AN: I'm going to be focusing on my others stories for a bit so this story might not get updated again for a little while so enjoy this here chap and leave a review.

AN2: I've also decided to make a few changes to how the story is going to play out.

Harry Potter and the Heart of Power

Chapter 15

-Harry-

Sitting at the Hufflepuff table he stared blankly at his dinner, not really seeing it and barely noticing his hunger as the rest of his house stared at him in concern. It had been five days since he had Susan had come back to the Castle and the moment they did Susan had walked off and barely spoken to him since then. Day after day he had become more and more depressed as his work and grades began to slip, becoming sloppier and sloppier as the school, both student and faculty, tried to figure out why.

Some of his classmates had enjoyed seeing him suffer, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy to be precise as they were highly vocal and open about their verbal attempts to tear him down…he never reacted. He simply sat there and took whatever they said to insult him, feeling that it was more than deserved for what he had done. After two days of his seemingly endless funk he Professor Sprout had called him up to her office to try and figure out what was going on.

-Flashback-

"Harry," his head of house said as he sat seated across from her in her office next to the Green Houses, "I know something's wrong and I know it's between you and Susan as the two of you haven't talked in public or even really been seen together since you got back. I already talked to Susan and she just said that it wasn't for her to say and refused to say anything else on the matter so I'm asking you…what happened?".

Staring at his Head of House he blinked slowly, trying to prevent the tears he had been holding in from bursting forth as he spoke, his voice hollow and broken "I made a mistake, I did something that never should have happened…and I don't know if I can ever fix what I've done.". And no matter how much she asked, how desperately she pled, or what she threatened him with he refused to elaborate further than that as he sat there, trying to keep his tears from falling.

-End Flashback-

Hearing the doors to the Great Hall open he looked up and felt his heart clench in pain as he saw Susan walk in with her new friend, the Slytherin girl Lilith Moon, as he looked away before she had a chance to see him, see the suffering in his eyes, and thought back to what had happened the day he had woken up with Anastasia.

-Flashback-

"Y-you what?" Susan asked in shock as she stared down at him where he knelt on the floor, his forehead pressed to it as he tried to keep his tears from leaking out and begged for the forgiveness of the red haired beauty. All throughout his apartment items were scattered or torn apart, bottles of Alcohol were smashed against the floor and wall as his hair stood out in a wild unkempt manner, his eyes bloodshot from crying and trying not to. That had been the scene Susan had walked into as he let out his grief and self-loathing at what he had done once Anastasia had dissaperated away in shame.

"I…I got drunk last night and slept with Anastasia," he choked out as his heart ached with grief at how he had hurt the one he had grown to care for most "I made a mistake. I'm sorry Susan! Please, I'll do anything to make this up to you!". Instead of an answer he heard the sound of crunching glass as Susan turned around and began to walk out, "S-Susan?" he choked out.

"I know we weren't together Harry," Susan said softly as she stopped at the door "but I was hoping we would be. I'll keep your secret but I don't know what to feel about this. I…I need some time alone to think." Before she took off running down the hall. As she fled he saw a few glistening tears fall to the floor…the sight only broke his heart further as the door closed on its own, blocking out his agonized cry from the rest of the Casino and its occupants.

-End Flashback-

The second the red haired beauty walked into the Hall he felt dozens of eyes stare at him and was sure that just as many were staring at Susan as the Hall fell silent and he clenched the knife in his hand, struggling not to break down in public. The silence was shattered though when the doors to the Hall burst open and the defense Professor, Quirrell, shot into the room, "Everybody run!" the man yelled.

"Quirrell, what happened?" Dumbledore demanded upon seeing the terrified Defense Professor who looked even more afraid than normal.

"In the castle!" the man yelled panting against the doorframe "There's-" only to be cut off and flung across the hall as a new creature appeared in the doorway, throwing its head back to let loose a terrifying screech that seemed to shake his very soul. It was a horrifying monstrosity with a black skeletal body covered in a tattered cloak that still allowed people to see it's black charred looking skeleton with its sickening black and purple heart that barely beat to keep its decrepit form moving. Instead of fingers each hand was gifted with five long talons, each one more than a foot in length that looked like they could cut through stone like it was butter. Its head, or what could be seen of it, was that of a human's but half rotted and maggot ridden, with one socket having a massive bulging red eye while the other was hollow, scraps of hair clinging to its diseased looking scalp, and its mouth full of horrifying fangs as it screeched, its long purple tongue thrashing about.

To make matters worse he recognized the creature from when he was learning in the time chamber. It was an abomination known as a Shinigami, a Chimera like creation that had been concocted by a dark wizard centuries ago. The Dark Wizard in question, Lord Vita Seminantis which translated to 'Life Sower', had taken a Dementor, an Infernius, and a lethifold as well as different bits and pieces from other magical creatures and had worked to combine them into one single demonic entity…and had succeeded. Vita Seminantis had created one hundred Shinigami that obeyed the Dark Lord's every command but, upon the Lord's Death, they ran wild throughout the world as Wizards had tried throughout the centuries to seal away or destroy them. But he had thought that everyone was either dead or seal away with magic…unless someone had released it.

His thoughts were shattered as he saw the demon turn its head and select its new target, raising its claws to bring them down on the frozen figure…on Susan. Eyes wide he shot forward, his entire being focused only on saving Susan as he shoved her and her friend out of the way before flinching back when he felt five claws pierce him through the stomach and out the back. Gasping in pain of the claws pushing through his intestines he grabbed the beats slimy skeletal arm for support as he coughed out blood onto the beast's face and felt his eye lids grow heavy as his blood seeped out around the claws and his heart beat grew slow and slower as the Shinigami lifted him into the air, slowly opening its sickening maw to reveal its gleaming teeth as they approached his immobile form and he felt the darkness of death slowly approaching him.

That was when the screams started, the students screaming in fear as they fled to the back, his friends and most of the staff screaming in anger as they rushed forward, likely to try and save him, but it was one scream above all that drew the attention of his fading consciousness. It was a scream of pure agony and heartbreak, a scream that pleaded for him not to die…he heard Susan's scream.

Soon though his own scream joined them as the agony jolted him awake, the Shinigami having twisted its claws within his stomach, probably wanting to eat its 'meal' alive, as the pain and the screams built and built until…

AN: See you next chapter