When Universes Collide

Harry slumped onto his bed, exhausted. Ares had chosen to train him in swordplay during the day while he was still a good deal more energetic, and Professor Snape had chosen to train him in Occlumency in the evenings, figuring that if Potter could manage to block his mind while tired, it would be ever so more effective when he was fully alert. However, that left Harry with little free time, and less energy. Between the classes, training, and homework, he felt like his life was completely taken up by his efforts against Voldemort.

Ron came and sat beside him, tempted to just collapse next to the other boy. However, he knew that if he did so he would never stand again that night, and it wasn't worth the ridicule he would receive in the morning for sleeping in Harry's bed. He'd originally been begging to be trained alongside Harry, so that he would be better able to help in the war. However, both Ares and Roland quickly judged his reaction time to be too slow, and he was sent to find other ways of helping the war effort. However, he could help but notice what seemed to be a smile on Roland's face, and a mention of someone... the only thing he could pick out of the mutterings was "Bert." Ares eventually claimed Ron's time in the evenings, teaching him the ways of war and strategy.

"Long day for you too?"

Ron nodded. "Yup. Probably not as long as yours, though."

Harry scoffed jokingly. "I only get to play-fight. You get to hear all the gruesome details of what I have to do later."

The red-head managed a small smile and looked down at the other boy. "Harry, think we'll do this? Pull it all off and rescue the multiverse?"

Harry nodded. "I think we will. Or die trying."

"Don't say that."

-///-

Swords clashed and sparks rose. Ares had long given up on going easy on the boy. He easily beat the smaller figure down, but the child kept picking himself up, brushing himself off, and coming again. The boy continued to get frustrated, and that was bad, Ares knew. But he was also sure Voldemort and the Serpent both would be expecting Harry to fight with his wand. Even if they knew about the training Harry was receiving, there was no guarantee they would be able to do something against it. It was their biggest advantage for the moment.

To the east the faintest gleams of sunrise made their appearance. The sunlight glinting off the blades began to cast a surreal look on both of them, as though both were fighting with white-hot steel, burning in the dawn. Light crept along the grass and the trees, settled on the goalposts and lit the dew aflame. The crisp morning air seemed to awaken and come up to caress their bodies.

Kellein watched silently as the sun stained Ares' black wings with blood, and his light hair unmated itself from his sweat-covered face long enough to spray droplets from the thin strands and uncover his eyes before falling back into place. His next blow at Harry was upward and unseen. Harry's blade fell from his hands and Ares moved to deal the final blow. The sharp tip was held to Harry's throat: a move that said even a vampire would have met his final death. Training was over for the morning.

Ares sheathed his sword and watched Harry fall to the soft grass. It was these times that Harry always seemed to treasure these days: when the adrenaline was still pumping hot in his system and the cold grass froze his hands and legs; when every part of his was soaked with the effort and exasperation of learning to kill. And every time it became more priceless. As he learned more and more to think as Ares had, it almost felt as though some part of him died, but another came alive. It reminded him that this was his fight, and he would make it a good one.

Kellein nodded to Harry. "Better go wash up, childe. Your fellows will awaken soon."

Harry nodded wordlessly and made his way back inside the castle, leaving the sword where it fell, glistening with the morning's dew.

Kellein chuckled and picked up the sword, shaking it off and drying it. "He's getting better."

Ares nodded. "That he is. Care to go a round?"

She shook her head. "Not with this old thing, Ares. You know better than that." From somewhere unseen she pulled a mek'leth, given to her sometime after her first husband disappeared. "Now we shall have a bout, Aaron. Like the good old days, back when you were the child security officer that no one wanted to employ."

He smirked. "That child is gone, Captain."

"No, Aaron. That child is before me, as grown as the day is young."

"The day will get older, but I will not be any younger."

"Nor will you ever be older than me. You no longer age, boy. And as I grow old and die, there you will be, looking ever younger in my eyes."

-///-

"Harry," Hermione whispered to him, pulling him aside. "I have a bad feeling about Ares."

Harry eyed her. "Couldn't figure why," he muttered dryly.

"I'm serious!" She glanced around then pulled out an old book. "I found this in the Restricted Section when I was doing some work..."

"Why were you doing work in the Restricted Section?" A pause. "This time."

She shook her head. "Never mind that! Look!" She opened the book. "It's a book on old mythologies. There's a Japanese one here about five planets. At one time they were all the same planet but when the star died it broke up and became five. Something happened and there was a weird shift. Two of the planets were water, two were rock, and one was barren of all life." She turned the pages, allowing him to see some of the drawings. "Three of them came into this universe and were merged together easily to form a new world, but the people on the other two planets refused to allow it to happen. The two worlds in each universe were supposed to mirror one another, but the people on one of the split worlds fought endlessly. Their world was only partially merged, separated by a wall of darkness."

Harry shook his head. "What does all of this matter?"

"You'll see." She turned a page, letting him see this wall of darkness. "Eventually two children united the people: twins. They let the people see that they were one and the planets were merged. But the wall couldn't be destroyed, not really. It was an actual entity: Chaos. It fled from the place and recreated itself. Essentially, the planets gave birth to a child."

She turned the page and showed him a picture of three goddesses caressing the newly merged world. One in the center with silver hair and eyes held a baby. Written across the bottom it said, "Let us welcome our new brother."

"The story ends there, but there are other pictures. There's all of him growing up, I think. But I have a feeling there's more that's going to be added. It must be why it's in the Restricted Section."

"We already knew he was powerful, but..." He shook his head, remembering Ares' transformation in the common room. "Alright, what makes you think it's still recording?"

Hermione flipped over a few more paged. There it was: the group of them showing their powers to Harry. Another page and Ares was in full demonic form before Harry. Another page and he was training Harry. The story was indeed still writing itself down in this book.

"That doesn't really mean anything, 'Mione." He took the book from her and skimmed over it. "We knew what he was when he got here. Is he a god? Can he keep control of Chaos? We don't really know, but he may be all we have left, right?"

"Harry, he brought a vampire to help!"

"Yes, he did."

"Don't you think this is over your head? Look at the book! There's only a few more blank pages left after that story. What happens when the pages run out?"

Harry narrowed his eyes, looking at the book. Indeed, there were very few blank pages, but... "Hermione, this doesn't have any pictures of his family, does it?"

She looked confused. "Well, not that I've seen."

Harry looked the pictures over again. "Look, here's him training. More training. Here, his first fight. Right there. He looks like a little kid. But then there's nothing until this kid comes along. There's a purple-haired girl, and it looks like she's trying to kill him. He fights a lot, fights some guy in what looks like a mansion, another break."

Harry flipped a few pages. "Later she's older and he's training some boy along with this girl, but that looks like it's after he got married. Look at the ring. Right now it's recording him doing training again. There's everybody. There's a picture of him and Ron working things out on a map."

Hermione frowned. "But then, why are those being recorded? Why are the pages running out?"

Harry smiled, remembering Ares talk about the dreams and about how he was tired of fighting. "I think this is his last battle."

She took the book back and looked over the pictures. "I guess so. Hey, there's a new one."

Harry glanced over her shoulder. "What is it?"

They both froze dead in their tracks. Ares was standing behind Draco, looking dispassionate. Draco had his wand out, a green jet of light coming from it, and it was hitting Spike.