Unofficial Portkey Archive

CHAPTER 15: From Whence We Came

Hermione's heart stopped as she saw Harry fall. How many times had she put her body under this sort of shock and distress? All those times she had seen him fall and bleed and even that time she thought she'd seen him die. Still, it never got any easier, and that pain, that ripping, God-awful pain in her chest always felt the same. It felt like dying.

She was the first to his side, as she always was. When she touched him he was icy cold and she pulled her hand back in shock. Please be breathing she thought over and over again. She slowly reached to find his pulse, afraid of the stillness she might discover, but to her surprise (and relief) his heart was beating very steadily. "Inervate" she said, but nothing happened.

"What happened?" Ron asked, looking very pale himself.

"I'm not sure" Hermione said, running her fingers through Harry's hair as though he could feel the soothing gesture. "We need to get him to St. Mungos…"

"It's not safe" Draco argued. "Right now there's a good chance he has a big bulls eye on his head. In fact, I'm sure we all do. Anywhere we go we are risking the lives of those around us."

"How noble of you Malfoy" Ron spat. "All of the sudden you care about innocent lives, but naturally you don't give a fuck about Harry's life…"

"Stop Ron, Malfoy's right" Hermione cut in, a bitter taste entering her mouth upon uttering those words. "Harry does need medical attention though, he could be… he could be dying for all we know."

"I could contact Dad and have him send a mediwitch" Ginny offered.

"Madame Pomfrey" Ron and Hermione said simultaneously. "Nobody knows more about Harry's weird conditions than Pomfrey" Hermione asserted. "There will be less prying eyes at Hogwarts, we can sneak him in and nobody will even know he's there."

"Yes, because students aren't likely to blab that an unconscious Harry Potter arrived at the school" Draco argued with his famous eye roll.

"The students won't see us" Hermione replied shortly. "We'll use the Marauders Map to make sure the halls are empty."

"The Marauder's Map?" Draco asked, confused.

Ron grinned wickedly. "Ah Malfoy, you thought that Slytherins were the only sneaky ones. We could fill a book with the things you don't know about."

`''''''''''''''''''''''''''

One moment Harry was standing in the parlor of Malfoy Manor and the next he was sitting at the peculiar dark bar in Knockturn Alley. There was a taste of bitter red wine in his mouth and he instantly knew he wasn't in his own body. He was in Riddle's, and they were in a memory.

A familiar voice was speaking and Riddle's head turned, allowing Harry to glimpse Damon with his dark auburn locks and icy pale complexion. "I will not be instructing you to channel magic personally. I sense a great destiny for you Tom, but I have to be certain you are capable. I am sending you to the place where it all started for me. Finish up matters here and within the next few days you will be receiving instructions to a place simply known as The Cradle. It is there that you will learn Mental Channeling."

Harry felt a flicker of excitement in Riddle's thoughts and then had the peculiar sensation of feeling his own mouth move and words emerge involuntarily. "I have heard of The Cradle. They say it is the place where magic was born."

"It is that and much more" Damon said in a tone of disinterest.

Harry experienced that strange swooshing sensation once more and they were no longer in the bar but he was alone on a dusty road. It was freezing out and his warming charms were fading so he involuntarily renewed them and felt a great sense of relief in his limbs. Surrounding him was a vast expanse of nothingness, just flat fields of dead grass that were tinted white with a sheen of frost. It was early morning but overcast grey skies hid the rising sun from view. There was a vague nagging sense of hunger in the pit of his stomach, and the dirt of his shoes suggested that he'd been walking for a long time.

Well, Riddle's been walking for a long time he corrected himself, shuddering internally at the lines that had been crossed between his existence and Riddle's. He turned his head and glanced across the long flat field, seemingly gazing into the nothingness of the grey horizon. And then he saw a faint shimmering. Heading towards it the frozen grass crunched beneath his feet and it was a good twenty minutes before he drew close enough to feel the warmth of the shimmering, transparent object. On the other side of it was just more empty field, but when he stepped through it he was in a different place entirely.

Here it was warm; almost humid and the surroundings had changed drastically, from a frozen wasteland to a tropical paradise. Lush green plant flourished and the singing of birds filled the air. There was a pleasantly sweet aroma and brilliantly colored flowers greeted him at every turn as he walked down a weaving path. The path widened and suddenly he was standing in a bustling village that was populated by men, women and children of every size, shape and color. They smiled fondly at him, as though he'd been expected and Harry noted a distinct feeling of discomfort in Riddle's mind. He's suspicious of kindness.

Unsure of where else to go Riddle continued to walk in a straight path, keeping his cold gaze fixed on the dirt road in front of him and ignoring the hand-made huts that lined the way. How could I possibly learn anything from such primitives? Harry heard Riddle wonder. A moment away from turning around and leaving, a beautiful tanned skinned young woman approached, a calm smile on her face. "You are Tom Riddle yes?" she asked in perfect English, her tone sultry and smooth.

"Yes, what is this place?"

"The Cradle" she said, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"I expected…"

"You expected something less rustic" she laughed. Harry felt Riddle's body tense up, his inner fury winding around like a snake ready to strike. "Please forgive me, I am not laughing at you. Everyone who comes here says the same thing. To those of us who were born here though, it is paradise on Earth. This is where magic was born and it's where it thrives in its most natural form."

"You can perform magic without a wand?" Riddle asked, his tone skeptical.

"It's the only way I know how. Most wizards and witches who are fortunate enough to find this place never really took the time to wonder where magic comes from. It is part of life though, and has been since the start of time. For some reason, it has gotten weaker over the ages. There are fewer and fewer magical beings born each year, and those who do have power require the assistance of a wand. Except for us. We are trained to tap into that natural power that is within any wizard or witch."

Muggles have tainted the bloodline, that's why our power has diminished Riddle thought and Harry felt a swelling of fury at this but there was nothing he could do about it. He was just a helpless passenger experiencing a memory from long ago.

"How did you know I was coming?" Riddle asked as he followed her through the center of the village, watching as the inhabitants traded and bartered for all sorts of goods. Harry felt confused. He had assumed that Damon had told the villagers Riddle would be coming to be trained.

"Many of us have powers of premonition. They are stronger in some than others. I have a particularly strong gift."

"So you can see my future?"

"No. I do not know what you seek here either. I assume you seek to join us and learn a better form of magic and find a more peaceful existence. If you accept our training, you know you can never leave."

"Yes, I understand that. I do seek peace." Harry felt Riddle's face contort into a charming grin and saw the beautiful young woman smile appreciatively, falling for his poison. "All my life I've been plagued by worries. Staying here forever and learning your ways is what I most desire. But I'm being rude, what is your name?"

"Anna" she replied, and she took his hand in hers and led him into a large wooden building at the village's center.

`''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

"His vitals are stable, but it's as though his consciousness has wandered to some unknown place" Madame Pomfrey announced, a puzzled frown on her face. She had been more than slightly surprised to find Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley, Luna Lovegood, Ron Weasley and Draco Malfoy waiting in her office with an incapacitated Harry Potter, but she had asked few questions and gotten to work on a diagnosis immediately. She had hidden the Boy Who Lived behind a series of curtains and used a Notice-Me-Not spell to keep any prying students away. In the meantime, she had left the rest of Potter's posse sitting in her private quarters, refusing any of their demands to be with their friend.

"Riddle did something to Harry, something bad" Ron growled, pacing around her small tidy kitchen space with his lengthy legs.

"At least he's okay for now" Hermione noted, chewing her lip nervously. "We'll have to figure out a way to wake him."

"Riddle?" Madame Pomfrey asked, alarmed. "As in Tom Riddle?"

"It's complicated" Ginny quickly said, ushering the school nurse aside to explain. Hermione gave the youngest Weasley a kind smile; she was feeling far too weary to deal with it. Noticing her exhausted look Ron came over and gave her shoulder a squeeze of reassurance.

"You look like you need rest, I'll talk to McGonagall about finding us some accommodations where the students won't see us."

"While you're at it, see if she can clear out the library. We have far too much…"

"Too much research to do before we can even think about sleeping" Ron said. "I know, I know. I'll talk to her. I'm starting to envy Harry, at least he's getting some sleep…"

Hermione scoffed but decided not to get into it with him. It was the Weasley way to crack a joke when things got stressful. Luna left with Ron and Hermione decided that since Madame Pomfrey was otherwise occupied there would be no harm in visiting Harry. Out in the medical ward all was quiet except for one little first year who was fast asleep in his bed. She peered at him from a distance, thinking of Harry and wondering if he'd really been that small when he'd foiled Voldemort's attempt at the Sorcerer's Stone.

She pushed back the curtains to the area where Harry's cot was hidden and felt that same kick in the gut sensation she had always gotten when she saw him in here. "Looks like you're back in the medical ward again Mr. Potter" she sighed as she sat down beside him. He can't hear you she reminded herself. But then again, maybe he can…. what do I know about wandering consciousnesses? Not nearly enough. I need to be in the library. Now.

She stroked his raven black hair back from his forehead, noting that lightening bolt scar that had become a symbol of all his troubles. It's not fair she thought, recalling all of his struggles and pain. But she quickly pushed that thought away. Long ago she had learned to stop bothering herself over matters of "fairness". They would keep being who they were and doing what they did and the universe would sometimes go to complete chaos but that was how it all worked.

It's worth it… for the good moments.

As soon as they had arrived at Hogwarts she had been filled with memories. Of course, there were the bad memories like being petrified and the final battle. But there were far more good memories… walking along the lake with her boys on either side of her, studying late at night in the library (yes, that was a good memory for her), feasting in the Great Hall while the twins made inappropriate jokes, her first dance, her first kiss, her first real friends. Then there was the magic itself and all that entailed; the riveting classes, and the raucous quidditch matches, the multitude of incredible creatures, the moving staircases, the floating candles…

Yes, the good outweighs the bad. And that's why we fight. And that's why he does this to himself time and time again; because the good will always outweigh the bad.

Of course, none of this stopped her from longing for the opportunity to have a normal moment with him, to just go on a date to some muggle restaurant in London and maybe see a movie. They had gone on dozens of dates, especially during the long stretches of time when they were both single. If he wasn't off working and was in the right mood he would often insist she step away from her work so they could "go check out that new action flick" or order Chinese food and play a board game. It had all just been normal activity between two friends, or so she'd thought at the time.

And suddenly, she was bombarded by memories of small moments in which she should have known there was something more between them… him brushing a piece of hair away from her face, her resting her head on his lap after a long day of work, him cooking her a surprise birthday dinner, her taking him to the beach... How could I not have known?

She sighed and climbed into the bed with him, resting her head on his shoulder and wondering what was going on in that head of his at this very moment. It didn't matter how long it took her to figure it out how she felt about him; she knew now. She kissed him lightly on the cheek and whispered in his ear.

"I love you."

`''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

The words "I love you" seemed to whisper amongst the tropical air, but Harry knew that couldn't be right. For the past hour or so he had been watching clips of Riddle's training through the eyes of his most hated enemy. It was a dizzying experiencing to absorb so much information so quickly, but he felt he was understanding how it worked.

"Magic is natural to magical beings such as ourselves" Anna had explained one afternoon when the sky was a crisp blue and seagulls drifted lazily above. "We can cast spells and enchantments by using our own consciousness; our own emotions. The more you can tap into your feelings and then funnel those emotions into your power, the stronger your magic will be."

And so they practiced, and practiced and practiced some more. Many of the strategies were similar to what Draco had taught Harry; meditative sessions focused on acknowledging one's innermost feelings. But instead of pushing away those feelings and repressing them, Riddle was being taught to turn them into raw power. Harry felt that he understood the process quite quickly; but Riddle struggled.

Riddle's emotions were of dark and rooted in hatred and anger. Thus his magic was erratic at best and difficult to control. It was for this reason that the beautiful Anna became suspicious of young Riddle. Riddle could sense her growing distrust and it was on one of the most beautiful of all the days Harry had seen that Riddle cornered her in the forest.

The green forest was spotted with vibrant purple and red flowers and the sky had not a cloud in sight. The warm sun heated the damp soil from a rain shower the night before, giving everything an earthy scent. It was a perfect scene of serenity, but Harry could hear Riddle's thoughts and for that reason alone a dark shadow seemed to loom over everything.

"I know why you have followed me here" Anna said, not opening her eyes as Riddle approached her in her solitary meditation. "I have foreseen your future Riddle, and it is not a good one."

"It's a shame for you that it took you so long to see it."

"Damon sent you here, but you do not know Damon as we do. He is not one of us. Many of us have been granted access to leave and observe the outside world, under the condition we must pledge to return to this place. It is believed that by seeing the rest of the world and it's diminishing magic we will have a greater appreciation for this paradise we have been gifted, and for the peace we dwell in. Damon was the first to ever break this oath. Instead of feeling grateful for our world. he was filled with remorse for the chaos the rest of the magic world had fallen into. He saw wizards and witches killing each other. He sought to fix that; to enforce order onto the magic world."

"A noble gesture" Riddle smirked, clearly thinking it to be more foolish than noble.

"Perhaps in theory. But you cannot force people against their nature, and he is learning that. The more Damon studies your world, the more corrupt he becomes in his methods. Worse yet, he had used his power to become immortal."

"What is wrong about wanting to live forever?" Riddle scowled.

She opened her eyes now and studied him with her calm brown gaze, no hostility or resentment to be found. "I can already see the damage in your eyes from the horocruxes you created before coming here. Using magic to seek immortality destroys the soul; little by little over time. It is slower with Damon, and the effects are not physical but internal. However `noble' his intentions once were, he will one day become a monster."

"Your world may have no use for monsters, but ours does." And as soon as he was done speaking those words he unleashed his unstable wandless magic, a massive fire erupting from his body, fueled by his endless rage and hatred. Anna never left her meditative pose as her body was consumed in flames and turned to ash, leaving nothing but a pile of dust behind.

The fire was out of control then, leaping up and devouring the plants and trees. Panicked and unable to stop it Riddle turned and fled down the path, feeling the searing heat at his back with every step. He stumbled towards the shimmering translucent wall from which he had entered The Cradle and fell through into the icy cold tundra on the other side, landing on his hands and knees and coughing out the thick smoke of his destruction.

`'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

When Harry opened his eyes he immediately knew where he was. He had spent many hours of his youth staring up at this vaulted ceiling and tracing the wooden beams as one connected to another. Even the dim lighting was familiar, the motion of the floating candles dancing along the shadowy gaps between each beam. Yes, he had woken up many times in the hospital wing, but never had he woken up to someone else being in his cot.

He could tell by Hermione's even breathing that she was asleep so he stayed still for while longer before slowly rolling so that he was facing her. His gentle motion awoke her and her eyes fluttered open. He noticed how dark her lashes were and beyond that the way the golden flecks within her brown eyes glimmered. She's beautiful he realized for the millionth time and he suddenly thought of Anna's body burning and it was like a kick in the gut.

"You're awake" she said groggily. Then waking up more she sat up quickly. "You're awake! I need to get Madame Pomfrey, I didn't even realize I'd fallen asleep, I was supposed to go the library and.."

"Pomfrey can wait" he said, pulling her down towards him again. He needed the comfort of her at his side then more than ever and he was glad that she didn't protest as she sunk back to cot, resting her forehead against his. "I'm okay" he told her after a few silent minutes of letting her warm the chill from his body.

"Where did you go?" she asked.

"Riddle took me into his memories and showed me how he learned about Mental Channeling. I know where Damon sent him. I also know why they had a falling out and why Riddle never really learned the skill of Mental Channeling."

"And now you owe me what we agreed on" said a cold voice and Harry looked up to see Tom Riddle's cold eyes staring at him. "You need to free me from the trap that is your wretched mind."

"You're one to talk" Harry growled. "I know what you did, you killed her. She offered you peace and place to belong and you burned her alive."

Hermione jumped, startled by Harry's sudden outburst. Thank Merlin he'll be rid of Riddle soon she thought to herself. I don't think I could ever get used to him talking to thin air.

"She was weak" Riddle said, sounding disinterested. "Don't get me wrong, I thought about fucking her on occasion, but a woman like that is just not my type. Better to just burn her in the end."

Harry shuddered, fighting the urge to launch himself at Riddle as it would be futile since he was not really there. Instead, Harry focused his energy on sending Riddle away; vanquishing him to some distant corner of his mind. It wasn't until Riddle had fully disappeared that Harry realized the room was shaking.

"Calm down" he heard Hermione say, her voice cutting through the deafening roar of anger in his ears. She kissed him suddenly and his rage dropped from his body as though it was instantly evaporated. All he could fixate on what the softness of her lips, the warmth of her body against his and the dizzying sensation that for some reason, unknown to him, she had chosen him.

There was sudden noise from outside the curtains that hid his cot from the world and a moment later Madame Pomfrey entered. Hermione jumped away from Harry so quickly that he almost laughed out loud as she looked like an embarrassed 16 year old who had been caught snogging by a professor. If Madame Pomfrey had seen anything she did not say so, instead tutting about when she realized Harry had regained consciousness. She rapidly commenced to give him a thorough inspection, over which Harry was less fussy about than he had been as a teenager. A still mortified Hermione used this as an excuse to depart, seeking out the rest of their crew.

It was late now and the hallways of Hogwarts were dark. After having been a prefect and later head girl (going back to Hogwarts for a proper 7th year had been absolutely mandatory in her mind), she knew that all students ought to be in bed aside from the prefects and house heads, whose routes she had well memorized. Thus, she wasn't worried about being seen and having to possibly use a memory charm on some poor student.

What she did not know was where to find her friends. Ultimately, she headed to the most natural place her feet would carry her; the library. Surprisingly they were all there, hovering over stacks of books. Seeing Ron studying without her there to repeatedly keep him on task was a bit of a surprise looks like ickle Ronniekins has grown up she thought with a smirk.

"I'm guessing from your pleased expression that Potter is awake" Malfoy said in a dry tone that showed no enthusiasm for the revitalization of the Boy Who Lived.

"Correct Malfoy. Ten points to Slytherin."

"Is he okay?" Ginny asked quickly, genuine concern in his eyes.

"He seems to be. I guess Riddle was showing him his memories about Mental Channeling." Hermione's tone grew dark as she said this and she recalled Harry's words; She offered you peace and place to belong and you burned her alive. She shuddered at the thought of the horrors Harry must have seen through the eyes of that mad man.

"What did he tell you?" Draco asked, his grey eyes as dark and unreadable as ever.

Before she could respond she heard his voice from behind her. She hadn't even heard him approach, it was almost creepy how silent he could be when he wanted to. "I didn't get a chance to tell her much, but I'll tell you all now."

He sat at the long table where they had been reading and Luna cleared the books away with a swish of her wand. He told them about the Cradle, and about the training there and about Riddle's inability to learn and his eventual departure.

"Do you think you could learn how to do Mental Channeling now that you saw what he learned?" Draco asked, his usual look of disinterest gone.

"Yes" Harry said slowly. "He struggled with it because the only emotion he had was uncontrollable hatred and anger. To me though, it made sense. It wasn't so different from what you taught me Malfoy- except that instead of pushing your feelings away, you embrace and control them, allowing them to magnify your power."

Draco paled a bit more than usual but said nothing, leaning back in his chair and averting his gaze to the dark ceiling above.

"Harry, when you healed me… my scar… do you think that was Mental Channeling?" Hermione asked, biting her lip pensively.

"I don't know how that's possible. I didn't know anything about how it worked then."

"But you and Malfoy have both been showing signs of wandless magic right? Might the two be related?"

"Undoubtedly they are" Harry shrugged. "But I can't quite understand how." He looked to Malfoy but the former Slytherin was still just staring up at the ceiling as though he had heard nothing being discussed. "Anyways, I think with training I can master this technique of magic and that might just make me a match for Damon when we do find a way to track him down."

"If he doesn't find us first" Ron pointed out.

"So I need to get started right away" Harry said with a tired sigh.

"We all do" Hermione added and Harry gave her a confused look. "Harry, you're going to need for all of us to learn Mental Channeling if you really think you're going to have a shot at stopping Damon and his Children. He's already burned Ville Cache to the ground; he's becoming a monster like Anna prophesized. He won't stop until anyone who opposes him is dead."

"Starting with you mate" Ron once more pointed out and Harry shot him a nasty look this time.

Hermione continued as though Ron hadn't spoken. "He's not going to battle you one-on-one and even if he did the odds are in his favor. He's been practicing this for hundreds of years, no amount of training you do will equip you for that sort of power. No, his `children' and him will come at us hard- all of us. We're going to need an army of our own."

Harry blanched at her words but he knew she was right. It was Dumbledore's Army all over again; everyone was looking at him and all he wanted to do was crawl back into that cot with Hermione and forget about it all.

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