Chapter 27
(A/n: Sorry about the delay, the computer had to be taken down for a couple days.Hopefully I will still be able to finish the story by the time HP&THBP comes out!)
Headquarters was a tense place to be the following day. Splikvin was still furious at Algor and annoyed at Snape. Harry could tell that she was distracted though, because he beat her quicker in practice dueling than usual.
Harry was playing chess with Ron—and loosing horribly—when the fireplace roared into life; Krum came out running. His robes were covered in soot, and not just from the fireplace. There was a scorch mark on his cheek and slight burns on the hem of his robes. His eyes met Harry's. "Vhere is Professor Epans?" he gasped.
"The living room on this floor I think," Harry replied, standing up, "What's-" he didn't finish his question because his scar began to burn. He clutched at it, biting back the urge to scream in pain from the intensity. A cruel, maniacal laughter rang though his mind. 'See what resistance gets?' Voldemort hissed to him as Krum left at a sprint befit a Seeker.
Harry brutally shoved at Voldemort, pushing the wizard from his mind. Laughing still, Voldemort faded, leaving Harry on his knees and gasping for air. Had he done it? Or had Voldemort left of his own accord? It was hard for him to tell with the pain. "You alright, mate?" Ron asked, kneeling next to him.
Harry nodded wearily. "Will be," he croaked. "Voldemort's happy…'bout….something."
Ron helped Harry to his feet. "Should we go tell someone?" Still trying to catch his breath, Harry nodded. However, as soon as they made for the door, more people came in. "What's going on?" Harry asked, catching Remus by the arm.
"Voldemort has attacked Durmstrang," he answered, "They were hosting a ball for the Russian, Bulgarian, French, American, and British Ministries." Harry's and Ron's eyes widened. "We're flooing ASAP to Selena's old house, she still owns it. We'll travel to Durmstrang form there; some members are going with Fawkes though."
"Meet you there," Harry said, and did a double-teleport to the Hideaway, then Durmstrang. What greeted him there brought Harry's memories of the first Headquarters' destruction. That seemed so long ago, but it was only a few weeks.
Flames leapt up from the school, smoke filled the air, and the Dark Mark glittered evilly above it all. People were yelling and screaming as others tried to douse the flames. But not matter how much water was thrown at the flames, nothing happened. Harry reached out with his elemental magic, trying to sense how much was on fire: the dungeons, Quidditch pitch, and the first to fourth floors. Crap, he thought; only the last two floors remained whole—for now anyways. Harry tried to use the snow that could still be found on the ground, but to no effect—the flames seemed water-proof.
He heard the pounding of feet and looked behind him: the Order had arrived. Well, half of it: Dumbledore, Sirius, Dung, Splikvin, McGonagall, Bill, and Charlie. Splikvin's eyes widened in panic and she ran over to Harry. "How much is there?" she asked, getting out her wand.
"Only the top two floors're left," he replied, coughing as smoke engulfed them.
"Get back!" the Durmstrang Headmaster ordered, "One of the towers is going to collapse!" Sure enough, the north-west tower began to shake, stones toppled, and new flames roared over the screams.
"There are people in there?" Splikvin yelled.
"We couldn't get them out," Mr. Weasley, in dress robes covered with scorch marks, told her.
"To hell with that!" Splikvin growled, and ran towards the burning school.
"Selena!" exclaimed Sirius. Tallon changed into a phoenix and flew after her with Padfoot as a dog beneath him. They followed her through the flaming doorway and became human.
"What are you doing?" she demanded as she ran towards a staircase.
"Moony'll kill me if you get hurt," Sirius replied cheerfully.
"You'll get burned to a crisp without help," Harry added, and bent the flames out of their way.
Splikvin smirked slightly, "If you can do that as a phoenix, it'll help." She said as they ran up a mahogany stairwell. "Flying is quicker." Harry nodded and became a phoenix once more as Sirius turned into an eagle and Splikvin a vampire.
The smoke affected Tallon less now, and he could see more clearly through it. The intense heat he'd felt seconds before was no more than it would feel on a late spring day. Sirius kept close by him as the glided over Splikvin. When the stairs gave away, Padfoot screeched a warning. Splikvin jumped up several steps, then onto the flame-free walls, where she scuttled across them like a beetle.
They dashed down several more flame-infested hallways and up many more staircases, made of either wood or marble. Harry began to rely more and more on the warm updrafts to keep himself air born; his constant use of elemental magic to keep the flames away was draining him. Nevertheless, he flew on.
At last they reached the fifth floor. Splikvin tried to open one of the doors, but it was locked. Exerting some of her vampire abilities, she knocked the hinges off; Harry and Sirius followed her into the room in human form.
Several people were huddled near the back of the room; Harry noticed in a panic that some were children.
"Are you alright?" Splikvin yelled over the noise of another tower collapsing. Some of the people looked up, others remained still, crying silently. "Why didn't you get out through the windows?"
"They're locked," a young man with a Russian accent answered. "A spell we can't get rid of is on them."
"See," Harry muttered, and looked at the windows. He grimaced: misty green serpents were coiled around them, with darker green skulls in the middle. "End. It's Voldemort," he told Splikvin, "He's keeping them shut. I'll bet it's on each window in the castle."
Splikvin nodded and looked at the others. "Get up," she ordered, "Follow me, there's another way out other than stairs." The children were carried by the adults as Splikvin led them out at a jog. Sirius carried an unconscious woman and Harry another child; sweat trickled into his eyes from the heat.
The defense professor led them down a hall as she counted her steps, running her hand down the wall. She stopped and pushed on one of the stones three times, then rapped it with her knuckles: a passage revealed itself. "Get in!" she yelled as flames burst through a nearby door. "Slide down; it leads to the back field area." The people obliged, scrambling in one at a time. Splikvin turned around, "Sirius, go with them."
He looked like he was about to argue, but didn't. "You two be careful. Die, and I'll never forgive either of you, ever."
Harry set the kid he was carrying down, and ushered the little girl into the passage, "No worries," he told his godfather, who then slid down the passage as well.
"Let up on the magic," Splikvin told him as the passage sealed itself. "I don't want you fainting on me."
He nodded, panting, and released his magic—flames sprang up from the wooden ceiling. The two of them charged up to the last floor in one of their own animagus forms, breaking down the doors that wouldn't open. The only other place they found people was in the infirmary area, located in the last tower standing. They were mainly Ministry officials from Bulgaria and France, herded there by the flames.
"We'll take you to a passage that'll get you out," Splikvin told them as they backed nervously away. "Just follow-" The tower shook beneath their feet. Harry gasped and threw out his magic, holding the stones in place. The sudden surge of magic drained him of his physical strength, and something fought him—the stones themselves. Splikvin caught him, and lifted him over one of her shoulders.
Tallon was only dimly aware of being carried at a jog down the hall, dodging falling beams and flames. Splikvin stopped at a large scorpion statue. It bowed its head and scuttled aside, revealing a door. Harry heard it open and the group entered a room that was sharply cool in comparison to the scorching hallways. He released his hold on the tower, and immediately felt a rumble and a shake, telling that the tower had fallen.
A bookcase moved aside, and another passage appeared. Splikvin ushered the others inside, where they raced down the stairs. The bookcase moved back into place as the flames began to greedily spread into the room.
Splikvin pulled on a torch as the stairs trembled, and they flattened, creating a slide of sorts. There were several screams of fright as they plunged down the spiraling passage; Harry's head practically skimming the surface.
The rush of air brought Harry out of his daze slightly. They landed with a thump in the entrance hall, and Splikvin began to run for the doors, along with the others.
With the last of his energy, Harry pushed the flames aside so that they created an arch for them to get through. Splikvin dropped him as she jumped aside from a falling beam that was on fire. Sparks flew, and Harry dragged himself to his feet, then ran for the door. He dove into some of the remaining snow; it nearly hissed as it melted he was so warm. The coolness felt good though, and he rolled over before falling unconscious.
"We can still help it!" Splikvin's voice snapped, "It's not like we can do anything else!"
"My dear, we need to put our efforts into breaking down this shield." The firm, slightly-less-than-calm voice was familiar, but not one Harry knew well. He blinked his eyes open, and saw an acid green dome above him. He jerked upright and looked around: the dome surrounded all of Durmstrang and the people outside of it; the flames still raged on.
He looked at the people arguing: Splikvin and Headmaster Ilvgont. Several other people he didn't recognize were standing nearby as well. Padfoot was helping out with those injured nearby with Hermione, Mrs. Weasley, and Charlie. Some Order members were resting, others were talking amongst themselves.
Harry stood up, his knees a bit wobbly still. His dizziness ended after a few moments, and he was able to walk around for a bit. The argument between Splikvin and Ilvgont ended, and she came over. "Feeling any better?" she asked gruffly.
He nodded. "Thanks. What happened? How's this dome get here?"
She rubbed the back of her neck. "Voldemort showed back up soon after you blacked out. Somehow he got passed the wards the Headmasters set up, and he put this shield around us. We can't get out and, by the looks of things, nothing can get in. Not even air.
"It's only a matter of time before the fire, and us as well, use up the oxygen, and if that happens then," she shrugged, "You get the point."
Harry suppressed a shudder, pessimist, he though. "What about the wards?"
Splikvin raised an eyebrow. "What about them?"
"Can't the Durmstrang wards be used to fight the dome? I know the Hogwarts ones can do something like that."
"The boy was a point," Ilvgont said, "Perhaps if activated, they could work."
"Then do it," Harry said, "It's worth a try."
Ilvgont sighed. "It is, but the Durmstrang wards are not particularly east to activate. Only someone who is keyed into them and has been re-instated, I suppose is the best word, recently can activate them."
"What do they have to do that makes it difficult?" asked Harry.
"Relive the time they were first keyed into the wards," he answered gravely. "Though that in itself is not terribly hard, the temptation to change what has been done is. Also, anyone within a mile radius of the school will see the activator's memories, thus, it is more a matter of trust and comfort on their part." Harry blinked, creepy.
"Who was the last person re-instated, then?" Splikvin asked.
Ilvgont looked at her, "You."
"What!" Splikvin exclaimed, "How can I be the last person? I was keyed in when I was fifteen!"
He sighed. "Yes, but you were re-instated more recently than I, and none of your colleagues are here."
She glared. "I was re-instated when I took the job, you were five years ago."
Ilvgont lowered his gaze. "I also re-instated you when you told me you were planning to leave.
Splikvin frowned in thought, then growled in annoyance. "Fine, let's get this over with, and pray that it works."
The Headmaster of Durmstrang nodded and pulled out a mirror. He traced several runes around the edges and let go. The mirror hovered in the air and glowed with a copper light. It then began to enlarge, growing taller and wider until an adult could see themselves entirely. A picture began to grow in it, foggy and unclear. Splikvin took a breath, "Have everyone ready once I finish." She said.
Ilvgont nodded. "Be careful, you must not change anything."
"I'm not an idiot," she grumbled, and walked through the mirror.
Harry felt something jerk him in a hundred different directions. Thousands of colors rushed in front of his eyes, leaving Harry disoriented. When at last things steadied, he was no longer standing near Durmstrang, but on a dimly-lit street. It was night, witout a cloud in the sky. Harry was guided to a grey building near the end of the street, and he thought he saw flickers of other people that were at Durmstrang with him. He then saw others he knew, namely from the Order: Dumbledore, Sirius, Remus, Snape, Ron, McGonagall, and Ilvgont; they flickered in an out of his vision, giving him a headache.
Harry was pulled through the main doors of the building and through a dim hall, then up a flight of stairs into another hallway. There was an indoor balcony hanging over this hall, and Harry spotted a thin but sturdy rope dangling from it. Looking at the ground, he saw a loop of rope—it was a trap. However, the rope blended in well with the rough tan carpet and faded brown walls, hiding it so that only if you knew what to look for would you see it. Someone not paying attention could easily fall into whatever trap it was.
A stifled laugh drew Harry's gaze back to the balcony: a pair of mean-looking teenage boys were waiting, while a third came down the stairs. He passed through the flickering form of Ilvgont, who seemed unconcerned—Harry found it unnerving. The teen had a fishing line and tied one end to a bar that held up the banister of the stairs at ankle-height, then tied the other to a nail in the wall a little ways down the hall at the same height.
Harry was wondering what on earth all this had to do with Splikvin when a fourth teenager came into the hall. It was a fifteen year old girl, with curtains of greasy, shoulder-length black hair that covered most of her face and pale skin. She was dressed in a black, baggy sweatshirt and a pair of jeans that were also too large—it was Splikvin.
She was readying something as she walked, unaware of the rope the boys had set up. Harry saw the uneasy looks on the flickering faces of Sirius, Remus, and Dumbledore, and felt the same. When Splikvin's foot stepped in the rope-hoop, the boys on the balcony pulled, laughing as Splikvin was caught and dragged until she dangled two feet in the air.
Snape was glaring murderously at the three boys, and Sirius and Remus cringed; this was too much like Snape's worst memory for anyone's liking. Harry thought he saw the adult Splikvin appear for a moment in her younger selves' place, but when he blinked, he didn't see anything other than what was happening.
The teenage Splikvin pulled herself up and cut the rope with a knife, and she dropped to the ground. She scrambled to her feet, only to be tripped by the fishing line. The third boy came out and grabbed her by the hood of her sweatshirt as he laughed something at her.
Splikvin glared at the teen and punched him in the gut; he released her with a gasp. However, the boy punched her in the jaw in return, splitting her lip. He hissed a taunt at her in Bulgarian and Splikvin kicked him in the groin as she sneered something in return. The two boys on the balcony ran down the stairs and joined the fight, kicking and punching angrily. Harry couldn't help but wonder why no one had heard the fight.
A sudden bang caused the three boys to be blown backwards into various walls. Harry looked to the left and saw another teenager in the hall, but he was dressed in dark blue robes and held a wand upraised. His appearance rang a bell in the back of Harry's mind. With the other boys unconscious, this new one lowered his wand and walked over to Splikvin. He knelt next to her and muttered something.
"I'm fine," Splikvin snapped, pushing herself off the ground. Her voice was gruff and angry; she winced slightly.
The teen rolled his eyes. "You were tackled into a wall, punched, and kicked," he said in a drawl, "You've got a cracked rib at least; that isn't what most people consider 'fine'."
"I told you I'm fine!" she growled, wiping the blood off her lip and nose.
"Right, you've probably got a concussion too." He reached out to steady her, but Splikvin jerked away.
"I'm-" she stopped as she swayed, eyes becoming unfocused as she lost consciousness.
"Not fine," the teen muttered in finish and caught her. He pulled something out of his pocket and said, "Falcon."
Harry felt a jerk behind his navel and found himself once again standing in the Durmstrang Infirmary. It looked a lot different when there wasn't a fire. Time seemed to speed up as the teen put Splikvin on one of the beds. A young man came out of the office, shook his head, and began to inspect Splikvin, not seeming surprised in the least. It was like watching a movie on fast forward to Harry, but soon time slowed as the sun rose and Splikvin woke.
"Only two weeks into summer and I still end up in the fucking infirmary," she growled to herself as she sat up in the bed. She popped her neck before swinging her legs over the side; the mysterious teenager walked in.
"Feeling better?" he asked smugly, "I told you you weren't fine."
"Shove it Karkaroff," she growled, "I didn't need any bloody help." Harry stared; that was Karkaroff?
Karkaroff smirked. "A 'thank you' would be appreciated."
She sneered at him. "I'll thank you once you tell me why the hell you were there."
He shrugged. "I'm not stupid. I know you get into trouble over the summer. I decided to visit. The Headmaster wants to see you, by the way. Now thank me, it's polite."
She rolled her eyes. "Thanks," she hissed in Parsletongue.
He looked confused. "What?"
She smirked, looking a lot like Snape. "That's the part where you say 'you're welcome'." With that, she left the infirmary at a jog. She traveled down several halls, stopping on occasion to say hello to some of the portraits that were snakes. When she arrived at a falcon statue, she said: "Gnartsmrud" and it moved aside.
Inside the room was the Headmaster's office. It wasn't Ilvgont, but a man in his late fifties with grey hair and sharp black eyes.
"You asked to see me Sir?" Splikvin said bluntly.
He nodded. "Yes. Please, have a seat." She sat in one of the chairs. "Tell me, how has your summer been going?"
"Normal." She replied.
"I am sure you will be able to leave soon," he said, slightly gently.
"Meanin' in a year," she said bitterly. "It's not like some muggle is going to want a temperamental, greasy-haired witch for a kid."
"You didn't always think of yourself that way." He replied. She looked sharply at the Headmaster.
He looked back at her with a hint of sadness in his eyes. "Selena, I know you were once different. I know your parents did not really die at sea. I know that you have gone to Hogwarts and," His voice grew slightly quieter, but it was just as serious. "That you are bitter because you left your brother."
Splikvin stood abruptly and made for the door—it disappeared. "Let me out," she growled, "I don't want to talk about it."
"Then allow me to talk about it," the Headmaster replied, she glared. "Selena, I need you to look at something, I will not let you leave until you do." He stood an uncovered a mirror. It was large and silver-backed, bearing an uncanny resemblance to the Mirror of Erised. Splikvin reluctantly walked over, still glaring.
"Put a hand on it," he instructed, "And look at it."
Splikvin did so and pictures began to flash by: they were her memories. Harry caught glimpses of the pictures he'd seen in Snape's photo album, along with scenes with other students. Harry saw Splikvin joking with the Marauders, mimicking the professor in potions, and laughing with his mom. The Splikvin outside the mirror-memories smiled fleetingly as she watched.
The Headmaster smiled slightly as well, his sharp eyes becoming less hard. "You see? You were a much happier person. Life will be easier if you only become that person again."
Splikvin's smile vanished quicker than a shadow at noon, and she looked away from the mirror, though her hand remained on it. "Looks can be deceiving," she said stonily, and the images in the mirror changed. A young Splikvin was dueling with her father, being blown into the wall or burned, but getting up each time… she used the Cruciatus on a bird for practice…she exercised with knives, Algor yelling at her to go faster…she was kneeling before a red-eyed wizard in the middle of a ring of Death Eaters, her wand at his feet…
Splikvin took her hand from the mirror, causing the images to vanish. "Life is never easy Sir," she said in a quiet, bitter voice. "But we do what we have to, and learned to deal with it. My life is no different." She turned and walked to the door, which had reappeared.
"You will always be welcome here Selena," the Headmaster told her solemnly as she opened the door. "You will always be able to call this place your home."
She nodded, "Thank you Sir." A gentle copper light shone in the room, and Harry closed his eyes as Splikvin walked through him. When he opened his eyes, he was back in his own time.
His gaze was drawn to the mirror, and Splikvin stumbled out—she was still fifteen though. Durmstrang shone with a bright copper light as the flames vanished, and the Headmaster smiled. "If you all would be so kind as to hex the barrier," he said, voice carrying over everything, "I would be much obliged."
Even some of the children got out their wands, and the dome flickered for a moment. More curses were hurled and the light from Durmstrang struck at the barrier under Splikvin's direction.
Finally, the barrier broke with a crash, splintering into pieces of raw magic before vanishing altogether. Harry snatched the opportunity to test his theory, and grinned as, flushed and panting, it worked. He released it, and collapsed once more.
Coming Up:
Plans
Then:
Fight or Flight
Review Response:
diablosdarkness: I'm not sure, I don't think so though.
PsychicLunar: Sorry to disappoint you; who's Regulus?
(A/N: There's been a change in plans for the plotline of the story. If you remember in the Then or Coming Up the word 'Leech' ignore it. That part has been deleted from the plotline. Sorry for the confusion if it occurred)