Chapter twenty-one
My dear brother
Avolorm waited in the spot that Hermione had told him that she was going to. It was 8:45, a little too early but near enough. He hadn't needed to send and owl to his father of course. He knew that his father would be hiding in the dark of the this forest and would feel their presence. Soon, he heard voices.
"I can't believe this. Late for her own meetings!" Ron grumbled as he dug his hands into his armpits.
"She's not late, WE'RE early." Harry said, checking his watch.
"Told you we were leaving too early. But Nooooo, no need to listen to me-" Ron raved. He may as well have been alone because he was the only one who was listening.
Harry looked into the darkness of the trees and shivered. His scar was burning like crazy.
"See! You're doing it again! WHAT ON EARTH IS WRONG WITH YOU?!?" Ron ranted as he realised that his friend was not listening.
In the Slytherin Dormitory, Malfoy sighed and closed his eyes. He may as well sleep to pass the time. With a start, he realised that some one was opening the door.
"Draco? What are you doing down there?" Malfoy looked up to see Crabbe and Goyle towering above him. He had never been so glad to see them.
"Untie me!" Was what he intended to say, but because of his gag, it came out like this: "Ungnnmm!"
"I think his trying to say something." Crabbe said after a minute or two.
"How can you tell?" The other ignoramus asked, scratching his scalp.
"Well, his making weird noises ."
"Should we untie him?" Goyle questioned.
" What if he gets mad?" Crabbe said stepping back slightly. Malfoy sighed and shook his head. If only he had SMARTER accomplices.
" Let's leave him alone. He might get mad at us if we untie him." Crabbe continued. Goyle nodded in agreement and to Malfoy's dismay, they left the room. Malfoy couldn't believe it. They were just leaving him there to die? Then again, they wouldn't know any better.
"Where's Malfoy?" Malfoy allowed himself to hope again once he heard Flint's voice.
"He's in his room." Crabbe answered.
"Can you get him out here?"
"We can't."
"Why not?"
"He's tied up on the floor with a gag in his mouth." The next thing Malfoy knew was Flint rushing into the room and telling Crabbe and Goyle off. He bent over and after a few minutes, Malfoy was free.
"Thanks!" Malfoy said, grabbing the piece of paper from under the bed. Without another word, he was out of the room.
"We meet again do we?" The two boys jumped at the icy voice behind them. They turned to see a creature not man or beast. A creature not living or dead. Voldemort.
"Y-Your not Hermione!" Ron squeaked, backing away in terror. The creature smiled nastily. Avolorm walked out from the shadows, wearing the same smile. A sudden pang of pain rushed upon Harry, bringing him to the floor.
"HARRY!" Hermione had just arrived and screamed out in disgust at the creature hovering above. Her eyes passed over Harry, then Ron and finally to Avolorm.
"Toby?" She stuttered. He smirked.
"Fooled you didn't I?" He snarled. "You know, I should thank you. I wouldn't be able to accomplish what I will tonight without you." Harry got up, rubbing his forehead.
"Is this true Hermione?" He asked quietly. Hermione shook her head, blinking back the tears.
" Toby. Why are you doing this?" She asked, backing away towards Ron.
"Why? Oh, I'll tell you why. Revenge." With a flick of his wand, he sent Harry sprawling to the ground. As Harry tried to get up again, Avolorm moved forward and kicked him hard in the ribs. Harry lay on the cold ground, expecting another blow, but it never came. He rolled over onto his back and propped himself up on his elbows. He wiped the blood away from his mouth and glared up at Avolorm with loathing.
"I never did anything to you!" Harry yelled.
"But you did plenty to harm me. Harry Potter." The spectral figure glided towards him with a grin on its ugly face.
" Look at me." It hissed. " You deprived me of my very life. I am nothing now Harry. Nothing." Harry stared up at it in confusion.
"Remember that fateful day Harry? The day you earned the name 'the boy who lived'?" Harry looked away.
"Voldemort." He whispered.
"My father." Avolorm said quietly. Hermione gasped.
"Ironic, isn't it? My very own brother did this to my father." He continued, kicking Harry again. Harry flinched and tried to get up.
"I'm not your brother! M-My father is James Potter-" Harry yelled, not wanting to believe a single thing that was being imprinted into his mind.
"I know that. Lily Potter is your mother. And mine." Avolorm said with a scowl on his once handsome face.
"NO! My mother would never do that!" Harry said, getting up to his feet.
"She did Harry Potter. Before she married your scumbag father, she loved Tom Riddle. Of course, I never knew of what she really was. A Mudblood. So, I left her after I found out. But I left too late. She was pregnant. So, to save face, she married James Potter. Then, she had YOU." Voldemort said smoothly.
"Like that muggle father of yours aren't you?" Harry yelled, clenching his fists. Remembering what Tom Riddle had told him in his second year. Voldemort narrowed his red eyes menacingly. Avolorm stepped forward, sensing that his father had had enough.
"Nice knowing you, brother." Avolorm twirled his wand between his long fingers, staring at Harry. Harry stared back. In those ice grey eyes, he knew there was loneliness. Regret. A longing for being loved. With a pang of pain in his chest, Harry remembered that he had the very same longing so many years ago, before coming to Hogwarts.
"I'm going to finish what my father never could." Avolorm said, pointing his wand at Harry. He expected Harry to beg for mercy, to back away, to pull out his own wand. However, Harry did the complete opposite.
Harry took a step closer.
"Toby. Don't do this." He said gently. Avolorm lowered his wand slightly. Shocked that Harry was calling him by his first name. Voldemort, sensing that its son was weakening, glided forward.
"What are you waiting for? Do it! Kill him!" The creature hissed dangerously.
"No, Toby. Don't. There is no need for this. This is pointless." Harry said quickly. Taking another step forward, hoping to gain his brother's trust.
"SHUT UP! There is!" Avolorm was shaking now. Harry saw a faint glimmer of hope.
" You just want a family, don't you?" Harry asked.
"DON'T LISTEN TO HIM!" Voldemort shrieked.
"I'm your brother, Toby. I can be your family. I want a family as badly as you do." Harry said in what he hoped was a soothing voice. As he said it, he realised. He spoke the truth.
"And I am your father Toby. I am your only family." Voldemort hissed.
"Toby. You can't do this. I'm your brother." Harry said, desperately.
"Yes I can. There is no such thing as brotherly love." Avolorm closed his eyes.
"Suicidio!" Avolorm bellowed. A bright white light flashed from his wand. Harry yelled out in pain and fell to his knees. His scar was splitting his head in two. He gasped for air, his lungs bursting with the effort. He slumped down onto the ground, seeing nothing but white. Soon, the white turned gradually onto a black nothingness.
Harry and Avolorm both lay on the ground. Hermione let out a sob and buried her head in her hands. Ron put his arm around her awkwardly. He couldn't believe it. He wouldn't believe it. His best friend couldn't just die like that. Not without saying goodbye, without living his life to the full. Ron let go of the sobbing Hermione and walked slowly towards his best friend's body. His face was peaceful, his eyes closed. Ron turned to Avolorm who was a few feet away. His face was twisted in agony, his eyes wide and staring at nothing. As Ron took a step closer, he heard a crunch under his foot. He looked down and found that he cracked one of Harry's lenses. With shaking fingers, he picked the round rimmed glasses up from the ground. Ron could hold it no longer. With a loud rasping from his dry throat, he knelt down and let it all go. The tears flowed over his checks rapidly. As though to mirror his feelings, it started to snow, making another layer over the thick white blanket that was already smothering the grass. He ignored it and watched sadly as the snowflakes landed softly onto Harry's pale face. His hands absent- mindedly stroked the glasses that once belonged to his friend. He wanted to hold it forever. He wanted to remember everything. In his minds eye he saw Harry laughing and putting his glasses on. He saw him gliding gracefully on his broomstick, landing and laughing at Ron's eagerness to try it too. He saw Harry groaning at his test mark. He saw him smacking a snowball across Malfoy's head. He saw him frog marching Hermione and Ron across the school grounds. He saw Himself and Harry fighting over Hermione in fifth year then laughing and vowing to never think of her as a female again. It's strange that way, how someone can be alive one minute, then a mere memory the next. Ron cried at the bitterness of it all. He couldn't believe the world could be so damn mean. He was ripped out of his reflecting by loud, mocking, evil laughter. The laughter went on and on and never stopped. It only drifted up into the sky.
"He just laughs. He used Toby to kill Harry and just laughs." Ron said bitterly.
"TOBY!" Malfoy burst into the clearing, waving a piece of paper above his head. He stopped running as he saw the two limp figures in the snow.
"I'm too late, aren't I?" He asked quietly. Hermione didn't ponder over Malfoy's strange change but nodded quietly. Without a word, he passed the paper to her and put a hand on Ron's shoulder. Hermione sniffed and squinted past the blob of blue ink and read the words hidden beneath. With a squeal, she held a hand over her mouth and ran to Ron, crying with happiness. It wasn't too late after all. There was hope. And there was only one person who could bring it.
"SNAPE!! PROFESSOR SNAPE!!!" Hermione flung the staff room doors open, ignoring the teacher's curious and enraged looks. She spotted the potions master hanging his cape up on the wall.
"Snape! You have to help us!" She pleaded, running into the room.
Dumbledore shook his head as he stared down at Harry. The two bodies were placed in the hospital wing. Ron stood by Harry's bed, still holding the glasses.
"Never thought I'd see the day." The head master muttered. He passed the small piece of paper to Professor Mcgonagol.
"The only way to reverse the spell is the Mojojuice Potion." She read aloud.
"Can you do it?" She asked Snape who was standing motionless in a corner.
"It will take a while ." He replied, after a moments pause.
"How long?" Hermione asked anxiously.
"A while." Snape repeated. With a swish of his robes, he disappeared out the door. Hermione slipped her hand over Ron's. His hand still gripped the glasses.
"Keep them safe Ron. He'll be needing them soon." She said with silent joy. Ron smiled slightly.
"I will."
Don't ask where I got 'mojojuice' from.
My dear brother
Avolorm waited in the spot that Hermione had told him that she was going to. It was 8:45, a little too early but near enough. He hadn't needed to send and owl to his father of course. He knew that his father would be hiding in the dark of the this forest and would feel their presence. Soon, he heard voices.
"I can't believe this. Late for her own meetings!" Ron grumbled as he dug his hands into his armpits.
"She's not late, WE'RE early." Harry said, checking his watch.
"Told you we were leaving too early. But Nooooo, no need to listen to me-" Ron raved. He may as well have been alone because he was the only one who was listening.
Harry looked into the darkness of the trees and shivered. His scar was burning like crazy.
"See! You're doing it again! WHAT ON EARTH IS WRONG WITH YOU?!?" Ron ranted as he realised that his friend was not listening.
In the Slytherin Dormitory, Malfoy sighed and closed his eyes. He may as well sleep to pass the time. With a start, he realised that some one was opening the door.
"Draco? What are you doing down there?" Malfoy looked up to see Crabbe and Goyle towering above him. He had never been so glad to see them.
"Untie me!" Was what he intended to say, but because of his gag, it came out like this: "Ungnnmm!"
"I think his trying to say something." Crabbe said after a minute or two.
"How can you tell?" The other ignoramus asked, scratching his scalp.
"Well, his making weird noises ."
"Should we untie him?" Goyle questioned.
" What if he gets mad?" Crabbe said stepping back slightly. Malfoy sighed and shook his head. If only he had SMARTER accomplices.
" Let's leave him alone. He might get mad at us if we untie him." Crabbe continued. Goyle nodded in agreement and to Malfoy's dismay, they left the room. Malfoy couldn't believe it. They were just leaving him there to die? Then again, they wouldn't know any better.
"Where's Malfoy?" Malfoy allowed himself to hope again once he heard Flint's voice.
"He's in his room." Crabbe answered.
"Can you get him out here?"
"We can't."
"Why not?"
"He's tied up on the floor with a gag in his mouth." The next thing Malfoy knew was Flint rushing into the room and telling Crabbe and Goyle off. He bent over and after a few minutes, Malfoy was free.
"Thanks!" Malfoy said, grabbing the piece of paper from under the bed. Without another word, he was out of the room.
"We meet again do we?" The two boys jumped at the icy voice behind them. They turned to see a creature not man or beast. A creature not living or dead. Voldemort.
"Y-Your not Hermione!" Ron squeaked, backing away in terror. The creature smiled nastily. Avolorm walked out from the shadows, wearing the same smile. A sudden pang of pain rushed upon Harry, bringing him to the floor.
"HARRY!" Hermione had just arrived and screamed out in disgust at the creature hovering above. Her eyes passed over Harry, then Ron and finally to Avolorm.
"Toby?" She stuttered. He smirked.
"Fooled you didn't I?" He snarled. "You know, I should thank you. I wouldn't be able to accomplish what I will tonight without you." Harry got up, rubbing his forehead.
"Is this true Hermione?" He asked quietly. Hermione shook her head, blinking back the tears.
" Toby. Why are you doing this?" She asked, backing away towards Ron.
"Why? Oh, I'll tell you why. Revenge." With a flick of his wand, he sent Harry sprawling to the ground. As Harry tried to get up again, Avolorm moved forward and kicked him hard in the ribs. Harry lay on the cold ground, expecting another blow, but it never came. He rolled over onto his back and propped himself up on his elbows. He wiped the blood away from his mouth and glared up at Avolorm with loathing.
"I never did anything to you!" Harry yelled.
"But you did plenty to harm me. Harry Potter." The spectral figure glided towards him with a grin on its ugly face.
" Look at me." It hissed. " You deprived me of my very life. I am nothing now Harry. Nothing." Harry stared up at it in confusion.
"Remember that fateful day Harry? The day you earned the name 'the boy who lived'?" Harry looked away.
"Voldemort." He whispered.
"My father." Avolorm said quietly. Hermione gasped.
"Ironic, isn't it? My very own brother did this to my father." He continued, kicking Harry again. Harry flinched and tried to get up.
"I'm not your brother! M-My father is James Potter-" Harry yelled, not wanting to believe a single thing that was being imprinted into his mind.
"I know that. Lily Potter is your mother. And mine." Avolorm said with a scowl on his once handsome face.
"NO! My mother would never do that!" Harry said, getting up to his feet.
"She did Harry Potter. Before she married your scumbag father, she loved Tom Riddle. Of course, I never knew of what she really was. A Mudblood. So, I left her after I found out. But I left too late. She was pregnant. So, to save face, she married James Potter. Then, she had YOU." Voldemort said smoothly.
"Like that muggle father of yours aren't you?" Harry yelled, clenching his fists. Remembering what Tom Riddle had told him in his second year. Voldemort narrowed his red eyes menacingly. Avolorm stepped forward, sensing that his father had had enough.
"Nice knowing you, brother." Avolorm twirled his wand between his long fingers, staring at Harry. Harry stared back. In those ice grey eyes, he knew there was loneliness. Regret. A longing for being loved. With a pang of pain in his chest, Harry remembered that he had the very same longing so many years ago, before coming to Hogwarts.
"I'm going to finish what my father never could." Avolorm said, pointing his wand at Harry. He expected Harry to beg for mercy, to back away, to pull out his own wand. However, Harry did the complete opposite.
Harry took a step closer.
"Toby. Don't do this." He said gently. Avolorm lowered his wand slightly. Shocked that Harry was calling him by his first name. Voldemort, sensing that its son was weakening, glided forward.
"What are you waiting for? Do it! Kill him!" The creature hissed dangerously.
"No, Toby. Don't. There is no need for this. This is pointless." Harry said quickly. Taking another step forward, hoping to gain his brother's trust.
"SHUT UP! There is!" Avolorm was shaking now. Harry saw a faint glimmer of hope.
" You just want a family, don't you?" Harry asked.
"DON'T LISTEN TO HIM!" Voldemort shrieked.
"I'm your brother, Toby. I can be your family. I want a family as badly as you do." Harry said in what he hoped was a soothing voice. As he said it, he realised. He spoke the truth.
"And I am your father Toby. I am your only family." Voldemort hissed.
"Toby. You can't do this. I'm your brother." Harry said, desperately.
"Yes I can. There is no such thing as brotherly love." Avolorm closed his eyes.
"Suicidio!" Avolorm bellowed. A bright white light flashed from his wand. Harry yelled out in pain and fell to his knees. His scar was splitting his head in two. He gasped for air, his lungs bursting with the effort. He slumped down onto the ground, seeing nothing but white. Soon, the white turned gradually onto a black nothingness.
Harry and Avolorm both lay on the ground. Hermione let out a sob and buried her head in her hands. Ron put his arm around her awkwardly. He couldn't believe it. He wouldn't believe it. His best friend couldn't just die like that. Not without saying goodbye, without living his life to the full. Ron let go of the sobbing Hermione and walked slowly towards his best friend's body. His face was peaceful, his eyes closed. Ron turned to Avolorm who was a few feet away. His face was twisted in agony, his eyes wide and staring at nothing. As Ron took a step closer, he heard a crunch under his foot. He looked down and found that he cracked one of Harry's lenses. With shaking fingers, he picked the round rimmed glasses up from the ground. Ron could hold it no longer. With a loud rasping from his dry throat, he knelt down and let it all go. The tears flowed over his checks rapidly. As though to mirror his feelings, it started to snow, making another layer over the thick white blanket that was already smothering the grass. He ignored it and watched sadly as the snowflakes landed softly onto Harry's pale face. His hands absent- mindedly stroked the glasses that once belonged to his friend. He wanted to hold it forever. He wanted to remember everything. In his minds eye he saw Harry laughing and putting his glasses on. He saw him gliding gracefully on his broomstick, landing and laughing at Ron's eagerness to try it too. He saw Harry groaning at his test mark. He saw him smacking a snowball across Malfoy's head. He saw him frog marching Hermione and Ron across the school grounds. He saw Himself and Harry fighting over Hermione in fifth year then laughing and vowing to never think of her as a female again. It's strange that way, how someone can be alive one minute, then a mere memory the next. Ron cried at the bitterness of it all. He couldn't believe the world could be so damn mean. He was ripped out of his reflecting by loud, mocking, evil laughter. The laughter went on and on and never stopped. It only drifted up into the sky.
"He just laughs. He used Toby to kill Harry and just laughs." Ron said bitterly.
"TOBY!" Malfoy burst into the clearing, waving a piece of paper above his head. He stopped running as he saw the two limp figures in the snow.
"I'm too late, aren't I?" He asked quietly. Hermione didn't ponder over Malfoy's strange change but nodded quietly. Without a word, he passed the paper to her and put a hand on Ron's shoulder. Hermione sniffed and squinted past the blob of blue ink and read the words hidden beneath. With a squeal, she held a hand over her mouth and ran to Ron, crying with happiness. It wasn't too late after all. There was hope. And there was only one person who could bring it.
"SNAPE!! PROFESSOR SNAPE!!!" Hermione flung the staff room doors open, ignoring the teacher's curious and enraged looks. She spotted the potions master hanging his cape up on the wall.
"Snape! You have to help us!" She pleaded, running into the room.
Dumbledore shook his head as he stared down at Harry. The two bodies were placed in the hospital wing. Ron stood by Harry's bed, still holding the glasses.
"Never thought I'd see the day." The head master muttered. He passed the small piece of paper to Professor Mcgonagol.
"The only way to reverse the spell is the Mojojuice Potion." She read aloud.
"Can you do it?" She asked Snape who was standing motionless in a corner.
"It will take a while ." He replied, after a moments pause.
"How long?" Hermione asked anxiously.
"A while." Snape repeated. With a swish of his robes, he disappeared out the door. Hermione slipped her hand over Ron's. His hand still gripped the glasses.
"Keep them safe Ron. He'll be needing them soon." She said with silent joy. Ron smiled slightly.
"I will."
Don't ask where I got 'mojojuice' from.