Chapter 5

I don't own Harry Potter. Also, just in case, there are some mildly gruesome scenes described in this chapter, so if you have a delicate constitution be warned.

Just after breakfast the next day Remus Lupin found Orion in the library, tapping an irregular rhythm on the table he sat at and sipping tea as he glared at a stack of books.

"I'm surprised that Kreacher let you bring food and drink in here." Lupin commented. Orion gave him a distracted, off-handed wave.

"I got the drop on him. He's Stunned in a corner somewhere." He replied.

"Oh." Lupin replied cautiously. Orion sighed.

"I know, I shouldn't do it, but he was creeping around grabbing all the books he could and I couldn't not take my chance. Bloody menace. Anyway Professor, there was something you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Um, yes. And it's Remus."

"Remus, then. What is it?"

"I…wanted to apologise for, well, attacking you last night." Lupin said. Orion looked at him apparently surprised.

"Oh? You don't have to. I might not have been pleased to have been attacked, but you let me make a point and, really, I had just told you that I was the son of one of your best friends- an alternate version of him, anyway- and that I was a Dark Lord- your reaction was warranted. I'm more worried that the rest of the Order either were too shocked to move or thought I was honestly disarmed because Dumbledore took a wand from me. Dangerously complacent that."

"You weren't disarmed?"

Orion smiled, lifting up his hands. He flicked his left hand, causing a red wand to flick into his hand.

"My redwood want." He said easily, laying it on the table. Still smiling he then flicked his right hand, causing a pale and horribly familiar wand to spring into his right hand.

"That's-"
"Voldemort's wand, yes. I looted it from his body before I torched it, and it makes a reasonable backup. I don't like using it, though. It's been tainted by its old owner."

"You mean that it-"

"Has become dangerously attuned to Dark magic over its lifetime. Ollivander wasn't wrong when he implied that wands have some degree of sentience. I'd much prefer my old one, but whoever cast that Withering Curse at me cost me that. Along with my ability to properly shake hands with werewolves without wearing gloves, of course."

Lupin raised an eyebrow at that poor joke, but chose not to push it.

"I…also heard you talking to Sarah last night." The shabbily dressed man said. Orion glanced at him, frowning slightly.

"AH. Well, I assure you that I rarely indulge in such sessions of self-pity. I considered it somewhat fitting since I'd made it to a new world. That reminds me, I need to persuade the Order to let me and Theia go into Diagon Alley- I'm not sure about her but I only have one set of clothes."

"What are you wearing now then?" Lupin asked. Orion smiled.

"I, ah, persuaded Sirius to let me transfigure some of his old clothes, and I think Theia talked to either Sarah or Ginny. Magic is a very useful thing, you know?"

"Yes. Pity that the house seems to be actively resisting magical cleaning." Remus said thoughtfully. Orion gave a baleful glance towards Kreacher.

"I suspect he has something to do with that, but since I'm not his Master I can't make him tell me anything. I wonder if Mrs Weasley will try to get me to help in the cleaning, or if I'll be left to research?"

"Research I think…she sent me up here to check on you, since you didn't turn up to breakfast. I assume that has something to do with what you told Sarah last night?"

Orion looked up at Lupin, eyes hooded.

"You're too perceptive for your own good, you know that? Yes, it has all to do with that. I can accept in my mind that all the people I know are dead are alive here, but-"

"But it doesn't help?"
Orion grimaced.

"Not even remotely. Oh, I'm sure a lot of people, like Malfoy, I won't care about them being alive, and I'm not so bad with some- you, Tonks, Kingsley, even Sirius to an extent- but every time I look at Molly or Ginny or Ron I see what was left of them once it was over…it haunts me more than I ever thought it would."
Lupin felt that he didn't really want to know, but he was cursed with a need to help people, so he asked the question that might help Orion begin to get over his past.

"How did they die?" he asked, throat dry. Orion sighed, and his voice and expression went empty.

"I'm in the courtyard of Hogwarts castle. Neville has killed Nagini and I've revealed myself to be alive- I'll treasure the look of shock on Voldemort's face for a long time. There's chaos everywhere…I shoot a bonebreaker at the back of Dolohov's head and he goes down limp. Neville waves to me in gratitude. Bellatrix and Voldemort are at the centre of the courtyard. Bella is duelling Hermione, Ginny and Theia while her Master takes on McGonagall, Flitwick and Kingsley. Both are holding their ground, and I start running towards them. Ginny stumbles, Bella goes to take advantage but Molly dives in. She shouts something to Bellatrix, I can't hear it through the noise of my heart beating…Molly manages three exchanges of spells before Bellatrix hits her with an eye-withering hex and follows up with an Eviscerator spell chain-cutter to the wand hand, silencing spell, leg locker curse, a slug vomiting hex and an entrail expelling curse. The world seems to freeze around me as the closest thing to a mother I've ever had collapses…Ginny lunges forwards but Bellatrix hits her with a spell I've never seen before and follows it with a Cruciatus. Ginny collapses, blood is everywhere, bones poking through the skin…the Cruciatus doesn't do that… Bellatrix turns on Hermione, blasts her aside, goes for Theia and I finally act. I jump in, blindside her with a Silencing Hex and hit her with a Sanguinaire combination before she realises what's happening- a blood thinning hex, a Blood-Boiling Curse and a curse that causes tiny cuts all over the body. Bellatrix goes down in a spray of crimson, she'll bleed out in seconds. Voldemort screams in rage, I turn but too late… an overpowered Dark cutting hex slices Kingsley in half. McGonagall gets hit with a curse I can't see and collapses. Flitwick dives out of the way, still hurling curses, but Voldemort hits him with a modified levitating curse that forces him into a cross shape and follows up with a piercing hex to each limb and an asphyxiation curse… a Crucifixion spell chain. Flashy but effective. I'm left facing the Dark Lord as he leers at me and starts to pace…"

Orion snapped out of his trance with a gasp, his eyes widening and nostrils flaring. Sweat beaded on his brow and for an instant a nauseous Lupin thought the young man was about to be sick.

"I'm sorry." Orion offered, smiling weakly. "It's been a while since I've had a flashback that strong."

There was a muffled sob from the doorway and Lupin and Orion whirled to see Sarah, stood next to a pale faced Ginny and Hermione.

"Sod." Orion mumbled, and Lupin understood that this was one of the things he had wanted to avoid.

"Ron's run off to the bathroom, I think." Sarah announced, her face pale but determined.

"Mrs Weasley told us to come and help you research, as well as clean the library with you, Professor. Sirius should be on his way."

Lupin nodded numbly, almost mechanically telling them to call him Remus. Orion's face had settled back into a mask, even if the mask was a little paler than before. Sarah, Hermione and Ginny joined Orion and Lupin at the library table, sitting in silence until Ginny eventually cleared her throat.

"So…how did I…uh, the alternate me, actually die? And McGonagall?"

Orion swung his steel grey eyes onto her and sighed deeply. Clearly he wouldn't be able to leave it now that they had heard some of it.

"McGonagall took a very nasty Flesh-Eating Curse to the face- horrible way to go. The spell that Bellatrix cast on Ginny's alternate was an old one, which causes temporary brittle bone syndrome. In most cases it makes small difference since a night with Skele-gro fixes everything, unpleasant though it might be. However, the Cruciatus causes the muscles to contract and flex violently. When that happened to your alternate-"

"The violent spasms caused every bone in her body to shatter at once." Sarah whispered, looking horrified. Orion nodded.

"It is things like that which make a few of the Death Eaters so dangerous. Most of them rely on the Unforgiveables- sure, those spells are nasty, but the Cruciatus has to be held on a target, the Imperius can be fought off and the Killing Curse can be dodged, not to mention its long incantation. The really dangerous Death Eaters- Bellatrix, Dolohov, Voldemort, a few others will switch to large amounts of spells that are generally considered Dark once they start to duel seriously. After all, in a full on duel Avada Kedavra is six syllables to vocalise, whereas Reducto is three and can be cast silently. As you can probably tell, I'm not above use of spells considered Dark to stay alive."

"The spell combination you used on Bellatrix?" Sarah murmured. Orion nodded.

"Learned it in this library- I used it as a hideout for some time in my Seventh year but all the really Dark books were gone." He said, shifting a pile of books so that they were splayed on the table.

"Oh, don't touch any of the books not in that pile." Orion said, pointing to a cluster of tomes.

"All the rest haven't been checked, might be dangerous."

At that point Sirius walked in.

"Hey, Orion, Remus, Sarah. Has anyone seen Kreacher?"

"He's in that corner." Orion answered, pointing a thumb over his shoulder in an off-hand manner.

"Oh. Stunned?"

"Yep."

Hermione, apparently recovered somewhat from Orion's horror story, squeaked in outrage.

"How could you do that to an innocent-"
"Kreacher is not an innocent." Orion brusquely cut her off. "Yes, a lot of House-elves are mistreated. Moat aren't, Hermione. Kreacher, in particular at this moment in time, is nasty, unpleasant, downright malicious and extremely bigoted. Given half a chance he'll run to Narcissa- or worse, Bellatrix, once she escapes from Azkaban."
"You think she'll get out?" Lupin asked worriedly. Orion shrugged.

"In my world Voldemort broke the three Lestranges, Dolohov, Rookwood and Avery out of prison about halfway through my Fifth year. Ministry blamed it on Sirius. Most of them were sent back at the end of the year after the debacle at the Ministry of Magic where my Sirius died, but Voldie broke 'em right out again."

Sirius flinched again at the mention of his counterpart's death, then frowned.

"Will you stop talking about my death? I swear, you're doing it to wind me up."

Orion only gave an enigmatic smile at that accusation, and Sirius continued to speak.

"As well as that, 'Voldie'? Since when has anyone called him Voldie?"

"I get tired of saying Voldemort all the time. Theia said that Peeves came up with it, and I like it. Also, it helped to avoid the Taboo he put on his name during my Seventh Year. Have to wonder at a man like that- he uses an anagram to hide that his real name is Tom Marvolo Riddle, but then insists people call him the Dark Lord of those ridiculous hyphenated titles. His mind must be a mess."

"Wouldn't you know, having his memories?" Ginny asked cautiously. Orion shook his head.

"I have his memories of events but not his thoughts. I know what he did, but not why. It's why I actually lack a lot of his knowledge- I only really remember how to do things, I'm not so hot on the theory."

"So," Sirius said, sitting down heavily, "What are we looking for?"

"Exorcism." Orion promptly replied.

"Exorcism?" Sarah echoed. Orion nodded.

"Exorcism. You see, I have a theory as to the ickle bit of soul stuck in your forehead…I think that it's being trapped by the blood protection your mother gave you. Now, the protection can only act by destroying the carrier, but it has to protect the carrier, inducing a paradox that means the protection is only suppressing the shard. That also explains what happened to Professor Quirrel- the protection recognised the soul in him and poured as much of your magic as possible into him, causing him to end up roasted and you magically exhausted. Obviously that's why Voldemort can touch you now- with your blood he inherits the paradoxical protection. Now, the shard being removed is a very good thing for several reasons: Firstly, so long as it's there you have a link to Voldemort. This is bad, since you are each subject to experiencing a certain amount of the others feelings and subconscious desires. However, he knows Occlumency to block them out, you don't. Secondly, the shard is actually supressing your memory somewhat. Once it's gone, you'll become a lot more book smart. Not Hermione book smart, but above average book smart. And thirdly, the protection is draining a portion of your magic to supress the shard. As such, I'm more powerful than you right now. You're still above average, but not so far above average. This isn't helping."

"How far above average are you?" asked Hermione, obviously curious. Orion shrugged.

"Hard to really tell until I- we, rather- mature magically. Thing is, the stronger you are the longer it takes to finally mature. For example, Sirius is considerably above average, and matured when?"
"Early twenties. Twenty three, I think, though I was in Azkaban at the time."

Sirius promptly replied. Orion nodded.

"Remus is bang on average, and matured at Eighteen I think- a little later than usual. Dumbledore and Voldemort didn't reach their peak until about thirty-three. I can't be sure, but I think I might be at roughly that level- maybe lower."

"You're as powerful as Dumbledore." Hermione said in a tone of flat disbelief. Orion rolled his eyes.

"No. Were you not listening? At seventeen-once I'd got free of the shard- I was as powerful as two ordinary wizards. At nineteen three. At twenty-one four, and assumingly so on. That pattern is indicative of such power, since magic levels act oddly. Right now I'm about as strong as the average wizard, with Sarah maybe a quarter under that. Is that so hard to believe? Remember how fast I learn spells and that Patronus I cast? Hardly the work of a low powered wizard. However, as I said, I won't hit a peak high enough to straight up challenge Voldie until my thirties, by which point he'll have won anyway."

"Um…okay." Sarah said, rebooting her brain in a valiant effort. "So…exorcism?"

Orion shot her a grateful look.

"Yes. I think that the pain you feel in our scar when close to Voldemort or having a vision is the result of the shard trying to…break free, trying to return to the greater piece- a kind of magnetic attraction, if you will. Hopefully an exorcism ritual performed at that point will sever the bonds the shard has with you, making it fly back to Voldie and, with any luck, incapacitating the son of a bitch long enough for you to shoot him in the head."

"Kill him?" Hermione questioned, sounding shocked.

"Yes." Orion replied, voice flat, "Kill him. He isn't going to stop. He's too far gone for redemption. Death is all we can offer him."

Sirius and Lupin nodded in agreement, both having long realised that while the forgiveness Dumbledore preached was all well and good there were some people who were beyond redemption, and too dangerous to be left alive. They sat in silence for a while, riffling through the books that Orion had checked while Sirius was demoted to cleaning the shelves, despite his half-hearted protests. It turned out that he could barely deny a request from one godchild, never mind both Orion and Sarah. The quiet was ended when Hermione absently reached out to a book lying on the table, and received a Stinging Hex to the hand that caused her to jump and yelp.

"What was that for?" she demanded. Orion glared at her.

"I told you not to touch the books I haven't checked!" he snapped. Hermione glowered.

"I was just looking-"

"You look with your eyes not with your hands! And a good thing too because that particular book has a very nasty Flesh-Eating Curse on it!"

Hermione squeaked, and then looked at the book.

"It doesn't look to be cursed…"
"It has a glamour charm layered with the Curse as a disguise. In fact, I put this in a pile at the back of the library this morning. What's it doing on the table?"

Sarah had a horrible feeling she knew how.

"Kreacher." She said, looking at the corner where the Stunned elf had been lying. Sure enough, it was empty.

"That little sod." Orion said, his reaction mild compared to Sirius' rage.

"I'll wring his neck, the little-"

Orion Silenced Sirius and left him to rant, turning back to Hermione.

"Honestly Hermione, I'm sorry to do that, but it was pretty urgent."

Hermione shook her head.

"It's ok…but, you said you moved it. How?"

"I'm wearing gloves. Also, I used my left hand- any Flesh-Eating Curse on that is a bit redundant. Honestly, I think I could cancel and reverse the Curse if it was cast, but I didn't want to risk anything without knowing what it was. I considered transfiguring something into a fluffy rabbit or adorable puppy and using that as a test subject, but then I remembered that I'm no longer a Dark Lord and that actions like kicking puppies and punching orphans are no longer acceptable."
Orion, Sarah had noted, had a somewhat dry and dark sense of humour. She appreciated it.

"I'll get Bill to look at it, I think. Better safe than sorry." Orion concluded, as Sirius finally wound down and Lupin stopped laughing at him. All said, Orion carefully picked up the book in his left hand and limped deeper into the library, leaning slightly on his cane.

"I thought that cane was just for effect." Muttered Hermione. "I mean, Wizards can't really be hurt that badly, can they?"
"Look at Mad-Eye. Potions and magic can't help everything. Besides, I bet he can move pretty quickly if he needs to." Ginny pointed out. Sirius, calmer now, nodded.

"Probably uses a numbing Charm when he absolutely has to, and manages the rest of the time."

"That is indeed what I do." Said a returned Orion.

"In theory, I could have to bones vanished and regrown, but that isn't certain to work and would be rather painful. Also, everyone underestimates a cripple- look at how many people underestimated Mad-Eye in the last war. Besides, it gives me an excuse to carry a weapon."

"A weapon? That cane? Does it have a sword inside it?" Sirius asked, excited. Lupin rolled his eyes at his friend, and then laughed as Orion smacked the man on the head with his cane.

"Nope. But people seem to forget that a stick is still a stick. And I can transfigure it if I need to. I've been duelling left handed for years anyway- I broke my right hand about Christmas time in my Seventh Year and had to learn. Made it much easier to go into battle with the Sword of Gryffindor in one hand."

There was a long pause, then Sirius put his hands on Orion's shoulders and looked him in the eye.

"You do realise," the Marauder started soberly, before a massive grin broke out on his face, "That every word you say makes you even cooler?"
"I do my best." Orion replied cheerfully.

"Great. Now I've been outshone in front of my own Godfather." Sarah said dryly. Orion grinned briefly.

"By a cripple no less. You could just consider me an awesome older brother figure?"

"Meh. Maybe. What would that entail?"

"Mostly me hanging around and threatening potential love interests." Orion said, unfortunately setting Sirius off again.

"Wait…" Sirius said slowly. "Theia and you…there's something going on there, right?"

Orion just blinked at him, apparently too surprised to answer. Undeterred, Sirius continued.

"And there's an alternate version of Theia in Ginny's year? You know what that means?"

Lupin realised too late what Sirius was about to say.

"Twins, Orion. The ultimate expression of manliness! To be-"
Sirius was cut off by a Stinging Hex that hit his leg, perilously close to his thigh. The dog Animagus promptly shifted form and hid under the table, although his rather bear-like form made that difficult. Orion lowered his wand.

"One, that's quite perverted, Sirius. Two, be glad I got that it and not Sarah, Ginny or Hermione, who would be harsher than Stinging Hexes and probably not aim slightly off out of pity. And third…have you met Theia, man? Are you trying to kill me?"

Sarah, Ginny and Hermione laughed, while Lupin gave a brief chuckle after his instinctive cringe as Sirius finished his sentence, but the laughter was cut off by a truly evil light entering Orion's eyes.

"Say, Sarah…do you act towards Draco Malfoy like I did? Arguments, threats, exchanges of hexes and so on?"

"Um, yes. Why."

The grin on Orion's face would have put Voldemort to shame.

"Why, because that sounds a lot like there's something unresolved behind that, if you know what I mean…you aren't secretly lusting after him, are you?"

"WHAT? No!" Sarah yelped. Orion nodded thoughtfully.

"Hmm, yes, he does seem more like the unrequited love, stalker type. Maybe that's why he always seemed to know where I was…in any case, are you sure you have no interest in him?"

"Absolutely. Why are you so interested in this anyway?"
Orion, still wearing his smile, slung an arm around Sarah's shoulders.

"Why, because as your pseudo big brother I'm required to deliver the traditional threats to any suitor you may have. And should those threats devolve into bone breaking and mental scarring, well…"

"I have a Dark Lord as an over-protective big brother." Sarah deadpanned.

"There goes my love life."

Read and Review, it does help if mistakes are pointed out. As ever, hope you enjoyed it.