Silver Blood
Chapter 25: Activation (part 1)
"Incendio!" a voice boomed, cursing the scampering creature with large talons, posed to attack.
A loud cry echoed throughout the room as the creature dropped down, only stunned by the fire spell. Its long sickly blue tongue swiveled out, hanging as its large, sharp teeth glimmered in the dim candle light. Its large neon blue eyes glowed magnificently as its radar vision picked up every moving figure in the room. The one currently posed with a wand pointing at it was breathing heavily, too worn out to continue. The creature settled its gaze on the weak male and jumped all the way to the ceiling in one simple leap, ready to land on him and devour him.
Sirius let out a holler as the creature jumped toward him, its talons ready to sink into his skin. The creature instead let out a horrendous howl that must've echoed throughout the entire castle as a sharp, blinding white light wrapped around every crevice of its body. The light was too powerful and too bright for it to stand. It needed darkness and only darkness, feeding on fear, blood and flesh…but now all its senses were clogged by the magnificent charm and screamed before it burst into blue flames, dying in its own ash.
The room was silent as the creature's ash lay only a foot before Sirius, who was sprawled on the ground looking surprised. He turned to where Dumbledore had suddenly appeared, his wand still held up and posed for another attack, if the creature should put itself back together. Slowly, he lowered his wand and turned toward Sirius.
"Shadow Dwellers are weak against light charms," Dumbledore stated simply.
Sirius only nodded as he was lifted back on his feet with the help of Remus, who had been helping Professor McGonagall set up charms around the castle and finally inside that room.
"Are the others still setting up extra protections, Minerva?"
Professor McGonagall nodded, "Yes, Poppy has taken the west wing with Sibyll, but there's so many of them they're bound to find a way in before we can protect the whole castle."
Dumbledore nodded gravely, "Yes, I am afraid so. This is only the beginning, I'm afraid. There is no doubt the Ministry is also being surrounded by creatures to prevent them from saving lives. If the creatures continue to feed, whether on energy, life essences, or just by devouring innocents, they will grow stronger and ensure the power the Orb. If Voldemort succeeds in activating the Orb, there is no telling what will come."
Minerva let out a small sound, her eyes full of concern and fear. The world was in danger and there was nothing they could do about it. Sirius' eyes dimmed heavily.
"And…Harry?"
Dumbledore didn't reply right away. His eyes glanced outside the nearest window in the direction of the Ministry building but turned back to Sirius.
"I'm afraid I don't know anymore, Sirius. I don't know what role he plays this time, but I am quite sure he is not dead yet," he said gravely.
Sirius slumped into a chair and held his head in his hands. Remus glanced down at his friend, putting a hand on his shoulder for comfort even knowing that it didn't do much. They were all silent, contemplating their fate, until Sirius' head rose again.
"It can't end like this," he whispered. "Voldemort doesn't deserve to have power over who dies and who doesn't."
"Of course he doesn't. And even if he does activate the Orb Harry will find a way to stop him," Remus encouraged.
Sirius shook his head, "Even if Harry somehow finds the strength to stop him, it'll kill him! He's too weak to fight right now, and I…I can't let him die. It can't end like this between us, Remus. We…Harry and I had an argument right before he disappeared. I just…I just want to tell him I'm sorry," he choked on his words and lowered his head.
Remus kneeled down beside him and rubbed his back, "Harry knows you love him, Sirius. And he survived the killing curse twice now, he may be lucky for a third time."
Sirius glanced up at him, his eyes welling with sadness but no tears came.
"It's not the killing curse I'm worried about," Sirius said quietly. "I'm worried about what powers the Orb holds. If Harry wasn't killed by the tyrants that's only because he outsmarted them. Tyrants may be huge, dangerous and can kill villages, but they're dumber than trolls, though not as clumsy. Harry doesn't have his wand, and he just recovered from a mind curse that took away all his energy and strength. How is he supposed to save the world if he can't even heal himself first? And why should we let him bear such a responsibility on his shoulders?"
"That is true, Sirius," Dumbledore said quietly, staring at them grimly. "Harry should not have to bear this burden. The burden with Voldemort was supposed to happen for a reason, because of the prophecy. And Harry has fulfilled his promise, however…he has not completely fulfilled the prophecy."
"What?" Sirius raised his voice. "What do you mean? He risked his neck all the years he's been going here and had that final battle with Voldemort. They dueled for hours and Harry defeated him and saved the world! How is that not fulfilling the prophecy!?"
Dumbledore stared at him calmly, "Harry saved the world, yes, that was his fulfillment, but he didn't defeat Lord Voldemort. The two of them cannot live in the same world together, Sirius. Voldemort will always be after Harry's life and will never leave him alone as long as they live. Because Voldemort cannot die and he knows Harry can, if one of them doesn't lose this may never end."
"Wait a minute! Are you saying my Godson has to kill Voldemort again?!" Sirius shouted, and Dumbledore nodded slightly. "But you also said we could help him! We can't just stay here and fight these creatures all damn day! Harry needs us, and besides we have to stop Voldemort from activating the Orb. Do you have any clue where Voldemort has taken Harry?"
Dumbledore's eyes dimmed, but he didn't respond. Sirius took a step forward, ready to demand an answer when the door burst open and Ron and Hermione came flying in. Remus caught Ron before he toppled over and Hermione managed to stay on her feet.
"We…broom…Harry…now," Hermione panted, pointing out the door.
"Hermione, take a deep breath," Remus said, helping her into a seat.
Hermione shook her head and stared up at Sirius, taking a deep breath, "Sirius, Ron and I just saw Harry's broom take off only a few minutes ago!"
His eyes widened, "That means Harry summoned it…Which way did it go? We've got to hurry and follow it!"
"It's all right, Hermione put a tracking charm on it," Ron said.
Sirius sighed with relief, "Hermione, what would we do without you?"
Hermione beamed but Ron just rolled his eyes, knowing it was true but not wanting to admit it.
"You have it on radar, right?" At Hermione's nod, Sirius continued. "So, once the ending point is located we can go search for Harry. We need aurors! I want every single auror and Ministry member out there!"
"Sirius," Dumbledore began.
Sirius wheeled around and glared at him, "Do you want Harry to die Dumbledore?"
"Of course not," Dumbledore said calmly.
"Well because of you he almost did. Now we're going to do it my way! And I want everyone searching for my Godson. He will not die!" Sirius snapped, feeling Remus' hand on his shoulder to calm him.
"Yelling at Dumbledore will do nothing, Sirius," Remus spoke softly. "It wasn't his fault, he did the best he could."
"We're still doing this my way," Sirius retorted, freeing himself from Remus' grip.
Dumbledore nodded and stared at Sirius, "I never doubted Harry was alive, Sirius, I only believe that he is in even more danger. We have no way of knowing if Voldemort is still with the tyrants. Perhaps he changed his mind."
"And why would he change his mind? Do you know something we don't?" Sirius asked, his tone demanding.
Dumbledore stared at him gravely and sighed, "I am not positive about anything myself. There is no way of knowing yet."
"No way of knowing what yet?!" Sirius snapped. "You can't keep hiding things from all of us, Dumbledore! The least you could do is let us know what you think might happen, even if it's not accurate. You did the same thing to Harry as he was growing up and didn't tell him about the prophecy until it was too late. You regretted that, remember?"
Dumbledore shook his head and stared at him gravely, "I have done some things in the past for a reason, Sirius. Harry was not yet ready to tell the truth, but I did procrastinate, and I haven't made that mistake again. I cannot tell you what I believe right now because it may not be true— "
"But if it is," Sirius interrupted, but stopped as Dumbledore held his hand up.
"If it is true, Sirius, that it more reason not to tell you right now. If what I am fearing comes true, that means that we must not worry about Harry and worry about undoing this eclipse," Dumbledore said.
"WHAT?! You mean try to undo a normal natural event instead of saving Harry's life?" Sirius shouted.
Dumbledore shook his head, "You misunderstand, Sirius, which is why I can't tell you what I think because you will take it the wrong way and in your rashness send the aurors to their doom trying to save your Godson. Your rashness almost led to your death before, Sirius, I would think you'd be more careful now," he said sternly. "If you wish to save Harry's life you will listen to me. I care for him as much as anyone in this room."
The room was silent as Dumbledore's words reached them. His eyes scanned over them before continuing.
"This eclipse was not an accident. We haven't had an eclipse for thousands of years. I cannot say exactly what has brought it on, but I fear it has something to do with the Orb itself, and if awakened could cause much more devastating effects to this world, including Harry," Dumbledore said, his eyes settling on Sirius who looked up at him. "This is much bigger than anything we've ever dealt with. We cannot just go barging into places unprepared. Voldemort right now has the advantage, but I assure you he will not kill Harry. He still needs him."
"Needs him for what, professor?" Hermione spoke up quietly, her face slightly pale.
Dumbledore sighed again and turned to look out the window, "I will tell you in time, Hermione. I fear it won't be long until my conclusions are either proven right or wrong. Until then we must keep Hogwarts from being invaded. If any sections have creatures that cannot be rid of, just seal it off. As long as they are trapped we should be safe. The moment this eclipse goes away it will take care of every creature roaming about.
"I will give the Ministry a call and see how they're handling things. I will ask for them to follow the signal of where Harry's broom went to make sure we haven't missed anything. But right now our priorities are to stop the creatures from entering Hogwarts and to figure out a way to stop this eclipse. The creatures are only feasting because of the aura an eclipse such as this brings," Dumbledore said, turning to face all of them. "It must be stopped."
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It had felt like minutes that Harry was staring down at his blood, wondering what was happening. The used-to-be red blood was now giving off a strange shimmering silver hue, only noticeable when the Orb's beam of light was upon him. Harry had forgotten about all the Death Eaters in the room, and Voldemort too as he stared down at his shoulder.
Did the tyrant poison me? Or does this mean I have some of its blood mixed in mine? No…the tyrant's blood was black…What's going on?
"How ironic…," a voice hissed, softly but sternly at the same time.
Harry glanced up, finally aware that Voldemort and the Death Eaters had been staring at him as well. Voldemort's features held an unreadable expression, like before, as he stared at Harry's shoulder and the strange blood dripping out.
"Master, is this even possible?" Melarna gasped out, her eyes wide and her mouth slightly open in shock.
Harry's eyebrows furrowed. They were staring at him, not as if he was about to die, but as if he was some miracle. Voldemort's eyes held no amusement or death as Harry had seen in them before when he was looking at him enraged. Now, Voldemort's eyes seemed to glisten with an unknown satisfaction.
"And to think I thought I knew everything about you, Harry. It seems I missed one minor detail," Voldemort's lips quirked into a grin. "Your mother was incredibly gifted to be able to hide such a secret from me."
"What do you mean?" Harry asked, hoping that Voldemort would elaborate. He was thoroughly confused at this point, not even fully understanding what Voldemort was going to do with the Orb, if he activated it.
Voldemort ignored his question though and began pacing the room, stopping every once in a while to stare at the Orb.
"Master…please explain…," Macnair murmured from behind Harry.
The other Death Eaters softly agreed. Normally, Voldemort would've hexed them for speaking without being asked to, but he seemed to distracted in thought. Instead, he turned to them all, his red eyes gazing over the lot of them.
"I have told you all that I have been planning this since before I changed my name to Lord Voldemort. When I was still in school I read all I could about Salazar Slytherin and his victories, and even his defeat. No one figured out at the time that Salazar himself wanted to use the Orb. Each of the steps he took was to lead him to that victory and cleverly no one could figure out what it was he wanted to accomplish. Unfortunately, he was stopped before he could finish it and that's where I left off. I began to form a plan of what to do once I became Lord Voldemort. I devised that I would also cleverly lead the people to believe I wanted to control Europe by taking over the Ministry.
"At first my plan was going brilliantly," he spoke as the Death Eaters listened carefully in silence. "Every person that I needed I got, and all the information was at my hands. All I needed was one more thing…and that was how to unlock the Orb's power; the key. Before I could search for it I heard from an old Death Eater about the prophecy of my downfall by a small baby," Voldemort said, his eyes glancing toward Harry. "I figured at first it was just a trick from Dumbledore to try and stop me, but I went anyway to find out who would be my downfall."
Voldemort stopped pacing and turned to face them, "I chose the Potters for a very clever reason. Out of my choices, their baby had something in common with me and I knew that it was a sign. If this baby was like me then perhaps he would eventually grow strong powers as myself. So I went there to kill the whole family and as you all know it backfired on me. However, right before I went there I had figured out that it was Muldoon's blood, or someone connected to him, that I needed to unlock the Orb. I had created a charm to direct me toward anyone who was a possibility. Anyone within several miles that had his blood would make my wand glow and lead me to them.
"When I entered the Potters' house, and killed the father, looking for the mother and son, I felt something unusual. I didn't recall it at the time because I figured it was a sign that I was in the right place, killing the right family who would supposedly lead me to my downfall. But then it grew stronger as I entered the room with the mother and child," Voldemort said, capturing the attention of all the Death Eaters, and Harry as well. "Upon seeing the mother protecting her child I could only think that I had done the right thing. However, I should've realized it then, and now when I was again searching for the blood. The mother was wearing a necklace in the shape of an Augurey…
"Yes…how could I have not seen it," he began talking to himself while pacing. "An Augurey was Muldoon's favorite bird, the symbol of him," Voldemort stopped in front of the Orb, staring at it for a minute before reaching a long, pale hand toward it and tracing over it.
Harry's eyes squinted as he strained to see the shape Voldemort was tracing. The symbol was small and barely noticeable but on the side of the Orb was a small carved imprint of what looked like a phoenix.
An Augurey…that's a type of phoenix. I think Hermione said it was an Irish phoenix. But what does that have to do with my mum? And what does that have to do with my blood changing colors?
"Yes, now I see," Voldemort's lips curled into another sneer, directing his attention toward Harry, who was still trying to piece everything together. "Your mother didn't know she was connected to Muldoon, which was why my wand didn't glow."
Connected to the sorcerer? My mum?
"That fool must've used the last of his power to keep his bloodline hidden," Voldemort continued, beginning to pace again. "That's why I could never trace down the line because it stopped at whoever he left the spell with. And unless I knew it was the Potters…I would've never had the right blood."
A sudden cold laugh erupted out of Voldemort, causing goose bumps to rise on Harry's skin. He glanced up, wondering why Voldemort seemed so happy.
"Isn't that ironic," Voldemort said, speaking to his Death Eaters again. "Ironic that the family I tried to destroy was the family I needed in order to accomplish my goal."
Voldemort's eyes dropped down and landed on Harry, who stared up at him uncertainly.
"I might've not realized it then, Harry, but now I've got you and your mother isn't here to protect you. All this time she was the one who kept Muldoon's bloodline running…through you. It was lucky you survived the curse, otherwise there would be no one to activate the Orb," Voldemort's lips curled wider.
Harry licked his dry lips, feeling his muscles tense instinctively, "What do you mean Muldoon's bloodline was kept through me?"
Voldemort sneered at him, a soft laugh sending more shivers down Harry's spine, but he turned back to his Death Eaters and continued his explanation.
"The only way for Muldoon to protect himself was to make sure no one could figure out who was related to him. After the Orb had been sealed, and Muldoon was weak, the sorcerers came after him. They didn't know that it was his blood they needed but they were trying to capture him to force him to tell them how he worked it. He had a niece then…one whom he had to bind to protect her from his own bloodline…and yet somehow his bloodline ended in the hands of one family," Voldemort smirked, all eyes settling on Harry, who stared dumbfounded.
"And because of your mother, Harry," Voldemort's sneer widened, "your blood will activate the Orb."
Harry was too struck with shock to fight as Macnair pulled him to his feet and forced him to walk toward the sphere. As he neared it, he snapped out of his daze and struggled to get out of Macnair's grip. Melarna walked over and with a wave of her hand, Harry's body froze so he was unable to move. The Death Eaters had begun to cheer again, more excitedly because it was Harry Potter who was the appropriate sacrifice.
"And now the Orb shall be activated with the blood of my enemy," Voldemort announced as the Death Eaters' cheers rose in volume.
Harry's stomach turned as he felt Macnair grab his arms roughly and hold them out so he couldn't fight back. Melarna stepped in front of Harry, a smirk on her features as she summoned a dagger. Harry's eyes widened at the sight of it and he struggled, realizing that Melarna's spell had worn off, but he was unable to move due to Macnair holding onto him tightly. The Death Eaters were all cheering "spill his blood! Spill his blood!", giving Harry an uneasy feeling.
Is Voldemort really going to kill me using muggle ways? He's not going to give me a chance to fight?
Harry closed his eyes tightly, hoping that they wouldn't make him suffer. If he had to die he wanted it a quick and somewhat painless experience. There was no way he could defend himself without his wand, and since he was weak from the recent mind curse and fighting a tyrant, he was in no condition to be dueling in the first place.
I wish I didn't end like this. I never got to apologize to Sirius for yelling at him. I hope he knows that I love him and that I'm sorry…Ron, Hermione…I hope they're doing all right. Oh please let this be quick.
"Open your eyes, Potter," Melarna's voice whispered near his ear.
Harry shook his head, but knew it didn't matter as his eyes were forced open. The Death Eaters' excitement rose as Melarna lifted the dagger, the blade reflecting the light off the semi-glowing sphere. Macnair kept Harry's arms out as Melarna moved in closer. Her eyes locked into Harry's, sensing the fear, and a large smirk played at her lips. Harry noticed that the smirk didn't really hold malice or enjoyment, but something else…She was amused, almost as if they were playing a nasty little joke on him.
As the dagger was pointed toward him, Harry's thoughts vanished, staring fearfully at the dagger that was to cut him open and spill his blood. He knew he'd die of blood loss, and that wasn't the fastest death. With glinting eyes, Melarna moved the dagger toward Harry's throat, getting the Death Eaters' to scream and cheer even louder. Harry tilted his head back, trying to get away from the dagger as she let the blade slide down his neck. She reached his throat, where Harry knew the large vein in his neck was hiding beneath the skin. He swallowed, keeping his eyes focused on the blade. Instead of feeling the sharp prick on his neck, or seeing all his blood spilt on the floor, the dagger slowly dipped down past his neck, pausing to where his heart lie.
Harry tensed, but the dagger didn't stay long as she continued to let it trail down. What was she doing? Wasn't she going to kill him? Perhaps she was toying with him, making him afraid until she finally slit his throat, or plunged it through his heart. Suddenly the dagger stopped above his bellybutton, Melarna's eyes dancing with pleasure as she nodded her head. Harry glanced up at Macnair fearfully who nodded back at her. When he turned back to Melarna, she had lifted her free hand and Harry's robe tore open, and his shirt lifted to reveal his bare stomach.
She's going to cut my stomach open?!
Harry could feel his heart racing and began to struggle, but Macnair held him still. From the corner of his eye, he could see Voldemort standing and watching, pleasure written on his features. His twisted smirk was most noticeable as he watched the display. The Death Eaters behind them were cheering them on as Melarna touched the blade to Harry's stomach. He immediately tried to recoil but it was no use. She pulled the blade back, posed to just plunge it into him. She thrust her hand forward and Harry shut his eyes, turning his head away ready for it.
A sharp pain tore through him as the blade sunk into his skin. He could feel the blood dripping and knew that it was the end. The stinging felt a lot like the gash on his shoulder, only without the burning sensation. Harry's eyes were still closed as he pain lessened slightly.
Well…that wasn't too bad.
Harry was hoping that when he opened his eyes he wouldn't be able to see inside his stomach. He swallowed hard and peeked an eye open, finally glancing down at his stomach. The Death Eaters howled with laughter and Harry blinked…twice. There was a small gash on his stomach that looked deep, but not even nearly as deep as the gash on his shoulder and was dribbling small amounts of blood. He glanced up at Melarna who had a satisfied grin on her face as she pulled out a small vial and let Harry's blood drip into it.
Once the vial was corked she leaned in toward Harry's ear.
"Master wants to keep you alive a little longer. And he surely doesn't want you to die in such…boring ways," she smirked, turning around and walking toward Voldemort with the vial.
Harry's heart was still pounding but he felt relief wash through him. He turned and watched as Melarna bowed, holding the vial of blood up to Voldemort. Melarna stayed bowed as Voldemort approached the Orb with the blood in hand. Harry noticed that near the Orb Voldemort's presence didn't bother his scar.
How is that even possible? And…will my blood really work? It can't be…my mum was the one Muldoon's spell reached? Why wouldn't Dumbledore have known? Or…if he did, why didn't he tell me?
There were many questions that were unanswered and Harry hoped he lived long enough to find them out. Harry was at least five feet from the Orb watching as Voldemort poured his blood on top of it. The blood oozed into the crevices of the sphere, not one drop straying to the floor. Unlike the tyrant blood, however, it stayed still without disappearing. Harry's eyes were glued to the Orb, watching as his blood began to give off a strange glow, connected with the Orb that did the same. The once red blood was beginning to turn into a pure metallic silver, shimmering like a thousand diamonds were embedded in it.
A huge burst of light suddenly erupted from the Orb, causing Macnair to stumble backward, taking Harry with him. His grip loosened but Harry was too stunned to run. The silver-white light filled the entire chamber, bursting through the windows and shattering the glass as it intensified. Harry could barely keep his eyes opened as the light became brighter. The now silver liquid, that used to be Harry's blood, traveled down from the Orb, seeping into the stand it was on, winding inside of it as it glowed as well.
For a minute, Harry thought that perhaps the Orb was lifting up into the air. On second glance he realized the entire stand was lifting out of its place in the floor, glowing intensely. Harry's eyes followed it up, hovering just above Voldemort's head as the glowing died down slightly. Harry thought perhaps it was done, but found he was mistaken. The Orb began to melt, Harry's blood mixing into the liquid that was forming. Instead of dropping to the floor like liquid, it began to mold itself until it was small enough to fit inside Harry's hand. The strange part was that the shape of it resembled a phoenix.
Could that be the symbol on my mum's necklace…the symbol of Muldoon? What is it though? And what is Voldemort going to do with it?
Voldemort's sneer was enough to make anyone sick, but Harry could feel the intense pleasure growing. It was nearing the point that Harry's stomach churned every time he felt the pleasure grow. He had never felt Voldemort's emotions be so pleased, victorious and satisfied all at once. He was starting to feel a little dizzy, but he wasn't sure if it was from Voldemort's pleasure or from his slight fever.
Harry blinked to keep his eyes open instead of closing from exhaustion. Once his eyes were focused again he saw that the Orb had completely changed. In fact, it resembled something he had seen in pictures with Merlin.
Is that a…staff?
The long, smooth handle pointing toward the floor was a beautiful, shimmering deep blue. The shape of the phoenix on top was a metallic silver, glistening brightly and still glowing. The staff floated back to the ground and managed to stay up on its own. The Death Eaters were all watching in awe, including Melarna who looked like Christmas had come early. Voldemort's cold, pale hands wrapped around the powerful object and at once the light glowing in the phoenix stone at the top died down, although Harry had a feeling that didn't mean the power was gone.
So that's what he wanted…Muldoon's staff. But why? What's he going to do with it? Muldoon lived back thousands of years ago so he couldn't have had too much power. Or maybe there's something I'm missing.
Harry inwardly shivered, hoping that it didn't have the power to do hexes worse than the Cruciatus Curse. Voldemort studied the staff as if it was his own personal treasure before turning to the Death Eaters.
"Now there is no one who can stop this, not even Dumbledore! Once I get near the eclipse I can use this to create one of the most powerful beasts to wipe out the muggle world!"
The Death Eaters roared with support, raising their arms in the air. Harry was feeling extremely sick now, hoping that he wouldn't pass out. He needed to somehow stop Voldemort, but he was powerless without his wand. His only hope was that he could somehow get his wand now that Voldemort had the staff. Only problem was that his wand was in Voldemort's robe and he didn't dare try to take it without a death wish.
He said something about having to go up to the eclipse in order to use the staff. So it can only be used from a certain proximity to the eclipse. I hope that will buy some time.
"Now, we shall go," Voldemort said, holding up the staff as the Death Eaters cheered once again, rising from their positions.
Just then the doors burst open and several other Death Eaters came rushing in. The Death Eaters turned and watched as the five panted, bowing lowly toward Voldemort.
"You dare interrupt me at this time," Voldemort hissed.
"M-master…there's…a problem," one of the Death Eaters stuttered.
Voldemort's eyes flashed angrily and suddenly the Death Eater was rolling on the floor screaming in pain. Harry blinked, making sure he hadn't imagined it. Voldemort hadn't had to use the wand in order to use the curse. Harry knew that even without the staff it was possible, but the curse wouldn't be as strong without saying it aloud. With the staff, however, it was probably worse. The Death Eater was panting for breath when it finally stopped.
"I sent you out there to prevent any problems, do you remember that?" Voldemort hissed dangerously.
Harry could feel the anger rising in him and inwardly hoped that the staff couldn't do something more terrible than any of the Unforgivable Curses. Suddenly one of the other Death Eaters stepped forward, bowing to him.
"Forgive him master," a voice drawled, "it's a problem easily taken care of, we just thought you'd like to know ahead of time."
Harry's eyes instantly narrowed as he noticed the familiar voice of Lucius Malfoy. Obviously, he was still up in Voldemort's ranks if he was one of the few selected to be a look-out, but luckily not as high up as Melarna, Macnair or the several others that stood directly by Voldemort's side.
Voldemort turned his attention toward Lucius, his eyes flashing but not in a threatening way.
"What is it Lucius?"
"I have come to tell you master that on our radar it has been alerted that the Ministry members have discovered the Malum Forest (1) and I have no doubt they will be coming here next," Malfoy said, his tone sounding as though he was pleased with himself.
"That won't matter, the staff has been summoned," Voldemort said, his eyes returning to normal.
"So the tyrant's blood worked, my lord?" Malfoy asked, trying to please him more.
Voldemort sneered and turned toward Harry, "No, the blood that worked came from my nemesis, Harry Potter."
Lucius' eyes glanced up from his hood and settled on Harry. His mouth quirked up into a smirk as his eyes spotted the deep wound on Harry's shoulder and the slash across his stomach. Harry locked eyes with him and glared venomously, which only seemed to amuse him even more. Lucius bowed his head again, breaking the heated gaze between them.
"How…unexpected."
Harry could hear the amusement and satisfaction in his voice, but chose to ignore it. He had bigger problems at hand.
"Yes…," Voldemort hissed. "Unfortunately Dumbledore is beginning to catch onto my plan. Too bad the old fool will be too late. Still, I cannot risk losing what I have gained so much of. Those that have not failed me will come with me," Voldemort said, glancing toward Melarna and Macnair and a couple others that stood beside Melarna.
"The rest of you will keep the Ministry busy and distract them from me so that I may have enough time to fully activate the power of the staff. This is your one last chance to prove yourself. Once I have the power over all the creatures in this world I may not have a need for those that have failed me!" he hissed.
Harry could hear slightly whimpering coming from the back, which was no doubt Wormtail. It occurred to him that the creatures must've broken into Azkaban for Voldemort's old followers to be beside him, otherwise Wormtail would've still been locked up.
"Yes master," was murmured at different times by all the Death Eaters.
"What about the boy my lord?" Macnair asked, keeping a tight grip on Harry's arm.
Voldemort's eyes settled on Harry, "He will be coming with us. I will not allow him to escape me yet again. Lucius, you and the others go back to your positions and apparate to me if there's any sign that any of them are heading on my trail."
"Yes master," Lucius murmured, bowing deeply.
Voldemort's eyes cast once more over the lot of them before turning around, his long robe swishing behind him. Melarna and the other two followed shortly after and then Macnair, who forced Harry with him. They headed toward the back way, not the usual way out of the Ministry and Harry's gut feeling was telling him that something disastrous was going to happen.
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Part 2
Another horrendous howl was let out as the doors to the entrance of the castle shook violently. The wood splinted with each shake until with one last blow the door burst open. A giant figure lurked into the castle with deep blood red eyes. Its head was that of a lion, larger than any such lion alive with sharper and deadly teeth. Its tongue was red and extremely long. Its body had fur on it, looking strangely like goat's fur, and was stretched and large. Its tail had pointed spikes all over it, as long as a dragon's tail.
It took a step forward but suddenly screamed viciously as it crunched a small potion bottle, barely noticeable on the floor. At once the enormous creature was thrown back more than twenty yards and the doors closed automatically and healed back up thanks to a special repairing charm. The remains of the shattered potion still lay on the floor innocently.
Up many floors to the nearly top level, on one room, was every person in the castle. Ron and Hermione sat next to each other, glancing nervously around. The teachers were all up and holding their wands out in case of another intruder, except for Filch who was petting Mrs. Norris and practically ignoring everyone else, and Professor Trelawney who was pretending to be in deep concentration.
"W-what was that noise?" Ron squeaked, hearing the loud roar and thunderous sounds from down several levels.
Hermione listened and gulped, glancing a look toward him, "I think that was a chimaera."
"That's correct, Hermione," Professor McGonagall said worriedly. "It definitely sounded like one. But how did all these creatures find Hogwarts?"
"Obviously they're being led here!" Filch snapped angrily, finally voicing some kind of opinion. "Those idiot Ministry members are just going to leave us here to die to save their own a— "
"I believe you are mistaken," Dumbledore interrupted loudly, to cover any cursing he had done. "They know as well as I that if we try to survive on our own we will not make it. Working together has done wonders in the past and it will save us this time as well. We can't lose faith."
"Well I've about had it!" Sirius snapped, getting up from his seat. "This is ridiculous! We're all sitting ducks here and Harry's out there fighting for his life!"
"Please, Black," Snape drawled, "stop speaking of Potter as if he's out there saving millions of people while we're stuck here doing nothing. I doubt he's even able to get away from the Dark Lord and his servants, let alone go rescuing people."
Sirius glared venomous at him, not just for the sarcasm in his voice but because he had been feeling helpless for the past few hours as they had been trying to search for Harry and keep the beast at bay.
"For your information, Severus, Harry is rescuing people because he is keeping Voldemort from taking over the world at this very moment," he retorted hotly.
Snape just gave him a sneer and turned away, not bothering to comment back. Remus, who was sitting next to Ron, sighed heavily.
"Has the Ministry found anything yet?" Remus asked, directing the question toward Dumbledore.
Dumbledore nodded, "It appears that they have found the Malum Forest has been entered into it, which means that Voldemort has all ready been to the tyrants. They found one of the tyrants dead, the leader to be exact."
"Did…did Harry kill it?" Hermione spoke up quietly.
Dumbledore nodded, a slight twinkle in his eye, "I am very certain of that Ms. Granger. It appears that Godric's sword was found lodged into the beast. If I'm not mistaken that was the same sword he used when fighting the Basilisk."
"Bloody hell, how does he do it?" Ron whispered.
Dumbledore stared at him from behind his spectacles, "Practice, Mr. Weasley, and a bit of confidence, if I do say so myself."
"Do you think Harry's still alive?" Hermione asked, her voice barley above a whisper.
"I do, Hermione. If Harry were dead Fawkes would be able to sense it," Dumbledore said, turning toward the phoenix sitting peacefully on its perch. "You see, from the years Harry has spent training by my side Fawkes has thought of him as a second owner and therefore would know when he was dead."
Hermione let out a sigh of relief, leaning back into her chair.
"Do you think my dad will be all right?" Ron asked, referring to how he was leading the Ministry members to follow the Dark Lord's tracks.
"Your father was picked for a reason, Ron," Dumbledore said encouragingly. "And if I'm not mistaken he should be on his way here any minute."
Ron's eyes immediately brightened, as well as Hermione's.
"We're going to be saved!" Hermione said gratefully.
Sirius turned toward Dumbledore in question, "How do you know this? They haven't sent an owl."
Dumbledore's eyes immediately lit up with their usual twinkle, "You see, Sirius, right before I came back to the meeting I met up with Arthur and we had a little talk about our suspicions and what to do. We both agreed that I would come back here to protect Hogwarts and he would help get as many people as possible into the safety shield inside the tower."
Hermione gasped, "Oh my…I didn't even think about them. All the other Hogwarts students and their families…the whole wizard world."
"I do not believe you have any reason to fear now," Dumbledore said reassuringly, folding his hands together. "Most of the wizard world made it safely to the hide out, however it will only be a matter of time before the creatures break through the invisibility shield. That is why we must stop the eclipse in order to stop all the creatures."
"Who's protecting the children and people there?" Hermione asked.
"Aurors and other wizards who have volunteered to keep the protections up. They are safe for now," Dumbledore said. "When Arthur comes you all will go there with him while I help the aurors and Order members head toward the Ministry to hopefully head Voldemort off."
Sirius' head snapped up, "I'm coming too!"
Dumbledore shook his head sternly, "That isn't a good idea Sirius, not when Voldemort is there."
"But Harry's fighting him! If Harry can fight him numerous times then I can help him! As his guardian I've got to protect him!" he hollered angrily.
Dumbledore's eyes dimmed, "Sirius, if Voldemort has Harry in his grasp it will cause you to do rash things. Not only that, but it would mean Voldemort had a target for Harry…someone he loves. I promise you I will do everything in my power to get Harry back, but you must trust me."
Sirius scowled, wanting to protest but gave in, knowing that Dumbledore had his reasons. He instead opted to stare harshly at the floor as the room fell into an uneasy silence.
"Albus!" Professor McGonagall exclaimed. "Look at that."
All heads turned to stare outside the nearest window. Even from the angle that some of them were sitting, it was still visible.
"What is that?" Ron asked in awe.
A bright blinding silver-white light was shooting up from an area just beyond some trees. Dumbledore stood up and strode over to the window, staring at it with unblinking eyes. The room was in silence as each one of them was entranced by the strange surge of power lighting up the sky, brightening part of the world by bringing light into the dark.
"It's as I feared," Dumbledore replied softly. "The Orb has been activated."
Professor McGonagall turned to him wide-eyed, "But how Albus?"
"Could the tyrant's blood really have worked?" Madam Pomprey asked, horrified and still staring out the window.
Hermione gasped and covered her mouth, "Oh no…if the Orb has been activated then…then…"
"Voldemort will not kill Harry," Dumbledore interrupted, causing her to look up at him in shock and wonder.
Sirius turned toward Dumbledore, "Are you sure?" he asked quietly.
Dumbledore turned from the window and nodded gravely, "I am afraid it was not the tyrant's blood Poppy…," he sighed, "it was Harry's."
Hermione squeaked, paling even more as Ron sat up in his seat, looking around the room in confusion and shock.
"Harry's blood?" Remus asked.
All the teachers were unable to move or even say a word, not even Snape who was leaning up against the back wall in silence, a concentrated look on his face. Filch had stopped petting Mrs. Norris, curiously listening to what was going on.
Dumbledore sighed and turned completely around to face them, his face suddenly older, wiser and more grave than years previously.
"Yes, Remus. It was my belief that Harry's bloodline was somehow connected to Muldoon's," he said sitting back down in his chair.
"But…how is that possible? How do you know?" Sirius asked, staring at Dumbledore with wide eyes.
"It is possible because while his mother was attending school she often times wore a necklace bearing the symbol of an Augery, or an Irish phoenix. That was a warning to me, but somehow I couldn't place it at the time. The very few times I saw her it would catch my eye, but it didn't appear out of the ordinary so I kept it in the back of my mind. After she died, it was completely forgotten about as I focused on keeping Harry safe from Lord Voldemort's grasp. When Harry came here there was nothing unusual about him, except that his powers were growing exceedingly fast. I noticed nothing that sparked the memory of the necklace his mother wore, until now…
"It occurred to me recently that Harry had been the key all along. At first I assumed the prophecy was fore telling just about Lord Voldemort's defeat sixteen years ago, but it was also a warning about Voldemort's goal. Harry was the key to the Orb's power through his mother. I was researching this after the meeting before I came here, which is why it took me a little longer. I thought it was strange that Harry's destiny hadn't been fulfilled, and that Voldemort was able to rise to power yet again as he did in the past. It is clear to me that Harry's destiny is not yet over, not until he is able to stop the apocalypse that will come," Dumbledore explained.
"Lily had some of Muldoon's blood?" Sirius asked surprised.
Dumbledore shook his head, "No, Sirius, Lily isn't connected to Muldoon. As I researched deeper in the heart of the Ministry files that has been kept for centuries I found that Muldoon cast a powerful spell on the necklace he had given his niece before he died that would ensure that his bloodline would go to the next strongest person like himself so that they wouldn't use it for the wrong reasons. He passed the necklace onto his niece, who had to give up her powers because she had some of his blood in order to keep from being used by the sorcerers at that time. But she kept the necklace and passed it down from one person to the next.
"Somehow, as I was reading, the necklace suddenly stopped being passed through the generations of children beginning from Muldoon's niece. It was like it just had disappeared. It was found by an old hag that lived deep inside a cave in the muggle world. She had little powers for a hag so she couldn't find her way into the magical world. She found the necklace and kept it with her, not knowing its true reason for being. But she was far from the person Muldoon wanted, so naturally fate intervened because of the strength of the spell. The necklace was taken by witch hunters, after the witch had been found and killed, and sold on the markets. A young woman happened to cross its path, the beginning of the necklace's journey in the Evans family," Dumbledore spoke as Sirius and Remus exchanged glances.
"Of course Lily's mother gave it to her as a birthday present and she kept it every since. Strangely though it didn't react to her, but to Harry, once he was born, which means that Harry is the kind of person Muldoon was back then. Harry has faced many threats and dangers and no matter what evils crossed his path he always chose to defeat them and set things right.
"I am guessing that the only way it was able to react to Harry was if it touched him when he was being held by her. There is a very slim chance that it was the help of that very necklace that protected Harry the night Voldemort came to claim his life…but that I cannot be sure of. I will have to study that more closely later," Dumbledore said, folding his hands together.
After a moment's hesitation, Sirius looked up at him, "So…if Harry's blood has been used, then why do you think he's not dead?" Sirius asked slowly.
"Voldemort is not foolish, Sirius. He believes that if something should go wrong the first time he tries, he still has Harry and blood to activate the Orb. I have a feeling he will be using Harry for more than that now," Dumbledore said, his eyes losing their twinkle completely and gleaming dangerously.
"What do you mean?" Sirius asked.
A sudden sound interrupted, causing them all to hold their breath in silence. After a moment flashes of light came and went and from the window it was seen that several creatures were running away from Hogwarts.
"The Ministry has arrived," Dumbledore said, standing up, "it is time."
TO BE CONTINUED…