We watched him fall every night, deeper and deeper into the darkness… deeper and deeper into the Bat. The Batman is the ultimate counter to the Dark Wizards… but the price is too high, or I thought anyway. Truth be told, I gave up hope… Remus and I both did. But Ron and Hermione never did. Back during the War, he was their light, their leader… I find it ironic they were the light that saved him from his own darkness… -Nymphadora Tonks-Lupin
Chapter 7: A Light in the Darkness
The large house never seemed so big and empty as it did now as Harry sat in the kitchen alone.
Everyone was safe now, he told himself. He glanced over to the small bed in the corner where Ace was curled. As the two solitary creatures locked eyes, the large black dog whimpered slightly. "This is for the best, Boy…" Harry said as he stood to his feet and started for the passage to the Cave. The echo of his footsteps in the empty house just didn't sound right.
Pictures on the wall caught his attention for what seemed like the first time. A slight smile crossed his face at the pictures of his parents. It faded when he came upon other pictures.
He came to a stop and stared at a few situated together, all made up of himself, Ron, and Hermione back in school, at least one per year. A chuckle escaped his lips as he looked upon one of the trio, Ron and himself with mock-distressed expressions as Hermione had them both in tight headlocks as she grinned at the camera. That was taken not long after her teeth were fixed, after that spell hit her, he remembered her crying saying she'd look like a beaver. She was proud when she could finally smile with perfect teeth…
Then there was a picture taken, he remembered it as well… Ron and Harry both had forced smiles on their face, and Hermione glaring at both of them. It was when they had one of their rows, and Hermione 'encouraged' them to pose for their picture.
"I don't need them, and they don't need me," Harry said to himself, as he stepped away from the pictures. "I have to do what's right… not what's easy…"
'Are you doing what's right?' he could almost hear Dumbledore's voice in his head. 'Or are you doing what's easy now?'
He frowned as he moved toward the Cave's secret entrance.
Even in his sanctuary it seemed so much darker and lonely. He quickly suited up, preparing for his evening patrol. Snape was still out there. He had to find him. Maybe after that… when they were all stopped… maybe then he can try to make things right with everyone.
"But I have work to do first…" He said out loud as he pulled on his cowl.
(-V-)
"Why do they always do this when I say freeze…" Ron complained as he bolted through the Scottish castle after his perp. "When I say freeze I mean FREEZE!" He called out, before casting a Full Body Bind toward the criminal.
He turned a corner and started to cast it again, only to see the dark wizard on the ground, unconscious, with the Batman hunched over him. "Oh… it's you."
"You almost lost this one," Batman growled, "The edge of the apparition barrier is barely a meter away."
"Not everyone is obsessed with training and exercise, Ha-Batman," Ron corrected himself, still trying to catch his breath.
"You all should be," Batman growled, standing up, "If you did, the Death Eaters would all be in Azkaban, and I wouldn't have to do this."
"Anything for an excuse, huh?" Ron shot as he stomped toward the Dark Knight. It's amazing what knowing who was under a mask could do for one's confidence.
"I'm not making an excuse for anything," Batman narrowed his whitened eyes as he draped his cape around his shoulders.
"Bollocks!" Ron counted, shaking his head. "This isn't healthy mate…"
Batman started to counter, before glancing down at the groaning wizard. "One second…" Batman glanced toward Ron before he stomped hard on the 'would-be-Voldemort's skull. "Let's take this some place more private."
"You could have just bound him, you know?" Ron said as he followed Batman farther into the castle, giving the knocked out thug one last look.
"Too easy on him," was the Dark Knight's sharp reply.
The pair walked to the top of one of the castle towers before Batman finally turned to Ron. "What?"
"What do you mean what?" Ron put his hands on his hips in a matter that instantly reminded Harry of Molly Weasley. "You drop this kind of bombshell on us and you expect us to just go, 'oh ok, explains things, moving right along'?"
"One I didn't drop anything, YOU and Hermione unmasked ME," Batman held up a finger, "And two, it shouldn't change anything, it's not like we've had a sustainable friendship in the last few years anyway."
"And whose fault is that, Harry?" Ron shot back.
Batman frowned, and Ron was tempted to roll his eyes and look away but he knew better. As soon as he did he'd be gone again. "It's not worth it."
"Stopping another war from coming isn't worth it?" Batman growled, "Its worth whatever it takes!"
"IT'S NOT WORTH LOSING YOU!" Ron shouted, "It's not worth losing you…" he repeated softer. "Harry, look at you… just take a good look… yes you're doing a great good but… it's destroying who you are… and it's destroying Us. The three of us, Harry, the three of us went against all odds and came out on top! We won, and we won together! You didn't go it alone. We faced Voldemort and won… together."
"Did we?" Batman whispered, turning away.
"Did we what?" Ron asked after a moment. "What do you mean?"
"Think back, Ron… what do you remember of that last encounter at the Riddle House? Think hard." Batman whispered, his voice sounding incredibly close to the broken, timid boy he met on the train when he was eleven.
"We faced Voldemort, he casted some spells and we won…" Ron said.
"What spells? How did he fall? What happened to his body?" Harry asked, sliding back his cowl.
"I… I…" Ron's eyes widened, "You Obliviated me… does Hermione remember?" Ron asked, and when Harry looked away, "You Obliviated her too? Merlin… Harry, why?"
"You weren't ready to remember what that monster did to us…"Harry replied, "You and Hermione would have likely been driven mad…"
"You remember and…" Harry gave him a look, "You're not that insane… just very dramatic and obsessively dedicated."
Harry sighed and reached for a pouch on his belt. "Take this to Hermione…" Harry said handing a vial to his old friend. "After you two view the memory in a pensieve, destroy it."
"Why are you showing this to us now?" Ron asked, "After all this time?"
"Because I don't see anything else I can do…" He said before tossing himself over the side of the tower.
"Harry!" Ron ran to the edge, only to see no sign of his friend.
(-V-)
"Did he tell you what was in this memory?" Hermione asked as she prepared her pensieve.
"Just that it's what really happened at the Riddle House," Ron replied, trying to act nonchalant.
"I'm… I'm not sure I really want to know what happened…" Hermione said, after a moment.
"And you think I do?" Ron asked, "I'm next to pissing my trousers here, Hermione… and I'm too scared to try to hide the fact and lie about me about to do that…"
"This is the only way we can help him," Ron said, placing a hand on her shoulder, "He's been fighting this on his own ever since… We can't help him fight something we don't know anything about."
Hermione bit her lip and stared at the pensieve. "Hermione, do you want to take some of that weight from his shoulders or not? This is the ONLY way…"
"Let's do it," Hermione said, taking her wand. "Ready?"
"Hell no…" Ron gulped loudly. "Do it."
Harry glanced to Ron and Hermione who were both simply laying there gasping for breath. "Let's play another game, shall we, Potter?" Voldemort hissed with a sinister smile.
"Imperio." Voldemort whispered striking Hermione and Ron both the curse. Ron sat back away from Hermione as she slowly pulled herself to her feet.
"Hermione?" Harry asked nervously as she approached him with a dazed expression in her usually bright chocolate eyes.
"Do you want me, Harry?" Hermione asked starting to unbutton her dragon-hide top.
"Her-Hermione, fight it, don't let Riddle control you like this!" Harry tried to get through her, the tears forming in the corners of her eyes showed that he at least was reaching her mind.
"What's the matter, Potter?" Voldemort, Ron, and Hermione spoke in unison. "Isn't this what you've wanted since you hit puberty?"
"Let them go, Riddle," Harry growled as best he good as he stared at Voldemort over Ron and Hermione's shoulders. "This is between you and me. They have nothing to do with this…"
"Yes we do, Mate," Ron said in a serious tone.
"You got us involved," Hermione agreed. "If you would have just let the teachers handle the troll."
"If you had just left me alone on the Hogwarts Express," Ron nodded at the bushy haired teen.
"Our lives would have been so much better," Ron and Hermione said in unison. "We'd have normal lives. You ruined everything, Harry."
"Truth hurts, doesn't it, Potter?" Voldemort grinned watching Harry's lowered head and tears beginning to form in his emerald orbs. "Deep down, deeper then I expected, this is exactly how they feel, Harry. It's the darkness. They don't even acknowledge it but its there. The raw hatred and it's centered on … you."
"You ruined our lives, Harry, we could have been happy if you had never been born," Ron and Hermione spat angrily. "I HATE YOU!!" they screamed in unison.
Harry's head snapped upward, glaring at Voldemort. "That's not true." Harry shook his head, his eyes growing cold, and his face setting into a mask of cold emotions. "They're my best friends. They're my family. I'm not stupid, Tom. That's just you using them, trying to get to me."
"Yes, but they love each other more then they love you," Voldemort stated, with a smirk. "They're only doing what they do with you to protect each other now, more then to keep your worthless body above ground."
"You're wrong …" Harry shook his head, gripping his wand tight.
"It doesn't matter now, does it?" Voldemort smirked, "Weasley, Mudblood, I want you to beat Potter from an inch of his life. I know the prophecy said I have to be the one to kill him so leave him alive … barely." Voldemort ordered the mind controlled young wizard and witch then turned.
Hermione and Ron seemed to be struggling to move staring at Harry oddly, obviously fighting the curses. "Do not make me hurt you both, DO IT!" Voldemort growled, casting a second Imperius Curse at the pair who instantly jumped at Harry pinning him to the ground Hermione sinking her finger nails into his neck and Ron holding him down squeezing his arms painfully. Voldemort smiled at the indisposed Harry, then swept out of the room leaving Harry's friends to do their work.
Harry managed to kick Ron off and threw Hermione against the book shelf in desperation. He pulled himself to his feet and started to back away from his best friends, who both now had eyes that more resembled wild animals then his childhood friends. "You're my best friends," Harry said moving his wand from Ron to Hermione and back again. "I love you both … forgive me." He said pointing the wand at Ron, "Stupefy!" He cast sending Ron tumbling backwards across the floor.
Harry turned his wand to Hermione who was slowly approaching menacingly. "Petrificus Totalus!" Harry yelled as he froze Hermione in mid step. "I shouldn't have brought you with me …" Harry breathed as he collapsed to his knees, before the unconscious Ron and frozen Hermione. "I'm so … sorry …" Harry climbed back to his feet before moving to Ron's body, and placed his wand on Ron's forehead. Concentrating on the last ten minutes he whispered, "Obliviate." Ron's eyes opened and flashed for a moment, then Harry turned to Hermione.
"I couldn't stop what Voldemort did to you," Harry said as he placed the wand on Hermione's head, "But I can save you from having to remember it," Harry said whispering another Obliviate, and removed the petrifying charm off her. He laid her unconscious form down to the floor gently before rising and turning toward the door Voldemort left through. "It ends here, Riddle." Harry said walking through the door…
"Impressive Potter, you were able to fight off your own nearest and dearest?" Voldemort clapped his hands from his seat before the fire place. "How very … dark of you."
"Only one of us is leaving this room, Tom," Harry growled, his eyes burning with bright hatred and rage.
"You are nothing to me Potter," Voldemort chuckled, waving the young wizard off, "Your friends probably need medical attention, shouldn't you be scurrying away getting them to help while I plan how to strike at you next?" Voldemort question smirking at Harry, "it is how it's been done the last seven years hasn't it, my young friend?"
"No one else is going to be touched by your poison, Riddle, I'm ending this here and now." Harry narrowed his eyes on the Dark Lord. "You've corrupted or destroyed everything I love, and it's time I took from you what you hold most dear."
"You think you can stop me, Potter, our wands are useless when struck against each other, you know this by now," Voldemort said standing up and walking over to a large sharp pointed Muggle hat rack. "This hat rack is all I have left of my traitorous mother and my father. I hated them, Potter, I hated my whole family. I was trash to everyone, yet here you are, evidence of 'a mother's love for her son' pathetic…" Voldemort turned back to the boy. "That's why I hate you so much, Potter. Your parents were willing to die for you while mine threw me out like trash."
"That's all this is about?" Harry blinked multiple times at the dark wizard. "That's all this is about? My parents loved me and yours didn't love you is why you've destroyed my life?" Harry asked his chest rose and fell rapidly as his anger grew.
"Impressive Potter, you were able to fight off your own nearest and dearest?" Voldemort clapped his hands from his seat before the fire place. "How very … dark of you."
"Only one of us is leaving this room, Tom," Harry growled, his eyes burning with bright hatred and rage.
"You are nothing to me Potter," Voldemort chuckled, waving the young wizard off, "Your friends probably need medical attention, shouldn't you be scurrying away getting them to help while I plan how to strike at you next?" Voldemort question smirking at Harry, "it is how it's been done the last seven years hasn't it, my young friend?"
"No one else is going to be touched by your poison, Riddle, I'm ending this here and now." Harry narrowed his eyes on the Dark Lord. "You've corrupted or destroyed everything I love, and it's time I took from you what you hold most dear."
"You think you can stop me, Potter, our wands are useless when struck against each other, you know this by now," Voldemort said standing up and walking over to a large sharp pointed Muggle hat rack. "This hat rack is all I have left of my traitorous mother and my father. I hated them, Potter, I hated my whole family. I was trash to everyone, yet here you are, evidence of 'a mother's love for her son' pathetic…" Voldemort turned back to the boy. "That's why I hate you so much, Potter. Your parents were willing to die for you while mine threw me out like trash."
"That's all this is about?" Harry blinked multiple times at the dark wizard. "That's all this is about? My parents loved me and yours didn't love you is why you've destroyed my life?" Harry asked his chest rose and fell rapidly as his anger grew.
"You speak as if you didn't already know this," Voldemort turned toward the enraged teen. He didn't have time to lift his wand as Harry pounced on him, putting both hands around the Dark Lords neck, pushing him down as he cut off Voldemort's airflow.
"C-Crucio!" Voldemort coughed out sending the Cruciatus Curse right into Harry's chest, but Harry's eyes showed no pain, only more anger, more rage as his grip tightened harder on Tom Riddle's throat.
"Please … Harry …" Voldemort dropped his wand after the third try with the Cruciatus Curse, that again instead of causing pain fed Harry's anger and tightened his grip. "Mercy …"
Harry only tightened his grip and his lips in an angry frown. "You who are without mercy, Tom, you want mercy 'old friend', beg for it." Harry said squeezing his throat even more.
"Please … Mercy …" Voldemort wheezed, gripping Harry's arms as Harry continued to strangle the elder wizard.
"Not good enough," Harry spat, his face red with rage. "You don't know what real pain is, Riddle, you don't know what it's like. Let me show you," Harry narrowed his eyes to slits. "Legilimens." Harry hissed, but instead of searching Voldemort's mind, Harry sent his own memories. The memory of Lily dying to protect him, Sirius falling through the veil, Dumbledore's death, Voldemort's toying with Hermione and Ron. And the emotions that came with them. Voldemort's only reply was screams.
Slowly Voldemort's clawing of Harry's arm slowed and his screaming declined to gurgling and whimpering. "I promise, on Dumbledore's grave … No one else Riddle, after you, no one else will follow in your footsteps."
Voldemort's red eyes slowly glazed over as bloody foam began to appear at the edges of his mouth. "No. One. Else." Harry hissed as he felt Voldemort's windpipe finally give way under his thumbs. "No one else…" Harry whispered, as Voldemort's eyes widened for a moment before going limp in his hands.
"Oh God!" Ron jumped from the pensieve and grabbed Hermione's waste bin just in time to vomit everything he had in his stomach out.
"Oh my… oh God, Harry…" Hermione sit back roughly. "How could he… how could he keep this from us?" she asked, but Ron was too busy vomiting to respond.
"He could have warned us about that, at least…" Ron coughed, wiping his mouth. "Holy shit…"
"I thought he did…" Hermione frowned, getting up and grabbing her coat.
"Where are you going?" Ron asked, looking up.
"To get answers…" Hermione replied before closing the door behind her.
(-V-)
"Why did you do that?" Harry asked his reflection in the monitor of his super computer in the Cave, rubbing his face warily.
"Because I'm tired of being alone…" a young voice spoke up, and he looked up to see instead of his reflection, he saw a young, skinny boy with messy black hair, a scarred forehead, and lost, lonely green eyes. "I want my friends back…"
Harry sat up in his computer chair, gasping in shock. He looked around at the massive, shadowy cave. "I gotta get out of here for a while…" He grunted as he pushed himself to his feet.
He left the Cave through the Batmobile's tunnel, and once he was far enough away he apparated not even really caring where. He was only mildly surprised to find himself on Hogwarts grounds. It was during the summer months so he didn't even bother to pull the cowl over his face as he wondered through the grounds, ignoring the hard, cool rain that fell around him.
He didn't know why or how but he found himself before Dumbledore's memorial. "Albus…" Harry said as he stepped close. "I don't know if I can keep this up… You told me that it was my responsibility now… but it's too much… you asked too much…"
"I know… I know I promised you… I promised you and my parents… and Sirius… I promised I would protect them… protect everyone… but it's too much… I didn't count on it to be so… lonely… I didn't count on this…" Harry placed his hand on the plaque. "I didn't know it would hurt this much…"
"Tell me what I need to do, Albus?" Harry said, tears forming in his eyes. "Please… I need you to tell me what I need to do… give me a sign… anything… please…"
"Maybe he already has," Harry turned quickly to see Hermione standing there, holding an umbrella. "Maybe he sent me."
"Hermione?"Harry asked softly as she dropped her umbrella and moved quickly toward him, wrapping him tightly in her arms and resting her head on his armored chest.
"Did you see…" Harry started to ask but she shook her head.
"Forget the past, worry about now. We can't change the past," Hermione said, pulling back to look him in the eyes. "But we can fix right now."
"I…" Harry started but couldn't find the words.
"You don't have to be alone anymore," Hermione said, her brown eyes shining with determination. "You don't have to carry this burden on your own anymore. I'm here for you. Ron's here for you. You don't have to face the darkness by yourself anymore. Understand?"
"Say something. Tell me you understand, Harry James Potter or so help me I'll-" she was silenced by his lips capturing her own.
(-V-)
The next morning, Remus and Tonks carefully snuck into the front door of Grimmauld and settled into the kitchen. "Think he's awake?" Tonks asked softly as they sat down at the table.
"He was probably on patrol last night; chances are he's still out cold." Remus replied. "Probably be best to let him get a good night's rest before we apologize."
"I'm not that sorry about it, but we shouldn't have just up and left…" Tonks frowned, "After what he's been through, we were kind of drama queens there…"
"We still have to make it right…" Remus nodded. "Knowing Harry he might still kick us out after… wait, he's coming!"
Without looking up the couple began to speak "Harry, we're sorry, we're not sorry for being upset with you, but we are sorry for how we acted. We know what you're doing and why, we don't agree with everything but that doesn't mean we had the right to act like we did…" Remus said.
"We'd like to come back home, if you'd let us, we're family, Harry, you're our family…" Tonks continued for him.
"Sounds good, but you might want to put a lot of focus on the family aspect when he comes down," Remus and Tonks looked up in shock to see Hermione walking in, a large smile on her face and one of Harry's button up dress shirts over her upper body.
"Hermione?" Tonks blinked, "What are you doing… oh my…"
Hermione flushed, "We… made some bounds toward fixing things… last night…"
Remus sat down roughly in his chair. "Wow…" he breathed, making Hermione blush more than she ever recalled.
"I have to ask… how was it?"Tonks asked.
Hermione blushed harder.
Meanwhile upstairs, Harry laid on his back in bed. "Snape's all that's left, Professor…" Harry whispered, "Once he's taken down… I'm done… I'm going to fix things with Ron, Hermione, Remus and Tonks… and, maybe even get a happy ending…"
(-V-)
"These Dark Wizards are nothing like the old school Death Eaters…" a man danced around the bodies of a group of dead Aurors and Dark Wizards. "Even the Aurors have gotten weak…" his purple and green robes swung as he pranced.
"WHAT has the Wizarding World come to with these weaklings," He smiled, running a gloved hand through his green hair. "And the true Brothers pissing themselves over a man dressed like a giant bat! THIS COUNTRY NEEDS AN ENEMA!"
"They think Severus Snape's bad? Do they really? Hehe…" He smiled sadistically, "Wait till they get a load of me… HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
To Be Continued…
After several years, I'm finally pressing forward with this story. I promise it won't take 4+ years for another update!