Equal Nemesis

Equal Nemesis

Chapter 8

The Black Wave

I'm frightened by what I see

But somehow I know

That there's much more to come

Immobilized by my fear

And soon to be

Blinded by tears

I can stop the pain

If I will it all away

Whisper, EVANESCENCE , Origin.

__________________________________

Sirius caught Mad-Eye Moody's magical eye locking onto something behind him. The pupil dilated and Sirius saw the look of sudden concern on the old Auror's face. In the back of his mind he knew it was about Harry. He was about to turn around to see what was wrong, but he froze on the spot when Moody growled, "No," shoving Sirius out of the way, quickly limping forward, wand out in apprehension.

Sirius blinked, his internal alarms taking a prolonged time to flood his mind. But when they did, he took out his wand, though wasn't sure if what he was seeing was real. He wasn't sure what Morganna was doing was real -

"POTTER!" Moody yelled, pointing his wand at Morganna's head. Tonks, Sirius and Kingsley forgot their conversation and ran to Harry's aid.

Morganna quietly dropped a tiny red ball, but Harry was oblivious to what it was.

"STU--" Moody and Sirius yelled in unison, but it was too late. The device hit the ground. The next moment a mammoth blast knocked everyone clear off their feet.

Sirius scrambled forward after being thrown back, ignoring the buzz in his ears which muffled the screams around them. Then he felt someone grasp the cloak from his neck, felt himself being pulled up with Moody's aid. Sirius panted, seeing a thick plume of black smoke disperse into the air on the very spot Harry and Morganna had been just a second before. The smoke blossomed out to a certain point, and then began to retract faster, and faster, like an invisible plughole had been installed in the air.

Sirius hoped that he would see Harry and Morganna standing when the smoke vanished. Sirius hoped it was a fantastic prank Morganna had thought up.

Sirius walked forward slowly, his mind reeling, his system in shock from the blast and his balance momentarily lost. As the last of the smoke disappeared, he realised that there was no Harry--nor Morganna, for that matter--anywhere to be seen.

There was nothing there.

Sirius ignored the people screaming, the parents shielding their young ones from the explosion, the students who were already on the train gaping out the windows in confusion. His heart constricted, as he attempted to comprehend what had transpired. He stumbled to the very spot where his godson had been, hoping it was all a dream. Everything seemed to slow down. The only thing he cared about was Harry... Morganna.

He wheeled around and saw Hermione and Ron desperately trying to break free from the Order's protection to run towards Sirius. Sirius looked away, weakened by their frightened expressions.

Remus abruptly passed Sirius. It was that moment -- seeing the glassed look of bewilderment in Remus' eyes -- that dissolved the numbness of Sirius' brain.

Wrath exploded in Sirius.

"WHAT HAPPENED ... WHERE IS HE?" Sirius roared, viewing the scene, his body shaking in fury. His voice carried through Platform Nine and Three-Quarters; when his shouts ceased, he heard the sobs and saw the stunned faces.

Sirius stepped backwards, feeling his boots scrunch on something, and he pulled away to see tiny red fragments, scattered like a broken eggshell on the ground.

Moody knelt down by Sirius' side, his magical blue eye going wild, swivelling all over the place at great speed. Moody picked up a piece of the ball in his gnarled fingers and grimaced. "Dark Arts."

"Something Voldemort must have created." Remus explained looking at it more curiously. "I've never seen such a thing before."

Sirius furrowed his brow. "Remus, Harry is missing! We haven't got time to study this thing that caused him to go missing in the first place. WE NEED TO FIND HIM!"

Remus straightened himself, laying a gentle hand on Sirius' shoulder. He was considerably pale, but at the same time displayed a calmness that Sirius wished he himself had possessed.

"We will find Harry," Remus replied slowly, carefully hiding his concern.

A wizard Apparated immediately behind Sirius and he turned with a small jolt. He saw the Headmaster staring gravely at the spot where Harry and Morganna disappeared. Dumbledore's eyes darkened in fury as he observed the spot silently, his beard softly swaying in the breeze.

"They took him," Sirius said to Dumbledore.

"I know." Dumbledore retrieved his wand without meeting Sirius' eye and tapped the red fragments gently, apparently interested in its properties.

Sirius couldn't take their silence much longer; he covered his face with his hands, seeing flashes of Morganna talking to Harry just before he answered Moody's question. Sirius' face contorted. "Morganna?" he yelled, realising what must have happened. The images in his head began pulling together. "NO! No, she couldn't have?" He thought, shaking his head in denial. Sirius couldn't believe it, he couldn't bring himself to think that ... he had been betrayed. "Not again! Never ... I'll kill her."

Dumbledore's piercing blue eyes quickly locked onto his and Sirius felt the Headmaster's anger reverberate through him, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. He had only seen him this angry on a few occasions and this occasion was one of those times that made him glad that he was not the man's enemy.

"You will do nothing of the kind, Sirius," Dumbledore said in soft but stern tone.

People around the regrouping Order members had stopped yelling and many began to move forward to investigate the scene they had witnessed.

Dumbledore had begun began to talk softly to Moody, Remus and the other members when another crack resounded. All eyes turned to the cloaked figure who had Apparated near them.

Morganna Snape?

Sirius realised whom the person in front him was. Knowing the danger, knowing she had Harry, forcing the notion of trust and love to the very back of his mind, he pointed his wand at her form and was about to curse her when Dumbledore intervened.

"SIRIUS, NO -- EXPELLIARMUS! " Professor Dumbledore shouted. Sirius' wand was ripped from his grip.

Morganna covered her face and she drew her wand quickly, pointing it at Sirius. "WHAT IN BLAZING SERPENTS ARE YOU DOING, BLACK?" Morganna screamed, her pale face becoming menacing, her eyes displaying a rush of power. Her black hair was in a mess and her lip was split, as if she had been in a struggle.

Dumbledore stepped between them, arms spread. "Polyjuice, Sirius. That Morganna was a Death Eater," he said in fury, protecting the Potions Mistress from the Order's mistrust. Dumbledore spun around, searching Morganna's eyes. "You were at home all this time?"

"Yes Headmaster, I was at home," Morganna explained calmly. "Talden and another masked supporter stormed into my house and restrained my mother and I--

"Why the hell did he wait this long to attack you when he had two chances to kill you in the past?" Sirius scolded.

"BECAUSE HE DOESN'T WANT TO KILL ME!" Morganna roared, glaring into Sirius' eyes. "He didn't want to kill me, he just needed to make sure that I didn't come, to enact whatever plan he had. He wanted some information from me, anything useful. I struggled at first, but he made me drink Veritaserum when I didn't cooperate."

Sirius studied her for a minute, trying to determine whether or not she was telling the truth. Morganna retaliated by closing her eyes briefly with a look of mingled fury.

Aurors began appearing on the platform when the Ministry had been alerted and started to move people away. Sirius saw Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Neville asking questions of Arthur and Tonks while Luna Lovegood stared at the scorched ground. But neither Arthur nor Tonks knew how to answer the children and they shook their heads.

"What happened to Potter?" Morganna asked, bringing Sirius' attention back to the matter at hand. She glared at Sirius, but he shifted his gaze because he needed something to lean on now. He couldn't talk. He was hurting. Morganna looked away.

"They would be taking him to Voldemort," Dumbledore said.

Sirius shook his head, guilt and blame coursing through him. "I failed ... I keep failing him. I just can't protect him--"

"Sirius," Remus said soothingly, reaching forward with compassion, but Sirius stepped away.

"DON'T YOU TRY TO CALM ME!" Sirius bellowed, his hands clenched in fists. "YOU'RE NOT HIS GODFATHER - I AM! AND I'VE FAILED HIM! HE'S GOING TO DIE BECAUSE OF ME!"

"He is not going to die. There is time," Dumbledore replied.

"He'll be killed by the time we get to him. Or worse," Sirius said through gritted teeth. "Voldemort will make him tell--everything."

"Sirius, you're making the situation worse. Calm down and think. Have some hope!" Remus replied firmly, rubbing his temples. Sirius was about to retort when he felt his heart constrict. He wasn't the only one who cared about Harry -- his friends, obviously everyone dear to him, were feeling the crushing weight of grief and the blackness of the future.

Dumbledore looked around at the chaos, and took control. "Minerva?"

"Yes, Albus?" Professor McGonagall started, quite ashen from the news.

"Contact Madam Pomfrey. Tell her she'll have the possibility of several students and two teachers in the hospital wing tonight."

"THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH ME! WE HAVE TO FIND H--"

Dumbledore closed his eyes and raised his hand to stop Sirius. "Kingsley, Tonks, Alastor -- we need backup. Give the Aurors the information about what had happened. I want them looking for Harry. Now." The Aurors nodded silently. "Morganna, are you all right to board the train?" The Potions Mistress nodded. "We will need your assistance then. You, Remus, Sirius and Arthur will accompany the students on the Hogwarts Express. Answer questions, calm the students down. Look after Miss Granger and the Weasley children and any others that need immediate attention."

"No. I want to look for Harry," Sirius tried again.

Dumbledore sighed gravely. "Sirius, we will look for Harry, but you are in no condition to do so at this very moment."

***

Harry sensed his body being pulled painfully as he swirled within a thick, choking darkness. It was like he was being stretched towards a new location, and for a flitting moment, thought he'd be torn apart by the force. Then it stopped. Harry fell back, feeling very dizzy. He barely had time to notice his heart beating frantically when he felt fingers grasp his hair, pulling him up.

"Get his wand ... his wand," a strangely exhilarated voice shrieked. His mind registered that it was the voice of Potions Mistress Snape.

Harry heard the muffled sound of his heart and a sound strangely akin to rushing wind, which was obviously a side effect of the strange travel. Someone held him up. His hair felt like it was being ripped from his skull. Harry's eyes remained closed - he couldn't open them and he couldn't stand on his own two feet, suffering vertigo.

However something deep within Harry exploded and dispersed throughout his body. A new feeling came over him ... confidence, determination -- he wasn't sure what it was -- but he knew one thing as he felt an arm pinning his neck to their body: he was not going to let them win this time around.

"Quickly before he wakes," the voice sounded again, this time a little more masculine. The voice seemed to change, developing into a man's. "The Dark Lord wants us to stabilise him before we enter."

Harry felt hands rummaging through his robes hastily, in search of his wand.

"He must have a secret pocket," spoke a female voice.

"We'll find it," said the other. Harry recognised the voice now. It belonged to Horatio Talden. Harry tensed, angry -- he wanted to wake up, to escape. He hoped they wouldn't find the disillusioned pocket on his robe.

"Revelo,"

Talden uttered, revealing the pocket. Harry's heart tightened. They took his wand, his only magical defence.

"Strigare Apricio," a cool female voice whispered in front of his face. Harry didn't know what curse it was, but he was glad at least that it didn't cause him any pain for the time being.

Harry flicked his eyelids open, the blinding light making him squint in agony. The arm around his neck choked him further. Harry looked up, and made sure his fingernails dug into the Death Eater's arm. Harry's attempt to make Talden let go only strengthened the Death Eater's resolve, and Harry found himself seeing silver stars. He was startled to see long white-blonde hair spilling onto a woman's shoulders from beneath her hood, and instantly Harry knew who it was.

Harry's eyes widened in fear, but his determination to escape hadn't diminished. He hadn't time to contemplate, to question where he was, because soon he'd be taken to the Dark Lord.

"Well, you've finally awakened, Potter," Narcissa Malfoy said smoothly, pointing her wand and his at his body.

"Tie him up, Narcissa, and signal the others," Talden ordered behind Harry.

"Oh, the others are approaching behind us," she drawled, flicking her wand slightly over Harry.

Harry's heart beat faster. This was the chance to do it, he realised.

He saw the witch train her wand on him again, ready to restrain him. Quickly, Harry grasped Talden's robes behind him, curled back and pulled his legs up with such force that it made the Death Eater tip back. Talden's grip on Harry's neck intensified and Harry suddenly had the grim feeling that the impact might break his neck upon hitting the ground. As he and Talden tipped further back, Harry estimated his position and--

"ARGH!" Malfoy screamed, when Harry's legs punched her, causing her to fall. His wand -- her wand -- were sent flying into the air.

"LUCIUS!" she screamed.

Harry bit the arm binding him and felt it let go of him. He scrambled out of the way just as Talden rolled over, wand out and aiming for his head.

Harry dodged the spell and searched for his wand. Numbness and disbelief washed over him, making him lose any sense of speech and timing.

"Stupefy," someone yelled, but Harry dropped down in the long grass just in time to avoid the curse, noticing the pungent smell of sea salt roiling the air thickly. He found Narcissa's wand before the woman recovered enough to get it back.

"Accio wand," Harry whispered. Dodging more spells that were hurled his way, he saw his wand slide towards him through the grass and he grabbed it tightly, inhaled deeply and stood up abruptly with the wands in his hands, aiming at anything, because he didn't know where Talden and Malfoy had gone or even where the other Death Eaters were. "Petrificus Totalus," he yelled, hitting a Death Eater, and then, "Protego," letting a violent purple light hit his protective shield.

The sight in front of his eyes made Harry frantic. Death Eaters were around him. Narcissa Malfoy was looking deadly daggers at him, her hand massaging her stomach from the injury Harry had inflicted. Talden staggered up and gingerly touched the back of his head; Harry saw blood staining his hand. The Death Eater trained his wand at Harry and smirked, massaging the blood in his fingers.

"Home ... Home," Harry whispered desperately twirling his cloak, but the Apparation didn't work.

A cold laugh echoed in his ears and Harry turned his sight to the source. Lucius Malfoy removed his mask and adjusted his cloak, pointing his wand at Harry's chest. "Give up, Potter. My darling wife placed an Anti-Apparation spell on you. You cannot escape."

Harry held on tight to the wands in his hands, making sure he did not lose them as his eyes cast around him feverishly. "I WON'T GIVE UP!" he yelled, face contorting in fury. This can't be happening, he thought, I was supposed to start Hogwarts, not a battle.

"What is it that he wants this time, Malfoy?" Harry roared, rambling on - he wanted an answer. Anger coursed through him as the windy air carried the silence. Harry just wanted to go home, to sleep in his dorm with Ron and his friends and study with Hermione, play Quidditch and breathe in the Hogwarts air. Not this! It wasn't supposed to happen now ... or was it?

Horatio smirked more broadly, his eyes blazing dangerously. He cautiously took a step forward. "The Dark Lord just wants some information before he kills you, Potter."

"Wouldn't happen to be the prophecy again would it? I won't tell him." Harry spat defiantly, stepping back, hoping that there were no Death Eaters behind him. Harry was angry, more angry than scared now, as he gazed around, wondering what was happening to him.

Horatio, laughed, "Then this is why we have to interrogate you, won't we?" he chortled insanely. "I among others will enjoy your suffering demise."

Harry didn't question the Death Eater's resolve. He continued panting, his emotions pressing together, waiting to explode. If that happened Harry would lose, he had to control himself. He had to win, for the sake of his life and the Wizarding World, and Hermione would not survive this.

"No. You're not going to do anything with me this time. I won't let you!" Harry said through gritted teeth. It was about time he started fighting instead of being the little boy, always shackled by the protective power around him. He was going to use whatever he could to escape.

The Death Eaters began to laugh. Lucius Malfoy raised an eyebrow, trying not to chuckle so freely. "You are outnumbered, Potter. You are less powerful and inexperienced. We will succeed, you foolish half-blood."

Harry bit his lip. "It didn't keep me from snaking out of trouble before, did it, Mr. Malfoy? -- POLITUS MAXIS!" Harry yelled suddenly, slashing his wand at the ever-growing presence of Death Eaters. An invisible force rippled the air as it shot out of Harry's wand, hitting the Death Eaters like a roiling wave, lifting them, making their feet leave the ground and fall with a heavy thud. Yells of pain and abomination filled the atmosphere; Harry didn't have long until they began to recover from the spell.

He turned quickly, observing his surroundings before he ducked the whizzing curses that streaked over his head like a meteor shower.

"Potter," Lucius yelled. "Delibilis."

The spell hissed past Harry's ear and, without looking at what was ahead, he suddenly felt a steep slope. Harry yelled, making sure his wand was safely in his grasp as he tumbled down the grassy and rocky hill. Sharp rocks dug into his skin as he rolled and skidded down the steep rock-face with small shrubs ripping out of the sandy hill, which Harry tried to grip to slow himself down.

With a huge thud he landed. White sand stuck to the blood and sweat on his face and he spat it out. Harry groaned when he realised his glasses had shattered. He had no time to meditate on what was occurring around him when a spell blasted near him, blowing the sand high into the air.

Harry rolled over to see the Death Eaters stepping down the slope. He had lost one wand, but at least it was Malfoy's. Some Death Eaters Apparated while others continued trying to curse him from above.

"PREMOS! PREMOS!" Harry bellowed overhead, aiming at anyone. Death Eaters screamed and fell out of sight into the grass. It was a temporary hex Sirius had taught them in sixth year Defence Against the Dark Arts: it squeezed the body until the pressure becomes extremely hard to bear, forcing the enemy to release their weapons.

Harry stood up, clutching his glasses to his face, wand held out ready for use. Sand began filling his shoes, hampering his movement. He didn't know which way to turn.

Three cracks thundered behind him amongst the crashing waves. Harry stumbled and turned, in time to see the Malfoys and Talden ready to attack. Harry instinctively looked left and right, but he was trapped on both sides. Death Eaters were in front and behind him.

The Malfoys and Talden raised their wands, the other Death Eaters giving way for their curses.

"Protego," Harry whispered as they launched their wave of curses at him. Harry bolted to his side, missing a multitude of spells as the Dark Forces went after him. "Aspergo," Harry shouted at Lucius Malfoy. The Defence curse hit him and the wizard fell to his knees, yelling in pain, clutching his burning eyes.

Harry didn't know where to go, but he sure was not going to turn around and continued running.

"Caederes," Horatio shouted. This time his aim was correct; Harry was hit squarely on his back.

He fell, feeling as though someone had punched him with immense force right in his spine. However he got up, wasting no time, even though he felt as though he couldn't support himself. He fell again, hearing the shallow quick pants of the Death Eaters who were closing in on their victim.

"You're done for, Potter," Horatio sneered, his eyes blazing with nefarious excitement. Narcissa stumbled by his side as the others approached.

Narcissa wanted to hurt him, Harry could see it in her eyes. Was Bellatrix's death a reason for her revenge? Harry thought suddenly. Though he wasn't sure if it was his advancing Legilimency or his powers beginning to work, he didn't have time to ponder on it.

Harry picked up his wand. "I'll battle you before I give in," he shouted. He wasn't as experienced as they were, but he would not die under torture and suffering. Not like Declan O'Connor. "I'd rather fight!" He bellowed into the salty air.

Horatio raised a single eyebrow. "If that is what you wish, Potter ... but you already know who wins."

Harry was about to reply when something curious and foreboding happened to the air around them. Harry could feel it in his skin and in his bones. The hair on his neck prickled unnervingly and the sky turned dark. It was as if the sea had been waiting for him to say those words. The wind that had fluttered Harry's hair suddenly halted and slowly changed its direction in gathering velocity, towards the ocean. Harry felt as though he was being sucked into the sea. Harry darted his eyes to the water - and his eyes enlarged in stupefaction.

What he saw was something he could only experience in nightmares. A dark wave, blacker than anything he had ever seen, was making its way towards them.

"What the--" Horatio gasped, eyes widening in a mixed reaction of terror and curiosity when the sky darkened like night.

Narcissa watched, frozen. Harry looked to the slope and tried to run to it, but the wave quickened, shaping itself like a black serpent, while the wind produced a hissing like sound.

Harry had nowhere to go, but gaped in shock as the wave-snake -- whatever it was -- opened its mouth for a second and lost its shape completely. The water fell on top of Harry and the two Death Eaters and that was the last Harry could remember.