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Chapter 35 - Abaddon

Voldemort's blood sizzled on the open pages of the forbidden tome, which in turn became too hot to handle. He tossed the book, careful not to let any part of it fall within his protecting circle.

Magiks Moste Darke burst into flames, flames which then formed a torus extending from floor to roof within the cavern. The flaming cylinder glowed hotter and brighter until it was too bright to look upon.

Voldemort covered his eyes and looked away, desperately hoping against hope that the flames wouldn't consume him.

Then all was quiet.

The man who had been Tom Riddle turned to see the daemon he'd summoned.

What he saw was a tall, thin man, dressed in a simple, white, hooded robe, like that of a monk. He appeared to be wearing an outer mantle of pure white feathers. When the man pushed the hood to the back of his head Voldemort gasped.

The man's features were perfect. Pale, flawless skin, piercing blue eyes, and golden blond hair.

"I know, I know. Not what you were expecting, right?"

The man's voice sounded like athousand melodious bells forming words.

Voldemort shook his head, "No, not at all."

"Well, you know how it is. The winners write the histories."

"You are Abaddon?"

"Yes, God of Destruction, Lord of Chaos, the one and only - excuse me for a moment, please."

The man yawned mightily, and as he did his mantle unfolded -they were, in fact, wings - like those of agigantic dove. As he yawned the prodigious wings spread out and vibrated as the fallen angel stretched with every fiber of his being.

"Gods of Old, that felt good."

He captured Voldemort's eyes with his own and said, "Well, now. To business. Why have you summoned me?"

"To use your power to establish me as the one indisputable ruler on Earth."

"Hmmmm, all right then, power. How do you propose I do that?"

"Destroy my enemies."

"What's in it for me?"

"What do you mean?"

"Look, Riddle . . ."

"You know my name?"

". . . yes, yes, and I know what you want of me. But you have to have something I want."

"Well, there's my soul."

"You have a little less than one-seventh of a soul left, and that's not nearly enough coin to buy what you want. Besides, when you summoned me, you forfeited your soul, meager as it is, in any case."

"I can give you dominion over all the muggles."

"Now that I'm here, I can take that at my leisure."

"But I summoned you, I command you!"

Abaddon shook his head, "You're only half-right Riddle - you summoned me."

"I want to make my enemies, and those who have betrayed me, suffer. I want to cut a path of chaos and destruction across the world!"

"Anything else?"

"I don't want to die. Ever."

Abaddon sighed, "Take it from me, Riddle, immortality consists largely of boredom."

"Will you serve me?"

"No."

Voldemort couldn't believe his ears, "No?"

"No, but I'll help you. You say you want your enemies dead?"

"Yes."

"So kill them."

"They all have, and one in particular has, powerful protections."

"Have you tried a club, knife or spear, bow or gun or bomb? Nooooooo, you had to "Avada Kedavra!" this and "Crucio/!" that and "/Sectum Sempra!" the other thing.

"Word of advice, Riddle. Keep it simple."

"You'll help me?"

"Well, I always did enjoy alittle chaos. Why not?"

The fallen angel looked at Voldemort, "Fist, we have to do something about your image." With a wave of his hand the Dark Wizard's wounds were healed.

"Since your soul is so fragmented, I can't permanently restore your human appearance but this . . ."Abaddon cast a powerful glamour, giving Riddle the countenance of a man on the young side of middle age, with salt and pepper hair and goatee. "This should make you easier on the eyes."

"Thank you, my Lord Abaddon."

"Don't mention it. Now, who do we kill first?"

"The traitors."

)O(

Severus Snape thought Narcissa might enjoy some fresh-cut flowers so he stopped by the little shop in Hogsmeade on his way to the Prince Cottage. He knew he'd enjoy whatever his fiance was cooking up for him at home. He and Narcissa and Draco had become quite the picture of domesticity, his foster son had even taken to working with wood, to the point where the additions to the Prince Cottage now included a good sized room for Draco and a nursery for the bundle of joy that he and Narcissa were trying so hard to make.

He smiled at the thought of trying, yet again, tonight. Perhaps Draco would like to spend some time with his, what was she, his "grandmum's" sister - would that be his Great Aunt?

Life is funny, he thought as he turned down the street to his cottage.

And froze.

His books and the flowers he'd bought for Narcissa fell to the ground and were forgotten.

His mother's Cottage was a burned out shell.

The dark mark hung over the ruins.

Several people were milling about the street, none daring to go past the low fence.

"Narcissa! Draco!" Severus pushed his way through the crowd, desperate to find his family alive and well.

Wand drawn, he approached the crumbling walls, not daring not to look inside.

Two charred forms, their blackened limbs curled in anguish, lay in the center of the great room.

A gentleman rested his hand on Severus's shoulder, "Were they dear to you?"

Numb from shock, Professor Snape barely registered the question, "Dear to me? What kind of question is that? That's my family, the only family I've ever loved."

"That's good, Severus."

Professor Snape looked at the man in horror, "Do I know you?"

Voldemort smiled and plunged alarge knife deep into Snape's belly.

Voldemort had his back to the crowd so no one could see what he was doing. From the street it looked like the goateed man was comforting and consoling the homeowner, who was bent over in grief. In fact he was literally, as well as figuratively twisting the knife.

"On the advice of a colleague,"Voldemort said, "I'm keeping this simple. Now to find Bellatrix."

The man turned, bowed to the crowd and disapparated.

A woman in the street screamed as Severus Snape fell over and lay dying on the charred grass.

Harry "phased" onto the scene, carefully lifted Severus in his arms and disappeared.

As he did, another hooded figure apparated away.

)O(

"He's lost a lot of blood, Harry. We can put him in stasis, but he's not fighting to stay alive."

"He thinks Narcissa and Draco were killed in the attack." Turning to the man he'd hated most at Hogwarts just a few months before, he said, "Severus, c'mon, remember the portkeys? The emergency portkeys we all carry? As soon as Narcissa and Draco were attacked they got out - they're at Grimmald Place right now, under the fidelius." He looked at Poppy, "Freeze him for now, if he sees that his family is okay he'll fight to stay alive."

Harry placed his hand on Snape's,"I know how you feel, Severus, if it was my family, I'd just give up too."

Astarte flitted down. "Let me try something."

She sat cross-legged on the Professor's pillow and placed the palm of each of her hands on either side of Snape's head.

Sure enough she was able to enter his thoughts.

)O(

Walking down a long, black tiled corridor she saw a small boy huddled against the wall. He'd wrapped his skinny arms around his knees and was head-down, crying.

"Severus . . . Sevie?"

"You're that tiny goddess thingy that hangs around with Potter."

It wasn't a question.

"Yep, and I'm here to tell you something."

"What?"

"Don't give up."

"Why not?"

"For your wife, and son, and daughter."

"My wife and son are dead, and Idon't have a daughter."

"Yet."

"Gone, gone, all gone, g'bye."

"Remember the portkeys?"

"What portkeys?"

"The ones that all Harry's wives carry, in case they're hurt or in trouble?"

"Yeah . . . wish I'd thought of that."

"You didn't have to. When Narcissa and Draco became part of the Black family again, they got portkeys too."

"But, but I saw their bodies, all black and burned and, and . . ."

Little Sevie burst into tears.

Astarte wrapped her arms and wings around the small boy, "Shhhh, shhhh, its okay, those were just simulacra, y'know, /dummies/. That's all, your fiance and son are just fine, really."

"Y-you mean it?"

Astarte raised her two middle fingers, palms out, "Goddess's honor."

"Can I see them?"

"First you've got to get better."

The boy stood as tall as he could; now resembling the Severus Snape of his boyhood days at Hogwarts. "I will!"

"Atta boy!"

In the waking world, Astarte removed her hands, "Never mind the stasis, Poppy, he's gonna fight to stay with us now."

Harry stroked Astarte's hair with the back of his index finger, "Thank you, Goddess."

"You can thank me by doing whatever I want when we're in dreamscape later."

Harry smirked, "You little minx! Last time we did that it involved a tub of olive oil, a ceiling fan and atrapeze!"

Astarte smiled and said, "Yeah. .."

"Ungggghhhhhh!"

"Severus, shhhh! Be still now!"

"H-Harry! Vol-Volde-mort!"

Harry bent over to hear better,"Voldemort did this?"

Snape nodded.

"G'ng fer Bel-Beltrix. . "

"He's going after Bellatix? He knows where she is?"

Again Snape nodded.

Harry squeezed Severus's hand,"You get better now, y' hear? Narcissa and Draco will be here when you wake up, okay?"

Severus was already asleep.

"Best thing for him, dear. You'll be wanting to go to Siberia now, won't you?"

"I really don't know," he said, gathering his newest bride in his arms, "on the one hand, he's going after death eaters, but when he's done with them . . ."

Poppy kissed him lightly on the lips and said, "Dress warmly, dear." Then went back to her patient.

Harry summoned his armor and put it on while still in the infirmary. As he walked purposefully toward the Headmaster's office he was joined by Hermione, Minerva, Angelina, Patricia, and Alicia, all in armor. Each with the Gryffindor crest, emblazoned in red and gold, on their breastplates.

"Remember, no one attacks Riddle but me. Anyone else tries, its suicide, and no one here is authorized to get themselves killed."

As they entered the Headmaster's office they saw that Dumbledore was already dressed for cold weather.

"Parka's?" he asked, raising his wand to transfigure something.

"No, too bulky, might interfere with movement, we'll go with warming charms.

"You might want to change the color of your armor, Harry."

"Good call, sir." Saying this he and Minerva turned the gloss-black basilisk hide to a flat white to blend in better with the Siberian landscape. The brilliant gold coat of arms became one done in shades of grey.

Harry chuckled, "We look like Storm Troopers from /Star Wars/."

Hermione and Tricia laughed along with Harry, the others just shrugged.

Astarte lighted on Harry's shoulder just as the portkey activated.

)O(

Harry and his /Leaenae/arrived via Dumbledore's portkey and thought they must have the wrong location.

There was no snow, just broken, jagged rocks in a pattern of concentric circles radiating from the center of town. I was Harry's idea of a moonscape.

Neither were there any buildings. In fact it looked like the hand of God had come down and simply erased Ust-Avam.

"What the hell?"

Astarte flew up and away.

"We must be in the wrong place, Albus. I mean, even if there had been some kind of attack, there would be debris, bodies, pieces of the log cabins."

"No mistake, Harry, I know this place. See those triple peaks over there? This is the Taymyr Peninsula, but my grandson's people . . ."

Harry saw the pain in his headmaster's eyes. An entire village, perhaps half the remaining Ngansian population, had, apparently been wiped out.

"What could have caused this?"Harry asked, walking toward what should have been the center of town.

His feet crunched on something.

Glass.

The ground had been turned to glass.

"Oh Christ, no!"

"Goddess! Astarte, c'mon, we have to get out of here!"

Harry quickly ran up the hill, Dumbledore, spry for his age, followed on his heels.

"My Uncle Vernon used to talk about turning "Liby," or "Paki" cities into "glass parking lots"."

At Dumbledore's confused expression he explained, "I think a nuclear bomb went off here. If I'm right, we've all been dosed with lethal levels of radiation."

/"Leaenae/, to me!" he called out. As all his lionesses converged, Astarte again alighted on his shoulder.

"Take us back, Albus, quickly!"

)O(

"Well, no trace of radiation exposure. Are you sure you were bitten by a radioactive spider?"

The NHS nurse wore modern scrubs, not the classic nurses uniform he loved to see on (and take off of) his"personal" nurse back at Hogwarts.

"Well, it crawled out of this yellow bin with a radiation sign on it and up and bit me."

"And this was at . . ?"

"Queens College, Oxford, ma'am."

"Well, you're clean. I'm afraid you won't be turning into Spider-man anytime soon, dear."

Harry decided then that all nurses in the U.K. must have been taught to call their patients "dear."

)O(

"So what was it?"

"Tanguska." Hermione offered.

"Tan-who?"

"July thirtieth, nineteen oh eight, along the Tanguska River in Russia there was this monstrous explosion, the blast knocked out windows three hundred miles away. Most scientists believe ameteorite or a comet struck the Earth there and caused the blast."

"So this happens often?"

"Geologically speaking, there's acomet or meteorite hit about once every ten-thousand years."

"So, two within the same century?"

"Possible, but not bloody likely."

From her window ledge Harry's personal goddess heaved a heavy sigh.

"Harry, Hermione, sweethearts -falling stars and even "A" bombs, we can handle. What we've got here is a /problem/."

"Goddess . . . Mum? What's going on here?"

Astarte appeared to be in a deep trance.

"Seems someone else has come through from the Between-lands."

"Who?"

"Abaddon. Someone has summoned Abaddon, ancient god of chaos and destruction. And I'll give you three guesses who."

)O(

Voldemort was still vibrating with excitement from the experience in Siberia. An entire village wiped out in the twinkling of an eye. A flash of light, an ear-splitting blast and, when the dust cleared, everything was gone.

When he'd asked Abaddon how the deed had been accomplished, the Lord of Chaos simply said, "A dirty great snowball from space."

"And you can call down more like it?"

"Yes, but not right away, the"snowball" has to be close enough to our planet for me to "persuade" it to hit the Earth."

"So the next opportunity will be?"

"In just under eighteen months."

"Oh, good, we'll keep that in mind."

)O(

Narcissa and Draco set up cots near Severus's bed in a curtained off corner of the Hospital wing. The professor hadn't awakened yet, but was showing signs of improvement.

Narcissa was nearly beside herself with worry.

"Mother . . . Mum, you have to calm down. It's not good for the baby."

Narcissa's head snapped up, "How did you know?"

Draco shrugged, "I may have been kicked out of this dump, but I was a Slytherin, and b'sides, you talked to Madame Pomfrey, I mean Potter - that's going to take some getting used to -on the floo and ours is, um, /was/, a small house.

"So is it a boy or a girl?"

"A girl, Ruby-Anne."

"Nghh hy f-fins."

"Severus? Sevie? Oh Sevie!"

"Nar-sisss, Dray . . ."

"Don't try to talk just yet, how do you feel?"

Severus, pale and clammy still managed to roll his eyes.

"Mum, I'd say he feels like someone tried to gut him like a fish."

Severus groaned, looked at his foster son and touched the tip of his nose with his index finger.

"See, right on the nose."

"Madam Pomf, I mean Potter, quick!"

Poppy bustled over and ran a few quick scans.

"Oh excellent, Professor, we're out of the woods now. Just rest and do everything your wife-to-be tells you to do for the rest of your life and you'll be fine."

Tears streamed down Narcissa's face as she grasped her fiance's hand tightly. "I was so scared, you were deathly pale and . . . but you know what, I knew I hadn't lost you. You know why?"

Severus shook his head, no.

"I could feel you, right here."She said, thumping her chest.

"Merime?"

"Marry you? Of course I'm going to marry you, we're engaged already."

"Uh, meri me, now!"

"Oh, um, very well, nurse, Madame Potter?"

"Narcissa?"

"Who can perform marriages here?"

"Albus Dumbledore can, my husband can. He is Lord Potter Slytherin after all."

"Dmbl-door."

"Professor Dumbledore it is."

"We'll need witnesses, dear."

"P'py n' Mnrva."

"Poppy and Minerva, anyone else?"

"Dray bestmun."

"Draco, will you be the best man?"

"Of course."

"S'good."

Poppy bustled over and handed Narcissa a large bouquet of daffodils.

"Thank you, Poppy; they're lovely, and so appropriate."

"How so, Mum?"

"I guess I never told you, /Dray/darling, the other name for the daffodil is the Narcissa."

)O(

The wedding was necessarily short, and the honeymoon postponed, but the marriage was duly noted in the Ministry registry and, as Narcissa was already pregnant with Severus's child, pre-consummated.

Harry came by a bit later with aset of keys, which he placed in Severus's hand.

"Keys to your house, I cussed and cursed and blackmailed a few goblins into rebuilding the place and now Prince Cottage is a four bedroom, two bath flat with central heat and a basement the size of a dungeon for spell casting and potions experiments. It'll be more house to clean but, on the bright side, less verge to keep up with."

A single tear rolled down Snape's cheek as he thanked his "father in law."

"Its okay, Sev, it's what families are supposed to do, /care /for each other."

"Harry," Poppy asked, "why are you so hateful to the goblins? I mean, you seem to get along so well with all the other magical creatures."

"Oh, Helena taught me that goblins detest common human courtesies. To be polite to a goblin is the worst kind of insult. Goblins who interact with humans in the bank undergo years of training so that they don't jump across the counter and rip a client's throat out for saying "Thank you," or, even worse, "Have a nice day"."

"So, in order to respect agoblin, and to be respected in turn, you have to be rude to them?"

"Oh yeah, the ruder the better, and if you can best one in business, as Helena has done several times this year, you are held in the highest esteem. Right now there are dozens of goblins at Gringotts who adore our Helena, cause she's such a money-grubbing, absolute /bitch/toward them."

)O(

Voldemort was frantic; he had gone to Malfoy Manor, only to find it a live-in school for mudblood orphans. The fact that he, himself, had been a "mudblood" orphan didn't reduce his revulsion by a single iota. If anything he was irritated to see these children well fed, clothed, educated and all around cared for.

"Accio diary."

Nothing.

He'd gone to the London Zoo's Reptile House only to find an actual python in the enclosure that had held Nagini. He stretched out his mind to try to find her and couldn't. She was either on the other side of the planet or she was dead, in which case he was down to three.

He took the key to the Lestrange vaults only to find them completely empty, that bitch Bellatrix had stolen everything from the vaults, knowing full well what the cup was.

"I now regret the loss of Ust-Avam," he seethed "I'd very much like to "chat" with Bellatrix right about now."

Voldemort approached the cave with trepidation. The boat was still there; he took it to the island and compelled an inferi to drink the contents.

He breathed a sigh of relief as the locket came into view, then panicked again as he realized this was NOT Slytherin's locket.

To the Dark Lord, I know I will be dead long before you read this but I want you to know that it was I who discovered your secret. I have stolen the real Horcrux and intend to destroy it as soon as I can. I face death in the hope that when you meet your match, you will be mortal once more. R.A.B.

Flinging the faux-locket into the water Voldemort took the longest boat ride of his life, well, it seemed that way at the time.

As he entered the inner cave, he nearly pissed himself when he saw the empty sarcophagus.

The Diadem. He'd left Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem in the "Hide-me" room at Hogwarts.

He had to go to Hogwarts.

"How do I get past the wards?"

Abaddon was not half fed-up, "How does anyone get into the school? You walk up the road and pass through the main gate. Your glamour will hold up to the closest scrutiny. Just tell them at the school you're so-and-so from the department of something-or-other and they'll not give you a second look.

"While we're there we'll leave afew surprises for later and, if we're very lucky, we can off a Potter wife or two."

)O(

Mr. Filch eyed the two gentlemen with suspicion. Mrs. Norris had run like a scalded, well, cat at the sight of them.

"Archivists, you say?"

"Aye, caretaker, to see Ms. Pince about increasing her library by half - there have been multiple endowments from some of the oldest wizard families, all Hogwarts alumni, in the form of ancient texts and scrolls."

Thinking how pleased Ms. Pince would be, Mr. Filch wasted no time leading the wizards to the library. As soon as the three men rounded the corner, Voldemort muttered "/Imperio/."

"Take us to the seventh floor."

Voldemort stood staring at the wall opposite the tapestry of Barnabas the Balmy. "This is the room of hidden things. I discovered it when I was a student here, and later, under that old fool's nose, I left something of great value in this room."

Pacing back and forth the wizard muttered, "I need to retrieve that which I've hidden, I need to retrieve that which I've hidden, I need to retrieve that which I've hidden."

"Nothing's happening." Abaddon observed.

Cold sweat trickled down Voldemort's back, "I need to go back to the room of hidden things, I need to go back. . ."

On the third recitation the door came into being.

A very relieved Voldemort opened the door and entered. He walked purposefully toward the tall stack of . . .

Broken furniture and shattered glass?

/Where is my golem? /He thought, It should be over there, looking like a stack of . . . uh, oh.

Abaddon smirked, "Not here, is it, Riddle?"

The wizard shook his head in disbelief.

"All your soul-jars, your Horcruxes, gone?"

Numbly, Voldemort nodded.

"Your "donor" self, without whom you have no life at all?"

Voldemort spun on his tormentor,"You said you would help me. You said you reveled in death and destruction. We will bring this castle down."

"No."

"What do you mean, "no"?"

"I mean no. There is another of the old gods here; if I attempt to destroy the castle she will stop me."

"You're the Lord of Chaos, god of destruction, what can be more powerful than that?"

Abaddon shrugged his shoulders,"Sex."