Ynunlle

Chapter X

Day 6

At 10:20 night time, Charlie, Harry, Remus, and Edward went outside.

"Wow," Harry said softly, looking up. The sky just before dawn was, if anything, more beautiful than the evening sky.

The other three ignored him, as Edward set up another monument. As Edward finished, Remus came over to Harry. He pointed at Harry's scar. "Anything?"

"He's awake, and on the move. I'm not certain how close. Not very, I think. They probably just got started." Harry frowned. "The connection was never like this; not with Riddle in the Chamber, not even when Voldemort was sending those visions. He's not invading my thoughts; do you think he can sense me?"

"Almost certainly not," Remus said. "Your link with Voldemort leaves you with a type of connection over this version. Voldemort would have controlled Riddle completely had they met once Voldemort was restored. When Voldemort was disembodied, they would have merged, with Voldemort as the dominant personality."

"As long as he can't sense me, I'm happy with sensing him," Harry said.

"Good. Happy flying."

Harry smiled, and looked at his cousin. "All in, ground crew." Remus went back in the tent, followed by Edward, who first clapped Harry on the back. A few seconds later, the tent disappeared, leaving Tonks' cube. Harry picked it up and offered it to Charlie.

Charlie refused. "Where to, Boss?"

"You're in charge," Harry told him, putting Tonks' chain around his neck next to his own. "You've done a lot more of this type of flying than I ever have."

"Then we go straight up, and then over this high knoll. That should take us to the road near the river, and take about three miles off the distance by road. We'll fly across the river and fly near the eastern mountains, about fifty feet above the trees. You fly the inside, and keep an eye out for our turn back across the river to the stream. I'll keep an eye out for dragons and wyverns. Okay?"

"Sounds great."

Charlie kicked off, and Harry followed.

It took a little bit of concentration, but it was very easy flying. They probably flew ten miles in the air, but it took them much less than an hour. The first rays of dawn still had yet to do more than just brighten the eastern horizon when Charlie and Harry landed at their objective. There was a thin trickle of spring water bubbling out of the side of the low mountain, and splashing down a narrow cobbled bed to the creek. While the south side of the spring was thick with ripening blueberry bushes, the northern side was very grassy.

It took Charlie less than two minutes to create a flattened area of the grasses to look fairly natural. Harry put his own cube down, and the tent appeared. Remus came out in his wolf form. Charlie transformed the chain of Remus' cube into a collar, and fastened it around Remus' neck.

Harry patted Remus' head and said, "Be careful, Moony." Remus licked Harry's hand, and went off to reconnoiter the area around the arch. Harry and Charlie went into the tent for breakfast. The tent changed into its cube form, then seemed to shrink into itself and disappeared.

If Remus could easily get inside the safe area, he would, setting up the habitat entrance there. If not, he would return to the spring.

As Harry and Charlie sat down to breakfast, Edward asked, "Did you see anything?"

Harry let Charlie answer. "There were three small fires. One down by the bridge, two up by the arch area, but not actually inside the area."

"I agree," Harry piped up. "One was close, but I think a little to the west. The other seemed to be near where the stream and creek run together."

Edward nodded his understanding, and then said, "Are you all sure you want to stay and confront Riddle?"

"I have to," Ginny said simply.

"It's our duty," Harry added.

"And where Ginny and Harry are, we are," Luna said in that dreamy voice that everyone now knew that no one could argue with.

"So if you want to go, go ahead," Neville stated, giving Charlie a dirty look.

Charlie gave the look back. Edward stood up, and placed a calming hand on Charlie's shoulder. "I'll inform Dumbledore. Charlie, Tonks, break out the ammunition belts, the ones that hold shells and pistol clips."

"Right," Charlie said, while Tonks merely nodded.

"You folks, cook up three days worth of food. Hermione can do the preservation spells. We might sit tight and be bored, or we might be on twenty-four hour alert. Any questions?"

"Two," Harry said. "One, Remus isn't going to try to look into all the camps, is he? And second, how are we going to signal from inside the arch area, if we get there?"

"Remus doesn't know about the camps; he will be snooping around the protected area, at least partially from the inside, I hope. Second, if we get inside soon, we'll have to leave the habitat for a minute, allowing the Hogwarts folk access instead. They're supposed to be adding a few creates of specialty fireworks, curtesy of the Weasley twins."

"And some ice cream," Hermione said. "Mint chocolate chip," the women all chorused.

"I'll see what I can do. Let's get going!"

Remus returned nearly two hours after he had started off. The visuals revealed that the tent was back at the spring, not near the arch.

"Rough?" Edward asked.

"Tense," Remus replied, flopping on a sofa and accepting a cup of tea from Ginny. "There's one thug guarding the nearest path to get to the arch glade from here, with two guard dogs. It's a good thing the wind was from a favorable direction. It took me a while to work my way around, but that put the wind against me. I couldn't get close enough to tell who might be guarding the glade from the other approaches. I came back, and looked for some way up the mountain, but that doesn't look good, either."

"Do we force our way into the area, or stay here?" Harry asked. "If we're going to force our way in, we should go right now."

"Why?" Charlie demanded.

"Because Riddle could be here in two hours or less," Harry retorted. "We don't want to confront four groups of these people. One guard will be bad enough."

"Four groups?" Remus asked.

"Charlie and Harry saw three camp fires, plus those Riddle may have with him." Edward shrugged. "These could be as few as twenty-five in total, or as many of sixty or so. If the Old Ones don't show up, and we're out here, we're stuck trying to out wait Riddle or face some traumatic times. If we're inside the area, it doesn't really matter -- we can always out wait both sides or leave."

"So we use force?" Charlie asked. "I'm not complaining, mind, just being clear."

"Any objections? Anyone want to stay inside?" Edward asked. No one said anything. Harry was obviously straining to get going. "What's your plan, Harry?"

Harry stopped fidgeting. "Not thought of one?" Charlie asked.

"Yes, just not used to being asked," Harry retorted. "If the path is wide enough, Moony leads. Charlie takes a shotgun, for the dogs. Edward either uses his pistol or wand for the guard. Tonks takes the outside, to make certain no one takes us from the side. Luna, Ginny, and Hermione take the center. Neville and I take the rear."

"Is the path wide enough?" Edward asked Remus. He nodded. "Anything else we should do?" he asked Harry.

"Oh, we disillusion ourselves."

"Sounds good, then! Any objections?" No one said anything. "Let's go."

Keedu lazed in a sunny patch, leaning against an old hickory. Two nameless hunting dogs dozed at his feet. He looked up, trying to see the sun. The Master was supposed to be here by noon, unless he had already caught up to their quarry. Still, it shouldn't be noon yet.

One of the dogs looked up, growling. The other stood, growing as well, arching its back. Keedu quickly stood, pulling out his wand. Down the path stood the most magnificent wolf he had ever seen.

Suddenly, his view went askew. As darkness fell on Keedu, he wondered what the bright explosions were, and why the world was up-side down.

Remus popped back into human form and had his wand out in a second. Edward was standing over the decapitated thug, near the two dead dogs. "Charlie, Tonks!" Edward called. "Duck in and see that the area is clear. If it is, set up the tent!"

"Clear!" Tonks yelled.

"Clear!" Charlie echoed a few second later.

"Ginny, Luna, Hermione! In!"

"In!" Ginny, Luna, and Hermione yelled in order.

"Neville!"

"In!"

"Harry!"

"In!"

"Come on, Moony!"

"In!" Remus yelled after he transformed.

"In!" Edward stated as he crossed the boundary. Then, as he un-disillusioned himself, "Tonks! Un-disillusion! Harry! Luna! In and get the shotguns. Ginny! Hermione! In and get the other supplies!" The group had traveled light, mostly to avoid noise. Tonks un-disillusioned the students, and then herself.

The wards flared as a hex hit them. Four men gathered next to the dead guard and gave the group a dirty look, knowing they could not get at each other. "Everyone inside," Edward said calmly. As the men started yelling threats, he pulled his pistol and took the clip of charmed silver bullets out. He carefully loaded a clip of regular hollow-points into the .44.

Edward looked at the cursing, taunting men. "Leave," he commanded.

"We can't get you, you can't get us," one man snarled. "Not until the Master gets here and chases you out!"

"This Master is a young outsider by the name of Tom Riddle, correct? Or does he call himself Voldemort?"

"Outsider! Do not take the name of the Master in vain!" another one shouted.

"We shall see you tortured beyond measure once the Master arrives!" the first man screamed.

"Well," Edward said, "you won't." The wards were set up to allow arrows out, but not in. What worked for arrows. . . . He pulled the trigger four times in a few seconds. He then went back outside the wards and partially destroyed the corpses, so that Riddle wouldn't know how they died. Hearing people crashing through the forest, Edward retreated back behind the wards.

This group of six did not come close enough to give Edward a really good look at any of them. He decided to retreat inside the tent for the moment.

It was just before noon when Tom Riddle came to the glade. He stood some twenty yards in front of the tent, his arms behind his back, a few steps from actually getting inside the wards. "Since you are still here, I presume you are willing to talk to me," he called.

It took just a moment to rearrange the tent so that Edward and Remus could come out what had been the back. Both realized that Riddle would be cautious enough to duck if they tried to shoot him, which would then give away their advantage, and no doubt lead to at least a partial arming of Ynunlle with imported Muggle guns. "And whom have I the pleasure of addressing?" Riddle asked. At that moment, Harry came out as well.

"You!" Riddle spat.

"Hello, Tom," Harry said simply.

"I should have guessed you'd be involved. I had hoped my older self would have killed you by now!"

Harry gave Riddle a twisted smile. "Nope. I killed him just over seven months ago."

"Nonsense!"

"No nonsense. We fought last November, and I seriously injured him. Then we fought in an Occlumency battle just before Christmas, and I killed him, with a little help from my cousin here and some friends."

"We did," Edward said. "If Regulus Black hasn't told you, it's because he wants to use you."

"You're dead," Remus said simply. "This little piece of you just doesn't realize it yet."

"I don't know about the adult you, but you, when you die, you're gone," Harry said savagely. "You're just a bad memory. No ghostly existence, no after-life. Gone."

While Harry was speaking, all three were slowly reaching behind them to their pistols. Riddle was staring into Harry's eyes, but he also saw they were up to something. He suddenly ducked behind a tree, and then left the area.

"I was afraid it wouldn't be that easy," Harry said.

"Go get everyone out," Edward said. "That will give them a chance to put in our supplies, and we can put up a few minor wards inside these to warn us if Riddle comes back."

The group moved in and out of the habitat all afternoon, even eating an early dinner just as twilight fell. Charlie, Remus, and Tonks managed to take naps, as they would be up most of the night.

About an hour after dusk, Edward ducked out from the wards and quickly sent up one of the twins' special fireworks. This one hovered over a hundred feet in the air, and for nearly a minute went through the life cycle of a phoenix five times before exploding into a brilliant red and orange star burst.

"If these Old Ones are around, and able," Edward explained, "they should be here within an hour." If they hadn't shown up by then, he and Charlie would stay up part of the night, until Edward was relieved by Tonks. Charlie would later be relieved by Remus, and finally at dawn Harry would relieve Tonks. If nothing further happened by noon the next day, they would leave, Riddle or no.

About forty minutes later, six figures appeared at the wards. One was a fairly tall figure in dazzling white robes. "I am known as the Lord of the Day. Is one of you is known as Potter?"

"I am Edward Potter," Edward stated, taking a step forward.

Harry gave his cousin a dirty look. "And I am Harry Potter."

"Ah," the Lord of Day said with a slight smile. "Your son?" he asked Edward.

"My cousin," Edward said.

"You are the leader of this expedition?"

"I am," Edward acknowledged.

"We are not very happy with you. Nor are we very pleased that your world allowed this creature Riddle to be created, let alone allowing him to access this world." The Lord of the Day smiled as he saw the group spread out slightly into a defensive stance. "There is no need to react so defensively. We understand your motives. It is good that you did not destroy the cavern. Since you did not, we can forgive you." He was not about to reveal their need for those crystals for truly accessing the magic of this world.

He turned to Harry. "This does leave the problem of Riddle. It was in a symbiotic relationship with the evil wizard which created it. It has not just its memories and powers, but some of the attributes that dark wizard obtained over decades of disgusting transformations."

"Let me guess," Harry said with a sigh, "I have to kill it."

"If you want it destroyed, I believe that yes, you will have to do so. You were endowed by the Higher Magic, for reasons we cannot fathom in this life, with the power to oppose that Dark wizard. In this realm, you are closer to the source of Higher Magic than in your world. All you need to do is place your hands on this artificial creature, and recite, in whatever language you normally speak, a simple, basic magical formula. The creature will be destroyed. It is possible that it might rejoin its creator in whatever afterlife he has, if any. It may simply be destroyed." He shrugged. "There is no way to tell."

Harry snorted. "Somehow, I don't think Riddle will let me walk up to him, place my hands on him, and wipe him out of existence!"

Some of the people flanking the Lord of the Day looked amused, others looked offended. "We have captured the Unclean and the dark creation that once called itself Riddle. If you do not destroy it, we will have to try and keep it contained. That will not be easy. If any other than you destroy it, it may become an evil, disembodied spirit."

"When. . . ?" Harry asked.

The Lord of Day raised his hand, and a bound Riddle was brought into the glade and thrown on the ground. Neville averted his eyes. Harry just stared at the bound Riddle.

"Do it," Ginny snarled from near the tent. Harry and Remus looked at her in surprise at the tone of hate in her voice. "Do it, Harry."

Luna looked at Hermione and nodded towards Edward. They walked up to him and looked at him, silently pleading. "What?" he murmured.

"What's the incantation?" Hermione asked as Luna went over and stood next to Harry, placing a restraining hand on his upper arm.

"May I know the incantation?" Edward asked.

The Lord of the Day handed a piece of parchment to one of his followers, who then handed it to Edward. Edward looked at it for a few seconds, when a look of amazement passed over his face. He handed it to Hermione, and Remus looked at it over her shoulder. They had the same look within seconds.

Hermione took it over to Harry, then whispered the spell in his ear as Luna read the runes. "That is all I have to say?" Harry asked.

"That is all there is," The Lord of Day said. "This creation is merely that. A creation. Nothing more. But you must be the one to touch its skin to end the spells; that and simply say, 'end all enchantments.' Only you have the power to do so."

Harry quickly knelt and gripped Riddle's neck and wrist as he struggled against Harry's touch. Harry took a deep breath. "End all enchantments." Riddle faded away in less than five seconds, leaving only his clothes.

"Why are you here, anyway?" Edward asked the leader of the Old Ones.

"That creature had been unifying the worst elements in the western parts of this land. He was also trying to mediate between the Dementors and the vampires. Had he succeeded, then this land and the one across the Sea of Marthop would be in great danger. We came to look into the situation. Our sources told us that he was heading to the Crystal Cavern, with a strong force." He smiled. "Our powers are stronger than he anticipated. That he was not a real person made our mission easier."

"He sure felt real," Harry grumbled. He looked up. Ginny was crying in Neville's arms. Hermione spoke to Neville briefly, and he took Ginny into the tent.

Harry then realized that Luna was hugging him from behind. She helped him stand, and held out a hand to Hermione. The trio embraced. "Am I ever going to be rid of that monster?" Harry muttered.

"We can only hope," Hermione whispered back.

"We will always be with you, Harry," Luna whispered in turn. "No matter the path, we will be with you."

Meanwhile, the leader of the Old Ones was talking to Edward and Remus. He noticed that while most of the group was occupied, two (Tonks and Charlie) still stood back at the ready, in case they had to intervene. "When do you leave tomorrow to make the time connections?" The Lord of the Day asked.

"We can leave anytime," Edward said. "It would probably be best if we left around the ninth hour of the day."

"Shall we meet at the second hour?"

"Agreed."

The five teens showed no interest in meeting with the Old Ones, not even Hermione or Luna. They, and Neville, were more worried about the effects of the previous two days' excitement on Harry and Ginny. For both, having Tom Riddle come back into their lives opened wounds that they had hoped would continue to heal. Now, at best, it would take a little longer, but perhaps they would now heal a little cleaner.

Shortly before the group made the trip back that afternoon, they all went out into the beautiful Ynunlle day. The teens laid on their backs and looked up. "It is a beautiful sky," Luna said. "a beautiful, unspoiled place, except for people, including us."

"It is," Hermione agreed. "I'm glad we saw it, despite everything."

"I'm just glad for the visions we had when we came," Harry said. "That closure was more important that what happened yesterday."

"I am glad we had a chance to tell Ron goodbye," Ginny agreed.

The light increased, and when it faded, they were back in the Chamber of Secrets.

Saturday, August 2, 1997

"Well done, everyone, well done," Dumbledore said genially.

"Did you know?" Harry demanded angrily as he sat up.

"About Riddle? No, Harry, I did not," Dumbledore said. "I have learned my lesson. I would not have deceived you so."

"You didn't suspect?" Hermione demanded.

Dumbledore hesitated, then admitted, "I knew it was a slim possibility, nothing more."

Harry nodded, deciding to ignore that admission for now. "Is there anything else we have to do? Can the five of us go back to Potter Place?"

Dumbledore looked at Edward. "I think they should write up reports of their impressions, but they shouldn't have to turn them in until the Second of September," Edward said.

"Very well," Dumbledore agreed. "I had anticipated this, and have a portkey ready. Thank you, all of you. Have a pleasant summer."

Dumbledore handed them the portkey, and Hermione and Harry almost laughed.

"What?" Luna demanded.

"You should always know where your towel is," Hermione stated seriously.

"Harry!" Ginny interrupted in amazement, as they all gripped the very old ragged towel.

"What?"

"Your scar! Getting rid of Riddle must have broken the curse!" Hermione told him.

"What about it?" Harry asked.

"It's gone," Luna said. "You are no longer Harry Potter, the boy who has to save the world. You're Harry Potter, a powerful wizard with a family and friends."

"That's right," Harry said with a smile. "I'm just . . . Harry. Not the boy with the scar."

The End