Story: Swallowed by Shadow

Summary: When Harry begins his search for the Horcruxes, a mysterious man appears. Is he friend, or foe? Can Harry finish his task and beat the Dark Lord, or will he be Swallowed by Shadow? HP? HGRW RLNT

Date: 28 May 06

Chapter 2

The Lone…Stranger?

"STUPERFY!" Hermione cried, aiming at the closest of the walking corpses. Not ten minutes after Harry had disappeared, she had heard a rustling from the grave Ron had landed on. He was still unconscious, and the ever careful Hermione quickly cast Mobilicorpus to move him away from the sound.

Before long, the sound was coming from all over, and Hermione had tried to go into the tomb. But the tomb was sealed, and she was stuck. She levitated Ron with her and got as far away from the graves as she could without blowing a hole in the ten foot stone wall that enclosed it.

A hand had popped out of the grave Ron had fallen into, and Hermione had panicked. Before she knew what was happening, she was surrounded by an army of Inferi.

She rattled off spell after spell, but she couldn't stop the undead warriors. "IMPEDIMENTA!" she cried, slowing down the front wave that was mere feet from her. She tried desperately to remember their weakness, but she was too scared, and she didn't think she was going to live through this.

"Hermione?" a weak voice called from behind her.

She jumped, turning around. "Ron!"

"What's going on? Where's Harry?" he asked groggily, rubbing his head.

"Inferi," she responded, turning her back on him. "I can't stop them, Ron!"

Ron looked around, and there was silence for a moment while he realized they only had a few minutes left to live.

"Hermione," he said quietly.

She turned to look at him, raising and eyebrow curiously.

"I love you, 'Mione," he said.

There was silence for a moment longer as she looked at him with wide eyes.

"I--I--" he stuttered, trying to apologize. He never got the chance to finish it as she leaned over and kissed him furiously on the lips. She pulled up seconds later as he turned red.

"Save it, Ron," she said firmly. "I'm not dying here without you having taken me out on a date, Ronald Weasley!"

"INCENDIO!" cried a voice from behind. Both of them looked up to see a figure in a black cloak perched atop the wall. His jet of fire hit two of the Inferi, burning them to ash.

"Fire!" Hermione practically screamed. "How could I be so stupid?"

The figure above called the fire spell again, and Hermione and Ron joined him. Five of the zombie like creatures immediately turned to ash, and they cast another round of fire spells. But it was still two teenagers and an unknown man against a hundred Inferi.

The Inferi didn't stand a chance.

As Harry climbed the slick steps out of the tomb, he began to hear muffled noises from above. Am I hearing things? he wondered.

Quickening his step, the voices became louder and louder the closer he got to the exit. He was at a full out run as he descended the last of the steps and slammed straight into the door. Where'd that come from? he wondered, kicking it as he got up off the floor.

"Ow!" he whined, grabbing his toe. Nice one, Harry, said a voice in the back of his head that he distinctly heard laughing at him.

He ignored it and tried to push the "door" open, but it wouldn't budge. "Dammit," he cursed, fear for his friends making him anxious. He had to get to the other side of that door.

"Open, you stupid door, or I'll blow you off your hinges!" he tried.

Who says I have any?

"Look, my friends need me, let me out, or I swear I'll blow you to pieces."

Ah, loyalty to your friends will not be enough this time, Harry.

"Then what will?" he asked.

To leave this place, you must leave the chalice behind.

"I can't do that," he replied. "I have to destroy it before I can destroy Voldemort."

Silence met his declaration. After a moment, Harry tried again. "Please, my friends need my help!"

Then you shouldn't have left them.

"I had to get the chalice!"

If it means more to you than them, then keep it, and die here, Harry Potter.

"I thought the ward of Hufflepuff would understand my need to protect my friends, to be a loyal friend to them," he pleaded, hoping that the loyalty the house was famed for would over rule whatever taint Voldemort had put on this ward.

If you intend to appeal to my honor, you will not succeed. I have been here a many long years, and I understand now that there are more important things than honor.

Harry was surprised at the words it spoke, This didn't act like any ward he'd ever heard of. It was more like… a person?

"Who are you?" he asked finally.

I am a long dead Heir of Hufflepuff, who has guarded these tombs for a very long time.

"Then I'm sorry for this, Heir, but you leave me no choice." He raised his wand straight at the door, crying, "REDUCTO!"

The curse bounced off without leaving a scratch.

Did you truly think the Dark Lord so negligent, boy?

"I've seen worse," he muttered, lowering his wand. "Why would you serve the Dark Lord? Do you have no loyalty to your own house? To the founder of it?"

Of course I do.

"Then why?" he asked.

Silence.

"Do you realize that your actions betray Helga Hufflepuff? That you disgrace your house, and kill innocent people by keeping me here?"

Silence again.

"Open, Heir, and prove where your loyalties lie."

For a moment, Harry thought he had failed, then the door sprang open, and he rushed outside.

"Thank you," he whispered as he passed it.

Thank you, Harry Potter.

He immediately noticed that Ron and Hermione weren't where he left them when he emerged into the moonlit graveyard.

"INCENDIO!"

"PROTEGO!" he cried automatically as he saw the jet of fire rushing at him. It bounced harmlessly off his shield to hit a headstone a few feet away.

"Harry!" Hermione called, recognizing the boy she almost fried.

She rushed over to him and hugged him tightly, mumbling furiously, "I'm sorry, I thought you were one of them!"

"Er, 'Mione, you're strangling me," he said gently, pushing her away.

"Oh, sorry," she said, blushing.

"You thought I was one of what?" he asked curiously.

"An Inferi," responded an unfamiliar voice.

He snapped his head to the voice, and saw a hooded man in black robes standing by Ron.

"Who are you?" he asked, gripping his wand tightly.

"I'm...a friend," he responded mysteriously.

Harry made to demand more, but Hermione cut him off. "He saved us, Harry."

Harry looked at her, and then at Ron, who nodded his agreement.

"Then I suppose I should thank you," he said, turning back to the man.

"I'm glad I could help," was the simple response.

"Did you get it?" Hermione asked, curious.

He smiled and held up the chalice he'd taken from the tomb. "Yeah."

"Brilliant!" Ron exclaimed, coming over. "Now can we get out of here? This place gives me the creeps."

"Everywhere gives you the creeps, Ron," Hermione said, rolling her eyes.

Harry laughed at their antics and turned to the hooded figure. "I don't know who you are, but you're welcome to come with us," he said.

"Thank you," the man responded. "But I am afraid I have other business to attend to."

"Suit yourself, mate," Ron said. With a small pop he disapperated.

Hermione rolled her eyes, saying, "That's his way of saying thanks."

The robed man chuckled lightly and waved it off. "That's alright, no thanks required."

Hermione smiled and said, "Thank you anyway. We would have been dead if not for you. I couldn't remember their weakness to save my life."

"Literally," Harry said quietly.

The glare she sent Harry made him look for cover, but he was saved by the mysterious man.

"Like I said, glad I could help," the man replied. "You did a fine job once you knew what to do."

She nodded and followed Ron with another pop.

Harry turned to the man, unsure what to say.

"Do you know what that is, Harry?" the man asked kindly, gesturing to the cup.

"Yes," he said, slightly suspicious.

"And what do you intend to do with it?"

"Destroy it," he said, his voice firm.

"Do you know how?"

Harry's response died on his lips. He hadn't ever thought of that. For two months he had hunted after it, but he hadn't considered what to do when he had it.

Some of the shock must have showed on his face, as the other said, "I thought not."

"What of it?" he responded, slightly defensive.

"Don't get me wrong, Harry," the man replied quickly. "Just getting it is amazing, you did a very good job, especially for a wizard your age."

"Thanks," Harry replied.

"It took me more than a year to figure out how to destroy one of those…" he said, his voice trailing off. Harry had the feeling that if he could see the man's eyes, they would be unfocused, seeing images of the past.

"Sir?" he prompted quietly.

"What?" the man snapped. "Oh, I'm sorry, I… was thinking about something."

Harry smiled shyly. "What were you saying?"

"That I could help you, Harry," he said finally. "I know how to destroy a Horcrux."

Harry thought about the offer for a minute. The strange man seemed trustworthy, but Sirius and Mad-Eye had always said to be weary of who he trusted.

"I'm not sure," Harry responded.

"It's alright," the man responded. "Here, this is my address, I'll be there until the end of the month. If you change your mind, owl me."

Harry nodded and accepted the slip of paper. "Thanks."

He could have sworn he saw the man smile through his hood, and then he disapperated with a small pop.

The mysterious figure stood there a moment longer, before he clinched his left forearm as a burning pain hit him. "Soon, my lord, soon," he whispered through clinched teeth, before he, too, disapperated.

A.N.--So what do y'all think? Any guesses on who the man is? Come on y'all, it's easy! And I'm not revealing it until someone guesses it. Oh, and if you guess right, you get a bonus. You'll have to guess right to find out what that is!

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