Disclaimer: Due to JK Rowling misplacing her copyright paperwork, I now own Harry Potter! Yay! [S.W.A.T. shows up and grabs the paperwork form her hands] Dang it.
Chapter Warning: This chapter contains things that are ideologically sensitive such as a pagan rite and an idiot being, well, an idiot. If you are offended, I apologize but will tell you to grow up in the same breath. All flames will only serve as laugh fodder and will be treasured for prosperity.
This chapter is brought to you by EMachines and having to replace everything on your hard drive and not finding your Microsoft Office Suite 2007 disc and thereby having to upgrade just to access all your work. But hey, at least you can once again have an internet browser and Word open at the same time without your computer freezing up like a virgin bride on her wedding night. Where was I going with this again?...right. On with the story!
It took a couple hours to copy the runic array onto Harry's back. Lily was thankful for the sleeping draught that kept him deep asleep through the process. She relaxed back onto her heels to allow the 'ink' mixture to dry for a moment. Her green eyes examined the array, looking for any flaws. It would not do for her to start empowering the array just to have a stray drop have the entire thing backfire on her. Satisfied that it was correct, she let her mind wander as she watched the seven month old sleep on the soft baby quilt spread out on the floor at the center of figure that Alice and she had drawn earlier. The chalk diagram of two overlapping triangles surrounded by a circle glowed faintly in the flickering light emitted by the black and white candles. Each color set anchored the points of one of the triangles.
The last five months had sped by and as Frank had predicted, Harry had grown from tiny infant to, well, not-as-tiny baby. A burst of pride blossomed in her chest as she thought of how Harry had managed to climb onto the armchair just that very afternoon. Had James' parents seen it, Lily was certain that even Dorea would have given into the urge to gush with joy. Lily allowed her eyes to close as the barely healed wound caused by their loss ached a bit. Last Christmas had been hard on all of them. With Charlus and Dorea dying in the Death Eater attack on Diagon Alley just a week before the blessed holiday, no one had been in the mood to celebrate. They had made an effort for Harry and Neville's sakes, but it had fallen a bit flat. They all had vowed to do better next year.
Lily ignored the familiar foreboding that followed that thought.
"Ready, Lils?"
Lily held in the cry that had threatened to erupt at the sudden sound of Alice's voice. She still jumped, however, causing Sirius to chuckle quietly to himself. Lily looked at the group hovering in the doorway just in time to see James cuff Sirius in the back of the head. She sighed as she watched Sirius turn and toss a poorly aimed punched into James' stomach. From there, it quickly dissolved into a mock battle between the two friends as it so often did. Deciding to ignore the two overgrown children, she looked over the array one more time before answering Alice.
"It looks like it is dried now," Lily said with a nod. She rose to her feet in a single graceful move. Her emerald eyes swept over the table slash alter that held all the tools they would need for the ritual. Alice had taken care of the final purification and sanctifying of them while Lily had started on transcribing the array onto Harry's skin. Lily could feel the energy glimmering beneath their surfaces, a pulsating pureness that made it clear that they were blessed. It had taken some time (mainly exposure) before Lily had been able to recognize the difference between regular magic items and those that had magic poured into them. Hopefully, Harry would grow up with the sense.
The familiar foreboding threatened to strike at her again.
"Are you two quite done? We're about to start the ritual and you are going to wake Harry if you keep that noise up, draught or no draught," Lily groused, irritated at both the nagging fear and their antics. James and Sirius froze in their positions. James had Sirius in a headlock and it looked as if he had been giving the dog animagus a noogie. They both looked at Lily with sheepish eyes and half grins. Lily sighed and pointed to the chairs that had been strategically placed in one corner of the room for them. Finally serious, the pair broke apart and headed to their assigned spots..
Sirius and James were not participating in the ritual, only watching in case anything went wrong. Even Alice was only magical backup. The two witches had developed this ritual specifically for Lily to use with the array empowerment. It would be both a Blessing and an empowerment. It would also be Lily's first ritual done alone since she had begun following the old ways the previous summer, the summer that started this whole journey. 'Perhaps this is moment that everything had been leading up to? Everything- -every single thing- -just for this moment?'
"Lily, I'm going to bless the circle now," Alice warned. Lily refocused upon the Now and centered herself. The redhead could feel the magic in the room grow thicker as the experienced witch called upon the Goddess to bless the circle and keep away any who would harm or disrupt the impending ritual. The brunette then went to the alter and took the silver dagger that rested there into her hands. Using the tip, she pricked herself.
Carefully but quickly, Alice added three drops of her blood to the candles set at each point. She started with the black triad and then did the white ones on her second pass around the circle. The third cycle she added the third and last drop to all six candles. As the last candle (the one directly across from Lily's position) received its third drop, the flames flared a hand high and turned a rich cerulean. Likewise, the chalk outline began to glow a pale peridot.
Alice closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. Lily found herself breathing with her. When Alice next spoke her voice was laden with the same power that permeated the room. At Lily's feet, Harry gave a surprisingly loud sigh and began to suckle his thumb again.
"With my magic and blood, I bless this circle and space.
With love and with trust, I gift it to my sister Lily.
As my Mother wills, may my strength aid Lily this night.
May my power be hers in this as it is always Yours."
The flames grew another hand as Lily felt Alice's magic connect with hers. The light emitted by the circle itself deepened to the color of oak leaves in summer. A breeze danced around the room, ruffling the drawn curtains of the window and clothing. The candle flames leaned with the might zephyr, but otherwise showed no sign of being affected. Out of the corner of her eyes, Lily saw James lean forward in his chair, interested and tense. Lily wished she had time to reassure him. But it was time to begin the ritual.
Artfully, Lily knelt beside Harry. She focused her magic in her hand. Like an echo, Lily felt Alice's magic follow the tug, filling in any gaps that her magic may have left behind. It was incredibly intimate, but not in an uncomfortable way or an unfamiliar one. Alice and Lily had shared their magic in ritual space in the past and most likely do so in the future. 'Sisters. Always.' Tracing the runes and pushing magic into them, Lily recited the words of the ritual. Her voice was a deep alto with the power carried upon it.
"Goddess, I call to You!
Hear me- -Your humble child.
You are the Mother of All
And have blessed me so that
I may know Your Pain and Joy.
Through Your Will, I have
The child Harry James
To love and take pride in."
Lily was about half through empowering the array now. The entire thing was beginning to glow with magic. The half that she had empowered already was a clear crimson while the other half was a murky maroon. Harry gave an annoyed grunt and his face scrunched up, but did not wake, thankfully.
"I need Your help, oh Lady of Life!
A Darkness wishes to claim my son- -
The child You entrusted to me!
I have prepared him with a spell of protection
And I pledge that I will die before allowing any,
Be they kith or kin, friend or foe,
To harm him
If it be within my power."
The entire array now shone with the rich red light. Lily reached out her free hand. Instantly, she felt the cool hilt of the athame in her palm as Alice handed it to her. With cool detachment that belied the depth of her emotions (this would be the most difficult part for any mother), she lightly scratched the anchor rune, sowilo, onto Harry's forehead as centered as she could get it without turning him onto his back. Blood swelled up from the tiny lightning shaped cut. Lily gave a tiny sigh of relief before she pricked her right thumb and pressed her own cut against the three lines, mingling their blood.
"I make this promise upon the very blood and magic
That flows from You to me.
I ask that You honor my pledge
With Your own unfathomable power
Strengthening the protection I give my son this night.
May our Wills be one and the same."
With those closing words, all the power that had filled Lily rushed out of her body and through her physical contact with the baby, into Harry. Spots filled her vision as the world lurched and swirled. Then there was light- -blinding and warm, so very warm like sunshine upon her face. Through the crashing waves that filled her senses, Lily heard a frightened cry from Harry.
Acting on instinct and spatial memory, she reached out for her son, the athame having been set aside as she had spoken. There was a moment of panic when all she found was blanket. He had been there- -she had been touching him not five seconds before! She blinked rapidly, desperate to regain use of her eyes to find her son. All the while, magic swirled and danced around mother and child. It cycled through a rainbow of colors as it kept the other occupants of the room from interfering.
Lily felt a drop of moisture hit her hand at the same moment that her eyes cleared. Harry was floating slightly from the power that filled his small form. Blood was running down his face from the anchor rune. His eyes were wide and darkened with sleep and fright. He was reaching his little hands to her. She grabbed him and pulled him in close to her body. He gave one last cry of "Ma" as he snuggled against her breast and relaxed back into sleep.
The magic that had been so wild swirled around the room once more before dissipating as if it never was. As if by teleportation, James was beside her and pulling them into his arms. Grateful for someone else to be the strong one, Lily relaxed into his arms. That magic that had disappeared had been all that had been keeping her going. Much of her power had been used by the ritual.
"I think we need to get you checked out," James said, worry and fear evident in his voice. Lily couldn't find the strength to say anything as the blackness of unconsciousness swallowed her. Somewhere deep within her soul, she knew the ritual had been a success.
That was all she needed at the moment.
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The next week was difficult for Harry's nerves. No amount of coaxing could compel Ron to help with the purification rite that Harry had found. Harry easily recognized that Ron was planting his feet on the matter by the end of the first day's conversation. Hermione was either oblivious to the stance the redhead was taking or angry enough to be ignoring it. As the week progressed, their arguments got louder and more volatile. It did not take long for things from the past to be brought into the heated discussions, which in turn caused the volume to rise even higher.
It was not until Ron went for his wand that Harry decided to interfere. With speed he could only accredit to the hours spent practicing with the DA, Harry had Ron bound in ropes and dangling upside down in the air. He then turned his glare towards Hermione who had the withal to at least look ashamed of her childish behavior. She looked down and took a deep breath. Harry watched as she counted to herself as she let it slowly out in the calming ritual he had notice her beginning to use during Umbridge's tenure as Defense professor. Knowing that she had it well in hand, he turned back to Ron whose face had turned a flushed red to match his hair. Harry had the feeling that it was not because of embarrassment.
Harry felt his own temper rise in response. The last almost three months of captivity had frayed his already thin control—Harry was, and perhaps always would be, a creature of action and that side of him was currently at war with the small but determined part that was determined to see Voldemort defeated. Gryffindor tactics wouldn't do that—they only got people killed or hurt needlessly. He was trying to follow the wisdom of his Slytherin side and make judicious use of his time and resources. It didn't change the fact that he craved the act of doing something—It had taken a long, difficult night to steel himself against the idea of storming the Ministry to get the locket from Umbridge or some plan that was equally fool-hardy but far more courageous than taking Kreacher up on his offer to attempt to get the horcrux back.
"Now," Harry questioned, attempting to reign in his temper which was clawing like a mad beast to be freed, "can we discuss this like reasonable adults, or are we going to fight among ourselves like Voldemort wants?"
"And you'd know what he wants, wouldn't you! All that studying you've been doing—those are dark arts texts. I'm not stupid, you know!"
"No one said that," Hermione protested loudly. Ron rushed on as if he hadn't heard her. Magic began to gather in the downstairs parlor. Harry had the feeling that this would not end well, but might just provide the action that he was craving. Suddenly, he didn't want it quite so badly. He did not lower Ron or untie him, just in case. The wizard in question didn't seem to care that he was upside down as he shouted his next words.
"And now—and now you want to do a dark ritual! And you're trying to drag me and Hermione into the pit with you!"
"It's not a dark ritual," Harry said after heaving a dramatic sigh. Carefully, he turned Ron right side up and lowered him to the ground. Perhaps, if he was destined to repeat himself, his audience might appreciate that more in a more dignified position. Harry frowned, only half in concentration, as he continued. "At least, I don't think so. It's a purification rite. It should strip the dark energy from the Horcruxes and thereby destroy them. That's what Dumbledore wanted me to do—what you guys said you wanted to help with!"
"What have there been to help with," Ron demanded. He used his newly restored freedom to put his fists on his hips. Harry had a suddenly absurd memory of Mrs. Weasley in the same position as she scolded the twins about their pranks. This image was followed with one of Ron wagging his finger at Harry like a mother scolding her errant child. The idea was ridiculous and did not help him deal with his irate friend. "You just send that damned elf to get the Horcruxes like you can't be bothered with it! Merlin's saggy Y-fronts! You're turning into Malfoy!"
"I take it back," Hermione hissed like a wet cat before Harry could say anything. Harry bit the inside of his cheek to keep from interrupting her. He had learned back in sixth year not to interrupt a mad Hermione. It wasn't good for a man's health. "That has got to be the stupidest thing I've ever heard. There is no way that Harry would be turning into that ferret-faced, pompous, irritating, annoying, bigoted—"
"That's not the point, Hermione!" Ron erupted, having clearly not learned the same lesson as Harry. Harry noticed Hermione shifting her grip on her wand and wondered if she would conjure more birds to attack the redhead. The memory unexpectedly cheered him and dissipated his anger at Ron a bit. It was not much, mind you—just enough to take away the red haze that was threatening to consume him. "The point is that we should not be just hiding away and sending a house elf into danger! We should be fighting You-Know-Who!"
"And what would be the point of that, Ron?" Harry had growled the question out before he could help himself. The red haze threatened to return. He wanted Voldemort dead as much as the next person, but the Dark Lord could not be killed yet! Ron knew this and he would still have them throw away their lives? That would practically assure that the war was over, yes, but they would not have won anything. "We have to be able to kill him before we move against him—which means we have to destroy his anchors first. We are the only ones who know about them. If we die, no one will know what needs to be done to kill Voldemort—oh, get over it! It's a name, nothing more."
Harry didn't understand this obsession with not referring to Voldemort's real name—well, not his real name, but at least what he is commonly known as. Dumbledore said it best when he said that the fear of a name increases the fear of the object or something along those lines. Even Hermione could now say the name without stuttering. Why couldn't Ron get with the program already?
"Harry, you know that it's difficult for him," Hermione started as if out of habit and sounding inexplicably tired. "He was raised with the foolish fear of that ridiculous name. He didn't just adopt it like I did. It would be harder for him to unlearn the bad habit of flinching. Though I would think that he would at least try, being a Gryffindor and all."
The way she said the last bit reminded Harry of the time he heard Piers Polkiss call another member of Dudley's gang a poofer for not wanting to beat up that primary school kid back before fifth year. Harry was not surprised to see Ron's red face beginning to take on hints of purple. Maybe he's now too in touched with his Slytherin side because it was starting to look good to get out of the line of fire. If there was one thing that Ron hated, it was having his bravery questioned.
"I think that might have been a bit below—" Harry started only to be interrupted by Mount Ron.
"Now see here: I'm not the one in question here. That's Harry! He's the one going dark like a Slytherin!"
"I'm not going—"
"Oh, yeah? Well, you know what? I DON'T CARE! I would rather be dark and have Voldemort dead than to let him live because I was too good and pure to do what was necessary to destroy him." Hermione crossed her arms a triumphal expression on her face. Her wand was giving off those funny blue bursts again. Harry moved backwards out from between the pair, but kept his wand out and at ready. "I have personally looked over this ritual. Nothing about it will compromise my virtue or my honor. I have every confidence that it will do exactly what Harry thinks it will. So, guess what, Ron: I'm going to keep my promise and help Harry with it. AND YOU CAN BLOODY WELL SOD OFF FOR ALL I CARE!"
With that parting line, she spun on her toes and apparated on the spot. The crack was particularly loud and disgruntled. There was silence for a moment before Ron let out an equally loud roar of rage and stomped out of the room via the door. The stomping continued up the stairs to the bedroom that he and Ron had shared the summer before fifth year and that Ron now had to himself. The slammed door was a bit childish, but Harry could understand how Ron felt. Kreacher wandered through the parlor not a moment afterwards. He was muttering about the blood traitor disrespecting his Family's house.
Harry didn't bother correcting the slur, but sank into an armchair handily placed behind him. He rubbed his forehead as he fervently hoped that Hermione had cooled down by the time they would have to start the ritual tomorrow. It would be hard enough without Ron. Harry didn't think he could do it without Hermione's help.
Halloween was going to be a long day.
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Author's Note: So I actually wrote this chapter backwards. I wrote the Harry scene before the Lily one. Which is ironic because I had a reviewer on the last chapter comment about Kreacher getting all the Horcruxes and I had just written the disgruntled Ron. [shrugs] Well, I was going to try to include both rituals in the same chapter so that I only had to put the chapter warning up once, but the Trio needed to do this first. I hate being a method writer sometimes.
I would also like to point out that Lily's ritual would most like never happen in real life. Runes don't get used like that in real magick. So don't go carving up kids or thinking that witches do that. Because we don't. Even the crazy Wiccans don't do that. [grins and ducks a blow from her mother-in-law] But seriously, I encourage all to practice safe magick. KK? Good.
Thank you for all the favorites and reviews. I look forward to hearing from y'all.
~Magi