The Sword of Light
by Jardyn39
Part Four of "The Apprentice Piece"
Chapter Fourteen: An Attack in Two Worlds
Harry woke and quickly dressed himself. It was now almost five o'clock in the afternoon.
He hurried down to the Great Hall, hoping to catch Hermione at dinner. He was a little concerned that the deep burning pain from the dream cut persisted now he was really awake.
He wished Kales was still around to consult.
He entered the hall. It was almost full with students chatting and eating happily. He quickly scanned the Gryffindor table and saw Hermione sitting with Ron. He started to walk towards them when Harry noticed that Dumbledore was walking towards them between the house tables, talking to a small group of visitors.
Most of them were smiling and nodding as Dumbledore pointed up, presumably telling them about some of the banners that decorated the hall. A witch at the back of the group, Harry noticed, was not listening. She was staring avidly at Hermione and held a hand inside her robes.
Harry ran towards them and shouted a warning to Hermione.
Panicking, the witch withdrew a dagger and lunged for Hermione. Harry got there just in time and dived at the witch, wrestling her to the ground. He suddenly felt a burning sensation and excruciating pain in his side. She had stabbed him.
"The Dark Lord will be victorious!" yelled the woman as Harry felt himself being roughly pulled off her. There was a flash and she fell still.
Harry became vaguely aware of screaming and he knew he was losing consciousness.
With all the will he could muster, he appeared in the stadium before the darkness claimed him.
*
Something told Harry that there was still danger. He summoned Gryffindor's sword and flew straight back to the Great Hall.
Inside the Hall it was pandemonium.
The DA had formed a circle around his unconscious body, Dumbledore and Hermione, who was crying and cradling his head. Dumbledore looked like he'd been knocked out, along with the other visitors. Neville was shouting orders above the din, making sure the protective circle remained intact.
Attacking them were several small groups of Slytherins, hurling hexes at them with abandon.
Worse, though, were the dozens of snarling creatures that were attacking both Hermione and Dumbledore. Perhaps these were what had caused him to loose consciousness.
Whatever, Harry knew he was the only one aware of these creatures and what they were doing.
Harry lifted the sword and waded into them.
After several wild swings of the sword, he cleared the area in the centre. Harry found he could move freely through the defenders, as could the creatures.
He circled around Hermione and Dumbledore.
The creatures had paused their attack. He knew they were about to charge them in numbers.
Suddenly one of them flew down behind Harry's back. He turned and with a wild lunch thrust the sword through the creature's chest. It vanished with a scream but to Harry's horror he realised the blade of the sword had been thrust through the back of Neville's head.
Harry watched as Neville stood quite still for a moment as spells whistled past him. Harry withdrew the sword at once and fully expected his friend to fall.
He didn't though. Neville bellowed another order and he broke away from the circle, leaping over benches. Finding a better angle of attack, Neville launched a ferocious series of spells that drew fire away from the defensive circle.
Harry was amazed at Neville's bravery. He also realised that the Sword of Light had no harmful effect at all on anything still in the real world.
This meant Harry didn't have to be quite so careful not to hit his friends as they fought on, something he was rather glad of as the creatures surged forward again having regrouped.
Harry fought on, but as time passed, he was beginning to tire.
He had only spent short periods in the dream world so far, but always woke feeling tired. Something about this place was draining, although he realised this was probably a mental exhaustion rather than a physical one.
The number of creatures attacking was increasing now.
Many were getting past him.
The fight continued until Harry watched in horror as Hermione slumped forward over his body.
*
An anger such as he'd never felt before surged through him.
The light of Gryffindor's sword shone brighter and he hurled himself into the attacking throng with new vigour.
Gradually and incredibly, the creatures began losing ground. Harry fought them back using every last bit of his energy until finally they retreated.
Exhausted, Harry paused for a moment and observed the other battle. The senior DA members were all still fighting hard although many had by now fallen.
Neville was continuing to be especially effective, but there was till a group of attackers shielded by upturned tables that were firing curses and hexes.
"Incendio!" said Harry and a fire that was fuelled by his anger engulfed them briefly. They were quickly overpowered after that.
Harry turned back to see Madam Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall rush into the hall. Harry realised that Pansy was unconscious at his feet. She had been fighting on the side of the DA.
"The great doors were sealed! We couldn't get in," shouted Madam Pomfrey.
To his relief, Dumbledore was stirring but Hermione remained still. Harry had no idea how hurt she was.
He suddenly felt the pain in his side intensify.
Staggering now, he knew he had to return to his body.
*
"Calm down, Poppy."
"The blade was poisoned! I've no idea what kind of poison it was but it's spreading and his wounds are getting worse. Nothing I've tried works. Why he isn't dead already, I'll never know."
Harry was drifting in and out of consciousness. He wasn't sure what was real and what was a dream any more.
Darkness was all around him. The pain in his side was getting much worse and his ear drums pounded with every heartbeat.
*
Harry had been fighting for as long as he could remember, and he was beginning to tire again. He was also gradually losing ground to the dozen or so creatures he was fighting. He no longer had a sword of light to fight with. This one was a jewel encrusted golden sword that seemed a poor substitution.
The creatures were different, as well. They were much more solid than before. They had a more physical presence here, wherever here was. They also had swords and armour.
Just as he thought he could go on no more, the creatures backed off, blinded by a bright light from behind him. Squinting and shielding his eyes, Harry turned.
A ghostly shape was standing there. She appeared to be shouting at him but he heard nothing at all.
"Ginny?"
He watched. She looked like she was shouting, "Harry!" over and over.
He tried to lip read to understand what she was saying, but she kept fading out of sight and also kept turning away from him and appeared to be talking to someone else as well.
"I can't hear you, Ginny. What are you trying to tell me?"
"Hello, Harry."
He spun around.
"Myrtle? What are you doing here?"
"Well, I contemplating things. I come here sometimes, at the threshold, to think. I think she wants to tell you something."
"I can't hear her, Myrtle! What is she saying?"
"I'll see if I can help," said Myrtle, floating over to Ginny. "She hasn't quite got the hang of it yet."
The two ghostly shapes intercepted each other and for a moment both disappeared from view. Then Ginny reappeared.
"Harry!"
"Ginny, I can hear you now. What is it?"
Ginny looked relieved but worried. Then she put on an attitude of forced calm.
"I thought we should have a chat. Come over here and sit a moment. You can carry on fighting in a bit, if you like."
Harry sat down on a convenient bench that he was sure hadn't just been there, and tried to look at her. She was so bright it hurt his eyes.
"Where are we Harry?" she asked.
"I don't know. Some corridor. It looks like one at Hogwarts, with all this panelling."
"Hogwarts doesn't have a corridor that is half a mile long with no doors. We are not at Hogwarts, are we?"
"I suppose not," he replied. "Ginny, you look strange. I can't see you clearly."
"Listen carefully, Harry," she said seriously. "You were stabbed and have been poisoned. You are dying. Madam Pomfrey can't fix you up because of the poison. Dumbledore says you are being attacked in numbers by the creatures in the dream world. In that direction," she pointed down the long corridor, "the one you've been driven towards, has rest, peace and death. The other direction is pain, hardship and life."
"Is Hermione okay?"
"Even if we deal with the poison so Madam Pomfrey can fix you up, if you keep going in that direction it will all be for nothing. Decide, Harry. Are you really prepared to give up life this easily? Has You-Know-Who won already?"
"No," Harry said standing up. At once the golden sword he held was replaced by a sword of pure white light.
Ginny smiled and vanished.
Harry ran at his attackers, determined to fight for his life.
*
As the last of his foes fell to the sword, Harry charged towards the blinding light at the end of the corridor.
The corridor vanished and he fell into nothingness.
*
"What are you doing here, Boy?"
"Kales?" asked Harry. "Where are you? I can't see anything!"
"Calm down. There's nothing much to see. You didn't fall through a very interesting doorway."
"I was fighting along a long corridor. Ginny told me this way was life. I found the sword again."
"Really?" asked Kales, sounding impressed. "I was worried that I'd misled you. I was convinced you'd just try and summon Gryffindor's sword rather than what already existed within you."
"Kales, Ginny didn't say whether Hermione was alright or not."
"The Guardian is fine for now, I can see her from here."
"Why was Hermione attacked? That witch tried to stab her and those things were attacking from the dream world."
"I told you, Voldemort is sending agents. He just got desperate and tried to rectify his mistake."
"But why attack Hermione?"
"He knows it's too late now," replied Kales unhelpfully. "Of course, he's sending what's left of his agents after you now for messing up his plans again."
"I don't understand, Kales. Why is it too late?"
"The Guardian is now safe from attacks from Voldemort in the dream world. She was vulnerable. I think that's why you were given the opportunity to become the wand bearer at such an absurdly young age. A gamble perhaps, but one that paid off. I don't know why I'm bothering to tell you this, you won't remember half of it."
"So Hermione is safe?"
"No Boy, the Guardian will be safe. The Lady Hermione will always be as vulnerable as ever. Voldemort tried to eliminate the possibility of her becoming a Guardian. Even if she does ascend, Guardians are mortal. As it is, truth may yet prevail. While there is truth, the dark will never totally win.
"When that so-called Unspeakable had the impudence to allow you to use your potential at the hospital, I was watching you both from here. I could see her flame was dying, and there was nothing I could do but wait for the darkness," Kales said sadly. "I'm sure it was her illness that alerted Voldemort. He summoned more than just I from the dream worlds. Someone must have told him that the flame was going out and what that might mean."
"You see, in the dream worlds, truth and hope have a physical presence. In the waking world no life could continue without the sun, and in the dream worlds, truth allows life to continue. The irony is, the Guardians never truly see the wonder of the worlds they sustain. They are never mere dreamers like us."
Harry listened intently. He knew he might not remember much of this when he woke.
"The attacks in the dream world should slow now. Your efforts required them to send reinforcements. Their weakened defences allowed me to close the doorway from their world, at least for now. Some have survived to become trapped in your dream world, but Voldemort's influence over them will be much reduced."
"Thank you, Kales. Will you come back with me?"
"No, but please give My Lady my kind regards if you remember. Now, are you rested enough?"
"Yes, thanks. The pain is subsiding now."
"That can't be good. How about now?"
"Ow!" shouted Harry. "What are you doing? Argh!"
Harry grimaced as pain seared through his entire body.
"The thing about choosing life, is that one often has to endure pain and hardship to know one's still alive. It's time you continued on your journey, young Harry. If you must blunder about so close to the Underworld, please look where you are going next time."
*
Harry was standing in the middle of the hospital wing. His body was on a bed next to him. Crouched low over his head was Ginny with her eyes closed. Madam Pomfrey was tending to his bleeding wounds.
The floor was strewn with bloody bandages and the adjacent beds had been pushed away, apparently to give them more room to work. His own bed had been pushed towards the centre giving them clear access all around.
As Madam Pomfrey grabbed another roll of clean white bandage from a trolley, he realised his wounds were from his fight in the corridor. Somehow his body had really suffered the same cuts and blows.
The bed linen was almost entirely covered in his fresh blood.
He realised he didn't have time to consider this further.
The bed was entirely surrounded by dozens of the creatures that were advancing slowly, as if sensing death was close.
Harry held the sword of light up high and made ready to attack.
Madam Pomfrey screamed.
Somehow, she could now see the creatures reflected in the light of the sword.
Ginny looked up and ordered firmly, "You deal with the wounds. I'll neutralise the poison. Harry will hold off the creatures."
Madam Pomfrey glanced around looking quite terrified. She turned back to Ginny who was looking grimly determined. Madam Pomfrey gave a shaky nod before setting to work, not daring to look up again.
Harry circled the bed, slashing at any creature that came too close.
Unfortunately, they were becoming braver. Several lunged forward only to perish at Harry's hand.
Ginny was now holding her hands up over him and there came strange ethereal blue light emanating from her. Harry was prepared to bet she didn't learn that in her First Aid Club.
The creatures then began to fall back as if afraid of Ginny.
Harry continued to circle the bed.
The creatures looked undecided what to do, but Harry was sure they would try to attack again.
Seeing something move in a shadow under a bed, Harry rushed behind Ginny. An enormous snake with bright red eyes reared up and lunged at Ginny, its long poisonous green fangs bared to strike.
Harry cleaved it in half without hesitation.
At this, the creatures appeared to fall back into the shadows.
"Okay, Harry. Enough sleepy time. Come back to the land of the living now," said Ginny, completely oblivious to the snake still twitching behind her.
His sword vanished and Harry felt himself being carried, first back to the stadium and then he woke back in the hospital wing.
In agony, he managed to open his eyes just a moment to see a grinning, blood splattered Ginny before falling into a deep sleep.