Chapter 4 – The Battle of Carthage
Three days later, Harry, Dean and several other Gladiators were heading towards the Colosseum. As they proceed along the road towards the amphitheatre, many young women walked with them, kissing them and whispering things into their ears. They entered the fighters' entrance and proceeded through the many chambers under the arena until they reached the weapons room. Hundreds of swords, helmets, shield and spears were lined up ready for the gladiators to choose. He immediately wet to get his most important piece of equipment – a sword. He eventually found a sword he liked after a few minutes of searching, but then one on the end of the row of swords caught his eye. He quickly moved over towards it, but someone else got there first
"Give me that sword," said Harry. The other gladiator looked angry
"Why?" he demanded
"Because it's mine," Harry told him
"I don't see your name on it," the other replied smugly
"Really? Check on the hilt." The man turned the sword over and looked down at the handle. Just visible through the dirt and blood on it, were the words "Harry Potter". The other gladiator looked at Harry and his eyes widened
"Now keep it quiet," said Harry. The gladiator nodded and immediately handed Harry his sword. He flashed it around in his usual fashion, getting the feel of it. It was just as good as he remembered it.
He carried on searching for other equipment that was his. He found his helmet, with the initials H.P. on the side. It covered his whole face, so no one could see who he was. It also made him looked formidable, as many opponents had found out. He couldn't find his spear or shield, so he picked the best ones he could find and moved out into the passageway up to the arena. One of the guards gave them instructions
"When the Emperor stands up, face and salute him. Don't dare turn your back on him. Go, and die with honour."
They moved up out of the darkness of the passage into the bright sunlight of the arena. They took a few minutes to collect themselves. Harry knew the Colosseum was big from when he had sat in the stands, but now he was standing in the middle, he realised just how huge it was. Everyone seemed like dots to him.
As he looked around, he saw the area where the best seat were and two red dots caught his eye. He looked closer, and found that Ron was sitting on the front row, talking and laughing with Draco Malfoy. Hatred burned through Harry, but on the other side of the seating area from them was Ginny Weasly. She was gazing sadly out on to the arena, but Harry saw that her eyes were fixed on his sword and helmet.
Just then, the Emperor came out. All the Gladiators, except Harry, raised their weapons and shouted
"We who are about to die salute you!"
Harry, on the other hand, did nothing. He simply glared at the figure that was his father. Just then, the announcer began to tell the crowd about the history behind the Battle of Carthage
"Have any of you been in the army?" Harry asked his fellow Gladiators. Most of them murmured in the affirmative
"Did you serve under Harry Potter?" he asked. The murmurs were louder this time, all in agreement
"Well, whatever comes out of those doors, we've got a better chance of survival if we work together. If we stay together, we survive. Does everyone understand?" They all agreed, looking at Harry curiously.
"And now," the announcer yelled, "the Emperor is proud to bring you – the legionnaires of Rome."
And out of the doors came 8 chariots, each drawn by two horses. There were two people in each chariot, one driving, the other armed with spears and a bow and arrow. The odds of the gladiators surviving were slim at best.
"Stay close," yelled Harry, as several people ran off alone and were quickly killed. After about 5 minutes, a quarter of the gladiators had been killed.
Finally, Harry managed to get some control over the gladiators
"Stay close, lock your shields," Harry told them, as a spear flew at them. It hit the line of shields and bounced off.
A chariot drove towards them, trying to get an easy shot on the gladiators. Harry saw his chance
"Lock your shields, stay as one," he called to them
"Hold. Hold.............,"he told them, until
"Move out now," he said, as the chariot came up along side the row of shields. The chariot was knocked over, throwing the people out. The tallest gladiator charged out towards them He killed one of the soldiers, but an archer from another chariot fired an arrow that stuck in his leg. Dean threw his spear at the chariot and it killed the driver. The archer took over the reigns. He was flying towards the tall gladiator, who wasn't looking at the chariot, only focusing on the pain in his leg. Harry sprinted out and tackled him. They both just escaped being killed by the sharp metal poles sticking out of the axles of the chariot. The driver from the chariot that was knocked over wasn't so lucky, as he was literally chopped in half. Not focusing properly, the driver collided with another chariot. At the same time, the gladiators had knocked over another chariot the same way as thy knocked over the first.
The crowd was in shock, but applauded the gladiators' bravery and skill. Harry gave orders to the other gladiators. Half stayed in the centre, while the other half went with him to one of the chariots. They untied the horses from the chariot, but one horse was already dead. Harry mounted the other and picked up a spear that had been thrown into the ground. The others who went with Harry moved the chariot out into the path of another. Harry followed one of the remaining chariots. He threw his spear, killing the archer, then rode ahead of the chariot, leading it in to the blockade the others had set up. Harry vaulted the chariot on the floor. So did the horses of the chariot behind him, but the chariot itself didn't get off the floor and crashed into the other. The driver fell out and was dragged to his death by his horses. The other gladiators attacked two of the last chariots, brutally killing their riders. Dean killed one by crashing his helmet into his face four times. The others simply hacked at the soldiers with their swords, cutting off body parts everywhere.
"Scar," yelled Dean, throwing him his sword, which he had dropped when saving the biggest gladiator. He caught it, flashing it around, showing off to the crowd. The Emperor, already angry that the gladiators were winning, got extremely annoyed when the crowd cheered him on.
But Harry had already focused his efforts on eliminating the final chariot. He charged towards them. The arrows fired missed him by miles and in return he slashed his sword at the driver, cutting his throat. Blood spilled all over. The archer didn't know how to drive the chariot and soon toppled the chariot. The gladiators charged towards him, but Harry yelled
"Leave him. He's mine." They obeyed, and watched as Harry charged at the last living soldier, who was slightly dazed from his crash. He turned around and saw Harry coming at him on top of his horse. He tried to run, but couldn't because he was shaking so much. He stood on the spot, unable to move as Harry came closer and closer. Harry brought down his heavy sword mercilessly and beheaded him.
The crowd roared its approval. Harry raised his sword and saluted the crowd, who were chanting "Scar! Scar! Scar!" over and over again. Harry rode back to the headless body of the charioteer and dipped his sword in the blood still pouring from the stump that used to be his neck. He pointed the blood stained sword towards the Emperor and the other people around him. At this, the crowd yelled even louder. Angrily, the Emperor left his seat and a few minutes later the Imperial trumpets sounded and the about 20 soldiers came out into the arena. Harry dismounted and walked over to the soldiers, the other gladiators following him. Then, a legionary stepped forward
"Drop your weapons," he ordered. No one did anything
"It's okay. Do it," said Harry. Glaring at the legionary, the gladiators did as he said. Harry stuck his sword in the ground and the legionary turned to him
"Gladiator, the Emperor has asked for you,"
"I am at the Emperor's service," said Harry sarcastically. The Emperor emerged onto the arena, with unenthusiastic cheers from the crowd. Hate surged through Harry's body again. The Emperor strolled out towards him. Harry hadn't bothered to kneel like the others did, but the Emperor decided to let it slide. He put on forced smile and spoke
"Very impressive, Scar. I've never seen a gladiator like you. You will be famous. Now, take off your helmet and tell us your name," he said, but he then noticed the helmet
"Harry's helmet," he murmured, to himself more than anyone else, "and Harry's sword. I bet Ron thought that was funny." Then he turned back to Harry, "So, tell the world your name." Harry did nothing. The Emperor asked again, "You do have a name?" Eventually, Harry responded
"My name is Scar," he said, his voice harsh and dangerous. He turned his back, and walked away from the Emperor
"How dare you turn your back on me?" the Emperor shouted, "Slave! You will take off your helmet and tell me your name," he demanded. Harry stopped. Slowly, he took off his helmet and turned round
"My name is Harry James Potter. Supreme General of all forces in the Roman Army, the most successful General in Roman history. Betrayed by friend, foe and family alike. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next."
The crowd was stunned. Only the ones on the lower tiers heard his words, but everyone recognised him. The Emperor was speechless. Harry laughed bitterly
"What? Surprised to see me? Father?" he asked sarcastically. The Emperor didn't reply. He turned and walked quickly out of the arena.
Harry led the victorious gladiators back through the gates and into the changing rooms. The gladiators who hadn't fought yet were lining the way, chanting, "Harry! Harry! Harry!" He was a hero again.
XXXXXX
Ginny had been looking for Ron for a few hours now. She had no idea where he was though. Eventually, she found out that he had gone to the Emperor's palace with Draco. She walked in and asked a guard, who told her that Ron was in the Emperor's throne room.
Ginny was very confused by Ron's reaction since they had found out that Harry was still alive. He wasn't at all pleased that his best friend had returned after three years away. She had been delighted and was trying to talk to Ron to see if he wanted to go and talk to Harry at the Gladiators' Barracks. But she rarely talked to Ron anymore. Really, since Harry had disappeared, Ron had closed himself off from his family. He had changed. He began to act more and more like Draco, looking down at people, demanding that they do whatever he commanded. He had been unbearable while he was Supreme General. In his opinion, he was second only to the Emperor in Rome, and he acted that way as well.
She progressed through the palace to the throne room. Most unusually, there were no guards outside the doors. She was about to knock, when she heard the Emperor shouting
"He's supposed to be dead. You told me he was dead,"
"We thought he was. We cut him up all over. He lost too much blood to survive. He should be dead," she heard Ron shout back. She was shocked to hear her brother say this. Who had he cut all over and tried to make bleed to death?
"Yeah, we left him in a ditch miles away. No one found have found him for weeks," Draco said. Who had they done this to? She thought. Who deserved this?
"Well, what am I supposed to do now? He won't die in the arena. He's a Potter, no one can beat him in a sword fight," the Emperor said. No! thought Ginny desperately. They couldn't be talking about Harry. Ron wasn't responsible for Harry's disappearance.
"You two are pathetic, especially you, Weasly. I told you to kill Harry and I give the Supreme General post. And you fucked up on both counts, didn't you? You didn't kill Harry and you were a shit General. We lost almost a quarter of the empire because of you. You know that, don't you?"
Ginny moved away from the door, her ears ringing. Ron was responsible for Harry's disappearance. It seemed so impossible, but everything now made sense. Ron had been made Supreme General for "killing" Harry, even though Ron wasn't at all qualified. He had held onto the post for so long because it was a reward. He wasn't upset that Harry had disappeared because he was the reason for his disappearance. And he was angry that Harry was back because he wanted him dead. But what was most disturbing was that the Emperor had ordered the death of his own son. Why had they both betrayed him?"
Three days later, Harry, Dean and several other Gladiators were heading towards the Colosseum. As they proceed along the road towards the amphitheatre, many young women walked with them, kissing them and whispering things into their ears. They entered the fighters' entrance and proceeded through the many chambers under the arena until they reached the weapons room. Hundreds of swords, helmets, shield and spears were lined up ready for the gladiators to choose. He immediately wet to get his most important piece of equipment – a sword. He eventually found a sword he liked after a few minutes of searching, but then one on the end of the row of swords caught his eye. He quickly moved over towards it, but someone else got there first
"Give me that sword," said Harry. The other gladiator looked angry
"Why?" he demanded
"Because it's mine," Harry told him
"I don't see your name on it," the other replied smugly
"Really? Check on the hilt." The man turned the sword over and looked down at the handle. Just visible through the dirt and blood on it, were the words "Harry Potter". The other gladiator looked at Harry and his eyes widened
"Now keep it quiet," said Harry. The gladiator nodded and immediately handed Harry his sword. He flashed it around in his usual fashion, getting the feel of it. It was just as good as he remembered it.
He carried on searching for other equipment that was his. He found his helmet, with the initials H.P. on the side. It covered his whole face, so no one could see who he was. It also made him looked formidable, as many opponents had found out. He couldn't find his spear or shield, so he picked the best ones he could find and moved out into the passageway up to the arena. One of the guards gave them instructions
"When the Emperor stands up, face and salute him. Don't dare turn your back on him. Go, and die with honour."
They moved up out of the darkness of the passage into the bright sunlight of the arena. They took a few minutes to collect themselves. Harry knew the Colosseum was big from when he had sat in the stands, but now he was standing in the middle, he realised just how huge it was. Everyone seemed like dots to him.
As he looked around, he saw the area where the best seat were and two red dots caught his eye. He looked closer, and found that Ron was sitting on the front row, talking and laughing with Draco Malfoy. Hatred burned through Harry, but on the other side of the seating area from them was Ginny Weasly. She was gazing sadly out on to the arena, but Harry saw that her eyes were fixed on his sword and helmet.
Just then, the Emperor came out. All the Gladiators, except Harry, raised their weapons and shouted
"We who are about to die salute you!"
Harry, on the other hand, did nothing. He simply glared at the figure that was his father. Just then, the announcer began to tell the crowd about the history behind the Battle of Carthage
"Have any of you been in the army?" Harry asked his fellow Gladiators. Most of them murmured in the affirmative
"Did you serve under Harry Potter?" he asked. The murmurs were louder this time, all in agreement
"Well, whatever comes out of those doors, we've got a better chance of survival if we work together. If we stay together, we survive. Does everyone understand?" They all agreed, looking at Harry curiously.
"And now," the announcer yelled, "the Emperor is proud to bring you – the legionnaires of Rome."
And out of the doors came 8 chariots, each drawn by two horses. There were two people in each chariot, one driving, the other armed with spears and a bow and arrow. The odds of the gladiators surviving were slim at best.
"Stay close," yelled Harry, as several people ran off alone and were quickly killed. After about 5 minutes, a quarter of the gladiators had been killed.
Finally, Harry managed to get some control over the gladiators
"Stay close, lock your shields," Harry told them, as a spear flew at them. It hit the line of shields and bounced off.
A chariot drove towards them, trying to get an easy shot on the gladiators. Harry saw his chance
"Lock your shields, stay as one," he called to them
"Hold. Hold.............,"he told them, until
"Move out now," he said, as the chariot came up along side the row of shields. The chariot was knocked over, throwing the people out. The tallest gladiator charged out towards them He killed one of the soldiers, but an archer from another chariot fired an arrow that stuck in his leg. Dean threw his spear at the chariot and it killed the driver. The archer took over the reigns. He was flying towards the tall gladiator, who wasn't looking at the chariot, only focusing on the pain in his leg. Harry sprinted out and tackled him. They both just escaped being killed by the sharp metal poles sticking out of the axles of the chariot. The driver from the chariot that was knocked over wasn't so lucky, as he was literally chopped in half. Not focusing properly, the driver collided with another chariot. At the same time, the gladiators had knocked over another chariot the same way as thy knocked over the first.
The crowd was in shock, but applauded the gladiators' bravery and skill. Harry gave orders to the other gladiators. Half stayed in the centre, while the other half went with him to one of the chariots. They untied the horses from the chariot, but one horse was already dead. Harry mounted the other and picked up a spear that had been thrown into the ground. The others who went with Harry moved the chariot out into the path of another. Harry followed one of the remaining chariots. He threw his spear, killing the archer, then rode ahead of the chariot, leading it in to the blockade the others had set up. Harry vaulted the chariot on the floor. So did the horses of the chariot behind him, but the chariot itself didn't get off the floor and crashed into the other. The driver fell out and was dragged to his death by his horses. The other gladiators attacked two of the last chariots, brutally killing their riders. Dean killed one by crashing his helmet into his face four times. The others simply hacked at the soldiers with their swords, cutting off body parts everywhere.
"Scar," yelled Dean, throwing him his sword, which he had dropped when saving the biggest gladiator. He caught it, flashing it around, showing off to the crowd. The Emperor, already angry that the gladiators were winning, got extremely annoyed when the crowd cheered him on.
But Harry had already focused his efforts on eliminating the final chariot. He charged towards them. The arrows fired missed him by miles and in return he slashed his sword at the driver, cutting his throat. Blood spilled all over. The archer didn't know how to drive the chariot and soon toppled the chariot. The gladiators charged towards him, but Harry yelled
"Leave him. He's mine." They obeyed, and watched as Harry charged at the last living soldier, who was slightly dazed from his crash. He turned around and saw Harry coming at him on top of his horse. He tried to run, but couldn't because he was shaking so much. He stood on the spot, unable to move as Harry came closer and closer. Harry brought down his heavy sword mercilessly and beheaded him.
The crowd roared its approval. Harry raised his sword and saluted the crowd, who were chanting "Scar! Scar! Scar!" over and over again. Harry rode back to the headless body of the charioteer and dipped his sword in the blood still pouring from the stump that used to be his neck. He pointed the blood stained sword towards the Emperor and the other people around him. At this, the crowd yelled even louder. Angrily, the Emperor left his seat and a few minutes later the Imperial trumpets sounded and the about 20 soldiers came out into the arena. Harry dismounted and walked over to the soldiers, the other gladiators following him. Then, a legionary stepped forward
"Drop your weapons," he ordered. No one did anything
"It's okay. Do it," said Harry. Glaring at the legionary, the gladiators did as he said. Harry stuck his sword in the ground and the legionary turned to him
"Gladiator, the Emperor has asked for you,"
"I am at the Emperor's service," said Harry sarcastically. The Emperor emerged onto the arena, with unenthusiastic cheers from the crowd. Hate surged through Harry's body again. The Emperor strolled out towards him. Harry hadn't bothered to kneel like the others did, but the Emperor decided to let it slide. He put on forced smile and spoke
"Very impressive, Scar. I've never seen a gladiator like you. You will be famous. Now, take off your helmet and tell us your name," he said, but he then noticed the helmet
"Harry's helmet," he murmured, to himself more than anyone else, "and Harry's sword. I bet Ron thought that was funny." Then he turned back to Harry, "So, tell the world your name." Harry did nothing. The Emperor asked again, "You do have a name?" Eventually, Harry responded
"My name is Scar," he said, his voice harsh and dangerous. He turned his back, and walked away from the Emperor
"How dare you turn your back on me?" the Emperor shouted, "Slave! You will take off your helmet and tell me your name," he demanded. Harry stopped. Slowly, he took off his helmet and turned round
"My name is Harry James Potter. Supreme General of all forces in the Roman Army, the most successful General in Roman history. Betrayed by friend, foe and family alike. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next."
The crowd was stunned. Only the ones on the lower tiers heard his words, but everyone recognised him. The Emperor was speechless. Harry laughed bitterly
"What? Surprised to see me? Father?" he asked sarcastically. The Emperor didn't reply. He turned and walked quickly out of the arena.
Harry led the victorious gladiators back through the gates and into the changing rooms. The gladiators who hadn't fought yet were lining the way, chanting, "Harry! Harry! Harry!" He was a hero again.
XXXXXX
Ginny had been looking for Ron for a few hours now. She had no idea where he was though. Eventually, she found out that he had gone to the Emperor's palace with Draco. She walked in and asked a guard, who told her that Ron was in the Emperor's throne room.
Ginny was very confused by Ron's reaction since they had found out that Harry was still alive. He wasn't at all pleased that his best friend had returned after three years away. She had been delighted and was trying to talk to Ron to see if he wanted to go and talk to Harry at the Gladiators' Barracks. But she rarely talked to Ron anymore. Really, since Harry had disappeared, Ron had closed himself off from his family. He had changed. He began to act more and more like Draco, looking down at people, demanding that they do whatever he commanded. He had been unbearable while he was Supreme General. In his opinion, he was second only to the Emperor in Rome, and he acted that way as well.
She progressed through the palace to the throne room. Most unusually, there were no guards outside the doors. She was about to knock, when she heard the Emperor shouting
"He's supposed to be dead. You told me he was dead,"
"We thought he was. We cut him up all over. He lost too much blood to survive. He should be dead," she heard Ron shout back. She was shocked to hear her brother say this. Who had he cut all over and tried to make bleed to death?
"Yeah, we left him in a ditch miles away. No one found have found him for weeks," Draco said. Who had they done this to? She thought. Who deserved this?
"Well, what am I supposed to do now? He won't die in the arena. He's a Potter, no one can beat him in a sword fight," the Emperor said. No! thought Ginny desperately. They couldn't be talking about Harry. Ron wasn't responsible for Harry's disappearance.
"You two are pathetic, especially you, Weasly. I told you to kill Harry and I give the Supreme General post. And you fucked up on both counts, didn't you? You didn't kill Harry and you were a shit General. We lost almost a quarter of the empire because of you. You know that, don't you?"
Ginny moved away from the door, her ears ringing. Ron was responsible for Harry's disappearance. It seemed so impossible, but everything now made sense. Ron had been made Supreme General for "killing" Harry, even though Ron wasn't at all qualified. He had held onto the post for so long because it was a reward. He wasn't upset that Harry had disappeared because he was the reason for his disappearance. And he was angry that Harry was back because he wanted him dead. But what was most disturbing was that the Emperor had ordered the death of his own son. Why had they both betrayed him?"