The One Who You Fear

Chapter 14: What's in a Name

Jack waited until Harry walked out of the room, and he started to follow. "Jack, wait!" a whisper hissed. Jack turned around to see Ron getting out of bed. Ron put a finger to his lips. He knelt down to Harry's trunk. Ron whispered a magic command, and the trunk opened. He got out Harry's invisibility cloak and handed it to Jack. Then he got out a piece of parchment. "I solemnly swear I am up to no good." Jack almost stopped him, but then he remembered that was the way to unlock its magical properties.

"Does this mean you trust me now?" Jack whispered.

"Well, Hermione and I did have a talk at supper. I'll give this to you if you promise me one thing."

"What is it?"

"Bring back my friend, and bring him alive."

"I'll do my best."

Jack saw Harry walking down the hallway and caught up. This time, he told himself, no ghosts, no moving staircases, no magic mirrors, nothing could lead him astray . . . but something did. Jack noticed a dot sneaking behind him, and he turned and saw a huge, black dog. "What is it, Sirius?"

The dog transformed into Harry's godfather before his eyes. "Jack, you're here?"

"Yes."

"Good, I was hoping to find you. Jack, I was in the forest, and I saw him."

"The One Who You Fear?"

"Yes. He's coming this way."

"Harry's sleepwalking. He's under a trance. I'm following him."

"He's probably going to Undertaker, who will deliver my godson to that monster. Jack, let me take care of Harry. You go get the Dark One before he reaches the school."

"Very well."

Jack moved aside to let Sirius pass. The wizard turned around. "Good luck," he said.

"Luck does not aid me. I fight with righteousness and righteousness alone. But you be careful, Sirius. I had a dream this evening that you--"

"--were attacked? Me too. Strange." He stared off for a moment. "Was that a dream? But how . . . well, don't worry. I'll be on my guard. You just go."

Jack made his way toward the forest. Wrath and determination filled his heart. He walked with his hands clenched so hard that they hurt. He will not let the sibyl's oracle come to pass. Aku's game will halt.

He saw someone with a hooded cloak coming out of the forest. Jack knew this couldn't be Aku. It could be Undertaker. Jack immediately confronted him and fought him manually. The man did not fight back but allowed himself to be beaten. In the course of the fight, the Invisibility Cloak fell off and revealed Jack in his gi. The stranger's hood fell off, revealing a man with watery eyes and balding hair. This was not Undertaker, so it was probably Peter Pettigrew. Whoever he was, he must be involved.

Jack pushed him against a tree. The stranger's eyes grew wide. "Mu--Mu--Muggle!"

"Where are the children?"

"Master! Help! A Muggle's attacking me!"

"Yes, bring me your master, that I may--"

"CRUCIO!"

The voice came out of nowhere, as did the unexpected pain. Jack screamed loudly and collapsed on the ground. The intense pain seemed to come from within. Every part of him hurt. It did not go away. Jack could not think, could not function. He tried to look at the one causing this pain, but his eyes could not focus. He could only see a figure all in black with red eyes gleaming, pointing his long, condemning finger down at Jack in his wretched state. Surely this was Aku, but Jack didn't care. He only wished for this pain to end, even if it meant for him to die.

But then he noticed the faintly scarred words on his arm, and somewhere in the back of his mind the words of his si-fu miraculously came to him. "When you are wounded in battle, do not show weakness. There is no pain that you cannot fight." Yes, even this agony can be fought. This pain may even be an illusion. He cannot face Aku squirming like a worm on the ground like this. He will not cower. He will not give Aku that pleasure.

So, fighting every muscle in his body, Jack pushed himself off the ground with his hands. From his knees, he stood upright. He dared not cry out in pain, though it was surely the hardest physical work he had ever accomplished. He would not let Aku out of his glare. Jack's hair was a mess, and his entire body continued to throb. The only sound Jack could hear was his own, slow, gasping breaths, and he was at peace. He drew his sword, and the pain immediately stopped. He could function normally again. As his eyes focused, for a second he was taken aback.

This was not Aku.

This man was in a black robe. He had pale, white skin, so that his face looked like a skull, except his nose were just slits in his face. His eyes were red and cat-like, gleaming eerily, and they were fixed on him with the same, probing stare as Dumbledore's. What Jack thought was a finger was actually a long, black wand held in the wizard's abnormally long fingers. Jack couldn't help but wonder for a moment if this was Death incarnate, the personification Jack had often heard of--the Grim Reaper. No, this was the form Aku took to beguile the magic world.

The mysterious figure was obviously nonplussed that Jack had survived the pain, but he still chuckled under his breath. He smiled maliciously. "Look at this Muggle, Wormtail," he said in a disturbing, high-pitched hiss to the other stranger. "Fighting with his precious will-power. And he has a sword! How charming. He thinks he's King Arthur returned from Avalon." He laughed coldly.

"Enough!" Jack demanded.

"Oh Muggle, I am just getting started."

"Your guise does not fool me, Aku. Transform into your true state and fight me, or are you a coward?"

The mysterious figure laughed harder. "For a Muggle, he knows his Metamorphmagi. Did you hear that, Wormtail? He thinks I'm Aku!"

"Who is that, Master?" Wormtail asked timidly.

"Oh, you will hear much about him in due time." The stranger looked hard at Jack. "I am not Aku. Oh no, Muggle. I am all he wishes to be. I am all that you will fear."

"I fear no man."

For the first time in the stranger's reply, there was no hint of a chuckle or even a smirk. "Then you are a fool, and you will die in your folly! AVADA KEVADRA!"

Green light emitted from the stranger's wand. As a reflex, Jack held his sword out in front of him to block the blast. The light ricocheted off his blade and disappeared into the starry night.

The stranger looked even more irritated that Jack survived. He raised his wand again. "I better have missed. Let me try again. AVADA KEVADRA!"

Again, Jack deflected the magic power. This time it hit a nearby tree, which suddenly shed all its leaves. Jack understood. These were the Words of Death, which he had been warned about.

Meanwhile, the stranger shook his wand in fury. "This . . . this isn't possible!"

"Master, look at the bright side. You still have your body," Wormtail said meekly.

"I see no bright side! Wormtail, Harry Potter was bad enough. This is a Muggle!"

Jack knew why he was still standing. It was one of the charms of the sword. As long as his heart remained pure, the sword would protect him from the greatest of harm. He figured it might be partially the reason that he had survived so many times that he put his life on the line. But he would not reveal this to the stranger. Who was this? He went after Harry Potter and his parents? This is not Aku, but he must be working for him. It is time to strike fast and hard.

"True. I am a mortal man, but I am not ashamed." He charged at the stranger, but the stranger was ready.

"Expelliarmus!" he cried. Jack's sword couldn't block that spell, and it blew him away. "We need to kill this Muggle another way. Wormtail, hand me your wand." Wormtail did so, and the stranger transfigured the wand into a saber. "Now, I will put you under the Imperious Curse. If you want to keep your head, I suggest you not fight it. Understand?"

"Yes, Master."

Jack was charging again, screaming his war cry. Before he can hit the stranger, though, the nervous, little Wormtail who would not fight him last time charged at him with fury in his face and a jeweled saber in his liquid-like, silver hand. Jack didn't expect him to be quite a challenge, but Wormtail surprised him. So Jack got on his guard and fought harder. He tried to knock the saber out of Wormtail's silver hand, but it was stronger than it appeared. Yet after a while, it seemed like Wormtail was starting to give. Finally Wormtail feel as Jack's sword scratched his arm. Wormtail crawled toward his master in retreat.

"I told you not to fight it!" the stranger yelled.

"Don't let me go on, Master!" Wormtail pleaded. "I am wounded!"

"I don't care! Keep fighting! Imperio!"

Jack thought the spell was meant for him. He once again deflected it with his sword, but it still hit Wormtail.

Then, something curious happened. Wormtail's expression went blank. Somehow, Jack felt some kind of connection with Wormtail's mind. "What do you want me to do?" Wormtail's voice whispered in Jack's brain.

Jack didn't know what was happening, but he decided to use the opportunity. "Show me where the children are," he said.

Wormtail didn't move. His face was full of confusion.

"What have you done with them?" Jack asked.

"We have done nothing," Wormtail answered flatly, his voice seeming to resonate in Jack's head. "Master and I have come for them before King Undertaker reaches them."

"King Undertaker? He is no king."

"It is what Master calls him. He says it is his name."

"His name is . . . "

"His middle name."

Then, things finally came clear. Jack jerked his sword, and the charm was broken. He pointed his sword toward the stranger. "I don't know who you are, but you better stay away. Otherwise, it will be the end of you." Jack swiftly put on the cloak and ran back toward the school.

"You cannot stop me!" the stranger screamed. "Wormtail, it is as I expected. We will need reinforcements." He reached for Wormtail's left arm, but Wormtail put his hand on his sleeve.

"No Master, think! This is Hogwarts! They can't Apparate."

"Why do you think we made all those Portkeys?"

Wormtail still refused his arm. "It's just one Muggle. We can't kill him. Why should we bother?"

"You are right, Wormtail. We can't kill him. He is skilled, and his swords have many charms. But we can drive him mad. Besides, you will soon see that we have more on our hands than one Muggle." He moved Wormtail's hand out of the way and rolled up the Death Eater's sleeve. He touched the Dark Mark brand. Wormtail screamed.

Jack heard the scream, but he didn't have time to investigate it right then. He had to find Undertaker. He got back to the castle and searched the map. The dot labeled "Harry Potter" was in a room named "ROR" on the seventh floor. ROR? Of course, "Room of Requirement!" No wonder Undertaker shut the D.A. down. Their secret room was his headquarters. Draco always disappeared on the seventh floor. Why didn't Jack think of it before? Once again the true power of this room had eluded him. No longer.

Just as he reached the Gryffindor common room again, he heard the crackling of electricity. Around the corner, he saw Sirius trapped in the energy field. "The dream has come to pass," Jack sighed. He tried to open it with his sword, but it was no good. He had to press on.

Four people stood in front of the entrance with their wands drawn. Three of them were students who looked like they were under a trance. They were Draco Malfoy, Cho Chang, and Zacharias Smith. So Zacharias was who was chosen from Hufflepuff. Of course, Zacharias tripped over him in that room. Professor Snape was also in front of the Room of Requirement entrance, but he didn't look entranced. He probably volunteered. It figures.

Jack took a stone he carried in his robe and tossed it down the hallway. All four guards ran toward the sound, and Jack went in.

Jack stalked over to the front of the room where he could barely see two silhouettes. As he came closer, he saw a man in black robes sitting in a throne. He had sickly, pale, clammy skin, not as white as the stranger he had met earlier. In fact, there was something about the color of his skin that looked . . . artificial. Jack had never investigated it this closely before, so he never noticed. Harry was cradled in Undertaker's right arm. Undertaker delicately traced Harry's scar over and over. Jack crept in closer so that he was situated right next to Harry's head.

Harry squirmed. "He's coming closer!"

"Relax," Undertaker whispered soothingly.

"But it still hurts!"

"I understand. It won't hurt much longer. Let him come, Harry. Soon, he will be merely a memory. He will be the least of your worries."

This was the opportunity Jack had been waiting for. "Listen to him, Harry," he whispered into Harry's ear.

"What?" Harry muttered sleepily.

"He is telling you the truth. The One Who You Fear will be the least of your worries once the Undertaker is done with you! Then you will have new worries: slavery, toil, agony, the loss of your identity, even death."

"It's a lie," Harry replied.

"A lie?" Undertaker chuckled. "Why would I lie to--" As he turned to Harry, he got a disgusted look. "Who is there?" he demanded in a not-so-smooth voice (the same voice Jack had thought he heard threaten Umbridge), but then he cleared his throat and spoke normally. "Who is there? I know someone is hidden here. Reveal yourself!"

"Why should I?" Jack replied in a disguised voice. "You are the one who is hidden!"

"Don't be stupid!" Harry replied in Undertaker's stead. "He's in plain view, nothing to hide."

"That's where you're wrong, Harry. He is hiding--behind a name."

Undertaker's eyes flashed, literally. It was only for a second, but it was enough for Jack.

"A name?" Harry retorted. "What's wrong with his name?"

"Do you know it?"

"Of course. It's High Inquisitor Anteus King Undertaker."

"And what are his initials?"

"What a dumb question! Do you think I don't know my letters? A-K-U."

Jack threw off the invisibility cloak and pointed his sword to Undertaker. "IT IS REVEALED! AKUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Undertaker screamed as Jack proclaimed his name. He stood, and Harry rolled off his lap. Undertaker grew and grew and grew, until he touched the ceiling. He covered his face with his hands until he grew to full height. Then he slowly removed them to reveal the flaming eyebrows, the bared fangs, the acid green skin, and the entire monstrosity with which Jack was most familiar.

Harry looked at Aku in complete shock. "Who are you? What are you? What have you done with Undertaker?"

The demon chuckled. "Harry, do you not recognize your old friend?" Aku answered in his growling Asian voice. "It is I, Harry."

"You're, you're not . . . you don't . . ."

"Have I not told you that I am a Metamorphmagus?"

"You can't be Aku! He's just a dictator, an overseas dictator!"

"Oh no, I am so much more."

Aku reached out his hand to touch Harry's scar again, but Jack struck at Aku with his sword. "No more!"

"Samson, what have you done?" Harry yelled.

"Samson nothing!" Aku replied. "This is the samurai who almost defeated me centuries ago!"

Harry looked at Jack quizzically. "Do you see, Harry?" Jack said. "This is your hero, your savior. Do you think he will rescue you from the One Who You Fear? This is the one you should really fear!"

The four guards ran in when they heard the sound and looked in fear and horror. Cho looked in complete terror. "It's the demon monster!"

"Wicked," Draco whispered in awe.

"Yes," Aku replied. "It took you long enough to catch on, samurai. I had suspected you since I first saw you in the forest. And when I took over Harry's mind after those interfering nightmares, I saw you for myself. Since then, I have prepared several tests to check if my suspicions were true, manipulating everything, controlling these students in what they said and did. Slytherin, for instance. Did you really think that after everything was so delicately set in place that Draco would spew everything to you?"

"He had no choice," Jack argued. "He was under Veritaserum."

"Oh, but I was in his mind. He spoke what I wanted him to say, what he thought was the truth. The Ravenclaw girl was a bit more resistant. She knew what was really happening in her heart, her blasted lineage clueing her in. I got through all the same. And the Hufflepuff boy, he may have been the most valuable of them all. If it weren't for you and Harry's friends, the whole thing would be ruined! But when I got into his mind, I saw it all, you, Harry, everyone. You acted exactly the way a good samurai should. I knew it was you. But how could it even be possible? I sent you to a time when I had the entire earth under my thumb. I am far from that goal."

"I was summoned," Jack answered, "by a powerful wizard, a man with wisdom and magic that you will never grasp. He knew all along who you were. His name is Dumbledore."

Aku threw his head back and cried in anger. "I knew I should not have underestimated that headmaster. There was more to him than he let on. Well, he is not wise enough. My perfect plan is already in motion."

He beckoned to Harry with his fingers. The boy came to him at once before Jack could hold him back, and Aku put his massive hands on Harry's shoulders. "The famous Harry Potter is all mine. He has been mine long before you have come. You cannot sever our bond, samurai. I have poured my power into his very blood. In a way, he has become me. All of these children are mine. Throughout the year, I have visited them in their dreams where no one could get to them. I shared with them my power, and they took it in like sponges. Soon, their greatest fear, a wizard so terrible they refuse to speak his name will come here. He is like a mouse that got a whiff of cheese. He feels so confident because it looks as though all the traps have been sprung. Little does he know that he is walking right into the territory of a cat who will not spare him!" Aku laughed evilly. "And then, with him gone, my four emissaries will spread my power through the four houses, which will eventually go out into the entire wizard world. And dear Harry Potter will know what real celebrity life is like. There is nothing you can do samurai! You cannot change their blood! You cannot save them from me!" He reached down to take all his guards into his palm.

Jack jumped in front of them. "Perhaps not, but I can stop you!" He slashed his sword through Aku's hand.

Aku screamed again. He sunk down and transformed into a strange beast with a lion-like body and a scorpion tail. "I have learned of several new beasts from this forest," he sneered. He tried to strike at Jack with the scorpion tail, but Jack jumped out of the way. He leapt and cut through Aku's body. Aku transformed into a thestral. He tried to beat at Jack with his wings and kick him with his hooves, but Jack kept blocking with his sword.

So Aku transformed into a giant spider. At first, Jack assumed this was no huge task. He leapt above the spider with his sword drawn. Then Aku spat an enormous, black web at Jack. It hit Jack on the ceiling. Jack tried to move to get his sword to cut through the web, but he was stuck tight. Aku laughed disturbingly and crawled up the wall to the web. He wrapped Jack up in the sticky thread, as though the samurai was a common fly. He only left Jack's head out of the cocoon. Apparently, Aku wanted to see the look of pain on Jack's face as the poison killed him.

Aku moved closer. Jack thought he saw poison dripping from the spider's mouthparts. Yet before Aku could strike, they heard Wormtail crying, "Master! Master! Here!"

"I will be back," Aku said. "I would encourage you not to leave, but somehow I have a feeling that you will want to stick around!" He laughed cruelly at his horrid pun. Then he went back down and transformed again into Undertaker.

Jack tried to wriggle free from the web. He thought again of the sibyl's prophecy, and he was sure that if he did not act soon the horrors she spoke of would come true. Unfortunately, the more he moved, the more stuck he seemed to become. Then he remembered this room's power. Perhaps Aku did not fully realize it. Jack thought to himself, "I need to get down. I must get down. I need to be free." Nothing happened. Jack started mouthing the words over and over. The ceiling seemed to be dilating, but Jack was not getting free. He did not give up, but then he watched from the ceiling as Wormtail and the stranger entered.

"King Undertaker, I presume?"

"So," Aku said suavely as Undertaker, "you are the one everyone is talking about."

The stranger chuckled. "You flatter me. You seem to be the popular one lately here at Hogwarts." They both shared a good laugh, then the stranger said, "Thank you for taking care of that Muggle-lover Dumbledore and his circle of friends."

"It was no trouble," Aku answered. He took Harry by the hand and offered him to the stranger. "I believe this is what you came for."

"It is, as a matter of fact."

"A real, crying shame, it is. It's a loss of an excellent Quidditch player. Have you ever seen him play?"

"There are more important things than Quidditch, Undertaker. Now, surrender him to me."

"All right." He knelt down to Harry and whispered something to him. Jack really couldn't tell what he was doing.

"Stand back," the stranger said. "This could be messy." Aku took a couple of steps back. The stranger looked down at the young man with a twisted smile. "Are you ready to die, Harry?"

"Yes," Harry answered. Jack thought he saw a purple light flicker around Harry as he waited for the stranger to cast the spell.

"Good. It will make this all the more easy. Perhaps not as fun, but still easy. Avada Kevaaaaaaaaaaaaa-MORPHIO!"

The stranger pointed his wand beyond Harry to the false governor. A blue-white light surrounded Aku. It set him into convulsions, and in a brilliant flash of light he changed back into his true form.

"Wormtail, open the doors. Let them in."