Harry Potter and the Dragon's Chosen
Chapter XIII: Learning Curve
The weeks of summer began, and everyone of the group retuned home. Home to Sirius's old house that is. They had cleaned the place up and decided to stay with Harry, Sirius, Tom and Selene. All the Weasleys were there, as were the Grangers, the Lovegoods, and the Longbottoms. Miles and Karen were there as well, as was Draco Malfoy. Tom had run into Malfoy before they left Hogwarts and heard Malfoy's tale. Draco had become an orphan now, lost to his father, and his money. He wished to redeem himself like the Ex-Dark Lord was, but he was too afraid of them rejecting him to ask. Tom brought him up to G.Tower, and explained things to the dream team. Draco added in his part as well, but amazingly, it was RON who let him stay. "I think he's telling the truth. And besides, if we can accept the old Dark Lord, who are we to deny a simple jackass redemption?" Everyone, including Draco had gotten a good laugh at that. Now, a few weeks in, everyone was sitting around the fire, listening to the storm rage outside. Tonks and Lupin had come along with Dumbledore and surprisingly enough, Snape to visit when Tom asked a very important question that had been bugging him for a while.
(Play .hackSIGN: In your Mind)
"Uhh…excuse me…Harry?"
Everyone silenced themselves at the insecurity in Tom's voice, as he began asking the question.
"I know…this is…a bad question to ask…especially now…but…I need to know. What…do the unforgivables FEEL like? I mean…on the receiving end?"
Selene wrapped her arms around Tom and stroked his back, telling him he shouldn't burden himself with the past.
"No Selene…I need to know. I need to know the pain I caused."
Nobody seemed to want to answer Tom's question…until…
"You are a brave man Tom Riddle. Brave for many things, one being the strength to face your past, and attempt to correct it. I will answer your questions."
Everyone looked to the doorway where Miles stood, a strange look in his eyes. Karen, who was sitting on Ginny's lap seeing as she was so small, noticed something different. His eyes…why are they…gray…?
"The Imperious curse as you know forces the recipient to bow to the caster's will. What it feels like is that you are free from the world. All thoughts, feelings, emotions, all of those things vanish, and you are nothing but clear, free to live. But as a price for that freedom, you must follow the wishes of a small voice in your mind that belongs to the caster. Those who are strong willed can fight, and even defeat the curse, by forcing themselves back to reality."
Tom looked down…and then looked back up as miles continued.
"However…the Imperious curse is more like a spell, for the fact that it can save a life."
"How?"
Everyone looked at Snape.
"How can it do that Miles? How do you know this?"
"Simple Potions Master Severus Snape. The curse itself simply frees someone's mind and body. They are no longer bound by this planet's rules. Say the only way for someone to live is to jump out of a plane into the ocean. But that person has a great fear of not only heights, but of water as well. Do you leave them to die? Or do you cast the Imperious curse on them and MAKE them jump to save their life? The curse itself is actually neutral, it's the intentions behind it that make it 'good' or 'bad.'"
Everyone looked at him, and Hermione mentioned that the explanation made sense.
"The killing curse too, is neutral. It all depends on the nature behind it. What that one does, is banishes the soul from the target's body. No feeling, no pain, just a quick death. Much like staring into the eyes of a Basilisk. The curse is neutral because of the following situations. Say your family is under attack. Someone means to kill or harm you children for some reason, and the only way to stop them is to kill them. Do you let your family suffer? Or do you perform the killing curse to protect them? While it may be unjust to take a life under normal circumstances, if all else fails, it is just to kill someone if you are trying to protect the ones you love from harm."
Everyone nodded.
(Play Final Fantasy X: The time of Judgement)
"Now, the last of them…the Pain spell…that is the only true Dark spell out of the three. That one causes pure pain. The feeling is like that of many things. Your body feels as if it's on fire, like it's being electrocuted. As if you're being stabbed by millions of knives and needles. Your blood bubbles and boils, your brain begins to spark and overload. And it spreads. Even if you hit a person's finger it will spread throughout the whole body. Like a cage of pain, you're wrapped in a blanket of pain. Those who fight the urge to scream are fools, for they simply add more pain to the spell by holding in their anguish. It is both a mental and physical pain. The physical part being your body feeling all what I described, and then some. The mental part being the knowledge that someone wishes you to feel this level of pain, for whatever reason. The knowledge that your very existence is causing you this. It is worse than the killing curse, for if you die from that, you feel nothing. But from this, you die screaming, your body on fire, your brain wishing to explode. What is worse however…is…someone who casts it on themselves. The pain from that would double, perhaps even triple, for they WANT the pain. Their wand would be stuck in place, the spell continuing until they died screaming a horrible death."
As Miles explained, his eyes began getting darker and darker, and Luna began to see the dark aura surrounding him. He was at his edge, and of course, someone has to push him off.
"What kind of dumbass would use it on themselves?!"
It was Ron. Moments after his question, his Dragon Spirit flared to life, the dragon within trying to warn him of the next coming event. Immediately after the spirit flared, Miles shot across the room at a blinding speed and slammed the youngest Weasley male to the wall, his dragon spirit glowing, then stopping as it realized that it could do nothing to assist it's master. Miles had Ron pinned by the neck, his hands slowly forming into claws, his eyes a blazing red, his teeth bared in a vicious snarl. He was blazing with darkness, an aura folding and wreathing with dark energy. Ron looked at this sudden change in Miles with fear and surprise as he gasped for air.
(Play Final Fantasy VII: Those Chosen By the Planet.)
"NOT A DUMBASS! They would NOT be crazy! They would be under more stress, more pain than your PUNY little HUMAN mind could EVER imagine! They have been hurt FAR beyond ANYTHING you can EVER think of! You have NO RIGHT to call them crazy for you do NOT know what they have been through! To them, Death by the killing curse is TOO good! To them death by pain is the ONLY way to die!"
The aura around him blazed and then began to weaken as he slowly relaxed slightly.
"You have no idea…what they would have had to suffer, the courage they have, to make that decision. The original pain, it takes to submit themselves to that kind of torture…and they would believe they DESERVED it! You have no right, no jurisdiction to make such a statement!"
Miles let him go, Ron falling to the ground, gasping for air. Miles turned and left.
"No idea…"
Tears slowly begun to run down his face as the shadows engulfed him and took him away from that place. They all heard his last words…
"No idea…"
Everyone stared in shock at not only the display of sudden rage from the normally calm and kind boy, but the way his power seemed to explode around him, his knowledge on the subject. Molly rounded on her son as Ginny helped him up.
"Ronald Weasley! How dare you ask such a question! I raised you better than-
"MOLLY! SHUT THE FUCK UP!"
Mrs.Weasley jumped at not only the voice, but also the powerful words coming from a small child as Karen. Karen's eyes were blazing with a mixture between anger and sadness as she glared at Molly.
"It is NOT Ronald's fault! He didn't know! He was being himself! Miles is TOO good at hiding his pain from others, his past! There was NO WAY Ronald could have known that asking such a NATURAL question would provoke a response like that from Miles, hell even I didn't know it would! So if you continue to blame your son for a mistake he made because he had no information, no warning, you'll find yourself on the receiving end of something WORSE than the Pain Spell!"
Everyone gasped as the small child radiated a great energy that matched that of Miles', and they were scared to see the smoky image of a silver dragon appearing around Karen. Her eyes had turned pure silver as her body sparked with suppressed anger.
"I have had it with you Molly Weasley! You needlessly protect and mother a group of teenagers who have been through hell and back! You fly off the handle at your own blood just for asking a QUESTION? It is YOUR fault Sirius fell through the veil, why? Because you WOULDN'T allow Harry and the others to LISTEN to what was happening at the Order meetings! Had they KNOWN that something THAT Dangerous existed, had HARRY known that Voldemort-
Here her eyes turned back to normal and she looked at Tom in sadness.
"Sorry Tom."
"It's fine."
Her eyes changed back and she continued.
"If Harry had KNOWN that Voldemort could trick his mind like that then he wouldn't have been in such pain last summer! If you would GET OVER YOURSELF AND LET THEM LEARN WHAT HAS TO BE LEARNT, THEN you'd be protecting them! They HAVE to make mistakes; they HAVE to learn what the world holds! Keeping them from pain will FUCK THEM UP IN THE LONG RUN WHEN THEY SCREW UP! I have stood by and WATCHED and LEARNED how you treat your children! You treat them like KIDS! Harry went up against Voldemort SIX TIMES! You had NO RIGHT to deny him information that could very well KEEP HIM ALIVE! Especially not in a house that is NOT YOURS! So DROP IT! They ARENT Kids anymore! Their childhood was TAKEN from them! LET THEM LIVE WITH THEIR CHOICES! Your job as a mother is to take care of them, yes but you DON'T KNOW WHEN TO LET GO! My parents died from DEMONS! And then I met Miles, and he changed my life, he trained me. He saw the pain I had and taught me how to deal with it and move on. I may be young, but I know more about the world than most people five DECADES my elders! Get it out of your head that they need protecting or you'll GET YOURSELF KILLED! They are about to enter a war FAR greater than the one against Voldemort! And when they do do NOT! I repeat do NOT Get in their way! LUNA YOU'RE WITH ME! WE'RE GOING TO FIND MILES!"
Luna nodded and shot up as Karen stormed out of the room. Luna looked back, nodded dreamily as usual and followed. Molly collapsed to the ground as the weight of Karen's words fell on her, realizing that the child was right. She DOES mother them too much. If she loves them, she'll let them live their own lives. I have to change…I must learn how to let go. I can love them like I do, but I cannot allow myself to hold them back. I shouldn't have denied them access to the information I knew. That put them in MORE danger. I feel so bad for that poor child. But Miles…he seems to have the ability to do more than even a parent can…
Everyone gasped as she began sniggering to herself.
"Those two…Miles and Karen…they'll be amazing parents some day…"
While all those events were happening, another was just taking place.
(Play .hackGAME MUSIC Perfect Collection: str01 [Kubia's Birth])
At the center of the Bottom of the World, the seventh continent Antarctica, a beam of light pierces the sky. The beam splits into many and forms a dome in which a gigantic sphere of metal appears. Inside that sphere is the home of the demons, and within that home, the Queen Awakens once again…
IT is time…time…to destroy…-----------------------------------------------------------
I'm almost done with this fic. A little more and then I'll stop for a while so I can finish a few other things, and think of the sequel to this. As you can see, Miles has some sort of past with pain, and I believe in the next chapter we will find out what.
HermioneGreen: it's good to hear from you again HG! I thought you had given up on this fic. I'm sure if you've read this far, you see how important Karen is to the story. Don't worry, just keep going, we're almost done.
drache5824: ehh, sort of. I'm glad you like the idea though. I've always been a large fan of LOD and figured it could make for a good crossover type thing. Thanks for the review.