Through Darkness and Light

Through Darkness and Light

Chapter 13

Yavieba

Moonlight filtered through trees, glinting off icicles hanging from branches. Stillness settled about the forest and a dark feeling Harry hadn't felt before. At least, not like this. Something felt wrong.

Elessar didn't appear afraid or nervous; perhaps it was just his imagination. He stepped forward trusting his other senses, only to hit his shin on what was definitely a rock. He bit his bottom lip to keep from cursing and he rubbed the sore spot.

"Lumos." There, now he might actually be able to see something. "Professor, how can you see where you're going?"

"I can see well enough, though even the greatest elven archers cannot hit their targets without some amount of light."

"Great," he mumbled. "Is there anything you can't do?"

"Fly."

Harry smiled. Looks like he won that bet with Ron, Elessar did have a sense of humor. It was just well concealed. He rubbed his arms as the cold sapped his warmth. A logical person would have said, 'That's it. I'm going back.' This was for his parents. They were here somewhere, waiting.

Elessar had explained that spirits were only able to crossover for a brief span of time when the moon reached its peek in the sky. And yet, his parents had been fighting against the current all night to speak with him.

Branches rustled above him, ripping through the silence. Mounds of snow were deposited on the ground as the branches groaned, swaying back and forth their movement gaining in intensity.

He expected to feel the bite of wind but nothing happened. There no snow was picked up by gusts and yet the trees were moving. The forest moaned, like a shifting of weight. What was going on?

"You've never heard them before?" Elessar asked.

"No. What is it?"

"The trees, they are speaking to one another."

"What?" Harry jerked back. Trees speaking?

Elessar gazed into the treetops. "The elves began it long ago, waking the trees. But now, most have fallen asleep. The years have been long and hard for them."

An elf; that was who he was traveling with. And around her, trees talked. That wasn't too surprising. Nothing to get worked up over. "What are they saying?"

"Those who remain are saddened," she tilted her head as if listening. "They mourn for Treebeard."

"Treebeard?" The way she said the name made it sound like it was a person.

"He was an Ent, a shepherd of the forest."

"Does Dumbledore know about Ents?"

Elessar nodded. "He knows because I told him. You must understand, even during my time Ents were rarely seen, even by elves. Many years have passed since then and the lore was forgotten."

"So what happened to them? I mean, elves were forgotten because you left. If Ents were still around then we would have remembered."

"Ents have become 'tree-like,' fallen into a deep sleep beyond the cares of this life." She touched the tree nearest her.

Harry stared at the tree. Was this one of them? Was it going to start moving suddenly or perhaps speak in a deep, booming voice? It appeared to be any normal tree, but what would he know?

"It's only a tree, but even it has a great power." Elessar pulled away, once again able to read his thoughts. Or his feelings.

"So this Treebeard, you knew him?"

Elessar's cloak whipped behind her and she strode by without answering. For a moment Harry stood open-mouthed. She had ignored him, not even gracing him a cryptic answer.

Honestly, he wasn't asking much. He was the one blindly following her into the Dark Forest. Hermione asked about Black and Elessar gave her a magic map, he asked about a tree and she ignored him.

Time to stop. The Minister, Sirius Black, Lupin. No more.

Harry jumped in front of her. "You want me to trust you then give me a reason. You knew him, this Treebeard, didn't you? It's a simple question."

Was that anger he saw flash across her eyes or something else, like anguish? Graceful in a way he could never be, Elessar maneuvered around him. "He's an old friend."

"A friend?"

"Why aren't you asking me what you really want to know?"

Wasn't it Sirius Black who destroyed his life? And here she was, an elf that had too many coincidences with his escape, offering him the chance to ask. "I guess I don't really have to."

Elessar's eyebrows rose, the only hint of surprise he could make out.

"You're hiding things from me, but so is Dumbledore. I trust Dumbledore, and he trusts you." Harry hesitated. Was this the right choice, to be honest with her? "But I can't trust you if you refuse to tell me anything."

"I see. There's much about you, Harry that I don't understand. Your heart is weighted, setting you apart from others."

"What are you talking about?"

"Sorrow. You hide it from your friends, but they can still see."

"Oh." It was the piece of him that had been touched by a dark wizard. Harry brushed the scar, trying to hide what she saw.

"I am sorry," Elessar whispered.

"Sorry? What for?"

"For the path you must walk. It is a lonely one; I know it well." Her eyes searched his and she nodded. "My life is very different from yours or any other elf. What may seem like simple questions to you can be painful to remember."

"I thought you were immortal."

"Whoever said that immortals couldn't feel pain?"

"I don't know, I just assumed. You never appear happy or sad, how could you feel pain without also feeling the other two?"

"I assure you, I feel those emotions even if you cannot see them."

They continued down the path, which in reality wasn't even a game trail. For so many days he'd felt lost after finding out the reason for his parents death and he still was, but talking with Elessar and going out with her this night just felt right. Seeing her unease gave him strength to deal with what he was feeling.

Being with Elessar, however, he couldn't help but think of his first year. The first time he stepped into the Dark Forest and met Voldemort. Wait, why hadn't he thought of this sooner? Elessar was immortal! Who better to know about immortality than her? Perhaps she knew something that would destroy Voldemort.

"Professor, how is that unicorn blood can grant immortality?"

"Like elves, they are immortal. In fact they were a gift to my kin, meant to be companions."

A hidden root snagged Harry's foot and he stumbled. Elessar grabbed his arm, preventing him from falling. Being cold and wet in the middle of the Dark Forest didn't seem very appealing. "Thanks."

Elessar nodded and let him go. "My ancestors refused to tame the unicorns, believing their light would fade if taken from the wild."

"Have you ever seen one?"

"Most had been destroyed by the Dark Lords, Morgoth and Sauron. Even though I spent time in Fangorn, I never saw them."

The air grew chill, as if the forest sensed the absence of this light. Could the forest, once called Fangorn, mourn unicorns?

"Long ago, unicorns had a kinship with elves," Elessar explained. "The belief was that a bond could form if the unicorn wished it."

"Has that ever happened to anyone you knew?"

"No, and to my knowledge those who had formed a bond died with their unicorns during the dark ages."

"You're telling me that if an elf died the unicorn would die also?"

"That's right." Elessar stepped over a large log. "The bond formed was one of companionship, a friendship beyond the physical world. Much like elves and love, a unicorn and an elf could not live without the other once the bond was made."

Harry stopped. He hadn't heard this before. "Elves can't live without love?"

"They can live without it, but can also die because of it. There are only two ways an elf can die, either in battle or from a broken heart."

He wondered how many people would kill for that information. In the past whenever he had looked at Elessar he saw this unfathomable elf who governed her emotions behind a cold mask. "So, the phrase 'love can kill' is true for you? That sounds silly."

"It does if you think of it from mortal's perspective. But to an elf, love is everlasting."

"What about you?" Harry asked. "Did you leave someone behind in Valinor?"

Elessar's face paled. "If I had left someone then I'd be dead."

Could that mean she had left someone? "So, why aren't you dead yet?"

Harry didn't move or even dare to breathe. The spirit world was so strong tonight he didn't need to look into the current to see the waves of anger rushing off her, he could feel it.

What was she hiding? And why was it so important to keep it from him? And then out of no where he thought of the one person Elessar was close with. "Hermione mentioned that you and Professor Lupin are having a fight."

Elessar's body went rigid. Maybe Hermione was right about those two. "Yes, he is angry with me."

"Is it painful?"

Elessar's eyes widened a fraction. However, in the blink of an eye her mask was back on and for a moment he wondered if he'd imagined the whole thing. "It is always painful when you fight with your companions." She continued walking. "We must hurry, the hour is close."

"So, who was it that you left behind?" Harry called after her. "What was his name?"

Elessar stopped abruptly. Harry stepped back, realizing that he had gone too far. Perhaps it wasn't in his best interest to upset her. Not out here alone in the forest. The intensity in her eyes sent a shiver through him and his blood went cold at the sound of her voice.

"Dying from love will be an easier death than what Fate has planned for me."

Harry nodded; hoping she would see that it was the end of that conversation. He hurried after her and concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other. They trudged through the forest in silence, the trees passing him in a blur.

"We're here."

They stood at a meadow's edge, but to Harry it seemed like the brink of the world; maybe not that, but at least the boundary into another. He forgot the cold, Sirius Black, the dementors.

At the border of the trees, winter ceased to exist. The scent of fresh grass overwhelmed him. An invisible barrier separated this meadow from the rest of the world. Did these flowers bloom all year?

A waterfall filled the small lake and mist crept out onto the water. His hands were warm now and sweat lined each of his fingers.

"What is this place?"

" Treebeard's glade. A place untouched by a time; a barrier separating our world and the fëa one. "

His parents were here. Harry felt it, right to his very core. He closed his eyes and touched the spirit world faster than he had ever done before in class. The current washed over the water, spilling onto land. Anything the fëa touched pulled the spirit of that object, like wet paint sprayed with water.

"It's beautiful." The different lights and strands circled his legs, dragging threads of his own spirit into the tide. He looked at Elessar and felt his mouth dry. What was going on? He had seen her a dozen times using the fëa sight. But nothing like this.

Elessar was surrounded in a blue light, pulsing as if it were alive. It was like she was a completely different person. "Let us see if your parents can hear."

Harry's body grew cold, not from anticipation, but fear. His parents. Would they speak with him?

"Use those feelings; it will guide you to them."

"That's what Shra had said that day on the bridge," Harry whispered.

"I heard."

Harry was about to say something, but Elessar moved towards the lake, pushing back her hood. He was about to follow, but something held him there. The spirit current parted as Elessar waded through. Its light seemed to brighten as she passed, then faded to its normal light.

Who was she?

"The days have grown dark and the light of your spirit has passed us by, but are never forgotten," Elessar sang in elvish. "Hear the whispers of all who remember."

Tiny orbs separating from the current, the remnants of spirits. Yellow, magenta, green, maroon and blue; more colors than he'd ever seen each pulsing from an inner power. The dark night brightened, drowning out the stars above.

Voices filled the glade, too low for him to make out. It was almost as if they were a song comprised only of sound.

Two lights floated towards Harry and he stepped back. There was something familiar about them. They brushed against his skin, cool but comforting. Could these be them?

"Mum? Dad?"

The intensity from the lights brightened. His mother gave him a hug, her hair brushing against his nose. "We love you so much."

His father leaned over and ruffled his hair. "I have never been more proud."

Tears fell down Harry's face. His fingers brushed the two lights. Here were his parents. There were so many things he wanted to say. He had dreamt of this moment everyday of his life and now he finally had the chance he couldn't decide what to say.

His mother kissed his cheek. "We know."

"We will always know." His father gripped his shoulders.

Harry remembered what Elessar had told him. They had fought the current trying to reach him before the boundary weakened. "Why were you calling to me? What did you need to tell me?"

His father's light paled, as if overcome with sadness. "The darkness is hunting them. Harry, my son, you must save them."

"What do you mean? Save who? Dad!"

"Go, Harry," his mother said. "You must hurry."

Their lights faded, and Harry vaguely registered Elessar's song coming to a close. The strength from the fëa current changed and he felt himself being pulled along with it.

"Wait! Please don't go yet! What's going on? Who are you talking about?"

His father turned back. "My friend is in need of you. Her son must be protected."

"Dad! Mum!" Harry's legs gave out, unable to fight the current's power. He dug his fingers into the grass and dirt. "Please don't go."

"We will always be with you Harry."

The lights within the glade blinked out, one after the other. Some lingered before they too were caught by the current and absorbed into the moving the stream. Harry couldn't move, not even to wipe away the tears that fell. After so long and so many dreams he had seen them. "Mum, dad."

Arms wrapped around his shoulders from behind. How could he be happy and bitter at the same time?

"They're dead." His mind was overcome with emotion that his words sounded lifeless.

"But they love you," Elessar whispered.

Flowers swayed in the breeze and the sound of falling water was the only noise that filtered through the silence. Whether or not he was grateful to Elessar he didn't know. His parents were gone and he would be alone again.

From somewhere, a feeling of calmness spread up through his body. Were they watching him even now, hurting because of his own pain?

Elessar's arms pulled away. "I wish I could say it faded with time, but I am still waiting."

"Who have you lost?" His voice croaked as if he hadn't used it in ages.

She regarded him before gazing at the stars. "My family. Those who have died and the ones lost to me forever."

"So you can't speak with them?"

"No."

"But I thought you were immortal?"

"Elves and mortals go to different places when they die. My family was mortal and I have sought them each year. I can never ask their forgiveness."

The sadness in her called to him and he realized it mirrored what he felt inside right now. "Forgiveness for what?"

Elessar took a deep breath. "We make choices believing that it was the right one or there was no other way. I don't know if that's the truth, I don't know anymore. I believe there are some things that cannot be changed, but there might be other paths we simply can't see."

What was she talking about? And why did she look at him like she was asking forgiveness?

"Thank you." Harry held his hands in front of him. He had touched his parent's spirits and if he concentrated hard enough, he could still hear them. He remembered what his dad told him and jumped to his feet.

"What is it?" Elessar rose behind him.

"I forgot! We have to go save them!"

"Harry, calm down." Elessar gripped his shoulders. "Save who?"

"My dad! Didn't you hear?" How could he have forgotten? His parents had been trying to warn him all night and then he goes and forgets. "We have to hurry!"

He was about to run but Elessar held his arm tightly. "I need you tell me what happened."

"My dad said a friend was in danger, some kind of darkness was after them. He told me that we had to save her son."

Elessar released Harry and he saw her eyes changing to their golden color as she viewed the fëa current. Why hadn't he thought of that sooner? "What do you see?"

"It's the one who attacked on Halloween."

"Huh? What attack? You mean Black?"

"No, this power is not Black." She glanced at Harry before she headed towards the edge of the glade. "I will need you to stay. This glade will protect you."

"What? You can't go without me!"

Elessar was about protest when she gripped her stomach and doubled over.

"Professor!" Harry ran over to her.

"I'm fine." Her face contorted in pain. "He has attacked again. He's near."

Fear raced through Harry. With a steady hand he held his wand and scanned the surrounding trees.