Chapter 5: oh look a troll
Disclaimer: a statement used to save ones own ass. I do not own Harry potter or any other material referenced therein.
Willow was confused, standing on the very top of a massive white tower in the centre of an island city with a huge mountain nearby, which has a jagged smoking peak. It was raining and every drop to hit her skin made her believe that this place was real, but that couldn't be she had fallen asleep in Hogwarts had she not. It was close to Halloween she knew that, and every night since the second one at Hogwarts she had been having these realistic dreams. The thing is that she didn't know if they were her dreams or not, she knew the name of the city and the nearby mountain and some of the villages that grouped around the six huge bridges crossing the river. Standing right on the edge of the towers peak was Dazar, he stood there not moving as still as the stone gargoyles around Hogwarts. "This is Tar Valon, isn't it?" she asked out loud.
"Yes, something bad is going to happen. I can feel it, stay close to Hermione," said Dazar and suddenly he was gone flying off into the distance. There was a blur of movement and the world shifted. Willow found herself in the middle of a crowd at the edge of a large six-foot deep hole in the ground, a priest standing at its head. It was sunny and yet there was no warmth, the people all around her dressed in black some were crying. A slight shift and there was a coffin being lowered into the ground while the priest read aloud from a bible. Suddenly Dazar was beside her. "This is my memory, not something I wanted you to see," he said slowly looking at the young, blond-haired boy standing opposite them.
"T-that's you, h-how old were you," asked Willow stuttering as she looked at the boy. As the priest continued the boy merely looked down into the grave, the emotionless eyes following the coffins decent.
"Too young, as was my sister. At least I could understand, mum wasn't coming back," replied Dazar sadly. With his last words the world around them disappeared and the two stood in an inky black nothingness.
"Where are we now?" Willow asked looking around.
"This place is nothing, it's like a zero world between the dream world and reality. We are simply waking up," Dazar explained. With that Willow's eyes opened on a dark room, empty except for herself.
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During the Halloween feast Harry noticed that Hermione had not come back from running off after Ron had insulted her. As a matter of fact neither he nor Ron were talking at the moment after the shouting match that had occurred a little later. Ron didn't see what he had done was wrong, and Harry hated bullies after having grown up with his cousin. "Hey Harry have you seen Hermione?" Neville asked while reaching for a hot dog or two.
"Not since the argument with Ron no," replied Harry looking up the table to see if Dazar or Willow were there as they were friends with Hermione.
"I overheard Lavender and Parvati saying that Hermione was in the third floor toilets crying," said Dazar having quickly moving down to them. About ten minutes later (give or take) professor Quirrell ran screaming into the Great hall.
"Trolls in the dungeons, Trolls in the dungeons. Thought you needed to know," he yelled before falling forwards in a dead faint. (Supposed to fall backwards when fainting. And yes I said trolls, as in more than one). There was instant pandemonium the students all getting up and screaming, it took several loud blasts from Dumbledore's wand to get everyone's attention.
"Silence, Prefects will take you to your common rooms Teachers will follow me to the dungeons," he said. On the way out Harry remember something.
"Hermione and Willow, they don't know about the trolls," he said grabbing Neville and Dazar. Dodging up a hidden passage the three ran towards the third floor girls toilet. They burst into the toilet, Hermione was wiping her face getting rid of the tear tracks and Willow was leaning against the wall.
"What are you doing here?" she asked startled.
"Some fool let trolls into the castle, we need to go now!" replied Harry quickly. Dazar looked out the door and pulled his head back in a second later.
"Hermione describe a troll quickly," he said wide eyed.
"Big, dumb and ugly normally carries a club. Why?" she wondered.
"Oh, in that case we are in trouble, got to be at least three of them out there," Dazar said more to himself then in answer to Hermione's query.
"WHAT!!" shouted Willow, Harry and Neville at both the Trolls and Dazar's apparent non-concern.
"We need to go now, I can make us invisible temporally but it ripples when you move," said Dazar quickly and calmly.
"Do it," agreed Hermione, the others nodding. Suddenly they were all invisible and running down the corridor past the Trolls. Unfortunately as dumb as they are Trolls have a good sense of smell, and Willow was wearing strawberry perfume. One of them swung towards her with its club, a scream escaped her lips before she hit the wall with a thud.
"NO!" Dazar yelled, there was a pulse of energy and they were all visible again and he had a sword in hand. Harry looked back and saw the anger in Dazar eyes as he jumped towards the closest troll. Another pulse of energy and Harry fell unconscious but not before seeing a blood covered club land heavily on the ground.
# # # # #
Harry regained consciousness about half an hour later and gazed at the scene around him. The three Trolls remains lay around a bloody and tired Dazar who was leaning on a curved single bladed sword. Green Troll blood covered the floor and walls and the clubs one still attached to a trolls arm, the arm no longer connected to the body. He idly wondered where the Professors and the matron where, but noted the lack of the others. Harry looked down at his hand and found that he was still invisible, how? The others had become visible after that first pulse of energy, whatever that had been.
"Oh, Sorry Harry had to tie off the spell instead of holding it," Said Dazar without looking up. Harry looked down again and found himself visible.
"That's alright, were is everyone else? And what happened to the Trolls?" he asked slowly.
"The others are in the hospital wing, you and me were invisible when they got here, to much of my energy in the air for anyone to sense us. The trolls? They are dead that's about it," explained Dazar quickly.
"I'm gonna go see Hermione want some help getting to the Hospital wing?" asked Harry struggling up.
"No, I'll help you. Looks like my powering up reacted badly, injured you lot a bit," replied Dazar dropping the sword. He moved across grabbed Harry's shoulder and the pair disappeared, leaving the devastation behind.
# # # # # # #
Five minutes ago in the Hospital wing.
"I can believe anyone has that kind of power," said McGonagall to Dumbledore while they waited for Hermione and Neville to regain conciseness.
"You're not the only one Minerva, but I wonder were Harry and Dazar are," replied Dumbledore agreeing with her. There was a sudden popping sound and a pair of bloody people appeared and dropped to the ground. Their appearance startled Hermione enough to reveal that she was awake. Sitting up she easily identified the pair.
"HARRY!" she screamed jumping off the bed.
"Calm down Miss Granger, its not his blood," said Dumbledore while McGonagall went to get madam Pomfrey. Hermione fainted once again dead to the world.
# # # # # #
It was the sixth of November by the time Willow woke up but Dazar was still sleeping. She woke sat bolt upright in the hospital bed and screamed. Harry and Hermione were there in a second; they had been visiting Neville at the time who had broken his wrist when practicing flying. "Hey calm down, everything is ok," said Hermione grabbing Willows hand.
"Wha What happened? I remember you boys bursting into the toilet," Willow asked hesitantly.
"There was three trolls, one of them hit you and Dazar went berserk. That's about all we remember," answered Harry, not wanting to mention when he had seen upon waking in the corridor.
"That explains the stiff ribs, where is he then?" she replied looking around.
"According to Pomfrey he was just exhausted, but all that blood I'm not so sure. He is over there behind the curtain," said Hermione pointing down to the far end of the hospital wing.
"What! Blood? Let me see him NOW!!" demanded Willow starting to yell. The privacy curtain around Dazar twitched and was pulled open from the inside. Dazar came out limping on the right leg slightly, however he was smiling.
"No need to shout, are you ok?" he said limping up smiling slightly.
"I'm fine, but your leg? I'm so sorry," replied Willow tears forming in her eyes.
"Oh Willow, its ok its nothing, its not your fault. Besides my legs just numb feels like I slept on it," said Dazar softly wrapping her in a hug.
"Really?" she asked starting to cry.
"Yes, really," replied Dazar pulling her close and looking to Harry and Hermione asking with his eyes for them to leave. So leave they did.
"So what happened?" Willow asked through her tears grabbing hold of him.
"That is something I would like to know to, Miss Applegate," said Dumbledore who had come in unnoticed when Harry and Hermione had left.
"I don't remember much to be honest, sir. I remember Willow getting hit and releasing the invisibility weave, then standing surrounded by Troll remains," explained Dazar cautiously. He didn't want to explain in front of Willow what exactly he had done to the trolls, or the way it felt as he cut them apart with his blade. Not wanting to admit in front of her that he had enjoyed killing the stupid creatures even through his anger. Willow didn't notice his defensiveness but Dumbledore did.
"I see, have you any idea about what caused the two pulses of energy," asked Dumbledore.
"Energy pulses?" asked Willow looking up curiously.
"I er can draw in surrounding energy when needed, in my angry state I probably drew in too much and it expanded outwards when I hit the max energy level for the power level I was at. I think so anyway never tried to do it when powering up," explained Dazar.
"Powering up?" asked Dumbledore curiosity showing in his eyes, even Ellisande never delved into this much detail on her powers.
"Although some things like magical level stay the same it's not possible to maintain the same level of power all the time, or at least the maximum level. I stay at about the same as other eleven year old most of the time, any higher and it is bad for you. At most I'm about as fast and strong as a Slayer," explained Dazar.
"Slayer?" asked Willow.
"A girl mystically imbued with great speed strength and healing abilities who fight vampires and demons, in another world though not this one," explained Dazar quickly. He then looked down and smiled as Willow snuggled into him, the smile vanished as he realised that he was going to have to tell her what happened.
"What?" she asked sensing the shift in his emotions.
"The Troll that hit you, I cut its arm off then run my sword though its chest before cutting its head off. The other two were blasted with fire-based magic before I removed their heads," he explained slowly before pulling away and going back beyond the privacy curtain and lying down.
"Why did he go?" asked Willow curling up in a ball and crying.
"He was afraid of your reaction, he killed them to protect you. Also didn't tell you at first to protect you," explained Dumbledore softly.
"So it was my fault," replied Willow curling up even tighter.
"Oh my dear, it is not your fault," said Dumbledore softly.
"But Why?" she asked looking up.
"Some were he picked up a strong protective instinct and you're at the centre of it. Its not because he dose not trust you its because he dose not want to cause you more pain," explained Dumbledore.
"So his leg?" asked Willow worried now.
"It was broken by a troll, I was careless. Its fine now just a little stiff," Dazar voice came from behind the curtain brokenly. Sensing an argument Dumbledore quietly left.
"WHAT!!" shouted Willow.
"I was angry not paying attention, my health dose not matter next to yours," replied Dazar calmly.
"Why damn it, why should I matter more than you!" asked Willow.
"You saw that memory, I lost someone I care about at a young age. That is not something I want to go through again," said Dazar brokenly.
"You care about me?" said Willow startled.
"I care enough that if it came down between your life or mine I'd choose you every time," explained Dazar.
"You love me?" she asked dazed.
"I don't know, not a feeling I have much experience off," he replied quietly.
# # # # # # #
Down in the great hall Harry and Hermione were eating lunch.
"Do you think they are ok?" asked Hermione.
"Don't know, knowing that someone will die to protect you," replied Harry unsurely.
"I think its nice, something that most people never get to experience," replied Hermione.
"Like my mum, right Hermione?" asked Harry.
"How did you know that?" asked Hermione.
"Dazar showed me, in a dream I asked him after and he said it was real and dreams are a good way of showing things from the past or imagination, said something about it being a shadow of a memory" explained Harry.
"Do you think he could do the same for me? Show me a world taken from the imagination," asked Hermione.
"You can always ask," replied Harry.
"Alright I'll ask when they are better," said Hermione.
A/N kinda emotional huh? I had considered doing a cliff-hanger but decided against it. I know the dreams thing seems a little bit unbelievable but it is one of his skills. also this is currently pre-beta so grammar is kinda sucky
Brought to my attention by a rather annoying reviewer I want to point out that Willow is NOT Willow Rosenberg from BTVS I just like the name. Dazar Nai can be considered to be my Persona. The title of the fic is a slight reference to the Wheel of Time books by Robert Jordan and one of dazars abilities is from it. You will also noticed that I changed my pen name, as this is what im using on starcraft broodwar.
minor edit changed a comment made by hermione.