Chapter 4 - I will Not Die.
I awoke from my self-induced sleep without a sound and sat up, not a hint of my slumber a moment before was present, as he had trained himself since the age of 16. His extensive training and battle sense had never faded in the slightest throughout his 40 years of age.
Shifting Sadron onto my shoulders from where he had been resting curled up on my stomach. "We need to do some more exercises. Your getting heavier than ever before."
Sadron hissed his displeasure "Its called growing."
"Its also called fat. But, I suppose you could pass it off as 'growing'" I was just teasing him. His kind didnt stop growing for many years past a humans as well as their age expectancy being from 200-400 years. Sadron had been his partner in his training and they often had had competitions. 'Pretty sad when you cant beat a snake...'
I decided to take the long way to the Great Hall. Something compelled me to. A small voice in my head, and even though thats never a good sign, I had learned to trust it.
As I drifted, I noticed that there was a strange lack of students in the halls. There was usually at least two or three to be running late. Today, there was none. Gaining a purpose in my trip through my old home I picked up the pace and plunged into the walls, heading in a straight line for the Gryffindor common room. Seeing no one in any of the rooms, I changed direction for the Ravenclaw Tower.
No one.
Hufflepuff Kitchens.
No one.
Slytherin Dungeons.
Zip.
Concerned now, I was flying through the walls they were like pictures in a screen, flashing by in a blur of colour.
'If they arent in the Great Hall...'
I came to a stop right behind the Headmistresses chair and sighed quietly in relief. Everyone was here. However, as I went up to my corner, I could feel the tense aura of the group. No one was talking. The Hufflepuffs were shaking but were trying to eat their food. The Ravenclaws were exchanging knowing and curious looks to one another. The Gryffindors where glancing all around the Hall as if looking for someone for waiting for something. The Slytherins looked unflappable as ever, but being close friends with the prince of Slytherin I could see that they where worried.
"Something bodes ill..." Sadron whispered in my ear ominously. He wrapped himself around my shoulders like he used to in preparation for a battle. 'Like the night we died.'
"Indeed..."
I watched for what seemed like hours but was most likely minuets when the silence was broken by the old Headmistress rising to her feet. "Students, now is the time." Some of the students, if it was even possible, got even more tense and nervous. The Gryffindors and Slytherins clenched their cutlery in their hands like weapons. "I have to ask you to stay calm and stay in your seats. You are safe."
Suspicious now, I frowned and scanned the area for threats. My senses brought back nothing so I was about to close my eyes and do a magical scan when about five men in robes came out from the door behind the staff table.
"Harry!" hissed Sadron urgently. "t-t-they!"
I looked at Sadron, my face was passive but inside I was seriously confused and worried. Nothing had ever shocked Sadron this much. He seemed tongue tied so I said "They are what? Whats wrong?"
The five men were in a circle facing outwards in front of the staff table where the podium for Headmasters and Headmistresses had been moved from and had their wands out, heads bowed, chanting softly and moving their wands in synchronization. They were obviously mages of high power from the important look of their outfits. Complicated designs were riddled all over the white and black robes in a different colour for each mage.
"High Necromages!!" Sadron finally finished in a loud hiss that made the students in the Hufflepuff table below them look up in fear.
I felt all my masks drop and but didnt care. I was ready for battle. These were the kinds of mages who could use magic in extraordinary ways that not many else could. They could deal with the dead and netherworlds. Generally bad at anything else, but able to use this rare kind of magic with no limits. There was no hiding from them for they could read your soul.
A light fog was forming around their feet and a breeze had picked up and blown out all the candles. The colours of everyones aura glowed eerily and the mages glowed. The breeze picked up and I felt a vacuum-like force trying to pull my magical disguises from me, including my invisibility. Any spells place on a normal ghost would have been ripped away from them and into the swirling white fog that had formed in between the Necromages. A bright, electric looking light flashed in the center of the whirlpool.
Tendrils of of the fog slipped out and probed every corner of the Great Hall. A tendril brushed my foot and it felt like cold liquid slithering up my leg and stole the breath from my lungs. Sensing the discovery of the one, the other searching streams of fog came at me deadly slow, like a cobra on its trapped prey. I did not like the look of this and tried to pull back through the wall behind me but the wall seemed to solidify and I could feel the cold stone beneath my fingers.
A cold, trickling feeling made its way slowly upwards and around me. The feeling of being underwater was overwhelming and the fog plunged into my mouth, smothering the warmth within me. I panicked for a millisecond before clearing my mind of the emotion. Focusing on the warmth left, I let my magic go in a rush and it burned the cold with a bright flash of light. I felt the warmth flow around me and I looked at my hand. Blue flames licked at my skin, I could feel a distant tingling as the last of the fog was purged from my skin.
Enraged, I turned my burning gaze at the Necromages. The weight that was Sadron gained as he transformed into his true size, about seven feet long. He reared up and bared his fangs at them, hissing menacingly.
Several students screamed and the Necromages seemed to be surprised at first but quickly focused and chanted louder, pouring more power into the ritual. One of the Necromages, his robes etched with gold, raised his voice into a shout that filled the Hall. "Be gone from here spirit! You do not belong! Return to the everlife!!"
I sneered at the mage. "I do not belong? I DO NOT BELONG!?" I bellowed, then laughed darkly. "You do not know the least of it, mage." The last word like acid on my tongue.
The Head Necromage appeared to strain and the whirlwind grew in strength and size. Some of the students huddled down in their seats. Fools, the winds couldnt pull in the living. Sadron tightened his hold on me, having lesser magical power than me he was having a small about of trouble.
By now it looked like there was a small hurricane in the room. Streaks of light flashing through clouds of white and grey.
"Leave this place! Or we will force you!!" beads of sweat rolled down the mages face as he strained to pull me in. I was resisting with all I had. I knew, that if I went into that spinning vortex, I would never see Hogwarts, Ginny or my new found son ever again. I also felt a strong need to stay, something was telling me I wasnt done here yet.
After a few moments of struggling, a few looks were passed between the Necromages and they started a new chant. The Head Necromage took something out of his pocket and enlarged it. It was a jar. A simple, glass jar.
'What? A jar. I feel almost insulted.'
There was no lid to the jar and it had a sphere-like shape to it. The Head shouted to me once more. "You have lost your chance, spirit! No longer do you have a choice at freedom!! EXCIPIO PHASMATIS!!!!" The pull increased a hundred fold and Sadron wound tight around my arm, slipping down it until he was shot towards the jar.
"HARRY!"
"NO!!!" I yelled as my friend disappeared into the jar. I was slowly being dragged towards the jar myself and I pulled out my magic, pushing against the vacuum of air with it like a wall. I slowed to an almost stop and my teeth were clenched in effort as I held my hands out to support my wall of magic. I glared at the mages with my Avada Kedavra green eyes that were alight with anger "DAMN YOU!!" I roared "DAMN YOU ALL !!!" I caught the Headmistresses eyes and she gasped in shock, saying something that was lost over the roar of the wind.
My wall collapsed at a pulse of power and I quickly drew it into myself as I hurtled through the air and into the jar with one last bellow of "NNOOO!!!!!!!!" as the world went black.