Black was standing still looking at his godson with concern. "Harry?"
Potter hadn't moved, except that his wand was now in his hand, pointed at Sirius. His bright green eyes were fixed straight ahead at Black, unseeing. It was rather eerie, and no one moved for lack of any idea what to do. Then those eyes flicked around and back to Black and he said, "Sirius." Potter looked around the room. "Sir, Professors, sorry about that."
Severus looked at him piercingly, analyzing, as he came over and took a seat. "Tired from all your Gryffindore heroism?"
Harry grimaced. "Tired, yes. Does anyone know what a Soul binding potion is?" Some of the other people in the room looked startled, the rest merely blinking at the seeming randomness of the question.
Severus' mind instantly called up the information he wanted. "It has several uses, and is rarely used. To sum up an hour of talking, it's most often used bind a person's soul to either an object, or a person. -Need I mention that it is considered very dark magic?"
Albus looked at Harry, "Where, may I ask did you hear of it?"
"Voldemort, a few minutes ago, was reading about it in potions book." Severus noted a few shocked reactions by people in the room. Several of them had just fought Death Eaters and they still reacted this way to his name. But then, perhaps it was Potter's casual mention that he had just seen Voldemort. Potter wasn't prone to carelessness… so why did he just risk revealing his 'visions?'
The messenger, the same as earlier, had just come into the room and was now completely pale.
He would speak to Albus later. Voldemort had recently asked for a few strange potion ingredients… among other things. He had been carefully researching and asking questions. Steering conversations was now second nature to him -people gave away some most intriguing information when they thought they were just saying whatever came to mind. Idle chit chat with an old friend.
He didn't try this on Voldemort; The 'Master' was indeed himself a master manipulator. Severus thought it rather startling that he was still alive. Sometimes he wondered if Voldemort was really just playing with him. If Severus were alone, he would have let out a harsh laugh. He didn't expect to survive the war in any case.
Someone else would have to guide precarious young Slytherins.
Now Dumbledore had begun his questioning, and the tale unfolded. Derrick, the man who had come to Hogwarts, told most of it.
************************************************************************
Harry sat back and listened, occasionally adding input. He was tied physically, mentally, and magically. He could lightly sense all the emotions in the room, thanks to all the practice he'd had with Natalia. It was so very strange -now he couldn't imagine how limited his perceptions must have been.
In any case, on with the story:
Harry and the rest had just finished taking out all the Death Eaters, including a major supporter of Voldemort's -Lestrange. Then, low and behold, a Naga was summoned -it was going to take them a while to figure out quite how that had happened. Naga's were not even from their plane.
They tried different spells on it, and even in concert they only did so much good. It had an amazing amount of resistance to magic, and a fitting stamina. It's skin was the most vulnerable, particularly to physical harm. You try taking down a giant rampaging monster through slowly bleeding it via the small (for it) wound's you can inflict upon it.
They lost someone in the first minute.
They dodged, ran, took cover, shot curses, ducked flying chunks of train. Harry himself actually flipped over it's giant onrushing tail at one point. Luckily, one of them had a crossbow full of poisoned bolts that slowed it down. After some time, Harry himself had thrown too very well aimed daggers: One to the heart, another to the right eye. It had fled.
Harry sent some of them to the ministry -which took a while, as they had to run past the apparition barrier- and took chase. He and his group had caught up with it as it terrorized a muggle town. Well, mostly muggle. In any case, Harry had organized the rest of the wizards. They had tried several different things, such as slamming cars into it. In the end, Harry jumped onto it from a building, and had used his glowing sword to…
McGonagall, with a skeptical look, asked, "What is this -glowing sword business?"
Dumbledore had an knowing look trained on him, and Harry knew that he already had his suspicions. He took the gleaming sword out of his robes, from a scabbard he had transfigured for it. He had already cleaned it, though he couldn't quite remember when.
Sirius voice questioned, "Harry?"
The battered young man in question lethargically stood up. In a quick motion that had someone uttering a startled, "what-" he threw it. As it arced across the room, he held out a hand, and the sword appeared. Harry looked at the ancient sword and it began to glow golden. He felt a slight wave of fatigue and let go. After a moment it the glow dissipated, and he sat back down.
Sirius had an eyebrow raised. McGonagall had an expression that was baffled, interested, and yet unsurprised. "How -interesting," was all Snape had to say. Dumbledore looked faintly amused, for some odd reason.
…to sever it's spine. They then faced a horde of frightened muggles, who were coming up with all many of odd theories. The muggle police had even tried arresting them. So, while they had 'won,' the ministry was aggravated. The Department of Accidental Magic Reversal couldn't be sure all the muggles had been obliviated.
Finally the messenger spoke up. She had been enthralled in the story, but now was the opportunity to deliver her message. "Headmaster, the muggles have broadcast footage of the attack on a news station. Apparently it's already being denounced; But the Minister would like to see you right away.
Everyone glanced at each other in alarm. Harry noted their reactions -alarmed, shocked, horrified, and Derrick was starting to look paranoidal.
Harry looked up and was startled to see Cho Chang. "Cho?" He remembered the last time he'd seen her, at graduation, the cold look she'd given him. He remembered to Cedric's funeral, the hate filled words she'd hurled at him. He unconsciously shrank into his chair slightly, resigned to whatever harsh sentiments she might be feeling.
She looked at him, looking like she wanted to say something. At least she wasn't directing a dagger filled look at him, as she had in the past.
"Ms. Chang," Dumbledore broke in, standing up. "Harry, I will speak to you tomorrow."
Harry stood, said a farewell to everyone, and followed Sirius out the door. "Are their Dementors anywhere around here?"
Sirius looked at him in concern "No, why?"
Harry shook his head, "Nevermind."
************************************************************************
No Reply: Yeah, my chapters are short. Sometimes it even aggravates me -but hey, I try to update often. And since I haven't updated in like a week before yesterday, I'll add another chapter.
