Harry Potter and the Celestial Zone
Chapter 20
02nd January 2006
"There are many paths to power, headmaster. You've just seen how powerful Tom has become, and you know the biggest part of it? He surpassed you because of the Celestial Arts. If he had stayed with your path to power, all be it the darker path, he would only be slightly above you in power, a negligible difference through your skill."
Harry paused to let this sink in, "I think it is time you opened your eyes and removed the filter through which you seem to see the world. Voldemort will be back, and unless you wish him to win, then I need to train. Since you and the order refused to train me, and instead tried to keep me locked up, I've had to go a different route. No, it cannot be stopped. I have started something and I will finish it. What you need to do is to decide what you're going to do about this. If you wish to help, I greatly appreciate it. If you refuse to listen to reason and experience, then I ask you keep away from me."
Dumbledore pondered, "Exactly how safe are you Harry? Power and strength is one thing, but safety is another. Perhaps last summer you were safe, but now that Tom knows about the Zone…" He trailed off, confident that Harry understood. Indeed Harry did, but laughed anyway, "Surely you don't think Tom's the only one out for blood do you? Surely not, the Zone has its own ups and downs, all you need to know, is that I'm as safe as possible without being in heaven." He turned away, "C'mon then guys, training calls."
Dumbledore called out, "Wait, how do we contact you?" Harry raised an eyebrow at the man who dressed almost identically to him, "You think?" Xing Yun shrugged, "Owls, patroni, no diff to me, just remember: Don't expect a reply for a week at least." Dumbledore nodded and watched as life slowly returned to almost what it had been before the attack. The students quickly boarded the train, Hogsmede's inhabitants returned to their lives, and Hagrid talked to Fang. Change indeed was the only constant.
………
Harry and Xing Yun dived into Dragon Lake, Harry losing the race to the cavern only slightly. They talked for a while before Harry went back into training, trying to master the 9th level of Solar Shock, he didn't think he'd take too long with it. Xing Yun started on the 8th level of the Yuan Yang Dictum, and the Heaven Shaking Yuan Yang skills left by Blazing Sun Fen Tian.
Down in the depths of Dragon Lake, Greenie opened an eye when the two Green Dragons dived in and smirked, realizing that more entertaining times were ahead.
…
Phoenix Aerie had a marvelous view, and Neville couldn't help but be awed by it. His watching time, however, was cut short as Phoenix started his instruction in the True Phoenix methods.
…
Hermione studied White Tiger Ridge carefully, shuddering when her eyes found the spot where she and Harry had found Zi Yan and Chan doing their thing. Zi Yan ushered her to the back of the cave where an orb floated. Having seen it once before, Hermione automatically activated it, resuming her learning of the Dual Yi-Yang skills
………
In a run down old house in a small town of Little Haggleton, an old man swept into an old run down house, messy with age. He was tall, with long silvery hair and beard, and a steely glint in his eye. He pulled out a stick from his highly unusual purple robes and twirled it in a way that few could or would follow. He then peered around the building through his half-moon spectacles, seemingly looking for something.
He appeared to succeed, for he strode across the room and lifted up the carpet with more speed than one would have thought possible. It was a ring of some sort, with a golden band and a large black stone set in it. Albus Dumbledore flicked his wand at it, casting all manner of detection charms and ward dismantling hexes. He frowned and sighed, apparently coming to some conclusion or other, and slid it onto his finger. An instant later there was a flash of light and the aged Headmaster swung round with a curse on his lips to face a younger Voldemort, or Tom Riddle, as he was known then.
Riddle grinned and swept away the curse with a wave of his wand and chuckled, "Dumbledore! You've aged, old man, as have I. But I've grown stronger, worry not about that." He slashed with his wand and several nasty looking jets of light flew out. Dumbledore merely swept his cloak and disappeared, appearing behind Tom, sending several choice curses, "Indeed, already I can see the effects of several rituals. A serpentine ritual perhaps? So you're immune to many poisons too." Tom chuckled, "I'd expect that from you at least, Albus. But there's so much more that you don't know, old man, so much."
Dumbledore barely dodged the jets of fire that now spewed forth from Tom's wand, this time singing his wand hand. He cursed inventively as the ring started to burn too. He'd underestimated the mechanism and power of the unknown, and probably parsel, enchantments on the ring, and his hand slowly started to rot. Whirling around and shifting from spot to spot, Dumbledore took the offensive and quickly penetrated a hole in Tom's defenses, spearing him in the heart and killing him with a bolt of white light. Dumbledore quickly slipped the ring off and surveyed the damage to his hand while sending various powerful healing charms at it. He managed to remove the worst of it, but it was entirely likely that he'd have to get another hand eventually. If he survived the war, that is.
He sat heavily in one of the more sturdy chairs and sighed. Fawks appeared in a ball of flames and Dumbledore smiled at his friend, "Horocruxes. I can't believe it, my friend. He actually made horocruxes at that age! Well, I'll just have to work on other leads I guess." Fawks flamed them back to his office and set to work on Dumbledore's cursed hand.
A/N: Sorry this one took so long, I kept trying to put it up, but then just never quite got round to it. This is it though, for Harry Potter and the Celestial Zone. Catch the sequel, Harry Potter and the Celestial Zone 2, coming to soon!