Disclaimer- I don't own Harry Potter.
AN: I've made a decision. This will be a Harry/Ginny story, or at least I'll make every attempt to do make it one. (How did it happen? Well, re-reading it, I just said, " it, I'll make it an H/G story." Yes, my exact words one night) Sorry to those who are only reading this for the uniqueness or... whatever else you read this for.
Chapter 7 The First Battle
Harry sat on a moss-covered rock he created, a makeshift chair for him to sit in. Comfortable but firm at the same time, he liked to sit on it and just think. Normally he would admire some creation of his or think about his lost memories, but today he pondered what would happen today. He could sense that Lily was close to Him, to the one called the Dark Lord, and he briefly cringed at the idea that his Guardian would fall to the Dark Lord. The Angel was fast with her wings, and tireless, and strong, with a blade capable of cutting through stone, but still, Harry feared for his Guardian.
Maybe he should have gifted her with weapons and armor, protection, he wondered to himself, and, curious to see if he could, he focused on a mental picture of a slender, feminine, golden armor that was twice as strong as steel. Immediately, he opened his eyes, and there it was.
"I should have considered all the options... I should have made allies for her... I should have..." Harry trailed off, shaking his head as he admired the craftsmanship of his newly created armor, the armor for his Guardian. It gleamed in the sunlight, bright and ethereal, as if it was merely liquid light.
Sighing, Harry realized there was nothing more he could do but wait. Looking around his island, his Paradise, he smiled again. A wonderful, living ecosystem all contained on a single island, with nothing but peace and prosperity. It was fitting that Harry named it Paradise.
But without the Guardian, Harry felt alone, naked, unprotected, but at the same time, relieved. His pseudo-mother/guardian angel left him with a small bit of discomfort for some strange reason. He wasn't sure why... it could have been the fact that he was replacing his mother with a creation fanatically loyal to him, it could have been the idea of spending any time with something he created from nothing...
Everything here was his creation... everything here sprang from his mind, from his soul. Everything here was a reflection of what he desired. The world bent itself backwards to accommodate him. Harry could do anything, craft creatures so beautiful and wondrous that words would tarnish their beauty, spawn unholy demons that could kill without remorse. And everything he created was his responsibility. Not because of duty... but because he wanted to care for them. They were like his children, every plant, every animal, the water, the streams, the land was all his.
His potential power was limitless... all he need do was tap into it, want it, will it, and his will be done on Earth. Anything at all... to preserve life, to destroy life, to make life... it was all within his power.
Harry sighed again. The occupation of a Creator was true insanity... infinite power, infinite responsibility, and Harry also had mortal fallacy and weaknesses to go along with it.
The combination, he knew, was sure to destroy him soon enough, either his sanity or his very soul.
A new possibility, unbidden, unwanted, burst forth from his slowly slipping mind. He could transcend that mortality. He could perfect himself with his powers... he could cast off this puny mortal shell... he could ascend... transcend his mortality... and be as if he were a god. He could be a king, no longer the downtrodden, no longer feeling fear or hurt or pain or suffering that mortals feel, no longer have the doom that was death that befalls all mortals hanging over him, and be the ruler of all things, be the Creator, the absolute power in the world, the Judge, Jury, Executioner, the one with true power... he could be a god.
The possibility both frightened and intrigued him terribly... and a deep yearning for such transcendence emerged, a yearning for complete power and domination... where his creations would forever be untouched by the world... and he felt that he may not be able to resist the call of immortality, of perfection, of godhood, for long.
Once more, Harry sighed.
Remus Lupin sighed slowly, downing some hot tea, and then promptly sprayed it all over the table he was sitting at. Nearby, Nymphadora Tonks laughed hysterically, tears falling from her tired eyes as she supped her tea gracefully, surprisingly enough.
"Oh ha bloody ha." Remus drawled sarcastically, wiping his mouth.
Tonks grinned at the older man, despite how tired they both were. Neither had slept too well, both thinking of the battle ahead, and the tea they were drinking was supposed to help keep them awake. "I should have warned you... this is Moody's brew. Absolutely no sugar. Says it keeps Aurors awake on long nights," Tonks explained, pouring Remus some more of the tea.
"Disgusting." Remus remarked, but drank it down anyway. Unsurprisingly, it jolted him awake with its bitter taste and intense heat.
The two became quiet again, waiting for the show to begin. Dumbledore asked them to stay in the Three Broomsticks to help keep civilians out of danger, while the other members of the Order were scattered around Hogsmeade, ready to ambush Voldemort's forces and fight a guerilla war in the village.
The Auror watched as the werewolf began losing himself in depressing thoughts of a certain green-eyed boy that was now dead most likely, and considered the pros and cons of speaking. Eventually, she decided that Remus, that the Order could not afford the former professor to be brooding on the morn of a battle.
As Tonks opened her mouth to break the silence, something else beat her to it. More specifically, a terrified shriek of innocents about to be slaughtered.
And then a second sound followed, a high pitched, cold, dark laugh that sounded like the Devil himself, and then the words of the Killing Curse.
Remus and Tonks bolted from the room at high speed, and every step they took was echoed by a new sound. First the silence following Death, then a symphony of panic and disordered screams, and then more laughter and Cruciatus, Killing, and other manners of curses, and then a new chorus of screams, a chorus of pained and tortured ones, and then the cycle began again.
Every scream and silence cut into both Order members souls as they ran faster and harder, desperate to stop any more voices from joining the chorus of silenced souls. After an eternity, they reached the end of the stairs, and right as their feet touched the bottom stair, the door exploded inward, smashing into a young woman and crushing her against the wall.
But neither the werewolf nor the Auror could help, as they were hurling various spells through the door, trying to hold back the assault that was happening far too fast to stop. Crabbe Senior was the first down, blasted right outside and crushing Goyle Senior and Avery underneath him.
Remus suddenly noticed that there were more spells, different spells than the ones he and Tonks were hurling at the door. Looking out of the corner of his eye, he saw the youngest Weasley give him a determined thumbs up, crouching behind a table with her brother and Hermione.
"Tonks? I thought Dumbledore cancelled the Hogsmeade trip!" Remus gritted out in the small lull between the assault, pointing at the students.
The Auror's head turned in the direction Remus pointed at, and her eyes widened and her mouth went into a circle of surprise. "I should have known," She muttered, shaking her head. "Let's hope Molly doesn't find out."
Remus agreed silently, but before anything else could be said, Lucius Malfoy stepped forward, firing off a Razor Wind Hex that sliced a deep wound into the wall, and narrowly missed the werewolf, who rolled aside. Unfortunately, Tonks wasn't so quick, and took a hard slash across her side, an incision finer than any blade could manage. She fell to floor, bleeding profusely across the wooden floor, and would pass out, maybe even die of blood loss soon if Remus didn't help.
But Remus had his own problems. The werewolf's eyes widened in horror, as Lucius smirked triumphantly, both knowing that Remus would never be able to raise his wand to do anything before the elder Malfoy struck again. As the words of death formed on the Death Eaters mouth, he was suddenly and violently hurled backwards. Shocked and stupefied, Remus turned to see that Tonks had raised her wand from her position on the floor.
The Auror had managed to fire off a Force Spell that crushed Malfoy's chest against its force and sent him into a wall, before she dropped her wand and gasped in pain. She swore under her breath as the werewolf rushed over to help her, collapsing into the floor just as Remus reached her.
"Shallow... no internal organs thank Merlin..." Tonks assessed in a pained whisper, part of her training as an Auror. Quickly, Remus healed the wound as best he could, but Tonks had already lost a lot of blood, and was all but out of the battle.
"Stay still. You're not moving." Remus ordered sternly, and then glanced at Ginny, Ron, and Hermione, who had moved to the Auror's side. "You three," He motioned, "Are in big trouble. But right now, I need you three to stay here and keep Tonks safe. Got it?" He asked.
Ron and Hermione nodded, but Ginny asked, "You're not going out there, are you? You're outnumbered at least ten to one!"
Remus shook his head. "The other Order members are here. I've got to help them. Stay here." He ordered, and then dashed outside, where the battle was reaching a turning point.
Lord Voldemort laughed as he watched an elderly witch scramble, running in a terrified lope away from the Dark Lord, before his Killing Curse struck her down. For the first time in years, the Dark Lord felt alive again. He was where he truly belonged, purging the Wizarding World, his power unchallenged and unchecked, just like the days before the Boy-Who-Lived and his first defeat.
Eventually, Dolohov, Rodolphus, Rabastan, and Macnair had herded them into a kneeling, disarrayed heap in front of their master, who smiled viciously.
"Where is your hero now!" The Dark Lord asked the terrified masses, sheep struggling to escape the wolf. "Where is he!"
No one dared answer the red eyed devil. No one, save one brave soul. An elderly man, who ran a small curio shop and had seen a young man with green eyes wander his store, wide eyed and curious many a time. "He will be here!" The man answered, one of the few who still believed that the Boy-Who-Lived, who had been deemed lost and dead a month ago, was still alive somewhere.
"CRUCIO!" Lord Voldemort hissed, laughing. "Ha, you haven't heard the news old man. Harry Potter is dead, at my hands. He is dead!" The old man screamed and convulsed, but was suddenly freed from the pain when a new voice spoke.
"Enough Tom." Headmaster Albus Dumbledore thundered, his voice as soft as a whisper yet louder than an eruption. Next to him, Alastor Moody and Kingsley stepped, their wands trained on the Death Eaters, leaving their leader to deal with Lord Voldemort.
The Dark Lord turned, and all four of his Death Eaters trained their wands on the elderly Headmaster, who brimmed with power and authority. They all flinched, and were relieved when their master motioned for them to take on Mad-Eye and Kingsley, so he could deal with the only one he ever feared.
As the Death Eaters and Order members began their fight, watching their respective leaders out of the corner of their eyes as their battle commenced. Moody ducked a Razor Wind Hex and fired off a Blasting Curse, while Kingsley covered his back with a Shield Charm, blocking a Cutting Curse and a Force Spell before it faded.
"I think we're in trouble, old man!" Kingsley gritted out, narrowly avoiding getting sliced by another Cutting Curse.
"This is nothing laddie!" Moody responded, and with a sweep of his wand, sent Dolohov and Macnair into a wall with a Concussion Wave Spell.
"Not bad, for an old man." Kingsley commented, before he used an Incapacitation Spell to blast Rabastan into a wall. Unfortunately, the Lestrange brother had fired off a Blasting Curse, which sent the Auror straight into a wall.
Mad-Eye swore as Dolohov staggered up, while Macnair lay unconscious, and Rodolphus Lestrange circled to flank him. Gritting his teeth, the retired Auror muttered, "I'm too old for this," before he plunged back into battle.
"It ends here old man. You cannot defeat me." Lord Voldemort whispered, but his voice was carried by the winds and his one-time Headmaster heard him clearly. "Potter is dead. And with him, that foolish prophecy is gone. All that is left is a weak old man and his band of fools."
"Perhaps Tom. But another will rise. One day Tom, you will die." Dumbledore replied, and raised his wand.
"But not today." The Dark Lord responded, and then lashed out with a Scourging Curse, which created a long leather whip with a small blade at the end from the tip of his wand.
The Headmaster blocked with a cry of "Scutum!", and a bright blue orb surrounded the old man, blocking the attack. The Protection Spell warbled under the hit, and soon, multiple strikes from Voldemort's conjured whip were causing the shield to flicker.
Canceling the shield, Dumbledore sidestepped the next whip strike, and cried out, "Flamen!" The Force Spell smashed into Voldemort's arm, knocking the Dark Lord back. With a snarl, Lord Voldemort dispelled the Scourging Curse from his wand and fired a Killing Curse.
Albus Dumbledore spun around, dodging the Killing Curse and firing of a Cutting Curse, which the Dark Lord blocked with a Shield Charm, and responded with a powerful Demolition Spell that shattered Dumbledore's hastily conjured Protection Spell and knocked him into the wall of Honeydukes.
As a chorus of horrified gasps emerged, and Lord Voldemort bit back a triumphant smirk as he fired off another Demolition Spell that smashed the old man through the wall, most likely shattering several bones in his body as the Headmaster collapsed inside the candy shop.
Remus Lupin, who had arrived at the fight as Dumbledore was knocked down, stopped and gazed on in disbelief and horror. Death Eater and Order member when silent as they watched the final hour of the Headmaster of Hogwarts.
"And so ends the so called greatest sorcerer of all time," The Dark Lord whispered. "And now old man, I've won." Turning towards the shocked crowd, he began laughing his high, cold laugh that sounded like the laughter of the Devil himself. "You see!" He declared, "I cannot be beaten! You can destroy my body, disperse my followers, strip me of my power, but I will always return, greater and more terrible than ever before! I am eternal!" He looked into the frightened faces of the crowd and knew that to keep them alive as witnesses would be a great asset. "No one defies me and lives. No one, not the Boy-Who-Lived, not Albus Dumbledore, can defy me and live.
"Because I am Lord Voldemort. And I cannot be beaten."
"One day Tom... one day you will be beaten. And may God help you when everything you've done comes back to haunt you..." Albus Dumbledore whispered, coughing up blood.
The Dark Lord turned and sneered at the Headmaster. "And who is foolish enough to do so? I have proven that I am invincible, that no one escapes the infinite arm of my retribution."
"There will always be someone Tom." the Headmaster responded weakly.
"Enough talk old man! You die here!" Lord Voldemort shouted angrily, enraged at the defiance of this old, dying man, and pointed his wand at him. "Avada-" He spoke, but that was all he managed.
It was as if the voice of the Almighty God roaring from Heaven, the angered shouts of the Furies of Greek lore, the chorus of angry souls screaming for the death of Tom Marvolo Riddle had spoken all at once in one symphony of divine retribution. But to a few people in the crowd, it sounded like someone else... someone who had been dead for fifteen years, who had been responsible for Voldemort's first defeat, who had defied him three times, who had mothered the Dark Lord's greatest foe.
"VOLDEMORT! I HAVE COME! TODAY YOU WILL PAY FOR YOUR SINS, AND YOU WILL DIE!"
Thanks to Quillian, That Kid Crying In the Corner, Zeromaru: Chaos Mode, Black Padfoot, Khadon, Dr Gero, Illucia, PinkyTheSnowman, Shadowed Rains, Pleione, Lady of Masbolle, FroBoy, Paul, arekuruu-inabikari-no-She, Emma Barrows, Jolly Rancher, Cattatra, moonfyre, Hunter101, PbookR, GinnyHarryP, TheConfused?, Silver Warrior, Wren Truesong, mashimaromadness, Talix, and Nimbirosa for reviewing!
Q&A
Quillian- Definitely not, as you can see.
That Kid Crying In the Corner- See, if Harry's powers were like a god's, with the ability to do anything, that'd just be too easy. No, his powers have to be explained.
Zeromaru: Chaos Mode- Perhaps I'll do something even better.
Khadon- You're right. Nothing for Harry, especially when I'm at the helm, is going to be that simple. As for what Lily does... you'll just have to see, won't you.
Dr Gero- A bit over two months.
Illucia- That's what I was going for. This kind of story has never been dreamed of before (I hope)... at least on
Shadowed Rains- Its okay... just remember to review now, okay? (Grin)
Lady of Masbolle- Sure you can make it your MSN name. James may get a chance to get a simulacrum of himself... but Lily will be the major player. Harry's power... if I told you what it does, it would spoil a few things. Just keep reading, and everything will become clear... I hope.
arekuruu-inabikari-no-She- No Metheran... but Harry's got his own brand of super soldiers... (think Kamahl's army. And if you haven't read the Onslaught cycle, then you'll be totally lost on the reference)
Cattatra- Yeah, these chapters are short. This one could have been longer... but I love a good cliffhanger. (At least when I'm not the one hanging off of the cliff)
moonfyre- Ah... you think Harry's all powerful... and he is... in a way. But not in the way that other stories might have him, with all powerful wizarding abilities. Harry can't demolish mountains or anything like that... but he can do many other things. Lily really isn't interested in helping anyone who isn't Harry, and yes, soon everyone will know Harry isn't dead. Will Harry fight Voldemort? Maybe... same thing for his sanity. And as for his creations... that's a main part of the plot, or at least a question Harry will have to wrestle with... you should wrestle with it too.
GinnyHarryP- Thanks on both counts.
Silver Warrior- You raise a good point. But the antithesis to Lily will probably be Voldemort. I haven't done much with that guy in any fic besides Shattered Reality (yes, I know, shameless plugging)
Wren Truesong- Lily is kind of like a religious fanatic, so yes, she is a bit scarier than an insane Harry. And of course she can't kill Tom... but who says she can't maim him?
Nimbirosa- You're right about the Q&A being long... I don't know why.The chapters here are just so stubborn!And as for your review on Dreams, I'm just naturally that insane.(I wonder what I'd be like if I was high)Oh, and a quick correction on my e-mail. There's an underscore between yami and chaos. My bad. And my AIM name is AOL, so it doesn't have an address (I think).
AN: Sorry this took so long... so swamped by schoolwork and stumped on ideas for this. And yes, I know that was a totally lame chapter title. Thanks for reading and please review!