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SIYE Time:14:25 on 29th March 2024
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Shadow of the Serpent
By KEDme

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Category: Post-OotP
Characters:Harry/Ginny
Genres: Action/Adventure
Warnings: Death, Extreme Language, Violence
Story is Complete
Rating: PG-13
Reviews: 537
Summary: **June Dumbledore Silver Trinket Award Winner for Best Angst, and May winner for Best Author**

Harry is whisked away to an ancient island to be trained in Occlumency. What he finds is another complication to add to his already complicated life. Will friendship, love, loyalty, bravery, and honor be enough to save him from the Shadow of the Serpent that haunts his life? H/G angst/action adventure.
Hitcount: Story Total: 151609; Chapter Total: 5665
Awards: View Trophy Room






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“The time is near, young one…”

“We are sending someone to watch over you. The servant approaches…”

“Do not give up...”

“The Key… find the Key…”

“You are never alone… We are watching…”

“Use the Key to find the answers… You have what you need…”

“Beware of the Shadow… There is danger in the Shadow…”

“Remember….”




The ringing of the ethereal voices in his ears was fierce, but as the fog of unconsciousness lifted they all blended together into a loud squeal that was torture, waking him up from his state of unconsciousness.

“Where am I?”

At the sound of his voice, Hunter woke from his worried, snoring slumber. He had been slouched in the chair beside Harry’s bed for a long time. It had been a day and a half since Harry had collapsed and he hadn’t left his side for more than a few minutes. He had been sleeping soundly, but hearing Harry’s voice from the bed thrust him from sleep to alertness in an instant.

Harry was sitting up in his bed looking around wildly. Hunter saw disorientation mixed with fear, surprise and… something else on his young face. Something vaguely familiar but difficult to place a label on.

“What happened?” Harry groaned.

“You tell me.” The older man fixed him with a stare as he handed Harry his spectacles. Hunter’s clearly knew Harry was hiding something.

Harry was quiet as his face showed the blank look of someone trying to recall events beyond their grasp. Then, like an electric light bulb suddenly coming to life, the answer was suddenly before him.

In panic, he looked up at Hunter. “I have to go home. Now!”

He started to swing his legs over the edge of the bed and stand, but he swayed slightly. Hunter tried to stop him, but Harry violently threw him off.

“Gr’off me! Didn’t you hear? I said I have to go home!” he yelled, this time more forcefully. “Where’s my clothes?” He swayed on his feet as he frantically searched around the room for his belongings.

“Harry… wait just a minute,” Stephen tried to say, but the boy wasn’t listening. “We need to talk-”

“No, we don’t. There’s nothing to talk about. I need to… she needs… I have to go! Now how do I get off this bloody island? I’ll swim, if I have to,” he warned, and Hunter had no doubt that he meant it.

“No one’s keeping you prisoner here, Quetzal. But it’s not that simple.”

“Why?”

Harry stopped and stared at Stephen with such a look of pain that the older man almost winced and looked away. Harry’s emotions were stretched so tight, it was evident he would break if given much more. Hunter instantly knew he was referring to more than his inability to leave.

“You’re not ready to leave, for one thing. You’re doing well with Occlumency, but what happens when you return to England? Are you strong enough to keep Voldemort out of your mind? Will you be putting yourself and others at risk by going back before you’re ready?”

These thoughts obviously had not occurred to Harry and his face fell like a deflated balloon. Now that he had the boy’s attention, he decided to solidify his argument. “Besides, you are magically bound to compete against Tlaloc in two weeks. A lot is riding on that and, unfortunately, you have no choice but to compete.”

“I bloody well do have a choice!” Harry set his jaw stubbornly. He would not be bullied into anything. His place was at home, in England, with Ginny. She needed him. “This isn’t my fight, Hunter, it’s yours.”

“You’re wrong,” the sandy-haired man shot back. “When Tecuhtl clapped his hands, it became binding. You must compete, no matter what, or you will be cursed.”

“I already am cursed! How much more cursed can a person get!”

His frustration was reaching a climax and he lashed out. A wave of pure emotion hit the table, splintering it apart with a satisfying crash. He had done this without thinking or planning and, oddly, it felt good to lose control — to defy everyone who wanted to tell him what to do.

His mind was a blank, white-hot mass of rage and he could feel the power pooling around him. He seemed to be drawing it to him like metal to a magnet. The magic crackled and sputtered, causing Hunter to step back apprehensively. He did not back down, however.

“Harry,” he began calmly, in a soothing tone, “I know that you could destroy this house with a thought and blast me into oblivion, if you were of the mind. All I’m asking is that you calm down and tell me what happened.” He searched the boy’s face for confirmation that he was listening and was rewarded with a slight twinge around the eyes and forehead.

“I need to know exactly what happened if I’m to help you. Please help me understand.”

The request was reasonable and the thing that got through first was that Hunter was willing to help him.

The air slowly returned to normal. Stephen couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

“That’s better,” he said as Harry’s face relaxed. Drawing Harry back to the bed, he forced the still unsteady boy to sit down. “Let’s start from the beginning, shall we? One minute we were discussing Tlaloc and the next minute your eyes rolled back in your head and you passed out. What in the bloody hell was that all about?”

Harry hesitated, not sure how much he wanted to divulge about Ginny and their bond. He didn’t know how well he could trust Stephen Hunter. So far, the man was one big contradiction.

Dodging the issue, he said, “I’m not sure what happened. It’s never been quite like that before. Usually, I’m sleeping. One minute I was here and the next I was someplace else.”

‘Like astral projection?”

“No. I was in someone else’s mind.”

Harry looked away, his mind far off with Ginny. He couldn’t feel her emotions, no matter how much he tried. It was like a hole in his soul where she should have been, and he felt empty - utterly helpless.

“Was it Voldemort?”

“No,” Harry said as he shook his head. “Not Voldemort.”

Hunter looked confused. “Then who?”

“It doesn’t matter,” he said tiredly.

Seeing Hunter expression, he sighed. “It was a friend - someone I’ve known for a very long time.” Dispassionately, he began to describe his experience.

“There was a fight. Death Eaters were attacking in Diagon Alley, looking for someone. We escaped, but then my friend was captured.” Harry’s face darkened. “We were hit by the Cruciatus but the curse backfired and the man was blasted into the wall. I think the blast killed him.

“I did it.” He closed his eyes to block out the pain. “I was so angry. I wanted to kill the man for doing that to… my friend. All I remember was a blinding green light. I think it was coming from inside me. Then it’s like seeing two pictures from one viewpoint. I see Dumbledore, Lupin, and the others rushing in back at the Leaky Cauldron and I also see you, here on the island. That part is fuzzy. It’s seems almost far away… like something that happened to a different person. Disconnected from me, somehow.”

Hunter rubbed his tired, bloodshot eyes. “You really scared the hell out of me, Harry. One minute you were lying on the bed looking as if death had claimed you, and the next minute you were floating in the air with glowing eyes, speaking in a strange, other-worldly voice. You asked me if I was friend or foe. Do you remember? It was… odd. Have you ever had that happen before?”

Harry scrunched his forehead in deep thought. His mind was whirling and he was trying to recall exactly what had happened. In frustration, he shook his head. “I just can’t remember. All I can recall is feeling so angry I thought I would explode.”

Shakily, in a hushed voice, he admitted, “I’ve never felt that way before. It was scary, but.... I hope that man is dead; I hope that blast killed him.” His voice was barely a whisper. “What kind of person does that make me, Hunter?” He looked intently at a spot on the wall and refused to meet Stephen’s eye.

Hunter laid a hand on Harry’s shoulder. “It makes you human, Quetzal.”

Harry turned his eyes and looked at him with a sad, beaten expression. Hunter could see the weight of the world in those eyes and he felt a connection with the young man. He saw himself, as he had been long ago, in Harry.

Although the circumstances were different, Stephen knew Harry had seen too much for one so young. It sickened him to think of all he had gone through — had yet to go through. A part of him wished he could take the burden away and put it on his own shoulders. Harry didn’t deserve this.

With a start, something clicked in Hunter’s mind. When had he started to care about the boy?

He did not realize he had actually jerked away as if he had just received an electric shock until he saw Harry frown in confusion.

Trying to cover for himself, he managed to choke out, “I, uh… have to go. Have to check in with Chuen… let her know you’re awake.” He backed his way out of the room nervously. “Will you be alright?”

“Only time can answer that question,” Harry said as he slumped against the bed in defeat. He sat back up abruptly, his eyes narrowed dangerously. “Don’t think for a minute we’re finished with this conversation, Hunter. I still intend to go home.”

Hunter made a non-committal noise in the back of his throat that let Harry know he had heard. Then, he was gone.

Harry let out a wail of frustration and a vase sitting on the bedside table shattered. He didn’t care. All he cared about now was getting home and he vowed he wouldn’t rest until that was accomplished.

Closing his eyes, he drifted into a troubled sleep, wishing with all his might he knew what had happened to Ginny and why he couldn’t sense her at all.

***

The cottage was just as he remembered it, and he felt safe for the first time since he had last been there. It was a feeling he had never known — like a warm blanket, flying, and seeing Hogwarts again after a long summer at the Dursleys all wrapped into one. It felt more like home than anyplace he had ever been.

Moving quietly around the house, he admired the cosy rooms with their quaint stone hearths and comfortable furnishings as he waited. Trying to shake the certainty that something was wrong, he absently browsed the bookshelf and picked up a book on Quidditch, then quickly realised he couldn’t concentrate. Angrily, he threw down the magazine and paced.

“Where are you, Ginny?” he growled worriedly. Reaching out his mind, he called out to her.

Suddenly, the door was flung open and a rush of red hair ran to him, embracing him fiercely. They clung to each other and cried tears of relief. When they pulled apart, they leaned into the other and both began speaking at once.

“I was so scared-”

“What happened after-”

They could feel each other’s raw emotions, and they fell into each other’s arms again, drawing strength from the other. Calmer, they pulled apart and looked in the other’s eyes, searching for reassurance.

Ginny slowly smiled. “You just couldn’t resist saving me again, could you Potter?” she said affectionately without a trace of resentment.

“I- huh?” Harry said, blinking in surprise. “I didn’t do anything.”

Ginny snorted. “Right. Then how do you explain that little stunt you pulled back at the Leaky Cauldron? One minute I was being tortured by the most dreadful curse I have ever experienced, and the next I’m floating several feet off the ground. Are you trying to tell me you had nothing to do with that?”

“Well, no,” Harry admitted. “But I’m just as confused as you about what happened. I swear I didn’t do anything intentionally. It was all a big mistake.”

Ginny’s eyes flashed. “Saving my life was a mistake?”

“No, of course not!” Harry’s temper began to rise along with Ginny’s. “But if I had chosen a way to save you, it wouldn’t have been anything like that! That was scary… don’t you think?” Some of his anger faded as he admitted that he had been scared, and Ginny’s followed suit. He sat down in a big chair, thoroughly exhausted.

“Yeah…” she agreed, plopping herself down in his lap. His arms automatically encircled her waist and he pulled her close. “…That ranks right up there with one of the scariest moments of my life! Even Riddle….”

She scrunched her face thoughtfully so that her freckles could be seen plainly on top of her nose. Her eyes darkened. “That curse… no wonder it’s considered an Unforgivable! It was horrible! All I could think of was how I wished I could die, just so the pain would end.” She laid her head on his chest and they sat like that for a long time. Harry knew exactly what she meant.

Harry was the first to speak. He shifted so that he could look her full in the eyes. “Why couldn’t I feel you afterwards? After I woke up, it was like a black hole in my soul — like a piece of me was missing. I couldn’t feel you. I think that scared me more than anything.”

Ginny thought for a moment. “I suppose it was because I’ve been unconscious for awhile. I just woke up, but was so exhausted I fell asleep after talking to Professor Dumbledore about what happened.

“I felt like that for the two weeks that you were unconscious after they took you away. Even though everyone kept telling me you were all right, I couldn’t believe them. I knew everything was wrong. They kept saying it was for your own good. But it was like half of me was gone, and I felt you slipping away even further… dying. I knew if you died, I’d die too, and that was fine by me. I wouldn’t want to live without you.” She avoided his intense gaze in favour of the far wall and turned away from him.

He spun her around roughly, forcing her to look at him; his eyes flashed and his face contorted in anger. For a moment Ginny was afraid. She could feel the anger rolling off him and this time it was directed at her.

“Never… say… that… again,” he said slowly through clenched teeth.

“Harry-”

“I mean it, Ginny! No matter what happens, I want you to promise that you won’t give up. I need to know that you’ll be okay, no matter what happens to me.”

Ginny jutted out her chin defiantly and shook him off, but she didn’t turn away again.

“I can’t,” she said.

They locked eyes and stared at each other for a moment, righteous anger swirling around them.

“Yes, Ginny. You can… you have to. I need to know you’ll be all right if…” his voice broke.

“…if I don’t make it.”

A tear slid down her face at the sight of his pleading eyes. But she couldn’t lie to him, ever. “Listen to me, Harry.” She took his hand in hers and filled her heart with the strength she knew he would need.

“I can’t promise you that. Even if I wanted to — which I don’t — it’s impossible now.”

He fought through the lump in his throat because he had a bad feeling he wasn’t going to like her explanation. “What do you mean?” he asked quietly.

Ginny sighed. “Let’s sit across from each other. We need to talk.” She scooted off him and pulled up another chair so that they were facing each other.

Harry regarded her anxiously, his anger forgotten. “Ginny?” He reached for her hand and found it clammy. “Ginny, what is it? Is something wrong? You’re not… sick or anything, are you?” Cold fear gripped his heart. All this time he had worried that he was putting her in danger. Could it be possible that something else was wrong? Wouldn’t he have felt it?

“No, nothing like that,” she said softly. She knew she was scaring him but she couldn’t help it. There was reason to be scared.

“Then what?” Something was seriously wrong. He could feel it.

“What do you know about life bonds?”

Harry blinked. Why was she talking about that now?

“Not much, I suppose,” he admitted, perplexed. “I never even heard of them before this happened between us. What does that have to do with anything?”

“Did you never wonder why they call it a life bond?” she asked patiently, already knowing his answer.

“Well… no,” he admitted. He saw her tense up and added hastily, “I’ve had a lot going on in my life, remember?”

She sighed audibly. “I know.”

“So what are they, exactly?” he asked apprehensively.

“Life bonds are complicated magic. They are the oldest recorded naturally occurring spell in the history of witchcraft and wizardry, dating back to ancient times. Essentially, a life bond is just that — a bond for life. When a witch or wizard saves the life of another witch or wizard, sometimes a life bond is established.” She looked at him very hard, wondering if he was going to make the connection.

“But I didn’t — Ohhh…” He shut his mouth and stared at her, horrified. “The Chamber?”

“Yes, Harry. The Chamber.”

“But why didn’t it happen three years ago? Why now?” he asked.

She shrugged. “Maybe we were too young. It didn’t really hit home what you did for me until that night at your aunt and uncle’s. Before then, I just tried to put it out of my mind. After we shared that dream and the whole parseltongue business, and became so close, it all just sort of fell into place how much I owed you. When Riddle tried to take over your mind that night, I remember thinking how much I cared about you — how much I owed you — and that I’d do anything to help you. Anything.” Her last words were deadly serious.

“Why do I get the feeling there’s more?” he asked warily.

Ginny continued, wondering how he was going to react. “We’re connected now, Harry. Our life forces — our very souls — are connected. That’s why we can feel each other’s emotions. Usually it’s one sided but in some cases between two people who really care about each other, maybe even love each other, it can go both ways. We can feel each other’s emotions, but I have a feeling I feel your emotions more than you feel mine.”

“How do you know?”

“You are in every breath I take, Harry. Every moment I am awake, I feel you. Your feelings are so strong in my mind, I don’t know which are mine and which are yours. Can you say the same?”

Harry flushed guiltily. “No, not really. I mean, I feel you with me all the time. But now that I have so much protection and since I’ve build up my Occlumency skills a bit, it’s harder to feel you unless I’m really upset. Today I had to go beyond the wall to connect with you. But whenever I need you, you’re there. Whenever I need support or to calm myself down, I feel you the strongest.”

“That’s the bond. My debt requires that I share my life force with you. I sustain you and keep you strong.”

“What about you?” he asked, concerned. “How does this affect you?”

“It depends on how badly you’re hurting,” she confessed. “Usually I just absorb your anger or tension. I’ve been snapping at my family and Hermione quite a bit lately. When it’s the worst I just stay away from everyone to spare them. I think they understand and are giving me my space. I also have the sudden urge to be alone quite a bit, which is the opposite of what I usually want. I’m a right loner, now. Not unlike someone else I know….” Her mouth twisted in a smile.

“It’s not funny,” Harry said, frowning.

“I know.” Her smile disappeared and she became sombre once again.

“After you were taken away I knew how serious this was. I felt you dying Harry. I felt you fading away, and at the same time I knew I was dying, too. That’s the purpose of the magic. You thwarted death by saving my life. That debt will not be paid until I give my life back to you.”

Harry felt cold inside. She didn’t mean what he thought she meant, did she? Surely he must be wrong. “Do you mean to say that if I die, you’ll…?” He couldn’t finish. The lump in his throat had dropped to his stomach and he thought he might be sick.

“…take your place,” she finished for him. “Instead of you dying, I will.”

“No.”

Ginny could feel his panic and guilt and it pained her.

“No,” he repeated more forcefully. “I-I won’t let you. Take it back. I don’t want it!”

“Harry, I-” she started to protest, but he cut her off abruptly. His voice held a slight violent tone, full of pure terror.

He grabbed her by the arms and shook her, desperately tying to shake some sense into her. “Don’t you hear me? I said, I DON’T WANT IT! TAKE IT BACK!”

“I CAN’T!” she yelled back, jerking away. “I can’t. Even if I wanted too, I couldn’t. It’s done. There’s no going back now; the ancient magic is binding. We are connected for LIFE. Until my debt is paid, you’re stuck with me!”

“Stuck with you?” Harry said hysterically. “Stuck with you! Ginny… I couldn’t live with myself knowing that I caused you harm - that my living caused you to die! Voldemort wants me dead, for God’s sake!” He raked a hand through his hair, which seemed to be standing on end.

“Merlin, Ginny! I have to kill or be killed by him. Did you know that?” he asked tiredly, knowing very will that she didn’t. “That’s what the prophecy said. I will most likely die by the hand of that monster! Do I have to watch you die first? Because if I have to do that, Gin, I know I can’t win. I’d have no reason left to fight!”

Ginny sucked in a sharp breath. “Don’t say that!” she said, appalled. “You have plenty of reasons to fight.” He looked at her doubtfully, tears threatening to spill.

Ginny held his gaze, even though it was painful to see him so distraught. Her voice was hard and definite. “The world needs you, Harry Potter! I’m nothing… nobody! If I can help-”

“You’re wrong,” he said, shaking his head vigorously. “You’re everything to me. Please don’t do this…”

“You, Harry,” she said, poking him in the chest. “You’re our hope, not me. Ever since I was a little girl and first heard the story, I always knew that one day I would meet you and when I did, you were everything I dreamed of. Selfless, noble, brave — a true hero.”

He started to protest but she stopped him with her hand over his mouth. “I know what you’re going to say and stop it. No matter what you think, it’s true. If I can play a part in making sure you beat that monster, then I’m going to do it!”

“I can’t watch you die.” He sounded lost, pitiful. Vulnerable. It was almost a sob and it tore her heart to see him in this much pain. “I don’t want to lose you.”

Her face twisted in a smile. “Then don’t die.”

He laughed in spite himself, a tortured, reluctant sort of laugh. “Brilliant advice,” he said sarcastically. “Don’t die, Harry. I never would have thought of that on my own.”

She laughed along with him, marvelling that they could find any humour in the situation. “They always say females are the more clever ones.”

Harry’s heart filled with that same unnameable emotion that he often got when he was around her and he thought he felt the same thing radiating back at him from her. It was warm and wonderful, but scary all at the same time.

“Do you feel that, Ginny?” he asked in amazement. “What is that, do you suppose?”

She looked at him in surprise. “Don’t you know?” she asked gently.

He shook his head, mystified. He’d only ever felt that emotion when he was with her. It felt familiar but he couldn’t name it. Somehow he knew that he had felt it before, long ago, but it was like an echo and entirely too vague to remember.

“It’s love, Harry. Love..."


The shock hit him like a speeding train. He felt himself being thrust out of his safe world and slammed into the cold reality. He was utterly spent, emotionally. As he lay in the darkness, all alone, he thought about everything he had learned, feeling the weight of it pressing down on him. There was too much to comprehend.

He reached for his phoenix pendent and once again heard Fawkes’ haunting melody in his head, soothing away the worries and doubt. After a long time, sleep claimed him again, but this time he was armed with the knowledge that he was no longer alone in the world. He had Ginny. He loved Ginny and she loved him back. That thought was enough to make him smile through the fear, as he fell into a troubled slumber.

***


Alone in his room, Stephen paced wildly like a caged animal. How could he let this happen? He had successfully kept everyone he knew, both before and after his family was taken, at a distance. But in the short time Harry had been here, he had let down his guard and allowed himself to care.

Dumbledore. Damn him!

Why did he have to send the boy here, to him? He could have chosen anyone else, but he had sought him out and now Hunter found himself in a quandary. He couldn’t just leave Harry to face all this on his own. If it had been Adam, wouldn’t he want James or someone else to look out for his son in his absence? As far as he could tell, Harry had no one except for a handful of loyal friends and an old man who had already proven untrustworthy. There was no one in his life to guide him and prepare him for what was to come.

Damn him!

He paced some more, practically wearing a hole in his floor. Hunter knew his role was to lookout for the boy, but it had never really occurred to him what that meant. Was he prepared to do this?

Agreeing to go home was one thing, but he still had a quagmire of issue to face upon his return. He couldn’t simply just waltz back to England and Hogwarts without thinking this through. Was he really prepared to face Dumbledore again, after all these years? Could he do it?

He cried out in anguish. Why did it all have to be so complicated!

Throwing himself down on his bed, he threw an arm over his face and tried to clam his jumping nerves. If he were really honest with himself, he knew what was bothering him the most.

Harry.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair nervously. Harry was a mess. James would be so worried and yet so proud of his son, if he could see the young man Harry had become. He felt a sense of responsibility to him. James had saved his life. He had a debt to pay and, heaven help him, he wanted to do it.

Cold fear gripped him like an iron fist. What if Harry lost? Could he take losing someone he cared about all over again, like he had lost Mariah and Adam and so many others? Should he take that chance?

Stephen closed his eyes. One image floated there, just beyond reach.

Voldemort’s icy cold eyes taunted him.

White hot rage burned through him at the thought of that monster running free, waiting to murder other innocent women and children.

Yes, he had a role to play.

He jumped out of bed abruptly and fumbled around on his desk for a piece of paper. Whistling softly out the open window, he watched as Zeus swooped from a nearby tree and landed gracefully on the sill.

“Are you up for a trip, old man?”

Zeus hooted indignantly and flew over to the desk, cuffing Hunter on the back of his head with his broad wing. He stood regally on a tall stack of books staring at him, his wide amber eyes blinking expectantly. If Hunter didn’t know better, he’d swear the bird was smiling.

“I suppose it has been quite some time since I gave you a job, hasn’t it?” He stroked his old friend’s sleek feathers affectionately. “Just give me a moment to collect my thoughts.” He sighed. “This is a hard letter for me to write, you know.”

Zeus clicked his beak in understanding.

Hunter handed him an owl treat. “I hope you’re up for another long trip. The letter is addressed to the Headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore.”




The days flew by in a whirl with a heavy training schedule that included hand to hand combat, sword fighting, and physical endurance. Harry and Stephen had their talk and Harry finally came to the conclusion that he had to stay on the island a little longer in order to boost his abilities. After his talk with Ginny, he knew it was even more important to keep Voldemort out of his head. He no longer felt the need to take chances with his life, since it was not just his life he was protecting now. He also stepped up his training and drove into it with a ferocity that surprised both Stephen and himself.

In the last couple of days, Harry had spent hours doing all sorts of physical activity. He swam, ran, and flew for hours on end. He had worked on his balance standing on a log suspended over a lagoon for hours, eventually getting to the point where he could do all sorts of moves without falling in. He had even worked on improving his already good eye/hand coordination by practicing throwing spells at projected beams of light. The beads of light moved faster even than a snitch, and he was hitting them with even greater accuracy than Stephen at this point. Anything that would make him faster and stronger was fine by him, and he constantly searched his textbooks for any sort of spells that could help him.

He and Hunter had also been working hard to discover exactly what his elemental abilities were and how far he could take them. So far they had tested small things like changing the temperature in the air or water, making a small breeze, bringing a plant back to health, manipulating dirt and water into various shapes, and lighting small fires with his fingertips. Everything Hunter had asked him to do, Harry was able to accomplish after a short amount of practice. It felt good to be doing something so extraordinary and he felt some hope for the first time that maybe, just maybe, he might have a chance against Tlaloc and Voldemort.

Many days he suspected Stephen wanted to confront him about how hard he was pushing himself, but he always managed to avoid the conversation. He just wasn’t ready to talk to anyone yet. He had even avoided thinking of Ginny, afraid that he might get transported into her mind or dreamwalk into her dream. He still longed to see her, but he had so much to think about, he needed time to make sense of it before he saw her again. He could still feel her emotions from time to time though, and was comforted by the fact that she seemed to be alright.

It took several days, but finally, after a very gruelling swordfight that resulted in Harry beating his mentor for the first time since beginning his training, Stephen finally cornered him about his odd behaviour.

“What’s gotten into you recently, Harry?”

“I’m not sure what you mean,” Harry said evasively, panting slightly from the heat and exertion. He had won, but Stephen had put up a good fight. They had magically charmed their swords to not harm each other for the sake of training. In that way, they could truly concentrate on the fight without worrying they were going to accidentally wound or kill the other.

“You stay up late studying and rise before the sun to run on the beach or do callisthenics - even before we begin our morning training. Instead of sleeping in the afternoon, I see you practicing your magic until it’s time for you to train with Chac. Then you go off on your own exploring the island or flying your broom, taking your spellbooks with you. If you keep up this pace you’re going to burn yourself out.”

“I don’t have much of a choice Hunter,” Harry answered irritably. “Aren’t you the one that said it was time to grow up? If I’m to have any hope of protecting myself against Tlaloc or Voldemort, I have to push myself to learn as much as possible as quickly as possible.” He threw down his damp towel and stalked away angrily.

Hunter jogged to catch up. “There’s no need to get shirty with me, Harry. I was only saying it out of concern for your mental and physical wellbeing. I think you’re pushing your mind and body too hard. By the time the game comes round, you’re going to be worn out. That’s all.”

Harry stopped abruptly. “Don’t worry. I’ll be ready,” he bit out tersely.

Hunter laid a hand on Harry’s shoulder in a fatherly way, quiet confidence embedded in his weather-worn face. “I know you will be. I’d just hate to see you make a stupid mistake because you hadn’t taken care of yourself properly. If you keep this up you could get ill, and then where would we be? The game is next week and soon after that it’ll be time to go home. You should think about conserving your energy for the match.”

Harry made a non-committal noise in the back of his throat and nodded his head in acknowledgement, but did not agree to stop training so hard. Hunter didn’t understand that he had a very good reason for learning all these new spells and building up his endurance. He was not about to be ambushed again by Tom or anyone else and risk getting hurt or killed. Ginny’s life was at stake and he would not let her down.

Hunter’s very sharp eyes picked up on the fact that Harry was not listening and decided to take a very drastic step in order to make the boy slow down. “I know of something that can help you focus your mind better, increase you senses, and improve your performance in every aspect of your life — and make you take it easy. Interested?”

Harry’s ears perked up at the offer. “Of course.”

“Hear me out first, Harry, before you make up your mind,” Stephen warned him. “This is a very intensive kind of training. I first learned it in Auror training. Psychologically, it will be very challenging. I’m not really sure you’re up for it, although it could help you a great deal in the ballgame.”

“Er… okay,” he said slowly. “What is it, then?”

“It’s a form of sensory deprivation. Did you know that when a person loses their senses, the other senses increase to compensate for the one that is lost?”

“Like when a person goes blind, they suddenly can hear much sharper?” Harry said.

Hunter nodded. “Exactly. This spell deprives you of the senses one by one and then returns them to you, one by one. The result should increase your perception of the world, essentially “tuning” you to focus on what others may miss. It has the added benefit of enhancing your ability to see magic all around you, which opens your mind up to a whole other plane where you can actually see the magic forming. Depending on how long you’re able to withstand the effects of the spell, you should be able to anticipate the type of spells being thrown at you and prepare an effective block or counter curse. The longer you’re under, the greater the effects.”

“How long do I have to be under it before that happens?”

Hunter shrugged. “The longest I ever heard was three days. The bloke who lasted that long turned out to be one of the fastest duellers in the history of the academy.”

Harry raised an eyebrow at Hunter’s grin. “What happened to him?”

“You’re looking at him.”

Harry tucked this bit of information in the back of his mind and asked, “So, when can we start?”

“Are you sure about this?”

Harry nodded his head. If Hunter could last three days, he would make sure to last four.
“How about tomorrow morning?”

“Sounds good. I’ll make the arrangements.”


Pronunciation guide

Xolotl: She-o-LO-tl
Quetzal: ket-SAL
Quetzalcoatl: ket-sal-CO-atl
Tezcatlipoca: tez-ca-tli-PO-ca
Tlilli Tlapalla: t-lil-li tla-pa-la
Tecuhtl: te-COO-tl
Masaya: ma-SA-ya
Tlaloc: TLA-lock
Chac: ch-ock
Chuen: chew-en
Popol Vuh: po-pol VOO
Mixtec: mix-TE-ca
Xian: she-I-an
Ehecailacozcatl: e-e-kai-la-KOS-katl



[A/N: Sorry for the mix-up with the duplicate chapters last time. Unfortunately, I had to delete the story and resubmit it. That was the only way I could see to fix the problem.

Again, if anyone wants to check out a new yahoo group based on the H/G ship, we now have one. It's http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hgfic/ and we need active members. We're striving to produce thoughtful reviews about our favourite stories. I also have a new story archived there that can only be found on the group website for now. It's a WIP. Check it out and let me know what you think. It's called Bring Me To Life and is a Post-Hogwarts R rated fic with four chapters so far. There's some other really talented authors archived there and anyone is welcome to join, so long as you're an H/G shipper.]


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