Harry Potter and the War of Souls

Chapter 30

The Unplottable Room

"Ennervate."

Harry's head shot up. He was bound in chains that tightened with his every attempt to move. They restricted his breathing and almost seemed to burn where they touched his skin.

He was in some sort of room that was so dark he couldn't tell where the corners were. The only light came through a small window high in a turret at the center of the room. He tasted blood coming from the corner of his mouth and felt a throbbing in his right ankle. Something told him Lucius Malfoy had some fun with him before he was brought here.

"Give me one reason I shouldn't kill you now."

A figure stepped forward cloaked in black robes that merged with the darkness behind Him, so it was impossible to tell where He ended and the rest of the room began. Only His face was visible. He was paler than ever before except for His red eyes that gleamed like terrible rubies through the darkness. Voldemort looked as much like a snake as He did a human, and if a forked tongue had come from His lips when He spoke, Harry would not have been surprised.

"If you wanted to kill me, you would have already," Harry said. "So I suspect you already have a reason to keep me alive."

"Clever...and correct. In fact, Harry Potter, the choice to die is yours. Before we are through, I will either have your life, or your death." He paused and breathed in through his teeth. "So which is it to be?"

Voldemort was circling around him, but because of his chains, Harry could only look at Him while He was straight in front of his field of vision.

"Well?" Voldemort walked close enough to Harry that he could feel His breath. "Which is it to be? Accept my mark now. Pledge loyalty to me."

"Never." Harry punctuated his words by spitting at Voldemort's face.

Voldemort reared up and with His wand He hit Harry with a Crucio curse that was beyond any pain he had ever experienced. There were no words or thoughts that could describe it. The chains prevented his writhing on the floor, but it didn't matter. He wouldn't live much longer anyway.

"This is preferable to accepting my mark?" Harry heard Voldemort say. "Give me your arm and kneel before me."

But even if he had decided to and even if he had not been locked in chains, Harry couldn't raise his arm. He couldn't even scream anymore, the pain was too intense.

When the curse was released, Harry closed his eyes, ready to black out and hoping he would, but Voldemort said something he couldn't hear and his eyes were forced open.

"I have you bound so tightly you can do little more than blink and yet you choose to spit on the greatest wizard of all?" Voldemort learned down at him again, although not quite as close as before. "Why toy with my anger?"

"You are not the greatest wizard of all."

"Was that Dumbledore, do you think? Who was killed by someone as unimportant as Severus Snape, traitor to us both."

"You were afraid of Dumbledore. You knew he would always be stronger than you are."

"Dumbledore's strengths were his undoing. He believed in Draco, who plotted his murder. He believed in Severus, who committed it. And he believed in me, the greatest Dark Lord of all time, immortal in my power." Voldemort's lip curled and he leaned even closer to Harry. "Dumbledore believed in you too, more than he has believed in anyone. By my side, your deeds will turn him into the greatest fool of all time."

"There is no greatness in tyranny," Harry said. "Do you think that even if I took that dark mark you'd ever have my loyalty?"

"I'd earn it. We are meant to rule together. I am the Heir of Salazar Slytherin. You are the Heir of Godric Gryffindor." He stopped, reacting to Harry's look of puzzlement. "Didn't you know?"

"I never thought about it."

Voldemort laughed. "I figured that out after our meeting in the Chamber of Secrets. Who else could you be to do what you had done? And the way I see it, we are bound in their legacies. We will rebuild Hogwarts in my vision and educate young wizards in the true and proper understanding of what is possible for those wiling to take their place beside me." He circled past Harry again. "Don't you understand the choice I am giving you? Not to be just Harry Potter as I once was just Tom Riddle. But to be a Lord, my second in command. They will bow to you, fear you, do whatever is required to please you."

Harry closed his eyes again. The chains were so tight. He knew he wasn't getting enough air.

"Do they bother you?" Voldemort waved his wand and the chains disappeared. Harry fell completely to the floor. He hadn't realized how much they were holding him up or how weak he now was.

"You and I are so much alike, really," Voldemort continued. "Have you ever considered it? Ah, you want to lie, I sense that, but you have thought a great deal about our connections, particularly in this past year."

"Without the love of my friends, I might have become you," Harry said softly. "We might have some similarities in our past but we made our separate choices, didn't we?"

"I never had a choice!" Voldemort sneered. "There is nothing in this world but power and fear and control."

"Those things aren't real," Harry said, sitting up again. "If there's anything I know, it's that you can't control everything that happens to you. All you can control is how you'll respond to the things that happen."

"Then let us see how you will respond to these things that happen." Voldemort reached down and grabbed Harry, pulling him to a standing position. He waved his hand and the floor upon which they stood separated and raised them up high into the turret. He made another motion with his wand and the window widened. Harry felt himself being lifted mid-air and he was thrust outside of the window.

Only then did he understand where they were. He was still on Hogwarts grounds, in the highest point of the castle. From here, hundreds of feet in the air, he could see the lake, the Quidditch pitch, and even into Hogsmeade.

"Even the great Harry Potter would not survive this fall," Voldemort said and as Harry looked back, he saw Voldemort's wand seemed to be balancing him in the air.

Harry looked down, but he wasn't thinking about falling. He saw the armies of Voldemort doing battle, but with whom? He saw the cloaks of Aurors and the prancing of Centaurs who he knew from the forest. There were hippogriffs flying around with wizards on their back and a large group of House Elves was running behind someone - Hermione! He knew her anywhere. And as he looked, he saw more cloaks he recognized as belonging to Hogwarts students. They were supposed to have been evacuated. Why were they back here?

Then someone below him looked up and screamed. Several others looked up as well and Harry realized he'd been spotted.

Voldemort yanked his arm inward and Harry was pulled back into the tower. He was allowed to stay at the window, however, and watched as he saw those who had come to fight be taken down one by one.

"Where are we?" Harry said. "I have a map - and this room isn't on it."

"This room is unplottable," Voldemort said. "It has been since I was at school here. Or did you only think your side made unplottable locations? And what it means is that nobody will ever be here to rescue you. We are alone and I am the only way you will ever see tomorrow come."

"That battle outside is pointless," Harry said. "This whole war is really just about you and I anyway, isn't it?"

Voldemort smiled. "Yes, young Harry Potter. It always has been."

"End that battle, then and stop the dying on both sides."

"Their lives are replaceable. If they wish to fight, what does it matter to me?"

"It matters to me!" Harry yelled. "I challenge you to one final duel."

"Why should I? You have no control here. I can kill you now just by throwing you from that window."

Harry faced him square on. "You'll duel because you need to know that you can beat me."

"We both know I can beat you, Harry. Without searching your mind I know you believe that."

"There's more. End the battle outside. And if I lose the duel, I'll join you. I'll take your mark."

"You have no intention of losing though, do you Harry? You plan to kill us both if necessary." He smiled. "Ah yes, that is exactly your plan, isn't it?"

Harry felt him boring into his mind and with as much focus as he could muster, he sent a stunning spell at Voldemort. Voldemort deflected it, but Harry met his goal. Voldemort didn't get through.

"You are stronger than when we last met," Voldemort said. "Let it be then. We will duel. The winner will end the battle outside."

"Where's my wand?"

Voldemort's eyes lowered briefly. "At your feet, of course."

Harry bent down to pick it up, and as soon as he had grabbed it, he was immediately thrown against the wall. It knocked the breath out of him, but he quickly stood again. He tried to Stupefy Voldemort, but it was thrown aside like he was tossing flowers.

"Maybe I was wrong," Voldemort said. "Maybe you are not strong at all. Did Dumbledore teach you nothing before his death?" He thrust his wand and cast a spell that Harry dodged. He was directly below the window and could hear the screams outside. What did it matter if he won the duel in here? Those he loved outside were dying now.

Voldemort raised His arm again but Harry had an idea. He stood and in a single motion jumped out of the window, yelling "Accio Broom." It couldn't be far from where he was. He'd left his things down near the train.

But Harry hadn't counted on how fast he would fall. The ground was getting closer and his broom was nowhere in sight. Suddenly, he felt his body begin to slow and looked behind him. McGonagall had seen him and seemed to be using her power to stop him. He yelled at McGonagall to turn around but she was hit in the back and her spell to slow his fall failed. He fell several feet more, then heard a whoosh behind him and caught the handle of his broom as it came to his call. He was not the only wizard fighting the battle from the air, but from up here, he was able to get a quick understanding that most of the dead or wounded bodies on the ground were fighting on the same side he was.

Harry began casting curses down on the ground. There were blasts sent up toward him, but on his broom he was easily able to dodge them. He saw Ron and Neville backed into a corner against some death eaters and sent spells down that knocked them all out. Luna was face down on the ground behind them, not moving. Even Hedwig seemed to have joined the battle as it flew between a group of trolls. There was a girl on the grounds who couldn't have been older than thirteen who was being chased by a Dementor. Harry tried to get to them but the Dementor got her first. He flew another direction and saw Lupin and Bill in battle with a group of wizards, many of whom had long scratches on their arms and faces. Were these the werewolves?

He saw another man running up to join the group, Fenrir Greyback. Harry sent a stunner down at him, but Greyback deflected it and sent something back at Harry that made his broom begin spinning around wildly. Harry put a braking charm on it, but by the time he was able to get his bearings, he looked down and saw Greyback locked in battle below him. The others in the group had backed away, almost as if they would cede to the victor.

Harry wanted to cast a spell down, but they were moving so fast. There was too much risk he would hurt Lupin. He heard a scream from behind him and saw another group of students who were being pursued by Dementors. Harry flew around them and landed between them. "Expecto Patronum!" he yelled, and his stag came out again to hold them back. "Run!" he told the students. "Get away from here and hide."

"We came to fight for you and we're not leaving." Harry turned briefly. It was Euan Abercrombie, the young Gryffindor who had yelled at him a while back in the common room.

"Then fight somewhere else," Harry said. "You won't win here. Wait!" He suddenly remembered something he'd been carrying in his pocket for several days now. He reached his hand in and pulled out the handful of Blue Goo Gumballs from Fred and George. "Lick'em and throw 'em. That'll help."

"Thanks," Euan said and ran off with the others.

As soon as the students had left, Harry jumped on his broom again and raced back to where Lupin was fighting. Lupin was bleeding profusely and looked to be nearly defeated. Harry landed his broom and began racing toward the fight. Someone had to help him.

"No, Harry." A hand landed on his shoulder and swung him around. It was Bill, who seemed to have more fight in his eyes than Harry had ever seen in him before. "You have bigger battles to face. This is for me." Bill ran towards the werewolves and Harry returned to his broom.

He began flying back towards Hogwarts when he saw a handful of students down by the lake. They were screaming and running from a large snake. Harry had seen this snake both live and in his dreams. It was Nagini.

Harry touched down on the ground, ran between the snake and the students and said, "Imperious." He knew the spell would work against an animal. He'd seen it cast against a spider in his fourth year.

The snake stiffened and looked at him, almost as if waiting for orders. "Go into the lake," Harry directed it in parseltongue. Without resistance or any apparent fear, the snake obeyed. Before its tail had even descended below the surface, he saw the tentacles of the giant squid reach up and surround the snake, pulling it completely under the water.

"Get to a place you can hide," Harry said. "This isn't your fight."

"We've all suffered deaths from these people," a girl said. "It's all of our fight." She was the Hufflepuff who had tended to him earlier that year outside McGonagall's office.

"Harry! Behind you!" a voice cried. Harry turned to see an acromantula charging at him. He swung with his wand, then saw the acromantula rear back in midair. It began writhing around as a blue substance washed over it.

Euan came out from behind a tree. "These work great," he said.

Harry nodded and returned to his broom. From the air he saw a matched pair of redheads and realized Fred and George were fighting here. Fred was covering George's back as George sent curses toward a large yellow animal with long claws Harry had never seen before. He started to yell at Fred as he saw another animal coming for him from behind, but then directly over his head, Viktor Krum raced toward the twins and sent a curse to the animal that immediately killed it.

Harry turned back and was flying over the Hogwarts Courtyard when he suddenly began to fall. It was as if the magic of his broom suddenly disappeared and he was mid-air with nothing more useful than a muggle stick of wood.

He landed hard on the ground and realized the yard was almost cleared of anyone but Voldemort, who stood in front of him, His red eyes blazing. "Rule number one of duels, my dear boy, is that you don't run out on them."

"I wasn't running," Harry said. "I just thought we ought to meet on fair ground. You knew the room up there, I didn't. But we both know this courtyard, don't we, Tom?"

"That common name was Dumbledore's trick, which I allowed him because that was how he knew me. But you are not Dumbledore and I am no longer that wide-eyed boy!" Voldemort sent a blast at Harry that scorched him across the shoulder. Harry returned one but Voldemort deflected it with a casual wave of his hand.

Harry tried again with a "Sectumsempra," but Voldemort only laughed. "It's like dueling with a two-year old," he told a couple of death eaters who had stopped their fighting to watch.

Harry cast a stupefying hex at Voldemort who deflected it again and sent a blast of something at Harry that spun him in the air and knocked him to the ground. He got up as quickly as he could, and noticed there were several others who were coming to watch. Wizards and witches on both sides of battle had forgotten their fight. He picked one face out of the crowd: Hermione's. She raised her wand toward him and said something he couldn't hear.

But he did feel it. He felt more than a renewed energy within him. It was an increased knowledge, clarity of mind, and confidence. He became suddenly aware of how to perform spells he'd never heard of before. He had an understanding of his place in this war such as he never before realized. He cast a stunner at Voldemort with a greater power than he'd ever before felt and this time, it found its mark. Voldemort expected to deflect it, but it grazed across his side and cut through his robes.

Angrily, Voldemort sent something towards him, but Harry's strength increased again, and his shield spell pushed it aside. Just by looking at Him, Harry could see into Voldemort's mind. Voldemort was anxious, even a bit afraid now. They began exchanging curses and hexes so quickly Harry stopped speaking them aloud. But they were doing more than exchanging spells. For the first time, Harry felt he was winning.

Then he heard Voldemort yell, in a voice that could be easily heard by all His armies across the courtyard. "Do you not see what they are doing? It's the Devotoro Spell. They've given their power to him. They're vulnerable."

Harry swung around. Was that what he was feeling? He knew in the faces of those surrounding them that Voldemort was right.

"This spell has it's opposite," Voldemort said, this time just to Harry. "If your army can strengthen you by giving up their power, I can strengthen myself by taking it from mine. He swung his arm and said, "Seizerum!"

As if He was pulling in all the light from the courtyard, a wind seemed to blow from all directions into Voldemort Himself. He gathered the wind with His hands and drew it to His chest.

He took a deep breath then threw a curse at Harry that knocked him to the ground, leaving an imprint in it when Harry stood again. He looked around him and realized the armies on both his side and Voldemort's, with their powers either taken or given away, were now engaged in pure physical conflict. Most of them, who had never fought with anything other than a wand in their lives, seemed unsure of how to engage in hand-to-hand combat, and were left to fight purely on instinct. In any other situation, Harry thought, this would be comical.

But it was not any other situation, and now that they were on even footing again, Voldemort was hurtling spells at Harry as quickly as he could deflect them. Harry barely had a chance to cast any toward Voldemort, and the ones he did had little more effect than mild stinging hexes.

He heard a scream and looked behind him. Even in a pure physical fight, his side was losing. Too many of those who fought with him were too young to fight fully grown death eaters. They were going to die.

"Not for me," Harry said. He crouched down and then, as if he were tossing a load of heavy rubbish from off him, he stood and threw his arms over his head. His hope of releasing the Devotoro Spell had the effect he wanted and he immediately felt the loss of his powers. He realized then how small his own magical abilities were, and the greatness of Voldemort who stood in front of him.

But the change around him was unmistakable. Those who had cast the Devotoro spell to protect him now felt their powers return. With their wands out again, the battle changed. Even first and second year students were casting spells that left bound and unconscious death eaters in their paths.

Voldemort used that moment of his distraction to cast a spell at Harry that slowed his movements as if he were traveling in thick mud. He walked to Harry and grabbed him by the neck, then shot his arm upwards. Harry felt a tug as Voldemort lifted him back into the air and then threw him into a window.

Harry fell onto the floor and landed with a groan. They had returned to the Unplottable Room.

"Enough of an audience," Voldemort said. "You will test my patience no further. This is where you die."