Chapter 18:

~ Demolished ~

A flash of green light and a bang awoke Harry from his slumber. It wasn't a soft bang, like the sound of a lamp falling over; this was a bang that shook the tower. Harry could feel the movements deep within his stomach. Ron sat up in his bed, surveying the room. Half jokingly, he commented;

"Is everybody alive?"

Harry nodded once at him, not bothering to realize that Ron was unlikely able to see his head shake in the darkness of the room. Another bang echoed through the room, and Harry felt the earth move. He got up, motioned frantically for everybody to stay in their beds, and went to investigate. He opened the curtain and peered outside the window. Looking around he stopped moving in shock.

"What the hell is that?" He whispered, afraid of what the answer might be. A green light flared again, this time heading for the window that Harry was standing at. Harry stood rooted to the spot, the light crashed against an invisible barrier that enclosed the tower two feet away. Another bang ruptured as it hit.

Harry turned slowly to the room, he walked to his bed, and reached under it and pulled out the sword he had placed under near the beginning of the year. He unwrapped it, remember the last time he handled this sword. He had burned his fingertips. He gripped the hilt of the sword, swinging it gently to his side. He yanked open a dresser drawer, retrieving the book Dumbledore had given him once they had realized that Harry was absorbing power from the medallion. To Ron he said:

"Get everybody up, and bring them to the common room, I don't think this is a celebration." Harry had a weird feeling in his stomach, like he had been in this situation before. Lights flashed again, followed by a bellowing boom. The tower shook again, and Harry heard screams coming from another dormitory. "Ron, get everyone up. I have to go give Dumbledore a visit."

Harry left the dorm, his robes billowing around him. He started off at a run, practically leaping down the stairs into the common room. He headed quickly towards the portrait when a voice broke into his thoughts. "It's him isn't it?"

"It's who, Ginny?" He turned to face her. She stood by the fireplace, her arms crossed around her chest. "Voldemort?"

Ginny flinched slightly. "Harry, you know it's him. Even last year you said he was back, and gaining power."

"He is… and that's why I can help." He said he knew that if he crossed over to her in an attempt to comfort her, he wouldn't be able to leave. "I can help." Harry repeated.

"How? By brandishing some medallion that I got for you? Harry, I'm glad you think so much of it, but it's a piece of metal. A mere trinket. You can't risk your life for that. Harry… you're going to get hurt and I-" She paused, and then stared down at her toes. "I don't want you to get hurt, or worse, die."

Harry looked at her, searching her eyes with his. "I don't see why you are against this so much. You know me, the-boy-who-lived." He laughed, almost harshly. "I've almost died four times… I need to help. I'm always involved in something, even when I don't want to be. I-" He was cut off by another flashing of green light and a following boom shaking the tower harder then the previous times. He smiled grimly. "It seems as if I must help, because that was louder then before. Maybe it's my destiny." He smiled wryly. "If I die, at least you'll be safe." He whispered.

He walked to her, his one hand still holding the sword. With the other, he tipped her head back slightly. He quickly brushed his lips against hers. "I'll come back, I promise. And this time, I'll keep that promise." He turned away, walking aback towards the door again. "Help Ron and Hermione… they'll need it."

With that, he left without looking back.~*~

Harry reached the hallway to Dumbledore's office in record time, since everyone was either in his or her dormitory or, as to Harry's instructions, in the common room; nobody was there to stop him. He rounded a corner, and almost ran into Professor McGonagall.

"Professor!" He exclaimed, trying to keep his balance as another wave of movement shook the castle. "What's happening?"

"Harry, come with me, and be quick about it. The Headmaster would like to see you, even though we are all doing whatever we can, I don't know why he wants to see you… Where did you get the sword Harry?" She rambled on, clearly shaken. She was dressed in her nightclothes, a robe tied messily on, and her wand brandished in her hand.

"What?" Harry paused looking confused, the banging on the castle started up again. "Oh, I found it. Where's Dumbledore? It's very important. I don't think it is Voldemort. It's somebody else."

"Who else would attack a school in the middle of the night?" She grabbed Harry's wrist that didn't hold the sword and textbook, and pulled him along, in the direction of the head office. "Professor Snape and Professor Lehnor are currently testing the barriers from the inside, from what they've been telling us, they won't last much longer."
They moved quickly up the stairs to Dumbledore's office, and opened the door. All professors stood there, excluding Snape and Lehnor. They all turned to Harry as he walked in, McGonagall behind him. Dumbledore, who was sitting at his desk, stood when Harry entered the room. He said three words, which echoed through the vast emptiness of the full room.

"It's not Voldemort." Everyone visibly flinched at he name; the fear of what was happening just heightened their senses of the oncoming attack.

"I know." Harry said, placing the sword across Dumbledore's desk. He slammed the textbook down on top of it. Flipping to a page that he knew by heart, he pointed to it. "Where's this sword?" He raised his eyes to Dumbledore, a gleam of determination in them.

Dumbledore looked at Harry a moment, a look of hope flirting with his concerned features. He knew that Harry must have something up his sleeve, for he had never seen the boy look so determined. He nodded once, and went behind him to an old wooden chest. Tapping it twice with his wand, and saying a spell, the chest eased its way open.

Dumbledore rummaged through the chest, until his hand settling on something resting on the bottom. Pulling it out, he revealed a sword that matched the one Harry held to every perfect detail, except, instead of a lion engraved on the hilt, it was a snake, looking as if it was ready to strike.

He held it to Harry, offering the hilt first. The other teachers just stared on, for as the hilt came nearer to Harry, it started to glow and eerie green. Harry grasped it, a sword in both hands. One hot, and Harry was barely able to hold it against his flesh, the other cool, almost creepily. They weighed the same, yet both seemed to be trying to break free of his hands.

"I'll be fine." He said, a cold smile appearing on his face. "Let me handle this." He nodded once to Professor McGonagall, and Professor Dumbledore, then turned on a foot and left the room.

Silence followed after he left. Professor McGonagall looks at the headmaster. "Are we just going to leave him?? That could be He Who Must Not Be Named!" Her voice rose to a high pitch, worry stretched on her face.

"He'll be fine. For once, he'll have to go to the enemy to reach victory." Dumbledore smiled faintly. "Besides, there is nothing we can do. This is his battle for now."

~*~

Another ear-breaking rumble echoed through the castle. Harry felt the earth move under his feet, and spread his feet to steady himself. When the rumbling ceased, Harry continued on his trek. The castle floor moved quickly under him, his feet a continuous pace. Reaching a stretch of bare, damp stone wall, he placed down the cool sword beside it. Taking out his wand he shot balls of blue fire at it, trying to make it open. Knowing that his efforts were fruitless, he continued to pound on it with balls of blue fire. "Open up!" He yelled.

The door leading to the Slytherin common room opened. A tall black haired boy stood there. "What exactly are you doing?" He sneered, behind him stood all of the Slytherin residents.

"I need to talk to Malfoy." Harry said, knowing that if he ever said those words again with such urgency, he would gladly drink a bottle of Polyjuice potion for fun. "I have something for him."

"Potter, what the hell are you doing here? Do you really need to be humiliated on the hour every hour." His eyes flashed red for a spilt second, as Malfoy walked forward.

Harry bent down, retrieving the clammy sword. "This is for you, courtesy of Salazar Slytherin." He held it forward, pointing the hilt towards Malfoy.

Malfoy gave a laugh. "And you expect me to take that? How thick do you think I am? For all I know, you probably jinxed it."

"Trust me." Harry growled, watching the sword glow as it moved closer to Malfoy. He swallowed hard, regretting what he was going to say. "I need your help tonight."

Malfoy looked at him, the sneer dropping from his lips. "Are you bloody serious?"

"Do you think I'd talk to you for fun?" Harry said, losing patience. He tossed the sword hilt up in the air, it was up to Malfoy to catch it, or lose a toe. When Malfoy gripped the sword out of surprise, the hilt glowed a dark green. Malfoy's eyes widened, he tried to wrench his hand free but was unable to.

"It's frozen." His eyes narrowed accusingly at Harry. "What the hell are you trying to pull."

Harry made a noise of frustration. "Stop whining, mine's burning my hand. Deal with it." He looked at Malfoy for a moment, and then as if explaining to a toddler, he said. "If you want to live, I suggest you come with me. Snape and Lehnor are waiting."

Malfoy looked back at his common room, then back to the sword in his hand, then coming to rest on Harry. "On one condition."

"What?" Harry said exasperated, he steadied himself as another quake echoed through the hall.

"You go first." He said his voice controlled.

"Fine, now follow me." Harry turned, and was satisfied when he heard Malfoy's footsteps behind him. When they were out of earshot from all the eager onlookers, Harry turned back to look at Malfoy. "It's not Voldemort outside, it's somebody else."

"I know." Malfoy said calmly. Harry's eyebrows shot up in surprise, but kept that to himself.

"It's… well, I don't know what it is. But I think it has to do with the thing that attacked Ginny Weasley near the beginning of the year. 'The Essence of Pure Evil', or something to that gist." He looked at Malfoy. "That's why I need your help."

"And what am I supposed to do?" Malfoy asked, gripping the sword tighter.

"Only two people who are different can be the same. Enemies can reach victory." Harry said. He paused in his walking and turned to Malfoy. "Hold out your sword." Malfoy did as he asked, the tip pointing up. Harry raised his next to Malfoy. When the tips of the swords touched, Malfoy's eyes turned scarlet, just as Harry's medallion did. The swords flashed green, then red, as if battling for superiority.

Harry nodded once, grasping his sword closer to him, bringing it downwards. "The Sorting Hat was going to put me in Slytherin at the beginning of first year." Harry smirked at Malfoy's look of disgust. "I have a piece of Voldemort inside me, from when he attacked my parents. That's how I can speak Parseltongue." He continued walking and Malfoy walked beside him.

"I found this sword on the Quidditch pitch a couple of months ago. It burned me when I first touched it, just as the sword you're holding froze you to it. Dumbledore gave me a book at the beginning of the year; it had a picture of these two swords, with writing beside them. They are made from the same alloy of metals, and bonded because of it. That is why they glow the two colours. Both red and green."

"And that's important because…?" Malfoy trailed off.

"Godric and Salazar were rivals. So are we. Only together they will work."

"And how did your walnut size brain figure this out?" Malfoy said, smirking.

Harry stopped in front of the doors leading from the Great Hall to outside. "It didn't, this is a trial run." He pushed the door open. A layer of clear, yet wavering substance was in front of them. Harry took a breath and turned to Malfoy. "Ready?"

"You go first." Malfoy said, not taking his eyes off the green balls ricocheting off the castle walls.

"No problem, but remember, these swords are bonded, if I go, you'll come too, whether or not you go willingly is up to you." Harry closed his eyes and stepped through the barrier. A feeling of ice went through him, and then he was outside, unprotected.

~*~

He heard Malfoy stumble out behind him. "Bloody hell. What was that? It felt like a scorching fire." He began to check his body for visible burns.

"Similar but opposite." He whispered.

"What rhymes are you spouting now Potter? Because really, you're not the best poet."

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked in confusion.

"Those rhyme things… you sent them didn't you? I always thought there was something different about you, but really Potter, I don't like you that way. Hell, I don't even like you." Malfoy straightened, brushing hair out of his eyes.

"What the hell are you going on about? I didn't send you anything. I wouldn't waste parchment. Besides I got rhymes too."

Malfoy looked at him in disbelief. "Something along the lines of 'Of Gryffindor or Slytherin, whatever you may be. You must be the smartest of wit to get away from me.' ?"

"Exactly like that. I thought you sent them." Harry said. "I mean, you are normally annoying enough without having to put it in ink."

A green ball of fire flew over their heads, hitting the door behind them. Looking at Malfoy, Harry said; "Maybe this isn't the best time to argue."

"You just know I'll win, that's all." Malfoy said smugly.

"Oh, Shut up! Will you? If you don't soon, I'll be tempted to use this sword against you instead of him." Harry pointed to a figure standing thirty yards away from them, cloaked and walking silently across the grass.

Realizing what he said, Harry turned back to Malfoy. "That's him."

"Obviously." Malfoy drawled.

The creature came up closer to them, standing still. Malfoy reached for his wand, but Harry gripped his wrist. "It won't work. He'll just absorb it." Malfoy continued anyways.

He brandished his wand, yelling; "Expelliarmus!" The spell hit the figure squarely on his chest. A light surrounded it momentarily, and then faded.

"Told you so." Harry muttered.

"Bugger off." Malfoy said in return.

The creature raised a hand slowly; both Malfoy and Harry held their breath without knowing it. A clawed hand raised, and it pulled back its hood. Both Harry and Malfoy stared in shock. A choked growl escaped Harry's mouth. "Ciaran?"

To Be Continued…

Author's Note: Okay... I know the fifth Harry Potter book came out two days ago. But in retrospect, this is more of a story, then the actual fifth book interpretation. So please continue reading despite the actual fifth book… Anyways, I was unable to answer everybody who reviewed personally this time, but thanks to all who did. Remember the drill… reading equals reviewing.