Harry Potter and the Mind Mage
By James Milamber
A/N: Sorry about the long wait folks, but my laptop (which I've been writing this on) blew up last week, and I've only yesterday got my desktop back up and running. Don't worry, it wasn't just to prolong the suspense of that little cliff hanger at the end of the last chapter. So here, then, is the first chapter of HPMM written on a decent computer. Enjoy!
Oh yes, most of the spells used in this chapter come courtesy of Saerry Snape, along with the Lord and Lady Hex of course. If you want to look up what each spell actually means, go to her website www. terion. net (without the spaces) and look them up!
WARNING: This chapter contains violence and language. You have been warned.
Isabelle cursed as she fought against the surging crowds of panicked students, forcing her way towards the middle of the pitch where she knew Harry and the rest of the team were. Hermione had vanished, swept away in the mass of people all trying to get to the castle as quickly as possible.
The noise was incredible. Extending above Hogwarts was a massive golden dome, the ancient wards made visible, which was being attacked by a sickly green light. The screams of the younger students were pierced with sudden explosions when the wards would bunch up and almost throw the attacking light off. Under normal circumstances it would be fascinating to watch, but Isabelle had more important things to attend to.
She was on the verge of pulling her wand and cursing the students out of her way when a flash of red sped by overhead, and she heard her name called. She pulled her wand, but instead of cursing students she shot green sparks into the air. The red blur doubled back, resolving into the form of Alex.
'Come on,' he said, hauling her out of the mass and onto the back of his broom. She wrapped her arms about his waist and they were off. From her new vantage point, she could see Harry, Ginny, Ron, Cassie, Melinda and Greg already in the air. Hermione was riding with Ron, looking distinctly uncomfortable with her feet off the ground.
'Nice of you to finally show up, Isabelle!' Ginny shouted. Isabelle stuck her tongue out in response.
'Settle, children,' Greg grinned, which earned him a whack in the shoulder from Melinda.
'Harry!' Isabelle struggled to be heard over the continuing noise from above. 'Where are the teachers?'
'They all vanished!' Harry shouted back.
'What do you mean, vanished?' she called, but her words were drowned out by a particularly violent explosion.
'It's pretty self explanatory, isn't it?' Alex replied, being the only one in a position to have heard her question. 'They all vanished, even Dumbledore. Who bloody knows where they went.'
By now the pitch was almost empty, as most of the students raced for the dubious safety of the castle. Those that remained mostly consisted of DA members. Isabelle was immensely relieved when, a moment later, James and Tonks strode onto the pitch.
Harry flew down to meet them, and the rest followed.
'Portkeys,' James said tersely. 'Don't know how, but every teacher at the match had one.'
'How come you're both still here?' Ron asked.
'We weren't at the match, obviously,' James answered.
'Could someone have charmed the benches?' Hermione asked, a little unsteady on her feet after her brief flight. Ron reached out and wrapped one arm around her shoulders to keep her upright.
'It doesn't matter now,' Tonks interjected. 'There's an army of Death Eaters and Dementors waiting for the wards to fall.'
'Is he here?' Harry asked, his expression intense.
'Not so far as we can see,' James shook his head. 'Just Death Eaters and Dementors.'
'That's something, anyway,' Ginny muttered.
'Not much,' James said grimly. 'There's enough to deal with as it is.'
'So what do we do?' Ernie Macmillan asked. He and the rest of the DA were gathered around the group, along with several other students obviously wanting to help. Harry was a little surprised to see several Slytherins scattered through the group. Thankfully there was no sign of Malfoy.
The thought struck him as odd, but it was Ron who expressed his thoughts aloud. 'Hey, where's Malfoy?'
'And the rest of the Slytherin team?' Cassie added.
'They were mostly children of Death Eaters,' Isabelle supplied. 'Chances are pretty good we'll find them either helping the Death Eaters or staying out of the way.'
'So what do we do, Harry?' Greg Redfield asked, looking at him expectantly.
'How should I know?' Harry asked, glancing at James.
'Oh no,' James held up his hands. 'This is your party, not mine. I'm just along for the ride.'
'So what now, glorious leader?' Ginny asked impishly.
'I guess we'd better get over there and see what we're up against,' Harry said.
Alex and Cassie both jumped to attention. 'Aye aye, cap'n,' they said in unison.
'You're worse than Fred and George,' Harry muttered as he led the way off the pitch, his Firebolt in one hand and the still struggling Snitch in the other.
Harry led the group to the greenhouses, where they could get a good view of the front of the castle and remain out of sight. What he saw made his heart sink.
The assembled army was huge. Harry looked out over the combined mass of humans in Death Eater attire and, not far away, a horde of black robed Dementors. The former were standing around waiting for the inevitable moment when the wards fell and they could storm the castle. The Dementors, clearly not happy with waiting, hurled themselves against the glowing dome, their bony arms outstretched hungrily. And over it all, the mass of green light continued its relentless attack.
'Now what?' Hermione broke the silence.
'Can they get through the wards?' Harry asked James.
'How should I know?' he shrugged. 'I know Grindelwald tried to attack Beauxbatons, and he never got through the wards there. The wards around Hogwarts are stronger, but Grindelwald wasn't as powerful as Voldemort, either.'
'So will he get through or not?' Ron demanded.
'Why don't you just wait and find out, Weasley?' Zacharius Smith said bitingly.
'Why you little…' Ron's fists clenched and he would have gone after the smaller boy had Hermione not grabbed his arm.
'The enemy's over there,' she said coolly, twisting Ron's head so he could see the assembled army. 'Or did you forget that already?'
'Guys,' Harry said warningly, and everyone fell silent. 'We need to stick together, okay? The wards aren't down yet, but they may be soon. The teachers have all vanished, so we're the only one's here who can fight.'
'So all of you shut up while we work out a plan,' Ginny added, glaring at Zacharius.
'There's a good chance they won't break through,' Tonks said loud enough for the entire group to hear. 'Hogwarts is the safest place in the world.'
'Tell that to Cedric,' Harry muttered, and instantly all noise stopped.
'Right then,' Hermione said briskly after a few moments had passed, 'we need a plan of attack in case they do manage to break in.'
'Right,' Harry nodded decisively. 'Like we did in Hogsmeade, everyone. Split up into groups, and hide somewhere on the grounds. If we all stay together,' he added when several people began to protest, 'then we'll make easier targets. Understand?'
There were a few people obviously not totally happy with the plan, but they obediently began to form small groups and drift away to find somewhere to hide. Harry was going to object when he saw Melinda walking away with Greg; she was only a second year, after all. He thought better of it when he remembered all he, Ron and Hermione had accomplished as second years. He had a feeling Melinda wouldn't appreciate being told to stay out of the fight.
Finally only Harry, Ginny, Ron, Hermione, Alex, Cassie, James and Tonks were left. They remained hiding behind the greenhouses, each taking a position where they could see what was happening.
For a long moment, nothing changed. Then, finally, a fracture appeared in the golden dome, near the top. The green light, as if sentient, seemed to converge on that point, hurling itself again and again at the wards, and the crack began to widen. The Death Eaters laughed as one as they saw the wards weakening, and the crack began to lengthen. By the time it reached the ground, a long stream of Death Eaters were waiting to enter the grounds.
Harry watched in a strange detachment as the first few Death Eaters climbed through the gap. More followed, and soon a group of forty or so stood on the grounds, waiting for more of their number to join them. Hogwarts, however, obviously had other ideas.
The wards rang like a great bell, and suddenly the gap sealed itself shut, with a Death Eater halfway through. The man was instantly sliced in two, one half falling outside the wards and the other falling inside. At the same moment, the green light that had been attacking the wards relentlessly almost seemed to flinch, and then abruptly vanished.
The Death Eaters already inside the wards glanced at each other, obviously weighing their chances. One tried to get back out through the wards, but he was flung backwards to land in a heap as soon as he tried to touch it.
There was a loud war cry, and a group of students jumped out of their cover from the other side of the castle and started hurling spells at the milling group. Harry recognised Seamus and Dean, along with several other Gryffindors.
'Come on!' Harry shouted, sprinting around the greenhouses to join the fight as the Death Eaters retaliated. Harry saw a fifth year Gryffindor he didn't know fall to the ground, clutching his stomach. Several other groups of students left their hiding places and also began hurling spells. Not many got through, however, as a few of the black robed men and women grouped their power to form a shield around themselves.
The run from the greenhouses to the front of the castle had never seemed longer to Harry as he watched the melee. Several more students were down, but by now several Death Eaters were too. The mass of Death Eaters still outside had mostly Disapparated, obviously realising they were not going to get in, but a few had stayed to watch the fight. The Dementors continued to hurl themselves against the wards, but from outside they were powerless.
Finally Harry was in range. A Death Eater turned and saw the group running, and shouted to his comrades.
'It's Potter!' he shouted. 'Kill him for the Master!'
'Commoveo!' Harry roared. The Death Eater was lifted off his feet and hurled through the air, crashing into the wards. His body convulsed as if being electrocuted then dropped to the ground. He didn't move again.
Almost as one body the Death Eaters spun to face the approaching group. Suddenly Harry was having second thoughts about the wisdom of his reckless charge, and he was immensely grateful when two red blurs sped by overhead. Alex and Cassie both wore grim expressions, and both had their wands raised. They began to rain spells on the Death Eaters, who were forced to take cover.
'Harry!' Ginny caught up with him, breathless, and pulled him behind a tree as spells continued to fly in all directions. 'Don't run off like that, you goose!'
'Sorry,' Harry said sheepishly, glancing around the tree. Alex and Cassie were still circling the grouped Death Eaters, weaving and dodging the return fire and hurling spells of their own at every opportunity. They didn't seem to be too worried about their own safety, and Harry had to wonder what had happened in the past to make them hate the forces of Voldemort so much.
A well timed curse took Alex in the shoulder, and he cried out in pain, dropping his wand. Isabelle, who had just joined Harry and Ginny, screamed with rage and darted around the tree as the stricken boy lost control of his broom, hurtling towards the ground. Without even thinking Harry followed her, ready to back her up.
A Death Eater separated from the pack and walked almost casually through the storm of curses, heading straight for Harry and Isabelle. Harry went cold all over as he watched the woman approach; he was absolutely certain he knew who it was. His suspicion was confirmed when she removed her mask to reveal the gaunt features of Bellatrix Lestrange. Isabelle stopped in her tracks, Alex momentarily forgotten.
'So, daughter, we finally meet,' Bellatrix gloated, her wand raised and pointed straight at Isabelle. 'I never thought I'd see the day when a child of mine turned traitor. So much the sweeter when I end your miserable life.'
'Go,' Harry whispered to her, nudging her in the back. 'I'll look after Alex.'
Isabelle nodded, then took a step forward. 'I'm not afraid of you,' she said, her voice clear and cold. 'I've been trained to duel by Harry Potter, the wizard who's going to end the life of your miserable master.' Harry used the opportunity to hurry away, towards where Alex was still circling unsteadily.
Bellatrix laughed, and replied in a voice just as cold. 'Oh really? Iddy bitty baby Potter going to kill the Dark Lord? We'll have to see about that, won't we?'
Isabelle's eyes narrowed, and she brandished her wand. 'Praecipito!' Bellatrix easily avoided the spell, laughing again.
'You really think you can duel your own mother?' she asked in a falsely upset tone. 'Shame on you, where's your Gryffindor honour now? Crucio!'
Isabelle screamed, her legs collapsing under her as she was subjected to the Cruciatus curse for the first time in her life. Pain beyond imagining filled her body, like a thousand knives slicing into her all at once, and she curled into the foetal position on the ground.
Through the pain she vaguely heard a roar of rage, and as suddenly as it had begun the pain stopped. She glanced up weakly to see Bellatrix sprawled on the ground and James standing over her, his fist clenched. His eyes were glowing bright blue, and his fist was surrounded by a nimbus of energy.
Bellatrix stood slowly, eyeing James with contempt. 'Only you would lower yourself to such Muggle tactics, Milton,' she spat.
James smiled grimly. 'Ah, but it worked, didn't it?' he asked, raising one eyebrow. 'Why don't you pick on someone your own size, bitch?'
Bellatrix bared her teeth, levelling her wand at the Mind Mage. 'Back off, Milton,' she said in a low voice. 'She's mine, and I'm going to punish her as I see fit.'
James laughed cruelly, and the light in his eyes intensified. 'You're trying to be a parent, now?' he asked in a tone of contempt. 'Nice try, Bella. I really don't think Isabelle's interested.'
Bellatrix snarled and shot a spell at James. He didn't seem to move, but the spell passed right through him.
'Fuck you, Milton!' Bellatrix shouted, firing curses in rapid succession. James held up his fist and opened his hand, and the blue light that had surrounded it expanded to form a shield, blocking her curses. She tried the Killing curse but James merely dodged, so that her spell continued and took another Death Eater in the back. He fell to the ground, lifeless.
The battle continued to rage on around them, but none of the three really cared. By now most of the Death Eaters were down, overwhelmed by superior numbers, although quite a few students had fallen too.
Finally Bellatrix ceased her stream of spells, panting heavily. Her wand hand shook as she glared at the man still standing calmly in front of her.
'You'll have to do better than that, Bella,' he taunted, then the light went out in his eyes and he slowly toppled over to land on the ground in a heap. A Death Eater had hit him from behind with a Stunning Spell.
Bellatrix smirked at the fallen man, her wand still trained on his crumpled form. 'Time to end it, Milton,' she said triumphantly.
'No!' Isabelle struggled to her feet, her wand trained on her mother. 'Don't even think about it!'
Bellatrix spun, and Isabelle cried, 'Expelliarmus!' Bellatrix was too quick, however, and blocked the spell almost contemptuously.
'Is that really the best you can do, my daughter?' she taunted. 'But I thought you were trained by the great Harry Potter?'
Isabelle ground her teeth together, then flicked her wand in a star pattern and shouted, 'Dolor Acidus!'
Now it was Bellatrix's turn to scream as pain flared through her arm, causing her to drop her wand. Isabelle immediately followed the pain spell with a Stunning spell, but Bellatrix dodged, diving to the ground to get her wand back.
'Accio wand!' Isabelle cried, but Bellatrix snagged the wand out of midair. Grinning triumphantly, she turned the wand once again on her daughter.
'Too slow, daughter mine,' she said quietly, her eyes seeming to burn with madness. 'Avada Kedavra!'
There was no time. The green light sped out of Bellatrix's wand, and there was no way Isabelle could get out of the way. She was going to die, she was sure of it…
'Perlustro!'
…and the green light passed straight through her chest to impact on the wall of Hogwarts behind her, leaving a small scorch mark. Bellatrix narrowed her eyes at Alex, who was now on the ground and pointing his wand at Isabelle. There was a hole in his robes at his shoulder, and blood was leaking out, staining the material.
'Don't you people know it's impolite to interrupt a duel?' Bellatrix said harshly, levelling her wand at Alex. 'Avada…'
It happened so quickly that, even months later, Isabelle never fully remember the exact second she made the decision. Her wand levelled at her mother, and the fateful words passed her lips before she even had time to think about it.
'Avada Kedavra!'
Bellatrix's eyes widened in surprise as the bolt of green light took her in the stomach. Her wand dropped from her suddenly nerveless fingers, her own spell dying with her. Her eyes went vacant and she slumped to the ground.
Isabelle was vaguely aware that all sounds of combat had stopped. She stared blankly at her mother's corpse, unaware of the many eyes watching her. The last Death Eater was down, by her hand.
Strong arms encircled her, and she raised her gaze to stare into Alex's intense blue eyes. Not far away stood a battered looking Harry, watching the pair with sadness clearly written on his face.
Then the reality of what she had done came crashing into Isabelle's mind like a breaking wave, and she broke down in Alex's arms and wept.
A/N: I told you Bellatrix would be back. Hand up anyone who saw this coming.
Review Responses:
Saerry Snape: This is almost too good to be true…according to my count, you were my 1000th reviewer! That is seriously mad. Oh, and on the subject of sharp, pointy things, I leave you with a quote: Those who live by the sword tend to get shot by those who don't. A rifle is much better. ;)
Riina: I have an Aussie friend who, after reading your review, sent me an e-mail filled with generous use of the 'F' word and other generally insulting things directed at you. Being slightly more level headed (and sane) than she is, I'll answer as if you asked a serious question. No, Australia is not the "rugged 'outback' they say it is, made up almost entirely of rural areas". It is, in fact, one of the most urbanised countries in the world, comparative to population. Just for the record, Sydney covers an area half that of LA, Melbourne (where I live damnit!) is comparible, as is Brisbane (where said friend lives). And the only time you'll see Kangaroos hopping around everywhere is when you've had far, FAR too much to drink.
gpotter: It is now. ;) I've read MUCH worse than that, believe me…
krissygurl: Sorry, I'm not deliberately ignoring you, but I usually only answer specific questions, otherwise the review responses are longer than the chapters! Thanks for reviewing, hope you continue to enjoy!
Luna Lovegood2: Yup, loud 'booms' are good. :)
CreativeQuill: You've got a snowballs chance in hell (;p) of getting it out of me.
fanaticalRMB: That's a problem with ff .net. Hit refresh on your browser to load the rest of the chapter.
eruve tinwen: Oh perfect, another Queenslander. :) Nice to see you're enjoying yourself. Just wait till Norbert actually arrives…
Merusa: New groupies are always welcome. ;) Does this dispel the superhuman James for you? He's not quite as invincible as he'd like to believe. The muse fight could be good, but the problem is Milamber is a mage. He'd just incinerate your muse. /Damn straight, I would./ Keep it up, and I'll incinerate YOU. /Meep…/ Hope you liked Isabelle in this chapter, too. If not…blame Milamber. He's the one who came up with the idea. /Hey!/
Batsnumbereleven: You'll see more of Harry in class at some point, I'm sure. It depends on what my muse has to say.
sunni07: You're right…as far as it went. I want to know EXACTLY where it happened, though. Look at a map…the clues are all there…
Lord Agamus: Indeed I am, but that was a typo. It's been corrected.
Poohdog: I'm not sure that she could just blend into the background like that. I suppose she could use a Disillusionment spell, but an Invisibility cloak is easier and more reliable, I'm betting.
Elise: Heh…you missed by six. Oh well, 994 is still pretty good…
FREAKSHOW1: He's the saviour of the wizarding world, of course. ;)
Rednal29: So long as he's still alive at the end, you can have him. /Hey!/ Better suit up, my friend…dragons are mostly immune to magic, I hear. /Bugger this!/
harryptaxd204: Meep…(runs for it)
