Harry Potter and the Birth of a New Sun

Harry Potter and the Birth of a New Sun

Chapter 32 - Death Divined

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The air was cool, but she felt hot, perspiration dripping into her eyes, making it difficult to see the way forward. She was running, running, was it, to save someone? She couldn't remember. Running away from someone? Her heart was pounding in her chest, but not from exertion... from fear. Her head snapped this way and that, her stinging eyes straining against the murkiness to see through the dense trees, but there was only the thin veil of a gray mist that filled the voids between the trunks, eerily lit by some unknown light from above. They were here, she knew that, watching her; they'd always been here, but why was she? The sweat that now coated her body and soaked her nightclothes was chilled by an unnatural breeze and Gabriella could feel an overpowering fear work its way up from her bare feet, to her chest and, finally, it constricted about her throat. She wanted to scream in the darkness, but she couldn't; the fear had consumed her.

There was a distant splash off to her right and she ran through the bramble in that direction, hoping beyond hope that someone was there to save her from the forest and the murdering creatures it contained, now closing in around her. She burst through a collection of branches and found herself at the edge of a rather small lake, her feet skidding to a halt in the moss-covered earth. Her nightclothes had vanished, replaced by splendidly white robes. Somewhere beyond the veil, she could hear a great falls roaring and churning just outside her vision. The lake's surface glittered from the light above and it caused her eyes to move upward, only to find a great comet roaring through the night's sky.

"Ebyrth," she whispered to herself. Someone suddenly grabbed her from behind and held her gently about the waist.

"I wonder how something so beautiful could--"

She spun, ready to strike like a cornered serpent, but then stayed her hand.

"Harry?"

He was smiling, his gaze still upward toward the comet. She could see the reflection of its fiery tail burning across his eyes. He looked back down at her with nothing but warmth in the same pools of green and it filled her heart with hope.

"I've always loved this place," he said softly as he kissed her forehead. "He can't beat us here." There was a snap, a branch breaking, and then Hermione Granger appeared from the darkness.

"Harry, why are you here?" she called angrily. "We need you back at the castle. We're under attack! The Dementors--"

"Don't you see that there are other things more important?" Harry yelled back.

The moment the words left his mouth a Centaur with a dark black coat stepped out of the forest, a large bow in one hand and a quiver across his back. Gabriella saw Harry's eyes meet the Centaur's.

"I... I didn't think you'd join us," said Harry with a tone of surprise in his voice.

"Impudence!" the Centaur called to someone out across the lake, hidden in the mist. "You were right, my Lord!"

Seeing the hatred in the Centaur's eyes, Gabriella pulled back, pulled away from Harry. She'd seen those eyes before; it was happening again. Harry turned.

"Gabriella?" he asked. "What is it?"

The Centaur notched an arrow in his bow, but Gabriella was silent, her voice strangled once again with fear. All she could do was reach out a hand and point a trembling finger at the Centaur now drawing the string back on his bow.

"NO!" a voice cried from across the lake. Gabriella spun and there, somehow floating above the surface of the water was Severus Snape. He was wearing a large black cloak with a hood that covered the top his head, but there was no mistaking the pale skin, the long, hooked nose and the thin lips now twisted with fury. He was screaming like a madman. "NO!"

There was a flash of green light and the twang of a bowstring. The laughter of women filled the air and Gabriella could feel herself slip from her body and hover off the ground as if she were floating in water, caught in a great net - now nothing more than an impassioned observer of her own death. There, face down in the reeds and mossy earth, she laid -- a Centaur arrow in her back.

As her spirit drifted upward, higher and higher, she watched her dead body slip into the waters of the lake and, with it, the strange laughter of women fell away until the vision of her death below was covered in mist... and the darkness enveloped the mist... and the pain throbbed in her left arm... and the sound of crying filled the air... a baby... crying.

Gabriella's eyes opened; the ash and heated dust still floating in the air made them burn and water. A large timber, flames still lapping up its side, was across her chest, making it nearly impossible to breathe. She tried to yell for help, but the weight against her chest was too great. Somewhere, out of her vision, she heard Cho coughing. There was the sound of clatter, but Gabriella could not see what was happening.

"Jamie?" Cho called out with a hushed and panicked voice. "Jamie, are you-- shhhh. There, there. It's okay. I'm right-- Oh my god, Gab! Wingardium Leviosa!"

The timber rose into the air and the oxygen rushed back into Gabriella's lungs. Her first reaction was to cough. She tried to sit up, but a sharp pain in her left arm told her that it was broken.

"Gab!" cried Cho, stepping over to her friend. "Merlin, it's your arm." With blinding speed, her wand was out, bathing Gabriella's arm in a blue light. She could feel the bones knit back together; it itched. She was sure it was done and began to rise to her feet when Cho told her to wait. A second light erupted from her wand, this time white, and she muttered an incantation for strength. When it stopped, Cho held her hand out to lift up Gabriella. "It's the only way to make sure the bone sets properly. If you-- Oh... your wand. Here." Cho reached down and picked up Gabriella's wand.

Taking the wand from Cho's hand, Gabriella muttered, "Thanks." Her head was pounding and it took a moment for Gabriella's eyes to focus. Finally, Cho's face became clear. Her clothes were badly burned and her left arm and shoulder were blistered, raw and red. In her other arm, was baby Jamie without a mark on him, only a smudge of soot marked the left side of his face. "The blessing," Gabriella thought to herself.

"Cho," she said. "Your arm, it's burned. I'm pretty good with those; let me--"

"Tony!" cried Cho, a sudden look of realization spreading across her face. She spun from Gabriella. "TONY!" Gabriella stood up and began to scan the ash covered debris for Anthony Goldstein. Only then, did Gabriella fully take in the scope of the devastation. It was hard to believe that anything could survive the wreckage that surrounded them. Her mother had told her what anger and hatred were capable of... warned her to take her duty seriously. Until this moment, she didn't believe that Harry would--

"TONY!"

Carefully, Gabriella levitated one of the charred couches that looked like it might have been the one on which she'd seen him reading. Beneath it was a small corner of a newspaper that caught her eye, a tiny white square popping out against a purely black background; the rest had been burned away; not even cinder remained. Cho saw it and began to cry, repeatedly screaming Anthony's name through the sobs, one arm holding Jamie and the other holding her wand levitating nearly the entire room into the air. Looking up at the swirling, sooty mess, Gabriella saw a flash of blue - the bottom of a trainer.

"Cho, there!"

Hovering in the air with the other debris was a long mass of gray ash. It could have been a rolled up rug, or a large cushion, or any of a number of burnt household items now charred beyond recognition, but it wasn't. When Cho brought him toward her, the breeze brushed away the ash and revealed that it was a corpse, covered in soot, burnt beyond recognition, and lifeless. Cho began to tremble, threatening to drop him and everything else she had levitated into the air.

"Let me," offered Gabriella, and she took control of Anthony and brought him down to a, more or less, sheltered corner of what once was a room. There was a crash as Cho let everything fall behind them and it sent up a great plume of dust and smoke. For a moment, Gabriella thought she'd heard someone yelling outside and her thoughts rushed toward Harry, but first she had to be sure. She knelt down toward Anthony and vanished the ash that covered his body. Cho let out a gasp and turned away.

"Rennervate!" called Gabriella, knowing that it wouldn't work. Well over half his body was badly burned. His left arm was nothing more than a blackened stump and the whole side of his face was more skeleton than flesh. "Renner--"

"Stop!" Cho took her by the wrist. "He... he wouldn't want to come back, not like that." Tears were streaming down her face. Her hand was trembling as she turned to face the north and its darkening sky. "Those bastards!" She moved forward and this time Gabriella held her.

"No Cho, you don't understand. You can't."

"I can and I will! Look what... look what they've done!"

Gabriella scanned the devastation and in her heart she knew that this was not the work of a Death Eater, or even a dozen Death Eaters. The earth was scorched as far as she could see, its surface a glossy glass that was cracked and bubbled, and the castle behind her was now little more than a ruin. How Cho survived was a miracle. She knew the source of this devastation and knew, by the warmth in the ring that was upon her finger, that he was still alive. Just like Cho, she too wanted to run to find Anthony's murderer, only for very different reasons. Gabriella took in another deep breath. She needed to get Cho to safety, before she discovered the truth.

"Cho, they've come for Jamie. You've got to get him back to Hogwarts. It's the only place that's safe."

"I... I..." Cho was dazed, angry and confused. Her eyes kept darting from one direction to the other, looking for what she must do. Finally, looking down at Anthony's body, she said, "No. I won't leave him, not like this."

"I'm serious. You don't understand. If--"

"I understand just fine! Don't you see what they've done! They must be punished. They will be punished." With a flourish of her wand, Jamie rose into the air out of Cho's arm and toward Cho's back. Then, he was held in place with a sticking charm. She winced as his hand brushed against her blistered shoulder. She muttered another incantation and he disappeared, almost. It was a tremendous camouflage. She began to move toward the shattered window; melted shards littered the ground.

"Cho, it's suicide. I won't let you--" began Gabriella.

"You can't stop me!"

"Fine, then let me heal your arm. If you're going to fight, you'll need to stay focussed." Cho stopped and, without saying a word, nodded her head.

Gabriella healed the burns as best she could, but the shoulder was badly scarred.

"I can't do anything about the scar," Gabriella said sadly. "Not here. Maybe with some potions, when we get back to the castle."

"No matter," said Cho. She closed her eyes and her short black hair grew down about her shoulders covering the disfigurement. She wiped another tear from her face and placed a gentle hand on Jamie's head. "Now, be good for mum, sweetheart." She tapped his forehead and Jamie was fast asleep, magically pinned to his mother. Again, she moved out from the shattered walls of Sirius' castle.

"Where are Sirius and the others?" asked Gabriella as they moved out onto the scorched earth.

"They took the hippogriffs to scout the grounds. They heard that there was-- Oh my god." For a moment, Cho's burst of bravery faltered. High above, the clouds had darkened the sky, but they both knew by the sinking feeling in their hearts and the cold in the air that the clouds weren't clouds at all, but a swarm of Dementors. They were swirling about an area maybe two hundred yards away - an enormous tornado of blackness that was being repelled, somehow, from touching the ground. The pointed mass of black resembled an arrow pointing downward and Gabriella's eyes followed it quite naturally to the earth below. Flanked in the distance by at least a dozen Death Eaters in black robes was a lone blonde wizard. The two witches realized simultaneously who he was, but Cho had never really believed that Draco was still alive.

"Malfoy?" Cho muttered. "That's not possible."

Gabriella turned to Cho and held her by the arms. "Cho, this is insane. We can't possibly defeat them all. You've got to get out of here before the Dementors block any hope of Apparation. You have to think of Jamie." Cho's eyes were at first defiant, but another look back at what they had to face and she nodded her head reluctantly. She pulled her wand out to Apparate.

"You both need to get to the castle, get to Hermione. Do you understand? Just Hermione. Trust no one, not even your own brother." Gabriella wasn't sure why she didn't say Ron, or Patrick, or one of the professors, but something in her visions, in her spirit, was warning her against it.

"But... Harry. Where's Harry?"

Hearing his name, a stab of fear struck Gabriella's heart and, for the first time, a tear began to make its way down her dusty face. Her eyes looked toward the skies. "I don't know," she whispered. "Now go. I'll be there... I'll be there as soon as I can." Gabriella gave Cho a hug and kissed the sleeping Jamie on the forehead. They held hands for just an instant; Cho raised her wand to Apparate -- Gabriella flinched. She'd heard a bloodcurdling scream that felt as if it had shaken the earth. "Harry?"

"What?" Cho asked.

"You didn't hear that?" Gabriella asked. She looked back and saw the Dementors swirl more aggressively above Draco. She moved a few paces forward as Draco cast some sort of spell onto the ground. There was another scream that reverberated in her mind. It filled the air and felt as if it echoed from the wall of Dementors flying high above.

"Gab, what is it?" Cho asked, noticing the look on Gabriella's face, but again not hearing the scream.

"He's killing him," Gabriella said, her voice trembling. Harry was calling out to her, but from where? She was unwilling to believe that Draco could betray Harry, but then she saw him, little more than a black cloth folded out upon the scorched earth. "What is he doing?" she asked, her words quivering slightly. The Dementors suddenly spun downward and looked as if they were going to attack both Draco and Harry, but Draco cast a Patronus that sent them fleeing upward. Still, the dark cloud hung high in the air above his head. "It doesn't make sense. You're their target. Voldemort wants Jamie. Harry's of no value... unless--"

Without warning, while Gabriella tried to gather her thoughts, Cho took off running, nearly knocking Gabriella over. Lucius Malfoy had appeared and it was his appearance that convinced Cho that he was to blame - she knew beyond reason Lucius had killed her husband. He was too embroiled in some argument with Draco to notice her running at them. Instead, the first to move was a Death Eater some thirty yards beyond. Cho didn't see him move, nor did she care. Gabriella noticed and began to chase her down.

"Never again!" Cho spat at full stride, but the two Malfoy's did not hear her.

Instead, the Death Eater, standing behind Lucius that had seen her, pulled his wand to attack, but no sooner had he moved to protect the Malfoys than Lucius spun on him and a jet of green erupted from his wand and dropped the Death Eater to the ground. The other Death Eaters chose not to move close enough to give him another target. As Cho and Gabriella ran across the open field, the two Malfoys remained oblivious to their approach as both wizards bent low over Harry's body.

"Cho, wait!" yelled Gabriella with a hushed voice. She reached out her hand to pull Cho's arm. "Harry's--"

Again a scream filled Gabriella's mind; pain stabbed at her temples. She halted, grabbing her head between her hands. They were torturing him. She tried to gather herself and realized Cho had escaped her. "Cho! Don't--"

"Avada Kedavra!" Cho cried. The way she was bouncing as she ran, Jamie jangling on her back, it would have been hard to hit the side of the barn, if it had still been standing. Trying to strike a crouching wizard was harder still. Her spell sailed above the oblivious wizards. Then, unexpectedly, Lucius Malfoy, jumped up, as if his hand had been stung. Gabriella could hear him curse and saw him pull his wand, pointing it not at the ground, but at his son. Even in the waning light, blocked by the swarming Dementors, Gabriella could see that he was furious. His hand pulled back for the strike and then he appeared to freeze in place, a white shimmering mist swirling about him.

Then, just as suddenly, Draco held his wand, ready to cast a spell at Harry. He pulled back, but then noticed the two young women running toward him. Gabriella was slowly closing the distance between herself and the witch waving her wand wildly.

"Avada Kedavra!" Cho hissed through gritted teeth, anger firing her eyes. Draco slammed his body to the earth next to Harry. The bolt of green past over his head and struck the petrified Lucius Malfoy at the neck. Without a sound, he crumpled to the ground.

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Lucius Malfoy smiled an evil smile as his fingers prepared to tug the loose flesh on Harry's side. Writhing in pain, Harry couldn't believe that Draco had betrayed him. Somehow, Harry always knew this moment would come, but there was still part of him that thought that there was some part of Draco Malfoy worth saving. Why had Harry hesitated when he had the chance? He should have destroyed Draco when he had first seen him. Even though it was now Lucius Malfoy asking the questions... "What do you say, lad?"... and it was Lucius Malfoy threatening to torture him, Harry's eyes, filled with contempt, were firmly fixed on Draco.

Harry was contemplating just what exactly he would do to Draco if he was ever released. If only Lucius was foolish enough to-- Harry suddenly felt the liberation of his vocal cords as Lucius touched his forehead. Before his eyes darted back to Lucius, Harry could have sworn he'd seen an evil smirk pass Draco's face. But why?

Lucius began to tug on the flesh dangling loose on Harry's side. The pain was intense, but Harry was distracted when, looking up past Lucius' face, he saw a flash of green fly past, its light neon-like against the darkness of Dementors above. Lucius hadn't seen it, but did he know it had come? Was he trying to threaten Harry with the killing curse? Harry decided he wasn't going to sit still to find out. He swallowed, trying to ensure that the spell would work the first time.

"Fodio Serpetia!" Harry hissed sharply. The spell pierced the hand Lucius was using to tear at Harry's flesh. The elder Malfoy cried out in pain, jerked his bleeding hand away and reached for his wand. "That's right," jeered Harry, still unable to move. "You did have one good arm left; not any more. Enjoy the cursed sting of a dragon's bite, while you can."

"Damn you, Draco!" Lucius spat. The skin on his fingers began to blister, his knuckles curled. Then the redness began to trace its way up to his wrist and then disappeared under his cloak. "You knew! You knew he could--"

"Father," drawled Draco, "how could I possibly--"

Suddenly a ghost appeared, swirling out of the ground at Malfoy's feet. It was the old man who had beseeched Harry to stay at Sirius' castle. The ghost enveloped Lucius and, for a moment, he stood frozen in place, a dull look of horror in his eyes.

"What is that?" cried Draco, drawing his wand. "What have you done?" Harry thought quickly, searching for what to say.

"He's er... frozen," Harry mumbled, trying to fight back the tears of pain in his eyes. "R-Release me now, or... or he'll die!"

Draco flicked his wand without saying a word and the spell binding the rest of Harry's body disappeared, as did the ghost, but not before it looked into Harry's eyes and whispered, "On the night of the full moon."

"Let him," drawled Draco. "I could give a-- What in the name of Hades?"

Suddenly, Draco slammed to the earth next to Harry. At first he thought Draco wanted to fight, a battle Harry knew he couldn't win, not with his chest sliced open as it was. But then the corner of his eye caught the second glint of green. Harry watched as it past over them and struck Lucius in the throat, dropping him to blackened soil. In the distance, Harry heard a voice yell, "Murderer!" It was Cho Chang.

"Father!" screamed Draco, crawling over to Lucius, who was motionless on the ground. Harry, barely able to move, watched as the rage spread across Draco's face. Evidently, Draco wasn't as dispassionate as he made out to be.

"You bitch!" he hissed, his fangs flaring as he popped to his feet with his wand drawn. The earth began to rumble as the ring of Death Eaters that had been held at bay began to move forward. Then there was a screech from above. Five Dementors fell dead from the sky.

The cloud of darkness screeched again. Harry heard one of the Dementors cry, "Hold your position!" But his comrades evidently did not heed the command. The darkness separated and the sun's rays broke through to the blackened soil. Still on his back, Harry watched as five hippogriffs plunged through the opening, clawing and tearing at the blackness before them. In the lead, Sirius was riding Buckbeak, and every Dementor they faced, fell dead, dropping with a sickening snap as they struck the earth.

Another bolt of green past above Harry's head and just missed Draco. Harry struggled to raise up high enough onto one elbow and was able to see Cho and Gabriella running toward him. Looking back up at the sky, Harry realized that more members of the Order were plunging through the gash made in the shield of Dementors by the hippogriffs. Just as Draco began to utter the killing curse, the sun struck the vampire in the face and he cried out in pain. He too looked up and became instantly aware that his situation was precarious. Stunning spells and death curses began flying in both directions. Harry reached for his wand, but Draco kicked him in the side and Harry's vision filled with stars.

"You... I did this for YOU!" Draco's face was red and bulging, not so much from the stinging rays of the sun, but from the fury swelling inside him. "And this is how you repay me!" He glared at Harry, pulled a vile from him robes and threw it to the ground, shattering the glass and splashing a green liquid everywhere. "Heal yourself!" Then his gaze drifted toward his father, prone on the ground. The anger driving his expression crashed into a look of defeat.

"I'm done," Draco muttered. "You can all go to hell. I've nothing left." Draco bent down to hold his father's arm and, without so much as a flick of the wrist, the pair Disapparated. Immediately after, the air filled with pops and snaps as the Death Eaters followed. The remaining assemblage of Dementors, lacking the luxury of such a hasty escape, battled in retreat. The creatures looked like a distant, burgeoning thunder cloud as Dementor after Dementor streaked from the sky in a constant downpour of death, bolts of light flashing against the darkness.

Harry's vision began to tunnel as his mind tried to hold on to Draco's last words, but they slipped past just as the ground exploded next to him. Cho, oblivious to Harry's presence, was casting spell after spell, onto the spot where Lucius had lain but a moment before.

"Die! Die! You bastards!" She screamed, holding her wand in a trembling hand, her knuckles white with anger. He'd never known this person and, as his mind reached out to sense her aura, his heart skipped. Two colours flickered in his mind's eye as Cho crumpled to her knees and began to sob violently.

Harry tried to focus, to understand what he was seeing, but his mind couldn't hold on to anything; he'd lost too much blood. For the first time, he looked down at his chest. The gashes were wide and blood continued to trickle freely between the flaps of flesh.

"Oh," he muttered, clawing blindly at the ground to find his wand. He needed to try to stop the bleeding. There was a scream. Gabriella was standing over him. "Hi," he breathed. "Bit of a mess, eh?" His elbow gave out and he landed flat on his back. "I... I thought you said it never gets cold here." He began to shiver uncontrollably.

Blue light filled his vision and Gabriella began an incantation Harry didn't understand. Then there was another voice.

"Gabriella? Harry?" It was Sirius. "Bloody hell!" There was a low screech and the fluttering of wings.

"Buckbeak?" Harry asked weakly. "I thought I'd--"

"Shhhh," interrupted Gabriella, placing her fingers over Harry's lips. "You need to rest." She turned to Harry's godfather. "Sirius, praise Asha you are well. Was that Nymphadora?" Another blue light, tinged in green, sprang from Gabriella's wand and bathed Harry's chest. The wounds began to fade as his skin began to stitch itself together only the bonds weren't holding as Gabriella expected.

"Half the Order's here. Remus sent word that there might be an attack. We went out to scout and found ourselves up to our necks in Dementors. I thought we were all done for, but then there was the explosion and the sky filled with fire." Sirius took Harry's hand. "They scattered. Harry, how did you--"

"Murdering Malfoys," spat Cho. "They killed Tony."

"No," Sirius gasped. "Where? How?"

"The explosion," said Gabriella. "It blew the castle walls in and the air filled with fire."

"And Jamie?" asked Sirius anxiously. Gabriella touched the head of the sleeping child on Cho's back and revealed his presence. An audible sigh of relief past Harry's lips as he understood the reason for the two auras.

"No fire can penetrate one with Asha's blessing," said Gabriella. Cho, still dazed, seemed not to understand.

"Of course," Sirius whispered.

The cobwebs began to clear from Harry's mind and, at last, he was able to pull in a full breath of air into his lungs. Against Gabriella's protestations, he sat up, running his fingers across the thin lines on his chest. They were still oozing blood.

"I can repair those in a few days," said Gabriella, "but you need to rest. I can't refill the blood you've lost."

"I... I can't rest," said Harry. He grabbed Sirius by the sleeve. "Where is he? Have you seen him? Did he reveal himself?"

"Who?"

"Voldemort!" snapped Harry. "He... he couldn't have taken over Lucius. Not the way Draco was talking to him."

"We had some decent fights on our hands, Harry, but no one's shown power like Voldemort. I'm sure he's not--"

"He's here!" interrupted Harry. "I know he is!" There was a wild look in his eyes that sent a blast of cold into Gabriella's heart. He tried to bring himself up to one knee. "Jamie. We've got to get Jamie to Hogwarts."

"You're not going anywhere," said Sirius. "Not in the condition you're in now. You couldn't Apparate from here to the... where are the stables?" Harry swayed and Gabriella caught him.

"Gone," said Harry, shaking his head to gather his senses. "I--"

"What do you mean, '...no one's shown power?' Why couldn't he have been Lucius?" asked Cho, now holding Jamie in her arms. "Maybe I've destroyed him." The boy stared at Harry, his bright green eyes seemed to be asking why Harry had killed his father.

"I'm sorry," Harry whispered.

"Sirius," said Cho with a short snap, "look around you. You don't think this took power? This had to be Voldemort's hand." Harry seized on the idea. Anything to get Cho and Jamie away from here, especially now that the castle's protections had been breached.

"Yes," he said. "Hogwarts. You two have got to go back to Hogwarts." Gabriella cast him a scathing glance, but said nothing. "Ron and Hermione are expecting you."

"Hermione," added Gabriella, almost as if correcting Harry. "Go see Hermione."

"But--"

"Ron won't understand, won't appreciate what's just happened," said Gabriella. "You know what he's like when it comes to dealing with emotions, Harry. Hermione will know what to do to take care of Cho and Jamie when they arrive." Harry pondered this for a moment and then nodded his head in agreement.

"Well, they won't be travelling alone," said Sirius. "I'll send a group of--"

"We can't announce to the world that something's up," said Harry. "No one must know they've arrived. If they can get to Hogsmeade undetected, they'll be safe from there. I've already made the arrangements." Sirius stroked his moustache.

"Then Tonks," he said finally. "She can look like another student, or maybe James, Cho's brother. What do you think, Cho?"

"We need to bring Tony back to his parents," she said, her eyes now set on the broken castle in the distance. "They need to know what Voldemort did to their son." Harry could feel Gabriella's fingers grip tightly into his arm, her nails ready to break through the skin. Still, he said nothing.

"I'll make sure it happens," said Sirius solemnly.

It took some time before the other members of the Order returned from the fight. Harry was forced to sit in one of the corners of the rubble while others cleared debris. Tonks did little more than nod at Harry and helped about the castle in any way she could that meant she didn't have to interact with him. Harry was surprised that George was there, but grew uncomfortable when he and Kingsley began discussing how Voldemort had nearly melted an area over two kilometres in diameter.

"I could have sworn I saw two dragons heading north," said Kingsley. "You don't think they've joined forces with him. If the dragons take his--"

"Don't say another word," snapped Gabriella. "I won't stand here and listen to such rot."

"Of course not, my dear," said Kingsley with a bow of his head. "Of course not." He put his arm about George and the two continued to chat in hushed whispers as they walked to the further reaches of the castle.

Gabriella cursed under her breath and flashed eyes of fire at Harry. She had grown more and more agitated as the preparations were made for Cho's and Jamie's departure and was now pacing back and forth, biting the nails on her right hand.

In all the activity, Harry's mind faded in and out of awareness. He was suddenly roused when Tonks announced they were ready. When he looked up, he saw Gabriella talking to Tonks, but then Gabriella, a second Gabriella, walked into the room. The first Gabriella turned and Harry realized it had been Cho all along. The lengthening of her hair had confused him.

"You two could be twins," he said with a smile, but neither returned the expression. Instead, Gabriella made one final plea that everyone stay put, just through the night. But even Sirius was concerned that the Death Eaters might return with reinforcements. Harry stood, and immediately began to sway. His vision, once more began to tunnel. Gabriella offered her support as he limped over and hugged Cho. His mind flashed at once to the fateful moment. What had possessed him? A great lump landed in Harry's throat and he dwelled on what he'd done to Anthony; it was all he could do to hold back the tears. "I'm so sorry," he whispered, his knees weakening. "I swear I'll make it up to you. I'll be there as soon as I can. Tonight, if possible."

"You'll be lucky to make it there in two weeks," said Sirius.

Tonks stepped forward and changed her appearance; she now looked like Madam Rosmerta, only Harry never noticed Rosmerta wear such a glum look before. "Let's go guys," she said, and Cho stepped over to her, Jamie once again camouflaged and held in a magical sack on her back. Harry kissed his son on the head.

"Don't listen to Sirius," he whispered. He was feeling a bit dizzy now. "I'll protect you now; I swear. I'll protect you both. Don't... don't let these wounds fool you. I have the power to--"

"They'd best be going," Gabriella interrupted. Harry took a moment to realize she'd spoken and then nodded his head.

"Right. Good-bye, Tonks," he said with a wave. He took in a gulp of air, trying to gather some semblance of control and composure, but it didn't work. Everything was losing its colour, taking on casts of gray. Tonks just barely acknowledged his gesture with a nod of her head. "By the way, what ever happened to Finnius?" Harry asked about the wizard that had been following him earlier in the year. "Is he an Auror yet?"

"He was killed in France," replied Tonks with no emotion whatsoever, her eyes not meeting Harry's, but instead drifting to Gabriella. For a moment Harry's heart filled with distrust and he closed his eyes looking to examine Tonks' aura. He was amazed to see the multiple colours. It was like looking at a flaming rainbow.

"Metamorphmagus," Harry muttered to himself. Of course she would appear like that. He moved to hold out his hand in front of his face, just to see if maybe he too had the same property. He tried to transform, but the effort was too much for him and his hand dropped to his side. Gabriella grabbed his shirt just to keep him from falling. The effort, however, caught Tonks' attention and for the first time she looked at Harry.

"Have you practiced at all?" she asked.

"Not really," he said. "I can't do it unless it's someone I've been close with." Tonks nodded knowingly.

"You know, Harry. You're as great a wizard as there ever was. If you put your mind to it, in a year's time you'd be teaching me a trick or two." She made an effort at a smile.

"I'll try."

"Oh, Harry," said Tonks. "That's not near good enough. If you want to win this war of yours, you'll have to do a hell of a lot more than just try." She took Cho's hand. "Ready?" she asked. Cho nodded and the two Disapparated.

"I don't know, Harry," said Gabriella, her voice uneasy. "Maybe I should--"

Harry's eyes rolled up in their sockets, his knees buckled, and he collapsed in Gabriella's arms. He heard, as if from a distant cave, Sirius bark orders to get him moved. Gabriella began to curse something in Armenian. Whatever it was she thought she should do would have to wait. She cursed again. Harry's translation skills were spotty at best, but they'd spent enough time in Armenia that he'd picked up a few words. In the mist surrounding his mind, he could have sworn he heard her pray to Asha to protect them all from Ron Weasley and Severus Snape. "That couldn't be right," he thought.

Then, before the fog consumed him, he was sure she muttered to herself in a faint whisper, "Duty first. Mama, you were right." He was being lifted and Gabriella's voice faded. "If I must, I will kill him."