Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
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Harry couldn't get his conversation with Alex out of his mind. It frightened him for some reason and he knew it wasn't good.
He sighed as he thought of the possibilities of his situation. But all ended in one thing.
Voldemort was returning to power.
He had defeated him before with the help of the Sacred beasts of Alexandria but according to Alexander and Shiva, most of them were resealed.
He still had Angelian's mythril gunblade but he knew he needed more than that to defeat the Dark Lord.
Why was this happening again, he asked himself. A few months later he would have been married to the most wonderful woman in the world and the darkness spreads like ink in a glass of water.
He needed to consult with his mentor for answers he doesn't have.
*** ***
Cho's first vision when she opened her eyes was a blurry gray figure by her side that looked like... She opened her eyes and quickly sat up.
"Cedric!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"
"Just dropped by to see you," he smiled.
"Really?" she said confusingly.
"Really," he said. "So? What are you up to?"
"What you meant was what happened to you?" she said sullenly.
"That too," he admitted. Cho sighed and looked at him.
"I'm fine Cedric," she said but the ghost wasn't convinced.
"You're not," he said softly. Cho looked away and he felt her pain.
"It's hard, Cedric," she said. "I love you so much."
"And I love you too," he said. "But you can't have a life with me."
"Why not?" she asked. Cedric smiled ruefully at her.
"There are things that I can't give you," he said.
"I... like what?" she asked.
"Like the touch of human flesh," he said.
"Oh come on!" she frowned. But Cedric held up his hand.
"Think about it. The greatest pleasure of being human is to hold someone dear in their hearts. I can no longer give you that satisfaction. No shoulder to cry on and... well, lonely nights."
"Are you implying that I need to get laid?" she said in frustration. Cedric felt uncomfortable.
"All I'm saying is that you need to get on with life," he sighed. "Please?" Cho sighed and looked at him.
"It's going to be hard."
"I never said it was easy," Cedric said. "So? Who's the guy?"
"Guy?" she asked. "What guy?"
"Please," he smiled. "You had that look when you had a secret crush for me."
"Is it that obvious?" she asked sheepishly.
"Extremely," the ghost said. Cho sighed and looked at the window.
"You're not mad?" she asked.
"I'm happy that you're continuing with life," he said. "So who is it?" he teased.
"No one in particular," she smirked.
"Who?" he urged.
"He'll hear us," she whispered.
"If you're talking about the tall, dark and handsome with amethyst eyes that can't focus he's not at the castle," Cedric said. And he added in a soft tone. "You're serious about him," that was not a question.
"Yes," she said. "I am. And don't threaten him saying you'll rise from your grave and haunt him."
"Are you kidding?" Cedric asked as he looked at her as if she was crazy. "That man could frighten a ghost to the netherworld."
Seeing his frightened face, Cho laughed.
*** **
"Harry!" Professor Dumbledore smiled as Harry entered his office. "What brings you here?"
"An odd sensation," he smiled.
"And what sensation is that?" the old wizard asked.
"Like you're keeping things from me," Harry said. The Professor paused and shook his head.
"I'll come right to the point," he sighed. "Voldemort is back." Harry groaned at the news.
"At full strength?" he asked.
"Not exactly," the wise wizard said. "Peter had a 'helping hand' and entered the school trying to steal the necronomicon."
"Did he?"
"Fortunately Ian stopped him. But he escaped," Dumbledore sighed. "I must admit he gave me a fright."
"Why?" Harry asked.
"It's not my place to tell you this but you have to know," Dumbledore smiled sullenly. "Ian uses a kind of magic long forgotten by wizards of lore. It was more powerful than Dark magic and more destructive."
"Does Voldemort know about this," Harry asked almost fearfully. The thought of someone more powerful than Voldemort scared him.
"No," Dumbledore smiled in relief. "He does not even know that such magic existed. Only Merlin had the chance to see the full potential of this magic. And he regretted it dearly."
"Regretted?" Harry was confused.
"In the last days of Camelot, Merlin burned a maiden to the steak, claiming she was a dark witch. There's no evidence that this happened save for Merlin's confession. This does not leave this room," he said gravely. Only when he got Harry's assurance did he continue.
"It was my deepest mistake to have placed that girl to her death and my sins had haunted me for years," Dumbledore said in memory. "I wish that the Dragon mage will forgive me and let me rest. But what I did was unforgivable. I had let my pride judge an innocent maiden and sentenced her to death. And now her spirit haunts me and his love for her will be the end of me.
"Forgive me."
"Did he?" Harry asked quietly. "Did he forgive him?" Dumbledore sadly looked away.
"The Dragon mage does not forgive a sin as great as that," he said. "Up to this time we cannot determine what had happened to Merlin."
"Why is he helping us?" Harry asked.
"Now that is a question you have to ask him," Dumbledore sighed and leaned on his chair.
Harry cringed. From what he heard from the Professor, he was better of fighting the Dark Lord again rather than talking to Ian about that subject.
"Enough about him," Dumbledore's face brightened a bit. "We need to formulate a strategic plan to rid this world of evil."
Now that was a task Harry was looking forward to.
.
End of 17
.
Harry couldn't get his conversation with Alex out of his mind. It frightened him for some reason and he knew it wasn't good.
He sighed as he thought of the possibilities of his situation. But all ended in one thing.
Voldemort was returning to power.
He had defeated him before with the help of the Sacred beasts of Alexandria but according to Alexander and Shiva, most of them were resealed.
He still had Angelian's mythril gunblade but he knew he needed more than that to defeat the Dark Lord.
Why was this happening again, he asked himself. A few months later he would have been married to the most wonderful woman in the world and the darkness spreads like ink in a glass of water.
He needed to consult with his mentor for answers he doesn't have.
*** ***
Cho's first vision when she opened her eyes was a blurry gray figure by her side that looked like... She opened her eyes and quickly sat up.
"Cedric!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"
"Just dropped by to see you," he smiled.
"Really?" she said confusingly.
"Really," he said. "So? What are you up to?"
"What you meant was what happened to you?" she said sullenly.
"That too," he admitted. Cho sighed and looked at him.
"I'm fine Cedric," she said but the ghost wasn't convinced.
"You're not," he said softly. Cho looked away and he felt her pain.
"It's hard, Cedric," she said. "I love you so much."
"And I love you too," he said. "But you can't have a life with me."
"Why not?" she asked. Cedric smiled ruefully at her.
"There are things that I can't give you," he said.
"I... like what?" she asked.
"Like the touch of human flesh," he said.
"Oh come on!" she frowned. But Cedric held up his hand.
"Think about it. The greatest pleasure of being human is to hold someone dear in their hearts. I can no longer give you that satisfaction. No shoulder to cry on and... well, lonely nights."
"Are you implying that I need to get laid?" she said in frustration. Cedric felt uncomfortable.
"All I'm saying is that you need to get on with life," he sighed. "Please?" Cho sighed and looked at him.
"It's going to be hard."
"I never said it was easy," Cedric said. "So? Who's the guy?"
"Guy?" she asked. "What guy?"
"Please," he smiled. "You had that look when you had a secret crush for me."
"Is it that obvious?" she asked sheepishly.
"Extremely," the ghost said. Cho sighed and looked at the window.
"You're not mad?" she asked.
"I'm happy that you're continuing with life," he said. "So who is it?" he teased.
"No one in particular," she smirked.
"Who?" he urged.
"He'll hear us," she whispered.
"If you're talking about the tall, dark and handsome with amethyst eyes that can't focus he's not at the castle," Cedric said. And he added in a soft tone. "You're serious about him," that was not a question.
"Yes," she said. "I am. And don't threaten him saying you'll rise from your grave and haunt him."
"Are you kidding?" Cedric asked as he looked at her as if she was crazy. "That man could frighten a ghost to the netherworld."
Seeing his frightened face, Cho laughed.
*** **
"Harry!" Professor Dumbledore smiled as Harry entered his office. "What brings you here?"
"An odd sensation," he smiled.
"And what sensation is that?" the old wizard asked.
"Like you're keeping things from me," Harry said. The Professor paused and shook his head.
"I'll come right to the point," he sighed. "Voldemort is back." Harry groaned at the news.
"At full strength?" he asked.
"Not exactly," the wise wizard said. "Peter had a 'helping hand' and entered the school trying to steal the necronomicon."
"Did he?"
"Fortunately Ian stopped him. But he escaped," Dumbledore sighed. "I must admit he gave me a fright."
"Why?" Harry asked.
"It's not my place to tell you this but you have to know," Dumbledore smiled sullenly. "Ian uses a kind of magic long forgotten by wizards of lore. It was more powerful than Dark magic and more destructive."
"Does Voldemort know about this," Harry asked almost fearfully. The thought of someone more powerful than Voldemort scared him.
"No," Dumbledore smiled in relief. "He does not even know that such magic existed. Only Merlin had the chance to see the full potential of this magic. And he regretted it dearly."
"Regretted?" Harry was confused.
"In the last days of Camelot, Merlin burned a maiden to the steak, claiming she was a dark witch. There's no evidence that this happened save for Merlin's confession. This does not leave this room," he said gravely. Only when he got Harry's assurance did he continue.
"It was my deepest mistake to have placed that girl to her death and my sins had haunted me for years," Dumbledore said in memory. "I wish that the Dragon mage will forgive me and let me rest. But what I did was unforgivable. I had let my pride judge an innocent maiden and sentenced her to death. And now her spirit haunts me and his love for her will be the end of me.
"Forgive me."
"Did he?" Harry asked quietly. "Did he forgive him?" Dumbledore sadly looked away.
"The Dragon mage does not forgive a sin as great as that," he said. "Up to this time we cannot determine what had happened to Merlin."
"Why is he helping us?" Harry asked.
"Now that is a question you have to ask him," Dumbledore sighed and leaned on his chair.
Harry cringed. From what he heard from the Professor, he was better of fighting the Dark Lord again rather than talking to Ian about that subject.
"Enough about him," Dumbledore's face brightened a bit. "We need to formulate a strategic plan to rid this world of evil."
Now that was a task Harry was looking forward to.
.
End of 17