Disclaimer: ok, this is the only one. I do not own this franchise or the characters, from any of the books, T.V. shows, (Harry Potter series, and a little bit from Yu-Gi-Oh…you'll see), etc. They belong to JK Rowling and Warner Bros. YGO belongs to Konami the last time I checked and to the WB as well. Also, any Sindarin words used belong to the estate of JRR Tolkien (yeah, I'm going there too, so sue me…) If I happen to write something that coincides with someone else's story, sorry but it was unintentional, so don't flame. Review if you want to, it would be helpful.
Harry Potter and the Gauntlet
Chapter 1: The Decision
It was a brilliant dawn on the morning of July 1st, the sun's rays streaming down on the peaceful Privet Drive. No one could guess that a tormented young soul was already awake at number 4. In fact, he had never gone to sleep, for fear of nightmares and memories. More often than not, the two were one and the same now.
Harry Potter, a 15 year old wizard, sat on his bed staring blankly at the pictures perched on his desk. Wizard photographs, they all contained moving subjects. The first held him and his friends after their first year. He, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley were all standing there, grinning precociously at the camera. Those days of youthful innocence and happiness were long gone, as gone as the occupants in the next picture: Harry's parents and his godfather, Sirius Black.
Tears immediately welled in Harry's eyes, but he held them back. One thing that living with the Dursleys, his only surviving relatives, had taught him was to never show weakness if he could help it. As much as his heart cried out for release of its torment, he would not let the tears fall. He could not. Harry had stopped crying years ago.
How he longed to find solace in his friends and true family- Hermione and the Weasleys. But, he was stuck at the Dursley's for who knew how long. There was no way he was going to get any comfort from the muggles, no matter what the Order had said to them.
Harry stood up, intending to go out and do something with the day. Perhaps just walking around would tire him out; allow him to go to sleep?
He quietly made his way downstairs, lightly hopping over the squeaky step near the bottom, and slipped out the front door. He breathed in the fresh morning air of Privet Drive as he walked down the street, wandering aimlessly.
Soon, he reached the park that he had spent so much time in last summer. He noticed that a man was sleeping on a park bench. He looked like he had traveled a long distance, if his somewhat frayed clothing was any indication. Though sleeping in the park was against city ordinance, Harry decided to let the man alone. What was that saying? Oh, yeah: Let sleeping do…
Harry's good mood vanished as he remembered the saying. Images of Sirius laughing his bark-like laugh, chasing his tail in Animagus form, falling through the veil at the Department of Mysteries. Feeling that his little sojourn outside had been ruined, Harry sank into a swing to rest for a few moments before heading back to the Dursley's.
A very distinct popping sound broke Harry from his reverie. Quickly spinning around, Harry was faced with a sight that made his heart skip a beat - a half dozen people in black wizard robes, quickly moving to surround him.
Harry whipped out his wand, but he was surrounded, there was no way that he could get out of this in one piece.
"Well, well," drawled a voice that Harry had heard in his nightmares for the last week - Bellatrix Lestrange, "If it isn't young Potter. Finally decided to come out from under your rock, eh Potter?"
Harry felt a surge of hatred rush through his veins upon seeing his godfather's killer. He remembered what she had told him the last time they had met: Righteous anger won't work. You have to want to cause pain, to relish it…
He had failed to avenge Sirius last time. He would not make the same mistake twice.
Harry's mind raced through possible scenarios of what was to come, looking for any way that he could get out of this tactical nightmare alive.
Wait a minute… they've made a circle around me. They must figure to catch me in their crossfire. Maybe, if I'm fast enough…
Lestrange and her fellow Death Eaters raised their wands, muttering curses to throw at Harry. As they brought their wands down, Harry let his feet fall from under him, dropping him out of their line of fire temporarily. Of course, since the curses could not meet in the middle at their original target, they kept going -- at the Death Eaters in their path.
By the time Harry was on his feet again, three of the Death Eaters were down, and the other three were shooting curses at him wildly. Running around the swing set, Harry fired off a Stunning spell at one of the black-robed wizards. Harry ducked and spun around, sliding to a stop as a Killing curse flashed over his head. Launching himself back towards the two remaining Death Eaters, Harry leapt onto the swing, using his momentum to swing into the second wizard's face.
Now, it was down to Harry and Lestrange. Harry hopped off of the swing as she looked around at her downed colleagues. Sneering, she raised her wand, pointing directly at Harry's chest.
"Well done Potter, but you can't escape. You couldn't beat me in the Department of Mysteries, and you can't beat me now."
"Stupefy!"
"Stupefy!"
The two Stunning curses met between them, melding together before they exploded, knocking both Harry and Lestrange to the ground. Rolling to a standing position, Harry quickly sent another Stunning curse at Sirius' killer, but she was too fast.
"Protego!"
"Damn…" Harry spat as he was forced to dodge his reflected Stunning curse. He and Lestrange circled each other for a few minutes, but Harry was beginning to get tired. While he was beginning to lag, Lestrange was still going strong, using Killing curse after Killing curse, hoping to catch him off guard.
I need something, some kind of surprise to throw her off balance. But what?
It was then that Harry noticed some of the rubble from destroyed playground equipment behind Lestrange, particularly a rather large metal pipe. A feral smile made its way onto Harry's mouth as he pointed his wand straight at the pipe; though to Lestrange it looked like he was pointing his wand at her.
"What are you going to do, Potter?" she laughed, "Try to kill me? You had your chance at the Ministry and you blew it. I will make my master proud when I give him your head tonight…" With that, Lestrange brought her wand up, intending to end the duel once and for all.
"Accio!" Harry shouted.
A puzzled look crossed Lestrange's face before she laughed and lifted her wand above her head, "Avada Ke-"
Thunk!
The pipe slammed into the back of Lestrange's head, throwing her forward onto the gravel at Harry's feet. Smirking, he performed a full body bind on all six Death Eaters, and then kicked Lestrange over. Her eyes looked a bit glassy, but they cleared as soon as she saw Harry standing over her with his wand pointed straight at her heart.
"Going to kill me boy?" she sneered, "I guess that Black must have meant a lot to you if you're considering that."
Harry's eyes widened at her mention of Sirius. His fingers tightened over his wand so much that his knuckles cracked. Just do it, a voice muttered in his head, Kill her and avenge Sirius. She took him. She took Sirius away, she deserves to die…
All of the pain that Harry had experienced since his godfather's death washed over him full force, leaving his eyes tear filled and his breathing ragged. She killed him. She killed Sirius. She and her husband tortured Frank and Alice Longbottom into insanity. She deserves to die.
Do it, do it now before you lose your chance!
Breathing heavily, Harry raised his wand over his head. The words 'Avada Kedavra' were on the tip of his tongue, waiting to be spit out and deal righteous judgment on those whom deserved it. The woman who robbed Neville of his parents. The monster who took Sirius away from him. She was an animal that deserved to be put down.
Images of Sirius falling through the veil in the Ministry started flashing through Harry's mind, increasing his wrath. Lestrange hitting Sirius in the chest with that curse. Sirius laughing at Order Headquarters, enjoying himself for the first time in months. Sirius pulling Harry into a hug, telling him to be careful. Sirius sitting next to Harry in Dumbledore's office after the Third Task in fourth year. Wormtail pointing a wand at Cedric, shouting, "Avada Kedavra!" Voldemort casting killing curse after killing curse at Dumbledore, who only cast curses to incapacitate in return.
Harry, standing over Sirius in his third year, trying to decide if killing the 'traitor' was what he really wanted to do.
I didn't kill then.
Harry looked into the hate-filled eyes of Bellatrix Lestrange and felt an intense surge of pity.
And I cannot - will not - kill now. I am not Voldemort
"I'm sorry." Harry said looking into Lestrange's widening eyes.
"What?" she spat incredulously.
"For trying to use the Cruciatus Curse on you in the Ministry. I should have just Stunned you." he replied
Lestrange's eyes got wider, then she sneered and began to retort, "I should have known you'd be too wea-"
"Stupefy!" Harry muttered.
The beam of red light caught Lestrange in the chest, rendering her unconscious. Harry took a deep breath and began thinking of how to contact the Ministry or the Order when he heard someone whistling in appreciation behind him.
"Well, I must say that that was quite enlightening. Why didn't you kill her?"
Harry spun around to find the man that had previously been sleeping on the park bench standing about ten feet away from him, arms crossed and eye brow raised.
"Um…who are you?" Harry asked. The man must be a wizard or something. Why else would he be so calm about all of this?
"Oh, sorry," the man said, his face breaking into an easy grin, "My name is Alfirin Istagûl. I was traveling through this area when I decided to take a rest here." he said, gesturing to the park bench.
Harry was still puzzling over the man's strange name when he noticed that Alfirin was looking curiously between Harry and Lestrange. Soon, the man said, "Why didn't you kill that woman? From what I gathered, she killed someone dear to you?"
"Um…well," Harry began, a little uncomfortable with the attention that Alfirin was paying to him. The man was looking Harry straight in the eyes, as if he could peer through them and see Harry's thoughts. "She did kill someone - my godfather - but I don't want to kill her. I don't really want to kill anyone."
What about Voldemort? Snape? Malfoy?
Although Harry despised all of them, he didn't want his potions professor or his most hated enemy (at school at least) dead. Of course, he wanted Voldemort stopped; he just wasn't looking forward to a head-on confrontation in which he would most likely end up dead.
And if that prophecy is worth anything at all, that's how it's going to end.
Alfirin smiled, as if satisfied with what he'd heard. For the life of him, Harry couldn't understand why he was relieved that this total stranger's approval meant so much to him.
"I must say, I'm surprised. Given your earlier actions at the Ministry, I was worried that you weren't a suitable candidate after all. Now, it appears that my patience has proven my first impressions of you to be correct." Alfirin said.
Harry jerked in surprise at that. Wait a minute, how does he know about what happened at the Ministry? Is he a member of the Order? Is that why no one else has shown up?
Alfirin laughed and snapped his fingers, after which a bright light blinded Harry. Blinking rapidly so his eyes would recover, Harry looked around to find that he was no longer in the playground. He and Alfirin were standing on a large, black marble platform covered in runes unlike anything Harry had ever seen before. Looking up, Harry noticed that the platform seemed to be floating in space. There was nothing but a never-ending star field all around them.
With wide eyes, Harry turned back to Alfirin to find that he was no longer wearing frayed, mismatched clothing. The man stood before him clad in very strange clothes. He was wearing a bodysuit that was made of some strange red material that shimmered when he moved, making him look like liquid fire. He also had fingerless gloves and boots made from the same material. There was a separate article, something that looked like a tunic, but it was gold. It covered both shoulders, coming down over his chest and back to meet at his waist, where it looked like a sash of the same material was wrapped around to hold the tunic in place. Under the waist band the cloth continued in one piece, in both front and back, as flaps that hung down to about mid-thigh.
Raising an eyebrow at the strange garb, Harry asked, "What's going on?"
"I am not what you think I am, Harry." Alfirin replied. "You think that I am a wizard. In truth, I am to wizards what wizards are to insects." he said with a careless gesture, as if being exponentially more powerful than a magical being were 'no big thing.'
At Harry's skeptical glance, Alfirin sighed, "I see you still have doubts. What will it take to convince you? Hmmm…"
He walked to the edge of the platform and stared out into the star field for a few moments. Turning back, he began, "I am not human Harry. I am an immortal, a guardian. Not a guardian of a place or person. I am a guardian of knowledge, magical and otherwise."
He paused and looked Harry in the eyes. Though he had just met this man… thing… whatever he was, Harry knew he was telling the truth. He couldn't explain how he knew, but it just felt right.
"What do you mean, 'knowledge?'?" Harry asked, joining Alfirin at the precipice. There were stars as far as the eye could see in every direction.
"I'm the guardian of the knowledge of Light. A person entrusted with everything needed to fight for the side of good. And, a few things to cause a little mischief as well." At Harry's questioning look, Alfirin chuckled, "The one entrusted with the 'Aewonaur Coll' has to have a little fun too, you know."
"The what?"
"The Aewonaur Coll. The 'Phoenix Mantle' in the language used by those who first held it. It's what this ancient knowledge is called. It's what I would like to bestow upon you."
Startled, Harry backed away from the edge of the platform. "If you have this power, why do you want me to have it?"
"Because, Harry," he sighed, "I'm tired. Tired of constantly fighting, of hiding from those that want the power I possess. I need a break. I figure that a lifetime or two with nothing to do but rest and relax would do me a world of good."
"Er…" Harry said, befuddled, "Do you mean that you just want me to take care of this…power, while you go away?"
"In a manner of speaking," Alfirin said. "I have been fighting for the forces of Light for the last 5,000 years Harry. I - I need to go away for a while, and I need someone that I know can handle this responsibility while I'm gone."
"Why me?"
"Because Harry," he replied, "You have a good heart. Even when confronting the person that stole someone so important to you away, you refused to kill. Besides, if anyone needs this knowledge, this power, it would be you."
"So you know." Harry said, sitting down on the marble floor.
Sitting beside him, Alfirin nodded and said, "Yes Harry, I know about the prophecy. And I also know that, given your current skills, you will not survive a one-on-one confrontation with Riddle. You need skills that Dumbledore and the rest can't teach you. With the Mantle, you would have those skills, that knowledge, and you would stand a chance against the so-called Dark Lord."
Harry turned his head, green eyes meeting purple. "If I took these powers, what would be involved?"
"Well," Alfirin said, sitting back with a grave look on his face, "You would, of course, receive the Mantle from me. You would also have the Mark of the Guardian placed on your body. After which you would hold the Phoenix Mantle, and possess all of the knowledge and skills that title entails.
"Of course, there is one other thing." Alfirin added. "There is one other like me, an immortal, who craves the power and knowledge that come with the Mantle. As is his right by ancient law, he will test you to see if you are worthy of holding it. If you fail his test, you will lose the power… and your life."
"What kind of test?" Harry asked.
"A test of your character, your strength, your skill. I should warn you that I have tried to pass the Mantle on before - no one has ever survived the trials that Iaur Dúath has set forth."
"But," Harry replied, puzzled, "How can you pass on the Mantle if those people failed? Didn't they lose it?"
"Yes and no." Alfirin replied. "When your predecessors failed, the power returned to me, as I was still its rightful guardian. But, I can only pass on the Mantle so many times. This is the last time that I can pass it on. If you fail, the power will be lost to the darkness."
Harry was silent for a moment. "What about when I die?"
"Well," Alfirin replied, "Assuming that you pass the trials, you will keep the powers until the day you die, at which point I can reclaim them. Of course, since wizards usually live to be about 200 years old, that won't be for a while. You could always pass the Mantle on, but you must be careful in doing so - you must choose wisely."
Harry stared down at the incomprehensible runes around him, lost in thought. If Alfirin was telling the truth (and Harry had a gut feeling that he was), then Harry would be putting himself in danger by taking these powers. It's not like I'm exactly safe as I am.
Good point. Harry looked up at Alfirin.
"I'll do it."