Bad Love Keeperoliver Chapter 15
Harry and Ginny watched as Luna walked away from Blaise, who had his back turned to everyone in the area. Tears were flowing down the cheeks of Luna, and her eyes were as red as cherries.
Harry looked to Ginny and said, "Ginny, why don't you go try and settle Luna down, while I go talk to Blaise."
"I have a better idea Harry. You go talk to Luna. You know her better than anyone else, including me. For some reason, you and her communicate on a different level and understand each other. Blaise needs a feminine touch to help him. I know that sounds weird, seeing how it is a female that is causing his pain, but, I feel I can get him to understand Luna's reasoning better than you."
"Gin, you didn't have to explain your reasoning. I would have done as you asked just by asking. I do however, see your point. Go to him and get him to see it was never her Intention to hurt him. I have to try and get Luna back into her cheery self. I hate to see her hurting like she is right now." Harry kissed her and walked towards Luna while Ginny went to Blaise.
Ginny sat on the chair next to his bed and tried to get him to look at her. "Blaise, will you please look at me. I feel we need to talk."
With his back still to Ginny he replied, "About what? How Luna lied to me?"
"How did she lie to you?"
"She told me when I asked her if there was anything I should know about her that would possibly break us apart, that there was nothing about her that would do that."
"Blaise, I am going to set up a barrier to keep what I have to say between us." Ginny set up the wards to keep them silent to the rest of the people in the area. "Now, will you please look at me. I hate talking to the back of your head."
He turned over to face her. His eyes were as red as Luna's. He was hurting as bad as she was. "Ginny, why did she keep something like that from me? She killed twelve people today, with something I can only guess at what power it was. Her face was that of something evil, and her eyes glowed red. Her hair turned into snakes that moved on their own. It wasn't the Luna I loved standing there."
"Blaise, please try to keep an open mind as I say this. Harry asked Luna to keep this from everyone, so that if she ever needed it, it would come as a surprise. It was necessary for him to ask this so that there would be no defense for it. It would also keep her safe from the Death Eaters from trying to capture her and use her power against us. You saw what she can do. Would you like to see that kind of power used against us?"
"That is exactly what I am getting at. If I had known in advance what she was capable of, I would have protected her."
"Like you did in town? No, Blaise, I think Harry did right by asking her to keep it to herself. Only four people knew her power. Harry and Luna of course. Then Celia and I also knew. Harry felt the fewer people who knew, the easier it was to protect her. You love Luna and you were doing your best to protect her in Hogsmeade. However, when you got hurt, Luna did what she thought she had to do. She became that what you saw."
"What exactly was it I saw? I had never seen anything like that before. Why were the twelve all that died?"
"This is the reason for the silence Blaise. Everyone knows Luna as Luna Selena Lovegood. Her real name is Luna Medusa Lovegood, and yes, she is a descendant of the real Medusa, complete with her powers."
"Medusa? You mean the Medusa from mythology that could turn people to stone?"
"That's the one. Now, you have to understand that she never wanted to use this power on a living creature. It took saving your life for her to do this. It had to be something really special for her to do it. I don't know how you feel now Blaise, but think about it? She killed twelve people because they hurt you, and were still a threat to you. There was no one else who knew you were hurt, plus they were busy fighting for their own lives."
"But did she have to kill them?"
"Blaise, it was twelve against one. She would never have stood a chance other wise. Did you wish her to die, rather than save yours and her life?"
Blaise closed his eyes to picture the scene that took place hours ago. He watched as he was hit by that spell, and he went down. He saw Luna set up a shield while she checked to see if he was alright. Then as she stood back up, she was changing into her Medusa form. He watched as her face became slightly blurred to him making her look even worse than she was. She was standing back from the other light warriors, and only the twelve had their attention on her. They were firing harmful spells at her and himself, and the shield protected them until they got hit with the Medusa stare. As soon as she did it, she transformed back to herself, and went right to him. He saw she did everything she could to protect others from her power.
"Well, did you wish to see her die Blaise?"
"No Ginny, I didn't. I just wish I knew about it before seeing it for the first time. I hope she never has to use it again."
"Believe me Blaise, so does she. However, if the need arises again, I am sure she will do it without hesitation. Now, do you think you can forgive her for this, as she is hurting awfully bad right now?"
"Yes Ginny, I am ready to say I am sorry to her."
"That's not what I said, but that will work even better. She loves you Blaise and would hate to lose you like this."
"Well, I would hate to lose her because she did it saving me and her. I just wasn't thinking right. It felt like she was keeping something from me that could hurt or kill me in the future. I see now that she would never put me or anyone else who calls her friend in danger. Harry was right to have her keep it a secret. It would be a terrible thing to have to face in battle."
"I do know one thing though Blaise, you might think twice about upsetting her in the future. She can do partial changes that are pretty darn wicked in their own way."
"Anything else I should know before I say I'm sorry?" Blaise gulped.
"Yes, a kiss and hug might help out. Besides, I think you both need it right now."
Blaise smiled at Ginny, and happened to look past her to see Harry and Luna walking back towards them. Luna looked slightly better than she did when she left a few minutes ago. He saw Ginny drop the charms around his bed, and get up to go to Luna and give her a hug. She stepped out of the way, and let Luna go to him alone. She stood there with Harry and watched as Luna took a seat next to Blaise and then got up and went to him for a hug and a kiss. From that point on, she knew everything was going to be alright.
BL-}
When Luna saw Harry walking towards her, she thought he was going to give her a pep talk. How Blaise will get over this problem he has with her power. Instead, he walked up to her and said, "Doesn't Ginny look great with the way she sways her hips when she walks?"
"WHAT?"
"I mean look at her. She reeks of sexuality. It sometimes drives me crazy to watch her walk across a room. Hypnotizing really. I can't believe it's me she chose to be with over Dean. I must be the second luckiest man in the world."
"Is this supposed to be cheering me up Harry, because if it is, I don't think it's working."
"Why would I be trying to cheer you up? Is something bothering you Luna?"
Luna shook her head, thinking she missed something. "Didn't you see the way Blaise acted towards me a minute ago? Like I was yesterdays trash left on his bed. How he ignored me when I tried speaking to him? How he let me walk off without even a glance in my direction? Did you miss all that?"
Harry shrugged his shoulders like it was nothing, "If you are worried about that, then you worry over nothing. Blaise just needs time to get adjusted to the fact that it will be you wearing the pants in the house when you two get married. It's quite a blow to a mans ego to learn that the person he loves is more powerful than he is. But, like I said he will get over it."
Luna stood there quiet still for a moment. She could not believe what Harry just said. Any of it. However the longer she thought on it, the funnier it sounded, until she couldn't take it anymore, and burst out laughing.
Luna then thought of what Harry said and had to ask, "Harry, you said you were the second luckiest guy around. Who would you say was first?"
"Why Blaise of course. I mean who else could say that his girlfriend can kick your arse?"
She was still wearing a smile as they walked back towards Ginny and Blaise, who were also wearing a smile. Somehow she knew that everything would be alright.
BL-}
Bella had been in her bed since the incident at Hogsmeade. She was running things over in her mind as to what happened. The thing that hurt the most and was felt the most was the treatment by Voldemort towards her when they returned. Yes, she saw the twelve men turned to stone and could not figure out how that happened. She remembered the power that Potter possessed. It was far stronger than she was led to believe. Nothing that happened was through any fault of her own, yet it was she that felt the full brunt of Voldemort's anger.
She had just lost her husband and his brother at the fight. It was they who were put in charge of the attack, not her. If it had not been for her, no one would have survived the encounter. She did what ever she could to return and report to Voldemort about the failed attack. However, all she got out was that the attack failed, when she was hit with the first crutiatus. It was followed by a second, then a third and even more. She lost count after nine. She was told later that she had been hit twelve times with the curse. It wasn't even one of her own that told her. It was her House Elf Dilly that told her.
It was also Dilly that took care of her, and was her only visitor. None of her own even thought to check on her.
It has been a week, and she was now making plans of her own. She asked Dilly to let her know when there was no one in the house so that she could begin her plans. She then sat in her bed and practiced her magic. Easy magic at first, as if she were starting Hogwarts all over again. Then as she got stronger, the spells became more difficult. What she was doing, was casting a spell, and catching it in her hands and molding it in her mind, building the strength of the spell as she held it. She then cast the spell out the window and watched as it hit the tree that was out there. The tree was taking quite a beating, and she used charms to hide her work.
This went on for another week, and Bella felt like she was ready to leave the bed and her room and begin to activate her plan. She hoped that her target was left behind when they all left. Once her plan was completed, then she would leave the house and take to hiding. Her plan would have dire consequences for a certain someone. At least that was what she believed.
After eighteen days, ten of which she faked her condition, Dilly told her that the house was empty, and that no one was due back for several hours. She began her mission of redemption as soon as Dilly told her. She got out of bed, and dressed. She grabbed her wand and headed downstairs. She searched every room, but found no one. Not even the one she wished remained behind.
Bella fell back in a chair, upset that there was nothing she could do. Then she heard a familiar noise. A scraping on the floor, as if something were being dragged across it. Nagini was returning from a hunt. Bella stayed in her seat and watched as the snake entered the room. Bella saw that her hunt had been successful by the bulge of an unfamiliar animal stretching her sides. She moved slowly, as if sensing something was amiss. She stopped when she saw Bella sitting in her masters seat. She raised up into her attack position, but was not ready for what the witch sent her way.
Bella used her magic, and conjured up FiendFyre sending it towards Nagini. The snake did not move fast enough, and was caught up in the flames. Her writhing around spread the flames throughout the room, and it was soon engulfed in the fire.
Bella called for Dilly and as soon as the elf arrived, Bella used the elf to escape from the destruction she knew would occur. Riddle house would be no more. The house was a benefit of her plan, as she wished to destroy Voldemort's pet, shattering any bond that they shared. She did not realize that she had set the plans that would bring about his downfall.
However, Bella's choice of a hideout was a big mistake, as she landed in Black Manor, in the room that was occupied by Buckbeak. Sirius kept him there to protect the house should any DE's decide to attack.
As soon as Dilly and Bella landed in the room, they were attacked by the Hippogriff, and in her weakened condition she was unable to defend herself. Dilly was knocked away from her mistress and could not save her from the claws and the ripping beak. Bellatrix LeStrange was dead in seconds after the attack. Dilly stood there, not knowing what to do. She looked at her Mistress' torn body, and decided to bring it back to the cemetery that was outside the building they just left.
She had just returned and was ready to prepare her for burial, when the rest of the wizards returned.
Tom saw the destruction of his family home, and saw the body of Bellatrix, with her House Elf standing over her. It was his opinion that Bell had fought off the attackers and died in the attempt. Her House Elf got her out of the building before it burned her body, so that there could be a proper burial.
He did not know who did this, but he vowed that Bella would be avenged. He was sorry for the way he treated his most faithful servant. He hated failure, but he hated losing his most faithful servant even more. The Order Of The Phoenix would feel his wrath soon.
Then, Hogwarts would be the end of the light. All resistance would end there, and it will be very soon.
BL-}
Voldemort began his campaign in Diagon Alley. His forces gathered in Borkin and Burkes and from their they entered the Alley.
The first place to feel their power was Weasleys Wizard Wheezes. When they were done, there was nothing left of the building but rubble. What they didn't know was that was all there was, as the store was empty of all their merchandise.
As they continued through the alley, it was Voldemort that noticed that there were no people anywhere, in or out of the stores. He also saw that most of the stores were empty. Where was everyone? He turned and made his way back to Gringotts. This he knew would have someone in it.
He entered Gringotts and was met by an armed force of Goblins led by Silverbeard, High Commander of the army. "Do not come any further Dark One. We will not allow you to destroy our work."
"Who cares about your work? I need to know where all the people are that work in the alley. The Weasleys, Festicue, Ollivander, and all the rest. Where is all their merchandise?"
"I can only tell you that they have been absent from their shops for more than four months now. When the Ministry fell to your hands, they fled for safety. You would have known this if Mrs. LeStrange would have made it back to you after her visit. We are sorry that the Dragon decided to leave at that exact moment."
"What about the Dragon? Why was Bellatrix here?"
"She went to her vault for something. When she left, the dragon attacked and took her as he fled the building. It did not look good for Her I am sorry to say."
Voldemort seemed to melt as those words. "It wasn't good for her. She is dead. Did you notice if she had anything with her when she was taken?"
"She had nothing that we could see, though our sight of her was a fleeting one. She appeared limp in the dragons clutch."
With that, Voldemort left the Goblins and gathered his forces and returned to Malfoy Manor. He wanted to ask Dilly some questions, but the elf had already left, and if she did not wish to be found, there was no way that Voldemort would find her. He would just have to assume that the cup was safe in her vault. He would have felt it if it had been taken by someone. His reasoning was because it was a part of him. Then he realized that there was another part of him that was missing, Nagini. He went back to Riddle House to search for her.
When a search failed to find her, Voldemort began to fear that he most hated to acknowledge. Someone knew his secret, and was destroying his most prized possessions. His immortality. His one power over all.
He now knew it was the moment to attack, before all of his treasures were found and destroyed. It would take some time to prepare, but it would be soon. This he promised to Bella and Nagini.
BL-}
For the first time this year, Harry felt Tom in his mind. He was beyond mad. He was furious. Harry felt the reason for this. Nagini and Bella were both missing or dead, with Bella being lost to a dragon. None of this made any sense to Harry. No one had left the school for any reason since Hogsmeade, and no dragon left the school grounds.
When he told the rest of his vision, it was Tonks who laughed. "Don't you all see? Tom has been to Gringotts for some reason, and they told him of Bella being captured. But, why does he think she is dead, if she was at the battle in Hogsmead?"
"Exactly Tonks. It doesn't make sense. He has to know that she couldn't have been to Gringotts and taken by a dragon, if she fought in Hogsmead. And who took Nagini and to where did he or she take her?"
Daphne asked the question everyone was afraid to ask, "Do you think a third party is forcing Tom into a confrontation with us?"
Harry thought on it a moment. "It would seem that way Daphne, and I'm afraid it has worked. He is planning an attack now with his inner circle. We can expect an attack soon. But who would want a war that will bring so much destruction? What could be gained by it?"
It was Severus who answered that question, "Someone who knew that both sides would be weakened, and ready to step in to finish it. This would make him or her the real winner of the war."
"I don't know Professor. It sounds logical in a way, but if there was a third party, I would think either Tom or Professor Dumbledore would have felt their presence at some point in time. No, I think something has happened to Bella and Nagini that no one is aware of. But I feel that there has to be someone that knows what really happened."
The rest of the night was spent with everyone trying to figure out what had sent Tom into forcing his hand and planning his attack. They all figured that Hogwarts was the the logical point of interest for Tom to attack. It was the last main rallying point for the light.
Harry called for Dobby and Kreacher, "Dobby, you must tell the other house elves that we are going to be attacked soon, and they would be safer down here with us. Kreacher, if there is anything you know of in the manor that could help us in any way, you need to go and get it now. I don't know how much time we have before the attack."
The two elves disappeared and did what was asked of them. Dobby returned quickly, and soon the other elves joined them as well. One of the elves started acting peculiar when she arrived. She saw one she thought was either dead or under restraints. "Master Snape, we thought you were dead?"
Severus looked down at the elf and remembered who she was, "Dilly, what are you doing here?" He then covered the area with a spell that would keep the elf from escaping. "Harry this is Bella's personal house elf?"
Dilly had the fear of death in her eyes. She thought she was going to be killed because she was looked at as a threat to the security of the school. She came here because she needed to find a safe place with others of her kind. Hogwarts has always taken in homeless elves and she never heard an complaints from those who sought shelter here.
She watched as the young wizard approached her, but there was no hatred in his eyes. No look of cruel intent to his features. He even smiled at her and reached out to take her hand. She had no intentions of accepting his offer. It could have been a trick on the part of the wizard. Then came the straw that broke the camels back. In a flash, there stood the same creature that killed her mistress, and on his back was the elf that found her a family. Kreacher.
Kreacher looked down on Dilly and spat out, "What is you doing in Hogwarts, Dilly?"
"I came here to seek help when my mistress died. I had no where else to go. I do not bring any evil with me Kreacher, I promise."
"You say your mistress is dead. When did she die, and how did she die, Dilly?"
"This very day she did, and by that creature you are riding."
"You say Buckbeak killed your mistress today. Then that means she tried to enter Black Manor and Buckbeak surprised her. Why was Bella trying to get in Black Manor?"
"Because she had just done a very bad thing to Lord Voldemorts pet. She killed it with fire. It was so bad, that the House burned to the ground. She had me take her to the first place she could think of, which was Black Manor. That was where we met up with this Creature, and it struck before we could do anything to stop it. I had to get her out of there before the thing ate her. That was when Lord Voldemort caught me, as I took my Mistress back to the House. He acted funny though, like he was sorry for something, rather than being upset. It was like my Mistress was dead because of him doing something. When he asked me how she died, all I could say was that it was a creature with wings and claws."
Harry fell back on his butt, when he heard Dilly's explanation. He now felt that he had the whole story and they were preparing for an attack because of a misconception. Dilly never told him where she was attacked. Tom thought it was the Order that attacked and destroyed the house and Nagini. Bella tried to escape to somewhere, where she met her death. He just didn't know where.
He began his attack in Diagon Alley, and entered Gringotts, where he heard the tale of Bella being caught by a dragon and taken away. He then thought that Dilly went to her and pulled her from the dragon, but was too late to save her. When he returned to question Dilly further, she was already gone.
This is what he told the others, and they all felt that it was as good an answer as anyone else could come up with.
BL-}
Charlie talked with Severus and Sirius about his part in the upcoming battle. He asked them if he could train six students in a crash course in dragon handling. When he was granted permission only after he talked with Hagrid, he went to the grounds keeper and talked to him about who he felt would be best. Hagrid couldn't answer him, as he never taught his classes about dragons. They were discussed, but without having one available, he could not teach them. He mentioned some names who showed the most interest in the talks.
When Charlie went to the students and asked for volunteers, he looked for the ones who Hagrid mentioned. He saw all of them raise their hands and was pleased with the response. However, Harry could not be chosen for this project, and he showed the most interest, plus he helped Hagrid in his first year with Norbert. He chose Draco, Dean, Seamus, Neville, George and Colin. They would begin training the next morning. If Blaise had not been hurt, he would have chosen him over Colin.
With the battle so near, the school had to use every resource available. Minerva called on Hogwarts to prepare for the defense of the school, and all the stone warriors and suits of armor were activated. All the gargoyles were activated. All the creatures in the Forest were warned and asked for their assistance. The Centaurs accepted her offer, but the spiders rejected it, and left instead. No one knew where they went, but they all felt they would see them again, and soon.
The shields set up around the grounds were strengthened by the Professors and the elves. With each putting in their own special touches. Kreacher placed a spell on it that when a shield was taken down, it would come down as acid and burn any standing near it outside of Hogwarts.
Many more traps were laid, and the once majestic school now took on the look of a castle ready to do battle with it's enemy.
Whatever was to come, the defenders of the castle would make sure that it's attackers would know they were in a battle for their lives.
BL-}
A/N-} I would like to take this time to ask all my readers to take a minute and pray for the residents of Boston and the ones who died or were injured during this tragic attack. Once again, innocent people were the target of some fanatical group, or sadistic team. Being from Boston originally, I am looking for a list of names of those killed and injured for a name I might recognize. I hope there are none.
I would also like to pass on that this story is coming to end in the next two chapters, and I'm sorry to say that it will be my last. I know the length of time between chapters is terrible, and I am sorry. Things are getting to the point where I can't concentrate. I hope you all understand and can forgive me. I love every single person who read and enjoy my work. You are all special to me. I will not bore you all with names, and those special to me know this.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. As always, Ollie the Keeper, and for the really special person, Ollie your Keeper.