Through Darkness and Light

Chapter 11

Elf, Dog, Dementor

Sirius growled in frustration. The storm made his sense of smell worthless, making it impossible to tell when someone was near.

"Come on, Hermione, the game already started!"

"Ron, honestly, I don't know what your rush is," a girl yelled. "We're not even five minutes late. I highly doubt Harry caught the snitch, especially in this weather!"

The two students came into view, running up the stairs. The girl tugged at her raincoat, pulling the hood further down. The red-haired boy wore no protection, having already accepted his fate.

"It's your bloody cat's fault. If you hadn't insisted on finding the fleabag we would have seen the opening take off."

"Crookshanks doesn't have fleas and you've seen Harry take off a dozen times."

"I don't care! Let's just go." The boy, Ron, grabbed Hermione's arm and dragged her up the stairs.

Sirius tilted his head to the side. Could they be Harry's friends? And that boy, he looked familiar. Was he the same boy holding Peter in the photograph? He'd worry about the details later.

Sirius raced up the stairs, passing the entranceway the two had gone through. Thunder roared, causing the wooden planks to shake. He reached the top and trotted to the edge of the stands.

An umbrella collided against the wet railing. Rain pelted him from all directions and stung his eyes.

Where was Harry? The players sped by, their soaked robes flapping. Circling above the field was Harry.

Sirius ran along the stands, giving into the joy at seeing Harry. James, you would be so proud, he thought.

Harry ducked beneath the Ravenclaw seeker and dodged a bludger. Forked lightening flashed behind Sirius. The fur on his back rose from the static.

Harry's momentum halted, grinding to a stop. He stared right at Sirius. The moment passed as quickly as it came, the storm's darkness shrouding the field. Sirius escaped into the stairway just as another bolt illuminated the sky. His paws thudded against the wood, drumming in beat with the storm.

How could he be so stupid? Hadn't he learned that time in the alley?

The chill area sunk into his bones and he paused. His happiness dissolved, replaced by an empty void. Mist blew from his nose and his heart raced.

They were here.

Sirius crept to an opening. Harry trailed behind the Ravenclaw seeker. Using the wind gusts to propel him forward, Harry gained on his opponent.

A black shape materialized behind the two. Hundreds of dementors were on the field, floating toward the center. Sirius held his breath as Harry's reached for the snitch. Another dementor appeared and Harry to dodged left.

Following instinct, Sirius raced down the stairs. There was nothing he could do, but that didn't matter. Harry needed him.

Students screamed and he dove underneath the bleachers. The field came into view and his momentum carried him forward. He dug his claws into the ground, trying to grip something when he slammed into a wooden beam.

His shoulder throbbed, for a moment he couldn't move. No, not now. There was nothing, no sound or color, only fear registered in Sirius's mind.

Harry wavered on his broom, his hands slipping and he tumbled down.

No! Sirius's leg collapsed under his weight as he tried to move.

A white shield shot from a wand, piercing the ring of dementors. Sirius turned and saw Dumbledore, his white beard unmistakable as he stood on the field. But the spell failed, fading from existence just as it reached the throng of dementors. They inched closer, gathering where Harry would fall.

What was going on? Why didn't the patronus work?

"We are beyond your powers old wizard. Your magic does not bind us."

The crystal phial warmed Sirius's fur and he knew instinctively who was here.

Sure enough, Elessar rushed past Dumbledore. Impulse told him to attack, to avenge Lily and James. She knew, repeated in his mind.

The dementors twisted their dark hoods, following her movement. Ice crunched beneath him as he moved - this display of power, he'd never felt anything like it before. Not once did his time in Azkaban compare.

Sirius scanned the wooden beams, looking for anything he could use. A lump formed in his stomach. A dementor floated towards Elessar, beckoning with its boney hands.

Elessar halted before the approaching dementor. If Dumbledore couldn't drive them off then she didn't stand a chance, elf or not.

"Stand down," Elessar commanded.

The dementor continued, not heeding her words.

"You are a wraith," Elessar said. You were created in likeness of the Nazgûl. Leave the boy."

The dementor cupped Elessar's chin. Ice formed on her skin, tendrils of crystal that expanded. "There is nothing you can do, half-elf. Your powers are weak; you fear to destroy the prison holding our master. He will reward me for delivering your spirit."

"Then I release you from his service."

White light shot from Elessar's necklace, slicing through the dementors and lit the darkened field. High pitched wails filled the air and shock waves knocked Sirius back. The roars of the thunderstorm mixed with the screams. Dementors escaped the pillar of light, frantic, their order broken.

Harry descended in the light's center and landed gently on the ground. Sirius sighed, relief overwhelming him. Harry was safe.

The light faded and Elessar stumbled. Just as she was about to fall, Dumbledore grabbed her arm, steadying her.

The ice on her cheeks dissolved with the rain, but she gave no notice to it. Instead she knelt next to Harry, her hand brushing his face. "Harry, here me. The darkness has fled, do not give into despair."

At that moment, Sirius realized something. She was not speaking English. Was that elvish?

His paws squished in the mud. That must be why he understood her - he was a dog! Why hadn't he thought of it sooner?

Elessar glanced at Dumbledore, her face once more emotionless. Dumbledore waved his wand and Harry lifted onto an invisible stretcher.

Sirius's heart pounded. Would Harry be alright?

Elessar stood, her dress covered in mud. Rain streamed down her face and she seemed lost in thought. Or maybe not thought, but time.

The necklace was where the light came from, but it didn't appear to be a source of power like a wand, not the way it had drained her. And who had the dementor spoken of, this master that wanted Elessar's spirit?

Sirius knew from Azkaban that dementors answered to no one, though they pretended the Ministry controlled them. Was there another power they didn't know about?

Sirius sank to the ground, his energy gone. He almost lost Harry today, and again he did nothing.

Teachers ran onto the field. A little late now. The dementors were gone and Harry was safe. Who else would protect Harry if not them? But that really wasn't true. Someone had saved Harry, even if he hated to admit it. But then why did she let James and Lily die?

Elessar walked past the teachers. Many stopped, unsure what to do. She acknowledged none, just made her way through the rain alone.

Sirius wanted her to suffer, to feel the pain and loneliness he had endured in Azkaban. A part of him, however, couldn't help but admire her. The dementors affected her, just like a human, and yet she had come to Harry's aid.

He studied her until she disappeared in the dark of the storm. Was it possible that something haunted her the way his mistake haunted him? That couldn't be true. Someone who sacrificed another in cold blood could never feel remorse.