Angela Cross and the End All Spell

Angela Cross and the End-All Spell

--a Harry Potter Universe fanfiction--

Chapter Eighteen

**The End-All Spell**

"VAS KAL CORP."

And that was the last sentence ever uttered in the Dark Dimension.

The scuttling upon the frost web was absolutely manic, beings larger than many city blocks running around like headless chickens in a panic as their world prepared to silence itself. Angela herself was only aware that the pain she had been suffering before was washing away, as though she was being immersed in a warm bath.

A small, gray, shadeless sphere poured itself into a perfect shape around the young girl; it scooped her up within itself and levitated her at its center as it cut into the rock below, carving a circular indentation into where she had been standing. Within the sphere, there were no shadows, no light; everything was awash in flat colors as though there was small illumination coming from every particle of the orb. Angela looked about and saw beyond in the darkness the web of crystal and cold begin to vibrate and crack.

The sphere pulsed once, just a slight outward ripple of its surface, and portions of the web shattered like glass. It pulsed once more, and more of the web cracked and splintered apart. One of the dark beings closest to that part of the web was flung backward off of it and into the darkness beyond, though an angry silhouette of it could still be seen as it stopped, grabbing a strand of crystal with a massive leg and staying just at the edge of view. The tiny bulb began to pulse more and more, faster and faster, and the crystal web, desperately trying to reform its broken pieces, was being clobbered and struck repeatedly with waves of force; the rock Angela had been standing on was already pulverized into invisible particles of dust. The dark beings gripped their web as tightly as they could, trying to avoid being thrown off, when the pulsing ceased and the sphere had calmed down.

Armageddon then arrived.

In one outward motion, the sphere expanded at a colossal speed, devouring everything in its path and ripping a reality apart as though it were tissue paper. The web, the creatures, and everything beyond were torn to shreds and then into smaller shreds and smaller and smaller as their remains were pushed along the outer edge of this impenetrable sphere of annihilation, being gobbled up by the power of the spell. As it grew, the sphere became brighter and brighter, slicing through the darkness and cutting a swath through every atom of the realm, bursting out into the aqua sky and leaving nothing, not clouds nor floating rocks nor the gigantic amoebas that lay in the heavens beyond.

And still it did not stop there. The sphere, now more brilliant than a sun, tore into the empty vacuum of space and cleansed the realm of even its emptiness, scouring it of any magic or power or energy or life or unlife. It expanded beyond the size of planets or stars or solar systems or galaxies and did not stop as it removed every presence of existence from a dimension that was wholly devoted to the evil of five creatures that now no longer existed as anything more than a memory.

When the orb finally struck the very edge of what had once been the Dark Dimension, a process that took place within perhaps fifteen seconds, it pushed against its inner membrane and melded with the unknown surface, seeking to find any crevices or cubbyholes that may have allowed even a microscopic drop of what had once been to escape. And when it found nothing, the bubble burst in an almost silent pop; like the realm it had just completely removed from existence, it was gone.

Silence. Just the beating of her heart that could be heard through her body.

If Angela had been alone before, what she was in now was beyond any description. In the time it took to put on some shoes and with no more than three words, she had completely and wholly erased an entire universe and was now floating in as pure a nothingness as one could find, a nihilist's utopia.

At first she didn't breathe. What would there be to breathe now? She could see, but just barely as her wand, Lumos enchantment still upon it, gave off a weak white light; what was there to see now, though? She was the sole entity remaining in this blank slate on the multiverse.

Angela tried to take in a breath, but as she expected there was nothing, and for a moment she felt panicked; was she going to suffocate by herself in this place? She just wanted to go home again, she just wanted to be back in school and learn magic and play with her pals and see fireworks, but there was no way she could see that she could leave. In a matter of seconds she'd run out of air in her lungs and that would be that.

"You'll make it through this, you'll make it through everything."

The words came back to her. How would she make it through this? Did she have to do something? Did she have to click her heels three times and say there's no place like home?

Just as she thought those very words, she felt a tug, as though someone had grabbed her by the scruff of her cloak and pulled her backwards. Surprised, Angela tried to turn around to get a look as to what she was being yanked by, but as she did so the world began to spark around her, on and off in a staccato of radiance as though someone were fiddling with the universe's light switch, and from behind her she had the sensation of a warm summer's wind brushing against her and the smell of old trees and grass and the pop of fireworks.

And for a moment, she thought she saw a figure gripping the back of her school cloak, pulling her out of the darkness of the now-dead realm and back to her own reality; the image was blurry and impossible to make out, save the warm, comforting smile upon its lips.

Darkness then fell, once again.

There was the tug of gravity under her feet and the smell of foliage in the air, and against her back was something tall and hard, its surface rough like bark. And a strange, unpleasant-smelling wind blowing from just a few feet in front of her.

A flash of colorful light appeared in the distant night's sky, and Angela saw what produced the foul scent that was billowing against her: once again silhouetted by the burst of a firework was the sudden, terrifying visage of a gigantic three-headed dog, snapping at her and spitting drool as it tried to get a hold of her in one of its many mouths.

Angela yelped and quickly realized she had nowhere to retreat to as the tree was against her back. She had returned to the exact moment she left, except her being distracted gave Fluffy enough time to close the gap even more. This was hardly the homecoming Angela had expected or wanted...

"Commuto Catulus!"

There was a glimmer of gold sparks and with a surprised yelp and a somewhat confused expression on his faces the giant, three-headed beast burst into a flash of light. Almost instantly the light dissipated and where there had once been a gargantuan mastiff, a small, puppy-sized Cerberus-esque dog now floated, no longer a weight-challenge for Jason or the others to keep off the ground.

Now that his massive frame had transmuted into a much smaller - and for that matter much cuter - size, the group still out on the grass could be seen. Jason was holding the wand on his own now, not sure if he should release the dog from his levitation spell, while Kathy and James had let go, seeing their friend no longer needed help keeping the guard dog from mauling Angela. Hagrid had managed to open his door and was running over; Pepper, three red ribbons around each of her necks, was in his arm yapping at Fluffy, who was still barking at Angela was all three little heads, still convinced she was some kind of intruder on Hagrid's property. And along with the group was Professor Dumbledore, pocketing his own wand deftly within the purple sleeve of his robes after reverting the mastiff to puppy-form.

"Oh dear oh dear oh dear," fretted Hagrid, running as fast he could to the floating, yapping black dog, "I am so sorry, I thought I 'ad 'im tied up better back there!" Hagrid was absolutely crestfallen that he had almost gotten the four students eaten by his dog, so ashamed he didn't even make eye contact with anyone as he set down Pepper and grabbed Fluffy from mid-air.

"Is everyone alright?" asked Professor Dumbledore calmly while Hagrid pacified his now-little mastiff. The students just took a moment to catch their breaths and nodded that they were fine, though Kathy was quick to try and placate the large man who continued to fuss about causing so much trouble.

"We're all fine, nothing to worry about" she said with a smile, loud enough for both Hagrid and Dumbledore to hear; she obviously wanted to keep Hagrid from getting into any trouble with the other staff. She then looked at Angela, who was still backed against the tree in the Forbidden Forest, hoping that her friend would truly be unmaimed.

Not wanting to be in any places dark anymore, Angela stepped out of the tree-cover and back onto the warm grass. In comparison with where she had just been, the night sky seemed positively radiant with its stars and the occasional blasts of light coming from beyond the castle and over the lake. When the rest of the group saw her condition there was a unified gasp, while Hagrid groaned and shook his head, looking just as despondent as when he first came running over.

The entire right arm of her uniform up to the shoulder was gone, there was a smattering of dried blood under her nostrils, and she looked as though she had just been through a one-hundred-mile marathon, pale, disheveled and quite visibly shaken. But as bad as she looked, Angela at the moment felt positively fantastic: she was back home.

"I'm okay, the dog didn't hurt me or anything."

Hagrid didn't look like he believed her, and she couldn't blame him for the way she looked, but she waved her hands about, trying to ward away his growing sorrow.

"Really! You have nothing to feel bad about, okay?"

To help alleviate his worries, she ran up and gave Hagrid a hug and smiled at him; truth be told, it was simply nice to be around people again. The giant man sniffled a little as though her were on the verge of tears and looked at her apologetically, but her smile helped ease him back to feeling a little better.

"You sure? You don' want t' be taken t' Madam Pomfrey or nuthin?"

"All I want to do right now is eat something and watch some more fireworks," Angela replied.

There was a small yap, this time from behind Angela at her feet. She turned and saw Pepper looking very happy to see her.

"Well, the surprise is a little messed up, I admit," Hagrid said with an embarrassed chuckle, "but, er... Surprise!"

"You're giving me Pepper?"

"I know 'ow much you an' Kathy like 'er, and t' be honest I'm worried I'll break 'er or somethin' if I keep 'er 'ere, she bein' so dainty an' all. 'Sides, as far's I know yer goin' t' be livin' 'round 'ere fer a while, so we needn't worry 'bout any Muggles catching sight o' 'er."

"Another three-headed dog," James said incredulously.

"At least this one's cute," said Jason, bending down and letting Pepper sniff his hand, who then promptly began licking his face excitedly.

"Are you sure?" Angela asked the large man.

"As long as you don' mind. You kin keep 'er ere with me whenever you want, an' as long as yer mum says it's ok you kin keep 'er with you in Hogsmeade while yer there fer the summer."

Angela smiled; Pepper seemed like a far better deal than a bunch of plastic ponies could have been. "Thank you very much!"

Hagrid, a little happier now that his gift was so well-received, turned to Professor Dumbledore, who had bent down to join in the petting of Pepper along with the others (save James, who was apparently paranoid of getting light-colored dog hair on his robes). "Um, Professor," he said nervously, "about Fluffy..."

"Ah, yes," Dumbledore said, tickling Pepper under her leftmost chin and causing her leg to kick in response. "Lucky I noticed Miss Cross' attempt at a fire spell over here when I did, it was small enough that I could have missed it had I been looking elsewhere at the time." The old man smiled at Angela's puppy and got up to his feet, then looked at the smaller one in Hagrid's arms. "Fluffy has done an excellent job of guarding the Sorcerer's Stone, Hagrid, but with nothing in his charge now I believe it might in our interests to let him relax like this for a little while. It might help calm his temperament, if only just a bit." The headmaster gave a little wink at the dog as he said this, and as if in response the little black mastiff barked at the headmaster, trying to scare him off, though in his diminutive state it was more cute than anything else.

Until she could put some things in order, Angela decided to leave Pepper in Hagrid's care just a little longer. Whatever had just transpired that evening made her wonder just what the boundaries placed upon her now were, and as the group headed back to enjoy the fireworks (each with a handful of Hagrid's rock-cakes to alleviate any hunger they might have had at the moment), Professor Dumbledore mentioned to Angela to visit him in his office the next day, after she had had a long rest. A spot of magic to fix her clothes and clean her up a little bit, and he waved goodbye to his students as he headed off into the castle and the foursome headed back to their tree, just in time to catch sight of a firework that exploded into a hundred rainbow-colored butterflies that flew off into the night sky to join the stars above.

The next day, after a very long and very uninterrupted sleep, Angela washed up, got dressed, and headed off to visit the school headmaster. As she couldn't remember the password to Dumbledore's office from the side with the gargoyle statue, she headed over to the administrative area and told the secretary she had an appointment, hoping perhaps she could just escort her to his office instead.

"Ah, yes, he's expecting you, go right on in."

Again, Angela walked down the long corridor, past the endless rows of files and the goblins (who didn't seem to be any less busy even though the school year was officially over), and came to the end of the T-intersection. The her surprise, the gigantic doors in front of her, which had been the conference room before, now read HEADMASTER'S OFFICE: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE. Unsure, she knocked using the iron-ringed clapper, which proceeded to creak the doors open for her.

It was Professor Dumbledore's office, as she had visited it before. In fact, she realized that she had come through the doorway that had previously led to the gargoyle statue entrance; when the doors closed behind her, she saw the backside of the doors were a different wood from the front, and when they sealed completely the double-doors fused to become a single door and some of the surrounding wall. Curious, she pulled on the door and it clanked open, showing not the administrative wing but instead the spiral staircase she had last seen six months ago when she had been brought here by Professor McGonagall.

She smiled and returned the door to its shut position; she loved the magical world.

"Good morning, Miss Cross," Professor Dumbledore said from his desk. "Scone?"

He didn't have to ask twice. "Thank you," Angela said, coming up to his desk which had a pleasant spread of breakfast breads to choose from as well as a nice selection of marmalades. Next to the breads was an oddly-shaped coffee cup, looking as though whoever had made it had been drunk and half-asleep, and written on its side was written 'Don't laugh, it's paid for'. Behind him, on a perch, was the Professor's brilliantly red-feathered bird. It was munching on an extremely burnt piece of toast clutched in one of its talons.

"I trust you slept well?" the headmaster asked, folding up a copy of the wizards' newspaper, The Daily Prophet, and taking a sip from his cup; how he could drink from something so twisted and warped was an absolute mystery to Angela.

"Very well," she said in response, taking a bite from the triangular-shaped bread he had offered her. It actually had been one of the more restful nights she'd had; she half-expected she'd be waking up from nightmares that whole evening, but from the moment her head hit the pillow she was snoozing peacefully.

"Good, good." He then looked at Angela intently. "Now, perhaps, as we are having our breakfast together, you might wish to discuss what actually transpired last night? If you feel uncomfortable we can postpone it to a later date, though as my schedule is a little more forgiving now that the school year has drawn to a close and other related issues have been handled, I personally think this would be the best time." He proceeded to spread a little dab of butter on a piece of toast as he patiently waited for her response.

Angela had no problem talking to Dumbledore about what had happened the moment she stepped into the Forbidden Forest - despite her friends, he and McGonagall were the only two people she could talk to about it considering how many details they already knew. And truthfully, she had found the headmaster a pleasant and trustworthy man to chat with since she had first met him almost a year prior.

So she told him everything, about vanishing into the darkness, about meeting a Rod Serling doppelganger, the giant web and the five evil tripod-like beings of darkness, of destroying their minion and then having her mind electrically prodded as she was thrown through time. She told him what she saw through the seven different times she appeared in, and how the ghostly version of herself farthest into the future helped her, only to seemingly vanish into nothingness herself at the end. And then she told him of the End-All spell and the total annihilation of the evil creatures and their universe, and then how she returned to the world she had always known. All the while, the headmaster ate his breakfast, drank his coffee, and listened to her intently.

"Hmm..." He was very deep into thought after she completed her tale, and obviously needed a moment to digest everything. He took another sip from his cup, which Angela noticed was still full and warm despite all the time they had spoken since she came in that morning. "Well, first, I believe I should tell you that following the events that transpired last night, you are no longer confined to the school property during the holidays."

"Oh?" she said in a completely unconvincing manner of acceptance: though it was intended to be good news, Angela suddenly felt her heart sink at the surprise announcement by the headmaster.

"The fact you returned to us from the Forbidden Forest says enough that there is nothing out there drawing you away from us any longer," he said. "Using the very spell they created, the greatest and most terrible spell of their arsenal, you ensured your own safety. At least," he added on, "for the time being."

"For the time being?" she asked, surprised by this. "I completely destroyed them, there's nothing left. I could feel it happening. How do you think they survived?" She didn't want to worry that something was going to come out of nowhere and abduct her; she never wanted to experience that horrible place again.

"You saw the future, Miss Cross," he responded calmly, "you know that at some point you will return to the past and aid your current self. It may very well be inevitable that you visit the Dark Dimension again. Though," he tacked on confidently, "from how you described your future self and her preparedness for what was to come, it sounds as though that time it will be on your own terms, rather than theirs." He then smiled at her comfortingly.

It was true, wasn't it? The future-Angela had the time-turner hourglass all ready, she knew exactly what to say and what to do. Angela searched her heart for feelings of fear and found a little apprehension, but nothing as bad as she had expected to feel at hearing this. Her future-self said it: everything's going to be fine. All she had to do was be strong.

With such great, caring people around her, how could she not?

With that, the headmaster got up from his desk and moved over to a black closet in his office. He motioned for Angela to join him, so she got up and walked over as he opened it up. On a shelf of the closet was a shallow stone basin filled with some kind of unusual substance, like someone had poured water on dry ice and then crammed all the smoke into the basin until it turned into a bright liquid. Along the edges of the stone bowl were runic carvings of some sort.

"Do you know what this is?" he asked her. Angela shook her head. "This is called a Pensieve. When I'm busy and need to concentrate, I often find I have so many thoughts running about inside my head that I can't think straight. So, to get a clear head, I often store some of those thoughts in here."

"Uh huh." Angela wondered where he was going with this, but began to get the idea of what he was about to bring up.

Dumbledore looked at the flowing substance within the Pensieve for a moment, admiring its shapes and twists, and Angela herself thought it was very pretty and almost hypnotic to look at, like watching laundry tumble in a dryer. The old man turned then to the young girl and looked at her with all seriousness.

"What you learned on your voyage and through your trials last night Angela was something very potent, but something very, very dangerous as well, something that can in the blink of an eye end everything we know and love and hold dear. You're a young girl, yes, and still a little green around the gills, but it is your responsibility and your burden, and as such I will not force you or deceive you. I leave the decision in your hands." He paused, letting her draw the conclusion on her own.

"You want me to store the incantation for the End-All spell in the bowl," she said.

"I want you to do what you feel is the best thing to do," he replied. "Whatever your decision is, I shall accept it and let it rest, but you have to know what it is you hold in your mind, what kind of power that is. No one can use the spell but you, but you have to decide if that spell would be best kept within your head, or in my care."

It wasn't much of a choice to make. True, there was a thrill to being the most powerful being in the universe for a little while, but Angela didn't even want to consider what would happen if she accidentally spoke the words aloud in her sleep or something.

"So what do I have to do?" she asked, looking at the Pensieve's glistening contents.

Professor Dumbledore pulled out his wand and smiled. "Nothing at all," he said, "just think of that which you want me to remove and the rest shall take care of itself."

Angela nodded and thought of the words that, if she uttered, would bring ruin to all reality around her. The professor placed his wand gently upon Angela's head and then, carefully, pulled it back. Attached to the end of the wand were silver strands that fluttered and glistened and trailed at the end of the headmaster's wand, her thoughts and memories, and as he dipped his wand into the surface of the Pensieve's liquids/gasses/lights there was a small shimmer from the basin.

"All done," he said with a smile, removing his wand which was now free of the silvery strands.

Curious, Angela tried to think of the words to the End-All spell. It was funny, they were now on the tip of her tongue, like she could just barely remember the invocation, but the words simply refused to come to mind.

It was actually a very refreshing - and somewhat calming - feeling; there was a level of responsibility with being able to blow up the world that she just didn't want to have saddling her shoulders.

There was a light squawking from the bright red bird behind the headmaster's desk, which attracted both Angela and Dumbledore's attentions. The bird nudged its head towards an hourglass that was mounted on a nearby wall in a funny, castle-shaped frame: the sand on the beautifully detailed hourglass had just run out and the glass turned over automatically, and as it did so the doors on the frame's castle-detailing opened up and a little clockwork-troll hobbled out from one side, a clockwork-wizard on the other. The two shuffled amusingly around to face each other, then the troll bonked the wizard on the head ten times with his little club. Dazed and confused, the wizard hobbled back to its cubbyhole while the troll danced about in a goofy fashion. Angela immediately decided she wanted a clock like that one day.

"Ah, I had no idea it was so late," Dumbledore said. "I do hate to cut the visit short, Miss Cross, but I am afraid a wizard's work is never done. Perhaps, when we both have an opportunity, you will let me visit your little dog? She seems the playful sort."

Mention of Pepper reminded her: "Um, Professor, about me not having to stay here at Hogwarts during the summer..." Thoughts of spending the whole holiday being a pack-mule for her mother sped through her head; being stuck on the school property was actually a dream scenario for her, not just because she loved all the aspects of the school and could imagine spending the whole time doing magic, but because it was also an ideal means of keeping her away from any antique stores for as long as possible.

The old man chuckled and gave her an apologetic look. "I'm afraid I cannot lie to your mother, Miss Cross. Had you no choice but to be here throughout the year I would gladly see to it you could enjoy the facilities all through the vacation period. But as is, like the other students you will have to remain in the care of your family until classes resume again."

"Oh. Alright." Angela tried her best not to sound disappointed; however she had already mental prepared herself for a whole summer of fun in the library or around the other parts of the property, and now she was approaching the realization that she was going to instead swelter in the heat while avoiding letting her mother know about the Wingardium Leviosa spell as much as possible, lest Sheri try to make her move antique wagons onto the roof of her shop or through the doors of Oklahoma booths.

"However," he said, with a casualness as if it were something that just popped into his mind, which she was fairly sure it didn't, "starting in July we do begin summer school classes for the more remedial students, and in August we have children's workshops for boys and girls too young to actually attend Hogwarts. While you are not in need of brushing up your grades and are too old to actually attend the workshops, the school is always looking for tutors and student volunteers. I believe Professor Flitwick has a signup sheet pinned next to his office. If you are interested in such things, of course. You would be required to stay at the school and would most-likely be busy for most of your summer vacation, so I would understand if you'd much rather..." He trailed off with a smile and a nonchalant wave of his hand.

Angela just smiled back. "I think I'll go visit Professor Flitwick before the signup sheet gets too full."

Dumbledore just resumed his seating behind his desk and took a sip of coffee with an absent nod, as though it were nothing important. He couldn't resist throwing her a wink, though.

As Angela headed for the door, she remembered one more thing, turning to look at the headmaster as she prepared to head out.

"By the way, thank you for saving me last night," she said, embarrassed that she hadn't said it before. "If it wasn't for you I'd probably still be floating around in that freezing nothingness, I really appreciate it."

"Oh, you have no reason to thank me, my dear," he said, taking another sip from his steaming, irregularly-shaped cup, "for it was not I that brought you back."

Angela raised her eyebrows in surprise. "But... I thought... since you were there when I returned..."

Dumbledore just shook his head. "I was not fibbing, Miss Cross, I really did only show up when I saw your attempt at the fire-pillar spell."

"Then... how did I get back? Someone pulled me back into the world, I'm sure of it. I saw someone, I told you."

"From what I understand of the situation," he said, putting the cup down, "you are bound to experience many strange and interesting happenings during your time here at Hogwarts. While I am no more privy to what is to transpire than you are, I would not worry too much about it; this, I believe, is one of those mysteries that will unravel itself, in time."

And with that, he waved a pleasant goodbye to her, returning to the many papers that littered his desk where the selection of breads had once been earlier. As magically as food could appear, so it would seem could loads of paperwork. Angela just waved back and stepped out into the school beyond.

The exam results came, and while Angela and Kathy did expectantly well, the big shock came when Jason's test marks were surprisingly high in Transfiguration and Charms, while James seemed to have done absolutely abysmal in his application portions. His dark mood carried with him the entire week, right up to the journey to the train, while Jason tried to cheer his friend up with jokes and only ended up making James even more sour.

"There's always next year."

James just grumbled in return.

"You know what they say: no matter where you go, there you are."

"... What the heck is that even supposed to mean?"

"I have no idea, I'm just trying to distract you. Is it working?"

As Hagrid went around saying goodbye to his friends like Harry Potter and Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, Angela stayed with Kathy and her pals, giving hugs and wishing them the best. Fred and George threw her a see-ya-later wave while Neville managed a weak, shy smile before heading off into the train as well. Jason spread his fingers apart and told her to live long and prosper, while James managed to bury his grief at his grades long enough to manage a friendly goodbye.

"Now, don't let you mom overwork you, you hear me?" Kathy said as she hugged Angela goodbye.

Angela sighed, knowing there would be no way she could avoid that now that her mom only had a month to utilize her as labor, but she smiled and gave her friend a hug in return.

"It wasn't such a bad first year, was it?"

"Nope, and we still have six more to go," Angela said cheerfully.

"They'll be good years, I know it."

Angela nodded. She knew there would be a lot happening over those years, but whether they would be good or bad she couldn't say; she, like her friends, would just have to wait and see.

"I'll see you after the summer is over. And don't forget to write."

"Okee. Bye, Kathy-girl!"

"Bye, Angee!"

The train whistle blew and along with the others Kathy boarded her car, waving from her window as much as she could while the red engine pulled out of the station.

As Angela knew herself, the adventures at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry were just beginning. She watched the train rumble off into the distance, waving her goodbyes to her friends, and with the last plume of white smoke visible as the Hogwarts Express vanished off into the horizon she turned to join Hagrid, on the trek to her mother's place in Hogsmeade, thoughts of what she would learn and experience in year-two playing about in her head.

All she could be sure of the future was that everything was going to be okay. And that was just fine with her.