Chapter 51 Initiation

"You're sure about this, Ice Queen?"

"Of course. I told you that I trust you, Harry. I won't let you leave me behind while your eyes turn skyward."

He tried to ignore the knot in his stomach as Hermione laid down on the workbench in his lab, ready to begin her modifications. He was still apprehensive about altering his Queen, for a lot of reasons. She wasn't quite as resistant to death as he was, and it felt more important when it wasn't his own life he was risking. He had gotten used to risking his own life a long, long time ago. So, he was nervous, despite knowing that he could pull her soul within his own if necessary.

But he couldn't refuse to let her walk where he had already recklessly tread.

"Alright then. This will probably feel very strange."

He placed his hands on her chest and let his power flow into her, mingling and intertwining with her soul as she welcomed his touch. He threaded his magic slowly and carefully through the dark, infusing her physical body at an atomic level before he began to make the same changes he had made to himself.

The changes were both physical and not, at the same time. Magic was not physical, but what he had done to himself created a bridge between the soul and body. His body was now closer to being part of his soul than any other human's. In the same way that the cloak simply was, its soul and physical form existing as one, his body now was for him, in many ways.

For Hermione, he needed to make the changes but then allow her soul to make the connection. He certainly didn't want to end up holding the strings of her enhanced flesh marionette.

He breathed a sigh of relief as he felt the connections open without any of her organs dissolving. He pulled his own power back and coaxed hers into the new avenues within her. She was more than aware enough to understand what he intended.

"Oh dear. That is very weird. So that's the dissociation you were talking about."

The contradicting realization that your soul was both one with your body while also being acutely aware that your body was a modified meat puppet was… unsettling, at the best of times.

"Can you feel the bond, like with the sword?"

"Yes, yes, give me a moment. Just… adjusting."

She stayed perfectly still and silent for several long minutes. The lack of breathing was unsettling when seeing it from the outside. Especially when it was his Ice Queen.

Then she opened her eyes and sat up, smiling at him in wonder, and everything was right with the world again.

…

Harry and Hermione appeared silently on the outcropping of black stone.

"Out of all the off-putting things you have done, Mr Potter, I think that silent apparition takes the cake."

Amelia Bones looked at the pair of them sternly from behind her monocle.

"I can't exactly place my finger on why, but teleportation should make a sound. I can't even picture someone apparating in my mind without including some kind of audio queue."

"I could just say 'beep boop' every time I apparate."

"That would be helpful, thank you."

Moody just stared at them in horror.

"...Potter. What have you done to yourselves? What are you?"

Hmmmm. Apparently, the Eye could see the alterations, and whatever Mad-Eye saw was profoundly disturbing.

"Just some upgrades to the old '94 model. Or '79 model, in Hermione's case."

The grizzled auror's normal eye twitched. "You don't say. I can't even begin to count how many laws your existence breaks."

"Legal, or natural?"

"Both!"

"It's a good thing you don't have to, then. Is the runic array ready?"

Madam Bones nodded and gestured for them to follow as she walked down the rocky beach. Moody just grunted and apparently decided to give up on the interrogation for now.

Azkaban prison stood tall above them, silhouetted against the perpetually dark and stormy sky over the cursed island.

"We haven't charged the array yet. If your theory about the hungry Dark is correct, then the Dementors may try and escape en masse as soon as they perceive it. They are already agitated from the removal of the prisoners."

Harry could tell. He could feel the hungry Dark looming over him, its avatars swirling endlessly over the abandoned tower. It was suspicious, and starving. It also hated him with an infinite and existential passion.

Maybe he should reconsider his stance on destroying it.

They arrived at a workstation where a number of ministry and Gringotts employees milled about.

Madam Bones turned back to them. "We have a limited window before the Dementors realize that something is amiss and try to investigate. The wards are ready whenever you are."

Ready, Ice Queen?

He got a general feeling of affirmation in response and stepped up to the closest of many, many runes carved into the black stone. In theory, the wards extended all around the island, and would be strong enough to hold the Dementors and the soul of the hungry Dark inside for the foreseeable future.

In theory.

Hermione approached beside him, and they let their power loose to sing together. The air became heavy with the presence of their magic, the fabric of the world warping and twisting as they brought a significant portion of their combined might to the surface. The runes in front of them began to glow with a ghostly turquoise light.

The hungry Dark immediately reacted as they expected, the great soul roiling and churning in an angry storm as the Dementors plunged towards them. The cloud of despair closed in on their position while the runes continued to glow brighter and brighter until…

The Dementors collided with an invisible wall of power that flared bright white like a Patronus when they struck it. Their shrill screams scraped at Harry's ears even as the hungry Dark's soul tried to claw at his own.

It was no use, though. Harry and Hermione stepped back, feeling like they should be gasping for air if they had still required it.

The Dementors and their unholy master had been contained, for now.

…

"What are you working on now?"

Harry looked up at Hermione as she walked into his lab. Even though he was taking a break from human transfiguration, he still had other ideas to work on. His gold bracelet floated in front of him while he poked and prodded it.

"It occurred to me, as I was flying back from the moon, that I don't want to get lost in space. That would be… inconvenient. If you're on the planet I can always use the bracelet to find my way back, but if we're both in space…"

She chuckled. "I suppose that's a valid concern. What are you thinking?"

"I had a few ideas, but I think it will be easiest to just tune the bracelets to the Hogwarts wards in addition to each other. It will just let us find our way back home in a pinch."

"Showing an unusual amount of foresight, Death Walker."

"I aim to please."

…

Harry wasn't sure how to feel.

The corpse of the massive spider was unsettling, but he had trouble mourning the monstrous arachnid. Maybe it was just because he had never met him. Or the fact that he was a giant bloody spider.

But Luna and Hagrid were sad, so he was here for the funeral in solidarity regardless of his reservations.

He glanced over at Luna as tears spilled from her all-seeing eyes. It was… peculiar, and a bit humbling, to see the depth of the emotions on her face and within her soul at the loss of a friend, even just the old spider she talked to the forest.

Harry could sympathize on a general level; he could not tolerate losing his Angel or his Queen. Or Neville. Hedwig too, he supposed. He would be a bit miffed if Albus died at an inconvenient time, but the ancient headmaster had been a fossil for the whole time Harry had known him, so it wasn't quite the same.

But Luna cared for everyone and everything she met, authentically and deeply, from people to Thestrals to giant spiders. And she did so without fear of losing them. Did so knowing that she would lose them one day.

She was truly the best of them. There was a reason that he called her Angel.

No one else would go out of her way to have tea with a lonely old spider in the heart of its lair, just because he didn't have anyone else to talk to. No one else would care.

It also struck him just how genuinely Luna interacted with everyone around her. She hadn't gone to chat with Aragog because she pitied him, or for charity. She just… enjoyed and loved the world and its creatures, and wanted what was best for everyone, regardless of how many legs they had.

Maybe he should have tried harder to befriend the Basilisk. Probably not though.

It made Harry uncomfortably aware of how few times he had made the short trip to see Hagrid in the last couple years.

Harry floated up and patted the sobbing giant on the shoulder.

He was happy he had come with Luna, even if he hadn't known Aragog. He needed to be better at remembering that people only mattered to each other. There wasn't really a point to any of it, other than that.

…

She never failed to dazzle him.

He could barely see her from this far away, but he could never lose sight of her brilliant soul in the darkness.

They soared together through the empty blanket of stars, the void quiet and peaceful around them as they spiraled and danced as one.

He had long lost track of how fast they were going. Distances stopped mattering after a while in never-ending space.

The only thing that mattered was her. Her shining soul, his compass in the Dark.

He let his love for her flow uninhibited through their shared souls and basked in her joyous response. They were free, together and untethered as they flew through the endless night.

They wanted for nothing. They needed nothing but each other. She was perfect and divine, and she loved him, and he would never ask for anything more.

He could revel in this infinite transcendence for the rest of time and be thankful.

…

Harry was on edge. It was getting closer and closer to the end of the school year, and nothing terrible had happened. There hadn't even been the traditional awful incident on Halloween this year. Something was definitely amiss.

It was almost a relief when Albus summoned him and Hermione to his office.

"Good morning, both of you. I do hope that you've enjoyed a comparatively quiet year. I hear that your defense club is quite successful."

Harry just chuckled as he sat in his familiar seat across from the ancient headmaster.

"I, well, Neville really, figured that if Luna was going to be head minion, she needed non-head minions to rule over with an iron fist."

"What a wonderful way to describe making friends. Additionally, your alterations are most impressive works of magic, very well done. The process was a bit heavy handed, but you know what they say about monkeys and typewriters."

Harry kept his face carefully blank while Hermione snickered beside him.

"Yes. So, what's the occasion? Not that I haven't missed you, of course, Albus."

Dumbledore chuckled but then frowned. "I have located a place of… interest. I thought it best to discuss it with you before we move forward."

Harry leaned on the desk between them as the headmaster continued.

"As you know, I have been searching through Tom's history for possible Horcrux artifacts and potential locations. I have found a heavily warded and enchanted section of coastline that could feasibly be the cave where he once tortured the other orphans as a child. It seems too great a coincidence that an area of otherwise empty rocky shore should be so carefully hidden and protected. I believe it is either the location of a Horcrux, or where Voldemort himself is currently hiding."

Harry let out a low whistle. "I've been waiting for him to poke his head out of the sand again. You're right, of course, it can't be a coincidence. It may also possibly be both. If he had a Horcrux hidden there, it would make sense to use it as a refuge while he works on restoring himself."

Albus nodded seriously. "What remains is to decide our approach. We must be prepared for anything, including a reborn Voldemort, but we both know of his fondness for traps. A heavily warded space that also has ties to his history is just enough of a bread crumb trail to feasibly be a trap."

Harry agreed and felt Hermione's similar feelings through their souls as she spoke up. "And again, it could be both. Voldemort likes to engineer his traps so they have no beneficial outcome. If we ignore it, we will likely play into his hands and give him time to amass his strength again. If we all go in force, we leave the Castle undefended. If we split our forces, we will be weaker on all fronts."

Dumbledore nodded again. "It's possible that he is just waiting for us to investigate to launch his assault on Hogwarts or the Ministry. No matter which way we step, it is feasible that he will be able to outmaneuver us."

Harry considered and conferred with Hermione silently before continuing.

"We have to split our forces, it's our best bet to minimize the damage of any given situation that Voldemort can cook up, even if it's not ideal. The castle wards should hold out long enough for at least Hermione and I to return if the trap closes here, but both of us will be required to defeat a resurrected Voldemort. It would also go much more smoothly if you were present at the cave, Albus."

The headmaster hummed thoughtfully. "Additionally, my expertise may be required to unravel any protections if there is indeed a Horcrux present and not Voldemort himself. It sounds like we are of one mind then. The two of you and I will travel to the cave by the sea to investigate. While we are gone, Alastor and the rest of the Order will guard the castle in addition to Mr Longbottom, Miss Lovegood, and any of Miss Lovegood's minions who would like to volunteer. At the first sign of a trap closing here, the two of you will use your excellent mobility to return here as soon as possible while I adjust to the situation as it unfolds. This course of action is agreeable to you?"

They both nodded.

"Excellent. I see no reason to delay then; we will leave at curfew once the Order arrives."

…

The three of them appeared on a sea swept rock at the edge of the ward line. The gray water churned beneath them as they all let their magic caress and evaluate the powerful protections in place.

This place practically reeked of Voldemort. Harry would feel his malevolent intent in every layer of the cave's protections.

"I think he's here, Albus. If this is a trap, I don't think he will attack Hogwarts himself."

The headmaster nodded gravely, and they floated carefully over the water, crossing the ward line and landing in a small, sheltered area of the cliff. On guard against any surprises, they made their way through a crack and into a wider, unassuming cave.

It would have looked empty and natural, if not for the poisonous magic in the air.

They all felt the intricate spell work on the hidden door.

"Blood magic," Dumbledore mused.

Harry nodded. "I'm not keen on giving Voldemort any more of my blood. Do we have any reason to be sneaky at this point? If he is indeed here, he will already have sensed our approach."

The headmaster considered for a moment and then took an unusual breath to steady himself. "I suppose not. Let's knock on the front door, shall we?"

"I couldn't agree more."

Harry raised his hand and blew the rock wall inwards with a thunderous detonation of power.

He wasn't sure what he was expecting to find inside, but it certainly wasn't this.

The doorway led to an enormous open cave with a wide, still lake inside. In the center of the lake stood an island lit by a ghostly green light. And above the island…

"You're too late, my Nemesis."

Voldemort's hissing voice seemed to come from everywhere, from the walls of the cave itself.

Above the lake hung a horrifying and twisted version of the Dark Lord, his pale form massive and grotesque. His thin, skeletal limbs were far, far too long for his body and his head was misshapen and repulsive. His red eyes were too large even for his now oversized face and they rolled manically, independently, in their sockets.

Harry could feel his broken, fractured soul, a pervasive sense of terrible wrongness radiating from it that had never been present before. His Enemy's very being had been steeped and saturated with the hungry Dark.

And from his back, two gigantic wings stretched the breadth of the cave, bat-like and spiked along their length.

His insane laughter echoed around them with growing intensity.

The three of them were still frozen in horrified fascination when a shining silver cat flew through the wall next to them.

It spoke in Professor McGonagall's voice.

"Albus, they're in the castle! You must return at once, help-"

The Patronus cut off abruptly and faded.

The trap closed around them.

…