Title: Is It Worth It 2: The Final Battle
Summary: The temptation of darkness ebbs away at Harry's last nerve as he attempts to keep his views out of public eyes. Everyone believes he has returned to the light, but has he really or is he fighting for both dark and light, inside himself and in the impending war. Sequel to: Is It Worth It?
Pairings: I don't think I'll have one. Maybe keep Harry and Ginny, or I might make them break up, they're not doing so good as boyfriend/girlfriend kind of thing.
Rating: PG13
Disclaimer: Here goes...I don't own him, no one does. He is his own person thank you very much!
Chapter8 "What's there to Lose?"
As the feeling in his navel disappeared and he plummeted to the ground, Anthony almost dropped the unconscious boy. He was in an unfamiliar place. It looked like the inside of a very rich family. The place was huge, the hall he was in was at least 30 feet high with pictures all over the place, moving pictures. Anthony had never seen anything like it in his entire life.
He stared at them for a moment before remembering where he was and what he was there for. He clutched Harry tighter to him and ran up the long winding stairs.
"W-watch out, they move." Harry's raspy whisper came from his arms.
"What moves?"
"The stairs, there is also a trick step on the fifth stair up." The boy muttered and fell limp once again.
He shook him slightly and Harry's eyes opened again, "Harry I don't know where your hospital is. You'll have to stay awake and guide me."
"T-the fourth f-fl..sorry."
Anthony cursed and tried to get to the top before the stairs actually moved like Harry had warned him. It surprised him when he did get to the end that they did not move an inch while he was on them.
He ran blindly around the fourth floor. There was nothing that even resembled the nurse's station, there was no one in sight. As he finally came around what felt like the fiftieth corridor, he felt a force slam into him, driving him to the ground. He barely managed to keep himself from dropping the young man he carried in his arms.
He looked up and found himself staring into obsidian eyes, they glared back at him before moving to the figure in his arms. Anthony clutched Harry tighter to him.
"What happened?" Anthony jumped at the harsh voice that sounded in his ears.
"Please, we need to get him to the hospital. If we don't, he might not survive." He pleaded.
"He went back, didn't he? After he promised everyone, he went back! Stupid Potter!" The man took out his wand and muttered a charm. Anthony gasped as Harry floated away from him, leaving him to clutch thin air.
"Where are you taking him?"
The man turned back and stared at him, "To the hospital wing of course, where do you think?"
"I'm coming with you." Anthony saw the man shrug and hurry away in long swift strides.
They walked for at least five minutes before coming to two huge doors, they burst open when the dark haired man neared them.
"Poppy, get over here!"
Anthony followed him in and sat beside the bed the dark haired man dropped Harry on.
He looked around, the room was as huge as the hall they dropped in, it was completely white and filled with beds.
"Oh my God! What happened to him!" A loud shriek forced Anthony's drifting mind to the reality and he stared at the woman that had entered the hospital.
She was wearing all white, with what looked like a blue apron around her waist.
"Severus what happened to him?" She asked again, ignoring Anthony completely, and bustling around throwing spells at Harry.
"I don't know, I found him and that man with him in the hall." The man, Severus, said in a grumpy tone. Anthony got the feeling that he wanted to be anywhere but there at the moment.
"I need a restorative drought, healing potions, blood unclogging potions, and a Pepper Up." Poppy ordered and Severus walked briskly to a cabin on the far end of the wall and came back with two vials and three goblets full of some kind of liquid.
"Unclogging," Poppy said. Severus handed her one of the vials and she gently picked Harry's head up and poured the potion down his throat.
"Restorative," She repeated the process twice more.
"Give him this," Severus said.
The nurse gave him a questioning look, but grabbed the last goblet and tilted Harry's head up. The potion easily went down, making the boy sputter.
"Anti-Crucio?"
"He was hit with at least couple of them. I knew as soon as I saw him."
"What are we going to do? We'll have to call Dumbledore, but I don't want to disturb him."
"He needs to come back, Potter might need his help. Send an owl and tell him what is going on, tell him to get back here as soon as he can." Anthony watched as Severus swept out of the room without another word.
"Thank you for bringing him." He jumped and turned around to face the old medi-witch.
"I had no choice, he could have died if I left him there."
"Where was he? Mr. Potter usually has a reason why he gets hurt, but this is bad, I have not seen him this injured since Voldemort was reborn."
"Madam Pomfrey?" Anthony jumped out of his chair and ran to the bed where his charge was laying.
"Harry? Are you okay?"
"Madam, you have to tell Dumbledore that Fudge's dead." Harry rasped out.
"Fudge? Dead? How?"
Anthony watched as Harry fought his demons down before answering, "Voldemort killed him. He's totally lost his mind."
"That's not true!" Anthony clamped his hand over his mouth in astonishment. The words were out before his brain registered what he was saying.
Harry turned to him and smiled, "Thank you for rescuing me. Anthony, you saw how bad he was, he completely forgot everything around him. His jealousy and anger are going to be the end of him. If he keeps continuing like this who knows what could happen."
"Harry, you can't say that, it was the first time he has ever done something like that." The pleading look he sent to the boy only made him cringe when Harry looked hard back at him.
"Mr. Potter what is going on? Where have you been? Why is this man here and who is he?" Pomfrey said.
Anthony sighed, "I am Anthony, once a friend of the real Tom Riddle."
Madam Pomfrey gasped, "Friend?" Her eyes were wide with fear. He felt her eyes roam his body in order to find the long stick that allowed him to use magic.
"It's okay, Madam. He won't hurt you even if he tried, he does not know enough spells." Harry said. Anthony felt annoyed, but swallowed it and smiled gratefully when Pomfrey relaxed slightly.
"Why were you with Voldemort, Harry? Why did you go back? Don't tell me the rumors are true, that you really are a traitor."
Anthony watched as Harry's lips quirked into a small smile, "I am a traitor, but not the one that would actually betray anyone. I went back to Voldemort because I found something that I knew would interest him. That was when he started this cat-and-mouse game all over again."
"Do you have any idea what the people are going to do once they find out? How-"
The door banged open and all three turned around. Anthony watched as a man with long white beard and half moon glasses strode towards them.
"Harry, thank Merlin you are all right."
"How are you Professor Dumbledore?" Harry said as a greeting and as an introduction to Anthony.
"Fine Harry, what did you get yourself into this time?" Anthony's eyes narrowed at the straight question. Harry didn't seem to be fazed at all.
"I was visiting a friend and got into some trouble, I'm fine as you can see."
"He was at Voldemort's." Anthony turned to stare at the nurse.
Dumbledore stared at the witch for a second before returning to Harry, "You broke your word?"
"I never gave my word." Anthony could feel Harry's annoyance.
"Either way, you should not have gone back. You have betrayed our trust for the last time, Harry. How long will you keep doing this? Is it somehow better to be with the man that killed your parents? Is it better to be with a man who would hurt you at one sign of disobedience? Tell me Harry, I would love to know." Dumbledore's voice was low, it radiated power that Harry just ignored.
"First of all, if it weren't for you and your stupid prophesy my parents would still be alive. If it weren't for you I wouldn't have gone to Voldemort in the first place." Harry growled, getting slowly out of his bed.
"Mr. Potter, lay back down immediately!" Pomfrey yelled. Harry ignored her, but stared at his headmaster with penetrating eyes.
"Headmaster, it was so much easier to be with Voldemort than it had ever been with you. He told me what to do and did not play around in circles until he got what he wanted. Sure, that first time he black mailed, but it doesn't matter. In the months that I was with him, I became a new me. I understood what he was doing, and why he was doing it. And to answer your first question, I will be doing this until you try to do something about it.
"Even when we promised each other not to keep secrets, you still did. When we promised each other that we would never try to keep each other in the dark, you did! Why don't you answer me this? Why are you so controlling? Why do you keep so many secrets? Isn't it better to know something before you dive head first? After all, if I knew, Sirius would still be alive, wouldn't he? Now tell me the truth Dumbledore, why did you send my parents into hiding?"
Silence. That was all that was in the room, complete silence. Not one sound was heard as he, Anthony and Pomfrey watched Dumbledore. The man was glowering, his face was red, and when he finally spoke, his voice did not give away the anger he felt.
"It seems to me that Voldemort has loosened your tongue. I did not send you to the Dursleys to become who you are. I sent you to the Dursleys to be disciplined. I tried to reason with you, but you just did not want to listen. You could have had everything, but you threw it all away. I wanted someone that I could trust to always watch my back, but it seems to me that all you will do now is stab it as soon as I turn.
This has gone on for far too long Harry, it has to stop. Either you choose light or you choose dark. Either you follow me or you go back to Voldemort and let him crucio you to obedience. It is your choice."
Harry sat back down on the bed, "You did not answer my question. I will not choose until I get an answer."
Dumbledore glared at him, "I made your parents go into hiding because I felt that they needed to. After the prophesy, you had to be hidden. Your parents never asked questions and did what I told them to."
"Neville and I have our birthdays at the end of July, why did you put me under the Fidilus charm but not Neville? If you did, maybe his parents wouldn't be in St. Mungo's now would they? How did you know that I was the one?"
Dumbledore looked uncomfortable, "That is a question best not discussed."
"Answer it, Headmaster!" Harry spat.
"I did not feel that the Longbottoms were that important. You were the heir of Gryffindor, so it had to have been you. Slytherin and Gryffindor have always been fighting, it never stopped so I had to assume that it was you."
"So you put me out as a target for Voldemort to find. As soon as he heard you made my parents hide, you revealed me to him. You gave us out! He never would have found out if you didn't act so rash!"
"I did not give you out, Harry. I merely tried to protect you."
"It didn't work did it? Instead you made me a target and a pawn in this god-forsaken war."
"It is not that way." Dumbledore said quietly.
"No? It sounds like it is, Headmaster. I am nothing but a pawn to you and Voldemort!"
Harry got up and flicked his hand and his robes changed into better ones.
"Anthony, do you want to go back home?"
"Yes, I do not think I want to be part of this any longer." He said quietly. He walked over to Harry and stood by him.
Turning to the Headmaster, he gave a weak smile, "He'll understand someday, you may have had your faults, but you only did what was best."
Dumbledore smiled gratefully at him, than turned to Harry.
"What is your decision?"
"What does it matter anymore?"
"It always matters, choose Harry."
"I don't have to choose between my friends, Dumbledore. That was one thing you could not control about me. If you haven't noticed, I am neither dark nor light, I am a mix. If I chose a side it would feel like I was fighting myself. I cannot do that."
"You will have to chose a side one day soon Harry."
"When that day comes I will be ready. There is nothing for me to lose now, nothing to keep me from going anywhere. Live my life the way I want to live it. Without anyone there to manipulate me or force me to do things I did not want to."
"Harry!" Everyone turned at the voice.
"Remus." Harry muttered under his breath.
"Whether you know it or not, Harry, there is one person you are losing." Dumbledore said.
"Harry, are you all right? I was so worried, Snape said that you came back all bloody and unconscious. What happened?" Remus came to stand in front of him.
Harry grabbed onto Anthony's arm and backed away.
"I'm sorry Remus."
"Harry? Harry what's going on?"
"Many things, things that even I don't understand."
"You're leaving." Remus clasped him on his shoulders. "If you are, you are not going without me."
"I can't bring you Remus, you might report to him." Harry glanced to Dumbledore.
"Harry, my loyalty is to you, not him or anyone else, you know that. I am coming with you. I promised I would take care of you, and I do not break promises easily."
Harry smiled. "You see Harry, when a werewolf finds himself a cub, it is not easy to separate them. So it seems to me that you are stuck with me." The werewolf grinned.
Harry gave in and motioned for him to stand on the other side. Touching both of their hands, he glanced once more at Dumbledore before turning to Pomfrey.
"Tell Ron and Hermione that I'm sorry, we'll see each other soon. Tell Ginny that I'm sorry it didn't work out. Tell her that I wasn't there for her like I should have been." He held back his tears as he looked around the room.
"I guess you won't be finding me in here anymore. Good-bye Madam Pomfrey, you're the best nurse Hogwarts ever had."
He could see the tears in Pomfrey's eyes, but smiled as she tried to hold them in.
"Good-bye Headmaster."
He grabbed both of the men's arms and whispered. Instantly fire blazed around them and they disappeared.
"The second war has finally begun." Dumbledore muttered. Pomfrey glared at him.
A/N: I was thinking of ending the story here, but decided maybe one or two chapters more. I knew this one was going to be fairly short. Thanks for the reviews those that review, oh and I do read them just so if you're wondering.