Between Heaven and Hell
DISCLAIMER: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
AUTHOR NOTES: I received quite a few messages and emails to continue Burning Bright in some way, and to be honest I had already given it some thought. So here it is; I hope that you enjoy it. Another epic (hopefully) in the works from me.
I once heard a man say that what lies in Heaven and Hell can be found here on Earth, and I must say that I agree with him. Just as in Heaven; we know love, peace and joy. Just as in Hell; we face death, pain and agony. Granted, time is of no meaning in either Heaven or Hell, but here on Earth...well you never know when your time is up, so I suggest we make the best of it, make it worth it. So that in the end, we can face whatever comes afterwards with pride and dignity.- Winston Churchill
Prologue: Falling Upwards
A cascade of darkness and light surrounded them both, twisting and spinning around them, and Harry knew that his friends could no longer see them; in fact he was quite confident that he and Voldemort were no longer in Godric's Hollow, which meant that Hermione and Ron were no longer by his side. He fought against the wave of remorse that crashed against his soul at the thought of never hearing Ron's boisterous laugh again, or of never telling Hermione all that was in his heart.
He was not going to let go. Never, no matter the cost, he wouldn't let go of Voldemort. Even though the pain was excruciating, even as his skin started to tear apart and a blinding blue light was shining through where there was once flesh, he would not let go.
Voldemort's screams of agony were like sweet music to his ears - it was working, he was nearly done and soon he could rest. All thoughts of his past life; of Ron and Hermione...of all that he would lose, they no longer mattered because he knew they would be safe. No longer would they need to be afraid of living their lives, they would be free to carry on, to grow up and grow old with each other. Their love would be a standing monument to his sacrifice, and he knew that they wouldn't let him down., he knew Hermione would rather die herself then fail him - to make his death meaningless.
Harry nearly laughed out loud at the expression on Voldemorts' face. He couldn't quite figure if it was fear, confusion or maybe even wonder at the idea that he - The Dark Lord, was finally going to face death; so he decided on it being a mixture of all three. Either way, it was priceless.
The end was coming, he could feel it. Both a sense of dread and acceptance crept its way through his being. Part of him wanted to rebel against the idea of dying, to lash out at it, keep it away for one more moment...but he knew it was pointless to resist. This was his calling; what he was meant to do. He was born to die, to heal the world with his passing.
He wasn't sure where he would go next, if it was to be with all those that went before him- his parents, Sirius and Dumbledore, he wished it would be. To see them again would make it all worth it. To believe that he would finally after all these years, after all the trials and pain and loss - find peace.
"You think this is the end boy?" Voldemort's voice was strained and Harry could tell that the former Dark Lord was nearing his end as well.
Harry smiled serenely at him, "For you it is. I'm sure they have a set reserved in hell just for you Tom."
Voldemort's choked laugh surprised Harry. "So little you understand, Potter. You think it's over for you? Think again, boy."
Harry frowned, "What are you raving about?"
The Dark Lord's blood red eyes dimmed a little as death seeped through his broken and battered body, "When one falls...another must rise."
Harry opened his mouth to reply, to say something in response to the nonsense that Voldemort was sputtering; but just as he did the blue light completely engulfed them and Harry let loose a soul-wrenching scream that shook the heavens as a pain unlike any he has ever felt ripped his very being apart, and where there was once a blinding blue light and the peaceful melodies of the phoenix song was now replaced by a suffocating darkness and hideous laughter.
"When one falls...another must rise."
Slowly he spun in the nothing, no sounds or sights - nothing. It was neither dark nor light, it was just...nothing. Then it came, a chilling voice that seemed to fill his being
"You are alone...never will you know what it is to love or be loved."
He shook his head, attempting to force the voice out of his head - to will the emotions that those awful words were causing him to feel, away from him.
"They left you, all of them. Those whom you trusted, and valued. Those whom you even loved...they all left you."
He curled up into the fetal position to better defend himself, to keep the awful thoughts and emotions from taking over, to keep them from devouring the truth that he knew in his heart.
"He left you to fight this war alone...He left you before you were even given the chance to know what it was like to have a father...He betrayed your friendship...They never loved you enough to live and watch you grow...and She would never love you.
He felt the darkness begin to fill him, but still he struggled against it. He would not surrender, he was stronger then the voice. He would not be taken, he would not be turned against those he loved. He would not be used, never again.
"You are weak, you let yourself be used by all of them. You were always stronger then them - even the old man. He knew it and he feared you. Knew that one day you would rise up against him and challenge his power."
"N-No. It's n-not true..."
His mouth didn't open, but still he heard himself say the words.
"They mock you now. You're noble sacrifice has no meaning for them. They are together now you know, as you lie here and rot - Laughing and loving while you are broken into nothing. Her smiles are for him and him alone...they were never for you..."
Rage fills him and he cries out. It is futile, he understands that now. Is this what was left for him? After all he had done, all that he had sacrificed, all that he had suffered through. Was he still to be punished? Was he meant to spend eternity being tormented for all the good he had done?
"Yes. That is your reward, you know. Fate is such a lovely thing isn't it?"
"No." His mouth moved this time, he felt his lips move and heard the sound of his own voice. "It will not be like this."
"Then do something about it. Everything was taken from you...it is time to take it all back."
Power surged through him, like nothing he had ever experienced before. A Power he knew to be more wonderful and more terrible than anything on Earth. He felt it twist to his liking, to his commands. He had substance now, the Power did that. That Power which was feared both in Heaven and Hell, which was a mystery on Earth. His Power. It was time.
"Yes...now you are ready. Take it all back"
He grinned maliciously and his eyes glowed like the green death, "I will take it all back. All of it."
"Yes! Rise my Dark Lord, take it all back..."
In a little village called Hogsmead, celebrations were carrying on as they had for nearly a year. A year since the fall of the Dark Lord Voldemort. None of the laughing and cheerful residents of that little village nor the staff and students of the school that resided at the top of the hill that overlooked it could know that something was about to happen. Not even the two young adults that sat together shoulder to shoulder inside a dank pub enjoying drinks with their closest friends, could possibly imagine that something worse than Voldemort was coming. Something that would rip their very world apart, something that would challenge the strength of their friendship and love they shared for their now deceased best friend.
Nothing could prepare them.
The petite girl with the bright brown eyes and the slightly bushy hair felt a burning coldness race through her and the conversation with her red-headed best friend whom was also her on and off-again boyfriend suddenly ceased. The others gathered around the table stopped and looked at her, as her face went pale and tears began to fill her eyes.
Nothing could prepare them for the sight of her crying suddenly and without warning.
Ron grasped her shoulder, his face etched with worry. "Hermione, what's wrong?"
The young woman's mouth opened and closed a few times before she could respond, "I don't know...But- I think something terrible has just happened."
Her friends eyes her warily.
She shook her head defiantly, "I know it sounds crazy! But I am telling the truth, I haven't felt like this since..."
The wonderful and yet terrible vision of her beloved friend being torn away from her as he sacrificed himself to rid the world of the Dark Lord flashed before her minds eye.
"Since when Hermione?" Ron asked hesitantly.
Hermione turned to him with fearful eyes, "Since Harry died. Gods...I haven't felt anything like this since that night, Ron."
Ron's face nearly crumbled with the memory of that night, because he knew that feeling all too well.
Hermione grabbed hold of his shirt frantically, "What does it mean Ron? What does it mean?"
But he could only stare at her, for he had no answer to her question, and if he was honest with himself he wasn't sure he wanted to know what it meant.
And nothing could prepare him for what he was soon to encounter...nothing.
To Be Continued....