CHAPTER 20: Heroes United
Some miles off of England's west coast in the Atlantic a select few wizards had reached their destination. They silently made their way through the craggy rocks at the north side of an old medieval fortress, the cold winds showering them with icy sea spray. The massive building rose high above the see level, an ominous structure made of huge stone blocks apparently left behind from times long forgotten.
"There is a hidden exit between the tiny peninsula and the cliff face due south from here. From there we could access the lower level dungeons, and hopefully, the main halls…" Tonks informed the team, whispering as they ran along the perimeter wall. They found it soon enough, and after some tricky footwork on the slippery rocks, successfully infiltrated the fortress. They traversed through the secret passage until they emerged in a crossroads, the corridors leading off in six different directions, almost labyrinth like in its complexity. The central hub was lit by torchlight, illuminating the grimy walls that were mouldy and damp.
"Isn't this a bit too easy?" Remus whispered, sensing that there was something not right with this place. There was a dark magic lingering in the air. He pulled out his sneakascope, and it was spinning like crazy, almost on the point of vibrating itself into broken fragments. He looked at Professor Dumbledore, who nodded grimly.
"Tom Riddle is here. No doubt about it. Fawkes!" he called, summoning his phoenix to his side. Dumbledore was already opening his mouth to relay his message to the bird, so confident was he that his loya pet will be there anytime he needed him. However, there was no burst of flame to signal his appearance, no mystical apparition of the brightly coloured bird, no cry of him sweeping down from high.
"Fawkes!" he said again, more urgently this time. Silence. "Interesting…" Dumbledore said grimly.
"Your Phoenix cannot come to your aid, Albus Dumbledore," a cold voice boomed. Everyone excepting Albus Dumbledore whipped out their wands, facing outwards with their backs to each other in a close-knit circle. Charlie Weasley began to sweat profusely. There was a sudden panic feeling in his chest, as if he had just walked into a trap.
"Tom, we know you are here. We've come for our comrade. Come out so we can settle this, once and for all!" Dumbledore commanded.
"Ah, but that would be too easy. I fear you are already in my grasp, and I would like to slowly kill each and every one of you. Maybe I will leave the werewolf alive, so that my true target will have a reason to come here," Voldemort said casually.
"Your gloating does not impress us. SHOW YOURSELF!" Dumbledore commanded. Using the Un-concealment Charm, he waved his wand in a wide arc, covering the expanse of the antechamber. "Illuminos!"
Nothing happened. No glow of his wand, no revealing the Dark Lord, nothing. Dumbledore inspected his wand, and tried another spell. Still… nothing. Remus and Charlie Weasley tried as well, and similarly did not get any response. Terrified, Hagrid stepped upfront, his crossbow at the ready.
'SHOW YEHSELF, YOU BLOODY COWARD!" he roared. There was a high chuckle which seemed to be coming from all directions at once.
"Ah, the inhuman wishes my presence," he said smugly. "I was always fascinated by you, half giant. From one fellow student to another, I will grant your request." Voldemort apparated in front of the rescue party, and he bowed low in a mock salute. Every wizard pointed their weapons at him.
"STUPEFY!" a chorus of voices shouted, and a loud twang sound of an arrow broke the momentary silence. However, only one attack materialised. Voldemort waved his hand in a nonchalant manner and deflected the huge arrow. It hit the wall and fell harmlessly to the ground. Dumbledore and his team could not believe it. Not one of their spells had worked. Realising the deadly situation they were now in, all of them froze still, rooted to the spot.
Voldemort did not show any emotion, not even a smirk reached his almost non-existent lips. As if it was the only appropriate to do at the time, he pointed his wand at Hagrid, not even lifting it past his waist level.
"Imperio."
Hagrid's eyes froze forward, his arms and legs trembling as he tried to fight off the spell. He fell to one knee, slowly being manipulated by the presence taking over his mind. Voldemort shuffled closer, and if trying to explain a simple sum to an infant, he looked pitifuly down at Hagrid, whose eyeballs were twitching restlessly.
"You cannot resist," he chuckled softly as finally Hagrid's eyes rolled into the back of his head. He got back to his feet, struggling to move towards Voldemort, still straining against the Imperius curse. His breathing was laboured, but he progressed step by agonizing step. He raised his fist, intending to smash in that snake-like head. At the final moment Voldemort showed is first hint of triumph, smirking as he put an umph of extra magic behind the curse. With a slumping of his broad shoulders, Hagrid was lost. He turned on the Order, and the others began to retreat in fear. With one quick stride towards them he swung his huge arm at the doomed rescue party, knocking them all over like rag dolls. Bodies flew in all directions, and a sickening crack could be heard as Charlie Weasley landed awkwardly on his leg. Tonks was immediately knocked out; while Remus and Dumbledore lay on the ground in a daze.
Hagrid stood there, twitching uncontrollably, glaring down at all of them.
"Expelliarmus," Voldemort said, and four wands and a crossbow flew up into the air. "Accio." The wands zoomed into his outstretch hand, and he destroyed the crossbow with a flick of his wand.
"Hagrid! You've got to fight it ! You can do it!" Charlie Weasley screamed.
"Silence." Voldemort wordlessly stunned him directly in his face. "Hmph. Is this what Dumbledore's best has to offer? I expected more. Bring them, half giant." He ordered, and Hagrid scooped up everyone, draping two over his shoulders and carrying Tonks and Dumbeldore under each arm. Dumbledore was fighting unconsciousness, and with his last thought, tried a desperate Occlumency spell, briefly contacting one of the most powerful witches alive.
At that same moment, in Cho's party, Ron's bad feeling about Ginny's strange attitude reached a tipping point. He had to voice his concerns to Harry, who might have a better clue to that whole little scene just now.
"Wonder what Ginny found so important and secretive that she absolutely HAD to go outside to talk with Hermione…" Ron said, quite baffled at his sister's behaviour.
"Yeah, it was a bit strange, wasn't it? I wou-" Harry stopped mid-sentence. There was an ominous presence hovering near his mind suddenly, a presence he knew of quite well , ever since his fifth year. Voldemort was ecstatic about a major victory he had won. However, he was not supposed to feel any sort of feedback from him, Hermione had seen to that. For him to be feeling his presence so intensely made his heart race in fear. What had happened? Just as he was about to voice his fears he sensed the agony of someone being tortured by the Cruciatus curse. Someone nearby. Closing his eyes, he reached out with his magic. In his mind's eye, he saw Neville writing on the ground, muscle tendons visibly pronounced in his neck, a mad cackle somehow echoing in the night air. That laugh, he knew it well...he had heard it not even a month before.
"Did you hear that?" he snapped, looking at Ron urgently.
"Heard what mate?" he asked, looking at him if he had gone mad. Harry knew he wasn't going insane. Using his mediocre Occlumens ability, he sensed outwards, scanning the mindsets of all present. He felt happiness, heartbreak, lust, loneliness.. and then- it hit him like a ton of bricks and he disengaged the Occlumency spell.
An overwhelming feeling of psychopathic giddiness. Lunacy to a point when the only thing left to do is to kill someone to get a more feverish high.
"Lestrange…" Harry whispered, goosebumps rising on his flesh.
"Who?" Ron said getting a bit worried now.
You've got to mean them Potter…
"Get your brothers, get Cho, and get everyone else the fuck out of here! Now!" he shouted, bolting through the crowd of people, not caring who he threw down or spilled drinks over. "Ron! HURRY!" He screamed over his shoulder as he ran towards the front door. Everyone was looking at him like some sort of madman as he jumped over a couch of people and practically ran over Katie and Cantonma at the doorway. Harry dug inside his shirt, and groped for the silver medallion of the Phoenix that nestled against his chest. He clamped his fingers around it, but for the first time ever it was dead cold.
No one could help him. What happened to the Order of the Phoenix?
"Harry- what the fuck man…" Cantonma grumbled getting up from the floor.
"OOOOH BABY POTTER! COME OUT AND PLAY! I MISSED YOU!" a voice screamed.
Harry had nightmares about that voice. Haunting nightmares that ended in Sirius falling through that veil over and over again. Without thinking he sprinted outside, feeling that pent up hate slowly building up inside his chest. He wouldn't be afraid. How could he? He thought he couldn't hate anyone more than Wormtail, more than Voldemort.
He had thought wrong.
He had sworn to himself that he would make Lestrange suffer for killing his godfather. And if for nothing else than just holding true to his word, he would not be afraid. As he raced into the deserted street he saw the hooded figure prancing down the road. Ginny and Hermione were hanging upside down, spinning slowly almost thirty feet in the air. He skidded to a halt, craning his neck to look at their unconscious bodies.
Bellatrix Lestrange was conducting her personal orchestra, her wand flicking here and there as Ginny and Hermione danced and twirled in a mock waltz, their movements eerily graceful and demonic all at the same time. Those were his friends. Two of his best friends, to be precise. He would not fail. He couldn't afford to now. Their lives hung in the balance.
"Ah... there you are- Harry darling! Do you like my puppets? Quite beautiful aren't they?" Lestrange cackled underneath them, her dark cloak billowing out around her in the wind, revealing a black outfit that consisted of numerous straps that barely covered her body. At first, Harry was shocked to see such a bold move on her part. But instinctively he knew that she was nothing- that if he just trusted his instincts, as he had done in the past, he would save them. He stood with his feet apart, his arm hanging loosely at his sides. Wiggling his fingers as if trying to release all of his nerves, he decided that then and there he will do what had to be done. Taking a breath, he forced his voice to remain steady. He drew his wand slowly, making his intentions obvious.
"Put them down safely. I will ask only once," he commanded in a clear voice. The others were now filing out unto the lawn, and shouted for Harry to run.
It was now Bellatrix' turn to be shocked. Glancing across at their audience she broke into an incredulous smile. "You- you're threatening me? Me! Isn't this rich! Stupefy!" she screamed, bearing her wand down on him.
"Harry DUCK!" Ron shouted. Harry ignored him. He will not show fear.
As if he could foretell the time of impact, Harry calmly took one step to the side and the curse shot past; the blazing red bolt illuminating the dark street as it dispersed into the night. Adrenaline raced into his veins, and the back of his neck began to tingle with anticipation. There was a loud popping noise, and the students noticebaly flinched, only to realise that all of the streetlamps had blown out. The hair at Harry's nape began to rustle restlessly as the only light source the two combatants had was the soft glow of the moon.
"We gotta get outta here…." Lee Jordan gasped as Harry calmly walked towards Lestrange, who was noticeably beginning to look uncomfortable. The other students were also awestruck, what the hell was he doing taking on a Death Eater all by himself!
Once again, that burning feeling behind his eyes pulsed, and he closed them momentarily, letting that strange magic seep into his pores. Slowly, deliberately, he lifted his right hand in front of him.
"Come to me," Harry whispered. On command, the sword dislodged itself from where he fastened it on Sirius' motorcycle. It threw itself in a high arc and fell neatly in his outstretched hand. As it made contact, Harry instinctively knew that the time to avenge Sirius was not some unforeseen day years into the distant future, it would be right here, right now. He re-opened his eyes as he drew the sword out of its sheath, slowly and purposefully, his pupils beginning to glow faintly in the darkness.
"Ooh- new tricks..?" Bellatrix said scathingly, but even to her own ears, it sounded forced. Without even consciously knowing it, his father's Cloak of the Order of the Phoenix materialized around his shoulders. The two combatants squared off again, and Bellatrix surveyed her opponent through wary eyes. The boy knew Manifestation spells already? As she pushed that thought to the side, she felt something brush past her feat. Glancing downwards, her eyes widened as dead leaves from the trees tumbled towards Harry, inexplicably being drawn in by his aura, swirling once around his ankles and then dispersing randomly about him. As more debris accumulated they began an eerie dance, swishing around in gusts and crackling as raw magic surged through the night.
"What- what in the Devil's name is this? Stupefy!" she screamed, aiming once again. His natural inclination to Defense against the dark arts came to the forefront, with all of his senses stretching out, Harry could actually feel the curse coming before she even said it. It was becoming clear to him now...forward another two steps... then-
A twist to the left. Pivoting, he dodged this one fluently, gaining ground with each stride he took.
"Reducto!" she screamed even louder, a desperation creeping in her voice.
Another step forward, the burning pulse of energy rippled closer and closer- then a quick feint to the right. Dried leaves vaporized in the curse's wake, but the destructive effects did not even come close to scathing him. Bellatrix blinked a few times. How was he dodging so easily?
"CRUCIO!" Bellatrix shrieked, feeling her anxiety amplify the venom behind her incantation. She wouldn't miss again- that was her most favoured curse! To her amazement, Harry more than just avoided it, he had picked up speed, and was now trotting towards her, the blinding white bolt of magic already fading in the distance. She blanched. Not even close… is he reading my thoughts? But to her horror, while she was thinking about what curse to try next, her opponent had somehow halved the distance and was almost on top of her…with an unnatural glow in his eyes…
"Stupe- stup.." she stammered. Panicking, Bellatrix began throwing spells one after the other at him, her aim askewed even wider and wider with each futile attempt. Harry began to run faster, then sprint- the spells blazing towards him uncannily whizzing harmlessly past his head. In the next step Harry bared his teeth in a grin and he practically vanished, a blur of movement in the darkness somehow disappearing and returning in every three, or maybe four-stride intervals as the light played tricks on her eyes. Before she could decipher what illusionary technique he was using there was a pair of glowing eyes almost an arm's length away from her.
"Hunter! Help me!' she screamed, and before her request was completed the innocent shadow by the nearby fire hydrant dislodged itself and a dark shape jumped out of seemingly nowhere, a flash of steel crashing down in a deadly arc right over Harry's trajectory. Harry braked just in time and instinctively raised his own blade, parrying the killer attack. Not expecting it, Harry's forward momentum worked against him and he crashed sideways into the curb; halfway rolling - halfway tumbling over on his back and scampering to his feet.
The warlock pressed his advantage on Harry, who was still caught in mid-stride and was now on one knee, their blades clashing between them. Harry gripped the sword with both hands and twisted his blade, deflecting the Hunter's weapon to the right, and then scampered quickly to the left. With one fluid movement he was up again, his sword at the ready. They clashed again, the Hunter using rapid fire attacks but Harry defended them all, instinctively parrying and blocking.
"Impressive. Your reflexes are exemplary, even by our standards," Statham smiled. "It has been foretold that there would be one that would once again wield the renowned Sword of Godric Gryffindor. I will defeat you in battle as a true test or my skills; and against a worthy adversary." He bowed slightly at Harry, who did not return the gesture. Lestrange laughed in a frantic wail, her sexual fervour somehow audible in her voice.
"YES!" She moaned. "KILL HIM HUNTER!" Lestrange was totally filled with frenzied blood lust, her eyes twinkling in pre- climax anticipation . The two girls spun faste , dangling by the thread of her sanity. Harry's eyes did not leave the Warlock's empty colourless ones.
"You fool. You will be next, Lestrange…" Statham replied, neither taking his eyes off of Harry. Harry stood in position, turning as his opponent slowly stepped to his left, circling him. Harry knew that he was still a novice, while his opponent was a master swordsman- so he couldn't be careless…
In that fraction of a second the Hunter attacked, his footsteps quick as lightning, Harry losing him in the blur of shadow. Oh no!
…Behind you…
Without hesitation, he flung himself forward in a roll, the hunter's blade missing him by mere inches. He sprung back up to his feet and lunged forward, counter attacking with a vicious thrust to the heart. Statham agilely twisted his body so that the blade flashed against his chest, slicing through the fabric, spinning with the move. Completing the turn, his rear leg whipped out, connecting at the side of Harry's temple with a pinpoint roundhouse kick. The left side of his cheek gashed open, blood and muck mixing across the bridge of his nose as the boot raked against his face. Harry saw stars as his head snapped back and he was sent sprawling through the air. Statham laughed as Harry fell, but stopped suddenly when Harry twisted in midair, throwing his leg over with his backwards momentum. Throwing all of his weight into the fall, he did a back flip without using his hands. He landed unsteadly on his feet , staggering backwards a few steps to maintain balance. His face was damaged almost to the point of being unrecognisable, but at least he was standing.
Harry wavered on his feet, but he was still ready to fight. The hunter, expecting his opponent to be dead, or at the least, knocked unconscious, frowned. Seeing the drive in Harry's eyes, he smiled in anticipation.
"I expect nothing less. Your technique is impulsive and untrained, but for some reason, you are not easily killed. I wonder why is that? No matter- " the hunter charged again, arcing down diagonally to his right. Harry took one step back and feinted sharply sideways, dodging the attack pre-emptively. Not expecting to be read so easily, the Hunter missed his strike, leaving his entire left torso totally undefended. Harry's eyes caught his opponents steely grey ones, the Hunter's eyes flashed with fear as both adversaries moved seamlessly past each other. But before the Hunter could utter a "No" from the 'o' of his lips- he knew it was too late.
… the left foot forward, elbow pointing outwards, extend your arm and strike…
There was a flash of steel and blood splattered all over their clothes, and the hunter felt all support from his abdominal muscles self destruct with a exhalation of bloody air. Not able to evenrespond- the hunter collapsed into a heap, precious life-giving blood escaping alongside loose flesh and tissue. Harry was now behind him, his sword dripping with blood.
"Struck- d-down…" Statham moaned, clutching his side. "Same w-w-weapon-same …attack…" His whole left abdomen was slashed, and he crumpled, holding the gaping wound. "Y-you.." he gurgled, his eyes closing. Turning his attention now unto Lestrange, Harry glared at her, his eyes now blazing a brilliant blue. The sword was held limply at his side- and he could feel his magic working furiously to keep him awake. His head was spinning from that blow, but he could not fall. Without even realising it, the gaping bruise covering the majority of the left side of his face had stopped bleeding. Bellatrix had noticed this, and her bravado was coming to an end.
"Your tricks are no match for me Potter! I killed the best of your stupid Order in my dear cousin Sirius and I can more than finish you!" Her wand began to glow brightly, and her eyes bored into his from behind a brilliant white-green light emanating from her wand. "AVADA KEDAVRA!"
The spell hit Harry dead centre in the chest; his body was run through with deadly magic, disintegrating the shirt off his back and tearing apart his jeans, splashing out to the sides in an intense flash of green lightning. The whole street was illuminated by a green blur, and most of the students losing footing and falling to the ground, while others put their hands in front of their faces to block the blinding light. Bellatrix Lestrange cackled like a maniac; her head turned towards the sky, her voice screeching through the silence of the night. After a few moments of orgasmic self-congratulations she opened her eyes and froze when she saw a pair of dull green eyes boring into hers.
"Pathetic," Harry whispered. His scar was glowing red, he stood there wavering, smiling dangerously at her. She stood there, dumbfounded for a full second. Her eyes were suddenly distracted by a peculiar shadow behind Potter, lurking at the end of the street. What was that- was it a dog? She backed off in amazement.
"No.. it-is… is not possible. It is-isn't- can't- that curse has killed legions! By me!" She shrieked, almost trying to convince herself. "I- I- you're…you're not real! I killed you! I- I- did not miss-" she whimpered. Did he share the same trait as her husband? Was this wizard able to cheat- or even hoodwink- death?
"Twice lucky, Lestrange..." he said, thrusting the sword at her midsection. Just before he could follow through with the killing blow, there suddenly was the feeling of an intense numbness running through him. The Hunter had desperately grabbed his leg, and his magic was draining out of him. The sword fell from his fingers as Harry fell to his knees. He tried to fight him off, but his strength was fading at an extremely fast rate. Bellatrix Lestrange was watching them both in awe, the Hunter literally holding on to his last threads of life as blood spilled uninhibited unto the street while Potter was fighting for breath, all colour draining out of his face.
"Does it hurt? Tell me boy, before you die!" she chuckled, feeling her climax building once again. Oh how she lived for these situations- these near death experiences! How it made her blood run hot... she needed Rodulphus inside her as soon as he recuperated back home, it couldn't wait! Maybe the Lust potion would work? Or proabably just for the piece of anatomy she needed….
With his last remaining ounce of strength Harry grabbed the medallion on his chain in a last ditch attempt of help coming to his rescue. He felt all hope draining out of him as his eyes closed with a coldness that felt somehow comforting, but then they snapped open as the medallion surged alive with heat against his palm. There was a popping noise of someone apparating and he felt fire swelling from deep inside of , burning it's way up to the centre of his chest. It felt just like that day at the Ministry…
"Sirius?" he breathed, delirious as his vision came back into focus.
"Not quite, Potter. INCENDIO AL MUSTIRA!" Draco Malfoy screamed, and the hunter screamed as a large crucifix shape burned on the ground, combusintg the anti-magical being in a cross shaped inferno. The grip on his leg eased, and Harry felt yet another different, strange magic flood back into him. His eyes began to burn once again, and groggily he hauled himself back unto his feet. Draco's eyes blazed red in his pupils , while Harry 's eyes pulsed with a blue glow; growing brighter and brighter as his strength slowly surged back into him.
Both young men glared at Bellatrix, who stood petrified, rooted to the spot. Even though he was dead on his feet, for some strange reason, the energy of Draco being nearby was hastening the rebuilding of magic surging through his veins. Draco's eyes narrowed as the two young men faced Lestrange, looking murderous.
"I'll give you something to look forward to. Voldemort will be meeting you in hell shortly," Draco sneered. "Potter, do you feel it?After me..."
Without even thinking, Harry knew what he was talking about. Lifting his right hand palm up, a small flame ignited in the centre. "Inciendo!"
"Inciendio!" Draco whispered, his eyes bursting openly in flames. Both of them began to mumble incoherent curses beneath their breath, Harry's siphoned Infernus ability mocking Draco's , while both of them recited practiced verses almost syllable for syllable. The flames in their palms doubled in size- then began to emit sparks-
"What…what are you doing?" She begged, seeing the fire grow rapidly in Harry's hand and Draco smiling in anticipation. She raised her wand to create a shield, but it was already too late. The next moment her whole front burst into flames, engulfing her from the inside out, her skin moulting as pockets of fire began to burst from random parts of her body. She screamed in agony at the intense heat, until a tongue of flame burst from her mouth. Lestrange toppled backwards, and her body began to jump and pop uncontrollably as self-replenishing fires burst through her veins at random. Any uncovered area of skin that her dominatrix type outfit displayed began to rip apart as even more fires multiplied throughout her body.
Harry just stood there, staring emotionlessly as she died, the skin on her face brunt so badly that the bones of her skull were clearly visible underneath. The flames incinerated her in a matter of seconds, and the two girls abruptly fell from the sky. Harry quickly waved his wand.
"Mobilucorpus!" Trying not to look down at the smouldering mass at his feet, he controlled the two girls down. Draco turned on his heel as soon as the fires ebbed away, and watched on as Harry trudged back to the house, the girls floating in his wake. He carried them back inside, and laid them on the couch. Dizzy to the point of being unconscious, he forced himself to remain awake until he knew they were okay. He felt for their pulses, it was very weak on both girls. The Rejuvenation charm was needed in a situation like this. They needed some of his own strength to be able to recuperate on their own without their conditions deteriorating. The Enervate spell was too weak in this situation.
"Resuscitarus!" Harry breathed, and felt his already drained strength fading. He could feel, more than see, Hermione stirring. Scrunching his eyes, he pointed his wand at Ginny next. "Come on Gin! Resuscitarus!" he repeated, and she groaned awake as well. He crumpled unto the floor, feeling his own life-force fading. It was the strangest feeling- not as bad as he thought it would be. Maybe he would wake up, maybe he won't, but still.. he had one last thing to settle before he lost consiouness. Using his last remaining thought, he cursed Draco Malfoy to the ends of the earth.
Malfoy, you asshole…next time...don't wait until I'm nearly dead to pull a hero stunt like this…
Meanwhile, Draco was outside cleaning up his handiwork, using the Vanishing spell to eradicate any trace of the Death eater and the hunter's remains. After sheathing the Hunter's blade, he relished his new acquistion by tucking it into his belt and calmly strode into the crowded room. Nobody dared stop him and parted to let him pass to where Weasel was frantically panicking over the golden boy. There was a pull on the centre of his chest, and he pulled at the medallion his mother had on when she died. It had burnt like a hot iron against his chest a few minutes ago, and he felt a strong inclination to apparate to this exact spot. Getting thrown into the middle of a duel wasn't what he had in mind, but getting the opportunity to injure Voldemort, even by ridding him of a loyal subject- was just too good an opportunity to miss. Looking closely at Harry's cloak, Draco took off his own. Something just clicked in his mind. His mother was Narcissa- the last member of the Black family. Didn't he feel this pendant surge with power as he searched for Potter? He examined the cloak, and realized that it matched Potter's in every detail. Except his own was different. Inscribed on the collar was a name. It read:
Black, Sirius
Class 'S' Animagus.