The Lightsaber
By: Tellemicus Sundance
#10: A Darkening Horizon

October 31, 1995

"How could you let that creature remain here?!"

Nymphadora Tonks had never seen Mad-Eye Moody in such a rage before. When she arrived via Floo, she quite literally dropped into a savage Wizard's Duel between her mentor and Dumbledore. The only thing missing was the high-intensity clashes, flashes, and explosions as magic was thrown about. But as it were, she found herself momentarily confused and uncertain as she watched the two elderly Wizards go at it… Okay, maybe that was a bit of an exaggeration on Dumbledore's part, but it definitely encompassed Moody quite well.

"Because, despite everything, he's still the same kind boy I've watched over for so many years, Alastor," Dumbledore was saying, calm and passive.

"That just means your judgment is skewed by sentiment for the boy he once was!" Moody snapped back, glaring angrily at the former Hogwarts Headmaster. "Need I remind you want he's already done?! Or what the countless others who've gone before him?! Of the disasters, wars, and deaths they all caused before getting brought down!"

"It seems my judgment isn't the only one in question, Alastor," Dumbledore said, quite sternly as his eyes lost what little was left of their usual twinkle. "If he was truly what you claimed, he wouldn't have come to us. He wouldn't continue abiding the Statute of Secrecy. And he most assuredly wouldn't have spared the life the Witch who'd been making his own life miserable."

"No, he only made her an invalid," Moody countered. Then he quietly muttered, most likely to himself, "Though she does deserve far worse than that."

As the two entered into a silent contest of wills, staring sternly at one another as they waited for the other break down, Tonks sidled up next to Remus. Lightly grasping his arm, her heart fluttering ever-so-slightly at her boldness and seeing him turn his attention to her. Having gained his attention, she released his arm, leaned over, and quietly asked, "Which Death Eater are they arguing over this time?"

To her surprise and slight confusion, Remus just snorted in annoyed amusement. "Not a Death Eater this time. It's Harry."

Despite herself, Tonks found her interest in the subject heightened considerably. She had not been present at the time, enjoying one of her few days off, when the fiasco at Hogwarts had taken place. She didn't know entirely what had happened there. This was due to Fudge having strictly forbidden any of the gathered Aurors from speaking about what had taken place there that day. Of course, much like at Hogwarts, the rumor mill inside the Ministry was very quick to jump to conclusions. Tonks had heard no less that nine different versions of 'what had actually happened', but there were five pieces of information that each of those rumors had in common. That Harry had discovered or learned a forbidden branch of magic, he used what he'd learned to defeat over two dozen fully trained and experienced Aurors, cut off Umbridge's right hand with some kind of strange new weapon which also had some kind of strange side effect in that her hand couldn't be replaced, that he'd fled Hogwarts shortly afterwards, and now was preparing to start his own crusade of darkness to destroy the Ministry of Magic.

Tonks rather liked Harry. He was a quiet but compassionate boy, maybe a bit too serious for his age, but he truly desired to help protect people from Voldemort and his marshaling army. Thus, she had a very hard time believing that he had set out on a quest to become the next Dark Lord. In fact, she didn't believe it at all. But that didn't mean that Harry hadn't found some forbidden magic and learned it, probably while all the while not knowing it was forbidden due to his ignorance of Wizarding law, culture, and history.

"What happened? What did he do that's set Moody off?" Tonks asked, glancing back at the two Wizards as they had restarted their argument during her momentary distraction.

"Several things actually," Remus admittedly, smiling slightly as he closed his eyes and dropped his chin slightly in a nod. This response and action immediately drew her attention. She couldn't help but stare at his small smile with interest and delight, and no small amount of confusion. But one thing was for certain: that was the most genuine smile of happiness or pride that she'd ever seen on his face. To her eyes, it made him seem decades younger for just a few moments.

Quickly catching herself before he caught her staring, Tonks hummed in question. "Like what?"

"Well…" Remus trailed off, considering his choices. "The one that's clearly got Alastor angry is—"

The kitchen door opened and in walked a dark haired boy with vibrant green eyes that seemed to glow with a grand innate power. Perhaps it was her imagination, but Tonks could practically feel his presence wash over her like a soft, warm, and comforting breeze. It took her several long seconds to recognize him, the aura he was exuding was so drastically different—no, stronger—than it had been several months earlier. There was something about it that just drew her and everyone else's attentions to him for a split second.

"—he's here," Remus finished, unnecessarily.

Tonks kept her gaze focused on Harry as he entered the kitchen, not seeming concerned that he was interrupting several conversations and arguments. He was approaching her and Remus as he headed towards the pantry to get himself some food. But he paused in his journey as he drew up alongside Kingsley. Looking up at the powerfully-built black man, Harry gave him an awkward chuckle as he said, "Sorry about…earlier. But I figured it would've been better to pretend I didn't know you."

Kingsley nodded seriously, his gaze as calm and penetrating as Tonks had ever seen it. "I thought as much… But I was serious when I asked you to stop. That power—"

"—isn't going to corrupt me," Harry interrupted softly, a reassuring grin on his face. "I've got a grasp of it now. I know how to keep from sinking into darkness."

"And what's that?" Kingsley asked, quite curious and unknowingly voicing Tonks's own question.

"Anger, fear, aggression, the dark side are they," Harry said, smiling slightly. Despite herself, Tonks couldn't help but quirk her eyebrow at how he was speaking. It almost sounded like he was quoting a demented House-elf. "Quick to join in a fight, easily they flow. Beware of them."

"That's your secret?!" Moody demanded gruffly, speaking loudly enough that his voice easily carried and showed that he had been shamelessly listening in on Harry's conversation. Like herself, but who was counting? "You think just thinking of honey, roses, and Snitches will keep you safe in the midst of a bloodbath you've caused?!"

"No," Harry said, turning and glancing over towards Moody. "I think it'll keep me safe by always thinking happy and calm thoughts, not just in the middle of a fight." Before Moody could voice a response, Harry turned away and looked directly towards the fireplace. Curious to what drew his attention, Tonks glanced at the fireplace just in time to see the fire suddenly turn green and flare up, depositing a figure on the floor via the Floo. As Tonks and everyone was just starting to recognize the crouched figure as he began climbing back to his feet, Harry's happy, welcoming voice quickly called out, "Hello, Mr. Weasley."

"Harry?!" Arthur said, his head snapping to the side as he sought out the familiar voice. Upon spotting the boy, a relieved smile lit up the redhead's face as he quickly moved forward and swept the boy up in a brief hug. "It's good to see you! You've had Molly in a right state since you left Hogwarts. What've you been doing? Where were you?!"

"That is what I've called everyone here to discuss," Dumbledore said, speaking up from where he and Moody were standing. "Please be patient for a few more minutes, everyone. There are still a few more people who are a bit late in arriving."

As Harry got absorbed into a small conversation with Arthur, Tonks noticed a slight movement from the corner of her eye and looked over. Sirius had sidled up to Remus's other side and was quietly speaking into the man's ear. Normally, she wouldn't have paid that much mind. But it was the grin and almost knowing twinkle in his gaze that set her on edge as he glanced meaningfully at her. Remus also glanced at her for a moment before he looked back at Sirius and gave a mute nod of agreement, which only caused Sirius's grin to widen.

"What?" she demanded in a low tone of voice. She didn't like the way they were looking at her. It made her feel uncomfortable for some reason.

"Oh, we were just talking about how—" Sirius began before Remus's hand suddenly flew up and covered his mouth to shut him up.

"Nothing," Remus interrupted, a stern look on his face as he glared at his best friend. Seeing Sirius throw up his hands in mock-surrender, he lowered his hand as he looked back at her and mustered up a slight and obviously forced smile. "Nothing important, don't worry. Sirius was just making an inappropriate observation as usual."

"Hey!" Sirius whined, almost childishly.

"Oh, is that all?" she asked, feeling somewhat better. Sirius making immature and oftentimes vulgar statements and observations was sadly a common occurrence. Nothing to get angry over since there was nothing to be done about it.

Several minutes and numerous arrivals later, nearly the entire Order of the Phoenix had been gathered. They took their seats around the kitchen table with Dumbledore seated at one end and Harry forced to sit at the other. Aside from Moody, Tonks could see that most of the Order Wizards seemed to be both confused at Harry's presence and even a bit on edge because of it. She herself was more confused than alarmed, but that didn't stop the mounting tension in the room from starting to affect her. In previous meetings of equal or greater amounts of tension, she'd often find herself seeking reassurance from Dumbledore's unflappable calm or Remus's stern no-nonsense mentality. But this time, her eyes kept gravitating to the youngest present and those strange almost-glowing green eyes he now seemed to possess. It was like he was both the calm eye of the storm and a wild bucking bronco just waiting to be released. Though strange, the bizarre combination helped settle and interest her all the more.

"Now then," Dumbledore said once everyone had arrived and taken their seats. "We all know why we're here, so let's skip the formalities. Harry, if you'd be so kind, could you please fill us all in on what you've been up to recently? How this all started and why?"

"And one good reason why we shouldn't bring you straight to the ICW right now!" Moody growled lowly as he continued to glare at the young Wizard.

Harry merely nodded as he stood up. Reaching to his belt, he unclipped something there that Tonks hadn't noticed before. It looked like some kind of sword hilt, though she could faintly glimpse a glowing blue gem inside between the leather handgrips. As he held the object up, a small teasing grin crossed his face as he let go of it and, impossibly, levitated the hilt so that it was slowly spinning and turning just above his palm. This display of wandless magic drew startled and awed gasps from nearly all of the gathered Witches and Wizards. Only the most powerful, experienced, and skilled Wizards could hope to use wandless magic, and even then it was well known that it required a great deal of concentration to pull off even the most basic of spells. Thus, Harry had every right to look somewhat proud of himself as he began his story of building that strange device and how he'd used it to save his and his cousin's souls from the Dementor attacks. The Order had been quite excited to hear that the weapon could somehow kill Dementors.

However, things took a sharp turn for the worse when he reached the part of finding the journal of Sir Henry Morgan. Though he made it quite clear that he hadn't known Morgan's history as a vicious Dark Wizard of immense strength, his revelation of Morgan being a secret Sorcerer had left the Order reeling. It was no secret that following his 'death' and burial in 1688 (which Muggles were still fruitlessly searching for), he had begun a career of increasingly Dark machinations. Though he had never demonstrated any overt powers, it had become widely accepted that he'd learnt some kind of rituals or new magic during his time in the Caribbean. And this was what had contributed to his infamy in the Wizarding World. When the newly-organized ICW of the time had grown tired of him and his attempts to seize total power, he had become involved in a battle the likes of which not even Dumbledore or Voldemort had ever been credited with, battling against a vast army of 50,000 Aurors gathered from across Europe and nearly defeating them all before succumbing to sheer exhaustion.

So, when they realized that Harry had taken Morgan's journal and was studying his magic, the Order was quite justifiably alarmed. And that alarm quickly morphed in anger and fear when Harry decided to stop dancing around the issue and outright stated that he'd learned Sorcery. Though most of the Order had started speaking out, Tonks couldn't quite make out what any of them were saying thanks to the din. She simply sat back and watched everything take place as she tried to understand her own feelings. What she found was that she wasn't all that concerned. Though Sorcery was known to be a mighty and Dark Art, she could clearly see no such corruption in Harry. She also realized that she could now easily guess what had actually happened at Hogwarts and why. Fudge, probably from Umbridge, had learned and about Harry's Sorcery and had jumped at the chance to arrest him. But Harry had obviously fought back and escaped.

A loud blast of noise from Dumbledore quickly brought the Order back to silence and Harry was allowed to resume his story. If Harry's revelation of Sorcery had been alarming, his next act of helping the Werewolves by 'cleansing' them of the darkness of their Curse had been outright terrifying in its implications. And the proof of Harry's deed was demonstrated by Remus as he shifted into his Werewolf form with no apparent pain or a full moon in sight. The sight of Remus doing this suddenly caused Tonks to understand exactly why he always seemed to be in such a good mood lately. With the threat of his Curse looming over his head for all his life, the ability to suddenly be able to freely control it had must've sent the man into a permanent euphoria-high. And it was all thanks to Harry, whose sole mission in life seemed to be to break the rules and norms of society just to explore the otherwise unconsidered options that lie behind them.

"So that's what's caused the sudden change," Shacklebolt said after the resulting chaos had to be forcefully silenced by Dumbledore again. Noticing that he'd gained the Order's attention, he quickly clarified, "It has been noticed by several officials of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures that the Werewolves have been in a rather festive mood for several weeks and have been pushing the boundaries of their restrictions quite freely. I think that the DMLE will probably soon be sent to reel them in if they keep pushing."

"I'll leave immediately," Remus said, a narrowed gaze of anger coming to his face now that he was again in his human form. "Try to tell them to start restraining themselves somewhat."

Moody snorted disconcertedly from where he sat. "The last thing the Ministry needs is to going beast hunting when they should be out hunting Dark Wizards." The glare leveled on Harry spoke volumes of who exactly the Ministry should be searching for. Though, to his credit, Harry met his heated gaze with a solemn expression.

"Maybe if the Ministry would employ the Werewolves, let them get jobs and earn a living like any normal person wants, they wouldn't be as willing to jump to the first Dark Lord's call that promises them better treatment?" Harry said quietly, though his voice was still heard by many at the table.

"Maybe if the Werewolves weren't contagious bloodthirsty beasts, they might consider the possibility," Emmeline Vance said, Tonks quickly noticed that she was refusing to look Harry in the eye.

"They're not," Harry said. "Not anymore."

"Is there anything else you'd like to share with the Order, Harry?" Dumbledore asked, speaking over Emmeline's response and quickly silencing her. "Or is there anything that anyone wishes to ask Harry before he leaves this meeting?"

"That weapon," Moody said immediately. "How did you make it? And did you leave any designs behind that others could find and use?"

Before he answered, Harry paused and considered something. Whatever he seemed to realize caused his expression to change to surprise and slight anger. Quickly shaking his head, he answered, "I made it by combining basic Muggle technologies and magic runes, potions, and charms together. I doubt your average Wizard will be able to ever recreate it on their own, not unless they're willing to get help from a Muggle who knows electronics."

"And the rest of it, Potter?" Moody pressed relentlessly. "Where are the designs? I know you've made some, just by your reactions."

Harry nodded slightly, looking rather unhappy with himself. "I did. I—I think I might've left them at Hogwarts, with a few other things I probably shouldn't have." Seeing Moody quickly getting ready to burst in anger, he quickly added, "I was in hurry to get away after Umbridge interrogated me, and had a lot of other stuff on my mind!"

"That's no excuse, boy!" Moody snapped heatedly. "If those designs fall into the hands of a Death Eater—"

"Nothing will come of it," Harry interrupted. "Like I said, technology plays a large role in the design and function. And I strongly doubt that the Death Eaters will ever ask or want help from a Muggle! In fact, I'll bet that as soon as Voldemort finds out about the technology, he'll say something about the weapon being an abomination to all magic or something!"

"That is actually quite a realistic possibility, Mr. Potter," Dumbledore agreed, his eyes twinkling slightly in relief.

"Wait a moment," Moody gruffly said, his gaze narrowing. "You said there were 'other things' you left behind. Like what?"

Now Harry definitely had an uncomfortable expression and posture about him, looking every bit his age as though he was preparing himself for getting reprimanded. After only a moment, he marshaled his courage and finally spoke out. "To become a Sorcerer, one needs to drink a special potion that…enacts certain changes in the body. I might've also left behind a couple of vials of this potion as well." There was a moment of silence in the kitchen as the various members of the Order took in the ramifications of what Harry had just admitted. But that wasn't even the worst of it. "And about a week ago, I…sensed the awakening of three more Sorcerers up in Hogwarts."

The Order quickly exploded into loud cries of distress and conversations with one another. If the Ministry had such a difficult time dealing with one relatively inexperienced Sorcerer, how were they going to handle four?! That was the general theme of the questions and conversations taking place.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ANYONE ELSE ABOUT THIS SOONER?!" Moody roared, looking like he was hair's breath away from cursing the Potter boy.

"Because I've been trying to scry out who these new Sorcerers are," Harry said, once again regaining his composure. "But the wards around Hogwarts have been blocking my sight or something. And I didn't know who to tell since Professor Dumbledore hasn't been here for several days and Hedwig couldn't find him. And if I'd told the Ministry, they'd either not believe me or do something stupid again." Despite themselves, most of the Order were nodding their heads in agreement with the Ministry's stupidity.

"Well then," Tonks said, finally speaking up. "I guess there's only one thing to do now: go to Hogwarts, find these Sorcerers, and get back everything you left behind."

"A topic we shall discuss shortly," Dumbledore interrupted before anyone could speak for or against her recommendation. "For now, I have one question for you, Harry. Could you still be able to make another of those…weapons without those designs?"

"Definitely," Harry said quickly and confidently. "But why?"

"Strategy, my boy," Dumbledore said, smiling slightly. "They are clearly a versatile and powerful weapon that no one knows how to fight against. And, should our predictions come true, Voldemort will deny his Death Eaters the chance to build their own, even if they did swallow their pride. Should the Order have access and suitable training with these weapons, we'd have a strong ace to use against them when the time comes."

"With all due respect, Professor," Harry said. "I don't think that most Wizards will be able to adapt to them very quickly or easily. They are accustomed to mid- to long-range combat, where these are short-range weapons. You'd have to learn an entirely new style of fighting from scratch. And frankly, without my Sorcery, I'm still little more than a novice with it as well."

"All in due time, Harry," Dumbledore said, nodding and waving his hand slightly in dismissal. "I wasn't expecting you or anyone else to become masters of the blade overnight." Despite his clear reluctance, Harry just nodded at the elderly Wizard's point. Turning his attention to the gathered Order, he asked, "Are there any volunteers for who'd like to try making and training with their own of Harry's weapons?"

"I will!" Tonks chirped eagerly, raising her hand almost childishly with a slight grin.

"I would like to watch and study the process, if that's alright?" Arthur said, looking eagerly over towards Harry, who just nodded with a slight smile.

"Very well then," Dumbledore said when no one else offered. "I believe that concludes the first part of this meeting. Harry, I do believe your cousin is still awaiting his breakfast. Would you be so kind to bring it to him?"

With just a quick glance around the table and clearly sensing the turbulent emotions and mounting tension from the Order members, Harry just nodded. He quietly grabbed a pre-made meal from the pantry and left the kitchen. As he did, Tonks once again felt that strange sensation of a warm, comforting breeze. But this time, she felt it as if it had been swept aside by a cold wave of tension and fear. It sent chills up her spine and caused goose bumps to erupt across her flesh momentarily. Despite herself, she found herself almost longing for the return of that comforting warmth. Was this perhaps a side effect of Harry now being a Sorcerer?

Even as the Order's meeting began anew, shifting to other topics like the ones that Harry had illuminated, Tonks's mind was still only half present as she dwelt on the strange changes and occurrences that had happened to and around the Potter boy.

-o-

Malfoy Manor
Later that night…

Voldemort sat in the library of the vaulted Malfoy Manor, enjoying the starry night sky that he could glimpse through the trees and clouds above. It was a quiet but cold night, one that proved that summer had truly ended and winter was well on its way. Voldemort had always enjoyed winter. It was the time of year in which everything seemed to die and only the truly strong could survive its harsh climate. With the magical fire crackling in the hearth, giving the room a soft, warm glow, it further illustrated the deepening darkness as night set in.

The Dark Lord was quietly contemplating what his next move would be. He still had several things he wanted to do, but he wasn't sure which held the greater importance, especially now. The first thing he needed to do was to get back the majority of his truly loyal underlings to accelerate the power and size of his army. That meant breaking into Azkaban, a simple feat for one of his immense power and cunning. But just the same, it'd also clue in the fools of the Ministry that there was movement under surface that was causing such turbulent ripples to appear. Another thing he wanted to do was to acquire that accursed prophecy he'd only partially heard all those years ago and finally listen to it in its entirety. And this particular issue tied in directly to the third thing he needed to accomplish, which was finding and disposing of that Potter brat once and for all. Something had changed over the summer, the boy was showing the signs of becoming a legitimate threat instead of the youthful thorn in his side that he had been previously. The boy had created a strange new weapon that possessed largely unknown powers and abilities, and it was rumored that he had even become an illegal Sorcerer.

Though he found that to be somewhat ironically amusing, there was some solid evidence to the validity of those rumors. Namely, the news that that worthless beast Greyback had brought to his attention. The Werewolf Packs, who had been tittering on the edge of joining his forces or remaining neutral, had finally declared their intentions. Though ignorant of his true identity at the time, Greyback had informed him of how a young 'Sorcerer' had been invited to The Gathering and seduced the Packs to his side. The coincidence of this couldn't have come at a worse time. Voldemort had given Greyback clear instructions of what to do at that Gathering: collect the different Alphas, insult the one who was most resolute against allying with the Dark Lord, and then promptly use the inevitable fight that followed as a means of executing the remaining Alphas. With the Alphas deaths under his belt, Greyback would've assumed total and uncontested control over all of the Werewolves of Britain. And thus Voldemort would've gained his Werewolf army in one fell swoop. Sadly and obviously, the plan never had a chance to even be put into motion. The Sorcerer had quickly seized control of The Gathering and Greyback had had to make a fast retreat with his tail between his legs. Though he still had Greyback and about fifty of his hardcore Werewolf followers, the rest of his Pack had abandoned him without second thoughts for the promise of a previously-improbable cure.

Needless to say, Voldemort knew that he needed to draw out Potter, and quickly. The boy showed an absolutely mind-boggling natural talent and skill for the Sorcerous Arts, from what little he could glimpse from the fragmented stolen memories of various Aurors and Greyback himself. If he was allowed to continue this rate of progress, Voldemort feared the boy might be able to meet him face to face in a battle of pure magical power as true equals in less than two years. And that was something that he just could not allow! He needed an edge, some kind of advantage over the boy, and he hoped that the prophecy would be exactly that. However, the boy had simply vanished after gaining the Werewolf Packs' allegiance. Neither the Ministry nor his other underlings or underworld contacts had any idea of where he was. Wherever the boy was now, it was clearly a very well hidden and extremely-powerfully protected location, probably one of Dumbledore's safe houses.

A soft, hesitant knocking on the library's door pulled the elderly creature from his musings. He raised his wand slightly and opened the door slowly, enjoying how the hinges squeaked faintly and helped create a level of ominous tension. Even with him seated in a high-backed chair that was facing away from the entrance, he could feel the mounting fear and unease of the individual who'd dared interrupt his scheming.

"I asked not to be disturbed, Lucius," Voldemort hissed out, his voice scarcely over a whisper in volume but carrying that underlining promise of torture and death that he so loved. The fact that he stressed out the word 'asked' (something he never does) only helped illustrate the already obvious point that he was very displeased at the moment.

"My apologies, my Lord," Lucius quickly uttered, doing a respectable job of hiding the fear in his voice. "But I just received some very illuminating information from my son at Hogwarts. About the Potter boy and that weapon that has the Minister panicking so much."

Blinking in surprise, a serpentine smile crossed Voldemort's face. With a simple application of his magic, he gently and silently spun his chair around so that he could face the Malfoy patriarch properly. He saw that Lucius had a letter and several folded pieces of parchment in his hand, which he quickly held up in offering to his lord. With a simple flex of his magic and will, Voldemort yanked the parchment from his underling's hands without even a twitch of his wand. This casual display of power and control was something he always used to flaunt his superiority over his minions, to constantly remind them of their inferiority to him.

Reading over the Malfoy boy's letter, most assuredly sent to the Manor through a mild use of bribery, it merely confirmed what Voldemort already knew. That Potter had become a Sorcerer and had gone on the run after vowing to kill the Dark Lord, which caused Voldemort to sneer reflexively. As if he could! But then things started to get interesting as the boy described an encounter he had with Potter's two minions. The boy had noticed that Potter had been spotted an unusual amount of times sneaking about the dungeons with them. So the boy had placed tracking charms on them, following them into a warded room that had clearly been a secret research chamber. In there, he found the plans and blueprints of Potter's weapon, a weapon he'd named a 'lightsaber'. In this instance, Voldemort easily agreed with Malfoy boy that the name was quite boring, if appropriate.

Then, the boy requested his father bring the blueprints to the Dark Lord. Having seen the weapon in action, he claimed that if the Death Eaters had access to it, they'd have an unbeatable edge over the Ministry when they decided to reveal themselves. It was an interesting thought, Voldemort admitted to himself. While he needed to know the secret of the prophecy in its entirety, a weapon that was more widespread among his minions and was as powerful and unknown as what Potter had created would likely go a long way to accelerating the war effort in his favor.

Setting aside the letter, he eagerly skimmed over the blueprints. The first page was a recipe of some kind. Looking over the ingredients, he frowned as he pieced together what would happen. As a potion master of unrivaled talent, second to none, he easily assembled the potion in his mind's eye and found that he couldn't understand its purpose. All those ingredients were quite powerful, but in these mixtures they required a large and constant portion of the brewer's own magic just to stir and blend into a semi-flaccid form. Depending on the strength of the brewer's magic, it could take anywhere from an hour or two before the ingredients inevitably solidified. And then there was the note at the bottom of the recipe to Vanish potion when this happened. Why brew a 'potion' that was so obviously flawed, only to Vanish it once it had finished? What was this potion even for?!

Setting aside the potion recipe, he found what he'd been looking for. The cutaway drawing of the weapon was poorly drawn, obviously done by an inexperienced artist. There were little annotations along the edges, highlighting important pieces and parts that were required in the design for it to work. In this highlighted sections, he found a small potion chamber in the upper third and some kind of focusing chamber that looked like it needed a small stone or gem to be placed in it. Frowning as he skimmed over the design, Voldemort flipped the page over, wondering if there was some kind of assembly list on it, which thankfully there was. Reading over the list briefly, his eyes widened in surprise before narrowing in anger, flipping back over to the design and glaring carefully down at the weapon in much closer examination.

"My lord?" Lucius asked timidly, clearly seeing the mounting rage in his master's face.

Standing up abruptly, the pieces of parchment burst into flame and rapidly disintegrated as the Dark Lord turned to the man. "THIS WEAPON IS AN ABOMINATION! It uses Muggle technology to work! I forbid the use of this weapon, under any circumstance! If any such weapon as this is ever built, it is to be destroyed and the user killed or imprisoned for life! This is my final word! No Wizard will ever use a lightsaber!"

"Yes, my lord!" Lucius quickly and easily agreed, keeping his head down and his posture utterly submissive. "I'll inform the others right away and have a talk with my son!"

Voldemort promptly slammed the library door shut. His mood had been irreparably darkened for the rest of the week as he tried to foresee the implications of the Potter boy using this weapon against him on an active basis.

(Author's Note) ...Wow. That is all I can say in regards to the overwhelming negativity I received in reviews for the previous chapter. I think I can honestly say that I've not received such a response to a chapter since Ch20 of my Legacy 1 story way back in the day. In truth, it was a little disheartening (part of why this chapter came out so late). But at the same time, I can't help but shake my head at those reviews. I have this story planned out, in-depth. And while you may not understand or like what happens, it's there for a reason! Honestly, I'd have thought that you guys (you know who you are!) would have more faith in me! And this is my official response to all those hate!reviews I got.

Now that that's out of the way, I hope I did this chapter justice. I admit that I was kinda writing it by the seat of my pants, quite unsure if I was portraying the respective characters properly. If I made a mistake, please tell me and I'll try to correct or explain it at a later date.

After this chapter, things start to escalate. This is the end of the beginning.