Disclaimer: Own nothing...
Dedication: To the Red Dragons Order
Chapter 34: The Price of Life
"Wise men said just raise your head and reach out for the spell. Find the door to the promise land, just believe in yourself. Hear this voice from deep inside, it's the call of your heart. Close your eyes and you will find there your doubt of the dark.
Here I am, will you send me an angel? Here I am, in the land of the morning star..."
Scorpions-"Will you send me an angel?"
/-/-/--/-/-/-/-
Harry, Ron, Draco, Hermione, Amala, Ginny, Mark, Jane, Neville and Luna were trapped there, wandless, tied up. The room was dark and wet, a true Slytherin-type prisoner room. Great! How much better could he get? The Green Flame Torch was in Voldemort's hands or maybe even destroyed by now. The dark wizard had left with it, telling his servants to tie the prisoners up. Then, Wormtail had come and told the Death Eaters where to put the prisoners until the Torch would be destroyed and told them to leave only two guards, which would be enough.
"We need help" Harry said quietly to himself, so soft that nobody heard him, nearly not even himself.
The two Death Eaters who were watching them were standing in front of him. Gods, how would he get out of this? Voldemort would definitely destroy the Torch and then kill them all. And right now, he couldn't think of anything that might save them. Nobody from the Order would know where they were. Nobody up there loved them.
He suddenly felt that something in his heart told him to be more optimistic, that somebody else knew of their problem. But, nah, that couldn't be right. Who could know that he was in trouble? But the feeling was reassuring. It was as if a dear friend told him to hold on.
"Towers" said a slow voice next to him. Amala's.
"Towers what?" Harry asked, confused, snapping back to reality.
"I dunno" she answered. "You asked, I answered, no?"
"Quiet, you two!" said one of the Death Eaters in a harsh tone and Harry went back to his thoughts.
Right, Towers, maybe he would help. But he didn't know where they were or that they were in trouble, did he? Of course not! But, maybe his Master? The man always said that his Master knew many things. But that was ridiculous, how could some person far away know of the situation? And even if he did, he wouldn't send help... would he? But he had always helped Harry... No, it was just griping on a hope that had no chance of happening.
He jumped startled –as much as one could jump when tied up- when two red light beams shot from the darkness at the same time and the two Death Eaters fell down on the ground.
"I told Voldemort to put some lights in these corners. And did he listen? Nooooo, he kept chasing me around, shooting spells"
Harry felt surprise and happiness flow through him. Towers' voice! It was really Towers' voice! By the grace of some unknown force, the weird wacky man had come to rescue them! So, they were saved! Or at least, they would be soon. And, of course, the man was mocking his enemy and enjoying it. So, it was true... He'd come to save them. But how?
"Dear, dear, my, my, what are we to do about him?" asked another voice as they came into the light.
"Teach him a lesson."
Towers waved his wand and the teens were free again, getting up quickly.
"This is my friend, Mayhowl. So, how did the..." he started counting "ten of you end up in this mess anyway?"
"We were trying to save the Torch" answered Harry. "How come you knew where we were?"
"Your Amulet, Harry my boy." Towers answered with a wink "That rune inside it is my Master's. And he sent me to help."
"So the Amulets are real!" said Hermione excitedly. Everybody else was pretty much confident and excited, out of what Harry could see. Well, being free and ready to fight was always a plus, no?
"Of course they are! Why do you think I insisted on you wearing them?" the man said with a mischievous smile.
"Why didn't you tell us?" asked Ron.
"It wasn't necessary." Towers replied with a shrug and a smile. "Anyway, it was I who sold them to you. With my Master's help. But now we must go. The Green Flame Torch does not fight on its own. And it can be destroyed... But you, Harry, as its finder and therefore its true bearer, can use it best. You can also summon it with your will, but surely you know that"
Harry nodded.
"Let's go" said Towers and led them to a door. He opened it and they went through it, following him. Mayhowl was right behind Towers, Harry behind Mayhowl, and the rest randomly behind. Suddenly, Towers stopped walking.
"Your wands! Merlin's beard!" whispered Towers. "I nearly forgot!"
He handed them their wands and started walking again.
The scenery was awful: it must have been an old castle, great in it's time, but now it was wet and nearly ruined. The darkness on the corridor was broken only by the small lights from their wands. Otherwise, Harry thought that if a few shadows started moving around, he wouldn't be too surprised. It was really, really creepy, but he knew that creepy meant nothing compared to what would happen if Voldemort destroyed the Torch. Harry's senses were working overtime, making him notice every small spider that walked around. Finally, they made it to a door.
"On three, we jump inside and shoot everything in sight" Towers said. "Voldemort will be in there. I want you to keep cool... Remember, fear can kill. Good luck."
He counted to three and then opened the door and jumped inside, stupefying a Death Eater before anyone could even blink. Harry noticed it was a square room with Voldemort and the Torch in front of it, a potion of some sort next to him. The dark Lord was sitting on a chair, thinking. There were about twenty Death Eaters in the room and they were either standing or sitting near the walls. The room had no furniture besides a few chairs next to the walls. All that, Harry saw barely a few moments, even less than a second, because in the next second, Voldemort was on his feet with his wand in his hand and Towers jumped out of the way, skillfully getting away from an Avada Kedavra.
And all hell broke loose. Death Eaters were shooting all they could, the teens were casting all hexes and charms and jinxes they could think of. There were spells flying everywhere and bouncing off the walls. One of the Death Eaters got hit by a reflected Avada Kedavra that Voldemort had sent towards Towers. The Dark Lord swore loudly and Towers snorted. The teens were doing well and Harry was fighting his best. He noted how weird it was that his scar didn't hurt. But he didn't have time to ponder on that as he shot everything in sight.
Voldemort had his hands full with Towers who was proving his power, so he definitely couldn't take care of Harry while the man was keeping him busy. Furious, he started fighting even more viciously.
"I can't hold him much longer!" Towers yelled and turned his head towards Harry, trying to protect himself and keep an eye on Voldemort in the mean time "Harry..."
Harry heard him, but so did Voldemort and a few things happened in the same time.
"the Green..."
The young man realized what the man would say, the same thought on his mind and he thought of the Torch as hard as he could, wishing for it to come to him.
"Flame..."
The torch was coming towards him, but Voldemort also noticed what was going on. He started saying, as quickly as he could, fear in his eyes:
"Avada..."
"Torch!"
Harry had the Torch in his hand and he felt power rush through him quickly.
"...Kedavra!"
The green jet of light hit Towers fully and the man fell on the floor.
"NOOO!!" Harry yelled and held his wand tightly, yelling:
"Stupefy!"
Voldemort ducked as the red beam shot towards him, hitting a Death Eater behind that was not only stupefied, but also thrown into the wall at full speed. Harry wondered how the others were doing, hoping they were better than Towers, but he saw that they were losing the battle. Mayhowl was down, his wand a few centimeters from his unmoving hand, Hermione and Luna were wandless, but were hitting with their fists and legs, Ron was dancing under Tarantalegra and Ginny was cornered by three Death Eaters. Jane had managed to get a dagger and she was stabbing everything in sight, yelling "TAKE YOUR BREATH AWAY!" in a sing-like voice, making the Death Eaters lose their concentration. Mark was hiding behind some chairs, trying to do his best, but he got a stupefying spell just as Harry watched him. Draco was fighting bravely against two Death Eaters, but he would lose soon. Neville was fighting against some hex or another. Amala was on the floor under the weight of a Death Eater. Voldemort, however, didn't know that the Death Eater party was wining, so he had his eyes widened in fear.
"Hogwarts! Dumbledore!" Harry yelled, without thinking too much. In fact, he didn't know why he said it, besides wanting to be there. "Help!"
This wasn't the time to kill Voldemort, something told him that. The Torch shivered and everything started to spin around them.
When it was over, he could see that he, his friends, the stiff Mayhowl and Towers' body, along with all the wands were in an empty classroom in Hogwarts. The Green Flame Torch was no longer in Harry's hand and he looked around for it, but it was gone.
It was all over... Hermione grabbed her wand and undid Ron's Tarantalegra. The others tended to their own wounds before they actually got to see Towers and Mayhowl lying on the floor.
"Is he... He's dead..." Amala muttered and went over to Towers as Hermione tried to cast the 'enervate' over Mayhowl. To her relief, it worked.
"My goodness" Ginny muttered and followed Amala's lead, Luna walking uncertainly after them.
Mayhowl moaned, but when he looked towards the lifeless body, he jumped to his feet.
"What happened?" he asked towards the boys, his eyes wide in fear.
"He's dead. That's what happened" Draco snapped.
"Voldemort?" he asked slowly, but didn't wait for the answer. "Curse the man"
"We agree" Ron said and also made his way towards Towers' body, the others following.
Harry looked at the peaceful face he had. No horror, no fear, it was a sort of peace that reminded of sleep. But from this sleep, he would not wake up.
"It can't be..." Amala muttered. "Did I... did I tell you I met him in the Department of Mysteries when I saved Sirius? Do you think I could... go after him? Through the veil?"
"I don't know..." Hermione replied. "You had trouble last time, didn't you?"
They heard the door and footsteps and all of them turned to see Iris Rose enter the room and beaming as she saw them there. But then her eyes widened and her face turned to shock as she saw the body on the floor.
"Oh, my God..." she muttered. "Jack? What happened?"
"He saved us from Voldemort's clutches" Harry replied quietly. "And he was shot with an Avada Kedavra before... before I used the Torch to get us all out of there"
"Dead..." she muttered, rushing towards them. "I can't believe it..."
She let herself down next to him, between Ginny and Amala.
"Maybe there's a way in which he could be saved? Like Sirius?" Amala asked and Iris let out a snort of sad laughter.
"That can't happen" she replied, tears in her eyes.
"Why not? It worked with Sirius and... I'd go back!" the girl pleaded as if Iris was the only one holding her back from doing it.
"Do you know what the difference is?" Iris asked her, looking her in the eyes with a sad expression.
"No. What is it?" the other asked, feeling tears start to build up in her.
"It's that Sirius Black wasn't meant to die at that moment... Whereas Jack Towers was never and I repeat, never, meant to live" the beautiful Professor replied, sniffing. "And he knew it"
"What do you mean?" Amala asked, but Iris didn't answer. "Tell me!" she cried.
"I can't..." Iris replied and turned towards Jack Towers. "Goodnight, Navrad... We loved you" she said to him, softly and then laughed bitterly. "You know, he asked me that when he'd die, I shouldn't be sad, because he'd be happy and I'd bring him down. And you know, I think he was sincere"
She looked them all in the eyes and Harry felt she was telling them not to feel sorry about anything, to carry on with their lives without grieving for him. To understand that his own death wasn't a tragedy for him. Harry looked at all the others attentively. Iris had said farewell, but she wasn't really distraught, she was a bit sad, like one would be when a friend goes into a long trip. Amala looked at Towers thoughtfully and she seemed to be thinking of something, but she wasn't too sad either. Draco was staring at Towers as if he didn't believe it. Neville was shaking a little, seeming to remember the fight and the way Towers had died. Jane had a hand over Towers' hand and she seemed to be really sad. Mark was shaking and crying, scared. Harry didn't blame him, he'd just been into battle, circled by people who wanted to kill him and had witnessed somebody from his side, who had been his teacher, die. And he was barely eleven. Ginny looked sorry and she had tears in her eyes. Hermione also had tears in her eyes. Luna was shaking her head with sorrow. Ron was dumbstruck. Mayhowl looked as if he had realized his best friend would leave and never come back.
"Well, we should go" Iris said slowly. "The Professors are terribly worried and the students are wondering what happened last night. I'll take Jack's body to the infirmary, we'll... we'll try to think about the funeral. You go to the Great Hall, everybody must be there by now, I mean, the students. The Professors are just getting there"
They nodded and Harry went to the door and opened them. As soon as they stepped out, however, Mayhowl said:
"I should be going... My place isn't here. Farewell and take care of yourselves"
"But aren't you going the same way as us?" Draco asked, but Mayhowl didn't reply, he just leaped and, to their surprise, turned into a wolf and started running down the corridors. "Whoa, what was that?"
"A Homomagus" Hermione whispered. "Mayhowl wasn't human, he was a wolf... May Howl. Let's go..."
None of them asked Hermione how she knew that. Instead, they all went down the corridors to the Great Hall which opened its doors with a bang. They entered and Harry realized how horrible they looked when everybody gaped at them in shock and worry. The Professors were at the Head Table –all except three, Rose, McGonagall and someone else- and they looked at each other in surprise when they entered.
"Oh, my" Vector said, shaking his head.
"Welcome back to Hogwarts!" Dumbledore said, standing to greet them. "It is wonderful to see that you are alright"
"The Torch..." Harry said. "We saved it, but when I used it to get out of Voldemort's castle, it disappeared"
He didn't notice nearly all the Hall cringe at the name, but he awaited Dumbledore's scold, he expected him to say how foolish they were to go after the Torch, that anyway it disappeared, but the Headmaster smiled.
"So, you saved it" he said gently and, seeing Harry's surprise, he added: "The Torch disappears when it finishes its goal."
Harry looked at him and smiled sadly, his eyes in tears.
"Professor Towers came to help us, he saved both us and the Torch... But he got hit by Avada Kedavra" the teen said slowly. "He's dead; Professor Rose is taking his body to the infirmary"
Dumbledore looked at him sadly and said slowly:
"So that is why you are all so sad... A time ago, Jack Towers told me that he would die one day, probably before me and he pleaded me not to be sad about it, or it would bring him down. But I do believe that a toast is in order. All raise glasses to Jack Towers, who died to save the Green Flame Torch and ten of our best students. Raise your glasses to Jack Towers"
The Great Hall did so and 'to Jack Towers' was said all over the Great Hall. The ten started walking towards their seats, Amala looking at the Head Table, searching for somebody. When they almost made it, the doors of the Great Hall opened and in came McGonagall and the third missing Professor: Severus Snape.
"Thank goodness" McGonagall muttered, seeing the filthy, tired and hungry students. But Severus made a few steps towards the Gryffindor table and, to the great surprise of everybody in the Hall, he put his arms over Amala and hugged her tightly. She embraced him, too and put her head on his shoulder, a few tears running down her face.
Even though his face was still cold, even though he hadn't said a thing, nobody could mistake that sign of affection for anything else and almost every student and nearly every teacher gaped at them in surprise. Even Harry, Ron and Draco gaped, not believing the fact that Severus Snape actually hugged her in front of everybody. The only people who didn't seem to be quite that shocked were Hermione, Ginny and of course, Dumbledore, who probably wouldn't seem surprised if the students announced him they would eat in the kitchens from then on, in order to help Hermione with S.P.E.W.
Amala opened her mouth to say something, but Snape just held her tighter, making her stop from whatever she would want to say. She had tears running down her cheeks and Harry realized just how awful she looked, it was as if she'd rolled around on the ground for hours. Snape let her go, took a step back and said in a tone that became a tad amused as he spoke, although it was a bit concerned:
"I cannot ask you to never do that again. You will do it no matter what, being part of the House that jumps into all sorts of things head-forward. And I should remember that I agreed to your plan. However, I must say that I'm most pleased to see you are alright. Most of the school has worried about you."
With that, he turned towards the Head Table and, without a look back, went to eat his breakfast. McGonagall just looked behind him with her eyebrows raised and then started walking towards the Head Table also.
First, there was a soft murmur, as Amala sat down. It soon became a powerful murmur. Then, nobody bothered murmuring anymore so it was downright loud to hear everybody talk in the same time about Amala and Snape, about You-Know-Who, about Amala and Snape, about the Torch, about Amala and Snape, about Towers and his death, Amala and Snape, what had happened to the ten, Amala and Snape, what Dumbledore had said before they had come in, about them being captured by You-Know-Who, Amala and Snape, Tower's death, their escape and a bit more about Amala and Snape. Because of course, Harry Potter had escaped You-Know-Who before, but who ever heard about Snape having a girlfriend? And then, of course, they realized the order of importance and the talks switched to Towers and how he had escaped from the Aurors in April and about him being thought to be evil and then his turning out to be good and of course, his death.
All in all, it was one of the noisiest breakfasts there ever were. And up, in the infirmary, there was the body of Jack Towers, ex-Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor, Ancient Sautaus Dragon Animagus lying on a bed. Over it hovered a spirit without body, a spirit who was looking thoughtfully at the body before he smiled and whispered:
"Fifty years was alright"
Then, he laughed to himself and floated out the window before he realized he could go through the wall, too. He chuckled to himself and left.
/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-
"I see dead people" Kate said and started laughing. "So do I, bro, so do I! Every day I do! That's what I do for a living, watch dead people float around!"
Kate Samantha Backfield was watching TV on one of her free days, lying on the bed in a nice villa in Greece and she was watching –of course- the Sixth Sense. It was one of her favorites, that movie with the kid who could see dead people who wanted him to do them a favor. Of course, the boy was scared and of course nobody believed him to really be seeing anything. There also was a psychiatrist that was supposed to be telling the kid that he's not seeing anything and –huge twister!- the psychiatrist was also dead! And he was telling the kid that he couldn't possibly see dead people. What a laugh! Muggle movies were so naïve!
Kate was a quite unusual woman. One: she was over a thousand one hundred years old. Two: she wasn't quite alive. Three: all this happened because of her job. She had voluntarily and unforced decided to give her life to Death and become Her servant –which sounded a lot worse than it was. She actually got to scout around the world, very much alive, except for not being able to be killed or turned into a vampire or werewolf or anything of the sort and being able to materialize and dematerialize her body at will. But otherwise than that... she could eat, drink, smell, you name a human action, she could do it. Of course, she had to take care of the Gate of the Veil in the Department of Mysteries ever since the Great Idiot Herself, Marsha had been... 'fired' by Death and died. About time, too, she had been there for a thousand years plus minus a hundred. The sacking had happened when that Amala girl had come to save Sirius Black –gosh, he was handsome!- and Death herself had been summoned. Kate had been there with her, unseen by human eyes and she had laughed her head off when Death offered the girl the job of taking care of the Veil, knowing she would refuse. Gosh, Death had been so pleasant as to not scare the two. She'd joked around and everything was downright funny. But hey, that's Her to you!
So, she was now on vacation, enjoying the Sixth Sense and sun and sea and having not a problem in the world, until...
"Hello, Kate, do me a favor?" she heard a very well-known voice from the door.
"Jack Towers, what are you doing interrupting my vacation...?" she started, turning her eyes from the TV to look at the man. "Oh, you're dead"
"No need to sound so impressed" he said, smirking at her matter-of-fact voice. "Yes, I'm dead. An Avada Kedavra, to tell you the truth"
"Ooh" she said, nodding in understanding. "But who did this to you, you look... transparent!"
He shook his head in disbelieve.
"Are you sure you're over a thousand years old?" he sighed. "Voldemort, that's who"
"Ah, snaky!" she said with a small smile. "How is he? Last seen him when he was being brought back into a decent body –and he's one ugly fellow, I'll give you that. Trust me, I saw him naked-."
Towers grimaced at the mental image and decided not to ask exactly how that had occurred.
"He's alive" he replied bluntly. "Listen, you're ruining my pleasure in being dead"
"Oops, sorry. How's your Master?" she asked. "Bringing you back to action, I guess..."
"No" he replied slowly and looked at her in a let's-get-to-business way. "He never brought me back and he warned me, once dead, I stay dead"
"Ooh" she said and searched for her words. "My condolences, then. So, next stop Spirit Land, huh, Navrad?"
"Don't call me Navrad, I have a name" he said with a small smile. "And yes, that's where I'm going. But please, do me a favor... please?"
"Sure, Jack" she said and winked at him. "Anything you want. But let me guess, a last message, huh? That's what they all want. I mean, what am I, an owl?"
"Yes" he replied, smirking. "Tell Nymphadora Tonks that I love her too. In private, please. And tell her that I'll be back, but she shouldn't wait for me. Tell her that se should get someone else..." he replied, a bit thoughtful.
"Ah, young love..." Kate sighed and when he shot her a look, she added: "Hey, I'm twenty-two times older than you! But what about the going back part? Huh, huh, huh?"
"A Navrad has his ways" Towers replied with a dreamy look in his eyes.
"I thought you hated being called Navrad?" she asked, frowning and grabbing a pillow.
"It's what I am, not who I am. Would you like me to call you 'human' all the time?" he asked and when she shook her head he asked: "See?"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever" she replied and then smiled to him. "I'll miss ya, you crazy weirdo, you!"
"I'll miss you too" he replied with a smile. "Please, pass on the info"
"No problem" she replied with a wink. "So, come visit, you know where to find me"
"It took me two days to do so" he replied, laughing.
"But you have all eternity, don't you?" she asked, laughing herself. "Farewell, Jack Towers, son of... Who're you son of, again?"
"No need to tell you, is there?" Towers said and smirked. "Bye"
"Bye" she said, smiling widely and waving at the spirit. "Hey, not fair, I missed my favorite scene!"
/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-
Gryffindor won the House Cup, but not that many people were happy about it. The Ministry had of course sent some people to investigate Towers and try to find out more about where he had lived, there were interrogations all over the place, Veritaserum was being used.
Draco was in a very dark mood, seeming to have cared a lot about Towers. Snape was in a weird mood. He seemed to be thoughtful and maybe a bit sad. Students were really worried. It had finally struck them that Towers, the one who had brought the Necrow into class, the one that had scared Draco Malfoy with his Dementor face, the one who had ran away in his dragon Animagus shape when he was searched for by the Aurors, that Towers was dead.
And at the End of the Year feast, Dumbledore stood to say a few words.
"When young Jack Towers entered my office in November, I knew of his delicate situation with the Ministry. Also did I know that he was a good man... His Master, whom he respected greatly, had come to me one night, the only time I ever met him, and told me that Towers would come to me to take the job. I did not accept him because of his teaching skills. I did not accept him because he had theoretical knowledge that would help you on your exams. I chose him because he could show you things others could not. He was not a Professor. He was a warrior who lived in the middle of the battle, a warrior who feared nor death nor pain and who lived every second as if it were his last. Yes, he brought a Necrow to school, controlling it the way dark wizards do... Jack Towers was a dark wizard"
The Great Hall gasped as the Headmaster said that and there were whispers all around the Hall at that statement.
"But a dark wizard on the side of light" the man continued. "He had the powers of a Dementor, as you would soon find out. He used them on Draco Malfoy to prove his point to everybody, to make everybody understand what it meant to be one of those wizards, what it meant to be on the receiving end of such dreadful things. At that very lesson, he has told you that his Master, in a dark mood, was not much different from Lord Voldemort. And Jack Towers was a lot like his Master"
There were a few fearful whispers in the Hall, but Dumbledore raised his hand to stop them.
"But the truth is, he was only half-spoke about the truth. His Master has, even in his darkest moods, a great difference from Lord Voldemort. He never hurts for no reason, he never kills for no reason. Even in the darkest of the darkest moods, he is still calm and powerful and loving deep inside. For, for this Master, the whole world is worthy of love, Muggles, wizards and creatures of all kinds alike. Yes, he might be terrifying, yes, he might strike dangerously, yes, he might call thunderstorms... But he would never hurt anybody without that one needing to be hurt in order to learn the lessons of life. And like is his Master, like was Jack Towers. Behind his weird, contradicting surface, Jack Towers has taught you more lessons than any other Professor. And when his time was up, he left. Yes, he put a great show of it, but through his show, he desired to prove the power of his Master. A modest man, a brave man... He gave his life to save those of his former students."
Everybody was watching Dumbledore speak and Harry felt two or three tears in his eyes... Yes. Towers had died for them... As had Sirius, precisely one year ago. Suddenly, he could see similarities between Sirius and Jack Towers... Both crazy, both life-loving, both brave and adventurous. Both having no problem in disobeying the rules. Both jumping to save him... Both dying.
"But I have not known him too well, another one of us has. Iris Rose, will you please?"
The woman, in tears, but smiling widely, got up and raised her head, ready to speak as the Headmaster sat down.
"Once upon a time, quite a few years ago, I was going through the woods that elves hold in their keep. There, near a small river, stood a young man that I had never seen before. He was human, not an elf, I saw quickly. He smiled at me the moment he saw me, he asked me what I was doing there, we started talking. It turned out he was the disciple of a Master I had heard of many times. After years, when we had gotten to be very good friends, he told me he would go into action, help the light side as much as he could. And he made me promise, there and then, that if he died, I would not weep, I would not cry, I would not grieve. He made me promise that I would remember that there is no death for those who live for real, there is just change. He asked me that if he died, I would take care of his funeral, since he had no family or friends, besides elves and a few wolves. And he wanted to be between humans, even in death.
And so it was that he took the path of men, fighting for the light between them. And so it was that he took the name of Jack Towers. I shall keep my promise now and hold his funeral, the way he would have wanted it held. But he has had no home, he has had no friends, except for here... This castle holds many secrets and here shall we honor his memory for the last time. He desired to be burned and he shall be so. May the wind spread his ashes over the grounds of this place he feels so close to, may it take him to the Forbidden Forest which he loved like his second home. The funeral shall be held tonight, after this very feast. All has been prepared. Let us honor his memory for the last time"
She sat down and everybody gaped at her. A funeral? At Hogwarts? Not everybody had been to such an event and some were maybe a bit afraid of what would happen, the first years, to tell the truth. Who had ever heard of a funeral in Hogwarts? And would they really burn his body? Not bury it? But that was... Why?
As everybody gaped in shock at her, they could see a shadow moving behind her and up to Dumbledore. There, it caught shape for a second, a man with black wings that Amala seemed to recognize.
"It is very nice of you to do so, but he has moved on, the Navrad... I take it upon myself to carry word of this to him, in the name of the connection his Master has with Death... graced be your souls, young ones"
Dumbledore turned to look at him and his eyes widened a little.
"You are Mark Strois, I presume?" he asked slowly. "Messenger of Death, are you not?"
"Yes and yes, sir Albus Dumbledore" he replied with a small smile. "Messenger of Death indeed, the one who was there on the battle field when Severus Snape and Nymphadora Tonks were killed. The one who brought them back. I will be watching, but fear not, I am no threat"
With that, he dissolved into thin air, only the memory of him remaining. The Great Hall just gaped.
/-/-/-/-/-/-/-
After their feast, the students were led outside by their teachers and they gaped at the sight: fifty meters away, a tree seemed to have grown out of nowhere, next to a stone table on the grounds. On the table there was somebody lying down, his hands above his chest, holding something which, some realized with a gasp, was a sword. The man was Jack Towers, looking nobler and more powerful than ever.
There were flowers around the stone table, making it look like an altar. There were four torches around his body, all lit. Next to his head, there was a beautiful woman, dressed all in white. She raised her head and smiled at them pleasantly.
"Welcome, Hogwarts" she said slowly and most of them forgot that they were welcomed onto the castle's grounds. They went towards her, wondering who she was and why she wasn't dressed in black, but in white at a funeral. Then, there was a bird's cry through the air and a hawk landed on the tree, on its lowest branch, next to the woman.
"Hello, Saren, greatest of the elven priestesses!" Iris replied and everybody gaped again, realizing what the woman was.
"The others are coming soon" Saren said pleasantly. "Cornelius Fudge and his suite are here. So are the members of the Order of the Phoenix and some people that knew this Son of Courage. Come, children, make a circle around this altar."
They just had to obey the beautiful woman who was smiling as if this was the occasion of a special ritual, not a funeral. Then, a lot of other people were seen coming towards them, dressed mostly in black, but also in other colors. Harry could see that one of them –Fudge- had a lime-green hat and was reluctant to show any type of sorrow for the dead man. He seemed to be complaining about something, but somebody shut him up.
They came around the children and formed a great circle around the stone table. Iris made her way slowly to Saren and the two smiled at each other fondly. Then, Saren stood back, leaving everything in the hands of Iris.
"Here lies a Son of Courage, a Warrior indeed" she said slowly towards everybody. "And his soul may not be here, but he would feel great joy in this ceremony we offer him. The Tibetans cry at the births of their children and laugh at the funerals of those they love, for they know death is liberation from the slavery of life. Let us laugh at his funeral as we have laughed at his birth: this man will never die, just his body has. And he was glad to be born, this Navrad. He was freed from many of his problems. He is free to be now a man"
She smiled at them fondly and mentioned for a weird-looking man to come forward. Harry recognized him to be Mayhowl the wolf and gaped.
"It is a tradition amongst the greatest warriors that when one would die, the others will cherish him" he said slowly. "Warrior of love, warrior of light"
"Never reach your soul's night" Saren said slowly.
"Forever shine, wherever you are" they said together, starting to sing. "On Life's sky you are always a star! Many dangers you've faced, many problems embraced, but forward you dared go, searching for your soul"
Some other started to join them, under the amazed eyes of the students and of the Professors.
"Warrior of love, warrior of light, never reach your soul's night! Forever shine, wherever you are, on Life's sky you are always a star!"
Harry opened his mouth in disbelief at the ones who were singing. He could see now, they were elves, singing the same tune, a tune of sadness that concealed joy. The tree started to move slowly, as if it were wind, accompanying the songs of those around it.
"Your courage led you forth, it was your soul's north. Your wisdom has grown, many times that you've shown..."
Before he knew it, he had the urge to sing along with the others and he opened his mouth to sing what seemed to be the chorus.
"Warrior of love, warrior of light, never reach your soul's night! Forever shine, wherever you are, on Life's sky you are always a star!"
He then closed his mouth, not knowing the next words. To his surprise, he could see that Amala was also singing, smiling slightly, her eyes in tears.
"Rise like a raven to your power within, and then like a sun you shall be seen!" she sang as clearly as the elves.
Saren then came forwards and took one of the torches, Iris took the second, Mayhowl took the third and another one raised on its own accord, making Harry gap at the sight. While the others were singing the chorus again and again, the three had stopped singing and had taken two steps back, before putting Towers' body on fire. Then, they put the torches back and the fourth one went back at its own accord. Mayhowl started saying loud, over the sounds of the fire:
"A sole wolf runs on the Siberian plains, on his silvery fur the moonlight rains. In his eyes shines the search of his life, his heart has been stabbed by love's silver knife!"
It was an impressive sight. Many of the elves and even some of the humans were murmuring on the melodic line of the song while Mayhowl was speaking in a loud, powerful voice
"His paws gently touch on the cold winter ground, in his powerful chase, he makes not a sound. A deep howl rises from the core of his soul, feeling the need of reaching his goal"
A soft song, besides the murmur of the elves, humans and trees started sounding. It was a majestic, powerful, but somehow celebrating song.
"And he feels the emptiness that needs to be filled, he must make it tonight, or he shall be killed!" Mayhowl said and Harry could swear he seemed to be smiling. "The stars above him lighten his way, so to his fears he shall not be prey! But they cannot lift the lust in his heart, from her he will surely not be long apart!"
He seemed to have finished his poem, or whatever it was, since his voice could no longer be heard. Surprisingly, there was nearly nothing left of Towers' body and Iris said clearly, over the songs and the sounds of the fire:
"Farewell, until next time, Jack Towers, one who used to be Navrad!"
The flames seemed to die down and nothing was left besides the ashes. Harry was wondering how that had been possible, but then he remembered that it was probably magic. It was a powerful, celebrating feeling that had fallen over all of them and many of them felt ashamed because of it, considering it a bad thing to be the least bit happy at a funeral.
Mayhowl, Iris and Saren had tears in their eyes, but they were smiling. Iris took out a small urn and made a small gesture with her wand, the ashes getting into it. She then looked at Saren who nodded slowly and took the urn from her hands and jumped slowly on the stone table that started floating off the ground, upwards. A slow wind started blowing and the elven priestess took the ashes out of the urn and let them flow in the wind that seemed to carry them towards the Forbidden Forest. After taking out even the last ashes, the table got down again and she jumped off it easily and graciously.
"It has been a tradition for thousands of years that warriors get this funeral" she said with a smile. "Death is not a threat to them, it is a new challenge. And they always face new threats with great courage. Would any of you feel sad reading the great adventures of heroes in farther lands, tales of courage and honor, of daring and love? For them, that is what death is: the next adventure. That is what warriors all see. They fear not death, for they understand what it is, even if they do not know they do so. And I must say: those who live their lives as well as they can never die, even in death they are very much alive. Be not sorry for the Son of Courage that died today, be sorry for those who are dead while they are walking and talking like the rest of us. Be sorry for those who fear adventures and the unknown: those are dead. But never be sorry for those who live life savoring every last drop of it: they are not to be mourned, they are always to be happy for, mourn the ones that are dead while alive."
With that, she threw the urn into the air and it became a white dove that flew up into the skies and then disappearing. She smiled at them once more before she stepped back from the stone table and the flowers around it, turning and leaving towards the Forbidden Forest, the elves after her. Only one of them remained, a girl that Harry soon realized to be Sania.
"What-?" he asked slowly to himself as she walked towards them, a smile on her face.
"I have buried my brother; I have buried my love; each time I cried with my heart broken in pieces; and each time I was proven I should not have" she said slowly. "Those that died live forward, the difference is, we shall not see them again for awhile, unless we get a gift from the Gods. Be not sorry"
With that, she turned and walked behind the elves. The students looked long before them and Iris made a gesture.
"Let us go" she murmured. "Inside, it is finished"
They all walked towards the castle, disbelieving all they had seen. Iris was walking between Amala and Harry.
"What song was that?" the teen asked.
"Warrior's path" she replied with a small smile. "To remind us all that warriors never truly die. And Mayhowl spoke the Moonlight Symphony, the wolf's song of cherish, representing the fact that one is always searching and running to find his goal. It is usually not spoken in human tongues."
Harry nodded slowly before he asked:
"Could you teach them to me?" he asked slowly.
"Of course" she replied.
They all went towards the castle, not noticing that one of them had remained behind.
/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-
Severus Snape was looking at the flowers around the altar and wondering... What had Towers done to make him feel sorry for him? He sighed to himself and looked at the tree that started moving away. He had arranged the whole place to aid Iris and knew that the tree was in fact a dryad. He watched her go away with the raven.
He went by the shores of the lake and stared at the beautiful sky and at the wonderful reflections in the water. It was beautiful this night... and the funeral had been a true warrior one. He had been before at one of these and he knew that it had been quite typical, but nevertheless impressive.
He suddenly became aware that there was someone next to him and that the other had been there for quite awhile. He swirled around and saw that, merely two meters behind him, there were a black horse and its rider, dressed in black. They were both looking at him, the man having his face hidden somehow in shadows, as if there would have been a tiny cloud over the moon that only shadowed his face and nothing more. But his eyes were glittering in the dark like two stars.
"How are you, child?" the man asked and Severus's eyes widened in shock.
"Jack Strois" he muttered, knowing that voice anywhere. His own Master...
"Yes Severus. Wonderful to see you again"
The voice was soothing and calm, Severus knew it anywhere. He smiled.
"Awful that you had to see a funeral tonight, though" Strois said with a smile. "Towers is not very sad, though. He even delivered a last message to somebody"
"Who?" Severus asked curiously and the man laughed.
"That is between him and the one he was in love with" came the reply. "But that is not why I came. I came to tell you that I have placed a great protection over your house. A whole army guards it, although you won't see it. You are safe from Voldemort. However, I ask for a favor in return"
"Anything" Severus replied with a small bow of his head.
"There will be need for protection this summer and you must offer it. In your home you will. Promise me, Severus, although at the moment you shan't be pleased, promise me you'll offer protection"
Severus stared at the man before answering.
"Anything, my Lord" he replied, a small smile on his lips. "I will serve you in any way possible, eternally"
Strois laughed merrily.
"That's your Death Eater pledge. Drop it. I don't want your devotion, I want your help"
"Of course" Severus answered and smiled.
Strois laughed again and raised his horse on two legs, moonlight falling on his face, but before Severus could see it properly, there was a huge lightning that struck merely a few feet away, a thunder nearly deafening him. The horse fell back on its feet and galloped towards where the lightening had just fallen. Another lightening came and it disappeared along with its rider.
The Potion Master stared at the before-clear sky and realized it was full of dark clouds moving at huge speeds. Lightening struck all around him and he left, deciding to ponder on sudden changes of weather as soon as he was out of lightening-range. It was a complete stupidity to think of that while playing the Russian roulette.
He walked quickly towards the castle and put a small protection over himself. Half ran towards the place, rain started pouring down and, until Severus got to his target, he was wet to the bone. He entered the school and closed the doors difficultly.
"Hello Severus" he heard from behind him and he saw Albus. "What happened?"
"A thunder storm" the Potion Master replied with a shrug. Telling the Headmaster of his meeting with Strois was a big no-no.
"How come?" Albus asked, raising his eyebrows. "The sky was clear a few minutes ago"
As a reply, Severus sighed and opened a door, revealing the huge storm outside.
"Scottish weather, Headmaster" he replied with a shrug and closed the door back. Then, he dried himself and walked down to the dungeons.
"Interesting" Albus said. "Last time this happened I was casting protections over the castle"
Severus smirked to himself and somebody ran into him. What was this? Bug Severus to Death Day?!
"What's with all the banging?" asked the man who turned out to be Filch.
"It's called thunder, you idiot" Severus replied with a sneer and Albus's eyes twinkled.
"A thunder... but that means a storm!" the squib said, gaping.
"Precisely" the Potion Master said and walked in bat-mode to his quarters.
/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-
AN: Well, guys, this, along with the Dragon Animagus scene were planned since I started writing the story. And I guess I'm close to the end now... one chapter or maybe two, but most likely one. And then... the SEQUEL! You know what's weird? This is the first time I realize just how J.K. Rowling- ish of me it is to kill Towers...
I'll be gone until the 25th, but that's no reason for you not to review.
Thanks to:
Tsuetsu: Thanks for the review! :- )
Rhys Hiscock: Thanks for the review!
Alcapacien: Thank you... Well, I was hoping they'd escape, too, but hey...
Gochan Son: hanks and I'm writing all I can! ;-)
Bahzad: Thanks!
Dedication: To the Red Dragons Order
Chapter 34: The Price of Life
"Wise men said just raise your head and reach out for the spell. Find the door to the promise land, just believe in yourself. Hear this voice from deep inside, it's the call of your heart. Close your eyes and you will find there your doubt of the dark.
Here I am, will you send me an angel? Here I am, in the land of the morning star..."
Scorpions-"Will you send me an angel?"
/-/-/--/-/-/-/-
Harry, Ron, Draco, Hermione, Amala, Ginny, Mark, Jane, Neville and Luna were trapped there, wandless, tied up. The room was dark and wet, a true Slytherin-type prisoner room. Great! How much better could he get? The Green Flame Torch was in Voldemort's hands or maybe even destroyed by now. The dark wizard had left with it, telling his servants to tie the prisoners up. Then, Wormtail had come and told the Death Eaters where to put the prisoners until the Torch would be destroyed and told them to leave only two guards, which would be enough.
"We need help" Harry said quietly to himself, so soft that nobody heard him, nearly not even himself.
The two Death Eaters who were watching them were standing in front of him. Gods, how would he get out of this? Voldemort would definitely destroy the Torch and then kill them all. And right now, he couldn't think of anything that might save them. Nobody from the Order would know where they were. Nobody up there loved them.
He suddenly felt that something in his heart told him to be more optimistic, that somebody else knew of their problem. But, nah, that couldn't be right. Who could know that he was in trouble? But the feeling was reassuring. It was as if a dear friend told him to hold on.
"Towers" said a slow voice next to him. Amala's.
"Towers what?" Harry asked, confused, snapping back to reality.
"I dunno" she answered. "You asked, I answered, no?"
"Quiet, you two!" said one of the Death Eaters in a harsh tone and Harry went back to his thoughts.
Right, Towers, maybe he would help. But he didn't know where they were or that they were in trouble, did he? Of course not! But, maybe his Master? The man always said that his Master knew many things. But that was ridiculous, how could some person far away know of the situation? And even if he did, he wouldn't send help... would he? But he had always helped Harry... No, it was just griping on a hope that had no chance of happening.
He jumped startled –as much as one could jump when tied up- when two red light beams shot from the darkness at the same time and the two Death Eaters fell down on the ground.
"I told Voldemort to put some lights in these corners. And did he listen? Nooooo, he kept chasing me around, shooting spells"
Harry felt surprise and happiness flow through him. Towers' voice! It was really Towers' voice! By the grace of some unknown force, the weird wacky man had come to rescue them! So, they were saved! Or at least, they would be soon. And, of course, the man was mocking his enemy and enjoying it. So, it was true... He'd come to save them. But how?
"Dear, dear, my, my, what are we to do about him?" asked another voice as they came into the light.
"Teach him a lesson."
Towers waved his wand and the teens were free again, getting up quickly.
"This is my friend, Mayhowl. So, how did the..." he started counting "ten of you end up in this mess anyway?"
"We were trying to save the Torch" answered Harry. "How come you knew where we were?"
"Your Amulet, Harry my boy." Towers answered with a wink "That rune inside it is my Master's. And he sent me to help."
"So the Amulets are real!" said Hermione excitedly. Everybody else was pretty much confident and excited, out of what Harry could see. Well, being free and ready to fight was always a plus, no?
"Of course they are! Why do you think I insisted on you wearing them?" the man said with a mischievous smile.
"Why didn't you tell us?" asked Ron.
"It wasn't necessary." Towers replied with a shrug and a smile. "Anyway, it was I who sold them to you. With my Master's help. But now we must go. The Green Flame Torch does not fight on its own. And it can be destroyed... But you, Harry, as its finder and therefore its true bearer, can use it best. You can also summon it with your will, but surely you know that"
Harry nodded.
"Let's go" said Towers and led them to a door. He opened it and they went through it, following him. Mayhowl was right behind Towers, Harry behind Mayhowl, and the rest randomly behind. Suddenly, Towers stopped walking.
"Your wands! Merlin's beard!" whispered Towers. "I nearly forgot!"
He handed them their wands and started walking again.
The scenery was awful: it must have been an old castle, great in it's time, but now it was wet and nearly ruined. The darkness on the corridor was broken only by the small lights from their wands. Otherwise, Harry thought that if a few shadows started moving around, he wouldn't be too surprised. It was really, really creepy, but he knew that creepy meant nothing compared to what would happen if Voldemort destroyed the Torch. Harry's senses were working overtime, making him notice every small spider that walked around. Finally, they made it to a door.
"On three, we jump inside and shoot everything in sight" Towers said. "Voldemort will be in there. I want you to keep cool... Remember, fear can kill. Good luck."
He counted to three and then opened the door and jumped inside, stupefying a Death Eater before anyone could even blink. Harry noticed it was a square room with Voldemort and the Torch in front of it, a potion of some sort next to him. The dark Lord was sitting on a chair, thinking. There were about twenty Death Eaters in the room and they were either standing or sitting near the walls. The room had no furniture besides a few chairs next to the walls. All that, Harry saw barely a few moments, even less than a second, because in the next second, Voldemort was on his feet with his wand in his hand and Towers jumped out of the way, skillfully getting away from an Avada Kedavra.
And all hell broke loose. Death Eaters were shooting all they could, the teens were casting all hexes and charms and jinxes they could think of. There were spells flying everywhere and bouncing off the walls. One of the Death Eaters got hit by a reflected Avada Kedavra that Voldemort had sent towards Towers. The Dark Lord swore loudly and Towers snorted. The teens were doing well and Harry was fighting his best. He noted how weird it was that his scar didn't hurt. But he didn't have time to ponder on that as he shot everything in sight.
Voldemort had his hands full with Towers who was proving his power, so he definitely couldn't take care of Harry while the man was keeping him busy. Furious, he started fighting even more viciously.
"I can't hold him much longer!" Towers yelled and turned his head towards Harry, trying to protect himself and keep an eye on Voldemort in the mean time "Harry..."
Harry heard him, but so did Voldemort and a few things happened in the same time.
"the Green..."
The young man realized what the man would say, the same thought on his mind and he thought of the Torch as hard as he could, wishing for it to come to him.
"Flame..."
The torch was coming towards him, but Voldemort also noticed what was going on. He started saying, as quickly as he could, fear in his eyes:
"Avada..."
"Torch!"
Harry had the Torch in his hand and he felt power rush through him quickly.
"...Kedavra!"
The green jet of light hit Towers fully and the man fell on the floor.
"NOOO!!" Harry yelled and held his wand tightly, yelling:
"Stupefy!"
Voldemort ducked as the red beam shot towards him, hitting a Death Eater behind that was not only stupefied, but also thrown into the wall at full speed. Harry wondered how the others were doing, hoping they were better than Towers, but he saw that they were losing the battle. Mayhowl was down, his wand a few centimeters from his unmoving hand, Hermione and Luna were wandless, but were hitting with their fists and legs, Ron was dancing under Tarantalegra and Ginny was cornered by three Death Eaters. Jane had managed to get a dagger and she was stabbing everything in sight, yelling "TAKE YOUR BREATH AWAY!" in a sing-like voice, making the Death Eaters lose their concentration. Mark was hiding behind some chairs, trying to do his best, but he got a stupefying spell just as Harry watched him. Draco was fighting bravely against two Death Eaters, but he would lose soon. Neville was fighting against some hex or another. Amala was on the floor under the weight of a Death Eater. Voldemort, however, didn't know that the Death Eater party was wining, so he had his eyes widened in fear.
"Hogwarts! Dumbledore!" Harry yelled, without thinking too much. In fact, he didn't know why he said it, besides wanting to be there. "Help!"
This wasn't the time to kill Voldemort, something told him that. The Torch shivered and everything started to spin around them.
When it was over, he could see that he, his friends, the stiff Mayhowl and Towers' body, along with all the wands were in an empty classroom in Hogwarts. The Green Flame Torch was no longer in Harry's hand and he looked around for it, but it was gone.
It was all over... Hermione grabbed her wand and undid Ron's Tarantalegra. The others tended to their own wounds before they actually got to see Towers and Mayhowl lying on the floor.
"Is he... He's dead..." Amala muttered and went over to Towers as Hermione tried to cast the 'enervate' over Mayhowl. To her relief, it worked.
"My goodness" Ginny muttered and followed Amala's lead, Luna walking uncertainly after them.
Mayhowl moaned, but when he looked towards the lifeless body, he jumped to his feet.
"What happened?" he asked towards the boys, his eyes wide in fear.
"He's dead. That's what happened" Draco snapped.
"Voldemort?" he asked slowly, but didn't wait for the answer. "Curse the man"
"We agree" Ron said and also made his way towards Towers' body, the others following.
Harry looked at the peaceful face he had. No horror, no fear, it was a sort of peace that reminded of sleep. But from this sleep, he would not wake up.
"It can't be..." Amala muttered. "Did I... did I tell you I met him in the Department of Mysteries when I saved Sirius? Do you think I could... go after him? Through the veil?"
"I don't know..." Hermione replied. "You had trouble last time, didn't you?"
They heard the door and footsteps and all of them turned to see Iris Rose enter the room and beaming as she saw them there. But then her eyes widened and her face turned to shock as she saw the body on the floor.
"Oh, my God..." she muttered. "Jack? What happened?"
"He saved us from Voldemort's clutches" Harry replied quietly. "And he was shot with an Avada Kedavra before... before I used the Torch to get us all out of there"
"Dead..." she muttered, rushing towards them. "I can't believe it..."
She let herself down next to him, between Ginny and Amala.
"Maybe there's a way in which he could be saved? Like Sirius?" Amala asked and Iris let out a snort of sad laughter.
"That can't happen" she replied, tears in her eyes.
"Why not? It worked with Sirius and... I'd go back!" the girl pleaded as if Iris was the only one holding her back from doing it.
"Do you know what the difference is?" Iris asked her, looking her in the eyes with a sad expression.
"No. What is it?" the other asked, feeling tears start to build up in her.
"It's that Sirius Black wasn't meant to die at that moment... Whereas Jack Towers was never and I repeat, never, meant to live" the beautiful Professor replied, sniffing. "And he knew it"
"What do you mean?" Amala asked, but Iris didn't answer. "Tell me!" she cried.
"I can't..." Iris replied and turned towards Jack Towers. "Goodnight, Navrad... We loved you" she said to him, softly and then laughed bitterly. "You know, he asked me that when he'd die, I shouldn't be sad, because he'd be happy and I'd bring him down. And you know, I think he was sincere"
She looked them all in the eyes and Harry felt she was telling them not to feel sorry about anything, to carry on with their lives without grieving for him. To understand that his own death wasn't a tragedy for him. Harry looked at all the others attentively. Iris had said farewell, but she wasn't really distraught, she was a bit sad, like one would be when a friend goes into a long trip. Amala looked at Towers thoughtfully and she seemed to be thinking of something, but she wasn't too sad either. Draco was staring at Towers as if he didn't believe it. Neville was shaking a little, seeming to remember the fight and the way Towers had died. Jane had a hand over Towers' hand and she seemed to be really sad. Mark was shaking and crying, scared. Harry didn't blame him, he'd just been into battle, circled by people who wanted to kill him and had witnessed somebody from his side, who had been his teacher, die. And he was barely eleven. Ginny looked sorry and she had tears in her eyes. Hermione also had tears in her eyes. Luna was shaking her head with sorrow. Ron was dumbstruck. Mayhowl looked as if he had realized his best friend would leave and never come back.
"Well, we should go" Iris said slowly. "The Professors are terribly worried and the students are wondering what happened last night. I'll take Jack's body to the infirmary, we'll... we'll try to think about the funeral. You go to the Great Hall, everybody must be there by now, I mean, the students. The Professors are just getting there"
They nodded and Harry went to the door and opened them. As soon as they stepped out, however, Mayhowl said:
"I should be going... My place isn't here. Farewell and take care of yourselves"
"But aren't you going the same way as us?" Draco asked, but Mayhowl didn't reply, he just leaped and, to their surprise, turned into a wolf and started running down the corridors. "Whoa, what was that?"
"A Homomagus" Hermione whispered. "Mayhowl wasn't human, he was a wolf... May Howl. Let's go..."
None of them asked Hermione how she knew that. Instead, they all went down the corridors to the Great Hall which opened its doors with a bang. They entered and Harry realized how horrible they looked when everybody gaped at them in shock and worry. The Professors were at the Head Table –all except three, Rose, McGonagall and someone else- and they looked at each other in surprise when they entered.
"Oh, my" Vector said, shaking his head.
"Welcome back to Hogwarts!" Dumbledore said, standing to greet them. "It is wonderful to see that you are alright"
"The Torch..." Harry said. "We saved it, but when I used it to get out of Voldemort's castle, it disappeared"
He didn't notice nearly all the Hall cringe at the name, but he awaited Dumbledore's scold, he expected him to say how foolish they were to go after the Torch, that anyway it disappeared, but the Headmaster smiled.
"So, you saved it" he said gently and, seeing Harry's surprise, he added: "The Torch disappears when it finishes its goal."
Harry looked at him and smiled sadly, his eyes in tears.
"Professor Towers came to help us, he saved both us and the Torch... But he got hit by Avada Kedavra" the teen said slowly. "He's dead; Professor Rose is taking his body to the infirmary"
Dumbledore looked at him sadly and said slowly:
"So that is why you are all so sad... A time ago, Jack Towers told me that he would die one day, probably before me and he pleaded me not to be sad about it, or it would bring him down. But I do believe that a toast is in order. All raise glasses to Jack Towers, who died to save the Green Flame Torch and ten of our best students. Raise your glasses to Jack Towers"
The Great Hall did so and 'to Jack Towers' was said all over the Great Hall. The ten started walking towards their seats, Amala looking at the Head Table, searching for somebody. When they almost made it, the doors of the Great Hall opened and in came McGonagall and the third missing Professor: Severus Snape.
"Thank goodness" McGonagall muttered, seeing the filthy, tired and hungry students. But Severus made a few steps towards the Gryffindor table and, to the great surprise of everybody in the Hall, he put his arms over Amala and hugged her tightly. She embraced him, too and put her head on his shoulder, a few tears running down her face.
Even though his face was still cold, even though he hadn't said a thing, nobody could mistake that sign of affection for anything else and almost every student and nearly every teacher gaped at them in surprise. Even Harry, Ron and Draco gaped, not believing the fact that Severus Snape actually hugged her in front of everybody. The only people who didn't seem to be quite that shocked were Hermione, Ginny and of course, Dumbledore, who probably wouldn't seem surprised if the students announced him they would eat in the kitchens from then on, in order to help Hermione with S.P.E.W.
Amala opened her mouth to say something, but Snape just held her tighter, making her stop from whatever she would want to say. She had tears running down her cheeks and Harry realized just how awful she looked, it was as if she'd rolled around on the ground for hours. Snape let her go, took a step back and said in a tone that became a tad amused as he spoke, although it was a bit concerned:
"I cannot ask you to never do that again. You will do it no matter what, being part of the House that jumps into all sorts of things head-forward. And I should remember that I agreed to your plan. However, I must say that I'm most pleased to see you are alright. Most of the school has worried about you."
With that, he turned towards the Head Table and, without a look back, went to eat his breakfast. McGonagall just looked behind him with her eyebrows raised and then started walking towards the Head Table also.
First, there was a soft murmur, as Amala sat down. It soon became a powerful murmur. Then, nobody bothered murmuring anymore so it was downright loud to hear everybody talk in the same time about Amala and Snape, about You-Know-Who, about Amala and Snape, about the Torch, about Amala and Snape, about Towers and his death, Amala and Snape, what had happened to the ten, Amala and Snape, what Dumbledore had said before they had come in, about them being captured by You-Know-Who, Amala and Snape, Tower's death, their escape and a bit more about Amala and Snape. Because of course, Harry Potter had escaped You-Know-Who before, but who ever heard about Snape having a girlfriend? And then, of course, they realized the order of importance and the talks switched to Towers and how he had escaped from the Aurors in April and about him being thought to be evil and then his turning out to be good and of course, his death.
All in all, it was one of the noisiest breakfasts there ever were. And up, in the infirmary, there was the body of Jack Towers, ex-Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor, Ancient Sautaus Dragon Animagus lying on a bed. Over it hovered a spirit without body, a spirit who was looking thoughtfully at the body before he smiled and whispered:
"Fifty years was alright"
Then, he laughed to himself and floated out the window before he realized he could go through the wall, too. He chuckled to himself and left.
/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-
"I see dead people" Kate said and started laughing. "So do I, bro, so do I! Every day I do! That's what I do for a living, watch dead people float around!"
Kate Samantha Backfield was watching TV on one of her free days, lying on the bed in a nice villa in Greece and she was watching –of course- the Sixth Sense. It was one of her favorites, that movie with the kid who could see dead people who wanted him to do them a favor. Of course, the boy was scared and of course nobody believed him to really be seeing anything. There also was a psychiatrist that was supposed to be telling the kid that he's not seeing anything and –huge twister!- the psychiatrist was also dead! And he was telling the kid that he couldn't possibly see dead people. What a laugh! Muggle movies were so naïve!
Kate was a quite unusual woman. One: she was over a thousand one hundred years old. Two: she wasn't quite alive. Three: all this happened because of her job. She had voluntarily and unforced decided to give her life to Death and become Her servant –which sounded a lot worse than it was. She actually got to scout around the world, very much alive, except for not being able to be killed or turned into a vampire or werewolf or anything of the sort and being able to materialize and dematerialize her body at will. But otherwise than that... she could eat, drink, smell, you name a human action, she could do it. Of course, she had to take care of the Gate of the Veil in the Department of Mysteries ever since the Great Idiot Herself, Marsha had been... 'fired' by Death and died. About time, too, she had been there for a thousand years plus minus a hundred. The sacking had happened when that Amala girl had come to save Sirius Black –gosh, he was handsome!- and Death herself had been summoned. Kate had been there with her, unseen by human eyes and she had laughed her head off when Death offered the girl the job of taking care of the Veil, knowing she would refuse. Gosh, Death had been so pleasant as to not scare the two. She'd joked around and everything was downright funny. But hey, that's Her to you!
So, she was now on vacation, enjoying the Sixth Sense and sun and sea and having not a problem in the world, until...
"Hello, Kate, do me a favor?" she heard a very well-known voice from the door.
"Jack Towers, what are you doing interrupting my vacation...?" she started, turning her eyes from the TV to look at the man. "Oh, you're dead"
"No need to sound so impressed" he said, smirking at her matter-of-fact voice. "Yes, I'm dead. An Avada Kedavra, to tell you the truth"
"Ooh" she said, nodding in understanding. "But who did this to you, you look... transparent!"
He shook his head in disbelieve.
"Are you sure you're over a thousand years old?" he sighed. "Voldemort, that's who"
"Ah, snaky!" she said with a small smile. "How is he? Last seen him when he was being brought back into a decent body –and he's one ugly fellow, I'll give you that. Trust me, I saw him naked-."
Towers grimaced at the mental image and decided not to ask exactly how that had occurred.
"He's alive" he replied bluntly. "Listen, you're ruining my pleasure in being dead"
"Oops, sorry. How's your Master?" she asked. "Bringing you back to action, I guess..."
"No" he replied slowly and looked at her in a let's-get-to-business way. "He never brought me back and he warned me, once dead, I stay dead"
"Ooh" she said and searched for her words. "My condolences, then. So, next stop Spirit Land, huh, Navrad?"
"Don't call me Navrad, I have a name" he said with a small smile. "And yes, that's where I'm going. But please, do me a favor... please?"
"Sure, Jack" she said and winked at him. "Anything you want. But let me guess, a last message, huh? That's what they all want. I mean, what am I, an owl?"
"Yes" he replied, smirking. "Tell Nymphadora Tonks that I love her too. In private, please. And tell her that I'll be back, but she shouldn't wait for me. Tell her that se should get someone else..." he replied, a bit thoughtful.
"Ah, young love..." Kate sighed and when he shot her a look, she added: "Hey, I'm twenty-two times older than you! But what about the going back part? Huh, huh, huh?"
"A Navrad has his ways" Towers replied with a dreamy look in his eyes.
"I thought you hated being called Navrad?" she asked, frowning and grabbing a pillow.
"It's what I am, not who I am. Would you like me to call you 'human' all the time?" he asked and when she shook her head he asked: "See?"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever" she replied and then smiled to him. "I'll miss ya, you crazy weirdo, you!"
"I'll miss you too" he replied with a smile. "Please, pass on the info"
"No problem" she replied with a wink. "So, come visit, you know where to find me"
"It took me two days to do so" he replied, laughing.
"But you have all eternity, don't you?" she asked, laughing herself. "Farewell, Jack Towers, son of... Who're you son of, again?"
"No need to tell you, is there?" Towers said and smirked. "Bye"
"Bye" she said, smiling widely and waving at the spirit. "Hey, not fair, I missed my favorite scene!"
/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-
Gryffindor won the House Cup, but not that many people were happy about it. The Ministry had of course sent some people to investigate Towers and try to find out more about where he had lived, there were interrogations all over the place, Veritaserum was being used.
Draco was in a very dark mood, seeming to have cared a lot about Towers. Snape was in a weird mood. He seemed to be thoughtful and maybe a bit sad. Students were really worried. It had finally struck them that Towers, the one who had brought the Necrow into class, the one that had scared Draco Malfoy with his Dementor face, the one who had ran away in his dragon Animagus shape when he was searched for by the Aurors, that Towers was dead.
And at the End of the Year feast, Dumbledore stood to say a few words.
"When young Jack Towers entered my office in November, I knew of his delicate situation with the Ministry. Also did I know that he was a good man... His Master, whom he respected greatly, had come to me one night, the only time I ever met him, and told me that Towers would come to me to take the job. I did not accept him because of his teaching skills. I did not accept him because he had theoretical knowledge that would help you on your exams. I chose him because he could show you things others could not. He was not a Professor. He was a warrior who lived in the middle of the battle, a warrior who feared nor death nor pain and who lived every second as if it were his last. Yes, he brought a Necrow to school, controlling it the way dark wizards do... Jack Towers was a dark wizard"
The Great Hall gasped as the Headmaster said that and there were whispers all around the Hall at that statement.
"But a dark wizard on the side of light" the man continued. "He had the powers of a Dementor, as you would soon find out. He used them on Draco Malfoy to prove his point to everybody, to make everybody understand what it meant to be one of those wizards, what it meant to be on the receiving end of such dreadful things. At that very lesson, he has told you that his Master, in a dark mood, was not much different from Lord Voldemort. And Jack Towers was a lot like his Master"
There were a few fearful whispers in the Hall, but Dumbledore raised his hand to stop them.
"But the truth is, he was only half-spoke about the truth. His Master has, even in his darkest moods, a great difference from Lord Voldemort. He never hurts for no reason, he never kills for no reason. Even in the darkest of the darkest moods, he is still calm and powerful and loving deep inside. For, for this Master, the whole world is worthy of love, Muggles, wizards and creatures of all kinds alike. Yes, he might be terrifying, yes, he might strike dangerously, yes, he might call thunderstorms... But he would never hurt anybody without that one needing to be hurt in order to learn the lessons of life. And like is his Master, like was Jack Towers. Behind his weird, contradicting surface, Jack Towers has taught you more lessons than any other Professor. And when his time was up, he left. Yes, he put a great show of it, but through his show, he desired to prove the power of his Master. A modest man, a brave man... He gave his life to save those of his former students."
Everybody was watching Dumbledore speak and Harry felt two or three tears in his eyes... Yes. Towers had died for them... As had Sirius, precisely one year ago. Suddenly, he could see similarities between Sirius and Jack Towers... Both crazy, both life-loving, both brave and adventurous. Both having no problem in disobeying the rules. Both jumping to save him... Both dying.
"But I have not known him too well, another one of us has. Iris Rose, will you please?"
The woman, in tears, but smiling widely, got up and raised her head, ready to speak as the Headmaster sat down.
"Once upon a time, quite a few years ago, I was going through the woods that elves hold in their keep. There, near a small river, stood a young man that I had never seen before. He was human, not an elf, I saw quickly. He smiled at me the moment he saw me, he asked me what I was doing there, we started talking. It turned out he was the disciple of a Master I had heard of many times. After years, when we had gotten to be very good friends, he told me he would go into action, help the light side as much as he could. And he made me promise, there and then, that if he died, I would not weep, I would not cry, I would not grieve. He made me promise that I would remember that there is no death for those who live for real, there is just change. He asked me that if he died, I would take care of his funeral, since he had no family or friends, besides elves and a few wolves. And he wanted to be between humans, even in death.
And so it was that he took the path of men, fighting for the light between them. And so it was that he took the name of Jack Towers. I shall keep my promise now and hold his funeral, the way he would have wanted it held. But he has had no home, he has had no friends, except for here... This castle holds many secrets and here shall we honor his memory for the last time. He desired to be burned and he shall be so. May the wind spread his ashes over the grounds of this place he feels so close to, may it take him to the Forbidden Forest which he loved like his second home. The funeral shall be held tonight, after this very feast. All has been prepared. Let us honor his memory for the last time"
She sat down and everybody gaped at her. A funeral? At Hogwarts? Not everybody had been to such an event and some were maybe a bit afraid of what would happen, the first years, to tell the truth. Who had ever heard of a funeral in Hogwarts? And would they really burn his body? Not bury it? But that was... Why?
As everybody gaped in shock at her, they could see a shadow moving behind her and up to Dumbledore. There, it caught shape for a second, a man with black wings that Amala seemed to recognize.
"It is very nice of you to do so, but he has moved on, the Navrad... I take it upon myself to carry word of this to him, in the name of the connection his Master has with Death... graced be your souls, young ones"
Dumbledore turned to look at him and his eyes widened a little.
"You are Mark Strois, I presume?" he asked slowly. "Messenger of Death, are you not?"
"Yes and yes, sir Albus Dumbledore" he replied with a small smile. "Messenger of Death indeed, the one who was there on the battle field when Severus Snape and Nymphadora Tonks were killed. The one who brought them back. I will be watching, but fear not, I am no threat"
With that, he dissolved into thin air, only the memory of him remaining. The Great Hall just gaped.
/-/-/-/-/-/-/-
After their feast, the students were led outside by their teachers and they gaped at the sight: fifty meters away, a tree seemed to have grown out of nowhere, next to a stone table on the grounds. On the table there was somebody lying down, his hands above his chest, holding something which, some realized with a gasp, was a sword. The man was Jack Towers, looking nobler and more powerful than ever.
There were flowers around the stone table, making it look like an altar. There were four torches around his body, all lit. Next to his head, there was a beautiful woman, dressed all in white. She raised her head and smiled at them pleasantly.
"Welcome, Hogwarts" she said slowly and most of them forgot that they were welcomed onto the castle's grounds. They went towards her, wondering who she was and why she wasn't dressed in black, but in white at a funeral. Then, there was a bird's cry through the air and a hawk landed on the tree, on its lowest branch, next to the woman.
"Hello, Saren, greatest of the elven priestesses!" Iris replied and everybody gaped again, realizing what the woman was.
"The others are coming soon" Saren said pleasantly. "Cornelius Fudge and his suite are here. So are the members of the Order of the Phoenix and some people that knew this Son of Courage. Come, children, make a circle around this altar."
They just had to obey the beautiful woman who was smiling as if this was the occasion of a special ritual, not a funeral. Then, a lot of other people were seen coming towards them, dressed mostly in black, but also in other colors. Harry could see that one of them –Fudge- had a lime-green hat and was reluctant to show any type of sorrow for the dead man. He seemed to be complaining about something, but somebody shut him up.
They came around the children and formed a great circle around the stone table. Iris made her way slowly to Saren and the two smiled at each other fondly. Then, Saren stood back, leaving everything in the hands of Iris.
"Here lies a Son of Courage, a Warrior indeed" she said slowly towards everybody. "And his soul may not be here, but he would feel great joy in this ceremony we offer him. The Tibetans cry at the births of their children and laugh at the funerals of those they love, for they know death is liberation from the slavery of life. Let us laugh at his funeral as we have laughed at his birth: this man will never die, just his body has. And he was glad to be born, this Navrad. He was freed from many of his problems. He is free to be now a man"
She smiled at them fondly and mentioned for a weird-looking man to come forward. Harry recognized him to be Mayhowl the wolf and gaped.
"It is a tradition amongst the greatest warriors that when one would die, the others will cherish him" he said slowly. "Warrior of love, warrior of light"
"Never reach your soul's night" Saren said slowly.
"Forever shine, wherever you are" they said together, starting to sing. "On Life's sky you are always a star! Many dangers you've faced, many problems embraced, but forward you dared go, searching for your soul"
Some other started to join them, under the amazed eyes of the students and of the Professors.
"Warrior of love, warrior of light, never reach your soul's night! Forever shine, wherever you are, on Life's sky you are always a star!"
Harry opened his mouth in disbelief at the ones who were singing. He could see now, they were elves, singing the same tune, a tune of sadness that concealed joy. The tree started to move slowly, as if it were wind, accompanying the songs of those around it.
"Your courage led you forth, it was your soul's north. Your wisdom has grown, many times that you've shown..."
Before he knew it, he had the urge to sing along with the others and he opened his mouth to sing what seemed to be the chorus.
"Warrior of love, warrior of light, never reach your soul's night! Forever shine, wherever you are, on Life's sky you are always a star!"
He then closed his mouth, not knowing the next words. To his surprise, he could see that Amala was also singing, smiling slightly, her eyes in tears.
"Rise like a raven to your power within, and then like a sun you shall be seen!" she sang as clearly as the elves.
Saren then came forwards and took one of the torches, Iris took the second, Mayhowl took the third and another one raised on its own accord, making Harry gap at the sight. While the others were singing the chorus again and again, the three had stopped singing and had taken two steps back, before putting Towers' body on fire. Then, they put the torches back and the fourth one went back at its own accord. Mayhowl started saying loud, over the sounds of the fire:
"A sole wolf runs on the Siberian plains, on his silvery fur the moonlight rains. In his eyes shines the search of his life, his heart has been stabbed by love's silver knife!"
It was an impressive sight. Many of the elves and even some of the humans were murmuring on the melodic line of the song while Mayhowl was speaking in a loud, powerful voice
"His paws gently touch on the cold winter ground, in his powerful chase, he makes not a sound. A deep howl rises from the core of his soul, feeling the need of reaching his goal"
A soft song, besides the murmur of the elves, humans and trees started sounding. It was a majestic, powerful, but somehow celebrating song.
"And he feels the emptiness that needs to be filled, he must make it tonight, or he shall be killed!" Mayhowl said and Harry could swear he seemed to be smiling. "The stars above him lighten his way, so to his fears he shall not be prey! But they cannot lift the lust in his heart, from her he will surely not be long apart!"
He seemed to have finished his poem, or whatever it was, since his voice could no longer be heard. Surprisingly, there was nearly nothing left of Towers' body and Iris said clearly, over the songs and the sounds of the fire:
"Farewell, until next time, Jack Towers, one who used to be Navrad!"
The flames seemed to die down and nothing was left besides the ashes. Harry was wondering how that had been possible, but then he remembered that it was probably magic. It was a powerful, celebrating feeling that had fallen over all of them and many of them felt ashamed because of it, considering it a bad thing to be the least bit happy at a funeral.
Mayhowl, Iris and Saren had tears in their eyes, but they were smiling. Iris took out a small urn and made a small gesture with her wand, the ashes getting into it. She then looked at Saren who nodded slowly and took the urn from her hands and jumped slowly on the stone table that started floating off the ground, upwards. A slow wind started blowing and the elven priestess took the ashes out of the urn and let them flow in the wind that seemed to carry them towards the Forbidden Forest. After taking out even the last ashes, the table got down again and she jumped off it easily and graciously.
"It has been a tradition for thousands of years that warriors get this funeral" she said with a smile. "Death is not a threat to them, it is a new challenge. And they always face new threats with great courage. Would any of you feel sad reading the great adventures of heroes in farther lands, tales of courage and honor, of daring and love? For them, that is what death is: the next adventure. That is what warriors all see. They fear not death, for they understand what it is, even if they do not know they do so. And I must say: those who live their lives as well as they can never die, even in death they are very much alive. Be not sorry for the Son of Courage that died today, be sorry for those who are dead while they are walking and talking like the rest of us. Be sorry for those who fear adventures and the unknown: those are dead. But never be sorry for those who live life savoring every last drop of it: they are not to be mourned, they are always to be happy for, mourn the ones that are dead while alive."
With that, she threw the urn into the air and it became a white dove that flew up into the skies and then disappearing. She smiled at them once more before she stepped back from the stone table and the flowers around it, turning and leaving towards the Forbidden Forest, the elves after her. Only one of them remained, a girl that Harry soon realized to be Sania.
"What-?" he asked slowly to himself as she walked towards them, a smile on her face.
"I have buried my brother; I have buried my love; each time I cried with my heart broken in pieces; and each time I was proven I should not have" she said slowly. "Those that died live forward, the difference is, we shall not see them again for awhile, unless we get a gift from the Gods. Be not sorry"
With that, she turned and walked behind the elves. The students looked long before them and Iris made a gesture.
"Let us go" she murmured. "Inside, it is finished"
They all walked towards the castle, disbelieving all they had seen. Iris was walking between Amala and Harry.
"What song was that?" the teen asked.
"Warrior's path" she replied with a small smile. "To remind us all that warriors never truly die. And Mayhowl spoke the Moonlight Symphony, the wolf's song of cherish, representing the fact that one is always searching and running to find his goal. It is usually not spoken in human tongues."
Harry nodded slowly before he asked:
"Could you teach them to me?" he asked slowly.
"Of course" she replied.
They all went towards the castle, not noticing that one of them had remained behind.
/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-
Severus Snape was looking at the flowers around the altar and wondering... What had Towers done to make him feel sorry for him? He sighed to himself and looked at the tree that started moving away. He had arranged the whole place to aid Iris and knew that the tree was in fact a dryad. He watched her go away with the raven.
He went by the shores of the lake and stared at the beautiful sky and at the wonderful reflections in the water. It was beautiful this night... and the funeral had been a true warrior one. He had been before at one of these and he knew that it had been quite typical, but nevertheless impressive.
He suddenly became aware that there was someone next to him and that the other had been there for quite awhile. He swirled around and saw that, merely two meters behind him, there were a black horse and its rider, dressed in black. They were both looking at him, the man having his face hidden somehow in shadows, as if there would have been a tiny cloud over the moon that only shadowed his face and nothing more. But his eyes were glittering in the dark like two stars.
"How are you, child?" the man asked and Severus's eyes widened in shock.
"Jack Strois" he muttered, knowing that voice anywhere. His own Master...
"Yes Severus. Wonderful to see you again"
The voice was soothing and calm, Severus knew it anywhere. He smiled.
"Awful that you had to see a funeral tonight, though" Strois said with a smile. "Towers is not very sad, though. He even delivered a last message to somebody"
"Who?" Severus asked curiously and the man laughed.
"That is between him and the one he was in love with" came the reply. "But that is not why I came. I came to tell you that I have placed a great protection over your house. A whole army guards it, although you won't see it. You are safe from Voldemort. However, I ask for a favor in return"
"Anything" Severus replied with a small bow of his head.
"There will be need for protection this summer and you must offer it. In your home you will. Promise me, Severus, although at the moment you shan't be pleased, promise me you'll offer protection"
Severus stared at the man before answering.
"Anything, my Lord" he replied, a small smile on his lips. "I will serve you in any way possible, eternally"
Strois laughed merrily.
"That's your Death Eater pledge. Drop it. I don't want your devotion, I want your help"
"Of course" Severus answered and smiled.
Strois laughed again and raised his horse on two legs, moonlight falling on his face, but before Severus could see it properly, there was a huge lightning that struck merely a few feet away, a thunder nearly deafening him. The horse fell back on its feet and galloped towards where the lightening had just fallen. Another lightening came and it disappeared along with its rider.
The Potion Master stared at the before-clear sky and realized it was full of dark clouds moving at huge speeds. Lightening struck all around him and he left, deciding to ponder on sudden changes of weather as soon as he was out of lightening-range. It was a complete stupidity to think of that while playing the Russian roulette.
He walked quickly towards the castle and put a small protection over himself. Half ran towards the place, rain started pouring down and, until Severus got to his target, he was wet to the bone. He entered the school and closed the doors difficultly.
"Hello Severus" he heard from behind him and he saw Albus. "What happened?"
"A thunder storm" the Potion Master replied with a shrug. Telling the Headmaster of his meeting with Strois was a big no-no.
"How come?" Albus asked, raising his eyebrows. "The sky was clear a few minutes ago"
As a reply, Severus sighed and opened a door, revealing the huge storm outside.
"Scottish weather, Headmaster" he replied with a shrug and closed the door back. Then, he dried himself and walked down to the dungeons.
"Interesting" Albus said. "Last time this happened I was casting protections over the castle"
Severus smirked to himself and somebody ran into him. What was this? Bug Severus to Death Day?!
"What's with all the banging?" asked the man who turned out to be Filch.
"It's called thunder, you idiot" Severus replied with a sneer and Albus's eyes twinkled.
"A thunder... but that means a storm!" the squib said, gaping.
"Precisely" the Potion Master said and walked in bat-mode to his quarters.
/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-
AN: Well, guys, this, along with the Dragon Animagus scene were planned since I started writing the story. And I guess I'm close to the end now... one chapter or maybe two, but most likely one. And then... the SEQUEL! You know what's weird? This is the first time I realize just how J.K. Rowling- ish of me it is to kill Towers...
I'll be gone until the 25th, but that's no reason for you not to review.
Thanks to:
Tsuetsu: Thanks for the review! :- )
Rhys Hiscock: Thanks for the review!
Alcapacien: Thank you... Well, I was hoping they'd escape, too, but hey...
Gochan Son: hanks and I'm writing all I can! ;-)
Bahzad: Thanks!