Unraveled
Chapter Forty-Three: The Crystal's Final Secret
"Let's face it we're lost," murmured one of the Knights of the Illuminati, Damien. He didn't dare say it any louder in the presence of Sirius Black. The rest of the knights heard him clearly, but they kept their eyes on Remus and Sirius.
"There has to be a way inside," said Remus as he felt along the crevices.
"Snape never took this way inside before. He could not give us any more information other than this being one of the blind sides of the castle," said Sirius. He kept his hand on the hilt of his sword. He could not let his thoughts wander away from the task at hand. They had to find a way into the castle.
"If we cannot find a way in, we must make one," said Sirius. Please Thalia. I know you are with us. Show me the way inside. Show me the way to our daughter. Please, he thought. He looked at his left hand. The thin gold band that was once was worn on his wife's left ring finger was gleaming on his left pinky. Sirius' mind was racked with guilt. He pressed his forehead along the rocks as he thought of his wife and child. He had betrayed both of them. He had left them at the mercy of Voldemort.
Remus placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and shook him gently. "We will find a way inside. We will find her. And Harry," said Remus in a clear voice, pulling Sirius back to reality.
"We must rest, Lord Black. We cannot continue like this. We are all weary. You most of all. You are so fatigued that you cannot tell," said Damien more loudly.
Sirius pulled his head back from the rocks and shook of Remus' hand. "I cannot rest. My daughter is in there along with our king. And you want us to rest?!" His voice echoed. "I will not abandon them."
"You fight so hard, Lord Black. You are the weakest of us. It does not matter to me what Sir Rufus said about you being a strong man," pressed Damien. "You allowed yourself to be deceived by Voldemort on more than one occasion. You let his kin into your house. You even sired his heir. You are partly to blame for all this pain and misery. Tell me how did she seduce you before? Were you so eager to have his daughter in your bed that you lost all reason? It is you who we cannot trust."
Fury overtook Sirius at that moment. He transformed briefly into his dog form and lunged at Damien. He transformed back into his human form. He now had Damien against the rocks. Sirius could kill him with his bare hands if he had wanted to. The other knights drew out their wands, but Remus stood between everyone. He kept his hands raised.
"I could snap you neck and throw you into the water, you fucking bastard," said Sirius as he gripped Damien's throat.
"Sirius, please calm down," pleaded Remus patiently. "We cannot kill each other. We are supposed to be fighting Voldemort, not each other. Please. You are tired. Please."
"No, this bastard insulted the memory of my wife. I will not allow her honor to be insulted by the likes of this man," said Sirius as he tightened his grip on Damien's throat.
"Sirius, think about it. I knew Thalia. And I know that she wouldn't want you killing someone over something like this. Let him go," said Remus.
"I love my wife. I will always love my wife. She was too good for this world. Even for me. She is not dead to me. My heart and soul belong to her. They still are possessed by her. If you ever say anything against her again, I will kill you," said Sirius as he finally released Damien.
Damien crumbled to the floor, rubbing his neck. The other knights backed away from Sirius as he walked passed them. "We will rest here for now," announced Sirius. He walked away from the others.
Remus left him alone for an hour before going after Sirius. "Sirius," he said.
"I don't know what came over me, Remus," said Sirius as he rubbed his temple. "I really was going to kill him, if you hadn't said anything. She was right. I do need to learn how to control my temper."
Remus shook his head. "You are fighting for your survival, Sirius. I understand. I am here for the same reason. You have more at stake here than anyone else."
"Do you remember the day I married her?" asked Sirius in a raspy voice. "I made a promise to myself that I would do anything for her. I would not just love her. I would worship and adore her. I was reckless back there with Damien, Remus. Just as I was before. I walked away from my promise so recklessly before. I am afraid."
"We all are. Voldemort is waiting for us. He knows we are coming," whispered Remus.
"That is not what I am afraid of. I am afraid of losing everything again. The night that James and Lily died. I never want to feel that ever again. Thalia was like an angel. She was something out of a dream. I always had to touch her. I had to. I had to know that she was real. With her gone, it seems as if nothing is real. The only thing I have is Fiona. I cannot say no to her. I cannot deny her anything because I am afraid of her fading away like a dream. My life is hers." As Sirius spoke, he rubbed his hand against his chest.
Remus could say nothing to comfort his friend. He had never experienced that kind of love before. He could see why Sirius was angry enough to kill someone. He had known all along that Sirius was never going to recover from Thalia's death. "We will meet them again, Sirius. She's your daughter, too. She's too stubborn. Voldemort will not be able to break her. Knowing Fiona, she's probably already agitated him more than once. I knew she was your daughter from the moment I met her. She's like you. Fearless."
The group decided to sleep for the time being. Sirius was the first one up after a few hours of sleep. He remembered Thalia's words in Avalon. She said that she was by his side; always. Sirius looked hard at the rocks.
Voldemort had designed the stronghold very well. Sirius was positive that Voldemort would have put an emergence escape route. Sirius knew from the path they were on that the waterfall hid the passageway out. If the need ever arose, Voldemort would take the sea as his way out.
Sirius pressed his fingers along the rocks. He had to find someway to get inside. He knew in his heart that the way inside was in front of him.
He felt the weight of another hand on his. Sirius looked around him and found that no one else was awake, but him. Yet, he felt the weight of another hand. He felt a softeness as well. The hand didn't cover his completely. He had a feeling he knew who was with him. "Thalia,' he whispered as he closed his eyes. For a moment he could feel a warm breath against his cheek.
The invisible hand guided him until it stopped on a panel of rock. The weight was gone. Sirius opened his eyes. He saw what his hand was on. It was a carving of a snake. He pressed against it. The passageway opened, waking the others.
"You've done it," said Remus happily. "You've opened the passage. But, how did you do it?"
Sirius wasn't listening. He gazed down at his left hand. It was the hand he was using. "She is with us. This will end soon."
*
The battle just outside the compound at the mouth of the labyrinth raged on. Snape was bleeding from the abdomen as he continued to fight. He found himself dueling against men who had once considered him an ally. Snape was never foolish enough to trust them. He hissed spell after spell to take care of them. He was breaking all the rules that Ministry of Magic had against dark arts spells. Snape and the others had managed to break into the inner courtyard of the compound, but they couldn't get inside the castle.
The Knights of the Illuminati held their ground as they battled against the Death Eaters. However, there came a furious burst of magical energy from one of the towers. The great blocks of concrete came crushing down.
"Master!" shouted Crabbe as he paused for a moment.
Everyone stood still when the walls came crashing down. Harry Potter stood still with his sword gleaming against the light of the sun. Snape smirked slightly because it looked as if the boy had finally made use of himself.
"Shall we finish this?" he asked one of the knights standing near by.
The knights nodded in agreement just before they rushed the Death Eaters. There came another explosion on the other side of the castle. The Death Eaters turned their attention to it.
"Stop them!" ordered Goyle. "They must not penetrate the castle!"
"ATTACK!" ordered Snape.
He had no idea what had happened to cause the explosion within the compound. He had to continue fighting. He drew his sword and lunged forward, skewering Crabbe. Snape doubted that any of the Death Eaters were powerful enough to use the Killing Curse on them. Voldemort wouldn't have been foolish enough to keep anyone near him who could potentially kill him, save Thalia.
Rufus had stopped in the middle of the battle. His eyes were fixated on the ruins. He saw Harry Potter holding Fiona Black. The girl looked limp in the boy's arms. Rufus knew what had caused the destruction.
"Fall back!" he ordered.
Snape grabbed him at that moment. "I am the only one who can give orders around here, Illuminati. I am the only one who can give orders to fall back!"
"Look," whispered Rufus as he stared into Severus Snape's black eyes. "We have already lost."
Snape looked without releasing Rufus. His grip slowly loosened as his eyes widened with horror. "No," he whispered as his hands fell limp at his sides. Severus Snape had broken his vow to Thalia Black. He had promised to protect Thalia and her child. He had failed.
*
Much to the surprise of Sirius, it was not that hard to get through the castle. He felt a chill down his spine. Thalia's childhood had been spent in this cold, lifeless castle. It seemed as if Thalia was the only ever living thing that had survived the castle and Voldemort's wrath.
"There are no signs of life," observed one of the knights.
"The stench of death lingers here," whispered another.
Sirius walked along the halls. The castle was too quiet. He wondered where Voldemort would be. He had to keep his thoughts off the children at the moment. He feared that they were dead. "This way," he said.
"How do you know?" asked Remus.
"I don't. None of us do. So, this way is just as good as any," replied Sirius. "Keep your wits about you, men. Who knows what demons lurk about."
There came the sounds of a battle outside. "It seems were have arrived late. Looks like the festivities have already began," remarked Damien.
"But why is it so quiet in here?" asked Sirius, feeling the hairs on the back of his neck were standing.
There came a sound that replied to his question. There came the sound of hissing. He closed his eyes quickly, knowing what was out there. Sirius turned and in the darkness of the hall there was a pair of yellow eyes glaring at him. It was only the first of many. Sirius hadn't turned around to see them, but he could hear them clearly. "There are snakes," he said simply.
"Snakes? Those are simple enough to take care of," said Damien as he walked forward.
"No! Step back!" shouted Sirius, but it was too late. He could hear a sickening thud as Damien's body hit the floor. "Everyone close your eyes!"
"What is it?" shouted one of the knights.
"It's a Basilisk," said Remus as he kept his eyes closed. "We cannot fight it with our eyes closed."
"There's more than one of them," whispered Sirius. "There's more than one of them."
"We must fight! If we do not, we are dead!" shouted another knight.
"Focus, use your other senses!" shouted Sirius. "And everyone be quiet now!"
Sirius could hear the sounds of hissing snakes were getting closer and closer. There was no way he could fight them with his eyes closed. He stepped forward. His senses as a human were duller than when he was in his dog form. He was the only Animagus in the group. He had to use his other senses, so he transformed.
"Sirius! Where are you?!" shouted Remus.
Keeping his eyes closed, Sirius used his nose to smell for the snakes. He was also faster as a dog. He ran in the direction he had heard the snakes coming from. He heard them coming. They were going to meet him. He lunged forward and took a bite out of something that was thick and leathery. He bit down hard until he could feel something liquid and warm in his mouth. He shook around furiously. Sirius knew that the others were upon him.
There came a blood curdling scream from one of the knights. His voice was quickly cut off as a snake wrapped around him and suffocated him. Two more of the knights dared to open their eyes and quickly died.
Remus focused and kept his eyes closed. He could hear the snakes coming. With each body that dropped onto the cold, hard floor, he could tell how far away the snakes were. They were getting closer to him.
Sirius could feel something coming. The floor was trembling beneath him. The snakes must have sensed it as well because he could hear them slithering away. Something had happened. Sirius could hear rocks falling from great heights. Something was coming down hard. It was enough to frighten the snakes away. He opened his eyes and surveyed the damage as he transformed.
Four of the knights lay dead. Sirius looked at Remus who shook his head. The two remaining knights looked with horror at their comrades. "What happened?" whispered Remus. "What was that crash?"
"I have no idea," whispered Sirius.
"Our friends," said one of the knights, Sir Faust, as he sank down to his knees.
"Something worse has happened," whispered the other remaining knight, Sir Samuel. "You must find the children. We will stay here and tend to our friends. We never leave our dead behind. It is part of our order. Continue without us. I fear that the children maybe lost."
"I am sorry," whispered Sirius solemnly as he looked at the blood on the floor. He nodded at Remus. They took off as quickly as they could, following where they had heard the sound of the crash.
"Something's happened," said Remus as he ran beside Sirius.
"How can you tell?" asked Sirius, not slowing down.
"The battle outside. Something's happened to make everything stand still outside. Snape wouldn't just stop," answered Remus.
They were on the ground level of the castle. The sound came from above their heads. It sounded as if it had come from some place very high. They came to a halt. There were rocks blocking their path.
"Looks like we know what came down," remarked Remus as he looked the rocks.
"We must clear these rocks. Remus, help me," said Sirius as he began to move the rocks. His heart was racing. His worst fears were coming true at that moment.
Remus walked to a nearby wall. "Let's break down this wall instead. It would be easier," he suggested.
"Are you mad? It must be more than three feet thick," said Sirius. "Let's just clear the rocks closer to the gap. If we can get that opened, we can squeeze through."
"I can break down this wall, Sirius," disagreed Remus as he shook his head. "Besides, if you move anymore rocks over there, especially near the gap to the outside, then it could fall on our heads. It's safer to break through a part of the wall further away from the damage."
Sirius wanted to disagree with Remus, but at this point, he was the only voice of reason. Sirius walked up to him. Together they used their wands to cut through the wall. They had cut an opening to the inner courtyard.
There was nothing that could have prepared Sirius for the sight that met his eyes. He saw Harry and Fiona lying on the ground. Harry was bloody and they both appeared to be lifeless. Harry was holding Fiona in his arms.
It was not over yet. There was a green glow around him. Excalibur had not abandoned him. It had protected him from the fall.
Voldemort was on his feet. He held out his sword. "Get up, boy. Let us finish this," he said.
The Death Eaters were at a stand still. Harry's eyes opened as he struggled to his feet. Every inch of him hurt. He released his arms from Fiona. Her body lay limp on the ground. She looked as if she was asleep.
"Fiona!" shouted Sirius as he attempted to rush forward. Remus stopped him. "LET ME GO! FIONA!"
"She cannot hear you," whispered Remus in empty voice. Sirius felt his vision blur at that moment, but he could not take his eyes off his daughter. She had ripped off her necklace at one point. The crystal was in her left hand. It looked as if she was clutching it in her hand. However, it looked as if her grip had loosened, confirming Sirius' worst fears.
Harry didn't say a word as he placed his hand on the hilt of Excalibur. He felt a surge of power from the sword. Or was that power coming from him? He drew his sword.
"Do you really think you have a chance, boy?" demanded Voldemort with a laugh.
"I have nothing left to lose," said Harry. "That was your mistake, Voldemort. Therefore, I have nothing left to lose. There for, I will not mind fighting to the death. Even if it costs me my life," he lunged forward.
"I need only to kill you. With the sword and the crystal, everything will be mine. No one will be able to oppose me. Not a single wizard in this realm and not the Avalonians," said Voldemort as he blocked Harry's strike.
Harry fell back, ignoring everyone else. He lunged forward again, but was blocked. Harry realized that Voldemort was an experienced swordsman. Harry didn't have a chance to strike because Voldemort would easily block him. Voldemort attack. Harry could only block him.
He could hear Sensei Ran's voice in his head, "Keep calm. Never fight with anger." Harry blocked Voldemort again. "I will never let you win!" shouted Harry forcefully as they locked swords again.
Voldemort's sword came down on Harry. He could feel the burning cut in his arm. He pulled back in pain. Voldemort attacked again. This time Harry blocked him.
"You will never be able to defeat me," said Voldemort. "You have already lost."
Harry ducked underneath him. He evaded him. Harry had to tire him out if he wanted a chance to win. Perhaps, if Voldemort was tired, then he would either make a mistake or would not able to strike as quickly.
"We must stop him," said one of the Death Eaters, but he was quickly dispatched by one of the knights.
"Let them duel," said Rufus. They kept the weapons trained on the Death Eaters.
Through the battle, someone had arrived that no one had expected and at the moment, no one noticed her. She wore a simple white dress and blood-red cloak. She watched and waited. She looked at the ground. Her eyes fell on the crystal. A smile appeared on her face. All she had to do was wait. Her protection was still present in her child.
Harry lunged forward as he ducked underneath Voldemort again. This time he managed to hit Voldemort, but not a single drop of blood was spilled from him. Voldemort laughed. "There is no more blood in me, boy. Did you not know that?"
Harry scrambled to gain his footing again. He must have a weakness. I can only weaken him physically, but I cannot stop him. He will rise again just like he always does. If only I could cut him down for good, he thought.
Harry blocked him again. Harry fell further away from him. He had to come up with something. He remembered at that moment how he was able to make the shield around the castle crumble. Harry looked at Excalibur. It was the most powerful wizarding weapon for a reason. He could feel tingles in his arm. It was moving into his body. Earth magic. It seemed to be manifesting itself within his being.
"What's the matter, boy?" called out Voldemort. "Have you had enough? Do you even know how to use that sword? Or are you ready to surrender it to me now?"
Harry stopped in the middle of battle. He gripped the hilt of the sword tightly just like the way he had when he had first pulled it out of the stone. He touched the tip of the blade to the ground. The ground began to tremble underneath him. It sent a shockwave from him to everything else. Little did he know at that time, that he had sent such a strong one that the whole world felt it. The rocks that had not fallen earlier began to crumble and fall around him.
Voldemort could feel the ground shaking him. Something came out of the ground. It was a bunch of vines and roots that wrapped around him. Harry knew he could not change him into a tree because Voldemort had not used his wand. Voldemort's sword fell to the ground. Harry charged at him, slashing him across.
Voldemort screamed. Then he started laughing again, "There is no way you can kill me. No way." He used his strength to get free from the vines and the roots.
Harry didn't pay any attention to him. He was looking somewhere else. He was looking passet him. There was someone standing there. He was the first one to notice her.
Sirius Black's eyes cleared as his heart started to pump again with life. She stood there. She was real. "Thalia," he whispered.
Severus Snape's eyes opened as he recognized the person standing behind Voldemort wearing a familiar blood-red cloak.
Voldemort turned around. He saw Thalia standing not too far behind him. He whirled around fully. "You! Why won't you leave me alone?!" he shouted.
Thalia looked at him passively for a moment. Harry couldn't get over it. It seemed like she was alive. Harry felt the air pulsate around him. He looked at Fiona. The crystal was flashing now. Harry now understood what was going on. He now knew why it was possible for Thalia to be appear as if she were alive again. It was the crystal.
"Father," said Thalia as she lowered her hood. "It is time."
Voldemort took two long steps forward and raised his hand to slap her. To his utter surprise, she caught his arm, blocking him. "Our time in this world is over," Thalia told him. "It ends now."
"How can this be?" whispered Voldemort as he felt her hand clamping around his arm. It felt real. He could feel the softness of her breathing.
"You did the same trick before Voldemort. You did it with your diary. Except instead of a memory, she made her ghost a solid form," explained Harry.
Sirius couldn't breathe. Thalia's plan had not been fully revealed yet. She sweetly smiled at her father.
"You see, Father. I have remembered everything you have taught me. Our time here is over," whispered Thalia as she gripped his other arm.
Voldemort pulled away from her, but he could not. "YOU BETRAYED ME!" he shouted.
"No. You betrayed yourself. You brought your own ruin," said Thalia. "This ends now."
She looked past him and Harry. She focused her eyes on the crystal. "Fiona, please get up. You are not hurt," she said.
Fiona sat up. She shook her head to try to clear her thoughts. She saw her mother, holding her grandfather's arms. "What's going on? You're dead," she managed. "How…how did I survive the curse?" She looked at her body and found that there wasn't a single scratch on her. She saw the crystal in her hand. It was pulsating like a heartbeat. "It's you. Isn't it?" she whispered as she looked at her mother.
"I needed a living vessel keep the crystal's energy up. Only Avalonian magic could do that," explained Thalia. "I am sorry to use you that way, my baby."
Fiona got to her feet. She was at a moment of absolute clarity. She closed her eyes. The crystal began to float off the palm of her hand. The rest of her body followed. She opened her eyes again, which were now glowing white.
She positioned the crystal in front of her. She could feel her body changing. The elements began to do their work. There was a flash of light as her body was consumed by power. Her body cooled and changed into water. The crystal started to vibrate in front of her as she allowed it to go forward. Her body changed into air at that moment.
Voldemort struggled to free himself. His daughter held him tightly. "You will go back to where you belong now. You are dead. We will go together," said Thalia.
The crystal started to throw out sheets of energy that bound Voldemort. He fought and pulled back. Thalia kept him held tightly. The sheets of energy wrapped around them. She was holding him down.
Fiona didn't have enough earth magic to finish the spell. She turned back into flesh in front of Harry. She held out her palms towards Harry. "We are two halves of one," she said.
Harry dropped Excalibur and touched his palms to hers. At that moment, there was enough earth magic.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" roared Voldemort as he struggled harder.
"Father, you never asked who would really seal you. I am the one," said Thalia. "Only your kin would have enough power to seal you. Your time is over. Our time is over."
Harry and Fiona pulled their hands apart. A green flash of light came from their palms as it sent a wave across the land. Vines began to whip out of the crystal. They bonded around Thalia and Voldemort. The crystal consumed them in a blinding light.
The light cleared. Fiona stepped forward. "Mom!" she shouted in a panic. Harry came to her and held her. Her mother's spirit was pulled into the crystal with Voldemort. "NO!"
The crystal was spinning around and around. It spun faster and faster until finally it had broken apart into tiny pieces. Those pieces vanished into the air.
"She's gone," whispered Fiona as her knees gave way. A warm breeze came and wrapped around her.
Thalia reappeared. This time she was in her appropriate ghostly, misty form. She smiled at Fiona. Sirius had run to Fiona's side and put his arm around her.
"My task is done. It is time for me to depart," said Thalia as she floated in midair. "I could not leave until my task was done. It is now complete. I can finally rest."
Fiona felt a lump in her throat as she looked at her father. Tears were running down her cheeks. She had gained her mother again, only to lose her. Her mother was already dead, but it was so hard for Fiona to understand. However, she had little choice. "I understand," she whispered. "I understand."
Thalia gave her a smile as she started to fade away for the last time. "I love you both," she said to Sirius and Fiona. "Please take care of each other. Please take care of her." She looked at Harry as she said the last part. Finally, she was gone.
AN: The full explanation of how the crystal did its work and how Thalia was able to pull it off will be in the next chapter. Whew. It's short, but it was a tiring chapter. These last few chapters have been very emotional and pack power punches with me as I write. That's partly the reason why I have taken my time in writing these chapter.
The next two chapters wrap up this story. The next chapter is the clean up because everything's still a mess. The final installment will be the epilogue.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. ^^