to be Harry, and he stepped forward tripping on the edge of the invisibility cloak and landing with a hard thud. The Death Eaters turned and saw them. Ron hurriedly picked himself off the floor and stood beside Sirius. The two Death Eaters approached as Sirius and Ron struggled to put the cloak back on again. They succeeded just in time to avoid an onslaught of curses. However, the Death Eaters knew they were there and sent curse after curse into the hallway hoping that one would hit its mark. "Sirius I have an idea." Ron said, as they just barely missed getting hit by the same curse Sirius had been hit with earlier.
"What?" Sirius asked, breathing heavily.
"What we need is a decoy. And luckily, decoy is my middle name."
"What are you talking about?"
"Sooner or later they are going to hit us, so I'll get out from under the cloak..."
"No."
"And you can get them from behind."
"I said no. They will kill you."
"No one can catch a Weasley, just ask Fred and George. Besides if we just sit here, they will kill us anyway."
"Then let me go."
"I don't think so." Ron said thrusting his wand into the older wizard's hand. "Beetles and butterflies, remember?"
And before Sirius could stop him, Ron left the concealment of the cloak and ran in front of the two Death Eaters. They saw him immediately. Sirius ran behind the Death Eaters unseen, the room was dancing with the light of the spells from the Death Eaters' wands. Finally Sirius found a good angle and with Ron's wand he lifted the two cloaked figures into the air and sent them crashing into each other, rendering them both unconscious.
Sirius found Ron who, besides having singed hair, appeared to be fine. Sirius had just touched the handle of the door when they heard Selene scream behind it and a green light flashed under the door.
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Harry instinctively put his hand out in front of him, to block the curse, although he knew it would do nothing. However, as soon as the green light touched his hand he felt a rush of warmth flow through his body and out of his hand. "Selene's magic." he thought. It was protecting him from the curse. The green light surrounded his body, but could not touch him.
Selene watched her magic protecting Harry, but she knew it would not last for long. Even a powerful magmanos could not stand against the Avada Kedavra curse for long, meaning that her magic only provided Harry with mere seconds of protection.
She scrambled across the room to where the Book was laying. She flipped through the pages, and for the first time welcomed the voices she heard. She listened for a particular voice, which finally stirred in her ear. She concentrated on it, trying hard to remember every word.
Harry felt his body getting heavier, the green light coming closer to his flesh. He felt like his life was slowly being sucked away from him.
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Sirius grabbed the doorknob and tried to turn it, but it was locked. Fear coursed through his veins. Foolishly he threw himself against the doors, but was rewarded only by a wave of pain that echoed throughout his body. Ron pulled at the knob as hard as he could, and when that didn't work he kicked the doors in anger. Sirius, using his good shoulder, pushed against the doors and Ron soon joined him. The two pushed with all their might, but the great doors would not budge.
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Selene stood up and walked over to Voldemort who said, "I'm about to break through. In a few more seconds your nephew will be dead, just like your sister."
Selene walked around Voldemort almost seductively waving her hand in front of him, "You wanted to feel my magic coursing through your veins, then I grant you your wish." She then grabbed Voldemort's arm and began repeating the new spell out loud. She felt her own magic rise up against her words and threatened to lash out at her once more. This time however, she would not allow it. As she said the words, tears streaked down her face. She knew what she was sacrificing in doing this, the risk she was taking. But it had to be done, Harry could not be killed, and Voldemort could not come to power again, no matter what the price.
Suddenly the Avada Kedavra curse lifted, and Harry fell to the floor. He looked at Selene and as the magic left his body, he managed to hear her say, "Through the sin of the guilty what was separate is parted, what was parted joined, the body perishes, the spirit remains...." The magic left him then, and he could no longer understand what Selene was saying, but he wasn't sure he wanted to hear anymore. The sounds he heard were harsh and cold, and her voice sounded much like the voice of the Book. However, it was the look on Voldemort's face that stunned Harry, Voldemort looked terrified. The last thing Harry saw before unconsciousness overtook him was a bright yellow light that consumed both Selene and Voldemort.
The oak doors suddenly flung themselves open, spilling Sirius and Ron unto the floor. Ron looked up, preparing himself to see Voldemort, but he wasn't there. The room was incredibly dark, a small amount of light from the hall lit the room enough so that Ron could make out the figure of Harry, who was lying on his side a few yards away from him. Ron moved towards his friend and turned him on his back, and saw that he was breathing. A wave of relief swept over him and he called out, "Sirius, Harry's okay, knocked out, but okay." When he didn't receive an answer he looked around and squinted through the darkness to see Sirius kneeling next to what appeared to be Selene, "Is she okay?" he called into the darkness. It took a few seconds for Sirius to reply, and Ron found himself holding his breath.
"She's okay." Sirius said. Ron released his held breath in a deep sigh.
Suddenly they heard footsteps approaching once more. "Oh no." said Ron, fear filling him again, at the thought of more Death Eaters. Ron closed his eyes as he heard the footsteps get closer and closer and finally step through the door. He opened his eyes slowly and saw..."Hermione!" he yelled. He blinked twice to make sure it was her, and watched as she came over to him and looked at Harry.
"Is he okay?" she asked.
"I think so. How did you get down here?" he asked her and she turned aside so he could see that Dumbledore stood in the doorway, along with Snape. He would have almost preferred a Death Eater to the look on the latter's face.
Dumbledore walked over and knelt down beside Sirius "How is she?"
"Alive." he said.
Dumbledore breathed a sigh of relief. "Let's get them out of here."
"Headmaster." Snape said picking up a book that lay near Selene. "Is this..."
"I'll take that Severus, thank you." Dumbledore said, taking the book from him. "Will you conjure up a stretcher here for Selene and I'll attend to Harry."
"What is that?" Ron asked pointing to a lump of something that lay in the corner next to Selene. Dumbledore walked over to it and prodded it with his wand, discovering it to be only robes. The twinkle in his eyes died down and his face suddenly showed its age, "I believe that this is all that is left of Voldemort."
"What?" Snape exclaimed, "How can that be?"
Dumbledore clutched the Book of Carmen tightly, "That question is best left for another time."
Sirius tried to stand up, and fell back to his knees. The events of the night had finally caught up with him and he found that his body would no longer respond to him. Dumbledore again knelt down, so he was face to face with the tired wizard. He examined his wounds. Sirius flinched whenever Dumbledore added the slightest bit of pressure to his aching body. "I could try to heal you, but the curse that did this is very complex, and best left to the professionals. Until then..." Dumbledore tapped his wand on Sirius' bandages, which became instantly clean. "That will have to do."
Sirius nodded his appreciation and was attempting to stand once more when Dumbledore said, "Severus, help him."
Both men looked at each other and then at Dumbledore. "Sir.." Snape started.
"I'll be fine." Sirius said flatly.
"You need help, Sirius. Severus if you please." Dumbledore said motioning to Sirius.
Although the two men's hate for each other was great, their respect for Dumbledore was greater. They said nothing else, but neither tried to hide the disgust on their faces at having to be close to the other. Snape helped Sirius off the floor and then helped him walk to the center of the room. Dumbledore pulled another book from his robes, one wrapped in white linen.
"Another portkey?" Sirius asked.
"Yes. We found this one in the library, luckily no one tried to check it out." Dumbledore said and then grabbed the corner of Selene's stretcher and motioned for Ron to do the same with Harry's. "Now everyone touch a corner." Five hands grasped the small book and soon the dark room was quiet once more.
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A/N: I hope the chapter was worth the wait. Sadly, the story is almost at an end. I know this chapter leaves a few questions floating around, like... How did Dumbledore, Snape, and Hermione find them? How exactly did Selene defeat Voldemort? And is the Dark Lord finally gone for good? Well, never fear my friends, these will be answered in the next and final chapter. I will let you in on a little secret though. The building that Selene and Harry were kept in was not nearly as large as Sirius made it out to be. The effects of the curse, and the need to find Selene and Harry made him both slightly irrational and delirious.
I do have a question for my wonderful reviewers out there. I am setting up this story so I can write a sequel to it, however that might be just because I don't want to let the story go. Please let me know what you think about the idea and if I should leave the story as it is or go on with it. The sequel would be much darker. Anyway let me know, and rest assured that if I do decide to do a sequel this part of the story will not end with a cliffhanger.
Daydreaming: In response to your question, the Book of Carmen contains very powerful spells. Among them is the one that Voldemort is planning to use in order to steal Selene's magic. Dumbledore referred to it in chapter 9, although he didn't refer to it by name. Selene did in chapter 15, and spoke of its ability to call to magmani. Hope that answers your question and thanks for the review. -R
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Chapter 17: The Book of Carmen
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Harry felt his body go rigid. He still couldn't see Voldemort, so he stared instead at the direction of the voice. It seemed that Voldemort was waiting for a response, probably only so he could mock him, but it was Selene who spoke next.
"It wasn't fate that brought us together, it was your twisted mind."
A shrill laugh was heard and then suddenly a light appeared. Its source was Lord Voldemort's wand and it cast an eerie light throughout the room. He then used the wand to light a small fire in a corner of the room allowing all three occupants to see each other clearly for the first time. "At last I come face to face with the red witch!" he said as his eyes locked on Selene. She met his gaze, and in the dim light Harry could not mistake the look of pure hatred he saw on her face. "I have so wanted to met you." Voldemort said slyly. "And to think that I have both you and Harry Potter in the same room, and both at my disposal, it almost makes these past fourteen years bearable!"
As if she suddenly remembered that Harry was in the room, Selene stood up quickly and moved in front of Harry, "We are not at your disposal!" she spat at him, anger and hate clear in her voice. Harry sat still behind his aunt, his scar still burning and fear running through him. As selfish as it seemed, he wanted Selene to fight this fight. He was so tired of fighting battles where the odds were greatly against him.
"But you are, Selene." Voldemort said. He thrust the book he was carrying at Selene, "You know what this is, don't you?" he asked. Harry saw Selene stiffen in front of him. Harry also stiffened as he once again felt the whispers clawing at his mind.
When Selene didn't answer Voldemort put the book on the ground and opened it. As soon as he did the whispers of the Book flooded Harry's mind. He forced himself to look at it, but regretted it immediately. It seemed that Harry could now see the worms of thought as they reached out for him. He closed his eyes, but open or shut the images were clear in his mind.
Whatever Harry saw or heard, it was tenfold for Selene. It wasn't mere whispers that Selene heard; instead her entire head was full of voices, calling for her, pleading for her to set them free. Selene tried to resist, but when she did the voices turned to high pitch shrieks that threatened to drive her mad. She approached the book and Voldemort, the closer she came to the Book, the stronger its hold on her. Voldemort watched her approach, with what looked to be glee on his face as he watched Selene battle the Book's call. Harry grabbed his aunt trying to pull her back, but as soon as he touched her, he felt his scar explode with pain. He jerked back and felt his whole body spasm in response to his head, which he was sure was ripping at the site of his scar.
Harry watched helplessly as Selene approached the book. She stood there with her foot touching the binding and appeared as if she was contemplating what to do next. She knelt down next to the book and tried to shut it, but Voldemort grabbed her hand before she could do it. She recoiled at his touch, but he held her firmly. He brought her quickly to her feet and pulled her close to him and whispered into her ear.
"What does the book say to you? What secrets does it hold?" he rasped into Selene's ear.
She could feel Voldemort's breath against her skin and his body pressing against hers. Between the Book and his presence, Selene didn't know how long she was going to be able to withstand either. She hoped that Harry would be able to find a way to escape quickly, before it was too late.
Voldemort, aggravated by her lack of response threw her down. He went over to Selene and pulled her to her feet once more, "Tell me!" he yelled at Selene grabbing her shoulders and shaking them.
Selene stared into the soulless eyes of her adversary and within them she found something that she hadn't expected, desperation. Something suddenly occurred to her and she forced herself to look upon the Book of Carmen, which still lay open on the floor. Upon the cream colored pages were symbols and words etched in crimson ink. The words themselves made no sense to her, but when she looked at them, the voices that came from the Book seemed to be reading the words for her and to her. "He doesn't know how to read the Book. He can't hear the voices." She thought to herself. A smile crept over her face, which only infuriated the Dark Lord more.
"What is it witch?" he snarled. "Why are you smiling?"
"You need me more than you originally thought." She answered. "The Book of Carmen cannot be read by anyone besides a magmanos! You don't know which spell to use, do you?"
Voldemort released Selene and she sagged to the floor. The effort it was taking to hold off the voice of the Book was draining her, but her voice remained strong, "Did you honestly think you could trick me into giving you what you wanted? Is your ego so great that you think I would do your bidding simply if you asked me? You are a fool Voldemort."
"If nothing else, these past fourteen years have taught me to plan ahead. Yes, finding out I was unable to read the Book of Carmen was a stumbling block in my plans, but nothing that I hadn't planned for. I also knew that you would never willing give me the information that I desired." He stopped long enough to approach Selene with his wand raised to her, "At least not without an incentive."
"So you are going to kill me to get the spell you need to take my magic? A little counterproductive don't you think?" Selene said sarcastically.
"Kill you? Oh no my dear. The magic that lies within you is to be my most powerful weapon. I would not chance hurting that power. However..." Voldemort turned his wand on Harry, "he will do just nicely."
As soon as Voldemort finished he sent a reign of fire upon Harry in the form of the Cruciatus Curse. Harry felt every muscle in his body seize simultaneously as the curse burned his skin. His back spasmed so hard he was sure it was going to break, and soon pain was Harry's whole world. He was so consumed by it that he couldn't hear his aunt pleading with Voldemort.
"Voldemort stop! He's only a child!" Selene cried.
"His age does not matter to me."
Selene knew that if she denied Voldemort, he would kill Harry. However if she helped Voldemort, he would still kill Harry. Logic told her that if Voldemort managed to obtain her power the death count would be much greater that her and Harry, and she must not let him take her magic. But as she watched her nephew convulse on the floor, logic took no hold on her heart, she couldn't let him die, not this way.
"Stop it." She said softly, her energy spent. "I will do what you ask."
"Very well." Voldemort said and lifted the spell. Harry's body still shook, but the pain was gone. Exhausted, he made no effort to move from the floor. Voldemort walked over to where Selene was and knelt down in front of her long enough to ask, "You still think me a fool?"
Selene felt the last remaining bit of hope she had fade away.
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The two would be rescuers crouched within an alcove, waiting for the approaching Death Eaters to pass. Sirius clenched his fist in frustration. He hated waiting, and what he hated even more than waiting was hiding, which was exactly what they had been doing ever since they entered the building.
Sirius knew why there were so few Death Eaters outside; it was because they were all inside. He and Ron had not been able to move any further than a few feet from the door, because as soon as they took a step, another Death Eater would appear, forcing them back into their hiding place.
Sirius held his breath as the Death Eaters passed by he and Ron. Like all the others, they too passed by the alcove without seeing the two that crouched within it. Sirius found himself perplexed at their behavior. The alcove was shallow and although the room was dark, anyone with half of their senses intact would be able to spot he and Ron quite easily. He smiled thinking that crediting a Death Eater with any type of sense was quite a jump. However, his smile faded quickly when he realized what would make a Death Eater drop his guard. Invincibility. Sirius' blood ran cold as he thought that they might already be too late, that Voldemort had already killed...no...he wouldn't let himself finish that thought. But an overwhelming urgency to find his wife and his godson overtook him and he decided that he was going to make a run for it, and to hell with the Death Eaters. He was about to make a mad dash down the hall when he felt Ron grab his arm.
"What are you doing?" The boy whispered.
"I can't wait any longer, it is useless to hide. I have to find them."
"What about the Death Eaters?" Ron said nodding in the direction of where the last set had come from.
"I will kill them if needs be."
"With what? Harsh language?" Ron said. Sirius glared at him, but the boy didn't seem to notice. "Look, let's go over our situation. We are two wizards up against at least twenty Death Eaters, that we've seen. Those are normally poor odds, but once you add in the fact that you are not only hurt but are also wandless * and * weaponless, takes you out of the equation.
Sirius' glare deepened, but Ron didn't care.
"So that leaves me, an underage wizard who has problems turning beetles into butterflies. Do you still think that a head to head combat situation is still in our best interest?"
Sirius knew Ron was right, which only increased his already growing frustration at the whole situation. "We do them no good by hiding." he said flatly.
"We do them no good by dying either." This time Ron met Sirius' gaze and saw as if for the first time how desperate the older wizard was to retrieve the two he had lost. "Listen Sirius, I know Harry better than anyone, and I know that the death of his parents plagues him more than he lets on. I also know that there are times that he feels like giving up, but all that changed when you reappeared. Knowing that he had some sort of family, boosted Harry's spirit more than Hermione and I have ever done. So I'm not going to stand by and let you run off and get yourself killed."
Sirius looked at the boy with complete amazement. He had always seen Ron as the tall, lanky, happy-go-lucky counterpart to Harry. He had never realized how deep their friendship was.
"He's lucky to have you as a friend." Sirius said.
"Isn't everyone?" Ron said, the intense seriousness of his face replaced with his usual smile.
Sirius shifted in the alcove, "Still, time is slipping away from us. We need to get past these Death Eaters and find out where they are holding Selene and Harry. But you would have to be damn near invisible to get past them."
"Bloody hell!" Ron cried, "Invisible, of course! I completely forgot!" Ron started rummaging through his robes. Sirius thought the boy had gone completely out of his mind until Ron pulled out a small bundle of cloth, which he unfurled and Sirius recognized it to be James' invisibility cloak. "With all the excitement I forgot that I had it!"
"I'm certainly glad you remembered." Sirius said fingering the soft material, which brought back so many memories of his own adventures underneath it.
The two wrapped the cloak around their shoulders. When they were protectively encased under the transparent fabric they took a look down the two ends of the hallway when another problem arose.
"Okay, now which we do we go?" Ron asked.
Sirius shrugged before realizing how painful the action would be, his body aching from the curse. "I don't know." he said. The door that they had come through had opened into the center of a long hall. Each side looked identical to the other, giving no clues about the direction they should take. Instinct told him right, but if he was wrong there would be no time to retrace their steps. Sirius sighed heavily, his wounds once again making themselves apparent.
As if from nowhere the sounds of footsteps were heard, approaching from the left and the sound of voices followed. Sirius froze, momentarily forgetting that he was under the protection of the cloak. He and Ron moved to the side, so they wouldn't bump into the Death Eaters who were completely immersed in conversation, talking in low hushed voices, signaling that they were up to no good, even for Death Eaters. Sirius strained to hear what they were saying and managed to pick out a few words.
"He's there...her and the boy...it is beginning..."
The other Death Eater replied, "We shouldn't...strict orders...what if..."
The first Death Eater cut him off with a word that sounded to Sirius much like "coward." The Death Eaters walked by where Sirius and Ron were standing and when they did, their voices became clearer, "Once in a lifetime, to see such a thing would be great indeed. Stay if you choose, but I intend to see the transformation." The other Death Eater nodded reluctantly and they continued down the hallway.
Sirius looked at Ron and it was obvious by the look on his face that he had heard exactly what Sirius had. They silently agreed on what would be their next course of action and took off in the direction of the two Death Eaters.
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Voldemort plopped the heavy book down in front of Selene, the impact of it lifting a thin cloud of dust from the floor. Selene's attention, however, was on Harry who still lay unmoving on the floor. She hated herself for what she had brought upon him, and for what she was about to do, but she was all out of options. She would have sacrificed everything to save Lily, and it was no different with Harry.
"Read." Voldemort said. His voice not unlike the Book's as it weaved through her mind. To emphasize his point, Voldemort once again raised his wand to Harry, but stopped when Selene began to slowly turn the pages of the book.
Selene was not prepared for what came next. Once she touched the pages, the voices, which had been lying dormant, once again tore through her mind. This time, however, they were not merely screaming and pleading. Instead they were reading the content of the pages to her, hundreds of voices at once that read different parts of the book simultaneously...
"Fire and ash ...one is needed...ripping through ...two is preferred...skin and muscle...hate is given...green is the hue...love refused...sin of the guilty blood...the will perishes...of the unborn...two become one...the light is gone...putrid the smell...the power is transformed...the end...an innocence ends...becomes...the fire dies...becomes the beginning..."
On and on the voices spoke to Selene, but she centered on a particular voice, "Two become one...the power is transformed." As soon as she fixed her mind on that voice, the others died down. "The power flees the breast of one and rests in the other...two become one...the power is transformed...the fire bird flees...two become one." Selene's heart beat faster. This was the one spell that she needed.
Apparently her face revealed her discovery because Voldemort's voice filtered through the others, "You've found it. Now release it, send your power to me or the boy will suffer."
"You will kill him anyway."
"True. But if you don't do what I say I will arrange something much worse than death for him." He spat out the last word like a serpent.
Selene began to repeat the words that she heard the voice whisper to her. As soon as the first word left her lips, she felt her magic burn within her, pushing against her skin. Selene knew that the magic that the book contained was hideously evil, her own magic not being able to hear it spoken. Still she spoke the next word and the next until her insides felt like they were about to burst through her skin. She fell backwards, semi-conscious, unable to speak the last word of the spell.
Unknown to her or Voldemort, Harry had come to his senses and had watched the scene with horror. He knew what was happening to Selene, because unlike Voldemort he had understood every word that she had said.
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Hermione watched the night creep on. The rain had stopped and the wind had died down, but this had done nothing to alleviate her worries. It had been over twenty minutes since Ron and Sirius had disappeared into the strange building. She had promised Sirius to go for help if they were not back, but Hermione found herself unwilling to do so. She couldn't leave her friends, while she fled for help. Hermione knew that if she did, they would all be dead by the time she returned.
She felt completely useless sitting in the brush, waiting for them to return, or waiting to be caught by the Death Eaters. She had had to perform her confusion spell a few more times to keep the Death Eaters away from her, but she knew they would soon grow suspicious and find her eventually. She suddenly wished she had the invisibility cloak with her.
"Hermione calm down." She chided herself. This type of panic was not appropriate for the top student at Hogwarts. "If they figure out this spell you can simply come up with another one." she paused, listening as some animal moved through the surrounding trees. "After all, you're smart, everyone always tells you that." she said in quivering voice. Hermione didn't feel very smart now, instead she felt terrified. But then again put anyone else in this situation and they would be scared too, she thought. She smiled as she envisioned Malfoy out in the woods alone shaking and calling for his mum.
Her confidence had slowly returned, when she heard footsteps approaching. Her terror returning she scrambled behind a large tree and waited. The footsteps had surprised her because they were coming from behind her, rather than in front. The Death Eaters must have circled around, trying to pinpoint the noises her spell was making. She cursed herself for not realizing the risk. Hermione looked around realizing how desperate her situation had become. She couldn't move away from the footsteps, as that would lead her straight into the eyesight of the Death Eater guarding the door. Nor could she move to the right or left, which would also bring her into view of the Death Eater. So she waited, her heart beating louder as the footsteps grew nearer. She peered around the tree and saw the tall grass and low branches of other trees move as they were swept aside by the oncoming shoes and robes. Finally when they had almost reached her tree she jumped from her hiding place and pointed her wand at whoever had stumbled across her. What she saw made her drop her wand, "Pro..Professor?"
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"Get up witch!" Voldemort screamed, and reached down to grab Selene by the collar of her robes and lift her head to his. "I said get up and finish what you..." he was cut of by what he saw when he turned towards the Book of Carmen. Harry Potter was standing there with the Book tucked firmly under his arm. Having the Book shut again brought Selene back to her senses.
"PUT THAT DOWN BOY!" Voldemort shrieked with a voice that made every inch of Harry's skin crawl.
"Let her go!" Harry yelled.
Voldemort laughed mirthlessly, "Or what? You will fight me? Fine, I'll pry the book from your cold fingers then."
"It seems you forget what happened the last time we fought. It didn't go very well for you did it?" Harry said, not knowing where he had found the courage to say it.
Voldemort dropped Selene back to the floor, exactly what Harry had wanted. He then approached Harry, "I assure you the outcome will be different this time!"
"Oh like when I overcame Tom Riddle? Or when I defeated you as an infant?" The last comment struck a nerve with Voldemort who now was beside himself with fury. Selene forgotten, he lunged at Harry who dodged him. Voldemort quickly recovered and was about to strike at Harry again when Harry opened the Book of Carmen long enough to tear out the page that Selene had been reading. The Book screamed and Harry's mind was once again flooded with voices. This time they were screaming in pain. Harry glanced quickly at Selene, her face was tight showing that she heard exactly what he did. The noise grew so intense that Harry threw the book against the wall, trying to get it as far away from him as possible.
If it was possible, Voldemort's eyes narrowed even further, and Harry could feel his gaze burning through him. Whatever happened next, Harry knew things were not going to go well for him. Still his mind was made up on what he was going to do next. He turned to Selene, "I'm sorry, but I couldn't let you do it." And with all the courage he could muster he tore the page in small pieces. "Leave my family alone Voldemort!"
Voldemort exploded with rage, his speech becoming more serpent-like, and his movements less human. "Then join me in hell, Harry Potter." Harry then recognized an all too familiar green light coming towards him, and was vaguely aware that Selene was screaming his name.
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Ron and Sirius had been following the two Death Eaters for what seemed like hours. It had appeared that this old building had hundreds of doors and even more twists and turns. Sirius had tried to memorize the way back to the front door, but had soon given up. However, now they had abandoned the doors and corners for stairs, lots of stairs. At least it seemed to be a great number to Sirius, who was beginning to feel the impact of his wounds constantly. He stopped momentarily and leaned against the wall. Ron stopped with him and mouthed, "Are you okay?" Sirius nodded, and the two continued.
Sirius slipped his hand under his robes, and felt the makeshift bandages that Hermione had made. They were still wrapped tightly around him, but when he withdrew his hand, it was wet with blood. He wiped it of quickly, but finally had to admit to himself, that if he didn't get help soon, he was going to be of use to no one. Finally the stairs leveled off and the two followed the others down yet another long hallway. The hallway ended with a set of very large oak doors. The Death Eaters stopped and one of them put their ear to the door. He nodded and the other mumbled a few words, making a small section of the wood almost transparent.
Ron squinted and he could see three figures. He immediately recognized one to be Harry, and he stepped forward tripping on the edge of the invisibility cloak and landing with a hard thud. The Death Eaters turned and saw them. Ron hurriedly picked himself off the floor and stood beside Sirius. The two Death Eaters approached as Sirius and Ron struggled to put the cloak back on again. They succeeded just in time to avoid an onslaught of curses. However, the Death Eaters knew they were there and sent curse after curse into the hallway hoping that one would hit its mark. "Sirius I have an idea." Ron said, as they just barely missed getting hit by the same curse Sirius had been hit with earlier.
"What?" Sirius asked, breathing heavily.
"What we need is a decoy. And luckily, decoy is my middle name."
"What are you talking about?"
"Sooner or later they are going to hit us, so I'll get out from under the cloak..."
"No."
"And you can get them from behind."
"I said no. They will kill you."
"No one can catch a Weasley, just ask Fred and George. Besides if we just sit here, they will kill us anyway."
"Then let me go."
"I don't think so." Ron said thrusting his wand into the older wizard's hand. "Beetles and butterflies, remember?"
And before Sirius could stop him, Ron left the concealment of the cloak and ran in front of the two Death Eaters. They saw him immediately. Sirius ran behind the Death Eaters unseen, the room was dancing with the light of the spells from the Death Eaters' wands. Finally Sirius found a good angle and with Ron's wand he lifted the two cloaked figures into the air and sent them crashing into each other, rendering them both unconscious.
Sirius found Ron who, besides having singed hair, appeared to be fine. Sirius had just touched the handle of the door when they heard Selene scream behind it and a green light flashed under the door.
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Harry instinctively put his hand out in front of him, to block the curse, although he knew it would do nothing. However, as soon as the green light touched his hand he felt a rush of warmth flow through his body and out of his hand. "Selene's magic." he thought. It was protecting him from the curse. The green light surrounded his body, but could not touch him.
Selene watched her magic protecting Harry, but she knew it would not last for long. Even a powerful magmanos could not stand against the Avada Kedavra curse for long, meaning that her magic only provided Harry with mere seconds of protection.
She scrambled across the room to where the Book was laying. She flipped through the pages, and for the first time welcomed the voices she heard. She listened for a particular voice, which finally stirred in her ear. She concentrated on it, trying hard to remember every word.
Harry felt his body getting heavier, the green light coming closer to his flesh. He felt like his life was slowly being sucked away from him.
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Sirius grabbed the doorknob and tried to turn it, but it was locked. Fear coursed through his veins. Foolishly he threw himself against the doors, but was rewarded only by a wave of pain that echoed throughout his body. Ron pulled at the knob as hard as he could, and when that didn't work he kicked the doors in anger. Sirius, using his good shoulder, pushed against the doors and Ron soon joined him. The two pushed with all their might, but the great doors would not budge.
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Selene stood up and walked over to Voldemort who said, "I'm about to break through. In a few more seconds your nephew will be dead, just like your sister."
Selene walked around Voldemort almost seductively waving her hand in front of him, "You wanted to feel my magic coursing through your veins, then I grant you your wish." She then grabbed Voldemort's arm and began repeating the new spell out loud. She felt her own magic rise up against her words and threatened to lash out at her once more. This time however, she would not allow it. As she said the words, tears streaked down her face. She knew what she was sacrificing in doing this, the risk she was taking. But it had to be done, Harry could not be killed, and Voldemort could not come to power again, no matter what the price.
Suddenly the Avada Kedavra curse lifted, and Harry fell to the floor. He looked at Selene and as the magic left his body, he managed to hear her say, "Through the sin of the guilty what was separate is parted, what was parted joined, the body perishes, the spirit remains...." The magic left him then, and he could no longer understand what Selene was saying, but he wasn't sure he wanted to hear anymore. The sounds he heard were harsh and cold, and her voice sounded much like the voice of the Book. However, it was the look on Voldemort's face that stunned Harry, Voldemort looked terrified. The last thing Harry saw before unconsciousness overtook him was a bright yellow light that consumed both Selene and Voldemort.
The oak doors suddenly flung themselves open, spilling Sirius and Ron unto the floor. Ron looked up, preparing himself to see Voldemort, but he wasn't there. The room was incredibly dark, a small amount of light from the hall lit the room enough so that Ron could make out the figure of Harry, who was lying on his side a few yards away from him. Ron moved towards his friend and turned him on his back, and saw that he was breathing. A wave of relief swept over him and he called out, "Sirius, Harry's okay, knocked out, but okay." When he didn't receive an answer he looked around and squinted through the darkness to see Sirius kneeling next to what appeared to be Selene, "Is she okay?" he called into the darkness. It took a few seconds for Sirius to reply, and Ron found himself holding his breath.
"She's okay." Sirius said. Ron released his held breath in a deep sigh.
Suddenly they heard footsteps approaching once more. "Oh no." said Ron, fear filling him again, at the thought of more Death Eaters. Ron closed his eyes as he heard the footsteps get closer and closer and finally step through the door. He opened his eyes slowly and saw..."Hermione!" he yelled. He blinked twice to make sure it was her, and watched as she came over to him and looked at Harry.
"Is he okay?" she asked.
"I think so. How did you get down here?" he asked her and she turned aside so he could see that Dumbledore stood in the doorway, along with Snape. He would have almost preferred a Death Eater to the look on the latter's face.
Dumbledore walked over and knelt down beside Sirius "How is she?"
"Alive." he said.
Dumbledore breathed a sigh of relief. "Let's get them out of here."
"Headmaster." Snape said picking up a book that lay near Selene. "Is this..."
"I'll take that Severus, thank you." Dumbledore said, taking the book from him. "Will you conjure up a stretcher here for Selene and I'll attend to Harry."
"What is that?" Ron asked pointing to a lump of something that lay in the corner next to Selene. Dumbledore walked over to it and prodded it with his wand, discovering it to be only robes. The twinkle in his eyes died down and his face suddenly showed its age, "I believe that this is all that is left of Voldemort."
"What?" Snape exclaimed, "How can that be?"
Dumbledore clutched the Book of Carmen tightly, "That question is best left for another time."
Sirius tried to stand up, and fell back to his knees. The events of the night had finally caught up with him and he found that his body would no longer respond to him. Dumbledore again knelt down, so he was face to face with the tired wizard. He examined his wounds. Sirius flinched whenever Dumbledore added the slightest bit of pressure to his aching body. "I could try to heal you, but the curse that did this is very complex, and best left to the professionals. Until then..." Dumbledore tapped his wand on Sirius' bandages, which became instantly clean. "That will have to do."
Sirius nodded his appreciation and was attempting to stand once more when Dumbledore said, "Severus, help him."
Both men looked at each other and then at Dumbledore. "Sir.." Snape started.
"I'll be fine." Sirius said flatly.
"You need help, Sirius. Severus if you please." Dumbledore said motioning to Sirius.
Although the two men's hate for each other was great, their respect for Dumbledore was greater. They said nothing else, but neither tried to hide the disgust on their faces at having to be close to the other. Snape helped Sirius off the floor and then helped him walk to the center of the room. Dumbledore pulled another book from his robes, one wrapped in white linen.
"Another portkey?" Sirius asked.
"Yes. We found this one in the library, luckily no one tried to check it out." Dumbledore said and then grabbed the corner of Selene's stretcher and motioned for Ron to do the same with Harry's. "Now everyone touch a corner." Five hands grasped the small book and soon the dark room was quiet once more.
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A/N: I hope the chapter was worth the wait. Sadly, the story is almost at an end. I know this chapter leaves a few questions floating around, like... How did Dumbledore, Snape, and Hermione find them? How exactly did Selene defeat Voldemort? And is the Dark Lord finally gone for good? Well, never fear my friends, these will be answered in the next and final chapter. I will let you in on a little secret though. The building that Selene and Harry were kept in was not nearly as large as Sirius made it out to be. The effects of the curse, and the need to find Selene and Harry made him both slightly irrational and delirious.
I do have a question for my wonderful reviewers out there. I am setting up this story so I can write a sequel to it, however that might be just because I don't want to let the story go. Please let me know what you think about the idea and if I should leave the story as it is or go on with it. The sequel would be much darker. Anyway let me know, and rest assured that if I do decide to do a sequel this part of the story will not end with a cliffhanger.