Chapter 22
Drake awoke the next morning to Harry lying over the side of the chair in a very uncomfortable looking position. Drake almost laughed at it. Harry was leaning over the chair rail seemingly on his kidney. [I can't believe what I almost did. If Harry hadn't've come along… Don't think about it Drake.] Drake thinks to himself.
Harry wakes suddenly still in the painful pose. [Uh oh. Did I fall asleep? Did Drake loose his memories?] "What the…" Harry says still leaning and seeing the world sideways.
Drake can't help it now and laughs giving away that he is awake. "You might want to try sitting up straight."
Harry laughs too. "Yeah, that might work."
The two laugh for a couple of minutes as Harry sits up.
"Oh. That's gonna hurt for a day or two." Says Harry feeling his side.
"Serves you right falling asleep like that." Says Ron giving away that he and Hermione have been in the doorway for a few minutes.
Ron and Hermione walk in carrying Harry's stuff and grabbing him. "C'mon it's time for Transfiguration. McGonagall will kill us if we're late. You have to stay here though Drake. We'll bring you lunch."
In other parts of the castle trouble was brewing…
[Got to wait until that prat Phoenix is gone. Won't be too long he has class.] Thinks the watcher waiting. [Glad I got a lot of that dopes hair.] The figure waits until Alexander leaves and takes another swig from his hip flask.
"Hello Rosalyn. How are you this morning?" Says the figure.
"Hello Falcore. I thought you had classes this morning." Says Rosalyn.
"No. This morning is free for me." Says 'Falcore'. "I've been meaning to talk with you. Let's go back into your room and relax."
"Sure. Follow me." Says Rosalyn thinking something is strange. [Didn't Falcore just come by to say he had extra work?]
[Going well so far. I hope she doesn't get suspicious before I can finish my job. Imperius won't work anymore because her fiancé will know.] Thinks the figure. "Sit down and relax"
"Ok." She says sitting down and relaxing.
[She is way too trusting for having been through what she has been through. I almost feel bad about doing this. The key word being almost.] He thinks waiting for the perfect moment. "Ipnosi."
[Drat it. Ale…] Rosalyn thinks just seconds before the phantom pendulum starts swinging in her mind's eye ruining all other thought. [I serve Voldemort. I am his queen. I am loyal only to Voldemort. Nothing else matters. I must finish my transformation.] "Take me to our Master, Sergio."
[Perfect now to set it for a moderate time.] He thinks. "Regoli moderata."
Alexander stops in the middle of teaching his 2nd years how to properly remove the spleen from a frog and his eyes go wide.
"Is there something wrong Professor?" asks a tiny boy in the first row, Creevey.
"Can you watch the class Dennis I need to go into my office for a moment?" he says.
"Of course Professor" he says standing up infront of the class.
Alexander walks into his ofice through a passage right beside the door of his room. He tosses something into his fire. "Dumbledore. Code Green."
Dumbledore pops his head in through the fire. "Green Alexander?"
"Yes, green. Seal the entrances now." He says.
"Ok. I dont know every secret passage though. Who would... Ah... Fred and George. They are in Falcore's class you know how to get there fast, threaten them with expulsion and Azkaban for refusal. I will have an owl alert Andre on the grounds." Says Dumbledore and Alexander hurries off.
Falcore is pouring over some notes as his seventh years take a quiz when a knock shakes him from his reverie. "Come... (Alexander barges in) ... in."
"Falcore, code green. I need Mssrs. Gred and Forge Weasley. AT ONCE!" says Alexander in a whisper to him.
"Fred, George, go with Prof. Phoenix now." Says Falcore.
Alexander walks past the desk they are sitting at with their other friend Lee. They don't seem like they are gonna get up fast enough so he heaves them up by the shoulder and runs them out. "I need to know where every secret passage out of this castle is. Comply fully or get expulsion and Azkaban. If the fellow escapes anyway you will tested with a strong Veritaserum from my stores. Got it?"
"Yes sir. Follow. Also alert Honeydukes to watch their cellar very close." Says Fred.
Alexander croons phoenix song and his phoenix appears. Alexander makes a letter fast and sends it to Honeydukes also describing Rosalyn.
Fred and George explain the whomping willow is gaurding one as they lead him to the statue of of the one-eyed witch. "Trabese firmemente." Says Alexander tapping it.
"The only other one we know of that Filch doesn't is caved in." Says George.
"Take me to every one you know of even that one." He says.
They take him to all the others with him repeating his spell. "Good job off to your class now."
Fred and George hurry off as Alexander runs to his office and uses the fire to call Dumbledore again. Dumbledore appears and Alexander gives him a status report.
"Great Alexander. I have had house elves seal the front doors, the gates, block the edge of the forest, and stand gaurd at the entrance to Hogsmeade. No one gets in or out of Hogsmeade today unless they can proove who they are, for I have extended the anti-apparation wards to the farthest edge of the village and am having it periodically checked by a team of aurors luckily in town for a conference. No one should get out. Did you block the Whomping Willow?" says Dumbledore.
"Thats great. No I didn't who can get past it?" Alexander asks.
"The werewolf it was made for, 3 of his friends, 3 students here, Madame Pompfrey, and myself. Prehaps others have figured it out as one of the 3 friends of the werewolf is a DE." Says Dumbledore.
"Shi..." Alexander starts running out of the door yelling for Dumbledore to meet him at the willow.
A few minutes later Alexander and Dumbledore are at the willow. "How do you get in this thing?"
"Poke the knot on the trunk there." Says Dumbledore drawing a long stick in the air which suddenly materializes and he hands to Alexander who is looking for a stick. "Use this, I must go."
Alexander pokes the knot and hurries through the passage. He gets close to the end and stops opening his cloak and pulling a vial of liquid from it then gulping it in one and becoing silent and like his surroundings. He steps up in the area and crawls around the lower floor looking for anything to suggest someone living here or having been here then he creeps up the stairs going in and out of the rooms until...
"Something is wrong. Something is up with Alexander." Says Drake sitting up in his bed. "Poppy get Dumbledore. Now."
Drake waits and Dumbledore appears. "Sir, something is up with Alexander. Don't ask questions living with him during that time of his life sort of bonded us. I know something is wrong where is he? We gotta go."
"You can go nowhere Drake you need to recover. Falcore, Andre and I shall go." Says Dumbledore.
"DAMN MY FOOLISHNESS!" yells Drake.
Falcore is interrupted again right in the middle of his second class. "Class dismissed." Says Dumbledore as he walks in.
No one moves. "Go on. (Still nothing.) NOW!" says Dumbledore and the class speeds out. "Falcore we have a situation. I need you and Andre to gather the other three you-know-whats that are here and take them to the Whomping Willow they can get in. Be careful and go fast."
30 minutes earlier
[He is here. I will just wait for the right moment.] thinks Sergio. [Here he is.]
"Stupefy..."
Present time
Falcore, Andre, and the trio arrive at the willow and Harry pokes the knot getting whapped once on his arm. "Go in." Harry says.
"Wait drink this." Falcore says handing vials to the trio and keeping one himself then Andre pulls his out. They all drink them(same thing as what Alexander drank) and head in.
"Be on the lookout." Says Andre.
They are soon through the passage and head upstairs seeing footprints in the dust. They follow them to the last room in the hall and walk in...
10 minutes earlier
Alexander awakes groggily confused at what just happened (to him at least) and wonders why he is tied to an open window. [Did what I think happened really happen? Could it really have been…?]
"Stupefy" cuts his thoughts short as he slumps half out the window.
Present time
"What the bloody…?" Harry trails off.
"STUPEFY!" Falcore and the masked figure yell at the same time. Falcore avoids the one coming at him but his hits and masked figure falls to the floor with a thump.
"Why is Professor Phoenix hanging out of a window by his wrists?" Harry asks.
"ALEXANDER!" yells Andre running to the window but being shoved suddenly sideways into a wall and slipping into the land of unconsciousness.
"Well, well. What do we have here? A rescue party?" says a clearly Italian voice.
"Who are you? Where is Rosalyn?" says Falcore.
"I am a humble servant of Voldemort. Rosalyn lies on the floor in front of you Falcore." Says the Italian.
Falcore lifts his hand and the figure flies into his hands. He secures her to the wall behind him and takes her wand. "What did you do to…? (His eyes unfocus a minute) … Ipnosi." Falcore suddenly waves his hand at his head and then at the trio and then at Andre real fast.
He then suddenly grabs his head very tight. He growls and pants and shakes his head (literally with his hands). He looks up holding his head in the vice grip still and his eyes are rolling around in his head. He shakes his head no. He flings his head back looking like he's going to hit Rosalyn but veers over at the right moment and smashes his head straight through the wall. He pulls his head out looking odd; his eyes rolled back, all white. He shakes his head no again and flings himself into the concrete wall Andre hit (the other was hollow wood) and he slumps down his eyes turning normal and staying open but seemingly unseeing.
"Now, I have made him break himself so he wouldn't hurt you 3. The Master wants you Potter. He thought he wanted you dead but he thinks maybe he doesn't. He will not take no for an answer. You join him of your own will, or you join him against your will. Either way, you will join him." Says the Italian.
"No way. NEVER. I am now, always have been, and forever will be a follower of the side of Light." Says Harry. "Might I know your name though?"
[I hope this stalls him.]
"I am Sergio." The Italian says.
"Hello Sergio." Says a voice from behind.
Sergio's eyes go wide as he turns. During the lapse of attention Ron surges forward and does a tackle Falcore taught them. Sergio is totally caught off guard and he slams into the ground hard. His wand goes flying towards Falcore who still has the blank stare on his face yet reaches out and snatches the wand up in one move. Falcore shakes his head hard a couple of times and finally looks like there is someone home.
"I think I knocked him out." Says Ron about to get up.
"Don't get up." Alexander says grabbing his wand from a freshly unmade bed.
"I know he's knocked out cause he isn't moving an inch, his breathing is bad and…and… What happened to your face?" says Ron staring at Alexander.
"So you noticed?" Alexander says. "Do you like it?"
Alexander smirks as he drags Ron up with one hand and forces him up and against a wall on the opposite of where Andre is unconscious and Falcore is standing looking still a little odd twitching his head. Alexander forces Ron to stare into his eyes with a spell.
"Your eyes! They're…they're RED!" Ron yells.
"Oh, another Einstein huh?" says Alexander but he suddenly is dropped by a groggy Andre slamming into him like a football player.
"Don't touch Ron you… you… Alexander?" says Andre confusedly.
Alexander shoves Andre off. "Don't act so surprised. I thought you saw me in the window."
"I did but you didn't look like…. Like you do now." Says Andre.
"Well, duh. I had my head hanging and eyes drooping. You couldn't see the changes. If you had you wouldn't have revived me." Says Alexander.
"Yes I would. You aren't all gone yet. You are good somewhere… deep… or… perhaps… in another. Should I reverse your Alma Transfer?" Andre says being very smooth and calculating almost like Falcore.
Alexander's eyes go normal then. "Thank you Andre. You are too smart… almost Falcore like." Alexander looks around. "Where is Rosalyn?"
"She tried to stun Falcore and he stunned her. She is tied to the wall." Says Ron.
Alexander goes and frees her. "I think I figured out what her… errr… 'condition' is but she can be the one to tell you."
Alexander removes her mask and set her beside him calmly then looses it and punches through the wall in front of him four times, twice with each fist before breaking down. "Why does he want her? She isn't extraordinarily powerful. WHY?!?!"
"Because you are extraordinarily powerful and he can get you through her." Says Falcore with a twinge of regret in his voice.
"So (gulp) it's because of me. She looks like a female Voldemort because of what I am. Take my advice then the rest of you. Never fall in love." Alexander says seriously.
Falcore walks swiftly up to Alexander and raps him about the head with his staff. "Get over yourself. Do you want to mope or do you want to save your fiancé. Your souls aren't far enough gone for the amulet idea to not work and I think you are both finally strong enough to try it now. So what are you going to do stay a snake face and mope and lose to Voldemort or are you going to do something about it?"
Alexander gets up and says. "Don't you ever hit me with that staff again it feels like a rock. Ok I agree with you about doing something but that staff hurts. Let's go try the amulet thing. What about her? Her eyes are red."
"Yours still have a red tint to them." Says Andre.
"Hmmm. What happened to me while I was asleep? I wonder…" says Alexander.
"Isn't it obvious?" says a new voice. "Our Master used you to try to finish my transformation and therefore change you too."
"Rosalyn," Alexander says with a sad ting in his voice. "What are you saying? Voldemort isn't our master. Falcore help me out."
"Did she take the mark?" asks Falcore.
"I was asleep for all but a minute of my time here." Says Alexander.
"Not that mark." Says Falcore.
"OH! Yeah, she took it." Says Alexander.
"Then touch yours when I touch mine and do a call. By the way he put Ipnosi on her." Says Falcore as they touch their marks ready to do a single person summon.
"He did? Sergio?" asks Alexander.
"Yes. Did you put the mark on her left forearm as I told you before?" says Falcore.
"Oh that little Italian… yes I did." Says Alexander.
They then finally do the summon which makes Rosalyn scream as it reveals the Dark Mark and causes a lot of pain as the two symbols seem to fight for supremacy and her allegiance. Since she would have made the Dark Mark fight harder they had to stupefy her and watch her thrash around on the floor. It got so bad Alexander clutched his arm as tough he was in pain although he might have been through his link with Rosalyn.
A few minutes passed and her trashing was at a peak and Alexander cried out clutching his left arm and cursing as he lifted his sleeve and saw what he feared. "Dam… I've been planted Falcore. ARGH!" says Alexander. "This thing feels bad enough being summoned no wonder she's screaming like that. ARRRRRRRRRGH! Summons Falcore. You have to do the P&F call we have now. I don't think I can fight this dang call with the state I'm in."
Falcore does as told immediately and the two calls begin fighting as on Rosalyn. Alexander lets out an unearthly scream and falls to his knees. Since this was a special summons the evil in him is being tortured and at the moment there is a lot of evil in him.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGG!" he screams.
Falcore put a stabling spell on Alexander as Alexander fights for the P&F symbol while doing a special summons to Rosalyn which doubles the efforts of the good in her. Alexander's mouth opens in a silent scream from all the bashing of the evil in him. Alexander finally stuns himself after another 30 minutes and seeing Rosalyn is still fighting with herself.
Falcore sighs. "I wish they could have peace but other than Harry, the elementals, Alexander, in particular, are his hugest target. So Voldemort no longer wishes to kill you unless you say no, Harry?"
"You heard? I thought you were out of it." Harry says.
"I was but I could still hear." Falcore says.
Thirty minutes later the group has bound and stunned Sergio, bound Rosalyn and Alexander, and headed out of the area back to Hogwarts. It takes them a while as Rosalyn and Alexander are still thrashing even in the bonds but they finally make it out and up to Hogwarts.
They walk into the Great Hall at the most inopportune time, the middle of lunch. "Dumbledore we will be in your office. Join us if you are finished lunch." Falcore says casually as the group heads to Dumbledore's office.
Fifteen minutes later the headmaster joins them. "Thank you Dumbledore." Says Andre.
"No problem Andre." Says Dumbledore looking at the three bound ones. "What happened?"
The group explains what happened. Dumbledore looks pained at the end. "I fear they might not come awake from this the same." Dumbledore says. "It is no coincidence that he called them when he did. He knew that the surge could perhaps win them over. I fear he might win this battle."
"Don't talk like that. You don't know them. Alexander is stronger than this." Says Andre.
"Yes, he is, I know. I just fear with the only part of his soul that is, of yet, untouched being in his fiancé he might not be able to fight hard enough. His mouth has opened huge in a silent scream five times in the past two minutes. It might take its toll mentally as well. Rosalyn is calming unbind her and revive her."
They do so and Rosalyn thrashes once more before calming down.
She opens her eyes slightly and looks around. [Where am I?] She thinks. She opens her eyes all the way to get a better look and realizes she is in Dumbledore's office. [Why am I here?]
[Whoa what in the heck is up with those eyes?] Andre thinks.
[It's worse than I thought.] Dumbledore thinks.
[What in the world?] Falcore thinks.
[Why are they staring at me like that? What did I do? Where have I been? I feel like I got hit by a truck.] Rosalyn thinks.
"Rosalyn?" says Dumbledore.
"Yes?" Rosalyn says.
"Do you remember what has gone on this morning?" Dumbledore asks.
"No sir I don't really. Only bits and pieces." She says. "Where's Alexander?"
"He is over there. Don't look though he is fighting an inner battle." Dumbledore says.
[Is this what Hell is? A never ending torture?] Alexander sighs. [My heart is tired. This battle that rages in another realm; the illness it brings, a mark is placed and my soul the prize.] Alexander thinks as he watches (inside himself) the battle of the phoenix and falcon against the skull with a snake tongue. [How did it come to this? Love. Love is a crazy thing. Hate it when you lose it, can't live without it once you've had it.]
Suddenly an image of Rosalyn appears amid the battle. Both sides of Rosalyn, and then both sides of Alexander. "YOU MUST CHOOSE! IT IS YOUR CHOICE AS YOUR SOUL IS AMID THE TWO OF YOU! THE CATCH? YOU HAVE TO CHOOSE A CERTAIN ROSALYN AND THEN YOU MUST FOLLOW! " A voice booms.
Alexander walks forward into the battle to choose his true destiny…
"What's going on? Why is he like that?" Rosalyn asks frantically.
"He is fighting for his soul." Dumbledore says. "I believe he is near decision look at the look he has on his face. A sort of peace mixed with finality and determination." [I hope he gets it the way he wants.]
As he ventured closer to the two Rosalyns, both calling out in their own way the battle between the two symbols increased and suddenly the skull grew flesh and became Voldemort as the falcon turned to Falcore, his soul brother, and the phoenix flew down to the good side of him. The body he was in currently is the in-between hell state Voldemort must have went through.
He watched intently as Falcore ripped at Voldemort with talons he retained from his falcon form and Voldemort lashed out with the snake tongue. A battle of Good and Evil. OR as Voldemort would say power and those to weak to seek it.
The battle raged in a blinding flash of light and in the next instant Alexander could see again and he knew who won…
"Ah. He is finished. We will find out soon then." Dumbledore says looking at the stupefied Rosalyn who had become too hysterical.
Alexander stirred…
Alexander saw both down, but he still knew his destiny. He was destined to be (intentional blank) so he walked forward to the Rosalyns and chose.
"Ugh." Alexander groans and opens his eyes. "What the…?"
"Alexander you are awake. Would you kindly open your eyes all the way?" Dumbledore says.
[What an odd request.] "Sure." Alexander opens his eyes all the way revealing a pair of dark brown eyes and Dumbledore breaths a sigh of relief.
Dumbledore revives Rosalyn and instantly hates it. Rosalyn has half changed.
"Um. I can explain this. You see inside of me the falcon of P&F, turned Falcore with talons, fought the Dark Mark, turned Voldemort with a snake tongue fought for my soul and hers at once since they were connected. At the end of this battle there was a blinding flash and they both were down both still alive but to even to win either way. Well the falcon/Falcore beat the Dark Mark/Voldemort in the battle for my soul and the Dark Mark/Voldemort beat falcon/Falcore in the battle for Rosalyn's. As a bit of my soul is in Rosalyn, she only half changed. If we could make the amulet soon we could save her soul and her" Alexander says.
Alexander is soon in his private quarters sitting in a secret room. The room is circular with no windows and one oriental high backed chair which Alexander is sitting in it. Most of the space in the room is occupied by a huge floor to ceiling unbreakable glass cylinder.
He sits there for hours. He even misses dinner. Alexander sighs loudly watching the two things floating in the cylinder. He stares at the big clear crystal heart which takes up most of the cylinder, half of it has turned to a transparent black the other half a glowing, transparent gold; floating in the golden side was a smaller clear crystal heart, the source of the glow, with a flame shaped emerald inside. Floating in the dark half was a clear crystal heart, source of the darkness, with a formerly pearl colored bouquet of roses, now black, shaped from pearl.
Alexander stares hard at the darker side and the small heart. He notices that 2 of the 10 roses are still white. [What? How can this be? There must be a chance then.]
Alexander bolts up and exits the room to his office, then from his office to his living quarters. He finds Rosa… [No.] he thinks to himself. [No, it's not right to think of that as Rosalyn though Rosalyn is in there somewhere.]
"Hello, darling." Rosalyn sneers.
"Hello love." Alexander says seriously before kissing her.
"Grr." Rosalyn growls.
[What does that bird brain think he's doing?] Rosalyn thinks to herself. [He knows I don't like him anymore.]
{Why though?} Another voice from far back says quietly but with force.
[Because we are from different worlds now.]
{That didn't stop you before} Rosalyn shakes her head.
[SHUT UP YOU!]
{Fine. Think on this, though. Even when you had betrayed him before; when you were of different worlds, he kept looking for you until he thought you were dead. He didn't care what you were, he just wanted you back, and the rest could work out later.}
[Dang conscience. Pesky little bugger.]
Alexander walks to the bathroom and washes up. [I think I'm getting to her.]
Alexander exits the bathroom and out of his private quarters seeing Rosa…her on the bed with the Voldemort half down. Alexander makes a vow to himself as he goes out of the door to turn her back.
[What to do now? Ah, 30 minutes until visiting is closed at the Hospital Wing. Drake should still be there. I'll pay him a visit.]
"So nice of you to finally come by." Says Drake looking at the trio as they enter in.
"We've been a… little… busy." Harry says sheepishly.
"Yeah." Ron and Hermione mumble.
"I know I'm just messing with you." Drake says.
"You know?" Ron says.
"Yep. Andre was here to get his head checked. He said he got shoved into a cement wall but it felt more like the wall fell on him." Drake says.
All of them laugh at this for a minute when Alexander suddenly walks in.
"Hey. Phoenix! What's going on?" says Drake.
"Could you three leave us for a while?" Alexander says to the trio.
"Sure." They say and leave.
Alexander then tells Drake all about that day. He then asks about Drake's day and Drake tells him. By the time they finish visiting hours are over.
"I'll see you tomorrow Drake." Alexander says leaving and heading directly to Dumbledore's office.
Dumbledore is sitting at his office desk thinking on the day's events when a knock breaks through his thoughts. "Come in. Ah. Alexander. What brings you here?"
"I think there is a chance to save Rosalyn. I made a fail safe and I think I can use it to fix her, but I want your permission to continue to just try to get to her normally I think it's working. If it ends up failing I'll use the fail safe. I'll use it now if it is what you want sir but it might be too soon." Alexander says.
"I give you full authority over this matter." Says Dumbledore. "Though you didn't need to ask."
"Thank you sir." Says Alexander as he leaves.
"You'll find dinner in your office." Says Dumbledore to Alexander's retreating form.