An: Just to clear up a few things......Voldemort was not killed by Gaia, like Harry he was swallowed by the white, but unlike Harry Voldemort is not favored by Gaia and you can rest assured what he is feeling is not love and belonging
Chapter 11: Altercations Prt 2
Harry slid to a halt on the rough stone floor of the chamber he chuckled to himself for a moment when he saw the remains of the cave in caused by Lockehart when he tried to wipe Rons and his memories, but his face darkened as memories of what Ron had done to him came back in force. Behind him Hermione slid down the passage and he helped her to her feet. "This way, the entrance requires the Wizard speak parseltongue, there is no way Ron's going to be able to blast through that door." Reaching down he took Hermiones hand and tugged her to her feet.
The made their way stealthily down the corridor the air in the tunnel dank and musty before finally arriving at the central entrance and Harry stared at the open portal in shock. "How...Ron can't speak Parseltongue, hell you cant even learn it it's just something your born with.."
Hermione shook her head. "We will figure out how he got in after we stop him Harry." She squeezed his shoulder and drew her combat wand and started to make her way through the portal only to find Harry's arm around her waist tugging her back.
"Let me go first just in case."
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Ron stood in awe of the temple inside it was huge, it had to be expanded by magic he could barely see ceiling but he didn't care. All around him the chamber sparkled and glowed as the tendrils of energy rising from the Well of Life sparked and crackled along crystalline walls.
"My God I can feel the energy flowing through me. Soon everything I want will be mine!" His eyes sweeped around the wells edge noting the 12 spirals of crystal rock each at regular intervals almost contemptuously he kicked one over and smirked. "So much for the ancient power of Gaia." He frowned slightly and strained his hearing catching faint echoes of people talking. "Potter.....What does it take to bloody kill him, well Malfoy looks like your finally going to get your chance, go stop them long enough for me to complete the transfer ritual."
Glaring at Ron, Malfoy drew his wand wishing he had the power to send a killing curse at his jailer. Slowly he wiped the still trickling blood from his nose and calmly made his way out of the altar room.
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Entering the central chamber the duo slowly came to a halt as their eyes fell upon the dessicated husk of what used to be the basilisk. Harry shifted his weight grabbing his upper left arm as the memory of the snakes fang puncturing his flesh.
Hermione shudder at the sight of the dead thing laying there. "I never got to really see that thing when it petrified me, now that I see the size of it I'm pretty glad I didn't, thing would have given me nightmares for life."
Harry let his gaze wander around the room that held so many dark memories and some good ones as well when he noticed an arch-way with a strange green tint, suddenly the truth struck him and he grabbed Hermiones arm tugging her to the floor. "DOWN!" He watched as the green bolt of death splashed against the rock facing and growled as he watched the blonde headed slytherin walk into view. "Potter, Mudblood, this is as far as you go."
Hermione looked at Harry. "Go I'll deal with Ferret boy you have to stop Ron."
Harry shook his head. "No we deal with Malfoy together."
"Harry James Potter do not be such an ass, if Ron opens that well and lets Slytherin loose we all lose. Please Harry I can handle Malfoy."
Nodding reluctantly the pair stood to face the smug looking Slytherin. "Well as that Kodak moment is over shall we get on with this?" Raising his wand he fired a burst of green energy towards the two former Gryffindors.
As almost as one mind the pair split running in opposite directions, Hermiones wand sending blast of blue stunning energy towards Malfoy whilst Harry hands crackled with electricity and bolts of lighting blasted against the tunnel opening.
Malfoy cursed his predicament standing in this door way trying to by Ron the time to complete his incantation was going to get him killed, he could either retreat back to the altar room or try and get a better positioning to defeat the pair of dogooders. Finally making a decsion he fired a killing curse in Harry's direction before he burst into a dead run darting down an open tunnel.
"Hermione watch your back those tunnels circle the entire chamber!"
Hermione glared at him. "Harry don't worry about me go kick Rons arse!" She ducked as a blast of green magic shot from a gap in the wall blasting a chunk of rock from the pillar she was hiding behind. "GO!"
Torn between helping the women he loved and kicking Rons arse Harry sprinted for the tunnel watching as Hermione cast a reductor curse blasting the opening in the wall even bigger before he rounded a corner and lost track of her.
He jogged down the passage way till a familiar sight came into view, whilst being dramatically bigger than the altar room in Tibet the design was roughly the same. He could feel Gaia's pain as he entered the room the tendrils of energy clinging briefly to him as he walked slowly into the chamber."
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Ron stood in the center of the Well of life his arms raised to the ceiling his lips moving barely as he chanted in ancient Latin. The well was responding to his incantation swirling around him, feeding him, increasing his powers but suddenly there was discord, another had entered the circle and he could feel the power in him diminishing.
"Hello Ron. How did you manage to get the portal door open Ron?"
Rons eyes snapped open and he stood there looking at Harry who stared at him with raw hatred. "Hello Harry, I see Malfoy failed...again, where's Herms?"
Harry shrugged. "Right now she's probably arranging the surgery to get her boot back from Malfoys arse." He smiled at Ron and it wasn't a nasty smile, it was more I pity smile. "I'm going to ask you once Ron, for what we used to have. Don't do this."
"Sorry Harry, I've done to much and went to far to turn around and back out now. As for the door, didn't you ever wonder why my family where so good with magical creatures, Bill with goblins, Charlie with Dragons, we are descendants of Beast masters Harry, I just brought my own serpent and commanded it to open the door"
Harry nodded. "I thought as much. I'm going to beat you Ron. And I wont be using a wand, or the power of Gaia, I'm going to beat you down using my fists my feet and my body. Goodbye Ron."
"Awfully sure of yourself Harry, but Goodbye." He raised his wand a smirk on his face as Harry started to sprint closing the distance between them. "Avada Kedavra!" His wand glowed green and he laughed as the bolt splashed against Harry's chest and Harry just shoulder tackled him driving the air from his lungs.
Harry roared in anger as he bore Ron to the ground driving his fist into Rons short ribs driving the wind from his lungs. He drove his fist into Rons side again and again as the pair scrabbled about on the rock floor trading blows before a blow to the side of his head from Rons first knocked Harry of the bigger man.
Ron grunted in pain as he felt something in his chest crack. Grabbing a rock off the ground he swung his arm in an arc his fist and rock connecting with the side of Harrys face knocking him off of his chest. Dropping the rock he charged at the now rising Harry scooping him up and driving him backwards into a stone pillar.
With a whoosh of air rushing from his lung harry yelped as the back of his head smacked into the stone pillar dazing him slightly he felt Ron back away slightly and Harry let his instincts take over allowing his body to fall into the stance taught to him by Remus and Moody over the years. He grunted as he felt one of Rons fists slam into his raised forearms and in turn retaliated with a swift jab his fist connecting with Rons face.
Ron staggered back from the blow his lip burst blood trickling down his chin as he too fell into the fighting stances that they were taught in 6th year. He darted forward through a combination of punches his fist slamming into Harry's arms occasionally slipping through Harry's guard to connect with his body or face. But Harry gave a s good as he got and soon both men were battered and bloody.
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Hermione grimaced the peacemaker wand in her hand hot to the touch, it was a highly unstable prototype created by Ollivanders for her and wasn't really supposed to be used for long periods of time and now it was in her hand smoking as she fired Curse after curse at the fleeting form of Malfoy. "Stand and fight you bloody ferret!"
She ducked behind the Pillar as yet another Killing curse was fired at her. "Whats wrong Granger pissed off because you know your Harry is probably dead?" His laughter echoed around the chamber. "Don't worry you'll soon be joining him."
Hermione grit her teeth in pain as the heat in her wand started to grow unbearable, she just couldn't track him through the wall separating the passage ways all she was able to do was react. It was then a fleeting memory came to of a discussion with Alastor Moody when she joined his department
Vigilance isn't just about keeping your eyes open Girl it's a state of mind you won't always be able to see your enemies you learn to feel and hear where there are at all times.
That was it she realized. She stilled her breathing and stopped moving and she just stood there waiting separating all the sounds in the chamber, the crackle of rock blown apart by spells, the drip of stagnant water from the ceiling and suddenly clear as a bell she could hear the shuffling of feet behind the wall as it slowly came closer to her position she looked down at the wand in her hand charing black and smoking, making a decision she started to focus her magic into her wand without a spell to cast the wood started to burn his skin blistering her palm, she snarled as she snapped it suddenly the Dragon Heart Strings the only things keeping it together, exposed to the air the magic placed into the wand started to combust sparks flying everywhere and Hermione turned and lobbed the broken wand through the hole in the wall behind her just as a pale face surrounded by blonde hair showed it'self.
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Malfoy smirked as he silently crept up on the Mudblood his wand raised ready for another killing curse. Quickly he pushed off the wall and turned to face the opening just as Grangers broken Sparking wand sailed through it to land at his feet.
"Malfoy you remember Flitwicks warnings about using broken wands especially if the had Dragon heart strings in them?"
"Oh shi..." He never got the chance to finish as the magic in the wand detonated filling the tunnel with with magical fire, he didn't even get the chance to scream before he was consumed by the blaze.
Hermione ran the fire billowing out like a ball of fire from the hole she had tossed her wand through aimed straight at her throwing herself over the dessicated husk of the basilisk she grabbed at a flap of it's skin and hauled it over the top of her hoping the magically protection inherent in its hide would help protect her from the blast. She screamed as the heat from the fire washed over her and gripped tighter at the skin till finally the sounds of rushing flames died and cautiously she pushed back the flap to look around the chamber. Small fires burned in the corners as she climbed out of the body it's rotting smell filling her nose. She retched the tea and cakes earlier in dumbledores office splashing on the stone floor. A single thought pierced her daze, Harry, she turned and ran down the passage.
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Harry sailed backwards as Ron's fist connected solidly with his jaw. Both fighters were exhausted by now, both bleeding from scrapes and cuts but Ron stood there triumphant before he staggered towards the Well of Life to complete the last stanza of the incantation. As he crossed the boundary he began to chant and once more the Well began to respond. Harry pushed himself to his feet his jaw aching from that lucky punch from Ron and turned to watch in horror as Ron cried out the final command of the incantation.
"Finetetium!"
Ron gasped as the tendrils of power rising from the Well of Life connected with him and he could feel the power slowly filling his body. "My god it's, it's, amazing, so much power."
Harry watched horrified as the tendrils of energy slowly changed color becoming an inky black throbbing like a cancer slowly worming their way into Ron's body. "Ron what have you done!"
Ron laughed. "I have achieved ultimate power Harry, the world is mine, I can feel the magic flowing through my veins!" He gasped as a tendril of black punched into his stomach doubling him over. "What! Whats happening!" Slowly more and more tendrils of black began to rise each punching into the essence of Ron Weasely. "Harry! HARRY! Help me please Harry HELP ME!" Harry turned away as Rons body began to bloat, his body growing in size his eyes exploding in their sockets as tendrils of black punched into his skull. Rons screams filled the chamber before with a sound like a popping balloon his body ruptured and Rons world was filled with pain before finally, mercifully the pain stopped.
Harry felt like throwing up at the sight of the fleshy chunks scattered around the Well of Life before turning his gaze to the figure made of Shadow standing in it's centre.
"After generations I am free!" It turned black eyes focusing on Harry. "GODRIC!" It raised a smokey hand and a blast of lightning soared from it's out stretched hand striking Harry in the chest blowing him clean across the Altar room. "No it's not possible!" The shadowy figure screamed in Rage. "You can't have survived for so long!"
Harry lay curled in a ball his chest a mass of blisters a hole burned through his shirt as he lay gasping for breath.
"You tricked me before Godric, you trapped me here in this hell for generations. You will not fool Salazar Slytherin again. I will destroy you" He flung his arms out again, another blast of lightning sizzling through the charged atmosphere.
Harry rolled over the bolt of lightning striking the ground beside him as he pushed himself to his feet his own power crackling between his hands as he sent a ball of flame whistling through the air only to watch in horror as it passed through the shades chest.
"Ha, you forget Godric you already killed my body I am invincible now now be a good boy and die!"
Ready for it this time Harry used his seeker skills to good advantage dodging the bolt of electricity causing it to crash against the rock wall lighting the chamber up as the magical essence of energy surrounding the Well of life flared and suddenly Harry knew what he had to do. Raising his hands they crackled with electricity as he ran around the room dodging Slytherins attacks ignoring his curses and screams of rage as Harry cut back and forth through the essence leaving a void in his wake. finally he stopped and face the Shadow of the founder of the Slytherins. "My name is Harry potter, not godric, and you can go to tell where you belong. He raised his hands and his eyes went gold. "Solar flare!" *I'm sorry Mione.* The void he had created ignited from the elemental attack cast by Harry the bolt of light zig zagged back and forth across the chamber following the wake of the void left by Harry igniting the essence in it's path.
"NOOOO!" Slytherin wailed turning to face Harry his hands raised to strike him down. before being swallowing by the expanding ball of burning essence. Harry smiled a sad smile, he would be going home but he would be leaving something vitally important behind as well. He felt no pain as the White once against swallowed the Boy who lived.
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Hermione raced down the tunnel as she saw the bright flash and the blast of air shot down the passage way knocking her off her feet. She looked down the corridor in horror as tears began to run down her cheeks. "Harry..."
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TBC...
Well there's only one chapter left to go and damn It's been fun writing this as it'll be my only completed Epic as I like to call it and I seriously hope you've all enjoyed reading it as much as I have writing it