Chapter Four

Harry Potter lay perfectly still upon the hard floor. He lay beneath the un-blinking red eyed stare of his archenemy, Lord Voldemort. The Dark Lord carelessly held out his wand, hissing tones lightly, calling out the counter curse, "Enervate."

Blinking with sudden awareness and blinding pain from his throbbing scar, Harry pushed himself upwards by his hands. Emerald eyes immediately saw his wand, lying off to his right side. Refusing to cringe in pain, he reached out for his wand and weakly made his way to his feet.

Voldemort grinned with absolute joy as he watched the swaying young male stand. He finally had his chance to destroy his only obstacle to power. Crowing in delight, "Tonight, my faithful followers, tonight we shall finally prevail. While they search for their saviour, we shall attack before dawn."

From the circle surrounding Harry Potter, two pairs of eyes watched with blank expressions as the young male struggled to keep from screaming beneath the long sessions of rapidly applied 'Cruico's.' Fleetly glancing to each other left the other confused, neither had a plan to save the boy without losing their life in the process. But someone else had a plan.

'Let the boy go. He's safe with us. But when you leave you shall take a gift to your other master.' The soft voice called out to them, knowing they would not like the idea of leaving the boy to die.

Knowing they wished not to be caught, eyes remained pinned on the thrashing figure before them as their minds screamed out, 'But this would mean Harry's death!'

'It is fated. You all had said one must die by the other's hand but it is not true, cannot come to be. The time for the true prophesy has begun. One of darkness shall fall and one of evil shall taste of true darkness. It is fate that you do as your dark master bids.'

Turning their distracted and confused attentions to the shaken body of Harry Potter, who struggled back to his feet, still grasping his intact wand. All the Death Eaters waited with baited breath as Voldemort raised his wand again, "Join me in this final curse to end his life, my faithful. We shall rid us of all obstacles."

As one, the entire circle raised their wands. Harry refused to cower to his enemy nor fight back, simply accepting his fate. A part of him knew this was what had to be done. Emerald eyes watched, listlessly, as a single curse, empowered by many, flowed forward, "AVADA KEDAVRA!"

Gleefully, Voldemort and his followers watched the brilliant green light rush towards the small teenager. Red eyes glittered as the light faded and Harry's lifeless body fell to a crumbled heap. "The world is ours!"

'Go to your headmaster and warn him. I shall meet you outside the school's wards. For I have a pressing matter first.'

As Voldemort and his followers crowed with victory a dark cloud of smoke spiralled from the ceiling. Wands held to defend, their victory was cut short as they watched a lithe figure suddenly appear.

Wrapped in a flimsy, shimmering, ankle length shawl, the young female glided towards the fallen boy. Bare feet graced the floor, noiselessly. "Who are you!"

Years from not verbally speaking caused her to fine tune her mental abilities, 'I am Pythia.'

Before more volleying of questions, she lifted the light body into her arms as another pillar of smoke swarmed about her body, allowing her to vanish. Red eyes flared in anger, "I want that body back!" Dismissing his followers to find Harry Potter's body, Voldemort raged in anger.

Two followers simply hurried back to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Just as they appeared in the darkness of the Forbidden Forest, the shadowy trees curled about part of the land outside the giant majestic castle, a familiar figure, empty handed, waited before the invisible wards protecting the school. 'You have arrived. Come, we have little time.'

Slightly confused, they led the female through the mazelike halls of Hogwarts to a large stone gargoyle, protecting the headmaster's office from everyone's view under the password was given. "Pixie dust."

'Pixie dust?' Pythia hadn't met anyone needing to have a single phrase that childish to open their rooms.

Her companions sighed in annoyance, "The headmaster goes from various candies to Muggle movies." Raising her brows in question, one of her companions had beat her to it, "Muggles are people who cannot do magic like normal wizards."

She simply nodded as they stepped forward unto the revealed spiral staircase, carefully spiralling upwards to a hidden cedar entrance. Knocking quickly, a jovial voice spurted out, "Come in!"

As the door creaked open the young female almost wished she remained in the shadows instead of putting the next hours of her master's prophesy into early alignment. Inside the large half-circled office sat a many seated table, filled with various people. One glance said that they had interrupted a heated argument.

Twinkling blue eyes smiled as they stepped forward, "Ah, Severus, my boy. Welcome back." It was then he noticed the two shadows behind the dark haired man, "Who's your friends, my dear boy?"

The second heavily robed figure removed his mask to reveal his pale aristocratic features, everyone simply gaped at the sight of the rich pompous Lucius Malfoy. Pale blonde brows lifted as lightly narrowed blue eyes glittered as the voices stung with venom, "Malfoy!"

The blonde male simply sketched a mocking bow to an irate animagus, Sirius Black. He knew the mutt had yet to clear his name for a crime he didn't do. Although, as a high positioned loyal Death Eater Lucius knew all about Peter Pettigrew, the simpering rat cowering by his Master's feet. "Yes, I've come to offer what I could, again."

Before the straining ex-prisoner of Azkaban could do any damage, Albus Dumbledore quickly hurried his curious inquiries away from the arrogant blonde, as well as the confusions of the others. Only he and Severus knew Lucius Malfoy was risking more then just his life with any information to use against the Dark Lord, "Who's your friend, gentlemen?"

'I am Pythia.'

The elderly wizard sat back, eyes twinkling. A smile tugged at his lips, hidden behind the long floor length white beard. "A noble name indeed. An ancient Greek oracle, who was well known for the sleeping python curled about her feet during her times of visions."

'Ah, the mortals tales of those long ago still breathe. She was a great ancestor of my that I had recently learned of. But I have come at the bidding of 200 years before.'