Primal Instincts
We must learn to stand in our darkest hours.
Time unknown
"Let's play a game."
Harry Potter had lost count of the days. He hadn't bothered to keep track after his magic had returned to acceptable levels which took about three days.
In that time, he observed resourceful muggles who figured out the limit they could travel without getting lost in one day and had wisely rationed their food to last as long as possible.
They travelled by jeep everyday with screams and war cries and always brought back those they found wandering in the desert to their stronghold.
And in their stronghold only their rules applied. There were four who were the first inhabitants in the factory after the calamity and they had been quick to adapt to the laws of the desert.
They understood the one rule that governed this new world.
There were no rules
Harry had been pleased to see that the message was understood so quick. Perhaps it was always waiting… the primal instinct to survive… waiting in all humans… waiting to be understood.
When his magic returned, Harry took his time, always hidden, understanding the magic he had dwelled in, understanding the reality that was once a dream.
The reality was so much more beautiful than the dream. Harry was amazed at the complexity of the runes that covered the sky. The runes were gold and white in colour and phased out of shape at a leisure pace. It was like watching thousands of pages being flicked through the thumb and trying to understand the million words that flashed past the curious eyes.
Harry took days and nights, spent sleeping on the roof of the factory, with handy invisibility runes, trying to understand the dynamics that governed this magic. It was a creation of the source but it wasn't the source. The experience he had had when touching the source was unlike the magic that powered the desert.
The magic of the desert was a creation of Magic and his Will that unified for an instant when the knowledge of his mother's love flooded his green.
He still felt it. It made him grin, knowing that she loved him and understanding what it felt like. The green began fading soon after. The necessity of survival brought him back to reality and his red began to brighten slowly until he felt a spark of his bloodlust return.
It wasn't enough that the muggles he was watching were surviving. He wanted them to feel pain. He wanted them to know… they were not in control… he wanted to see them driven to the desperation of surviving and then he would know whether they were worthy or not.
Whether they were worthy of magic.
A full moon night had inspired him to reveal himself.
He walked down the ramp leading to the ground floor lobby and exited the building for the first time since he got there.
There were dozens of fires burning on scavenged wood and boys and girls surrounded them. Some were in the arms of each other, igniting Harry's orange in ways he had begun discovering the day he had killed Tonks. Others were talking softly and laughing as they huddled together and shared a cigarette.
Harry's lips curled into a smile and he slapped his hands, amplifying the clap with the help of the Void.
The sound was like a screech in the ears of the near fifty inhabitants of what they liked to call – Fort of Youth.
Their habit of killing those they deemed too old had not gone unnoticed by Harry.
One of the four leaders jumped to his feet and shouted at Harry, "Oye! Who the fuck are you?"
"He's a kid!" shouted another. "What the fuck did he just do? My ears are fucking ringing."
They all began to stand up and move towards him. Some of them had guns tucked in their pants.
"Did one of the distortions get you here boy?" a kindly young man asked.
They began to attribute the ungodly clap as part of the strangeness of the calamity.
Harry raised his hand.
"Wha! What's going on?! Who are you?!" All of them had been frozen in their places and panicked shouts and demands were being hurled at Harry.
It wasn't enough that they were surviving. It brought him no satisfaction. It was too simple.
"Let's play a game," Harry said, his voice soft like a predatory hiss.
"He's a wizard," whispered one of the new boys in fear.
Another pissed in his pants.
"Let us go now boy!" one of the blonde haired leaders shouted. "Let us go and you can join us!"
Harry raised his other hand and the fires began to rise and spread.
"Now," Harry breathed. "Show me what you'd do when faced against a monster." He let go of the magic binding them and the fires roared into the sky, threatening to engulf them all.
Are you sure you want to do this?
Harry froze. It was the Void. The was his link to the source and the source was now using it.
And yet it felt different. It felt like it was him. Another part of him knocking from within the void instead of his mind.
Of course I do, Harry spoke back. His primal instincts were roaring. Screaming to be let go.
The source was talking to him and Harry understood.
He chose to ignore.
The desert was calling him home.
"Kill him!"
A gunshot rang loud and the running feet stopped to pray.
Harry took a step forward and stepped into the light of the fire, throwing his appearance open to interpretation.
He was wearing dirty black robes, stood maybe at five feet height, his hair was messy and merged with the night.
The fire focused on the mad glow in dark green eyes.
"M-monster," gasped one of the younger boys.
The bullet was spinning in the palm of his hand.
"The game is simple," Harry said with a smile. "I am the monster. You have to defeat me."
The bullet fell with a soft thud on the sand.
"Run," whispered a girl. "Run!" she screamed.
Harry didn't follow them. He just watched them run. The game had only begun.
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Third July Nineteen Ninety-Five - Hogwarts
"Any Luck?"
"We discovered it's a ward of some kind. Professor McGonagall will be making the announcement at Lunch."
"I asked if there was any luck Hermione," Hitomi bit back.
Nobody understood what had happened that fateful evening.
All the schools were gathered together for the final feast, celebrating the winner of the duelling tournament.
The enchanted roof top was basked with the warm glow of the setting sun when suddenly a bolt of lightning cracked through the sky.
"What was that!" Colin Creevey exclaimed. "It came out of nowhere!"
The students dissolved into excited murmurs. It was not often a bolt of lightning streaked across the sky in the advent of summer.
They were back to normal laughing and talking again when a second bolt of lightning screamed through the sky. This one was red in colour and was almost as if the sky was on fire.
A storm was coming. They all felt it.
By nightfall a lightning storm had lit up the dark. By daybreak the storm broke and by breakfast strange happenings were noticed. The sky kept changing colours. As if there was a multi-coloured film swimming through the clouds.
By noon everyone realised magical means of transport were no longer working. The Beauxbaton carriages that took off into the sky disappeared when the air around them distorted for a moment.
The Drumstrang ship could not leave through its magical portal setup between their lake and the Hogwarts lake.
The floo was not working and they were unable to contact the Ministry for help and answers.
The professors who left through the gates to apparate never returned.
They soon realised something dangerous had happened. Imaginations began to run wild with theories and the only real fact they knew was that they were trapped unless they chose to leave the safety of the wards of Hogwarts.
The visiting schools had not been pleased about that.
Tonight the Hogwarts express was due to arrive and no one wanted to take the carriages out of the gates and into Hogsmeade Station.
There had been more volunteers who tried to find out what was going on and they had never returned. Since then all the professors and all the students considered bright dedicating their full time to understanding the strange magic that seemed to have trapped them all.
Discovering that it was a ward of some kind after all this time was simply stating the obvious and Hitomi's glare conveyed the message to Hermione.
Hermione rolled her eyes.
"We discovered its some kind of runic ward," she elaborated. "However we still haven't been able to contact anyone on the outside. Even the owls refuse to leave."
"And what of the purebloods who sing praise of this Dark Lord?" Hitomi asked.
That had been another issue to deal with. Draco Malfoy had led the proclamation that this was the work of the Dark Lord against those in defiance of him and that it was only a matter of time before he marched to the gate.
Hermione's eyes darkened. "They've been dealt with," she said cryptically.
The muggleborn's in the castle had not taken to kindly to the idea that their families were going to be slaughtered and had led a demand for them to the locked up in the dungeons.
Severus Snape was all that stood between the bigot purebloods and the rest of the school.
Tensions ran high and it was now on Snape to control his out of control students and those that supported them.
Dumbledore was gone and Hogwarts was holding on to sanity with a thread.
Hitomi didn't know what to make of the magic that was flowing with the wind. She could feel its intention. It's desire to change. What was the reason behind it? Hitomi knew it was the key to understanding what magical calamity had befallen them.
What was the reason?
That was the question they needed to answer before the change reached a state where it could no longer be held back.
"Are you coming to the hall? We're going to have a meeting. McGonagall said it was important."
Hitomi shook her head. She needed to think and the mages of Britain could not help.
Hermione turned to leave the Gryffindor common room and just before she left through the fat lady portrait Hitomi called her back.
"Hermione," she began. "These runes. Can I see them?"
"Err... sure," Hermione said bemused. Hitomi had never offered to help before. Her school master informed everyone Hitomi was more of practical person. Not a connoisseur of magical theory.
Hitomi looked at Hermione pointedly.
"You mean now? Well… Professor Vector and Babbling are trying to translate them in the Astronomy Tower. You can find them there I suppose. The house elves have been bringing them meals there."
"Thank you Hermione," Hitomi said. She waited for the brunette to exit through the portrait and followed her smoothly. "I can find my way thank you," she said and left Hermione behind.
She cut a regal figure to Hermione as she watched her walk away. "Strange girl," Hermione muttered and headed towards the great hall.
She was met at the entrance by Viktor Krum. The handsome Bulgarian had taken an interest in her and hung around her every chance he got.
Frankly, it made Hermione a bit uncomfortable and secretly excited. A man was showing interest in her. A man desired by half the girls in the school and he had chosen her.
"Hello Her-my-own-nee," he said, his deep voice sending pulses weakness in her knees.
"Hi Viktor," she said brightly. "Any luck finding the books in your ships library?"
He shook his head. "None."
He followed her to the Gryffindor table and sat down with a star struck Ron Weasley.
Everyone had pretty much gathered and McGonagall stood to the podium where Dumbledore was a common sight.
It made his absence felt severely.
"We have all had a hard couple of months," McGonagall began, her voice sharp and compassionate. "I know all of you are missing your families but we just have to hold on until we figure this out. We've discovered there are strange runic wards blanketing the school and the forest and it seems to be changing. It's slowing down so there a possibility it will disappear soon and we can leave without fear.
"In the meantime, we are going to resume classes. We have to keep ourselves busy and remember that Hogwarts will protect us.
"That is all."
She returned to her seat and conversations began.
"Aw man," Blaise moaned. "Why do we have to attend classes?"
"To maintain normalcy," Tracey replied. "Everyone is shit scared or haven't you realised."
"Realised? Realised what?"
Tracey sighed. If Daphne were around she would have pointed out the obvious but now the responsibility lay on her shoulders.
"Things are going to get worse Blaise. That speech was a hold on and don't panic speech."
Blaise laughed. "Relax Tracey. It's probably a problem with the wards. It's been centuries they have held strong and someday they were bound to have issues right? For all we know, the entire ministry and Dumbledore are outside trying to fix it."
Tracey scoffed. "Great fantasy Blaise," she said acidly.
Blaise wrapped his arm around her shoulders and smiled down at her. "There's no use getting scared. Now, a few of us have been planning…"
"Blaise," Tracey interrupted with a hiss. "We've talked about this!"
"We're going to slip out at night," he continued. "Now are you with us or not?"
Tracey bit her lip.
"No," she said. "It's too dangerous."
Blaise remained silent but his face conveyed his disappointment. Many of the children would no longer take the stress of being controlled with fear and regulations. They wanted to break free.
"How many have joined you," she asked.
"Lots of Griffs and Puffs including Hermione," Blaise replied.
Tracey sighed. They were making a big mistake.
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Time Unknown – The Desert
Voldemort was alone. He was quick to adapt to the new rule of the world and contemplate where he had miscalculated.
Who was responsible for the blindness that hid Harry Potter's power from his sight? Was this all a part of the prophecy? Was this the power he knew nothing about? Dumbledore always whispered it was love.
Voldemort glared at the desert surrounding him. The harsh sun burned down on him like never before. The last time he had experienced the feeling of being lost was when the killing curse he cast at Harry Potter clashed with the sacrificial magic used by Lily Potter in her last conscious moment of coherence.
Her soul was deemed sacrifice strong enough to block the curse of death itself.
It had led him to question his existence. Suffer endlessly in a realm filled with hate and loneliness. He clinged to some form of reality through the physical bodies of rats and snakes. He could barely hold on and lost himself in that hateful realm, suffering until he was able summon some strength to hold on to the next creature in the real world.
It was endless torture until the day he managed to hold on to a human. And as turned out, it was a wizard who worked as a professor at Hogwarts.
It was a glimpse of hope.
From that day on, his strength began to return. He was able to possess humans and perceive reality while being in the realm of pain.
His encounter with Dumbledore reignited his dream of total control over every realm of magic.
The dream led him to Lucius Malfoy and from there with shocking ease, he took control of the Ministry of Magic. The first step of his dream. He had been so close to destroying the enemy, the little boy, whose mother defeated him. He was so close to taking down his greatest enemy – Albus Dumbledore before that little boy became a monster who unleashed a power so great that he felt fear. And fear was worse than being trapped in between death and life.
That moment in the courtroom changed everything. His victory had been upturned and he was stranded in the middle of a forsaken desert. He was a Dark Lord without his Knights.
His fingers tightened their grip around his wand and he looked at the blood that was soaking the burning white sands.
It was the first human he had meet in days and his need to torture something had been on the boil since the day of the calamity.
"Harry James Potter," Voldemort hissed in rage. "I will find you and I will kill you."