The Figure Clothed in Black

Chapter Twenty- Four: Philip Riddle and Death

For several seconds all Harry knew was darkness. As the time wore on images started flashing past him at an alarming rate. An instant later he was painfully aware of a bitter cold wind slapping against his face, and the sensation of his stomach in his throat from being hurtled through space at a great speed. His head throbbed with every second that passed making him even lighter headed. The speed increased as did the images flying by him, becoming even more indistinct than before. All he could see was a blur of color all around him. He no longer knew which was up, down, right, or left. The wind became so cold, and his head throbbing so much, that his mind blocked out the pain. The still functional part of his brain told him to close his eyes, but that simple task was now impossible.

He fell hard. His head started spinning as the pain in his head came back. It was several seconds later before he realized he was lying on grass. He heard voices, but they were muffled and sounded far away. His mind seemed to be moving slowly. He winced as a scream split the air. Through the pain he recognized Kayla's voice. He slowly raised his head and looked around. His vision was blurry, but cleared in a few seconds. Kayla was standing a few feet away, her back to him. He could see the outline of a man standing in front of her, hands on her arms. Harry could see his skin turning white from holding her so tight. The man's voice carried over to him. He shuddered involuntarily as it reached his ears.

"I had heard rumor of you and Harry Potter, but none of them said how pretty you were."

Hey, Harry thought, that's my girlfriend, not yours.

All thoughts of beating up some guy hitting on Kayla were erased as the man looked at him, locking eyes. Harry's eyes widened in horror. He tried to pull his gaze away, but something more powerful than him prevented him. He tried to move back, but he was paralyzed with fear seeing what he had done to previous girls. The man looked away. Harry immediately retched everything he had eaten within the past three days.

Hello, Harry. I had not expected you so soon. But this does not ruin my plans in the least. This will only make them more enjoyable.

Harry's hand flew to his head as the pain started again. ten times worse.

It hurts doesn't it? This is only a fragment of what pain I can cause. Physical and emotional. Now, if you're a good boy, you'll only have to see me do this once to your girlfriend, okay?

Harry curled into a ball arms over his head trying to block him out.

Harry, leave! Leave! Please leave! You know how to leave! Go back to Hogwarts and warn them! We can't find him! Not even with out powers combined can we fight him!

LEAVE!

Harry shook his head. He didn't know how to leave. He couldn't.

Yes, you can! You can! Just think of Hogwarts and wish to be there with all your heart and you will be! Trust me!

Harry immediately did as she told. Her voice was shrill and panicky.

Hogwarts. I want to be at Hogwarts. I want to be with Sirius. I want to talk to my parents. I want to play Quidditch and talk to Ron and Hermione.

He felt the world starting to spin.

I want Sirius. I want Hogwarts. I want to be at Hogwarts.

Harry fell onto the floor of Hogwarts, sobbing. He sat there for a moment not knowing where he was. He began to rock back and forth, panic and despair taking over. Kayla's face swam into his mind. He took a deep breath, trying to stop crying and think straight. Everything was coming back to him with a jolt of pain. He jumped to his feet and began running in the direction of Dumbledore's office, half blinded by tears.

If he had know what was going on just outside the school gates he would have jumped out the window and fell to his death.

Sirius stared of the portrait of his two best friends. " I-I-I'm Harry's father? How could this have happened? I thought-"

He didn't finish the sentence and never would. He looked around the room and then back at the portrait.

"I'll be right back. I- I need to go check on Harry. I have a bad feeling." Lily nodded seeing the look on his face. James looked like he was about to argue, but Sirius left the room before he could say anything.

Albus Dumbledore looked gravely out the window of the Headmasters' quarters. As the headmaster, and drinker of the Ghost potion, he had certain abilities that humans did not. He turned from the sight just outside the gate of school grounds. The site of hundreds, probably thousands, of Voldemort's followers lined behind him, dressed all in black with masks covering their faces.

It was too late. There wasn't anytime to warn the student's, or ministry of the attack.

Voldemort would enter the school in a matter of minutes and the final battle would begin.

He pointed his wand at his throat and whispered, "Sonorous."

"All students report immediately to your common rooms. I repeat all students to your common rooms. Do not delay. If you do, you may not live to see tomorrow. Again, all students to common room. All teachers to entrance hall."

He whispered the counter curse and walked down to the entrance hall.

Voldemort smiled wickedly as the next last to barrier of the famed Hogwarts school, the unbreakable place in the wizarding world, fell. He immediately began work on last one, drawing power from it as he went.

The ground shook, knocking some of the Death Eaters off their feet.

The last and final barrier against Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry had feel.

He walked forward and pushed open the gate, ecstasy cursing through him.

He had finally succeeded.

Hogwarts was broken.

Harry fell to the floor as the ground shook. He immediately stood back up, mind racing.

He stood still for a second, unbelieving, before running toward the entrance hall.

Instinctively he knew that Voldemort had entered the school grounds.

The fate of the wizarding world came down to the next minutes.

It came to rest on his shoulders and his alone.

It was now, or never.

All would be won, or all lost.

Childhood innocence would be a thing of long ago for all.

Lives would be lost, maybe his own, to defeat Voldemort, the greatest feared wizard of all time.

Kayla fell to the ground as the man released her, sobbing.

He walked a few paces away, brow furrowed. His words carried over to her.

"So, dear brother, the time has come. Yes, the time has come."

He grabbed her arm and she was thrown into the swirling colors.

Harry ran out into the lawn, Sirius and Dumbledore at his sides.

Voldemort was slowly advancing up the sloping lawn his hoard of Death Eaters behind him.

Dumbledore stopped. Minerva appeared at his side.

"Do you want me to contact the order?''

He nodded. She rushed back into the castle.

Harry felt in his pocked for the music box he had retrieved from Grimmauld Place, a month or so back.

"Not yet, Harry. Not yet. I have a feeling we will be having company worse than Voldemort."

If the situation hadn't been so dire he would've replied with something sarcastic, but held his tongue.

Voldemort was half way up the lawn when two people virtually fell out of the sky.

Harry gasped.

It was Kayla and the man he had seen.

Voldemort stopped dead in tracks, staring at the man.

Harry was able to see Voldemort's slits for eyes through the mask.

He saw something that he would have never thought possible.

The Dark Lord, for the first time in his life, was scared.

Harry could see stark fear in his eyes.

He now knew who the man was.

It was Voldemort's brother.

"Hello, brother," he spat. "How come you didn't come to the family reunion? Aunt Sophia was wondering what happened to you."

Harry wasn't paying attention to the conversation.

Kayla...

He still has my arm. I can't get loose.

Did he...

No. He had just slapped me a few times when he felt Voldemort break through the wards.

Harry could hear the tears in her voice. He abruptly turned his attention to Tom and Philip Riddle's conversation as Philip let out a roar.

"You abandoned me. You always told me all my life that I was worthless. I had nothing to offer to the world. I was absolutely nothing. Just another meaningless name written down on paper. "

In his rage he let go of Kayla's arm. Se ran for her life towards Harry. He immediately hugged her when she reached him.

Everyone was watching spell bound. Voldemort was backing up.

"I believed you. I believed everything you had ever said."

An aurora of power was beginning to form around him, the color of the darkest night, the color when monsters come out to play.

"I thought I was nothing and would never become anything. I believed that until I started school. Than I discovered that I could do things. I was more than some meaningless name written down somewhere."

They had been standing a foot apart, but Voldemort had backed up about two feet, obviously scared of his brother.

The aurora of inky black power was now spreading out from his body, about a foot all around him, and increasing with every word.

"It became my sole purpose in life to prove you wrong. I read every book I could find, studied everything I could, determined to excel at everything I could."

Everyone had moved far away from the two brothers giving them plenty of room.

No one was moving, some not even breathing, holding their breath anxiously waiting.

Philip's aurora was now creeping across the lawn and reaching towards the sky.

"I was fifteen when I discovered "dark magic" as some people call it. It opened up a whole new world for new. I found I could do things beyond human reckoning."

The thing of blackness, it was now obvious it was more than just an aurora of power, was at Harry's feet. They couldn't back up any more without going on the school steps.

"I became the most powerful being on the face of the earth. Ever heard of the Harmless potion?"

Voldemort took a further step back.

"I see you do. Some may say the name is ironic, but I think it's fitting. It is harmless to the person who drinks it, but not to the people the drinker whishes to seek revenge."

Harry stumbled as the black things started to entwine around his legs. He looked down wonderingly at it. How could it do that? It looked beautiful as it slithered slowly up his legs, turning to blood red, contrasting against his black school robes. He continued to stare at it as if hypnotized.

Harry gasped as he felt arms around him, holding him tight. He stayed still trying to get his bearing for the third time in the past two hours. He started to struggle when he felt the menacing presence of Philip Riddle. He was close... very close... but where. He stopped struggling momentarily when he realized the person who had him was Philip Riddle.

"Wise choice, young Potter," he whispered before Harry could begin struggling again. "There's no need to make this any harder, or more painful than necessary, is there?"

Harry shuddered as his breath caressed his ear. Harry started struggling wildly.

"Well, we just can't have this, now can we?"

The next instant all Harry knew was white hot pain. It felt like very dull knives were being rammed into his skin at about hundred a minute. A scream ripped through his throat. Suddenly his uncle appeared and began beating him, adding to the pain. Sirius showed up. He took the belt from Vernon and smiled wickedly down at Harry bleeding on the floor.

"I never loved you. I hate you. I always have. You were never loved, and you never will be. You parents never even loved you. They just acted like it so Voldemort wouldn't suspect anything. If they had hadn't acted like they had loved you, Voldemort wouldn't have killed them and tried to kill you. If he hadn't they would never be rid of you."

Sirius started to hit him saying, "I hate you," between every slap.

No, no, no, Harry thought desperately. This isn't real. It can't be real. It can't be.

Harry gasped. The spell had been lifted. He rolled onto fours as he retched. He sat back on his heels for a second before being yanked up.

"Are you going to struggle?" he whispered an inch away from Harry's face. Harry stayed silent. He shook him, making his broke ribs ache in protest. Harry now realized the injuries he had got from the beatings had stayed even after the spell was lifted.

"Are you going to struggle?" he asked again.

Harry kept his mouth shut.

"Then we'll just have to do that again, except this time it will hurt more and last longer."

"I-I-I won't struggle," Harry whispered as he began to say the spell.

Philip smiled horribly. "Glad that you've come to your senses."

Harry tried to block him out, ashamed that he had said that he wouldn't struggle. Philip flicked his hand. Kayla now stood about three feet away, suspended in the air chains around her body, confining her.

"Tell me," he whispered in Harry's ear, "what would you do to spare her the pain that you just went through? To keep her from becoming like so many other girls that I have taken an interest in? In the hospital raving mad, dead from having committed suicide, or with a newborn baby? What you do to spare her that pain? To spare her life?"

Harry didn't move, hardly daring to breathe eyes immediately going to Kayla suspended in mid air.

"Would you be willing to join me? Join me and fight against my brother and the Order? If you say no, I will make you watch every person who love, or care about, die a slow and painful death. I will not kill you after that. That would nice, and I do not have a once of niceness in me. Already everyone you love is dying. My "helper" if you will, the blackness that had every one so enraptured, is slowly killing them as we speak. The longer you take to answer the less chance there is of them living. The only to save them is to join me. There is no other way, understand?"

Harry, no! You can't join him! It isn't the only way! There is another way!

"Will you join me, Harry Potter?" he asked his red eyes boring into Harry's brilliant green.

Harry, ignoring Kayla's protests, said, "I will."

Philip smiled smugly. "I knew you would say yes. You would do anything to save the ones you love, even join the "dark side." '

Harry stayed silent, glaring coldly and defiantly at him, while reaching for the item he had retrieved from Grimmauld Place a week before.

The black thing started spinning faster, spreading out enclosing them in a box cut off from everyone else.

Harry gripped the item in his pocket. He blinked, and looked at Philip who now had the music box in his hand.

How did he do that?

"A music box? Why would Harry Potter have a music box?" He said while examining the box. "Why is it so important to you?"

He opened it and Harry cringed inwardly.

After several seconds Harry started to feel drowsy and yawned. Philip closed the box with a snap making Harry's head jerk. Harry quickly rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He could tell Philip was blinking the sleep from his eyes though he was trying to hide it.

"Tell me, where did you get this?" Harry remained silent. "Fine," he snapped," don't talk. I have to say you're smarter than I thought. This would have been excellent to use in battle. Make sure all of your people have ear plugs, open this, make all the Death Eaters drowsy and then kill them. Smart, if proving that you can't fight, but smart still. I congratulate you. Since you're refusing to talk, I'll put the mark on you now."

Harry made sure none of his panic showed on the outside.

He turned his back to Harry, knowing he wouldn't dare harm him, and touched his index finger to his forehead and started to say an incantation in a language Harry didn't know. The black thing started spinning faster and faster until it was just a black swirl.

Harry turned his face up against the wind, watching it entranced as part of it broke off and slowly floated to the ground. As it hit the ground it started taking form. He could see legs forming, then torso, shoulders, arms, and a head. Clothes and features came after that.

A teenage guy now stood in front of Harry. He was about six feet, and Harry could tell he had at least a six pack abs. He was looking at Harry from beneath his blonde shaggy hair. He had tantalizing blue eyes that many girls had, and many more would, had become lost in never to be rescued. Harry knew that almost all girls would thing him a total hottie.

He walked over to Harry and placed his index finger on the center of his forehead. Harry screamed as searing pain shot through his body. It felt as if he was being poked with needles all over his body. He screamed louder as the pain intensified, tears running down his cheeks. It felt as if all his bones were grating against each other. He could have sworn someone was cutting his head open with a very dull knife.

Just as abruptly as it had started it stopped. He fell to the ground, sobbing, and exhausted. His head was still throbbing horribly, but it wads bearable. He felt something warm roll down his cheek. He felt his forehead and pulled his hand away. It took Harry's brain a minute to realize it was blood. His blood.

The guy was sitting in front of Harry, wiping the blood off his forehead. Harry winced as he dabbed something on that stung. He then held up a mirror that had appeared out of no where. Harry sucked in a breath.

His forehead was raw read with a huge snake with it mouth open in the center of his forehead. There were snakes coming out of its mouth, snakes coming out of those mouths and so on. Harry followed them and saw it traveled off his forehead, down onto his check, and then down over and around his neck, disappearing under his shirt collar. He couldn't see an end to it. Suddenly it disappeared then reappeared. Harry blinked, confused.

"Unlike my brother, I see the importance of hiding the mark I put on my followers. I do not see it as un-loyal, simply not getting caught. If you want it to disappear think the word disappear. To appear think appear."

"Appear and disappear? Is that the best you can come up with?" Harry said coldly.

Philip glared at him. "I did not come up with it. And from now on you will call me Master, understand?"

Harry nodded. Philip looked at him expectantly. "Yes, Master, I understand," he said reluctantly, cursing himself.

He smiled. "Good."

He turned to Kayla, still suspended in mid air. "I'll have to erase her memory." Harry took a sharp breath. "No, I won't do that. I have a better idea, a much better idea," he said maliciously.

Harry's heart dropped to somewhere around his knees.

Ethan sipped at his Butterbeer thinking about how lucky they had been to find a wizard willing to take them to Hogsmead, and that they had decided to leave early.

"Are you almost done?" Amy asked.

He nodded. They got up and left the pub having already paid for their drinks.

They walked nonchalantly to the Shrieking Shack and entered.

"Are you sure this is right?" Amy asked looking disdainfully at the dust and fearfully at the broken furniture.

"Yes, Amy, I'm sure. Don't worry so much." She huffed at him. "Here it is, the entrance," he said quietly.

They both slipped into the tunnel and began their way to Hogwarts.

"Albus, what's happening? What's that black thing?" Sirius quietly asked the old wizard.

"I have heard legend of something like this, but..."

"But what?" Sirius said anxious.

"If it is that things are direr than I thought."

"What is it?"

"If the legend is correct, and it is what I think it is, than the person who can bring it forth will be the person to destroy all hope along with the wizarding world. You have heard stories about when we were almost wiped out completely back in 1200s, haven't you?" Sirius nodded.

"It was said that it was the darkest time we've know. Even worse than Voldemort at his worst. They said that if it happened it again that it was most likely we wouldn't survive. What does that have to do with this?"

"That person was said to have had a shadow with, the black abyss as some called it, that he could animals and creatures of all kinds out of, things that the human mind can not comprehend. Creatures of darkness and evil. It can grab people from miles away and bring them to him, like it did Harry. That's partly why it was deadly. He could think of a person, they could be in a different country, and they would come to him. He did what he pleased with them and then killed them. He can make it take the shape of any form he wants, a human being with a working intelligent brain, or a simple kitten to lure a child to him. The shapes he makes with it can make people think the only thing to do is to join him. He shows them promises of great riches and happiness and they are drawn in, tough it the exact opposite of riches and happiness."

"Could he get through to Harry? Could he make him think that?" Sirius asked panic in voice.

"Possibly."

"We have to go get him out of there now," Sirius said suddenly angry,

"We can't even see him, so how do you suppose we get him? Normally, I would say yes, but the only things I know about this black thing is assumption. We can't, Sirius. We have to trust him."

"If he shows Harry a promise of happiness, I don't know if he can say no. He's had so much sadness in his life that a promise of that might convince him to join. And he has Kayla in there. If he threatens to kill her, or harm her in any way, he'll agree. As much as he hates the dark, he would agree to join if the thought it would protect us. You know he would! WE can't jut stand here doing NOTHING!"

"I understand you're concern, and I feel the same, but we can't Sirius. It's too dangerous. We-"

"It's starting to fade," Sirius said eyes trained in front of him.

Everyone else realized this also and looked. The black thing slowly disappeared. After five minutes it was completely gone.

Philip Riddle stood there, the wind whipping at his robes.

"I can't see Harry," Sirius mumbled.

Philip and Tom Riddle's eyes were trained on each other, neither breaking the staring contest. Both raised their wands at the same time.

Philip spoke quietly, but it carried over the silent grounds.

"So, brother ready to duel?"

They both shouted at the same time.

"Incendio!"

"Expectomugformi!"

The spells collided in mid air going back to their caster.

"Fire, brother? Is that all you got? Why are we using these pitiful wands anyway? We don't need them, do you? Well, I don't it anyway," he said smugly, grinning. Voldemort scowled and threw his wand away as the black thing started spinning again.

A beautiful woman with long silvery blonde hair came out this time and came up to Voldemort. Philip watched on in enjoyment as he saw the woman work her charm. He could slowly see his brother's mind changing about his opinion of him. He gave her five minutes before asking, "So, brother, would you like to join me?"

"Yes," Voldemort replied in a dreamy voice, in a trance like state.

The woman placed her index finger on the center of Voldemort's forehead. Everyone watched, wanting to turn away, but unable to, as Voldemort was marked as one of Philip, now Master, followers.

Ethan and Amy went through the tunnel as quickly as they could.

"Finally the end," Amy panted.

The quickly came out and froze eyes taking in the scene around them.

Amy swallowed before speaking. "You were right about Voldemort being up to something."

They watched enthralled as some man they didn't know made his way toward Voldemort, revealing what he had been hiding behind his back.

Ethan had to grip Amy to stay upright.

Harry Potter was lying on the ground, lifeless.

"Now, Tom," Philip said walking toward him, "you will call me Master from now on, understand?"

"Yes, Master."

Everyone followed Philip's movements, except Sirius. His eyes were trained on what he had been hiding behind his back.

His godson's apparently lifeless body.

No, no, no, no, no, no. This can not be happening. Harry isn't dead! He isn't dead! He can't be dead!

He tried to run to him, but someone was holding him back. He struggled for what felt like ages, but only minutes in reality, before being released.

Sirius knew he hadn't run faster in his life. He dropped down beside Harry's lifeless body, hand immediately going to his neck searching for a pulse, while his eyes were trained on his chest hoping for the rise and fall to show that he was breathing. He wasn't breathing. His search for a pulse became frantic. After a minute he stopped, dread bubbling inside him. He felt a hand on his shoulder.

"He's gone, Sirius," Dumbledore said. Sirius didn't miss the catch in his voice.

Sirius slipped his arms under him pulling him to his chest. "No, he can't be gone. Harry, wake up! Wake up! WAKE UP!" he screaming shaking him and sobbing. He felt someone try to take Harry from him.

"NO! YOU'RE NOT TAKING HIM FROM ME! HE'S STILL ALIVE, I KNOW IT! LEAVE ME ALONE!" he roared. "He's still alive, he has to be alive, he has to be," he mumbled, sobbing, in his godson's hair, and started to rock. "He has to be..."

Kayla came running over to where Sirius was. She stopped in her tracks when she saw Harry's body and Sirius crying.

No. This can't be real. It can't be.

She quickly ran over to Dumbledore. "Is he really..."

"Yes, I'm afraid so," he said gravely.

Dumbledore looked on in pity, his heart breaking for the broken man in front of him, and the life taken to early.

THE END...