Title: Harry Potter and the Orb of Souls
Author: SerafinaMoon
Date: June 3-14, 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- This is it, you guys...another transition chapter, but like always some things just have to happen so other things may take place...therefore, I hope you enjoy the Quidditch game ladies and gents, be sure to bring along your green or red scarves cuz it's gonna be cold out!
Chapter 13: Gry vs. Sly
"He was doing what when you found him, Miss Weasley?"
"He had some kind of charm on the wall and was bouncing spells off of it at himself so he could put up a shield. It was like he was dueling with himself, or the wall, or something..."
Hearing seemed to be the first thing to come back to Naito when he regained consciousness. He could not see or feel, let alone move any of his limbs and his brain felt foggy and clouded.
Slowly, ever so slowly, Naito began to drag his way through the murk and shadow as feeling began to make its way into his fingers and toes and finally creep into the rest of him, giving him life again.
For a moment, Naito wished everything would go back to the darkness and foggy numbness that had settled over him when with the returning of feeling in all his body parts came the pain of blasting curse he had hit himself with as well.
Great, I definitely don't feel like an idiot now! Excellent way to impress a girl, Nate, knock yourself out as soon as she walks in the door.
Naito could just hear Draco's voice in his head laughing at his plight and taking the advantage by making fun of him.
Naito sighed, but it did not quite work. When he tried to draw in a large breath, a sharp, jolting pain speared through his ribs, making him gasp then hiss in pain audibly, alerting the two females of his return to consciousness.
"How are you feeling, Mr. Koori? Where does it hurt?"
Naito finally opened his eyes and found the worried faces of Madame Pomphrey and Ginny Weasley hovering over him.
Before he even had time to completely orient himself, Madame Pomphrey began shooting rapid-fire questions at him that he barely had time to answer before he was presented with another one. When she had finally found out every little detail concerning the accident, she finally went back to her office, leaving Naito alone with Ginny at his bedside.
The Gryffindor girl helped him sit up by propping him up against the pillows behind him. She watched him quietly as he grimaced in pain.
"I'm sorry for distracting you like that. I didn't mean for you to get hurt."
"It's ok; it wasn't really that bad," Naito tried to placate.
Ginny was not having any of it.
"It wasn't really that bad?' are you kidding me! You've got a gash about this long across your chest and you're telling me it wasn't that bad!" she shrieked at him as she held up her arms to demonstrate.
Looking down at his chest proved her to be correct as his chest was wrapped up in gauze and covered in red splotches from where the blood had soaked through.
Blushing sheepishly, Naito replied, "Yeah, I guess, but it wasn't really your fault...I shouldn't have let your entry distract me. I usually am able to pay better attention to my surroundings, but I was just trying to blow off some steam and didn't expect anyone to walk in on me just then."
"Do you want to talk about it?" Ginny asked, her head bowed, looking away from him, not pressuring him to tell her.
What is it with girls and talking about your feelings! They should all become psychiatrists or something!
"Uh...no, that's ok. It wasn't anything really, just something trivial."
Ginny smiled at him slightly as if she knew he was lying, but did not push him to tell her, which was one of the things he liked about Ginny. Any time he had felt bad before, she had seemed to just know and would ask after him.
Whether he answered or not, she always offered him comfort, whether it was silent companionship or a softly spoken encouragement.
"So, I heard you're the new Slytherin Seeker," she said, changing the subject at his obvious discomfort.
Naito gaped at her in open surprise and sputtered unceremoniously, "How did you know that!"
The Slytherin team had wanted it kept a secret as to who their new Seeker was so they could surprise everyone in their first match, which was coming up that Saturday on November the eighth.
Ginny smirked at him knowingly, but only replied with a vague, "I have my sources."
"In other words, you spied on us during practice," Naito said wryly. "I thought only our house did that."
"Nope, all the houses take peeks to see what kind of opposition they're up against. I think it's safe to say that every Quidditch team knows you're Slytherin's Seeker."
Naito dropped his head into his hands and groaned aloud for dramatic effect.
"I'm Gryffindor's Seeker, you know."
"So?"
"Sooo, that means you don't stand a chance against my superior skills!"
Naito smirked.
"If you think I'll be beaten by you, you're sadly mistaken."
"Oh yeah? Then how come I beat you in a duel just by walking into the room? Explain that Mr. My-Skills-Are-Superior-To-Yours."
Naito flushed in embarrassment, but redirected her attention by saying, "Actually, I believe you were the one stating your skills were superior, not me. I merely pointed out the fact that you can't beat me."
"Well, we'll just have to see about that!"
Their banter continued back and forth until Madame Pomphrey came back and shooed Ginny away, claiming Naito needed to rest so he could get better. Naito only rolled his eyes at the treatment and went along with what she said as there was no Snape to cover for him this time.
Several days later, after visits from a flood of students in the DA and some of his friends, whom Naito was very happy to see, he was released and ready for the first Quidditch match of the season.
His cheerfulness knew no bounds on that day. Everything was perfect: he was actually doing something to stop Voldemort by helping the Order, he was finally fitting in at school, and best of all he was going to fly in the Quidditch match!
So when he and his teammates walked out onto the field amidst the cheers, taunts, and overall roar of the crowd, Naito was perfectly delighted to experience the thrill of freedom that racing up and down the pitch on a broom gave him.
He had felt a pang of pity for the Gryffindors as they had walked by their locker room and overheard the reason for their determination to beat the Slytherins.
Naito and Draco had been on their way to the locker room to join the rest of the team while discussing strategies they could use during the match when a cheer rose up out of the Gryffindor locker rooms startling them into stillness.
The cries of, "FOR HARRY!" still rang in his ears, but even that could not diminish the excitement he felt for flying in a real Quidditch match for the first time.
He waited impatiently for the team captains, Draco Malfoy and Ron Weasley, to finish crushing each other's fingers and for Madame Hooch to begin the game.
It was with a rush of excitement that Naito took off across the pitch, gracefully dodging Bludgers and players alike and swooping in and out of diving patterns, all the time his eye fixed on Ginny Weasley to make sure she had not spotted the Snitch while he was just enjoying the feeling of flight.
After a few minutes of aerobatics, Naito flew into a search pattern so he could start looking for the Snitch himself.
Glancing around, Naito noticed that the other team was exceptionally well trained. Their tactics were deliberate and calculated; they seemed to come from the mind of a master chess player.
"Someone knows how to use strategy," Naito muttered to himself, noticing that Gryffindor was leading Slythering by almost fifty points at that time.
The Gryffindor team was not the only team to go through intense practices; with Draco Malfoy as the new Captain and Harry Potter out of the way, Draco was determined to win the Quidditch Cup this year.
He had all the players up before the sun and practicing everyday, whether they had a scheduled practice or not. Anyone that decided not to comply with these wishes were, to quote Draco, "not going to be on the team for too much longer," so, therefore, everyone decided it was worth their while to come to the practices.
While the majority of the Gryffindor's would play fairly, Naito knew the Slytherin team would not be so honorable. That, Naito mused, seemed like a very accurate comparison to the war between Dumbledore and Voldemort.
The Gryffindor's were the Light forces and the Slytherin's were the Darkness' lackeys. Both sides were determined to win and not give up for anything, but while one side used purely honorable tactics, the other used almost nothing but underhanded methods.
If the Gryffindors wanted to have any chance of winning, they would have to get their "hands dirty" as well in the fight. They would need an unknown factor that could tip the scale in their favor.
That unknown factor would be Naito.
The fact that he was working as a spy for the light might be just what the "Gryffindor's" needed to win the war and put an end to everything. While he might have the appearance of a Slytherin, he was really a Gryffindor at heart, which was a comparison that ran deeper than even Naito knew.
Looking over to check his opponent, Naito noted that Ginny Weasley was looking for the Snitch herself instead of trying to tail him and wait for him to find it himself. A strange sort of pride stole over him at that thought, finally, an opponent that was worth playing against.
During practice, he had been pitted against Draco, who had done nothing but tail him and get in his way everywhere he went. It had been more of an annoyance than a challenge, but now he had a chance to prove himself against someone that actually knew how to play the position.
This thought excited him as he looped the field, looking for the Snitch as well, while keeping one eye open to what was going on around him.
One of Gryffindor's new Chasers had the Quaffle and was speeding towards the Slytherin goal posts, but Crabbe and Goyle came at her from both sides, each sending a Bludger shooting wildly in her direction.
Not able to go left or right, the girl was only able to go up or down. Either option would break the Chaser's formation, which was what the two Beaters had been aiming for, prompted by Draco of course.
The Chaser decided to fly up, but lost her grip on the Quaffle as she did, dropping it so that it was snatched up by one of the Slytherin Chasers, who sped up the pitch, finally scoring the first goal for the team.
The green and silver clad crowd leapt to their feet and roared their approval, while all the other sections alternately clapped and booed depending on whether they were more polite.
It was during the Gryffindor comeback that Naito noticed Ginny's sudden movement out of the corner of his eye. She was speeding toward the Slytherin goalpost, her eyes focused in concentration.
Adrenaline coursed through Naito's veins at the possibility that she had spotted the Snitch before he did. Looking around wildly for a glint of gold, Naito found there to be none in that direction.
Thinking Ginny might be trying to trick him, he followed after her to make her think she had him, only to veer off and race through the Gryffindor Chaser formation, Ginny hot on his tail, thinking he had seen the Snitch.
After breaking up the Chasers and making them drop the Quaffle again, Naito made a steep dive at the ground. Ginny followed after him, her expression one of bewilderment as she looked for the Snitch.
Her face turned to one of understanding as they both neared the ground without any sign of Naito pulling up. She smirked at him and pulled up, looping back into a searching pattern.
Frowning to himself, Naito pulled up as well and came to join her.
"Nice try," she shouted to him.
"Oh? And what do you mean by that?" Naito asked moving closer so she could hear him, still keeping a lookout despite their conversation, which Naito noticed she was doing as well.
"I'll have you know that I went to the Quidditch World Cup when Krum pulled off that same maneuver. I wasn't going to fall for it and break my neck just for you! I told you I had superior skills!"
"Well, we'll just have to see how this turns out, then won't we!" Naito laughed, looping away from her and circling the pitch once more.
An hour later, there was still no sign of the Snitch, but the Chasers were having plenty of action as Gryffindor was now well ahead of Slytherin in points.
If this keeps up, Naito thought, it's not going to matter which one of us catches the Snitch, Gryffindor will win anyway. Come on you guys!
Deciding to lead Ginny into a false sense of security, Naito began racing around the pitch, at first Ginny followed him, watching out for the small, elusive, winged ball, but when it was clear that Naito was feinting, she went back to flying above everything to keep a watch out.
Perfect, Naito thought.
Not only did the trick keep Ginny away from him, it also had the added bonus of letting him have a closer look at things without being interrupted, and in case he did see the Snitch and go after it, the opposing Seeker would merely think it another part of his aerobatic maneuvers.
During tryouts for the Seeker position, Naito had beaten all of the available opposition easily no questions asked.
Though he had never been allowed to play while he had been with Voldemort (after all, what sort of Death Eater would he be if he was playing Quidditch?), he had always been interested in it and the thrill of freedom that flying gave him, even in his Animagus forms, therefore, despite his lack of experience, he knew a few maneuvers that could help put him ahead.
After Gryffindors had managed to score more goals and up their points, Naito noticed a golden flash a little way above him and off to the side.
Randomly making another sporadic move, Naito lunged toward it, only to be blocked by one of his own Chasers trying to score. Quickly getting out of the way, he dove underneath the other player's broom and arched back up, panicking to see Ginny in hot pursuit of the winged globe.
Without a thought, he sped after them both, leaning across his broom handle to gain as much speed as he could by aligning himself aerodynamically so that he was streamlined as much as possible.
Gaining ground on his adversary, Naito tried to dart forward and grab the ball, but Ginny anticipated his movement and swerved in front of him. Annoyed, he made to get out from behind her, but she kept positioning herself so that she stayed between him and the Snitch.
Knowing that if he did not get out in front of her soon she would catch the ball and end the game, Naito's eyes narrowed in determination and he flipped upside down. Sliding underneath her, he raced after the Snitch, spiraling up when he was in front and snatching the Snitch out of midair just as an enormous roar rose up from the Gryffindor side of the stands.
Wondering what was going on, Naito noted the score on the board was Slytherin 170 to Gryffindor 180. Gryffindor won, but Slytherin got the Snitch, it was the most action packed game since the Quidditch World Cup of Bulgaria verses Ireland, 1994.
Naito landed on the pitch with his teammates, not sure what to expect from them, after all, he had catch the Snitch, but their team had lost. Would they blame him for not allowing them time to catch up even though they were being creamed, or would they be happy that he had ended it when he did?
He never got an answer to the question because, as the Gryffindor team was carried off the field in a shower of victory, born on the backs of their Housemates, the Slytherin team and its Housemates remained silent, their expressions solemn.
Some of them, that Naito could see, had a glint in their eyes signifying their cunning minds working to find a way to still win the Quidditch Cup as they made their way back to their dormitories.
Naito stayed in the back with Draco, casting furtive glances at the other boy every so often, trying to make out how he was feeling.
The past year spent with Voldemort in training had left Naito with a feeling of emptiness that made him seek the approval of any and everyone around him. Despite the fact that he had caught the Snitch, they had lost the game because of him and Naito wondered what this would mean for the few friendships or ally-ships, as the case may be, he had made in Slytherin.
When Draco still had not said anything to him when they reached the Slytherin's Seventh Year boys dorms, only sat down on his bed and pulled the hangings closed around him, Naito decided he would go for a walk in the castle to settle his thoughts.
He did not notice when he was walking through the halls that it was not as crowded as it should be for a Saturday without classes. Of course, since he never noticed, the thought that all the other houses as well as the Gryffindors were celebrating the downfall of Slytherin never came to mind.
Naito heeded none of this though because he was far too occupied with a thought he had been mulling over ever since his talk with Dumbledore after he got back from Gringotts.
He was already helping the Order by spying on Voldemort, but what if that was not enough? Naito wanted to do more to help defeat Voldemort than to just feed the Order information...he wanted to fight.
But how could he fight his own side without his former Master or the Order knowing about it?
He could always go out and find some kind of nondescript robe and mask and just anonymously help fight battles with the Order.
But what if the Order asked him if he knew anything about the masked warrior? Or Voldemort asked him to participate in the battles fighting for his side?
How could he keep his identity secret if he only showed up during the times neither side had any knowledge of Naito's whereabouts?
Other questions stemmed from this: what kind of Metamorphmagus transformation would he use to cover his identity, would he use one of his Animagus forms, and if so which one? How would it look, what colors would he use for it?
There were just so many unknown aspects of being a rouge fighter that was also a spy for both sides.
No wonder Snape only spies and doesn't fight, thought Naito to himself wryly. It's hard enough as it is by itself.
Well, I want to do something to help the Order fight, so I might as well.
But what if you're found out? Asked the voice in the back of his mind.
Well, they've still got Snape, haven't they? Besides, I'd never have to leave Hogwarts then, now would I?
His inner voice had nothing to say to that so Naito moved on to another topic...Animagus forms...
Should I use my ferret form or another one for my new identity? If I use a ferret, then the Order will know it's me, but I don't think I really want them to know about me fighting. This is for me only, but if I use another form Dumbledore might discover me then he'll know I have more than one!
Then again if I use any form at all, there's always the chance that Voldemort will suspect it to be me. But they could all suspect it's me just because of the times I'm missing! Gah! This is all so confusing.
Well, I might as well pick a new form and make it something that can fight Death Eaters...so I need something with teeth...I can use a big canine or feline form...which should it be though?
Canines have more endurance, but felines are more dexterous and have more agility. If I'm going to be in mostly battle situations, the cat forms would be the best choice...so now I just need to figure out if I want a lion, tiger, leopard, snow leopard, jaguar, wildcat, bobcat, or any other kind of cat out there!
So many choices...jaguar would probably be best to suit my purposes; the Death Eaters usually only strike at night so a completely black creature would probably be best to blend in with the shadows...Jaguar it is then!
With his mind finally made up about what he was going to do to help fight with the Order, Naito decided to sneak out to Hogsmeade and find new fighting robes and have a look at masks to wear so his ensemble would be complete.
Glancing around to make sure no one was watching, Naito transformed into a familiar black fur thief and scampered down the hall under the watchful eyes of several paintings, some of which were already on their way to inform the paintings in Dumbledore's office about the strange occurrences.
Instinct seemed to take over after Naito morphed and he knew exactly where to go to get out of the castle. Apparently there were a great many exits into Hogsmeade located in the castle if only you knew where to look.
One of these types of passages just happened to be located behind a statue of a one-eyed witch. Slipping through a small crack in the sculpture (probably used by rats to get into the castle in the past) Naito was able to enter the tunnel leading to Hogsmeade Honeyduke's Shop and race down it in excitement, stopping just at the end of the tunnel when he had to open the trap door to enter the basement.
Before exiting the tunnel, Naito used his metamorphmagus abilities to change his appearance. Instead of the aristocratic features and sharp colors of his visage, in their place was a dull, everyday sort of person who could easily blend in with the crowd.
Taking advantage of his nondescript appearance ability, Naito joined a throng of men heading towards one of the night bars, breaking away from them when he spotted one clothing shop that still remained open.
A bell chimed above the doorway as Naito entered; looking around, he saw all sorts of cloaks and under-clothing hanging on racks along with other wizarding attire on several shelves-there was even some costumes hanging up on the back wall when he looked. This place just might have what he needed to suit his purposes after all...
Naito walked around several of the racks, searching for particular items of clothing and picking them up as they were located.
Starting with Muggle-style under clothing like pants and shirt, Naito found both in a stylish black, which would be perfect for battling purposes; tight enough not to get in the way, yet loose enough that he would be able to move and light enough for him to retain his agility.
Next was his outer robe and cloak, both were made strictly for battle to look intimidating and impressive, yet not restrict movement or make him clumsy or get tangled in the material.
Finally, Naito headed over to the costume section and selected a plain black mask to cover the top half of his face so that it would be shrouded in shadow and be unrecognizable to both his enemies and allies...
The Shadow Phoenix was now ready if there was a need...
No longer did he have to wonder what the meaning of his existence was when he knew he could help those that were innocent retain their light by just donning a mask and cape and fighting those that had trained him.
(To Be Continued…)
A/N- Wow, I need to get a move on...I like to stay at least three steps ahead of you guys (or three chapters anyway) but I'm still working on chapter 14...it is pretty long for me though and action packed so I think you will all like it...of course I could be wrong, but I'll let you decide...
Coming Up: It is Christmas time and Voldemort has something up his sleeve during the festive season when he captures two Order members that forces Naito to don his new persona for the first time and invade his fortress in Chapter 14: The Missing Members.
Review Responses:
Joanna Potter: Thanks, don't worry, we'll get there...but these things take time...
Nicky: (giggles) yeah, I like to through out surprises as I'm sure you know very well...I don't think the Room of Requirement can be locked...remember book 5 when they had to all run away from the Umbridge brigade? The sixth book isn't as good as the others...
Thee-Unknown-Factor: Yeah, well, I don't believe the ROR works like that so I didn't make it that way...I may be wrong, but that's how I see it. It's a room that can be used by anyone that requires its uses and will therefore open for anyone who has need of it...Yeah, I read the sixth book, but I didn't like it that much...the end was really good, but the rest of it...I don't think JK put much heart into it...Harry doesn't seem to feel anything about his godfather dying and everybody just suddenly falls in love all at once...what's up with that? I mean, I like the pairings, but it would have been better if she'd eased them into it instead of the rushing way that she did. But that's just my opinion...I really like the Horcrux idea though and I have no idea what to believe about Snape...
logi: thanks! And here's your next dose!
Willow Evenstar: Shoo! (wipes brow) glad you think my characters are in character...that's what I've been most worried about, especially Voldemort! And Dumbledore...Thanks for the insight!
MagicmanSmokegirl: I really need to send you guys an email...I almost did it today, but a friend of mine called and I went over to her house instead...didn't get on the computer at all. --U Yeah, I was worried too, but I finally managed to escape! Selina and Beka were able to use the Shadow Realm to get through and rescue me! Yep, read the sixth book...what I think of it-in part-is in my review response to Thee-Unknown-Factor above...yeah, I know...Snape would never be that nice to Harry, but I figure, 1) he's nicer to anyone in Slytherin 2) he's a whole lot politer (I won't say DE are very NICE) and 3) he'd have more respect for Naito b/c he's also playing a double role and of course he'd want to act concerned for someone if he was trying to get him to change from the dark to the light side, you know what I mean?
Jin: Yes! I finally got your edited chaps! I think that fact that it was in a text file document was why it made it through...you might want to try that next time...I'm almost finished w/chapter 14! Eek! I need to get busy!
hprox4ever: (gives you your favorite piece of candy for getting the right memory!) Great job!
LadayoftheWood: I'm quitting my job aug 4 so I can get some things done b4 school starts so I SHOULD be able to read your story in that time (but I've also got to do summer reading too, so...?) I can't wait to see what you've added to your story!
hotcocoalatte: Thanks!
CrimsonReality: I'm glad you like it so far! I hope you continue you to enjoy it and review!
I'd like to thank Jin Cheng for beta reading for me! You do an awesome job Jin Cheng! I love you Jin Cheng!