FicWad

Chapter 22 - Usil no longer needs the wierding module

Still on the sofa beside him, the two young women were shouting. "Dobby, help us!" "Harry, it's okay--" "I'm sorry, Harry--" "Harry, it's just us, we're your friends--" "We're here to help--" "Dobby, has he been like this before?"

"No, Missy," cried Dobby, wringing his long fingers.

The room around them was thrumming, as if there were a large machine under the room. The vibrations got stronger, and stronger, and stronger still until they became like a small earthquake. The little cups and saucers of the tea set began rattling, then the furniture was rattling about on the floor, and then --

Darkness. Cold. The distant creaking of wood. "Avada Kedavra!" The screaming of a woman, over and over. "Kill the spare!" The distant whimper of a small child, nearby, and trying to be quiet...

"Come with me," Luna said. Hermione was startled to see a small area become illuminated by Freddie's aura. The two walked in the direction indicated by the magical young woman. "We're in Harry's Hell, you see? He has been here thousands of times before. But his power is greater than any living wizard; he doesn't realize that he brought us in here with him."

Hermione noted that, although their footsteps sounded normal, she couldn't tell how far they had walked... when Luna's hand stopped her. She looked up, and beheld a boy, crying.

He was in the fetal position, though whether for warmth or protection she couldn't determine. He appeared to be about 6years old, dressed in filthy rags that he would never grow to fit. His frame was pitifully slight, showing the near-starvation level he existed in. His keening was very quiet, and all the more heart-wrenching because of that.

Freddie said, "This is also Harry Potter." She needn't have said anything; there was no doubt. Luna knelt beside the little boy, and reached out to touch his shoulder. The boy immediately flinched violently, and crawled quickly away, eyes wide with fear. Freddie reached out again in this dream state of a wounded mind, and touched his shoulder again; as though he hadn't moved. "Harry, you have to let us go. You're hurting Luna, Hermione and Dobby."

The keening stopped. The little boy stopped shivering and stood. In a voice much deeper and more resonant that the one he'd used for crying, he said, "I see."

With no transition, they were back in Harry's living room. The furnishings seemed to be normal again; no fallen crockery or moving furniture. Just a nice fire dancing merrily in the grate.

Harry was on the floor. "I see," he said again. There was a quiet moment of wonder written upon his visage, showing that he had managed to grasp an understanding of some great truth. That is, until his face returned to that bland, cynical expression with which they had all recently come to be familiar.

"I'm alright now, Dobby."

"Great Wizard Master Harry Potter, sir!" Dobby's distress caused him to lapse into his earlier, poorer, speech patterns. "Dobby didn't know what to do!"

"My friend, you may as well come and join us," Harry said. "I have to explain something to all of you." He waved his hands, and the floor was suddenly much more comfortable, owing to a newly-conjured proliferation of oriental pillows and cushions.

"Freddie, you know what that was, don't you?"

"Yes, Harry." Luna's face had never looked more lucid.

"Ladies, that dark place you just saw is the innermost chamber of my mind. Some of the books I have read this past summer have helped me to understand that this... gestalt... is the raw kernel of my person. The base core upon which I have built who I am, and who I choose to be."

Hermione started in, "Harry, you need to get some serious help! You can't just keep going on with that--" and she stopped dead, seeing the look on Harry's face. "I'm sorry, Harry. Please continue." She even had the grace to blush a little.

"Hermione, given the knowledge that I have gathered in the last months, I am more qualified to decide whether I can 'just keep going' than any other human on the planet." He touched Dobby on the shoulder, then took a girl's hand in each of his own.

He continued. "Some lesser mind-scramblers might conclude that I have a split personality disorder. They would be wrong. Split personalities are something entirely different. The Harry Potter you see, and the one you have seen for the last six years, is a veneer.

"Now, everyone you know has a veneer... a mask, if you will. Some of us do it to protect ourselves, while some of us reinforce our masks until they make alovely protective shell. You should know first-hand that there are very few things capable of even scratching the shell I've built in the last year.

"This isn't something that can be 'cured', Hermione, because there isn't anything wrong. You know how a pearl comes into being? The oyster secreting more and more layers to protect itself from the little irritant on its soft tissue? Well, I wouldn't consider this shell to be an illness, any more than the oyster's method of dealing with bits of sand. Just remember that, if you ever felt the need to saw away at the beautiful pearl's layers to see the middle, it is quite likely that you'd be presented with something very small and ugly."

He paused for a moment, giving them time to think about this. "You three are not the only ones who have seen my... that place. Snape saw it during our so-called lessons on Occlumency. Voldemort saw it through the connection that existed through my scar. I'm moderately sure that Dumbledore saw it. It's not really a secret. But it's not something that requires advertisement, either. Okay?"

Harry and Hermione saw the change in Luna's visage that told them Freddie was talking now. "Harry Potter, you are the Leader now." Harry could hear the capital 'L'. "You are the one the wizarding world will follow, and you are the one who now has the trust of Hogwarts Castle. You have both the power and the will to become the world's first 'Light Lord'. Tomorrow, if you wished." She held up a hand to forestall Harry's protest. "The fact that you do not wish it is part of what makes it true."

Luna's voice continued. "Your humanity makes Hermione love you. Your empathy makes Luna love you. Your lack of prejudice makes Dobby love you. And your utter unwillingness to entertain any thoughts of not doing the right thing makes Hogwarts -- Freddie -- love you."

Harry thought for a bit, before replying. "Girls, I cannot let that shell crumble again -- not even for you. I have to be the big cheese, even when I think there's no more cheese in the shop."

Hermione said, "I guess you're right, in a way. At least, I can see what you mean. The people of both the Wizarding and Muggle worlds need a hero, Harry. You have to be seen as unfailing, infallible, undefeatable, and larger than life."

Luna added, "The fact that you're a total hunk doesn't hurt."

The three laughed at that, before Harry turned to a serious question. "Freddie, Luna, Hermione," he began. Luna met his gaze. "You know I will protect and defend all of you to the extent that I can -- and I can do a lot." The girls nodded. "But... I already have a girlfriend!"

"Harry," said Hermione. "We aren't asking anything of you. We just wanted to let you know that you have three women who love you, are in love with you, and will be with you, if you'll allow it, in any way you wish, and as many ways as you permit."

Luna said, "Hogwarts Castle is in love with you, Harry, and wants to be part of your life, just like I do."

"Freddie," Harry said. "How do you feel yourself fitting in?"

Freddie's words were quiet, but rang with the truth of the ages. "You are my liege, my lord and my love. I would be part of you in any way that you permit."

"Luna, Freddie's feelings aside for a moment, what about you?"

Luna said, "Harry, I was never able to say it on my own, but you already saw from my aura that I have loved you for a long time. Freddie and I are of one mind on this."

The four souls, in three bodies, had a lot to consider as they spent a peaceful evening chatting in Harry's home.

***

At precisely one minute past midnight, the girls were awakened by Harry moving to get off the davenport. Groggy, Hermione rubbed an eye and asked, "Harry, what's wrong?"

"I have to do a thing, very quickly."

"But--"

Luna said, "Of course. May we see?"

"Stand up, please," was his reply. "Quickly, now." They complied, standing in their night attire. Harry waved, and they were all instantly dressed in heavy grey winter clothes, suitable for a jaunt in the country. Before either of them could comment, he said, "Don't be afraid."

And... they were all standing on a country lane, perhaps one hundred feet in front of the Burrow. Five Death Eaters stood casting spells together in a steady stream, which showed a splashing impact on a ward. A sixth dark figure stood somewhat behind them, chanting the wards to prevent magical transport. They were attempting an attack here, while preventing anyone from using portkeys, or the floo, or apparation.

Harry was given pause only momentarily by the sight of a silver hand

Using his mind in his own variant of Legilimency, Harry spoke to the minds of all those within the house. Weasleys, are you awake?

He could hear their replies, and adjusted the spell to allow Luna and Hermione to hear as well. "Harry, is that you? You have to get away from here! The wards will be down any moment... Call the Aurors, or get Dumbledore!"

Your help is already here,he replied silently. Come to the parlor window and watch. He waited until he could see Arthur and Molly move to the window. The children were all at school, so it was just the two of them. Then he took action by waving his free hand. The weak anti-apparation and anti-portkey chant being put out by Pettigrew was replaced by a permanent, complete ward --but not the one Peter expected.

Six figures jerked in alarm, then spun around to discern who had changed the situation. They saw Harry, and one said, "Potter! Our lord will reward us greatly for bringing you. Get him!" The small group spread out, to make a harder target.

Harry limped around to the center of the group. He knew they could see him, but not the two girls watching from the thicket. Pettigrew impatiently pointed and screamed, "Avada Kedavra!", a bit of spittle flying from his mouth. The sickly green beam of light thus released headed straight for where Harry had stepped -- except that Harry wasn't there anymore. Having stepped to the side, the group watched in amazement as the Death Eater on the other side of Harry dropped silently, quite dead.

"Good evening, gentlemen," said Harry, and suddenly he stood directly before another one of them. He waggled his index finger at the mask of the Death Eater, and the mask disappeared. A new face; not someone Harry recognized. Harry pointed his finger again, and the man fell dead.

There was quite a lot of shouting of curses, and many bolts of colored light and sound moving quickly; but none of them were quite quick enough to match Harry's movement. He didn't appear to be moving very quickly; just anticipating their actions and moving to stay just where he needed to be.

Stepping on to the next man, he repeated the de-masking procedure. "Marcus, how nice to see you again. I'll be with you in amoment."

Harry moved through the group, identifying and decapitating all but Marcus Flint, saving Pettigrew for next to last. "Rat-boy, I wish I had more time to spend with you, but you're not worth it." He vanished the traitor's head, removed the silver arm, and presented it to Flint. "Marcus, please take this back to its owner, and be sure and let him know what happened here. Oh, and one more thing: Reducto." The simple but powerful blasting curse reduced the legs of the last remaining live Death Eater to bloody pulp and viscera. Harry waved again and the young would-be terrorist Flint disappeared, just as his screaming began.

Harry sighed and released the barrier that was keeping Hermione and Luna away from the scene of battle. The two young women approached him; one serene and one looking rather frightened.

"Harr--" said Hermione. She cleared her throat and tried again. "Harry, you didn't have to--"

"Yes, he did," interrupted Luna's voice, but it was the aspect of Freddie.

"But..." Hermione trailed off, wanting to ask.

"But why?" said Harry. "Think. Stop reacting and think." Hermione reared back as if slapped, taking a sharp breath. "Stop thinking about what is 'nice', what is 'proper', what is'good'. Freddie, how does one deal with a bully?"

"Punch him in the nose in front of a crowd of witnesses, to show the world that he has no power over them. He is then no longer a bully."

"Hermione," he said, turning. "How does one deal with a terrorist?"

"Well... the same way, I would think. Isn't that--"

"No," Harry said gently. "A terrorist is not a bully. A terrorist causes violence, mayhem, chaos, in order to achieve some objective, some form of change. If you punch him in the nose, he just gets more sneaky. If you lock him up, even for life, he just poisons the minds of others in prison until they are released to carry on the campaign. And you can talk and reason with a terrorist until you have no breath left in you, to no avail.

"No, dear. The only effective way to deal with a terrorist is to kill him, and make an example of him. Make the world see that he is dead, his cause is ridiculous or laughable, and was not successful. So Ihave one more chore to do tonight."

While Hermione thought this over, Harry waved the hand holding his staff. The bodies of the dead Death Eaters were transfigured into a dirty brown stone -- the color of dung -- and fashioned into a tableau. A stone diorama, of sorts. In the center was a white marble candle. Cowering, mouths open in terror, the stone bodies shied away from the symbolic light.

Luna smiled, the Ravenclaw brain seeing the symbolism first. Scratching his chin for dramatic effect, Harry waggled his finger and an inscription appeared in the stone:

DEATH EATERS?
SO BE IT
LET THEM EAT DEATH