Chapter 3 – Battle of Lights and Blades

Limping, Liv dragged herself through the snow towards the rocks that towered in the icy desert. Eskil had once told her that they were the remains of the battles of the Ice Giants, but she didn't know if he had only told her that to impress her with his knowledge.

To the rocks. Only to the rocks. When she reached the rocks, everything would be all right.

That's what Liv tried to tell herself. But she was at the end of her tether. She fell into the snow and lacked the strength to get up again.

The last thing she saw before she lost consciousness was a black figure leaning over her with a worried face. A lovely scent of roses drifted around her nose.

And then there was only darkness.


A light breeze brushed across the snowy land and the silvery moon shone down on Harry and Daphne from above. More than half a day had passed since they had escaped their watchers through an avalanche triggered by themselves. And three hours had passed since nightfall, when they had started walking north.

"Do you think we're in Everfrost already?" asked Daphne beside him. Her breath formed a cloud in front of her mouth.

Harry let his gaze wander. Not that there was much to see. The landscape was a monotonous, contourless white, with only a few rocks towering in front of them to hold their gaze. They had long since left any areas marked on Muggle maps behind them.

"Hard to say," he replied. "But if not, we shouldn't be far away."

"I hope so..."

They stomped on through the snow, and the rocks in front of them came closer and closer. Even though it was difficult to gauge the distance in the darkness, it couldn't be far. Would they find the magical land of Everfrost beyond? The destination of their journey?

Although, their real destination was Santa Claus. Dead at her feet, if Daphne had her way. He was not yet convinced that this was the right course of action, and had told her so before they had left England. Since then they had not spoken again about this point in their quest. Would it really come to that, or could they find another way to break the curse that was on the Greengrasses?

Harry glanced at Daphne and noticed how she was still shivering, even though they had covered themselves with warming charms. She was so different from Ginny. And Ginny had not been pleased to have him accompany her on her mission...

At the thought of Ginny, Harry's eyes suddenly widened. He stopped as if frozen.

Daphne stopped beside him. "What's wrong, Harry?"

"Our friends! Your family! They don't know we're okay!"

"What do you mean?"

"The avalanche," Harry said agitatedly. "If the Norwegians think we're lost or perished, they'll tell the others. We have to tell them we're okay."

He pulled out his wand and was about to create his Patronus when Daphne grabbed his arm. "I don't think that's a good idea, Harry."

Now it was Harry's turn to look at his companion in confusion. "Why would you say that? Do you want Astoria and Tracey to think you're dead?"

"Of course not! But we can't risk being discovered."

"A Patronus can't be tracked," Harry said. "We have nothing to fear."

"Except for the bright white light a Patronus emits," Daphne said, tightening her grip on his arm. She was looking him straight in the eye now. "It would be visible for miles in the darkness. Please, Harry, we can't risk it."

Harry shook his head, and Daphne's pleading gaze disappeared from his thoughts, replaced by the image of a weeping Molly. She and all the others, Ron, Hermione, Ginny. They had already lost so much. He couldn't cause them any more pain.

"I'm sorry, Daphne. I have to do this," he said, breaking free of her grip. "Expecto Patronum!"

A silver stag burst from his wand and started pacing around them. When it realised there were no Dementors around, it paused in front of them. Harry approached it, absorbing the comforting warmth the Patronus exuded like hot chocolate after a long winter's day.

"Please tell my friends and also Astoria Greengrass and Tracey Davis that Daphne and I are well," he told his Patronus. "Tell them not to worry. We will return to them when we have completed our mission."

The stag lowered its head as a sign that it understood before abruptly rearing up onto its hind legs and gallopping up through the air. Within seconds it had disappeared into the night sky, leaving only a faint silver glow in the air, which also quickly faded. As the Patronus disappeared, so did the warmth. Harry was seized by an icy chill.

"Your Patronus is truly beautiful," Daphne's voice sounded beside him. She gave him a weak smile. "What a shame I wasn't cool enough for your secret club back then."

Harry chuckled and was about to respond when other lights suddenly appeared in the night sky. Not silvery, but blue and green with a hint of purple. The lights seemed to be rapidly approaching.

"Daphne, what are those?" he asked, pointing at the lights.

Daphne's eyes widened. "Shit, Polar Spirits!"

She pulled out her wand and rapier. Harry then quickly retrieved the Gryffindor sword from his backpack as well. Before he could ask what Polar Spirits were, they had reached them.

They were small winged spirit beings, emitting brilliant lights, as he could now see. There had to be dozens of them. And none of the beings resembled the other, their shapes round, curved, or long and narrow like a matchstick. Some were transparent so that you could see the stars shimmering through them, others were solid, some were a mixture of both and a few had reflective surfaces. And they all shouted loudly.

"Pretty light," shouted one Polar Spirit. "Do it again!"

"Yes, again! Again," shouted another.

A third being shouted, "Yes! Pretty light! Pretty light!"

The other Polar Spirits joined in. "Pretty light! Pretty light! Pretty light!"

Harry and Daphne exchanged a look. She seemed as perplexed as he felt.

"Hey, you there!" yelled Harry up. "We can't make light! Please get away from here!"

The Polar Spirits stopped their shouting and paused in the air.

A spirit from high above asked, "What did he say?"

And another shouted up from below, "The meatbag says they can't make light."

"Why does he say they can't do it? The light was so pretty," asked another.

"Because we mustn't be seen!" cried Harry. "You're too showy. Please get away from here!"

"The meatbag says we're too showy," the first Polar Spirit informed the others.

"Yes, we are!" another Polar Spirit replied and began to do somersaults in the air. Its green glow became even brighter. "We are showy! Showy! Showy! Showy!"

The first called down to Harry and Daphne again, also beginning to do somersaults, "Yes, showy! Now do that pretty light again!"

"We can't!" shouted Harry. He was angry, but he didn't know how to act because these beings were so strange.

Daphne seemed to have had enough. She pointed her wand at one of the Polar Spirits and shouted, "Stupefy!"

The stunner flew right through the being and disappeared into the night sky. But she must have provoked the Polar Spirits, because the next moment they swooped down on them like birds of prey. They flew around their heads and even through their bodies like the ghosts at Hogwarts.

All the while, they hooted and laughed and shouted incessantly, "Pretty light! Make that pretty light! Pretty light, light, light!"

Only from the Sword of Gryffindor in his hand did the beings seem to keep away, Harry noticed. Raising the weapon in the air, he shouted, "Get away or I'll strike you all down with this!"

At once, all the Polar Spirits stopped flying around them. There was a breathless silence. And the next moment they began to fly away in the night sky as fast as they could.

Smiling, Harry lowered the sword. He turned to Daphne, a joke on his lips, when suddenly a grim voice rang in his thoughts.

You should not have come here, Harry with the bloody hands and Daphne with the fearful heart. Now you are going to die.

Startled, Harry wheeled around. A few steps behind them stood a human-like being, yet nothing about him was human. His skin was black as the night, only his yellow eyes sparkled mockingly in the darkness. Horns protruded from his head. The torso was like that of a strong man, but his arms were far too long, hanging almost to his knees. The legs were a hybrid of human limbs and the hind legs of a goat. They ended in large, cloven hooves. A pungent stench emanated from the figure.

Servant Rupert.

Harry did not hesitate for a second. He snatched up his wand and hurled a curse at the monster. But his curse bounced off his body without effect. He tried again, and next to him Daphne also awoke from her rigidity and attacked, but all their spells bounced off their opponent without causing any damage.

The corners of Servant Rupert's mouth curled up in a taunting smile, revealing dirty yellow fangs. Then he spread his hands, and claws as long as daggers emerged from his fingertips.

You are pathetic, his voice echoed in their thoughts. And you are a disappointment to your family, Daphne Greengrass. Their once noble blood has truly met its demise with you.

Harry looked at Daphne, whose entire body had begun to shake violently. But then she raised her rapier, and her face was seized with an expression of fiery determination. Her trembling ceased.

"Daphne, we –" called Harry, but he was too late.

With a piercing scream, Daphne threw herself at the monster. But the latter reacted surprisingly quickly. With a sideways twist, he dodged Daphne's rapier. A claw descended and shredded Daphne's sleeve.

Now Harry also leapt forward and tried to thrust the sword between the monster's ribs. But a swipe of his claw hit the blade and almost tore the weapon out of his hand. Harry was thrown to the ground. Before the beast could follow up, Daphne was over him. With a flurry of impetuous blows, she attacked the beast, allowing Harry to get back to his feet. But instead of dodging the rapier blows, Servant Rupert jumped forward. A clawed hand descended. Daphne threw herself back, but the claw left four deep welts on her left cheek. Then Servant Rupert spun around. Harry jerked his sword up to stop the claw, which was aimed at his head. His sword vibrated under the force of the hit.

"Split up," Harry shouted to Daphne. No matter how agile Servant Rupert might be, no fighter could have his eyes everywhere.

Daphne gave him a curt nod. At the same time as Harry, she attacked. Faster than the eye could follow, their blades whirled. Servant Rupert blocked and ducked under Harry's sword strike. The light of the moon glinted off the powerful weapon. Daphne's rapier pierced the monster's guard while Harry bound one of the claws with his sword. A dark cut split the muscle over Servant Rupert's heart. The wound was not deep. Surprisingly, it hardly bled.

Daphne jumped back, narrowly escaping the monster's claws. Servant Rupert did not pursue her but made a lunge towards Harry. He feinted a blow to the head and changed direction at the last moment. Only through the years of training his Seeker reflexes did Harry manage to leap aside in time to avoid the blow, which would otherwise have shattered his ribcage.

The opponents did not allow each other any respite. In a deadly dance, Harry and Daphne circled the monster. Harry would have liked to use his wand again, but he dared not for fear he might hit Daphne.

Then Harry used a low attack, aiming for the monster's legs. But Servant Rupert blocked his sword with a claw, and another claw of the beast grazed his arm. Blood trickled down, but Harry felt no pain. He continued to push and the force of his attack knocked their opponent off balance. They both crashed to the ground. Immediately Daphne was over them again. She intercepted a claw aimed at Harry's throat. Servant Rupert rolled sideways and got back on his feet with cat-like agility. Mockingly, he glared at them.

Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic. You are –

While the monster was still talking, Harry jumped up and attacked again. He brought down a hail of sword blows on their opponent. Step by step Harry drove him towards the rocks. Daphne, too, attacked again. Her blade grazed Servant Rupert's upper arm and left a gaping cut. Again, the monster uttered no sound of pain.

Harry aimed his sword at their opponent's head. His blade narrowly missed his horns. At the same moment, a swipe of a claw broke through Harry's guard. He jerked his head to the side and still suffered a cut on his cheek.

Daphne was also bleeding from numerous minor wounds. It seemed as if Servant Rupert was playing with them, trying to drag out the fight to taunt them as they got closer and closer to the rocks. The small cuts and bruises were sapping their strength. Harry could see Daphne's movements slowing. Her breath was coming in gasps. She would not hold out much longer.

Harry lunged forward to distract their opponent from Daphne, swinging his sword like a scythe. Servant Rupert leaped back to put some distance between himself and them. They were now in front of a cave in the rock, into which Servant Rupert slowly retreated. Harry and Daphne followed him. The wind around them fell silent.

The cave did not go deep, and in the middle, Servant Rupert stopped. Raising his right hand, he stroked his forehead in an over-exaggerated gesture. Harry saw how the wounds on his chest and upper arm, which they had taken from him with so much effort, were closing.

Again Servant Rupert gave them a mocking smile.

Time to die.

Their opponent sped forward, faster than ever before in their fight. A claw swipe bounced the rapier from Daphne's hand, and a second swipe struck Daphne on the side of the head. She was thrown against the cave wall, hit the stone hard, and did not get up again.

"Daphne!" cried Harry and tried to rush to her, but Servant Rupert stood in his way. Almost playfully, he blocked Harry's sword attack with which he tried to get past him.

Harry knew he could only help Daphne if he defeated their opponent. With the courage of desperation, he threw himself forward, leaping at Servant Rupert. His blade scraped across his brow and left a gaping cut. The monster let out a surprised scream and backed away, a very different reaction from Daphne's previous hits. Blood dripped onto his left eye, and was there fear reflected in his face?

But before Harry could think clearly, the monster charged at him with whirling swipes of his claws. Harry tried as hard as he could to block them, but Servant Rupert was now fighting like a berserker. He seemed to have lost his desire to play. A dark hole gaped where his left eye had once been. The battered flesh was burnt as if it had been splashed with deadly acid. In unbridled rage, he now went after Harry. His blows were more poorly aimed than before, and yet the ferocity of the attack drove Harry on the defensive. He retreated, ducked, or turned away, barely managing to strike a blow on his own.

Harry felt his strength fading. He tried to think of all those he wanted to see again, so that these thoughts would give him new strength, as had been seen in other fights. Ron and Hermione. The other Weasleys. Luna and Neville and all his other friends. Teddy. Ginny...

But his eyes kept wandering to Daphne, who lay collapsed on the ground. Her chest began to rise and fall. She was alive!

Then claw clanged on steel and Harry was jolted out of his relief. Straining, he parried his opponent's wild blows. Each parry took a little more of his strength.

With a sideways twist, he disengaged himself from the fight. But immediately Servant Rupert pursued. The beast seemed to suspect that Harry's hit with the venom-soaked sword was fatal and wanted to take him down with him. Servant Rupert did not allow the fight to falter for even a heartbeat. Mercilessly he drove Harry before him. He had to land a second hit, Harry knew, otherwise he wouldn't last long enough!

A powerful swipe swept Harry's sword aside. It was immediately followed by a swipe through the gap that now gaped in his guard. Harry threw himself to the side, but the monster's claw struck him on the shoulder. Blood oozed from the wound. Off balance, Harry fell as he dodged a second blow from the monster. The monster missed him so narrowly that he felt the breeze on his injured cheek.

Instinctively, Harry leaned forward. He jerked his sword to the side, and with a soft hiss, he carved the monster's skin below the knee, leaving a deep, bloody gash.

Servant Rupert buckled sideways and, as he fell, delivered a poorly aimed blow to his head. Harry ducked and rolled to the side as the monster's dark flesh began to sear. Sheer horror was written all over his opponent's face.

Still half-bent, Servant Rupert wheeled around and went after Harry in unbridled fury. But then he suddenly stopped. His remaining eye rolled back, while a violent tremor seized his doomed body. The next moment a red flash lit up the darkness and struck Servant Rupert in the back.

Harry's eyes darted to Daphne, who just at that moment collapsed back on the floor. Her wand rolled out of her powerless hand.

That was the last chance!, Harry thought. Before Servant Rupert could recover from whatever had gripped him, he raised his sword and plunged it through his opponent's heart. The monster's body reared up one last time. Then it collapsed, lifelessly.

Panting, Harry rose from their defeated foe. He turned and saw Daphne lying trembling on the ground. Immediately he was at her side.

"Daphne!" he shouted, grabbing her by the shoulders. He examined her for injuries. Apart from scratches and bruises, she appeared to be unharmed, but he did not know what internal damage she might have suffered. He drew out his wand and began to apply the meagre number of healing spells he knew. The scratches on Daphne's skin closed, her bruises faded a little and her breathing calmed.

It was then that Daphne opened her eyes. Her gaze slid over their defeated opponent, and a faint smile captured her lips. Harry was seized by a surge of affection for her. They had fought valiantly, and Daphne especially. She had brought honour to her ancestors. And yet, without the Sword of Gryffindor, they could not have won...

"Harry," Daphne's weak voice snapped him out of his thoughts. She coughed. "We're going to freeze to death."

In response, Harry took her in his arms to warm her with his body. At the same time, he cast the strongest warming charms he was capable of on them both, but he too was at the end of his tether. His limbs felt heavy. Exhausted, he leaned against the cave wall, his arms still wrapped around Daphne, who snuggled against him.

They had been this close before, under his Invisibility Cloak, when they had been hiding. But this felt much more intimate. Harry could feel Daphne's warmth, the contours of her body, her long legs beside his, and her breasts pressing against his side.

Several minutes passed, maybe even hours – who could tell – as the two slowly recovered. Then, at one point, Harry heard Daphne's soft but already somewhat stronger voice next to him.

"I'm sorry, Harry."

Harry looked to her, but she avoided his gaze. "Sorry for what?"

"For dragging you into this," Daphne said.

Now it was Harry's turn to smile. "You didn't make any decisions for me. If I'm going to pay for my sins, at least grant me that they were mine."

Daphne let out a soft sigh. Her breath tickled Harry's throat. "Sins, you say. I've committed a few myself, you know. There ... there's something I need to tell you."

"If you're going to tell me that it was you who betrayed your father, then I have already guessed."

Daphne froze in his arms. Surprise was reflected in her gaze. "How?" she asked, her voice little more than a breath in the icy air.

Harry closed his eyes, thinking back to her reaction when he had asked her about her father in Yggdrasil. "Who else could have given the anonymous tips to the Ministry?" he said. "Who else would have known where the father was, except the beloved daughter?"

He opened his eyes again, and winced when he saw Daphne's anxious look. That had not been his intention.

"I don't hold it against you," he said hurriedly, tightening his grip around Daphne to let her feel his sincerity. "It's the love of your family that I admire so much about you, Daphne. The love for your family that even made you turn your back on your father for besmirching the family's honour with his crimes. That's how it was, wasn't it?"

Daphne nodded, apparently unable to put her thoughts into words. Tears began to run down her cheeks. Harry felt a pang in his heart, but he felt they had to talk about it, they were after all partners on this icy quest and had just fought for their lives together.

"But your love for your family, or rather your submission, is also what I despise most about you," he therefore continued. "This image of your family that you have built up in your mind and to which you subordinate everything else. Your ancestors in their pompous graves, of whom you constantly speak, and in whose presence you have to prove yourself. Above everything else, you want to please people. No, you don't want them to think you're the most lovable person in the world, you certainly don't, but you do want them to remember you. As a member of the glorious Greengrass family. That's why you turned in your father, because you were disgusted by his actions. And that's why you want to restore meaning to the Greengrass name. That's why you keep going forward, like you did earlier. Even if it might mean your death. Maybe that's even what you want. Because at least then people would speak of you with admiration. Of the last Greengrass heiress who sacrificed herself for the love of her sister."

Harry raised his hand to wipe the tears from Daphne's face. "You are not the mistress of your fate, Daphne, but its slave. And that is what I love and hate about you."

Daphne gave him a wry smile, and her cheeks still glistened from her tears, but for Harry, there was an almost otherworldly majesty in the sight. A warm feeling gripped his heart.

"I have much more to tell you, Harry, eventually, but for now I'm just glad to have you by my side," Daphne said softly, pressing herself against his side again. "Even if you're just running from your demons too..."

A smile captured Harry's lips. Apparently, he was not the only one who had been watching the other intently.

They fell silent after that, and it was some time later that Harry heard Daphne fall asleep. The sounds of her sleeping filled the dark cave. Harry, too, felt Morpheus' call becoming more and more irresistible to him.

One last time he looked at his partner in his arms, who seemed to fit there so perfectly, before letting his gaze wander around the cave. When he looked towards the entrance, he couldn't believe his eyes. There was a thick wall of ice blocking the way out of the cave and blurring the view. Beyond it, a light swelled slowly, then dimmed again. He hadn't noticed it before. How long had the ice wall been there?

But before Harry could think more about it, his tiredness overcame him.


AN:

This was an action-packed chapter that I had a lot of fun writing, but was also a bit of a challenge. What do you think will happen next for our two brave adventurers? I would love to hear your guesses!

By the way, that was the third chapter. I'm planning with around ten in total. Just to give you a feeling of where we are in the story.