Walking With the Dead
Chapter 11
After hearing the wailing that came through the hole that hung in the air, Harry was surprised to find that the Ghost Roads were nothing like he had imagined them to be.
He'd imagined a windy place, full of rain and lightning. He'd imagined a war zone, full of pain and suffering. Looking around though, he saw nothing but a gray mist. Every once in a while, he saw a wispy shape that resembled a person but, mostly, there was. nothing. It was a depressing place that could make one lose all hope and quit trying. Looking down, he saw he was standing on a road that was five feet across and looked to go on forever. Even though his feet seemed to be touching the dusty ground, he couldn't feel it. He got the feeling that no matter how far he walked, the gray nothingness would never end.
Grabbing Destiny's hand, so as not to get lost, he started to walk.
"How long will we be here?" he whispered to her.
"An hour, though it will seem like must longer."
And indeed it did feel like hours. The scenery never changed and they never seemed to make much progress. Every few minutes Destiny would look around, muttering something in a language he couldn't understand- he assumed it was Latin. After one of these incidents, she stopped walking completely.
"Why are we stopping?" Sirius asked curiously. "Are we there?"
Shaking her head slowly, she glanced over her shoulder. "Something's wrong."
"What!"
"Shush!" Looking around again, she spoke her Latin phrase. After a moment's hesitation, a look of panic crossed over her face. "They're not listening!"
"Who?" Remus asked quietly. "You seem to be speaking Latin but it sounds. wrong. I can't understand what you're saying-"
"It's not Latin, it's ancient Egyptian and I was talking to the spirits."
"What were-" Remus said before Destiny interrupted by shouting, "Stay away!" Grabbing their hands, she took off at a run.
"Why are we running?" Harry asked worriedly as he jogged along next to her.
"I'm getting to old for this!" Remus exclaimed right behind them.
"Well you may not have to worry about your age much longer if we don't get out of here! The ghosts are closing in on the road. Move it!"
Just as a slit of colored light came into view, Harry heard Remus let out a cry of fear and pain. Looking over his shoulder, he slid to a stop.
"Professor Lupin!"
Several ghosts were pulling him off the road as he struggled to escape. Looking over at Sirius, Harry saw him heading towards Remus.
"No!" Destiny shouted at her father, running up and shoving him backwards. "Take Harry and get out of here!"
"I'm not leaving him behind!"
"Your first priority is your godson!"
"I'm not leaving any of you behind!"
"You promised! Take Harry and go! I'll be fine! This is the world to which I belong; they won't hurt me!"
Turning away from them, she ran up to where the struggle was still going on and started shoving them aside. "Remus! Head towards the exit! Don't wait for me!" Directing her energy to keeping the spirits focused on her, she freed the werewolf enough to allow him to make a run for it. Not waiting for anything else, he ran to the exit, dragging Harry and Sirius with him.
As they fell out of the whole in the air, Harry suddenly thought, 'Without Destiny, we have no way to open the Ghost Roads to help her!'
Trying to untangle their limbs after the fall was quite an ordeal. The hole had been six feet in the air and they had all fallen into a pile. Climbing to his feet, he looked around. They were standing in a little cemetery not far from the city of Bristol and the entrance to the Ghost Roads was no where in sight.
*****
Looking around frantically for the fifteen year old girl, Remus began to panic. She was nowhere to be seen. He knew he shouldn't have left her but panic had set in and instinct had taken over, forcing him to run.
'That's no excuse!' he berated himself. 'She's a child, you're an adult. You're the one who's supposed to protect her, not the other way around!'
"Where is she?" Sirius asked as he glanced frantically around the cemetery.
"I think she's still on the Ghost Roads," Remus whispered, horrified.
Spinning around to face him, Sirius yelled, "This is your fault! We should have stayed and helped!"
"We were in the way!"
"We were not!"
"Yes we were!"
"Is that what you're going to tell yourself from now on as you lay flowers on her GRAVE!"
Stepping back as if he'd been punched, Remus snarled angrily, "Those roads are a part of who she is. We don't belong there, that's why we were attacked! If she hadn't had to protect us, she wouldn't still be there-"
"Stop it!" Harry yelled. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he began again. "She'll be fine. We know she's been on there before, so she'll be okay."
'He doesn't believe that,' Remus thought. "Right, we'll just wait here for her."
After about twenty minutes, they began to grow desperate.
"She's dead! I know she is!" Sirius suddenly cried.
Giving him a nasty look, Harry raised his head off of his hands. "What is with you tonight? You're constantly freaking out!"
"I know. I'm just stressed, what with the Destiny dilemma and all. Sorry."
"Ah!"
Spinning around, Remus saw Destiny sprawled on the grass.
"Destiny!" Sirius shouted. "You're alive!" Running over to her, he hugged her, lifting her clear off of the ground.
"What the- put me down!" Destiny yelped, trying to wiggle away. "I can't breath!"
"Oh," Sirius said sheepishly, "whoops." Setting her down, she looked like she'd just been through a tornado.
"What happened?" Harry asked.
"Got into a bit of a fight, scared them. Not much really."
"What took so long then?"
"I was recruiting. Sorry to worry you." Clasping her hands together, she gave them a mischievous grin and exclaimed, "All right, Crickey! Let's get this show on the road!"
"Crickey?" Sirius whispered to Remus.
"Muggle movie reference," Harry answered. "Don't worry about it." Turing, Harry hurried after Destiny.
When Remus and Sirius caught up with them, Destiny was pouring a circle of salt and setting white candles on the ground.
Turning to face them, she asked, "Are you ready? Good. Put your hoods back on and keep them up. If anyone shows up, you two-" Pointing to Sirius and Remus, she continued, "apparate out of here. I'll take Harry with me onto the Ghost Roads. Also, by this, I mean ANYONE. No hesitation, just go back to the school and I'll get Harry back safely. Alrighty then, you three stand over there next to that tree and watch. I'll let you talk to the people if I can get them onto my side. Don't talk until I say you can." Stepping into the circle, she folded her hands into her sleeves and mist began to rise. Raising her arms, she brought them together in front of her. Lightning struck and the ground began to bubble with blood.
*****
Sirius Black watched as his only child made blood bubble up from the earth. 'Every time I see her, she does something to freak me out!' he thought. No matter what he said to anybody else, he had to admit he was happy she existed. He was also very proud that even with her awful upbringing, she had still managed to end up sweet and pure. He was grateful that she was the type of person who would put others before herself and made sure that her selfish impulses helped others. He was very glad that he had the privilege of being able to know her.
'I swear that I'll find a way to get free and give you and Harry a good home. I will NOT let either of you return to a place where you are unloved!'
Turning his attention back to the ceremony, he saw that Destiny was muttering quietly and making runic symbols with her hand, in the air.
"What is she doing?" Sirius whispered to Remus.
"She's attempting to get a soul from this graveyard to come forth and make a bargain with her."
"Will she be able to?"
Shrugging, Remus turned his attention back to what was happening before him.
The wind began to blow harder, spraying Destiny with the blood.
"I conjure thee!" Destiny yelled in conclusion, completely oblivious to the wind and blood.
The wind immediately froze. Not a leaf twitched. The flame of the candles shot up so high they completely obscured the Necromancer from their line of vision. When the flames went down, everything returned to normal. Night sounds could be heard and the cemetery resumed its December wind. The only thing out of the ordinary was that there was a second person standing in the circle. and they were transparent.
*****
Remus could only stare at the spirit before him. He opened and closed his mouth like a fish several times while trying to comprehend what he was seeing. 'I should have known. I should have realized where we were! Why didn't I see?'
The spirit before him was beautiful. She had long brown hair with fluffy bangs and large brown eyes.
It was the one person he'd never thought to see again, his beloved wife Katherine.
*****
'No. It can't be,' Sirius thought numbly.
But it was. It was Katherine Carrillo Lupin, Remus' dead wife.
His mind numbly replayed Destiny's words: 'I'm calling someone you all know.'
'Well, we definitely knew her alright.'
With a start, he realized that Kat was speaking.
*****
Destiny felt slightly bad for not telling them who she was conjuring. but not bad enough to stop. She needed Katherine Carrillo Lupin to give her the information she needed to find the Potters. She had tried repeatedly, for days, to call them with absolutely no luck. She'd asked for all of the spirits that she had conjured to be on the look out for them. Maybe an old friend of there's would know.
"Hello Katherine. How are you today?"
With a bitter smile, she spoke. "I'm dead, that should pretty much explain it all."
Immediately deciding she liked this slightly sarcastic girl, Destiny continued, "Do you know who I am?"
"All spirits know of you. You are the one who will stop all the unnecessary deaths. the one who will set the victims free so that we will no longer have to wonder the roads of the dead for all of eternity. So that we will no longer be the lost ones. You're the Necromancer."
Nodding, Destiny said, "But there is more. Do you know?"
"I know. You are the child the Potters take care of."
'Bingo!' she thought.
"You're Sirius Black's daughter." Pausing for a moment, she seemed to be considering something. "They talk about you a lot. Almost as much as they do Harry. Lily's already decided you're to marry Harry. She's got the wedding all planned out."
Shifting uncomfortably, Destiny murmured, "I know." Clearing her throat, she quickly changed the subject. "I've called you forth to ask you to join me in the fight against Voldemort. What do you say? Become a spy and help; have the chance to move on, or. remain on those gray roads for all eternity?"
"You do not have to threaten me. I'll help you." Pausing, she looked over Destiny's shoulder. "May I speak with them?"
Nodding, Destiny stepped aside so Katherine could speak to her living friends.
*****
When Destiny stepped aside, Remus almost fainted.
"Kat?" Remus whispered in disbelief.
"Hello Remus. How have you been?"
"I've missed you so much." Remus whispered, blinking back tears.
Giving him a hard look, she stated, "You've spent all this time torturing yourself over my death. You never moved on."
"How could I?"
Giving him a sad look, she replied, "By finding another to love. It's bad enough to be trapped on earth without the knowledge that you're destroying yourself. Please. just let me go. Set us both free from the suffering. You don't have to feel guilty about it, just try."
"I don't want to! I want to be with you-"
"No!" she said looking horrified. "It's not your time. Besides, everyday above ground is a special day. Make the most of it. You'll never know how special life is until you no longer have it."
"Um. Kat?" Sirius said quietly. "How's Lily and James?"
Looking surprised, Katherine turned to him. "Didn't Destiny tell you?"
"Tell me what?"
"That they practically raised her? They just recently left so she could do her job by instinct rather than by orders."
"No," Sirius said, giving Destiny a nasty look, "she forgot to mention it."
"Speaking of which," Destiny said suddenly, "have you seen them lately?"
Giving her a sly smile, Katherine replied with, "Set me free and I'll help you."
Destiny laughed. "A marauder 'til the end! Alright, free you are!"
Reaching for her hand, Destiny cut the salt circle and stepped out with the spirit. Katherine immediately vanished. Turning back to the circle, Destiny banished the blood and collected her things. Using a wind charm, she blew all the salt away so that the only evidence of the night was the mark on the ground where the lightning had struck.
Turning to where the ghost hovered next to Remus, she asked, "Would you-"
"Well now, what have we here?"
Keeping her back to the voice, Destiny whispered to Remus and Sirius, "Go! Apparate! It will draw the attention of the Ministry! Kat, go get Lily and James and please HURRY!" Drawing herself up to her full height, she turned to face Voldemort. "What do YOU want?" she asked disdainfully. Under her breath- and thanking God that she'd worn a hood that hid her face- she whispered to Harry, "When I open the Ghost Roads, run for it. Just keep walking until you reach the light at the other end."
"Ah, the little Necromancer. I'm here for the answer you promised me. What do you say? Live and be powerful by my side, or. die screaming."
"Oh! I'll take screaming for three hundred, please!"
Hearing the popping sound of apparation, she quickly made the slash with the magic that danced at her fingertips and moved to allow Harry a way to escape. Without hesitation, Harry threw himself through the hole. With a wave of her hand, the entrance vanished.
"Now, where were we? Oh yes, I remember."
Giving a growl of annoyance, Voldemort hissed, "Kill her!" With that, he apparated away.
As the Death Eaters closed in around her, she couldn't help but think of how much she was going to enjoy making the pain they had inflicted on their victims come back to haunt them.
*****
As Harry fell through the hole onto the Ghost Roads, the wind got knocked out of him.
"Ouch!" he gasped in pain. Quickly climbing to his feet, he started off in the direction of Godric Hollow Cemetery. After walking for what seemed like forever, Harry checked his watch. An hour and a half had passed. He was lost. Trying desperately not to panic, Harry looked around himself.
'I wonder if I can get one of those ghosts to help me.' As he was stepping towards the edge of the gray road, he froze. 'What am I doing? She said, no matter what, stay on the road!' Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he decided to head back in the direction he had come.
Turning around, he froze.
"Mum?"
A/N: Thanks to T B-klo, shayomac, nycgal, Dezzy 2002, Azalai (oh, I'm blushing! I so agree! Cassandra Claire's the BEST!), Seduceastranger, erieka127, Nicanole-15, and susie.
** ncygal: Sirius acts more like a brother than a father does because he's never had the chance to be a parent. Even though he treats Harry like a son, it's because he knows Harry. He doesn't really know Destiny yet. He also doesn't know how to treat a girl because, well, he's not one. **
Chapter 11
After hearing the wailing that came through the hole that hung in the air, Harry was surprised to find that the Ghost Roads were nothing like he had imagined them to be.
He'd imagined a windy place, full of rain and lightning. He'd imagined a war zone, full of pain and suffering. Looking around though, he saw nothing but a gray mist. Every once in a while, he saw a wispy shape that resembled a person but, mostly, there was. nothing. It was a depressing place that could make one lose all hope and quit trying. Looking down, he saw he was standing on a road that was five feet across and looked to go on forever. Even though his feet seemed to be touching the dusty ground, he couldn't feel it. He got the feeling that no matter how far he walked, the gray nothingness would never end.
Grabbing Destiny's hand, so as not to get lost, he started to walk.
"How long will we be here?" he whispered to her.
"An hour, though it will seem like must longer."
And indeed it did feel like hours. The scenery never changed and they never seemed to make much progress. Every few minutes Destiny would look around, muttering something in a language he couldn't understand- he assumed it was Latin. After one of these incidents, she stopped walking completely.
"Why are we stopping?" Sirius asked curiously. "Are we there?"
Shaking her head slowly, she glanced over her shoulder. "Something's wrong."
"What!"
"Shush!" Looking around again, she spoke her Latin phrase. After a moment's hesitation, a look of panic crossed over her face. "They're not listening!"
"Who?" Remus asked quietly. "You seem to be speaking Latin but it sounds. wrong. I can't understand what you're saying-"
"It's not Latin, it's ancient Egyptian and I was talking to the spirits."
"What were-" Remus said before Destiny interrupted by shouting, "Stay away!" Grabbing their hands, she took off at a run.
"Why are we running?" Harry asked worriedly as he jogged along next to her.
"I'm getting to old for this!" Remus exclaimed right behind them.
"Well you may not have to worry about your age much longer if we don't get out of here! The ghosts are closing in on the road. Move it!"
Just as a slit of colored light came into view, Harry heard Remus let out a cry of fear and pain. Looking over his shoulder, he slid to a stop.
"Professor Lupin!"
Several ghosts were pulling him off the road as he struggled to escape. Looking over at Sirius, Harry saw him heading towards Remus.
"No!" Destiny shouted at her father, running up and shoving him backwards. "Take Harry and get out of here!"
"I'm not leaving him behind!"
"Your first priority is your godson!"
"I'm not leaving any of you behind!"
"You promised! Take Harry and go! I'll be fine! This is the world to which I belong; they won't hurt me!"
Turning away from them, she ran up to where the struggle was still going on and started shoving them aside. "Remus! Head towards the exit! Don't wait for me!" Directing her energy to keeping the spirits focused on her, she freed the werewolf enough to allow him to make a run for it. Not waiting for anything else, he ran to the exit, dragging Harry and Sirius with him.
As they fell out of the whole in the air, Harry suddenly thought, 'Without Destiny, we have no way to open the Ghost Roads to help her!'
Trying to untangle their limbs after the fall was quite an ordeal. The hole had been six feet in the air and they had all fallen into a pile. Climbing to his feet, he looked around. They were standing in a little cemetery not far from the city of Bristol and the entrance to the Ghost Roads was no where in sight.
*****
Looking around frantically for the fifteen year old girl, Remus began to panic. She was nowhere to be seen. He knew he shouldn't have left her but panic had set in and instinct had taken over, forcing him to run.
'That's no excuse!' he berated himself. 'She's a child, you're an adult. You're the one who's supposed to protect her, not the other way around!'
"Where is she?" Sirius asked as he glanced frantically around the cemetery.
"I think she's still on the Ghost Roads," Remus whispered, horrified.
Spinning around to face him, Sirius yelled, "This is your fault! We should have stayed and helped!"
"We were in the way!"
"We were not!"
"Yes we were!"
"Is that what you're going to tell yourself from now on as you lay flowers on her GRAVE!"
Stepping back as if he'd been punched, Remus snarled angrily, "Those roads are a part of who she is. We don't belong there, that's why we were attacked! If she hadn't had to protect us, she wouldn't still be there-"
"Stop it!" Harry yelled. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he began again. "She'll be fine. We know she's been on there before, so she'll be okay."
'He doesn't believe that,' Remus thought. "Right, we'll just wait here for her."
After about twenty minutes, they began to grow desperate.
"She's dead! I know she is!" Sirius suddenly cried.
Giving him a nasty look, Harry raised his head off of his hands. "What is with you tonight? You're constantly freaking out!"
"I know. I'm just stressed, what with the Destiny dilemma and all. Sorry."
"Ah!"
Spinning around, Remus saw Destiny sprawled on the grass.
"Destiny!" Sirius shouted. "You're alive!" Running over to her, he hugged her, lifting her clear off of the ground.
"What the- put me down!" Destiny yelped, trying to wiggle away. "I can't breath!"
"Oh," Sirius said sheepishly, "whoops." Setting her down, she looked like she'd just been through a tornado.
"What happened?" Harry asked.
"Got into a bit of a fight, scared them. Not much really."
"What took so long then?"
"I was recruiting. Sorry to worry you." Clasping her hands together, she gave them a mischievous grin and exclaimed, "All right, Crickey! Let's get this show on the road!"
"Crickey?" Sirius whispered to Remus.
"Muggle movie reference," Harry answered. "Don't worry about it." Turing, Harry hurried after Destiny.
When Remus and Sirius caught up with them, Destiny was pouring a circle of salt and setting white candles on the ground.
Turning to face them, she asked, "Are you ready? Good. Put your hoods back on and keep them up. If anyone shows up, you two-" Pointing to Sirius and Remus, she continued, "apparate out of here. I'll take Harry with me onto the Ghost Roads. Also, by this, I mean ANYONE. No hesitation, just go back to the school and I'll get Harry back safely. Alrighty then, you three stand over there next to that tree and watch. I'll let you talk to the people if I can get them onto my side. Don't talk until I say you can." Stepping into the circle, she folded her hands into her sleeves and mist began to rise. Raising her arms, she brought them together in front of her. Lightning struck and the ground began to bubble with blood.
*****
Sirius Black watched as his only child made blood bubble up from the earth. 'Every time I see her, she does something to freak me out!' he thought. No matter what he said to anybody else, he had to admit he was happy she existed. He was also very proud that even with her awful upbringing, she had still managed to end up sweet and pure. He was grateful that she was the type of person who would put others before herself and made sure that her selfish impulses helped others. He was very glad that he had the privilege of being able to know her.
'I swear that I'll find a way to get free and give you and Harry a good home. I will NOT let either of you return to a place where you are unloved!'
Turning his attention back to the ceremony, he saw that Destiny was muttering quietly and making runic symbols with her hand, in the air.
"What is she doing?" Sirius whispered to Remus.
"She's attempting to get a soul from this graveyard to come forth and make a bargain with her."
"Will she be able to?"
Shrugging, Remus turned his attention back to what was happening before him.
The wind began to blow harder, spraying Destiny with the blood.
"I conjure thee!" Destiny yelled in conclusion, completely oblivious to the wind and blood.
The wind immediately froze. Not a leaf twitched. The flame of the candles shot up so high they completely obscured the Necromancer from their line of vision. When the flames went down, everything returned to normal. Night sounds could be heard and the cemetery resumed its December wind. The only thing out of the ordinary was that there was a second person standing in the circle. and they were transparent.
*****
Remus could only stare at the spirit before him. He opened and closed his mouth like a fish several times while trying to comprehend what he was seeing. 'I should have known. I should have realized where we were! Why didn't I see?'
The spirit before him was beautiful. She had long brown hair with fluffy bangs and large brown eyes.
It was the one person he'd never thought to see again, his beloved wife Katherine.
*****
'No. It can't be,' Sirius thought numbly.
But it was. It was Katherine Carrillo Lupin, Remus' dead wife.
His mind numbly replayed Destiny's words: 'I'm calling someone you all know.'
'Well, we definitely knew her alright.'
With a start, he realized that Kat was speaking.
*****
Destiny felt slightly bad for not telling them who she was conjuring. but not bad enough to stop. She needed Katherine Carrillo Lupin to give her the information she needed to find the Potters. She had tried repeatedly, for days, to call them with absolutely no luck. She'd asked for all of the spirits that she had conjured to be on the look out for them. Maybe an old friend of there's would know.
"Hello Katherine. How are you today?"
With a bitter smile, she spoke. "I'm dead, that should pretty much explain it all."
Immediately deciding she liked this slightly sarcastic girl, Destiny continued, "Do you know who I am?"
"All spirits know of you. You are the one who will stop all the unnecessary deaths. the one who will set the victims free so that we will no longer have to wonder the roads of the dead for all of eternity. So that we will no longer be the lost ones. You're the Necromancer."
Nodding, Destiny said, "But there is more. Do you know?"
"I know. You are the child the Potters take care of."
'Bingo!' she thought.
"You're Sirius Black's daughter." Pausing for a moment, she seemed to be considering something. "They talk about you a lot. Almost as much as they do Harry. Lily's already decided you're to marry Harry. She's got the wedding all planned out."
Shifting uncomfortably, Destiny murmured, "I know." Clearing her throat, she quickly changed the subject. "I've called you forth to ask you to join me in the fight against Voldemort. What do you say? Become a spy and help; have the chance to move on, or. remain on those gray roads for all eternity?"
"You do not have to threaten me. I'll help you." Pausing, she looked over Destiny's shoulder. "May I speak with them?"
Nodding, Destiny stepped aside so Katherine could speak to her living friends.
*****
When Destiny stepped aside, Remus almost fainted.
"Kat?" Remus whispered in disbelief.
"Hello Remus. How have you been?"
"I've missed you so much." Remus whispered, blinking back tears.
Giving him a hard look, she stated, "You've spent all this time torturing yourself over my death. You never moved on."
"How could I?"
Giving him a sad look, she replied, "By finding another to love. It's bad enough to be trapped on earth without the knowledge that you're destroying yourself. Please. just let me go. Set us both free from the suffering. You don't have to feel guilty about it, just try."
"I don't want to! I want to be with you-"
"No!" she said looking horrified. "It's not your time. Besides, everyday above ground is a special day. Make the most of it. You'll never know how special life is until you no longer have it."
"Um. Kat?" Sirius said quietly. "How's Lily and James?"
Looking surprised, Katherine turned to him. "Didn't Destiny tell you?"
"Tell me what?"
"That they practically raised her? They just recently left so she could do her job by instinct rather than by orders."
"No," Sirius said, giving Destiny a nasty look, "she forgot to mention it."
"Speaking of which," Destiny said suddenly, "have you seen them lately?"
Giving her a sly smile, Katherine replied with, "Set me free and I'll help you."
Destiny laughed. "A marauder 'til the end! Alright, free you are!"
Reaching for her hand, Destiny cut the salt circle and stepped out with the spirit. Katherine immediately vanished. Turning back to the circle, Destiny banished the blood and collected her things. Using a wind charm, she blew all the salt away so that the only evidence of the night was the mark on the ground where the lightning had struck.
Turning to where the ghost hovered next to Remus, she asked, "Would you-"
"Well now, what have we here?"
Keeping her back to the voice, Destiny whispered to Remus and Sirius, "Go! Apparate! It will draw the attention of the Ministry! Kat, go get Lily and James and please HURRY!" Drawing herself up to her full height, she turned to face Voldemort. "What do YOU want?" she asked disdainfully. Under her breath- and thanking God that she'd worn a hood that hid her face- she whispered to Harry, "When I open the Ghost Roads, run for it. Just keep walking until you reach the light at the other end."
"Ah, the little Necromancer. I'm here for the answer you promised me. What do you say? Live and be powerful by my side, or. die screaming."
"Oh! I'll take screaming for three hundred, please!"
Hearing the popping sound of apparation, she quickly made the slash with the magic that danced at her fingertips and moved to allow Harry a way to escape. Without hesitation, Harry threw himself through the hole. With a wave of her hand, the entrance vanished.
"Now, where were we? Oh yes, I remember."
Giving a growl of annoyance, Voldemort hissed, "Kill her!" With that, he apparated away.
As the Death Eaters closed in around her, she couldn't help but think of how much she was going to enjoy making the pain they had inflicted on their victims come back to haunt them.
*****
As Harry fell through the hole onto the Ghost Roads, the wind got knocked out of him.
"Ouch!" he gasped in pain. Quickly climbing to his feet, he started off in the direction of Godric Hollow Cemetery. After walking for what seemed like forever, Harry checked his watch. An hour and a half had passed. He was lost. Trying desperately not to panic, Harry looked around himself.
'I wonder if I can get one of those ghosts to help me.' As he was stepping towards the edge of the gray road, he froze. 'What am I doing? She said, no matter what, stay on the road!' Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he decided to head back in the direction he had come.
Turning around, he froze.
"Mum?"
A/N: Thanks to T B-klo, shayomac, nycgal, Dezzy 2002, Azalai (oh, I'm blushing! I so agree! Cassandra Claire's the BEST!), Seduceastranger, erieka127, Nicanole-15, and susie.
** ncygal: Sirius acts more like a brother than a father does because he's never had the chance to be a parent. Even though he treats Harry like a son, it's because he knows Harry. He doesn't really know Destiny yet. He also doesn't know how to treat a girl because, well, he's not one. **