Warrior Mage -
Chapter 11
Never a Quiet Life – Part Two
"Tonks has left Hogwarts - and there has been another attack on Lesea - the very centre of the city."
"I'm going to rip that goddamn idiot of a human in half!" Harry hissed.
"Tonks?"
"No, not Tonks - Voldemort." Harry shook his head, silently conjuring a dummy and tearing it to pieces. Once he had finished, he was more calm and ready to go and help in Lesea.
"How bad is it?" He asked softly.
"It makes the attack on the ministry seem insignificant."
"Damn. Let's go. Come on, you two." He Tripped the four of them to the outskirts of the city, gasping softly. He imagined it looked like a scene from World War One or Two. Many Warriors were scattered around the scene. He stood still for a moment before his instincts to help his people kicked in. He strode into the middle of the city with Leona, Severus and Narcissa following as closely as they dared. They were soon joined by other Warriors. No one wanted to be on the wrong side of the Mage - not after seeing the unmistakable fury in his features.
Voldemort turned to see what the commotion was about. He was mildly shocked - to say the least - upon seeing Simba striding purposefully towards him, looking extremely pissed off.
"Very big mistake, Riddle." He said, his voice calm and level though his eyes were flashing dangerously. Voldemort had the horrible, sinking feeling that he was in very deep trouble now.
"Surprised to see me, Tom? Not that I'd blame you - seeing people alive after you've ordered them to be killed is a bit of a shock, I suppose." Simba circled Voldemort in a predatory fashion, deciding which form of combat to use in order to scare the living daylights out of his enemy. Spellwork, he decided. That was what Voldemort understood - besides, Simba wasn't sure that Voldemort was aware of other methods of duelling.
"I don't know what you're talking about, my dear Simba."
"Really? The words 'kill him' don't ring any bells? Maybe we should ask Marissa - oops, we can't. She's dead. Next time you try to kill me, perhaps you should use someone competent."
Snape watched the scene with a grudging respect - as much as he hated to admit it, Potter - or Simba - was powerful. If anyone was a match for Voldemort currently, it looked as if it was him. He glanced at Narcissa, who was looking rather worried.
"Do you think he'll be ok? The Dark Lord is very powerful."
"Perhaps, but Simba is the Mage. He is perfectly capable of looking after himself. It's us that I'm worried about - if the Dark Lord sees us siding with Simba, he will not be best pleased."
"Simba will look after you two." Leona assured them, as Simba agreed through their mind link.
Voldemort glanced around himself, looking for an escape route. In the crowd around him, he saw his faithful, unmarked Warrior servant, as well as Severus and Narcissa. This puzzled him as he had been informed that none with the Dark Mark could travel through the wards - they must have been brought by the insufferable Mage.
"Not so cocky now Mage." He cackled. "You see, not all of your Warriors are true to you - nor do they all carry the Mark." As soon as he had said this, Voldemort regretted it. Simba was smirking dangerously, his honey coloured eyes promising pain. They were on his turf, and they would play by his rules.
"Tom, really, have you learned nothing over the past few hours?"
"Not much, apart from the fact that you are not as righteous as you would have your faithful followers believe. After all, you had no qualms about killing an innocent, defenceless woman."
"Bullst." Simba snapped, making more than a few start in shock at the usually mild-mannered Mage. "Marissa was as innocent as you, and for a defenceless woman, she did manage to put a nice hole in my stomach. Eilidh, come." Simba said, his tone brooking no arguments. Eilidh looked nothing short of terrified, and Leona had a horrible feeling that she knew just what was coming.
"Y...y...yes, M...My Lord Mage?" Eilidh stuttered nervously. Simba said nothing, looking down at the woman with disappointment shining in his eyes - he ignored Voldemort's Killing Curse, barely feeling as it ricocheted off of his shield, making Voldemort's scarlet eyes bug out in shock.
"M...M...My L...Lord Mage?"
"Why, Eilidh?" Simba said softly. Before he knew it, the woman was weeping softly, fat tears sliding down her face.
"Because I loved you, My Lord, I loved you, and you chose your human."
"I fail to follow your logic." Simba said, his voice betraying nothing.
"I...I wanted revenge. It seemed like a good idea - Voldemort promised me..."
"What? That he'd kill my fiancée so that you could have me?"
"Yes." Eilidh said, bowing her head in shame as Warriors gasped from where they were standing.
"You were my friend, Eilidh, I trusted you." Simba said softly.
"I do not ask for forgiveness, My Lord, I will accept my punishment."
"So be it." There was a pause as Simba looked deep into Eilidh's eyes. She returned his gaze steadily, awaiting his verdict.
"Look around you, Eilidh, you realise there is only one fitting punishment."
"Yes, My Lord." Eilidh said, bowing her head once again. Simba put his hands on her temples, closing his eyes.
"May you find reprieve with the Almighty." He murmured in Ancient Elvish, wincing slightly as he mentally snapped Eilidh's life-force in half, ending her life in an instant, while minimising her pain. "We protect innocents, punish the guilty and keep the peace." He lay her body on the ground before turning his attention to Voldemort, who had been frozen in shock for the past few minutes.
"Leave." He said harshly, lifting a hand and clenching it into a fist. The Warriors stared as Voldemort shrieked in agony, his spidery hands clawing at his face.
"You do not deserve mercy. Leave now." He growled, releasing Voldemort from his pain. He barked something in another language, making Voldemort scream in fury and pain as he was banished.
"Simba, are you ok?" Leona asked, putting a hand on his back. Simba flinched, closing his eyes tiredly.
"We have to clear this mess - find the wounded and the dead. Everyone, please move back." The Warriors followed his instructions obediently, most either in shock or worried for missing friends or family.
"Healers and Soldiers, come. We will need all the help we can get. Lee, take Severus and Narcissa to Hogwarts - tell Ron and Hermione that I'm fine. Then come back. You two…" He skewered both humans with a piercing glare. "…Stay in Hogwarts until I return. Do not go anywhere. Please be patient."
"Yes, My Lord." Narcissa said, bowing her head while Severus merely nodded his acceptance.
"Oh, and Severus? I trust in your discretion."
"Of course, My Lord." Severus said quietly.
Leona silently Tripped Severus and Narcissa back to Hogwarts, landing in Harry's office.
"Oh no - I have a class in ten minutes. Severus, could you possibly take the class if I'm not back?"
"How long do you think you'll be gone?"
"I really don't know. Simba is...unpredictable, at best. He tends to blame himself a lot, like Harry, I suppose. Anyway, I'm not leaving unless I know he's ok. Now, I'll see you later."
Ron, Hermione and Daniella were sitting in Charms when Leona barged in, scanning the room.
"Professor Flitwick, may Ron, Hermione and Daniella be excused, please?"
"Of course." The diminutive wizard squeaked.
"Thanks." Leona said, watching as Ron and Hermione exchanged worried glances with the young Warrior. Together, they walked from the noisy class with very few noticing.
"What's happened?" Hermione asked immediately.
"There has been another attack, I'm afraid. Voldemort himself came into Lesea. Simba banished him, but not before he did an alarming amount of damage."
"Oh no! How are Harry and Simba?"
"Strained, I think. It's been hard on him. He's truly a Warrior, in all senses of the word. He's getting a little tired of people trying to kill him."
"Oh no. How many?"
"Three - one Warrior in the first attack - he tried to kill Simba while he was sleeping; Marissa, who I gather was Voldemort's whore...and Eilidh."
"Eilidh?"
"One of his friends - she was at the DA meeting earlier. She followed Voldemort because he promised to kill Tonks."
"But why?"
"Because she loved him." Leona sighed. "She knew that only one punishment could be given - besides, what Simba did was decent - he did what he had to do in the quickest, most painless way he knew. He could have demanded that she be made an example of."
"Will he be ok?" Hermione asked softly.
"I think Eilidh's betrayal hit him hard - along with everything else...I'm waiting to have to pull him out of a trip."
"Does he know about Tonks?"
"Yeah, but to be honest, I don't think it's registered yet. He's been incredibly busy for the past few hours. You three had best stay in either your dorm or Harry's office - I'm sure he'll come and visit you when he has finished with Severus and Narcissa."
"Narcissa Malfoy? What's she doing here?"
"I have no idea. Simba seems to trust her though. I have to go, he'll need as much help as he can get."
"Bye." They all chorused half-heartedly, all worried about their friend. Dani had also just put two and two together and discovered that Harry and Simba were one and the same person, though she didn't think that the time was right for sharing her revelation.
Leona Tripped back to Lesea to find Simba standing in the centre of a ring of people. Realising that he was about to draw up the power to clear the area of rubble, she slipped into the circle between her father and brother, silently supporting her student-turned-leader. She was glad to find that their mental link was open, and silently slipped into his mind, soothing him and calming him. Through him, she felt the magic pulsing through the ground, ready to be used by one strong enough to handle it. Lee thought it best not to mention that the last time something of this magnitude was attempted, the Warrior Mage in question caused a rather large explosion, resulting in his brains being scattered outward in a mile-and-a-half radius. She fervently hoped that Harry and Simba were stronger than that. Suddenly she felt her own exhaustion as her power joined Simba's own. She watched in astonishment as another power joined too - a weaker power, yet one that seemed to revitalise Simba much more than Lee's had. Tonks. The three powers merged seamlessly as Simba drew the magic from the ground, intertwining it with himself, Leona and Tonks. After a few moments of absorbing the power, Simba dropped to his knees under the strain of having to contain such a large amount of magic. Suddenly his head snapped up, his eyes glowing eerily white as he hissed something in Parseltongue, releasing the magic steadily. Lee had never felt so alive, yet so utterly drained. She was a part of the magic. She was the magic. It was totally exhilarating to the point that it was painful. She rejoiced in the beauty of it, until Simba's voice in her mind urged her to remember their purpose. Before their eyes, the rubble began to mould itself upwards, taking shape and building itself into new buildings. Everyone around them was gasping as the structures solidified and fixed in place. Everyone except Simba, whose head was bowed in reverence as the power whirled around him, humbling him.
Tonks gasped as she felt her magic leave her suddenly and without warning. She stumbled and cursed quietly as she fell, a million different feelings and thoughts running through her head - not all of which belonged to her. She saw Simba, in her mind's eye, standing in the centre of a circle, his eyes closed as he concentrated on melding her powers with his and Lee's. She looked around her in horror at the devastation of Lesea, and supposed that Voldemort had paid a visit.
"Trust me." Came Simba's strong, soothing voice as she began to panic that she'd never get her magic back.
"What happened?" She asked aloud.
"Later." Tonks was surprised when she was suddenly, and quite unexpectedly, moved from Simba's mind. The connection remained, but Simba was distant now - almost clinical in his approach to her. Yet from the connection, Tonks easily felt the pain he was feeling.
Lee watched her friend and almost-brother in concern as he distanced himself from Tonks. She felt tears streak her face as she felt his pain at having to do so - but the fact remained that Tonks had broken things off between them, and only she could make it better - she told Tonks this, knowing perfectly well that Tonks would hear the non-verbal communication. But how the other woman would make things better, she didn't know.
After the rubble was cleared, Simba, the Soldiers and the Healers began seeing to the injured and the dead. The death toll was rising rapidly, and Simba could feel anger crashing through his body, along with a rather large helping of guilt. Most of all though, he really, really wanted Voldemort dead - once and for all.
Lee remained linked to Simba as they began searching through the wounded and the dead, though she wasn't bound as tightly to him as she had been. She felt his sorrow and anger at every corpse he had to cover, and desperately hoped that he would be ok. Over a few hours, the scene was gradually cleared up. The dead were taken by their families while the injured were taken to the hospital. Lee knew that Simba had given most of them enough healing energy to pull them through, at the expense of exhausting himself. Channelling such a huge amount of power had also taken it's toll on him - moreso than he was willing to admit.
Simba walked away from the freshly cleared site, knowing that he needed a little while on his own before he faced anyone. Knowing that Lee was worrying about him, he told her, via the link, that he was going to sit by the coastline. Then he carefully distanced her, making sure not to cut the link completely. It was then that he realised that Tonks was still linked to him. He brought her further in, pin-pointing her location to about two miles away from Voldemort's lair.
Tonks jumped as the connection to Simba was strengthened suddenly.
Well, what happened? She asked, perhaps a little sharply.
Voldemort attacked Lesea. Eighty-seven dead and two hundred and three injured. Simba informed her, his voice a carefully controlled monotone, though Tonks could feel the torrent of emotions within him.
But...how?
Eilidh. She was unmarked.
You're kidding!
Unfortunately not.
Oh god.
Silence reigned for what seemed like an eternity, but what was actually only a few moments. Simba lay down in the grass beside the coastline, staring up into the swirling sky. He had never felt so tired in his life. Then again, in the space of twenty-four hours, he had left Hogwarts, found Voldemort, dined with Voldemort, been stabbed by Voldemort's play thing, killed said play thing, Tripped to Lesea, had a confrontation with Voldemort, killed someone who he had thought was a friend, survived several killer curses, banished Voldemort, harnessed more power than he had ever thought possible, rebuilt Lesea almost totally, and had healed, or helped to heal, a lot of people. It had been a long and exhausting day.
What did you do?
In reference to what? Harry asked, his voice choked with fatigue.
Anything. Everything. You sound absolutely shattered.
Oh. That. Busy day. Speaking of, is there any particular reason that you're heading towards Voldemort's little hidey-hole?
If you can spy, why can't I?
Firstly, you are especially high on Voldemort's 'to kill' list, secondly, he thinks you're my fiancée, thirdly, you are the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, and they need you at Hogwarts.
He knows about us?
There is no us. Not anymore. Harry said sadly.
Then I'll just tell Him that.
It won't work - what makes you think he'll believe you? He'll kill you for the sheer hell of it - to hurt me.
You don't know that. Tonks replied stubbornly.
Don't I? Tonks, he tried to order me to bring you to him. He knows that killing you, or torturing you, would kill Harry. Just like he knew how to exploit Sirius. There were a few moments of silence before Simba gently pushed Tonks' presence from his mind.
Simba changed back into Harry, wanting to go unnoticed for a while. The day had taken its toll on him mentally, physically and emotionally. He stripped off and dived into the cool water, needing to forget everything, even if it was only for a little while.
An hour later, and he was still in the water, floating on his back and staring into the multi-coloured sky. He was impossibly still, not disturbing the total calm of the sea. His mind remained carefully blank, for her knew that Lee would need to be close when he finally examined his memories as it was almost guaranteed that he would pass out from blood loss.
Several hours later, Leona appeared at the coastline, looking anxiously around for her friend, finding only his discarded clothes. Looking out to the ocean, she saw him in the distance, floating just under the surface, with only his mouth and nose protruding from the surface.
Harry! Hey, Harry! Mum is worried about you, you know. Are you about ready to come home? She asked telepathically. Harry's head rose a little, looking over at her, before he began swimming towards her.
You go ahead - tell her I'll be about five minutes." Harry replied.
Ok, just don't be any longer than five - we need to talk and you need to rest. It's been a hectic day.
Yes mother. Lee smiled tightly - Harry's reply would have been a whole lot more reassuring had he not sounded so utterly listless.
Harry said very little throughout dinner that day. The atmosphere in the Tide household was extremely tense, as no one knew quite what was safe to say. To Harry, it seemed like dinner stretched for an eternity - especially as he was not in any mood to eat. So he spent the whole time pushing food around his plate, occasionally taking a tiny bite, or answering Lee's silent enquiries. After fifteen or so minutes of this, he quietly excused himself from the table and retired to his room, mentally reassuring Lee that no, he wasn't thinking about the day's events so no, he wasn't about to go off on a guilt-trip.
After finishing her own rather dinner, Lee walked slowly up to Harry's room. She wasn't sure if he had meant he was going to his bedroom or his hidden room. She knocked quietly on his door before pushing it open. Harry lay on his bed, staring up at his ceiling.
"Harry?"
"We should probably go to Hogwarts - Severus and Narcissa are waiting."
"Are you up to it?" Lee murmured.
"I need to do something. If I don't...I just...I keep seeing them."
"It wasn't your fault, Harry."
"Hmm. At this moment in time, blame and fault is neither here nor there - I have things to do. Are you coming with me, or shall I go alone?"
"I'll come. Give me a minute or two to clean up first, though."
"Sure."
Severus Snape stood before the class, watching as everyone but one girl read their previous notes silently.
The girl in question was one Rhiannon Houston, who was looking decidedly uncomfortable.
"Sir," She said after a few minutes of fidgeting, "Where's Leona? Isn't she supposed to be taking these classes while Harry's away?"
"Miss Tide is busy at the moment. She was unavailable to take this class."
"Something's happened in Lesea, hasn't it?"
"Miss Houston, you have no idea what you're talking about." He barked, wondering how on Earth the girl had known...
"I know something's happened. Something bad." Rhiannon said stubbornly, refusing to believe that she was wrong.
"Outside. Now." Severus said in a deadly whisper, intent on finding out just what was going on.
"Are you ready?" Leona asked, having cleaned herself up and changed her robes. Harry had reverted to Simba, and was wearing his freshly cleaned battle robes.
"Yeah." Simba replied.
Severus was about to start questioning the girl when Simba and Leona appeared beside them.
"Oh, thank goodness you're all right!" Rhiannon cried, throwing her arms around Simba, who looked extremely surprised.
"You told them?" He asked Severus, letting the girl cling to him.
"No. Miss Houston was about to tell me how she knew that something was wrong in Lesea." Severus replied archly.
"I was so worried, Harry. My Lord Mage. I thought we might have lost you." Rhiannon said tearfully. Simba's eyes widened fractionally, and he knelt down in front of her.
"Rhia, how did you know I was Harry?" He asked quietly.
"I...I...well...I had a dream - I saw you changing so that you would be accepted in Lesea. It hurt you that you couldn't be accepted for yourself in either world."
"My God." Simba breathed, closing his eyes slightly - he had told no one of that. Leona was watching him closely.
You never told me that. She thought accusingly.
I didn't want to upset you. Was his quiet reply. He put one hand on Rhia's shoulder and tilted her chin up with the other.
"Rhia, how long have you been an active Seer?"
"Well, I...I've always been able to sense things if I was close enough to a link - I knew your identity when you started training Dani and me."
"The day you blacked out." Simba said softly, remembering how his charge had suddenly fallen to the floor after he had brushed past her slightly.
"Yeah." Rhia nodded.
"How much do you know about what happened today?" Rhia closed her eyes for a moment, her brow furrowing slightly before her eyes opened wide in horror and disbelief.
"He was there. Voldemort. Eighty-seven Warriors were killed, including Eilidh - oh, My Lord, she didn't?"
"She did." Simba said hollowly. The betrayal, so soon after Tonks', had hit him hard. "Don't try to See anything else - not about today." He advised, knowing that the more the girl Saw of that, the worse she'd feel.
"Ok, My Lord Mage."
"Please, call me Simba."
"Ok. So I'm a Seer?"
"Yes, you are. One of the first in several centuries, at least."
"Oh. I'd better get back to class." She said, hugging him.
"Lesea won't survive this war if you let guilt consume you. None of this is your fault. Lesea - and the Warriors - need you to lead them. They will go where you lead." She whispered to him. He nodded, understanding the wisdom of her words, but unsure as to whether he would be able to prevent the guilt trip that had been threatening all day.
They walked to Severus' offices to find that Narcissa was pacing frantically.
"My Lord Mage!" She cried in relief, almost flinging herself at the man as Rhia had done. Fortunately, she seemed to think better of it, and settled for watching his every move to make sure that he was really real.
"Hello 'Cissa." He murmured. Severus noticed his weariness and offered the Mage a seat, which was gratefully accepted.
"So, what happens now, My Lord Mage?" Narcissa asked, almost fearfully.
"Now? Now Voldemort sees that it's not a good idea to piss off the Warrior Mage. He will rue the day he thought he could use me as a pawn." Simba said, his words laced with venom. Narcissa was extremely glad that his anger wasn't aimed at her.
"And now a question for you: which side are you going to choose?"
"I would be honoured if you would allow me to follow you, My Lord."
"Very well. I shall inform the old man..."
"No! Please, My Lord. I am not a light witch, no matter where my allegiances lie. I am neither good nor evil. I will follow you, but never Dumbledore."
"Indeed. I believe I can understand your reasoning. Neither of you will be able to spy anymore - Voldemort saw both of you accompanying me in Lesea. However, you two do have the power to persuade others - both inner-circle Deatheaters, both influential. Yes. I would like you two to help recruit any other Deatheaters that feel they are unappreciated. Listen to their concerns and do your best to alleviate them."
"My Lord?" Severus asked, having been silent up until that point.
"Yes, Severus?"
"What will I tell the headmaster?"
"That, Severus, is up to you. Please keep in mind that no matter how hard he tries, Dumbledore cannot understand Warrior values. He also likes his control over Harry Potter. Let's face it - he had him under his thumb for a long time."
"What do you wish me to say to him, My Lord?" Severus asked. Simba understood that this was his way of asking to ally with him.
"Tell him that if he will not make a move, others will."
"Anything else, My Lord?"
"For a start, you may call me Simba. I am not Voldemort and have little or no care for my title amongst friends. Now, why don't I fill you in on what's happened so far, before I have to go and sort out my other business in the castle."
The next fifteen minutes were spent discussing both what had happened and what was going to be happening. He filled both in on the new information about unforgiveables, sealing it into their minds. He promised Severus that he would also inform the Order of the information. Then the conversation began to turn to more personal matters.
"So, Simba, it has come to my attention that you are engaged to a niece of mine?" She said teasingly. Simba raised an eyebrow, fighting to keep his expression neutral - Narcissa could still see the haunted look in his eyes, though, and looked concerned.
"Your information is a little outdated. Our engagement has been called off."
"May I ask why?"
"Let's just say that Nymphadora and I didn't see eye-to-eye on a matter, and she decided that she no longer wished to become my wife."
"She broke things off? But..." Narcissa looked mortally offended, and made a mental note to hex her darling niece for being so incredibly dense.
"If you'll excuse me, there are many things that require my attention before my departure. I will return in an hour or two." With that, Simba Tripped away.
"I think he's quite upset." Narcissa noted aloud.
"Of course he is, woman. How would you have felt if Lucius had broke off your engagement?"
"Quite elated, really. But their relationship was rather different to ours - they loved each other. I'm going to find my idiotic niece and give her a piece of my mind."
Simba appeared back in his office, catching Ron, Hermione and Daniella by surprise. Rhia, also in the room, looked as if she had known he was coming - which she probably had done, he reminded himself.
"Simba! It's so good to see you! We were so worried!" Hermione exclaimed, flying towards him. He caught her in his arms, chuckling slightly. It felt good to be back with his friends.
"Hey, 'Mione. I need to breathe, you know." He choked out as his friend hugged the breath out of him.
"Mate, that was really scary - Leona just told us that Voldemort attacked Lesea, and that people keep trying to kill you." Ron said, looking pale.
"Yeah."
"Are you ok?" Dani asked worriedly, asking what was on everyone's mind.
"I will be. I'm not going to insult you all by saying that I'm fine, because I'm not."
"How many?" Hermione asked softly.
"Eighty-seven deaths." Rhia answered for him.
"Yeah - eighty-seven dead and two hundred and three injured."
"Oh."
"Yes, 'oh'. Needless to say, I'm a little less than pleased with Tom Riddle and his followers."
"What are you going to do?" Hermione asked, looking slightly panicked.
"They will learn that attacking Lesea and my people is extremely detrimental to their health - the Warriors in his force are going to be stripped of their powers."
"What about Voldemort?"
"He is going to get a dose of humility." Simba said sharply.
"Umm…how?"
"He relies too heavily on those who are blindly faithful to him – he has forgotten how to do things for himself."
"When are you leaving?" Ron asked.
"Early tomorrow morning - I have much to do tonight."
"Will you oversee the DA meeting, if you have time?"
"I will try, but I cannot promise anything." Simba sighed.
That night was possibly the busiest Harry/Simba had had in a very long time. He had a training session with Dani and Rhia, an Order meeting had been called that he had been 'invited' to, he had to adjust the wards in Lesea to stop Voldemort entering, and also to keep all magic within the city stable - after he had drawn magic up from the ground, he was worried that he had thrown the natural flow of the magic off. He also had to attend the DA meeting, as well as finding a little time to rest.
"What are we learning today, Simba?" Dani asked eagerly.
"We'll be learning how to conjure weapons today." Simba replied with a gentle smile. He loved this time, when he was teaching students who really wanted to learn. He loved watching them improve, and their delight at their improvement. He and the Houston girls had grown quite close during the lessons, and he looked at them as his little sisters. He smiled peacefully and began to explain what they needed to do, losing himself in the training and allowing his mind a break from the horrors it had seen. Dani and Rhia shared a smile - it was good to see the Mage, their friend, teacher, leader and honorary brother, relax a little and enjoy himself. It was a rare sight at that point in time, or so it seemed.
The Order meeting was extremely tense - Simba was more than a little peeved with Dumbledore and his blindly faithful followers. It irked him to think that they wanted his allegiance, but weren't prepared to give Lesea a second thought - he was also rather annoyed that Dumbledore had 'forbidden' Harry to help in Lesea. All of this, he said at the meeting, before honouring his word to Severus and reporting his findings on the Unforgiveables. Thinking about that brought a somewhat grim smile to Simba's face - many of the Order members flatly refused to accept it, whilst others argued that just because he could do it, didn't mean that everyone could do it. So Severus, trusting Simba implicitly - something which made said Mage pleased and proud - decided to test the theory. After filling him in on what he needed to do, Simba let loose the killing curse - a very weak version of the spell, but a killing curse nonetheless. Besides, no one needed to know that it was a weakened curse. After successfully throwing it off, Severus and Simba had proven Simba's point that anyone could do it. Several other people wanted to try it, hearing Severus' awed comments about 'seeing' the spell; in fact, several people demanded that they have the opportunity to test the theory themselves. Which, naturally, riled up the already exhausted Mage to breaking point. Severus and Tonks - who had returned shortly after Simba had - recognised this, and immediately made their excuses to leave. Simba Tripped them back to Hogwartsthanking Severus for his trust, before disappearing into his hidden rooms.
After shredding a mannequin or six in order to dispel his anger, Harry dragged himself through to his bedroom, falling asleep instantly. But the nightmares of the day weren't far behind, waking Harry every time he drifted off. Eventually, he was forced to take a dreamless sleep draught so that he could get a little shut-eye.
Feeling a little less exhausted, Simba made his way to the Room of Requirement, before the DA meeting began. He was the first one there, and began to do a little light training while he was waiting - otherwise, he'd just end up thinking back on what Voldemort was up to, and what he had done. He pushed those thoughts from his mind, concentrating on the sword in his hand as it sliced through the air. Upon hearing someone walk in, he spun around, his sword just millimetres from the intruder's throat. It was Zacharias Smith, and he looked petrified, and on the point of weeping.
"Next time, I suggest you knock." Simba said angrily. The boy nodded, saying nothing. Simba lowered his sword and let him in.
"Paranoid, much?" He muttered as a few others - Ron, Hermione, Dani and Rhia included - began to trickle in. Simba's short fuse exploded as he rounded on the arrogant youth.
"Better paranoid than dead. Tell me, Zacharias, how would you react if you dealt with death threats day in, day out?"
"I'd…call their bluff. No one really wants to kill anyone else - they'd be put off if you said you wanted to die. Even Deatheaters wouldn't want to kill someone that was willing to die."
"Brave kid." Simba said, "Brave, but incredibly stupid. Someone tell me what was wrong with what Smith just said. Silence. Several people were on the verge of answering, but were afraid of getting shot down by Simba.
"Deatheaters don't care what you want - they'll kill you anyway." Dani hazarded.
"Close, but not quite." Simba said. By this point, the entire DA had assembled, and was listening avidly.
"Do you think that Voldemort or his followers care about who they kill? Do you think they go home and cry over the lives they've ended that day? Do you think they even spare a thought for their victims? Granted, there are a few that do feel remorse - those who had no idea what they were getting into when they joined Voldemort's forces, or those who were forced by others, just like there are those on the 'Light' side who would kill without thought or guilt. But they are far outnumbered by those who really couldn't care less - they actually get pleasure from killing those who they believe to be 'inferior'. As for calling their bluff…which would you choose? A quick, faked death due to a curse that is almost useless, or torture by a curse that is harder to block out? A curse that can, has and most definitely will send people insane. Cruciatus, despite the fact it is blockable, still hurts. And concentrating through pain is not the easiest thing to do for any species. If you are held under long enough, you will go insane. You will live the rest of your life in St Mungo's, unaware of where you are and even who you are. You will babble endless nonsense and be wholly incapable of even recognising your own family. Not only will you never really 'live' again, but also your family will come to see you and know that you have no idea who you are, or how much they love you. Maybe you will know, maybe you'll recognise them and know you love them - but you'll never be able to express it. You'll be trapped in a world with no control and no escape. Now tell me, which is worse?"
"Insanity." Zacharias muttered. Simba looked over at Neville, whose head was hung in despair.
"Exactly. Now that we've established that being paranoid isn't a bad thing, maybe we can move on?"
Simba told the DA of the war as he saw it. He told them that both sides were wrong, and then went on to validate this statement to prevent chaos breaking out. He told them how the Dark Side was power-hungry and blind, while the Light Side was hypocritical and blind.
"No one is perfect - human or Warrior, Light or Dark - it makes no difference. We just have to overcome our faults." He told them.
"What are your faults?"
"Mine? I have many - stubbornness, hard-headedness, I brood on things rather than accepting them and moving on, I have a short temper when angry and tired - as Smith found out - I tend to have a guilt complex, I have no patience with those who try to kill me, or with those who follow a leader through greed for power."
"But those are tempered by your good points - and some of them can be good points in some cases." Dani said defensively.
"Thanks Dani. Yes, stubbornness can be a definite advantage in some cases."
"Let's not forget that you're strong enough to live up to your title, you haven't let power or position go to your head, you're always willing to help, you're forgiving - most of the time - you're kind, considerate and willing to give up your time to teach anyone who wants to be taught, you stick to what you believe in, you know what you're fighting for and don't forget that, you always keep your feet on the ground…" Rhia said with a grin.
"You're powerful!" Anthony Goldstein piped up. Simba rounded on him, shaking his head.
"No. Power is nothing without control or beliefs. Power without these things is a catastrophe waiting to happen - look at Voldemort. Yes, as much as I am loathe to admit it, the idiot is fairly powerful, and yes, he has plenty of very strong beliefs - though many do not agree with those beliefs - however, he lacks control. He does as he wants to, when he wants to. There's the problem. If he worked for his goals in a more controlled and civilised manner, he'd be much more likely to succeed. The sad thing is that at the moment, if he acted rationally, rather than killing everyone who disagrees with him, he'd have the support of many more witches and wizards - and Warriors - than he does now. His beliefs are widely held in both worlds, and the thing that stops people from supporting him is his methods." Simba said, giving everyone much to think about.
After the DA meeting, Simba went to Lesea to adjust the wards. He had been right about the magic flows in the city being off, and was glad to be able to rectify the problem before things got too out of hand - by that point, only a small area in the park had been affected: it had suddenly grown into something resembling a rainforest. He stabilised the magic first, while making sure that he would still be able to access the Earth's magic in case of an emergency. Then he began building the wards to keep Voldemort out of the city.
Many hours later, a thoroughly exhausted Mage fell onto his bed at Hogwarts, too tired to think about anything at all, much less the slaughter that had taken place. He slept right the way through the night before waking up at five in the morning for his early morning training session; it was going to be a long day, he knew.