The Engagement Kiss

“Yes I may have pushed Tom a little towards his ultimate destiny but I’m sorry I cannot reveal how this came about.” He said with that typical smile and his twinkling eyes, “No, no, I think that you must kill him Harry. Not restore him. That isn’t the way that the prophesy works.” He continued with a smile then clutched something under his robes and vanished. Everyone was left standing in shock and horror.

“Well…Fuck.” Ron muttered.

Chapter 24:

“He’s still here. In his office I would presume.” Az said he’d set a temporary link on Dumbledore before he disappeared just incase he tried to run. Harry muttered angrily and stopped pacing the soot stained floor. He was angry. No furious. Both at himself for blowing up like that and at Dumbledore for thinking that he had the right to interfere with their lives like this. Either way even if he was in his office he would’ve put up the strongest shields and wards imaginable by now and it would be useless to try and get in.

“So who wants to explain what the hell is going on?” Blaise asked him and the other Slytherins plus a few from Ravenclaw and Gryffindor nodded looking at Harry.

“I’m obviously a magical creature, Sev is my mate, he stupidly ran off to Voldie to protect me and Dumblefuck is a manipulative coot who started the whole war in the first place.” Harry deadpanned stopping only for a moment to resume his pacing. He stopped and glanced at Az,

“I’m going to try and getting into Dumbledore’s office, can you see if Hermione and Naji found anything?” the latter two friends had rushed off to the library to research and it was driving him crazy to just be sitting, well pacing, here and doing nothing. Silently he began to try and flash into Dumbledore’s office, it was a long shot he knew because if he were the headmaster the first thing he would’ve done after that first encounter would be find Ander proof wards. Surprisingly he didn’t feel any wards or blockades on the office and flashed in without much difficulty. However Dumbledore was no where to be seen, Fawkes sat preening on his post and spared him only a glance.

“Dumbledore where are you hiding you cowardly old man?” Harry called out looking around for signs of a hidden room or any such thing. He wouldn’t have put it past the meddling coot to have a bolt hole in his office. Someone else flashed into the office, presuming Naji, or Az he waited for the light to fade but a distinctly female voice spoke out first, “Hello me hirm.” Harry stiffened instantly, only one person had called him that and there was no way she could be here right?

“Aviva.” He whispered as the light faded and she stood there, well truthfully she was sort of swaying. He barely had time to think before moving forward to catch her as she toppled. She swore vividly in before thanking him shakily.

“Bexiel curse that old man.” She muttered under her breath, confusing Harry. After a moment he presumed that it was an Ander curse or something.

“Do you know exactly what he did?” he asked hurriedly. While he knew that Voldemort’s actions were not his own he wasn’t as sure about his aunt.

“Yes and no.” she replied leaning on him heavily as he guided her to a chair. “I know that he managed to remove part of Tom’s soul and that he’s been using that to manipulate him and corrupt him. I do not know exactly how he came across such a spell or how he implemented it.” She finished resting against the chair. Harry watched her cautiously, he believed her but still.

“Why did it affect you too?” he asked cautiously. She shuddered,

“It didn’t at first then it was like … sand in a time glass a little at a time so slight I barely noticed it was happening. My own soul is tied to Tom’s, like yours is tied to Severus’ and Azar’s was tied to your friend the minute he saw him. What happens to one will eventually affect the other.” She said her eyes shadowed with some horror he couldn’t see, “I’ve tried you know, to keep him sane.” She whispered.

“Why did you try to kill me then?” he demanded, still rankled about that.

“The book? Ah that was merely to placate Tom; you were never in any true danger. Severus would’ve sensed it the instant you touched it and saved you before any lasting damage occurred. Only if you were with child would it have been truly dangerous.” She replied looking weary. Harry watched her and felt the truth of her words.

“What is wrong with you?” he asked, referring to her current state.

“I am here without permission and without planning. So the curse punishes me. But you need my help if you are to heal my husband and me.” She replied blandly. Another flash announced the arrival of the others, all of them Az and Naji had brought Ron, Hermione, and Draco with them. All of them stiffened upon spotting Aviva who waved tiredly from the chair, though Draco only stiffened due to his mate’s anger after all he’d never met here.

“What are you doing here?” Az demanded looking at Harry checking him visually for injury. Az was having some difficulty keeping his attention on the current situation thanks to whatever was slipped in his drink but he was valiantly ignoring it.

“Helping my nephew save myself and my husband.” She said in a monotone, “but first we need that distasteful headmaster to explain exactly what he did.” She continued waving a hand at the far wall and metal spikes erupted out ripping off the hidden door and exposing one Albus Dumbledore. Naji acted first calling to the plant on the headmaster’s desk to wrap around him and keep him from vanishing again.

“So headmaster will you tell us now what manner of trickery you used to manipulate my husband?” Aviva asked looking at him from her prone position in the chair. The vines manipulated to pull Dumbledore to his typical position behind the desk.

“Is that why you’re here? Some deluded sense of hope that he can be save? That you can be saved?” the captured headmaster sneered. She sneered back but didn’t respond looking at him with a strange pensive glance.

“Regardless of why she is here you will tell us, me, Dumbledore.” Harry snapped pulling the headmaster’s attention back to him.

“I suppose the knowledge couldn’t assist you to much. You’ll still end up having to kill him in the end.” Dumbledore mused aloud to himself ignoring the glares he received, “I knew that Tom had the lovely potential to be a dark lord and I was enjoying my popularity so I though that creating another dark lord to defeat would be easy enough with the correct pawn.” He began; Harry had paled significantly as he spoke and he wasn’t done yet,

“So I found a dark ritual spell that would give me leave to control Tom and push him in the right directions. This spell would give me part of his soul and he wouldn’t know it, so all my manipulation would go unnoticed because he would think the ideas were his own. It was so easy. There were a few unseen hiccups but it worked out in the end.” He said looking proud of himself as everyone, human, Ander, kelikan, and portrait alike stared at him with profound horror.

“What…was the spell?” Harry choked out staring at the man he once respected.

“I cannot recall the name of it now but it was an old one, it used and animal soul to replace the part of the victims soul that was stolen. I used a snake, Nagini to be precise. She carried one small part of Tom’s soul, hence why he keeps her close though he doesn’t know that.” He said with a pleased grin. Aviva looked at him,

“I knew there was something about that snake.” She muttered Harry had another worry though looking back to Dumbledore.

“Part? How many parts did you make?” he asked unsteadily. This was worse than he could’ve dreamed. Dumbledore sneered at him.

“Six. Not including the piece he still has.” He replied with a grin, “See how useless this venture is? I’ve hidden them and you will not find them.” He murmured.

“Wrong. All the pieces are here in Hogwarts, you house one yourself headmaster.” Aviva said sitting up and looking right at him, the old man paled.

“You can’t know that.” He said waspishly. She laughed dryly.

“But I can. Tom is my mate, I was bound to his soul before you defiled it, a part of me rests on every part of his soul and I can feel the pieces here.” She replied tiredly. She tried to stand but stumbled slightly, this time Naji was the one to catch her.

“You know you look so much like your father.” She whispered brushing a hand across his check. “I apologize that you had to go through all this too.” She muttered and sent him the locations through the link before passing out. Naji gently lowered his mother back into the chair and looked over at Harry.

“She told me where, I’ll gather the pieces and you should look for a counter spell.” He said shaking slightly. Harry nodded, he and Hermione made their way to the library and headed right for the restricted section, with a signed pass from Az for any book they needed. Ron and Draco opted to take turns guarding Dumbledore and Aviva and assisting Naji if he needed it. Az disappeared and despite the dire situation the thought that poor Az was still battling with the aphrodisiac that Ron had slipped him helped Harry to keep himself from falling to pieces. Harry started with books on rituals while Hermione started looking for soul severing spells. Several hours later Harry read what looked like a promising passage,

“the ritual of the elements is an old druid ritual used to bring scattered pieces of a druids soul back to a new tree if there original had been cut down but it could jut as easily apply to those who have been on the wrong end of a dark curse or spell. The ritual itself is considered dark because of the great risk it poses to the caster their life or sanity may be forfeit.” Harry paused it was certain that he would be the caster he was the most powerful and there was the prophesy after all. He took a breath and continued reading,

“To cast this first all pieces of the scattered soul must be collected and placed around the subject, preferably in pentagon or star shape should there be that many. There must also be four persons representing the four basic elements, one may be the caster. The other three will lend their power to the caster and allow the power of the elements to flow though them; acting only as a conduit they will not be harmed. The caster has to channel all this magic and perform the rite which in itself is rather easy and requires only a strong will no words or other mediums.” Harry paused again, obviously he would represent fire, but would his friends stand with him? Shaking his head he knew the answer, they would no matter what. He nodded, resolving not to tell them of the risk to himself just incase they got it in their minds to try and stop him.

“the caster must picture what was broken being remade and channel all their power into that otherwise the ritual will fail and they will be consumed along with the one who they were trying to save.” It continued to list the specifics on allowing the others to channel the elements and assist Harry he skimmed over this and nodded going in search of the others, picking up Hermione as he left the library.

-Naji, did you find all the pieces? - he asked through the link. His cousin replied,

-All but two, one I can’t place we’ll have to hope Aviva can find it again. The other seems to be inside a wall? - he sent Harry a picture of the wall and Harry smirked.

“Go up to the office and see if you can wake Aviva we need her help for the last piece, I’m going to help Naji get into the room of requirement.” He said to Hermione, she nodded and they went their separate ways. After a moment of asking the room for where everything is hid he and Naji had the last piece, lady Ravenclaw’s diadem. They flashed back to the office rather than walking and greeted everyone. Harry looked between the sulking Az, on the floor, and Ron who looked insufferably happy and raised and eyebrow.

“What’d I miss?” he asked cheerily, they all needed this moment of levity.

“Az here seems to think that either I or Draco slipped him something,” Ron began with a falsely sincere tone and ignored the Ander’s annoyed huff, “He demanded an antidote to which I replied, ‘Even if I did slip you something, which I’m highly offended you would even suggest, why would I give you said antidote for nothing?’ Your dear brother then got quite agitated and gave me several nasty glares; wouldn’t you like to know what he was thinking then?” Ron said with a saucy wink that made Harry laugh,

“Anyway, he asked me very sulkily, like a child, what I wanted. And I told him he already knew what I wanted, and wouldn’t you know he turned the most lovely shade of pink.” By now Harry was giving his brother apologetic looks as he cracked up laughing.

“That leads us here. I must say that your suggestion maybe the best after all.” Ron finished with a playful bow. Az gave Harry a suspicious glare and the younger could only laugh and shrug. Ron offered the sulking elder Ander a hand with a gentle smile, Az accepted warily surprised when Ron hauled him to his feet and planted a kiss right on his lips. Now Az was extremely frustrated both from trying to ignore the aphrodisiac all day and from denying his feelings for far too long so he practically melted into the kiss. Ron released him slowly chuckling as the older boy blushed hotly and thumped his head against his mate’s shoulder.

“That’s better. Though I wanted you to admit it before I made a move but you were being so stubborn.” Ron commented with a smile.

“He’s always been stubborn.” Aviva commented from the chair and looked over at Harry, “runs in the family I think.” She continued with a teasing smile.

“Definitely runs in the family. Aunt Aviva where’s the last piece?” Harry said, regretting moving back to the task at hand. She looked up at him sadly,

“Right there,” she said pointing to him, or more correctly to his scar. The lighting bolt scar that had plagued him for so long, vaguely he heard Dumbledore cackling madly.

A.N: Oh my wow. This chapter was extremely long huh. I had originally planed this chapter to happen over three chapters but I decided that we’ve had enough Clifies to last us a life time so I’ll be nice and condense it a bit into one chapter that however brings the end way closer I’m think three more chapters at most. Anyway I sorta stole the whole horcux idea and twisted it around abit. I hope no one charges me on lack of imagination. And I’d like to start a poll now, is anyone interested in a sequel for any spawn of our designated couples? I mean a story based on their children, I’d like to write it but I don’t know if anyone is interested in reading it, plus it would probably be a school/growing up type stories not as much magic and bad guys. So I don’t know. Tell me what yah think Ok?