CHAPTER SIX
And here it is, our final night alive. And as the earth burns to the ground…
I do not own Harry Potter or its characters
-o0o0o0o-
Harry felt the cooling sensation as he walked through the door covered in flames. He saw a mirror, and the turban-wrapped head of Professor Quirrell standing in front of it. He noticed the man's posture was ram-rod straight.
He made eye contact with the DADA professor through the mirror. Quirrell turned around.
"Harry Potter," he said, his voice eerily cold, lacking its normal stutter. "It seems you've figured it out."
"Professor," Harry greeted stoically. "And of course I have. I'm not stupid."
"No, you're not, aren't you?" He mused, eyes tracking Harry's every movement.
"So where is he?" Harry asked, eyes narrowed.
Quirrell chuckled, a low, sinister sound. "I must get what my master requires, Potter. Forgive me for not participating in your idle attempt at a distraction."
He turns toward the mirror and begins muttering again. "I see myself holding the stone…but how to get it?"
"Use the boy," A voice rasped softly.
"Come here!" he demanded of Harry, and with a flick of his wand, Harry was floating to the mirror against his will. He struggled and struggled until Quirrell had him stuck with a vice-like grip on Harry's sweater-covered arms. It was painful, and possibly bruising, but Harry showed no pain. No emotion. He only glared at the man with the turban covered head venomously.
"I will make you regret that you ever laid a hand on me." Harry spat.
Quirrell gulped, as if only remembering just who the boy was and who his family was. These days, the Black name causes more fear than the whisper of a Dark Lord that people believe has been dead for years.
"Look in the mirror and tell me what you see." Quirrell demanded.
Harry looked, and he only saw a reflection of himself. He kept his face impassive as the reflection stuck its hand in its pant pocket and showed a blood red stone. Mirror-Harry winked at real Harry and tucked the stone back into his pocket. Harry's face also remained impassive when he felt a weight in his right pants pocket.
"I see my parents," Harry whispered softly, as the image in the mirror turned foggy and clear again once he got the stone. His father was tall, lean, and handsome. Harry smiled as his father reached up with his free hand to ruffle his hair. His other hand was holding Lily's.
Lily fondly rolled her eyes at her husband in the mirror, and smacked his hand away. They put their free hands on Harry's shoulder. Harry could almost feel it. Feel them.
He smiled. "They're proud of me,"
Quirrell grunted in disgust, and with a flick of his wand, Harry was banished back to the stairs behind them. Harry hit his back against a step with a grunt. He grit his teeth, and stealthily slipped his wand out of its holster on his right arm. It was hidden completely under his sleeve.
"He liesss." The snake-like voice hissed once more. "Ssshow me the boyy."
"Master, you are not strong enough–" Quirrell worried, but was interrupted by the disembodied, raspy voice.
"I have sssstrength enough for thissss." And so, the professor unwrapped the turban. Harry watched in horror as he looked at the reflection of Lord Voldemort on the back of Quirrell's head.
"Oh bloody hell," Harry groaned.
-o0o0o0o-
Daphne, Blaise, Draco, Neville, and Hermione remained in the chamber, worry and fear palpable in the air around them.
"It's been a long time.." Hermione muttered. "He's okay, right?" She was stressed, they all were.
"Has the potion refilled yet?" Draco asked, not responding to her. Because he didn't know. And he hated it.
"No." Daphne lamented. "Where are the bloody adults?!"
As she said that, Sirius Black, Cassiopeia Black, Narcissa Malfoy, Lucius Malfoy, Remus Lupin, and Andromeda Tonks stormed into the room.
"Are you all okay?" Sirius asked, surveying each and every child critically. They all nodded.
"Harry's in there," Hermione whimpered. "With Quirrell."
"Help him." Neville begged.
"Go to the hospital wing." Remus said softly. "Neville's parents and Ted are there. Arcturus, Pollux, Cyrus, and Augusta are at the ministry. They are calling an emergency Wizengamot meeting and are going to declare Voldemort alive." The children nodded.
They looked at the flame door Harry went through and reluctantly pulled themselves away. There was nothing they could do that the adults wouldn't.
Daphne watched as they all bombarded the doors of fire with barrages of spells and undoing the wards until the flames flickered.
She walked away, allowing herself numbly to be led to the Hospital Wing by her equally numb friends.
Sirius and the rest tore through the flames and arrived on the scene to Harry being attacked by spells. Harry was fighting back valiantly, and managed to hit the man, though a spell had not yet hit him.
"SUBMIT! GIVE ME THE STONE!" Quirrell shouted, shooting an Avada at Harry who dodged and responded with an organ liquifier, one of the grosser versions of Cassie's lessons. Sirius grimaced at the fact an eleven year old had to cast that specific spell.
"Go to hell!" Harry snarled. Harry seemed to be winning.
Until Quirrell wandlessly managed to banish Harry into the stone wall. The boy hit the wall with such a sickening thud that they all flinched. A loud CRACK echoed through the room.
Sirius growled in rage and began firing every vile and foul and evil spell he could think of. Quirrell, who seemed to try to remove something from Harry's pocket, was surprised. Cassie then added her own spells, then Narcissa, Remus, and Andromeda. Lucius had run to Harry in a panic and began doing any diagnostic and healing spells he could do.
"Luciusss, I sseee you have betrayed me," The raspy voice filled the air. Lucius felt as if the voice wrapped around his throat, coiling around like a deadly snake aiming to suffocate its prey.
"I have not, because you never had my allegiance." Lucius spat, standing in front of Harry like a guard dog and added his own spells to the barrage of which Voldemort was now fighting off.
They forced him onto the defensive quickly. "Stay..the fuck..away..from my godson." Sirius panted as he cast a high powered blood boiler. It hit Quirrell and the man was dead instantly, being burned from the inside out. The black coloured shade of Voldemort exited the man's body and with a shriek, flew towards Harry frantically, passing through him before leaving.
Harry began convulsing.
"Harry!" They all cried, frantically running to him. Sirius picked him up and held him tightly as the boy was seizing. "TIZZY!" Sirius yelled frantically. The Head House Elf appeared and gasped. "Take us to the hospital wing." They all held onto each other and disappeared with a soft pop.
When they arrived, the kids and adults in the wing gasped.
Madam Pomfrey ran to Harry as Sirius set him on an empty bed.
"What happened?!" She snarled. Everyone began talking frantically all at once but Ted Tonks, for the first time in a long time, raised his voice.
"SHUT IT! ALL OF YOU!" Everyone snapped their mouths shut as Madam Pomfrey frantically did any healing spell she could think of. The seizing passed within a few more minutes.
"Sirius. Speak." Ted commanded, his voice stern but filled with worry as he gazed down at the boy.
"Draco?" Ted asked softly.
"Yes Uncle Ted?" The boy's voice was small, his eyes on his fallen brother.
"Go get Dora, please." Ted's voice broke at please.
Draco blinked back the tears in his eyes and nodded. "Who knows where the Puff common room is and the password?"
The Weasley twins raised their arms.
Draco nodded sharply. "Come with me."
And they did.
-o0o0o0o-
"Mr. Black, what is the meaning of this meeting?" Albus Dumbledore asked, his eyes twinkling as he took in the proxy for Lord Black.
Arcturus snarled. "I am here to announce that we need to declare the previously assumed dead Dark Lord Voldemort alive." He snapped.
Whispers, screams, and yelps echoed in the Wizengamot chambers.
Fudge jumped up and glared furiously at Arcturus, adjusting his bowler hat. "See here, Black, I don't know what–"
"Do not address him that way," Augusta snarled. "He is of a higher station than you and always will be, Cornelius."
"I am the Minister of Magic–"
"And have done nothing but stagnate us since you took office!" Pollux smiled contemptuously. "Stealing from the Ministry coffers, are you? Besides the point, however, Voldemort is alive."
"And how do you know that?" Dumbledore asked, eyes narrowed and no longer twinkling.
"It seems it has been mysteriously residing on the back of the Defence Against the Dark Arts' head." Cyrus snarled, then smiled a shark-like smile at Dumbledore. "Imagine that." They had been briefed only moments before the doors opened by Frank Longbottom.
"That is just preposterous. I control the wards–"
"And you would have felt it. Only, you did. And you felt the need to hide the Philosopher's Stone, a dangerous magical artefact in a school full of children." Arcturus snapped.
"He WHAT?" Amelia Bones exclaimed. "Is there proof?"
"There is proof that one of the obstacles in Dumbledore's little course is a Cerberus." Augusta said angrily.
"This is just getting out of contr–"
"My descendants are down there, Albus!" Arcturus boomed, his voice shaking with uncontrolled rage. "You set it up! You manipulative piece of shite! I have proof that Lord Voldemort is a shade amongst the mortal realm and is trying to gain his power back!"
"And where is that proof?" Ogden asked simply. His friend, Charlus, died fighting the Dark Lord. Someone he considered a nephew–James Potter–died fighting the Dark Lord. If the bastard is back, Tiberius Ogden wants to know. He deserves to know. Arcturus' eyes softened at seeing Ogden. He knew that he was a close friend of Charlus'.
"The moment Lord Potter is well enough, we shall view his memories. As he has just had a confrontation with the shade and Professor themselves." Augusta told her old friend softly.
"We're going to declare a dead man alive on the hearsay of a child?" Fudge scoffed.
"This is insane. The Dark Lord died when he attacked the Potters." Crouch sneered.
"Don't even speak in my presence, Crouch, lest your annoying voice tempt me for seeking retribution on what was done to my grandson." Arcturus growled.
"Lord Potter is not a child." Amelia snapped. "He may be eleven but he is the Lord of his House and the Potter coffers and businesses are flourishing. He has endured more than any of us can even imagine." She seethed. "And he is a Lord, something that you are not, Minister, nor will you ever be. He is above you. His word means more than yours at this point in time."
Arcturus nodded his head in respect at the glaring and fiery woman. Fudge seemed to shrink within himself.
"Well, where is he?" Madam Marchbanks asked.
"In the Hospital Wing at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." Pollux said. "Hopefully," he added under his breath.
"I shall mirror-call one of the people with him now if you so wish," Arcturus said irritably.
"This is completely out of bounds!" Lord Macmillan exclaimed.
"You are lucky my wife is from your family," Arcturus growled. He took the mirror out of his mirror and enlarged it. Pollux levitated it in front of the entire room. "Sirius Black." Arcturus said clearly.
Sirius' distressed face appeared in the mirror. It appeared as if he didn't even register the Wizengamot around as his eyes zeroed in on his family and friends.
"Harry's in a bad way, grandfather." Sirius said softly. He was shaking.
"What happened?" Albus demanded.
"I do not need to explain to the likes of you, Dumbledore." Sirius snapped through the mirror. His eyes looked feral. "It is your fault he is in this position. Fighting for his life after battling the shade of the man who killed his parents."
Everyone gasped. "Did you see it, Lord Black?" Amelia Bones asked, her monocle long fallen from her face in the shock. Sirius nodded.
"I did. Quirinus Quirrell is now dead by my hand after shooting the Killing Curse at my godson." Sirius stated.
"How are we meant to believe you?" Lord Nott snapped.
Sirius took out his wand and glared. "I, Sirius Orion Black, swear that my godson and I have fought the shade of Lord Voldemort and that I killed his host body for attempting to kill my godson tonight. So mote it be." There was a golden flash of light and everyone held their breaths.
Sirius was still alive.
"Lumos." He cast. His wand lit up. And the Wizengamot courtroom went into outrage. Cornelius Fudge lost every hint of colour in his cheeks and promptly fainted.
-o0o0o0o-
With the help of the Marauders Map and the Weasley's sneakiness, they got into the Hufflepuff common room.
"What the bloody hell are you lot doing here?!" A seventh year snapped.
"Shut it, Araya." Fred snapped. "We're here for Dora."
"Who?" Ernie Macmillan asked.
"Tonks." Draco rolled his eyes.
"TONKS!" Araya hollered. Bounding footsteps were heard. A boy, Diggory, Fred thinks, sat up tensely, looking at Tonks.
Maybe they were friends. He didn't dwell on it. Dora paled as she saw their expressions. Her form turned into her natural self. A picture perfect Black.
"What is it?" She whispered. Draco let a tear slide down his cheek. Everyone was in shock at the Heir Malfoy's show of emotion. Something terrible must have happened.
"It's Harry."
Everyone gasped, eyes wide in shock. Harry was one of the most well liked students, which was a feat in and of itself, but being a Slytherin also? It was almost unheard of.
Dora whimpered and ran out the door, the three boys following her.
Nobody in the Hufflepuff common room spoke for the rest of the night.
-o0o0o0o-
Harry didn't know where he was, only that it was very bright. He squinted, trying to see anything discernable in the white haze.
"Hello?" His voice called, only nobody responded as it echoed back to him. The void he was in was unnerving him more and more until an ethereal voice resounded all around him. The voice had no source.
"Hello, Hadrian Potter," the feminine voice said softly.
"Who's there?" He asked frantically. "Please, show yourself!"
"You are scared, my champion." A powerful male voice echoed throughout the void. "You have no need to fear us."
"Please, show yourselves." Harry begged.
And so they did. The voices appeared in corporeal forms, and Harry gasped. The man was tall, incredibly so, and muscular. Bold, black tattoos lined his forearms. He wore an obsidian cloak that matched his hair and emboldened his silver eyes. His skin tone however, was the complete opposite. Smooth, ivory coloured skin.
The woman was the opposite. Where he was cold, she was warm. Where he was darkness, she was light.
She had golden brown hair that glimmered in the light of the void. Her eyes like pure, liquid gold. Her skin was dark, smooth, and beautiful. Her smile was kind. She was dressed in a white tunic-like dress with golden embellishments.
"Who are you?" He whispered breathily, eyes wide on the two godlike figures before him.
"I am Death." The man said, his voice deep.
"And I am Fate." She said, her voice melodic and comforting.
"Why am I here?" Harry whispered.
"When the shade of Voldemort passed through you, the horcrux within you began fighting. Trying to rip itself away from you and reunite with its master. While your body is dealing with the repercussions of that, we have taken the opportunity to speak with you." Fate said softly.
"So the horcrux is gone?" Harry asked softly.
"Yes. Or it will be, as soon as you wake." Death nodded sagely.
Harry breathed a sigh of relief. "And..I still have my parseltongue ability?"
"Yes, you do. That ability is yours by blood, and you will soon need it.." Fate said cryptically.
"You called me your Champion." Harry said to Death. It wasn't a question. "Why?"
"Because you are. For years, the Peverell line were my champions. Being able to access Death Magicks. You, as a Potter, will be able to tap into that. To bring me the soul of the man that has long tried to evade me." He growled the last sentence. Fate rolled her eyes.
"You will get him soon enough, don't act like a child."
"I am as old as Magic herself!" Death said, wounded.
"And yet you still act like a toddler." She teased.
"Will you tell me why you needed to speak with me?" Harry interrupted, irritated.
"You, Hadrian, have defied fate. Your entire family has, but you are the catalyst of everything that has now been set in motion." Fate said softly, smiling. "And I am so glad."
"What?" Harry asked, dumbfounded.
"Hadrian, you were meant to grow up abused, malnourished, and you were going to become Dumbledore's pawn. A friend of yours, Cedric Diggory, was going to be killed by Voldemort in your Fourth year. Voldemort would almost win the war. You would have lost many people in that life. Sirius Black was meant to be in Azkaban for twelve years. Frank and Alice Longbottom were going to be tortured to insanity. Do you understand where I am going with this, Harry?" Fate said softly.
"I..think so. But, I defied Fate, so what's going to happen?"
"Hadrian, your destiny is of your own design. The Prophecy is about you. You can mould it to mean whatever you wish."
"So then why am I here?"
"You are here, Harry, because you are the one thing nobody in the history of Magic has ever been. Our shared Champion." Death said.
"Then what am I meant to do?!" Harry begged as they began fading into the void.
"Live, Harry." Fate's voice echoed. "Live, and kill the Dark Lord."
And then they were gone.
-o0o0o0o-
"We're losing him!" Pomfrey called as she ran to Harry and began trying everything she could. Forcing potions down his throat, any spell, any muggle method to keep him alive that she knew.
People were openly weeping as Harry stilled. His chest was not rising and falling. There was no heartbeat. Harry was pale and cold.
Sirius felt as if he was going to die from heartbreak, until Harry inhaled sharply and loudly, and opened his eyes.
He screamed a blood-curdling scream as a large, black mass left his forehead.
Once it was gone, he was breathing heavily and shaking.
"HARRY!" They all called in relief and Sirius and Remus were cradling him in their arms, weeping tears of relief as Harry held onto them for dear life.
A/N: I wanted to throw in some deities in the chapter for some spice. What does everyone think? The fallout of the meeting will be in the next chapter, and the rest of the year will be in as well. For the most part it will be a filler for some child shenanigans. I do want some prank ideas for the prank war because while I am writing this I am not creative in the prank department at all, sadly. Let me know your thoughts and feedback! :)