IT'S CHANGED

Chapter 52 Avada Kedvara

Selene shook her head and looked at Severus. 'There is almost no other way, and we don't have time… and someone has to do first. And don't worry Lily, your Sev is good at occluding,' she winked.

Severus blushed and got nearer to his duplicate. 'Sorry, mate…'

To which his duplicate rolled his eyes. 'Come on, we haven't gotten any more time…'

Severus blinked. 'You could talk?'

'Faster!' the duplicate roared, taking the goblet off his hands and chuckling all the potion in. That made Severus' head spin. The smoke of darkness passed through his eyes, and he blinked to clear his vision. He couldn't keep his legs steady on the floor but he took the goblet from his duplicate's hands, filled it again and gave it to it again.

It was almost dissolving. He felt like his insides were wavering. His mind seemed to wander in every direction, even in the ones he didn't wish to.

Selene must have noticed it because she placed her hand on his shoulder. 'Occlude, Severus! Now!'

It was the only push he needed because all of his energy got directed towards his force of blocking everything out. His head seemed to burst open but soon it was over. His lungs contracted and expanded to take in air to breathe.

'Good…' He looked at his side and Selene was smiling. He looked around to see others' horrified and shaken faces.

'Not as bad as what Crouch did… but yes, it is…' he said.

'I'd go next…' Selene said, catching the goblet in the right time as Severus' duplicate vanished in thin air.

'Umm…' Shane began.

'I am not listening to your pregnancy rules and protocols… this wouldn't harm as my duplicate is having it and… you can shut up…' Selene went on, cutting him.

'Okay,' he quietened meekly.

So, Selene took the goblet, lowered it in the basin and filled it to the brim before giving it to her duplicate who was looking bored. Without a single distinction in her behaviour, she also took it for the second time. And… it did nothing either.

'Wow…' Austin commented. 'You made it look like a stroll in a garden…'

Selene chuckled. 'Have been learning occlumency since two… yes, Charm, before you began… so, obviously, had to be an expert in it…'

Charm narrowed her eyes. 'Fine, then, I can do it too… and better than you did…' without any further delay she, took the goblet from Selene's hands, filled it with the potion and gave it to her duplicate.

'Ooh…' she exclaimed. 'That was something…' and after that came the next one before which her duplicate vanished. 'Merlin… interesting…'

'I can still say wow, Charm…' Austin stood with an impressed expression, gracing his face.

Charm flipped her hair back. 'Well, didn't I tell you, I am good at it…'

'Yes, okay, Charm…' Selene rolled her eyes before sobering and looking around at the ones who were still left at doing this. 'Perhaps, we three can have the rest of the potion too… don't you think so? I mean… you three would need occlumency…'

Lily, Austin and Shane sighed and folded their hands their chest in despair… or perhaps, were they bracing themselves?

Shane stretched his arms and flexed his neck before taking the goblet from Charm's hands. 'Come on, this Ravenclaw isn't afraid… let's do it…' just as he dipped the goblet in, Selene poised herself. He gave it to his duplicate and suddenly his mind went blank and black. He couldn't think of anything, all he was capable of was drinking the potion. Soon, he was going for the other one. He could only see, hear, taste, and feel, but none of them was getting processed in his mind. It was like there was a barrier between his mind and the senses. His duplicate had also finished the second part of the potion and nothing came to his mind. It was still black and blank. Totally.

His duplicate vanished and his body jerked with a start just as a person woken suddenly from sleep. He looked around frantically to only notice Selene's smug look. 'What?' he said in confusion.

She shook her head. 'Nothing… let's finish the potion, first… who is next? Austin or Lily?' Austin had just taken up the goblet to inspect it when Selene clapped. 'Well, then, Austin, it is.'

He shook his head but then accepted the way out. He must drink it sooner or later. So, perhaps, this was his fate. He sighed. 'Selene, do the thing with me too… don't make me feel it, please,' he asked piteously.

Selene rolled her eyes. 'Sure…'

'Oh, so, Selene did something with my mind!' and everyone ignored Shane.

The same happened with Austin. It all went like a breeze. Or Selene made it seem like a breeze. Charm was enormously jealous of her… well, she knew that Selene had a speciality in Occlumency and Legilimency but unless she had shown it, Charm had been the cool one among all.

'Come on, Charm, no need to sulk like that…' Selene rolled her eyes, panting. Doing what she did to both Shane and Austin was tiring.

'I am not,' she stated clearly.

Selene rolled her eyes again. 'Honestly, Charm, if this attitude of yours doesn't get down in the second seconds, you must remember, Shane is very good at Rictumsempra…'

With her eyes wide, Charm jerked her head up in alarm, making others chuckle. 'No! Don't do that…'

'Come on, if you both allow Lily to have it faster now, we are so close to the locket… so, please, your bickerings later…' Shane said.

They all turned to Lily who was trying to vanish away in thin air. Apparently, Gryffindors got scared too. 'Umm… yeah…'

A hand came on her shoulder, making her jump before relaxing at Severus' encouraging face. He leaned to her ear. 'You have tried Occlumency before, Lily… it wasn't perfect, we know… but you can still try, couldn't you?'

Lily nodded. He faked a smile out of his worries and leaned to her lips to kiss her. She returned it but this time, other than the love he had always felt, was a wave of reluctance and fear. Severus pulled back and kept his eyes down. He couldn't help and he was ashamed of that. Only if he would have tried to learn a little more. But for now, all he could do was to squeeze Lily's arm with all the faith he held in her.

If he had to admit, he could say that she was a faster learner than he was. When it had taken him so long to learn Occlumency until the point Lily had in such less time, he had been impressed but it was still not enough for the potion which had attacked them even after giving it to their duplicates.

Though, all of a sudden, the fear left in Lily had vanished. She heard Selene whisper from her side, 'Lily, I am sorry, it just takes too much out of me, otherwise, I would have made it easier for you too…' to which she had just nodded.

The determination held on her face made her duplicate drink first glass with minimum effects, but the second one posed a problem. A small interception in her mind, made the entire wall of prevention break and the pain to enter.

She groaned and grabbed her head. It felt like her head was in the middle of tornado or rather her mind was a tornado. It kept twirling making everything difficult for her to understand. Some memories came striking her in the chest and sucking up all the warmth that was left in her body.

People were shouting around her. She couldn't hear what they were trying you say, all she could know was someone's hold on her. She didn't know who they were because her eyes were shut as tightly as possible in the attempt to avoid the scenes of her memories and thoughts which she didn't wish to visit.

She opened her mouth and could say just one word out of many, 'Water…'

Severus' heartbeat skipped a beat the moment he heard Lily speak. At least something. He pulled out his wand immediately and took the crystal goblet. 'Agumenti,' his voice wavered with a tinge of hope. Lily wouldn't die but the hope left the ground when he saw the glass fill with water and then empty itself.

He tried once more but to no avail. He couldn't fail. Not this time! He tried once more, yelling the spell out of frustration. It wasn't working. Before his turmoiled emotions leak through his eyes, he looked up at Shane who was looking frequently between the dark lake and the crystal goblet. He had his fingers too stiffly grabbing the sides of his robes and his face chalk white.

Severus tried, 'Shane…' with the little hope he was left with.

Shane's face jerked towards him, and he paled further if possible. 'It's a trap. We must have understood it sooner… We can only fetch water from the lake… which has-'

'Inferi,' Austin completed, coming to stand beside Shane, 'ready to catch us… but perhaps, if we are fast, we can do it…'

Severus nodded desperately, seeing Austin come behind him as he moved towards the lake, leaving Lily's side. It happened as expected. One of the inferi's hand worked its way out. The white slimy one, trying to grab theirs.

'Bombarda!' Austin yelled pointing at the inferus' hand, but nothing happened. They were already dead and now, they aren't capable of feeling pain. But as soon as he had casted the spell… more of them came up on the bank. Creeping their almost lost bodies, looking like carcasses, on the bank. Severus tried to pull his hand back, but an inferus held him. He tried to shake him away but it wasn't so easy, they had good grips. When he looked at his side, Austin was struggling through the same. The inferi had grabbed on his hands and ankles. They were locked.

That is when a ray of light… no, no, an entire stream of fire came from over their heads and made the inferi shrink to the water again. They looked back to see Charm holding her wand upright with fire forming from its tip.

'That's inferi… averted to fire. Don't you both pay attention in class?' she teased.

All Austin and Severus could do was to shake their heads and chuckle before their eyes landed on Lily. She was resting against the stone basin and panting… and wait! So was Selene beside her. Lily seemed fine but the pained expression which Selene was trying to hide was quite evident.

'Selene…' Severus whispered, coming closer.

She looked up. 'What?'

'Why…?'

'Shut up…' she said through the aggressed pants. 'We need to get back home, don't we?' Shane had a blank face as he grabbed Selene gently from her arms, helping her get up. 'Now, you don't sulk…' she rolled her eyes, no one knew how at the situation she was in.

Shane didn't reply though, just took her to the boat.

Severus came to Lily's side. 'Fine?'

She looked at him, with her vision a little blurred but smiled and nodded.

'Come on, then…' and they got up, reaching the boat.

They all adjusted themselves in it with the invisibility cloak over themselves again. Though, this time, getting on and hiding themselves was a little difficult as there were people who couldn't even stand straight. Austin was who had gotten the paddle on his side this time, so, he was the one to also make the boat sail at the speed of a snail.

'Wait! You took the locket, didn't you, Charm?' Lily asked.

'Yes, Lily…' Charm patted the pocket of her trousers. 'Well, and safe… just need to find a way to destroy it now…'

After a while, Austin pulled everyone out of contemplation. 'I realised a thing, though…' he said as they sailed with non-existent speed.

'What?' Charm asked.

'You remember: Weak, Weaker, Dead?' he said with almost no concern but mirth. 'We know now what it was.'

Charm chuckled. 'Yes, I do… amusing.'

Severus frowned. 'What's so funny?'

Charm and Austin spoke together. 'That we aren't dead.'

*Page Break*

They dropped on the bed after the long trip back from the island. Charm had taken the locket with herself as they didn't find a method of immediate destruction. Austin had gone home… while Shane had yet to speak a single word to Selene. Umm… yes, they weren't talking. Though, that was Selene's fault, she had known how much such spreadable and uncontrollable occlumency could have harmed her, but she still did it when Lily wasn't even in a state when she needed immediate help. She would have been fine in a few moments… Charm could have helped her, but no! – Selene had to play the hero. Shane was upset with her for a reason, and it was a good one.

'You are absolutely fine, aren't you?' Severus asked with his eyes closed as his fingers played with the scarlet locks.

'I am, Sev, stop worrying,' Lily replied.

'It was quite horrifying…'

'Though, I don't know why do we all always make everything so amusing…'

'True. It was like we were playing a stupid game… with all the laughs.'

Lily chuckled at his annoyance and kissed his cheek lightly. 'Hope it goes this way, because I am not up for any more anxiety…'

'You are crazy,' he said, shaking his head.

'Sure I am. Did you think I'd deny?'

'Not at all.'

Lily gave an exaggerated sigh. 'I am tired!'

Severus' brows knit themselves together as he sat up straight to look at her face properly. 'Tired of me?'

She rolled her eyes. 'Honestly, Sev…'

'Answer me!'

Lily rose and kissed his lips before taking his arm and pulling him down to the bed again. 'Your idiocy wouldn't ever stop, would it?'

'I was serious, Lily…'

'As you are always…' she chuckled and closed her eyes before they both drifted to sleep snuggling against each other.

*Page Break*

'Lily, stop running!' Mrs Evans yelled at her as she rushed to her parents' room.

'Just a moment, mum!' Lily yelled back.

Severus yawned and leaned on the door frame. 'Honestly, Lily, be fast. It's not like the day is already less boring.'

Mrs Evans smacked his arm. 'Stand straight! If you are going to return to the school in this state then I'd ask Shane to keep one of those tickling charms on you so, that you don't fall asleep in the middle of something.'

He yawned again. 'But actually, Mrs Evans, it's boring… and then also Lily is making a fuss about something irrelevant. Call her, please.'

Mrs Evans kept her hands on her hips and called out, 'Lily! Be faster! Shane would be here sooner!'

'Mum, we are seventeen, we now don't need him to supervise us…' Lily came back rolling her eyes.

'I know, you both need his supervision, and therefore I called him. No more arguing on it, am I understood?'

'Yes, mum.'

'Now, go.'

That is when they heard a pop in their backyard. Shane. They rushed with their bags to find him stretching. 'Oh, ready?'

'Yes…' Severus started before his eyes widened as if in alarm… or realisation. 'Wait! Why didn't we think of this earlier?'

'What?' Lily asked frowning.

'Merlin! Think about this!'

'What, Severus?' Shane asked.

'Can we first get to Charm's? Please?'

Shane looked at both of them before sighing. 'Come on. But if Mrs Evans gets to know of this, the blames on you both.'

'Yes, sure…' Severus grinned, taking his bags and holding Shane's hand as did Lily with the other. And they vanished away soon from the Evans backyard.

*Page Break*

She screamed at the suddenness with her wand in her hand outstretched.

'It's just us, Charm, calm down…' Shane said.

Her heartbeat normalised as she realised who they were and glared at them. 'What's the point of dropping here without notice?!'

Lily and Shane looked at Severus. 'Severus asked us to…'

'Why?' Charm growled.

'Umm…' Severus began nervously before straightening and coming near Charm. 'Could you please bring the locket?'

Her brows furrowed. 'The locket? Right now?'

'Yes!' He nodded furiously.

'Well… okay…' Charm shrugged and gestured for them to follow her. So, they did.

They reached her room soon… from a secret passage as she… well, she didn't wish anyone to meet her parents who'd like always try to treat their guests in the best ways, which aren't even best, just time consuming more than anything.

'Don't speak, please, unless you wish for my dad to come here and make you all dine with us for the next 5 days…' she warned.

'Of course…' Shane gave a mock shiver.

'Come on, now…' Charm opened her closet which seemed as big as half the Evans house.

'Merlin…' Lily and Severus gasped, though, Shane wasn't even a bit fazed by this as he had already walked through these shocks a lot of times. Charm got inside and rumbled through her infinite robes and took out a wooden box which was carved with runes all around it.

'Wow… is the locket in it?' Severus asked.

Charm nodded. 'It is,' she opened the box after whispering a few spells on it revealing the locket with a snake on it. The Slytherin locket. One of the Horcruxes of Voldemort. And they had to destroy it. She looked up at Severus. 'Now what?'

He inhaled and came nearer before repelling backwards by an invisible force. 'We can destroy it…'

'How?' Shane asked.

He looked back. 'The killing curse.'

'Severus!' They all gasped.

'What?' Severus shrugged. 'It's not wrong when it's done for good…'

'But… we'd be caught if we use the unforgivable…' Lily whispered with her eyes wide.

Before Severus could say anything, Charm shook her head. 'If done at this house, then no, you won't be caught. We have the best confundus charms… The ministry wouldn't be able to detect this manor for any unforgivable.'

'So…' Shane spoke from the doorframe of the closet. 'Who is going to do it?'

'Umm… perhaps, I can,' Severus offered.

Charm shrugged. 'As you wish… but I don't believe it can be destroyed as it is.'

Lily frowned. 'Then how?'

'It is to be opened in my opinion.'

'How?'

Charm turned to Severus who also was looking confused. 'What is the thing that the Dark Lord prides himself on?'

'I don't know… being half pureblood… perhaps?'

'And?'

'Being the heir of Slytherin?'

'And?'

That made everyone's eyes go wide as the fact struck them. 'Parseltongue!'

'Indeed,' Charm smiled. 'So, now, all we need to do is… speak parseltongue.'

'Umm… isn't that the biggest task here, Charm?' Shane huffed.

'Is it?' she smiled cryptically.

'Come on, Charm, spill what is on your mind!' Lily insisted.

'Well, just some more secret passages to travel…' Charm walked ahead of them and again gestured for them to follow her… which they did.

*Page Break*

'What place is this?' Shane coughed, waving a hand in front of him to get rid of the dust.

'It's the room that not many people know about…' Charm spread her hands and closed her eyes before kneeling on her knees and bowing her head. 'Please, allow me to ask for your help, Lord…' she spoke with precise clarity.

'What is going on?' Lily whispered in Severus' ear who looked bemused.

Before he could speak or even comment on the things he didn't understand, a ray of light flashed in the darkroom through the ceiling as if it had numerous cracks but actually, it didn't. They all hid their faces behind their hands to save their eyes from the intensity of brightness apart from Charm when a voice spoke.

'One of ours, Charmaine. Get up, dear.'

Charm did and smiled. 'I request you, Lord, to please lower the intensity of your magic. We, commoners, wouldn't be able to bear it.'

The voice laughed now and the light around receded. Shane, Severus and Lily looked around to find a wall full of portraits and gasped. It seemed… grand.

'May I know who stands behind you, Charmaine?' the person with white-blonde hair and a long pointy beard with soft eyes asked. The wrinkles on his face told how aged he was.

'They are my friend, Lord. We came here in the hope of some help.'

'What help would you need?'

Charm sighed and opened the box in which she had kept the locket. 'The Dark Lord has tainted it. It has to be destroyed to save the world from darkness, Lord. And to open it… we'd need the help of-'

'Salazar, isn't it?' the old man in the portrait completed.

Charm nodded. 'Yes, Lord. We need someone who can speak parseltongue and open it so that we can destroy it.'

The old man slumped. 'He hasn't been in his portrait for a long while now… wandering to the other ones… but for you, Charmaine, I'd explain the situation to him and fetch him. Wait for a while, my dear.'

'Sure, sir…' Charm smiled and looked back as the old man vanished away from his portrait.

'Who was he?' Severus whispered lest anyone gets disturbed in the portraits.

'One of my ancestors… of Salazar's time… a little younger to him…' Charm responded.

'And now… Salazar Slytherin would help us with this. How… wow…' Lily seemed impressed.

'Well, then, until then, we wait…' Shane yawned, and got a corner to rest his feet.

*Page Break*

Charm had been standing and talking to a very sulky portrait of another old man who had a white goatee with white haor pulled back in a sleep ponytail and was wearing emerald green robes.

Where in another corner Severus seemed too desperate to meet that portrait. 'Can I meet him? Just once? He is the founder of Slytherin…' he whispered.

Shane and Lily rolled their eyes while having a hand on firmly placed on his knees so that he doesn't run away. 'Just shut up and sit… we aren't in a fan meet.'

'But just once… perhaps, I can even ask him about a few things. He truly was a great wizard.'

'Who wished to kill muggleborns?' Lily raised her eyebrows.

'We can take what we need, Lily… I needn't follow that to ask him about a few things, you know?'

'Yes…'

'Wait! Shush!' Shane quietened them. 'Charm is taking a out the locket… let them do it, perhaps, she convinced him.'

Charm was indeed standing with the box open in front of herself towards the portrait of Salazar Slytherin. He opened his mouth and hissed something which made the locket move itself in the box, banging against the edges before a loud shriek was heard and the black smoke released from the box. The locket was open.

But it wasn't just smoke. It changed into the figure of a man. A man with red robes and a strong built with red hair. He stood straight and proud, looking dead in the eyes of Salazar who had gone pale. It was Godric Gryffindor!

'Godric…' Salazar whispered.

'So, you are here, my friend. How is life – or must I ask, death after giving betrayals? Huh?' Godric asked, smirking.

'Godric… listen to me,' Salazar had lost his cool demeanour and now was desperate in the need of understanding.

'What is left to listen?!' Godric screamed. 'NOTHING! YOU ARE THE LOSER AS YOU WERE! Death didn't free you from your sins! You have to stay with that weight on your mind and heart that you were of no use! None at all!'

Salazar seemed ashamed and speechless. He couldn't do anything but stare at the contemptuous expression of his once-friend.

When everyone stood shocked, Severus took out his wand and pointed it at the open locket. 'AVADA KEDAVRA!' he yelled, making the green beam meet the open surface of the locket. For a second everything was silent as if nothing had happened but then a burst of black smoke emitted from the locket with a loud shriek of someone in pain.

By the strength of it, Charm also dropped the box to press her palms against her ears to prevent her eardrums from bursting off as were everyone else including the ones in the portraits.

And then it was over. The room cleared away from the black smoke. The shrieks were now silent. The only noise that could be heard was of everyone's deep breathing.

'So… is it done?' Lily came out of the initial shock.

Charm looked at her and nodded through her shivers. 'I believe so… it is broken.'

'YAY!' Shane put his hands up in a very exaggerated way. 'After all! Now, just one Voldy is left to be killed! Which in on Dumbledore! Merlin! We did so much! I need a hug for that!'

Charm and Severus rolled their eyes and began to leave. Lily gave them an offended look. 'How rude! Get it from me, Shane,' she patted Shane's back as they hugged.

'After all… at least, someone listens to me…' he sniffled.

'We all know, Shane, that… you are tensed with Selene, aren't you?'

'Only if she ever heeded to what I ask but she never does. I don't wish to lose her…'

'Come on, Shane. We can make her understand that. I hope she does… Slytherins are quite ignorant, don't worry, it'd be fine, okay?' Lily pulled back and smiled.

Shane nodded.

*Page Break*

'So, one more horcrux down?' Selene whispered.

'Yes,' Severus smirked.

'And you all didn't even consider calling me and Selene,' Austin complained folding his arms on his chest.

'Severus didn't even tell us what is going on… he just came up with an idea and we did what it was about,' Lily shrugged.

'Still…'

'Well, even if we had known this earlier, I would have bound someone not to come there…' Shane said, looking out of the train window.

'You don't rule someone,' Selene said back coldly which made Shane sharply turn to her.

'This is what you think?! That I try to rule you?! This is how petty you have become, Selene!' his voice cracked as he spoke turning to face the window again.

Selene scoffed. 'Don't play the pity card.'

Shane sobered and nodded seriously. 'Sure. I am the one playing cards. I hope I could have been a better partner!' he stood up but before he could leave, the others did that. Austin, Severus, Lily and Charm left the room immediately, leaving them with themselves in privacy.

A/N: Disregard my mistakes, please.
And I hope you enjoyed it.
All the comments are welcome.
Thank you.