Got an inspiration for a short one-chapter piece here…Harry's almost seventeen and it's the summer before Harry's seventh year. Most of the death eaters have been caught and sent to prison, including Wormtail and Lucius Malfoy. Now their main task is the defeat Voldemort…so Harry undertakes a task that just might conjure up the spell his late mum used to protect him from the Big V…the love from that spell might just be strong enough to topple the V-ster for good…
The usual disclaimers that any characters, places, or things that HP fans recognize from the books are not mine; they belong to JK Rowling; I'm forever grateful to her for giving us the wonderful Harry. The spell and chant I write about are mine, however…enjoy!
The Spell's Promise
By: CNJ
PG-13
Harry:
Aunt Miranda and I were among the last to arrive at Grimmauld Place that afternoon in mid-July. My friends, Ron and Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger, Luna Lovegood, and Neville Longbottom were already there.
"See you in a bit, love…" Auntie gave me a kiss on my forehead and went in with the other members of the Order of Phoenix that she's a part of to start their meeting. Sometimes, they let us kids sit in on their meetings.
"Hello…" My friends and I greeted each other as I joined them in the living room in front of the fireplace.
"The spell I'm piecing together is almost complete…" I told the others. Ever since summer began and most of the evil wizard Voldemort's followers were captured and sentenced to Azkaban, I've been working on a spell, actually one that I think Mum had created, but that I'm adding to.
Dear Mum…Voldemort had killed her and my dad when I was just a year and three months old. Dad had died first while Mum had been upstairs in the bedroom with me. She knew Voldemort was coming after us and right as he came up, she'd chanted a spell and hugged me. It was that deep love she had for me that had saved my life; she'd died while I'd escaped with a rather ugly scar on my forehead that burns when I get near evil. A reactive scar, I know it's called now. I'd read that the scar tissue becomes inflamed under stress and under certain conditions…in my case when I'm exposed to Voldemort. If only I could remember the chant Mum used…I thought it over as I listened to my friends talk. If I could dig into my subconscious memory and somehow bring it up.
"Does anyone know if any Order members can hypnotize?" I asked suddenly. My friends peered at me. Ron's blue eyes widened.
"Hypnotize…" Hermione wondered out loud. I could tell my question had taken them by surprise.
"Maybe Dumbledore or McGonagall can," Ginny supplied. "What makes you ask?"
"I was thinking…" I cleared my throat. "When my parents died, Mum knew a chant that was instrumental in saving my life and temporarily weakening Voldemort. I wish I could remember it, but I don't. If I could be hypnotized, maybe I'd remember the chant, then when we have to take down Voldemort, we can use that chant."
My friends were quiet a minute as we let this sink in.
"Are you sure you really want to remember that awful night your parents died?" Luna asked softly. "It must have been traumatic for you."
"It was, even if I don't remember it," I told the others. "But it's something I'm willing to do so the world can be rid of Voldemort." When no one said anything, I went on. "Just think if I could teach you this spell and pass it on to all of you, we could save millions of lives. But if we back out, cave in to our fear of any risk, I can't bear to think of Voldemort gathering more followers and regaining power." I swallowed at the mere thought of him inflicting more suffering on more innocent people. Voldemort has lost much of his power just by losing control of his followers to Azkaban prison. We had to act soon before he gathered more followers.
"Neither can I," Ron said softly.
Just then, the door to the main foyer opened and Molly Weasley peered out, smiling at us. "Hello, kids…" she greeted. We greeted her back.
"Molly…can we talk to you for a minute?" I asked before I lost my nerve. "We have an idea that all of you members need to hear…"
* # &
"…could cause brain damage," Moody was saying. "It's still experimental and if Harry's damaged, who knows what lawsuit the Order members could face?"
"The experiments with this have all been successful," Dumbledore put in.
"I'm willing to take that chance," I pleaded. "I just can't bear the thought of knowing…what if I could have done this to stop Voldemort for once and for all and I didn't go through with it because I'd be afraid of brain damage?"
"That does concern me also," Severus Snape put in. Up until this year, he was the Potions teacher at Hogwarts School, but since then left. Once we take down Voldemort, he'll be taking a research position in Ireland. "Harry's a bright boy and it was be a shame to see him impaired."
"The pensieve would be made tamper-resistant," I insisted. "Just please let me try." If all went according to plan, I'd be hypnotized, my subconscious memories of that fateful night long ago would be brought to the surface and place into the pensieve, then I'd be partially awakened and the pensieve memory of the chant would be placed in my conscious memory. If all went well, I'd remember the chant and the feeling I had of mum's love.
I guess I pleaded hard enough because even Moody and Snape reluctantly agreed. Auntie squeezed my hand in reassurance as we got ready to leave the meeting. We'd go through with this next week. McGonagall would do the hypnotizing.
& * % # * @
"That it…make sure you're comfortable…" McGonagall reassured me as I leaned back in the long reclining chair. Auntie along with the other Order members stood around the chair. Tonks stroked my hair and I had to smile at her. Today her ever-changing hair color was bright blue. Blue's a relaxing color, I thought as Dumbledore brought the pensieve over. McGonagall then levitated a long bright necklace in front of me and rhythmically moved it softly back in forth. Tonks put on soft, soothing music while Snape made sure the windows had darkening spells put on them to dim the room.
"You're tired, Harry…" McGonagall's voice floated to me softly, so different from her usual no nonsense voice I'm used to hearing at school, where she's the Deputy Headmistress. "You've been doing a lot and want to rest, dear…you've found this wonderful chair and are ready to sleep…sleep…." My eyelids drooped. "Yes, let your eyes droop, Harry…sleep, Harry, sleep…"
******** &&&&&& @@@@@
The rain sounded softly on the roof in the early November evening. The post-Halloween party had been so enjoyable…I could feel Mum's soft cheek rub against mine as she got me out of my leprechaun costume and she got out of her lion one.
"What a nice night this has been, love…" Mum told me, kissing my cheek, which was pink and tender from the cold outside. She put a sweatshirt on me once she'd finished changing. I wished I could stay in her arms forever, but I also knew it would be nightly night-time soon. Mum sang softly for a while as the rain continued. Then a yell from downstairs came.
"Lily…take Harry and run!" It was my dad's voice, full of terror. I whimpered and clung to Mum. Something scary was going on! Avada Kadavra, something hissed and there was a soft thud.
Mum went out into the hall; still holding on to me, began to shake as she headed back to the room.
"Harry, always remember that I love you…Dad and I will always love you…never let go of that thought, even after I'm gone…"
A crash sounded and I began to cry and clung to Mum harder. Please don't take my mummy away! No, don't take her! The awful thing towered over us, hooded, but mean-looking all the same. It was going to take Mummy away from me; I knew it! No, don't take Mummy away, please!
"No…" I could hear Mum plead. "Kill me, just don't kill my baby!"
Stand aside, you silly
girl…the awful thing hissed viciously. Mum and I clung to each
other, shaking uncontrollably. Mum then held me closer and began
to chant…
Our souls remain together even when death claims any of us
Love, caring, compassion, and strength,
Keep us resistant to any evil,
My love passes on to you as I depart from this world.
"Goodbye, darling, dear Harry…" Mum kissed and hugged me one last time, then put me by the crib and stood between evil and me with unprecedented bravery and love…
"Bye, Mum…" I was sobbing as she disappeared in a dark swirl. Then everything went black. I then came partially conscious as the chant ran through my head again.
@@@@@@@ &&&&&&&& %%%%%
"Harry…Harry..." someone was calling me. I struggled to pay attention and to connect where the voice was coming from. "Harry…" the voice came again. McGonagall, I realized.
"I'm here, Professor McGonagall…" I then become aware of my surroundings at Grimmauld Place and the Order members around me, looking rather worried. I slowly pulled my eyes open and looked around in a daze. "I'm awake…I'm here," I whispered.
"Oh, thank Merlin!" McGonagall let out her breath. The others also relaxed visibly.
"So…how'd I do?" I asked softly. The adults chuckled at my question. I grinned a bit sheeplishly, realizing that I sounded like I'd just taken an exam.
"Quite well, quite well…" Dumbledore nodded. "How are you doing?"
I thought a minute. "A bit strange…almost scared…but now calmer and sleepy."
"Good…" Snape nodded.
"Can you remember the chant
your mother used?" Auntie asked me softly, holding my hand. Nodding,
I sat up and repeated Mum's chant, remembering it clearly now.
"Our souls remain together even when death claims any of us
Love, caring, compassion, and strength,
Keep us resistant to any evil,
My love passes on to you as I depart from this world."
Everyone was quiet a long minute. "It worked," I whispered incredulously. "It really worked." The others began to smile. An on-site medic gave me a quick scan and my brain seemed to be intact; as far as I knew, my memory and reasoning were the same as before.
"Thank you so much, Harry," McGonagall told me with a hug.
"You're welcome," I told her. "We've moved one more step closer to defeating Voldemort."
"We sure have, " Auntie hugged me also. "I'm so proud of you, dear." Minutes later, I rejoined my friends downstairs and told them that we were all now closer to Voldemort's final defeat. I told them the spell and all of us solemnly vowed to use it when it came to the final battle.
"All's we have to do is get
Voldemort at the right time…" Hermione told us. That would be the
challenge of the upcoming year, which was the final year for Ron, Hermione,
Neville and me. When that challenge came, we were now more certain
we'd be ready for it.
~Storyline Copyright by CNJ~