Hey everyone,
Well, the waiting for KH3 is over and it was SOOOOOOOOOOOO WORTH IT! As most of you have probably been able to tell as I gave To Read And To View a complete one-over and edited the entire thing, adding stuff and deleting a few dumb mistakes I made over the years. I plan to do the same for this story sometime next month, so I hope that excites you all. Still, I can't help myself; I need to stress this. In regards to the poll, please vote for FOUR GROUPS!
Thanks in advance,
Venquine1990
Chapter 49
He Tripped
15th of August 1995
Potter Place
Sora's POV
"Hey Luna, I've got a question – about the reading." I tell the nice and yet also slightly flighty blonde, who smiles at me with a tilt of her head, inspiring me to go on: "Well, you said that we have to keep reading no matter what. But does that mean that, throughout the entire reading, everyone needs to be constantly present?" The girl shakes her head and I ask:
"So say we read one chapter where Harry and I would rather go through some brotherly bonding. Would that be okay?" The girl nods and says: "Sure, though the winds will tell me if there are chapters where the core group will have to be present. You know, Harry, his closest friends and his family." I nod at her and say: "That's fine. Thanks for explaining this."
"Do you have any particular reason behind asking, Sora?" Riku asks with a grin and I say: "Yeah, I know that you and mum are going to start Harry's training, but I thought it might help him if I went along, so I can use the room to create memories of Heartless that will be easy for him to beat. You know, so he'll have something to vent his anger on without having to feel guilty about burdening others with it later, like he usually does." And I smirk at my little brother knowingly afterwards, making him rub the back of his head.
"That sounds like a fine idea, Sora, come on. Luna, I'll be right back. I'm just going to teach my kids and Riku how to use the room, okay?" The girl nods and then Even says: "And in the meantime, I'm sure Dilan and Aeleus can give our new friends an example of their ability to guard and protect." At which both aforementioned men nod, making me smile as we leave.
Mum then leads us back inside and while the manor has a lot of flat roofs, does mum seem to lead us to one of the only towers that it has; one I never even knew was there as the room itself seems to be in the very center top of the building. "Like the arena is the setting of this room very important. By being in the center, it can gather and direct all of the magic going through the building.
It gathers it together when one needs to use the room and moves it back down into the rest of the house when the use is done. And usually, that's not even needed as the illusion takes so little magic, the room itself can provide the illusion." Mum explains us before motioning for a panel that is set next to the door. "This is one of the ways you can activate the illusion.
The other is through the center of the room. Most of us rather use this one, but that's because, if you use the one in the center, you'll instantly be shown the memory that you create within the room. Though that one does give you more control over how much of the memory you want to put into the room." At this I notice Harry looking contemplative and mum puts a hand on his shoulder as he says: "The choice is yours. Do what you feel is best."
At this Harry sighs and mutters: "I've been seeing the worst of that memory in my nightmares for so long, I – I need to take a good look at the whole thing once again. To – to have closure." Mum frowns, but nods, proving he trusts my brother's judgment, yet at the same time I can't help but think: "And once he's done, I'm going to give him a Heartless boss to really let loose on."
Harry then moves to the inside of the room, yet he keeps the door open for which I feel grateful. "Just go stand in the center, Harry. Then close your eyes and focus on the magic you will be able to feel underneath you and the memory you want it to take in. The room will do the rest." Mum explains and I strongly state: "And remember, we're right here." Making my brother smile at me.
He then turns back and closes his eyes. And instantly I see the empty room, that is made of nothing but wooden boards that start at the center of the room on the floor and go up the walls, which actually don't have any windows, into the ceiling, where I spot a gem that seems to glow with flowing energy, the energy flowing in and out in like water, change.
The whole room turns darker and the ceiling turns into a dark night sky, while the floor suddenly gets littered with graves, which really shocks and concerns me. Harry himself still seems busy putting the memory into the room and then suddenly a new version of him as well as someone else who looks slightly older appear out of nowhere. "Port key travel. Must be that cup."
Mum mutters as he sees this and then Riku spots something, me turning to him first and then looking in the direction he is. I spot a short and stout looking man, who is actually an adult though he looks smaller than the other teen, drag a cauldron towards the duo. I then notice that Harry is also looking at the scene and the look in his eyes breaks my heart.
A look of intense longing and pain is shining in his eyes, the longing to understand and accept what is currently being shown to us, but also grief and pain over what he is about to see. This makes me really want to rush over and embrace the boy, but Riku stretches his arm out to prevent me. I grip his arm instead and the boy sends me a guilty look, but I nod at him to show I understand.
I then hear Harry gasp just as two words seem to leave the older man's mouth that also make mum cringe in fear. I look up and see the other teen fall to a harsh green light that hits him straight in the chest and sends him flying for a few miles before he lands – and doesn't get back up, a look of shocked horror frozen on his face. Instantly my own heart freezes as I realize something.
"He – he – he's dead." I whisper, but then hear Harry whisper tearfully: "He – he – he tripped. He tripped. He got hit only because he tripped. He – he thought – thought that – that Voldemort meant me as the spare. He – he tried to – to push me out of the spell's range and – and tripped and – got hit instead. He – he tripped." And the fact that he keeps emphasizing this astounds me.
I then notice that Riku has retracted his arm and I instantly react to this by dashing over to my younger sibling, pulling his smaller form into a strong, comforting embrace and gently guiding him back into the room, not really understanding why the magic of the room seems to replay the memory until I see that mum has his hand on the panel next to the door, a look of intense focus on his face.
The memory replays itself again as I guide Harry out and away from the open door, Harry actually still muttering those two words before he suddenly lets out a cry: "IT WASN'T MY FAULT! HE TRIPPED!" And the sense of intense relief that almost comes off of him makes me choke up and blink back a few tears of my own, not even sure why they came up in the first place.
Harry falls down, sagging through his own legs and starts to cry, yet I can instantly tell that they're not tears of pain or hurt; they're tears of the intense relief my brother feels over finally having found the one thing that can give him closure. "It wasn't my fault. He wanted to help me and he just accidentally tripped! Pettigrew would've missed him if not for that branch sticking out. How did I miss that?"
My brother then asks himself, only for mum to answer: "You missed it, because you were in too much pain yourself. Your scar was clearly causing you intense pain. I could tell." And with that does the man close the door and move over to us, crouching down in front of Harry and putting a comforting hand on his shoulder as he whispers: "I already knew it wasn't your fault – and now you know it too. I'm proud of you, little one."
Instantly Harry wraps his arms tightly around mum's neck and whispers it again: "It wasn't my fault. I told him to take the cup, but that meant nothing. He only died because of a dumb branch. Because he tripped. And – and – oh Merlin, why have I been beating myself up over this? That branch saved him. If he had lived, Voldemort would have tortured him just to see me suffer."
And while I feel horrified that anyone would be like that, does mum nod and whisper: "He died painlessly and due to nothing more than the environment and the situation working against the both of you. And I'm willing to bet, little one, that if he hadn't taken your offer, the Task he was in would have caused him a lot of damage. Maybe not deadly, but –."
But then Harry shakes his head and says: "I – I should have thought of this ages ago. Crouch – Crouch Junior. He – he was responsible for it all, especially the Port Key. He would have known that Cedric saw me disappear and would have killed him, would have made it look like the maze did it. He would have done everything in his power to keep his master's return a secret as that is what Voldemort wanted, what he had planned.
To resurrect himself using my blood, make me suffer for his loss all those years ago and then make an example out of me to his followers before he would go along with the same plan as the one he's been following in the book; gathering followers and support from the shadows and strike when his forces are at their strongest. Whether through the maze or the graveyard; Cedric would've died.
It was never my fault." And the way that he states these five words makes me feel more relief than I ever felt before. "I don't know how you do it, Sora, but you're really getting better." Riku suddenly whispers and I whisper back: "Better at what?""Connecting your heart with others. You're actually feeling Harry's relief, his sense of closure. I can tell by the look on your face."
I put a hand on my heart at this, shocked yet touched that I am actually this close to my little brother and then happily crouch down myself, mum instantly pulling me into the hug as well and Harry clinging to my form as he whispers: "It – it wasn't my – it wasn't my fault." And because I know this means so much to him, do I whisper: "No, he tripped." Making Harry let out a joyous laugh, sheer relief sounding through his voice.
"None of us ever blamed you, Harry. You were only blaming yourself. Still, I know how that feels, so I know better than anyone that no one would have ever been able to convince you of that, not until you were willing to believe it yourself." Riku gently tells my brother before he smirks and crosses his arms as he says: "And besides, you willingly did so a lot faster than I did."
Harry lets out another laugh at this and then I notice Riku softly breathing in through his nose, obviously trying to sniff out the darkness controlling my brother's emotions without making it too obvious and the look he sends me makes me feel even better. The darkness in my brother's heart, even now that the connection between him and Voldemort is broken, has lessened greatly.
I smile at my mate and then turn back to my mum as I say: "You go back to the others to read the book. I got a good idea on the controls of the room now, so I'll make sure that Harry has some Heartless that he get slay to calm down those raging emotions of his. And then Riku will start with the lessons. Once Harry has the basics of those under control, we'll come back to the Arena."
"You okay with that, Harry?" Mum asks and my little brother gives a small, but confident nod and says: "I've gotten my closure. Now I need to let go off all the pain that is still in my heart, before it consumes me. To be honest, now that I know that the whole thing was an accident and realize what Crouch could have done to Cedric if he'd stay behind, I feel furious."
Dad nods and mutters: "Empathic Veela, especially teen Veela, do lose control of either their anger or their sadness a lot easier than other MC's. It's one of the reasons every Ancient Family that's had an MC in their line has a room like ours. Not – all working the same like ours, but with the same goal. Alright, just – promise me you'll be careful. And come back once you're ready."
We all nod at the man, who gives Harry and me another warm hug before standing up. And while it's quite obvious that the look he gives Riku tells my mate to keep an eye on us, to which Riku nods, do I just smile as the man leaves and Harry asks: "What do you have in mind, Sora?" At which I shrug and say: "Just the first Heartless boss I ever went up against. He's made of multiple parts, so you'll have to take a while before you can take him down.
Should give you enough time to vent your frustrations over that branch and that bastard Junior." Both my little brother and my mate smile at this and Riku says: "Well then, get to it, Sora." I nod at him and while he helps Harry up and puts a reassuring hand on the boy's shoulder as I move back to where the door is and put my hand on the panel on the wall beside it.
I look inside the room and spot it changing again, this time turning into Traverse's Town's Third District. Yet then I remember something and frown, pulling my hand off of the panel just in time as a small set of blocks are strutting out of the ground right in front of the doorway. "Right, when I fought that boss, every exit had been blocked by these huge blocks. Good thing I remembered that."
I mutter and then turn to Harry as I say: "I'll show you how to fight one of the parts and then it's your turn, okay little brother?" But then Harry asks: "Can we – can we fight it – together?" And I nod, remembering that I asked Luna the questions I did because that is exactly what I wanted to get out of this whole thing. "Just give me a few minutes to show you how to fight it."
Harry and Riku nod and I move into the room, jumping over the small block on the floor and into the Third District representation. And once I reach the center of the room, does it take only a single step onto the center tile before the memory restarts. Yet to my relief do the blocks now grow in size, even though the Guard Armor does fall out of the sky.
I summon my Keyblade and shout: "Remember, keep a close eye on how I do it. Once I take out one of the arms, you can come join me, okay?" And I hear Riku shout back: "Got it!" And Harry shout: "Be careful." But because I know that, even with three years of peace, I am still around the same level as I was at when beating Ursula on my first journey, do I easily avoid the rotating arms, jump up when the feet try to slam into the ground and fight off one of the arms.
Yet at the same time do I make sure to only use the most basic forms of my magic, knowing that Harry is far from ready to use the more advanced forms – even if Riku is as I'm pretty sure he's a few levels above me – and after a few more strikes does one of the arms dissipate, me quickly using dodge roll to gather up the green orbs of health that fall from its form.
"Wait, what are those?" Harry asks and I cringe as I forgot to explain what can happen when you beat Heartless. "We'll explain later. Get ready and remember that we're stronger and better equipped. So it will take more strikes from your Keyblade than from ours to take these parts out." Harry nods and the two of them jump over the boulder and join me as I block a few attacks.
"You just focus on one of the arms or the legs. We'll keep the body away. That one has double the health the rest of the parts do." I quickly tell my little brother and Riku says: "Just imagine whichever part you pick to be that branch you saw Cedric fall over." And instantly I can tell that this has a strong effect on Harry as he starts to glare at one of the legs.
And while this worries me a little, do we start the battle. And to my amazement does Harry hardly need our help in keeping the body of the Guard Armor at bay as he manages to dodge and dive out of the way with a level of experience that I instantly realize comes from all the times he dived on a broom during Quidditch matches or training.
This makes me smile in pride and after a couple of blasts of several elemental attacks do Riku and I manage to take out the leg that Harry isn't focused on as well as the torso. Yet then Riku stretches his arm out again and mutters: "Leave the rest to Harry. He needs it. We'll just cast magic in case he needs it." I nod at him, knowing that, even with his small level of experience, Harry will be able to handle a boss like this one.
And my brother actually making quick work of both the leg he was focused on as well as the other arm. And while during my last fight I only needed to destroy the body for the whole thing to collapse on itself, does Harry gasp when a crystalized heart escapes from the vanishing leg he struck down. "What – what did I –?" He asks, actually sounding heartbroken.
I wince again and instantly rush for him, putting a consoling hand on his shoulder and say: "Harry, the Heartless are nothing more than Hearts that have been lost to Darkness. Destroying them releases the hearts, allowing for them to either be reformed as new Heartless or – if you also manage to destroy the Nobody – recomplete the person who lost his or her heart to Darkness. And remember, Harry, this Heartless was only a part of my memory.
It's been destroyed years ago – or at least one year ago if we count from the current date. And because the Heartless was so strong, do I feel confident that I also already took care of its Nobody, so whoever he was, I'm sure he's been recompleted again." At this Harry sighs in relief and he asks: "So, I'm not hurting anyone doing this?" I shake my head and Riku says:
"If anything, defeating the Heartless and Nobodies helps bring balance to Light and Darkness. Not to mention that this room works kind of like Castle Oblivion. You're really just going to illusions created by your brother's memories." And I groan: "Yeah, the only difference is that you don't forget everything you did by the time you leave.
You don't want to know, little brother. To be honest, I never got the whole story about what happened in there myself and – I kind of don't want to either. I know Riku and the others are keeping most of it secret because they know this about me and I'm grateful for that. They know I don't want to know, so they don't tell me stuff I don't want to know anyway." Yet then I start rubbing the back of my head and ask: "Wait, does that even make sense?" And my brother and mate laugh.
Good one, Sora.
So yeah, writing this chapter was A LOT OF FUN! Especially the fact that I decided to write it from Sora's point of view. I probably could have done Harry's, but I just didn't feel like it and wanted to put Sora in a bit of a teacher/older brother's role. Also, the whole thing with the branch was just my way of wanting to give Harry a unique way of closure. I meant NO disrespect to Cedric.
Next chapter: James returns to the arena to read his chapter. He also tells those close to Harry what he found out and Albus decides that, like Harry, Sora and Riku, he will leave the reading so he may bring this news to the people. And of course, James has the perfect way to help him with this – and help show the world that the Potter House is back in action.
This'll be fun,
Venquine1990
