Warrior Mage -
Chapter 12
Showdowns
Harry set out for Voldemort's lair before the majority of the students had woken. Only Ron, Hermione and Dani were there to say goodbye. Narcissa and Severus had said their farewells the night before, as had Rhia.
"Keep an eye on things for me, will you?" He asked, preparing to Trip.
"Sure. I'll tell Leona if I See anything, ok?"
"Thanks Rhia."
"No problem. Take care, ok?"
"I will."
"Promise?"
"Yes, I promise."
"Good."
Simba made his way to Voldemort's lair on foot, slipping silently through the forests and slinking in the shadows. He cloaked himself from detection by wizarding charms, passing them as easily as if they simply weren't there. This time, there was no welcoming committee outside the entrance to the lair, waiting to kill him. Instead, there wasn't even a single guard. Obviously, Voldemort hadn't been expecting him. He felt a prickle of forboding as he crept inside, still cloaked in darkness and shadows. What he saw inside did not comfort him at all. Legions of Deatheaters - a great many more than anyone might have expected - were standing to attention. It was oddly reminiscent of a Muggle Army - and every bit as numerous. He moved closer, mentally cataloguing every entrance and exit in the place. He had a sickening feeling that the knowledge of these would come in useful in the not-too-distant future.
Voldemort was not among the group, though Narcissa was. Severus, upon closer inspection, was not there. Simba assumed that he had found an acceptable excuse to skip this apparently important meeting. He broke into Narcissa's mind, building a link between them.
What's going on? He asked, making Narcissa look frantically about her.
They want to meet you - you weren't expected here for an hour or so yet. They're waiting for the alarms to go off. She thought, figuring that as she couldn't see him, that was the way he was contacting her.
What's the plan then?
Well, the Dark Lord is now sure that you are his biggest threat - he wants you out of the way as soon as possible - no matter what the price.
Nice. So this meeting is in my honour - about 750 against one?
Yes. The Dark Lord is too afraid to face you himself - he fears you even more than Dumbledore, I believe.
As he should. Now, is there anything else I need to know?
Nothing I can think of - the Warriors are here too. Be careful.
I can hardly be anything else, can I?
Good luck - I'll try and help out.
No. Listen, when I signal, get the hell out - I won't be paying all that much attention as to who I'm fighting - there's an unprotected exit to your left - look for a small snake on the wall.
Ok. Where do I go after that?
Go to the edge of the forest - try and stay out of sight. I'll meet you there.
What if you don't?
I will.
But...
'Cissa, listen. I'm going to set off the alarms. You'll have five minutes to get out. Please be as inobtrusive as you can be.
Be careful. Narcissa repeated as the link went silent. She took a deep breath as the alarms began to wail, announcing the arrival of Simba.
Simba stood still, steeling himself for what would follow. He watched Narcissa slipping through the crowd, only noticed by himself. Once her five minutes were up, he moved forwards, unsheathing two of his favourite swords. The fight was on. As he danced around curses, his swords sliced into his opponents. To an observer, it looked very much like he was dancing - only the dance was deadly, and he couldn't risk complacency. Though the Deatheaters were no match for Harry alone, their real strength was their enormous numbers. He had to stay aware of what was happening on all sides of him, rather than being able to focus on any one opponent. Not only was this difficult, it was incredibly tiring, especially as it required him to use his every sense to dodge as much of what was being hurled at him as possible.
After fifteen minutes of fighting, Simba spied the Warrior betrayers lurking at the the back of the group. Letting the humans do the dirty work for them, hoping that he'd be injured and exhausted by the time they had to face him. How wrong they were. With renewed ferocity, Harry cut through the swarm of Deatheaters who stood between him and his goal, beginning to get ready to draw power from the Earth below him. He linked himself to Leona, Tonks and Narcissa. Clearing his mind , he gathered the magic to him, before throwing out his hands. The explosion that followed cleared the rest of the Deatheaters out of his way, not to mention trapping the betrayers and making sure that they were thoroughly terrified.
"I warned you, did I not?" He growled, still drawing on the Earth's magic, despite the fact that it was getting somewhat painful having an enormous amount of foreign power surging through his veins. The traitors trembled in front of him, seeming to shrink.
"I was going to kill you. But I don't think I will." Their heads snapped up, hope springing into their eyes.
"Death is much too good for you. You will suffer. You will wish for death, but it shall not come." Simba released every shred of magical energy that had been building up inside him, directing it all towards the group of traitorous Warriors before him. He watched them fall before staggering backwards. He felt more tired than ever before, sluggish and weakened. He needed to get out of there before Voldemort - there was no doubt of him being totally incapable of winning a fight against a decent third year at Hogwarts, let alone the most powerful Dark Lord in living memory.
Narcissa waited impatiently for Simba to arrive - she knew that he was linked to her, but didn't know why. She was also conscious of the fact that she wasn't the only one included in the link, though she wasn't sure who the others were, or even how many of them there were. She continued to wait in the shadows at the edge of the forest, fidgeting endlessly. Where was he? She was steeling herself to go back and look for him when something drew her attention - something was moving towards her. She drew her wand a little shakily, only to almost drop it in shock when she saw a gorgeous midnight black horse carrying a barely conscious Simba.
"By Morgana!" She whispered, cautiously approaching the majestic beast.
Simba watched through half-shut eyes as Narcissa approached Elementa, looking worried.
"Told you I'd be here." He said before sinking into merciful blackness.
"Typical." Narcissa tutted as Simba blacked out, not really sure what to do to help him. Climbing up behind Simba, she decided that the best thing to do was to take him back to Hogwarts.
Hours later, Simba and Narcissa arrived at Hogwarts. Simba was still only barely conscious, while Narcissa grew increasingly worried. Upon reaching the castle gates, she found Leona waiting for her.
"What's he done now?" She asked, looking every bit as worried as Narcissa felt.
"You don't want to know." Narcissa said, bringing Elementa to a halt.
"How long has he been unconscious?"
"Well, he's been drifting in and out of consciousness for about five hours now."
"He doesn't seem to be physically hurt - just extremely exhausted. As if he's used up every scrap of energy."
"He may well have."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that after the day he's had, logically, he should be dead."
"You can fill me in on exactly why that is when we get inside." Lee said, gently floating Simba down from Elementa's back.
"Elementa, go to the forest. Stay out of sight." She said, watching as the stallion cantered away.
Leona floated Simba's body through Hogwarts under an invisibility charm - the last thing he needed was the students - his students and friends - to see him in his current state. She took him to his room, despite knowing that Tonks was there. She needed to check that there was no serious damage before she Tripped him anywhere.
Once in Harry's room, Leona and Narcissa lay him on the bed, beginning to peel of his battlerobes. What they saw made both women gawp - Simba was covered from head to toe in small cuts, some more vicious looking than others.
"Oh my goodness. Earth magic." Leona breathed.
"What?" Narcissa asked sharply.
"Earth magic - Simba is able to wield it - at least, he is as long as he has anchors. I assume that's what he was doing early this morning. Anyway, it draws up huge amounts of power. Nobody is used to channelling that much power - if Simba holds it for longer than a few seconds, it'll try and escape in any way it can - hence the cuts."
"Oh. Well that's stupid."
"Maybe." Lee shrugged, looking at the unconscious form of the Mage. "But Simba does what he needs to do, not what others believe to be smart - he's learnt to rely on himself. It's not easy for him to ask for help."
"No, I know. Still, I wish he wouldn't take on 750 Deatheaters on his own."
"He did what!" Lee shrieked, bringing Tonks running from the adjoining room. She stopped dead when she saw Simba, turning a deathly shade of white.
"Dear Merlin, what happened?" She choked out, grasping at the door frame to keep herself upright.
"He just took on 750 Deatheaters - alone. And won." Narcissa informed her niece. With a glance at Simba, she turned back to Lee.
"Leona, will you be all right? I think my niece and I need to have a little chat." She said.
"Yeah - go ahead. But before you do, can you tell Daniella and Rhiannon to come in?"
"Of course." And with that, Narcissa Malfoy dragged one very reluctant Nymphadora Tonks from the room by the arm, But not before making sure that she had taken a good look at the state of her ex-fiance.
Rhiannon, having Seen her Lord being injured, and Leona's request for her and her sister's presence, went straight to Harry's rooms. She and Dani met Narcissa and Tonks on the way out, receiving a sharp nod from the elder, while Tonks was too worried to even notice them.
"What were you thinking?" Narcissa demanded in a tone of deadly calm. Years of living with Lucius had, if nothing else, taught her self-control. She had been married to him whilst screaming her protest, but there were no screams now. Only a quiet hatred. A hatred of her husband; of what he was and what he represented; of what he had caused her to become. No, she wouldn't lose her temper with her niece - but she would speak her mind. Lucius had never managed to break her spirit.
"Why did you break off the engagement?"
"Because, despite what I wanted, despite anything I said, he was set on going to your Master." Tonks replied, anger flaring inside her.
"How dare you!" Narcissa growled, itching to show her niece the back of her hand. "I know your mother didn't raise you to act like this."
"What would you know about my mother? It's not like you ever thought to see how she was - even to speak two words to her - since she married my father."
"You know nothing of me." Narcissa stated firmly, taking her niece by the arm and half-dragging her into the Room of Requirement. "Now, it's time you sat and listened, lady. And listen well, because I will never repeat this."
"I'm listening." Tonks muttered sullenly.
"Good."
Harry groaned slightly, feeling uncomfortably warm. Someone was touching his forehead, he knew, but he was too tired and too worn out to even try and see who it was. Voices swirled around him, but he couldn't make sense of the words. He felt as if he had been run through a pasta machine several hundred times, not to mention the fact that there seemed to be a very loud and boisterous orchestra playing in his head, making it ache and spin in a way he would never have dreamed possible. Overall, he wasn't feeling particularly great.
"He's waking up." A familiar voice murmured, sounding as if it was coming from a large distance away.
"Well? Talk away." Tonks said, watching her Aunt expectantly.
"I remember my engagement to Lucius well - I had protested against it since I had learned of it. He was everything that I didn't want in a husband: self-centred, cold, arrogant, and unfeeling. Even at seventeen, he was an evil git. I wanted to marry someone of my choice - a man I had met in Diagon Alley in my first summer out of Hogwarts. But he was of questionable origin, so that was quite out of the question. In hindsight, I should have tried harder, shouted louder, done something more. Like your mother. You're right when you say I never visited Andromeda after Mother and Father disowned her, but I did know that she was happy - she had married the man she loved, rather than did as our parents wished. She got herself disowned, but was happier for it, while I was married - kicking and screaming - to Lucius Malfoy. And I have regretted it ever since."
"Why are you telling me this?" Tonks asked, softening a little. Narcissa didn't seem as awful as she had thought.
"Because you are on the verge of throwing away your chance at the perfect husband - a husband who loves you, and whom you love back. You can't ask for more than that. Believe me. I know."
"He's not perfect."
"I didn't say he was - I said he'd make the perfect husband. There's a difference. He would die for you, even now. He would put his own blade in his chest if you asked it of him - just as long as you didn't ask it of him before he has finished Voldemort - let him fulfill his one obligation, and then he will do anything you ask. You know that if there was any other way, he'd have done it. But there wasn't."
"What about you?"
"What about me?"
"Where do your loyalties lie?"
"I would follow Harry and Simba anywhere he asked."
"Even to his bed?" Tonks asked, raising an eyebrow - she wondered how Narcisssa had found out about Harry's alter ego.
"If he asked it of me, yes. But he won't."
"And how can you be so sure?"
"Because he loves you. And he won't give up on you for a long while - and even if he ever does, anyone one else will only be second best at the most. You should know that." With that, Narcissa Malfoy strode away, leaving one very speechless Nymphadora Tonks in her wake
Dani pulled everything Simba had taught her about healing into her mind as she fought to heal the numerous wounds caused by his wielding of Earth magic. Simba had informed her that she was a gifted healer, like Gem, and had begun to teach her the basics of healing, along with his own rather...obscure methods of healing. He had mentioned having Gem teach her the 'proper' methods of healing once she had grasped what he had to teach. Now, she was putting her training to the test. While her mentor's situation wasn't life or death, she knew that until he was healed - either with magic or naturally - he would be feeling incredible amounts of pain. It was hard for Dani to believe that Leona had called for her, rather than Gem, but it did increase her confidence in her own abilities.
"He's waking up." She said, as Harry began to stir fretfully, a frown marring his handsome face.
"Harry? Are you ok?" Leona asked, rushing to his side.
"He'll need to drink this before he'll be able to speak without pain." Dani said, handing Leona a goblet of an iridescent pink fluid. She put it to Harry's lips, allowing him to take a long drink before even attempting to speak.
"Thanks." He croaked, sitting up a little, only to hiss in pain and lie back down again, only moving his head to drink more of the bizarre looking potion.
"Try not to move too much, Harry. I'm not done yet." Dani said.
"So I noticed. How long have I been out?"
"According to Narcissa, you'd been drifting in and out of consciousness for five hours before you got back here - you've been unconscious ever since."
"And how long have I been here?"
"About two hours."
"Oh. Ok." Harry said, his eyes drifting closed of their own accord as he fell asleep, still exhausted.
Tonks sat by the lake, thinking of what she had been told. She had never thought that her Aunt had been unhappy in her marriage, but now that she had been told of it, she realised that it was obvious - they were so…well…indifferent to each other. It made her wonder what else she didn't know. But she knew that she was stalling from thinking about the real matter at hand - her relationship with Harry. Or current lack thereof. She had no doubts whatsoever that she was in love with Harry, and that he loved her back, but…well, she needed to sort out whether or not she could live with the fact that he would have to put himself in dangerous situations until he had fulfilled his duty. And the possibility of him being injured was great - after all, wasn't he lying unconscious in his bed in his quarters right now, covered in cuts and bruises? The question was whether she was strong enough to handle the fact that the man she loved would very likely be injured on a regular basis - and could she handle the fact that she would be helpless to heal him?
Harry was unaware of his ex-fiancée's introspection as he lay sleeping in his bed. His body was quickly healing, with the help of Dani, and he was almost free of cuts, though a few marks of discolouration remained, as well as his extreme fatigue - he needed to rest for several days before doing any major magic, but apart from a few faint scars, he would suffer no long-term effects from the ordeal. It seemed that the Warrior Mage had found his limits - using a lot of Earth magic was not within those limits. At least, that was the current working theory.
After a week, Harry felt as if he was back to normal - his magic levels had been restored, and he was feeling much less battered and bruised. He was up and about, although he wasn't doing much that would put him in the slightest bit of danger. Everything seemed to lull in the aftermath of his attack on Voldemort's forces. Now he just had to figure out what his next move would be.
At the same time, Tonks was trying to figure out how to approach Harry. Where a few weeks ago, she would've been able to tell him anything, she now found herself unable to even look him in the eye without flinching. She knew that she had hurt him, but she didn't know how to make it better. He had grown distant over the past few weeks - he was always busy with something or another. While she knew it was necessary, it didn't make her job any easier.
As Voldemort lay low, Harry found the time to get back into the swing of teaching his classes, as well as teaching the DA, coaching the Gryffindor Quidditch team and training Dani and Rhia. Both of his Warrior students were doing well, and had begun to be taught by people that were more adept in their specialties than Harry was; Gem taught Dani the conventional healing methods, while Rhia was taught the basics of Warrior divination by a young man called Angelus who, while not being an active Seer, knew everything there was to know about divination. In the back of his mind, he knew that Voldemort's retaliatory attack was imminent, but at that moment, he also knew that there were more important things to worry about than that - they would be ready for the attack when it came.
"Harry, are you all right?" Leona asked, seeing her friend and brother lying on his couch with his eyes closed.
"I'm fine. Just resting for a moment." Harry said.
"What have you been doing now?"
"Nothing." Harry lied, hoping that she would leave it. He should have known better.
"Liar. Show me what you're hiding behind your back."
"What I'm hiding behind my back? I have no idea what you're talking about, Lee." He replied innocently. Leona's eyes narrowed to slits.
"Harry Potter, you will tell me what you are hiding behind your back - right now."
"But Lee…"
"But nothing! Tell me."
"Fine. You caught me." Harry handed her a scroll of parchment, upon which was written a plan.
"Harry, do you have a death wish?"
"It's a good plan." Harry insisted.
"It's suicide - too soon after the last suicide mission."
"Lee, listen to me. It's not suicide. I know it seems like it, but you have to trust me - I can do this. It's simple, really."
"Harry, this is madness! You're not immortal - what will happen if you die?"
"I won't die."
"You don't know that."
"Lee, will you quit it? I know what I'm doing." Harry immediately regretted his outburst when he saw the tears in Leona's eyes. "I'm sorry." He muttered, hugging her tightly.
"I don't want to lose you." She muttered into his shoulder.
"I know. You just need to trust me on this one."
"It's not that I don't trust you - I don't trust Voldemort or his minions."
"Ssshhh, it's ok." Harry said soothingly, as Leona cried into his shoulder.
"How is it ok? You're in the middle of a fight which could very easily kill you!"
"I know, but it won't."
"How do you know?"
"Because there is no way I'm giving up on life without fighting for all I'm worth."
"And you don't think Sirius thought that too? He died in a state of shock, Harry, you can't know that you won't too." Leona froze, knowing that she had crossed the line, even if what she said was true.
"How dare you?" Harry hissed quietly, ignoring - for the time being - the surge of guilt that flooded through him.
"Harry, look at yourself. Look at who you've become and what you're doing to your friends and family. I feel as if I don't know you anymore. Your friends feel as if they don't know you anymore. You need to sort out your priorities - before it's too late. You're still mortal Harry, remember that."
"And what of it? You don't think I've changed? I had to change, Lee. I've killed people. You think that I could do that without changing?"
"I knew you'd have to change. Everyone did. But not to this extent - and the fact that you're telling me that says that you haven't changed as much as you say you have. Are you trying to drive everyone away, is that it?"
"YES! ARE YOU HAPPY NOW?" He yelled angrily, before vanishing into thin air, a combination of charms ensuring that no one - not even Leona - would find him.
In her classroom, Tonks paled. A surge of magic rushed through her, leaving her breathless and shaken.
"Professor Tonks? Are you ok?" One of her second year Hufflepuffs asked worriedly.
"Class dismissed." Was Tonks' only reply, as she sat heavily in the chair behind her desk, shaking slightly as she wondered what had happened for Harry to let out such a large amount of magic. She had felt it before, but only once: when Harry had almost died through blood loss, just before they got together. After the shock had passed, she leapt to her feet and went in search of Leona. She could only hope that the other woman knew what was going on, and was helping Harry. Little did she know that Leona had been the cause of the problem, and was currently in a state of panic as to what was happening with her honorary brother.
Harry wasn't entirely sure where he was after he let his magic go. All he could see was white. Nothing but white. For a moment he wondered if he was dead, but decided that that probably wasn't it, considering that there was just...nothingness. Surely if he was dead, there would be something more than...white. At least, he hoped there would be. His heart didn't know whether to soar or to sink when he saw a familiar person appear before him. Sirius. Now he was sure he was dead. He would finally be with his parents and Sirius. But he didn't want to be dead. Not really. He hated the thought that he had left his friends and surrogate family to fight his battles, and hated the thought that his last words to Lee had been harsh. He hated the thought of never being able to speak to his friends again. Sirius watched him silently, obviously waiting for his turbulent thoughts to calm. When he eventually did speak, his words utterly confused Harry.
"Where are we?"
"What do you mean, where are we?" He demanded quietly but fiercely. "We're in the afterlife, aren't we?"
"No, Harry, I was in the afterlife until you called me here - quite forcefully, I might add."
"Then...where..."
"I'm guessing it's some sort of in-between. How did you get here? You aren't hurt are you?" He asked, his voice rising out of worry and concern. Harry stared at him for a long moment before realising that yes, this was his godfather. Then Sirius almost got bowled over by Harry, who clung to him like a life line.
"Gods, Sirius, I'm so sorry...I didn't mean to...I'm sorry...never should have believed...I'm sorry...I was stupid...I'm sorry." He muttered brokenly, yet without shedding a tear. Sirius held his godson, bemused at the turn of events.
"What are you talking about? What are you apologising for?" He asked gently, stroking the hair away from Harry's face as his paternal instincts went into override.
"I...if it hadn't have been for my idiotic behaviour, you never would have died! It's my fault you're dead!"
"What? No Harry! I knew what I was doing when I went to the Ministry with the rest of the Order. I knew that it might end up with my death. I knew it and I took the chance - I shouldn't have goaded Bellatrix either, I suppose. The point is, my death was never your fault. If Voldemort wanted me dead as badly as he did, he would have killed me eventually anyway. I consider myself lucky - at least the veil was fairly painless."
"But..."
"Harry, what will it take for you to believe me?"
"Time." Harry said softly.
"Very well. Perhaps we should get comfortable then."
Tonks was absolutely shell-shocked. Not only had Harry just let out a surge of pure, raw magic, but he had also disappeared. Alone. And for once, Lee had absolutely no idea where he was, and had no way of contacting him. It couldn't get any worse, she thought. She notified Remus, Narcissa and Snape of Simba's disappearance, and wasn't surprised that he joined her within a few moments.
"Do we tell Dani and Rhia?" Tonks wondered after a while of getting nowhere.
"Of course! That's it! Rhia!" Lee cried excitedly, just as the door opened to reveal Rhia looking solemn, with Dani close by her side, looking plain bemused and befuddled.
"You won't find him." Rhia said softly, her quiet voice ringing through the room.
"Where is he?" Tonks said, near tears by this point.
"You won't find him." She repeated patiently, "He is no longer in this dimension."
"He's in Lesea then?" Lee suggested hopefully, only an affirmative answer away from Tripping straight there and searching the entire city for him.
"No, he's not in Lesea." Lee's face fell visibly, before she began reeling off any other dimensions that came to mind. Eventually, her list ran out, and Rhia had answered negatively to each and every one.
"He's not dead, is he?" Tonks asked, her voice shaking.
"No." Rhia replied, causing everyone to breathe a sigh of relief.
"Oh good. At least we know he's alive." Remus said, voicing the thoughts of all of them.
"He's not." Rhia said in the same, soft, knowing voice. At that moment, she was the only calm one in the room.
"He's not? He's not alive? But you said..."
"My Lord Mage is neither dead nor alive."
"How is that possible?"
"He is...between the two. He can go either way."
"Then...is he somewhere between this world and the afterlife? Is that what dimension he's in?" Tonks' brows were furrowed as she put together the pieces of the puzzle.
"There is no dimension between this life and the next."
"There is now." Rhia murmured.
"What? That's ridiculous. No one can just 'create' another dimension out of thin air!" Snape scoffed. Rhia turned to him calmly, her face showing neither happiness nor sadness as she stated:
"No one could. Before now. Simba just has. Without even realising it."
"There's one thing I don't understand." Narcissa said, speaking up for the first time. "If Simba is powerful enough to create a whole new dimension without even intending to, why hasn't he killed the Dark Lord already? He had the opportunity to that day in Lesea - when he banished him."
"No he didn't." Rhia disagreed, a small frown appearing on her face as her eyes stared into the distance.
"What do you mean? We were there, we saw him - he banished Voldemort, when he could have just as easily killed him." Narcissa snapped, finally losing her temper.
"No. It wasn't the Earth magic that drained him. It was the banishing spell. Voldemort isn't a problem. What he has done is a problem."
"What has he done?" Remus asked with a considerable amount of trepidation.
"He has invoked an evil spirit. It is possessing him."
"An evil spirit?"
"Yes. Like…what Muggle Christians call the devil. Only more powerful. It's this…incarnation which is the problem. As it stands, Simba is relatively powerless to do anything much to it. It cannot be killed, as it is not fully a part of Voldemort, and yet cannot be banished because it shares a part of Voldemort, even if it is not fully joined yet."
"What does that mean?"
"It means that until Harry sorts out his problems wherever he is, there is not a thing that anyone can do about…well…anything to do with Voldemort."