AN:

It took a little longer than usual, but here is the next chapter. And otherwise I made good use of the last few weeks, too. Because by now the story is finished! The last chapters are now beta-read and then gradually published. So the story will soon come to an end :)

At this point, many thanks again to my great beta reader Verlor (id: 1113787), who this time has to deal with several chapter at once :D


Chapter 35 - General, Traitor, Queen

...

The flames in the fireplace and the numerous candles in the library were extinguished. Dark smoke billowed through the air, which had turned icy cold. And before them stood the slightly shimmering figure of a beautiful woman with long black hair and blood-red eyes, giving off a cold light. She was neither ghost nor flesh, and yet she looked much more alive than her half-dead body right next to her.

A smile fell on the demoness's lips. "Finally we meet, my little birds..."


With a pounding heart, Harry looked at the shimmering figure that had appeared over Fawkes' limp body. Daphne did it! Before them stood Valeydis, or at least a manifestation of her soul. So many times they had looked at her body since they found it deep under the Chamber of Secrets, together with the body of her late husband. They owed so much to her and the magic she had left them in her books, let alone what they owed to Fawkes. Without her, they would have died long ago. That they were now facing this ancient demoness ... that was just incredible.

"What is it? Haven't you got a tongue in your head?" Valeydis asked with a smile, her voice sounding like that of a normal woman, at least until one listened more closely. Almost imperceptible to the ear, her voice vibrated with a power that was not from this world. "I've never used this language before but I'm sure I'm doing it right."

At her words, Harry and Daphne's bodies jerked. "Valeydis," they marveled simultaneously. "It's you."

"Of course it is me," Valeydis replied with an even wider smile that made her white teeth flash like fangs. "And you are Harry and Daphne Potter, the first to discover my secret in more than a thousand years. Oh, how I longed to talk to you." Her gaze slid down to Fawkes' motionless body. "Or rather, Fawkes longed for it."

"Valeydis, I can't believe it," Daphne said haltingly, holding out her fingers, but she simply passed through the shimmering figure.

"You cannot touch me," said Valeydis. "In this physical world, we can only talk to one another. But there are other ways to teach you both."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

Sighing, Valeydis closed her eyes. "I have followed your lives since I first saw Daphne in Albus' office. I have seen your highs and lows. Your victories and defeats. You two are my greatest, my only hope since I lost Valeydor and Cera, but … you kept going astray."

"We didn't mean to," Daphne said with a trace of desperation. "It's just ... just something happened all the time. The tournament, Voldemort's return…"

"Yes, the world was cruel to you both," said Valeydis. "But how did you respond? You kept being pushed around. Oh yes, you became stronger, you even learned a little from my power… but are you truly powerful?"

Valeydis made a wide hand gesture as if she wanted to point to the whole world.

"You have allowed other people to control you, to limit you. You have allowed yourselves to be ruled by the magic, by your primitive instincts, instead of ruling them. And you paid dearly for it, didn't you?" Valeydis looked directly at them now, as if her blood-red eyes could see deep in their souls. "Oh, my little birds, you have longed for freedom so much, but are still slaves as I once was."

Harry could not deny that she was right. Sirius and Remus testified to that.

Her body trembling under his hand, Daphne then asked, her voice little more than a breath in the air, "What now?"

"Now," replied Valeydis, "you are going to start learning."

"Learning?" asked Harry puzzled.

"Yes, you will be my … students. Learn from my experience, my mistakes, and use that knowledge to become greater than I. That is all I ask of you, and that is all I desire right now. But unfortunately, my patience has suffered over the past millennium ... so we will get started straight away. Albus is not the only one able to show memories of long gone events, but unlike him, I do not need a stone bowl for that. And don't worry, you will be able to understand everything."

She leaned forward, her shimmering hands touching both of their bodies. To Harry, it felt like he had drunk a glass of icy water.

"We are going on a journey ... into my past."

Suddenly Harry was caught in a huge vortex. The library's outlines blurred, swallowed by a silver storm, only his hand still holding Daphne's. Never would he let go of her again, wherever the wind carried them.

With a violent jerk they hit a green surface. Groaning, Harry straightened up, realizing that they had appeared in a large, flat meadow, above them a clear blue sky and silhouettes of circling birds of prey.

"Harry, look," he heard Daphne's voice, immediately turning his head to face her. A warm feeling seized his heart when he saw her bright blue eyes, the blindfold hanging loosely around her neck, but as he followed her outstretched arm, he froze. An avalanche of steel and flesh marched towards them, accompanied by the clatter of armor and the thunderous rumble of thousands and thousands of feet, spears and swords flashing in the sunlight.

"Welcome, my little birds, to the Battle of Cannae," said Valeydis next to them, her face grim.

The word rang a bell in Harry, but he couldn't pinpoint it. As if Valeydis could sense his confusion, she continued, "We are going to witness one of the most famous battles this world has ever seen. For here at Cannae, the largest army the Roman Republic had risen until then collided with the forces of the great Carthaginian general Hannibal. See, in the distance the riders have already started fighting."

Harry and Daphne followed Valeydis' gaze, and indeed, far in the distance they could make out the dark outlines of soldiers on horseback clashing with full force. Now Harry grasped the scenery in its entirety for the first time. From one side the Roman troops were advancing towards them, on the other side he recognized the phalanx of another army, which had to be the soldiers of Hannibal.

"Why did you bring us here?" asked Daphne.

"Because I fought in this battle," Valeydis replied in an emotionless voice. "My master at the time was a general under one of the two Roman consuls. Back then, wizards exerted more influence on world affairs than they do in your time." She pointed to the Roman army, which was only a few meters away from them. "Can you see who I am?"

Harry looked at the legionnaires, most of them with grim expressions, but one figure stood out. A few steps in front of the closed battle line walked a black woman with a bald head, clad in a white tunic, a spring in her step as if she did not feel the weight of the two long and heavy swords in her hands. And if that hadn't betrayed her yet, the red eyes would have done it, sparkling like bleeding rubies, inhuman, hideous. Harry felt a shiver down his spine.

Mesmerized, they watched the demoness, who was not yet called Valeydis, walk past them without even looking at them. Harry was not surprised, after all, it was just a memory.

"Walk with her," said Valeydis. "Look at how she behaves."

Harry and Daphne did not need to be told twice. Hand in hand, they walked next to the black warrioress who licked her lips eagerly. Suddenly she howled like a pack of hungry wolves. And like a wolf she began to run, much faster than a mere human could have ever done, much too fast for Harry and Daphne, who nevertheless ran after her as fast as they could. Behind them they heard the triumphant cries of the Roman soldiers.

They could not see the faces of the Carthaginian troops, but Harry imagined that they had turned snow white, filled with fear of the demoness charging towards them. Arrows flew towards her but crumbled to ashes in midair just before reaching the demoness's body.

Eventually, the warrioress hit the enemy lines, swinging the huge swords. Even from their distance, Harry and Daphne saw how with each stroke several human bodies were tossed through the air as if they were nothing more than leaves in the wind. Hearing the demoness' shrill laughter and the death screams of the Carthaginian soldiers, they ran even faster so as not to miss anything.

And then they reached the fight if one could even call it that at all. It was a massacre, a merciless festival of blood. With each blow, the demoness smashed dozens of bodies, blood and bowels covering the ground. Laughing, the demoness licked the blood of the fallen from her lips as if it were the most delicious drink on earth. The sight was as abhorrent as it was fascinating.

Suddenly Harry caught his breath as the arriving Roman soldiers simply ran through him, pushing into the gap the demoness had torn in her bloodlust. Daphne's hand tightened around his.

"It's a strange feeling seeing me like this," Valeydis' voice came next to them, her gaze fixed on her former self, who was covered in blood. "It's been so long." She jerked her head to one side. "Be careful of the surroundings," she said in a commanding tone. "There are other players on the field."

Harry and Daphne looked over the battle, which was now utter chaos. There was fighting all around them. People killed, people died. Swords clashed, spears bounced off shields, armor was pierced. Blood seeped into the grass. And above everything came the demoness's cackling laughter.

Harry had no idea how much time passed while they watched the battle go on. By now he had even gotten used to the fact that people kept walking through him. However, he was glad that he could not smell anything in the memory, after all it must stink like hell by now. Strange, in his own fights that had never bothered him.

"What do you notice?" asked Valeydis next to them.

Harry and Daphne exchanged a look before Daphne said in a thoughtful voice, "The Carthaginians are falling back." She gestured towards the Carthaginian soldiers, who were indeed losing ground. "The Romans win."

"Yes, it looks like that, doesn't it?" Valeydis replied. "What you cannot see from here is that Hannibal's riders won the battle of the cavalry. But watch out for the flanks of the fighting infantry. If you try, you can see it."

Harry narrowed his eyes. It was hard to see from the center of the battle, but it felt like the Roman soldiers were moving closer and closer together, having less and less space to swing their weapons.

Daphne's eyes widened. "They're being encircled," she called, holding out her arm. "There! The flanks of the Carthaginians are advancing and encircling the Roman army."

"Very good, my student," Valeydis nodded. "I only found out about it in a later life from the writings of historians. Indeed, the Romans fell blindly into Hannibal's trap as they pushed deep into enemy lines behind me. He used my bloodlust against my allies, against my own master. In a moment the encirclement is complete and the victorious cavalry will deal the death blow to the Romans. We're nearly there."

Indeed, screams of panic echoed across the battlefield as the Romans gradually realized they were surrounded. They were huddled together further and further before they finally stood so close together that they could no longer move. What followed was a massacre. Defenseless, the legionaries were struck down by the Carthaginian soldiers. Only the demoness did not seem to notice anything. Laughing, she continued to rage among her enemies.

Suddenly, however, the demon froze, and it was as if time itself had come to a halt, only red sparkling drops of blood falling from her blades onto the corpse-covered ground. Slowly, very slowly, an eerie smile settled on her features as her body began to fade. After a few seconds she was completely gone, and darkness fell around Harry.

The next moment he found himself back in the library, his heart pounding in his chest as if he had just run a marathon. In front of him, Daphne gasped, her blindfold on her face again.

"What do you think happened?" Valeydis asked, her shimmering body looming over them.

It took Harry and Daphne a few moments before they calmed down somewhat. Finally, it was Daphne who spoke so quickly that her words were almost incomprehensible, "Your master died, right? That's why you vanished. That's why the memory ended so abruptly."

Valeydis nodded. "Yes, that's what happened. At least at first glance. But why do you think I showed you this memory? What is the lesson you should learn?"

Harry pondered. He and Daphne were not slaves to an external master, at least not like Valeydis. And they had never fought in a battle like that before. So what should they learn from what they have seen? Then he suddenly recognized the terrifying resemblance.

"We were like you," he shouted. "When we fought. I ... I still remember how at some point I didn't even notice my surroundings. The only thing that mattered was killing the next enemy."

"And we paid dearly for it," Daphne added, squeezing Harry's hand. Harry felt the familiar pain in his heart.

"Yes, you were like me," said Valeydis. "The Melody of Death is so captivating, isn't it? It's so easy to forget everything else around you in the frenzy of battle. And then you even had a try at my power, a power that was never meant for children like you, who taught themselves unguided from ancient scriptures. That was the fuel to your fire ... In my rage I too forgot everything around me. Here it only cost my master and eighty thousand Roman soldiers their lives, but what if it were someone who meant something to me? Like your Remus, or before your Sirius…"

The air in the cold room seemed to get even colder when Harry thought of their dead faces again. It hurt, it hurt so much, but how much more would it hurt if it were Daphne, dying from his thoughtlessness? He felt that Daphne was plagued by the same thoughts. At the same moment they both tightened their grip on the other's hand.

"There is another similarity," said Daphne after a few moments of silence. "The three of us have all been used by our enemies."

"Oh, yes," said Valeydis with a nod. "In my case I was fine with it, after all, Hannibal's genius freed me from my servitude, but in your case… you walked right into the trap of your dark lord. As a result, he had you exactly where he wanted you. Without Albus and Fawkes, you would be dead by now ... Never forget, you are not the only players in the game. Otherwise you will just be other players' pawns."

"Can you help us?" Harry asked. "We'll definitely have a lot more battles to fight. I… I don't want to repeat my mistakes." He wouldn't lose any more friends, no more people who were important to him.

"I will try," said Valeydis. "You have an advantage over me. You are already able to love, I, on the other hand, had to learn it first, with all the pain that comes with that..." Her gaze seemed to be far into the distance before she shook her head in a daze. "But much will depend on you," she continued. "You still have a long way to go, but please tread it. War ... is a hunger. And there are spirits in the world whose hunger is never satisfied. Don't become such spirits, be better than I was…"

"When do we start?" Daphne asked, and Harry could sense her impatience.

"Soon, my little bird, soon," said Valeydis with a slight smile. "But first I have to show you one more memory..."

Once again they were seized by the silver storm that carried them far into the past. By now, Harry and Daphne were better prepared, landing much more gently on the ground, which this time was not grass, but sandy earth. As soon as they landed, Daphne ripped off her blindfold to see with her own eyes.

In the meantime, Harry had started to look around. They seemed to be in a ravine, its stone walls jutting up to the left and right of them. Several people scurried around them, dressed in linen and ancient armor, with long spears, short swords, and round shields. Apparently they were near an army again, which did not surprise Harry any longer. Wherever the demoness who would later become Valeydis appeared, bloodshed would follow. But where was she?

"There I am," said Valeydis next to them, pointing to a massive figure, the likes of which Harry had only seen on film posters in his childhood. It was a muscular man with long, tousled hair and an unkempt beard, wearing nothing but a bearskin around his waist and carrying a huge club over his shoulder that must have weighed more than Daphne. The man was truly the polar opposite of the pale, yet beautiful Valeydis, but the red eyes that sparkled in both the barbarian's and their teacher's face were unmistakable.

"You look so surprised," Valeydis commented with a chuckle. "Did you think I had only taken the form of women? No, genders were never important to us demons, that is a concept of earthly life. Who knows, maybe everything would have turned out differently if I had appeared to Valeydor in this form ... What are you waiting for, follow and observe!"

Harry and Daphne started moving, following the imposing figure through the camp. The other soldiers quickly averted their eyes as soon as they saw the warrior as if they were afraid of him.

"Valeydis, where are we?" asked Daphne. "The armor of the soldiers suggests ancient Greece."

"Well spotted," replied Valeydis. "We are in the year 480 BC, more than two hundred and fifty years before the Battle of Cannae, at the beginning of the so-called Second Persian War. We are here at Thermopylae, a bottleneck between the sea and the mountains in ancient Greece. An army of a Greek alliance is camped here under the leadership of the Spartan king Leonidas, to hold ground against the overpowering advancing Persian army. And that same Leonidas was my master at the time. You will see him in a moment." She spoke the last part with disgust.

Curiously, they followed the warrior until they finally reached a pavilion made of purple cloth. Under the pavilion, bedded on soft pillows, lay one of the fattest men Harry had ever seen – and that meant a lot, after all, he had grown up with Vernon Dursley. The man was covered over and over in greasy gravy from a chicken leg that he held in his pudgy fingers, which had several golden rings on them. Several slaves fanned the man to cool his sweaty body.

"Tyr, there you are," grunted the fat man when he saw the warrior. "Come here, I have orders for you."

"That was your master?" Harry marveled.

Valeydis just nodded silently.

"This is Leonidas?" Daphne asked incredulously. "But ... I always thought he was a legendary warrior king."

"History is made up of stories," said Valeydis. "Just look at the stories that are being told about you two, what the world thinks of you. Do you feel like they know the truth?"

Harry and Daphne glanced at each other, thinking of all the lies and inflammatory articles in the newspapers, all the slander and rumors. No, their truth was not written in ink.

They looked back at the warrior who had approached the king without saying a word.

"The Persians are advancing," said Leonidas, licking the gravy from his fingers. "You, Tyr, will stop them. Now go."

Still the warrior remained silent, only nodding his head imperceptibly before walking further down the gorge, tightening his grip on the club.

"So I defended the bottleneck against superior hostile forces, while my master lazed around," said Valeydis. "My opinion of you humans had reached its lowest point back then ... I think we should turn the clock a little further ahead, unless you want to see slaughter for days."

Even before Harry or Daphne could reply, the world suddenly began to turn around them, everything blurring in a vortex of color and light. The next moment they were in the middle of a battle.

There was fighting all around them. Right in front of Harry, a man's head was cut off, causing blood to splash in all directions. Harry would have been hit by it too, had he not been a disembodied figure. Thus, the blood just flew through him, which was not exactly pleasant for him either.

Only a few meters away they saw the warrior's raging figure who seemed to have lost his club. Instead, he was surrounded by streaks of black fog that Harry and Daphne found all too familiar. The black mist shot forward like tentacle arms, hitting enemy soldiers, who then crumbled to ashes with terrible cries of pain. Suddenly, several arrows cut the air. Most of them ricocheted off an invisible shield around the warrior, but one hit him in the shoulder, causing him to cry out angrily, and with a quick movement of his enormous hand, everyone within fifty yards of him collapsed. It was a spell Harry and Daphne had not yet mastered.

"Demons could not be killed by conventional means," said Valeydis next to them, "but that still hurt ... Well, this battle is about to end. I'm not sure what happened exactly, as historiography retrospectively glorified the events, but if I had to guess, I would say Leonidas could not escape in time before the enemy lines closed around him. Or his litter-bearers abandoned him to save themselves. In any case, he died … now!"

Once again they saw the demon freeze and shortly disappear, this time laughing with all his heart as if it were the most beautiful day on earth, or maybe because he was surrounded by corpses as far as the eye could see. Thus, the memory came to an end and darkness fell around them.

When they regained consciousness this time, Harry felt a lot less exhausted, just a little tired. Apparently practice really made perfect, he thought with a smile, even when observing the memories of an ancient demon.

"What do you think I wanted to show you with this memory?" Valeydis asked calmly, her gaze fixed on Valeydor's dead body. "Do you know how the battle ended?"

"The Greeks were betrayed, if I remember correctly," Daphne said. After sensing Harry's confused thoughts, she added, "History of Magic would be an exciting subject if Binns didn't just talk about goblin rebellions all the time. But there are more interesting topics in the books."

Harry had to agree with her. If History of Magic had been as exciting as what they've just seen, he might even have studied for the exams.

"Yes, the Greeks were betrayed," said Valeydis. "By one of their own, a man named Ephialtes. He led the Persians over a mountain path, straight behind the Greeks. Not even I could fight on two fronts at the same time. And so the great King Leonidas died." Again, she had spoken the last part with disgust.

"And we should also beware of treason?" Harry asked.

Valeydis nodded. "Yes, do not trust anyone but yourselves, especially when your life depends on it. Don't even trust me, because I too would betray you in a heartbeat if I could only see my husband and daughter again." Her body began to tremble. "Valeydor's naive trust cost him his life, and the life of our innocent little Cera..." Her voice failed.

"I'm sorry," said Harry sincerely, "We will –"

"The worst thing is not that they died," Valeydis continued as if she could not hear Harry at all, "but that I couldn't join them. Death is just the next step in all being. I myself want nothing more than to die…"

Harry looked at Daphne, her body staring into the void. For them, death was not the next step; before that, they wanted a chance to live.

Daphne squeezed his hand. "We will, my darling, we will." Then a mischievous smile fell on her lips. "Now can you please stop staring at me? I'd like to see what else happens."

Harry gave a short laugh but fell silent as soon as he looked back at Valeydis' sad face. Eventually, Valeydis straightened her shoulders.

"Many humans fear death," she said, "such as your current dark lord. But true greatness is shown by accepting death as part of all existence. One person showed me that, my first master that I have ever respected…"

As soon as Valeydis had spoken, the silver storm descended upon them again, transporting them into yet another memory.

This time they appeared in a great hall like Harry had never seen before. Marble pillars surrounded them, as well as silk curtains, gold decorations, and painted walls, while bright sunlight fell through windows under the ceiling. They must be in a palace or temple. And this time it was not difficult to find Valeydis' former self, for there was only one person in the room, a tall woman with bronze skin and a long, golden shimmering dress, her eyes bathed in the distinctive red. And in her hand the woman held a long wooden spear.

"You have been here before," said Valeydis, "at least in this town. That is Alexandria in the year 30 BC, almost two hundred years after the battle of Cannae and more than four hundred years after the battle against the Persians. It's one of my last memories before I met Valeydor. My master will be here soon."

She pointed to a passage covered with a red curtain, which was pushed aside shortly afterwards. Stepping through was a woman Harry could only call beautiful, albeit in a very different way than Valeydis or Daphne. The woman was wrapped in a tight, blue robe, her feet bare except for two gold chains around her ankles. She wore an even, black wig on her head and her face was made up with bright green and blue paint. Most striking was her gaze, which was marked by a deep determination, as if nothing in the world could shake her.

What made Harry freeze in surprise, though, was the gold diadem the woman wore on her head. It was the same diadem that Harry had bought from a jewelry dealer in Alexandria last year and given to Daphne before the Yule Ball. Daphne recognized the diadem as well if he correctly interpreted her expression and emotions.

"I think she is the most famous of my masters," said Valeydis. "Cleopatra, the last queen of Egypt."

Cleopatra?!

Harry and Daphne exchanged a surprised look before they both started smiling. Then he had actually been right when musing that the diadem might once have been worn by Cleopatra herself. He'd made a good bargain.

"Echidna," said Cleopatra in a solemn voice, "the time of your last service has come."

The demoness, Echidna, inclined her head slightly. "What are your orders, Master?"

"They will storm the palace," said Cleopatra. "You just have to hold them back a little more, then you will be free." Meanwhile, Cleopatra had stepped right in front of the demoness when she suddenly inclined her head as well. "And, Echidna ... thank you."

Echidna stood motionless. "Why are you thanking me, Master?" she asked. "Nobody has ever thanked me before."

"Only because of you I didn't die years ago," replied Cleopatra. "It was only because of you that I had the chance to live my life."

"But why don't you keep fighting? I could kill many more enemies…"

"And why should I? What good would it do?" Cleopatra stretched out her arms, pointing to the open windows from which screams could be heard. "Their advantage is too great. Continuing the fight would only bring more suffering to my people. No, I have lost, and I'm not going to drag the inevitable any further. And I have been ready to die since I lost Marcus. In the afterlife, I will at least see him again, but nothing holds me to life anymore. You see ... I will welcome death with open arms. So, goodbye, my friend."

"Goodbye, Master."

With a final nod, Cleopatra turned around, leaving the magnificent hall, her walk light, as if she had shifted off a great burden.

The next moment a door was slammed open and several armed Roman legionaries rushed inside. Eagerly, Echidna licked her lips, lifting her spear, ready to strike.

"That's enough," said Valeydis' voice before everything went dark around them and they reappeared in the library.

Harry did not know how much time had passed since Valeydis had first appeared before them, but he was feeling tired and drained by now, and his stomach was already stirring with hunger. The day must have been nearing its end.

He was sitting on the floor next to Daphne, her head on his shoulder, when Valeydis spoke up again. "That was mostly a memory for myself," she said softly before her red eyes fixed on both of them. "But don't forget. Don't be afraid of death, it's just the next step…"

Silence falling in the room, Harry recalled the memories they had seen, noticing one thing in all three memories that he could not fully explain.

"Valeydis," he said, "in all these memories and also in the ones Fawkes showed us, you always fought against humans. Did you never have to fight other demons who had to serve your enemies?"

Valeydis shook her head. "No. There have been so few of us since the Great Trial that I have never met another. I only felt their deaths until at some point I was the only one left."

Great Trial?

The word made Harry think of the ancient text he and Daphne had found in Alexandria, which originally came from a temple in the city of Uruk. According to this, the demons had once been the Children of Death until they failed his test and were condemned for it. The text also mentioned Insignia of Trial, which have been stolen and lost to time…

Harry was about to open his mouth, but Daphne beat him. "The Great Trial?" she asked. "As in the Insignia of Trial?"

At her words, Valeydis sat up suddenly, her red eyes glowing with anger as if they were about to burst into flames. "Those are just a man-made stupid legend," she hissed. "There are no Insignia. What? Did you expect a big surprise? Expect me to reveal a secret that would change everything and shatter you to your core? Then I have to disappoint you. There is no great revelation, no great secret. There were only us and our failure. We fell from grace and were punished for it. Nothing else."

Thoughtfully, Harry looked at the demoness. Somehow he felt like she was not telling them everything. And why had she been so angry at Daphne's question?

"Yes," Daphne told him in her mind. "I also feel like she's hiding something from us..."

"But she doesn't want to talk about it," Harry replied. "I don't think we can get more out of her."

"Don't think I do not notice you communicating with each other," Valeydis' voice cut the cold air. "It was only through Valeydor and me that you came up with the idea of binding your souls in the first place."

"And we are very grateful for that," Harry said carefully, not wanting to anger her even further.

"And what shall I do with your gratitude?" Valeydis asked coldly. "What I ask of you is that you show me your resolve, that you finally follow up your words with deeds. I will support you as best I can. I will try to teach you how to unleash the full power of my magic and above all how to control it instead of being controlled by it. For first we must defeat your current dark lord before we can continue looking for ways to reunite me with my family. And to defeat him, you must learn to defeat me. But be warned, I won't be a merciful teacher."

At her words, Harry had noticed something again. "Valeydis," he said, "this is the second time you spoke of our current dark lord. What do you mean by that?"

"Do you think your Lord Voldemort is the first self-proclaimed dark lord in history?" Valeydis replied. "Or the most powerful? Or the evilest? No, your current dark lord is in no way worse or more important than any other dark lord who has existed before or will exist in the future. The only thing that distinguishes him from these is that he lives at the same time as you. But that does not make your age the most epic, most important age to end all ages. If Voldemort wins, the world would be shrouded in darkness for a few decades, maybe even centuries, but ultimately the light would return. And if you win, it will not automatically mean that the darkness is forever defeated. Don't start thinking this war – your war – is more important than any other war just because you're in it."

She took a deep breath, even though Harry did not think she needed air to breathe.

"All this is of interest to me only because you are my best, my first chance in a thousand years to see my husband and daughter again. And because of my revenge on Salazar Slytherin and everyone who wants to carry on his legacy…"

Harry straightened up, gazing curiously at Valeydis, before finally asking, "Is that why you … why Fawkes is with Dumbledore?"


In a good mood, Dumbledore entered 12 Grimmauld Place. Not only had he had a lovely dinner in the Great Hall – the house-elves just knew how he liked his rump steak – he was also pretty sure he had found the whereabouts of another of Voldemort's Horcruxes. That was also the reason why he wanted to visit Harry and Daphne, the only permanent residents of the headquarters, at such a late hour. Perhaps they could already leave tonight to take another step in the final defeat of Voldemort.

In the entrance hall, Dumbledore was greeted by Kreacher. "Mr. Dumbledore," he said with emphatic politeness, undoubtedly Daphne's influence on the house-elf, even if Dumbledore knew that Kreacher did not like him. "What can I do for you?"

"Good evening, Kreacher," Dumbledore replied friendly. "I just want to speak to Harry and Daphne. Where can I find them?"

"Masters have been in the library all day," said Kreacher, before abruptly turning around and disappearing, undoubtedly to carry out some important task.

With an amused smile, Dumbledore went up the stairs to the next floor. It was not uncommon to find them in the Blacks' library. They seemed to spend every free minute there, which Dumbledore explained to himself, besides their thirst for knowledge – the two were among the most eager students he had ever seen, at least if they were interested in a subject – mainly by the fact that nobody but them could enter the room, except maybe Fawkes. His friend had gone away this morning and not reappeared since. For reasons that were not entirely clear to him, he visited them very often, even now he was probably with them.

Dumbledore was just in the middle of the stairs when all of his hair suddenly stood on end. An icy cold feeling spread inside him as his nose started twitching like crazy.

Magic of the darkest kind, that was the only explanation for his spontaneous feeling; Magic like he had never seen before. And then he felt something else ... the presence of an ancient, dark life form, a black hole in the fabric of magic ... and the feeling of death wrapping around his heart like a hand of ice.

And it all came from the library!

Panicked, Dumbledore ran as fast as his old legs could carry him. Harry and Daphne were in the library! He had to save the children!

Within seconds he reached the heavy wooden door of the library. He wanted to tear it open, but the protections prevented him from even touching the wood. But Albus Dumbledore had been named the first Grand Sorcerer in over three hundred years for a reason! He would break through that door, even without the Elder Wand!

With a desperate cry, Dumbledore struck his wand against the enchanted wood, feeling the magic flow through his body, feeling how it was preparing to break out of him. It was brutal magical force that he used, but he had no choice. Every second counted.

And he was successful. With a loud bang the wooden door flew off its hinges, the protective spells had been broken. Immediately Dumbledore stormed in ... and froze at the sight that met him.

In the middle of the room sat Harry and Daphne, their heads turned to him, their faces full of surprise. Beside them sat two other human bodies, hugging each other tightly, but they did not move, and before them lay Fawkes, his body limp. But what shocked Dumbledore the most was the shimmering figure of a pale woman in green robes, with black hair and unnatural red eyes, a smile on her lips.

"Albus, my friend, finally we meet..."


Next Chapter: The Demoness and the Warlock

Preview:

The shimmering figure knelt in front of him, her blood-red eyes glowing warmly. "Albus, I'm going to tell you a story, a story of pain, suffering, and death ... but most of all it's a story of love..."


AN:

Maybe a bit of an unusual chapter, but I definitely had a lot of fun with it. I hope you found the historical references at least a little interesting. In any case, I find history incredibly exciting and therefore hope I was able to explain the historical events in a reasonably understandable way, even if one is not very familiar with history. The Battle of Cannae is one of the most famous encirclement battles in history, in which Hannibal inflicted a terrible defeat on the Romans. Of course, there are legends about the battle of Thermopylae. It was also dealt with in the film "300", even if the real numbers were probably different than in the film. And Cleopatra is also an exciting figure in world history; her presentation here is only my interpretation in the context of my story. Her lover mentioned in this chapter is Marcus Antonius (Mark Antony). In any case, the descriptions in this chapter are not an accurate description of historical events. So don't write it in your history exams ;)

Until the next chapter!