Disclaimer:

J.K. Rowling is the owner of Harry Potter. Stories she has written and characters that she created are not mine. I don't take credit for any of her work. I do thank her for providing such a wonderful universe to dream about and write in.

Harry Potter and the Shadow of Evil

By: Starwin

PLEASE NOTE -- CHAPTER 18 HAS CHANGED

As of June 21, 2005. If you read chapter 18 before that, please read it again because it is NOT THE SAME STORY.

Chapter 19 – Misplaced

The trip through time was far less smooth then before. When Solaris had first used the stone back in the hospital it had taken a fraction of an instant for them to arrive at their destination. Now the journey was much longer. Harry felt himself being tossed around as though inside some kind of storm. His eyes were open but all he could see was white light Even Hermione and Solaris weren't visible, but Harry knew they were there. He could still feel his hand grasped tightly against Solaris's arm and Hermione's fingers clutching the stone.

White light suddenly exploded outwards and Harry was sent rolling along the ground. His body felt sore. Harry pushed himself up from the wet grass and looked behind him. Hermione and Solaris were lying side by side. Hermione was still holding the round stone in her hand.

It was dark, thick clouds covered the sky above them. There were no other people anywhere insight. Harry shook his head trying to throw the daze from his thoughts.

Getting to his feet Harry moved towards his friends swaying a bit. He had a slight headache but otherwise he felt fine. Harry knelt next to Hermione and shook her gently. He could hear her soft breathing but her eyes remained closed.

"It's just like what happened to Solaris," Harry muttered, looking down at the two of them.

Harry stood and searched the area with his eyes. Much of it looked familiar but not exactly how he remembered it. This was definitely Hogwarts. Using his wand Harry levitated his friends into the air and guided their floating bodies towards the gates to the castle.

The entrance hall was empty but Harry had an ominous feeling about it. Something here wasn't right. The castle was not at all like he remembered it. The hallways were dark and dirty. There was no other way that Harry could think to describe the castle now except for, creepy. It felt like the castle was empty.

Harry met no one as he made his way to the hospital wing. Harry almost dropped the spell holding his friends aloft as he turned down the next corridor. Large blood red letters had been painted on the wall. Harry read the words but couldn't believe what they said. 'Dumbledore's Army.'

'Something is definitely wrong,' Harry thought as he looked around. The rest of the hallway was in disarray. Paintings had been torn from the walls and suits of armor lay in pieces. Something horrible had happened while Harry was gone. Harry walked faster towards the hospital wing. The destruction only became worse as he walked. Walls had deep gashes in them from spells and the floor had stains of, what looked to Harry, like blood.

Windows had been broken and a cold wind blew past every now and then. The sky clouds outside were black and no sunlight found its way past.

Every shadow in the hallway looked deep and dark like a hole that went on forever. Harry kept expecting something to jump out at him or for his eyes to spot movement. But there was nothing but the echo of the wind.

Harry came to a halt at the hospital wing's double doors or at least what was left of them. One was still partially attached to the wall, although many large chunks of it were missing. The other door had been completely torn off and lay on the floor.

Harry peered inside. The hospital itself didn't seem to be much better off than the doors that led to it. Beds were overturned and random objects lay scattered on the floor. It looked like a hurricane had torn the room apart.

In semi-darkness the room felt even more like ghosts were waiting to jump out at any moment. Cautiously, Harry moved into the room. A few of the tall glass windows had been broken.

Setting his friends down on the floor Harry righted some of the beds. They weren't in the best condition for sleeping but they would have to do until Harry could find someone to help.

Harry moved his sleeping friends onto the beds. Here was as safe a place as any to leave them until Harry could find some answers.

Turning, Harry moved towards the door to begin his search of the castle. He stopped at the hospital doors and looked back at Hermione.

It would be better if he kept the stone with him. Harry moved back and took the round stone out of Hermione's hand.

"Don't worry," Harry said putting his own hand on top of hers. "I'll find out what happened."

---

The destruction encompassed the entire castle. The fat lady's portrait was nowhere to be found. The passageway she had guarded to the Gryffindor common room lay open. Beyond it was more destruction. The walls had been tagged in the same red lettering that read, "Dumbledore's Army." The feeling of unease was becoming worse. Harry kept expecting to see bodies or find survivors, but each room yielded the same thing.

Harry tried to picture in his mind what could have happened. Had the DA done all this? It was surprising that Harry could even think so but even still, if it had been someone else who done this, why had the DA written its name in so many places. The wind echoed down the hallways as Harry continued his search. Each room increased the feeling that whatever had happened had been very brutal. No room was untouched, the entire school had been broken apart inside.

Another thought was starting to stir in Harry's mind. What if they had done this, Him and Hermione. What if by changing the past they had caused this to happen. It was only one of thousands of possible explanations. Harry wasn't even sure if it was possible to change the future by changing the past. After all the last time he had traveled through time the events that had happened had already happened.

Maybe they were supposed to have gone back in time and help Merlin. This was really more Hermione's area of expertise. She seemed to know everything after all.

Harry's thoughts were interrupted as he found himself at the stone gargoyle that blocked the path to Dumbledore's office. He wasn't sure what had led him here, he had been lost in his own thoughts.

The Gargoyle stood unbroken. The first thing Harry had seen that was as it should be. Harry ran his hand along it. The gargoyle moved, its head looked down at Harry and it spoke.

"What do you want?" the gargoyle asked it sounded almost bored. Harry was surprised to hear it speak.

"Please," Harry said, "I have to see the headmaster, if he's still here." The gargoyle eyed him as thought it didn't think much of his request or for that matter of anything.

"Yeah, he's here, sitting upstairs just like always." The gargoyle said and then suddenly jumped aside. Harry was confused. Never had a magical guardian object just let him pass without a password. But Harry wasn't going to argue. He walked past and up the stairs that led to Dumbledore's office. The door at the top was unlocked. Without knocking Harry opened it and looked inside.

For the most part, the office was as Harry remembered it, but perhaps it was a bit messier usual. The only damage that seemed to have taken place in this room was to the portraits of the previous headmasters. They were all empty and like in so many other rooms the words 'Dumbledore's Army,' had been painted across them in red. Harry entered. The office seemed to be empty.

"Just a minute," said a voice from the chair at Dumbledore's desk. Harry didn't recognize the voice. The back of the chair was facing him. Harry approached cautiously, his hand on his wand, ready to draw it.

"What can I…" the voice said as the man in the chair turned around to face Harry. Both of them froze. Harry knew his eyes must have been playing tricks on him. The person in the chair couldn't be who Harry thought he was.

"Ron?" Harry asked in disbelief. The man was very old and much of his red hair had turned to gray. His face was beardless and wrinkled. The top of his head was balding and he had become very fat.

"Harry?" Ron asked rising from his chair as though to get a better vantage point over his desk.

"What happened here?" Harry asked, "What happened to you!" The gleam that had existed for a moment in Ron's eyes faded, and he sank back down in the chair like a tired old man.

"What happened?" Ron chuckled darkly. "You're eleven years too late to be asking that, better late then never I guess."

"WHAT?" Harry said, his head looked down at the round stone he held in his hand. It couldn't be, had they traveled into the future by mistake? Was this the future?

"You mean this is eleven years in the future?" Harry asked. Ron laughed again.

"The future?" Ron said, "but I guess that's just like you, always trying to put the blame somewhere else. Never caring about anyone, except yourself. If I was eleven years younger, I'd do what I should of done along time ago and given you a good punch in the face."

"Ron, where's Hermione, Neville… Ginny? What happened to our friends?" Harry asked. "What happened to Hogwarts?" Ron laughed again.

"To our friends?" Ron said shaking his head. "Fine, I'll play your little game. Neville's dead, you killed him. Hermione is insane, she waist her time on Avalon looking for a way to change the past. And Ginny… well I guess you could say you killed her too."

"I would never…" Harry said taking a step away. He was confused, angry and afraid. Ron had to be lying, why would he say such things.

"But you did," Ron spat angry. "You led us all to our deaths. I was one of the lucky ones." Ron pulled up his sleeve, burned into his flesh was the dark mark. Below it was a small black circle. "Voldemort spared my life and I became his servant."

"Ron," Harry said so many emotions were trying to get out that Harry wasn't sure what he felt. "I don't know what happened. Maybe when we return back home none of this will happen because…" Ron laughed again.

"None of this will happen?" Ron said. "Look around you, this is the future. It doesn't matter if you go back, my Master will kill all the same." Harry stiffened. Ron's smile became broader and Harry was sure there was a look of males about him.

"That's right, Harry Potter," Ron sneered. "You're dead too. You lost. All of this is your fault." Ron said standing angry.

"I… my…" Harry stammered.

"It doesn't matter," Ron said sinking back down into his chair. "I've already sent for the Death Eaters and they are coming for you. Run, Harry Potter…" Ron said unpleasantly. "I don't want them to dirty up the floor of my office with your blood."

Harry took a step away from Ron and then turned sprinting towards the hospital wing.

---

'This can't be real,' Harry thought to himself as he sprinted down the hallways towards the hospital wing. Tears were stinging his face. 'This can't be the future! That wasn't Ron!'

But questions came just as fast, 'Why? Why wasn't it real? Merlin had been real. Arthur had been real. What made this any different from the past?'

'Because none of it has happened,' Harry though angry. 'None of it…'

'Hasn't it?' His mind shot back. 'Doesn't your friendship drift apart?'

Harry skidded to a halt as voices echoed from the hallways in front of him. He was at the end of the hall that led to the gates of Hogwarts. Harry looked down around the corner. On the first floor of the entry area was a huge group of Death Eaters, masked in black, so many of them that Harry couldn't count them all. A man with white hair stood at the front of the group shouting orders. Harry could only see the back of his head but he was sure he knew who it was, Malfoy. And behind him, at the front of the group was a death eater that stood out from all the rest.

For a moment Harry thought it might be Voldemort, but that thought was quickly abandoned. This death eater was defiantly female. Her body was slender and her breast more than apparent in her black outfit, that was much different from the rest of the death eaters. The arms and legs had been removed, it almost seemed like she was wearing a black one-piece bathing suit. Black twisting tattoos adorned the pale skin of her arms and legs. But her face was not visible behind the black mask and hood that she wore.

"You," Malfoy shouted pointing to a group of death eaters, "to the headmaster's office, find out what he knows. The group broke away and Malfoy was shouting at the last of the death eaters to spread out, sending some back outside. Only Malfoy and the female death eater remained in the hallway now. Malfoy turned and Harry could see an ugly scar down the side of his face. Harry held his breath as he watched transfixed. For some reason he couldn't understand, he wanted to listen, wanted to hear what they were going to talk about now that they were alone.

Malfoy moved very close to the female death eater as she looked slowly around the entry area. Her black masked face was looking about as thought she expected to spot someone hiding here. Harry could see that her mask didn't even have eye holes.

"You're orders, Master?" Malfoy asked quietly. The woman waved a hand but didn't speak any words.

"There is a strange feeling here," the woman said slowly. Harry was sure the voice sounded familiar but he couldn't place it. Her head suddenly turned to the spot where Harry was hiding. If her eyes had been visible, Harry was sure that the two of them would have been staring each other down.

"YOU! STOP!" Someone shouted from hall behind Harry. Harry turned his head to see a group of death eaters racing towards him with their wands drawn. There was no other place to go but across the entry area. It was the most direct route to the hospital wing anyhow.

Harry launched himself at full sprint. Malfoy had drawn his wand and was running up the stairs after Harry. The woman however did not move, she merely watched with an expressionless mask. Spells filled the air around him. Harry turned the corner and pressed his back against the wall. He only had one chance. He wouldn't be able to keep this pace up for very long.

Defense was the best strategy here. Pulling his wand out Harry concentrated for a second then tapped himself on the head. He felt like he had just cracked an egg on forehead. A cold feeling ran down his body. Harry pressed himself against the wall hoping that the disillusionment charm had worked correctly. Moments later, death eaters burst around the corner and raced past Harry towards the end of the hall. Harry waited a long moment until all the death eaters had vanished around the corner before he stepped away from the wall. Harry turned, intending to return to the path that would take him to the hospital wing.

"Don't move." Harry froze. He was looking down the wand of a moderately aged Malfoy. Apart from the scar he seemed to be much better off than Ron. His hair had not gone white but silver instead. His face was still fair and although he was completely wrinkled, he looked like he couldn't be more than thirty or so.

"Well," Malfoy said. "You were the last person I expected to run into again, Potter." Malfoy flicked his wand and Harry felt air race past his skin as the disillusionment charm was pulled away. "I never got to thank you properly for this." Malfoy ran a finger down the scar, as a malicious smile cross his face.

"Cursio," Malfoy snarled. With lighting speed Harry moved to the side. He let the stone fall from his hand as he turned his body to let the spell rush past. Malfoy raised his wand in surprise and let out a cry of shock. Harry stepped in and his fist connected with the side of Malfoy's face. Malfoy staggered back and Harry swung again with his other hand. Blood flew into the air this time. As Malfoy fell onto his butt, blood trickled down from his lip. With a sharp movement Harry struck the wand from his hand and it skidded away across the floor.

"You're too predictable," Harry said standing over Malfoy. "It's always the same tricks with you." A sneer crossed Malfoy's face and Harry felt a leg impact hard with his own. Malfoy lunged at him. The two of them collided with the ground. Harry brought his knee up into Malfoy's stomach and hit him in the face with an elbow. Malfoy rolled off with a howl of pain. Harry rolled the other way coming up with his wand out. Malfoy was on his hands and knees. The scar on the side of his face had split open and was red with blood. Malfoy looked defiantly at Harry and then looked the other direction at his wand lying not more than an arms length from him.

Harry knew what Malfoy was thinking. "Don't," Harry said extending his wand out all the way. Malfoy lunged for his fallen wand. "Avada Kedavra!" Harry shouted. Green light raced from the end of Harry's wand and struck Malfoy in the back, his body fell limp against the ground.

That hadn't been the spell he had meant to cast at all. But now that it was done, Harry didn't feel remorse for taking a life. Harry slid his wand back into his pocket and picked the stone up from the ground where he had dropped it. He tucked the stone into the waistband of his pants and stepped over Malfoy's body, continuing towards the hospital wing.

---

The distant shouts of the death eaters followed Harry as he moved through the halls. Once or twice he took cover in a classroom, or a secret passage. The death eaters passed right by. It was unsettling. They didn't seem to be looking very hard for him. Harry waited quietly in the nook next to the hospital wing as a group of death eaters walked past, not even glancing around. Harry moved out as they progressed down the hallway, his eyes following them. He entered into the hospital wing.

For a moment Harry feared that the reason they might have passed it by was because they already had Solaris and Hermione, but that wasn't the case at all. Both of them were lying on the beds where Harry had left them. Harry moved into the hospital wing and reached for the stone tucked against his side. It was time to get the hell out of here. They had to go back and stop this.

"So, it really is you," said a voice from the doorway. Harry spun around and whipped out his wand. A hand closed around his wrist, pulling Harry's arm away from his body and pointing the wand at the floor. Another hand wrapped around his throat squeezing it hard.

Harry was looking into the black masked face of the female death eater he had seen in the entryway. Harry struggled trying to pull himself free but her grip was solid and did not falter. The hand around his throat tightened and Harry felt himself being lifted from the ground. Harry stopped struggling. "It's been a long time since anyone besides me has killed a death eater," the woman said. Again that voice that sounded so familiar. A voice Harry couldn't place. The woman wrenched Harry's hand and his wand dropped to the floor.

"But I thought you would have put up more of a fight," the woman said, Harry could hear her smile behind the black mask. "What's the matter, Harry? To frightened to speak?" She tossed him to the ground. Harry coughed rubbing his throat. His wand was lying next to the death eater who stood watching him. She didn't look down at the wand but she seemed to know where Harry was looking.

"Take it," the women said not moving. There was no wand in her hand. Harry looked at her defiantly, there was anger starting to boil inside him. She was mocking him. Without thinking Harry lunged towards the wand. A foot connected with his side and Harry rolled away colliding with the wall. The woman laughed. Harry tasted blood in his mouth and he spit it out onto the ground. Harry turned his head looking up at the woman.

"You should have stayed dead," the woman said. Her foot stepped on Harry's wand and with a fast twist the wand snapped with a heartbreaking crack. Rage exploded inside Harry. His wand wasn't just a possession, it was part of him! Harry screamed as he launched himself up at the woman. Her fist collided with the side of his head and Harry went rolling again. Harry pushed himself up from the floor. His left eye hurt very badly and he couldn't see out it very well.

"That's what I liked about you, Harry," The woman said. "You don't quit, you don't give up. Your way is the only way." Harry made to rush forward again. He felt a fist impact with his side Harry ignored the pain. This charge was for all or nothing and Harry had put his full weight behind it. The woman let out a cry of surprise as she fell to the ground. Harry landed on her chest, his weight pinning her.

"GET OFF!" The woman cried angrily. Harry felt a knee impact in his back. Harry's hand reached out and took hold of the mask. "NO, GET OFF!" Harry tugged the mask from her face and Ginny's eyes, filled with rage and angry, looked defiantly up into his. Her face contorted with hate.

"HOW DARE YOU LOOK AT ME!" she shouted struggling underneath Harry. Harry couldn't understand it, she didn't look old at all--not exactly the same as he remembered her but her face was still young. Her hand broke free and she shoved Harry off her. She came to her knees. Her eyes narrowed. The black tattoos on her arms began to change color, to become red. Fire burned around her skin. Harry looked sadly up at her.

"Gin," Harry said. The fire did not vanish but Harry was sure her expression of hate on her face softened. "I'm sorry."

"How dare you call me that," Ginny spat the fire around her body burned more fiercely. "You were always sorry. Sorry for everything. But it doesn't matter how many times you say you're sorry. You never change. You only think of yourself."

"I can stop this," Harry said his eyes locked with Ginny's. "I can go back, and we can fight Voldemort and win." Ginny began to laugh.

"Voldemort?" Ginny said. "Voldemort didn't kill you last time," Ginny said. "I did." Harry felt his stomach drop out. All the punches and kicks he had taken from Ginny didn't hurt nearly as much as what she just said. He couldn't believe it.

"What?" Harry said shocked. "You…?"

"Yes, and then I killed Voldemort too." Ginny said standing the rest of the way. The fire that had sprung out around her was subsiding and the tattoos became black again.

"Why?" Harry asked. He was still unable to stand his legs felt like jello.

"Because I wanted power," Ginny closed her fist as she looked down at her arm. "And I have found power." The tattoos on her arms began to move like snakes. They uncoiled off her arms and hovered in the air around her body, still connected to her. "Power enough to destroy you and everything else, forever!"

The fire erupted again and the floating tattoos merged together to become a giant black pillar of shadows. Red glowing eyes opened on its front as it looked down. A mouth spread across it. The mouth began to speak in murmurs. Ginny was no longer watching him, her eyes were closed and her arms rose towards the sky. The black pillar of shadows spun faster and faster. Wind raced through the hospital wing. Harry pulled the stone out from his waistband; he was going to put an end to all of this. Harry forced his way against the wind to the bedsides of Hermione and Solaris.

Harry rested the round stone on Hermione's stomach and put his other hand on Solaris. He needed to remember the symbols, to think of the place and time he wanted to go. He had to keep focused. Solaris's head rose from the pillow. His eyes had no pupils in them. Solaris began to speak. "Mori tempest abs fineta, et intravalya… Mori tempest abs fineta, et intravalya…" he chanted. Harry looked back at the stone. Hermione turned her head, her eyes opening. Like Solaris she had no pupils. Her hand reached out and took Harry's.

"Think of a time and place," she said as she moved his hand around the stone to the symbols. "Remember that time is always in motion." Harry's finger moved over the last symbol.

The wind was roaring inside the hospital room now. A growl came from the spinning pillar, Harry looked up at it. Red eyes rotated around pillar like a turning head. The glowing eyes looked down upon Harry.

"Time is eternal, I am eternal. What has happened, has happened and will happen again. The past is written in stone. Nothing you do can change the future. Time is eternal…" the black pillar repeated.

"Not if I have anything to say about it," Harry said his finger pressed hard on the last rune, his mind thinking only of going back to undo all of this.

Authors (my definitive word resource) defines Author as: 'The writer of a book, or article' and Note: 'A comment or an explanation, as on a passage in a text'

It has therefore come to light that I am not an Author and these are not notes. As such I have decided to rename this section to be, 'Another Useless Typing Human On Redbull Sitting Near (an) Open (lap)Top Eating Sandwiches' to which had this to impart: 'Starwin'

So, on with what I have ingenuously condensed to, Authors Notes… yeah… bet you didn't see that coming.

That's chapter 19 for you. I hope you liked it. It sort of all came together after the rewrite of chapter 18 (which if you didn't know got rewritten). The downside to all this is that I am a bit behind. I should be putting up chapter 20 today, not 19, so I will have to work some double time to catch up again. (HAHAHAHA)

More notes coming when I can think of something important to say!

20 and 21 will be coming soon I promises... my precious…