DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter. I repeat, I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER!
The character and all that appears in JK's series is property of J.K.
Rowling. Some of these ideas and concepts are adapted and inspired on
Cassandra Claire's Draco series.
CHAPTER 1 "Darkness Falls"
Harry Potter walked to the window of his bedroom at Number 4, Privet Drive, and stared down at the sleeping town below him. As always, his birthday had been ignored completely by the Dursleys...but you couldn't turn fifteen every day. Harry scanned the skies for some sign of an owl. For the last couple of years, Hermione and Ron, his best friends at Hogwarts, and usually his godfather Sirius, had sent him some kind of birthday greeting. But the skies were empty. He sat down on his bed again, sighing. He knew he shouldn't expect much, but it was always nice to have a present of some sort to prove that someone knew the significance of this day to him. Harry sighed again. He might as well go back to bed, owing to the fact that his birthday was being treated as if it were utterly nonexistent. As he dozed off, a strange vision overtook him. He saw his friends together, laughing at the Weasleys' house. Harry tried to call to them, but no one could hear his voice. He walked up to Ron and tapped his shoulder. Ron didn't even turn his head. Harry felt his heart burn with jealousy as Ron took Hermione's hand and pulled her to the garden to look at gnomes. He wanted to be there...have fun with his friends...bask out there in the sun-
BANG. Harry jerked awake. He glanced at his window again and what he saw nearly made him scream. A dark figure was standing in the middle of his bedroom. "Happy birthday, Harry!" it said. "Sirius!" Harry replied, recognizing his godfather's voice at once. "Sirius--what are you doing here?" "I've come to take you to the Weasleys'. Dumbledore's orders. He believes that, for your own comfort, you should stay there--he knows what kind of riffraff these people are," Sirius said, gesturing at the room beside him, where Uncle Vernon coughed. "Wow, thanks, Sirius! I can't wait to get out of here!" "I'm just doing my duty," he said with a grin. In an instant, Harry and Sirius had Apparated, with Harry's magical equipment and Hedwig, his owl, into the Weasleys' garden. For Harry, it was almost a dream come true. He was where he wanted to be. "You'll stay here for the remainder of your vacation, and the Weasleys will see you safely to Hogwarts," Sirius said with a wave. "But-but..." Harry sputtered. "I don't think it's a very good idea for the Weasleys to see me here. With the exception of your friend Ron, they all still believe me to be a criminal on the loose," Sirius said, grinning again. "Okay..." Harry said, waving at the already vanishing Sirius. It was the start to a new summer.
*~*~*~
"Harry!!!" Hermione screamed, throwing herself on him, Ron grinning in the background. "Hey, 'Mione!" Harry said, equally happy to see his friend. Ron stepped forward. "Hey--don't I get any greetings?" he asked, jokingly. "Hey, Ron. It's good to see you." Harry made his voice go flat with sarcasm and rolled his eyes, just playing with Ron. After the salutations were complete, the threesome trouped back into the house. "Well, I guess you'd better put down your stuff," Ron noted, looking down at Harry's full hands. "Yeah...Let's go up to your room, okay?" Harry replied, relieved that he wouldn't have to carry his heavy trunk much longer. Ron seemed to read some of his thoughts. "Here, I'll carry that," he said, reaching for the trunk. "And I'll take Hedwig," Hermione interjected, grabbing the cage. "Thanks a lot, you guys," Harry said, grinning. It was so good to be with his friends again.
*~*~*~
Harry looked at the enchanted ceiling of Hogwarts' Great Hall with enjoyment. It was like coming home again. But beside him, Hermione seemed to have other worries. Hermione had just received an unexpected owl. She paled as she read it. Carefully hiding her face and the note from Harry and Ron, both of whom were taking in the familiarity of the castle, she shoved the note into her pocket and took a few deep breaths. She had known...ever since this summer... Harry's sigh broke her thoughts. She looked over at him, concerned, but it had just been a sigh of happiness. There was no need to worry. Yet.
*~*~*~
Harry and Ron weren't entirely unobservant. They knew something was wrong with Hermione. What they didn't know, thought, was WHAT was bothering her. "I'm really worried about 'Mione--she really doesn't seem like herself. And she's really pale: doesn't look well at all," a worried Harry told Ron one morning. "Mmm..." Ron said. Harry was annoyed because his friend didn't seem at all concerned about Hermione. Then again, Harry knew that Ron didn't care for Hermione as he did. But all the same, it was very important that they worm a confession out of her. But it wasn't until that night that they got the chance.
Ron, tired, had gone to bed, but Hermione and Harry remained in the common room, even though it was getting late. Harry glanced over at his friend for a second and noticed that she seemed to be holding back--tears? "'Mione? What's wrong?" he asked her gently, prodding her shoulder.
"Wh-what? Oh...n-nothing," she responded, not looking Harry in the face.
"'Mione, don't worry...you can tell me," Harry urged, making her look into his eyes so she could see his sincerity. Hermione shuddered suddenly, and Harry tried to put his arm around her, but she shrank away. She had tried to hide this since the summer, but of course Harry would eventually figure it out. She began to speak, sighing. "It's just--Viktor. I went to see him this summer. And-well--I knew from the beginning that something was wrong. He was more secretive and - and weirder than he was at school, Harry. I should have known he was after you. All he said seemed to lead to a question about you, or was a veiled threat to me. He didn't waste time being cute or romantic anymore. The night before I left, he attacked me again. Harry, you have no idea. It was-horrible. I've never experienced anything like it. He used the Cruciatus Curse." Hermione leaned forward and took a deep breath, looking at the floor. "Viktor Krum is a Death Eater." For a moment, Harry let his mouth hang open in shock.
"I thought he was okay..." he muttered. "I'm so sorry, 'Mione." He looked straight into her eyes and she could see the pain there. Her heart turned over and the next thing she knew, tears were coursing down her cheeks. She wasn't sure what she was crying for. Harry pulled her to him and she sat there, right in the common room, sobbing into Harry's shoulder. "I'm so sorry," he whispered again.
*~*~*~
Later that night, thinking about what Hermione had just told him, Harry felt a hot sick swoop of anger running through him. Krum had tortured her. Remembering her bushy brown hair shaking slightly as she cried on his shoulder, he had half a mind to go right down to the Slytherin common room, take out his wand, and curse Krum until he could curse no more. "Now how did I know where he was?" Harry thought, but there was no time to answer the question. His scar burned suddenly on his forehead. Something was wrong, very wrong. "Ron!" he hissed through the darkness. "Ron, c'mere!"
"'Smatter?" muttered Ron sleepily.
"Ron, wake up! Come on!" Harry whispered fiercely, shaking Ron roughly.
"Alright, I'm getting up. But this better be good." Both boys went down the staircase to the common room. "I knew it," Harry muttered. There was a muffled sort of screaming coming from the girls' dormitories and a high, cold voice shouting in the distance. A surge of bravery born out of his love for Hermione struck him.
"I knew something like this was going to happen. C'mon, Ron, we gotta go help her." He started going up the girls' staircase. "Ron, move!" he hissed, irritation commencing out of his panic. Ron continued to stare behind Harry. The color drained from his face. "What is it, Ron? What's the matter?" Harry asked impatiently, turning back around.
But as he did so, he saw quite clearly what was the matter. Lord Voldemort was standing on the steps behind him, his red eyes glinting in the half- light, his wand drawn. "Avada Kedavra!" Harry was blinded by the green light that burst from Voldemort's wand tip. He heard a faint rushing sound, then all went black.
"Harry!" Ron cried out, rushing over to his friend, horror rising in his stomach. But then he realized that this was a very stupid thing to do, owing to the fact that Lord Voldemort was still standing over Harry, cackling over what he had just done. However, his call alerted the Dark Lord to his presence. He once again berated himself for being so stupid. But this was not the time for self- indulgence. He had to act--fast! "Stupefy!" he cried, just as Voldemort performed his deadly curse yet again. Ron knew he couldn't win this battle, Voldemort's power was too strong. Already he could see the red light from his own spell being sucked up in the green of Voldemort's. "Stupefy! Impedimenta! Stupefy! Desaugeo! Rictusempra! Tarantallegra!" Ron yelled every spell that came to mind, all except the one he needed. Voldemort was just standing with his wand out, laughing his chilling cold laugh. Ron's spells had no effect on him: he was too powerful. Now panic was combining with the horror within his stomach. How was he to defeat the Dark Lord? Were these to be his last moments on the face of this Earth?
But rescue came, to his relief. Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown, in Ron's opinion, the gossipiest airheads alive, were creeping silently down toward Voldemort's back. Despite his opinion of them, Ron was glad to see them. At least he wasn't the only one fighting now. Then the spell came to him. "Expelliarmus!" he yelled, remembering for an instant how the Disarming spell had worked for Harry the previous year. He noticed the Dark Lord was now--gone? Where had he disappeared to? Lavender and Parvati had Disarmed Voldemort exactly when he had, but that still didn't explain where Voldemort was. But there were more pressing issues at hand now. Parvati ran down the steps toward Harry. Ron did the same. "Look--his scar!" Parvati exclaimed in shock. The scar was behaving very strangely indeed. It glowed red, then green, then gold. Very slowly, as if unseen forces were pulling him, Harry began to sit. He didn't appear to be conscious, though. That was the troubling thing. Parvati now began to mutter strange words under her breath while flashes of color burst out of her wand. Ron stared in amazement. "What are you doing to him?" he wondered aloud. "Healing him. Remember, I'm taking Advanced Healing. Madam Pomfrey teaches that class." Ron was just about to ask another question, but Harry distracted them both. Harry's eyes were strangely out of focus, but they were open. When he spoke, he spoke in a language so unintelligible that it must have been Parseltongue. A flash of intuition and Ron suddenly understood. Voldemort had disappeared into Harry's scar.
*~*~*~
"Right. Now I'm guessing he needs to get to the hosptal wing. Maybe Madam Pomfrey can fix him completely."
"Sure," Parvati replied, but looking dubious. Then she seemed to change her mind. "Alright, we'll come with you. Lavender--what are you doing?" Lavender was coming down the girls' stairs, lugging with her the pale, motionless form of Hermione. "Hermione!" Ron cried, his eyes going wide and his mouth dropping open. "What's he done to her?"
"I don't know, but I can see enough to tell you it's beyond my abilities. We'll have to take her up to the hospital wing too," Parvati replied, conjuring stretchers from thin air. "OK. Let's go."
But the night's surprises weren't over. No sooner had they gotten out of the portrait hole, Viktor Krum, flanked by Draco Malfoy, Vincent Crabbe, and Gregory Goyle confronted them. "Hand over the girl. Ve are not finished vith her," Krum said, a low threat in his voice.
Ron, snarling, took out his wand. "No." The four offenders whipped out their wands. Parvati and Lavender, who were supporting the stretchers, muttered to their wands and the stretchers stood alone. All seven of them were now armed. It looked as though another nasty wizard's duel was about to take place. But just then, Harry once again distracted them. He sat up again and stared unseeingly at them with his unfocused eyes.
He spoke again, this time in English, but in a high, cold voice that Parvati, Lavender, and Ron knew only too well... "Do not fight. Do not waste your strength. It will be needed soon, perhaps sooner than you think."
Krum and Malfoy slowly lowered their wands. They motioned to Crabbe and Goyle to do the same. Ron took charge. "So you're not going to fight us. Can we go now, then? Or are you going to block the corridor until the end of time?" The Death Eaters moved reluctantly to the side.
"We're coming with you, Weasley," Malfoy called. "We're not fools enough to let you go on your own. I bet you'd go running straight to Dumbledore, now, wouldn't you?" The Death Eaters surrounded them. Krum walked at the front, Malfoy was stationed at the back, and Crabbe and Goyle closed in on the sides. How were Ron, Lavender, and Parvati supposed to get on their own? They could hex Krum. They could hex Crabbe and Goyle, since there were three of them. But what about Malfoy? Or maybe, Ron thought, we should get Krum, Crabbe, and Malfoy first because Goyle is too much of a stupid git to get what would be going on. But there was another problem too. Ron would need Parvati and Lavender's help to get all three at the same time. Quietly, Ron searched for a piece of parchment in his pocket. He pulled out a fragment, ignoring the message that already rested upon the sheet. Being careful to not let Malfoy notice, he took out his wand to write a note. But something about that message caught his eye. In the same neat even script he remembered, was a piece of Hermione's Defense Against the Dark Arts notes from the day before.
"The Evadakaraian Curse-used only by Death Eaters, the Evadakaraian curse allows one to
enter the body of another, draining the host's powers to become more powerful. The
symptoms of this entering are unfocused eyes, a mysterious attitude
Curse is possessing the forms of ot
will have the same voice, personality, m basically a parasite that eats awa"
The rest of the parchment was torn off. "That's what happened, then!" Ron thought. When Parvati, Lavender, and I Disarmed him, he must have performed the Evadakaraian Curse! He's definitely a Death Eater, Voldemort, and Harry's got all the symptoms! Something of his thoughts must have lingered on his face, because Parvati, who was walking next to him, gave him a questioning look. Carefully shielding his hand from Malfoy's view, he passed her Hermione's notes. Her eyes widened as she read, and she glanced at the stretcher she was supporting, holding Harry. But time was up. They were at the door of the hospital wing. Malfoy and Krum weren't stupid enough to not know that Dumbledore's presence was near. They left them at the doorway. Ron breathed a sigh of relief. Now he could further develop and discuss his plan. They opened the door. Lavender gasped in shock. Hundreds of students were lying on the beds, as unconcious as Hermione. Ron saw, at the very end of the room, that someone had the same symptoms as Harry.
Cho Chang.
*~*~*~
Ron went up to Madam Pomfrey, who was tending to a Hufflepuff fifth year. He tapped her shoulder. Madam Pomfrey turned around and sighed. "Another one? Well, bring them here. Oh dear, we're running out of beds." She conjured up ten more beds and magicked Harry and Hermione onto two of them. Suddenly she exploded. "What are they doing now?!?!? Last year, dragons, now, this year, this! Does this school ever have a normal year? I've never seen anything like this before! I'm not sure I'll be able to heal them!"
"Calm yourself, Poppy. They will get better in time." Professor Dumbledore was speaking, although his voice was low and grave, as if he was trying to convince himself as well as Madam Pomfrey.
Ron stared at the headmaster. He seemed to have aged ten years since the last time Ron had seen him, just yesterday. Ron wondered whether he knew what was going on. "Mr. Weasley, Miss Patil, Miss Brown--I would like to see you as soon as possible in my office. The password is 'Sugarcane Sickle'." With that, Dumbledore swept out of the hospital wing. Ron, Parvati, and Lavender stared at each other for a moment. "Well, I guess we'd better be going them," Lavender told Madam Pomfrey , with false cheer in her voice, as if they were going on vacation. She didn't even turn her head. A couple of minutes later, the three of them were sitting in Dumbledore's comfortable office. "What I am going to ask you to do tonight," the headmaster told them, "is very dangerous and requires great courage. The fate of al the students in the hospital wing falls on your shoulders." Dumbeldore paused and looked around at the three Gryffindors, letting his words sink in, his face older and wearier than ever. "You have all seen Mr. Potter and Miss Granger. You have seen what has happened. Mr. Weasley, I believe you know what has occurred tonight better than anyone else here." Dumbeldore invited him to explain with a wave of his hand.
Ron began to speak. "Harry woke me up in the middle of the night," he said, his voice hushed and serious. "His scar was hurting him. We went over to the girls' dormitories. Hermione was screaming and You-Know-I mean, Voldemort was shouting back. We went up. About halfway on the stairs, I saw Voldemort coming down toward Harry. I tried to warn him, but my voice wouldn't cooperate." Ron paused to keep his voice from breaking now. "Harry turned around and asked me what was wrong. But I didn't have to explain. He turned back around and Voldemort did--did Avada Kedavra. It didn't kill him, though. He just blacked out. Still breathing. Parvati, Lavender, and I Disarmed Voldemort at the same time. And-and-" Ron faltered. He didn't know how to really put into words what had happened then. "Voldemort-Voldemort performed the Evadakaraian Curse, and went into Harry's scar. "
Dumbledore nodded encouragingly. "Did the scar behave abnormally at all?" he asked.
"How-how did you know? Yes, it did. It glowed red, then green, then gold."
"Aha. The Combination Rebellion Effect," Dumbeldore muttered. Then he spoke in a normal voice. "Harry was powerful enough to resist Voldemort from draining his own powers. Voldemort undoubtedly put him under the Imperius Curse, but he fought it off. And the gold--the gold was the Refaratian Curse. You won't have heard of that before. It's very advanced magic, and requires great skill. It will put the victim into a sort of trance if done correctly. Tell me, did Harry speak at all?"
"Yes. He spoke in Parseltongue. But later on, he spoke in regular English, but in Voldemort's voice." At this, Dumbeldore breathed in sharply. "What this means then, is that Voldemort has overpowered him. Only one Harry loves deeply can cure that. Can you think of anyone who he does?"
Ron instantly thought of Hermione. "Hermione. But she's unconcious. Can she still help us?"
Dumbledore's gaze shifted from Ron to the two girls. "You are both in Advanced Healing, are you not?" When they nodded assent, he continued. "Then this task is for you. Go to Miss Granger and Ghost-heal her. It is the only way."
"But-but Ghost-Healing can be deadly!" Lavender shrieked. "What if something goes--wrong?"
"That, Miss Brown, is a chance we have to take."
*~*~*~
After their meeting with Dumbledore, Ron, Parvati, and Lavender trudged back to the hospital wing. "Ghost-Heal her!" Parvati thought. "That's crazy. Half the times we've done it on the plants, they've died. Hermione was a little annoying and geeky sometimes, but I don't want her to die!" Next to her, Lavender was thinking basically the same thing. But Ron had other things on his mind. "There's something that doesn't fit. Why did Voldemort get Cho? Dumbledore said that it's possible to go into two bodies at once to get power, but why Cho? I would have thought Hermione, or me, even...someone a little closer to Harry. Probably Hermione because she's got loads of power too... Why Cho?"
His question was soon to be answered. As soon as they had entered the hospital wing, they noticed that a small strand of smoke was coming out of Harry's scar, unnoticed by Madam Pomfrey, who was tending to Hermione now. Ron looked around for Cho, to see what was happening with her, now, and he saw the same sort of smoke coming out of a place just below her hairline. Ron inched closer. And what he saw made him gasp in shock.
Cho Chang had a scar identical to Harry's.
He pointed it out to Parvati. Her eyes grew wide as two Galleons when she saw it. "I know! I know what it is!" she breathed. "Harry wasn't the only one who escaped the Dark Lord that night. I know because-because my father was a Death Eater. He's not now," she added quickly, seeing the look on Ron's face. "But he was there the night Voldemort tried to kill the Potters. All the Death Eaters were. They all knew. The Changs lived right next door to the Potters. They were very good friends, especially Lily Potter and Vanessa Chang. Cho's current parents aren't really hers. Draco Malfoy's mother is her current mother and her current father-her current father is my father. When Cho's real parents were killed, the sympathetic Death Eaters shaved the parents' heads. They've been making Polyjuice Potion ever since. Cho has never really known her mother and father." Parvati's eyes were shining with tears and Ron was looking at her with interest. He had never seen this side of Parvati before. But-but...
"But what does this have to do with anything?" he blurted out. "Why-OH! Voldemort wanted the powers of both his failed victims! Right?"
"Exactly. When one sacrifices oneself, his or her powers are transferred to the one sacrificed for. Don't you remember in Defense Against the Dark Arts? And Voldemort must have Stunned or whatever he did to them, the ones that Cho and Harry loved. But-wait. There are only 12 people here. That can't be all. They give out love willingly and easily..." Parvati screwed up her brain for a moment, thinking hard. She looked over at Lavender who was now working on Ghost-Healing Hermione. "Ghost-Healing...that's when the healer transfers some of his or her soul to the victim. Of course! The other ones who have been touched by the Evadakaraian Curse weren't as strong...they didn't have their parents' powers! They must have been taken by Voldemort!" Ron's mouth was now fully open in horror. But before he could speak, another high, cold voice spoke up.
"That's right, Patil. But you both know too much now. I will just have to get rid of you. Say goodbye to your lives...AVADA KEDAVRA!"
*~*~*~
At these words, Ron and Parvati ducked. They barely missed the curse, but they had missed it. Ron heard Parvati sigh with relief, but he knew they didn't have much time to spare. He lept up and called "Stupefy! Expelliarmus!" He hadn't really even looked at what he was attacking, but now that Voldemort was closer and Stunned for the moment, he could take a look. What he saw nearly made him scream.
Voldemort was immortal. Ron could see that clearly...only the gods and goddesses who were immortal had that misty, smoky shield around him or her. Ron realized that the shield was made of the smoke that had come out of Harry and Cho's scars. Voldemort reawoke quickly: his shield prevented curses from hurting him too much. He stood up. Advancing on Ron and Parvati like a lion cornering a mouse, he drew out his wand again. "I see...bravery," he breathed, his voice mocking the last word. "I always value it. So, now, would you like to once again demonstrate your bravery in dueling with me? Or I can make it quick and clean...painless. Which do you prefer?" Ron knew too well what each choice meant. They all came down to the same answer. Death. It was staring them in the face. They didn't stand a chance against Voldemort, especially not with the combined powers of Harry, Cho, and Heaven knows who else.
But before he could answer, Parvati shouted, "We'll take the duel." Ron looked furiously at Parvati, but she shot him a warning look out of the corner of her eye. She had her reasons for wanting a duel. But before he could think anymore, Voldemort clapped his hands. With a start, Ron realized that they were no longer in the hospital wing at Hogwarts. They were in a clearing, cold and eerie, with trees surrounding them, caging them. The Death Eaters were Apparating every few feet, encircling Voldemort, Parvati, and Ron in a wall of gray-black robes.
Voldemort didn't even acknowledge their presence, he was busy smiling at Parvati and Ron in a way that told them the worst was soon to come. "Crucio!" he yelled, pointing his wand at Ron. Ron fell to the ground, twitching in pain.
But Voldemort had ignored Parvati for too long. She cried, "Stupefy! Finite Incancatem!" And Ron's pain came to a stop. Voldemort's shield had completly fended off the Stunning spell, it seemed to have grown stronger and the spell ricocheted right off it again and chased after Parvati. She ducked, but smelled singed cloth. But after all, you couldn't Stun a hat, could you? No lasting harm done. Yet.
Voldemort had raised his wand again. Parvati and Ron were ready. They knew what was coming: The Killing Curse. They caught each other's eyes and counted silently to themselves: 1-2-3! "Expelliarmus!" they roared in unison. Voldemort's wand flew in an arc and landed at their feet.
But the Death Eaters were still armed and ready. They were closing in on the pair of them. Closer and closer. Their aura was so tangible that it seemed one could reach out and touch the evil in the air. Ron and Parvati knew they were done for. They couldn't possibly fend off that many people at once. "Avada Kedavra," the Death Eater closest to them breathed. Ron recognized that voice, through his foggy conciousness. But it wasn't true...couldn't be true... His sister, Ginny Weasley.
CHAPTER 1 "Darkness Falls"
Harry Potter walked to the window of his bedroom at Number 4, Privet Drive, and stared down at the sleeping town below him. As always, his birthday had been ignored completely by the Dursleys...but you couldn't turn fifteen every day. Harry scanned the skies for some sign of an owl. For the last couple of years, Hermione and Ron, his best friends at Hogwarts, and usually his godfather Sirius, had sent him some kind of birthday greeting. But the skies were empty. He sat down on his bed again, sighing. He knew he shouldn't expect much, but it was always nice to have a present of some sort to prove that someone knew the significance of this day to him. Harry sighed again. He might as well go back to bed, owing to the fact that his birthday was being treated as if it were utterly nonexistent. As he dozed off, a strange vision overtook him. He saw his friends together, laughing at the Weasleys' house. Harry tried to call to them, but no one could hear his voice. He walked up to Ron and tapped his shoulder. Ron didn't even turn his head. Harry felt his heart burn with jealousy as Ron took Hermione's hand and pulled her to the garden to look at gnomes. He wanted to be there...have fun with his friends...bask out there in the sun-
BANG. Harry jerked awake. He glanced at his window again and what he saw nearly made him scream. A dark figure was standing in the middle of his bedroom. "Happy birthday, Harry!" it said. "Sirius!" Harry replied, recognizing his godfather's voice at once. "Sirius--what are you doing here?" "I've come to take you to the Weasleys'. Dumbledore's orders. He believes that, for your own comfort, you should stay there--he knows what kind of riffraff these people are," Sirius said, gesturing at the room beside him, where Uncle Vernon coughed. "Wow, thanks, Sirius! I can't wait to get out of here!" "I'm just doing my duty," he said with a grin. In an instant, Harry and Sirius had Apparated, with Harry's magical equipment and Hedwig, his owl, into the Weasleys' garden. For Harry, it was almost a dream come true. He was where he wanted to be. "You'll stay here for the remainder of your vacation, and the Weasleys will see you safely to Hogwarts," Sirius said with a wave. "But-but..." Harry sputtered. "I don't think it's a very good idea for the Weasleys to see me here. With the exception of your friend Ron, they all still believe me to be a criminal on the loose," Sirius said, grinning again. "Okay..." Harry said, waving at the already vanishing Sirius. It was the start to a new summer.
*~*~*~
"Harry!!!" Hermione screamed, throwing herself on him, Ron grinning in the background. "Hey, 'Mione!" Harry said, equally happy to see his friend. Ron stepped forward. "Hey--don't I get any greetings?" he asked, jokingly. "Hey, Ron. It's good to see you." Harry made his voice go flat with sarcasm and rolled his eyes, just playing with Ron. After the salutations were complete, the threesome trouped back into the house. "Well, I guess you'd better put down your stuff," Ron noted, looking down at Harry's full hands. "Yeah...Let's go up to your room, okay?" Harry replied, relieved that he wouldn't have to carry his heavy trunk much longer. Ron seemed to read some of his thoughts. "Here, I'll carry that," he said, reaching for the trunk. "And I'll take Hedwig," Hermione interjected, grabbing the cage. "Thanks a lot, you guys," Harry said, grinning. It was so good to be with his friends again.
*~*~*~
Harry looked at the enchanted ceiling of Hogwarts' Great Hall with enjoyment. It was like coming home again. But beside him, Hermione seemed to have other worries. Hermione had just received an unexpected owl. She paled as she read it. Carefully hiding her face and the note from Harry and Ron, both of whom were taking in the familiarity of the castle, she shoved the note into her pocket and took a few deep breaths. She had known...ever since this summer... Harry's sigh broke her thoughts. She looked over at him, concerned, but it had just been a sigh of happiness. There was no need to worry. Yet.
*~*~*~
Harry and Ron weren't entirely unobservant. They knew something was wrong with Hermione. What they didn't know, thought, was WHAT was bothering her. "I'm really worried about 'Mione--she really doesn't seem like herself. And she's really pale: doesn't look well at all," a worried Harry told Ron one morning. "Mmm..." Ron said. Harry was annoyed because his friend didn't seem at all concerned about Hermione. Then again, Harry knew that Ron didn't care for Hermione as he did. But all the same, it was very important that they worm a confession out of her. But it wasn't until that night that they got the chance.
Ron, tired, had gone to bed, but Hermione and Harry remained in the common room, even though it was getting late. Harry glanced over at his friend for a second and noticed that she seemed to be holding back--tears? "'Mione? What's wrong?" he asked her gently, prodding her shoulder.
"Wh-what? Oh...n-nothing," she responded, not looking Harry in the face.
"'Mione, don't worry...you can tell me," Harry urged, making her look into his eyes so she could see his sincerity. Hermione shuddered suddenly, and Harry tried to put his arm around her, but she shrank away. She had tried to hide this since the summer, but of course Harry would eventually figure it out. She began to speak, sighing. "It's just--Viktor. I went to see him this summer. And-well--I knew from the beginning that something was wrong. He was more secretive and - and weirder than he was at school, Harry. I should have known he was after you. All he said seemed to lead to a question about you, or was a veiled threat to me. He didn't waste time being cute or romantic anymore. The night before I left, he attacked me again. Harry, you have no idea. It was-horrible. I've never experienced anything like it. He used the Cruciatus Curse." Hermione leaned forward and took a deep breath, looking at the floor. "Viktor Krum is a Death Eater." For a moment, Harry let his mouth hang open in shock.
"I thought he was okay..." he muttered. "I'm so sorry, 'Mione." He looked straight into her eyes and she could see the pain there. Her heart turned over and the next thing she knew, tears were coursing down her cheeks. She wasn't sure what she was crying for. Harry pulled her to him and she sat there, right in the common room, sobbing into Harry's shoulder. "I'm so sorry," he whispered again.
*~*~*~
Later that night, thinking about what Hermione had just told him, Harry felt a hot sick swoop of anger running through him. Krum had tortured her. Remembering her bushy brown hair shaking slightly as she cried on his shoulder, he had half a mind to go right down to the Slytherin common room, take out his wand, and curse Krum until he could curse no more. "Now how did I know where he was?" Harry thought, but there was no time to answer the question. His scar burned suddenly on his forehead. Something was wrong, very wrong. "Ron!" he hissed through the darkness. "Ron, c'mere!"
"'Smatter?" muttered Ron sleepily.
"Ron, wake up! Come on!" Harry whispered fiercely, shaking Ron roughly.
"Alright, I'm getting up. But this better be good." Both boys went down the staircase to the common room. "I knew it," Harry muttered. There was a muffled sort of screaming coming from the girls' dormitories and a high, cold voice shouting in the distance. A surge of bravery born out of his love for Hermione struck him.
"I knew something like this was going to happen. C'mon, Ron, we gotta go help her." He started going up the girls' staircase. "Ron, move!" he hissed, irritation commencing out of his panic. Ron continued to stare behind Harry. The color drained from his face. "What is it, Ron? What's the matter?" Harry asked impatiently, turning back around.
But as he did so, he saw quite clearly what was the matter. Lord Voldemort was standing on the steps behind him, his red eyes glinting in the half- light, his wand drawn. "Avada Kedavra!" Harry was blinded by the green light that burst from Voldemort's wand tip. He heard a faint rushing sound, then all went black.
"Harry!" Ron cried out, rushing over to his friend, horror rising in his stomach. But then he realized that this was a very stupid thing to do, owing to the fact that Lord Voldemort was still standing over Harry, cackling over what he had just done. However, his call alerted the Dark Lord to his presence. He once again berated himself for being so stupid. But this was not the time for self- indulgence. He had to act--fast! "Stupefy!" he cried, just as Voldemort performed his deadly curse yet again. Ron knew he couldn't win this battle, Voldemort's power was too strong. Already he could see the red light from his own spell being sucked up in the green of Voldemort's. "Stupefy! Impedimenta! Stupefy! Desaugeo! Rictusempra! Tarantallegra!" Ron yelled every spell that came to mind, all except the one he needed. Voldemort was just standing with his wand out, laughing his chilling cold laugh. Ron's spells had no effect on him: he was too powerful. Now panic was combining with the horror within his stomach. How was he to defeat the Dark Lord? Were these to be his last moments on the face of this Earth?
But rescue came, to his relief. Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown, in Ron's opinion, the gossipiest airheads alive, were creeping silently down toward Voldemort's back. Despite his opinion of them, Ron was glad to see them. At least he wasn't the only one fighting now. Then the spell came to him. "Expelliarmus!" he yelled, remembering for an instant how the Disarming spell had worked for Harry the previous year. He noticed the Dark Lord was now--gone? Where had he disappeared to? Lavender and Parvati had Disarmed Voldemort exactly when he had, but that still didn't explain where Voldemort was. But there were more pressing issues at hand now. Parvati ran down the steps toward Harry. Ron did the same. "Look--his scar!" Parvati exclaimed in shock. The scar was behaving very strangely indeed. It glowed red, then green, then gold. Very slowly, as if unseen forces were pulling him, Harry began to sit. He didn't appear to be conscious, though. That was the troubling thing. Parvati now began to mutter strange words under her breath while flashes of color burst out of her wand. Ron stared in amazement. "What are you doing to him?" he wondered aloud. "Healing him. Remember, I'm taking Advanced Healing. Madam Pomfrey teaches that class." Ron was just about to ask another question, but Harry distracted them both. Harry's eyes were strangely out of focus, but they were open. When he spoke, he spoke in a language so unintelligible that it must have been Parseltongue. A flash of intuition and Ron suddenly understood. Voldemort had disappeared into Harry's scar.
*~*~*~
"Right. Now I'm guessing he needs to get to the hosptal wing. Maybe Madam Pomfrey can fix him completely."
"Sure," Parvati replied, but looking dubious. Then she seemed to change her mind. "Alright, we'll come with you. Lavender--what are you doing?" Lavender was coming down the girls' stairs, lugging with her the pale, motionless form of Hermione. "Hermione!" Ron cried, his eyes going wide and his mouth dropping open. "What's he done to her?"
"I don't know, but I can see enough to tell you it's beyond my abilities. We'll have to take her up to the hospital wing too," Parvati replied, conjuring stretchers from thin air. "OK. Let's go."
But the night's surprises weren't over. No sooner had they gotten out of the portrait hole, Viktor Krum, flanked by Draco Malfoy, Vincent Crabbe, and Gregory Goyle confronted them. "Hand over the girl. Ve are not finished vith her," Krum said, a low threat in his voice.
Ron, snarling, took out his wand. "No." The four offenders whipped out their wands. Parvati and Lavender, who were supporting the stretchers, muttered to their wands and the stretchers stood alone. All seven of them were now armed. It looked as though another nasty wizard's duel was about to take place. But just then, Harry once again distracted them. He sat up again and stared unseeingly at them with his unfocused eyes.
He spoke again, this time in English, but in a high, cold voice that Parvati, Lavender, and Ron knew only too well... "Do not fight. Do not waste your strength. It will be needed soon, perhaps sooner than you think."
Krum and Malfoy slowly lowered their wands. They motioned to Crabbe and Goyle to do the same. Ron took charge. "So you're not going to fight us. Can we go now, then? Or are you going to block the corridor until the end of time?" The Death Eaters moved reluctantly to the side.
"We're coming with you, Weasley," Malfoy called. "We're not fools enough to let you go on your own. I bet you'd go running straight to Dumbledore, now, wouldn't you?" The Death Eaters surrounded them. Krum walked at the front, Malfoy was stationed at the back, and Crabbe and Goyle closed in on the sides. How were Ron, Lavender, and Parvati supposed to get on their own? They could hex Krum. They could hex Crabbe and Goyle, since there were three of them. But what about Malfoy? Or maybe, Ron thought, we should get Krum, Crabbe, and Malfoy first because Goyle is too much of a stupid git to get what would be going on. But there was another problem too. Ron would need Parvati and Lavender's help to get all three at the same time. Quietly, Ron searched for a piece of parchment in his pocket. He pulled out a fragment, ignoring the message that already rested upon the sheet. Being careful to not let Malfoy notice, he took out his wand to write a note. But something about that message caught his eye. In the same neat even script he remembered, was a piece of Hermione's Defense Against the Dark Arts notes from the day before.
"The Evadakaraian Curse-used only by Death Eaters, the Evadakaraian curse allows one to
enter the body of another, draining the host's powers to become more powerful. The
symptoms of this entering are unfocused eyes, a mysterious attitude
Curse is possessing the forms of ot
will have the same voice, personality, m basically a parasite that eats awa"
The rest of the parchment was torn off. "That's what happened, then!" Ron thought. When Parvati, Lavender, and I Disarmed him, he must have performed the Evadakaraian Curse! He's definitely a Death Eater, Voldemort, and Harry's got all the symptoms! Something of his thoughts must have lingered on his face, because Parvati, who was walking next to him, gave him a questioning look. Carefully shielding his hand from Malfoy's view, he passed her Hermione's notes. Her eyes widened as she read, and she glanced at the stretcher she was supporting, holding Harry. But time was up. They were at the door of the hospital wing. Malfoy and Krum weren't stupid enough to not know that Dumbledore's presence was near. They left them at the doorway. Ron breathed a sigh of relief. Now he could further develop and discuss his plan. They opened the door. Lavender gasped in shock. Hundreds of students were lying on the beds, as unconcious as Hermione. Ron saw, at the very end of the room, that someone had the same symptoms as Harry.
Cho Chang.
*~*~*~
Ron went up to Madam Pomfrey, who was tending to a Hufflepuff fifth year. He tapped her shoulder. Madam Pomfrey turned around and sighed. "Another one? Well, bring them here. Oh dear, we're running out of beds." She conjured up ten more beds and magicked Harry and Hermione onto two of them. Suddenly she exploded. "What are they doing now?!?!? Last year, dragons, now, this year, this! Does this school ever have a normal year? I've never seen anything like this before! I'm not sure I'll be able to heal them!"
"Calm yourself, Poppy. They will get better in time." Professor Dumbledore was speaking, although his voice was low and grave, as if he was trying to convince himself as well as Madam Pomfrey.
Ron stared at the headmaster. He seemed to have aged ten years since the last time Ron had seen him, just yesterday. Ron wondered whether he knew what was going on. "Mr. Weasley, Miss Patil, Miss Brown--I would like to see you as soon as possible in my office. The password is 'Sugarcane Sickle'." With that, Dumbledore swept out of the hospital wing. Ron, Parvati, and Lavender stared at each other for a moment. "Well, I guess we'd better be going them," Lavender told Madam Pomfrey , with false cheer in her voice, as if they were going on vacation. She didn't even turn her head. A couple of minutes later, the three of them were sitting in Dumbledore's comfortable office. "What I am going to ask you to do tonight," the headmaster told them, "is very dangerous and requires great courage. The fate of al the students in the hospital wing falls on your shoulders." Dumbeldore paused and looked around at the three Gryffindors, letting his words sink in, his face older and wearier than ever. "You have all seen Mr. Potter and Miss Granger. You have seen what has happened. Mr. Weasley, I believe you know what has occurred tonight better than anyone else here." Dumbeldore invited him to explain with a wave of his hand.
Ron began to speak. "Harry woke me up in the middle of the night," he said, his voice hushed and serious. "His scar was hurting him. We went over to the girls' dormitories. Hermione was screaming and You-Know-I mean, Voldemort was shouting back. We went up. About halfway on the stairs, I saw Voldemort coming down toward Harry. I tried to warn him, but my voice wouldn't cooperate." Ron paused to keep his voice from breaking now. "Harry turned around and asked me what was wrong. But I didn't have to explain. He turned back around and Voldemort did--did Avada Kedavra. It didn't kill him, though. He just blacked out. Still breathing. Parvati, Lavender, and I Disarmed Voldemort at the same time. And-and-" Ron faltered. He didn't know how to really put into words what had happened then. "Voldemort-Voldemort performed the Evadakaraian Curse, and went into Harry's scar. "
Dumbledore nodded encouragingly. "Did the scar behave abnormally at all?" he asked.
"How-how did you know? Yes, it did. It glowed red, then green, then gold."
"Aha. The Combination Rebellion Effect," Dumbeldore muttered. Then he spoke in a normal voice. "Harry was powerful enough to resist Voldemort from draining his own powers. Voldemort undoubtedly put him under the Imperius Curse, but he fought it off. And the gold--the gold was the Refaratian Curse. You won't have heard of that before. It's very advanced magic, and requires great skill. It will put the victim into a sort of trance if done correctly. Tell me, did Harry speak at all?"
"Yes. He spoke in Parseltongue. But later on, he spoke in regular English, but in Voldemort's voice." At this, Dumbeldore breathed in sharply. "What this means then, is that Voldemort has overpowered him. Only one Harry loves deeply can cure that. Can you think of anyone who he does?"
Ron instantly thought of Hermione. "Hermione. But she's unconcious. Can she still help us?"
Dumbledore's gaze shifted from Ron to the two girls. "You are both in Advanced Healing, are you not?" When they nodded assent, he continued. "Then this task is for you. Go to Miss Granger and Ghost-heal her. It is the only way."
"But-but Ghost-Healing can be deadly!" Lavender shrieked. "What if something goes--wrong?"
"That, Miss Brown, is a chance we have to take."
*~*~*~
After their meeting with Dumbledore, Ron, Parvati, and Lavender trudged back to the hospital wing. "Ghost-Heal her!" Parvati thought. "That's crazy. Half the times we've done it on the plants, they've died. Hermione was a little annoying and geeky sometimes, but I don't want her to die!" Next to her, Lavender was thinking basically the same thing. But Ron had other things on his mind. "There's something that doesn't fit. Why did Voldemort get Cho? Dumbledore said that it's possible to go into two bodies at once to get power, but why Cho? I would have thought Hermione, or me, even...someone a little closer to Harry. Probably Hermione because she's got loads of power too... Why Cho?"
His question was soon to be answered. As soon as they had entered the hospital wing, they noticed that a small strand of smoke was coming out of Harry's scar, unnoticed by Madam Pomfrey, who was tending to Hermione now. Ron looked around for Cho, to see what was happening with her, now, and he saw the same sort of smoke coming out of a place just below her hairline. Ron inched closer. And what he saw made him gasp in shock.
Cho Chang had a scar identical to Harry's.
He pointed it out to Parvati. Her eyes grew wide as two Galleons when she saw it. "I know! I know what it is!" she breathed. "Harry wasn't the only one who escaped the Dark Lord that night. I know because-because my father was a Death Eater. He's not now," she added quickly, seeing the look on Ron's face. "But he was there the night Voldemort tried to kill the Potters. All the Death Eaters were. They all knew. The Changs lived right next door to the Potters. They were very good friends, especially Lily Potter and Vanessa Chang. Cho's current parents aren't really hers. Draco Malfoy's mother is her current mother and her current father-her current father is my father. When Cho's real parents were killed, the sympathetic Death Eaters shaved the parents' heads. They've been making Polyjuice Potion ever since. Cho has never really known her mother and father." Parvati's eyes were shining with tears and Ron was looking at her with interest. He had never seen this side of Parvati before. But-but...
"But what does this have to do with anything?" he blurted out. "Why-OH! Voldemort wanted the powers of both his failed victims! Right?"
"Exactly. When one sacrifices oneself, his or her powers are transferred to the one sacrificed for. Don't you remember in Defense Against the Dark Arts? And Voldemort must have Stunned or whatever he did to them, the ones that Cho and Harry loved. But-wait. There are only 12 people here. That can't be all. They give out love willingly and easily..." Parvati screwed up her brain for a moment, thinking hard. She looked over at Lavender who was now working on Ghost-Healing Hermione. "Ghost-Healing...that's when the healer transfers some of his or her soul to the victim. Of course! The other ones who have been touched by the Evadakaraian Curse weren't as strong...they didn't have their parents' powers! They must have been taken by Voldemort!" Ron's mouth was now fully open in horror. But before he could speak, another high, cold voice spoke up.
"That's right, Patil. But you both know too much now. I will just have to get rid of you. Say goodbye to your lives...AVADA KEDAVRA!"
*~*~*~
At these words, Ron and Parvati ducked. They barely missed the curse, but they had missed it. Ron heard Parvati sigh with relief, but he knew they didn't have much time to spare. He lept up and called "Stupefy! Expelliarmus!" He hadn't really even looked at what he was attacking, but now that Voldemort was closer and Stunned for the moment, he could take a look. What he saw nearly made him scream.
Voldemort was immortal. Ron could see that clearly...only the gods and goddesses who were immortal had that misty, smoky shield around him or her. Ron realized that the shield was made of the smoke that had come out of Harry and Cho's scars. Voldemort reawoke quickly: his shield prevented curses from hurting him too much. He stood up. Advancing on Ron and Parvati like a lion cornering a mouse, he drew out his wand again. "I see...bravery," he breathed, his voice mocking the last word. "I always value it. So, now, would you like to once again demonstrate your bravery in dueling with me? Or I can make it quick and clean...painless. Which do you prefer?" Ron knew too well what each choice meant. They all came down to the same answer. Death. It was staring them in the face. They didn't stand a chance against Voldemort, especially not with the combined powers of Harry, Cho, and Heaven knows who else.
But before he could answer, Parvati shouted, "We'll take the duel." Ron looked furiously at Parvati, but she shot him a warning look out of the corner of her eye. She had her reasons for wanting a duel. But before he could think anymore, Voldemort clapped his hands. With a start, Ron realized that they were no longer in the hospital wing at Hogwarts. They were in a clearing, cold and eerie, with trees surrounding them, caging them. The Death Eaters were Apparating every few feet, encircling Voldemort, Parvati, and Ron in a wall of gray-black robes.
Voldemort didn't even acknowledge their presence, he was busy smiling at Parvati and Ron in a way that told them the worst was soon to come. "Crucio!" he yelled, pointing his wand at Ron. Ron fell to the ground, twitching in pain.
But Voldemort had ignored Parvati for too long. She cried, "Stupefy! Finite Incancatem!" And Ron's pain came to a stop. Voldemort's shield had completly fended off the Stunning spell, it seemed to have grown stronger and the spell ricocheted right off it again and chased after Parvati. She ducked, but smelled singed cloth. But after all, you couldn't Stun a hat, could you? No lasting harm done. Yet.
Voldemort had raised his wand again. Parvati and Ron were ready. They knew what was coming: The Killing Curse. They caught each other's eyes and counted silently to themselves: 1-2-3! "Expelliarmus!" they roared in unison. Voldemort's wand flew in an arc and landed at their feet.
But the Death Eaters were still armed and ready. They were closing in on the pair of them. Closer and closer. Their aura was so tangible that it seemed one could reach out and touch the evil in the air. Ron and Parvati knew they were done for. They couldn't possibly fend off that many people at once. "Avada Kedavra," the Death Eater closest to them breathed. Ron recognized that voice, through his foggy conciousness. But it wasn't true...couldn't be true... His sister, Ginny Weasley.