HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF BY ASHA DREAMWEAVER
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Author's notes: Thanks for reviewing! I am so sorry about the delay but I got a really bad chest infection and then my little sister went into the hospital – she's currently on her fourth stay since I last updated. *shakes head* If I have to see one more hospital… Also my computer decided to eat all my notes for this fic so it was back to the proverbial drawing board. And I have another story up and running. Again I apologise for the atrocious delay.
Of course I'm very lucky this was an AU in the first place as the fifth book came out (it's so good by the way!) and completely obliterated the plots to most of the fifth year fics in existence. So I plan to stick to canon as much as possible but I doubt a lot of the fifth book will be coming into this and if it does it will probably only be mentioned in passing. Though I have to admit the whole 'Snivellus' nickname? So not nice. And as a spoiler for future chapters, poor Sev will not be a geek who gets picked on by James Potter and Sirius Black. I'm thinking of a more 'you-hit-me-and-I-hit-back' type of relationship there. Can I just say again how sorry I am about the delay on this chapter? Do read and review!!!
LeopardDance – Thank you for reviewing! About the hat, yes there is a connection. Fawkes is only one little bird, how much can he do? About Harry's Halloween costume, read on and see.
Lynlyn – Thanks for adding me to your favourite stories list! *Jumps around in glee.* Don't worry, Harry's not going to be restricted for long. *Grins evilly* I have many, many things planned for him, revenge included. I'm glad you like my version of Dumbledore and the chessboard idea. Keep on reviewing! :)
Queen of Vegetasei – Of course Draco has to be mean, he's not really going to play a big part in this story so why bother changing him? Whatever gave you the impression that Sev had fangs? And no, nothing of Anne Rice is coming into this story. I can see what you mean about Galadriel, *shudders*, very freaky and definitely disturbing. No LotR, though I am working on a LotR/BtVS crossover called 'A Light to You In Dark Places', which has a few chapters already posted. *Shameless plugging!* What do you mean JK Rowling is putting Hermione and Harry together?!!! I thought it was Hermione and Ron!! Have I been misinformed or am I just out of the loop? Thanks to adding me to your fave's list. Do keep reviewing! Please?
Jewelclaw Lady of Wind – I really made you cry? Wow. I happen to like leaving evil cliffhangers so expect quite a few more in the future. *Laughs sadistically* Ummm, just try not to kill me. I'm after getting enough threats already. Yes, Harry will get out of his entrapment. Eventually. Will Angelus find him and kill him? Read on and see. Am I going to kill off Dumbledore? Hmmm, *looks at Harry, who is nodding* Well, Harry would probably like to but since I'm the author, I'm in charge and I quite frankly do not have a clue. Maybe.
Gryphnwng – On the edge of your seat? How uncomfortable. Make sure you don't fall off! Thanks for the review! They mean a helluva lot to me! Geo major huh? Well the lava/magma thing is hardly the most taxing thing to remember. Kinda easy really.
Seer-cassandra – I *know* you have a new story in the works! Post it already!
Jenni – Thanks for agreeing with me on that point. Besides if you read through the books Harry has always been protective of his friends, just look at Sirius!
Sylph-san – Thanks for the great review! About the gang from Sunnydale, they will mostly be minor characters, as I'm trying to keep it mainly within the Harry Potter genre but certain people from Sunnydale will be making appearances. As for the idea about the orb, I can't take credit for the name as that came from Buffy – it was used for giving Angel his soul back – but as for it's other capabilities, those came purely from my imagination. I am so glad you like this story! Keep reviewing!
Fate's Child – I don't want to give away too much of the future plot but in answer to your question, it's very likely.
CrimsonNoble - *Blushes* Thank you so much for the flattering review. It's nice to know that I'm doing this right. As of for the orb, there will be more details given about it but it can't physically take a person's power so your barrier theory is more accurate. Review again!
Stormy1x2 – Sorry that I haven't sold you on the Ron and Hermione thing so I'm gonna try and convince you with a few arguments. First off, he initially broke it off with them to protect them. But they are only sixteen and Ron is not exactly the sharpest tool around. He's been known to blow up at Harry because of jealousy before. Remember the fourth book? Hermione would be offended and naturally back up her boyfriend. They went to Dumbledore, and let's face it; of course they are going to believe Dumbledore. So they get angry at Harry's behaviour and constant brush-offs and begin to take their anger out on him. Harry then gets angry with them and it escalates from there. Remember that Harry would be considerably more mature than Ron and Hermione, after all neither of them has ever met Voldemort, only Harry has. They are still children while Harry is nearing adult mentality due to his responsibilities. Both sides see things differently and therefore their relationship falls to pieces quickly. I hope that clears things up for you! And I'm glad that you like this story anyway!
Kylie – Do I really come across as being that evil?
Carneol – Thanks for reviewing! You're quite the perceptive reader! Glad you liked my characterisations!
AJaKe – Thanks for being so interested!!
Mayon – Your review was one of the most complimentary reviews I've ever received! Thank you so much! It's hard to believe that my fic affected you that way!
Fage of Hyren – If Remus kills me, no more fic!
Dreams of Magic – Here's the update! Sorry for making you – and everyone – wait! J Yes Harry will show up at the dance. Angelus is going to cause lots of disturbances and chaos in this fic and Ethan will get what's coming to him. And you're absolutely spot on with regards to the Buffy episode. Ethan likes causing chaos but I don't see him as original enough – or powerful enough – to have a different trick each time.
Muggle – I thank you for the highest compliment a fanfiction writer can get.
FantasyChick – You're so sweet! Sending me two identical reviews! It's nice to see somebody so enthusiastic! I sincerely hope you haven't died yet as a ghost haunting me would be highly inconvenient! And as for your question, it's answered in this chapter.
And thanks to the others that reviewed: J
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CHAPTER 6: AND WHITE SPLITS THE NIGHT
My candle burns at both ends;
It will not last the night;
But oh my foes and oh my friends-
It gives a lovely light.
- Edna St. Vincent Millay
Harry got very little rest that night, even when he downed a sleeping potion, the restlessness continued to plague him. Unknown warnings skittered along his nerves and drove him to distraction. Something was coming and he could do nothing to stop it. Even in his dreams did that become clear to him....
^^^^^Dream sequence^^^^^
The chessboard was back. Harry wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.
At first glance it looked the same as before but upon further inspection, he saw that some of the pieces had moved. The black and white kings were moving closer to each other, closer to confrontation. He himself was in the same position he had held in his last dream but the grey colour that tinted him was becoming more black than grey.
A faint voice, barely more than a whisper, was carried on the wind, bearing a message that sounded incomplete and garbled at best. "Chosen… bound by blood… the Hidden World… foundations of… Death… fall to blood… must fall…"
Not exactly the nicest message in the world.
"Have you chosen yet Slayer?" came a voice from behind him. It seemed mystery guy was back. Remembering the very disconcerting events of last time, he tried to slowly back away from him, but was stopped by a chastising voice, "Ah, ah, ah. No moving until you decide. Remember?" the stranger admonished as he advanced.
"Chosen what?" Harry asked, trying to keep his apprehension from showing.
"Chosen sides of course. You can't have forgotten already," the man said in a mildly amused tone.
"Who are you?"
"As I said before; you'll find out in time."
"Not good enough. I want to know now." Harry demanded.
"You have bigger things to worry about," he said cryptically.
"Besides the strange guy haunting my dreams?" Harry asked sarcastically.
"You should have chosen a side."
"You're not back to that are you? It is getting so annoying. Perhaps if someone actually gave me some information instead of vague ramblings I'd be able to make up my mind."
"You are too late. Circumstance has chosen for you."
"What?"
"You must go now. Your time is come." Without any more warning, the stranger hidden in the shadows disappeared and Harry had one last look at the chessboard before he was yanked back to the waking world. Even as he was dragged from slumber, he registered shock at what he could now make out…
For he'd seen something that shook him more than he would ever admit…
A dark army was massing behind the Dark Lord. And beside Voldemort, another King was beginning to take shape…
^^^^End sequence^^^^^^
~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*
Ares glared imperiously at the snake cowering before him. A Basilisk wasn't known as the King of Serpents for nothing.
"You sssay that Dumbledore hurt the young massster?"
"With a knife. The massster told me to tell you."
"I sssee why. Leave, I will deal with thisss."
"Yesss Lord." The small serpent slithered away from the chamber and Ares turned to a shadow in the dark gloom.
"Any ideasss?"
A deep voice answered, the person's body so obscured by the darkness as to be unrecognisable. "He isss resssourceful. I am sssure he will think of sssomething."
"You would leave him to hisss own devicesss?" Ares asked in surprise.
"I can do nothing asss thingsss ssstand. Let him be. He will prove himssself worthy. I am sssure of it."
"Asss you wisssh."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*
Harry feeling like he was being stalked all day. It began even before he woke up. He hadn't slept well, - curse those blasted dreams! – and now his slayer sense kept tingling even though he could find nothing that would set it off. It was like an itch that he just couldn't scratch, contributing to his already substantial headache.
He had lost track of the number of howlers he'd received from angry witches and wizards in response to Skeeter's articles. The sniggering that followed in their wake was enough to make him consider murder. It wouldn't be that hard to lure a nest of vamps into the school, he thought wistfully. Unfortunately that really went against the ethics of a slayer and he had more than enough enemies as it was.
The control Dumbledore had over him was galling. He hated being treated like a rabid dog on a leash, it reminded him way too much of the Dursleys. Those thrice-damned fools of muggles.
He stormed through the halls, wearing an expression that could be likened to an ominous thunderstorm. Dumbledore had ever so kindly sent for him, more like summoned him and he had no choice but to go. The Brand made sure of that. What Dumbledore wanted now, he wasn't quite clear on but it only wasted his valuable time. Time better spent on finding out how to weasel his way out of Dumbledore's little bear trap.
Waiting for him in the Headmaster's office was Dumbledore, Snape, Fudge, two grim-looking aurors and a very smug Lucius Malfoy. Uh-oh, Harry thought, no better make that a big uh-oh. This couldn't be good.
"Ah Mr Potter, do have a seat," Dumbledore said graciously and Harry felt his limbs moving to obey without any prompting from him. The minute he was in the proffered chair, the unknown aurors flanked him. Again. Not good.
"Mr Potter," Dumbledore began, "It would seem that we have several questions that need answering." Nope, Harry amended, this wasn't just bad, this was bloody terrible. What if Snape had told them?... That would screw him royally.
Fudge looked at him with beady little eyes as Dumbledore continued to ramble on, "The Minister here has kindly agreed to authorise and witness this little session. And he has brought up the rather valid point that you can't be trusted to provide accurate information of your own accord so other means must be used...."
Harry was beginning to see where this was going and risked a slightly nervous glance at Snape. The Potions Master. A potions master who could make Veritaserum. Oh yes, Harry thought, this was shaping up to be a perfectly crappy day. Now, if he could only just figure out a way to circumvent that damned truth potion... preferably without letting slip he was the slayer. Who cared if Snape had accused him? He'd deny everything and he didn't plan on letting any of his extracurricular activities come to light. Besides, Snape was a Death Eater spy; his word wasn't worth much more than Harry's.
He was brought out of his thoughts when Snape stepped forward, a vial of clear liquid in his hand. The man's face was blank as he administered the required three drops to Harry and stepped back again. Harry blinked sluggishly as the potion kicked in, making his head feel all fuzzy like it was stuffed with cotton wool. And he was actually expected to avoid questions like this? If he wasn't careful he'd end up spilling everything and he really wasn't in the mood for Azkaban.
"Now Mr Potter, please state your full name."
"Harry James Potter."
"Where are we at the present moment?"
"In the headmaster's office at Hogwarts."
"I'll take over from here Headmaster," one of the aurors said. "Potter, are you anyway involved with the Dark Lord?"
"Yes." Harry said through gritted teeth, the potion forcing the answer from him. Both Dumbledore and Fudge leaned forward in their seats.
"How so?"
"I'm number one on his hit list."
"Did you help bring the Dark Lord back to life?"
"He never died."
"Did you help the Dark Lord return?" the auror snapped, not liking the boy's cheek even under a truth potion.
"Yes but not willingly."
"Are you helping the Dark Lord still?"
"No."
"Who are you loyal to?"
"Myself and my friends."
"What friends?"
"If I was sure of who they were I'd be a happy camper."
"Are you sure the potion's working?" Fudge burst in angrily. Severus glared at the Minister.
"My potions are not faulty," he sneered.
The auror ignored them and resumed the questioning, "Do you have any loyalty to the Ministry?"
"None."
"Why?"
"They're all morons."
"Are you dangerous Mr Potter?"
"Everybody's dangerous."
"Would you say you pose a threat to others?"
"Voldemort thinks so." Harry privately relished the flinches from Fudge and the aurors at the mention of the Dark Lord's name.
"Are you involved in the Dark Arts?"
"Yes."
"Do you plan on stopping?"
"No."
"Do you plan on co-operating with the Ministry and the Order of the Phoenix?"
"I don't have a choice."
"Would you do it willingly?"
"No."
"What is your mental condition?"
"Relatively sane I would hope."
"Do you have fits involving the Dark Lord."
"I have visions of him."
"So you are in league with him?" the auror said triumphantly.
"No I am not."
"But you are connected with him?"
"Yes."
"I think that should be enough for you Minister," the auror said, "He's just proved that he cannot be trusted. I vote that he should be arrested before he causes more harm."
"We will not discuss this here Worthington." Dumbledore said warningly, glancing at Harry. "Severus, please escort Mr Potter out of the office."
The Potions Master scowled but stood up, "Come along Potter," he snapped. Harry looked warily at the remaining group who would be deciding whether he went to Azkaban or not before he followed Professor Snape down the stairs.
Once the two were gone Fudge rounded on the headmaster, "That boy is a menace. He should be locked up! He must be locked up! The last thing we need is two Dark Lord's running about." Fudge said, shuddering at the very thought.
Dumbledore stroked his beard thoughtfully; "The Order will agree to release him to your custody as long as we do have access to him at Azkaban. No Dementor's kiss I'm afraid. We may need the information he provides."
"Right then. I'll get the appropriate paperwork and we'll come for him tomorrow." Some more details were negotiated and then Fudge swept out. Dumbledore reclined in his chair, tomorrow he would be rid of one problem and hopefully he could negate the other if their position became unfruitful.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*
After he and Snape parted at the entrance to Dumbledore's office, Harry headed to his room. He had no wish to be anywhere near anybody when the Veritaserum was still in effect and he had some substantial research into the Branding to do. Unfortunately for him, the Gods were having fine sport today and had no intention of letting him reach his safe haven unaccosted.
He hadn't gone down more than two corridors when an arm reached out of a classroom and yanked him in. He stumbled through the door, arms flailing as he tried to get his balance. Before he could attain it, the person who had done the yanking pushed him into a seat. Looking up, he found himself face to face with a livid Sirius Black.
To look at him now, with a manic gleam in his blue eyes, Harry could really believe that he had been accused of murder. Staring at his godfather's half-crazed expression, Harry felt his heart drop to his stomach. He didn't think his godfather was here to help him. More like the opposite.
Sirius clenched his wand into a white-knuckled grip, wholly fixated on the boy before him. He couldn't believe that his godson, the same boy that he had held as a babe and bounced on his knee, the same boy that he and Prongs had joked about as being part of the second generation of Marauders, the same boy that he had come to love as his own son since his escape from Azkaban had betrayed him, betrayed the whole Wizarding world. That he had actually joined the murderous demon that had killed Lily and James Potter, his own parents!
He could see Lily and Prongs in Harry's face, in his personality, so like his father's or so he had thought. Now he had to look at those familiar features and know that this young man was a murderer, that he bowed down to the snake-faced creature that had tried to kill him so many times and worse; know that he'd gone willingly.
"Why?" he asked brokenly, his heart bleeding at the betrayal and treachery that he was having difficulty associating with this boy.
Harry had considerable trouble answering the question thanks to the truth potion running rampant in his veins. That inability to respond was only compounded by the hurt that took the wind out of him like a punch to the gut. Sirius believed them, he didn't believe Harry.
That hurt, hurt in a way that Harry had never experienced before. Sirius was the only father figure he had ever known. Merlin knows Uncle Vernon hadn't been a good role model. And to have his surrogate father turn on him felt like he had been struck. That hurt was collecting and turning into an ugly, festering wound within his heart as he stared dumbly at Sirius' disappointed and grief-stricken face.
"Sirius, I – I haven't done anything! I swear it! You have to believe me! Dumbledore is lying Siri! You must believe me!" he cried, his voice catching on a sob at the last word, a sob that was viciously suppressed as he stared at the beloved visage of his godfather with pained, watery eyes.
Sirius looked away, unable to bear looking at his godson anymore. "Why would Dumbledore lie Harry?" he said quietly, his voice agonizingly sad, "He's always kept an eye on you, tried to keep you out of trouble.... Oh Merlin Harry! You broke his heart... and mine. How could you?" His voice dropped to a bare whisper, "After Lily and James died to save you? How could you Harry? How could you do this to me?"
Harry ruthlessly blinked back the tears threatening to fall, Vampire Slayers did not cry, under any circumstances. "None of what they say is true Siri, I would never become a Death Eater! You know that! I would never do it! You know me Siri!"
"Do I?" Sirius answered, "I look at you Harry and it's like I'm looking at a stranger. And I have to wonder; did I ever know you at all? Have you been playing with us all these years, toying with our feelings while you waited for your Lord," he fairly spat out the word, "to rise again?"
He began pacing the room, his resolve wavering as he saw silent tears roll down Harry's face. It was all a trick, he reminded himself, he's only trying to trick you. "I can't believe you are James' son. I refuse to believe it. You know what I think; I think Harry did die that night. Who knows, perhaps you were a part of the Dark Lord that he left behind. You certainly look enough like him. It would explain the Parseltongue, the Dark Arts, why you appeared to survive the Killing Curse..."
Harry felt his heart break, bit by painful bit. Did Sirius really believe that? Did he trust Dumbledore so much that he would believe his word over Harry's own?
"Sirius," he choked out, "you can't think that! You can't! I love you! You're like a father to me! You can't not believe me!"
Despite his fierce attempts, his body shook with the force of his sobs. For a long time they were the only sound in the room, a harsh, wrenching weeping that tore the heart asunder. After a while Sirius spoke, "I can't do this. I can't. Don't come near me again Harry. I don't want to have to kill you. I will pray we never meet when you are in His service, I'm not sure if I could bring myself to kill you or turn you in to the Aurors... So I refuse to make the choice. From this moment, I have no godson... It's strange; I can't bring myself to hate you, though I know I should. You've become everything I despise, everything that I thought you despised as well; a lying, slaughtering Death Eater that will bring nothing but pain and destruction to everyone. I can't watch you fall Harry, I don't think I could stand it. I would like to be naive and think that you could be redeemed but you're too far gone. Only one thing is certain about your future; you'll die a lonely death and I'll be left to mourn you as I mourn you now. Goodbye Harry."
With one last painful, heartbreaking glance he left the room, shoulders hunched and head bowed as if he carried the weight of the world on his thin shoulders. In the classroom, Harry fell from his chair to the floor, his sobs escalating into shuddering, pain-drenched gasps that came from deep inside his core, creating a gaping wound that would never be fully healed.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*
It was good half hour or so later before Harry rose from his position on the floor. He had cried himself out, his eyes now stubbornly red and dry despite his inner turmoil. His eyes, if he had deigned to look or to care, were puffy and red but if he was careful, no one would notice it as anything but part of his costume. After all it wasn't as if there was anybody left to care.
~*~*~*~*~~**~~**~*~*~*~*~*~
When Harry returned to his room, he found Hedwig waiting for him with a package. After scanning it for any malevolent spells, he took it off Hedwig and gave her an owl treat before she returned to the owlery. Ripping open the brown paper covering, several books and two letters fell into his lap. It seemed his friends had come true for him.
Picking up the first letter, he saw it was from Willow Rosenberg.
Hey Harry,
I cannot believe that they did that to you! Me and Tara are already working on a way to remove it so we'll let you know if we find anything. In the meantime use my little gifts to give them hell!
Willow and Tara.
P.S – By the way, Buffy's offering to help you kick their asses if you feel like it!
Harry grinned slightly; still feeling depressed about Sirius and eagerly picked up the heavy books. They were all about very obscure, very nasty and highly untraceable curses and hexes. Oh, the fun he could have with these... Putting them away, he picked up Wesley's letter, which had a much more sombre tone when compared to Willow's lighthearted one.
Harry,
I hope you are alright, or as alright as you can be while under the influence of the Branding. I cannot say what horrifies me more; the fact that the Order would stoop so low or that one of them – and a Death Eater no less! – has found out about your calling. This could be disastrous, especially with the situation you are now in.
As you requested, I have researched the Branding and I have no good news to impart. The Branding is exceptionally dangerous, a form of magic that should never have been invented. It has a rather.... shady history to say the least. All of the recorded cases say that the victim has died or gone mad after twelve months or so.
You must get out from under its grasp as soon as humanly – or slayerly – possible. You said that the binding stone used was the Orb of Thessulah, so I believe that if you find that, you should be able to break it somehow and thereby reverse the spell. I don't know of any side-affects that may result from it but I can't think they could be any worse than those you will be subjected to under the Branding.
I hope I do not have to remind you of the Council's policies on Slayers lost to madness or who are unable to carry out their duty... You have the makings of a fine slayer and a powerful wizard; it would be a great loss if you were to die before your time...
Contact me if you are successful, and for heaven's sake be careful!
Wesley.
Harry sighed as he put down the letter. It seemed all he got was bad news lately. Story of his life, he supposed. At least Wes had come up with one way to get rid of the dratted curse but how in Merlin's name was he going to acquire the orb from under Dumbledore's nose while under the restrictions of the Branding?!
It looked like he'd have to call on Fawkes for help. Again. The poor phoenix was really working overtime lately.
~*~*~*~*~~**~~**~*~*~*~*~*~
In his office, Albus Dumbledore studied the orb cradled in his hands. The swirling green-black energy pulsed gently, seeming to draw all who looked upon it into its web. Such power this orb now contained!
Power that now belonged to him.
Power that would allow him to topple Voldemort and kill him once and for all.
Clasping his hands on either side of the orb, he said the activation spell and watched as the absinthe and ebony tendrils snaked up his arms....
~*~*~*~*~~**~~**~*~*~*~*~*~
At the same time, Harry Potter doubled over in pain in his room. It felt like he was being ripped in two... And so he reacted the way all slayers do when faced with pain, - he fought back. He didn't know what he was doing precisely, all his attention was focused on keeping himself together and putting a halt to whatever was happening.
After what seemed like an eternity, the stabbing pain receded and so did the feeling that he was being sliced and diced by invisible knives. Resting his head on the soft duvet, he felt like he'd been run over by an eighteen-wheeler truck, been knocked over the head by a sledgehammer and had swallowed barb wire. And that was not even counting the sense of weakness and lethargy that seemed to come from every pore. He was so so tired....
He called faintly for Fawkes, but was too tired to wait for the arrival of the vibrantly coloured songbird. His eyelids slipped shut and his last thought was who was it that had just tried to kill him?....
~*~*~*~*~~**~~**~*~*~*~*~*~
In his office, Dumbledore gritted his teeth in frustration. The spell hadn't worked and the power still resided within the boy instead of inside of him. Still, the boy had been weakened a great deal by the shock and trauma of the failed spell.
He'd have to do further research. Today had been close; it would take only a couple more days, definitely no more than a week before he had what he wanted. Before he had everything he had ever wanted; his own power increased, Voldemort dead or cowering before him and Mr Potter as harmless as a Muggle if he survived. Despite today's setback, life was good.
~*~*~*~*~~**~~**~*~*~*~*~*~
When Harry woke up, he let out a moan of pain and fished around for the vial of healing potion that he always kept handy. He had three guesses as to who had been the cause of his sudden bout of torture but he only needed one; Albus Dumbledore. Something had to be done about that man and soon.
Fawkes stirred beside him, trilling a few notes that made the tension seep out of his already abused body. He felt so weak even now… He didn't know what the man had done but he planned on finding out – and then doling out the necessary revenge. Looking at his version of the Weasley's grandfather clock, he saw that he'd been out for nearly two hours. Whatever it was must have hit him harder than he thought. Then again incredible, blinding pain tended to do that to a person. He looked at his clock again with a perverse sense of amusement, after all the hands on his charmed clock read Dead, - who could be bothered with Mortal Peril when he was in that everyday? – Undead, Incarcerated, Travelling, Class, Slaying and Home.
It was time for lunch, which was being served to everybody in their respective common rooms as the Great Hall was being decorated for the ball that night. Which meant Harry would have to face a horde of angry Gryffindors instead of sneaking off to the kitchens as he normally did.
Descending from his room with the intention of grabbing some food and a goblet of juice but as per usual, fate decided to have her fun at his expense. He'd just filled his plate and was trying to decide which path would let him avoid Ronald Weasley when a most unexpected agony tore through him.
Harry clutched his head and sank to his knees as the searing pain of a vision hit him, the contents of his plate spilling out beside him. A few shocked cries echoed through the Gryffindor common room. Most students sneered at the sight but some actually looked somewhat fearful, perhaps fearing that the rabid Harry Potter, Dark Lord-in-training was finally snapping.
Hermione left to fetch a teacher, unwilling to go near him on her own, Merlin forbid she became the victim of his insanity, leaving Ron to watch over him. With the intent of making sure he didn't kill anybody, to put it bluntly.
// Red light… Dumbledore raising his wand… himself strapped to a table with the red light flaring around him… the orb of Thessulah filled with ebony and emerald magic… Dumbledore holding the Orb as light blossomed around it… Putting it in a concealed compartment in his office… the walking dead… Dumbledore on a battlefield, engaged in a duel… curses flying… a flash of Avada Kedavra green… a black robed man crumpling to the ground… a withered and decrepit scroll… a towering serpent… the symbol of a trinity… a bolt of lightning… Voldemort in the middle of a pentagram drawn in crimson blood… a horrifying inhuman wail…. A hand pushing up through the dirt of a grave… and then Darkness like a blanket swallowing everything he could see… //
After a few minutes that felt like a virtual eternity, Harry snapped out of it. Face ashen pale and pupils dilated, he staggered up from his very undignified position on the floor. Swaying slightly, he tried to make it back to his room but the wand of the high and mighty Mr Weasley, newly appointed Gryffindor Prefect and new Gryffindor Golden Boy, was pointed directly at him.
Apparently enjoying this chance for revenge for the incident in the Great Hall, Ron decided to taunt him about his 'episode', "Oi! Potter!, planning on fainting again anytime soon?! Or are you just looking for more attention?!" he called from his position across the room. Unwilling to deal with his crap right now and growing rather nauseous as his head spun from the combined affects of the pain and the vision, a physical detriment that was impairing his rational thinking, Harry had his wand out and a spell cast before the redhead could blink and when the other students turned to look at the unfortunate Gryffindor, they found a yellow rat in his place.
Harry was still reeling from his… vision? Hallucination? Premonition? Who knew? Nothing like that had ever happened before and he'd seen some pretty freaky stuff in his time. Deciding that it would be anything but good if he were to wait until Hermione came back with a professor, he quickly ran to his room and warded the door, resting his back against it and sliding down to the floor, wondering why these things always had to happen to him.
~*~*~*~*~~**~~**~*~*~*~*~*~
Harry surveyed the Great Hall in satisfaction. He really felt like clapping himself on the back for a job well done. He hadn't lied about his experience with spooky places; he'd probably seen more graveyards and crypts than the entire school put together.
There were lots of small tables – capable of seating ten or so – scattered around the room which now held the appearance of a dark and overgrown graveyard. He'd based it on the graveyard at Little Hangleton after the Third Task. This way he'd not only match the scenery but also get one up on Dumbledore.
The stage was off to the far end, where the head table normally was and that had already been taken care of by the Slytherins. Lots of green and black glitter and decorations naturally.
Harry had spelled the walls to not be seen and had charmed several views of the countryside instead, views of his choosing of course. Created by his memory, it was extraordinarily realistic. The black outline of a small church was visible beyond a large yew tree to the right of the stage. To the left a hill rose, upon which the outline of a fine old house on the hillside could just be made out. The stone floor had been replaced by withered grass, with weeds plentifully dispersed throughout, creeping vines beginning to smother the tables that were scattered between the rows of crooked, battered, weather-beaten tombstones.
The tables themselves were enchanted, made of rough stone and braced by specially created stone pillars, engraved with skulls and archaic runes. The tabletops were all decorated with pentagrams painted onto the coarse surface. All the seats were in the form of tombstones, with people's names magically engraved onto the backs as soon as they sat down on them. Dead red roses twined around the chair legs, rising to curl on the edge of the tables.
Murky grey fog swirled a few centimetres above the floor, being continuously generated by a cauldron near the doors. Fog would initially pool around people's feet but as the night wore on the fog would grow denser and spread wider until eventually it would be hard to make out anything. The traditional dusty cobwebs spanned the ceiling, worthy of acromantalas in their sheer size. In some parts of the room, they fell right onto the tables and provided a backdrop for the stage.
At the south of the room, to either side of the doors was Harry's version of the finger to Dumbledore. A towering marble headstone stood proudly on one side of the room, it's chipped and weathered surface bearing the name Tom Marvolo Riddle in the same burning letters the real boy had shown him in the Chamber of Secrets in his second year. Oh to be accurate it should have been the father's name on the stone but most wouldn't know the difference anyway.
A steaming cauldron – the one producing the fog – stood beside the opposite door. The potion inside bubbled merrily, the deep blood red colour creating an eerie contrast to the blackened man-sized pot.
The lighting was dim, very dim, made to match the moon's wan silvery radiance. It gave the room an otherworldly ghostly glow. All in all, the whole scene had an eerily chilling feel. A perfect setting for the (most likely) bloodcurdling effect of his costume. And speaking of his costume, he'd better go and get ready. Even if he planned on showing up late, he needed plenty of time to ensure that it was just right and that everything was ready. He hurriedly slipped out the door, looking forward to tonight's chaos.
From the dark recesses of the furthest corner, brown eyes turned a feral yellow and a pair of deadly fangs gleamed in the light....
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~**~*~**~*~
Harry had big plans for this ball. It was going to be his final farewell to Hogwarts and he was going to make sure it went down in legend. There was no way in hell that he was going to Azkaban. In fact he'd sooner go to hell, at least down there, he could beat a few demons into a pulp. A very satisfying pastime in his opinion.
Thanks to his earlier vision – about which he was still puzzling over and had eventually given up and owled Wesley – he now knew where the Orb was. Slayer strength plus orb equals one very, very smashed up crystal ball.
Fawkes was now on a little espionage mission to get it for him. So if everything went according to plan, the all-knowing Albus Dumbledore – along with everybody else - would be receiving one hell of a surprise come the evening. One very big, very nasty surprise that should end up with the headmaster being reduced to little pieces of kibble.
He planned on going out with a bang and he didn't see anything getting in the way of that.
He slipped on a pair of flowing black robes – the same kind Voldemort was known to wear – and picking up his wand, he changed his eye colour from a bright emerald green to an unnatural scarlet red. The pupils were slitted like a cat's and shone eerily in comparison to his pale skin, raven hair and black outfit. He pulled on the white mask of a Death Eater, looked in the mirror and declared himself ready.
In the dim lighting and spooky atmosphere, he would have little trouble convincing the student body that he was the real Lord Voldemort. After all, he'd spent more time trying to kill Harry than anybody else on his hit list. The costumes wouldn't be judged until eleven but he didn't plan on making an appearance until near that time. It wouldn't do to tip his hand too soon, he had to wait for the Orb. And then…
And then all hell would break loose…
~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~**~
"Are you scared to look inside your mind?
Are you worried just at what you'll find?
Do you really want to face the truth?
Does it matter now, what have you got to lose?"
- Steve Harris & Jannick Gers (Iron Maiden), "The Unbeliever"
To say Albus Dumbledore was displeased was a gross understatement. Apoplectic or spitting mad would have been a more apt description.
He was about one step away from foregoing his plans and killing the brat that was Harry Potter for this insult. The symbolism of the décor wasn't lost on the headmaster. The nerve of the boy! To blatantly advertise his connection with Tom Riddle like this was enough to incite a seething rage inside the headmaster, even if the majority of the students had no clue that the décor was actually a real setting and not just made up for the sake of the ball.
Fortunately, the ball had started hours ago and the Halloween feast had come off without a hitch, despite the tombstone seats and the fog that climbed ever higher as the night wore on. But one Harry Potter still hadn't turned up.
Albus wasn't sure if it was due to a fear of retribution on his part or because he had something else planned.
Still, what true damage could the boy do under the Branding? He couldn't harm anything. Punishment could be meted out in the morning, before the aurors came to take him to Azkaban, allowing Albus to enjoy the ball and the splendid costumes.
From his place skulking in a shadowed corner of the room, half submerged in the ever rising fog, Severus Snape surveyed the Great Hall and the antics going on within with a perverse sense of amusement. Some of the costumes were just too entertaining. For example, Miss Hermione 'I'm-a-know-it-all' Granger had dressed herself up as Olivia Newton-John from the muggle musical Grease and had managed to cajole and coerce her boyfriend Ronald 'All-brawn-and-no-brains' Weasley into coming as John Travolta. Of course now he was desperately trying to hide and spare himself the giggles and guffaws that followed in their wake. Severus smirked a tad gleefully, Draco Malfoy – coming as a vampire – had firmly shot down any hope of escape for Weasley, cornering him to taunt him ceaselessly about his costume. Severus gave it ten minutes at most before it turned ugly, and only that much because Granger and Seamus Finnigan were restraining Weasley.
He himself thought Harry's decorations were a stroke of genius, he hadn't actually been to the graveyard at Little Hangleton himself, an action for which his Lord punished him profusely, but he'd heard enough from Lucius Malfoy to recognise it. Not that the gravestone with 'Tom Marvolo Riddle' engraved on it hadn't been a giveaway. When Dumbledore had first caught sight of it, he'd nearly blown up. And that expression of rage had been downright comical. After all, it was really hard to scare people when you came dressed up as Santa Claus as Albus had done.
Albus's dreadful sense of style seemed to have worn off on some other people, much to the horror of everyone's eyes. Filius Flitwick had dressed himself up as a House Elf for some unknown reason, but let it be said that no one had ever felt inclined to see the Charms professor wearing nothing but a pillowcase. He was sure some of the Ravenclaws would be having nightmares about his lack of house dignity as they called it. They felt he should have come as someone important and intelligent like Nicholas Flamel. Severus privately agreed with them, if only because Flitwick was an eyesore and an embarrassment to the teaching profession looking like that.
And speaking of embarrassments, Sybil Trelawney had shown up as Cassandra. He was sure that a full roman toga was not meant to be worn with an assortment of scarves and bangles. Nor had the real Cassandra carried around a crystal ball as an accessory. At least Minerva McGonagall had erred on the side of caution and turned down Albus's suggestion of her coming as Mrs Claus and had come as Agrippa instead.
As for himself, he had come as one of the Black Riders from JRR Tolkien's 'The Lord of the Rings'. The black hooded robes flared out behind him dramatically and the hood hid his face, making it so much easier to intimidate everybody. As expected no one had approached him, probably wary of the sword that came with the costume. Harry hadn't shown up yet and Severus's nerves were beginning to get the slightest bit strained. Every Halloween, without fail, something bad had happened and he didn't expect this year to be any different. Trolls, petrifications, attacks, etc. No, the only question Severus had about the run of rather abysmal luck since Harry Potter came to Hogwarts was, what would it be this time?
In his chambers Ethan Rayne carefully placed a statue of the two faced Roman God, Janus in the middle of a table. Time to cause a little chaos in his opinion and since this little trick of his had worked so well in Sunnydale a few years previous; he figured he'd see how the residents of Hogwarts handled it. This time round, the suspicion wouldn't immediately fall on him. There was a whole school of magic wielders to be suspects and he was a trustworthy professor… But the best thing was that there was no Giles to try and beat him up this time. For once, his chaos magic wouldn't backfire on him. He was fairly sure that Angelus would know who it was but by then he'd probably be busy draining the local slayer and wouldn't give a damn. Ethan smiled, life was good.
He had barely walked in the door when the screaming started. He could only imagine what they were thinking, a tall figure clad in black, eyes a livid scarlet in the dim lighting, silhouetted against the doorframe. Trelawney lifted a shaking, bangle-garlanded hand to point at the figure, as she became a sickly shade of white, "I knew it!" she screeched, "The Dark Lord! He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is here! We are doomed!" She didn't stay awake long enough to see the panic and chaos her words caused as she fainted dead away.
Under his mask, Harry smirked, advancing forward. Students were staring between the heap that was Trelawney and him, and utter pandemonium had taken hold of the ball. The band had stopped playing and was now trying to sneak out the back door. The teachers were trying to restore order, most trying not to follow Trelawney's example. The students were screaming and running all over the place. Some of the Hufflepuffs were sobbing with terror while the Slytherins seemed to be debating over whether they were safe from him or not before erring on the side of caution and trying to casually slink away from the other houses – especially the Gryffindors who they figured were prime targets on account of Potter. The Ravenclaws looked astounded, this was not like anything they were used too. Ravenclaws were sensible! They did not get involved with Dark Lords! That was left to the Gryffindors and Slytherins! On the other hand said Gryffindors, the House of the Brave was in a shambles, scrambling around for Potter. Because obviously if they gave Potter to You-Know-Who, the Dark Lord would go away!
Harry had to admit that they were all pathetic. If he had been the real Lord Voldemort, most of them would be dead or cursed by now. Didn't they have any defensive plans or common sense? He noticed a few people who were just staring at him unflinching, not reacting at all to the supposed threat. Draco Malfoy, Severus Snape and a few of the older Slytherins. All of those who had the Dark Mark anyway. They knew he wasn't their Lord and from there it was only a logical guess away as to who would not only have the ability but the guts to pretend to be Lord Voldemort.
Dumbledore, looking ridiculous in his Santa suit, shoved his way through the crowd. "SILENCE!!" he roared, brandishing his wand. It didn't do him much good, most of the students, along with a few of the teachers, were trying to get out of the room so his shouting didn't have much affect on a crazed horde of people.
Harry idly tapped his wand against his arm as he waited for someone to do something. Fawkes had got the Orb of Thessulah from Dumbledore's office but Harry hadn't broken the Branding yet. He wanted to see Dumbledore's face as the orb was smashed into a million pieces. Plus once he got his magic back, he had several things he'd like to do to Dumbledore. Hadn't he promised him a little sleep with the fishes?
From his position in the corner, Severus watched events unfold with a raised eyebrow. He'd expected something to happen but not on this scale. And Sybil certainly hadn't helped matters. Idiot woman. Did she think causing widespread panic was a good thing?!
Though he had to admit it, Harry looked positively evil, the very picture of wickedness, especially with those eyes. Trust him to come up with a scheme like this. So very sneaky and Machiavellian. So very Slytherin.
Dumbledore finally came up to him, "Mr Potter I presume?" he asked, his knuckles white from clutching his wand so hard.
Harry had spelled his voice to imitate Voldemort's cold drawl and he wasn't going to let it sit idle. "Obviously Albus," he sneered, sending a shiver through all who heard it. Harry had considerable experience with the Dark Lord and the tone of cold contempt and power was a dead ringer for the real Voldemort.
Albus glared at him. "And what are you supposed to be?" he asked, anger lacing his voice.
Harry looked down at his costume, pulling off the mask and slipping it into his pocket, "The Dark Lord, of course. To be honest I would have thought you'd recognise me before anyone else."
"Mr Potter, you are in deep tr…" The headmaster was interrupted by yet another commotion from the direction of the door. Both swivelled their heads around to have a look at the gatecrasher. Apparently Fudge and his troop of aurors had arrived a bit earlier than expected.
"Ah, Dumbledore! Simply splendid! Just the wizard I wanted to see!" Fudge exclaimed, hurrying over, "We're here for Potter."
Dumbledore gave him an unreadable look, and pointed at Harry. "He's right there, causing more mayhem as usual."
The aurors closed in on Harry and Fudge looked extremely self-satisfied. His career was saved! What a coup the capture and incarceration of You-Know-Who's right hand man was! The Wizarding community would worship him! He looked at the boy in front of him as the aurors moved in, "I will have great pleasure ordering a personal squad of Dementors for you Potter. Your relatives told me quite a bit about your malicious nature and the trouble you caused them."
Harry faked a yawn, "Really? Is that all? Has no one a creative streak anymore?" Other than that remark he didn't seem terribly upset or put-out by the news.
"Didn't you hear me Potter? You're a dead man."
Harry gave a quick glance to the aurors flanking Fudge, thoughts whirling through his brain, "Of course Minister. Though condolences do not help much in this sorrowful time, they lighten my heart somewhat. It was very sweet of you to offer them in person; I know you are a busy man. Though I am surprised, I hadn't known that you and my muggle relatives had been so well acquainted. But I understand completely that you are a bunch of imbeciles and I forgive you for that," he did a slight doubletake at the look of outrage on all their faces. "Was I mistaken in my view of the situation?" he asked innocently, an expression of confusion on his face.
The veins in Fudge's neck pulsed in anger and he had turned a nasty purple shade. The lead auror stepped forward before the Minister lost what was left of his composure, "Mr Potter, you were suspected and now confirmed as being an avid supporter of You-Know-Who since before his second rising and afterwards as well. You are under arrest, having been charged and convicted of treason and unspeakable crimes against the Wizarding World."
Thinking quickly, Harry allowed his eyes to become watery and a single tear clung to his lashes before sliding down his cheek, "I have never supported the Dark Lord, I worked against him. He killed my parents and tried to kill me when I was only a baby. That's why he keeps trying to kill me, and frankly, to accuse me of something so horrible so soon after all he'd put me through is pure callousness. Can I not be allowed some respite from him?" he choked out, ending with a sob that was quickly muffled by his hand. Some of the aurors were starting to look uncomfortable and were looking at him and shuffling their feet awkwardly.
Fudge shook his fist at her, "Now listen here, you little Death Eater…." he began to yell but was interrupted by a gasping sob from the boy before him.
Tears began flowing in earnest and he took a few steps back, trying to quell his sobs, "How can you do this? How can you be so cruel? I have never been and never will be a Death Eater," he sobbed out.
Dumbledore wasn't fooled the slightest, "Faking a crying fit is not going to help you Mr Potter."
Harry glared at him for ratting him out, but gave up the act. Instantly the tears stopped and a wave of his wand returned his blotchy face back to normal. "Fine, fine!" he said throwing his hands up, "I'm a convict. Big whoop." He looked at Dumbledore and smiled sweetly, "But I'm not going anywhere." He pulled the Orb of Thessulah out of his pocket. "I've got a new toy I'd like to show you," he said cheerily.
Dumbledore paled, "Impossible!" he cried, "That's a fake."
Harry shook his head, "You need better security Albus." Raising the orb over his head, he threw it to the ground before anybody could react. Crushing it against the stone floor and breaking it into crystalline shards.
Immediately, Harry's trapped magic coalesced and slammed back into its owner, nearly lifting Harry off his feet with the force. He spared a glance at Dumbledore, the old man looked worried, as he should be. "The puppy's off his leash Minister. Do you really want to stand against me now?"
Dumbledore decided to take charge, "You're still not strong enough to take all of us Potter. Be a good boy and give in quietly."
"So you can kill me? Hmmm, let me think… NO! Merlin! Where do you get off controlling me Dumbledore? I serve no one!"
"It is your part to be a pawn in the scheme of things."
Across the room, Severus braced himself for the worst. He knew how powerful Harry was and picked up on the subtle warnings that the slayer was giving his opponents. Dumbledore on the other hand, deliberately ignored the warnings and continued baiting Harry. A dim glow was starting to surround the slayer now and it was getting brighter as his anger increased. Harry was nearly at his breaking point, Severus could feel it.
Kneeling down in front of the low table in his rooms, Ethan lit the circle of candles and took up the chant, "The word that denies thee, thou inhabit. The peace that ignores thee, thou corrupt. Chaos, I remain, as ever, your faithful, degenerate son. Janus, hear my plea. Take this as your own. Come forth and show us your truth. The mask is made flesh. The heart is curdled by your holy presence. Janus, this night is yours." From the statue, a surge of power rushed out, penetrating everyone in the castle who wore something that was not their true face…
Severus stiffened as some unknown power ran through him, turning the blood in his veins to ice. He felt insubstantial, wraith-like as it stopped his heart and left him in the land of the dead…
In the middle of the dance floor, Hermione and Ron forgot all about the chaos and looming disaster as they performed the 'You're the one that I want' number from Grease.
Flitwick got even shorter and began running around cleaning up after everybody and Draco Malfoy suddenly got a craving for fresh blood.
Dumbledore felt a sudden compulsion for giving out toys but first he had to deal with the boy on the top of his Naughty List. No presents for Potter this year.
Harry's body jerked as a power akin to fire coursed through his veins and he felt truly alive for once. A surge of confidence passed through him. Why should he put up with the muggle lover? Why should he care about control? It was his power! His to use as he saw fit. He didn't have to put up with anybody who was below him like this lot!
Harry quaked with unimaginable rage. Blood pounded loudly in his head, tinting his vision a vibrant red colour. "A pawn?!" he gasped out before he found his voice. "A PAWN! I AM NOT SOMETHING TO ORDER ABOUT AND I WILL NOT BE CONTROLLED BY YOU OR ANYONE! EVERYONE ELSE MAY WANT TO BE YOUR LAPDOG BUT I MOST CERTAINLY DO NOT! I WILL NOT PANDER TO YOUR WHIMS! YOU CAN ALL GO TO HELL FOR ALL I CARE, I REFUSE TO HELP YOU ANYMORE! YOU'RE ONLY A MANIPULATING, DECEITFUL OLD FOOL WHO GETS OTHERS TO DO HIS DIRTY WORK FOR HIM! I HATE YOU!" he screamed at him.
"It is your part to play." Dumbledore said, "It was prophesised."
Harry skewered the man with one of his increasingly potent glares, "Do you really believe that you old fool? You tried to kill me but failed. You laid your cards on the table and you lost. Your true machinations have been exposed. I will never help you again! In fact I'm currently restraining the urge to tie you up with a bow and deliver you to Voldemort!"
His voice shook as he tried to reign in the vicious slayer temper, "You do realise that I can rip this school apart. Blast it into hunks of rubble or simply vaporise it! And yet you still toy with me! I am not a pawn Albus Dumbledore! And with every second, my reasons for not killing you are becoming less and less apparent."
"You can't kill me. Not here. You're nothing without that scar. You can do nothing. Not even your precious master can save you now."
"WHAT?!!!!"
Harry's bellow of outrage was heard throughout the entire castle. Even the enchanted residents of Hogwarts recognised danger when they saw it, students and teachers alike started diving under tables as the castle shook and rattled.
In the Great Hall, every glass or crystal object had shattered and a frigid wind swept across the room, sending things crashing to the floor. Harry's brilliant scarlet nee emerald eyes had turned an eerie glowing absinthe colour and he trembled with the effort of controlling the volcanic temper waiting to be unleashed. Jagged cracks formed in the wood and stone of the furniture and doors and the headmaster and the aurors quickly jumped back as they burst apart into splinters.
Fawkes appeared from nowhere and gingerly flew over and perched on his shoulder, trilling a few notes to calm him down but it didn't affect him in the slightest. Cracks started to appear in the walls as they moved apart and then melted into a flaming puddle of lava.
Harry pinned the headmaster with a piercing and deadly glare that would have terrified the Dark Lord himself, "You actually expect me to go begging to Voldemort and to become his right hand knowing full well that he will brand me with the Dark Mark which I don't want and despite the fact that he tried to kill my parents, tried to kill me and tried to kill my friends – when I had them! And let's not what he feels I did to him shall we?! So you want me to be thrown into Azkaban or what's left of it! Of course that's only if they feel generous, they might just shoot the killing curse on sight now! You think you can brand me a dark wizard with no proof and kick me out of the Wizarding World for the rest of my life, what would be left of it after the Dementors finished with me?! Have you finally gone insane?! I AM NOT A DEATH EATER YOU MORON!"
"So refuse to come peacefully?" the head auror asked warily.
He threw his hands up in exasperation and a stone table flew out the window, smashing the glass and landing thirty feet away from Hagrid's hut. "The answer is no, not a chance, not in this lifetime, no way, in your dreams and absolutely not under no circumstances!"
He stalked across the room with his black robes billowing behind him, heading towards the teachers' exit near the stage. None of the aurors were brave enough – or suicidal enough – to go after him. As he strode through the hall, every single torch went out and every pane of glass shattered into a million fragments. He was in such a temper that he didn't notice his glowing eyes or the deadly balls of ebony and violet flame that erupted around his clenched fists. People dived out of his way, even the teachers. Dumbledore tried to stop but Harry flung out his hand and an ebony tendril shot from it, hitting the headmaster in the chest and sending him flying backwards.
Severus Snape began moving when he recognised the sudden earthquake as one of the results of his Harry's temper. He caught up with him near the back entrance to the Great Hall and blanched when he saw the undisguised and barely restrained fury etched across Harry's features. Taking his life in his hands, he asked, "What's wrong?" lengthening his stride to overtake the slayer's rapid pace and placing himself in front of the younger man.
Harry scowled darkly, "Ask Dumbledore or one of the other Order members. They all know what the old coot did." Snape's eyebrow arched at the venom in his tone and he changed tactics.
"Where are you going? I don't think the general public will be safe with you in such horrendous form."
If anything his scowl deepened and he threw open the doors with a loud bang before answering in a soft, dangerous voice, "I am going elsewhere. If I can't cool off I'll go destroy some public property and when my temper is in check, I'm transferring to Durmstrang. Now move!"
"What?!" Snape shouted, grabbing his shoulder and forcing Harry to face him, instead of slipping past him. "You can't!" He lowered his voice to a whisper, "The Slayer is needed in Britain!" he hissed.
Harry's glare was nearly hot enough to burn holes in the floor, "I know what I am doing Snape. I don't know how the hell you find out but if you're wise you'll forget everything you ever learned about the Chosen Ones. I can't stay here without going to Azkaban and I am never going to let myself go willingly at those imbecile's orders."
Severus Snape found his own temper beginning to boil as Harry stiffened suddenly, his slayer senses flaring to life. "What are you?" he hissed, "You're dead."
"Merlin Potter," Severus growled, "Didn't you feel the spell earlier? The one that hit everybody?"
Harry looked surprised, then contemplative and then the anger was back. "Ethan Rayne," he snarled, "I'm going to kill him!" Extending his senses, he swept the room for the wizard but couldn't find him. What he did find was ten times worse… there was a master vampire in the room…
Dumbledore tried to hex him from behind, obviously recovered from his flight across the room. The head auror tried to catch him unawares but Harry raised his wand and muttered a few indecipherable words. His opponent collapsed from exhaustion and he easily took his wand, now in a hyperactive state. It was a new spell of his invention, a modified version of the spell used by a healer to feed energy to a patient. His spell allowed the caster to absorb the victim's energy, only halting when the victim either went to sleep or collapsed in exhaustion. It wasn't life threatening though it did tend to make the caster hyperactive.
Enough was enough. Screw the slayers don't kill rule. Albus Dumbledore was going down.
Rounding on the old wizard, Harry's eyes were wild but his grip on his wand was firm. "You wanted to contain me, cage me! Like an animal! Did you think I would let this go?! You tried to destroy me!" he yelled, as he lost his tentative control over his temper. Damn Ethan's spell. Why oh why did he have to dress up as a Dark Lord of all things?! Dumbledore backed up slightly, wary of the young wizard.
He pointed his wand at Dumbledore, "Turnabout's fair play, isn't it old man? An eye for an eye and all that jazz."
Dumbledore gave a signal to someone behind Harry and a stunning spell was released by another auror.
The stunning spell hit him but its effects didn't reach him thanks to a wandless shielding charm but he still fell to the ground, playing possum. He heard footsteps approaching him and a pair of hands reaching for him. Quicker than the human eye could follow, his hand shout out and grabbed one of their legs, giving a sharp tug and sending them crashing to the ground. Flipping to his feet, he took off running before anyone could react.
Harry skidded across the Great Hall, coming to an abrupt stop as he registered that one, everybody was looking at him like he was crazy and two, there was no vampire in sight but his senses were going haywire. He should have been able to see him. It was very puzzling as his slayer senses were screaming 'Vampire Alert!'.
"You may as well come out Vampire. I know you're there," he called, fingering his wand.
"Don't be ridiculous Potter. If this is your idea of a practical joke...." McGonagall threatened, seemingly oblivious to the stares of disbelief from the aurors who were trying to get past his shielding spell.
Harry looked around and saw that most people echoed the Transfiguration Professor's sentiments. But that still didn't help his problem any. His senses told him to look up fast and he instantly obeyed. There looking down at him from the ceiling was the vamp, who lunged at him, knocking them both to the ground.
Harry tumbled through the doors of the Great Hall, still grappling with the demon. He detangled himself and jumped to his feet, "Clear the way people!" he yelled at some nearby students who took this as an opportunity to run screaming out of the side door near the Head table.
A quick staking took care of that problem but that vamp had only been a minion. Where was the master?
The vampire in question strolled into the Great Hall, causing all conversation to cease abruptly. Dumbledore stopped trying to dismantle Harry's shield to focus on the newcomer but the vampire paid him no attention. His attention was focused on Harry, who turned to face him slowly, fingering a stake hidden up the sleeve of his robes. "You know what I want," the vampire stated with an Irish accent.
Harry cursed inwardly, Angelus. Just what he needed. He'd really have to wing it now. "A bubble bath?" Harry asked sardonically, "I'm no mind reader Angelus."
"You killed my Childe." Angelus hissed.
Harry nodded, "Yes, but she was absolutely insane. I know it runs in the family and all but come on, who cares?"
"Baiting me won't work." Angelus said amusedly. "Are you so eager for your death?"
"Funny, I would have said the same thing about you. But what can I say? Been there, done that."
Angelus never got a chance to answer as Voldemort and his merry gang of Death Eaters flooded into the hall. Harry fought the urge to just kill himself there and then. What was this? Gang up on Harry day?
Voldemort stalked over, robes swirling around him. If things hadn't been so dire, Harry would have laughed, they were in practically identical outfits. "Who are you?!" he demanded of Angelus, "I have a claim on that boy! You can't kill him! That's my job!"
"I'm Angelus, the Scourge of Europe, the one with the angelic face, leader of the Order of Aurelius, yadda, yadda, yadda," the vampire said carelessly, "Care to introduce yourself?"
"I've heard of you. You're quite infamous for a muggle. I am Voldemort, the Dark Lord."
"I've heard of you too. That slaughter at Avonvale was an inspired piece of work. You might give me a run for my money, even if you are a mortal."
"I'm no mortal. What are you doing here?"
"He killed my Childe, Drusilla. I spent years making her what she was. It should go without saying that I want revenge."
"As I said, you can't kill him. I have a prior claim. He reduced me to a state less substantial than a ghost when he was one and has hindered by resurrection two times as well as ruining my plans every time I make one!"
"Now listen here, I got here first. He's my kill."
"I've been trying to kill him for sixteen years! You have no right!"
"Do too!"
"Do not!"
By now most of the observers – and Harry – were starting to get seriously freaked out. Harry couldn't believe they were fighting over who had the most right to kill him!
"I'm the wizard here!" Voldemort said, "I am stronger than you, you overgrown bat!"
Angelus bared his fangs, "I'm two hundred and fifty years old. You're a child compared to me."
"Enough!" Harry yelled, "Neither of you are going to kill me. Voldemort, You've been trying to kill me since before I can remember. Don't you think it's getting a tad redundant? And Angelus, compared to Voldemort, you're the Easter Bunny."
Ignoring their outrage, Harry smirked and casually waved his wands at the shards of the Orb of Thessulah, restoring it. He held it up mockingly, "Remember this Angelus?!"
"You wouldn't dare!" Angelus roared.
"Wouldn't I? Really Angelus, what do you know?" Still clutching the orb, he began to chant while holding a shield against the enraged Master Vampire,
"Nici mort nici al flinçtei,
Te invoc, spirit al trecerii,
Reda trupului ce separa omul de animal,
Cu ajutorul acestui magic glob de crystal.
Not dead, nor not of the living. Spirits of the interregnum, I call. Restore to the corporal vessel that which separates us from beast. Use this orb as your gui…" Harry never got to finish as Angelus barrelled into him, knocking the now glowing orb out of his hands and smashing it once more.
The Death Eaters, Voldemort, Dumbledore and the aurors took this as their cue to attack. Throwing Angelus off him, Harry raised his hands to the ceiling and lightning crackled overhead, visible through the bespelled ceiling. "You have ten seconds to either run or disapparate or else I'll fry you with that."
The Death Eaters looked nervously at the sky before one seemed to gather his courage and drawled, "You can't kill. You're a Gryffindor." The wizard spoke with a surety that Harry found laughable.
"Oh really? You try to kill me every time you see me. No mercy. Did you think I would treat you any different?"
The deadly obsidian coils of magic entwined around his arms became visible. "I did warn you." he threw her hand out and one of the coils mimicked his movements, flying forward and gouging a small crater in the floor, where the small group of Death Eaters had formerly stood.
Voldemort backed off, deciding to wait until Harry had finished taking care of everyone else. By then, he hoped, Harry would be worn down considerably.
Dumbledore decided to try what had worked before. The whole hall watched in disbelief and horror as the knife flew from the headmaster's hand and imbedded itself just above Harry's heart. Crimson blood gushed from the wound and he reeled backwards, falling to the floor and staring at the wizened wizard with utter fury at this final betrayal. The old coot couldn't even be bothered to duel honourably in case he lost! Dumbledore lifted his wand and said the two words that everybody feared the most, "Avada Kedavra!"
The eerie green light blasted from his wand towards the stricken Harry. Voldemort thought uh-oh and yelled at his followers to take cover before diving behind a table himself. Harry tried to get out of the way but his sluggish body wouldn't move fast enough and the curse impacted.
Like when he was a baby, it slammed into him and then miraculously rebounded, his scar reflecting the green light and pulsing with the glow. It was sent back towards Dumbledore and Angelus who were blasted into the wall.
Harry watched in fascination as his skin knitted back together before his eyes, the mortal wound healed within seconds. Turning to his would be killers – all of them – and his green eyes flashed. Glowing unnaturally and the power within lashed out just as multiple Avada Kedavra's struck him.
Once the hidden cache of power had expended all its force and its task was finished, the unknown power receded back to where it lay dormant inside of him, just as the effects of the spell started to happen.
There was an enormous flash of light and the following shockwave knocked everyone onto the ground. The light expanded until it filled the whole room, brightening until it was blinding and unbearable to look at and then there was a loud explosion that rocked the whole castle.
It was the last thing Harry saw before everything faded into black....
When the light dimmed, there were murmurs of shock and matching bellows of outrage from Dumbledore, Angelus and Voldemort. Harry Potter was missing....
~*~*~*~~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~
A/N:
Remember, REVIEWS make me write FASTER. They provide ENCOURAGEMENT. *hint hint* By the way for any of you Buffy and Lord of the Rings fans I've got a crossover fic up called 'A Light to You In Dark Places'. Do check it out if you're interested.