Shadow Phoenix

@ angeles, SabreWolf, firelordeg, Titan58, Tanatos, redjacobson, Swimmer1988, momoko, Nitpicky, Dark Dragen, El Pepe, Squeaky, Jenna & vicki: Thanks for your reviews!

@ SabreWolf: you're right. English isn't my first language. Even worse (for you) no one betaed this chapter...

@ Titan58: Thanks for your suggestion. I think I'll follow it.

@ Tanatos or Swimmer1988: If you're reading this and your offer still stands... as I wrote above and will write below, this chapter isn't betaed yet... please contact me if you want to do the honors. e-mail: masterjoh@live.de

@ El Pepe: There are some very important differences between Hitler and Harry in this story. 1: all subjekts for human experimentations are people, who've commited crimes to be punished to either Dementor's Kiss or live sentence in Askaban. Which is either a death sentence or worse (the kiss is worse). As for fanatic followers, thats only Neville. Given Harry was the one responsible for all the good changes in his life, who can't understand him? The girs attraction to him is mainly sexual, because they feel his magical strength. Hermione will still be angry with him because of the experimentations (and takeing Dobby & Winky in his service). She just doesn't know yet. The DO members proved, that they'll follow Harry in his fight against Voldemort and Umbridge. Most of them wouldn't follow him if he would change his goals too much.

@ ALL: Not betaed yet.

C35: Fight of Titans

The Dark Lord tried destruction and vanishing spells against his enemy's shield wall, but the spells either seemed ineffective, or in case of vanishing spells multiplied the marble plates even.

Harry meanwhile had an idea.

He gave his DO members new orders, which would keep them away from his battle.


What neither of the opponents had counted on however, was the stunned Lucius Malfoy not only waking but knowing how to dispose of the - for his master - annoying barrier.

He was the Death Eater who kept contact with their young members at Hogwarts.

A acceleration hex hitting one of the slabs of marble revealed it to Voldemort.

The stone dissolved into dust and sand, falling to the floor.


Another stunner - a stronger one this time, disarming and binding hex made sure Malfoy would not intervene again anytime soon.

But the damage was already done.

Voldemort got rid of Harry's protection easily, now he knew how.


What he hadn't anticipated however was being attacked from six sources at once after the stones were gone.

Harry was of cause one of them.

There was no way he could have anticipated the black, spinning, a foot high, with glowing runes covered balls, which showered him with weak stunning, cutting and annoyingly shield- breaker hexes.

The shocker weren't strong enough to render him unconscious, but could slow him enough for the cutting curses or worse Harry to hit him with something.

The cutting curses in turn were just strong enough to carve half an inch deep into his skin but if hit with too many or in the wrong places, this could cause too much blood loss - especially during a fight.

The shield- breaker hexes didn't cause any damage themselves.

As long as they didn't hit his shields that is.


He could have used a low level shield and concentrated on his wizard opponent, if it wasn't for these nasty hexes, which drained and destroyed any shields they hit.

As it was, he had to use a high level shield, which used up way too much of his magic for his liking.

Especially, when his opponent forced him to recast it each couple of seconds by casting overpowered shield- breaker hexes in between more dangerous spells.


The Dark Lord decided he had to get rid of these things, before he could take care of Harry.

He assaulted them with a wide range of dark destruction spells.

Unfortunately – for him that is – they proved not only very evasive but also to be equipped with medium level runic shield- wards.

Problem: Everything strong enough to penetrate these shields was – like the killing curse – way to slow and concentrated, giving them ample time to move elsewhere.


Voldemort transfigured some of the crushed stone on the floor into a steel web which he banished at one of the balls.

A good idea but Harry wasn't about to let him get away with it.

He turned the web into hundreds of darts, each with a small, black flame at the end and banished them back at his opponent.


Protecting himself from them with a physical barrier would be a good idea for our favourite Dark Lord, right?

Wrong.

Just before they would have impacted into the wall he had transfigurated in front of him, the black flames engulfed them and transported them through the wall.


Nasty trick that.

Especially because the darts were covered in poisonous acid.

Not that Voldemort couldn't get rid of it and heal himself within a mere second, which he did.


Problem: A capable wizard can do much within a whole second while his opponent can't see him...

When our favourite Dark Lord took his wall down to continue the fight, all the remaining dust, sand and rubble on the floor was gone.

Instead there were dozens of what looked like little animated stone birds flying around Harry and each of these six dammed Balls.


What they were supposed to do, was quite easy to find out.

All he had to do was cast another spell in their direction.

One of the 'birds' flew into it's way and was hit with the explosion hex.

But instead of the anticipated detonation the bird crumbled leaving behind a crimson glowing crystal rune floating in the air.

The same happened to all his following curses, including the killing ones.

Hitting the runes a second time didn't help any either, they just glowed brighter.

Harry meanwhile summoned the remains of his opponents wall to him and transfigured new 'birds' to replace the ones the Dark Lord had hit.


Now, Voldemort claimed to be one of the most knowledgeable wizards of his time but even he had to think hard, what the hell that blasted things where.

Finally it came to him (having to evade spells and recast his shield didn't help thinking fast).

The runes were nothing but a ancient method to gain a sample of a wizards magical signature.

The 'birds' were used to deliver the runes into the spells way and once they were charged, there was little which could move them again.

One of these things able to move them however was a spell known to Harry, who had waited until he had thirteen runes, before he cast it.


The runes spread out into a circle on the floor, covering as much of the Atrium as possible.

Then the young wizard cast another charm on one of them.

It flashed with emerald light then twelve beams of the same colour shot out to connect with the other runes, who in turn flashed as well and shot more beams until every rune was connected with each other in what was clearly a thirteen point magical circle locked onto the Dark Lords signature (crimson), but controlled by Harry's (emerald).


Voldemort had a serious problem.

He was caught in a high level ritual spell because he had underestimated his opponent and never even imagined that who he thought was a schoolboy to even know ritual magic existed, much less how to use even the simplest of them, not even mentioned during a battle like that.

High Level Battle Ritual used: Target only magical dampening and draining circle.

Results: Voldemort's magic was only a quarter as effective as it was normally and there was a constant drain on his magical power, which was used to charge a special crystal, which was in one of Harry's pockets (not that anyone but the raven haired wizard knew).


Between evading and shielding against the onslaught still targeting him, the Dark Lord managed to do a little ritual magic of his own.

It was only a Three Point Low Level Ritual, but enough to summon a small magical creature which looked like a fist sized, violet hairball with small, skinny bat- wings.

It raced to one of the runes, evading a few dozen curses in the process and devoured it's target, then was hit with cutting hex which killed it.

After loosing one of its corner- points the circle collapsed, taking a good chunk of Voldemort's magic with it, who had anticipated it to dissolve instead, causing him a lot of pain in the process..


This was the situation Albus Dumbledore found, as he flooed into the Ministry.

The Dark Lord seeming to lose against Harry and his 'toys'.

He immediately joined the fight, hoping against hope to capture the dark wizard instead of having Harry kill him someday.


Voldemort needed a break, however short it might be, so he sent a crushing spell to the floor and caused the resulting rubble to whirl around him at high speed.

He held the spell while he collected himself, then let it go, vanished only to reappear on the other end of the hall and begin a chant.

Dumbledore contained the uncontrolled whirl to prevent the rubble to be thrown at them.

Harry however had different plans with it.

He threw a couple of high powered heating charms into it and then used his own brand of manipulation charms to concentrate the pillar of molten stone into a six feet high sphere of liquid fire and banish it at his opponent, who just completed his chant and threw a sphere of pure Darkness at him.


The Dark Lord didn't even attempt to stop the ball of lava thrown at him.

He simply vanished and reappeared near Dumbledore, who immediately attacked him.

Harry first sent his 'birds' against the ball of Darkness, which reduced it's size from one and a half feet to one and a half inches.

Then the runic balls formed a five point ritual circle before him and Harry invoked the runic ritual contained in the balls.


Emerald light streamed out of one side of the circle, engulfed the young wizard and streamed into him.

The ball of Darkness hit the other side and did... nothing.

It simply creased to exist, when it came into contact with the much more powerful magic.


Harry on the other hand... Eyes glowing like stars, engulfed in a aura of emerald magic he looked more powerful than ever.

The circle and the runic devices faded out of existence, when their purpose was fulfilled.

Harry looked down to the other two just in time to see Voldemort fire a killing curse at Dumbledore from only a few feet distance.

The old wizard had no chance to evade it.

Luckily (for him) Fawkes appeared in a ball of flame and swallowed the curse for him, bursting aflame and being reborn from the ashes.


Before either of the two could cast another spell, the Dark Lord was suddenly hurled away and smashed into the far wall with amazing speed (and a big crush of broken bones when arriving).

Harry floated down and came to stand next to his ally, still engulfed in the aura, his wand now circling around his left wrist instead of being gripped in his right hand.

Voldemort had somehow managed to regenerate himself enough, when the young wizard raised his left hand a his wand started to spit out dozens of powerful curses each second, to throw himself out of their way.


The explosion curses still threw the Dark Lord around – which in fact helped the evil wizard evading the next batch of spells but also interrupted any spellcasting of his own.

In Harry's right hand formed meanwhile a small ball of emerald light and Dumbledore wasn't idle either.

The old wizard prepared several enchantments on spots of the floor in the hope, that one of them would manage to contain the Dark Lord.


Voldemort was really pissed.

Granted, he had been handicapped from start on but still...

Being thrown around like something weak simply wasn't becoming for a Dark Lord.

He hadn't even landed a single spell on his opponent – apart from the imperious, which didn't count, since it had no effect on him whatsoever, which was why Harry had ignored it.


Deciding he wanted, whatever made his enemy so powerful, he took a risk.

Voldemort's outline blurred and he hurled directly towards his young opponent, or rather directly at his forehead, were he entered him through the scar.


Harry grinned and said clearly: “That was a mistake, Tom.” - which let Dumbledore exhale in relief.

Harry slowly raised his right hand and brought the sphere of emerald energy near the now bleeding and crimson glowing scar.

Small charges of it bolted into the scar once or twice a second hurting the Dark One, who attempted to possess the raven haired wizard.

Inside Harry Voldemort found himself in what seemed to be empty space to him – no memories or feelings and nothing to control the body.

The Dark Lord tried to stretch his presence to search for anything hidden and found something.

Resistance. What he received as a spheric unforgiving prison wall. The mind-seal.


The raven haired wizard let his enemy run against the seal, after some time and a lot of wasted energy it broke the first of several thousand seals which were easy to create for Harry and hard for anyone else to destroy.

Voldemort decided to try another way and flooded his evil energy into the young wizard.

Pain flooded Harry and his eyes turned crimson for a moment, then he let loose himself.

Dumbledore could nearly drown in the unlashed magical presence but in a positive way.

It was warm, gentle pure magic, strengthening everything alive.

That was what Dumbledore felt.


The Dark Lord felt something different.

He wasn't truly alive anyway.

A dark magical construct for a body and a spirit who had spent several years as a wraith will do that to someone.

No for him was the presence and energy just as hurtful as his was to Harry.


He tried to flee, but found himself unable to.

There was something anchoring him and combined with what assaulted him through the scar – the only way out anyway – it was enough to stop him.

He felt himself weakening and doubled his efforts.

Finally he felt whatever held him crumble and desperately he tore free, ignoring the unbearable pain it caused and shot out of the foreign body, while leaving his former anchor to be crushed under the onslaught of pure magic.


Right into one of Dumbledore's traps.

Dozens of pure white ropes shot out of the floor and wound themselves around him, burning his cursed skin wherever it touched him.

The raven haired wizard carefully took aim with the sphere of emerald magic in his right hand while Dumbledore reinforced his obscure light confinement charm and Voldemort struggled to escape.


The fireplaces flared and several ministry personnel including the minister of magic himself (in pyjamas) streamed into the Atrium just in time to see Harry fire a green glowing orb from his right, wandless hand at the Dark Lord, whose existence they all had just spent a year denying.

Before it could connect however a blindingly bright light flashed to him and gave Voldemort the power needed to free himself and batter the green orb aside.

It hit a wall and the raw magical discharge caused it to half melt and randomly transfigurate.


Harry looked to the source of the light and saw Bellatrix Lestrange, who had somehow freed herself, crumbled on the floor, her wand firmly gripped with both hands and a trail of blood flowing from the corner of her mouth.

Harry summoned his wand back to his right hand and trained it on her.

“Stasia”

The witch froze, not a single hair on her head moved anymore.

The raven haired wizard turned back to his opponent.

“A self sacrifice spell... giving you her magic energy but burning herself inside out in the process. I put her into medical stasis you have three hours to stop it. A simple Finite would suffice coming from you. Healing her shouldn't pose a problem and it's not like we could stop you from taking her and flee as you are now.”


“Why should I?”, the Dark Lord asked.

“Because if you don't, now that you have the opportunity, you would break the spell in the for you worst possible way.”

“I won't go without the prophecy!”


Harry let the orb surface in his palm.

“This piece of trash? I want your word to depart in piece if I give it to you.”

“Harry...”, Dumbledore started, but the younger wizards glare silenced him.

“It's not worth all those lives.”, he said pointing to the ministry workers.

“Very well you have a deal I get the prophecy and in turn don't murder anyone on my way out – today.”, the Dark Lord promised.


Harry stepped over to the female Death Eater and ripped the front of her robes open.

Then he pressed his hand onto her chest.

When he removed it, the runes, which had once been on his hand were right between her breasts and he revealed his unmarked and empty palm.

“She will be able to give it to you, as soon, as she is healed so long as you don't damage the runes that is.”, Harry promised and with a wave of his left hand, let her float to her master.


“Finite”, Voldemort cast at her, before he took her and turned towards the fireplaces battering away a couple of spells cast by the ministry personnel like annoying flies.

Harry had to put a hand on Dumbledore's to stop him.

“There is nothing we can do to stop him at this time.”, he said gently.

Just in front of the fireplace the Dark Lord turned back a final time and cast in a by the way manner: “Accio weak and incompetent but slightly useful servant.”- causing Malfoy to fly over to him, before he took both Death Eaters with him to destination unknown.


“Why did you give him the prophecy? After all the pains we had protecting it!”, Dumbledore asked.

“Because if we had continued to fight, he would have lost. This certain self sacrifice spell gave him enough power to blow up half of London and kill the other half of its inhabitants using killing curses only. By tomorrow it will be mostly gone his very soul will reject the light magic leaving him with only the initial sacrifice, which isn't that much anyway.”

Dumbledore paled at the younger wizards words.

“Caos magic...”, he whispered.

“A mix of darkest and lightest magic which must not be allowed to exist... which isn't exactly true, but lets not mention Black Unicorns or Dark Angels and other fallen creatures of Caos. It is way to great a power to let it fall into the hands of a Dark Wizard, let alone a dark spirit creature like what once had been Tom Riddle.”


Harry turned and let Dumbledore stand beside the minister, both speechless and starring at his retreating form until he reached disappeared down the staircase.

The two older wizards turned to each other.

“We need to talk...”, both said as one, then Dumbledore chuckled and Fudge sighed.

“We should include him.”, the Minister said before turning to an Auror, who had just come.

“Find Mr. Potter and ask him nicely to meet us in my office. You!”, he shifted his attention to another Auror. “Summon Madam Bones to my office.”

While Fudge issued orders, Dumbledore collected his little helpless Phoenix.


Meanwhile Harry gave Sirius and a couple DO members a ride to Grimmrauld Place and Hogwarts respectively, before returning to the ministry.

The students now back at Hogwarts had with them the results of the extra mission, he had given them.

No reason for unnecessary risks like getting caught with that stuff, or Sirius getting caught at all.


Soon all captured Death Eaters were thrown into cells and all students but Harry had taken portkeys back to Hogwarts.

The raven haired wizard had obeyed the polite summons and sat now along with Dumbledore, Madam Bones and Cornelius Fudge all four viewing copies of Harry's memory which he wanted to show them.


First the battle which had just happened.

Then Umbridge confessing to have sent Dementors after him, casting the cruciatus on Harry and her following defeat by the young wizard.

Cedric being murdered on Voldemort's order and the rebirth of the Dark Lord with help from Peter Pettigrew.

The 'discussion' with Sirius, Remus, Snape and Pettigrew at the Shrieking Shack.

What happened in and in front of the Chamber of Secrets (Lockhart and Basilisk).

Facing Quirrel- Voldemort in his first year, including the so called protections to the Philosophers Stone.

And at last some carefully chosen samples of his life with the Dusleys – the worst of it – which left both Madam Bones and Fudge starring disgusted at Dumbledore the man who should have prevented these things from happening (well Fudge looked disgusted- gleeful, gleeful at the prospect at having something against the 'perfect' Dumbledore).


When they had seen everything Harry had wanted to show them, Fudge asked: “What happened with Dolores and Dawlish?”

“I put them somewhere save for until I get around to take care of them.”

“Now, now, Mr. Potter they must be put on trial and sentenced by the Wizengamot for their crimes.”, the minister insisted.

“Not according to our law. I'm after all last member and heir of the House Potter and in blood-feud with Voldemort. He invoked the feud by killing my parents. As such I have the right to sentence anyone who attacks me and loses the resulting fight according to the rules of clan-law.”

“But, but imagine the ministry will look like, if you would do something like that! Completely incompetent and incapable!”

“Well maybe I could be persuaded to not use this one of my rights in this certain instance... However I can't be seen as weak willed or easily controllable. The other ancient families wouldn't like that. You would have to offer something serious in return. Not just something you would do anyway.”


“How about an exception from the underage magic law?”, the Minister suggested.

Harry thought about that for a minute.

“If you make that a Decree: 'The Potter family and it's allies are excepted from the restrictions for underage magic.' then you have yourself a deal.”

Fudge squirmed a little but finally had to agree.

He tried to get one last token however.


“Agreed, but I want a hand over of that Decree on a press conference to be held at a date of your choosing.”

“The day after tomorrow. It will be a perfect opportunity for you to end the manhunt after Sirius and get out a proclamation of innocence for him.”

Fudge knew he would have to do that anyway and waiting any longer would only serve to make him look bad, so he agreed.


Harry took a Mirror out of his pocket and enlarged until it was a feet taller than himself.

He placed his hand at the centre and murmured something, that caused the reflecting surface to ripple.

He stepped into it and returned half a minute later with his two unconscious prisoners.

“They tried to make trouble so I had to restun them.”, Harry mentioned.

“What about their wands?”, asked Madam Bones.

“Mad-Eye has them. Said something about a collection.”


Madam Bones sent the prisoners with an Auror to be thrown into a couple of cells and another one to find Moody and exchange the two wands for a pair of old ones of his choosing from the collection for secondary wands.

Which was were all black market wands found by any Auror landed and from witch they choose a good matching wand for their secondary as most of them had.

There were just a couple of collectors like Alistair Moody within the force.

The permit wasn't easy to come by, but Moody had been well connected in his time and had been able to collect enough favours from the right people to get one.


Now the topic turned too the war against Voldemort, which needed to be fought.

Harry supported Dumbledore and Bones on the increase of recruiting more Aurors and Hit- Wizards and Fudge after the man said that the ministry had to be searched for traitors.

Harry suggested Veritaserum.

Madam Bones explained they didn't have enough in store for questioning that many people.

Harry left for a minute – into the mirror – and returned with a box full of vitals with the truth serum.

More than enough to question every ministry employee – twice.

Madam Bones asked if she wanted to know whether she should ask where he had got them from.


“Believe it or not, Madam I've brewed them myself, half of the batches I brew turn out fine. The other ones... well at least it's always decided within the first two hours.”

“How did you test it?”, she asked.

“First I feed some diluted to transfigured mice and use an examination charm to make sure it doesn't poison them. Then I use it on myself – a single drop – to test whether or not it's effective. It is.”

She gave a nod and after some more planning Harry and Dumbledore excused themselves and after the young wizard had shrunk the mirror and put it back into his pocket, they left.

Fudge was happy because he had just been given potions worth 50.000 Galleons for free.

Well, Harry had given them to Madam Bones, but she was part of the ministry, which belonged to the minister (in his mind anyway) and he was minister.

A lot of money saved (he hated spending money unnecessary).


At Hogwarts Harry used the Floo for the first time without landing on the floor as a result or being covered in sooth.

His secret: Using his Phoenix powers to control the flames which carried him to his destination.

Dumbledore followed him and after putting Fawkes on his perch and making sure he had enough food and water, he turned to Harry.

“About the prophecy...”

He stopped, when Harry held up a hand.


“'The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... born to those who have trice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh moth dies...'... right?”

“How?”

“I've had that dammed Prophecy absorbed in my body. A side effect is, that I've heard it the whole time. Now I've several theories first: 'The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... born to those who have trice defied him, born as the seventh month dies...' could have meant both Neville or me. Next: 'and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not...' means clearly me and relates to when his killing course bounced of my forehead. The Blood protection was the 'power he knows not'. That's done and past. Next: 'and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives...' 'either must die at the hand of the other' can mean, we must kill each other of, or one of us must kill the other it could even be a ward or trap one of us created and /or put up or maybe even a person who is known as our right hand. And I'm sure there are a couple of other possibilities I haven't thought of yet. 'for neither can live while the other survives' that's pretty clear no explanation needed. But now something interesting: A second: 'the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh moth dies...' It could be just a repeat of the first line, but I don't think so. I think it means regardless of whether he would have chosen Neville or me the result would have been the same. In turn the one not chosen must become part of the others 'power' ideally his right 'hand' to keep the 'the one' part true. But it also means, if Voldemort somehow managed to off me, Neville could take my place and would ideally off him with some kind of weapon or trap I created... hmm... What do you think?”

“... Not that far... but it does make sense... but have you lost 'the power he knows not' or do you still have it?”

“I still have it. It's not really the blood protection especially. That's just one of it's possible forms. Even though it would have been better if you hadn't damaged the spell-base by tying it to a blood-ward onto a loveless home, but that's water under the bridge.”


Dumbledore put his head in his hands getting a headache from being forced by logic to accept all these new theories as possible.

“Now, do you want to discuss something else, or should I stop the rant and leave you to your thoughts?”

“The second please.”


The following days were surprisingly quiet for Harry.

The routine of training, learning, teaching, brewing, (mostly successful) experimenting with enchanting, enchanting, sex and meditating was only interrupted by the press conference and when Fred and George had wanted to show him something at their workshop all of which could be labelled with something from learning to enchanting of the above.

Soon the year ended and after a thankfully quiet ride on the Hogwarts Express he arrived at Kings Cross, from where he flashed over to Privet Drive (already having the Dusleys notified that they wouldn't need to pick him up).

So, that's it! The last chapter of Shadow Phoenix! Now I start SP II!