Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.
Author's Note: All right, before I start, I want to emphasize that this story is NOT SLASH, no matter what it might sound like in this chapter.
Mysteries of the Ancient Bond
11/11/05 – 11/28/05
Lily glared disapprovingly at her husband, but the look was lost on James, who was too embroiled in educating their son on the best and most effective method of pulling pranks to notice the brewing storm. Luckily, he was saved from Lily's oncoming wrath by the doorbell, which had rung moments before Lily could successfully hex James into oblivion.
The guest, much to Lily's chagrin, began screaming bloody murder at the top of his lungs the moment she unlocked the door. She didn't even have to open the front door to guess who it was…
"JAMES POTTER, WHERE ARE YOU?"
"Sirius," Lily deadpanned with a look of utter boredom and hidden contempt etched her face. "What are you doing here?" she demanded with a low hiss as she shot her husband's best friend a condescending look.
"Sorry Lily-love, no time for chit-chat." murmured Sirius, pushing Lily aside to allow himself entrance. "JAMIE BOY, WE HAVE TO GO!" he yelled as he stormed into the kitchen in search of his best mate.
Lily pursed her lips into a thin line as both James and Dylan tumbled down the stairs in frenzy with bewildered looks etched on their faces. If the situation hadn't been so serious, both Sirius and Lily would have burst out laughing at the comically identical looks of worry engraved on both James and Dylan's faces.
"James, we got to go – We've found Voldemort's hideout."
D. A. R. K. &&& P. R. O. P. H. E. C. Y. &&& D. A. R. K. &&& P. R. O. P. H. E. C. Y
"HARRY MOVE, YOU MORON!" Aaron yelled as he shoved his friend out of the curse's path.
"What are you thinking?" Harry screamed in response when his companion, in his stead, was blasted several yards across the battlefield. When Aaron didn't rise after receiving the hit, Harry's lips slowly curled upwards into a dangerous snarl that made him appear more demonic than human. Aiming an angry glare at their attacker, Harry venomously shouted, "Avada Kedavra!"
Stopping only for a brief moment to bask in the sadistic aftermath of killing the Death Eater, Harry quickly recomposed himself (suppressing his bloodlust) and hurried to his friend's side. After checking Aaron's pulse to make sure he was still alive (which he was), Harry quickly cast a powerful barrier around Aaron's defenseless body to shield it from further harm.
"Trey, over here!" hollered Harry when he spotted his red-haired friend amongst a thong of Death Eaters a few yards away.
"Harry, what's wrong?" wheezed Trey once he had safely reached his friend's side. "Is anyone hurt?" he asked frantically as Harry shot off a Killing Curse towards the Death Eater that had been aiming his wand at Trey's back.
"Aaron needs attention," Harry answered breathlessly, inclining his head slightly towards their unconscious friend. "Take him and get out of here! I'll hold the Death Eaters off to gain you some time!" he ordered as he turned to face the oncoming horde of Death Eaters head on.
"What about you?" Trey asked worriedly, looking torn between the safeties of his two good friends. However, another shout of 'go' from Harry was enough to send Trey racing towards the safety of the castle with Aaron's floating body in tow.
"Avada Kedavra!"
"Crucio!" retaliated Harry after dodging the jet of green light.
"Imperio!"
"Contego!" shouted Harry, raising a shield just in time to block the Imperious Curse. "Avada Kedavra!"
"Reducto!"
"Crucio!"
"Avada Kedavra!"
Harry's eyes widened slightly at the sudden barrage of curses aimed his way. If he dodged one, he'd be hit with the other two…Deciding that he'd rather take his chances at survival, Harry quickly rolled out of the way of the Killing Curse.
"Avada Kedavra!" shouted a fourth Death Eater, grinning maniacally as he sent a second jet of green light towards Harry, who had just been rendered immobile by the Cruciatus and Reducto Curse.
"HARRY!"
Eyes widening in horror, Harry could do nothing but writhe and scream in pain (from the unrelenting Cruciatus Curse) as he watched his best friend, Shan, intercept the Killing Curse on his behalf.
"Avada Kedavra!" yelled Lance, quickly and painlessly ending the life of the Death Eater that held Harry under the Cruciatus Curse. Limping towards his comrades, Lance immediately dropped to his good knee beside Shan and checked for a pulse that signified that his companion was still alive. When he came up with nothing, he dazedly dropped Shan's limp arm and fell backwards in disbelief.
Yes, he killed. Yes, he saw death. But this was different – this wasn't the enemy! This wasn't a Death Eater! This was his comrade, his friend – the person he had lived with for the past 2 years! Seeing Shan with cold, pale skin and dull, lifeless eyes when he should be laughing, joking, and fighting alongside them was something he had never anticipated. This wasn't supposed to have happened. None of it was!
Gently closing Shan's lifeless eyes, Lance realized for the first time since this battle began that he wasn't ready. None of them were. They had all been forced to grow up too fast – too early! Where was their childhood? Where was there innocence? Had they ever been children? Shaking his head slightly in the negative, Lance knew without asking that the answer to his question was 'no'. Training since childhood and killing at the age of 11 (or 10) – the world had never given any of them a chance to act as a child should. Their destiny had fated them to become adults before they had even left their mother's womb.
It was true that he loved his friends and his masters…and equally true that he was proud to a part of the dwindling, but powerful race of Dragon Riders. Yet, in the end, looking at Shan, he couldn't help but wonder, 'Was it worth it?' Maybe it was worth it, maybe it was noble – but given the choice, Lance would have gladly chosen to lead a peaceful, normal life.
Ignoring the fact that he would be drawing unwanted attention towards himself, Lance raised his head and released a blood-curling scream that sent shivers running down the spines of many. Lowering his head again, he indulged himself for once – since his infancy – in the comfort of his tears.
Harry, still immobilized by the aftereffects of being held under the Cruciatus Curse for an overextended amount of time, silently cried along with Lance – knowing in his heart that his best friend would never again lecture them on punctuality and the virtue of studying. He was gone…His best friend was gone!
"Why?" Harry silently demanded as he slammed his tear-stained eyes shut in defeat. "WHY?"
Moments passed in relative silence (if you ignore the battle) before Harry was forced to reopen his eyes by the presence of an unwanted company. Catching sight of the Death Eater's black robes, Harry slowly, but defiantly brought his head up…only to find himself staring into an unmasked face – the cold, twisted face of Voldemort, whose ruby-red eyes held nothing but sadistic malice.
D. A. R. K. &&& P. R. O. P. H. E. C. Y. &&& D. A. R. K. &&& P. R. O. P. H. E. C. Y
Sirius swiftly tilted his head towards the stairs after successfully infiltrating the Riddle Mansion – Who would have thought Voldemort would have left his base completely unguarded? "James is right…there has to be a trap around here…I'm going to kill Snivellus if he's feeding us lies. Can't believe Dumbledore even trusts that slimy git! " Sirius silently rambled to himself, a large frown etching itself onto his face the longer he pondered on the subject of his most hated enemy – the Potions Master of Hogwarts, Severus 'Snivellus' Snape.
Creak…
Frozen in surprise and apprehension when he accidentally stepped on a loose floorboard, Sirius quickly tightened his grip around his wand as he scanned the premises for Death Eaters. When nothing happened in the next five minutes, Sirius and his comrades gradually relaxed and continued their way up.
"So far so good…I hope James is all right." Sirius thought to himself as he continued down the empty hall with his regime of aurors trailing faithfully behind him. With every step he took, Sirius's worry for his best friend grew…everything was just going too smoothly to be safe. "I should have stuck with James! I shouldn't have agreed to his lame-brain idea by allowing him and his troops to separate from the rest of us…I'll never forgive myself if James dies!"
Everyone snapped to attention when they heard several footfalls heading towards them at top speed. Sirius tensed as he silently motioned for his troops to raise their wands and prepare to fire...
10, 9, 8…
Sirius re-griped his wand and tightened his jaw, preparing himself for a full-blown fight.
7, 6, 5…
He felt beads of sweat form on his brow as he metanlly went through the list of curses he knew.
4, 3…
"I should have gotten married before I agreed to this mission…" Sirius bemoaned to himself as imagined what his epitaph might look like. "Sirius Vlair Black, died single…" Mentally growling in aggravation, he silently thought to himself, "Imagine how embarrassing that's going to be…"
2…
"What did I have breakfast?"
1…
"FIRE!"
"FIRE!"
Sirius's eye bugged in surprise when everyone simultaneously shot off the Full-Body Bind Curse at the exact same moment – If possible, his eyes widened even further when he realized the supposed 'Death Eaters' were actually James and his regiment.
"Oh joy…" Sirius thought to himself as he fell stiffly to the ground.
"PA'OOT, vook wav yov di'!" James shouted non-too-happily, his voice slightly muffled by the ground plastered to his mouth. "D'v somethin'!"
"What do you want me to do?" demanded Sirius, looking slightly offended. "You hexed me too, Mr. Captain I'm-so-smart-but-I-can't-even-tell-the-difference-between-Death-Eaters-and-my-best-mate!"
"Both of you; shut up!" shouted Kingsly Shacklebolt, a little more than irritated. "I believe our top priorities would be to break these bonds! Personally, I've never actually broken out of a full blown body-bind without someone else's aid. Seeing as we've all successfully hexed one another (points for accuracy), what are we going to do now? We'd be handing our lives to You-Know-Who on a silver platter if he comes back to find all of us like this!"
"Oh, the shame!" moaned Sirius. "What are people going to think? They'll think we're idiots for hexing each other with the Full-Body Bind Curse!"
"They don't think; they know you're an idiot." muttered another auror.
"T' truv…t' truv!" agreed James wholeheartedly.
"Shut up, Jamie boy!" retorted Sirius as he struggled to free himself. "You know what?"
"Vat?"
"This incident is never leaving this mansion... got that?"
D. A. R. K. &&& P. R. O. P. H. E. C. Y. &&& D. A. R. K. &&& P. R. O. P. H. E. C. Y
When they locked gazes for the first time, Harry felt an unexplainable mixture of conflicting feeling fill his soul: warmth, fear, delight, dread, love, and hate. The battle – the world around them slowly ebbed away into nonexistence. It was finally just him and Voldemort.
Scoffing lightly, Harry allowed a small, defeated smile to form on his lips – He had lost the war before the battle had even begun. He knew the moment that they had locked gazes that he would never be able to kill him. There were just too many things – unexplainable, mysterious things – holding him back.
"Harry, let's get out of here." urged Lance as he tried to heft his friend to his feet, only to send both of them crashing to the ground again when Harry accidentally grazed against his (Lance) injured leg.
As the duo struggled to rise to their feet again, they were both halted in their steps when Voldemort callously pressed the tip of his wand to Harry forehead. Before either of them had the chance to comprehend what was what, Voldemort changed the course of his aim to Lance and shot off the Killing Curse.
Harry felt something in himself snap when the jet of green light whizzed past his face to hit the person behind him. While Lance and he had never been close, Lance was still his companion – his comrade (and borderline friend). Pushing himself to his feet despite the protests of his nerves, Harry dangerously whispered in a low voice, "Leave them alone."
"Oh?" asked Voldemort, looking highly amused at the prospect of a ten-year-old challenging him. However, just as quickly as it came, the look of amusement dissolved into one of malice. "Never presume to give orders to Lord Voldemort…"
"I'll give it if I want!" Harry angrily retorted, sending Voldemort a withering glare that challenged him to contradict his verdict.
Voldemort hesitated for a brief moment in his response when he looked into Harry's impassioned, angry, emerald-green eyes – eyes that once mirrored his own before he had lost himself in the Dark Arts.
Harry's forehead creased slightly in confusion when conflicting emotions flitted its way across Voldemort's normally guarded features like an open book. Harry identified some of the emotions as recognition, disbelief, denial, anger, and then something he couldn't quite classify.
Harry's eyes were slowly drawn away from Voldemort's serpentine face to his hands – long, sinewy hands that were gripping his wand so tightly that his knuckles were turning a stark white (amazing Harry that the wand had yet to snap under the intense pressure).
As if suddenly remembering the death of Shan and Lance, Harry's remaining confusion was quickly replaced with deep loathing and disgust. It was loathing for the amount of pain and death Voldemort caused and disgust for his own sentiments towards the enemy.
Harry was rudely jolted out of his own self-disgust when the Dark Lord's eyes flashed, for a fraction of a second, from its ruby red hue to a startling emerald green that matched his own. Harry's heart pounded loudly in his ears as the deep loathing he held for the Dark Lord slowly ebbed away to be replaced, once again, by confusion. Looking into Voldemort's startled eyes (though carefully hidden), Harry knew without voicing the question that they had both felt the shock of familiarity that had passed between them during that brief moment. It was as if they had known each other long before now in a different time and place under direly different circumstances.
However, that fraction of a second passed quickly and reality returned with a vengeful force – They were enemies, destined (or doomed) to kill the other. He was the Dark Lord and he was Harry – a friendship between the two was not only inconceivable and preposterous, but also impossible. Harry was disgusted with even the thought that they could be anything but enemies.
However, even as he drew up that conclusion, Harry realized that he would never succeed in killing the Dark Lord – not because of the power or experience difference, but because something would always hold him back. Looking into Voldemort's cold, heartless eyes, Harry knew that the Dark Lord was suffering the same problem – they wanted to kill one another, but could not. A mysterious, ancient bond was holding them both back…
"Damn fate and whatever is holding me back." Harry thought vehemently to himself, glancing at Shan and Lance from the corner of his eye. "Damn my feelings – I'm going to kill Voldemort even if I kill myself in the process."
As if reading his very thoughts, Voldemort softly hissed, "The feeling's mutual."
With those last words, the Dark Lord shot forth a multitude of powerful stunning spells that sent Harry soaring through the air into a large, jagged boulder. The bond between them might have spared Harry's life for the moment, but its protection did not extend beyond that of death.
Voldemort, though sadistic and rumored to be insane, was not unintelligent. He had grasped onto the implications of the unexpected bond between them almost as quickly as Harry had. He knew that as long as he didn't kill the boy, there was nothing there to stop him from harming him.
The Dark Lord's ruby eyes gleamed dangerously in anticipation as he slowly stalked towards his unconscious prey. Not only was Harry sporting several bruises and broken ribs (from the impact), he also had a large, growing bump on the back of his head as a result of slamming into the jagged rock head first.
Voldemort grinned slightly as he towered ominously above Harry's limp form, knowing that if Harry, by chance, died from natural causes (bleeding to death), it wouldn't be counted against him by the bond. The bond might have stopped him from directly killing the boy, but it held nothing against indirectly killing. That thought alone brought a twisted smirk onto the Dark Lord's lips…
D. A. R. K. &&& P. R. O. P. H. E. C. Y. &&& D. A. R. K. &&& P. R. O. P. H. E. C. Y
"One little black sheep…two little black sheep…three little black sheep…" Sirius softly sang to himself as he rolled his eyes in dizzying circles.
"How long have we been here?" Kingsly asked in an attempt to drown out Sirius's horribly off-tune voice.
"2 hours, 47 minutes, 53 seconds and counting." answered one of the aurors that had been keeping track of the time.
"We're all going to die!" shouted another, cracking slightly under the pressure and worry.
"Hey, you want to hear a joke?" asked Sirius, suddenly stopping his song. Ignoring the exasperated and withering looks from everyone, Sirius prowled on by asking, "Why did the unicorn cross the forbidden forest?"
"O' brovfer," grumbled James, having heard several of his best friend's lame jokes during the span of their time at Hogwarts and over dinner gatherings. "Someone please save me before I go insane!"
"Because it felt a foreboding presence!" laughed Sirius. "Get it? Forbidden – foreboding?"
Everyone grunted and proceeded to block out Sirius's voice.
Moments passed in silence before a small voice squeaked in surprise. "J-James P-Potter? W-What are you doing here?" asked the new addition as he quickly dispelled the Full Body-Bind Curse, allowing James free access to his numb limbs.
James was prepared to thank whoever had helped him, but quickly stopped short when he found his savior to be a Death Eater.
"James, let me up!" Sirius cried indignantly.
"What do you want?" James demanded, tightening his grip on his wand. "Why would a Death Eater be helping me?"
Sirius tensed at the title Death Eater – all previous playfulness leaving his face in an instance.
"W-Wait James!" shouted the Death Eater, putting up his hands as a sign of peace. "I-It's me!" he cried as he quickly tore off his mask.
James blinked in surprise, recognizing the person behind the mask as the same person he had shared a dormitory with during his years at Hogwarts. "Vance?" James asked incredulously.
"H-Hey James!" greeted the brunette, shivering slightly.
James was slightly surprised to find his old classmate – the one who was practically scared of his own shadow – here, at Voldemort's lair.
"What are you doing here?" James asked. "I'm glad that you were here to help us, but it's dangerous – you should get out of here quickly!"
Vance shook his head from side to side and earnestly replied, "James, you're the one that should get out of here! Master will be back soon."
"M-Master?" asked James, realizing the implications of that one word. "W-Why did you betray us?"
"Why?" scoffed Vance, eyes hardening slightly. "Because what other choice did I have? Everyone looked down on me! Even my own house didn't want me! I'm nothing and I have nothing – I was going to commit suicide, b-but Master saved me! He gave me hope – a future!"
"Vance, what are you talking about?" James shouted. "Voldemort will not hesitate to kill you the moment you outlive your usefulness!"
"Do not speak his name!" shouted Vance, flinching slightly at the name of the Dark Lord. "And who said I served the Dark Lord?" he added, a small smile forming on his lips. "I serve no one but my Young Master – the Heir of the Dark Lord! He will protect me – He cares for me!"
"H-Heir?" repeated James, his heart pounding loudly in his ears. "Does Dumbledore know about this?"
"J-James, j-just go." stuttered Vance, his brief moment of courage depleted. "Y-Young Master will be here in a matter of minutes."
"Why are you, a Death Eater, helping us?"
"Not everyone, just you." answered Vance, glaring distastefully at Sirius. "I remember how you s-stood up for me t-that one time. C-Consider my d-debt repaid. T-The others s-stay – Master will be p-pleased!"
"Sorry…" whispered James before blasting Vance back with a powerful hex. While Vance was stunned, James quickly turned back to his fellow aurors and released them with a quick charm. "Let's go." he commanded once everyone regained their limbs. "And leave him be." he added when he saw two aurors stumble towards Vance from the corner of his eye. "He's not much of a threat. Let's go before…"
"Too late," Sirius muttered, tensing slightly. "They're here." He eyed the door warily as four Death Eaters stepped into the room by pairs. Following the four Death Eaters were two short men decked in green dress robes. Unlike the previous four, their masks were black and white – a replica of the yin and yang symbol. Lastly, carefully concealed behind the two short men was a young boy in silver-trimmed, emerald, silk robes.
James narrowed his eyes slightly as the four Death Eaters dropped simultaneously to their knees and plastered their forehead to the ground. Following their example, the two men in green dress robes quickly followed with a chorus of, "Master."
"Young boys," James thought incredulously to himself as he stared at the two men. "Judging by their undeveloped voices, they're 14 at the very maximum." Shaking himself out of his stupor, James slowly turned his attention to the last boy, whose features were carefully concealed by the misty, silver mask pulled across his face. "He's barely older than 9! Is Voldemort recruiting children now?" Fear clenched his racing heart at the thought of Voldemort going after his own child. "What would he want with a 9-year-old heir? What purpose will he serve?" he silently pondered as his heart cried out to the (mostly likely) orphaned children.
Sirius quirked an eyebrow as 'Mini-Voldie' (dubbed by the every brilliant Sirius) pulled out his wand from the confines of his long sleeves. Aiming his wand at Vance, he easily cast a simple 'enervate' spell without so much as uttering a word – startling some of the aurors that had dismissed 'Voldemort's Heir' as nothing more than a lame joke.
Casting his friend a sidelong glance to analyze his reaction, Sirius blanched slightly when he noticed that James had a glassy, far-away look in hazel eyes. While his physical body might be with them, James's mind had long drifted off into another dimension…
James was quickly startled out of his reverie when Voldemort's Heir gave two sharp, distinct claps. He watched with baited breath as Vance, pressed to his knees by the two teenagers, pleaded for understanding and forgiveness. The young Heir said nothing except tilt his head questioningly to one side. James highly doubted the Heir even knew what Vance was pleading for, much less the meaning of his position as Voldemort's Second-in-Command. He was too young, too innocent – it was too early for him to be embroiled in politics and warfare. What could Voldemort have possibly been thinking when he appointed the little boy as his Heir?
"No – No, listen, I beg of you!" pleaded Vance, snatching James's attention again. "Please give me a second c-chance! I w-won't f-fail you a-again! I s-swear!"
The child hesitated for a moment, as if pondering the verdict, before friendlily holding out his hand towards Vance.
James smiled slightly – He was right, the child was not only innocent, but kind and forgiving too. If they could just knock out those four blunder-heads (Death Eaters), they would be able to bring the three little ones home with them and give them a proper upbringing in the manners and morals of the Light…
Sirius watched impassively as the little child gave Vance the thumb-up sign. The gesture itself was innocent, but the aura around his little body was everything but – it was not only volatile, but sadistic in its mannerisms. Sirius's eyes widened by a fraction when the thumb-up sign slowly turned downwards…
"Bye, bye!" laughed the two teenagers as one roughly pulled Vance's head back by his long hair and the other skillfully slit his throat with a jackknife. Dropping Vance's lifeless body unceremoniously to the ground, the duo quickly shared a celebratory high-five in commemoration of their success.
"They're sick," Kingsly whispered as he eyed the bloody heap at the 9-year-olds feet. "They're not children – They're demons."
The Death Eaters began to chuckle as one of the two teenagers took a large step towards the group of aurors. "Catch them alive if possible…" he ordered, squaring his shoulders.
"If not – kill them, maim them – whatever." finished the other, stationing himself beside his twin.
"Our Master wants them out of this mansion – now." they concluded in unison. As soon as the order was given, the four kneeling Death Eaters were immediately on their feet and moving agonizingly slowly towards the bedraggled aurors. The aurors, who were still stiff and disoriented from the aftereffects of being held under the Full-Body Bind Curse for more than two hours, could only watch with growing horror as the Death Eaters advanced on them.
"Oh boy," James muttered as he quickly fell into a defensive position beside his fellow teammates, who had finally snapped out of their stupor in time to organize a half-decent counterattack.
"Calm down James," whispered Sirius, tensing his shoulders. "We have the Death Eaters outnumbered 2 to 1."
"Expelliarmus!" shouted James, shooting off the first curse.
The front Death Eater easily sidestepped it without as much as a pause in their advance.
"Don't take us lightly." the lead Death Eater hissed, sounding slightly offended by James's first choice for a curse. "We're part of the elite Death Eaters of our Master's Inner Circle. If you take us lightly, you'll regret it."
"Oh boy," Sirius muttered, mimicking James's expression of horror as the Death Eaters easily deflected his hex.
"MOVE," James shouted, quickly diving out of the way of the wave of 'Avada Kedavra' sent towards them by the four Death Eaters. The Killing Curses, to the Death Eater's credit, successfully killed two aurors and sent the other scampering around in a panicked frenzy.
Clenching his fists tightly in anger at their grave loss, James immediately turned his furious hazel eyes to the ringleader – the Heir of Voldemort.
D. A. R. K. &&& P. R. O. P. H. E. C. Y. &&& D. A. R. K. &&& P. R. O. P. H. E. C. Y
TBC
Since now allows me to respond to the reviewers via reviews, I'll answer any of the question you may have for my story as long as it doesn't pertain to the future plot of it (I don't want to spoil it.)