Well, this chapter almost didn't get posting, lousy error type 1 messages when trying to get the document up on the site. fortunately it resolved itself fairly quickly, and here we are! R&R, and enjoy! ~F
Chapter Fifteen
Redeeming Qualities
Before Albus could pick it up the crystal goblet and begin the no doubted painful process of draining the potion, Alatar beat him to it, snatching the goblet up and holding it close to himself.
"Then I shall do the honors," he said.
Harry gaped open mouthed, "but what if it kills you?" he said, panic evident in the back of his voice.
"Oh, I doubt that it would work quite like that," Albus reasoned, "Lord Voldemort wouldn't want someone who reached this far to die so quickly, until he had opportunity to discover how and why they got to this point."
"Undoubtedly," Alatar agreed, then turned to Harry, "However, this potion must act in such a way as to disable the drinker from actually reaching their goal. No matter what happens Harry: if I become paralyzed, forget, or am put into unspeakable pain, you must make sure I drink every drop of this potion, even if you have to force it down my throat. Can you promise me that?"
"Why can't I drink it?" Harry asked quietly, and Albus' heart nearly broke at the pleading in the young voice. Harry was such a being of love that he could not bear to see another's pain, or even imagine it.
"Because," Albus said slowly, "We are much older, much cleverer, and much less valuable than you are."
"But…" Harry protested.
"Do I have your word Harry," Alatar persisted.
Harry stopped, looking defeated, "I… alright, but…"
But before Harry could make any further protests, or even Albus for that matter, as he felt it was better that he drink this foul elixir than Alatar, the Istari lowered the goblet into the basin, filled it to the brim, and lifted it to his mouth. "You're good health, Harry." he said, and drank.
Albus watched in stunned horror as the ancient wizard immediately clutched at the basin in agony after just the first goblet, but dutifully filled it twice, three times, four, and drank each and every drop. By the sixth, Alatar staggered, nearly dropping the goblet and falling forward into the basin.
"Faykan!" Harry said anxiously, struggling as he stood still, helpless to do anything but watch as his best friend shakily filled the goblet a seventh time. Albus couldn't believe the strength that the Istari was showing, struggling shakily to lift the goblet to his lips. Albus took his hand, helping the vile liquid into Alatar's mouth.
The Istari choked, and Albus withdrew the goblet, handing it to Harry to refill. "I… don't want… No… Don't… make… me…" Alatar wheezed, eyes rolling in their sockets, delirious with pain.
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Hermione couldn't sleep. The gnawing worry ate at her any time she felt like shutting her eyes, even for a moment. Harry and Fay gone with Dumbledore to who knows where just when everything started to feel horribly wrong, it just didn't sit right.
Ginny, Draco, and Ron were all there with her, slowly explaining everything from the previous year to the younger girl. She took it well, all things considered. "So, Faykan has been alive for nearly two years now and only you lot, Professor Snape, Dumbledore, and Harry knew?" she asked in summary.
"Yes," Draco said gently. "He's like our secret weapon now, so long as we keep him a secret."
Ginny nodded, and turned to stare into the smoldering fire. Hermione yawned again, but shivered at the thought of sleeping when they were needed to watch the school.
Ron stirred from sitting quietly in a far chair, "Should we drink the lucky potion now?" he asked. Draco pulled out the little vial, looking at it curiously. "There'd only be enough for a swallow between us and maybe a few more.
"We should drink it, and give what little we can to the other of the D.A.," Hermione said, pulling out her coin again. Tapping it rhythmically with her wand, she pushed a message across to the other coins and jewelry spread around the castle, calling for the members of the Advanced D.A. to be on the alert.
Her coin warmed almost immediately with the affirmative replies. It seemed that most of the other senior members had had the same idea, if not already sensing the same foreboding that Hermione was feeling.
They quickly passed the vial between them, each taking a small swallow. Almost immediately, Hermione felt her nerves slowly settle.
"Well," Draco said, clutching the vial as it was returned to him with about a single swallow left; "now we wait…"
Hermione felt inclined to agree, despite her previous state of restlessness. It just felt like the right thing to do now.
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Harry stared into the whitened face he knew so well, the blue eyes wild with pain and fright, and Harry did not know what to do.
"…don't like… want to stop…" Faykan moaned, being supported somewhat by Dumbledore.
"You can't stop," The headmaster said gently, nearly cradling Faykan as the black haired Istari lay pitifully. "You've got to keep drinking," Dumbledore beckoned at Harry, who obediently filled the goblet and returned to the pair. Dumbledore took it gently and pressed it to Faykan's mouth, tipping it and pouring the contents down his throat.
"No…" Faykan groaned, and Dumbledore quickly thrust the goblet back at Harry to refill. "I don't want to… don't want to… Let me go…" Faykan said pitifully.
"It's all right," Dumbledore said, "We're here…"
"Make it stop, make it stop," the Istari groaned.
Thus it continued, Harry filling and passing the vile concoction to Dumbledore, who would lie, plead, and do everything in his power to keep Faykan drinking, as the latter descended further and further into near madness. Faykan pleaded, screamed, babbled in elvish, wept openly, and eventually fell silent.
As Harry scraped the bottom of the basin, Faykan started to murmur quietly, speaking to persons unknown and not present, "I'm sorry… so sorry… it's all my fault… I did it… forgive me… Rómestámo, amin talant, i' du tessa amin. tua amin mellon, tinechor amin tuulo' i' gorgorath…"
"Alatar, please," Albus said as he pressed the goblet to his lips one last time, "drink."
Faykan shook his head weakly, clamping his mouth shut like a child. Dumbledore closed his eyes, drew a deep breath, and pinched Faykan's nose shut, forcing the Istari to open his mouth to breathe. The moment it happened, he pounced, dumping the last of the potion into Faykan's throat.
Harry shuddered as his best friend started coughing horribly, falling on his side to the rocky ground. Albus stood, vanished the goblet and proceeded immediately to the basin, scooping the object that had been hidden within into his hand.
Harry was distracted from the Headmaster when he heard Faykan's voice, tiny and hoarse. "Water… water…" he pleaded.
Turning back to Dumbledore, Harry was about to ask for another goblet, but the Headmaster was looking sadly at the locket in his hands, then back at Faykan. Realizing that he had to do this on his own for the moment, Harry went to his friend, propping Faykan's body so that he was upright, and tipped his head back so that Faykan's mouth opened. Carefully, pushing as little magic as he could, Harry said, "Aquamenti…"
Water trickled from the wand point directly into Faykan's mouth, who drank feverishly, reaching up and seizing Harry's hand so he could not pull away. But something was wrong. The water that Faykan so greedily attempted to consume wasn't entering his mouth, but vanishing once it touched his lips.
"Professor," Harry pleaded, trying to snap Dumbledore from his distracted state. "Help me!"
The Headmaster blinked, returning to the situation at hand in an instant. Rushing to their side, he effortless conjured a new goblet, "I had feared that this may happen," he said as he studied Faykan's state, "it's part of the potion, forcing us to disturb the water, and whatever happens to be waiting within."
Harry glanced at the mirror smooth water, "We have little choice Sir," he said flatly, sliding a knee behind Faykan to keep him upright while he reached into his robes for the Phial of Galadriel. "We need not fear the darkness," he repeated back to Dumbledore, who smiled faintly.
"Alright," the old Headmaster agreed, "be ready, on the count of three I will fill this goblet from the lake: One, Two, Three!"
Harry wrenched his wand hand out of Faykan's grasp at the same moment that Dumbledore dunked the goblet into the lakeside, hauling up and away from the cold white hand that shot out to try and seize him. Dumbledore returned in a flash, pouring the cold water into Faykan's mouth, and the Istari greedily sucked at the goblet.
The lake was roiling now, with inferi erupting out to crawl toward them, dozens, hundreds, maybe a thousand hidden away in this little cave. Holding the Phial aloft, Harry bellowed, "Aiya Eärendil Elenion Ancalima!"
Light blossomed in the darkness, forming a shield of power around them. The inferi shrank back, moaning and lunging, but they could not enter the light. Harry felt strength return to his tired body, and his mind was soothed from the worried stress of the last few hours. Dumbledore seemed to receive a second wind as well, and he stood and drew his wand. Even Faykan seemed to have life surged back into him, his eyes refocused, and his painful groaning ceased.
Dumbledore came to them, and took Faykan by the arm, pulling him to his feet. Harry followed the pair as they went toward the direction of the boat. For a moment Harry wondered how they might get back across, if the boat sank it would be quite the swim through dangerous waters, but Dumbledore seemed to have thought of that. With a swish and flick of his wand, Faykan began floating well above the water, and Dumbledore stepped into the little boat, followed by Harry. He had to be extra careful now, as one hand was still keeping the Phial aloft to ward off the inferi, which were constantly stalking the very edge of the light.
Back across they sailed, Faykan floating gently above them, still too weak to speak or move much, and once they climbed back out of the boat on the far side, it retreated into the depths of the lake, clanking and tinkling, and its chain slithered along behind it.
The lake became mirror smooth once again, the inferi did not peruse them to the bank, but slipped quietly back down below the surface of the water. Dumbledore laid Faykan against the wall, and paused himself to rest as well. Harry let the Phial drop to his side, and the light dimmed immediately. With it departed the sense of energy and power, leaving Harry feeling worn and drained.
"The protection was… after all, well-designed," Dumbledore said between breaths. "One alone could not have done it… you did well, very well, Harry. I'd say even we would have been lost if not for your intervention."
Eventually he rose again, and Harry hefted Faykan to his feet, allowing his best friend to lean on him as they moved back to the hidden door, which Dumbledore opened with a vial of blood he had in his robes. Once in the mouth of the cave, they paused, not in any mood to cross the icy sea water after what they had just been through. "I think we'll apparate back to Hogsmeade from here Harry," Dumbledore said.
"Don't worry Fay," Harry said, comfortingly, "we're nearly there…"
"I'm not worried," Faykan said, his voice somewhat stronger than before, "I am with you…"
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Bellatrix smiled widely as she oversaw the assembly of her team. Abdurahman was remaining behind for once, and in his place the mad witch had summoned several dozen of the larger and more brutal orcs she could find, as well as a dozen or so of the more powerful Death Eaters. They were going to take the castle, and do so by force. The paltry Aurors that may be guarding it would not be able to stand against them, especially not with their added insurance of a quiet entrance into the castle itself.
The Dark Lord's student and spy had done his job well, and as the appointed time arrived, the wind whipped the grounds of Malfoy Manor slightly as a rift was cut into the fabric of space and time, wide enough for three of the largest orcs to walk side by side through.
Beyond, Bellatrix could see Nott's face, smirking as he watched the attack force passing through his conjured gateway. All year the Dark Lord had been planning for this, a breach of the wards of Hogwarts with a massive portal. It was old magic, nothing like what Bella had seen before, but if anyone could still impress her, it was the Dark Lord.
"Welcome, Aunt Bellatrix," Nott said with a short bow as she stepped through into an unused dungeon storage room. She patted his head, giggling as the boy glared at her for mussing his hair, "Little Notty has been good to his Auntie," she simpered, smiling cruelly, "and now we're going to get a nice big toy for him, up on the Astronomy Tower, let's move." She said, switching her voice back to a stern command.
Stealth was of utmost importance here, and the bulky armor of the orcs was not going to help in that regard. So, every so often as they reached an important intersection, Bella commanded groups of four to five with a single Death Eater to remain behind and guard their exit path, slaying any who would try and stop them in their goal.
Not until they reached the sixth floor did they encounter guards. A pair of Aurors was patrolling down a corridor near the stairs to the tower. The orcs leapt forward cruelly, and cut them down as they shouted their first spells. The alarm had been sounded regardless, and Bellatrix made all haste to the tower, leaving the rest of their company, except Nott and the Carrow Twins, to block the entrance to the tallest tower.
Just then a powerful enchanted horn sounded. An alarm! Bellatrix whirled, seeing her blood traitor nephew, along with a ragtag assortment of students bearing down on them, weapons and wands raised.
"How cute," she said softly, "little baby Dray-dray wants to play…"
Smiling cruelly, she waited for the foolish boy's advance. He may have survived once, but she would see his body presented to her Lord, along with Potter's if she could manage it. She would not fail again.
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Draco had no trouble staying awake after they had drunk the Felix Felicis, in fact it seemed a bad idea to even contemplate going up to the dormitory at the moment. So he just sat there, waiting for Felix-only-knew what to happen. Shortly after Hermione called on all the A.D.A. members, Neville had appeared from the sixth year dormitory to join them in the common room, and Draco had immediately felt that he needed to give Neville the last of the lucky potion.
In fact, sometime near midnight, it was Neville that stood abruptly, "We need to move," he said, before scrunching his face in confusion, "why did I say that?"
They all stared for a moment, before Ron quickly pulled the shrunken Spear he had been gifted by Faykan nearly two year previously. The blade shimmered blue as the weapon returned to full size. "Oh no," Hermione breathed. Draco understood the meaning as well, even if Ginny and Neville watched in confusion.
Ron, Hermione and Draco leapt into action. Hermione immediately pressed her coin as she withdrew her bow, Draco seized Andúril and drew forth the Flame of the West, "We're under attack," he said quickly to the others, whose eyes widened with shock, the five bolted for the portrait hole, skirted the Fat Lady, who called out a warning to them, and sprinted down to the Room of Requirement.
Draco paced madly in front of it, wishing for a full armory so that all of Dumbledore's Army could repel this attack, and the door appeared. Neville and Ron threw open the large doors, and immediately entered. Hermione conjured doors to the common rooms, which soon enough had students from all houses and years, Slytherin included, pouring through them in a mixture of fear and excitement.
Without thought, Ron, Draco and Neville started tossing weapons to the older years as they ran to them. Swords, Spears, Bows, Shields, and more were continually at arm's reach for them. The younger years clutched their wands with steel in their eyes. "Hogwart's is threatened," Draco called above the crowd of over a hundred students, "the teachers must be warned, and the threat repelled."
Immediately Hermione divided their army into platoons of ten students each, mixing older and younger years so that there was an even spread of wands and melee weapons. Draco, along with Ron and Neville started issuing orders, groups to go for certain teachers, and others to scout for the enemy.
"No one engages the enemy until you hear the signal," Draco bellowed as the students poured from the Room onto the seventh Floor.
"What's the signal?" someone shouted from the back.
"You'll know it when you hear it!" Draco yelled back.
Draco wished that Harry and Faykan were here, not only for their battle prowess, but also for Harry ingenious map that would show them exactly where the enemy was hidden. Almost in answer, Neville held out the parchment. "Neville, how…?" Draco started, but the other boy shook his head, "No time, I nicked it from Harry's trunk when you called, figured we might need it."
Draco smiled, tossed the map to Hermione and set Ron to guard her in the Room, which became their Command Center. Hermione would use the map in conjunction with the many coins to relay directions and orders to each group, with Ron acting as their tactician. Draco and Neville split up, leading separate groups in a mad dash across the seventh floor, seeking their foes and preventing whatever goal that they had in mind.
As Draco's squad neared the corridor to the Astronomy Tower, he spotted Bellatrix, along with an equally sized group of Death Eaters and orcs. Nott was with them. Wasting no time, Draco pulled the Horn of Gondor to his lips and blew. The sound magnified magically to ring throughout the corridors, and Draco knew that whatever guards Faykan had left for them would hear it.
The group of Death Eaters and Dark Creatures flinched as if struck, giving Draco's group a surprise attack. Arrows and spells flew across the corridor, striking several orcs and Death Eaters. One vile creature went down, an arrow between its eyes, while a large blond Death Eater staggered with another in his shoulder. Two more were blasted backward by powerful bludgeoning hexes.
Just as their foes recovered, Draco yelled, "Defensive formation!" as a unit, the group closed ranks, the ones in back conjuring a powerful tandem shield, while the front pair, two burley seventh years locked metal shields into a small portable wall. It was not a moment too soon, as the retaliatory bombardment struck just as they finalized their defenses. Curses and hexes blasted at their magical force field, while arrows and stones pinged off the metal wall before them.
Just then, Neville's group arrived from the opposite corridor, unleashing their own surprise attack. A small handful more of the Dark Creatures went down and Neville erected similar defenses. "Advance!" Draco shouted, and as one the two groups moved forward, arrows and spells being hurled from behind their protective barriers. Together they pushed Bellatrix and her knot of soldiers back toward the tower, eventually meeting where the corridors intersected. The four students with shields locked together into a larger wall, and those maintaining the magical shield were suddenly empowered by an additional group.
They had her cornered, and Draco could see the hate behind Neville's eyes as he stared down his parent's torturer.
But the mad witch was not to be underestimated, as they quickly learned. A powerful blast emanated from her wand, tearing apart the shield that was being powered by at least four students, throwing all of them to the ground. Curses and arrows followed, and Draco cringed as one of the students was hit in the chest, falling to the ground with a scream. One of the shield bearers was also hit, a hex tearing flesh from his wand arm, making the limb useless. Draco and Neville were miraculously spared any injury.
The orcs charged, and Draco saw that Bellatrix, Nott and two Death Eaters retreated further into the tower while the others start enchanting the doorway. Andúril burned brightly as Draco struck, dodging around an orc's hapless swing and stabbing it just under the beast's armor, skewering it completely. Wrenching the blade free, Draco spun, his body guided by the spectral Mage-King, and slashed another that was about to finish of a defenseless third year girl.
More foul creatures were charging from their rear, and Draco knew they needed reinforcements now. Blowing the horn again, he hoped and prayed that help would come soon.
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Albus quickly assisted apparating Harry, and the still rather weak Alatar back to Hogsmeade. Once they arrived in the empty and silent street, the sense of foreboding returned with a vengeance for Albus, mixed with a heightened sense of something amiss. The wards never triggered anything trying to enter the school grounds; however, so he hurriedly took Alatar by the opposite arm and help carry him back to the castle.
"Albus…" Alatar said weakly, "pocket… robe front… potion…"
Without waiting for anything more, Albus plunged his hand into the aforementioned pocket, seized the crystal vial filled with a silvery white liquid, and pouring it into Alatar's mouth. Life and energy seemed immediately poured back into the Istari's limbs, and he staggered somewhat as he regained his own footing.
"Thank you Albus," he said, stronger than before, but still sounding weakened. "That potion in the cave was no health drink."
"Indeed not," Albus agreed, "Can you walk?"
"Yes, I think so," Alatar said, taking a few tentative steps forward, growing in confidence as he walked. "I still need Severus to find the cure, but I can make it to the castle under my own power now."
They were interrupted by the sound of running footsteps ahead of them. Albus' heart sank as he say Madam Rosmerta scurrying toward them, still in her bed clothes, and looking very frightened, "Albus, thank goodness your back, something terrible has happened."
"Rosmerta, calm down, what it is?" Albus tried, but the woman would not calm down.
"Don't you realize… Haven't you seen it?"
"What's wrong?" Alatar said, shaking slightly as he stood.
"The Dark Mark!" she cried, pointing into the sky toward Hogwarts. Dread entered Albus' heart as he say the blazing green skull hanging over the school. "When?" he commanded, summoning all the power he could to gain the facts and now charge to the school immediately.
"Must have been a few minutes ago, but…"
"We need to return at once, Rosmerta, we need brooms as quickly as possible." Albus continued.
"I've got a few brooms behind the bar, shall I go get them," she started, but Albus again overruled her.
"Harry can summon them." the boy did so, and quickly the three of them were mounted, and Albus turned again to the frightened bar owner, "Send a message to the Ministry." Then turning to Harry, he added, "Be prepared for a fight when we arrive, I doubt that your cloak would hide you for long if our enemy is waiting for us."
The presence of his nemesis' mark over his school acted more powerfully on Albus than any stimuli, he raced toward the castle, Alatar and Harry in hot pursuit. The mark was directly over the Astronomy tower, and Albus made a direct beeline for it. A quick word opened the enchantments over the castle wards and allowed them all entrance, before the protections sealed again behind them.
The tower ramparts were seemingly deserted when the three landed and dismounted quickly. Alatar had sword and staff our in a flash, and the blue glowing blade warned them that they were indeed not alone.
Checking on Alatar, Albus saw that a fire had been rekindled by the vile magic. He would be fine for the moment, and there was no need to summon Severus immediately.
Just then, the door to the tower burst open, spells flying out at them. Albus dodged, Harry and Faykan blocked and redirected the spells out into the open air around them. By the green light of the mark above, Albus recognized the four that came to greet them.
"Good evening, Theodore." He said pleasantly as the weedy boy surrounded by his guard stood off against the three Light wizards. "Ah, and you brought Bellatrix, Amycus and Alecto too… charming…" he said, not meaning a word of it. These three were the most ruthless of all the Death Eaters, more than willing to harm the precious students of his school.
Bellatrix cackled, "Pleased to see us are you?" she simpered, keeping her wand trained on Lord Alatar.
"No, I cannot say that I am…" Albus replied, calculating odds in his mind instantly. With Alatar, even weakened, on Bellatrix, Albus could easily handle the Carrows, leaving Harry to battle Nott. It seemed that the matchup was entirely in their favor, based on levels of power, but for the Death Eaters to be so bold in confronting all three of them at once, they had to have some secret.
Somewhere below the tower, a concussive bang was heard, following by the blaring of a battle-horn. Albus recognized the sound as one belonging to Draco, the same he used during their fight with the spiders. "Somebody is putting up a good fight…" he commented lazily to them.
Nott said nothing, the boy focusing resolutely on them. Bellatrix giggled sadistically at Albus' comment, while the twins just adjusted their grips on their wands.
"Do it Nott! Now!" Bellatrix suddenly shrieked, and Albus had split second to sigh that they had gained no time for reinforcements before snapping up a shield and blasting at the Carrows with an overpowered Stunner.
Harry and Nott both attacked at once, their spells colliding in a blast of golden light. Alatar, even weakened, moved like lightning, closing distance with Bellatrix and attempting to bash her with his staff. Bellatrix flung a whip of fire from her wand, hampering the Istari's attempts to rush her, and catching the silver and blue staff.
Albus knew that his power had to make up for the lack of strength that Altar was showing, and in the midst of his own duel with the two Carrows, he fired a bolt of violet light at the mad witch, disrupting her spell and freeing Alatar's weapon.
Back and forth their battle raged, objects send flying by banishment charms, and holes being fractured in the ramparts. Albus transfigured quicksand out of the stones beneath Alecto, causing the woman to sink up to her knees into the tower's floor, while at the same time brandishing a powerful Protego against Amycus, who was struggling to throw curses and hexes into the battle.
Flashes of green and blue were scattered in all directions from Bellatrix as she danced around the seemingly slower Alatar, who was responding with less than his usual grandiose magic.
Unfortunately, Albus had underestimated their chances. Nott, it seemed, had learned dueling from Voldemort himself, and was more than a match for Harry, trading curses and powerful spells with little to no fatigue.
Albus felt himself pushed back by the combined work of the Carrows, due more to his lapse of attention than their raw skill. They truly weren't the best of duelers, but the Headmaster couldn't help but worry for his two allies.
How could this be happening, they had planned so carefully. Nott's ability to serve Voldemort couldn't have been that great. Chancing a glance at the tall, thin boy, Albus spied something that froze him to the core. Sitting upon the boy's head, neatly covered by his hair, was a glint of silver.
Just poking above was the tiny shape of an eagle. It was with pain that Albus recognized the symbol of Ravenclaw, which could only mean that this item was the lost diadem, capable of giving great knowledge to the wearer. The same artifact that was deemed missing centuries ago, had apparently been found, by Voldemort no doubt, as Albus greatly doubted that Theodore Nott had discovered its hiding place all on his own.
"AVADA KEDAVERA!" the boy bellowed, and Albus felt time slam to a full halt. He stood there, almost in a dream, as he watched the deadly green beam of light depart from Nott's wand, pointed directly at Harry. No spell could stop it, and Alatar was too far to react. Somehow, amid all the chaos, Albus felt the words of the prophecy ring in his mind, not the one that Voldemort knew part of, but the other that Sybill had given not three years ago.
'The sleeper with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord has stirred… awaiting freedom bought with sacrifice from those whom he loves'
Somehow, in the vastness of those few seconds, Albus was able to ponder the meaning of those two lines. Harry had great power, Albus knew that from the moment the boy was born, and yet, after everything he had gone through, all the blocks he had broken from Albus or Voldemort, he had not truly grown to his full capacity. There was a ringing in Albus' ear, nearly painful, it was distracting.
But yet… and then he knew.
Albus acted.
Time returned in full force as he stepped into the path of the green light.
Harry screamed, and Albus knew no more.
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Bellatrix crowed as the old Headmaster fell, slain by Nott's curse. The mighty Dumbledore was no more, and one of the greatest threats to her Lord was removed. With relish she faced Alatar once more, ready to continue their battle that she herself had been winning, but the boy wasn't watching her.
Alatar was staring at Potter with a look of horror.
Chancing a glance, Bella turned, and her eyes widened as well.
Potter was standing there, wand held loosely in his hand, as he knelt over the body of Dumbledore. But the reason for her, and indeed all the combatants atop the tower, ceasing their fight was the sense of pure magic in the air.
Power seemed to be welling up from Potter, unbelievable power that Bella had never felt in any one being before. The boy had his eyes shut as he knelt over his fallen leader, but as he turned his head to glare at Nott, the unthinkable happened.
Potter's eyes burned with an intense whiteness; a whiteness that Bellatrix LeStrange had seen from only one other. Turning to Alatar, she flinched to find the ancient wizard glaring back, his eyes too sinking into blinding light.
She knew that their victory was short lived in that moment. The door behind them banged open, and Bellatrix faintly heard the voice of Severus Snape as the man snatched Nott by the waist and forcefully dragged the boy away. The Carrows were not far behind as they too fled the sight before them.
Bellatrix knew there was only one course of action in the face of not one, but two powerful Light Lords, and with one on the verge of proclaiming.
She ran just as the tower began to quake.
Rómestámo, amin talant, i' du tessa amin. tua amin mellon, tinechor amin tuulo' i' gorgorath : Pallando, I've fallen, the darkness took me. Help me friend, shield me from the horror.
Aiya Eärendil Elenion Ancalima : Hail Eärendil, brightest of stars
Potential Spoilers Ahead, You Have Been Warned!
And there it is, the dramatic spike in tension at the beginning of the multi-chapter climax. A couple of not so surprising twists, such as Faykan drinking the potion rather than Dumbledore, and then later with Dumbledore's intentional sacrifice to save Harry. This chapter was one that I touched very little because of how much I personally enjoyed it. I don't think there was much that needed refurbishment, as it was rather well paced and had the dramatic moments that I desired from the get go. Cheers my readers, until next Thursday then! ~F