Harry Potter and the Orb of Souls Chapter 7: The Battle of Wills, a harry potter fanfic

Title: Harry Potter and the Orb of Souls

Author: SerafinaMoon

Date: March 12-19, 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- Well, here it is everybody! Chapter 7! I hope you all enjoy!

Chapter 7: The Battle of Wills

This ain't a song for the broken-hearted
No silent prayer for the faith-departed
I ain't gonna be just a face in the crowd
You're gonna hear my vice
When I shout it out loud

It's my life
It's now or never
I ain't gonna live forever
I just want to live while I'm alive
(It's my life)
My heart is like an open highway
Like Frankie said
I did it my way
I just wanna live while I'm alive
It's my life

This is for the ones who stood their ground
For Tommy and Gina who never backed down
Tomorrow's getting harder, make no mistake
Luck ain't even lucky
Got to make your own breaks

Better stand tall when they're calling you out
Don't bend, don't break, baby, don't back down

"It's My Life" – Bon Jovi

The first Friday of the school year came with much excitement as students rushed out of their last classes of the day to relax on the front lawn by the lake or go exploring with friends.

For Naito, the rest of the week had passed in relative calmness. He had attended another Order meeting the previous day, but had not learned anything of much consequence.

That worried him a bit.

Tonight he would have to give one of Voldemort's Death Eaters his first report from Hogwarts; if he did not give them something substantial, or at least come up with a good excuse as to why he had not, he would be pulled away from the castle as well as the only freedom he had experienced for a year an a half (not to mention the extreme pain he would undergo for disappointing his master).

Needless to say, he was not looking forward to tonight's meeting with whomever his master intended to send to him.

Naito looked out over the lake and up to the mountains. He was glad to just have this time to himself to think. It was amazing to be at Hogwarts; there were so many things going on and interesting things to do. Now that he was here, Naito did not want to ever leave.

Perhaps that was why his master had been reluctant to allow him on this assignment. It was easy to become attached to the place, with its tall torrents, idyllic scenery, and peaceful ambience (compared to the Death Eater training camp he had been staying at) the castle was a homey place to stay.

There was just a familiarity about it, as if he had spent his whole life here and knew all its innermost secrets...

That was another thing Naito had to ponder over...all through the week, he had continued having bizarre flashbacks from what he assumed to be his past life (unless he was a seer and did not know it), but no matter how he looked at things, he could not for the life of him figure out what his past contained.

Hopefully, if he stayed here long enough, all the puzzle pieces might just rearrange themselves before him and he could solve the enigma that had become his world.

Except that they haven't been happening as frequently recently, Naito thought to himself morosely.

Naito sighed wistfully, glancing once more at the horizon and the sun as it dipped behind the mountains, giving the surrounding sky a fiery, pink glow before turning to go back inside to the Great Hall for dinner.

Sitting down, not a minute later, Naito was bombarded by Draco's energetic presence.

"Hey, Nate! Guess what my father sent me!"

Naito rolled his eyes. Draco's nickname had stuck with him and no matter what he had said to the contrary, Draco would simply continue using it.

"What did your father send you, Draco?" Naito asked tediously.

Draco took no notice of his companion's lack of enthusiasm and replied, "I got this note from him; go on, have a look."

Draco passed the note over to Naito, who read it silently.

Draco,

Come down to the edge of the Forbidden Forest near the lake after curfew. Bring Naito Koori with you. We all have business to discuss.

L.M.

"That's fascinating, Draco. What are you so excited about though? You can't be missing your parents already; it's only been the first week of school."

"Didn't you even read it! It says we're going to be doing business. He might even take us to You-Know-Who so we can do something for him!"

Naito inwardly cringed; he did not know anyone that, after having met the Dark Lord, wanted to be in his presence any more than was absolutely necessary—at least no one sane.

Turning to Draco, his voice dripping with disdain, Naito said, "Do you really think serving the Dark Lord is all fun and games, pleasure and power? If you do, then you are even more of a fool than I thought. The Dark Lord might draw you in with his alluring words and assuring tone, but he's as slippery as a snake and doesn't like to share the power he gains. Remember that Draco.

"We must serve him for the moment in order to rid the world of Mudblood filth, but once that is accomplished the Dark Lord will no longer need his 'faithful servants' and will simply dispose of everyone he has no need of. Watch your back, Malfoy. Remember that you are a Slytherin—cunning and sly and always look out for yourself only. You can't trust anyone else."

Draco looked dumbstruck at Naito's profound statement, but when he finally found his voice he asked in a quiet whisper, "Not even you?"

"No, not even me."

"Why not?"

"I don't even trust myself at the moment, Draco, so neither should you," Naito replied before getting up and exiting the Great Hall.

Intending to blow off some steam before he had to meet Lucius (it would not do to blow up at his senior after all), Naito ventured through the hallways of Hogwarts, letting his feet lead him where they wished.

He sighed as his musings turned introspective.

Despite all the work that he had been doing recently for Voldemort, all the training, practicing, learning...despite all that, his life seemed to hold no meaning.

After all, what was he accomplishing?

His survival until the end of the war...

But what good would that do if he was only going to get away, live by himself to die cut off and lonely? What meaning would his life have had?

That was what Naito wanted: to make a difference in the lives of others...it would give him a reason for carrying on. Maybe, if he lived long enough, he could become a professional detective and solve mysteries—help the Aurors and their work.

It was an interesting and refreshing thought...

"Hey, you!" someone shouted at Naito from the top of the steps before him.

His head snapped up, wand appearing in his hand in the blink of an eye on reflex. Plastering a glare on his face, Naito realized just where his wayward footsteps had led him.

Gryffindor Tower.

Now how had he done that? Sometimes his feet seemed to have a mind of their own, leading him to places that seemed familiar, but where he could not have possibly ever been to before.

You're going mad, my friend, the unhelpful voice in his head supplied, you contemplate overthrowing Voldemort, becoming a detective to solve crimes and help people (maybe even Muggles and Mudbloods), and then you can't forget your strange visions...after that, how could you be anything but insane?

Naito ignored the voice in his head to focus on the external voice coming from the person now right in his face.

"What are you doing up here, snake! Come to spy on us for your lord!" came the angry tone of Ron Weasley.

"What I do is none of your business, but no, I was merely wandering the castle, immersing myself in my thoughts."

"Ha! You've got to be kidding me! How stupid do you think I am?"

Naito refused to comment.

"You're probably trying to find some kind of way to sneak some of your Death Eater friends in here."

Naito wryly arched an elegant eyebrow and disdainfully replied, "You know nothing of my motives so I would appreciate it if you did not speak of things you have no knowledge of. After all, it is better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open it and remove all doubt."

"Why you-" Ron sputtered, puffing up like a balloon full of hot air. His face turned red in anger followed by his ears and neck as his fists clenched into tight balls, his teeth clenched together tightly while his breathing became irregular.

Draco's laugh came from behind Naito as the blonde aristocrat strolled down the corridor towards the group.

"That was a good one, Nate. I'll have to remember that for future reference, after all, I've never seen anyone who could antagonize Weasley that easily with so few words."

"What's wrong, Malfoy? Can't make up your own comments, so that you have to use someone else's?" said Ginny Weasley easily as she came up behind Ron along with some of their friends from Gryffindor.

Naito saw Draco flush and inwardly smirked; that boy had a lot to learn before he would be able to make it in the real world, especially if he was that easily flustered.

"Are you looking for a fight, Weaslet?"

"Not unless you're instigating it..." she trailed off, looking to Malfoy with her wand held casually, but ready to strike at a moment's notice.

Draco lunged forward, wand drawn, but Naito held him back, diplomatically stating, "I would prefer that we avoid confrontations, especially around ladies."

"Why's that! Think we can't handle it? Think you're too good to fight against a girl, or is it because you think you might lose!"

"None of those assumptions are correct; it is merely common courtesy not to fight in the presence of a lady—it is not socially proper."

That seemed to deflate Ginny as she took a step back and blinked, lowering her wand, as she had unconsciously raised it in threat.

Deciding to disregard the others for the moment, Naito turned to Draco, face showing open curiosity.

"Why did you come to find me, Draco?"

"It is time for us to go—it's almost curfew, you know."

To the others present it may have seemed as if Draco was simply commenting on the fact that they needed to head back to their common rooms with the approaching curfew.

However, Naito knew the real meaning behind those words: it was time to meet with Draco's father and either explain why he had no information to give or to reveal certain secrets he had gathered from the Order or the DA.

Unfortunately, he had not yet come to the conclusion of that thought process and had not decided what he wanted to do.

Well, there was nothing for it, he would have to go or risk Malfoy becoming angry and punishing him for his tardiness.

Naito gave a sharp nod of his head and proceeded to lead the way onto the grounds.

The Gryffindors, not sure whether to send more jabs at the Slytherins or to just leave before they got in trouble, stood there for a moment, watching Naito and Draco's retreating backs.

After a moment's contemplation, they decided to go back to the common room and forget the incident (momentarily).

Draco could hardly suppress his glee at the thought of a mission. Although he was somewhat subdued after Naito's ultimatum during dinner, it still did not keep him from being excited at the prospect of doing something for the Dark Lord his father had told him so much about. He was nearly skipping as he kept up a steady gait beside Naito.

Naito, on the other hand, was far from excited about the meeting. He knew that no matter what he said, he would receive the Cruciatus Curse tonight simply to serve as a reminder while he was here who he worked for, and who he would continue working for until Voldemort was stopped.

His hands began shaking as the duo neared the Forbidden Forest and he hid them inside the pockets of his robes. He did not want anyone to know that he was scared, after all, only the lack of emotion that he outwardly projected all the time had kept him alive thus far.

"Greetings, Draco. And Naito, it's been a while since we have last seen each other, wouldn't you agree?"

"Yes sir."

"Good, you still remember your lessons in etiquette. Draco always seems to forget what he has been taught whenever he comes here. We almost put him in Durmstrang, but his mother and I decided it was too far away. Nevertheless, we managed to come up with other ways of reminding him his place."

Naito could practically feel Draco flush beside him, but he never once took his eyes from Malfoy's. It was a good thing he mastered Occlumency and Legilimency in the first month, otherwise he might be having problems at the moment.

"Well, sir, I'm glad that you decided to keep Draco here, so far he has been my only companion."

Naito knew he had picked the wrong choice of words when Lucius' eyes narrowed into a glare and he hissed, "What was that you said, boy? I believe it was your duty to worm your way in with those Gryffindors in order to spy on the Headmaster. My master did not allow you to come to this school to go gallivanting around making friends!

"This trip is not for your pleasure, boy! You are here for a purpose and that is the only reason you are here, do you understand!"

Naito grit his teeth, it was coming, and he knew it.

"Yes sir."

"I don't believe that you do, Crucio!"

The spell ripped into him like thousands of heated needles piercing his body, stabbing him over and over. Naito sunk to the ground, his hands balled into fists and mouth clamped shut in order to stem the screams. He did not want to appear weak in front of Draco, but there was nothing for it.

As Lucius Malfoy continued to hold him under, his body was pulled into the throws of convulsions and a scream was torn from him. He continued screaming until Malfoy was satisfied and released him from the curse.

His body still trembled and he had a hard time rolling over and pushing himself up into a standing position once more. His breathing was fast and irregular; Naito chanced a look at Draco to see that his once excited countenance had been replaced by a mask of indifference. He knew how to play the game then.

"I expect better from you, Naito. You don't want me to tell our lord that you've been neglecting your duties; he might just decide to send Ganmou to receive your reports."

Naito held back a flinch.

His caretaker knew lots of obscure spells that could make grown men cry and beg for mercy in a matter of seconds. He would definitely not like it if the Potion's Master was the one he was made to answer to again.

"Of course, sir. I will do better in the future." Naito knew better than to tell Voldemort, or any of his servants, 'I'll try;' it was all or none in this world of hate and torture.

"See that you do."

"Yes sir."

"Now, tell me what you have found out."

Naito took a deep breath, this was it—time to bring out the acting skills...

"I had made friends with the group as asked, and was in the process of gleaning some information from them when one of the Slytherins walked in asking me what I was doing with a group like that. Up until that point the group was speaking with me, although not giving much useful information away."

"Who was this Slytherin that interrupted you?" Malfoy's eyes smoldered behind the gleaming white Death Eater mask and his movements beneath his dark robes were irate and angry.

Draco blanched beside him.

"I don't remember, sir."

"Don't lie to me! Crucio!"

Once again, that burning fire raged through his body, boiling his blood. He was not able to hold back a scream as he fell to the ground once more.

After a few seconds, Naito was released and allowed to get up again.

"Why are you defending the-" suddenly he stopped, looked thoughtful for a moment before turning on Draco.

Taking in his pale complexion, Lucius had no trouble figuring out who it was that thwarted Naito.

"It was you, wasn't it, Dragon?" in a chilling, icy voice.

Draco flinched before whispering, "Yes, sir."

"I thought as much, Crucio!"

Now it was Draco's turn to writhe and scream on the ground.

The hairs on the back of Naito's neck prickled and he looked around while Malfoy concentrated on his son. Turning his gaze to the distance, Naito saw a shadow move.

His eyes narrowed then widened once he recognized the Head of Slytherin House and resident Potion's Master at Hogwarts hiding in the shadows. Why was he here?

Hm, he must be here for Dumbledore to see what's going on, his inner voice supplied.

"What else have you found out, Naito?" inquired Lucius when he was done tormenting his son.

"I have not been able to gather much information from the two as it seems that Dumbledore was informed of our plan and has asked Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley to befriend me as well to get information from me. They are wary of speaking with me of anything remotely close to the Order of the Phoenix and would not even tell me about their summer holidays.

"I have tried sneaking into the Gryffindor common room several times, but the only thing I have learned is that the Order convenes every Tuesday night after curfew. I have not been able to discover the locations of these meetings as of yet, but I am working on it."

"You said Weasley and Granger were told to worm information out of you, have they asked you anything about the Dark Lord yet?"

"Yes, they tried finding out where I'd been during the summer and who I lived with, why I had not been to Hogwarts before this. I gave only vague and banal answers; they will not glean anything from them, sir."

"Good, have you learned anything else about the Order, other than what time it meets? Do you know who all is in it?"

"Well, Dumbledore and McGonagall..."

"Anyone else?"

"I don't know, sir," stated Naito dejectedly.

"That's not good enough, Crucio!"

For the third and last time, Naito was thrown to the ground by the force of the spell, only this time, when it ended; he was unable to do more than weakly push himself up into a sitting position.

"You had better come up with something we don't already know next time, or you will find out why the Dark Lord's servants are called Death Eaters."

"Yes...sir..." Naito gasped from his position on the ground, but the blond-haired man had already turned and Apparated away.

As soon as his father was gone, Draco rushed over to Naito to help the boy stand. With one arms flung over Draco's shoulders and being able to lean weakly against the other boy, Naito was able to draw up semblance of energy.

"Are you alright, Nate?" Draco asked his voice tinged with worry.

For once, the nickname did not irritate Naito, it seemed more like the personal gesture between two friends that it was supposed to be.

"Yeah, I'll be fine in a moment."

"I daresay you will be once I give you something for that," came Snape's slick, velvety tones from out of the shadows causing Draco to jump and almost drop Naito's almost limp form.

"Come along you two, my office."

"H-how long have you been there, Professor?" sputtered Draco untactful.

Snape turned his deep, onyx eyes on the boy, sizing him up before answering in a silky voice, "The entire time, Mr. Malfoy. Now, will you help me haul Mr. Koori up to the castle or do you want to continue this pointless round of pleasantries?"

"Sorry, Professor," muttered Draco before helping to lead Naito back into the castle.

Snape merely grunted in reply as, he too, walked Naito up the steep slope past the Gamekeeper's Hut.

It took a good few minutes to get up to the doors, but by then, Naito had regained most of the control over his body and was able to help make himself move towards the Potion Master's office.

"Thank you, Professor, Draco," croaked Naito hoarsely when they eased him into a comfy chair.

"You're welcome," Draco said, eyeing him in concern as Snape nodded, striding past them towards his storage cabinets, searching for a bottle of potion.

Taking down a purple, green-swirled potion from the shelf, Snape wordlessly handed it to Naito and a similar one to Draco before sitting down across from them in his straight-backed chair behind the desk.

Throwing his head back to keep from tasting the potion, Naito tossed the concoction down his throat and immediately noticed his limbs stopped shaking and the pain faded away. Looking over at Draco, Naito noticed his miniscule tremors had stopped as well.

"Now, would either of you care to tell me what going on out there tonight?" asked Snape lightly, gazing into their eyes as if he could pull the answers out of their brains by just looking at them.

Naito knew that could very well be what he was trying to do, so checking his Occlumency shield, Naito stared back into his teacher's eyes trying to see if he could read anything from the older man.

"If you do not already know," began Naito, "then why should I bother to tell you? After all, not every Death Eater is to know the Master's every secret, are they?"

It seemed that Snape knew very well how to construct a mental barrier to guard his thoughts because Naito could read nothing when the man replied, "I do know what was going on, Mr. Koori, but I wish to hear your point of view on the events."

I wonder if Draco knows how to do Occlumency and Legilimency, thought Naito idly as he pondered if Snape had gleaned the information from his companion's mind.

"Well, if you do already know, then why should I tell you anyway?"

Snape growled at this and muttered an annoyed, "Adolescents..."

"Fine, if you want to be difficult, I do not care; do you at least know what you are getting into?"

"What do you mean?" asked Draco, confusion clearly written on his features.

"Do you know what serving the Dark Lord entails?"

Before Draco could answer, Naito cut in, "Are you trying to prevent us from becoming Death Eaters, Professor Snape? Because if you are, one would have to doubt where your loyalties lie."

Naito failed to mention the fact that he was already a Death Eater, even though he remained unmarked from being a Metamorphmagus, as Snape had been to Headquarters and already knew of his "loyalties."

"Not at all, I am merely making sure that you finish what you start; after all, it would not do to find a spy in our midst because you could not handle the pressure."

Naito knew Snape was talking about him being a spy for Voldemort, but he bypassed it with, "It sounds as if you speak from experience, Professor."

Draco had watched the exchange in bemusement at the battle of wills that was in play even if he was not sure what was going on, but now he interjected, saying, "As fun as this is, I do believe you were about to explain, Severus?"

Snape glared at the boy saying, "We are not alone, Draco. It is not appropriate for you to call me that at this time."

"Sorry Professor."

Snape nodded and continued, "When you enter the Dark Lord's service, you will serve him with everything you have. You give him everything you own, even yourself. He does not tolerate failure; if you are not completely successful in everything you do for him, you will be punished severely or you just might not live to fail him again. Do you both understand now why this decision should not be taken lightly?"

"Yes sir," replied Draco, looking thoughtful.

Naito gave the man a pointed look when his sinister, shadowy gaze came to rest on his person.

When the Professor glared back, Naito answered, "Yes, sir."

"Good. Now, Draco, tell me about Quidditch? How is the Slytherin team faring?"

The change in topic was abrupt, but both boys took to it quickly, wanting something normal and comforting to talk about to take away the tension.

"Pretty well, sir. With Potter gone, we should be able to win the cup again this year, although the Weaslet won't go down easily, it can be done."

"I see. Are you going to stay Seeker or are you going to switch to Keeper now that the position is available?"

"Hm. I'm not sure. I do want to be Keeper, but I don't know if I trust any of the idiots in Slytherin with the Seeker position."

"Come now, Draco. Surely they are not all that bad."

Draco shook his head.

Trying another tactic, Snape asked, "Did you ask Naito if he is any good at flying?"

Draco's eyes widened and he immediately turned to the boy beside him, "Do you?"

"Um...I don't know. I've never flown before."

"Will you try out?"

"Sure."

"Good. I'd really like the Keeper position now that Potter is gone."

Confused, Naito asked, "What does it matter whether 'Potter' is here or not?"

"Are you kidding?" When Draco saw that he was not, he continued, "We were rivals; if he was Seeker then I had to be Seeker too so that I could beat him! I couldn't very well do that if I was a Keeper, now could I? Besides, the spot was already taken."

"Oh. Right."

Draco rolled his eyes at the boy before turning back to his Head of House.

"That was all I wanted to know; you are dismissed, Draco."

The boy blinked, wondering why he was the only one that had to leave, but stood swiftly and exited.

After Draco left, the room was filled with a comfortable silence. The two men sat like that for a while before the Potion Master's voice broke through.

"Hm...you do know that you can get out, don't you?"

Naito snorted in bitter amusement, "You think I have a choice?"

"Everyone has a choice."

"And I suppose you want me to make the same choice you made?"

When Snape only gave him a pointed look, Naito said, "Oh, come on, Professor! We both know that I know you're the Order's spy. There's no need to pretend around me anymore."

"And yet, you did not reveal me to Lucius when you had the chance."

"Yeah, well, there are several things that I know and haven't told him yet. Who says that I'm not just saving things for when I have nothing to report?"

"The fact that you just made that statement and had nothing to report tonight told me all I needed to know. So, why did you fail to give me away when you had the perfect opportunity to do so, and don't bother making excuses. I know you saw me in the forest; Lucius could have easily captured me and brought me before the Dark Lord to be questioned, tortured, and killed while I was there."

"What do you want me to say! You already know that I'm not sure what side to be on. The fact of the matter is I hate the Dark Lord! He may have trained me, but had I not resided with him, I could have had a normal life, not placed under the Cruciatus Curse everyday for no reason whatsoever.

"I know that if I worked for the 'Light' side, as you call it, I would not be cursed for failing, I would not have to worry about my leader killing me just because he doesn't like me, or because he no longer has need of me, or-"

"Calm yourself, Naito."

Indeed Naito found himself standing and pacing around, ranting with no memory of having ever risen from his seat.

"Sorry."

"Apology accepted. Now why did you refrain from selling me out?"

"I guess the simple reason is because I didn't want you to die, especially after being tortured mercilessly."

"Do you agree with the Dark Lord and his views on Muggles?"

"Yes...no...oh, I don't know!"

"That's not the problem, is it?"

"No...It's just...I know what it's like to be tortured and discriminated against and I don't want anyone to have to go through what I have."

"That means you have a choice to make, and you know what that choice is."

Naito frowned at the ground, not looking up at the one man that actually seemed to care what happened to him and feel the same way he did and could understand his position.

"Think about it at least."

The only acknowledgement Snape received was a jerky nod of the head as the boy rose from his seat and let the door slip closed behind him, the snapping sound resounding in the room with finality.

(To Be Continued…)

A/N- Well, I hope that the few of you that are still reading this enjoyed the chapter. It actually turned out much better than I thought it would...in my opinion anyway.

Coming Up: The day after his report is every bit as dangerous as Dumbledore invites Naito up to his office to see how he is adjusting, but becomes even more suspicious of Naito due to unforeseen circumstances. The excitement doesn't end there however, because Naito decides to follow Snape and sneak into one of Voldemorts Death Eater meetings, only to be caught by Voldemort's pet snake!

Review Responses:

Audrey: Yes, Naito's appearance has changed and it was actually revealed in chapter three when he goes to visit Dumbledore about getting into Hogwarts.

Hazel-Beka: Actually, those were the first books I ever was interested in reading as a child. When I was younger I HATED to read, but ironically, my mom told me once I got older I would learn to like it. I told her I never would, but she proved me wrong. Yeah, I know Harry's not technically an Animorph in that sense, but I thought it was the best way to describe him...I couldn't really think of anything else! Yeah, I know what you mean about the discrimination...this just goes to show that it really is something that's irrational.

MagicmanSmokegirl: Aw! Come on! Why do you think he wouldn't have had a good chance of winning? It certainly seemed like something plausible to me w/the way he was taking over Europe! Don't mind me, but this is one rant I definitely don't mind listening to...for once I'm actually interested in the history department and you know how much I dislike it so...Well, when you only have the Gryffindor's view of things, they would seem a lot better, but once you have a different perspective things are different. What's ethnocentrism? I'm too lazy to look it up.

I'd like to thank Jin Cheng for beta reading for me! You do an awesome job Jin Cheng! I love you Jin Cheng!