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Harry Potter and the Crest of Eternity by Zanarkand
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Harry Potter and the Crest of Eternity

Zanarkand

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter characters. They are the property of J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros, etc. No money was made from the creation of this story.

Chapter 1: Through Unfamiliar Eyes

Vernon Dursley of number four, Privet Drive had finished mowing the grass in his backyard. He pushed the lawnmower into the little shed behind the house and wiped his forehead with his handkerchief. Vernon was not use to such labor. It was usually his son's responsibility to mow the lawn; however, it being summer and his last amateur boxing match approaching in a couple of days, Dudley remained in his room, practicing on his punching bag.

During the past six summers, the lawn was the responsibility of his nephew, Harry Potter. How he truly despised the boy, believing that his presence did nothing but bring shame onto his family. However, unlike the previous summers, Harry was seldom found roaming around number four, Privet Drive. In fact, Harry was only known to appear in the house when it was time for bed.

Harry Potter wasn't an average seventeen-year-old boy. He was a wizard. From the moment he wakes everyday to the time he goes to bed, Harry Potter spends his time with his guardian, Keung Chang, doing his best to train himself for his inevitable task. Unlike the other wizards in the Wizarding world, Harry possessed a special gift, a gift that he sees as a curse that he has had all his life. Harry Potter was the only wizard who possessed the ability to defeat Lord Voldemort.

Vernon never liked anything that seemed less than normal and magic was certainly at the top of his abnormal list. When he heard of the new living arrangements that the Order of the Phoenix had devised for Harry, Vernon was more than pleased. With Harry's absence, the Dursley home had returned to its casual Muggle routine. It was as if he'd never come home that summer. Their house was no longer bombarded with letters from owls and they were finally able to remove the barrier that prevented wizards and witches from flooing into their fireplace. The only part of the house that the Dursleys avoided was the room that was once Dudley's second bedroom.

That room was the sleeping quarters for Harry and the place he returned to every night to rest. Vernon, aware of the fact that Harry possessed the magical powers to simply transport himself into the bedroom, decided to board up the door, in hopes of keeping his nephew sealed off from the rest of the Dursley home.

Vernon closed the small shed and made his way towards the glass doors that led back into the kitchen. However, he focused his attention on the house next door. A white canopy had been raised in its backyard on the first day of the August and had been up ever since. For the exception of a few slits near the center of the roof, the canopy completely concealed the backyard of number two, Privet Drive. Vernon had always been curious about it, but never had the nerve to ask his neighbor for an explanation. The reason being that his neighbor was none other than Keung Chang.

It was August 31st and another incredibly hot day in Little Whinging. There hadn't been a breeze for the past several weeks, yet something frequently caused the white canopy to shudder. Vernon's eyes narrowed whenever it did and he knew that something peculiar was taking place inside it, but again, he never had the daring to investigate.

He released a heavy sigh as he shook his head in disgust. He opened the glass door and felt a cool gush of air hit him. He walked into the house and closed the door behind him. He noticed the canopy shudder yet again, but he couldn't care less at this point. He walked over to the refrigerator and helped himself to a cold refreshment.

* ~ * ~ * ~ *

"C'mon Harry," Keung grinned as he hopped back a few feet, his wand trained on him. "I know you're tired…but you need to push yourself."

"I am," Harry replied as he took quick breaths, sweat trickling down his brow. "Believe me…I am."

The two had been dueling for several hours that late afternoon. Harry was truly grateful for Keung's willingness and eagerness to train him in the arts of combat and magic, but there were times where he wished his guardian would relax and allow them to have a moment to rest. Keung knew of this need, but would never grant Harry such a luxury. An enemy wouldn't allow Harry time to relax during a fight and because of that neither would he.

For the past month, Harry and Keung had practiced fervently under the white canopy. Upon turning seventeen, Harry was no longer forced to obey the Decree of the Restriction of Underage Wizardy, which in turn, allowed him to practice magic during his training with Keung.

The two procured several round red gems from Professor Spencer, the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts, and placed them in appropriate locations around the canopy. These gems produced a powerful force field that prevented any runaway spells from destroying the house as well as the rest of Privet Drive. With the use of a silencing charm, those outside of the canopy couldn't hear the commotion that took place within it, but the sudden shuddering of the white tent always attracted the attention of their neighbors.

Harry snickered at the massive list of reasons he and Keung had told the neighbors that were curious enough to come and knock on their door. Amongst their list were fibs were: science experiments gone horribly wrong, the construction of small theme park rides, and the taming of wild animals. Mrs. Figg, a squib who had watched over Harry from afar since his arrival to Privet Drive, occasionally dropped by and did her best to give the two a stern lecture about the rumors they were starting around the neighbor, but she, herself, ended in fits of laughter when they told her about their latest antics.

"Compello contrundo!" Harry shouted as he hurled white sparks at Keung.

Keung quickly moved to his right and allowed the barrier to absorb the attack. He swiftly maneuvered towards Harry and had his wand ready.

"Impedimenta!" he yelled in retaliation.

Harry instinctively jumped out of the way of the attack. "Silencio!"

Keung disappeared with a cloud of smoke just before the sparks hit him and reappeared behind Harry. Harry noticed this and immediately dove to his right as a volley of sparks flew towards him.

"Incendio!" Harry shouted as he landed on his back, a fireball launching out of the tip of his wand.

"Protego!" Keung roared back as he formed his Reflective Wall and sent the fireball back towards Harry.

Harry quickly hopped to his feet and disapparated out of the path of the fireball, reappearing to Keung's left. He bolted towards Keung and was able to get a firm grip on his right wrist with his left hand. Keung, in turn, grabbed a hold of Harry's wrist and the two began to push against each other.

"Your reflexes have improved," Keung said through gritted teeth as he leaned forward, using his weight and strength against Harry.

"Thanks," Harry grinned as his grip tightened on Keung's wrist. His eyes were tense and focused squarely on Keung's. Harry took in a deep breath and without hesitation, used everything he had to push against his trainer, forcing him to take a step back.

"You shouldn't use so much force," Keung said as he winked at Harry.

Harry knew he was up to something, but before he had time to react, Keung pulled him forward. Keung dropped himself to the ground and stuck his right foot firmly against Harry's stomach. Using Harry's own force and momentum, he successfully hurled Harry over him and onto his back.

Keung quickly hopped onto his feet and turned to find Harry winded. Keung gave him a weak grin as he aimed his wand at Harry. Harry looked up at him and his grip on his wand tightened. His eyes quickly moved around, searching for a way to escape. Keung noticed this and within a split second, Harry disappeared with a cloud of smoke. Keung casually pointed his wand to his right just as Harry reappeared.

"I've got…woah!" Harry stopped himself when he realized that he had apparated directly in front of Keung's wand, the tip only a few inches away from his forehead.

"I'm glad you're incorporating apparition in your style," Keung said as he took in a deep breath. "Though you shouldn't foreshadow where you're going to appear."

Harry gave him a weak nod as he accepted his defeat and sank to his knees, his body fatigued. He grimaced quietly and reached behind him to rub his aching back. Keung shook his head at him and held out his hand. Harry knew he wasn't going to get a break and reluctantly took it. Keung pulled him up to his feet and gave him a pat on his shoulder.

"One more go," Keung said as bright, yet tired smile. "It's going to be our last duel of the summer."

"I guess it has to be a good one," Harry replied with a wide grin as he and Keung took their starting positions in the center of the backyard.

Hermione Granger took a sip of her cold lemonade and relaxed in her chair as she watched the two men duel from the comforts of the air-conditioned kitchen. She softly grinned when her eyes fell upon Harry. After two months of rigorous training with Keung, Harry was no longer the skinny boy who looked gangly and underfed. His body had matured greatly. He didn't look anything like the mountain of muscles that generally appeared on Muggle billboards, in fact, Hermione was glad for she never found bulging muscles the least bit attractive. Harry, instead, had become nicely toned, which also added to his already respectable stature.

With the new developments in Harry's living arrangements and the use of the teleporting pocket watch, Hermione and their best friends, Ron Weasley and Nancy Mason, were able to visit him constantly throughout the summer. The four would usually gather around the oak dining table where they played board games and talked about whatever that came to mind. The conversation usually steered clear of the imminent dangers that surrounded them. There fun, however, always ended when it came time for Harry to return to the Dursleys' for bed.

On his seventeenth birthday, Harry was permitted to leave the house with his friends and the group spent their day exploring London, just as Harry and Hermione did the year before. Hermione was finally able to take Harry to the museum she had wanted to the year before, and the four had a wonderful time walking through the section dedicated to Wizards and Witches. They endlessly snickered at what Muggles thought were "facts", occasionally having a museum employee tell them to quiet down. Though unbeknownst to the group, Keung was always a step behind them, watching vigilantly over the four.

"How long have those two been going at it?" Hermione heard someone ask from behind her.

Hermione was startled at first, but her nerves settled when she recognized the voice. She turned and gave Ron Weasley a half-smile, noticing that he was covered with dust and soot. He had grown a few inches over the course of the summer, easily towering over her by at least a foot and a half, and his red-hair was in need of a trim. He had been trying to adapt his hairstyle to that of his older brother Bill but wasn't very successful.

"They've been training for the past three hours," she replied as she placed her glass of lemonade onto the oak dining table and raised her arms in the air to stretch her back. "I take you used floo powder?"

"Yeah, just got here a second ago," Ron nodded as he walked closer to the window and watched Keung hurl Harry over his shoulder, causing him to cringe when Harry came in contact with the ground. "Wow…that must of hurt."

"I'm sure it did," Hermione said with a very disapproving voice as she watched Harry quickly get back to his feet. "I don't like it when they train like this…I'm always afraid that he's going to get hurt. I'm sure there are better ways of teaching him how to duel without having to beat him up all the time."

"Oh, come now, Hermione. Quit your worrying," Ron sighed as he watched Harry collapse to the ground after being struck by one of Keung's spells. "You know Keung isn't going to do anything to really hurt him. Besides…like Spencer said to us last year during the Dueling Club, the best way to learn is through example."

"And since when did you ever take what professors say seriously?" Hermione asked as she raised an eyebrow.

"I do take them seriously…" he replied, trying to fight off a chuckle. "Well most of them. When did you get here?"

"My mum and dad dropped me off just before those two began their exercises," she answered as she rose from her chair and looked behind Ron. "Isn't Ginny with you?"

"Oh, she'll get here later," he said as he pried his eyes off of the duel. "She still had some packing left to do, so she couldn't leave just yet." Ron glanced down at his wristwatch and looked up back at Hermione. "I reckon she'll be along in about another hour or so."

After receiving permission from Keung and the Order, Hermione, Ron, and Ron's little sister, Ginny, were to spend the night at number two, Privet Drive and travel as a group to King's Cross Train Station the following morning.

"Dobby has moved Wheezy and Hermy's trunks into the closet," a squeaky voice came from behind Hermione and Ron.

"Thanks Dobby," Ron grinned as he turned to the house elf and gave him a friendly pat on the back.

"Oh, you didn't have to do that," Hermione replied, feeling guilty about Dobby doing something that she and Ron should have taken care of themselves. "We could of done it…you didn't have to."

"It's Dobby's duty…Dobby is happy to help," he smiled as he skipped over towards the counter.

"That's right," Ron grinned and gave Dobby a thumb-up. "He likes doing that sort of stuff…you don't want to deprive him of his happiness now, do you?"

"You are incorrigible, Ron," Hermione scoffed as she gave him her usual glare.

Ron had grown accustomed to that look, especially after receiving in on a constant basis during the six years of their friendship. However, despite its familiarity, there were still times when he felt a cold chill run up his spine when he saw it. And to his dismay, that chill was slowly settling in.

"What's for dinner, Dobby?" Ron quickly asked, hoping Hermione would discontinue her glare.

"Dobby was thinking stew with potatoes and bread rolls…" Dobby replied as he looked towards the large white refrigerator, gently scratching the side of his head. "Yes…stew with potatoes and bread rolls!"

With a snap of his fingers, the house-elf conjured a small apron and placed it on. He focused his attention back onto the refrigerator and with another snap of his fingers, the door opened. An assortment of different foods levitated out onto the kitchen counter. Dobby pulled over a tall stool and gracefully hopped onto it. He gave the two a bright grin as he started to separate the needed ingredients.

"We would really like to help," Hermione said gleefully, causing Ron's eyes to widen.

"What do you mean `we'? I've never cooked before!" he exclaimed.

"Oh, it's not that hard…it's quite fun, actually," she replied as she picked up a potato and a peeling knife. "Plus…we should help out…it's not fair to have Dobby do all the work. Now, go get yourself cleaned up so you can help out."

"C'mon Hermione…" Ron groaned, his hands in front of him, pleading with her. "You know that I can't cook…"

"Well…it's about time you learn. Didn't you know that Nancy really likes a guy who can cook?" She honestly didn't know if her statement was true, but knew that it was the right card to play.

Ever since Ron and Nancy had started dating, Ron did everything in his power to please and impress her. Despite the declaration of her love for him and her attempts to calm his insecurities, he still felt unconfident about their relationship; continuously worrying about the other men she's met and how she would leave him for one.

Ron was ready to make another argument, but the moment he thought about Hermione's comment, he immediately shut his mouth and obediently walked towards the closet to retrieve fresh clothes from his trunk. However, regardless of his obedience, he still didn't like the idea of cooking. He grumbled as he walked into the bathroom and slowly cleaned himself up, trying to take as much time as he possibly could.

When he returned to the kitchen, he was saddened to see that there was still plenty left to do.

"Trying to take your time?" Hermione asked as she tossed him a potato.

"No, of course not," he lied as he caught the potato and pulled up a chair next to her. "I just had trouble --"

"Stop Ron," Hermione cut him off as she gave him a knowing look. She handed him her peeling knife and gave him a soft smile. "You continue with the potatoes…I'm going to help Dobby with the bread."

Ron nodded and did his best to give her a smile. He knew that she enjoyed putting him in these kinds of situations greatly, and he knew that he had to somehow get even with her. However, such a task could only be performed on another day and with that, he released a soft sigh and he stared at his potato, slowly peeling it.

After about fifteen minutes of peeling, chopping, and kneading, the glass door of the kitchen slid open and Keung and Harry entered. The two were breathless and drenched with sweat, but it was only Harry who was covered with scrapes and dirt. Hermione and Ron gave him a smirk; obviously knowing which of the two suffered the most during the duels.

"Hello love," Hermione smiled as she walked around the counter and pushed herself up on her tiptoes, giving him a soft kiss on his lips, able to taste the salt from his sweat. "How was your workout?"

"Invigorating," he replied sarcastically as he leaned forward and gave her a quick peck. His eyes then focused on Ron, who was currently butchering the vegetables with a large serrated knife. "I see you've turned over a new leaf."

"Hey, I didn't want to do this," he replied as he scooped up the minced vegetables and tossed them into a bowl. "If one of you falls over dead because I bungled up somewhere, it's not my fault."

"Well in that case, I'll avoid whatever you're making," Keung snickered, causing Ron to look up and give him an unappreciated glare. Keung gently shook his head as he walked over to the refrigerator and took out two bottled waters. "We better get cleaned up," he said to Harry as he tossed him one of the bottles.

"Yeah," Harry nodded as he opened the bottle and drank half the water in a few gulps. He turned to Hermione and gave her another quick kiss. "I'll be back in a bit."

* ~ * ~ * ~ *

Harry wiped the condensation that had built up on the bathroom mirror and released a soft sigh. He finished buttoning his shirt and grabbed his towel, proceeding to finish drying his hair, not caring that it stuck out in random directions when he was done. After placing on his glasses, he quickly examined his attire and gave himself an approved nod. He tossed his dirt-covered clothes into the hamper and walked out of the bathroom.

He made his way towards the stairs when he heard a sudden crash come from the room that was next to his study. He was ready to investigate but stopped the moment he heard a hiss and a soft hoot. Harry released a sigh of relief when he realized that it was only Crookshanks, Hermione's cat, and Pidwidgeon, Ron's owl, having another one of their usual scuffles. With a gentle shake of his head, he continued on.

Harry found Keung standing at the foot of the stairs with his arms crossed. He was dressed in his usual evening garb with his black cloak draped over his shoulders; Harry could tell that he was going somewhere. Harry descended the stairs trying to make the least amount of noise possible, but Keung noticed him and gave him a smile. The two made eye contact and Harry immediately knew where he was going.

"Dinner is ready sirs," Dobby said happily as he bounced over towards the two.

"Thanks Dobby," Keung replied as he smiled at the house-elf. "Do you think I can take mine to go? Two meals, if you don't mind."

Dobby nodded dutifully. "Yes sir…right away sir," he said with a salute before he quickly made his way back into the kitchen.

"When will you be back?" Harry asked with a flat tone.

"I'll be back before midnight," Keung replied as looked over towards the dining table and saw Ron and Hermione talking with Ginny. He turned towards Harry and gave him a grin. "I trust that I can leave you four here?"

"Oh, you know us…we'll just destroy everything inside this house and set the Dursleys on fire," Harry answered sarcastically.

"Funny," Keung said with a fake laugh. He took in a deep breath and gave Harry a sincere look. "I know you don't like the fact that I see her…I actually ask myself why I do it every now and then…but she needs a friend."

"You do whatever you want," Harry snapped quietly, not wanting to attract the attention of his friends. "I just think it's a bad idea…that's all."

"I know…I know," he sighed as Dobby walked cautiously back to them, carrying several plastic containers filled with food. Keung grinned at him and gladly took them.

"Thanks Dobby," he said softly as he turned to Harry and gave him a reassured nod. "Don't cause too much trouble."

Harry responded with a nod and before another word could be said, Keung vanished with a cloud of smoke. Harry shook his head and slowly followed Dobby back towards the kitchen. He greeted his friends with a warm smile and was astonished to see dining table was nicely set with the food ready.

"Where'd Keung go?" Ron asked as Harry took his seat next to Hermione.

"He's off visiting her again," Harry sighed as he reached forward and took a bread roll from one of the center trays.

"Who's her?" Ginny asked as she swirled her stew with her spoon, noticing Harry, Hermione, and Ron's composures growing tense.

"Magnolia Reins," Ron answered with a slight shudder.

"You mean the woman you tried to kill you all last year?" Ginny gasped, accidentally releasing her spoon and causing it to splash in her stew.

"The very same," Harry replied, slowly releasing his anxiety by tearing his bread roll.

"He has a good reason for doing so," Hermione said as she placed her hand on Harry's arm, giving it a soft squeeze. "I mean…"

"It's a bit dodgy, don't you think?" Ron interrupted her. "After everything she's done, I don't see how he can stand being around her, let alone trust her…it's just odd."

"We have had this conversation several times before," Hermione said as she rolled her eyes. "Dumbledore asked Keung to do it and he agreed."

"Why would he want to do a thing like that?" Ginny asked as she carefully fished her spoon out of her bowl and dried it with her napkin.

"Dumbledore feels that she can recover from the corruption of the Flamora," Hermione explained as she took a peak at Harry from the corner of the eyes. "Though such a recovery would be impossible if she didn't have anyone she could talk to…for motivation."

"Also, being in Azkaban doesn't make things easier," Harry continued as he was reading a script in his mind. "Keung feels that it's only right to be her friend again, since she befriended him back at Hogwarts when the other Slytherins hated him…sort of like repaying her for everything she did for him."

"We should trust Dumbledore's decision," Hermione said as she gently blew against her stew. "If Dumbledore feels that she can be saved…well, then I believe it."

"I don't get how you could say that?" Ron asked with a bewildered look. "After everything she's done and all…she did try to kill us and she would of succeeded too if it weren't for Keung."

"I'm not saying that I like it," Hermione replied, defending herself. "I believe that we should trust Dumbledore…he's never been wrong about these things. I mean…you said the same thing about Snape, but he hasn't done anything."

"Oh don't get me started on him," Ron groaned as he placed a forkful of mashed potatoes into his mouth. "I still think --"

"C'mon," Harry interrupted, sounding very frustrated about the subject. "I'm sorry for bringing it up, but can we forget about the whole thing for tonight? Hermione's right, we've had this conversation so many times…I can already tell you exactly what each of us is going to say. There's no point in starting it all over again."

"We have talked this enough," Hermione nodded as she took a sip of her water. "I don't want to think about it anymore."

"Fine by me," Ron retorted, not wanting to end the fight, but did so anyways. With a soft gruff, he stuck another forkful of mash potatoes into his mouth.

Ginny released a gentle sigh of relief as she watched the three dig into their food, the mood around the table lightening tremendously.

* ~ * ~ * ~ *

"That was a fun night," Harry grinned to Hermione as the two entered his study, startling a now woken Hedwig.

"Sorry Hedwig," Hermione said weakly as the owl glared at the two before resuming her rest.

After finishing their dinner, the four sat on the living room couch and watched a several Muggle movies. Overall, it was a very enjoyable experience for the Weasleys, despite the two constantly asking Harry and Hermione questions about things that they were watching. The questions somewhat drained the enjoyment of the movies for Harry and Hermione, but to Ron and Ginny, the answers they received were priceless pieces of Muggle information. It took them a while before they were able to grasp the idea of actors and their roles in Muggle entertainment. However, it was particular difficult to explain how one Muggle actor can assume the roles of more than one character in different movies.

Harry closed the door behind him and gave Hermione an evil grin. She couldn't help but release a soft giggle as he walked over and took her into his arms. Her arms wrapped firmly around his neck as she gave him a yearning look. Harry's grin widened at the sight of this and firmly placed his lips on hers, kissing her hungrily.

Hermione had grown into a beautiful woman. Harry always wondered why it took him so long to see the changes that she has gone through. She seemed so delicate and helpless at times, yet deep down she was as tough and resourceful as he was. So much of his life revolved around this woman. Such a revelation scared him at first for he was afraid that he would lose her to the curse of his prophecy; however, after several deep and intimate conversations with her about the subject, he knew that could never love anyone as much as her. He would gladly spend the rest of his life protecting her and keeping her happy.

"Now now…" Hermione gasped as the two broke their kiss, desperately needing air.

She gazed into Harry's emerald green eyes, half-opened and full of desire, and allowed a gentle moan to escape her. She loved his eyes. They possessed the ability to make her heart melt and cause incredibly warm sensations to rush through her. His eyes were the windows to his soul and by looking into them; Hermione knew what he was thinking and feeling.

"Mr. Head Boy," Hermione grinned as she raised herself onto her tiptoes and gently kissed his cheek, "you need to keep your emotions under control. We can't allow you to abuse your power and take advantage of the innocent girls at Hogwarts."

"Well, Ms. Head Girl…we can't possibly allow me to do such a thing," Harry replied with a soft snicker, carefully pulling her towards the bed he had conjured for her to use for the night. "What do you suggest we do to keep me from abusing my new powers?"

"We must keep you preoccupied…you know, keep your mind with your studies, Quidditch, your duties as Head Boy," she listed playfully as Harry laid onto the bed, gently pulling her on top of him. "Fraternization in such a manner will not be tolerated, kind sir."

"Then, I guess it's a good thing that the school year hasn't started yet," he said softly as he ran his fingers through her soft brown hair, gently pulling her head down to allow his lips to take hers.

Harry's digital clocked suddenly started buzzing, causing the two to groan. It was 11:30, and the time in which he was to return to the Dursleys. Hermione released a depressed sigh as she rolled off Harry. Harry watched her straighten her hair and clothing, her face flushed red.

"I guess we'll call it a night," Harry sighed as he stood from the bed.

"Yes," Hermione replied gently stood and wrapped her arms around him. "You get a good night's sleep."

"You too, Hermione," Harry smiled as he leaned forward and gave her a quick kiss. "Look after her Hedwig," he continued as he turned to face his agitated owl, which replied with a soft hoot.

She giggled softly and ran her fingers through his hair, her eyes locked with his. "I love you, Harry."

"I love you too, Hermione," he whispered before giving her another quick kiss.

* ~ * ~ * ~ *

The tavern was old and rotting. The floor was covered with mud and spilt liquor, the air reeked of a stale odor, and the tables and chairs were covered with eerie vines. The bartender, huge and overly grotesque with unknown stains on his vest, through pints of ale left and right to the occupants, all of which were dark characters, covered with black cloaks and for the exception of two, sat at their tables and drank their ale quietly.

"Distraction, you say?" an old man scoffed, his face black with dirt and a silver eye patch over his right eye. His teeth were a disgusting yellow and his scent was strong enough to scare a forest troll.

"Yes, the pursuit of the Flame was only a distraction of the true quest," the other man replied, his face covered by a black sash. "Indeed, the Flame would have been a fine weapon to add to the ranks of the Lord's army, but its failure was imminent."

"Then why go through with it if its failure was foreseen?" the old man questioned as he took several gulps from his large goblet.

"The Lord needed time to have his wisest and most trustworthy men conduct research."

"Which would explain the reason why you weren't in that humiliating showcase in the Forbidden Forest?" the old man jeered as he rested against the back of his chair.

"Don't mistake my ability to follow the commands of our master for cowardice," he growled, his grip on the mug tightening.

"I'm just surprised that he allowed such a thing to happen," he sighed in disbelief. "Twenty-one Death Eaters were taken that night."

"I know the numbers, Reynor. Believe me when I say that their capture was a part of a very brilliant scheme."

"Yes, to rot in Azkaban, I presume," Reynor mocked as he shook is head in disapproval.

"I have had enough of your tongue!" the man roared as he stood from his chair and drew his sword, the blade centimeters from Reynor's short neck. "For a man who claims to have unparallel loyalty for our Lord, you know when to turn your tail."

Reynor's eyes bolted around the tavern. The man's action had caused the others to rise from their chairs, but none did anything. Reynor noticed their eyes fixed on the man's sword and when he turned to examine it, his mouth dropped slowly.

The blade was finely crafted and had an eerie green glow. The hilt of the blade was made to look like a snake's head, with the blade expelling from his mouth. The blade seemed to radiate with an unforgiving power and a gentle yet furious hiss could be heard.

"You have found the blade," Reynor gasped as his eyes moved back up towards the man's.

"Yes, I have found it and I…" the man suddenly stopped and pulled the blade away as he turned to look behind him. He took in deep breaths with his nose, his eyes bolting from face to face within the tavern.

"What is it?" Reynor asked, finally able to take in a breath and somewhat relaxed.

"I thought I smelled something," the man replied in a low tone, his eyes still moving about. "It smelled almost like dog…no, a wolf."

* ~ * ~ * ~ *

Harry's eyes opened. He gently rose from his bed and felt his sweaty forehead. He was dreaming. However, it was somewhat different from the ones that he had in the past. His head didn't hurt, his scar didn't burn, yet he felt a sense of evil and fear run through him. Watching Reynor tremble in fear through the eyes of that man wasn't a very settling feeling.

Harry took in a few deep breaths as he examined his watch. It read 6:07. Harry turned to look at his pillow, but as welcoming has sleep felt, he didn't want it. He stood from his bed and stretched his back, hearing a few of his bones crack involuntarily.

`I guess, I better get a move on then,' Harry thought to himself as he took another deep breath and disapparated out of his room.

--------------------------

A/N: Sorry for taking so long to put up the first two chapters of the Crest of Eternity. Please bear with me because it may be a couple of weeks before any further additions can be made. There is a lot going on right now with me that takes priority over writing. Thank you very much for reading my first story and hope that you enjoy the first two chapters of the second.