Silver Blood
Chapter 18: Drawing Closer
The wizard world was full of magical beings of all sorts. Just as the world goes, some are good and pleasant to be around, others are not. And some...just those few, are so evil they are separated from even those unpleasant ones. Knockturn Alley was one of those that was not so pleasant, but there was a place beyond Knockturn Alley where very few Slytherins even dared to go. It was a place where beings dwelled doing their sinister deeds. They had no acknowledgement of sides or good and bad, nor did they care who they killed. As long as they obtained something in return they would occasionally allow those few with good bargains to leave alive.
Melarna was proud to be one of those with a good bargain, a very good bargain. Even if she didn't have a bargain that necessarily pleased any of the beings there, it wouldn't matter because she was on a quest for a very important figure to those beings: the Dark Lord Voldemort. She was given the grand opportunity to please him by retrieving one of the most important items to help with his plan...or rather part of his plan, the part she would really enjoy participating in.
Deep in the heart of the town that never had any light, nor warmth, was a small store owned by a powerful and wealthy hag. The store was named Gorgana's, and for a reason. Melarna hadn't understood the full meaning of the name until her lord explained it to her. He told her in the past muggle history, the Greeks made up stories and myths to help explain natural phenomenon's, and other events that occurred. He told her one of the stories was about immortal beings called Gorgons, who were such hideously ugly and demonic women who were so horrific they could turn humans to stone. This hag, named Gorgana, was indeed very ugly, though luckily couldn't turn anyone to stone. So there were connections between the wizard and muggle world.
She knew he was half muggle, or at least used to be half muggle and she knew he couldn't help his origin. She too hated her origin, being bred from a demon and a squib. It was disgracing...but that curse of having no magical powers missed her generation, so she was like any other wizard, better even with her part demon abilities.
Her mother had been a beautiful woman, who had met her father when she was around 700 years old, but of course her squib of a father never knew until it was too late. He had waited to tell her that he was part of the wizard world and wanted to learn magic, once he did her mother had cleverly acted as though she was shocked and scared, but accepted him. Then, after they had married and she had become pregnant she decided to tell her husband her little secret...
As it turned out her father tried to run away with fear and disgust to leave her there, but demons were very hostile in nature. She killed him and chopped him up to put him in the stew for herself for dinner. After all, she had to keep herself healthy for the baby...
Melarna smiled. And then she was born, but unfortunately her mother had been killed by wizards only a little after she was born, because most were scared of demons by then. It was around the time that Lord Voldemort first became infamous and was growing stronger with each day. The Ministry couldn't trust any dark creatures so they sent forth to destroy or capture them all. Melarna's mother, Demère, had hid her underground in a small passageway to protect her and died bravely at the hands of the Ministry. Melarna escaped with her life but was always in hiding. Somehow they knew she existed and wouldn't stop until she was dead. She was weak, scared and homeless, without her mother and without anywhere to go.
She remembered lying on the ground looking so pitiful that none would've ever guessed she was part demon...then she heard footsteps and was grabbed by several cloaked men and taken to the person who would redeem her and give her a reason to live: Lord Voldemort. The moment Melarna had looked into his eyes when she was only nine years old she knew she wasn't the only one of her kind, the only one disgraced by everyone around her. Voldemort had taught her to stand by his side and get revenge for her family, and for herself. He had even told her privately the story of his life, and soon she felt herself respecting him, admiring him...wanting to do anything for him. He resurrected her, brought her out of her misery and exile and there she found the strength to make herself someone her mother would be so proud of.
The only problem was that Voldemort had wanted her to lie low. She was not to come to the Death Eater meetings, she would be given her assignments through owl or other ways. She wanted to be near him all the time, he was like a fatherly figure to her at first, until it turned into something more deeper. It wasn't love, she nor he could love anyone, but he was the only person in her whole life, besides her mother, that she actually cared about.
But she had finally understood why he wanted her to step to the sidelines all those years ago, while he grew more powerful and fell as well. It was because he valued her, she wasn't just backup but something more. He was saving her for the big plan, the one he had waited too many years to put into action and now it was actually happening. Because his other followers were in Azkaban at the moment, it was only her a group of others doing work for him secretly. She could stand by his side almost all the time and do favors for him, it was what she wanted; the only reason she was living.
Melarna smiled, stopping just as she reached Gorgana's. She pulled down the hood of her cloak as she stepped inside, greeted by the smell of the small store. It was a mix of potions, dust and flesh. A smell that didn't sit too well with her stomach, but she wasn't afraid. Just then a figure stepped out from the shadows of the back room. The shadow appeared much larger than the actual figure, who was at least a head shorter than she was. Melarna responsively held in the urge to crinkle her nose at the sight. An old woman...no, more than an old woman, an old hag came into view. Her nose was so crooked it almost appeared broken, along with her rotting teeth, too sharp to be a normal witch's...And her hair, scraggly and almost yarn-like. In short, she looked like a rotting corpse, something from a child's worst nightmares.
But hags weren't normal witches. The only reason they were addressed as being related to witches was because they had magical powers and they were considered female, though Melarna wasn't always quite sure they had a gender. The reason they were referred to as hags was because of their dark pitch black and pitiless eyes, but the other reason was because of their preference of food. They could eat normal food and survive off of it, but they preferred the taste of little children. The more pure and innocent, the tastier they were.
And with the deal Melarna had in store for the hag, delivered from the greatest of all hands, the hag wouldn't say no. Melarna took out the black envelope, a message from Voldemort to the hag in a request for something. She handed it over to the gruesome being before her and waited as the hag took it with twisted and long, gaunt fingers to read the message. In the corner of the letter was the symbol of Lord Voldemort himself, the black Dark Mark gleaming in an almost threatening way.
The hag smiled up at her, a toothy grin that looked more like she was about to attack her, but gestured for her to follow her into the back.
"Right this way," her raspy voice breathed heavily.
Melarna nodded and followed her inside, which led to a small dungeon consisting of shelves of human parts, werewolf parts, potions and liquids of all sorts. A huge cauldron sat in the center of the dusky, gloomy room awaiting the next powerful concoction. The old hag rose her hand and blackish flames appeared in a roar of smoke beneath the cauldron.
"Now, what is this for?" she croaked, a hint of malice and pleasure traceable.
Melarna inwardly smiled. Her lord had warned her of the hunger of the hags. She was hungry for a reward, and Melarna had just the thing to give her.
"It's for a child," she answered.
"A child?" the hag turned with eyes glazed over.
"Yes, one with the power of vision, orphaned preferably and...pure," she smiled knowingly.
"Ah...," the hag sneered and turned back to the potion. "A sacrifice is it? How exciting. Too bad I have a store to look after," she cackled with lunacy, making Melarna wince slightly.
"Yes, too bad," Melarna said quietly.
She watched as the hag took a jar of eyes and plucked one out to examine it.
"Hmm...I believe this is a muggle's eye, that won't do. I'll have to get the special ones again," the hag muttered to herself.
She walked to the end of the room, pulling out a glass box full of...well, Melarna wasn't sure. They appeared to be overgrown slugs with teeth as sharp as blades and one eye, twisting back and forth. The hag pushed the box to reveal a hidden space in the wall with which she reached her hand in and came out with a glowing eye, which Melarna recognized must've been a sorcerer's eye.
Melarna's eyes enlarged twice the size. She had heard long ago hags could be vicious. They were the most powerful and cruel magical beings. For another, they used ancient black magic, conjuring powers from an unknown source. Some had spell books but most hags had sold their soul to the devil, or some great pure evil force for the immortal power of knowing how to create potions and curses with their knowledge. They could curse people themselves, but they preferred doing favors for others because they got more out of it.
Voldemort had given her a ring to give the hag. The most special ability the ring allowed was to give the hag to be able to suck the souls from children, much like dementors only it fed them, energized them and gave them a younger appearance. Not only would they get delight in killing children, but a much longer immortality, because eventually after thousands of years the immortality wore off, especially if the hag's powers decreased.
The hag threw the eye in a bottle of blue solution, and then shook it to mix them up before throwing the mixed concoction into the cauldron. The clear liquid soon turned into a blazing sapphire hue. Next, she grabbed one of the overgrown slugs and tossed it in as well. As different ingredients were being added Melarna noticed the black flames were changing colors until they ended in a dark mulberry color.
Melarna watched entranced, the flames flickering in the reflection of her eyes. Her master would be very pleased. A wide grin ghosted across her lips as she imagined the pleasing look on his face and the rewarding words he would say.
"It's almost done," the hag announced, stirring the blinding maroonish liquid.
She poured it into a large vial, corked it and turned toward Melarna holding the vial close to her face. Melarna could almost swear the dead, cold black eyes flashed a deep crimson purple for a split second but she couldn't be sure.
"Now," the hag smiled a wide, disgusting grin while tapping her finger against the vial, "my payment?"
Melarna reached into her cloak and drew out a small case, which she knew held the rare and valuable ring. The case itself was a glassy black, so it wouldn't stand out to the public's eye. There were strange carvings on the box from thousands of years ago. Melarna only knew a little of what they meant, and she wasn't sure which language they were. Voldemort had told all his special followers, the ones working on his most incredible plot just the other day, that no body, hag or other would give up any favor for him, especially when the ring was their reward.
He had told them a long, long time ago the ring was used by an ancient pharaoh, who had discovered it in one of the tomb's in Egypt. This pharaoh was incredibly greedy and selfish and had disrupted the peace of all the bodies in the tomb's, the former pharaohs, just to get the treasures laid there for them. When he found the ring he was drawn to it, not because of its looks, but sense of power.
The ring itself was just a bland silver color, but when looked upon by greedy eyes it chooses its victim and appears the most valuable thing to them. The pharaoh had become so power-hungry with the ring that it was his own power that destroyed him. He had made an incredible army, with weapons made from the strongest metal he couldn't have found without the help of the ring...and his own army turned against him. Voldemort had smiled and told them the ring was then sealed in ice and thrown into the far reaches of the arctic to never be found again...
Until Salazar became the next great power. He too, like the pharaoh, was power hungry, but he was also clever enough not to get too greedy and not to mess with powers he didn't understand. That was one of the main things he had done in his great time. He had found the ring by concocting his own form of a spell to bring forth powers unimaginable and the ring came to him. He hadn't worn it, because he knew it would possess him until he went mad, so instead he had used it to persuade others to do the work for him. They would put on the ring and have the power and strength to do whatever he asked, then after their job was done Salazar would rip it from their hands and without the ring's power they would soon go crazy and either kill themselves, or be killed.
Salazar Slytherin was so genius. He had figured out how to use such an impossibly-controlled power and had almost succeeded in taking over all of Europe, including the Ministry back then, which was known as the Majestic Castle. Until Godric came along and ruined it all by destroying the ring...and without the ring Salazar had no way of making Godric go crazy or be weakened so he tried with his own power, which was great...but the ring had other powers...powers that even Salazar didn't know of. It was dangerous even to those who didn't wear it but used it to do great things. It had taken his cleverness away, the one thing he used to defeat the ring, and he was tricked by Godric and destroyed...
Melarna shook her head to clear her mind of all the horrible things Voldemort had told them. She watched as the hag ran her deathly bony and pale fingers across the top of the box. Melarna would almost have been upset to watch such an expensive item go, had her master had had any use for it...but she too was scared of the power of the ring. Surprisingly, hags were the only known being to control its power, which meant that possibly a hag had created it for a pharaoh long ago, but they would never know.
That was why the Ministry had once again sealed it to oblivion until Voldemort came along, knowing that Salazar had been very clever in how he used it, but that he made one mistake...he, himself, had remained human, or just a wizard. He had been achieving the goal of becoming something more, but had used the ring before that. So now...the ring had no control over Voldemort, but he had no use for such a thing. His plan had nothing to do with destroying the Ministry or Europe directly...no, it was a much more genius plan, one that Salazar himself would bow to if he knew.
Melarna watched as the box was opened and the shimmering light of its power bounced off the walls of the room. The hag finally closed it reluctantly, holding it close to her bony chest.
"You must thank your master for me."
Melarna nodded with a smirk, "Believe me, I will."
With that she took the vial offered to her and left, pulling up her hood to hide her face as she walked out. Her lord had told her to weary of anyone in case the Order of Ministry members were lurking around.
Melarna felt a smile overcome her even though she tried to keep it inside. It almost felt like he cared for her, telling her to becareful. Though, she knew deep down inside that he wanted...no, needed this plan to work. He had planned it since the beginning, the basis of it anyway. And he hadn't gotten a chance to use it because of a certain family...with a certain baby. But he said he was glad it had waited, because he wouldn't have had the boy to use in order to shield him from what was to come, and give him the strength he needed. She remembered just what Voldemort had said to her...
She had been summoned to him in order to do him a favor, which was what she was waiting for. He was standing in the large, cold room of the Ministry building while she approached and bowed.
"My lord you summoned me?"
Voldemort sneered down at her, "Indeed. I have a job for you, Melarna."
She felt the need to look into his face, to make sure he wasn't lying.
"Really? I-I'll do anything you ask, my lord."
"I need you to go into the depths of the town where the hags dwell in order to retrieve the potion I need," he hissed softly.
"M-master? The hags? They're dangerous and untrustworthy, aren't they?" she asked, her voice quivering slightly.
"Are you afraid, Melarna? You said you'd do anything for me, did you not?" he hissed again.
"I-I...of course," she bowed lower.
Voldemort smiled, pleased with her answer.
"They shall not harm you with the gift I am giving you to present to them. No hag should pass up the offer I have. And then, once I have this I am a step closer to what even Salazar himself couldn't achieve..."
"Yes master, I promise you I will not fail you. I know how much you want this to work out. If only you had had a chance in the past...," she trailed off.
Voldemort's cold, soft laughter filled the room giving her shivers down her spine.
"Yes...I did want that then, and I was very angry that I should be defeated by a small, insolent child...," he paused. "But yet this has turned out for the best."
"My lord?" she asked, not understanding.
"Because I have waited so long, I have found the perfect way to get around all complications, including being stopped by the Ministry...I have found a way around the ring by presenting it to the only known being to be able to control it and help me by destroying all children with special gifts and stealing their souls...that way no child will ever have the chance to destroy me. And with everything happening at once, in just over a few hours, I will have everything and this world will bow to me or perish," he laughed again.
"You're right my lord," she smiled, still bowed down, "it did work out for the best to wait...but had you not been killed by that Potter boy you could've been even more powerful at this very moment."
"Ah, but you are mistaken Melarna," Voldemort smiled. "I as well thought that until I realized just how much power Potter stored deep inside."
Melarna found herself looking up shocked, before bowing her head quickly.
"My lord...a-are you saying you think the rumors are true? That Potter is more powerful than you?"
Voldemort laughed a cold, high-pitched laugh.
"It is true that it was because of the prophecy that I wanted to destroy him and his family. In all my years of living I had never witnessed a prophecy that hadn't come true...but like in all prophecies there's irony. It is true that the boy does possessive powers I never thought he did, and only found that by sucking him dry...the ironic thing about prophecies is that the boy had the power to possibly destroy me deep down inside," he sneered.
"You mean to say that he didn't know of his power, but that it was inside him?" she asked.
"Yes," he hissed pleasurably, "he had the power to destroy me, but yet he had no idea what power it was or how to summon it. It was too deep inside him, so he wouldn't have had enough time, or years, to find it. "Now, enough chatter. Retrieve this for me and give this to the hag," he said handing her a black box.
"Yes master," she said, before disappearing.
Melarna smiled again to herself. The world was only an hour away from complete darkness...and then...
"Then it begins."
XXXXX
It was so dark that the outside appeared to have been swallowed by a black hole. The sun was only a little away from being completely devoured. As it became darker, outside the walls became more restless. There were strange animal cries that echoed from a distance, and some that felt like they were less than a meter away...
The trees moved slowly at times even though there was no wind. It was hard to know exactly what was going on outside of Hogwarts since the Daily Prophet had stopped coming, or being written. If that wasn't a bad enough sign, the number of disappearances of wizards or witches, and muggles sent fear into the hearts of the wizard world. Even behind locked doors there was still no escape.
As the world outside began to fall apart, Harry sat in the second to highest room of Hogwarts: the Owlry, with Hedwig perched on the window sill next to him. He was staring out at the crumbling world, watching as the darkness enveloped the sun slowly. He knew they had less than an hour before it was completely covered.
Then what? his mind whispered. What will happen to the world?
He couldn't bear to think of the possibilities. To the normal eye it appeared to be just an eclipse, but Harry knew it was much more than that. There was something sinister going on, he could sense it from deep inside. Even without the disappearances it was all too suspicious. An eclipse right after another encounter with Voldemort, it had to mean something...but what?
How could an eclipse hurt anyone? Why would he want this? It couldn't be because he wants to hide...No, because he meant to kill me. He needed me out of the way so I couldn't interfere...I'm sure of it.
It seemed plausible, since Harry had had many encounters with Voldemort, but he didn't understand what it meant. He wanted to just believe it was nature's doing because most evidence proved that, or at least there was no evidence pointing toward evil's doing. Harry also knew all of Voldemort's Death Eaters were imprisoned in Azkaban. And he knew that Fudge was dead so he wasn't a threat anymore.
"Unless there were some keeping low," he whispered.
Hedwig cocked her head and hooted, blinking her large eyes at him wondering what he was saying. She could feel his distress though so she scooted closer and nipped his cloak affectionately. Harry raised his hand and scratched her without taking his eyes away from the open window.
The feeling that maybe the Ministry missed some Death Eaters, even one or two, the feeling that he didn't know if Voldemort had other helpers, was still a fear inside him. It was possible that Voldemort had Death Eaters who remained silent even as he had been growing stronger several years ago, just in case something like this happened. Unfortunately, Voldemort was very clever, too clever.
Harry sighed into his hands, partly wishing he had remained in suspended animation, just until Dumbledore figured it out...but that was an impossible dream. Dumbledore hadn't come back since he left for the meeting with the Ministry. Even as Harry lie on his death bed he still hadn't sent any word back. Half of him believed that Dumbledore always had a reason, but there was still a part of him that knew it was because things were becoming too complicated, even for Dumbledore.
The world was falling apart and the Ministry could only do so much. Dumbledore's duty was also to the people now, helping out the wizard world from further destruction. And Harry, what was he to do? He was the famous survivor of many impossible near-death situations, and battles with Voldemort. This was supposedly another one of those battles...
And he was powerless. His wand had been taken from him, and he knew who had taken it. He had sat up there after waking up and rejoining the world to think about what was happening. After an hour or so he figured it out, or at least he tried piecing it together.
Voldemort had lured him to the Ministry. It was because he possessed Fudge that he could persuade, or scare Ministry members into calling Dumbledore. And because at the time the Ministry members were having trouble confining Death Eaters, Dementors, some giants and other helpers of Voldemort from the previous year, Dumbledore couldn't go to the Ministry himself so he sent for the next best person...Harry. Dumbledore must've known Harry would do it, even though he had just recently and finally gotten over his last battle's trauma.
All of those events, one after another, finally ended in Harry going to the Ministry alone. Voldemort must've overheard one of the Ministry members saying that Harry Potter was coming to deal with Fudge, and no one else. That must've been when Voldemort decided he didn't need Fudge, that he wouldn't have to try and complete his plan using the former Minister. No...he must've decided to use Harry as well, to finish off his revenge and get his power back to do whatever it was that he was planning, and in the end get back his infamous reputation.
Voldemort saw an opportunity of a lifetime, one greater than just accomplishing whatever goal he had in mind. Completing his goal, becoming infamous once again, gaining his power and followers back and most of all killing the one boy who had prevented him from completing his goal for the past 16 years...
Everything he would gain with this one shot. Because Harry was still connected to Voldemort by the scar he could sense some of Voldemort's feelings, but it was growing fainter and fainter as the sky grew darker. The only thing he didn't know was what Voldemort had in store for them, and that was the main piece that was missing. The only piece missing, but because of that unknown information, Voldemort would not be stopped.
"There you are."
Harry turned and looked up from the windowsill to see Ron standing behind him.
"I didn't hear you come in," Harry said.
Ron smiled slightly, "I could tell. What's on your mind?" he asked, while seating himself beside him.
Harry's eyes dimmed and he turned to look out the window like he had been doing for the past hour.
"Are you thinking about...him?" Ron asked quietly, though trying to hide the small quiver of fear in his voice.
"He's planning something Ron. This has to be his doing," Harry said gesturing to the sky.
Ron nodded, "Well you'd know best. What do you think it means?"
Harry shook his head, "That's the only thing that's missing. I can't figure it out."
Harry hesitated before looking at his best friend.
"There has to be a way to stop him. If he wanted me out of the way so badly then maybe I'm the one who can stop this."
"Harry, that's insane! For all you know he could've just been trying to finish you off like he has for the past many years!" Ron snapped angrily.
"No Ron, this is different. He needed me for something more. He wouldn't have tired to kill me if— "
"He did kill you, Harry!" Ron shouted stopping him mid-sentence.
The room fell silent as Harry stared at his friend with a loss for words. Ron shook his head and stood up, his back facing Harry.
"Ron?"
"He did kill you," Ron said again.
Harry could hear the tremors in his voice.
"You were dead...You weren't breathing, you were colder than ice and your eyes were...," he choked on a sob.
Slowly he turned to face Harry, tears on the verge of flooding from his eyes.
"Even Madam Pomprey couldn't help you..."
"Ron," Harry stood up and embraced his friend, letting him sob lightly on his shoulder.
"I'll be okay, I promise. I won't go searching for Voldemort all right? I just want to help as much as I can."
Ron slowly pulled away, wiping his now wet face on his cloak.
"You promise?"
Harry smiled, "I promise."
They embraced again before pulling apart, smiling at each other.
"Don't tell Hermione I got emotional, okay?" Ron grinned.
"Don't tell me what?"
The two of them turned to see Hermione standing in the doorway, grinning from ear to ear. Harry and Ron realized they were still partly embraced and quickly pulled apart. She laughed shaking her head.
"Too late, I all ready saw."
She smiled and approached them, bringing them into a group hug.
"Let's go back downstairs," she said, her tone turning serious again, "There's something you both have to hear."
Together, they walked back down to Dumbledore's office which now had almost everyone inside. They seemed to be engrossed in their discussion until Harry, Ron and Hermione came through the door.
"Harry, there you are!" Sirius rose up and walked over to embrace his godson, kissing him on the forehead.
"May we please drop the scene and focus on the situation at hand?"
The question came from the drawling voice of none other than Snape, who Harry hadn't noticed was there as well. Sirius scowled darkly at him but proceeded to sit back down with Harry, Hermione and Ron in toe, who also took a seat.
"Minerva?" Professor Sprout addressed.
Professor McGonagall smiled at Harry as he sat down next to her before she turned back to the situation at hand. She stood up as the teachers present (Professor Sprout, Professor Trelawney, Professor Snape, Professor Binns, Professor Tettlewol, the Arithmancy teacher), and Madam Pomprey and Madam Pince, along with Sirius and Remus looked up at her expectantly.
"I have received some news from Professor Dumbledore. The Ministry has sent out word to the people of a castle, which used to be used to harbor civilians in times of wars, for everyone to go to for safety."
"Everyone?" Ron spoke up. "That's like the whole bloody world!"
"Well, Mr. Weasley, the castle can expand to fit any number because of the enchantments placed on it. But I can assure you the population has greatly decreased," she said sorrowfully.
Harry, Ron and Hermione exchanged expressions.
"How many?" Harry asked quietly.
Professor McGonagall turned to look at him, "There are around 500 wizards and witches missing, about 150 or so have been found dead or in need of dire medical attention. Some towns have been torn apart by unknown forces and families have been separated. The Ministry believes this is the cause of the dark creatures that have escaped from their prisons. We don't know how they escaped but they are trying right now to find all of them before it gets too dark and send them back to where they belong.
"However," she continued, watching to make sure they were all listening, "that is not what is concerning Dumbledore most at this moment. More than 2000 muggles have been reported missing and over 200 have been killed so far," she said gravely.
Harry's mouth suddenly felt extremely dry. How could so many people, from both worlds, just disappear with no trace? Where would they all be taken if they weren't killed?
Harry felt Sirius put a hand on his shoulder and grip it tightly.
"You all right?" he whispered.
Harry nodded mutely.
"Yeah, I am. I'm just worried we won't be able to stop this. What'll happen if we fail?" Harry whispered back.
Sirius sighed and nodded in understanding at Harry's fear, gripping his shoulder even tighter. Finally, he stood up gesturing for Harry to do the same.
"We'll be right back," Sirius told McGonagall when she stared at them as if about to say something.
She nodded as Sirius led Harry out of the office.
Harry glanced up at Sirius as they headed down the hall toward the Astronomy Tower. His expression was unreadable, but firmly set between a grim expression and a worried expression. Harry briefly wondered why Sirius wanted them to leave when they were discussing the actions to take about the serious problems, but soon put it back in his mind as they entered the Tower. Sirius closed the door behind them as Harry stepped over to the edge to gaze out the large window that took up most of the Tower. It was so clear it made it seem like there was no window. He heard Sirius step behind him and turned just as Sirius pulled him into a hug.
"Sirius...I'm all right, you know," Harry murmured into his cloak.
Sirius grinned and pulled away.
"You know, Harry, I'm your Godfather, you can tell me anything. So don't pretend nothing is bothering you."
Harry opened his mouth to deny it, but he couldn't. It was just like during his fourth year when he had not wanted to worry Sirius and yet everything just kind of blurted out. He ended up telling Sirius all his problems, and since then he couldn't keep anything from him. It wasn't just because Sirius was his Godfather, legally, it was that Sirius truly cared for Harry and would do anything for him. And unlike his friends he wasn't scared of speaking about Voldemort nor confronting him, though Ron and Hermione had gotten much braver around that subject.
Soon, he had forgotten about holding all his problems in and started telling him everything. It wasn't that he did on purpose, or on accident, it just felt better to get it all out. Sirius leaned up against the wall, knowing that James had been the same way, but like with him, he could get Harry to open up, and listened to Harry blabber.
"...And then I actually believed Voldemort that Dumbledore had set me up, so I ended up falling into his trap and he hypnotized me, sent my mind into another realm so that I would fall apart, then he stole my wand and left. Then when I woke up, thanks to all of you, I realized that I had survived again, but what does that mean? I mean, does he know I'm alive, does it matter? It's driving me insane, and I don't know what to do, and I know that somehow this eclipse has something to do with Voldemort and if we don't find a way to stop him we'll all die, and become his slaves..., the world will fall into darkness and— "
Sirius finally put his hand over Harry's mouth, silencing him. Harry's tension slowly decreased as he took a deep breath to calm himself. Sirius lifted his hand and leaned back up against the wall, staring down at him.
"Is that how you feel?" Sirius asked finally. "You feel he has finally defeated you?"
Harry shrugged his shoulders lightly, not wanting to disappoint his Godfather but not wanting to lie either.
"I just...I just don't see how I can stop him this time. Maybe I'd have a chance if I had my wand, but in order to get it back I'd have to get it from him. But I can't duel him for it without a wand and...it's just pointless! I mean, no body but everyone inside this school knows Voldemort is still alive. No body knows Fudge is dead yet either. And with all the problems going around with storekeepers having trouble with their owls and other magical pets, and the creature problem with all the centaurs and other beings coming out and acting strangely...then the disappearances," Harry took a breath.
"Even the unicorns have started acting crazy. The last Daily Prophet we got, yesterday, the one you showed me earlier, remember? Three unicorns, two adults and one baby, had tried sneaking into someone's house. I mean, they don't even like to approach people, let alone enter their houses, so what's going on? And how will we stop it if we don't know what's going on?"
"It does seem very suspicious, I'll admit that. But sometimes natural occurrences can make magical beings and animals go crazy. There hasn't been an eclipse for...for too long."
"So what are you saying, that Voldemort is just hiding, minding his own business?" Harry exclaimed.
Sirius shook his head, "I never said that, I'm saying maybe this is a natural event but Voldemort is using it to his advantage. He might be planning an attack or ambush while the Ministry and all the people are busy trying to take care of the other problems."
Harry sighed exasperated and folded his arms, turning to look back out the window like he had done so often that day.
"It just doesn't seem that easy. Even Voldemort doesn't seem that low to attack places when people aren't looking. I just don't believe that this isn't his fault."
Harry turned around to face Sirius.
"Sirius, you said it yourself, an eclipse hasn't happened for so long, right? Then Voldemort escaped the ice compartment I put him in to sleep forever...all because of Fudge, but still he escaped and then the eclipse came."
"I know what you're thinking Harry, but we can't assume Voldemort caused this eclipse without further proof. I mean, how would he do it and for what reason? You said he wouldn't be hiding, so he doesn't need the world in complete darkness. It just doesn't fit together," Sirius explained.
"That's the problem," Harry muttered. "Nothing fits together, and that's why he's going to win this one."
Sirius watched Harry for a moment as he faced the window once again, before coming behind him and wrapping his arms around him in a fatherly embrace.
"Harry, there have been so many obstacles you've faced that seemed to have no way out except death. And you faced them all and lived through them. Why should this one be any different?" Sirius asked quietly.
Harry didn't answer. He wanted to believe Sirius, but this time he felt he didn't have the power nor the confidence.
"Harry, look at me."
Reluctantly, he turned his head to look up at him. Sirius looked down at him grimly before smiling ever-so-slightly and bending down to his ear.
"I have faith in you," he whispered.
Harry couldn't help but turn all the way around and hug him tightly. Sirius could always help him forget his problems for a short while to regain his strength and try again. This wasn't the same, like Sirius said, because Harry had him and his friends fighting with him this time. The last many times he was alone. He only hoped that somehow he could help them and protect them even without his wand, but there was only one way to find out. Harry lifted his head finally to look Sirius in the eye.
"I'm ready."
TO BE CONTINUED...