Path of the Necromancer
Harry took a breath the moment the black sphere vanished, darkness overwhelmed him and he had to resist the sudden urge to sink to his knees. Exhaustion coursed through his veins and his eyes fought the sudden urge to clamp shut.
"Harry? Harry?" Daphne's concerned voice broke a sudden deafening silence and he managed to look up, taking deep breaths as two hands pulled him from his slouched position and back to normal. He felt a hand brush his, then a sharp stinging before the waves of exhaustion faded and he was able to stand. Thorough deep breaths he steadied himself and observed the darkened damp hall he was stood in. A chill was in the air
"Lumos," Hermione removed her hand and lit up the hall of number 13 Grimmauld place. A layer of dust had settled over the floor and much of the furniture but thankfully the portrait of Mrs Black had not noticed them yet.
"How are we?" Hermione muttered as Harry stood up straight, feeling perfectly fine now.
"I broke through them," Harry commented knowing Hermione was referring to the protections employed to keep the house safe. That was most likely why he had felt so drained, that and he was supposed to use mortal souls to sustain his power. He didn't even have his own that time.
"And just how exactly did you manage that?" Hermione inquired looking thrown. Harry smiled.
"I just did, don't try and work it out yet Hermione. I may still pass out." Daphne put a protective hand on his shoulder. Hermione frowned and then a few seconds later a strange look flickered across her face.
"Wait what happened? The last thing I remember was being in the ministry, then I blink and I'm in a hospital and you two are performing some kind of... ritual," Hermione both asked and tried to work out the answer in her sentence.
"The Mortus," Daphne hissed looking over at Harry with a raised eyebrow.
"I've never heard of it." Hermione affirmed looking between the pair. Both Harry and Daphne looked at each other, a slight nod between them passed.
"That's because it's been erased, also it may be the most dangerous thing I have ever helped complete," Daphne began using a feminine touch.
"It worked," Harry pointed out. He received a deathly glare for his trouble.
"I think that had far more to do with the fact you had demonic favour, without that the poison would have left you in a painful coma for all time." Daphne retorted.
"Poison?" Hermione ignored all but one word.
"To complete the ritual, I had to drink a potion known as the Leech of Life. It absorbs you're soul, killing your body, but it retains hold of your soul. It is the most disgusting and horrible poison I know of."
"And you drank it?" Hermione stated. Harry nodded.
"To save you I needed to..." he never finished for in the same second he felt a sharp sting sensation collide with his left cheek. A red faced Hermione was ferociously fixing him with a murderous expression.
"Hermione!" he exclaimed shocked at her sudden outburst.
"You idiot! Why would you do something like that?" She demanded looking ready to hit him again.
"You, I needed to save you! You were hit by a curse," he excused but he received another slap for his trouble.
"Drinking a poison isn't saving me, besides why? Why would you go so far? That's extreme Harry even for you!" Hermione continued looking a sudden mixture of confused and upset. Harry just looked taken back.
"Because I had to. I caused..."
"No! Harry No! You didn't cause me getting hit by a curse, no, Oh I give up!" Hermione sighed looking on the verge of tears. Harry didn't know what to say as slumped herself down on the floor.
"Hermione," he had no idea why she was reacting this way, he had assumed she would be pleased. He put an arm round her upon Daphne's miming encouragement.
"Oh Harry, why? Why would you risk killing yourself or worse in this case for me? I could have killed you," Hermione asked in a shaky voice.
"No, I could have killed me." He corrected. She hadn't made him swallow the potion nor had she helped him make it.
"Oh for God's sake. Look both of you," Daphne clapped three times and the worry of Mrs Black was thrown from Harry's mind as she commanded their attention.
"Harry, you didn't throw the curse, you didn't almost kill Hermione. Hermione, you didn't nearly kill Harry, you didn't make him drink the potion. Both of the things your blaming yourselves for are not your fault. So would you please just get up and stop fighting!" Daphne's voice increased in volume as she approached the end. Her anger was a surprise to all and Harry slowly helped Hermione to her feet.
"Are we going to accept I'm right?" the dark haired Slytherin inquired. She didn't get an answer, she never would.
"Besides you still have the part about you being a necromancer to go." Daphne commented with a smile as Hermione fixed Harry with another deathly glare.
The Next Day
Albus Dumbledore
I see, I hear, I know.
I see that you are concerned about you're student, Harry Potter. I hear that you have been searching all over for him and yet you have no idea where he is. I know he is outside of your reach, though the question of how far can be answered in the usual way.
The Seeker
"Infernal woman," Dumbledore hissed throwing the letter back down on his desk. There were hundreds of people he didn't like, some he could even hate but no one could get under his skin like The Seeker. The woman who served a master whose identity was a mystery even to him. Once again it came down to her being the one person who could help. Though now he had bigger problems than just Harry. Hermione Granger had also gone missing. Taken from her hospital bed and there only things they found was strange dust and blood. Whatever had happened sent the order into disarray and they needed to find them soon. Both of them were symbols Harry, mainly Harry.
"So what do you know?" Dumbledore asked the letter, for a second he may have actually been expecting a reply. Instead he sighed and allowed the darkened parchment to slip from his hands. He needed all the help he could get but would he really trust her. Then again to get Harry back, well it was of the utmost importance. If Harry was left out of his influence for too long them certain parties may take an interest, parties whom his patron had warned him about.
"The Seeker it is," Dumbledore growled.
Grimmauld Place
"So you're dead?" Daphne asked over breakfast, she had never got her head around this part last night. No one did, including Harry to a large extent.
"Yes I am, my body is dead. It still works but its dead, sort of. Anyway my soul is kept grounded by..."
"Me," Hermione finished and Harry nodded before reaching for another slice of toast.
"Yes, so if Hermione dies I die, other than that I can't die." Harry explained feeling slightly less confident than he perhaps should. He didn't like to boast.
"So nothing can hurt you?"
"No, I can still be in pain. I could be overpowered physically, tortured and all sorts of nasty things but killed is a big no. Unless they..."
"Get me," Hermione finished again and Harry once again nodded.
"I'm going to pretend I understand the complex arrangement here. As all I've got is in the last few weeks we've been from Hogwarts, to the train, to some maniac's shop, to a hospital, Harry then visited some strange demonic realm and sort of killed himself."
"That's pretty much what happened," Harry muttered.
"I see and this is a normal few weeks for you then?" Daphne asked. Both Harry and Hermione laughed.
"I give up, then again Hermione you did spend two hours trying to work out who this strange voice was and where librorum is. So it could be the tiredness," Daphne commented pouring herself a coffee.
"Yes well a world of books is obviously tempting," Harry teased. Hermione just shook her head.
"Now I'm going to journey into the magical world of reality for a moment and ask what exactly is going to happen now? I mean Hermione's parents might need to know their daughter's fine. My parents can wait, forever and do you have a plan Harry?" Daphne asked.
"What's wrong with your parents?" Hermione asked noting the touch of contempt which crept through her voice.
"They're annoyed because I didn't let Draco Malfoy rape me," she smiled in response.
"What?" Hermione looked alarmed.
"Malfoy tried to blackmail Daphne into sex, though the demonic voice managed to get their first and protect her and her sister. Though apparently Daphne should have allowed Draco to have his way with her, that way the families could have secured an alliance," Harry explained shuddering. Hermione just looked disgusted.
"The way it should be," Mrs Black interjected from the hall.
"Portraits have souls you know, I would love to test what yours does to a corpse," Harry shouted back, the woman had sensed what he was the other night. She had run off every time he came into view.
"Speaking of soul ripping powers, exactly what are you going to do with them?" Daphne inquired suddenly "Say anything sarcastic and I will tear your nether regions off."
"Thank you for that... vivid image," Harry began evidently disturbed "I was going to use today to test them, there's going to be a death eater attack in Diagon Alley today."
"How the hell do you know that?" Hermione asked quickly, Harry handed her a note written in black parchment.
"I see, I hear, I know. I see you have completed the Mortus, I hear your cry for the souls of the guilty. I know there will be an attack on Ollivanders. "
"Is that the mental?" Daphne asked.
"Yes, but I think she's telling the truth. But I don't trust her so I'm going in disguise," Harry replied.
"So no one knows you're a necromancer?" Hermione half questioned, half stated.
"Exactly, I'm sure this place has a long cloak and a hood to spare."
Diagon Alley
Dumbledore walked through the alley almost entirely invisible, his disillusionment charm was nearly perfect and he would not be seen entering the shop in question. He had no idea who could and could not see it and had no wish for a death eater to know he has contact with the woman. Then again he didn't even know if Voldemort knew about her. Though he found the hidden shop somewhat confusing when a paper sign hanging off it revealed to him the owner was out.
"What?" he muttered to himself. The woman had to have a reason for dragging him here, so what was it? However much she liked to stir things up she did not play pathetic pranks.
"Turn around," a voice whispered in his ear.
"I forgot you could do those," she was here. He just couldn't see her, she was employing the same trick he was using but his attention quickly shifted from annoyance to fury as a loud crashing sound filled his ears. For a moment he thought someone had dropped a vase or something they had brought. Then he saw the fires.
The elder wand was in his hand before most could blink, though already three people were dead in that time.
"Stop, you must watch." The creeping voice instructed, she wanted him to see this and willingly he obliged. Watched as the front door to the wandmaker's shop was kicked aside, his window smashed into a thousand twinkling glass shards and as the man himself was dragged out.
"Let him go." A voice that could only be described as pure ice ordered, the two death eaters dragging the man turned. Watched as a man covered from head to toe in a dark cloak moved forward and extended a hand. A silk gloved hand.
"Crucio," the curse was thrust towards the man who dodged. Then as Dumbledore prepared to intervene a purple glow engulfed the man's hand and then it was gone. Thinking of his supposed failure the Death Eaters were obviously mocking the man who would not speak, however the rest of the alley collectively drew breath. They watched as three people began to rise.
A man, and two woman, one old, one young, were behind the death eaters. All of them looked furious, and they had good reason. They had been the first three killed and with inhuman strength the oldest woman pulled the nearest Death Eater backwards, freeing Ollivander, and the man took the other one.
"They're not inferi," Dumbledore muttered, these were the angry souls of the dead. The murdered and they were alive, yet dead. Trapped in their bodies and taking their revenge. With their inhuman strength the Death Eaters were quickly and yet painfully dispatched within minutes. Then with another flash of purple they fell to the floor.
"I claim your souls," the man spoke to the bodies of the Death Eaters. Then he was gone.
"That was Necromancy," Dumbledore muttered.
"The impossible magic is attained." The Seeker's voice cut in from next to him. Then she too was gone.