Shadows to Shadows

And now for part three’s buffering. I hope the Oracle lives up to the buildup I’ve given him. *bites nails* Tell me what you guys think, okay?


Without further ado, read, enjoy & review. ^_^


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Shadows to Shadows


Part 3


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At the best of times, Severus Snape was not a likable, approachable or patient man. When aggravated, however, many random objects within his vicinity tended to explode and the mystery of how a single man, who taught potions of all things, could easily terrify the entire student body of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry suddenly became quite clear.


At the moment though, he was approaching a level beyond aggravated…he was bored.


Crossing his arms and fully leaning back against the wall, the potions master continued to observe those around him.


Albus had called an ‘emergency’ Order meeting almost two hours ago for those who ranked the highest and, non-too surprisingly, said it involved the damnable brat-who-lived-to-annoy. Lupin, Molly, Arthur, Mad-Eye, Tonks, Kingsley, Minerva and himself were all currently trying to entertain themselves in the main living area of Grimmauld Palace while waiting for the elderly wizard to man an appearance.


“Severus?”


His obsidian gaze turned to Molly, an eyebrow rising in inquiry.


She looked tired. “Do you have any idea what this is about?”


Shaking his head, a smirk crossed his face. “I’m afraid I’m as ignorant as the rest of you at the moment.”


Molly rolled her eyes while Remus snorted.


Thankfully, his choice of words loosened a bit of tension in the room as they continued to wait.


About a half hour later, the doors opened to reveal one Albus Dumbledore strolling in like absolutely nothing was out of the normal though it was the question of who was following him, in a hooded cloak nonetheless, that had the attention of the entire room.


For once, the old codger got right down to business. “Thank you all for coming and waiting so patiently while I finished with some last minute affairs that took a bit longer than I’d originally planned. I sincerely apologize for the wait.”


Tonks, still clad in her pink pajamas and fluffy bunny slippers, groaned. “What the hell is so important that it couldn’t have waited six hours?”


“Nymphadora, mind your language,” Molly reprimanded.


The younger woman clenched her teeth, glaring at the redheaded woman beside her as her hair flashed a very bright red.


Normally, Severus would have at least snickered, he found the young auror a quality source of entertainment, however, his attention was completely focused on the newcomer.


Albus went on like nothing had been said. “I have two announcements.” He looked them over a moment before continuing; “The first is that Harry will not be returning to Hogwarts for either his sixth or seventh year.”


Well, there was nothing like being blunt.


The potions master mentally smirked. ‘3…2…1…’


“WHAT!?!?” – Mad-Eye, Molly and Tonks.


A smug look crossed his face at the predictable outburst though his attention remained on the cloaked figure.


Molly outright gaped at Dumbledore. “Why!?”


“Molly, dear, calm down.” Arthur laid his arm around her shoulders, looking at Albus. “What do you mean he won’t be coming back? He’s not…” he trailed off, worry crossing his features at what could’ve happened to the boy.


Albus smiled. “He’s quite all right, I assure you. He just won’t be coming back to us for some time. I wanted all of you to know that he is perfectly safe before the media goes and has a field day with this.”


Kingsley shook his head, confused. “I don’t understand. Where is the boy, Albus?”


The man’s smile didn’t waver in the least. “I’m afraid I don’t even know his exact location and, for that, he’s much safer than he’d be here with all the recent attacks. An old acquaintance of mine, of whom I’d trust with my life, contacted me a few hours ago and has assured me that Mr. Potter is perfectly fine and is in far more capable hands than he’d be if he returned to Hogwarts.”


In other words, that was Twinkle-Code for: “Harry’s safe and that’s all anyone needs to know.”


Seeming to be the only one in the room to not have forgotten about the cloaked figure, Severus observed him silently. Yes, he was curious about what Potter had gotten himself into this time but he knew Albus would explain whatever was really going on later when the dust settled. When the man shifted his weight onto his right foot, something in his mind recognized the habitual movement. ‘I know him,’ he thought, ‘but who…’ His thoughts trailed off, his eyes sizing up the rather tall man. After a few moments, of which Albus was trying to reassure the Weasley matriarch that Potter was still breathing, it finally clicked and his eyes narrowed in suspicion. ‘What the hell could he want here?’


“Arthur, Molly, would the two of you mind breaking the news to your children as well as Miss Granger? I wouldn’t want them to read tomorrow’s paper and do something rash.”


Both silently nodded, still trying to process this recent development.


Tonks heaved a sigh, rubbing her forehead. “It’s too bloody early for this.”


“Onto my second announcement then,” Albus smiled, the twinkle that’d been the doom of many returning full force. “I’m very happy to announce that the Order now has a second spy within Voldemort’s ranks.”


All attention snapped to the hooded figure once more.


The man took that as his cue, reaching up to lower the hood of the cloak in a graceful movement.


Severus felt satisfied, not surprised at all when that aristocratic face emerged. ‘I knew it.’


The rest merely gaped for a few seconds before…


THUD


Arthur blinked, taking his eyes off the man and looking at his wife that now lied on the floor in a dead faint. “Molly!”


Mad-Eye quickly composed himself and looked at the others in the room maliciously. “CONSTANT VIGILANCE!”


This time, the demented ex-auror managed to catch everyone, including a certain potions master, off guard since half the people in the room had forgotten the man was there in the first place.


“Alister,” Albus warned, pinching the bridge of his nose as his heart rate slowed down.


Quickly regaining his own composure, Severus smirked. “This is a day I’d never thought I’d live to see.”


The man he’d known his entire life returned the smirk.


Tonks shook her head, standing and walking out of the room with a mumbled, “I need a drink.”


Kingsley followed, dazed.


With everyone in the room in a state of shock or amusement, no one had paid any mind that Remus, while having been somewhat surprised at the identity of the cloaked man, had only reacted to the elderly wizard’s first piece of news with a knowing smile.


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Harry grunted with the effort it took to haul himself up and over yet another boulder that was twice as big as he was, the now and again path seeming to be fond of evading him at every turn.


The climb itself wouldn’t have been so bad considering the very large, jagged rocks and edges that made for easy markers as well as barriers to prevent the rather frightening idea of falling thousands of feet to your death while hitting every possible thing that could very well tear your body in half on the way down with the aid of gravity. However, because the sun had retreated beneath the horizon for the second time since he’d been abandoned out here not too long ago, he wasn’t only loosing his ability to see the obstacles in front of him and not only was he running out of time…it was also getting colder, much colder than it’d been the previous night.


He tried to stop his body from shivering as much as he could, pulling his coat closer for the warmth. ‘It feels like there’s a dementor breathing down my bloody neck,’ he thought and swore he even stuttered in his thoughts from shaking so hard.


Hyperion made a soft noise in the back of his throat, firmly pushing his head into Harry’s back to speed him up a bit.


The large animal was having his own share of difficulty in the unusually cold weather, the hippogriff easily sensing that something was just…off…around them. Even in the artic and even in the mountains in the dead of the winter, the temperature never dropped so drastically so fast.


Barely half an hour later, the sun’s light was completely taken over by the blackness of night and stars filled the sky.


Harry found himself somewhat thankful for the snow no matter how much his feet and body disagreed with that notion. Even without the shine of the moon, he could still make out the rocks and could see the faint outline of the edge and made sure to stay as far in as he could to avoid the aforementioned fall of a few thousand feet.


With his luck, he’d live and have to climb up again.


Several minutes passed before a sudden, almost deafening howling gust of wind hit and surrounded both Harry and Hyperion. Harry cried out in surprise when snow started flying and the temperature seemed to drop even lower, however, a deep cough cut his cry short as the wind’s speed increased. He fell to his knees when his legs gave out at the sudden lack of air in his lungs, numbly hearing Hyperion screech before feeling the animal’s large body rest against him with his head and neck over him for protection. The coughing stopped as Hyperion’s large head shielded him from the wind, Harry breathing deeply to get his lungs to stop burning.


As soon as it all started…it stopped and everything was suddenly calm and silent again.


His breathing still harsh, it took Harry a few minutes to recover from the shock to his system. When he could finally breathe again, he slowly lowered his arms from his head and cautiously opened his eyes just as Hyperion lifted his head…only to literally gape at the majestic and domineering vision before him.


Even in the night, the shrine-like place seemed to glow.


Harry’s mind finally registered what he was seeing and he smacked his forehead. “God, I’m an idiot,” he muttered. ‘No wonder it was so bloody cold…the Northern Oracle is the one Daija told me about. A spirit of the ice.’


It was ironically befitting that a place like Neforia would be so close to his domain.


A bridge of blue ice that could’ve easily fit three thestral-drawn carriages in width led across a deep ravine to a shrine that looked to be made of entirely ice, snow and rock. The clear, blue and white colors intertwined with each other beautifully and gave the shrine a majestic, though slightly intimidating, feeling. It stretched out far and Harry could see that when the mountain itself ended at the back, ice had been formed to hold the shrine in place to keep it from falling.


A deep growl snapped him back to reality.


Blinking, Harry turned and jumped in surprise when he spotted two very large lions that had to be at least twelve feet tall and were also made of ice if their light blue color was anything to go by, both possessing luminous eyes that strangely reminded him of the muggle movie Pitch Black’s character, Riddick. The ‘statues’ themselves wouldn’t have surprised him given the regal vibe this place seemed to emit if it weren’t for the simple, threatening fact that the extremely large felines were staring directly at both him and Hyperion.


Hyperion stepped in front of Harry, giving a squawk-like sound that just screamed ‘back off’.


Harry felt faint when the one on the right side of the bridge laughed in a deep, growled voice.


“Such defiance,” the lion glanced at the hippogriff a moment before looking back at the teenager. “You’ve made a wise choice in familiars, young wizard. You should be proud.” The lion’s ears flattened against its head as it glanced back at the shrine for a brief moment before, once again, returning his gaze to Harry. “He is expecting you. My brother shall take you to him.”


The lion on the left bowed its head silently before stepping down from its place and turning to cross the bridge.


Hyperion folded his wings before following without protest.


Harry’s look flattened when the arrogant animal simply walked right by him. Ignoring the sound that sounded remarkably like a snicker from the first lion, he took a deep breath and followed his familiar’s example…though not quite as confidently.


When they came upon the entrance doors made of the same blue-tinted ice, Harry had to steady himself when the bridge beneath him abruptly jerked as the doors that led into the shrine opened without a single hitch for them to enter.


The sculptures in the large corridors that followed watched his every movement and only made him all the more nervous.


Just as Harry managed to push the uneasy feeling he had to back of his head to somewhat enjoy the beauty of his surroundings, the lion stopped and turned to him with a look that explained the obvious before turning back around and venturing out the way they’d come in without ever saying a single word.


Harry glanced at Hyperion. “So,” he smiled nervously, “you think he’d think us rude if we just turned around and walked away?”


That hippogriff snorted.


“Yeah, thought so.” Harry sighed deeply; looking at the door before him that did nothing to alleviate his insecurities about this. “Well then, I guess…” Trailing off, Harry walked up to the ornate door that, like the others, opened magically when he was close.


Hyperion stayed close behind his young charge as they slowly ventured into the frozen room, both snapping their heads around when the massive doors close behind them with a powerful echo.


Harry forced himself to relax as much as possible, taking a moment to look around but nothing really registered before he spotted a large figure leaning casually against the far wall.


Emerald eyes widened almost comically when he took in the man.


Although he was obviously not human, Harry could easily tell he was a male just by looking at him. He had to be nearly seven feet tall with skin so pale that it would’ve made Snape look like he vacationed in the Caribbean in comparison. Two beautiful feathered wings grew from his back and just barely skimmed the floor behind him, their black color seemingly out of place although, at the same time, they accented his muscular body. His face was angular and defined with strong cheekbones that supported eyes the color of water…


Eyes that were now glaring at him, clearly not at all happy about being ogled at.


Blushing, Harry quickly averted his eyes to stare at his shoes.


“Now that you’ve returned to reality, would you care to step away from the doorway?” His voice was cold; holding no emotion though his irritation was crystal clear. “It’s rude to linger.”


When the boy didn’t move, Hyperion pushed his head into Harry’s back and pushed him further into the room.


“Tell me, wizard,” it was spat like an insult, “why did you accept the vixen’s offer?”


“I…” Harry faltered, thinking of how to put it in words. “I…that is…”


“Speak up.”


The harsh demand made him jump a bit but he managed to get some of his resolve back. “I wanted control of my life.”


“Hmm,” the elemental gazed thoughtfully at the infamous teen. “At least you’re honest, unlike many who’ve come to stand in my presence.” Observing the boy a moment longer, he rolled his eyes. “And for the love of Hyne herself, boy, stand up straight and look me in the eye.”


Harry immediately straightened his back and moved his eyes to meet the man’s eerily clear gaze.


“I am called Krystoff in this world.” He continued looking Harry up and down with a critical eye. “I must say with how the world of wizards has come to worship you, I expected someone a bit more impressive than what I see before me.”


‘Yeah, well, I didn’t choose my life. Jackass,’ Harry thought, irritated. ‘He sounds like Snape.’


Krystoff chuckled. “Yes, well, none can choose their destinies, Harry.” His eyes narrowed sternly. “And mind your thoughts.”


The teen’s eyes widened momentarily before he decided to ignore the obvious warning and invasion considering Daija had been reading his mind since he arrived. ‘That bloody overgrown turkey was right, I need to learn Occlumency.’


“I shall be the second to voice that yes, indeed, you do need to learn and practice that skill, however, no thought is safe from my eyes whilst you are still human.” A smirk crossed his lips, his expression one of amusement. “And I shall forgive your impudence by praising the nickname you’ve labeled Daija with, the phoenix annoys even those most patient of mind.”


The fifteen-year-old smiled a bit, his muscles relaxing.


There were a few silent moments as Krystoff stared at him before tearing his gaze away from Harry’s. “You are not weak by far, wizard, though you still have much to learn. You need to begin restraining your anger and vent it through other means, turn it into a strength instead of a weakness. Learn to think before you act and trust your instincts. You have a great skill in strategic thinking and your inner innocence makes you a natural born leader, never loose that.” The smirk returned as he faced the young wizard once more. “That hat should’ve place you in Slytherin.”


Harry mentally smacked his forehead. ‘Hundreds of miles away, still the same reaction.’


Krystoff pushed up from the wall, crossing his arms. “I have a few words of advice for you, Harry, so listen well and never forget.” He gazed at the young teen for a time before speaking once more, “I know what your future holds to some extent. Do not retain your judgments and opinions, either good or bad, of those in your past when you do return and do not condemn yourself or loose the undying faith you’ve held onto for what things, may one day, become.”


Though confused, Harry voiced nothing.


Slowly, the ice elemental walked towards the boy, pleased when he didn’t flinch or shy away as he reached out a clawed hand and laid it on the side of Harry’s face. “You must put your faith in me, if you resist…I could very well kill you.”


Though the uneasy feeling returned, Harry nodded but was mindful of the claws in the small movement.


Krystoff move his hand to get a good grip on the teenager, his claws entangling themselves tightly in the black mess of hair. Already expecting the instinctual jerk to try and get away at the action, the elemental quickly wrapped his arm around the boy’s shoulders and held him in place.


Harry’s heart sped up at the man’s aggression but, nonetheless, tried to keep himself from struggling against his hold. His head was suddenly jerked up by his hair, his emerald gaze meeting the unnerving clear once more. The temperature dropped around him and he found that although his lungs almost instantly began burning with the sudden lack of oxygen, he couldn’t take his eyes from the elemental’s…it was like he was frozen in place.


Neither of them moved for a while although Harry saw the man’s lip move in some kind of a chant.


The man stopped as fast as he started, however, when those clear eyes suddenly began turning into a startling crimson, Harry found himself terrified but still couldn’t tear his eyes away. He felt his body go limp, the hand moving from around his shoulders to support his back and keep him falling.


Krystoff didn’t waver his gaze at all, feeling the boy’s terror. “Embrace it, Harry.”


Harry heard the gentle words and his mind relaxed almost instantaneously but a white-hot searing pain that felt like it was cutting through his very soul invaded him as soon as his shields were down before darkness clouded his mind.


The ice elemental slowly kneeled when the boy fell unconscious in his arms, closing his eyes in concentration as he pushed past the final magical barrier and felt the rush of power as Harry’s true magic was released from its bindings. He lowered the frail-looking boy to the ground and was pleased when the hippogriff instantly lied beside his charge without a single protest.


Standing once more, Krystoff allowed a smirk to pass over his lips as he turned towards the darkest corner in the room. “I should, in all probability, be more surprised than I am to see you, yes?”


Out of the shadow stepped a mangy black dog that barked at him happily in greeting.


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End of Part 3


It’s done! Yay! ^_^ Read and review.


P.S. To all my reviewers…I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!!!!