FicWad

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Star Trek. For that matter, I don't own much of anything except a lot of debt. If I could claim the two series and all their spin-offs, I would. So please don't sic the law demons on me ok?


Chapter 17: I have a Headache

After their arrival on Vulcan, the Potters reported in at the Federation Embassy, where they were assigned an apartment on the Embassy grounds. They made arrangements to have their belongings delivered later that week. In the meantime, until their furniture arrived, they slept on the floor, which was surprisingly comfortable.

The next week, while Harry was getting up to speed on his duties at the Embassy, Hui spent her time arranging their apartment and exploring the city of Shi'Kahr. While Vulcan did not have a 'capital' city, as Terrans would define it, Shi'Kahr was where most non-Vulcan visitors first arrived. Most of the Federation facilities were here, along with numerous embassies and the Shi'Kahr Academy (referred to more commonly as the Vulcan Science Academy).

Hui's trips around the area gave her ideas for lots of things to do when she and Harry managed to have matching days off for the next two years. She found day trips that tourists could take, the local shopping area, small cafés that she could study in and relax at the same time, the Vulcan zoological and botanical gardens and all the shortcuts to and from the Academy's medical school, which was just a short distance from the Embassy.

Harry's first few days were spent getting set up at the transportation office and getting familiarized with how the Embassy rules and regulations worked. As he discovered, being the Transport Officer for the mission meant that he didn't get to fly all that much, but would be spending most of his time doing paperwork and in the maintenance bays going over the repairs and modifications that were being made to 'his' vehicles.

One thing that the Potters noticed was that they were completely acclimated to the thinner atmosphere of Vulcan and hotter climate much more quickly that normal, in about a month rather than the several months to a year that was considered typical. They also didn't require the Tri-ox treatments that most humans needed to work effectively on the planet until they had acclimated. Thinking about it one evening, they decided that their magic was probably the cause of the rapid adjustment. This conclusion got Hui speculating that it might be possible to have witches and wizards to survive on some of the more marginally habitable worlds due to their magic forcing physiological changes as a survival response. Harry wrote this down in a journal he kept just for ideas that the two of them had, on the off chance they might be able to use them in the future in their quest to restore the wizarding world. Considering all that they currently knew, he didn't have much hope that any of his ideas would actually be used, but he took the attitude of 'if you don't write it down, it didn't happen'.

Once Hui started classes at the medical school, she found that the Vulcan methods of instruction fit much better with her own preferred style of learning. She quickly made her way to the top of her class, despite being a transfer student and most of her classmates being of Vulcan descent. Vulcan teaching methods were more of a master and apprentice relationship than the classroom and lecture setup that she had been accustomed to. Her instructor, Master Healer Sorrel, only took on the occasional small apprentice group as he was also the head of the medical academy. Those groups he did take on were universally agreed to be the best students and often went on to be the movers and shakers of the medical community in the future.

The last time Sorrel took on an apprentice group had been roughly twenty years earlier; that group had included two future winners of the Nobel and Zee Mangees prizes in medicine, and the newly appointed head of Starfleet General Hospital, Dr. Keme M'Benga. Hui's group of five apprentices attended to all of Sorrel's cases and assisted him in treatments and diagnosis.

Hui told Harry that she had learned more about medicine in just the first few weeks of his instruction than she had learned in the previous two years. Sorrel's gentle and hands-on teaching style had enlivened her studies to the point where she actively looked forward to lecture hall days so she could bring the knowledge learned there to Sorrel for real world applications.


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During their time on Vulcan, the Potters took the time to play tourist whenever possible. As a member of the Embassy staff, Harry was often required to attend formal Embassy functions. Not being a naturally social and gregarious personality, Harry only truly enjoyed attending them if his wife was there to keep him company. If Hui was not available due to school commitments, Harry would do his best to beg off from attending or, if he had to put in an appearance, do the absolute minimum he could and then head home.

When the Ambassador asked Harry about this behavior, Harry explained that Hui had apparently inherited her grandfather's love of meeting new people. Harry himself, due to some unpleasant experiences in his youth (which he didn't go into detail about), wasn't a big fan of being shown off. He only enjoyed doing the dog and pony shows when she was there, as she didn't make it seem like a big production, more like a gathering of old friends than anything else.

The ambassador laughed at that and told Harry that his wife's abilities in that regard would make her an excellent director of a medical research facility someday, because donors like that sort of thing when it's time to raise funds. He also said that if she ever went into the diplomatic side of things, that was a very rare gift, and she probably would go far there as well.

Towards the beginning of their second year on Vulcan, the Embassy held its bi-annual formal ball. The Cotillion, as it was informally known, had many of the dignitaries and ambassadors in residence from other Federation members as invitees. This year, Ambassador Sarek and his wife Amanda happened to be on-planet and were attending. Harry and Hui were both able to attend and were looking forward to it. Harry was hoping to meet Spock's parents, just to see the kind of people who raised the first Vulcan he had ever met and one of the best teachers he had ever had. Hui, on the other hand, was just hoping to see them; after all, how many times do you get to see a galactically known personage up close?

The Potters were among the first to arrive, and went through the receiving line fairly quickly. While Harry was on the Embassy staff, being the transportation officer didn't require formal duties like standing in the receiving line, much to his and Hui's relief. Hui knew how much Harry disliked being the focus of attention, and being on the receiving line would only make Harry uncomfortable even though he wouldn't be the focus.

During the meet and greet prior to the dinner, Hui introduced Harry to Master Healer Sorrel who, true to Vulcan tradition, was outwardly calm and understated in his evaluation of Hui's prowess as a student. Harry, after months of practice interacting with the Vulcans on staff at the Embassy, could read the truth in the subtle expressions and body language he was presenting to them.

In a quiet moment after Sorrel had gone on to speak with other guests, Harry said to Hui, "You know, underneath that stoic exterior, there were some pretty powerful emotions. I think he sees you as one of the best students he's ever taken on."

"I don't want to agree, because it sounds conceited, but I sensed something, too," Hui murmured, almost dumbstruck. "I've never seen him that animated when talking about someone. Sometimes he's close to that when describing a procedure, but never a student," she continued, speaking quietly. She really didn't want to embarrass her teacher.

Harry winked and let out a smirk on his tanned face. "I won't tell if you won't."

Hui smiled at Harry and the two of them moved off to meet other guests before dinner started.

When dinner was announced, the Potters weren't sure if they should kill Ambassador Kevoian or send him a giant thank you card. The chief Federation envoy had the final say on the seating arrangements for dinner, and had apparently approved of the Potters being seated next to Ambassador Sarek and Amanda for the meal.

After being seated, Amanda broke the ice by immediately turning to Harry and saying, "Sooo, you're the infamous Harry Potter that my son has spoken about."

Harry's jaw dropped. He had not seen Commander Spock since leaving the Enterprise for Earth back at age sixteen; he'd had no idea whether Spock even remembered him, much less mentioned Harry to anyone outside of the Enterprise crew. Sarek, on the other hand, looked typically impassive at Amanda's comment, but if you looked closely, you could see his expression change and almost say, "That's my girl," with no little amount of pride.

Harry responded with a sheepish, "Infamous, Ma'am? I don't know about that."

Sarek raised on eyebrow ever so slightly. "Mr. Potter, I believe that my wife is what you would call 'pulling your leg'. While my son does let us know of his students, he has yet to label any of them 'infamous'…though his newest ward, Saavik, may come close to fitting the definition."

A small smile graced Hui's features at the gentle teasing that Harry was receiving. As the dinner continued, the conversation drifted through a wide range of topics. Finally, towards the end of the evening, Hui gathered up her courage and addressed Sarek. "Mr. Ambassador, I have been working and studying with Vulcans now for over a year. I don't mean to insult but you seem to have a more...comfortable...approach to your emotional control than most Vulcans."

Sarek just nodded slightly in acknowledgment. "While part of that is certainly due to my many years married to Amanda, as a diplomat I also find it useful to make the attempt to understand and decipher emotions. Sometimes it is beneficial to understand…where a person is coming from emotionally, so a satisfying and logical solution can be found to a problem."

Harry followed up with a question of his own. "Sir, I was wondering how you managed to pull off so many successful negotiations? From what I have read, in some cases it seems like a miracle that you managed to get the various parties to sign and uphold your work."

Sarek's expression changed ever so slightly, not in anger or the appearance of being insulted, but more along the lines of seeing humor in the comment and deciding to exploit it. "Mr. Potter, a 'miracle' is an interesting turn of phrase. None of what I have accomplished at the diplomatic table was a 'miracle'. Mostly, it consisted of finding the logic of the disputing parties' arguments and cutting through the emotions that were clouding the issues at hand. However, if my skills and reputation as a negotiator were to cause some of those that I am in negotiations with to believe that I have a deity assisting me and performing 'miracles' on my behalf, who am I to disabuse them of that notion?" The twinkle in his eyes would have put Dumbledore to shame.

Harry just smiled at the humor in the statement and said, "I see your point."


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Not long afterwards, as Hui began her final year of coursework at the Vulcan Science Academy Medical School, she and her fellow apprentices were in the incoming patients' reception area when they received word of a Vulcan Starfleet officer who was being brought in for treatment. The officer had been the victim of a mental attack while on an away team on a planet near an area of space called the Triangle.

This area of space was populated by Federation, Klingon and Romulan citizens, who didn't acknowledge any of the three governments as their central authority. This made for an interesting mix of planets: many were highly developed, while as many others were charted but largely unexplored. All three governments sent ships into the area and the officer had been one of the scientists exploring one of the uninhabited worlds.

When the officer arrived, he was in a medical stasis chamber. The officers who accompanied him explained that the Vulcan within the chamber had become extremely violent and destructive while under attack. They had been forced to hit him with several heavy stun blasts before they could get him into the chamber and back to Vulcan for treatment.

Dr. Sorrel called for a mind healer and then spoke to his group. "Students, our job here will be to assist Mind Healer T'lara in keeping the patient calm and assist in strengthening T'lara's mental shields when asked. Mrs. Potter, since you are human, you unfortunately do not have the psionic abilities needed to assist in this task. Your function will be to record the procedure and in particular anything the patient says during this initial stage of treatment. This will help in determining an effective long term plan of care to ensure that the patient will be able to return to society. Does everyone understand their functions?"

The group of five apprentices responded with, "Yes Master Healer."

"Very well, let us begin. First we need to remove him from the…"

Hui was a disappointed at not being able to directly assist in helping this patient. Vulcans were touch-telepaths, so part of the standard curriculum for mental or psychological ailments included telepathic evaluations. It was not the first time she, as a mind-blind Human, had been relegated to the sidelines on such cases. However she was well aware that her notes, observations and recordings were vital to diagnosing and treating the patient.

Once they had gotten him out of the stasis chamber and began to perform initial diagnostics, Hui was kept busy transcribing both the physicians' notes and the patient's own attempts to describe what was happening to him. As she listened, Hui realized that what the patient was saying sounded familiar, but she couldn't put her finger on why. The Tamaxidal that had been injected into his bloodstream produced a narcotic effect that effectively paralyzed the major muscle groups, keeping the patient physically restrained, while still allowing for lucid answers to questions and not interfering with the circulatory or respiratory systems of a Vulcan. Mind Healer T'lara was there to keep whatever organism was attacking his mind from interfering with the initial questioning and diagnosis.

The patient was a Vulcan science officer named Commander Stoan. The initial attack had taken place on an unexplored world in the Triangle where Stoan's ship was conducting a survey. On their last day of surveying that particular area, he had a painful flash of light occur behind his eyes and was inundated by a flood of violent, horrific memories and raging emotions that he knew for a fact were not his own. The shock and pain of the attack caused him to black out.

Stoan woke in his ship's sickbay with a moderate headache but with no memory of the attack. The ship's physician ran numerous tests, but found nothing of concern and eventually cleared the officer to return to duty. Over the course of the next several days, however, as the ship moved away from the planet where the attack occurred, Stoan started experiencing nightmares and flashbacks of the same dark and formless memories and alien feelings, which his mind had apparently attempted to subconsciously repress in self-preservation. They grew stronger and more frequent over time, as Stoan's ability to keep them shielded was slowly shredded. In describing the progress of the affliction, Stoan likened it to the final phases of pon farr, which the healers had already confirmed was not the cause of his problems. What was most disconcerting about the dreams was that there were no images or sounds, just raw, formless feelings of terror, rage, and hate.

Eventually, Stoan's efforts at controlling these foreign memories failed; he lashed out at one of his fellow officers, throwing her over a work station console, and then collapsed into a corner, curled into a fetal position. The Andorian physician aboard ship, not being telepathic, could not find a cause for his affliction and was finally forced to place Commander Stoan in stasis to prevent him from harming himself or others.

As the Vulcan officer recounted his memory of these events, he grew visibly more and more agitated. He had difficulty following a train of thought, often stopping in the middle of a sentence to gasp, growl, or moan in distress, before managing to control it and move on with the story. When he finally reached the point where his coherent memories ceased, Stoan's voice trailed off and he started screaming, though whether in pain or fear was not clear. T'lara placed a Vulcan nerve pinch on the stricken officer and directed that he be placed back in the stasis chamber until a treatment regimen could be devised.

Over the next several days, Hui couldn't help but feel that Commander Stoan's story about his attack was familiar somehow, but for the life of her couldn't place why she felt this way. Finally, however, one afternoon about a week after the patient's arrival, as her group was working with T'lara, Hui finally realized why the situation sounded familiar.

They were looking at a neural map of Stoan's brain. T'lara pointed out on the display, "This location in the patient's memory center has been hyper-stimulated, most likely by the attacking organism. The memories recorded here have no other connections in his mind, unlike normal memories which would be interconnected with related experiences. It is as if several years worth of traumatic memories have been deposited directly into Commander Stoan's mind.

"With typical levels of mental discipline, a Vulcan faced with traumatic events can typically integrate and control the associated emotions within a short time. With so many memories, at such high intensity, Commander Stoan's mental disciplines were unable to cope with the input and have failed completely. Currently the only course of treatment that we have available to us is the artificially wall off the memories and retrain him in the mental disciplines. The problem with this is that something may trigger those memories in the future causing a relapse."

Suddenly, Hui gasped and whispered, "Harry."

"You wish to make a comment Mrs. Potter?" asked Sorrel mildly.

"Forgive me Master Healer, I just remembered something I was once told. I may know of someone who has experienced similar types of mental attacks. He may also have a way to cure the patient," said Hui with a slightly embarrassed tone to her voice.

"Please elaborate, Mrs. Potter," asked T'lara

"Master Healer, Healer T'lara, with your permission, I would prefer to ask the person in question if they are willing to discuss it with you before I go into detail. Some of the events involved were very personal, and other aspects are currently classified by Starfleet. We may need to get permission to discuss those aspects with you. May I have your permission to relate some general information about this case to the person in question and possibly to Starfleet Command?"

Sorrel nodded and said "I understand, Mrs. Potter, and you have my permission to discuss this case in general terms. Please go make contact with this other victim and your superiors. Please let them know that their contribution may save the life of a person."


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That evening when Harry got back to the apartment he found a pensive looking Hui waiting for him.

"Honey, what's wrong?" Harry asked in a concerned voice.

Hui got up from the chair she was sitting in and began pacing.

"Harry, honey, there's a problem that I need your help with and I have been trying to figure a way to explain it without hurting you or possibly killing a patient of mine."

Harry sat down on the couch that was in their living room. He undid his tunic and said "Ok, please tell me what's happened, and let me know how I'm involved."

Hui explained the situation in basic terms, without using the patient's name. "T'lara thinks it was some kind of predator, using a psychic attack the way electric eels on Earth use electricity, to stun their prey. Anyway, today I realized that the attack and the effects were a bit like something you once mentioned from your time at Hogwarts."

Harry nodded. "It does sound like this patient of yours ran across an alien version of a boggart, or a dementor."

Hui cocked her head slightly, her eyebrows drawing together. "That actually wasn't what I was thinking of, but you're right, there are some similarities there. What I had thought of was your description of your Occlumency lessons, when that Snape person was using your worst memories to weaken your resistance."

Harry nodded. "I'm not sure what you think I can do to help, though, hon. I mean, I know spells that will drive off boggarts and dementors, but from what you're saying, the critter that caused this isn't still hanging around. And I never did get the hang of occlumency; the Vulcan mind arts leave me in the dust there."

"T'lara thinks that if the affected memories could be safely removed, then her patient would have a good chance of returning to a full and productive life. I already called and spoke to Admiral Kirk, and he has granted permission for us to discuss magic with my instructors."

Harry sat there thinking for a few minutes when she was finished. "So you want to try to obliviate this patient of yours? I could teach it to you like I learned in Flitwick's fifth year charms class, but there's nothing to practice on like I had back at Hogwarts. It might be safer if I did it myself." He glanced at Hui, hoping she wouldn't be offended, but if anything she looked relieved. "If everyone agrees, I'll cast one on him and hopefully that will help save his life. Is that what you were after?"

Hui nodded. "But there's one other thing...T'Lara may also want to examine your mind, as well. I know that you don't like the idea of someone messing around in your head, but it might help, if for nothing else to see how a mind that survived that type of attack heals over time."

After a moment, Harry made a decision. "Okay, I'll do it. If the shit I went though will help save a life, it was worth it. I just hope that no one else will have to go through this type of thing again."


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The next morning, after briefing the participants on the nature of his talents and what the attacks on him had been like, Harry described what he was going to attempt and the expected results before the group went to see the patient. The healer's did one last scan of the patient's mind, then stood aside as Harry cast an obliviate, targeted to wipe everything from the day of Stoan's last away mission to the present. Afterwards, T'lara began her examination of the unconscious Vulcan. After about thirty minutes of examination, T'lara left Commander Stoan's mind and declared that the memories that were the cause of the problems were gone and that he should fully recover after about six months of mental therapy to rebuild his mental shields.

Roughly an hour later Harry and Hui found themselves in T'lara's office.

"Mr. Potter, what I am going to do is perform a mind meld with you. This will not hurt and shouldn't take more than an hour or so to examine how your mind healed after the attacks on your mind stopped. This will give the healers here an idea of what to expect as Commander Stoan heals. I understand that the attacks you experienced were not identical, and that you did not have your memories removed as part of your treatment. If there is any lingering damage that has not healed, I shall let you know and afterwards you can decide if you want to pursue treatment," said T'lara in the matter of fact tone of a professional that was an expert in her field.

Harry nodded his head and said "I understand, Healer T'lara. How will this feel to me?"

"An understandable question, Mr. Potter. At worst, all you should feel is a slight fluttering behind your eyes. Most humans seem to describe the feeling as a slight tickle. Shall we begin?" asked Healer T'lara mildly.

Harry just nodded and closed his eyes. T'lara gently placed her hand on the appropriate points of Harry's face. She began with the mantra, "My mind to your mind. My thoughts to your thoughts…"

Hui watched in fascination as both Harry and T'lara's eyes started moving like they were in the middle of REM sleep.

About ten minutes after they began, T'lara broke the connection. As Harry blinked his eyes, a minor shift in T'lara's expression occurred, giving her the appearance of worried surprise. "Mr. Potter, you have the foundations of what could become a quite formidable set of metal shields, for a human; however that is not why I broke the connection. There is a problem."

"Problem? What kind of problem, Healer T'lara" asked Hui, sounding more like a concerned spouse than a physician in training.

T'Lara looked at Hui and said, "Nothing too serious, but your husband is carrying a partial Katra in his mind. Apparently for quite a long time, if all the indications I found were correct. Much of Mr. Potter's mental shielding has been devoted to keeping that Katra walled off . I recommend that it be removed fairly soon, however, as the barriers that Mr. Potter has built to contain it will eventually break down and it will begin to affect his personality."

Harry looked at Hui, then T'lara. "Umm, I don't mean to be rude. but what's a Katra ?"

T'lara sat back in her chair "Forgive me Mr. Potter, I should have explained. A Katra is the essence of a Vulcan. In human terms, the closest definition would be soul. To make it understandable, Mr. Potter, you are carrying a distinct and separate soul in your mind, though it appears to be incomplete. Do you know how this may have happened?"

Harry and Hui looked at each other. Both of them shared the exact same expression that one gets when a married couple is thinking the exact same thing. A Horcrux.

Simultaneously, they said in a very worried tone, "Oh Shit!" Had the situation not been so serious to the two of them would have burst out laughing immediately after they said it.


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Two days later, Harry and Hui were back at the medical academy in a treatment room. Healer T'lara's diagnosis had made them come to realize that the last unknown horcrux, the one Dumbledore had never talked about was lodged in Harry's scar. In the intervening two days, Hui had been worrying herself sick with all the what-if's that she could think of.

T'lara came in with an elderly Vulcan woman who was dressed in an very archaic-looking robes. "Mr. and Mrs. Potter, this is Mistress T'pon. She is one of the Masters of Gol and a master of the mind arts. Based on your description of what this Lord Voldemort was like, and the acts that he performed to split his Katra, I asked her to be here as an observer, and if necessary, to help me in removing it from your mind and getting it into the Katra sphere." T'lara motioned to a glass sphere that was resting on a table next to the bed that Harry was going to be laying on during the ceremony.

T'pon nodded to Harry "Mr. Potter, I thank you for agreeing to allow me to be present. What you have experienced is not something that is completely understood by us. Vulcans becoming keepers of katras is a situation we are familiar with. There have also been incidences of other intelligent races carrying Vulcan katras on a temporary basis on occasion. Your case is unique, due to the abominations that you have described that created these katra fragments, the fact that this katra is not of Vulcan origin and the length of time that you have carried this fragment. Healer T'lara has informed me of the rudimentary mental shields that you do have in place. As an expression of my gratitude for allowing me to observe and possibly assist, I have brought a guide regarding mental exercises for you to examine. Should you be able to successfully understand and perform them, they will allow you to eventually build a formidable set of mental defenses, for a human."

Hui looked at the two Vulcans and asked, "Healer T'lara, Mistress T'pon, from a medical standpoint, what is going to be occurring?"

"Not much from a general physiological standpoint. Mr. Potter's heart rate and breathing may increase slightly and some other minor metabolic increases may occur. The most noted changes will be in brainwave activity. Externally, Mr. Potter will look like he is asleep. However the monitoring of brainwave activity will show activity resembling deep REM sleep, similar to vivid dreaming or possibly a nightmare. Nothing harmful, but he will be tired afterwards and probably require a few days of rest at home before he is fully recovered," said T'lara with a tone of confidence. T'pon stood passively to one side and just nodded in agreement.

"Healer T'lara, Mistress T'pon, I can't thank you enough for helping get rid of this…this thing in my head. I don't mean to insult, but are you sure you can do this without being hurt? Tom Riddle was a completely irredeemable person and what little I know about what he did to himself to do this to his soul -- or Katra, or whatever you want to call it -- worries me quite a bit. If any of his personality or abilities are still there, you're going to have your work cut out for you. Don't underestimate that thing in there just because it isn't Vulcan," Harry finished, while tapping the side of his head with his finger.

"Do not worry, Mr. Potter, that is why I am here. I have been able to successfully ensure tortured…'souls', if you will, are safely removed from their keepers on many occasions. This procedure, in theory, will be no different," stated T'pon without the slightest trace of emotion.

After going over the procedure for removing the Katra of Tom Riddle from Harry's mind one last time, Harry lay down on the procedure bed and relaxed. Within a minute of T'lara touching his head, Harry appeared to fall into a deep sleep. Slowly, T'lara began a mantra and moved one hand to the globe. T'pon moved next to T'lara in case assistance was needed.

Hui spent her time monitoring the scanners and sure enough everything that T'lara had predicted was occurring. Roughly two hours into the procedure, however, things began to go wrong.

While nothing appeared to be happening to Harry, a very fine sheen of sweat broke out on T'lara's forehead.

T'pon observed this and said "Do not fear, Mrs. Potter, this is…unexpected but not worrisome. The Katra is resisting being moved to its sphere. This sometimes occurs when the keeper has had the Katra residing in their mind for more than a few weeks at most."

Hui nodded towards T'pon and continued to monitor Harry's brainwave activity. About ten minutes later Harry's brainwave activity decreased to the mode of a deep sleep, but T'lara began shaking like she was experiencing an epileptic fit. T'pon began moving to try and assist T'lara, but before she could touch her and set up a mental link, T'lara's eyes snapped open and were glowing a bright green.

"Ahhh…Harry Potter, how nice of you to provide me with such a powerful body to begin my return in," began the Katra of Tom Riddle that had possessed T'lara. "Too bad it's not magical. Perhaps I will be able to find a magical being to convince of my… Unngh." T'pol had moved quickly and applied a Vulcan nerve pinch, causing the possessed Vulcan healer to collapse bonelessly to the floor.

T'pon looked at T'lara's sprawled form. "Mrs. Potter, that was not supposed to happen. Please assist me in moving your husband to the floor. He shall awaken within the next few hours. We need to get Healer T'lara on the bed so I can remove the Katra that is attempting to take over. This will take some time, but just to be safe, please be prepared to stun me in case it is successful in possessing me instead of my being successful in placing it in the sphere."

"Yes Mistress T'pon," replied Hui. She quietly drew her hold-out phaser and set it on the table where she was monitoring the procedure.

T'pon began her attempt and it was a long fought effort. About three hours later, the sphere began to glow with soft reddish light. A sweaty T'pon removed her hand from T'lara's brow and accepted a towel from Hui.

"Thank you, Mrs. Potter. That was…difficult. The Katra was extremely stubborn in removal," said a clearly exhausted T'pon in an apologetic tone of voice. "I apologize for not taking your warnings about the Katra with all due diligence. I have never encountered such a twisted Katra before. I do not know how a being could be that…perverted in outlook. I shall take Healer T'lara to Gol for mental healing. In the meantime, let us check on your husband."

"Okay, Mistress T'pon. But what about you, are you going to be alright?" asked a concerned Hui.

"Do not trouble yourself for me. I shall undergo the necessary therapy upon my delivery of T'lara to the mind healers of Gol. In the meantime, I ask your permission to study the Katra of this Tom Riddle. Perhaps the adepts can learn something from it. Once our studies are complete, or shortly before you leave Vulcan, whichever comes first, you and your husband will have to release it to the winds so that it can go to its final destination," T'pon said.


"I have no problem with that Mistress T'pon, but you are going to have to ask Harry for his permission as well. I don't think he will mind as long as the proper precautions are observed."

After they made Harry a bit more comfortable, he began to wake. "Uggh, I have a headache," he said to no one in particular.

Hui just leaned over and held her husband on the floor. Harry was going to be alright.

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Harry and Hui Potter stood together on a rocky outcrop, just above the main entrance to the sanctuary at Gol. Resting on the ground a few meters away was a glass sphere, still glowing a malevolent red from the imprisoned Katra...or horcrux, as Earth's wizards would have termed it.

"Are you ready?" Hui asked her husband. Her medical studies were complete, and the two of them were preparing to leave for their first starship posting within the week.

"Yeah," Harry replied softly, then cast a silent reducto at the sphere. It shattered, bright shards of glass flying out and down the mountain slope. The red mist congealed for a moment, then screamed in pain and anguish before dissipating and vanishing.

"It's too bad that wasn't the last of them," Harry sighed. "There's still two left, if Dumbledore was right. One in Hogwarts somewhere, and one buried in the old Gringotts vaults deep under London, where even modern sensors can't penetrate. Voldemort is still immortal, trapped in the castle. You saw him, though, just like I did. He's healing, and he has at least a little of his magic. I can't help but wonder if, someday, maybe a thousand years from now, he'll manage to find a way out of there."

He and Hui turned and began the long descent back to their vehicle, parked at the desert's edge.

That night, Hui Potter had another nightmare, this one worse than any of the ones she'd had over the last few years, full of blood and darkness and pain. Still, there were no details she could remember upon waking.