Title: To Live Forever
Author: Wyld Rose
Rating: This chapter is pretty PG-13...
Disclaimer: I only own the plot, JK Rowling owns the rest! The spells that Angren uses are taken from the Tolkien language dictionary, and belong to J.R.R. Tolkien.
IMPORTANT A/N: Somehow it was imbedded in my mind that the Moon mentioned in Sorcerer’s Stone was named "Morgan" Moon in the books. However, I realized that I was getting her first name from a Fanfic I read a looooooooooong time ago (My apologies to the author!). Since I realized this (after doing a search for death eater names on the Harry Potter Lexicon), I have changed her name to Morrigan Nott so I don’t make anyone upset. =) This makes more sense anyway, since we know that "Nott" is the surname of a Death Eater.
ANOTHER Important A/N: I changed around some stuff in chapter 7 to make more sense...if you have not read the updated version, pleaaaase go back and read chapter 7, specifically the end.
Chapter 8
All of Hogwarts was enveloped in the somber green glow emitted from the Dark Mark, hovering listlessly over the castle. The ethereal magic, which invoked the presence of the Dark Mark, sent a riveting sensation through out Lucius Malfoy’s body. He clasped his wand tightly as a wisp of green energy lingered at its end, causing his hand to tremble. Voldemort glided up to his side, ebony robes draped over his wasting form making him appear wraith-like. Behind, a large gathering of Death Eaters approached, hoods drawn over their faces, dark robes splashed with the Dark Mark’s eerie light.
"Send them to their positions, Lucius," Voldemort commanded, his raspy voice as wraith-like as his appearance.
"Yes, Master," Lucius bowed his head, and turned to face the throng of Death Eaters who eagerly awaited their instructions. With arms stretched high, Lucius called out to them, his voice rising over the throbbing energy given off by the Dark Mark.
"Surround the castle, and upon my word, begin the ritual. You all know what to do! Lord Voldemort shall grant us power unimaginable when he receives the Immortal Life!" Lucius barely completed his commands before the Death Eaters moved swiftly to their positions. It did not take long for Hogwarts to be entirely circled by the hooded figures, showered hauntingly by the evil green light. Lucius raised his wand, hand still trembling, to the sky and sent forth a burst of red sparks, signaling the commencement of the ritual. At once, a low chorus of chanting rose from the Death Eaters as they raised their wands to the air.
Voldemort moved to a large cauldron where a Death Eater stood, dropping the ingredients into the vat of boiling Unicorn blood.
"How is the mixture coming, Wormtail?" Voldemort’s raspy voice asked from the depths of his cowl.
"As it should, Master," Wormtail responded, clutching the stirring ladle in his silver hand.
Voldemort went over the ingredients and the steps to the ritual in his mind repeatedly. Now that he had a physical form, he was desperate to assure that it would not expire as easily as the form he was born with had—the form that was obliterated by Harry Potter. Immortality in its truest form, the inability to parish no matter what curse, natural cause, or mortal wound should come his way. In essence, he would be a god, and the thought of that was enough to drive Voldemort towards his ambitions with determination and patient computation.
As the potion was mixed, Morrigan Nott was to bring Ginny Weasley to the cauldron and Lucius was to speak an incantation that would set Hogwarts ablaze. All the while, the surrounding Death Eaters were to chant the words that would guide the dying souls of the witches and wizards in Hogwarts to the cauldron where they would simmer with the boiling Unicorn blood, Ginny’s blood, and the other ingredients. The final step would be for Voldemort to bleed into the potion and then drink every last drop. Once Voldemort’s blood was in the potion, no one other than him could receive the Immortal Life. He was also sure that Harry Potter would be drawn out of Hogwarts. With Harry’s soul in the mixture, the power they shared would return to Voldemort, and he would become undoubtedly the most powerful wizard that ever existed.
Lucius waited patiently for his part in the ritual, knowing that he was to wait for Morrigan to bring the virgin witch to be assured that the process was going smoothly. Swallowing uncertainly, he glanced to Voldemort, wondering if Morrigan had mentally contacted him since she went back into the castle. The atmosphere grew thick with energy as the chanting grew louder, and Lucius had the suspicion that something was not right.
Morrigan was late.
Lucius had his wand raised, deciding to move the ritual along despite the unfortunate tardiness of Morrigan. He repeated the words of the spell that would drown Hogwarts in a fury of flames in his mind, assuring himself he had memorized every syllable correctly.
~*~*~*~*~
Harry, Ron, and Hermione were in the process of discussing the information that Hermione found with Dumbledore and Professor Yonn when the green light filled Dumbledore’s study.
"This is not good," Professor Yonn said as he moved swiftly to the narrow arched window. Harry suddenly clutched his forehead and doubled over, as if in terrible pain, and Hermione and Ron moved to steady him. Dumbledore stood from behind his large desk, casting a long shadow over the trio as they huddled together.
"Angren, what do you see?" Dumbledore asked calmly.
"I see..." Professor Yonn strained his vision as he peered down, "Death Eaters. A whole bloody lot of them..."
"Come," Dumbledore moved around his desk and made for the exit of his study, his mouth drawn to a thin line and his expression grave. Professor Yonn motioned for the trio to follow as he left the study after Dumbledore.
Harry, supported by Ron and Hermione, stumbled slightly in his haste to reach the exit, his mind swirling with the fear that his dreams would soon come true. He had a hard time believing that Dumbledore was oblivious to whatever was about to happen. How could Voldemort along with ‘a whole bloody lot’ of Death Eaters just waltz up to Hogwarts without any trouble at all?
They reached the main hallway, a sick green glow seeping through the cracks of the entrance door. Dumbledore lifted his wand and the doors, once barred, flew open and slammed hard against the walls on either side.
Lucius was distracted in mid-cast; the unused energy that had built up in his wand sent him reeling. Dumbledore moved down the large stairs that lead to the grounds below where Lucius staggered. Angren followed close behind, a soft blue light glowing around his fists.
The Death eaters circling Hogwarts were too lost in the ritual to notice anything that went on around them, and continued to moan the spell, their voices echoing around Hogwarts like the chanting of Gregorian Monks.
When Lucius regained his senses, he faced Dumbledore defiantly. The trademark Malfoy smirk was plastered to his face as he crossed his arms, arching an eyebrow. Voldemort moved to stand near Lucius and cast a contemptuous glare to the intruders.
"You are surrounded, Dumbledore. Why attempt to resist your inevitable fate?" Lucius drawled, motioning carelessly to the Death Eaters. Dumbledore smiled warmly, pushing his half-moon spectacles up on the bridge of his nose. Harry was beginning to feel as if the situation was hopeless, until he saw the all too familiar twinkle in Dumbledore’s eyes.
"Yes, it appears as if I should surrender. However, seeing as how neither of us could comprehend what fate has in store for us, I suppose you wouldn’t be suspecting..." Dumbledore coughed and Angren stepped forward, shaping a sphere of energy in the palms of his hands.
"Rilcoire!" Angren Yonn shouted and raised his arms to the sky. The orb of energy sent a shaft of light high into the star dappled night, its brightness nearly diminishing the glow of the Dark Mark. The wind began to pick up around them, scattering tufts of loose snow into the air. Voldemort took a few steps away from Angren and Dumbledore, unable to recognize this alien magic.
"...this." Dumbledore finished his sentence as he smiled up to the beacon of light. Elven Magic...
~*~*~*~*~
"Come...we need to get the hell out of here," Draco said, tugging Ginny’s wrist as he headed for the door. Ginny stumbled as she was pulled, and glanced over to Morrigan.
"Is she dead?"
"Ask questions later." Draco responded as he tugged Ginny’s wrist a little rougher. He lead her swiftly to the dungeon stairwell and paused.
"Accio Cirrostratus," Draco said, lifting his wand. Ginny recognized the Cirrostratus as the latest model of broom equipped with the charms and enchantments that would allow for smooth, swift flight at never before imagined heights. Sure enough, a sleek dark wood broom with a perfectly aerodynamic straw tail came soaring from below, evidently from somewhere in the Slytherin dormitories.
Draco straddled the Cirrostratus and Ginny climbed on behind him, white knuckling the handle in anticipation of a breakneck takeoff. Leaning forward, Draco kicked off the ground and the Cirrostratus took flight up the winding stairwell. He steered the broom with deft agility, obviously perfected from his years as a Quidditch seeker. After swerving down hallways and corridors, Draco leaned to the left a little, driving the broom out of a large gape in the battlements. Ginny huddled close to Draco, inching her hands up the broom handle until she could safely wrap her arms around his waist. The bitter cold of the winter night whipped around them, spilling up the sleeves of their robes and down their backs.
Ginny lost all rational thought when she glanced down to the icy landscape below. The Dark Mark hanging over Hogwarts seemed nothing more than a neon sign as Draco steered the Cirrostratus higher and higher. She gripped at him tighter, burying her face against his back for warmth. Just when they began to feel frost forming over their skin, a soft orange glow surrounded them, emitted from the core of the broom. A warmth charm! Ginny thought giddily as she felt the heat flow through her body, warming her from the tips of her toes to the top of her fiery red hair.
Unsure of exactly where he should go, Draco circled high above Hogwarts, noticing a small blue light leave the entrance of the ancient castle and move down to where a cluster of tiny figures stood. From above, the Forbidden Forest took the shape of a vast abyss as it circled Hogwarts protectively. Just on the corner of his perception, Draco saw a flash of blue light, and suddenly a blinding cylinder of light shot up from the ground and into the sky. The energy from this peculiar magic was enough to knock the Cirrostratus off course and it began its descent on a deadly spiral down to the ground. Draco, momentarily stunned, realized they were plummeting at a rapid speed and pulled up on the handle of his broom hard in an attempt to bring it back up into the air. Ginny screamed as the ground rushed up from below, and then her scream was silenced, as she felt the fear petrify her voice.
From the top of the shaft of light that Angren cast from his hands, little shimmering lights began to fall, sprinkling like rain in a perfect dome shape around Hogwarts. The Death Eaters that were enraptured by their chant reeled in pain as the pinpoints of light fell upon them. The ritual officially interrupted, they backed away from the painful magic-rain and a murmur of concern swept over the Death Eaters.
Draco avoided a head on collision with the ground, and instead they skimmed across the snow, the tail of the broom dragging a narrow trench behind them. Apparently, Voldemort had ordered the commanding Death Eaters to attack, because flashes of offensive and defensive magic were seen straight ahead.
~*~*~*~*~
And so the battle began.
Dumbledore had seen the signs of such an event far before they were to take place, and Voldemort was foolish enough to assume otherwise. Angren’s spell covered Hogwarts in a dome of protective energy, and the Death Eaters had no choice but to abort their plans. Of course, Dumbledore and the others were still surrounded, leaving Harry vulnerable to the malicious intent of Lord Voldemort. The Death Eaters closed in on Dumbledore, Angren, Harry, Hermione and Ron like a pack of a thousand hungry wolves.
Draco was able to regain control of the Cirrostratus, and steered it in the direction of the commencing battle. He had no desire to play hero, however, especially in such odds. Just as he was considering turning around and flying as far away from here as possible, a swarm of figures on brooms swooped down from the night and circled around the Death Eaters.
The Order of the Phoenix...
The battle took place for a couple of months. Phoenix against Death Eater. Voldemort’s power slowly began to wane and much to his dismay, it was Harry who delivered the fatal blow. The stew of immortality was never completed, and many Death Eaters and Phoenix alike were slain. Many of the visions and dreams were never fulfilled thanks to the collaborative effort of Dumbledore and Angren. The wizard phantom Sethnakhte was torn from Morrigan’s body during her unconscious sleep, and returned to the mirror where he now rests, waiting for the next chance to feed.
Once the battle was over, everything went back into place, as it should. Of course, things were much different now that the threat of Voldemort has ended.
A/N: Okay, I’m really REALLY sorry, but I was getting very bored of this story line. I had to end it... Thank you all for reading, and for your wonderful reviews! There will be a sequel, so keep an eye out.
-Wyld Rose ^_^
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