Harry looked transfixed on Dumbledore. Dumbledore cleared his throat and began, "It is rumored that many years ago lived a creature by the name of 'Volax.' And it is said that before a person dies all the pain, fear, and horror that person has suffered goes into it. The Volax is a creature that lives in the afterlife, or so it is said. And one year, the Volax was so full of terror and pain it came to life and disturbed the Dead. Do you know what happens when the Dead are disturbed Harry?" Harry shook his head and sat nervously. Dumbledore continued, "If the dead are disturbed Harry, they come back. But not as they once were, but as helpless cries that echo through our ears. You cannot kill spirits, for they are merely shadows of the forgotten. The Volax had disturbed the Dead, and soon the souls of the ancient were coming back to haunt. And the Living does not cope well with millions and millions of shouting cries of the ones they had loved. Soon the world did not hold Living nor Dead. We had no form, we were purely helpless souls that cried and were mastered by one. And the master is the one able to control a Volax. There was one person in all of history said to be able to speak the Volax tongue, and that was an evil wizard by the name of Barkanard. Barkanard ruled, and was not dead, and was not living. But he still had his body, and his mind still worked the evil it possessed. But one thing Barkanard did not realize was a creature that does not die, but lives on forever. Do you know what that creature is Harry?" Harry was breathing deeply, but shook his head. "It is a phoenix. A phoenix does not die, nor hurt. And a phoenix is filled with love, and peace. The world was full of Phoenixes that flew even when the heartless souls cried. And Barkanard called the Volax and told it to kill the birds, but it was not possible. The Volax lived in the afterlife, and could not come back to the living. But a Phoenix's song can be heard from anywhere it wishes it to be heard. And the phoenix would sing to the Volax, and soon it understood. And the Order of The Phoenix made it bring everything to an end. It no longer disturbed and hunted the Dead but died.. Or so they say. The afterlife had come back and was bringing the Dead spirits to where they once were, and the Living remained standing in they're bodies and no longer were echoes of cries. And Barkanard was sent to the afterlife, and never rose again. or so they say..."

Dumbledore continued, "I believe Harry that Voldemort has somehow found a way to communicate to the Volax. and I believe he is awake yet again. The Volax is disturbing the Dead. You would not hear their cries if he wasn't. And those two red eyes you saw glowing in the darkness belonged to him. And they are watching you Harry. Voldemort, I believe is trying to make you go to the afterlife without having to kill you. For if he killed you the Volax would grow too strong for him. Some how he's able to connect you there. but you have not seen the afterlife, you have only visited the gap between Living and Dead. The cries you heard belong to them, and they're calling you Harry. They know you have the power to stop it." "Can't a Phoenix just sing its song?" Harry asked. "I'm afraid it's not that simple," Dumbledore said sitting back in his chair. "A Phoenix can only use the power of its voice when it sees danger, and for the Phoenix to recognize danger would be too late. Phoenix's do not understand our language for they have their own. The Volax is after you Harry, it has been commanded to make you a part of the Dead and it will do everything it can to do so. And every time you are taken there, he gets closer. You are to be heavily guarded at all times. The Ministry has already taken action to secure the school. I will announce to the students the recent events in the Great Hall." Dumbledore stopped to stare at Harry, "This is a situation no one can take control of besides you Harry, and the fate of the world at this point is up to you." Dumbledore stopped and called the professors into the office. Dumbledore looked down and said with a strong tone, "The Volax has awoken and is hungry for terror."

Hermione sat uneasy in the common room. Ron kept shifting in his seat and looked at the time. Both of them were worried, everyone was told to go straight to their common rooms without any information on anything. Everyone was silent. It was the most quiet the common room has ever been. A few people were beginning to cry, but their tears were silent. Hermione couldn't cry, she didn't understand why she wasn't; maybe because the thought of Harry living through such things was just normal now. The portrait door swung open and McGonagall stood there looking horrified. "All students are to go down to the Great Hall for an announcement at once," She took one last glance at them and walked off again. Hermione then began to feel her eyes swell up. Ron was looking at her with terror on his face. Hermione continued to escort them all down. Not one person seemed to be talking. The halls were eerie with silence. And Hermione walked with her head down, picturing Dumbledore saying Harry had died. Ron came up to her. "I'm sorry," He mumbled to her. She looked up at him and smiled, "I am too." They both knew fighting over relationships was not important at this time. That social events were not a priority. Hermione walked into the Great Hall to find it empty except for the other students. Everyone was standing, but some had sat on the ground afraid to look up at Dumbledore. The Slytherins were rather quiet, but Hermione figured it was an act to blend in. Malfoy kept glancing at her hoping to get her attention. But she could not take her eyes away from Dumbldore. Slowly he stood up looking at them all with the same twinkle that had always given them hope.

"Voldemort has come back to power and is working harder than ever to kill. Harry Potter has been contacted by him and will be heavily guarded." Hermione and Ron glanced at each other with relief. Well relief Harry was still alive. "I announce to you all that you will be as protected as possible. There are already powerful wizards watching the halls and stalking the grounds. We need you to be aware of yourselves and everything that goes on around you. The Ministry is taking extreme notice and working hard to put a stop to the evil." Dumbledore took a quick breath, "And it is to my great disliking, that the myth of the Dark Creature that disturbs the Dead is true. The Volax has awoken." Everyone started to glance at each other in fear. Hermione looked at Ron and felt her heart skip a beat. Dumbledore waited for the room to remain quiet again then continued, "Please try not to give the Creature of the Dark any more fear than needed. This will be a overwhelming year, but we can only hope that the good may conquer once more." The whole room remained in silence once more. And Hermione looked up to see the ceiling in a cloudy night.

Harry felt himself shiver again. And a cold wind ruffled through his hair. He didn't want to open his eyes, he didn't want to face the task that was awaiting him. He wanted it to be over, everything to be over. He wanted there to be as many social problems as there use to be, and not life and death problems that were calling out his name. The fate of the world was depended on him and he felt pressure like he had never felt before. How was he to do this? He was only one person, not a god. He punched his pillow and felt hate run through his veins. NO! The hate was overpowering him; he had never felt evil as strong as this. "Harry!" Sirius yelled. Harry opened his eyes and saw his godfather look at him with concern. The hate had melted once more and he was faced with a person he loved. "I don't want this to happen." Harry said quietly as his eyes fogged. "How am I to defeat something full of so much evil and pain when I can hardly stand when I am taken there?" Sirius looked at Harry with the face of hope and sadness, "Just because you are one person Harry, does not mean you cannot hold magic of the utmost power." Harry looked up at the ceiling. He had been moved to the hospital wing into a secure room. He could see Lupin outside the door waiting for anything to happen. "Do they know yet?" Harry asked. "The students? Yes, Dumbledore should be back any moment." Sirius said backing away from the bed. And before Harry could ask anything more, Dumbledore appeared outside the doorway.

Dumbledore stood beside Harry and looked through his eyes. "How are you?" Harry gulped; he knew something was going on. "Fine." "I'm afraid I have some bad news," Harry lay there not wanting to hear another sound that came falling out of Dumbledore's mouth. "Voldemort still has yet to be found. In which case means you may be visiting the darkness often." Harry felt his heart stop, the thought of having to see the creature again made his whole body shiver. "Is there anything I can do to not have to?" He asked hopefully, but highly doubting it was an answer he would like. "No, not until we know how Voldemort is able to speak to the creature. I'm afraid Harry, you have no choice but to go." Dumbledore said rather grimly.

"Will the Volax be able to make me go to the afterlife?" He asked looking down at the floor. "Yes, but I believe he will not be able to get close enough to you for quite some time. Hopefully we will have succeeded in catching Voldemort." Harry swallowed, "And if they can't?" "Then you must go and put the Volax back to the sleep it never wakes from," Dumbledore began to rise again, "I must be going. And Harry?" Harry looked up from the ground. "You will be safe, do not fear anything when you are in darkness. It will only get closer." And with that Dumbledore was off again, leaving Harry in a world of horror.

Sirius never left Harry's side, and there were more and more wizards guarding his door each hour. Yet Harry could not feel safe, nor could he escape the dread that haunted him. He would have killed to be able to be with his friends again, not having anything to worry about. But this time there was a burden that Harry had to accomplish. Dumbledore made sure that light would always be shining in the room, day or night. For too much darkness would only bring the creature to more power. There was a sudden pain in his head once more. and he clenched his head hoping beyond hope it wasn't taking him. He yelled, and he saw Sirius shout for the wizards to come in. but that was the last of what Harry saw.

Screams were calling his name. Asking him to help. The air was cold and he felt himself lie on the floor weak. The screams were coming closer, he felt bodies around him. This was something he had not felt before. He felt the presence of people around him, but there was only darkness. They were running, like a stampede. He called for their help but they cried for him louder. He felt it again, he felt the eyes of the terror looking upon him once more. The Creature of Darkness had gotten closer this time. And Harry saw them larger than what they had appeared. But they were still far from him. Yet the ache he felt was strong, and the revulsion had come again. He could think nothing else but the horror, and death. He closed his eyes and felt his head lying on the pillow atop his bed.

"Harry?" It was Sirius leaning over him. "Are you okay?" Harry blinked and squinted. Once his eyes were modified for the light, he sat back up. "It happened again. I saw him he's getting closer. His eyes were larger than last time, and he put me in stronger pain." Sirius was clutching Harry's shoulder, "And there were people around me, I couldn't see them but I could feel them and hear them. They were running." There were about 10 wizards circled around his bed and they all glanced at each other when he said this. "Why could I fell them this time?" Harry asked looking at Sirius. Sirius took a breath, "Because you are closer to the Afterlife, the closer the Volax gets to you the closer you get beyond Living. The bodies you felt were the Dead, and they are crying because of the disturbance, you felt them running because they are trying to leave. Leave the Afterlife." Sirius looked down and let go of Harry's shoulder. "Does the Volax. have a . have a form?" Harry asked curiously. "We would not know. Though it is said in mythology it is the body of a bull, with a head of a monster." Sirius stared at the wall for moment and looked back at Harry. Harry pulled the covers closer to him and stared at the ceiling for a while. He did not wish to talk, he did not wish to think. The door opened and once more Dumbledore appeared. "I heard Harry. Sirius did you explain?" "Yes Albus," Sirius said rather sadly. Dumbledore sighed, "It will end Harry, it will end."

Hermione was sitting on the end of the couch with her head resting in her hand. Ron was sitting on the other end of the coach doing the same thing. Everyone had been locked up to their dorms and all of them were bored out of their minds. Yet none could sleep. It had to have been 1 o'clock in the morning, and yet no one was asleep. The thought of Voldemort coming attacking the school, along with the Volax awaking still went through their minds preventing them from even thinking of going to sleep. Kids seemed to whisper, I'm not sure why, maybe they thought it would be awkward to talk in their normal tone. Or maybe it was because of the situation and they didn't want to disturb anybody. Either way it was odd, the usual chatters of gossip had now been ended and the topic was now the Dark Lord and the death of someone close to them dying. The last thing Ron wanted to do was talk. He was worried about his father and Percy. What if they have to go battle? Then he thought of Harry. He had a feeling that he would never see him again, and it made him miserable. He always knew being Harry Potter's best friend would be difficult, but having your best friend die was the worst thought imaginable. Ron sat up and looked up at the ceiling, and wondered. He wondered about the possibility of it all ending, and the possibility of it not. He wondered about the Volax, and the thought of it in Harry's mind. Ron looked over at Hermione and wondered once more. If this had never happened would Hermione and I be speaking to each other as we are now?

Harry awoke to a sharp pain in his head again. But it died away soon after. He looked at the time and sighed. It was 5 o'clock in the morning and he felt his head spin. Sirius was still by his side, and was looking out the window. "Sirius?" Harry asked quietly to him. Sirius didn't look at him, "Yes Harry?" "I heard my parent's voices when I was there, they were crying for me," Harry said staring up at the ceiling. There was a bright light in the room that made it impossible for darkness to creep in. "Yes, it would make sense for you to hear them." He looked at Harry gloomily and stared at him. Harry swallowed, "So, will I ever get to the point of. actually." He was afraid to finish and he quickly looked down. "There is a chance you would see them," Sirius responded, "But only for seconds." Harry felt his eyes cloud up, and he shut them. He lay there afraid to open his eyes, yet not wanting to fall asleep for some time. Sirius sat beside him feeling himself sadden. The thought of hearing James shout for his son made him tremble. The thought of Lily crying for her son made him weak. And he sat there unwilling to speak nor move as the light above created his shadow sitting in the same place for hours.

Harry awoke the next morning to streams of light flooding through his window. He sat up and quickly put his glasses on. "Good morning Harry," Dumbledore said with a smile on his face. It had been awhile since a person had smiled, and Dumbledore's seemed to give Harry an encouraging amount of hope. "You will have to get up this morning." Harry was about to ask why, but Dumbledore left the room before he had time to. Sirius was standing across from him and smiling as well. "What's going on?" Harry asked sitting up. "The Ministry believes they have put a stop to it all, they think they have caught Voldemort." Sirius replied smiling, "It could be over Harry!" Harry felt a smile approach and he quickly got out of bed, and made himself ready for the day. When he had finished Sirius stopped him and said in a rather hushed tone, "You do realize you still have to be heavily guarded, and that anything that these people ask you, you must respond? These are the most powerful wizards in the world Harry, and you're about to meet them all." Harry had never felt nervous until then and when he thought about having to answer question after question he grew a bit depressed. He hated having to relive the moments. Every time he thought of the Volax looking at him, he felt a sharp pain on his scar. And he grew tired and rather worn out. "Don't worry, Dumbledore will make this as quick as he possibly can."

Harry please step forward," Dumbledore said standing up and motioning for Harry to step in the middle of the circle. There were wizards surrounding him, old wizards mostly. There were some with injuries on their faces, while others had a missing leg or arm. There was one who seemed to have lost his pinky finger, and he held his wand oddly in his four fingers. Some looked at him, almost as if they were looking through him, looking into his thoughts. He felt nervous, all the wise and mysterious eyes staring upon him. The thought of looking any of them in the face seemed to be out of the question. None had the same warmth and comfort that Dumbledore carried. "Go on Harry," Dumbledore said giving him an encouraging smile. Harry quickly stepped forward before his nerves told him otherwise. Some of the wizards carried canes, yet there was a globe on the end. Almost as if they were each crystal balls, that one used to see the future. "Harry would you mind telling us about your last encounter?" Dumbledore asked trying to sound as calm and relaxed as he could. All eyes went back to Harry, and he felt himself go warm. The air felt humid, and he tugged at his collar. "Please Harry, it will help," Dumbledore added. Harry looked away from Dumbledore's twinkling eyes, and down to the floor. He opened his mouth and began to explain everything that had happened. Not once did he feel a sharp pain, or felt himself grow tired. He thought afterward that maybe it was because of all the powers defending it that stopped it. "Thank you Harry, please take a seat." Dumbledore pointed to the chair sitting outside the circle, and Harry gladly stepped away from the eerie eyes that watched him.

He watched in silence and random glances. Not once did he speak, and he tried to remain as quiet as he could. The wizards were discussing everything that he had just said. Thinking up ways to defeat, and thinking of the evil that could not be broken. Harry looked up at Fawkes and thought to himself. That creature has a gift of healing, that creature has the gift of healing a world of darkness. Yet we humans cannot There was a sudden silence. And all the wizards looked back athim. He did not realize this; he was still admiring the beauty of the phoenix. Dumbledore followed his gaze up to the bird and smiled. "Amazing isn't it Harry?" Dumbledore said admiring it as well. Harry nodded but did not look back. "We have some rather bad news," Dumbledore said looking back down and breathing deeply, "Voldemort has not been caught. Though we have captured many Death Eaters." Harry felt himself looking away and losing everything that had him stronger. "I am very sorry Harry, but we are working harder than we ever thought possible. Hopefully we will work harder this time around." Fawkes flew swiftly over to him and began to let his clear drops of happiness reach Harry's skin. Harry felt himself growing stronger, and he stroked the bird with thankfulness. "May I go now Professor?" Harry asked watching the phoenix drift away. "Yes, you may go."

Ron woke up that morning to find himself asleep on the couch. Hermione was on the other end sleeping as well. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. His neck hurt a bit from resting his head against the arm, and his back hurt from being in the awkward position he was in. He looked around him to find all the Gryffindors asleep in the common room. Some were asleep in the chairs with their heads dropping to their shoulder and their mouths halfway open. Others were lying on the floor huddled in blankets and a sweater or bag as their pillow. No one wanted to be alone, no one wanted to leave anyone. There was a bonding happening between everyone. Almost as if they were family now. Ron continued to take in the scene of the common room filled with uncomfortable sleeping people. The sun was out and it made the room seem brighter. The lights in the common room were still on, no one dared to turn off the lights. Darkness was haunting them all. Hermione began to flutter her eyes. Ron looked over to her, and smiled. She began to move her head and soon felt strength to sit herself up. She squinted slightly and began to take in the common room as well. "Everyone is afraid." She said sadly, "We're afraid to leave each other." Ron looked over to her, "Amazing really, how everyone is thinking the same thing. And acting the same way." Hermione rested her head on the back of the couch. "This is what happens when evil comes, the good in us seems to grow." Hermione turned her head back to Ron, "When evil is upon us, we become more superior than we ever have."

Harry was in a deep sleep until the wind shook the windows. There seemed to be a storm outside and the rain thrashed against the windows as the air whistled as it was thrown. Every now and then there was an occasional bark of thunder and a flash of light that showed shadows for seconds. "You alright there Harry?" Sirius said watching the lights flicker. "Yeah, I'm fine," Harry replied glancing around the room rather fast. There was a peculiar feeling in the room just then and he grasped his sheets tighter as time came. He did nothing but stare up at the ceiling and hope beyond hope for it all to go away. There was something telling him this was no ordinary storm, that this was magic used improperly. "Should die off soon," Sirius said rather softly. "I'd go back to sleep, it's only raining now," he trailed off. Harry sat back again and closed his eyes. He lay there in peace for a while until something unexpected happened. There was something speaking to him, in a language he had never heard before. It was speaking in the back of his mind and he sat back up when he heard it. Sirius glanced at Harry, "Harry? Is something wrong?" Harry ignored Sirius and tried to make out what it meant. It was growing stronger every time, over and over again. Until once more, the room darkened, and left Harry in darkness shivering. Except this time it was much different.

"Suuyil nin nu Karne Earesse wilm' uu-lumnav' antan' ar alasse nura o li- kanta halaliinen, falmavan niss' ama veelieliinen, nen tertirea sar noorenyollo, nu anaaro kalina yaarello mi kiryasse et Hurghadatello ek- kolaneo ni, artuilenna yalu ata vantane londenna Sharm el Sheikh-se, yasse pella kardar lande ar uu-neenie lits-ardar veelen ar oronti Siinai alte." Harry shouted with pain. The voice grew louder and more vibrant. The darkness had taken over, and the eyes lay before him. The screaming of souls grew louder, yet amongst it was the language he had never heard before. And the more it was said, the more pressure he felt on him. "Karkar uurima nu menel talte anor oia nu almaareasse Hoopa Na`amato seereasse - yalunn' ata willen noorenyanna, helka ninqueo elluumeanna, tulkav'-ulyala nu menelenna et formello lossea koirenna -ar mernen i ata nien hyarmenna." The pain and torture was rising, and he felt himself closing his eyes and drifting- "Harry!" There was a person shouting for him. He could not hear it, for it was muffled slightly. His eyes opened and he saw himself in a room, it was oddly familiar, and slowly it came back to him. "Harry what happened?" The voice sounded familiar, like a person he once knew. "Harry!" "Harry please open your eyes..." Who is that? There were pharases being said around him. Almost like spells, and soon he remembered... "Harry, you have just reached the edge of the afterworld... tell me everything once more..."

Hermione ate that morning in the common room with her fellow Gryffindors. Food had been brought up to them, for they were still not allowed to leave their dormitories. She ate slowly and picked at her food most of the time. Ron ate rather fast and continued to eat until the others were finished. He sat back and looked over at Hermione. "You doing alright?" He asked a bit concerned. Hermione nodded slightly, "Yeah, just worried about everything." She looked at the wall for a while. "And you?" "Not really, but I'm coping," Ron answered looking down. They had hardly talked at all, mostly just glanced at each other and gave encouraging smiles. But it seemed to be adapting into their systems and more chatter was brought into their ears. Hermione and Ron continued to talk about their families, and the effect it may have on them. Ron spoke rather hoarsely about his father and the things that may be brought up. While Hermione worried about her parents becoming frightened about the whole ordeal, and not allowing her to come back to the Wizard World. There was a creak suddenly coming from the portrait hole and everyone hushed up. They watched and listened closely hoping it would be McGonagall bringing news of the Dark Lord being captured, but it wasn't. In fact it wasn't any of the teachers or professors, or anyone that worked for the school, unless you call a Prefect a job. It was actually Draco Malfoy..

Harry became abnormally silent. I just reached the tip of the afterlife? "But Dumbledore, I didn't see anything." He said trying to get the thought out of his mind. "No, you wouldn't have, you would have felt the pain stronger, and the voices louder. Is that not so?" He asked examining Harry. "No, that all happened, but there was some sort of language being spoken in the background. It grew louder and it made me feel pain like I've never felt before." Harry said thinking that this probably wasn't a good thing at all. The language was so odd and it stuck into his mind. Dumbledore looked at him curiously, "A language being spoken in the background?" "Yes, and it made me feel pain." Harry replied watching Dumbledore's face closely. But stopped abruptly when he noticed all the other faces looking at him. All of the wizards that he had encountered with in Dumbledore's office were now in his room, watching him mysteriously. They did not look nor glance at anything besides Harry, and their eyes seemed to burn through his mind. "Do you remember any of the phrases that were being said?" Dumbledore asked taking a closer look into his eyes. Harry gulped; he did not like the look that they gave him. "I can't remember no, but it was very clear and almost spell like." The wizards took their eyes and faces away from Harry and turned to Dumbledore who was still watching Harry and every breath he took. "Was the voice a male's or female's?" Harry thought for a moment, he had never taken notice to that until now, "It was a man's, yes, it was a man's." Dumbeldore took one more glance at Harry and motioned all the wizards to leave at once. He looked back at Harry and nodded in an odd fashion, then left with his robes flowing close behind him.