Chapter 127
Kingdom of Ashes
The Realm of Kala, beyond this world and beyond Time
As amusing as laughing at your counterpart from another reality was, Alexandra didn't do it for long.
First, there were other, more pressing things to do today.
Then there was the little matter of being inside a Domain of War. It may not be the smartest idea of the week to annoy the Champion who could control part of it.
"Fine, this morning is really, really filled with surprises."
The Hydra Animagus supposed she should ask the big question, but yes, she was curious.
She supposed she should have been more curious about the personal history of one of her Ravenclaws, yes.
That said...there was nothing that could be done to remedy this right now.
"For the sake of my personal curiosity," the Champion of the Morrigan began, suppressing a chuckle. "Two of my year-mates are Parvati and Padma Patil. Are they-"
"It is also the case in my world, yes," Rani Potter confirmed with a nod. "They're my cousins. Their mother's and mine were twins."
The way the 'cousins' had been spoken and the fondness in the voice suggested something more than that.
Alexandra didn't bother raising her eyebrows; the other Champion continued speaking. Someone truly loved the sound of her own voice, huh.
"After my mother was murdered by the Army of Light, it was my aunt who raised me in the family city-state of Bangalore. I was taught everything with Padma and Parvati."
Of course. Of course that reality had Ra and its murderous fanatics hunting potential and real Champions of the Dark too.
"Unfortunately, if we wanted to secure the inheritance we received from our fathers, we Heiresses had no choice but to go to Hogwarts. Otherwise the old bigots of the Wizengamot would be delighted to seize the vaults and the properties, and remove all the privileges that are ours by right."
"We Heiresses? Wait a minute, Parvati and Padma aren't Heiresses of any House of the Isles."
Alexandra had to admit she wasn't exactly dutiful at listening to all the gossip coming out of the mouth of Parvati Patil, but she was sure of something: the father and the mother of the Twins were born from Indian families.
They were mainly attending Hogwarts because their parents were doing business here. There had been Wizengamot paperwork and commercial debates recently to confirm it.
"Err...yes, they are?"
"No, no they aren't." Alexandra sighed before grimacing. "At least, they aren't in my world."
"Your world sounds strange." It was frankly a little disturbing to hear it from a Bangalore-raised version of herself, Alexandra wasn't going to like. "But yes, Heiresses. Parvati and Padma are the daughters of the last Lord of a very infamous House, Lord Sirius Black."
There were times if you didn't know if you had to cry, laugh, or do both.
Now was absolutely one of those times.
"The Patil Twins of their era seduced James Potter and Sirius Black?"
"I see it never happened in your world." And yes, Rani Potter was beginning to have a lot of fun at her expense, thank you for pointing out the obvious.
In hindsight...fine, in hindsight, it wasn't really surprising. Alexandra had known James Potter was a womaniser before this year. And he had been close to Sirius Black, once upon a time. That the two pranksters would be willing to jump in bed with girls who were the predecessors of the Patil twins was not that ridiculous.
Of course, it raised plenty of additional questions, and her curiosity, far from being satisfied, was burning her tongue even more.
The Hydra conjured all her patience to stop that before it resulted in more questions.
This was an entirely different world; the point had been made. If she wanted to know all the differences, it would likely take several months worth of her time, and staying that long in the realm of War didn't feel like a good idea.
"That's very interesting," she said truthfully. "I acknowledge that sincerely. And I am really fascinated by how much our lives diverged, despite both of us being the daughters of James Potter. But I feel we must speak of the bigger issue first. Why did you accomplish a complicated ritual to speak to me?"
"The Black Pharaoh," the title was, alas, very familiar. "A few weeks ago, he scored a devastating victory by triggering multiple giant 'Seals', which manifest as floating pyramids all over the world. Now the Powers themselves are beginning to abandon the Light/Dark alignment."
Ah. This was why there was an element of Blood trickling into this Domain as they spoke.
And it seemed that this time, the Exchequer had scored an even more devastating blow than-
"Now the Black Pharaoh has challenged the world from his seat at Durmstrang. He is organising a grand Tournament for the twelve most famous schools of the world. Four Champions per school are to be chosen, and if they happen to refuse his most generous proposal, he will raze the cowardly academic establishment in retaliation."
Rani Potter's face told everything about how much she had liked that ultimatum.
"Though it isn't exactly how I had imagined spending my OWL year, I answered the challenge." There was a strength in those red eyes which was worthy of respect, for sure. "I am now the Champion of Slytherin."
"I suppose congratulations are in order."
"Yes, I suppose it is." The thin smile was so short-lived it might as well have been her imagination. "But I know I don't have a chance against the Champion of the Black Pharaoh."
"I find this difficult to believe." Rani Potter, to be blunt, was maybe not the duellist she was, but she seriously looked and felt incredibly powerful for her age.
And she had two advantages Alexandra herself had lacked at the start: a formal magical education at a young age, an already developed powerbase away from Dumbledore.
As if this wasn't enough, her counterpart of War would enter the Tournament in her fifth year. Fifth, not fourth. This was one more year of education to mend the gap with the older and more dangerous students.
"That's because you haven't seen the monster the Black Pharaoh presented to us at the Summer Ball he organised in his floating palace above Mount Olympus."
The other witch shivered.
"All of us are, when it comes down to it, monsters," Alexandra replied reasonably.
"Not like that," the denial was immediate. "She is...she is the one who stands as Champion of Death in this world and the next. Her name is Anastasiya Ivanova Romanova, and she literally broke the Archmage of Light's power and life before the entire world."
Of course.
Of course, since she wasn't the Champion of Death in that reality, the alternative candidate was-
"That's why I did this important ritual. I needed the advice of someone who had already defeated her in another world, during a Tournament organised by the Black Pharaoh."
Lyudmila, Alexandra thought, was going to laugh for countless hours when she told her that.
Rani wasn't sure she and her counterpart would ever be friends.
There was something extremely dangerous about Alexandra Potter.
Something deathly. Something which gave her awful memories of the two skirmishes where another Champion of Death had humiliated her.
Was it pure coincidence, or were all Champions of that Power really scary no matter the world they were born from?
It really didn't help at all that the other girl seemed to find the entire situation amusing.
"In my world," the green eyes flashed like an Avada Kedavra, "her counterpart is Lyudmila Romanov, Champion of Chaos. Having faced her in several duels and Tournament Tasks, I sympathise entirely with your predicament."
"But you defeated her, in the end." The ritual magic had worked correctly, on that aspect.
The other Potter girl looked...uncomfortable?
"I won the Tournament, if that is what you're asking. And unlike you, there was a big difference. I know Lyudmila Romanov, and I am entirely certain she didn't bow to the Black Pharaoh. I am pretty sure she only knelt to Loki this year, and all the years before that."
Of all the news she didn't want to hear, Rani felt this one had to be close to the top of the long list that she had begun in her first year.
"Are you sure you didn't miss someone? There can't have been many Champions of the Dark in this Tournament."
This time, the other Potter witch gave her a very smug expression.
"Champion of War, I don't want to sound too condescending, but if your Tournament is anything like mine, all the Champions of the Dark and the Light will be present. Honestly, we had only four schools participating, not twelve like yours, and all the Champions were involved at one time or another."
This sounded very bad. Why did it sound like a very ominous threat?
"I would still very much appreciate all the help you could give me."
Why did the other Potter look incredibly amused every time she opened her mouth?
"Cheating is half of the reason I won in the first place," the green-eyed Champion of Death admitted shamelessly. "There was this Task where I positioned trebuchets around the Coliseum-"
"You did WHAT?"
"If you want to win, you have to take the gloves off." The fangs were bared, and suddenly, Rani knew with absolute certainty this girl was just as monstrous as the Russian Champion of Death; she just hid it better. "Assuming Durmstrang isn't different, they will respect you only if you happen to kill a few of them and send the majority of the other Champions to the Hospital Wing."
"I am...I am not the best at that."
There was a sympathetic shrug.
"This isn't where House Slytherin truly shines, no. Most of the elite of Salazar's did stay out of it, their self-preservation winning over the dreams of riches and glory."
The Champion of Kali had to suppress the reflex to nod in approval. There was a reason why she had won her selection process so easily, and it had nothing to do with her talents.
It was interesting, yes.
Though it also led to a significant revelation, one the green-black military uniform hadn't given her a clue about.
"You weren't Sorted into Slytherin."
"No, of course not. I am a Ravenclaw."
Oh, Padma was going to be incredibly smug about this one. However-
"You aren't like most Ravenclaws I know."
"The same applies to you when it comes to Slytherin, I assure you. Most people living in the dungeons wouldn't have had the courage to contact me like this. After the Chamber of Secrets, they were very respectful and avoided certain problematic subjects which could be hazardous for their health...like politics."
There was a sound of steel clinging as the winds of war sang against the blades. Rani ignored it.
"Who are the other Champions of the school, by the way? Since you're about to begin your fifth year, I don't think you will get Cedric Diggory for Hufflepuff."
"We won't," she conceded. And it was too bad, because Cedric was a strong wizard which could have been a very reliable ally. "The Champion of Hufflepuff is Elizabeth Bones. For House Ravenclaw, Li Chang. And for House Gryffindor-"
The name was on her lips when reality shrieked, and white light, blinding white light, tore asunder the area on the other side of the bridge of blades she had built an hour ago.
"I can present myself, Dark Spawn!"
It was the Light.
Because of course it was.
Who would have the brilliant idea to assault a different part of reality where a Dark Champion was all-powerful?
It seemed that the followers of Ra were the same everywhere, alas.
Unfortunately, it also came with the sad realisation that in this other world, the Light was far from completely defeated.
Alexandra had rejoiced when she had heard the other Ra had learned at long last that no, all his plots and manipulations didn't make him invincible.
It was good.
Unfortunately, it appeared that as much as the final ritual of Osiris had changed plenty of things, Fate was still of the Light.
Alexandra wasn't sure about many things in this world where her parents hadn't ended up together for one reason or another, but she was sure about that.
It felt like a blade of Light cleaving through reality.
It was crude.
It was imprecise.
It was going to make sure the Champion responsible for that violation was going to lose several years of life for the audacity of attacking Kali's realm.
One had to admit, ultimately, that it worked.
They came out of the tear, and Light followed in their steps.
"In the name of the Archmage-"
It was enough to have a confirmation of their allegiance.
Oh yes, this day was going to suck.
"Wingardium Leviosa," at her command, over a thousand weapons began to levitate all around her. "DEPULSO!"
This was just to test the waters, to be clear.
There were many wizards in familiar robes holding large radiant shields out there, and they seemed like they knew their business.
Alexandra was honestly very disappointed when most of them fell, the blades she had hurled at them impaling them like their armour, robes, and shields were made of paper.
Were the blades given some magical shield-breaker effect, or was the opposition so weak?
"I believe this conversation is over, Champion of War. I have a lot of work on my very busy schedule and-"
It took another spell to summon into her hands two one-handed short swords.
The parry was pure instinct, and it was a good thing, for given how the steel shrieked, this attack would have decapitated her.
Alexandra found herself staring at the golden eyes of a fanatic.
A couple more seconds were necessary to find out the identity of the girl that had just tried to kill her.
"Freckles, red hair, and the Weasley look," the Hydra Animagus listed as she feigned boredom. "You must be your world's version of Ginny Weasley."
"And you, you are a dangerous Black Witch who must be eliminated!"
There was a blast of pure Light, and damn, the girl was powerful. Of course, Scylla had the same potential, seventh child of a seventh child and all of that, but this witch seemed honestly far stronger.
This was not the level of mediocrity she had observed from Leo Black for most of her year at the Scuola Regina.
"You're welcome to try," the Light Champion tried to attack and aimed for her head, but now that the effect of surprise was lost, she was honestly slow and predictable. "EXPELLIARMUS!"
"Is that all? All a witch of your level can do? You're unable to cast a second-year spell?"
"I wasn't trying to disarm you, Fate."
The red-haired girl's expression went from confidence to horror, as she realised all her surviving allies had suddenly lost their wands, something that wasn't exactly advised when you had a Champion of War preparing something nasty.
The attack came as a sort of crimson-black wave of magic, and the Light bigots suddenly began to be swallowed by the ground, their wands remaining just far enough out of reach to be as useful as the non-magical branches of a tree.
"Where were we, again?" Alexandra declared sarcastically. "Ah yes, I was talking about increasing my tally list with a Champion of Fate. The last one proved incredibly frustrating to get rid of, let's see if you're a bit easier."
"You will find I am the strongest Champion of Fate in a thousand years!" the future version of a Ginny Weasley that wouldn't be snarled. "I am-"
The Light witch almost died when the enormous rock Alexandra had levitated wandlessly fell from the sky.
Once again, Fate was the ultimate cheat code.
"You can't be allowed to join hands with the rest of the Dark!"
"Change your ridiculous motivation speeches, they're beginning to be ridiculously outdated," Alexandra retorted, all the while swapping more blades. The sword of Light this girl wielded was no Excalibur, but it literally acted like an acid against Dark swords.
"I am the student of the Archmage! I am the Chosen of the Light!"
"Is it supposed to bore me to death?" This girl could be incredibly dangerous, in the future. The ferocity was incredible with every attack, be it magical or from her blade. If Alexandra hadn't had the experience of the Tournament and other battles, she would likely have been outmatched. "DIFFINDO!"
The spell severed.
Not human flesh, of course.
That would have been too predictable.
No, Alexandra had aimed at the 'tear' the Army of the Light had arrived from.
"NO!"
"Yes, yes, and yes," you didn't need to be a Champion to see the Light dimming.
The Power of Fate, which had arrived in great fanfare and carrying a thousand torches to illuminate a realm of the Dark, was like a sun deciding that after all, the day had been long and it was time to rest without losing a minute.
"NO! I WON'T TOLERATE THIS!"
She wasn't going to sigh. But by the feathers of the Morrigan, why, oh why were all the people who ever ended up following Ra so unhinged and crazy?
"SHAI!"
The realm...broke.
Alexandra didn't know what exactly was done.
But it was something terrible.
Everything broke, the bridge of blades shattered, everything-
The realm disintegrated, and it was as if a large pit opened under her feet...and it devoured her along with the surrounding decoration.
She fell.
Somewhere beyond Kala and the breach of the British Museum
The landing was brutal.
There was no time to prepare, and there certainly was no mattress, trampoline, or something soft to keep them from colliding with the ground.
It hurt.
Alexandra was pretty sure her nice uniform had stopped being clean and respectable, and the worst part was that it definitely was the least important issue right now.
The Lady Protector stood as fast as she could, ignoring the taste of blood on her tongue, and the pain of her limbs.
There was a Champion of Fate somewhere, and she was an enemy.
Honestly, Alexandra didn't know what she had done, but this time, it was vital to get rid of her before something more disastrous was conjured into existence.
It took her a couple of seconds to realise that no matter how hard she tried, her eyes saw absolutely nothing but mild darkness.
All her surroundings had gone dark.
What in the foul breath of Sauron?
Alexandra changed her eyes into a Hydra's.
She could see again.
Unfortunately, it didn't get any better.
There was...the entire landscape seemed burned and lifeless.
"Champion of Death! Are you here? LUMOS! LUMOS!"
"I am here, War."
Alexandra expected some Light to arrive and illuminate their landing crash point, but no ball of light came into existence.
"LUMOS!"
"LUMOS!" Alexandra cast the basic Charm herself, wondering what was wrong. There was no way a Champion couldn't-
Her wand didn't answer.
On the other hand, her fingers channelled some of her magic.
The Ravenclaw Champion placed back her wand into her holster, and this time focused only on her fingers as a focus.
"Fulgur Luminem," the young witch cast slowly.
It was unwieldy, and it had always felt kind of an amusing luxury to learn this elemental Charm, but it seemed there was a use for it at least.
The globe of brilliant green Lightning Magic appeared and began to rise over the barren land.
It was difficult. Normally, such a spell should have been as easy as one or two powerful hexes, but for some reason, here it demanded a lot of her concentration.
What in the name of the Morrigan was happening?
"You can do magic, at least."
Rani Potter closed the distance, and her counterpart definitely had suffered far more than she did; there were several wounds both on her face and on her arms. The regal posture of the welcome was definitely gone.
"I can channel Lightning magic with-"
It was the Hydra within her which was providing the core of that power, there was no denying that.
Suddenly, the realisation why certain spells didn't work raised a disturbing number of awful questions.
"For the sake of my curiosity, are you an Animagus?"
"No, I am not. My aunt advised me to wait for a few months...I am not the best at Transfiguration. Why?"
"I do think there's no magic here, only what we've come with. As I do have an enormous magical core thanks to being a Hydra, I can create my own Lightning magic, and only that, but-"
"But everyone else is screwed up," the Indian-looking Potter finished. "Damn."
"Damn, yes. Where did that bitch of Fate force us to crash?"
"There's some good news, at least." Even with the darkness, Alexandra supposed she must have not looked exactly convinced. "Ginny Weasley is not an Animagus either, to the best of my knowledge."
"That's good news, yes. Of course, she still has that extremely dangerous sword."
"It's one of the Swords of the Round Table."
"Formidable."
Alexandra looked around, but despite the orb of Lightning floating above her head and her Hydra eyes, there was nothing to see.
There was really nothing to hear, either.
No bird songs. Not a single insect was trying to make some low-level amount of noise.
"Do you have any idea where we are?"
"None whatsoever," the other Potter admitted. "I don't suppose we're in the realm of Death?"
"No, we aren't. I mean, everything being dead would be an explanation of sort, but there would be errant souls if that was the case. And I would feel the presence of my Patron. This is...this isn't it. It feels like we're back in the real world. Except we're not."
"It's bad."
Yes, yes it is.
Rani Potter took several steps in the direction of a large rock on the right, which looked like it had been placed by mortal hands. But once her fingers touched it, they quickly plunged into the stone.
There was a small grumble of surprise, and-
"Ash," the Champion of Kali plunged her hand into it several times. "These are ashes."
Alexandra went forwards, and sure enough, all the marks of the landscape around her were revealed to be massive piles of ashes.
Even the nearby hill was built entirely of it.
Powers of Magic, Alexandra was beginning to have a really, really bad feeling about all of this.
"I'm beginning to dislike a lot of this situation," the Hydra Animagus spoke with all the sincerity in her serpentine heart. "I suggest we get out of here as fast as possible."
"I agree in principle," Rani Potter grimaced. "But how are we supposed to achieve this? I'm unable to use my magic, and I don't think the Goddess Kali can hear me from where we are."
Alexandra tried a few seconds later to implore the Morrigan.
It didn't work.
There was no Gate to bring her back to Pandemonium, or anywhere else.
"Hogwarts, we definitely have a problem."
The World of Ashes, beyond War and other realms
Alexandra wasn't going to lie; for a few minutes, she had really thought there was a possibility of their red-haired enemy not being here.
As galling as the thought had been, the idea of a Champion of Fate banishing them to this strange place while being herself unaffected and free to return to her world of birth had been a scenario that had to be seriously considered.
Fortunately or unfortunately, it wasn't what had happened.
The distinct traces of human footsteps couldn't be missed, given that there was no wind and a river worth of ashes covering the trail.
"She arrived quite close to us, but she decided to leave, uh," Rani commented next to her. "That's not how she reacts, usually."
"Making a guess, she's the Gryffindor Champion and the Champion of Fate, right?" Alexandra inquired.
"Yeah," the other witch looked as if she had been forced to swallow some slugs. "The Professor's perfect pet, we call her in House Slytherin. Most of the time, she takes credit for the good actions of others. She also got all these private lessons in Transfiguration from Dumbledore since she arrived at school. When we were Sorted in the same ceremony, I had no idea how much of a problem she was going to be."
One more proof that this world was very, very different, and not just in a few superficial details.
"In my world, she was Sorted when I began my second year. And she wasn't the Champion of Fate."
"Who was, then?"
"Neville Longbottom."
Rani Potter giggled. Alexandra felt mild amusement it was that type of news which had been able to create that reaction.
"Neville? The Gentle Hufflepuff who wouldn't leave the greenhouses of the week if he had the choice?"
"Well, he wasn't a Hufflepuff where I live. Let me guess, he wasn't raised by his grandmother?"
"No, he wasn't. Why would he when his parents...ah, hell, his parents died, right?"
"He is the Boy-Who-Lived. Much like your version of a Ginny Weasley is, right?"
"Yes."
Right, that...wasn't good.
Alexandra idly wondered for a few seconds why Ra and Dumbledore had decided to train the 'Girl-Who-Lived' in that reality when they had clearly chosen not to for the Neville Longbottom she knew.
Was it because they believed too much in the inevitable victory of the Light enforced by Fate, or was there another reason?
"All right." Her counterpart cleared her throat. "We should pursue her. She's the one to blame for our rather rude arrival here. It may be she's the only one who knows how to get out of here."
That was way too hesitant and had too many 'may' for Alexandra's taste.
On the other hand, it wasn't like she had a better idea.
Around them, there were ashes, ashes, and...more ashes.
To use a charming British understatement, the situation wasn't great.
"Yes. And I hope there's really an exit out there. Without magic to draw from around us, without sustenance of drinkable water, we aren't going to last long."
The Hydra Animagus took the lead, and the walk began.
Walking in ashes felt really...uncomfortable.
Not physically, but it was as if there was something puzzling, something on the edge of horrifying, that they couldn't find out.
It lasted only the time for the first ruins to appear.
These were huge ruins, not a minor site of archaeology.
It felt that with every step, the carcasses of giant buildings emerged one by one from the ashes and the darkness.
"Everything looks..."
"It feels as if everything burned, yes. And in several cases, it looks like it was hot enough to burn steel and stone alike."
"What could possibly do that?"
"Osiris, Black Pharaoh and King of the Exchequer, I feel, must know quite a few rituals and spells able to usher an age of darkness like this. And Ra...well, Ra would know the Light spells of Disease and Devastation to do something much more murderous."
Of course, since they were plunged into a world of darkness, there was a strong likelihood someone of the Dark had done it.
Assuming, obviously, it had been done by magic.
The lack of life and magic was...very disturbing.
There were a lot of ways to kill someone, but in general, Alexandra had never heard of things capable of suppressing all magic on a large scale.
They exchanged a few sentences.
It all ended when they went past more ruins, and saw what was in front of them.
Two lions had melted, but one was still intact.
Though the column had broken in half, under the minor orb of illumination provided by her magic, there was truly no way it could be an error.
"Is it what we think it is?"
"Yes," Alexandra said darkly. "That's the column of Nelson. Whatever the Champion of Fate did, she sent us to a version of London. A London where ashes are all that remain of human civilisation."
Unknown time, London, the World of Ashes
Rani Potter didn't know how the Champion of Death could stay so calm.
What did it take to faze her?
This was the greatest city of Great Britain, turned into a ruin of burned debris and ashes!
It may not be the London of their worlds, but it was still a London!
"How far in the future do you think we are?" It took her a couple of minutes before she found back her voice. "A century? Two?"
Alexandra Potter didn't answer. Instead, she looked upwards...and hissed.
"Close to me!" The order was imperious, and had an undertone of 'threat'.
Rani rushed-
"AQUILA MAXIMA AEGIS!"
An enormous shield of radiant green came into existence just as-
The skies suddenly tore apart.
Where there had been utter darkness, there was now the dim semblance of light.
This world was not completely-
Oh, no.
For the first time, the sun had manifested itself.
This should have been something worth rejoicing.
It wasn't.
For the first time, both Champions could see the monster obscuring the sun.
It was a titan of unbelievable size.
It was a gargantuan reptile of monstrous proportions.
It was the end of all things.
Then it summoned all the darkness once again, shrouding everything, and the flickers of the sun disappeared one more like they had never existed.
A terrible magical attack hit the green shield, and was evidently strong enough to shatter it, though it lasted long enough for them to run and evade whatever effect it must have.
Still, it brought them both to their knees.
"What was that?"
"That," Alexandra Potter said slowly, "was an Elder Dragon. The thing which just hit my Aegis Shield? It was a minor effect of its Weir, the corrupted aura of the dragon changing everything when you come too close to one."
The green eyes flashed murderously.
"And to answer your first question, I think that if it is a timeline not exactly dissimilar to my world, I am just a few days or months away from this disaster."
"You're joking."
"I am really not." The tone was so devoid of humour it stopped all the counter-arguments in her throat. "When Ra died in our world, his brother departed too, in order to prevent the rise of the Great Enemy, the monster which destroyed the First World once."
Something shook under their feet. As if Fate didn't like the other Potter witch having decided it was time for revelations.
"The problem with the victory of the Dark when you have an organisation of Dark Lords and Dark Ladies suddenly bereft of purposes, unfortunately, is that some get ambitious. One was Knight Necromancer, and I'm willing to bet all my Tournament gains that it is her work."
"You can't...be sure of that?"
Rani wasn't certain, but it didn't look like Necromancy at all.
The Champion of Death snorted.
"I know she stole the bones of an ancient creature when looting one or several ancient Ossuaries in China. At the time, I had found it already curious. Sure, it could be dangerous, but ultimately, why bother? She already took the corpses of Giants, and save some magical immunity beyond death, they aren't that much more difficult to deal with than their living brethren. Moreover, once a creature has been dead for centuries, most of the advantages are no more."
The eyes changed. Rani was pretty sure there was a shadow of fear in these green eyes now.
"But then I learned the bitch had stolen a prototype of a 'Time-Turner', something that was able to freeze time in its tracks during a Tournament Task." What? "I believed it would be used to cast a ritual in advance of the Solstice days. I was mistaken. It seems in fact that in this world, it was used to resurrect an Elder Dragon and destroy the Light forever."
"And she killed everyone in the process."
Rani was beginning to see the point her fellow Champion was making.
Yes, it made sense. Life was part of the Light at the moment, and even if it wasn't, if you killed everything that wasn't Dark...you could kill pretty much everything.
"Who is Knight Necromancer?" Rani was suddenly beginning to develop a hatred for this Dark Witch, and this wasn't a figure of speech.
"In my world, her birth name was Arianna Dumbledore."
"Dumbledore as-"
"Yes, she is Albus Dumbledore's sister."
"What by the cursed beard of..." The Champion of Kali may have muttered a few insults after that which should not be uttered in public.
"I think we should have a frank conversation about...all the secrets we know."
"We?" For the first time in several minutes, the green-eyed girl smirked. "And here I was thinking I was revealing plenty of my secrets."
Rani snorted.
"You haven't exactly revealed how you know so many things, I think. In fact, you have danced a lot around the fact you know a lot of things about the Black Pharaoh."
"Yes." Death stared at her. "Since we're likely about to march to our destiny, I suppose it's best to reveal it now. That way, our foe won't be able to turn us against each other. I am the future Apprentice of the witch who was once known as Morgana La Fay, Queen of the Exchequer."
Something shrieked, and it felt as if Fate itself screamed her hatred of Alexandra Potter, the world shaking as some malevolent power reawakened.
"This is...this is a lot to accept." Yes, it was a very weak repartee.
"I am the Champion of the Morrigan, the Sword of Death. I chose this path, and I won't apologise."
The ashes began to coalesce into humanoid figures. Those conjurations instantly began to scream wordless hatred at them.
The intention was certainly to make them despair.
It didn't work.
Because right as the enemy did this, her magic was returning, the sparks in her veins being rekindled.
In mere seconds, her arms were burning once again in magic. The red fires of War were willing and ready to conquer by her will.
"Just some friendly advice: you'd better learn how to become an Animagus. It will go a long way into removing one of the glaring weaknesses you have."
"That isn't going to be easy."
"Few things worth learning are, Rani Potter."
The green eyes stared unflinchingly at the broken column that was shaking against the storm of ashes.
"Let's go. It is time we meet the architect of this folly."
It was evident Alexandra Potter was going to kill whoever it was.
Rani was strangely fine with it.
Unknown time after the rise of the Elder Dragon, the Palace of Ashes, London
It was not a Palace.
It had not been built as one; it had been one of the many governmental buildings used by the British in an era no one here was there to remember.
With time, Alexandra was sure she could have given a name, but there wasn't time, and the ashes covered most of...well, everything.
It rained ashes now.
The place was never intended to be a Palace, and now it would never be one. The walls had been burned.
The columns were deformed, twisted.
The roof was gone.
Everything was a remnant of glory.
Everything had fallen, for nothing could stand against the Weir of an Elder Dragon.
Suddenly, the arrogance of Arianna Dumbledore became far more understandable.
Yes, the treacherous Knight Necromancer could win, if she managed to put her plan into motion.
For a certain definition of victory, of course.
Apophis wouldn't end this world during the Ragnarok.
The Prophecy of Camlann would not be fulfilled.
The little detail that made it victory was that the last of Dumbledore would indeed be the only one standing atop the graves of everyone, as no one else would live to see a new dawn.
"Careful."
"A problem?"
"There's a ward ahead."
"What does it do?"
"It is...some sort of magical barrier that keeps the dead inside."
"That's not good."
Funnily enough, the Indian accent of Rani Potter was getting more and more evident as her anxiety rose. The Champion of Kali hadn't been lying when she said she had been raised in a Patil household of Bangalore. Alexandra was even willing to gamble English had not been the first language she had mastered. Why would she? What was true in non-magical culture rarely didn't applied on the magical side...
"No, no it isn't."
Alexandra stepped over the ward.
The effect was immediate.
Not so much in the sensation or anything she felt.
It was still cold.
The ashes were still falling, morose rain of grey and defeat.
But the ghosts were there.
They were all waiting for them.
It was impossible to say how many.
They were impeccably lined up, civilians and soldiers, wizards and non-wizards.
As the building which wasn't a palace seemed to have no limits and went to infinite lengths though, there could have been millions of them, on both sides of the colossal hall.
Transparent and silent, they were probably the last souls to be trapped in this purgatory.
They weren't the real threat.
Nor were they really between Alexandra and Rani's goal.
At the end of the hall, on an elevated platform that could have been the emplacement of several thrones, there were seven Arches of stone.
Five of them opened on absolutely nothing.
Two of them were not.
One Arch was closed with what seemed to be a cascade of blood and darkness.
The other Arch was a more esoteric window of black and green lightning.
"Is that-"
"I think so, yes. It seems both the Morrigan and Kali want us out of here, and have gone so far as to keep the doors active to escape this realm of ashes."
"What a relief," the cousin of Parvati and Padma whispered before scowling. "Of course, the foe is in front of us."
Alexandra nodded curtly.
Nothing more needed to be said.
As could be expected, the Ginny Weasley of Rani's world had arrived here first.
Now she was waiting in a meditation pose.
The ashes refused to land anywhere near her.
The army of ghosts stood, utterly silent.
It would have been terrifying, once upon a time.
Now Alexandra found it merely a short level above pathetic.
Past the threshold, all the vitality granted by Death and her magic was coming back in a powerful surge.
And the Champion of the Morrigan was sure the same applied to the Champion of Kali too.
The enemy had really made a big mistake not attacking them when they were at their most vulnerable.
"Where I come from, it is the custom to present oneself before beginning a duel to the death."
Rani coughed.
"Alexandra? I am pretty sure Ginny doesn't care about your name or your list of past exploits?"
"I am pretty sure she doesn't." That said, it reminded her too much of the Chamber of Secrets. "But it leaves the big question, no? If it was only Ginny here, why did she feel the need to wait for us?"
There was no reason to stay here whatsoever. There was no one to save, and it wasn't like Kali could really stop a Champion of Fate from returning to the world of her birth.
Something cackled. Something evil and dangerous.
Yes, Alexandra was going to insist on the 'something'.
The eyes of Ginny Weasley opened.
The human irises were nowhere to be seen.
Instead, there were eerie blue torches of undeath to see.
"The Champions of Death always are the cleverest of their species," the thing commented drily. "How were you so confident?"
"The Champion of Fate you are Possessing would never have felt so confident of her talents to plant the sword of Light in front of the Arches."
It had been a good try, to let the ashes cover everything; the sword was almost invisible now, given all the greyness of the hall.
But its absence was too obvious.
Maybe, Alexandra mused, that was because she was a swordswoman.
It was ironic, because she had definitely not taken more than a couple of daggers with her today.
That moment of introspection would wait.
Alexandra had seen this Ginny wield her sword. She had recognised how the Light-attuned metal was an extension of her arm. The Fate Girl would never have put it out of her reach. As long as Fragarach was unbroken, Alexandra would never have felt safe at the idea of keeping it somewhere she couldn't easily wield it when enemies were around.
The thing cackled.
"Yes, I suppose this must be quite problematic for someone who saw her fight."
Alexandra didn't add one more word.
The only question now was what level of force was going to be necessary to get rid of this threat.
That the Possessed was not going to let them open the Gate and leave was something beyond evident.
If she had waited for them here and now, it was because the Morrigan and Kali wouldn't open their respective Arch-gates.
"But where are my manners?" The lack of coordination appeared awful to her eyes. It looked like, from an outside perspective, a puppet-master testing his new toy without a shred of grace or care for the object in question. "I suppose I should present myself."
The eyes seemed to burn in an ethereal blue fire, until they really did.
Soon enough, it was like magic was literally forced to focus and burn, no matter how much imbuing one's flesh was insanity at its finest.
"I am Tabitha Mildred Riddle, once known as Knight Necromancer...and the Last Champion of Fate."
Ashes fell, and the world seemed to shriek all around them.
The Doorstep of Fate, the Palace of Ashes, London
Voldemort.
It always brought them back to Voldemort.
Or in this case, a female version of the Dark Lord.
Rani was instantly on her guard, ready to attack.
And the tension became so heavy you could taste it.
Magic poured in the air, with electricity burning and making the Arches of Death and War nearby react with miniature tornadoes of magic.
"Now I believe it is time to negotiate, Champions."
"You have nothing we might be interested in," Alexandra Potter retorted before correcting herself. "Except your death, of course."
Rani winced deep inside. She could tell why her counterpart had not been chosen by a 'diplomatic' Power.
"This is where you're absolutely wrong, of course." It was honestly weird to see someone use Ginny Weasley's body like this. Weird and kind of disgusting. "Did you not wonder why her little violation of a Domain's sanctity resulted in you coming here? It is no mere accident. It is because in one reality, the Knight Necromancer of her time used the same grand ritual I did to begin her reign of darkness."
The smile of the Possessed was a supreme mockery.
"And since I know from this red-haired Champion's memories it isn't hers, that leaves only one option."
"I thank you for the warning." The deathly voice of the green-eyed Champion was not thankful at all. "But I will kill your counterpart, Knight Necromancer."
"In the next twenty-four hours? Without being able to reach the crater where the First Dragon once appeared and altered reality with the power of the Weir?" Tabitha Riddle was clearly mocking the Champion of Death, and Rani could tell her, even with her limited experience on the question, that it was a damn bad idea. "No, you won't. Besides, all Knights Necromancer believe in foolproof security. You would need an army, and given how easy it was to bring you here, I don't think you have one."
"What do you want?" Rani intervened. She could already feel the lightning aura grow and grow again. Something was going to explode soon, and it wasn't going to be pleasant.
"What I want, oh Champion of Kali, is very simple. I want to leave this world, of course. As you can see, the ritual I cast to cast this world into darkness wasn't delivered to a satisfying conclusion, by the fault of an accursed Champion of Order."
The expression promised a thousand deaths.
"By his fault, everyone died instead of submitting to me. This has resulted in this unpleasant rain of ashes, and most Powers refusing to answer my pleas. But as this little fool brought you here," Riddle caressed the curves of Weasley that she had somehow managed to Possess, "I can finally leave."
"No."
The single word had come from Alexandra Potter, and there was no leeway, no detachment, and no feeling that this may be a negotiation.
Suddenly, Rani was completely certain of one thing: Alexandra Potter would never have fared well in House Slytherin.
The House of Salazar was of Water and Blood.
She was Lightning, the implacable and deadly element.
"I wasn't asking you, Champion of Death," Riddle sarcastically declared. "Do you think I want to live in a world where Ragnarok is on its way? Don't try to hide your surprise. It is always the same cycle. Four Archers are always in play. The Archmage of Light. The Knight Necromancer. And two others before the Great Enemy. I have no intention to visit what is soon going to be a slaughterhouse. No, my query is to the Champion of War-"
"No."
Rani hadn't even time to really consider it; Alexandra had already answered.
The fury on the Possessed Ginny's face was absolutely ugly.
"I suppose I should have expected something like that from a Champion of Death. They always think in white and black those-"
"You freaking destroyed this world, Tabitha Mildred Riddle!"
The words clacked and cut the fabric of reality.
A cape of shadows was fixed on Death's shoulders.
Lightning began to burn the air, repelling the ashes.
"There is to be no salvation for you. You can step aside, and enjoy for all eternity the hell you created, or you can stand in my way. If you choose the latter, I will kill you."
"I am the Champion of Fate, Possessing another! Nothing in this world can wound me, foolish girl!"
"Wingardium Leviosa. Accio Domina!"
The Sword of Light that had been placed near the Arches flew like a javelin and returned to Ginny's hand.
The effect was...explosive.
There was a horrible scream, and then the Light returned.
The ghosts tried to intervene, rushing them, but Alexandra Potter conjured a thousand phantom swords, and cut them down like they were nothing.
This was just madness, what kind of power-
"That was a good try," impossibly, Ginny stood, and her flames-burning eyes indicated she was still Possessed, despite her enchanted sword being stuck in her hand. "But it won't be enough, Potter."
There was a thousand years of hatred in this name, one which would never calm down.
"The Champion of Order who faced you when you resurrected the Elder Dragon...she was our counterpart. Wasn't she?"
There was no answer, but none was really necessary.
The truth could be read by anyone with an inch of cunning.
And it meant the decision to not ever negotiate had been the correct one.
"It is not over. Without me, without the secrets I can reveal to you, you will fail. No matter who you bring to the last battle, you will die! You stand no chance against the rise of an Elder Dragon!"
Alexandra Potter...burst into laughter.
There was no joy.
There was no humour.
This was just the reaction of someone who refused to acknowledge defeat was possible.
"Do not talk to me of chance or odds, Knight Necromancer."
The fingers of the Champion of Death plunged impossibly into the chest of Ginny Weasley, and a world-ending shriek shook the Palace of Ashes.
There was a struggle.
More ghosts tried to intervene, but they shattered like glass every time they came to close.
Lightning erupted in the air, attacking and consuming the blue flames of undeath.
And at last, the right hand of Alexandra Potter withdrew, grabbing a shapeless, shrieking thing of blue and black.
She held it high in the air for the moment.
"One can't flee from death eternally, Riddle."
The fist tightened. There was some noise, the last moment of a damned soul begging for mercy.
There was none waiting for the architect of this world's destruction.
Death arrived, and departed.
There was one more earthquake.
Ginny Weasley collapsed to the ground like a heavy bag of rice.
"I just knew this day was going to be pure murder," Alexandra Potter grumbled.
Author's note:
The odds were never in my favour will continue next chapter, which will be likely titled Marshal.
The other links for the story:
On P a treon: ww w. p a treon Antony444
On TV Tropes: ww w. tvtropes pmwiki / pmwiki .php/ Fanfic/ TheOddsWereNeverInMyFavour
On Archive of Our Own: archive of ourown works / 51222748 / chapters / 129428554