Path of the Necromancer
"Harry this is not a good idea," Daphne had to at least try to stop this insanity, bound to him or not she had no faith in this plan. The two were creeping through the darkened, barely patrolled corridors of St Mungos. In one hand however Daphne held the book all information about their ritual was coming from.
"It says you need to brew the potion in a sterile, controlled environment. Over a period of time," she commented looking shocked as she read the instructions which were obviously supposed to take years to complete. Not two weeks.
"I brewed it," Harry muttered tapping his bag.
"One ounce off the correct amount could prevent it working, forcing your body to stay in an endless state of living death!" Daphne hissed, the risks involved in this ritual seemed to defy all expectations.
"I did it," Harry assured her, not looking back.
"In your relative's cellar, one night, without the expertise whoever wrote this thing had!" was Daphne's quick retort as she wondered just how she had been talked into this.
"Well Daphne in case you haven't heard, the healers don't think Hermione will live past midnight, so unless you have a better way of healing her can we continue?" Harry then, anger radiating through him at the mere thought of failure.
"Oh I'm so sorry! I'm only wondering just how much help you're going to be if you're locked in a coma for all eternity. Will you be helping her then?" Daphne hissed darkly.
"I need to try!" Harry almost shouted and for a second all the hurt, anger and grief showed on his face. Lines that were forever etched into his skin revealed themselves and in that moment he looked a thousand years older. It all vanished a second later.
"Harry," Daphne tried but knew it was pointless; instead she resigned herself to helping him. She drew her wand.
"In here," was all he said. Harry had not been allowed to visit, a personal request by Hermione's parents who had been informed about everything. From first to fifth year they knew what had happened, and Harry had decided they were right to hate him.
He opened the door. Laid out on a bed was the pale sickly form of his best friend, for a moment Harry couldn't move. Waves of self loathing and hatred hit him; he had led her to the ministry. Though now it was time to make amends.
Three flashes of red was all it took, Dan and Emma Granger slumped forward and were quickly joined by the healer.
"Alright we need to do this quickly, give me the blood and vampire dust." Daphne sighed knowing they now had no other option.
Remains of the soulless, half rejuvenated by the blood of friend, the other of foe must encircle the necromancer to lock his unbound soul.
"Let me get it," Harry muttered withdrawing a syringe and moving towards Hermione.
"What! Harry you can't use her blood!" Daphne protested but was disturbed even further when for foe's blood he removed some of his own.
"What the hell are you doing!" she screamed this time as he handed her the syringes.
"Voldemort's blood and mine are the same, find me a more dangerous foe," Harry dared, half smiling as Daphne gaped speechless. Neither she nor he had any idea of what could happen.
"Come on!" reluctantly she began using the vampire ash to create a pentagram, covering half of it in the blood of friend, and the other with Harry's own blood. Within a moment the hospital room was a ritual site and Harry took his place in the middle.
"This is insane," she had to say it at least once more before walking slowly behind Harry. So she was opposite Hermione.
"Of course it is," Harry sighed, this was sloppy and he knew it. The book did warn that it required careful planning and a lot of time to do this but time was the one thing he didn't have. Even the Seeker couldn't have given him more.
When the circle is formed, the necromancer must win favour of the demonic divines he wishes to utilise.
"I Harry James Potter, request favour from those above me! I petition you, oh divines, to grant me access to the world beyond this one and allow me to the knowledge that will save my friend. I request of you, oh great ones that you grant me this and open the gates to the world between worlds." He had rehearsed what he wanted to say of course but thankfully he knew at least one demonic entity was on his side.
"Oh my God." Daphne muttered as the ceiling above became a spiralling blue vortex, stretching out for miles.
"Soula unnafix mortath, Soula unnafix mortath," a chant replaced Harry's voice.
Then if demonic favour is one, the soul must be unbound from the body of the necromancer.
Daphne took a breath. She had no idea what to expect. Pain? Euphoria? Depression? Death? As far as she was concerned all three were possible. She closed her eyes. Breathed deeply and opened them in time to see Harry bring a flash to his lips. She couldn't say anything now, it was too delicate.
"Please. For Hermione." Harry muttered before downing the flash, a slimly liquid ran down his throat and burned his stomach. Pain followed endless amounts of it. He wanted to scream but was frozen, wanted to cry out but was silenced and then the pain stopped. It had been worse than any curse but there was no need. Harry was no longer alive. He was a soul, trapped and fighting for power in a vessel that would soon overpower him and send him back. Though then he blinked, at the world changed.
Librorum
When Harry looked back at the time in between his transition all he would ever say was he remembered books. A maze of them, a library maze that stretched out in all directions, an infinity of them. All of them with a title, name or topic on the cover and Harry felt an internal urge to read every single one of them.
"You have done well champion, you have completed the Mortus. A feat none have enacted for over a thousand years." The voice, yes the voice returned as he hovered in a huge kite shaped room. The walls were shelves and the doors were hidden from view and he was suspended at its core.
"Your friend is safe, however the aftermath of this ritual is not inside any of the books in your world. All you know is you are no longer living correct?" the voice inquired from nowhere, though to Harry it felt closer.
"She's alive," was all he could say but he didn't need to speak.
"There is more, as of now you have power over the souls of men. This is the power of Necromancy, using powers that will now be instinctual you may tear the souls out of the weak. Those souls can be used for a number of things. To regenerate your being, to raise the bodies of the dead and bind them to your will, or you can open a portal toLibrorum and search the endless shelves. Or if you able to find them, look for the books if the deceased in this realm, from there you may summon them into any hollowed body you will. You have great power and it is yours and yours alone." The voice spoke slowly, softly and pride filled it.
"Ok, there's something else isn't there?" Harry asked sensing there was something he didn't know. A catch of some sort he hadn't heard about just yet.
"Yes, as you are not alive you are invulnerable to almost all magic. It can hurt and sting but not kill and wound. However you are not yet dead, your soul is kept anchored on the mortal plane through your companion. The girl in your case, while she will not die of old age or most curses she can still die, and if she dies then your soul will be released and you will exist here, forever."
"And exactly where is here?" Harry asked but he didn't hear the words come from his voice. The question was the first thing he thought, he almost felt relieved that he had to protect Hermione. He could make sure she wasn't hurt like that again
"This is one of the five demonic realms, Librorum where all knowledge is kept. Mortal, or immortal with the exception of very little there is nothing not contained on the pages of the endless books. Every person, living or dead has their entire life written here. This is my realm. Though there are others. Though I will not discuss that!" the voice continued. Harry looked for a source but all he saw were books which began to flutter in wind he could not feel.
"What do I do know?" Harry asked and the voice gave a deep, dark chuckle.
"That is not for me to say, you have your path. Will you challenge and defeat my other champion and become the general of my armies in this age and the coming war. Will you use your powers to take control or ensure peace? Or will you spend your days searching through the shelves of Librorum? Having to kill to ensure you have the souls to stop yourself becoming one of the thousands who roam these halls as lifeless ghosts. Your future is yours, though my other champion will hunt you and the champion of my nemesis waits in the shadows."
"Who is your nemesis?" Harry asked, he long since had enough of this cryptic nonsense. Was he supposed to serve a mysterious voice? Fighting a force he had never heard of? Was that his destiny?
"My enemy is known to my other champion and it will be known to you too. The natural rival to knowledge, the demonic forces of lust, want and desire. The guardian of those things is my nemesis. Though until I have only one champion that is all I will tell you."
"And if I want to kill Voldemort?" Harry asked.
"You ask, I will tell you his weakness but in exchange I shall tell him yours. Both of you must have equal footing if you are to fight."
Harry moved to say something but felt a strange tugging at his back.
"But for now, you are to leave. Go understand your new powers and beware my nemesis, she who disguises herself as love and her agents. Know she wishes to prevent you becoming my instrument of war."
St Mungos
"Harry!" A voice that sounded a million miles away was screeching in his ear, but it was one he knew and one he had been dying to hear for too long now.
"Hermione!" he shot up and was met by the beaming eyes of his best friend. Her skin now silky and soft, eyes wide and pure, hair bushy and yet filled with the colour she had lacked mere moments ago. She was healed.
"Harry," she was shocked now and Harry knew why, he placed a hand on his heart. It had stopped beating.
"How are you?" she began but Harry shushed her with a deep hug before a loud cough interrupted them.
"I'm still here you know," Daphne muttered but Harry was already embracing her before she could finish.
"Thank you," he whispered before pulling back. She smiled.
"What happened?" Hermione asked suddenly, frowning at the pair who looked at each other knowingly. Harry moved to speak.
"Hermione what do you know of the ancient art of Necromancy?" Harry began echoing the same words the voice had spoken to him. Though this time he could feel the power she spoke of. Inside him was a cold fire which filled his veins; he could sense the raw souls of the healer and Hermione's parents and wondered just what this black fire could do to them. It was obvious he needed to explore this newfound power.
"Hello?" Dan Granger was the first to rise and Harry acted on instinct, he envisioned a place he could call safe and willed the black fire within to his aid. It surrounded all three of them in a perfect sphere before vanishing.