Title: Harry Potter and the Orb of Souls
Author: SerafinaMoon
Date: January 8-17, 2005
Summary: Voldemort has discovered a new weapon—the Orb of Souls. With it, he has discovered a way to purge the world—with their only savior.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, any of its characters, or themes. I will not profit from this story except receiving enjoyment of your questions, comments, and input on this work.
Claimer: I do, however, own this story and its plot and any Original Characters that I may use during the duration of the story making process.
A/N- Thank you guys so much for reviewing! It just makes me feel so special to see so many of my friends commenting on my stories! I just love it! (gives everyone candy—oops, watch out for the sugar rush!)
Chapter 3: Know Thy Enemy
Catch me as I fall
Say you're here and it's all over now
Speaking to the atmosphere
No one's here and I fall into myself
This truth drives me into madness
I know I can stop the pain if I will it all away
Don't turn away
Don't give into the pain
Don't try to hide
Though they're screaming your name
Don't close your eyes
God knows what lies behind them
Don't turn out the light
Never sleep, never die
I'm frightened by what I see
But somehow I know that there's much more to come
Immobilized by my fear
And soon to be blinded by tears
I know I can stop the pain if I will it all away
Don't turn away
Don't give into the pain
Don't try to hide
Though they're screaming your name
Don't close your eyes
God knows what lies behind them
Don't turn out the light
Never sleep, never die
Fallen angels at my feet
Whispered words at my ear
Death before my eyes
Lying next to me I fear
She beckons me, shall I give in
Upon my end, shall I begin
Forsaking all I've fallen for, I rise to meet the end
"Whisper" -Evanescence
"Navitas!" Naito shouted, his ebony wand pointed at his mentor, Ganmou Gin Koori.
A bolt of green energy shot out through his Basilisk fang core, narrowly missing the older man as he jumped safely to the side.
Ganmou had been Naito's teacher and caretaker for over a year now, training him in all manners of magic: Potions (as he was a Potions Master), Transfiguration, Charms, Astronomy, Cures, Curses and Hexes and their Counters, Herbology, Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, Dark Arts, and many other such types of magic.
Master Koori was a Japanese man who had come to Britain to serve his master—Lord Voldemort and, for as far back as Naito could remember, had been taking care of him and teaching him, helping him learn to better serve the Dark Lord as their number one spy.
How was a seventeen year old boy the top spy to the greatest dark wizard of the age?
Simple. He was the only one that could sneak around completely undetected using his special abilities and because he was completely loyal to the cause of the Dark Lord...or so everyone thought.
Naito had his reasons for resenting Voldemort and one of them was the death of his closest and only friend in the dark, deserted manor.
The only people that came to Voldemort's manor with any amount of frequency were the Death Eaters and they either ignored him or were some of his teachers, like Lucius Malfoy, Bellatrix Lestrange, and Ganmou Koori.
These four and Voldemort were the only ones that knew the full extent of Naito's powers and it was obvious that they were going to keep it that way.
They had helped him (along with Voldemort himself) discover and harness the powers of his new abilities such as becoming a Metamorphmagus, wandless magic, Apparation and Disappration, Occlumency, some advanced magic principles, and taught him how to become an Animagus.
Or at least, that was what they thought he was. It had been quite odd when Naito had changed from a black and green phoenix into a silver and gold unicorn.
With a bit of experimentation, Naito had discovered (with the aid of his tutors) that he had an almost limitless number of creatures that he could change into and could also change what colors they were.
It seemed to have stemmed from mixing Naito's Metamorphmagus abilities with becoming an Animagus so that he could almost combine the two and use them at the same time.
This fact alone made him an invaluable weapon to the Dark Side's crusade and also made him such an excellent spy.
"Congelo!" shouted Ganmou, followed quickly with a Disarming Spell.
Naito managed to dive to the floor and avoid the Freezing Spell, but he rolled right into the Disarming Charm and his wand went sailing over to rest in his teacher's hands while he was thrown into the wall.
Naito was not out of the running yet, however. As Ganmou sent an "Incendio" spell in his direction, Naito jumped to the side, hitting the wall to keep himself on balance and jumping back in the other direction, using his wandless magic to summon his wand back to his hand.
Naito had training sessions everyday with one of the more predominating Death Eaters and currently he was dueling with his caretaker, the hardest of all the Death Eaters he had fought so far (not counting the Dark Lord himself as Naito was never able to beat him).
Naito's schedule was strict and if he ever failed to arrive where he was supposed to be on time, he was met with a swift and uncaring "Crucio." He woke up at six in the morning, got ready for the day, had breakfast and attended lessons until lunch, which was followed by his afternoon training sessions. After his training session, Naito would attend his lessons for a few more hours before returning to his chambers to rest.
Everyday (except Saturday and Sunday, when Naito could go to the library and study whatever he wished—to be demonstrated when he returned to lessons) Naito returned to the same monotonous schedule, but not a day went by that something interesting did not happen at Voldemort's Central Headquarters.
Why, just the other day, Naito had overheard an interesting conversation between Wormtail/Peter Pettigrew and Lucius Malfoy describing something called the Orb of Souls.
Supposedly, it was some new weapon that Voldemort desired to obtain to help him purge the world from its impurities. Not quite sure what was so special about it, Naito decided to research the Orb of Souls and discover its purpose for the Dark Lord. He would, of course, keep this research and interest to himself, as this was obviously something he was not meant to know.
But what kind of spy would he be if he did not know things that he was not supposed to?
"Concisus!" whispered Ganmou so quietly that Naito almost missed it. Seeing the arc of light glinting like silver metal heading for him, Naito jerked to his right, narrowly missing the wall and managing to avoid the brunt of the attack although still receiving a small cut across his cheek despite his troubles.
Naito conjured a brick wall to stand between himself and his mentor then quickly tapped himself with his wand to turn invisible. With that, he crept out from behind his wall, watching his teacher trying to vanquish it so he would not have to come around the wall and walk into some kind of trap.
Naito tiptoed around the edge of the room until he was directly behind Ganmou, whispering a "Stupefy." Naito hoped Ganmou would go down easily.
No such luck.
As if sensing someone behind him, the Japanese man spun around and cast a reflexive "Protego!" before pointing his wand straight up in the air, causing silver sparkles to rain from the sky and terminate Naito's invisibility spell.
Naito groaned in frustration as he dodged another spell by his tutor. This was going to take forever! He needed to think up something obscure and soon otherwise Ganmou would easily gain the advantage over the tiring teenager.
Sweat was pouring down his face, and his chest heaved from the exertion. His black bangs clung wetly to his forehead as did his training garments. Some of the sweat dripped into his eyes, making his eyesight blurry.
Naito quickly wiped it away, but it was just enough of a distraction. He had been hit with a spell and lost his wand again, not to mention being thrown back into his brick wall.
Looking up at it, Naito had an idea. He rolled onto his stomach to miss an incoming spell. Using his wandless magic, he created a drifting fog that settled right in between the two duelists. Before Ganmou had a chance to disperse the fog, Naito Apparated to right behind him and pushed him forward towards the wall.
Then he summoned the top of the wall towards himself, causing it to fall and topple over onto his trainer. While Ganmou was trying to block the falling wall, Naito cast another "Stupefy" so that his caretaker went limp and still.
Before the wall could crush his teacher, Naito waved his hand and the wall instantly disappeared. After gathering his and Ganmou's wands, Naito muttered a simple "Enervate," to revive his fallen instructor.
The man blinked his eyes open and glared at Naito, giving a sharp nod of approval before striding up to him, demanding his wand back. Naito handed it over and stepped out of the way as the Japanese man strode past him saying, "The Dark Lord wishes to speak with you in his throne room; you are dismissed from your evening classes. Go get changed and meet him there."
"Yes sir," said Naito with his head bowed dejectedly. No matter what he did, it just never seemed to be good enough for the man. He sighed quietly to himself before hurrying to proceed with getting ready.
After a fast shower and change, Naito was ready to face his Master.
Stepping into the throne room, Naito noticed the only other figure in the room besides the Dark Lord and himself...Severus Snape. One of Lord Voldemort's Potion Masters and also his senior spy.
While Naito might have been the best spy due to his special abilities, Snape—being his senior by several years—was the one allowed the most privileges and missions. Then again, that could also have something to do with the fact that he was no longer in school or training.
Naito approached the majestic throne cautiously. Next to the chair on a rug lay Voldemort's pet serpent—Nagini. Naito bowed low before his master, kissing the hem of his robes and waiting to hear the standard, "Get up," before standing.
"I have decided," started the Dark Lord, his blood red eyes boring into Naito's icy blue orbs and sending a chill down the young man's spine, "to send you to Hogwarts this year. Severus here has consented to help you slip past the Muggle-loving fool's defenses. You will need to attend an interview with the old coot himself and pass inspection and inquisition. I expect there to be no slip-ups or you both shall pay the price."
"Severus, prepare the portkey," Voldemort said, dismissing Snape from the room. The greasy-haired Professor left, leaving Naito alone with the snakelike maniac.
"It is time to send you on a mission of your own. The time has come when all you have been trained for shall be put to the test. I expect you to use all you have learned to serve me by spying on the Order of Phoenix."
"Yes, Master."
"I trust Ganmou has filled you in on the basics of your task?"
"Yes, Master."
"Good. I want you to get close to the friends of the deceased Harry Potter: the Mudblood—Hermione Granger, the muggle-lover—Ron Weasley, and his sister Ginny Weasley. Make friends with them and find out exactly who is in the Order and find out what Dumbledore's plans are. Weed out any of his spies among our ranks and report to me anything you learn. Once you begin school, I will send someone to gather the information from you every Friday night on the edge of the borders in the Forbidden Forest. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Master. I live to serve you and will do as you request," Naito drawled with distain. He hated the reptilian bastard, but as he had taken care of him and provided for him, and seeing as Naito had nowhere else to go, he would do as he was commanded...for now.
He would do what he needed to do to stay alive. After all, Naito knew that the only reason the Dark Lord kept him around was because of his unique abilities. As soon as Naito outlived his usefulness, he would be thrown away...killed.
Naito planned to do what he was required, but he would do things his way. In short, he would do whatever it took to gain the advantage and stay one step ahead.
He may have no recollections of his past from before a year and a half ago, but Naito had a feeling that before he had lost his memory...someone...somewhere...had cared about him and wanted him. It was as if a part of his past still lingered within him, guiding him.
His instincts had told him when he had first come to be in Voldemort's service not to trust the monster...they had been right, but Naito had not listened. It had cost him the life of his only friend. From then on Naito had decided to trust his instincts.
Snape swept back into the room, breaking through Naito's musings. He nodded once to his master before turning to the dark-haired, shallow-skinned Potion's Master and placing his hand on the prearranged portkey, was swept off to Hogwarts in a rush of color with only a tug behind his navel.
Naito's feet slammed into the ground hard; only the advanced training he had taken in dueling had kept him from falling over when they reached their destination.
Naito looked around curiously upon reaching the castle and stared up at it in awe. He was not able to stop the gigantic grin from spreading across his face at the sight of the enamored castle-–complete with torrents and towersperched atop a mountain in front of a large lake where a giant squid lounged peacefully.
Looking over at his minder, Naito quickly wiped the grin off his face when he saw Severus Snape watching him.
Snape raised an eyebrow in his direction, but Naito only gazed back stoically, meeting the Professor's eyes fully. When it became apparent that Naito was not going to say anything, Snape led him up the lawn and into the castle, directly to a stone gargoyle.
Scowling, one of the most feared Death Eaters in Voldemort's ranks muttered, "Lemon Lollipops," causing Naito to smirk at the older man who glared back at him.
With a swish of his robes, Snape led Naito up a spiral staircase and into what the young boy decided must be the Headmaster's office. It was a large, beautiful, circular room. A large perch sat in one corner of the room, currently unoccupied.
A number of curious silver instruments stood on spindle-legged tables and the walls were covered with paintings of previous Hogwarts headmasters and headmistresses all of whom were looking at the new arrivals curiously.
Naito gazed back at them with a bored expression that simply exhibited confidence. Naito's attention was diverted to the large desk when the person behind it cleared their throat.
An eyebrow rose as Naito looked over at the Headmaster distantly polite. After all, Naito had a job to do. It would not do well for him to make Voldemort angry at him, besides, Naito had his own reasons for entering into Hogwarts.
"I see you have a guest, Severus. Would you both please have a seat?"
Snape gave a curt nod, handing over some rolls of parchment to the headmaster before sitting stiffly in a straight-backed chair in front of the desk, before saying, "This is Naito Kuroi Koori. He wishes to join Hogwarts this year—his seventh year—to finish his education."
While Snape introduced Naito, he sat down leisurely looking as if he had not a care in the world, reminding the headmaster of a certain blond-haired, aristocratic Slytherin. Dumbledore took a minute to study the young man before him carefully.
His blue eyes were cold and calculating, taking in even the slightest of details. His expression was guarded and stoic, making him look dangerous and powerful. His black hair hung over his tan, refined face, falling just above his ears. His entire presence was commanding and superior, exuding power in waves that Dumbledore could feel in the boy's ambient energy.
Dumbledore shook his head and wondered if this was a good idea. Severus had told him that this was Voldemort's protégé and an excellent spy, but Severus had also informed him that, through careful observation, he could detect a slight resentfulness towards the Dark Lord and that the boy could be perhaps swayed in the right direction with a bit of encouragement.
As Headmaster of Hogwarts and a caretaker to a multitude of children, Dumbledore always tried to see the good in people, giving them a chance, hoping they could see it in themselves, even if it was buried deep down.
Dragging himself out of his musings, the old man asked, "What former education did you have?"
"I was taught at home by my parents."
"Why have they suddenly decided to send you here to Hogwarts for your very last year?" Dumbledore asked although he knew the truth of this boy.
He was simply playing a role laid out for him by Tom Riddle...and he was doing a remarkable job so far. Dumbledore tested Naito's mental defenses, only to find them impeccable and flawless. Of course Voldemort had taught his best spy Occlumency, but that was as he suspected anyway.
"My parents were killed in a raid by Voldemort and I was sent to live with my Squib uncle and Muggle aunt. They decided to let me continue my education by coming here."
Dumbledore was impressed by the story and the blatant use of the Dark Lord's name. As far as he had heard, none of Tom's followers ever called him anything other than "Master" or "The Dark Lord;" not even Severus was willing to say his name, even when he was in Order meetings. This boy was a definite enigma to say the very least.
"What subjects will you be expecting to take once the new semester starts? You may take the five core classes and two electives of your choice."
Naito looked thoughtful for a moment before replying casually, "Transfiguration, Charms, Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, Care of Magical Creatures, and Ancient Runes," knowing that he knew enough Astronomy and Arithmancy (not to mention History of Magic) to surpass most if not all of the students (maybe even the teachers themselves) in the class. After all he could always broaden his large repertoire of Magical Creatures and Ancient Runes.
Dumbledore gave Naito a nod and studied him for a moment longer. This boy certainly acted sincere in everything he had said. If the headmaster had not already known why the boy was trying to get into his school, he would not be able to tell that he actually meant them harm.
Everyone would need to be cautious around this boy and be careful about everything they say around him. Severus had informed him that Voldemort had assigned the boy to spy on the Order by getting close to Hermione, Ron, and Ginny; the most likely candidates for revealing information close to Phoenix Members as they were close to the boy's age and near enough to the Order to glean some information on them.
The teenage trio, though still grieving their missing friend, had dedicated themselves to help the Order find and destroy Voldemort in honor of Harry Potter. They were eager to do whatever they could to help and always jumped at opportunities presented to them.
With them now being of age and so enthusiastic to help, Dumbledore planned to give them the job of trying to turn Mr. Naito Koori to the light. He would give them information about the boy's mission, telling them to befriend him, circumspectly and without drawing attention, and gain his trust while trying to keep him from information about the Order. They would then try to sway him from his current beliefs and put him on the right path.
Dumbledore smiled serenely at the young man with black hair, his eyes twinkling benignly as he said, "Well, that is all I need to know for now. Thank you for meeting with me and I hope you have a pleasant and interesting year here at Hogwarts. You will receive your school letter in a few days. It will inform you of what supplies will be needed for each class so that you may attain them."
"Oh, I have no doubt that it will be interesting, Professor...of that I have no doubt," replied Naito, smiling back at the headmaster, or was it more of a smirk?
All three stood up and nodded to each other before Severus and Naito departed from the office.
"Very interesting indeed,'' Naito heard the old man mutter distantly as the door closed behind them.
Naito and Snape made it quickly back to the front gates, using the portkey to take them back to where Voldemort was waiting for them.
"How did it go, Severus? Naito?"
The two looked at each other before Naito turned back to the Dark Lord, smirking arrogantly, "I'm in."
(To Be Continued…)
A/N- Thank you for reading! I hope you liked it and please review! You'd make my day!
Coming Up: Naito meets some of his old friends and Malfoy almost blows his cover with them in Chapter 4: Meeting Others.
Review Responses:
Una: Thanks, Una-chan! You are awesome! Well, just for you, this song is Evanescence 2! You weren't shocked by the last chapter were you? I mean after all, it is the style I always go with, remember? TBCS? Of course it doesn't make any sense...until you get to the end...yeah, well, I figure there's only so much Remus can take before he finally snaps and...well, you see the result. LOL! That was hilarious...don't be too hard on Una, Yami...she just gets excited sometimes and lets go with her uncensored thoughts...lol. I wonder if anyone has noticed all of the major plot points that have been planted in all these chapters...how do you think Harry wound up w/Voldemort? (as in, Big V—pun on Big D, lol/cough cough/ I'm ok now—transporting Harry to his hide out) I'd love to hear your ideas.
Dragon and Sword Master: Why thank you, ever so much! Yes, I know I'm evil, but only in my writing. Other than that, I leave the evil stuff to Selina. Lol! Nice name...aww! That is so uncool! I hate it when FF.N goes wacky!
Hazel-Beka: Now, if I had actually killed off Harry in the first chapter, it wouldn't be much of a story, now would it? (winces) I hope they're not doing anything too bad, I mean it is spring break—for me anyway. Well, there is that. Haha! I can imagine. My friend at school, Nicky, got ahold of this pic of Joey, he looks like he's doing ballet so my friend...tweaked it a bit and now he looks like a fairy in a tutu! It's hilarious! Yay, thank you! Oh, hey! Have you updated BTW? I've been gone so much lately I haven't checked, but I was thinking about it the other day and was wondering.
MagicmanSmokegirl: Have I sent you that email yet? If not, let me know & I'll work on that when I get back from my retreat. (I'll tell you about it too!) Hm...don't get too hasty! Not everything will be as it seems! (aint say'n no more'n den dat!) (snort) you wish...is it every that easy?
LadayoftheWood: You are pitiful...sheesh, I can't take you anywhere! Get to update'n gurl!
I'd like to say a great big "THANK YOU" to my friend Jin for beta reading for me!
Please Review!