Author's Notes: Another quick update as I rewrite bits, although the first chapters won't change much. I'm not sure if tomorrow I'll be able to update. If not, I might at least add one or two chapters on Monday (Japan time). Please point me any specific mistakes I've made through reviews so I can fix them. If possible put the bad sentence along with the correct way of writing it so I can learn from that or simply laugh at a silly mistake I made before fixing it. Thank you.

Another Note: I don't remember if Harry ever told Ron and Hermione about his mother's protection in his veins. My memory fails me and I'm too lazy to go over the books to check. Anyway, I am assuming that at some point he did tell them, even if it is not mentioned in the books. Hope this doesn't offend anyone.

Song: 'Brand New Way' by Ganasia (Rockman / Megaman)

Ch. 5: Mind: Possessed

Snape made an abrupt movement with his wand from side to side and the putrid hand grabbing Hermione's hair was severed falling to the floor. Hermione ran from the window along with Ron and in seconds the foursome was together. "We have to go outside." The teens stared at the Snape incredulously. "We have no choice! The only exit is outside! We stay here, we die! They will break in and kill us!" Snape explained.

Hermione quickly summoned the few things they owned along with their backpacks while full of nervousness, Harry opened the door, wand in hand. "Incendio!" The Inferius that was in front of the door went backwards burning and quickly Hermione and Ron caught on and started to use the same spell to get out of the house. Snape was already using it after Harry before the other two had reacted. The four were surrounded and the Inferi kept coming and coming. There were hundreds of them.

Ron tried to change tactic and started to cut the Inferi into pieces using Diffindo. He used the cutting spell in several Inferi, but was horrified to see that they kept coming at him, even dismembered. Some kept walking without arms, some walked without heads, some kept coming forward by dragging their legless torsos through the ground. There were even hands creeping by themselves, and heads rolling in a macabre way. "This is not happening!" Ron exclaimed.

"Don't be an idiot, Ron! Keep using the burning spell! Can't you see that what you are doing doesn't work?" Hermione spoke while setting three Inferi ablaze.

"Burn them, Weasley!" an infuriated Snape reinforced what Hermione had just said.

The problem was that even when trying to burn the Inferi to ashes the zombie creatures were too many for them. They were only four and to Harry it seemed that all the Inferi that had been under the strange dark lake in the cave had been somehow transported there, to the place where the Horcrux was destroyed.

Harry soon noticed that the Inferi were also approaching the Muggle neighbour houses in that area. His eyes went wide with fear and he thought with all his might that he couldn't allow that. Still using 'Incendio' he closed his eyes and thought with all his might: 'A spell to protect those Muggles, a spell to protect them, a spell to protect them all... Please... Please!' Harry felt a familiar chuckle in his mind and words appeared engraved before his eyes from the inside of his head. He could read them very well and when his eyes fluttered open they were glazed, just as it had happened before when he mysteriously destroyed the Horcrux. Snape was the only one that noticed the change in Harry's eyes. Suddenly the Harry raised his arm, lifting his wand upwards and in a voice that almost didn't sound like his own he spoke aloud: "KEKKAI CONTEGO INCANTATEM!" From the ground below Harry a cube started to grow until it had trapped them inside along with the Inferi. The Muggle houses seemed like they were still there, but it was like they weren't really part of the scene. Harry had somehow created an alternate dimension for their fight against the dark creatures.

The Muggles were now saved and would never know what had happened in front of their houses, but soon Severus, Harry, Hermione, and Ron realized that by burning the Inferi one by one they were not to survive. Sooner or later they were going to succumb and be hopelessly overpowered by the walking dead bodies. Ron was already being grabbed by six Inferi and was screaming in horror as they lifted him. Hermione was about to be grabbed too and her screams of terror filled the air inside the alternate space Harry had created. Harry, whose eyes had returned to their normal state for a small while, closed his eyes again and as the Inferi kept approaching him, being only inches from him, he opened his eyes in glazed form once more and spoke a new spell: "OMNIS INFERI, EXTERMINO INCENDIARE!"

All of the Inferi started to burn at the same time. It was an incredible sight as all were burning to ashes. Hermione had her mouth open and looked amazed at what Harry had just done. For a moment Snape thought that Ron would burst into flames too, but there was a protective light around the redhead as he fell to the floor, eyes opened in complete incredulity at the spectacle before him. Weasley didn't have to think twice about getting away from the scorching creatures and soon got up and ran to stand next to his friends and ex-teacher.

Some of the ablazed Inferi still tried walking toward the group and Hermione started to scream again. Severus grabbed the three teens full force in an oddly protective manner and Disapparated with them. As soon as they were gone the dimensional cube Harry had created crumbled swallowing all of the burning Inferi with it. In less than a minute Grimmauld Place looked as normal and peaceful as ever with no evidence of what had happened. Muggles from other houses looked through their windows to check if there was anything out of the ordinary because they had previously heard strange noises and sounds, but everything looked normal. They would never know how close they had been to dying.

XxXxX

Snape knew very well that the place he had chosen wasn't the best, but it was the first place that had come to his mind. They were too close to Spinner's End, the street where his house was. The house had been guarded by Aurors ever since the day after Dumbledore's murder.

Hermione and Ron were still looking blanched and trembling when Snape's arms freed them. Hermione had even started to cry as never in her life had she been so scared. Ron hugged her, even in his trembling state, trying to comfort her. He even planted a kiss on her forehead, which was something that seemed to startle her, but she buried herself in his arms even more, seeking the warmth and comfort that she desperately craved.

Harry was in shock and Severus had immediately noticed that he couldn't free the burden that was Potter. The second he had let Harry loose the teen had lost his balance and Severus found himself having to keep a hold on the young man. Harry looked as if he was about to pass out and so he did. Severus rolled his eyes in exasperation and lifted the unconscious form of Harry Potter and spoke to the other two: "We have to go farther. We are too close to my house, but there is a disused mill nearby where we can hide while we recover." Ron and Hermione nodded and followed their ex-Potions master.

Inside the mill Ron and Hermione sat on the ground. Severus did the same, not very carefully placing the burden he had been carrying, gaining glares from Ron and Hermione. He sighed in what seemed like deep relief at getting rid of Potter and looked at the two that were still giving him killer glares. He ignored them and they were silent for a moment, but it didn't last long.

"What happened to Harry? Will he be alright?" Hermione looked at her seemingly sleeping friend, worry showing all over her eyes and face.

"He'll be fine. He is just exhausted because he overexerted himself." Snape wasn't worried about Harry being exhausted. It was to be expected after the magical display the Potter boy had shown, but something was indeed bothering him, something that he wouldn't discuss, not until Harry had awoken.

Hermione gazed at the man called Severus and frowned: "Those spells he used-- I've never heard of them. The second one made more sense, you know, the one that started burning all of the Inferi at the same time... That must have required lots of magic, but the first... What was that? It was like he had made some sort of protective ward that guarded the rest of the place from being affected by our fight! I've never seen a spell like that in any book! Also... That chant he used to destroy the Horcrux! Where did he learn that? I was quite skeptical about him wanting to destroy the Horcrux because I had no idea about how you can do that. Then Harry simply chanted and destroyed it? How could he possibly know how?"

Severus was silent, although amused. Hermione had indeed noticed the same things that were bothering him, plus Harry's voice... That hadn't exactly been Harry's voice. There had been something awfully different about it, as if someone had been speaking through him. The glazed eyes also worried him. So far he had seen those sparkling green eyes glazed three times in less than an hour. First with the chanting, secondly with the alternate dimension spell, and thirdly with the spell to burn all of the Inferi at the same time. That display of power was abnormal for a seventeen year old and those were spells that Potter had never learned from anyone. Those spells also required an awful amount of power. Just the chant to destroy the Horcrux would have left any normal wizard in a daze.

While Snape wondered about all these things the unconscious Harry stirred. Harry got into a sitting position, still a bit dizzy and looked at the other three. "Wh-- Where are we?"

Ron smiled at his friend: "We are in abandoned mill, mate. It's almost evening and you've only been out for like fifteen minutes. You alright?"

Harry coughed a bit and then nodded. "Just a little dizzy."

"Do you remember what happened?" Snape was very straightforward with the question. If Harry didn't remember then there would be more things to worry about. The thought of having Harry possessed every once in a while was definitely troublesome.

"Yes, why?"

"Tell me everything that you remember, everything," Snape commanded.

Harry was startled at the imperative tone and seriousness in Snape's voice, but complied: "Well... I guess you mean for me to start from the destruction of the Horcrux?" Snape glared at Harry's tone in making the older wizard look like an idiot and Harry rolled his eyes. "Fine! First there was the Horcrux. As the locket opened the fragment that belonged to Voldemort's soul seemed to want to escape and I felt words coming from deep inside me in my resolution to destroy it. I spoke them and the piece of soul was completely destroyed. Afterwards, the house was surrounded by Inferi, we got out and started to burn the Inferi one by one. I noticed that the Inferi were also starting to approach the neighbouring houses and I thought with all my might that I couldn't allow other people to get hurt because of me. I felt like a familiar laugh in my head and then I saw words being written as if in front of my eyes, except that my eyes were closed. I felt a strong sensation through my veins and then I felt as if someone was speaking through me. It was a marvelous sensation. It didn't hurt or anything, but it was filled with what felt like a strong emotion... I'm not making any sense, am I?" Harry laughed nervously.

Snape was swallowing every single detail as Harry spoke and wouldn't let the teen stop: "Continue."

Harry sighed and proceeded: "Alright. After I had spoken the words I knew that the place would be saved, but then as we kept fighting I knew that it was a lost fight. There were too many Inferi and they were already too close. Burning them one by one was not going to save us. Some had already grabbed Ron... I... desperately needed a spell to destroy them as one and there it came and I just spoke the words like before."

Snape seemed incredibly relieved: "You weren't possessed then if you can remember, plus the Dark Lord would never possess you in order to help you. The chant for the destruction of a Horcrux can be found in rare dark or even light books. The spell to destroy all of the Inferi at the same time is quite an easy one, but requires too much magic so no wizard would use it unless it was a real emergency, just like in our case. Now, the alternate dimension protective ward... I have never seen that spell actually written in any book. Books that mention it only describe it, but I do know a little of it. It's a Light or White Magic spell. Extreme light magic is as rare as extreme dark magic. No one studies it profoundly as it is too complicated. I had never seen that spell performed before, but I do know one wizard that perfomed it once, just once. The spell, as easy as it seems with only three words, requires an amount of power that no ordinary wizard can yield. The wizard has to be extremely powerful to perform it. It's just... After that chanting for the Horcrux there is no possible way you could have summoned that spell and afterwards, burn all of the Inferi. No one can do that. No one. After the Horcrux you should have been worn out."

Harry looked uncomfortable at Snape's words. He had always felt ordinary and sometimes he had even thought about himself as a mediocre wizard. He wasn't as smart as Hermione, he was sometimes slow in learning spells that were supposed to be easy, and he had never projected himself as a powerful wizard. He still felt revulsion from the humiliation he had suffered the night Dumbledore died in the hands of the older wizard that was now with him and his best friends. Snape had easily blocked him then and had easily blocked him in Godric's Hollow. So, why had he been able to perform an abnormal amount of magic in so little time? How had he spoken spells he had never learned or heard about?

"Who was that wizard? You mentioned that you've only known of one wizard to perform the protective ward. Who was it?" Hermione's hunger for learning was already burning inside her.

Snape lowered his eyes before speaking in a whisper: "Albus Dumbledore... Against the Dark Lord Grindelwald. There were many innocents at the fight scene."

Hermione seemed amazed, but was curious for more: "How do you know it was the same spell? You hadn't even been born, right sir?"

"The descriptions told by other wizards. Those descriptions have been written in several books, but the spell itself, no one knows about it except that it originates in oriental Light magic. Dumbledore never told me the words required. He only told me that with my level of magic at my age then, just trying it would have killed me. Not that I would have ever tried it... I wouldn't have even bothered trying to save Muggles. I would have only worried about myself in any situation." Severus expected them to glare at him at that answer, but they didn't.

"How old were you when you asked Dumbledore?" Ron was the one full of curiosity this time.

"About your age, Weasley."

Harry was very quiet. It didn't make sense. How could he come up with a spell that only Dumbledore has ever performed? What was that chuckle in his mind and that emotional sensation? He was almost sure that it was love and shuddered at the thought. He still couldn't understand Dumbledore's insistence on love being so powerful. To him, it sounded pathetic.

"Could it have been your mother, Harry? That emotion you felt? Perhaps your mother's love that runs in your veins?" asked Hermione with a smile.

Harry thought about the girl's question, but shook his head. "I've always felt my mother's love protecting me, but it's more like a protective charm. Nothing like listening to her voice speaking to me or anything like that. No, this is something else, or someone else..."

"V-V-Voldemort?" Ron stuttered looking scared.

"Of course not!" Harry was definitely startled and had a tinge of anger adorning his face. "Voldemort? Please Ron! Voldemort full of an emotion similar to love? Voldemort helping me fight his own army of Inferi? Are you mental?"

Ron laughed nervously, recognizing that Harry was definitely right. It couldn't have been the dark lord.

Snape had flinched every time the Dark Lord's name had been spoken and couldn't control himself: "How many times do I have to tell you? DO NOT SPEAK THE DARK LORD'S NAME!"

Everyone fell silent again, but Hermione had another question: "Can the protective ward be destroyed?"

Snape looked closely at the Hermione's eyes, frightening her: "If the caster dies the barrier collapses along with everything in it and affecting everything in the scene. If Potter had died, we would have died together with him, and all of the houses would have suddenly been destroyed as if they had been attacked all along. That's all I know."

Hermione's lips trembled as she paled. Not only the spell was difficult, it was extremely dangerous too!

Harry tried to change the topic a bit. The thought of him managing to be a possible cause for many people to die was too much: "How come the Inferi got to Grimmauld Place anyway? Did they just Apparate? And what about the Fidelius Charm?"

"Anything's possible," was Snape's reply. "Those Inferi were somehow linked to the Horcrux and were ready to be summoned if the Horcrux was attacked. Regarding the Fidelius Charm, it was broken the moment the Secret Keeper died. The Secret Keeper was Albus Dumbledore. With his death the house was completely wardless and defenseless. I believe that should be obvious, Potter," Snape stated the last in an almost insulting tone.

Harry growled a bit, but then thought about what the git said and it made sense. The cave was full of Inferi. It made perfect sense that they could be linked to the Horcrux and were probably activated the moment the locket was opened. The reason why the Fidelius wasn't working anymore was also logical. Harry sighed thinking about all those details.

Severus suddenly stood up grabbing his left arm. The three teens, aware of what their ex-Potions master and even ex-Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher bore in that arm, rewarded him with concerned glances. "I have to go. Stay here. I'll come back as soon as I am able to. I don't think anyone will find you in this place, but if found, do escape." Severus then left the mill and made sure to be far enough from it before Disapparating.

XxXxX

Severus Snape didn't want to go to Voldemort, but didn't have much of a choice in the matter. At least he had the advantage of the Dark Lord trusting him ever since he had murdered the old fool Dumbledore. He Apparated in Voldemort's hideout, cloaking himself with his hood as he didn't have his Death Eater mask with him. He knelt in front of the Dark Lord, not daring to lift his head to see the powerful dark wizard's face. He noticed that there were others kneeling beside him. It was obvious that Voldemort had summoned many Death Eaters for some reason.

"Now that we are all gathered I wanted to know if any of you knows about any strange events that have occurred recently. I've felt many dark creatures activate, which is very strange. Any ideas? Any reports out of the ordinary?" The tone was of extreme interest.

All the Death Eaters seemed nervous and quickly shook their heads. Snape knew perfectly well what had happened, but saying it could easily cost him his life as a Horcrux had been destroyed. He had no sympathy for the Dark Lord and wanted to be free. He would definitely help find the filthy fragments of the Dark Lord's soul to bring a definite end to that wizard that wanted to control his life. He didn't care about his fellow Death Eaters. Severus' only concern was for his own self. He didn't even care when Voldemort chose a random Death Eater for a dose of the Cruciatus curse just because no one had an answer to his questions.

"Severus, look at me," Snape almost hissed with disgust as he lifted his eyes, quickly emptying his mind of all thought, blocking the intrusion that he knew would come, but fearing that he would be punished next. Voldemort didn't need a justified reason to punish his Death Eaters. "I need you to work on a potion for me, and I need it in great quantities."

Severus raised an eyebrow, but was careful in his speech. "A potion, my Lord?"

"Yes, Severus. I need you to make me generous amounts of the Wolfsbane potion. Can you do that for me, Severus?"

Severus was laughing inside. Only a very stupid Death Eater would have said 'no' to the Dark Lord. "Yes, my Lord. Anything to please you." But inside Severus was extremely worried. The Dark Lord's request could only mean that the recruiting of werewolves was going fairly well.

XxXxX

When Snape came back Harry, Ron, and Hermione were asleep. He awoke them and they all looked at him. He had brought them food he had managed to buy with the little money he had left. They ate quietly and soon asked him about what had happened. He told them that the Dark Lord had felt the awakening of Inferi and wanted to know if any Death Eaters knew about it. They had all denied knowing anything and as far as Snape knew He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named didn't suspect that it had anything to do with one of his precious Horcruxes, which was a relief in the middle of everything.

That night they all slept inside the abandoned mill. The next day Harry was going to Apparate close to Grimmauld Place to get the car. He had no choice, but to take it back to the Rental Center.