And so we come to it at last... The final confrontations, and the fulfillment of prophecy, both Light and Dark. I'm astounded as to where this story has progressed. Three years ago I just had a small idea, favorite Sith Lord raises Mr. Potter, and it exploded into this... I am most pleased and humbled by the attention that this story gained, over and beyond the story that I had been focusing on at the time, ANP. And yet, it is not possible for me to set this story aside and move along. No, about halfway through this trek I realized that more was going to be need, nay I say demanded, before I could think of bringing this story to a close. So even still, stay tuned, in two weeks time at the usual time I will commence posting the sequel to PotDS, The Rise of Darth Veneficus. Many thanks to the hundreds that reviewed, and the thousands that followed and favorited. Enjoy the final taste of the beginning, and prepare yourselves for the fire that is to come in the sequel! Enjoy...
Epilogue
Full Circle
The moment Blackmoore vanished from the maze Albus knew that something was dreadfully wrong. Dashing back to the crowd, he looked immediately for Alastor. "Alastor," he said quickly, "Blackmoore and Harry are gone, and I need to find them."
The magical eye whirled as Alastor sought out something. "Alright Albus, I have an idea what to do, take me to where the cup was."
Albus nodded, and amid the murmurs and confusion the pair of wizards ran as quickly as Alastor's leg would allow back to the middle of the maze. When they arrived, Alastor took a few moments, looking around the base of the pedestal and examining it with his wand. As he was the one to initially place the cup, Albus knew that the ex-auror would be the best one to discover something out of place, like residual magic from a portkey or other transportation magic.
"Here Albus," the scarred man said, pointing, "someone turned the cup back into a portkey, overriding its other magical properties and enchantments, another few moments and I can duplicate the effect, so that you can follow Potter to wherever he was taken to."
"Excellent work Alastor," Albus said, and moment later he gratefully accepted the small button portkey that the man created. Activating it without question, Albus dropped hard onto a moonlit patch of damp grass. Quickly looking around, Albus instantly discovered who had taken Harry, where they were, and what had just happened.
The boy was there, battling Voldemort amid a circle of Death Eaters. Albus was about to intervene and stop the madman from harming Harry, but he froze when Harry threw his head back and laughed, high and cold as Voldemort's. The Death Eaters were thrown back as they attempted to protect their master, and Albus winced as a sickly orange beam of energy leap from the fallen Dark Lord, killing the man in a most cruel method.
"Harry, stop!" Albus cried, staggering forward, past the fallen Death Eaters, but Harry ignored him, finishing the deed and slaying Voldemort. Only once the smoking corpse stopped leaking what Albus realized was the Dark Lord's very life energy did Harry look at him, and Albus flinched at the horrific face of the Boy-Who-Lived.
Albus could not believe what he was seeing: Harry, red eyed with graying skin, tormenting the defeated Voldemort to death. Despite the fact that the boy was fulfilling the prophecy to defeat the Dark Lord Voldemort, the method of doing it was downright horrendous.
"Harry…" Albus pleaded, "How can you do this?"
The boy smirked evilly back at him, "How could I not, Dumbledore, he's one of the reasons I am the way I am, so he deserved to be punished for it… Regardless, Voldemort wasn't responsible for much, so he got it easy, a quick painful death."
Albus winced at the implications that the boy was making. The Death Eaters looked completely uncertain what to do, milling about and looking like they'd rather be anywhere but here with Harry and Albus in the same place.
Blackmoore, still appearing in his monstrous true form, was there as well, but the man made no move to stop either Harry or Albus.
"You on the other hand…" Harry continued, catching Albus off guard, "you will have no mercy from me…"
Albus had only seconds to ready himself before Harry was on him, a crimson energy blade leaping to life in his hand much like Blackmoore had previously. The sword of Gryffindor flashed bright and blocked the crimson beam with a shower of sparks and the crackle of lightning from the metal blade.
Harry seemed momentarily surprised by something about the metal weapon, and Albus took the opportunity to apparate back several yards, the elder wand in hand and a jinx on his lips. What Albus wasn't expecting was to see the crimson blade flying through the air after him, spinning madly.
Dodging to the side, Albus winced as the burning energy blade severed a large chunk of his silvery beard. It had been far too close for comfort. The weapon continued to fly through the air like a boomerang, sailing back into Harry's hand. "You cannot hope to defeat me old man. My power is leaps and bounds beyond your own…"
"In my experience, Harry," Albus retorted calmly, gathering what energy he could during the small respite, "knowledge and wisdom have trumped raw power for centuries… I hardly see the trend failing now."
Harry snarled angrily, his face growing if possible more horrible and sickly. The crimson weapon vanished in a heartbeat, replaced with torrents of blue-white lightning from the boy's hands. Albus snapped a shield into place, but still flinched as the bolts of cold rage slammed into the magical shield. Harry wasn't merely gloating when he spoke of his own power, it was a fact that he was unbelievably strong, and even Albus wasn't sure how he could fight off the boy for long. Nevertheless, he had to try, to halt the dark prophecy before it had opportunity to take full effect on their world.
Channeling all his hopes and dreams for the wizarding world, Albus empowered his shield charm with the strength of a Patronus, causing the red-gold light of the shield to flare to brilliant silver, and expand outward, throwing the vile lightning from its surface. Sneering in anger, Harry withdrew his wand. Momentarily Albus noticed that it was not the brother wand of Voldemort's but another altogether, but then a barrage of spells so dark that it sickened that Headmaster slammed into his shield, obscuring Albus' vision of his opponent.
Where and when Harry had found the time to, under Albus' own nose, learn such dark spells, he had no idea. Some were even curses so rare that Albus had been certain that only Voldemort himself knew even existed. The strength behind Albus' silver shield diminished in the face of such evil, and the Headmaster knew that playing defensive would only lead to his death. He had to turn the tide of this fight, and soon.
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Veneficus was positively livid with fury at the old man. How was it possible for the Headmaster to last so long against the raw fury of a Sith? Throwing a glance at Millennial, Veneficus was surprised to find that his Master hadn't bothered moving from the spot where he had stood since arriving. The only change around them was Barty Jr., who had appeared in his true form, and was rallying the Death Eaters to watch the battle between Veneficus and Albus. The man was probably slowly sifting through the remaining Death Eaters to see who among them was worthy to serve their new Lord, however unaware they were of the change of allegiance.
Turning back on Dumbledore, the little contest between them took on a whole new level. This man, who took his already shattered life and scarred it further, by placing him with the Dursleys, and proceeded to make his life a living hell through the Hogwart's years, all for the sake of his perceived 'Greater Good.' The man would pay dearly for such an offense.
Empowered by the Dark Side, Veneficus charged the old man, even as the Headmaster lowered his shield to counterattack. Leaping over the fired spell, Veneficus blasted Dumbledore with the Force, knocking the old man off balance. Landing heavily before the staggering man, Veneficus went straight into hand to hand combat, something he was well aware of that wizards avoided.
Batting the wizard's wand arm away, Veneficus knocked the spell focus to the ground, following up with a sweep to the old man's legs, setting the Headmaster hard on the ground. Seizing the old wizards robes, Veneficus brought them nose to nose, allowing the old fool to get an eyeful of a Sith Lord close up.
Dumbledore's eyes were full of tears, but Veneficus was beyond compassion or mercy. However, before the man knew death, he was to experience all that he put Veneficus through. Vengeance demanded it. Calling upon the power of the Dark Side, in all its magnificence, Veneficus wove a powerful illusion before the eyes of the fabled Headmaster, forcing him to experience all that Veneficus had suffered, from losing his family all the way to the trials of the Sith under Darth Millennial.
Underlying every of these was the fact that, no matter what horror or destructive path Veneficus took, everything had been initiated by Dumbledore, and therefore was completely and utterly his fault. Wordlessly, the old man began to plead pathetically as the visions assaulted his mind. Veneficus glowered down as the man began to shudder violently from the images in his head. For one so supposedly wise and experienced, the foolish man buckled quickly under the weight that Veneficus had lived through.
It further proved to the Sith Lord that indeed, power was everything, and the old man had no idea what he was talking about contradicting him on the subject. Knowledge and experience were merely fuels for the same fire, but there were powers that were far stronger and more notable for that end. Veneficus had learned that first hand from his Master.
Spotting the wizards fallen weapon, Veneficus quickly summoned it to his hand, to add to the others of his valuable collection. When he grasped it however, magical energy sang around him, and the wand pulsed with unseen power. Looking down at the foreign object, Veneficus turned the wand over in his hands, trying to understand why this wand was so incredibly powerful over other, more suitable wands for him.
His thoughts were interrupted however, when Millennial approached and spoke. "Good, Lord Veneficus, good… Now kill the old fool and be done with his meddling."
Stowing the powerful wand away for later inspection, Veneficus ground his teeth, "Not until he has experienced the full taste of my revenge."
Whether Millennial took offence to his defiance, Veneficus did not know, he was far too preoccupied watching for when the Headmaster's vision cleared and the illusionary torment ended. Slowly, the light of consciousness returned to the, now dulled, blue eyes of Dumbledore. Sagging as thought a great weight were pressed upon him, Dumbledore turned his head slightly to look Veneficus directly in the eyes.
Fear was gone, much to Veneficus' annoyance, replaced with great sadness and a small touch of pity. "Oh Harry…" Dumbledore said mournfully, attempting to raise a hand, but finding his strength completely spent, so that the limb fluttered an inch off the ground before falling back. "Harry…" he murmured softly, "I'm so sorry…"
"No!" Veneficus roared, grabbing the man's robes and throwing him as hard as he could muster, slamming the old man into a nearby headstone, "Don't you dare feel pity for me. It was all your doing that made me, you should fear what you have created old man!" he shouted into Dumbledore's face, but the old man still held on to grief and soft pity instead of succumbing to madness.
Releasing the old man, Veneficus snarled as he gathered the Dark Side around him. "Fine, then die in your despair," he said darkly. Veneficus could feel Millennial's subtle encouragement as he began viciously ripping life energy from Dumbledore, who lacked even the strength to scream properly. It was a most unsatisfactory murder for Veneficus, and increased his anger even as the man's magic and life force welled up within him, mixing with Voldemort's from mere minutes prior.
Once the man was well and truly dead, although curiously not reduces to a withered husk like Voldemort, Millennial slowly clapped behind him, "Well done, Lord Veneficus," he congratulated, "You have triumphed over all your foes, and we can at last leave this world, and the memory of your other life for good."
"No," Veneficus corrected, red-gold eyes turning to land on his Master, the one who trained him in these ways of death and blood, the one who tormented him and brutalized him, shattering all memory of Harry Potter and creating Darth Veneficus in his ruin. "There is but one more to die tonight…"
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Millennial had known that this day would come soon. Veneficus glared across the short space of grass, Wild Force energy crackling around him from all the power he had just recently consumed, and the Dark Lord of the Sith knew that the time of the boy's ascendance had come. "So…" he commented lazily, casually placing a hand within his robes, upon the hilt of his curved lightsaber, "you wish to challenge me as well, apprentice?"
The Death Eaters, bolstered in confidence that they were not about to be slaughtered, probably at the urging of Barty Jr. gathered in a wide circle nearby, sensing the growing power between the two Sith Lords, and unconsciously flocking to the nexus of darkness that was gaining power with the slaughter of such powerful wizards in this graveyard.
Veneficus turned fully to face Millennial, sabers in both hands. Millennial was curious that the boy wasn't going to start off with his currently well magnified magical reserves, as that would have been a easy way to victory over Millennial, who lacked much experience and protection from such powers, but then again, they were Sith. This was their way, the challenge of leadership was, while not a strictly traditionalized rite, something more than any other duel.
"One more bout of revenge on this world," Veneficus stated angrily, his power in the Force surging around him as he prepared to attack, "and then the fall of the Galaxy will start afresh, through me."
'I do not doubt it in the least,' Millennial agreed mentally, but as required by the Rule of Two, set forth by those before them, he activated his weapon, "So be it, Veneficus…" Millennial said, after so many years dropping the honors that were bestowed upon the boy by his rank of apprentice. As of this moment, the boy was a rival, and would die at his hand if he was to continue as Lord of the Sith.
With a roar of rage, the boy leaped at Millennial, his twin blades exploding to life. Millennial dodged to the side, parrying one blade of his apprentice, and with a graceful defensive circle, sweeping it into the other and out of his path. Circling quickly, Millennial countered, launching a series of quick thrusts and jabs, testing his apprentice's defenses one last time as his Master, he himself wanting to see how four years of solitary study had improved Veneficus' tactics.
Instead of batting the attacks aside, Veneficus responded with a back flip, landing several feet out of Millennial's reach, and lashing out with a blast of the Force, which Millennial easily deflected. Veneficus had had little opportunity to face off against a powerful Force user, and therefore hadn't had of yet to content with another's Force barrier, which prevented most Force based attacks launched against an aware opponent.
Nevertheless, it seemed that the boy had used the Force push as a distraction, allowing him to reenter the fray with his sabers, and Millennial recognized immediately Veneficus' signature style, the flowing elegance of Ataru mixed seamlessly with the raw ferocity of Juyo. Smiling to himself, Millennial dodged and parried each attack as it came, but marveled at how well the boy had managed to balance his magical and martial studied, as well as increasing his connection to the Force in the process.
The situation of Hogwarts had indeed been the very best option for Veneficus, as it allowed the boy to grow at his own pace, and the boy had flourished under the personal discipline. It would truly be a loss for the Sith if Millennial were to kill Veneficus this night.
However, it clearly seemed that that may not be the case in the end, for despite Millennial's every attempt to break their current stalemate; Veneficus' combat foresight was able to keep the younger Sith a step ahead of his former master. On they battled, sabers clashing in the dark of the night, and the black robed Death Eaters surrounding them watched enthralled as the Masters of the Dark Side fought.
The sharp whip-like crack was all the warning Millennial had as Veneficus vanished, and he whirled, parrying the thrust from behind him as the younger Sith teleported. A vicious tactic, but Millennial had had enough experience with wizards to have imagined the move. Even still, the blow slammed into Millennial's defenses, throwing him back a pace and placing Veneficus strongly in the position of aggressor.
Batting aside the twin crimson blades, Millennial felt himself pushed backward with each swing. The Sith Lord had to admit that Veneficus had grown leaps and bounds even from the time he fought Dass'in on Dromund Kaas and lost.
With a quick flick of his wrists, suddenly the two separate weapons in Veneficus' hands became one, the double bladed lightsaber swinging wildly as Veneficus started striking with a crazed wildness, not uncontrolled, but an unparalleled randomness that Millennial was hard pressed to keep up with. Three times in that flurry alone Veneficus scored glancing blows on Millennial, but the human mutant used the anger and pain to fuel himself further, blasting the boy with a torrent of lightning, failing to pierce the spinning weapon as the red blades absorbed the bolts, but still halting Veneficus' offensive.
Or at least, Millennial thought that he had, until the razor sharp curse cut him across the shoulder of his saber arm, gouging deeply and weakening his grip on the weapon. The momentary distraction was just enough for Veneficus to spin around, knock the weapon out of Millennial's hand, and impale the Sith Master in the stomach.
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Veneficus watched as Lord Millennial fell to the ground, the cauterized wound in his belly clearly fatal, but only enough so that the mutant was going to experience a great amount of pain as he slowly expired. Granted, Veneficus was not going to have his old master die from something as mundane as a mortal wound.
Pointing one blade at the fallen Sith Master, Veneficus pulled a wand from his robes. From the knowledge he leeched from Dumbledore, the Sith Lord recognized the item as a true relic of ancient magical history: the Elder Wand. The fact that such a powerful item came into the possession of a peace loving fool of a manipulator was sickening. A weapon of such power demanded a master that would use it to its fullest potential.
Knowing that any sort of torture would only empower his Master, and perhaps prologue the fight for his ascendancy, Veneficus settled for lashing out with the Force, shattering the weakened Force user's shields and ripping at Millennial's connection to the Force. If anything, the Sith Master looked relaxed as Veneficus slowly dragged out his death.
"You have surpassed every expectation I had for you…" Millennial said, gritting his teeth over the obvious pain of losing his connection to the Force. Veneficus watched with keen interest as the man's many illusions slowly faded away, the man's skin turned to a mottled grey, with blackened veins. Pale, lamp-like yellow eyes glowed in the darkness, betraying the true monster that the man had become. Was that to be Veneficus' future as well? Not if he could help it.
Between the power of the Force, and the magical knowledge of two lords of magic, he could achieve the one thing that the whole Sith Order wanted above all else: immortality.
As the last of Millennial's power in the Force was leeched away, Veneficus stopped, not touching any of the former Sith's limited life Force. It was pathetic really, that the man had clung to life so long purely on the power of the Dark Side.
"Not going to kill me, like the others this night, my apprentice…?" Millennial asked weakly, lifting the head what was far too old to be real anymore.
Raising the wand, Veneficus smiled, "If I were to do that, you would cease to be of use to me…" he said, knowing the spell that needed to be cast, the stage that needed setting to pave the way to his escape from this useless world.
"I always knew that you were our instrument to destroy the Republic…" Millennial said blearily, "I had foreseen your rise to power, and it will be glorious. Give me the honor of a Sith Lord in death, Lord Veneficus, and do what tradition demands of you."
Looking down at the defeated, dying mutant, Veneficus knew that the Rule of Two demanded that he kill the man. The Elder Wand slashed downward. "Avada Kedavera!" the green jet of light, so similar to the one that started the road of power and madness that Veneficus was placed upon, impacted his old Master, silencing the ramblings of the once Sith Lord forever.
But was it indeed the end of Darth Millennial? Not only would his ideals live on in Veneficus, but there was something else. From the many extra lives worth of memories inside him, the newly triumphed Sith Master summoned the ring soul container that hadn't crumbled to dust when he drained it dry. There was a powerful enchantment upon the stone set in the ring, and thanks to Dumbledore, he knew exactly what it represented, along with the wand and cloak already in his possession.
"Master of Death, eh?" he mumbled to himself, spinning the ring three times in hand, thinking of his recently deceased former master.
From the shadows of the tombstone a shade emerged. Tall and imposing once again, Lord Millennial, looking as he did when the Force was with him appeared. "What trickery of the Force is this, apprentice?" the Force Specter said.
"No trick, my Lord, merely the power of the Wild Force, doing what no other had done before. Returning the dead to the physical world upon command…" Veneficus replied, laughing slightly as he turned to the surrounding Death Eaters. The robed men shifted nervously as the young Sith Master approached, his power wafting over them like none before.
"Servants of the fallen Voldemort," he said, addressing them, smirking as he did so. Each one flinched as they met his red-gold eyes, "you stand before the gates of destiny, an opportunity of greatest magnitude, one where I can guide the peoples of this world to a shining future. You have seen that I have conquered over your former master, his greatest foe, and my own master in one night. My power is absolute!"
The majority of the gathered men were silent, sufficiently cowed by the display of that power that they had just witnessed, but one of the fools decided to open his mouth and not use his brain, "You may have defeated the Dark Lord, boy, but that doesn't mean that you take his place, we are free to return to our lives as though we were never here."
"Oh? Can you now?" Veneficus said absently, and as the man attempted to disapparate, he reached through the Wild Force and activated the man's Dark Mark. Collapsing in pain, the man screamed as the mark on his arm flared to a burning intensity. "I have taken all magical power from your former lord, so I am indeed his successor, in all context of the word… Now bow to me!" he commanded, sending a pulse of pain through the Dark Marks of all gathered before him.
They hissed in pain, and obeyed, the one who attempted to flee from him most grudgingly of all. "What is thy bidding, Master…?" one of the others said humbly, with the right dose of fear mixed in.
Smiling to himself over his newest followers, Veneficus spoke simply, "We have work to do…"
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Zhar laughed idly as he danced between the two Jedi Shadows and their feeble attacks. The pair was clearly greatly weakened from the last time Zhar had seen and fought them back on Tiss'sharl. Ferros was consumed with rage, swinging wildly and tapping into the Dark Side in his drive to kill Zhar, while Ora was far too hesitant, her fear of her partner rivaling her fear of Zhar. It was almost a disappointment, fighting them in such a state, but Zhar was glad to be rid of his oldest rival once and for all.
"Such a pity," he taunted, "that Shadows Pasdak and Oduro are so weak without the rest of their companions. How the council must regret their decision in sending you all after me…"
The jab had the desired effect, enraging Ferros into attacking again, with Ora trying to diffuse and control the situation. Even as the foolish Miraluka swung, his human companion tried to position herself in his way. Zhar laughed as Ferros foolishly struck down his own friend and longtime ally.
"No!" Ferros cried, distracted by his own foolishness and mistake. Abandoning his weapon, he clutched at the fallen Shadow, forgetting to his peril the fact that Zhar was still present. He wasn't mourning for long. The Dark Side was meant to be a tool, but not an all consuming force, not that Ferros lived long enough to understand that. Zhar took great pleasure in slaying the distracted Miraluka, skewering him through his broken heart.
Once his longtime rival finally expired, Zhar turned his attention back to his primary objective. The cloning records of Khomm were in this chamber, but the one question that Zhar had as he collected the valuable information for Lord Veneficus, was how Ferros had found him again, even beating him to the place he was going to be.
With the man himself dead at Zhar's own hand, answers were not going to be very forthcoming, but in the end it didn't matter. Whatever power brought the two Shadows here most likely died with them, and Zhar could slip back into the darkness of the Sith controlled worlds without the rest of the Jedi Order becoming aware of his presence on this world.
Careful to only take what wouldn't be missed, and copying everything else, Zhar quickly left the bodies of the slain Jedi and departed, slipping through the shadows and back out into the bland and boring streets. There was little to halt him in the way of guards or checkpoints, with the way this world clung hopelessly to the same normality generation after generation.
Zhar was more than happy to watch the world vanish into the starlines of hyperspace, leaving behind a chapter of his life that should have been sealed long ago with the death of his rival. If the Jedi managed to find the pair of slain Shadows, let them choke in despair at the loss of those Zhar knew the Sith would have considered unworthy. Then again, that was the major difference in the Orders after all.
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Severus was afraid. Not only had the Dark Mark flared to black, burning life mere minutes ago, but the evil tattoo had pulsated and writhed over the last few moments such as it had never before done. Just what was going on with the Dark Lord?
Albus, Blackmoore, Potter and Moody were all gone, and people were starting to wonder what had happened within the maze. The other judges were clamoring for Fudge to do something, but the incompetent Minister was waffling his way around their demands, eager to sit perfectly still in his seat and do nothing.
The mark flared again, signaling that the Dark Lord was punishing one of their own through it, and Severus winced at what the other Death Eater must be feeling for Severus to feel this must irritation from so far away. Glancing around again, he looked desperately for where Albus had gone, he needed the old man's approval to continue spying on the Dark Lord before answering the summons, but time was growing short for him to adequately delay appearing before the man.
The mark flared again, directly commanding all others to appear before the Dark Lord, and Severus knew he was out of time. Even Karkaroff was starting to turn green with the sickening agony of it, and the man was looking ready to flee into the night rather than appear before his forsaken master.
But Severus didn't have that sort of option, but thankfully neither had he the responsibility of remaining here to be observed. Slipping away quickly, the Potions Master found the first secluded area that he could, and casually touched the mark on his left arm. Rage and pain wafted over him as he was pulled through the Hogwart's robes to his Master's side, appearing in a small graveyard among other robed Death Eaters.
"Severus…" came a hushed voice from behind him, and the man turned, dropping to his knees as a black robed figure appeared, his magical energy wafting around him like a great storm. But… it seemed far more than the Voldemort he remembered.
The figure, far shorter than he imagined, approached, and lowered the hood of his robe dramatically. Severus paled as he recognized the face of Potter, red eyes and graying skin standing out horribly against the solid black of his clothing. "Surprised, Professor?" the boy said haughtily, even as Severus began writhing in pain as his Dark Mark flared anew.
Somehow, unknowingly to him, the boy had become the Dark Lord, or some cruel trick that achieved the same power over the brand that was the bane of Severus' existence since the death of Lily Potter.
"My Lord," said another voice, which was difficult for Severus to make out through the pain he was in, "What of Bellatrix and the others in Azkaban?"
"We need do nothing…" Potter replied, watching Severus' every twitching move, "Bellatrix is already freed, and will join us at a later time… currently she is out enjoying herself, indeed I must say she has progressed farther than any of you in the new discoveries that I have to share, but the others are no longer of our concern, and may be left to rot in their prison."
A momentary pause, then Potter spoke again, "Barty… bring me Draco…"
"As you command, my Lord Veneficus…"
Severus trembled through the pain for only several moments more, before passing into blissful unconsciousness. He wondered what may be his inevitable fate from the monster that Potter had become, and whether it was the Dark Lord possessing the boy's body, or something altogether worse.
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Anguis knew something important had just happened. Between Dumbledore and Snape running about like worried mother hen after her chicks, and the tremendous explosions in the Force, there was no doubt that the final confrontation between Veneficus and Millennial had occurred at last.
"Draco…" said a voice near him in the stands outside the hedge maze. Looking down, Anguis saw little Colin Creevey looking up at him with concern etched in his face. "I feel something has happened, but I don't understand what or how I know it…"
In a moment, Anguis understood what he saw in the young muggleborn so quickly upon their first meeting two years ago. While not Force sensitive, the boy was highly observant, and well attuned to Magical energy, allowing the boy to sense things that Anguis had to rely on the Force for. It was rather astounding, but in the end the boy was nothing more than a pawn.
"Don't worry," Anguis said, patting the younger boy on the shoulder, "Everything will be alright, for us at least, in the end."
That seemed to be enough for the younger boy to quite down, but Colin still looked uneasy. Anguis could understand, but his attention was pulled away when he spotted Alastor Moody stomping back from outside the Quidditch field. Their eyes, single eye in Moody's case, met and the man gave a small jerk of the head, summoning Anguis to join him outside of the pitch.
"Malfoy," the man grunted when Anguis exited the stadium.
"Yes, Professor?" Anguis responded guardedly. He had seen Veneficus talking with the man before, but not being certain what they discussed, he wasn't certain how much the man could possibly be trusted.
"The Master has summoned you…" the strange, ex-auror said cryptically, starting for the exit from the grounds. "come along, the crowd won't be distracted for long, waiting for something that won't happen, and our enemies will be flocking to the meeting place, and Lord Veneficus has much more pressing business to attend to before they arrive."
That caught Anguis off guard. It was well known that Alastor Moody was Dumbledore's closest friend and ally, why would he of all people switch sides to serve the Sith. In any case, if Veneficus trusted the man with his true name, it was safe enough for Anguis to go with the man.
"All right, let's go," he agreed, allowing the man to take him by the arm once out of the grounds, and apparating him away.
Landing hard on cold grass, Anguis immediately swept the area with the Force, sensing many nearby, and the presence of his Master.
"Lord Anguis…" the Dark Lord of the Sith called menacingly, from within a circle of kneeling Death Eaters, "come forward and be recognized by those who will serve under you…"
Still not fully comprehending, but nevertheless obeying, Anguis strode forward into the circle, joining Lord Veneficus amid the circle of wizards. The levels of Force energy wafting off Veneficus were exponentially greater than ever before, and Anguis had to adjust to merely be in the Sith's presence.
"This is my chief Acolyte on this world, Lord Anguis," Veneficus introduced, and Anguis was angered by the continued lack of the title of apprentice, but showed no reaction.
"You will obey his commands as if they were from me. He shall apprise me of any disobedience or difficulties caused in the course of your assignments."
"Yes, Master…" the circle chanted, note of anger and rebelliousness apparent in several voices.
Turning to Anguis, Veneficus continued, "You objectives are to bring this world under the Sith's control, from the shadows, and gathering as many Force sensitive children to Hogwarts as you can find. A representative and teacher of the Sith shall be sent to you in due time, for the training of these special students…"
"Yes, Lord" Anguis responded, many emotions flying through him, especially relating to how Veneficus knew of his plan, but if the new Sith Master sensed it he made no reaction.
"Barty," Veneficus called, and Moody stomped forward, "you will take Anguis back to Hogwarts, and prepare for the fallout when they discover the death of their precious Headmaster, along with the champions of the other schools.
"As you wish, my Lord…" Moody responded, grabbing Anguis by the arm. His last look at Veneficus before Moody disapparated, Anguis could have sworn that the Sith Lord was staring into space, as though seeing well beyond the world around them. Just how powerful had his Master become this night?
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Jedi Grand Master Fae Coven felt ill at ease as she sat in her personal chambers of the Jedi Temple. The darkness was still building, and she had felt several small disturbances in the Force over the last few hours, and she had a sinking suspicion about them.
At least there was some relatively good news as well as. The hermit Hysalrian Jedi Master N'Kata Del Gormo had reported to the council earlier that day, stating that he had felt a disturbance in the Force on his home planet, and following it had discovered a pair of Force sensitives, who had crash landed on the world in a ship that was considered ancient to someone from nearly a thousand years ago.
Despite the Orders normal rules of only training initiates from a very young age, to limit the potential for harmful attachment that could lead to a fall to the Dark Side, Master Gormo had decided on his own to begin training the pair, a human female and another male creature of a race that hadn't been seen in the Galaxy for centuries. The beings were so rare that there wasn't even a name for their race or home world.
Fae had to guess that the pair of Force Sensitives had to be extraordinary for the normally rigid Master Gormo to bend the rules of the Order in such a way. The Hysalrian Master was going to spend his own time to personally train the pair until they were ready to be presented at the Temple. It was an exciting thing, which many in the Temple were still speaking of.
Personally, Master Coven was eager to meet these two new initiates for herself. For some reason, thinking of the unknown pair inspired her with hope for the future. Perhaps there was still time left for the Order to survive this oncoming tide of darkness.
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Septin watched with building irritation as Zhar entered the main hall of the Dark Temple of Dromund Kaas. His former master looked so full of himself, and didn't even spare a glance in Septin's direction as the younger Darksider dueled with three other Acolytes at once.
It was a testament to how powerful Septin had become, that he didn't even break stride with grabbing the face of one of his opponents, metal fingers pressing deeply into the weak flesh, and threw the human bodily across the floor, while simultaneously blocking the lightsabers of the other two.
Rage flooded into him at the sight of the smug older man, and Septin struggled momentarily to keep himself from lethally cutting a deep wound across one of the other of his opponents. It would not do for him to slay the future generation of the Sith's army, enforcing his station of superiority to them was enough.
The Force burned in his veins, and he slammed his metal fist into the ground, sending a shockwave out in all directions, throwing the last from her feet, and sheathed his saber instantly. Ignoring the congratulations of the sparring instructor, he stole away quickly, going after Zhar, hoping to try and discover what the man had been up to at this point, to be looking so pleased with himself.
The trail ended outside the Supreme Prophet's chambers, and even Septin knew better than to enter that place unannounced or expected. Supreme Prophet Dass'in was a formidable fighter, if he had been able to best Darth Veneficus in single combat, and strong though Septin may be, he didn't favor his chances against one such as the Kel Dorian.
He was about to attempt to eaves drop through the door, when a massive tremor in the Force shook him to the very core, and Septin whirled at the same time that the door hissed open.
"What was that?" Zhar demanded, sprinting out into the corridor and staring around. Dass'in followed close behind, and Septin could feel the older being reaching out into the Force to determine the cause of the disturbance.
"Our Lord Millennial has fallen," Dass'in said, his voice raspy from the breathing mask that his kind needed on oxygenated worlds, "Darth Veneficus has ascended to the rank of Sith Master. We should make ready for his arrival, and present him all that we have accomplished since his last visit..."
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Luna was amazed and delighted with the new wonders that surrounded her. Since departing from Earth with the goblin named Yoda, escaping by the skin of their teeth from the Darkness that was bent on their destruction, she had figured that they were doomed to wander the vast blackness of space until they died from old age.
But that clearly was not the case. The ancient vessel that they had used apparently had a destination set in it as they launched, and had crashed onto a strange, swampy world, quite unlike Britain in all regards. Luna had immediately helped Yoda bury Griphook, his father and a good friend of Luna's, even if she only had limited contact with the wise and kind-hearted goblin.
They had then spent nearly three days trying to locate any sort of civilized life on the new planet, and were about to give up hope when the strangest creature Luna had ever seen met them. At first Luna thought it was just an animal, with the long green serpentine body and four large arms, but when the creature reared back and looked at her and Yoda with its four small black eyes, she sensed immediately that there was great intelligence and wisdom in them. She could even feel that it was similar to the Darkness, but instead of evil this being was filled with a brilliant light, which filler her with warmth.
The creature, which turned out to be called a Hyslarian, introduced himself as N'Kata Del Gormo, a Jedi Master of the Republic. What was even more surprising than everything else was when Master Gormo informed the pair of them that they were also what he called Force sensitive, and able to wield the same powers that he did. He had apparently sensed them through this power, the Force, and had come to meet with them specifically.
Inviting them to his home, which was also on the same planet, Master Gormo had started teaching both Luna and Yoda the ways of the Force, starting at the very basics, meditation and in Yoda's case fundamental lightsaber combat. The weapon that Griphook had fought the Darkness with seemed to function somewhat like a wand, becoming a natural part of the wielder until the two separate entities could almost be considered one and the same.
The training took several months before Master Gormu considered them fully fledged Jedi initiates. Yoda was gifted with all things related to learning the Force, much to Luna's innocent jealousy, which she never allowed to control her, as per the Jedi Master's instruction. That was the way to the Dark Side, and Luna had had enough experience with those sorts to understand the need for constant defense against those negative emotions.
Once he declared their training completed, Master Gormu had summoned a passing republic ship to take the two new Jedi to the capital world of Corescant, where they would meet the main temple of the Jedi Order. Master Gormu, being extremely old and sedentary, would not be joining them, but had wished them well and sent word ahead to his good friend, the Jedi Grand Master Fae Coven, who was to meet them where their ship was now landing.
As Yoda and Luna disembarked from the starship, Luna's new abilities, which she now recognized that she had always had, but only now could actively use, immediately told her of the presence of very powerful Force individuals, all attuned to the Light Side.
Turning, her eyes widened at her first look at the Jedi Order. Several beings of varied races, all wearing old styled tunics and long brown robes, bowed as they approached. The leader, smallest physically but strongest in the Force, lifted her furry head, eyes sparkling with delight at their arrival.
"Welcome to Coruscant, Padawans of Master Gormu. I hope that you will enjoy your stays on our Capitol as we work to complete your training in the ways of the Force."
Luna nearly gasped as she recognized the small female Jedi Master from her visions. It was as great a sign that she needed to be here than anything she had ever felt before.
"Hmm, Thank you, we do," Yoda replied, his voice not wavering in the slightest as he spoke. Master Gormu had instructed Luna's little green friend to cease trying to correct his speech, but embrace the difference that would make him one to be listened to. "Eager to arrive, for a long time we have been."
Fae Coven smiled at the pair of them, her eye resting more on Luna, which sent shivers down the young woman's back. There was something of great importance here that must short happen, and she was meant to be part of it. The Force was laying her path ahead of her, it seemed, and Luna felt it to be the right direction for her.
To Be Continued…