CHAPTER 3
Okay, John is mine. The plot is mine. The bikes actually got most of the insperation from Ghost Rider. And I still don't own HP.
That night, Hermione and I apparated to her flat after speaking with everyone and having dinner.
"Harry?" she asked when we appeared in front of her door.
"Yes?" I asked, looking at her.
She seemed embarrassed.
"Thank you. For everything." She kissed me on the cheek and disappeared into the flat. I touched the warm spot where her lips had rested, and smiled. I was still smiling when I crawled into bed a while later. The next morning, everyone met in the Atrium of the Ministry. Hermione, Ginny and Luna were talking in a little huddle, as were Neville and Ron. They all looked up then I approached.
"Hey Harry," Hermione said as she gave me a hug and a peck on the cheek. I smiled and hugged her back, glaring at the smirking spectators over her back. We broke apart. All the guys were smirking and all the girls were smiling. I rolled my eyes and led the way to Kingsley's office. I turned to them.
"This is you last chance to back out. You all know what we're up against, and I will not think any less of you if you don't want to go any further." I said, looking at them in turn.
"I'm not leaving." Said Ron. Neville nodded.
"Im still in."
"So am I." Ginny spoke up.
"Lead the way, Harry." Luna said. I looked at Hermione.
"Are you staying?"
"Forever," she said softly. I smiled at all of them, and opened the door and walked in. Kingsley was sitting behind his desk, talking to the other person in the room. The stranger stood when we walked in. He was taller, with short black hair and black eyes. Where Hagrid's eyes were warm, and Snapes reminded you of dark tunnels, this guy's eyes reminded you of pure darkness, a moonless, cloudy night. He was wearing a black leather jacket, faded black jeans, and side-ringed biker boots. He looked me over.
"Harry Potter." It wasn't a question.
"Yes." I said, moving further inside to let everyone else in. "Who're you?"
"John Sabor, but you can call me Midnight." he said, leaning against a wall and digging around in his jacket pocket. Producing a cigarette and a lighter, he lit the cigarette and took a long drag.
"You know those things can kill you?" I heard Hermione say from behind me. Sabor laughed.
"Not a chance in hell."
Kingsley motioned for us all to come in a sit down, so I conjured a few chairs and sat.
"Sabor here is your liaison between you and the Americans for the duration of this mission. He is the only...person alive that can actually fight them."
"Then why did you bring us in on it?" I asked, confused.
"Because there are three of them." John said, exhaling a small cloud of smoke, which vanished after a second.
"Three?" Hermione asked, eyeing the cigarette disapprovingly.
"Did I stutter?" I glared at him. He ignored me.
"There are three. A Master, Apprentice, and a Demon they summoned. The Demon is the toughest, and my problem, the Mages are where you come in." John said, after blowing out another cloud of smoke.
"A Demon?" I half-yelled, jumping to my feet.
"Yes. Calm down, the reason you didn't know until now is I didn't find out until last night. Don't worry, like I said, Its my problem." He said, before taking another drag. Hermione laid a hand on my arm and I calmed down.
"How is it your problem?" I asked, sitting again.
"I'm the Reaper." Hermione gasped, and I raised that eyebrow again.
"The Reaper? What is that?" Neville asked.
"A wizard, chosen from birth to be able to flit between this world and the next. Extremely powerful, virtually indestructible, and very deadly, is the last line of defense between humanity and Hell." John said, turning to look at him.
Silence followed this little speech. Luna coughed. John stood up, flicked his cigarette but into Kingsley's garbage can and spoke.
"I take it you have all your affairs in order?" We all nodded.
"Lets go." He said, and walked out the door.
Kingsley coughed. I turned to him.
"Don't worry, he may be a little...rough...but he's completely trustworthy. He doesn't give out loyalty or friendship easily, but when he does, it doesn't waver."
"I hope so." I said. Kingsley stood.
'Good luck." He said, and shook all our hands.
Following John, was waiting by the door. Turning, he led us outside to a alley. He then turned to me.
"I recall something about you owning a bike. Is that right?" John asked.
"Yes. How did you know?"
"Perfect." He said, and whistled. We stared at him for a moment, then a riderless 1981 Harley Phantom drove up. John patted it when it came to a stop next to him. He smiled, the looked up at me.
"Okay, first things first. Before we leave, and since we have some time before your bike gets here, I'll give you a little background info." He sat on the ground, leaning against the bike, then motioned for us to sit. When we did, he cleared his throat and spoke.
"Okay, the first thing you need to know is that Hell exists. And it is well, Hell." He glanced at us before continuing.
"Some of the...beings...from there make the worst here look like fluffy little bunnies. That Basilisk you fought in your second year would be a harmless little fuzzball to most of the creatures in Hell. Obviously it would not be good for them to get out of Hell. But they do. My job is to send them back." He said, as he pulled out another cigarette.
"Why should we believe you?" Ron asked.
"What reason do you have not to?" John asked in return, lighting the cigarette.
"You haven't offered any proof." Luna pointed out, from where she sat Indian style.
John sighed. Looking up at us, he closed his eyes. When he opened them, they were gone. Instead, there were fires burning in his eye sockets. Looking at them made me remember terrible things, like a dementor. But the visions of the things dancing in the fire...were horrible. Then it all stopped. John's eyes were back in black, and he was watching us with a hint of amusement. Everyone else looked shocked. Hermione was sobbing form next to me, leaning against the alley wall. I put my arm around her, and glared at John.
"What did you have to do that for?" I demanded. He shrugged, and took a drag off his cigarette.
"I had to make you believe me." We sat in silence for a moment. Then a rumbling sound came from further down the alley.
"Ah. That'll be your bike."
My light blue 1978 Harley-Davidson pulled up. I stood, and it rolled slowly up to me, and rested under my outstretched hand, like a large dog. John grinned.
"Perfect. Okey-day, now when's the fun begins." I turned to him.
"Get on the bike"
"Why?" I asked, confused.
"Shut up and get on the damn bike." he snapped. I did.
"Now close your eyes and focus on your most desperate desires, your animal instincts. Your most selfish and horrible thoughts and actions." I did, and a moment later, I heard a swishing sound, a gasp, and I felt the bike change under me. I opened my eyes. The handlebars in front of my had bent until I had to reach out an arms length to grab them, like a chopper. The gauges had vanished, they had been replaced by what appeared to be a polished chrome lions skull. The fuel tank was now a matte black. I jumped off the bike and backed up, watching as it changed even more. The frame bent and formed, dropping the body lower to the ground and lengthening the whole thing. The engine was now covered my a shiny chrome plate. The back tire was partially covered by a pair of metal bat's wings, and another seat grew behind mine. A moment later, a awesome looking bike was sitting there in the alley. John chuckled.
"Not bad."
"What did you do?" Ron asked.
"Well, every person is evil. If only a little. I channeled that evil into the bike, which means you can Helljump, or cross over and reappear at a destination, with it."
"Epic." I said. Neville nodded. John walked over to his bike, and threw a leg over it. It changed as well, looking almost exactly like mine, but with a wolf skull instead of a lion's. I got on mine. Everyone else looked at us.
"Okay, we're going to have to take multiple trips. Someone hop on." John said. Hermione immediately clambered on behind me and took tight hold of my waist. Everyone else kind of stood there, until Ginny finally hopped on behind John. He looked over at me.
"Your going to have to follow me through my scar, since you don't know where we're going." With that he revved his bike, and took off down the alley, tires setting on fire as he did so. I looked at Ron and said.
"I'll be back."
I revved my bike and took off after John. He glanced over his shoulder, and slowed down so I could pull along side him.
"Alright, we have to drive into the shadows to cross over," he yelled over the engines, "so follow me no matter where I go."
I nodded. He immediately turned and drove into the building beside us. Well, not really into the building, because the shadows jumped up and formed what looked like a tear of some kind. A second later he had vanished through the tear. I shook my head, closed my eyes, and followed.