Chapter 4
Devil & Angel
Two weeks after Harry's arrival at Grimmauld Place Ginny was released from St. Mungu's. Though she still had little memory of what had happened to her, Harry could feel her gaze upon him occasionally. At the moment Hermione was working on some extra credit homework and trying to get Ron to complete his own homework.
"But Hermione, we've been working on our homework for hours. I can't take anymore." Whined Ron.
"Honestly Ron, it's only been thirty minutes." Hermione responded without looking up from her book.
"Well Harry's not doing his work." Ron said sullenly.
"Yeah, because I already finished my work. Don't look at me like that Ron. What else am I supposed to do at Privet Drive?" Harry replied. He looked at Ron and sighed. "If your not gonna do your work you could at least make yourself useful and spar with me." Harry said grabbing Ron by the collar dragging him from the room.
"Spar? I don't know how to do that?" Ron said timidly.
"Don't worry I'm sure you'll pick it up pretty quick. Either that or you'll learn the hard way." Harry said with a grin.
***
That night Voldemort had a meeting with his top Deatheaters. Those present were: Malfoy, Lestrange, Dolohov, and Arkham. Malfoy was quite apprehensive to the presence of Arkham. The man never said very much and always appeared to be watching them like a hawk watching a mouse.
"What news do you have for me my servants?" Hissed Voldemort.
"My lord. The preparations for the attack on the train station are complete." Replied Dolohov.
Voldemort grinned, soon he would send a message to the wizarding world by destroying the train that carried students to Hogwarts.
"Arkham, are your soldiers prepared to assist in the attack?" Voldemort asked.
"Yes they are." Arkham replied calmly.
"Good, this will be are first move since Grendel failed to destroy Dumbledore. I- wait, I sense the boy. Leave me." Voldemort ordered, he concentrated for a minute and felt himself slip away . Voldemort then found himself in a lush carpeted room with a fireplace and many comfortable chairs. Seated in one of the chairs was Harry Potter, who gazed at Voldemort with a challenging glare.
"Well if it isn't the Boy-Who-Lived." Voldemort spat.
"Well if it isn't He-Who-Let-The-Boy-Live." Harry returned.
"Where have you brought me Potter?" Voldemort questioned as he walked around the room keeping his eyes on Harry.
"Brought you? Your the one who wanted in my mind, and here you are." Harry replied.
"Do not lie boy." Voldemort hissed angrily. "Your occlumency skills are not adept enough to stop me, much less control my intrusion."
"I've been practicing." Harry replied coldly.
"Perhaps, but I sense something else is different about you. Yes there is a darkness in you now. If you think that by succumbing to the dark powers you can overcome me you are mistaken. I have much more experience in the dark arts then you will ever have. You have no hope of defeating me." Voldemort said confidently.
"Do you ever get the feeling that your just a character in a book, and have no hope of winning?" Harry asked curiously.
"Crucio!" Yelled Voldemort his spell connected yet Harry gave no indication of pain.
"This is my mind Tom. You can't hurt me here. Now if you have no more business with me I would like to get some sleep." Harry said stepping up from his chair and standing in front of Voldemort.
"You think that you can order me around do you? Fine I shall leave, but I'll leave you with something to remember me by." Voldemort suddenly disappeared and the room was replaced by Harry's memory of Hermione being attacked by Dolohov.
"NO!!!" Harry screamed as he awoke with a start. He took a few deep breathes and looked at his clock. It read six am. "Might as well get breakfast started." He muttered getting out of bed. He was so shaken by the vision that he didn't notice the single black feather in his bed.
***
Hermione was worried about Harry he had been oddly quiet all morning. He especially seemed to be avoiding her. She knew it would be hard on him with Sirius's funeral being today. Hermione went to his room to find that he was taking a shower. So she set down on his bed and waited for him to finish, knowing that he would have to come back sooner or later.
A few minuted later Harry came into his room drying his hair with a towel wearing jeans and his father's dog tags.
"Hermione?" Harry asked as he came in the room and saw her sitting on his bed. "Is something wrong?"
"I was going to ask you the same thing Harry." She said quietly.
"Don't worry about me Mione. I'm just fine." Harry said with a forced smile.
"Lupin told me your not going to funeral. Is it true?" Hermione pressed on.
"I've already said my goodbye's to Sirius. Besides, I can't be there." Harry said with his eyes cast down.
"What do you mean you can't be there Harry?" Hermione asked angrily. "You can't just skip Sirius's funeral!"
"If I'm gonna beat Voldemort I can't be afraid to die, and that means I can't let myself be reminded of how mortal I am." Harry said sadly.
"Why does it always have to be you Harry?!!!" Hermione screamed at him tears in her eyes. "Why can't you just let someone else fight for once?"
"Because I'm the only one who can! No one else can defeat Voldemort." Harry answered loudly. Then in a quieter tone he continued. "Dumbledore told me the prophecy. It says that I'm the only one who can kill Voldemort. In the end it's me or him." Harry turned around and sighed sadly. "You, Remus, and the Weasley's are the only family I have Mione. I can't lose you too."
By now Hermione was crying openly she ran to Harry and hugged him tightly from behind. "You don't have to fight him Harry. W-We'll run away together and go someplace far away where Voldemort can't find us." Cried Hermione.
"You don't know how much I want to take you up on that offer Mione." Whispered Harry, he turned around and brushed a few tears from Hermione's eye's. "But I can't run. If I don't stop him, then no one will. More people will die. I can't let that happen."
"I don't want you to fight." Hermione whispered.
"Me neither Mione, but we can't always have what we want." Harry said breaking away from Hermione he went to his night stand and grabbed a Black shirt and his wands. He gave one last sad glance at Hermione before he left the room.
***
A few hours later the Death Eater attack on the train station was fully underway. Muggles screamed and ran in terror as the cloaked figures spread out and systematically began killing anything they could find. A group of Death Eaters were laughing loudly as they chased a women from the station. They were about to kill her when they were distracted by a voice from behind.
"Man you guys sure know how to throw a party. No food, no drinks, and the only babe just left." Harry called out sarcastically.
"It's Potter. Quickly, we must kill him." Ordered one of the Death Eater's.
In a flurry of movement four wands were trained on Harry . An assortment of curses flew at him causing a large explosion that shook the entire station. The Death Eater's laughed loudly boasting how they had killed Harry Potter. They were so involved in celebrating that none of them noticed Harry standing beside them joining in the celebration.
"Wow that was pretty good. The poor sap never knew what hit him." Harry laughed.
At that moment one of the Death Eater's realized who was standing with him. Harry caught his gaze and grinned darkly. The Death Eater drew his wand on Harry and in an instant Harry grabbed his arm and twisted it in an unnatural way causing a loud snap that caught the attention of the others. Harry grabbed the nearest by the collar and hurled him across the station into the stone wall. Another fired a curse that Harry easily dodged and retaliated with a hard kick to the man's head. The last one threw up a burst of sparks alerting the rest of the Death Eaters in the station of a problem. Harry calmly stood back and waited till all the other Death Eater's had arrived.
"Well I certainly had a nice warm up. I hope you guys did too." Harry said as he stretched out his arms. "If your all ready now." Harry drew both of his wands from behind his back. "Who wants to go first?"
Five Death Eaters rushed Harry at once, there wands flashing with curses. Harry used one wand to create a shield charm to block the curses while he fired stunner's from his other wand . Two more Death eaters appeared to his left and four more to his right. Harry crossed his arms pointing a wand at each group.
"Sonicus!" Shouted Harry sending a wall of sound at the Death Eaters incapacitating them. "You guys must've studied the Lockhart book of dueling right?" Asked Harry while he disarmed two more Death Eaters. "I mean, come on. How do you guys expect to beat me?" As if on cue twenty more Death Eaters apparated into the fight. "Now your talking." Harry said with a devilish grin.
With a battle cry from the Death Eaters the fight began again. Harry continued ducking and dodging the attacks from the Death Eaters and retaliated with an assortment of stunner's, disarming charms, and bombardment curses. Harry ducked yet another killing curse and blasted the Death Eater who fired it in the knee with a Bombardia blowing apart the man's leg. With half the Death Eaters defeated they decided to play there trump card and summon their demon allies. With the sound of breaking glass a number of Pride demons arrived brandishing their scythes seeking their pray.
"It's about time. I was starting to get bored. No more games, time to get serious." Harry said. With a flash of light the chains on Harry's wrists resumed their true shape as the gauntlets of Beowulf. "Alright then. You guys want a piece me? Then come and get it."
Harry drew both his wands and muttered the blade charm causing both tips of his wands to ignite with a tiny blue ball of light. Harry charged the group of demons breezing past their clumsy attacks, making slashing attacks at the demons with his wands as he passed them. Harry twirled both wands before holstering them behind his back. Behind him all of the demons he attacked fell to the ground in pieces before they dissolved into sand.
"Too easy." Harry muttered.
Answering the call, a pair of Reapers entered the station. Their haunting wails fell upon Harry's ears as a challenge. Harry rushed forward and punched at the point where the first Reaper was; only to have it disappear and have the other reappear behind Harry. Harry was thrown on the defensive being forced to block attacks from the large demons that seemed to be coming from every direction. Harry would block one attack only to find that demon disappear before he could retaliate, plus in that span of time the other Reaper would appear and attack. Suddenly Harry tripped and fell to the ground both Reapers appeared on both sides of Harry. The one on front of Harry raised it's scythe above it's head preparing to kill Harry. At the last second Harry grabbed the robes of the demon behind him, pulling it into the path of the blow. The Reaper wailed loudly as it split into two. Before the other could register what had happened a pair of hands wrapped around it's head and ripped it from it's shoulders.
Harry breathed a sigh of relief and held up the head in his hand and looked at it thoughtfully. "To be or not to be?" Harry considered. Then with a conniving smirk he pulled out his wand and pointed it at the head. Muttering an incantation the head glowed for a moment. Harry then tossed it over his shoulder to the last remaining demons were it exploded destroying them all. "Not to be."
Harry heard multiple Appartion cracks all over the station, but seeing as how they were aurors he relaxed and leaned back against a wall.
"Hey guys. What took you so long?" Harry asked with a hint of sarcasm.
"POTTER?!!! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING IN MY TRAIN STATION?!!!" Shouted a very angry and very purple Fudge.
"Well Fudge I was in the neighborhood and decided that I'd catch a few Death Eaters." Replied Harry.
"Don't toy with me boy! You have no authorization to be fighting dark wizards in my city. So again I ask what are you doing here?" Yelled Fudge.
"It's really quite simple. I'm a good guy" Harry pointed to himself. "That's a bad guy." Harry pointed to a Death Eater who was trying to run away. "This is what good guys do to bad guys. Stupefy!" Harry stunned the retreating Death Eater. "Any questions?"
"I will not have a vigilante running amok in my city." Fudge said pointing his wand right in Harry's face.
"Fudge, I'm only going to say this once." Harry said quietly his calm expression becoming deadly serious. "If you don't get that wand out of my face. I'll break your damn hand off." Fudge never answered since at that moment Dumbledore appeared.
"Ahh Harry excellent work dealing with this crisis. I hope you don't mind me sending Harry here Cornelius. I needed someone I could trust and Harry was all I could send at the moment." Dumbledore said with his eyes twinkling slightly. "Harry if you would wait for me in my office I'll be just a moment."
"Sure." Harry shrugged then created a portal to take him to Hogwarts.
***
It was nearly 2am when Harry finally made it home. Harry trudged up to his room and found a surprising sight before him. Lying in his bed asleep with a book in her hand was Hermione. Harry guessed that she had been waiting for him to get back and fell asleep on his bed. Harry quietly walked up to the bed and knelt down beside it.
'She looks just like an angel.' Harry thought as he brushed a few strands of hair from her head.
Deciding that he couldn't bear to disturb her; he gently pulled the book from her hand and placed it on the nightstand. Then he grabbed a blanket and covered her.
"Sweet dreams Mione." Harry whispered before he kissed her on her forehead.
Harry grabbed a spare pillow and laid down beside the bed and fell asleep listening to Hermione steady breathing.
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