Chapter 9: The Trials of Love
"Albus Dumbledore," Harry said, as he led the female elf to the head table. "I'd like you to meet Allia Vashi Daldanan, one of the best elves to ever wield a blade, since the Vanishing, and a fellow Marauder. Allia, this is the headmaster."
"Greetings to you headmaster. I bring with me fifteen warriors, a trio of healers, and an elven mage. We pledge ourselves to the defense of this school, and its students." Allia said.
"It is a pleasure to meet you. Where are your comrades?" The headmaster queried.
"They are waiting just outside. Would it be possible to have someone escort them to where they will be garrisoned? There are some things I need to discuss with the Prince in private." She said.
"Of course. I will escort them to the new wing myself." He answered.
"Thank you Albus," Harry said. "Come Allia, there is an office for you in the new wing. I'll lead you there now."
As Harry led Allia out of the great hall, he paused briefly to ask Ron, Hermione and Ginny to meet him in the Lair as soon as he was finished talking with the elves.
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"Is this room well warded?" Allia asked as the entered the office.
"Yes. No one will be able to overhear our conversation." Harry replied.
Good. The War Party was being mobilized as we left Faladais. They should be ready to march in about a week. It will take the full force approximately one month to get here, although the company of Wind Riders will be here a week earlier. They will be responsible for preparing the camp for when the full force arrives. I'll inform you as soon as they are in position." She said.
"Great. That's sooner than I was expecting. So tell me, do I know any of those you brought with you? Harry asked.
"Yes. Sadly, your cousin Eryn was unable to come, as she was sent on patrol just a few days ago. You do know a few of the warriors though, you trained with some of them; Evan, Elian, and Lanis. Melnan is the head healer." She said, before pausing.
"And the mage?" He asked.
"Emrys, I am sorry." She said, with sympathy evident in her eyes. "She was the only one ready to come on such short notice."
"No! Please no! Tell me your joking?" He asked desperately.
"Emrys, I'm sorry. There really was no one else available." She said.
"Dammit! She can't have been the only one. What about Olvyn?" He asked.
"He's too old to gate, you know that. He's coming with the rest. Most of the mages are currently on patrol. The unit Olvyn will be leading will only get back to the city two days before the War Party heads out. Astara was the only one available to come right away."
"But she thinks she loves me! She spent the entire time I was in Falandais trying to seduce me! She stalked me everywhere." He said, shuddering.
"I know Emrys. But she's also a highly skilled mage. It'll be okay, I swear to you. We're on assignment, she'll be professional." Allia said reassuringly.
"I hope so Allia, I truly do." He said dully.
"Anyway, why don't you give me a tour?" She said, changing to a more happy subject.
"Sure," he said, smiling faintly. "Let's start here."
"Here?" It's just an office isn't it?" She asked.
Harry grinned. "Not at all. Activate Tactical Map." He said, in an authoritative voice.
The already large room expanded as a large table rose up in the centre of the room. The table seemed to be covered in hundreds of little lines.
"Bloody hell!" Allia gasped in awe. "That's one heck of a Marauder's Map." And it was.
It was much more detailed than the original, giving more description of people shown on it. Harry had taken the time to ensure that nothing like what happened in his fourth year would happen again. If someone was using polyjuice potion, or in animagus form, it would say so. It had also been expanded to include the new wing, Hogsmeade, and a mile into the forest.
"It's wired to the school's alarms. If it detects a hostile force of over twenty people or creatures, the alarms will sound. It can also be used as a communication device. To talk to someone, simply place your finger on the dot representing the person you wish to speak to, and you can talk to them as if they were standing right next to you. It has also been designed to alert the both of us if it detects anything that is questionable." Harry said.
"Wow, impressive." Allia said. "Now, how about a tour? When we're done, I'll introduce you to the troops, and we can brief them."
"Okay." Harry said, as he led he out into the hallway.
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"Okay, here's the situation." Harry said, as he addressed the elves, Allia standing at his side. "As far as anyone else knows, we are the only elves defending Hogwarts. The forces that will be stationed within the forest shall remain a complete secret, even from the headmaster. No one must find out the true size of the elven forces that will be in the area. I want the enemy to be cocky and overconfident when he eventually attacks. If anyone asks, you are a war party. Now, I want two pairs of elves patrolling the grounds at all times, and another pair patrolling the school. The rest of the warriors are off-duty, but expect to be called upon if necessary. I want at least one healer on duty at all times as well. Astara, you are to stay in the school at all times. I want you to be ready to cast defensive spells over the students if an attack comes. Do not worry about offensive spells against the enemy, that will be done by the mages with the main force."
"Of course my prince." The mage answered. "I'll do whatever you wish."
Harry winced, giving her a forced smile.
"Anyway, over the next few days, I want you all to become familiar with the school, and surrounding area. That is all for now."
The warriors and healers quickly filed out of the room, although Astara remained.
"Hello again Prince Emrys." She said, as she approached him slowly. "I have missed you most horribly."
"Ah, Astara," Harry began nervously. "As much as I would like to stay and chat, I've promised to introduce Allia to a few people." He finished, as the quickly fled the room, pulling Allia along with him.
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"So, who was it you wanted me to meet?" Allia asked, as he led her through the halls.
"Well, you know how you said it was a shame I would be the only Marauder at Hogwarts?" Harry said.
"Yes..." She replied.
"Well, I want to introduce you to the newest three Marauders." Harry said.
"Excellent! I can't wait to meet them." Allia said enthusiastically.
"Well, they should be waiting in the Lair, and since we're almost there, you won't have to wait long." Harry said, as he led her to the entrance.
Saying the password, Harry led Allia into the Lair. Almost immediately, he noticed the three figures talking quietly on the couches he hadn't noticed when he first visited the Lair. It seemed the Lair was equipped to be a home away from home for the Marauders. It had several large couches as well as a fireplace to one side. Leading Allia to the couches, he cleared his throat to attract the talking trio's attention.
"Flame, I'd like you to meet Swift, Feathers, and my girlfriend, Huntress. Guys, this is Flame, the one who taught me most of what I know." Harry said.
"It's a pleasure to meet you all. Especially you young Huntress. Bolt here was quiet popular amongst the females at Falandais. I am shocked to see he has finally settled down!" Allia said teasingly.
"Please don't go there Allia." Harry said grimacing. "Anyway, I think it would be appropriate for the Marauders to strike tonight at dinner. So, why don't we get to the planning?" Harry asked.
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That night at dinner, the Marauders were anxiously awaiting the start of their prank. Flame, sitting at the table that had been placed beneath the head table for the elves, would be responsible for the teachers. Bolt would do the Slytherins, Swift the Hufflepuffs, Feathers the Ravenclaws, and Huntress would be targeting the Gryffindors. The Marauders as a whole had decided that since this was their first group prank, they would target the entire school. No one would be spared.
At the given signal, the Marauders struck. In a flash, where once students and teachers sat, now sat beasts. In place of the Gryffindors, minus the Marauders of course, were lions. The Ravenclaws had been transfigured into eagles, the Hufflepuffs badgers, and the Slytherins snakes. Each teacher became the animal that represented the house they were most connected to. There were two exceptions. The first was Professor Dumbledore. He had been changed into a phoenix. The other exception was Draco Malfoy. Harry smirked as he saw what Malfoy had become. In place of the Malfoy heir now sat a ferret. A brilliant pink ferret. And it was bouncing.
Had it not been for Flame and Bolt's expertise, the prank would not have been possible. There was no way the other three would have been able to manage such complex transfiguration, and with such numbers. Therefor, Bolt and Flame had designed a potion which would cause the transfiguration, and all the others had to do was cast the trigger spell, and it would take effect. A simple visit to Dobby prior to the meal, and the prank was easy.
As with the last prank, a message was left. Golden writing formed in the air in the centre of the great hall, spelling the words; "Now that's the way to show House pride! Good for you. Love from the Marauders -Bolt, Swift, Feathers, Huntress, and Flame."
"Right then guys, I think now might be a good time for us to leave." Harry said, turning to his fellow Marauders.
Nodding, the others followed him out of the room, grinning broadly.
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My Lord, I'm... I'm sorry. We failed to kill Potter." Wormtail stuttered as he addressed the Dark Lord. "He used some sort of strange magic to kill the others. It seemed to be attracted by their evil. I don't know what it was."
"Not to worry Wormtail. Lucius managed to find a moldy old book hidden in the depths of the ministry that was written several thousand years ago. It talks of a race of beings with an Aura that could destroy all evil it encountered. I believe this is what you encountered. It shouldn't be too difficult to find a way to shield against." The Dark Lord said.
"My Lord, there is something else you must know. It seems that Potter has brought about a score of elves to defend Hogwarts." Wormtail said.
"I am not worried about a few measly little elves. Now tell me, how are the plans progressing for the attack?" Voldemort asked.
"They are going well, Diagon Alley will fall on Halloween my lord. I swear it." Wormtail replied.
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Harry was awoken the next morning by a wave of icy cold water being poured over his head.
"And a good morning to you too Flame." Harry said, without opening his eyes. "You know, I had almost gotten used to not waking up wet."
Allia grinned down at him. "Well, we can't have that can we?"
"How did you get in here anyway?" Harry asked, rubbing sleep from his eyes.
"Dumbledore's given us free run of the place!" She said smirking.
"God help the Slytherins!" Harry exclaimed.
Allia grinned even wider, if that was possible. "Indeed! Now get up, we're going to train!"
Harry groaned as he got up out of bed.
He followed her down to the Quidditch Pitch, were the other elves had already gathered to begin their morning rituals.
"Right then you lot!" Allia cried. "Let's get to training."
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Ron woke up a while later, but still earlier than he was used to. Grumbling to himself as he climbed out of bed, he took a quick glance out the window.
"Bloody hell!" He shouted, waking up the other boys.
"Whatsa matter Ron?" Seamus asked sleepily.
"Harry and the other elves are down on the Quidditch Pitch, and it looks like Harry and Allia are trying to kill each other!"
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Harry and Allia continued their sword fighting, not even noticing the crowd that was steadily growing. It seemed that the Gryffindors had told the whole school, and they had gathered to watch the fight.
Harry and Allia continued for ten minutes, impressing those watching with their skill, before Harry at last noticed the watching crowd. He paused slightly mid-swing, frozen in shock that they were being watched. Allia, of course, took advantage of this, and quickly disarmed him.
"Bad Emrys! Don't lose your concentration like that in the middle of a fight. It's not good for your life expectancy." Allia laughed. "Alright troops, that's enough for today," she said, turning to the other elves. "Get yourselves cleaned up, and to your assigned positions.
The crowd watching quickly dispersed, although Harry noticed Ron, Hermione and Ginny stay behind. He signaled that he'd talk to them after a quick shower, and then rushed to the locker rooms. The elves on the other hand, made their way back to their section of the castle, no doubt to clean up there.
None of them noticed that Astara wasn't with them as they re-entered the castle.
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Harry had only just finished his shower, and was in the process of getting dressed when he was suddenly thrown back into the wall, and a pair of lips were pressed against his. He was so stunned by this that he simply stood in shock as Astara kissed him.
It was this that Ginny, who had grown concerned when Harry was in the locker room for so long, walked in on. She stood in shock as she watched her boyfriend kissing another girl. Then she became angry.
"Harry, how could you! I thought you cared about me! I HATE YOU! I never want to talk to you again!" She yelled at him, before storming out of the room.
Regaining his senses, Harry pushed Astara off him, and took off after her.
"Ginny wait! You don't understand. I love you!" He called.
Ginny turned around and glared at him. "How dare you say that? I can't believe I ever thought I loved you! You're nothing but a dirty lying bastard!" She yelled in his face, before giving him a resounding slap, and running off.
Harry sunk to his knees as realization sunk in. He'd lost her. Burying his face in his hands, he began to cry.
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This was how Allia found him, when she went looking for him when he didn't show up at breakfast.
"Emrys? What happened?" She asked.
"Astara." He said simply, looking up at her with a tear stained face.
"What did she do?" Allia growled. Harry was like a brother to her, and if that mage had hurt him...
"She... she kissed me. And Ginny walked in." He said.
"Oh Emrys. I'm so sorry. Don't worry, I'm sure if you explain it too her-"
"No. She made it quite clear she didn't want to talk to me. I feel like my life has no point anymore. When she said she didn't love me, it felt like something had been ripped from my soul." He said.
Allia's eyes narrowed suspiciously. That sounded oddly familiar, but she couldn't place it.
"Come on Emrys. Lets go to my office, I'll make you some tea to help you calm down." Allia said, as she pulled him to his feet.
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The next three weeks were pure hell for Harry. He tried to talk to Ginny, to explain, but she merely turned her back on him. Ron wasn't speaking too him, and neither was Hermione. His life was miserable. Allia, and the other elves were the only ones who supported him, so he spent most of his time not in class with them. He had sunk into a stupor, and nothing Allia could do seemed to be able to bring Harry out of his depression. He never talked anymore, and all he did was stare blankly at people when they talked to him. Allia was beginning to get very worried.
It was the first of October when in suddenly came to a head. Harry had been sitting with th e elves at their table for dinner one evening, staring listlessly at his plate, when suddenly he had felt the urge to look at Ginny. Lifting his gaze, he met her hate filled eyes. Suddenly he felt as though all her hate and rage had been thrust into him. Standing unsteadily, he was shaken by the force of the emotions running through him. Then he collapsed.
Allia had been watching him with worried eyes. She had seen him look over at Ginny, and then suddenly, his eyes had been filled with emotions that we're clearly not his. She watched as he shook with the strength of the emotions running through him, then paled with sudden dread when he collapsed. If this was what she thought it was...
"Melnan! Get over here now!" She cried for the healer.
"What's wrong? Did he simply pass out from stress?" The healer asked when he made his way to her side, his words being heard by the entire hall.
"Look into his eyes Melnan. What does that look like? Read his emotions. Tell me, is this what I pray it's not?" She asked, dread filling her voice.
Confused, the elven healer bent down next to the prone elf. His eyes quickly scanned the young elf's body, reading his personal aura.
Suddenly the elf paled visibly, and leapt to his feet, turning horrified eyes to Astara, who was watching.
"What have you done you fool! Were you trying to doom us all? He is Lorinagalea!" The elf cried.
The students and teachers watched confused as the entire contingent of elves leapt to their feet, all turning horrified gazes to the suddenly very pale Astara. In the sudden angry yells that erupted from the elves, those listening could only make out a few select phrases.
"How could you!"
"You would interfere with the Light's Will?"
and,
"How could you be so foolish?" Were the three that stood out the most.
Those watching were stunned. Here were the normally cool elves, who never seemed to lose their calm exterior, lashing out at one of their fellows in supreme anger. They watched as Allia, visibly striving to contain her rage, approached the stunned mage.
"I warned you. I warned you against trying anything. I warned you against continuing the foolishness you did in Falandais. But you didn't listen. You thrust yourself upon him anyway, and now look what has become of it. You will be returning to Falandais immediately. Your judgement is obviously lacking. If the King and Queen do not strip you of your powers for this alone, you can rest assured you will never be on assignment again. I can promise you this though. If this is not repairable, if you have broken the Lorinagalea, there will be no doubt that the King will strip you of your powers, with the full support of the Mage Council, and you will be cleaning the stalls of the stables for the rest of your life. Before you leave however, you will attempt to right the wrong you have committed. You will tell the truth."
Astara nodded meekly before approaching the Gryffindor table. She paused when she reached Ginny.
"You need to know that Emrys did nothing to betray you. It is my fault. I kissed him. He didn't kiss me. I had been trying to get his attention since he first came to Falandais. It is not his fault. Do not blame him." She said.
Ginny nodded stunned. Harry hadn't betrayed her? He really did love her? Oh god, and she'd been so horrible to him for the past three weeks. She leapt to her feet, and ran over to where he was.
"Harry? Harry, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry I didn't trust you! Please wake up." She cried, before turning to look up at Allia. "What's wrong with him?"
Allia looked down at her in sympathy. "Come Ginny. There are some things you need to know. Until you do, you cannot aid Emrys. You are the only one who may be able to help him, if its not already too late." She said, as she led Ginny towards her office, with the rest of the elves still standing around horrified, while Melnan the healer conjured a stretcher to take Harry to the healing room in the new wing.
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"Ginny, the first thing you must understand," Allia began, once the were in her office. "Is that Harry was horrified when he found out that Astara was the mage I had brought. She had stalked him for the entire time he was at Falandais, and he couldn't stand her."
Ginny nodded. She felt very guilty.
"Now comes the complicated part. When Harry passed out, I believe he was feeling the emotions that you were feeling about him. If you felt anger, he felt that anger."
Ginny nodded. "When he looked at me, I felt extremely angry at him. I wanted to see him hurting. Do you mean its my fault he passed out?"
"Yes. But not in the way you think. It was not simply him fainting. You need to know this; amongst our people, there is something called Lorinagalea, life bonding. It is when a couple is destined to be together. When it is the Will of the Light that those two be together. Interfering with a Lorinagalea bond is considered one of the worst things an elf could do. It is to go against the very will of the Light. If a Lorinagalea bond is broken by an elf, it dooms our entire race to being without the Light's guidance for a century. To a people who are so closely tied to the Light, this would be a curse most foul. I have never seen the bond between an elf and a human, but that may simply be because it is extremely rare. In the past thousand years, there has been only one Lorinagalea bond. This was between Emrys's parents."
"So you're saying we have this bond?" Ginny asked.
"There is no doubt about it. That is why Emrys is now as he is. When you felt such anger towards him, especially a desire to see him hurt, it strained, and possibly broke, the bond. This has sent him into a coma. The only way to wake him from this coma is for you to enter into his subconscious and bring him out. This will only work if the bond has only been strained, but not broken. If it has been broken, then nothing will bring him out." Allia said gravely.
Ginny gasped. "Of course, I'll do whatever I can!"
"Thank you Ginny. I can only hope that it will be enough." Replied Allia.
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Ginny approached the bed where Harry lay still. She was scared at how still he was. Even in the past when he was in the hospital wing, he wasn't this still.
"Harry?" She whispered quietly. "I'm sorry. For what it's worth, I'm sorry." She said, before looking to Allia.
"I'm going to cast the spell that will take you into his mind. You must convince him to return."
The elf said seriously.
Ginny nodded, and Allia cast the spell.
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"Harry?" Ginny called, as she looked around. She appeared to be at the Dursley's. "Harry where are you?"
There was no answer. She walked slowly through the hallway, intending to make her way up the stairs to Harry's bedroom. She stopped when she heard a voice coming from under the stairs. Opening the cupboard door, she gasped at what she saw.
It was Harry, but not the Harry she knew. This one appeared to be only seven years old. He was sitting with his back to the wall, and was hugging his knees to his chest, rocking back and forth, crying.
"No one loves me. No one cares. No one loves me. No one cares." Were the words he kept repeating, in time with his rocking.
"Harry? It's me, Ginny." She said gently.
He looked up.
"Hullo Ginny. What are you doing here?" He asked sullenly.
"I've come to get you. You need to come back." She whispered.
"Why?" He asked.
"Because people need you. I need you." She said quietly.
"That's all I am to people. A tool. No one loves me. No one cares about me. They just want me to kill Voldemort. You didn't know that did you? That's what the prophecy says. I'm the only one who can kill him. No one cares about me, they just want me to do a job." He said.
"Harry that's not true. People do care for you. I do care for you." She said.
"You? You hate me. I know that much." He said.
"No Harry, I don't hate you. I love you. I just screwed up. I'm sorry for not trusting you. Please come back." She pleaded.
"No. Just go live your life without me." He said.
"I can't live without you Harry. I won't live without you. I won't do it." She said abruptly.
"What do you mean?" He asked.
"I mean, what makes you think I would want to live without you. If you don't wake up, what makes my life worth living? What's there for me to live for?" She asked.
"I...Ginny you...you really mean it?" He asked hopefully.
"I do Harry. I really do. I love you. I can't live without you. I need you." She said.
"I...I love you too Ginny." He said, before everything faded away.
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Ginny jerked back to consciousness. She was sitting beside Harry's bed, with her head resting on his chest. Looking up at him, she saw his eyes slowly fluttering open.
"Harry?" She asked.
"Gin? I'm so sorry Gin. I didn't want to-" He began.
"Hush Harry." She interrupted, silencing him with a finger to his lips. "It's okay. I love you more than anything Harry Potter."
He looked down at her.
"I love you too Ginny Weasley."
With that, he pulled her face up to his, and kissed her gently on the lips.
