Holy hell, the amount of reviews I got for the last chapter is astounding! Thank you so much!
I'd like to thank McCabeRz and Axcel for your insightful reviews. I can definitely see where you're coming from, even if I disagree with you.
Disclaimer:I don't own Harry Potter.
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Lightning Dragon's Roar
A Harry Potter Fanfiction
By Zero Rewind
© 2015
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Chapter 24: Winding Down
"Kirin!" I called out, before I brought down my hand.
With that downwards motion, the sky lit up with power as the collective electrical energy of the clouds above Azkaban prison collided with Lilith in a thousandth of a second, exploding on impact with an incredibly loud roar— quite reminiscent of a dragon's roar.
The attack was as magnificent as it was short. I watched the dust settle, showing me the gigantic crater caused by the powerful strike. There was no sign of the evil succubus, anywhere. It was as if the attack completely erased Lilith's existence.
The pouring rain, which had been excessively overwhelming this whole time, had completely stopped at this point. The clouds began to part for the first time in centuries, showering the island of Azkaban with glorious sunlight.
"...Woah." I said and tried not to gape at the sheer level of destruction before me. I looked down on my hands, realizing that I'd brought this attack down.
I had successfully managed to call an attack of this level forth, even when I was at my weakest.
I smirked tiredly. "I think I'll call this, Lightning Dragon Secret Move: Kirin!"
I took a step forward, only to wobble uncertainly. I felt really strange; dizzy.
The world began to spin around me, and I felt myself falling backwards. I closed my eyes and braced myself for the impact I was sure to have with the ground, but nothing came.
"Are you all right, Harry?" Dumbledore's voice asked me softly. The old wizard had stopped my fall.
I opened my eyes with difficulty. "I'm fine. Just a little tired, that's all."
"Did we get her?" I quickly got back on my feet and tried to focus my eyesight on Dumbledore, finding the simple task excessively hard.
"I believe so." Dumbledore replied before closing his eyes in concentration, clearly was attempting to sense her presence. This kept on for a few seconds.
"I do not sense her presence." Professor Dumbledore finally said, not really looking sure of his statement. "She is either extremely adept at concealing her magical signature, or that last— quite powerful— attack truly defeated her."
"Th-that's good." I choked out, feeling more tired by the second. At this rate, I would be asleep in just a few minutes. "Wait. Where did Voldemort go?"
"I am right here, Potter." Voldemort's cold voice carried over from a fair distance away from me, fulling waking me up. Adrenaline began rushing back into my system. I was still so very tired… There was nothing I could possibly do to beat the elder wizard.
He wasn't as drained as I was.
My magic pool was almost completely dry from using so many Roars consecutively in the same day. My bleeding wounds weren't helping the matter any, either. The wizard in question stared at me with his dangerous red eyes, as if trying to stop himself from assaulting me. Why? I figured he would be eager to finish me off in my current state. Why did he not proceed with the act?
The realization came to me like a ton of bricks.
I saved Voldemort's life earlier, when I freed him from the succubus' control. Without me, it was highly likely that she would have used both him and Dumbledore to eradicate any and all enemies. It was also likely that they would never escape her control.
In short, my worst enemy owed me a life debt. Voldemort owed me a life debt!
By the extremely irritated— borderline enraged— look on his pale face, I assumed Tom realized the consequences of my actions as well.
"Any chance I can get you to repay the life debt by simply not trying to kill me anymore? I don't think that's much to ask for, is it?" I blurted out without thinking.
Dumbledore looked at me incredulously. I gave a mental shrug at his reaction. Why fight when I can resolve this peacefully?
Voldemort balked at me for a few short moment, before giving a slight smirk.
"An interesting proposal, Potter." Voldemort drawled lazily, before continuing. "I shall repeat the same offer I made to you almost four years ago; join me, and we will usher in a new era of magic!"
I couldn't believe the words that were coming out of Voldemort's mouth. He still wants me to join him?
Dumbledore remained silent. So did I.
"You possess a great potential for growth." Voldemort explained, gesturing at the devastation that I had brought forth. "I do not wish to see it halted before its time."
I think that was his way of saying he really didn't want to kill me.
"The same could be said for you." I retorted, making Voldemort tilt his head in confusion. My tiredness was getting to me, but I fought it down.
"You were a top notch student in Hogwarts." I began. "I should know, I researched you extensively. Born in an orphanage, without many friends, caretakers who most likely mistreated you at worst, neglected you at best..." I listed off factor after factor.
Voldemort stayed silent, neither denying, nor confirming the information I was presenting.
"Yet you somehow miraculously managed to achieve the highest scores among your peers, and developed your magical powers to a level most could not even dream of reaching. You could have been a shining beacon, an example to those who were as unlucky as you in life. People like me." I continued, not realizing I had said that last part.
Dumbledore frowned at that last part.
I looked into the other man's eyes for a moment, trying to understand the reasoning behind his actions. Why did he kill all those people? Why did he target my parents? Why was he so hell-bent on killing everything that had a chance of challenging him?
It was so frustrating. Life was so frustrating.
"But you gave all of it up." I looked away from Voldemort. "You had everything! You had the academic scores, the credentials, the charm, but you threw it all away. Why?"
Voldemort merely looked at me impassively, still refusing to answer.
"Instead of helping those who were as weak as you, you turned on them." I said. "You turned on yourself. Why should I join you?"
"..." Voldemort was about to say something, before shaking his head.
He turned away from me, and began to walk. A few seconds later, he stopped.
"I will not endeavor to kill you, any longer. But do not expect me to be lenient on you in our future battles." He said calmly, before disappearing with a crack.
I began to relax, and the tiredness in my muscles increased fivefold. That was my queue to pass out. I felt my eyes roll back, and I passed out.
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As I slowly regained consciousness, the first thing I noticed was that my right leg was really itchy. I sat up and tried to move my hand to scratch my leg, only to cringe as I felt a stabbing pain in my leg, coinciding with many other sharp pains and dull throbs throughout my body. What a nice way to wake up!
My eyes snapped open immediately, the light disorienting me slightly. As my vision focused, I took in my surroundings and realized where I currently was.
This was becoming an all too familiar scene. I was in the makeshift 'hospital wing' of Grimmauld Place. I sighed and leaned back as I began to relax in the spacious bed. I remembered the events that got me into this bed.
I had fought three different battles in the span of a few hours. The first battle was to protect the St Mungo's hospital from a Death Eater attack. The second, I had to fight against hundreds of wizards that were storming Azkaban prison, in the hopes of releasing those among Voldemort's Inner Circle. The third, I somehow teamed up with both Dumbledore and Voldemort to fight a hellspawn; a succubus by the name of Lilith.
Lilith had completely taken over the minds of both Voldemort and Dumbledore simultaneously, with barely any effort. She almost succeeded in subduing me, as well, but something happened to change all of that. When her skin touched mine, she was heavily burned.
My touch hurt her. Was it because of my mother's protection?
Lilith had said that I possessed the essence of the angels. She assumed that the "angel's essence" is what really burned her, and not my mother's protective magic. But, how could I have gotten the essence of an… angel?
Wait… The Chamber of Secrets? A memory of me digging out a bright, marble-sized orb from the rotting corpse of a basilisk popped up. That had to be it. There was no other explanation.
My mind wandered back to the fight against Lilith.
Voldemort had willingly sided with us in the fight against the succubus. He could have simply used Apparition to escape the situation. Yet, he stayed behind to aid us in Lilith's defeat. For a few minutes, He, Dumbledore and I were a team— and a formidable one, at that. Three different generations of powerful wizards uniting against a common enemy.
It showed me that Voldemort may still have some goodness left in him, though it was probably buried awawy very, very deep; but it was there. I saw it in the man's action.
Or, had I fooled myself into believing that?
Maybe he was simply attempting to repay the life debt?
It was all so simple before. I was the good guy and Voldemort was the hopelessly evil, bad guy; but I've grown up a little since then. The world wasn't black and white; it was all shades of grey. Riddle's actions were unforgivable, of that there is no doubt, but what happened to him?
What made him this way? What drove him from the path of becoming a well respected member of society? I just wanted to understand Riddle's motives on the matter. I knew he did not support the pureblood agenda.
Did I even want to kill him anymore?
I clenched my eyes shut, trying to fight off the memories. My heart rate increased.
I had already killed so many people… Hundreds of them, either killed by my Lightning Dragonslayer Magic, or by the snakes I summoned. It made me feel dirty, as if my soul was stained forever.
'It is war. In war, there are casualties on both sides.' The logical part of me berated uncompromisingly.
The statement was indeed, quite true. It didn't make me feel any better about myself, but I managed to get control of myself. I would have time to deal with this later. The war wasn't over; not by a long shot.
Voldemort was still out there, and he had to be stopped, one way or another.
"Ah." A very familiar voice came from the doorway, grabbing my attention. "You're up!"
I turned my gaze to the source. What was she doing here?
Daphne Greengrass entered the room. I felt like I hadn't seen her for a long time, and she was definitely a sight for sore eyes. I stared at her as the golden haired girl grabbed a nearby chair and placed it next to my bed. Wait…
"Calm down." She assured me. "I'm here to help Madam Pomfrey."
I closed my mouth, and gave a simple nod of acknowledgment. It was a bit strange, since she came over here during Christmas time, just to heal me. Didn't she have plans with her family?
"How are you feeling…?" She said, looking a little worried at my appearance.
I opened my mouth to talk, but my voice came out really weak and scratchy.
"I fee—" I cleared my throat, wincing when it flared in pain. "I feel like shit, honestly."
Daphne nodded, before filling a nearby glass with water, and handing it to me.
"Thank you." I took a long gulp, feeling much better than before. I took a deep breath, and relaxed back into my bed.
"How bad is the damage?" I asked her curiously. Daphne winced at the question.
"Well..." She began to answer. "There were a lot of cuts, mostly shallow, but a few of them were pretty deep. There were some bruises, as well. I had to use the bruise paste, and some Essence of Dittany for the cuts. Those are still healing. Your leg— your right leg, that is— was broken sometime during the Tri-Battle."
"Wait." I interrupted. "The Tri-Battle?"
"That's what the newspapers are calling it." She said with a wry grin.
"The newspapers?" I repeated slowly. "How long have I been asleep?"
"You were out for three whole days." Daphne answered simply. "You don't understand the level of damage we found on your body. You were cut up, your leg was broken, your left wrist was fractured… Worse yet, you've almost completely exhausted your magical reserves!"
Woah; she was getting really worked up! I felt a little better, knowing she was this worried about me.
"Didn't have much choice." I gave her a soft smile. "The Death Eaters had to be stopped."
She gave me a mix between an exasperated look and a worried look.
"You really are some kind of hero, aren't you?"
"Indeed." I confirmed, trying— and failing miserably— to look solemn. "I shall not rest, until evil is defeated. Whatever the odds, I stand firm in the face of… Voldemort's evil Nundu."
She laughed at that, a soothing, melodious sound. I really liked her laugh.
"So how did you get in here, anyway?" I asked her curiously, after taking another gulp of water.
"Hmmm..." Daphne said with a teasing smile. "Don't you want me here? I could go home, you know—"
"No!" I said a little too quickly. "I don't want you to go. I'm just curious, that's all. Do you know about..." I trailed off, not knowing how to bring the topic of Sirius up.
She answered by grabbing a nearby newspaper, and handing it to me.
I gave her a small glance, before focusing on the newspaper.
"YOU-KNOW-WHO RETURNS! SIRIUS BLACK IS FOUND INNOCENT!"
I took a minute to read the article as thoroughly as I possibly could. Apparently, Voldemort was sighted by many Ministry officials when he was paying Azkaban prison a visit. As for Sirius, well… He was seen fighting alongside the Aurors —probably Shacklebolt, Moody and Tonks— against the Death Eaters. What's more, the Aurors in Diagon Alley had apprehended Pettigrew and questioned him under Veritaserum.
Sirius was quickly declared innocent of the crimes he was imprisoned for, and was supposedly compensated for his trouble. I snorted at that; as if anything can make up for twelve years of imprisonment, followed by two years of being hunted like an animal.
The newspaper went on to say how Dumbledore and I were lone voices in the darkness, enduring scorn and hatred and bla bla bla Harry Potter is the savior of everything in existence; I had stopped paying attention, by then.
I set the newspaper down.
"Wow." I breathed out, my throat feeling dry again. I drank some more water. "Does this mean Umbridge is gone?"
"Yes." Daphne nodded with a smile. "Dumbledore finally regained enough clout to sack Umbridge for her ineptitude at Defense Against The Dark Arts." The blue eyed girl said with glee.
"Any idea who's replacing her?" I wondered curiously.
Daphne shook her head. "I don't really know, to be honest."
"Oh, I think I might know." Sirius said as he entered the room, looking like he was the happiest man in the world. It made sense, he didn't have to constantly watch his back anymore.
I did a double take when my eyes focused on his face. There was a fresh, long scar that ran across his right cheek.
"Nice." I said, giving the scar an appreciative gaze.
"I know." He gushed. "This will definitely come in handy in the future."
Oh god, I could already imagine the amount of times that Sirius is going to be bringing out the "dark hero" card to get some action with the ladies.
"So!" Sirius said, standing on the other side of my bed. "Aren't you going to introduce me…?"
"Uh..." I said dumbly.
"We've met." Daphne gave the man an amused look. Jeez, they haven't even known each other that long and she was already irritated with him?
"Oh, come on." Sirius whined pitifully, giving me big puppy dog eyes that didn't fit on a man of his age. "Humor me, will you?"
"Sure." I said easily. "Sirius, meet Daphne Greengrass; my girlfriend. Daphne, meet Sirius Black; he was a stray that I found a couple of years ago; I decided I would keep him. I still haven't de-wormed him yet, though. So be careful."
Sirius grinned at the dog hints, except the de-worming part, before ruffling my hair roughly. It made me cringe in pain. The sudden movement made my neck muscles flare in pain.
"Hey! Watch it." I grumbled, still wincing as my muscles began to relax once more. "It really hurts to move, you know."
Sirius frowned, looking a little guilty at having hurt me.
"It's fine." I waved it off before he could apologize. "It's just… It hurts, and I feel so drained..."
"Need a recharge?" Sirius offered, after a moment of thinking.
"No Invigorating Draughts!" Daphne ordered sternly, glaring at the both of us. "Harry's already had way too many potions in his system. Your body has to flush it all out, Harry."
"Not recharging with Potions, Daph." I said to Daphne, before shaking my head. "It's okay, Sirius, you don't have to drain yourself for me."
Daphne mouthed "Drain Yourself?", while giving me a quizzical look.
"It's fine, I've been charging up a car battery for you." He said, before heading outside of the room. "Give me a minute and I'll bring it up here!"
Sirius left quickly.
"Um… A car battery?" Daphne fixed me with a look. "Explain."
"Well," I began, trying to figure out how to explain my powers. "I can eat electricity, or lightning. I'm a dragonslayer!"
"You can eat electricity." She gave me an incredibly skeptical look.
"Yes." I confirmed.
"You are joking, are you not?"
"No, I'm not." I smiled.
She gave me a long, considering look.
"Why do the people in my life have strange powers? First my brother, then you..." She grumbled, sounding a little exasperated..
"...Eh?" This was news to me. "I thought you said your brother is traveling the world?"
"Well, you're not wrong..." Daphne said, twirling one of her golden locks nervously. "He is looking for places to to learn and train from different masters."
"What— What can he do?" I asked nervously.
"Tristan, he..." Daphne hesitated to say. "There was an accident in his work, and he suddenly gained the ability to create purple flames. He had no control over it whatsoever, and— according to my father— the flames were so strong that even the flames of the Fiendfyre spell couldn't match them."
"Stronger than Fiendfyre?" I said, feeling a little awed. Daphne's brother's —Tristan, I said to myself— powers had to be on par with Lilith's spells, if they could snuff out a Fiendfyre.
"Yes." Daphne confirmed with a nod.
"That's amazing!" I gushed, before frowning. "So, you're saying he left because he couldn't control them?"
Daphne nodded in confirmation, before adding. "He's getting better, though. He came to visit on Christmas, and was part of why the attack on Diagon Alley was foiled."
Before the conversation could continue, Sirius showed up, carrying a sizable battery. He set it down on the ground next to my bed.
"Recharge, coming up!" Sirius said, as if he was a restaurant worker.
"Where did you even get this stuff, Sirius?" I asked the older man curiously, imagining him walking into a radioshack and getting all this random equipment.
"Funny story, actually. It involves the pizza place nearby, a shovel, and a few towels." Sirius said as he hooked up the two wires to the battery, before handing them to me. "Here you go."
Daphne merely looked on, curiously.
"Shovels and… Towels?" I wondered for a moment, before shaking my head in amusement. "I probably don't want to know. Thanks, Sirius." I said, staring at the wires for a few moments.
"Bottoms up!"
I bit into them, and felt the influx of energy slam into me. My body reacted instinctively, directing all the energy to my stomach. My aches began to fade into a dull throb as I drained the battery dry.
I finally released the wires, depositing them on the ground, next to the battery.
I raised my left hand, and charged it up with a small amount of electricity. I smiled as my immediate surroundings lit up with a bluish white light, and the chirping sound of electricity reached my ears.
I gave a small nod, before clenching my fist closed, sending a shock wave through the air.
I loved doing that! I just loved the sound it made whenever the shock wave occurred.
"Wow." Daphne breathed out in awe at the display. I felt my ego being stroked.
"How are you feeling, Harry?" Sirius asked curiously.
I gave that question some thought.
"...Unsure." I twisted my left wrist a few times, not feeling any pain. "I think my left wrist is fully healed, which probably means that most of my minor injuries are also healed." I slowly turned in my bed, feeling my leg protest. "My right leg still hurts."
Daphne performed some diagnostic spells on me, frowning thoughtfully at the information she gleaned off of it.
"Very interesting." She commented, before looking at me. "You should be able to move around."
Daphne waved her wand, and conjured a few crutches for me.
"I'll get some food ready downstairs." Sirius said, before walking away.
"You're just gonna grab some more pizza, aren't you?" I said, amused.
Sirius laughed as he exited the room, leaving Daphne and I alone once again.
"He really cares about you." She said, smiling.
"I know." I had a small smile, which grew as the news of my godfather's freedom finally began to sink it. "And he's free now… He's free!"
"Yes, Harry." Daphne rolled her eyes before teasing me good-naturedly. "You've just realized that?"
I flushed in embarrassment.
"Cut me some slack here..." I said. "It's been a hectic few days for me. From one crisis to the next. Hell, I seriously thought I was going to die in that last fight."
Daphne frowned, and took my hand in a comforting gesture. She softly squeezed my hand.
"I won't claim to understand what it is you're going through." Daphne said, looking searchingly into my eyes. I stared back into her blue eyes, a strange feeling passing through me.
"But I'm here for you. Okay?" She said softly, blushing lightly as she did so.
At that moment, Daphne was more beautiful than a hundred Lilith's to me. She wasn't as attractive, as powerful or as seductive as the demon enchantress. But she had something Lilith didn't.
She cared about me. She cared about my well-being, both mental and physical. She worried about me, which was really endearing. She watched over me the entire time I was helpless in the makeshift hospital bed.
All of that made her more attractive to me than any other female in my life; simply because she cared.
I reached to cup her cheek, leaning forward, while pulling her in for a kiss.
"Okay."
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Here's a little fluff for ya~
I'm going to sleep now. Super tired. Hope you enjoyed this relaxing chapter!